Page 55 of Reign

Please, Firecracker, come back to me. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about our baby. I should have, but I didn’t want you to have to deal with knowing you were pregnant, not until your memories returned. And then Rex sowed that seed of doubt about the baby... I let him get to me, and I shouldn’t have. It was so stupid.”

The white-haired fae’s magic touched my skin. I easily brushed it away and focused on my mate. I hated the hurt in Connor’s eyes. Even as the King of Shifters, I had the power to break him. Without thinking how it would seem to Connor, I shook my head. Connor’s shoulders caved, and he shifted back to his human form, leaving his chest naked. His face hardened, and no matter the sadness in his eyes, I knew he was going to fight for me.

My heart lurched. “No, it’s okay. I’m not going to run. I just… I need you to promise that you’ll not do anything like this again. I’m your mate, Connor. We can’t keep secrets like this from each other. And you can’t make decisions for me. You might not think so, but I’m strong enough to make my own.”

Howls filled the air, and B’nar stepped from the darkness to stand next to the white-haired man, the rest of the pack halting nearby.

“Father,” he greeted stoically.

Connor rubbed the back of his neck. “I know. I’m truly sorry. But that is my baby you're carrying, and you are mine. That means I can’t let you go. I need to keep you both safe. You are a part of me, you both are, and right now, no part of me can let you just roam around unprotected. I simply can’t.”

There was a loud snap of wings behind me. I whipped my head around, my eyes widening at the male who hovered nearby. His bat-like wings created a downdraft, his dark eyes glinting with a hint of ruby as the city lights reflected in them. He didn’t smile, nor did he come closer, but his naked torso rippled with muscle, and I knew I’d never have outflown him. He was too powerful; his wingspan far greater than my fiery wings. And I was weak, my body shaking. I needed to rest, to sleep.

“Back off a little, Balthazar,” Connor said quietly.

With my head tilted, I studied the powerful vampire. “So you’re the Count. I didn’t know vampires could fly.”

Balthazar smirked and flapped his wings, making his muscles ripple. “Only the most powerful of our kind can.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes at his arrogance and glanced back at Connor.

“I can feel your weakness, Firecracker. And I don’t like it. Satan is looking for you. Do you have any idea what that means? He wants you so badly he’s sending more demons through the Rift in this city every day. And the more souls they kill here and feed back to the Devil, the bigger the Rift gets.” He looked at the piles of ash around him. “And this? It was just the beginning. He’ll not stop looking for you. He wants this world and all the souls it offers, and you are the key to all his grand plans.”

I folded my arms over my lower belly, my heart racing. “Why? What does he want me for?”

Behind Connor, the white-haired fae’s lips worked as he whispered musical words. No...I shook my head...his name was Walker...and he was a king,theKing of Faerie. I cried out as memories assaulted me, my fiery wings stuttering and then disappearing from existence. I dropped towards the ground, right into Connor’s waiting arms.

“What the fuck are you doing, Walker?” he bellowed. “Em? Em? Are you okay? Please, baby, talk to me.”

But I couldn’t talk. Memories were flooding me, swirling around in my head like a movie that was on fast forward.

“It’s not me, Connor. I’m not doing this.” Walker’s words were calm but tight.

Connor turned away from the two fae and his brothers and strode out of the derelict warehouse. Within moments he had me cradled in his lap in the back of the SUV as we sped through the streets of London. I glanced at who was driving. Reed’s profile was dark, but I knew it was him. Emotion bubbled in my chest. I tried to call his name, but it came out as a croak. My brain was overloaded with my past. Between each memory flash of my life, I would open my eyes. And each time I did, Connor would glance down at me, pull me closer, and kiss my forehead.

“It’s going to be fine, baby. I’m here. I’ll take care of you.”

And no matter what he’d done, Iknewthis to be true. His expression was grim, his jaw clenched, but he held me with infinite tenderness, murmuring words of comfort and reassurance in my ear. Fatigue dragged at me. Once again, my body and mind needed to process the whole fucked up mess of my life that had just slammed into me like a kick in the head. I was done. I fought it, trying to stay awake, but it was hopeless.

Connor’s warmth surrounded me, and with my memories back where they belonged, all I wanted was to crawl inside his skin. Along with my memories of us, I wrapped my body so close that no part of me, not my mind or my body, was separated from him. Wrapped all cozy, my arms around his waist, I rested my cheek against his naked chest. Turning my head, I gently bit his skin then smirked sleepily at his sharp intake of breath.

“Ember?” He tried to pull back, but I just squeezed him harder and dug my nails in his back.

“Hey, asshole,” I murmured. “Don’t lie to me again, ever, or I’ll kick your arse.” I snuggled closer. “How’s Rawson?” My whispered words and lips brushed his skin.

I heard his hard swallow. “I’ll never lie to you again,” he whispered and tightened his big arms around me. There was only a beat before he spoke again. “And Rawson is fine.”

“Good, while I take a nap, tell him I’m going to kick his arse for not finding you and me sooner.”

Connor’s chuckle rumbled through me, and I let myself relax into my mate. “Welcome back, Firecracker.”

Chapter 21

Connor

Patience was neverone of my strong suits. I prowled around our bed, rolling my head and trying to stop myself from shaking Ember awake. Godsdammit, she remembered! The relief and excitement to see my mate whole again were driving me insane. I wanted to make sure she remembered everything, that she really knew who I was, whatwereally were.

Claiming her had sealed our bond again, but things had been different. I’d held back, and so had she. It had been odd, like we were bonded, but not really a couple; the intimacy of our souls had been muted. We’d accepted a future together but with no shared past experiences. And it hurt like a bitch. I’d shared my life with Ember since I was a boy, and the grief of that loss had made me distant from the woman who was my mate. I’d hoped that distance would disappear in time. Now, though, I didn’t have to worry anymore. I had her back, wholly and completely.

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