Page 74 of Shadow Fall: Part Two

I grinned, looking at Wyn. “I stole Wyn’s idea, and put a training room in the attic.”

“I knew Lili was bullshitting when she said there was no armoury,” Verena said with a sharp grin.

Kai stepped into her path when she headed for the door to the house upstairs. “Oh no, you don’t. You’re still in trouble.”

Verena rolled her eyes. “It was one glass of wine, calm down grandpa.”

Kai laughed. It wasn’t a laugh that heralded forgiveness or understanding. “Who’s training you tomorrow?” he mused.

“Oh god,” Verena breathed, her eyes widening. “I take back the snarky remark.”

“Too late. I’m gonna make you run laps of the city. I know you love running.”

Verena splayed herself dramatically over the bar. “You’re the fucking worst.”

“I fucking know,” he agreed cheerfully. “Shall we go explore upstairs?”

I grinned, and not even the ache in my spine, my ankles, my ribs, and every fucking other place in my body could get me down. We had a home, no one would ever knock it down, and no one was hunting us. Life was good.

All I needed now were a few orgasms, and it would be perfect.

WANE

“Here, see how you like it,” my mate huffed, fluttering around me *As much as a six-month-pregnant woman could flutter* to touch my shoulder, my back, to brush wavy hair out of my face, to stroke my cheek. The pub was still unopened, and would stay that way until the baby was born, but Em and Verena looked on with amusement where they sat across the bar with a platter of sandwiches and cold cuts.

“I do like it,” I replied, amused when she made a low, growling sound in her throat. I caught her against me, wrapping my arms around her above the sizable bump on her belly, resting my head on my shoulder to breathe in the scent of her. “And I can’t turn off the instincts that press me to care for you, itzaia.” I kissed the side of her neck. “Besides, you weren’t complaining this morning when I tied your shoelaces for you.”

“Because I can no longer fucking reach them,” she muttered under her breath, her shoulders stiff with irritation. It had taken me a month to realise she wasn’t angry at me but at her own limitations. “You need to be patient with your body, Haley.”

“No, what I need is to have this baby right now so I can see my goddamn feet again.”

“I didn’t know you were so emotionally attached to your feet.”

“Neither did I!” she growled, so fucking cute. “Until I lost the fuckers to this giant beach ball on my stomach.”

I couldn’t help but snort. “You’re so cute when you’re grumpy.”

“I will stab you so hard, you’ll regret ever calling me grumpy,” she threatened, her low voice a rumble that vibrated through her into me.

“Would you like me to get your daggers, itzaia?” I asked mildly, stifling a smile.

She grumbled. “No. I love you too much to hurt you, but stop hovering or I might change my mind.” She turned her face to give me a glare that only reminded me why I fell in love with her. I never took it for granted—her attention, her care, her love. Harvey and the others might have forgiven me for keeping the baby a secret, but forgiving myself didn’t happen overnight and they were right that I’d fucked up. I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it,” Haley said, her tone changing to one of patience and love. She very seriously asked, “Do you need a blowjob?”

“Ugh, gross!” Verena yelled.

“Stop eavesdropping if you don’t like what you hear,” Haley shouted back, making Em snort.

We all startled when the heavy front door squealed open, sunlight through the stained glass window painting a multicoloured cockerel across the stained floorboards.

In seconds, Kai, Wyn, and Harvey burst into the room, reacting to the distress through the bond, Haley’s emotions heightened lately. Kai wore only a tiny pink towel, his red hair drenched from the shower he’d cut short, and the rest of us were dressed in casual clothes, not the armour I suddenly wished we were decked out in.

It had been months since we’d had to fight, and I’d begun to relax, to let my guard down. Cronus was gone, and sometimes I could even bring myself to accept that, to use his name and know he wasn’t going to find me, throw me back in my cell in the Damned Realm, and cut my shadows away. Even though I knew he was dead, there was still a part of me that believed the tall, dark-haired woman stepping into our home had come here to drag me back to that place.

But there was no hostility on her light brown face, nothing but curiosity and nervousness in her grey eyes. And she wasn’t wearing armour herself; instead a frilly red dress clung to her frail shoulders, sweeping down to her ankles where she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

“I’m looking for Halwen Vakhara,” the woman said, looking right at Haley like she knew exactly who she was despite her statement. She took a small step, her eyes wide and hopeful, but she jumped when we all leapt in front of Haley, smothering her in protection she’d grumble about later. But if it kept her and our baby safe, I’d risk my mate’s grumpy wrath.

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