Page 138 of Her Males

Fucking incubus.

My lips purse when Charlie traces the cracked book cover with her fingertip, the scent of the baby inside her hitting me again. It’ll be months before she begins to show, and I can’t wait. My pulse quickens at the thought of her swollen belly, instinct pushing me to lock her away in a room where she can’t be hurt.

It’s a miracle Aziel hasn’t done so already. I can tell it angers him to watch her run back and forth between our estate and the shifter lands, but he’s been good about keeping his possessive urges at bay.

I’ve been doing a lot of research on human pregnancies, and I stare in wonder at the sliver of belly exposed at the bottom of her shirt. I hope Charlie gets the stretch marks her kind is prone to. I’d like her to carry a physical reminder of the presents she gives us.

My chest aches. The presents she’ll give Aziel.

My body responds to the thought of her being pregnant with my baby, and I shift to hide it from her. Little Wraths will be cute, but fates are known to be the most well-behaved children. It’s in our genes, our temperament calm for the sake of keeping balance in the world.

I wonder if she’ll be upset when her children come out with no human traits. Our demonic genes will overpower all of hers, leaving them with nothing that resembles her. Maybe the sclera of their eyes will be white instead of black, the color not meaning much in terms of genetic progression.

Probably not.

Still, I think she’d love fate babies the most. Wraths will eat her alive, just as incubi will.

Charlie will be a good mother, though, and I’m sure Aziel will ensure their children don’t overrun her. I’m happy to help, too, and Gray will provide them with good entertainment.

My eyes slide away from her stomach as she returns to her pile. I wonder if she’d be open to letting me put a baby inside her after she’s had time to heal and adjust to Aziel’s.

My anger flares at the thought, and I wince as the cover in my hands further cracks.

Fuck.

I don’t deserve to put a baby in Charlie. She may accept my apology, but I don’t. I ignored her safety for my own selfish reasons, and that action doesn’t deserve forgiveness. At least not yet.

Even when I do atone for my mistakes, I still can’t give her my trust. It gives her another weapon to stab me with, and I’m still bleeding from the first.

“Thanks for all your help,” I say after an hour of silence.

Charlie hums and turns to me with a grin. Her eyes dart to the clock on the wall, and I know it’s about time for her to leave. The shifters will be here soon, and she doesn’t want to keep them waiting.

She’s been working tirelessly to get everything ready for them, even going as far as to send Aziel out like an errand boy to kill and bring back Ucka. He dragged Gray with him, and it took everything in me not to laugh at Gray’s horrified eyes when they came back with three in tow.

It probably would’ve been good for Aziel to warn him they scream like children when being killed.

Still, it’s a delicacy I’m sure the shifters will be excited to eat. They usually hunt in large groups to bring one down, and they’re rarely successful.

Charlie stands and wipes her hands on her pants, the action one of anxiety, and I find myself doing the same as she approaches.

“Thanks for letting me help you,” she says.

I shrug. She’s careful with my books, and I enjoy the company.

My lip twitches as she steps forward and invades my space. The logical part of my brain screams at me to move away and stop her advance, but the emotional part of me I’ve been working hard to ignore keeps me still as she grabs my shoulders and lowers to her knees to kiss me.

I’m holding her hips before I can stop myself, and I tilt my head upward so she can better reach my lips.

Her grip on my shoulders tightens, her fingernails digging into the muscle as I open my mouth and connect my tongue with hers. It feels better than I thought it would, and despite every inch of my body screaming at me to stop, I pull her flush against my front.

I’m vaguely aware of the eyes on us as I let her climb on my lap, our lips connected the entire time. She pushes against my chest until I give in and lie flat on my back, letting her straddle me properly.

My book’s long forgotten as Charlie explores my mouth with her tongue, a quiet moan leaving her throat before she cups my chin and squeezes the sides of my neck. It cuts off my oxygen, and I slam my head against the ground as my hips instinctively roll against hers.

This female’s going to be the death of me.

“I love you,” she whispers, pulling back.

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