Page 46 of Fighting the Lies

“No. You’re the only woman who will ever carry my child. You also don’t have to ever worry about me straying. It seems that, as well as my heart, you own my dick. It doesn’t work unless it’s for you. I made a mistake. I trusted Nuka to let you live freely here with Glacial Blood. I thought they could survive without me, but they needed you. I didn’t think that you needed me, and for once, I don’t mean that in a big-headed way. I love you, Emma. I’m sorry.” He gave her his best sorry expression. For once, it came to him easily. He had focused on the wrong thing to save her. He’d come good in the end.

“You will have more to worry about than droopy dick, if you try to cheat on me. I know where my mum keeps her sword, and I’m just as handy with cutting off heads, legs, arms, appendages…hair.”

“You wouldn’t.” He exclaimed.

“Try me, buster.” She joked.

“The mane is always off limits. You know that.”

Emma stilled. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I’m scared of bringing a child into this world.” She lay her head on his broad chest. He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He gently settled her down and lay next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and brought her head to lay in the crock.

“I don’t even know who my father is. I know that he was a Moroccan King, just as my mother was a queen. My father was one of five breeding males, at that time, who visited my mother in a nightly cycle. There are not many of us left in the world. There must be no more than ten breeding age males, twenty women. I’m talking true bloods; Barbary lions through the ages descended from the first King. That is what I am, one of the ten. I have one brother and four sisters. My mother had three litters before she lost her fertility. To only have two males was a shame. How were we supposed to raise to the greatness of our ancestors again within only such a small pool of males? Except our ancestors weren’t great. They were elitist and ruined the lives of so many people around them, not bad for the pets that they were. Owned by the true human kings of Morocco. The famous story belies the truth.” He held her a little tighter.

“How come you are not there as one of the males now?” She pressed a kiss to his chest.

“My laziness saved me. My mother kicked me out when I turned sixteen. It didn’t matter what my lineage was. They knew that I would never make the required number of children to make the name good again.”

“Yah for laziness.” She murmured into him, this time. The words sounded sleepy.

“We both have bad blood in our bodies, but we have outgrown it and become good people. We fight for what is right, and we’ll fight for this baby. We’ll make the world it grows up in perfect. It’ll know that it’s loved by both its mother and father, as well as the numerous aunts and uncles it has in the pack. Even grumpy old granddad Kas will love it, I’m sure.”

Emma softly chuckled. “Granddad Kas.”

“I’ll let you tell him that he’s going to be called that. He’ll probably take a chunk out of me for even suggesting it.” He stroked her hair. Emma’s breathing was evening out. She was exhausted and growing their baby. She was so brave.

“We’ll make good parents.” He spoke quietly.

“I love you,” she replied.

“Sleep. Grow our baby.”

For the first time in a week, he allowed his body to relax. Emma’s breath evened out. She’d fallen asleep. He slid his free hand down to her stomach.

“Hello in there. I’m your daddy. I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about how to be a lion, like which meat tastes best and how to eat it without having to lift a finger, and your mommy will teach you all the rest of the stuff, like how to catch it. We’ll be a family. Here, in Glacial Blood, you will always be loved. No one will ever tell you to leave, and you won’t want to, because this is home.

---