Claimed (Blood Ties Book 6)

London was the father…

I stared at the kitchen counter, replaying the moment it had hit me. My pulse skipped, then raced. Twins…as in two babies were inside me. Two babies. Two fathers. How in the hell had that happened? The water sloshed in the glass in my hand.

“You okay?”

I jerked my head upwards, finding Carven standing in the doorway staring intently at me. I forced a smile. “Fine.”

He scowled, then shook his head, moving around the counter toward me. “Can’t lie to me, Wildcat.”

I shook my head, then stopped. I guess there was one thing I couldn’t do with the men I lived with and that was to hide my feelings. “I’m numb, if I’m honest.”

He stopped in front of me. “Why? Has it got two heads or something? What did the doc say?”

He didn’t know.

“I—I’m pregnant,” I started.

“That we already know, Wildcat.”

“With two babies.”

He froze, his mouth open, before he slowly spoke. “Twins?”

I shook my head. “No. Not twins.” I saw the fear and excitement as I took a step closer. “Two babies by two different fathers. Conceived at different times.”

“Two babies, Wildcat.” He grinned, totally missing the point. “TWO BABIES!”

With a rush, he lunged forward, grabbed me around the waist, and lifted my feet from the floor. “Two babies,” he beamed, pulling me close until he nuzzled his face against my neck…then froze.

A low, deadly sound echoed in the air.

Threatening.

Careful.

I slowly lifted my head, to find Colt standing in the doorway. Only it wasn’t Colt, was it? It was the savage part of his nature that had splintered from his mind, the beast. Carven eased me back down as his own twin brother slowly rounded the counter, turning his attention from me to Carven.

“You’ve been through a fucking brutal ordeal, brother,” Carven declared as he stared at Colt’s missing thumb. “But you need to leash that fucking monster, or he and I are gonna come to blows.”

Just like that, Colt stopped in the middle of the kitchen. His dark eyes brightened. There was a shake of his head before confusion set in. One look around, and Colt…the real Colt settled on us. “Vivienne? Carven?” he whispered, his voice husky.

Carven stepped forward, carefully at first, before he grabbed his brother around the shoulders and pulled him into his arms “Good to see you, buddy. That other part of you is a real asshole.”

Tears welled in my eyes at the sight. I swallowed the water in my glass and felt it move around the hard lump in the back of my throat. Colt lifted that haunted gaze to me. Dark circles swelled under his eyes, but still they softened as they settled on me.

“Babies,” he whispered.

My lips trembled as I nodded. “Yes, babies.”

He left his brother, and moved slowly toward me. Carven shifted, observing his brother carefully. But I wasn’t afraid, not of him, or the animal part of his nature. I lifted my hands as Colt stepped into my arms. His strong, trembling muscles seemed to release under my touch.

“That’s the way,” I urged, sliding my hands along his powerful shoulders. He lowered his head to my shoulder, curling his spine into me. “Two babies and you’re father of one of them. London…London is the other.”

They both jerked their gaze to mine at that one. I didn’t have all the answers. I’d barely come to terms with any of this myself. “Familia est omnia,” I whispered, the words coming from nowhere.

“Familia est omnia,” Colt murmured, his voice husky in my ear.

“Familia est omnia,” Carven repeated.

Beep.

His phone chimed, breaking the moment. But it didn’t matter. We were together and family…and that’s all that mattered. I breathed in the heady scent of Colt, losing myself in the comfort of him. Desire ignited, coming to life as I exhaled.

“London’s on his way here,” Carven said, drawing my focus to him. “He wants to talk to us.”

Instantly, I lifted my head. “Is everything okay?”

He just gave a shrug. “I guess we’re about to find out.”

My chest tightened as Colt took a step away, then bent down to kiss me softly. Oh. I melted into that kiss, opening my mouth to take every gentle brush. I ached for that, desperate for something different. These men were always so hard, so demanding…and this…this wasn’t anything like that.

Colt took my hand and lifted it, placing it flat against his chest. The strong beat of his heart vibrated under my palm as he broke the kiss and lifted his head.

“I love you,” I whispered, catching the faint sound of London’s car turning into the drive.

He held my stare, those blue eyes darkening for just a second as the beast tried to push through. But Colt…my Colt held on. “I love you,” he repeated, his tone deeper, sounding almost like that darker part of his nature. So deep I wasn’t sure if it was him or that dangerous entity inside him who answered.

I gave him a smile, watching his eyes brighten.

A car door thudded outside.

Carven glanced toward the doorway. “This can’t be good,” he muttered and headed for the hallway.

Colt followed his brother, leaving me last. London strode toward us, his focus directed at me as he slowed at the doorway, waving me back inside toward the study first.

“Okay,” Carven muttered. “Hit us with it.”

London unbuttoned his jacket and tossed it over the back of the chair before he took his usual stance, leaning back against the desk. His shirt strained as he rolled the sleeves and crossed his arms.

“Well?” Carven snapped. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”

“My gut is telling me the Ares murders are connected to Hale somehow,” he started, glancing at me. “But it’s not an outward attack, not from what I’ve seen.”

Surprise hit me. I shook my head. “It’s not?”

“No.” He settled that careful stare on me. “I think it’s exactly what they said it was…a murder-suicide.”

A murder-suicide. In my head, I saw the way Dante and Meredith Ares had looked at each other in that sitting room. They were in love, that had been so damn obvious. Blinded by their obsession, they barely saw anyone else. That wasn’t a couple at war…not one that ended in both of them dead.

Then Angelica slipped in…

Angelica, with her quiet, careful demeanor.

Angelica, whose gaze was fixed on me, because she knew.

She knew I’d seen her in that place….

With the Principal.

“The wife was scared.” Colt shook his head. His deep voice was huskier than it was before. “She knew Ophelia was coming after us and she wanted to be as far from that as possible. Because she was scared of Dante finding out what she was up to. Maybe he did. Maybe he found out and he didn’t like it one bit.”

My body trembled as a chill tore through me. The idea of that was terrifying. This had The Order written all over it. The repercussions of that vile place would be neverending. “I don’t like this,” I whispered, meeting his dark stare. “I don’t like any of it.”

“I don’t either. But right now, we have enough to deal with…” he winced, choosing his words carefully. “Seeing as how Ryth and her stepbrothers are back.”

My breath stopped.

My mind raced.

“Ryth’s back?” I glanced at the others. Carven wasn’t showing any hint of surprise, but Colt was.

“Yes,” London answered carefully. “And she wants to see you.”

My chest swelled as my lips curled. “Yes…now? Can we go now?” I started moving toward the doorway.

“No, pet.” His answer stopped me cold. “There are things you need to understand. Things you need to prepare yourself for.”

I spun, finding that same careful expression fixed on me. “What things?”

He pushed from the desk and strode across the room. “Things haven’t been easy for her. I need you…” He glanced at the others. “We need you to prepare yourself.”

Things haven’t been easy? What the hell did that mean? “Tell me,” I demanded.

“She’s pregnant…” He lowered his gaze to my stomach. “Very…very pregnant. And it looks like the pregnancy hasn’t been easy. She’s going to watch your every reaction, every flinch, every stutter. It’s all going to matter to her. The Banks boys are protective enough already.”

Then it hit me. I stepped closer to him. So close he automatically reached for me, pulling me against his muscular body. “She was supposed to stay hidden. Why is she here?”

He looked down. “It seems Dante and the other heads of the families didn’t like that they were hiding. They wanted them where they could see and use them.”

I flinched as it hit me. “Did they kill the Ares’?” As soon as the question arose, I knew it didn’t sound like them.

“It’s possible.”

“But you don’t believe they did.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“So I can see her, then. I can see my sister.”

He didn’t like the thought of that. One glance around the study and I saw none of them liked it.

Except for me.

“As soon as I can make sure it’s safe,” London answered.

I fixed my stare on him. “Then make it safe, London. Make it safe and make it soon. Because it sounds like my sister needs me…and I need her.”