Page 40 of Beyond Fate

“Kíen!” He shoved her foot away, surprised he’d remembered the word Casimir had taught him. “You walk around barefooted all the time. Don’t stick your toes in my face.”

Her jaw dropped. “Why on earth would Casimir teach you such a vile word?” she demanded.

“It means gross, right?” Though Damon recalled his mate warning him to never say it again.

“I’m too much of a lady to tell you what it really means,” she snarled. “Do yourself a favor and never say it again, Mr. Icky Mouth.”

Since he’d just highly insulted Elvine, now Damon really had to find out what it meant, mostly so he could kick Casimir’s ass. “Sorry, squirt. I didn’t know it was that offensive. I’m going to beat—” He stopped midsentence when Casimir walked into the kitchen, his gaze zeroed in on Damon’s chest.

“Come on, snoop.” Raidh grabbed Elvine’s hand. “It’s a private matter.”

She tugged on his hand and whined, “But it’s gonna be a sweet moment, and I want to see it!”

With a growl, Raidh forced her out of the kitchen, but not before she looked at Damon with a huge grin on her face.

“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Damon demanded. “Fine, I won’t come down to the kitchen in my underwear anymore.” He eased back when Casimir reached out to touch him. “Why does everyone want to touch me this morning?

“You have the mytcôniz,” Casimir said in astonishment, as if Damon would understand the word the second time around.

“Is it something like a rash? I swear to god I’m never touching a burrito again,” he grumbled.

“Nékah…how?” Casimir ran his fingers across Damon’s neck, causing him to shiver. “How is this possible?’

Damon had no idea what Casimir was talking about, but he was getting hard from his mate’s touch. “If you tell me what it is, I might be able to explain the ‘how.’”

Casimir’s gaze lowered to Damon’s stomach before he glanced into his eyes. “You are with child.”

The crackers hit the floor as Damon’s heart stopped. “Come again?”

Placing his spread hand on Damon’s stomach, Casimir looked confused. “Your neck bares the mytcôniz. It is a pale pink mark that circles your neck. When the two ends meet, you will be ready to give birth.”

Ducking from between Casimir and the counter, Damon jabbed a finger at his mate. “I know I didn’t just hear you right. There’s no fucking way you just said I’m pregnant, Casimir. You got me fucking bent!”

His hand began to glow, causing fog to start filling the kitchen. Pregnant? His mate had lost his goddamn mind.

“Calm down, nékah.” Casimir reached for him, but Damon took a few steps back.

“Calm down?” He gestured at his body. “I’m 300 pounds of solid hairy muscle.”

Casimir swept a heated gaze over him. “I’m well aware you’re gorgeous.”

“Don’t you dare give me a look like you want to fuck me,” he growled. “Not when you just knocked me up. You better tell me that you didn’t know this could happen, or I swear I’m cutting your goddamn balls off.”

Casimir had looked shocked when he’d seen…whatever it was called, but Damon was too freaked out for logic right now. Pregnant? He looked like a rough biker with a long beard. How in the hell…

Just then his brothers and dad entered the kitchen. “Everything okay in here, son? We heard shouting.”

Damon jabbed a finger at Casimir once again. “Tell this crackpot I’m not pregnant!”

At the same time, three pairs of eyebrows shot up as their jaws fell.

“Did you just say pregnant?” Jax asked as his gaze dropped to Damon’s stomach.

Casimir pressed his hands against his hips as he looked toward the ceiling as if Damon was being unreasonable.

Goddamn right he was. He wasn’t born with a freaking uterus. He had a cock between his legs, not a vagina. Casimir’s restored powers must have short-circuited his brain.

“Christian’s blood,” Kalen said, his gaze glued to Damon’s gut. “Male vampires can only become pregnant if they are a direct descendant. But if he added his own powerful blood for that spell…”

---