Slay My Soul

Eve returns late that afternoon, white as a ghost, with her father helping her to the couch.

"What did you do?" I growl at him. He chuckles.

"Barking up the wrong tree there," he snorts. "This was definitely not my doing." Acassus shoves past me.

"Beautiful girl, it's going to be alright," he says, cuddling her gently.

"It's not," she sniffles. "Doc said I can only have one coffee a day, and I can't eat cheesecake anymore. I throw it up! What kind of monster does that?" She wails dramatically, while Sirus hides a grin and pats her hand soothingly.

"It won't be for too long, and then you can bathe in coffee and cheesecake if you want," Acassus reassures her. I'm beginning to realize they all know something I don't know.

"Would someone like to clue me in on what you are all talking about?" I ask. Eve's eyes flicker to me and she swallows hard.

"I'll call the others, and tell you all together," she says offering me a wobbly smile. Before long the whole circle is gathered in the lounge. But Eve is still looking around for something.

"What's going on kitten?" Garret asks worriedly taking in her pale skin and the slight shake of her hands.

"There's an alien inside me!" Eve blurts. We all look at her dumbfounded.

"What she means to say is that she is having a baby." Sirus smoothly interjects. "My daughter is pregnant. The baby is measuring at sixteen human weeks but is showing signs of wolf being the most dominant. The DNA test result has narrowed the father down to Reece." Darius whoops and snatches her from the couch for a bear hug. The guys are all grinning and high-fiving with the excitement of us being a family unit. Eve however is still looking around the room. Then it clicks. She is looking for Reece's soul. She wants him to know. Asmodeus has clearly noticed the same and goes to her.

"He is not here little one, he has moved on now that you are safe." Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"But he didn't even say goodbye! He wouldn't have just left!" Eve says distressed.

"I'm sorry Eve, if it's any consolation, he knew about the baby, he overheard Acassus and Sirus talking about it last night. He suspected it was his. He said you will be an amazing Mom," the Demon says. Eve's eyes narrow dangerously as she registers Reece has indeed gone. Darius is looking just as pissed. I hope wherever Reece ended up, he starts running now and never stops. She may kill him all over again if Darius doesn't beat her to it. Even I'm pissed. He could have at least said goodbye. "Sometimes spirits move on as soon as they accept their death. Sometimes the unconscious choice to move on clicks in before they even realize they have chosen. Maybe he knew you were safe now and had a piece of him to keep. That may have been enough to move him on," Asmodeus explains hurriedly sensing her murderous rage building. It's like the wind has been taken from her sails.

"So he didn't just take off?" She asks, tone pleading.

"He loved you more than life. I doubt he realized he was moving on until it was too late." The horned beast hugs her and strokes her back.

"Back to what we were talking about," Sirus butts in. "Eve is due in eight weeks. So I suggest you all figure out where home is, sort out how the world is going to run now, and get cracking on that nursery you will be needing." Lysario jumps like someone has put a rocket up his ass, and rushes off to grab paper and pens. I pop my head over his shoulder and grin as I see him listing baby items that will be needed. Darius is cooing to Eve's stomach at their new link to Reece, and Garret is wrapped around Eve whispering soothingly to her as he acknowledges this new loss.

My mind is racing with what we need to put in place empire-wise in as stress-free of a way as possible. I grab my own paper and pen, listing suggestions down for Eve to go over in the next few days. Hopefully, she likes some of them and all she needs to do is choose what she wants to be done, leaving us to implement it all for her. I glance up and see Garret wiping silent tears from Eve's eyes as they start to move her to a bed. We really do need to get settled in a room, she's going to have trouble getting out of a bed so low if we stay in the lounge. I will go and see what the new pack house is doing tomorrow as well. Lysario has pulled out a laptop and is in deep concentration adding every baby item under the sun to a virtual shopping cart while Mikyda and Acassus excitedly point to things on the screen to add to the growing cart. I notice Sirus discreetly bugger off after passing an envelope to Dev.

"Guys look," Dev breathes in awe, as he pulls photos out of the envelope. He holds up the first one and it registers it's a photo of our baby. I can feel the excitement thrum through my body. We are going to be parents. I'm going to be a Dad! At that moment I realize none of us care who the Dad is as we ooh and ahh over the photos. This baby is all of ours. I'm hoping it's a little girl, the spitting image of her mother. But then I remember how attractive Eve is and scowl. I would have to protect her from all the boys trying to get in her pants when she gets older. Maybe a boy would be the safer, less stressful option. With Eve and Reece being chimera, I worry that our daughter will also end up with a harem of mates. I shudder at the idea of our daughter being possessed by so many men. We are just lucky Sirus is crazy. No sane parent would be okay with their child in a relationship like the one we have. We definitely need to pray for a boy.

I put the pens and paper aside, stopping my feverish list of ideas. When I glance up, I find they've all fallen asleep. I turn off the light and settle into sleep. I'm just dozing off when I sense movement. I watch quietly as Eve extracts herself and tiptoes out the back door. I wait a moment before quietly going after her. She's kneeling at Reece's grave. Talking lowly. I inch forward so I don't disturb her and catch her words.

"-gutted you couldn't say goodbye. I hope wherever you are you are happy and safe. Wait for me my love so one day we can be together again. We are going to have a baby, and I hope they have your beautiful eyes. Also just a heads up I'm going to kick your ass first before I smother you in kisses." I snort-laugh before I can catch myself, and she startles.

"Sorry," I apologize kissing the top of her head. "I think he would expect nothing less from you. He will wait for you forever you know."

"He better," she growls.

"Come on Amor, let's get you back to bed, it's cold out here and life is about to get busy now that Reece has left us a beautiful parting gift." She reaches down and strokes her flat abdomen.

"Hard to believe there's a mini Reece growing in there," she whispers.

"Won't be so hard to believe once your belly grows and you feel the baby kicking."

"Jesus I'm going to be fat and eat my own body weight daily, gross!" She exclaims wrinkling her nose.

"No you are going to look beautiful and we will all adore the changes in your body and our baby growing inside you. The idea of your swollen belly is so damn sexy," I correct.

"You say that now, wait until all the heartburn and farting side starts," she laughs. I halt in my tracks.

"Wait, how much farting are we talking about?" I ask worriedly.

"Lots of farting," she laughs, heading for the back door as I wrinkle my own nose.