Everan tumbled into the grass beside me and pulled me down into his arms. I knew I hadn't conceived yet, my birth control was good for another month, but the thought that we'd be trying soon made me smile as I nestled closer. And Danu seemed to smile around us.
Chapter Ten
I couldn't stay long in Danu and not just because Braxis would be arriving soon. I needed to get back to Earth to go out with Edward Leshing—something that made Everan grumble. But after our wild interlude in the forest and our baby decision, he couldn't be upset for long. He decided to put off a meeting with his advisers so he could return to Earth with me the next morning and speak to the others about having a baby.
“Give me a second, darling,” I said as I headed into my dressing room.
We had twisted directly into my bedroom so I could change out of the dress I'd worn to Danu. I pulled on a pair of black jeans and a blush-pink cami top with lace panels over the shoulders. A pair of pink suede flats and a little lip gloss completed the look. I left my hair down, hanging to my hips. I'd been growing it out for my kishanos, and they preferred it left loose so they could appreciate my efforts. Once I was ready, I took Everan's hand and headed downstairs with him. He had changed into some human clothes before we left Danu and looked devastatingly handsome in his slacks and dress shirt with the top two buttons left undone. His hair was loose like mine, adding some softness to the sharp angles of his face. Even in those human clothes, Everan looked like a king.
The murmur of voices led us into the office. The room had been built with a businessman in mind—someone who worked from home. It had a separate entrance and soundproofing thicker than what was in the rest of the house, so that whoever worked within wouldn't be disturbed by their family or vice versa. Currently, however, the office door was open and Malik's voice drifted out.
I grinned at Everan, thinking to surprise Malik, and as we strolled into the office, I blithely asked, “Has anyone seen a handsome Bleiten wandering around?”
Then I froze in the doorway, my grin going slack.
There were two Bleiten warriors in the office, along with a Faulin, a Triari, and a human. But my gaze had snagged on the second Bleiten—the bigger of the two. His face was clean-shaven now, his rugged beard banished to reveal the even more rugged jawline beneath. But his shoulder-length auburn hair was still worn in a Reaksarian style, with the upper third pulled back into a braid that hung over the rest of those shining locks. His full lips spread in a smile. Not a smirk as I'd seen so often on his face but a true smile, as if he were looking at something he cherished. Pale green eyes lit with joy as the new Duke of Hell stood and crossed the room.
Braxis Fengoth had terrified me once. I had tried not to show it, but his warrior build—taller and more muscular than any Bleiten I'd ever met—seemed as if it were made for war. To slaughter his enemies. And I had been his enemy once. One of those strong hands had wrapped around my throat and carelessly cut off my breath. That brutal body had covered mine, flesh pressed to flesh, and done wicked things to me. But I wasn't afraid anymore. This same man had cried in my arms and knelt at my feet. He had professed his love for me and his determination to win my love in return. I couldn't fear him after that. And yet my heart raced.
“Hello, pretty pixie,” Braxis whispered in his deep, primal voice.
“Hello, Braxis,” I whispered back. Then I let go of Ever's hand, turned, and fled.
I know. Even as I strode away, I called myself a coward. Braxis didn't chase me, though he likely had to fight the urge to do so. Instead, Malik came after me, with a murmur to Braxis as he left the room. I didn't hear what he said; my heart was pounding too loudly in my ears.
“Mvarra,” Malik growled as we entered the kitchen.
Even though it was morning in D.C. I went to a cabinet and pulled out my stash of acoo. Malik scowled as he watched me swig from the bottle. I wouldn't normally do such a thing, but I was too unsettled to wait for a glass. Liquid courage now, please.
“Mvarra,” Mal said again, this time more gently.
“I can't,” I whispered tremulously as I turned to face him. “Oh, sweet stars, Mal. I thought I could, but I can't do this.”
“What do you think will happen?” he asked gently.
“I think...” I let out a shaky breath. “He's just so... What if I...?”
“What if you fall in love with him and then you can't have him?” Malik asked as he held my gaze.
I let out my breath. It was something Cyprian would say, not Malik. Cyprian was the one to who I could confide anything. The man who would accept anything about me without getting hurt. For Mal to ask that question meant that... What did it mean?
“Have you been spending time with Cyprian?” I asked.
Malik chuckled and looked a little embarrassed. “I wanted to learn more about the Fusion. I ended up learning more about Cyprian. He's... well, he's opened my eyes to a few things.”
“And you're just telling me now?”
“I'm still me. Nothing's changed.” Malik eased up to me, crowding me against the counter with his muscular body.
Braxis was massive, but Mal wasn't small either. He loomed over me, surrounding me with sculpted muscles that were just a breath away from being too much. A demon prince of Hell with the soul of an angel. A merciless warrior and tender lover. I sighed as I laid my cheek on his broad chest. This was the Bleiten man I loved, and he was all the demon I needed.
“I'm with you, Mvarra,” Malik murmured as he wrapped himself around me. His mating mark on my neck pulsed with the soft warmth of his happiness. “Always. You're safe with me, and I want you to feel free to say anything without fear of judgment.”
“As I do with Cyprian?” I smiled against his chest.
I could hear the grin in his voice when he said, “As you do with Cyprian.”
“I love you, Mvarro.”
