SWNOVELS Chapter 24
I pry my gaze away from his huge--
"Can I be of service?" he asks, and dear heaven help me I just want to throw myself at this man.
"Um. Sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here."
He takes another step closer, until our bodies are almost touching. "I don't mind sharing."
I don't even know what we're talking about anymore. All I can think is 1: why aren't we both naked? 2: how can I brush my teeth before this goes any further? And 3: who cares what my third thought is. Let's go back to one. Why aren't we both naked?
I feel lost in the woods when I look into his eyes, and as his arm slides around my waist, pulling me against the hard length of his body, I go weightless.
He brushes his lips against my neck. "You feel it too."
I don't know what 'it' means, but yes, I certainly feel something.
He flicks his tongue against the spot he bit in the bath, and heat pools in my abdomen as my body aches in need of him.
"Careful, woman. You're playing with fire."
When he pulls away from me, I feel like a balloon that's been deflated. And as he walks out, closing the door behind him, I lean against the bathroom counter and take a deep breath. Damn him.
Once I can stand without shaking, I groom and dress for the day, then head to the living room.
The Sexies are still gathered around the table, and I wonder if they just stayed up all night staring at each other like weirdos--with the exception of Zev, of course, who at least had a brief break to torture me in the bathroom. They explain that they did not, with Rune and Zev sleeping in shifts, while Darius of course remained awake since he's a creature of the night.
While I slept, a few plans were hatched. I'm not allowed to travel without a guard, and I can't be alone with just one prince until the pledge takes effect. Therefore, Rune and Zev will accompany me on my journey to see my grandma. Journey is their word, not mine--we're driving like fifteen minutes down to Ipswich.
In the meantime, Darius will stay here to get his two hours of sleep and ask AJ questions about potential places to find a unicorn. AJ's still asleep and it makes me really, really sad to know I won't be in the house to see her face when Darius starts inquiring about the local mythical creature scene.
After feeding, changing, and
bundling Rain, get myself ready to step into the world for the first time since I became a mother. It's an odd sensation, thinking of who I might see and what they might say, and it's all made odder by the fact that I'll have to explain the gorgeous, mysterious company I'm keeping.
As I buckle Rain down in the carseat in the back of my 2004 Subaru Forester--affectionately named The Boobaru by AJ--I'm surprised by how excited I am. I'm outside! I get to go for a drive! I'm like a happy retriever.
I try to hide my giddiness as Rune
gets into the passenger seat next to me. His presence is a strange mix of calming and electric, accelerating my heart rate while wrapping me in a warm sense of security. Two days postpartum and I'm developing a schoolgirl crush on at least two hunks from another realm. Hard to tell if I'm lucky or cursed.
The roads from Rowley to Ipswich are shit, which makes the drive longer but gives Zev and Rune more time to break down the prophecy that's upended my life and the lives of many others. From the way they talk three realms are in the throes of chaos and on the verge of collapse because of this... situation.
"The issue for so many," Rune explains, "is that you have to look back to the beginning of time, the origin story of each race, to understand the problems underlying our societies today. Most of the brightest fae, werewolves and vampires are not capable of that scope of thought." "Certainly not vampires," Zev growls from the back.
"Well, let's see how a human can handle it," I say. "Start from the beginning."
Rune nods, and it seems like both an affirmation to my request and like he's queuing up a really long story in his head. I ease off the gas a little; no need to hurry when I've got the history of an entire world coming my way.
"The story starts with the Fates, who originally spawned the--"
"What's a Fate?" I ask, crashing Rune's story before it even has a chance to begin.
"They were the original witches--sisters, who had great power," Zev offers from the back. He leans forward and grips my seat, his fingers brushing against my arm, not that I'm paying attention to that. "In addition to their own kind, they created all races of magical beings." "The first witch created vampires from her blood," Rune says, continuing as if Zev hadn't interrupted. "The second turned a rib into the first of the wolves, and the third gave life to the fae with the air from her lungs."
"Okay," I say, skeptically. "So far it sounds like the parts of the Bible I find hardest to believe."
"I've read your Bible and I don't disagree," Zev says with a gruff chuckle that sends shivers up my spine. "But the fae have documented history from the second generation of existence."
"And vampires being what they are, many direct descendants of the Fate's creation still live today," Rune adds. "Darius is only three generations removed."
Well, shit. Looks like the paranormals brought receipts.
"Fine, you're all made from witch parts," I concede as snarkily as possible. "What was the prophecy written on? One of the Fate's arm fat?"