Page 23 of Sinful Mates

I stroked her hair and her eyes fluttered. “Ready for bed, Sot Nesu?”

Mia blinked, her eyes perking with attention. “What?”

“It means princess in ancient Egyptian.”

She snapped up off the sofa. “Will you teach me Egyptian?” The way she pronounced it was cute. Ee-gip-shaan.

Slade snorted. “He’s the nerdy boyfriend. He’ll teach you anything you want to know, sweetheart.”

Mia bounced off the sofa and took my hand. “Really?”

Fuck Slade for waking her up and getting her excited. I cut him a glare. Now I’d never get her to sleep.

“Come on, Sot Nesu.” I tugged her away from the lounge room. “Bedtime. No ancient Egyptian tonight.”

“Pleeaaasssee!” I laughed at her cute little begging. Eager to learn just like her mother. I would have my hands full teaching those two.

Thoth sighed and smiled inside me, pleased. Imparting wisdom and knowledge gave him endless joy, and hell, it did the same for me. Professor Castor. Future profession if Slade ever found out that I aided Zethan and Aaliyah behind his back.

“Maybe if you come to bed earlier tomorrow night.” Important to set the ground rules early.

Get this little one into a routine if she was going to stay with us and attend school. After Slim’s wake, Aaliyah called up a few schools to get Mia enrolled. No late nights partying with us. School on weekdays. Homework after school. TV or entertainment once that was done. Dinner, bath, then bed. I scoured the Thoth highway for tips, timetables, and routines from other parents because I didn’t have the first clue about raising a child.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t have reservations about how this would work. We belonged to a motorcycle club, and that demanded attention night and day. Raising a child amid that life wouldn’t be easy, but with four dads, it might work.

Mia slid under the covers I held up for her. Slade made the bed up for her with the Disney’sFrozensheets I bought for her. Hell, what little girl didn’t love that damn movie? Slade’s niece played it over and over when she visited his place. Gave him a headache after the first watch.

I retrieved the copy ofHarry Potterfrom the nightstand and settled into the armchair. Mia’s drowsy eyes blinked as I read to her. By page ten, she fell asleep. I softly closed the hardcover and set it down. For a moment, I watched her peaceful features, untouched by the stress of adulthood, wishing I was young and carefree.

Leaning deeper into the armchair, I used my gifts, digging for hints on Mia’s interests to assist Aaliyah in accommodating her daughter. Pictures on her adoptive mother’s social media accounts gave me hints. Spyro the Dragon birthday cake. Sable Assassin comic book hero dress up for Book Week at school. Wonder Woman costume at Halloween.Super MarioandStar Wars Racervideo games for Christmas. I scribbled it all on a little pad I carried around with me.

“Sweet dreams, Sot Nesu.” I kissed her forehead and she groaned, snuggling deeper into her pillow. The fatherly affection startled me, and I moved away, confused.

Preparing to leave, I left the lamp on low to ward off the nightmares and turned around.

Aaliyah leaned in the doorway, smiling. “That was cute.”

“Which part?” I wanted to know how long she stood there.

“Reading to her.” She toyed with my hair and my heart played a melody of need. “Calling her princess.”

My mate’s scent brushed my senses, awakening more warmth in my chest. “Her mother’s the queen sorceress.”

Aaliyah’s cheeks rounded with her smile. “We’ll make a daddy out of you, Daddy.” The word gripped every muscle in a tense hold. I didn’t know how I felt about suddenly being a father. When she slid into my arms, wrapping hers around my waist, more of my darkness relaxed its hold.

God, I adored this woman. Something deeper rumbled in my gut, warm and smooth like velvet. I hadn’t felt these feelings since… and that terrified me. I didn’t have the best track record with partners. Divorced at twenty-eight. Lost my mate to a curse that slipped under my damn nose. Too many close fucking calls with Aaliyah. My heart wanted to belong to her, but my head was reluctant to give it to her, and the fight with my demons and worries continued.

I rubbed her back, swallowing the words that I was a terrible father.

Aaliyah tipped her head back to accept the kiss I pressed to her forehead.

“Thank you for making her feel at home. I want her transition to be seamless.” Her eyes darkened with worry. “I’m worried about when she wakes up from her amnesia and will need all the comfort and love she can get.”

“She has the five of us, Dark Sorceress.” Silk hair met my lips as I kissed the top of her head. “She won’t have to go through this alone. We’re plenty fucked up between the five of us to guide her through this.”

She snorted and buried her face in my black denim jacket. “One: no swearing. And two: why did you remind me of that?”

“Flaws make us perfect.” Hypocritical of me to say when I succumbed to my worst flaw. Greed. Ambition to achieve a role in the Attorney General’s department destroyed my marriage.

---