“Owen is what?” Holy shit. If Owen could, that meant—shit. “I can’t be a father,” I mumbled under my breath.
My heart raced for an entirely different reason now. It felt like the walls were closing in. I leaned over, grasping my knees to steady myself.
“Easy, Talon. It’s going to be okay. Breathe, babe, breathe,” Dominic soothed, rubbing my back in slow circles.
I looked up at my mates. Lucas was biting his lip, visibly anxious, while Dominic somehow remained the picture of calm. How could he be so composed? I took several deep breaths as Dominic guided me to a couch, where I collapsed with a heavy sigh.
“Why didn’t they tell us sooner? Do they realize how much sex we’ve had?” I asked, my breathing finally evening out.
“That’s exactly what I asked. Apparently, only bonded pairs get to know,” Lucas explained, using air quotes around ‘bonded pairs.’
“Why only bonded pairs? And fuck, we’ve been bonded for over three weeks. They could’ve told us sooner. I’m not ready to be a dad. Fuck, I’d probably be like the asshole who sired me.”
“You will never be like him, Talon. Never. You are a kind and good man. You will be a great dad,” Dominic said earnestly.
“Dom’s right,” Lucas agreed. “You’re going to be a great dad. And to answer your question, apparently, it’s a law not to tell anyone that isn’t fated.”
“Damn shifters and their archaic laws,” Dominic muttered under his breath.
I turned to my demon mate, bewildered. “Why are you so calm? You don’t seem surprised at all.”
Dominic shifted beside me and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not surprised. I’ve known about it.”
“You knew!” I sprang to my feet, shock morphing into anger.
How could he have known and not told us? Was one of us pregnant? Did he want that? Did he want to be a dad? The walls seemed to close in again, and my chest tightened with dread.
“Talon, please calm down,” Lucas said softly, his concern palpable. “I’m sure Dominic has a good explanation as to why he didn’t tell us.” He turned to Dominic, his eyes pleading. “You do, right? Have a good explanation.”
Dominic nodded. “I’m an eleven-thousand-year-old demon. Of course, I’d know about this.”
I clenched my fists and pressed my lips tightly together while Lucas closed his eyes. That may have been an explanation, but it wasn’t a satisfying one. Didn’t he understand? “Dominic. I don’t want to be pregnant,” I said gravely.
“Yes, and you’re not. Neither of you are. Please sit so I can explain everything.” Dominic reached out, his touch gentle as he grasped my wrist.
I allowed him to pull me back to the couch. Taking a few deep breaths and counting to ten twice, I turned to Dominic. “How are you sure?”
“Because demons use this.” He held up his hand, and a half-filled beaker of a purple swirling liquid appeared. “It’s our form of contraceptive. Demons make sure their minions take it. The last time the minions reproduced, it wasn’t pretty. It was on the fae plane, and well, we now have goblins.”
I released another breath, somewhat relieved. “And you’re sure?”
“I’m positive. I’d never think of us having a child without discussing it with both of you. Even though I stand by what I said—you’ll be a great father. Both of you will.”
I shrugged at his words. I didn’t know if I really would be a good dad or not. But at least I knew I wasn’t going to be a dad now.
“Wait, have you been dosing us with this stuff?” Lucas asked, pointing to the vial.
Dominic gave him a hard stare. “I wouldn’t dose my mates,” he said, irritation filling his tone.
“I didn’t mean to offend. Honestly, I didn’t,” Lucas soothed, reaching over and grasping Dom’s hand. “I’m sorry. It’s a lot to take in.”
Dominic nodded. “Only one of us must take it for it to be effective. I’ve been the one taking it. Speaking of, I’ll have to go back to the nether realm to get more. It’s only produced there.”
I released another sigh of relief. “That’s such a relief. I’m sorry for overreacting,” I whispered to Dominic.
He leaned over and gave me a reassuring peck on the lips. “I understand completely. I’d probably freak out even more if I hadn’t known.”
“We’re going to need to go through a list of everything you know because it seems Nana is slow in giving info,” Lucas chimed in.
