Page 49 of These Wicked Desires

"Apparently Chloe is Cole's mate," I say, leaning against Kai's shoulder.

"Whoa. Really?" Kai looks around me toward Cade. "And you're not freaking out about this?"

Cade shrugs and huffs a breath. "I mean, she's been captured for so long, I don't feel like I have any room to say anything."

"She's still your sister, Cade. Now more than ever you should be protecting her," Kai counters. “She’s been locked away for over 80 years. You think she’s ready to take on a mate?”

I frown, brows pulling low over my eyes. "Wait a minute." I hold up my hand toward Kai and stand up so I can look at them both. "You're not going to do anything," I say to Cade. "It's her life. It's her decision to make. Neither of you will say anything to her to try and sway her decision." I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my gaze at them.

Kai smirks before tugging me back down onto the couch. "Of course it's her choice. But it's also Cade's place as head of their family to make sure Chloe is safe. That doesn't mean he wouldn't let her be with Cole."

I sit back and bite my bottom lip. Ever since Cole announced Chloe was his mate, questions have been swirling inside me.

Kai bumps my shoulder. "Don't hurt yourself thinking so hard."

"Don't be an ass." I elbow him hard enough he grunts. "Is it ... is it possible for other races to procreate with each other? I mean I know mages can’t with non-mages."

Kai stiffens and Cade whips his head in my direction. They both stare at me with wide eyes and open mouths, and I'm pretty sure neither of them are breathing.

"Um, should I not have asked that?" I glance back and forth between them, nerves suddenly fluttering to life in my belly.

Before either of them can answer, Sterling enters the house, surprisingly wearing a shirt. He notices us in the living room, and snags a piece of bacon before sitting across from us in the chair.

"How are you feeling Cade?" Sterling asks, eyeing the mage.

"Better. But, apparently my sister is your brother's mate."

Sterling nods. "Yeah. Cole called me. I just got back from talking with him."

"Is he okay?" I ask, leaning forward. "He seemed really upset when he left."

Sterling huffs. "He will be. Cole has a girlfriend. They've been dating for a few years apparently. But the moment he laid eyes on Chloe it was all over for him." His icy blue eyes land on me, shining with an inner light. "I know that feeling well," he says quietly.

On either side of me, Kai and Cade nod their agreement. My heart flutters like it always does when I realize the depth of their love for me.

"Before you got here, Sterling, Ellis had an interesting question for us," Kai says, his gray eyes piercing me like a sharp knife.

"Oh?" Sterling raises one silver brow and settles into the chair.

Cade looks at me while he says, "She wants to know if it's possible for other races to procreate."

I learned first hand how the child of a mage and a shifter is essentially human. But what about vampires and shifters? Or any other combination?

Sterling whips his head in my direction, his expression matching Cade and Kai's when I asked the first time. "Why are you asking, Ellis?"

Heat warms my cheeks and I duck my head, using my hair as a shield. "I was just wondering," I mutter, picking at my nails and refusing to look at any of them.

"Just wondering, huh?" Kai says, grabbing my chin in his fingers and forcing me to meet his gaze. "You're wondering about our future, aren't you?"

I swallow, my throat tight and mouth dry. Shrugging, I pull my head free of his grasp and look back at my hands in my lap. Honestly, I hadn’t been. Until now. I was just curious about Cole and Chloe. But Kai’s question makes me wonder what will happen to us after we deal with Sam. I hadn’t ever really thought about children. The brief window of peace I had with Sam didn’t last long enough for me to dream. But now? With my Shields?

Sterling gets up and kneels in front of me, a small smile spreading across his face. "We've all thought about that, kitten. A lot." He waits for me to look at him, ducking his head slightly to meet my gaze. "And we all want it."

Kai squeezes my thigh and Cade rubs circles on my back. Some of the tightness in my chest eases as I realize I'm not the only one who’s thinking about a family.

"But is it even possible?" I ask. "Cade is a mage, he can't have kids with a non-mage."

Kai sighs and sits back on the couch. "I can't either. Have kids with a non-vamp that is."

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