Page 32 of Sinful Mates

I needed him to trust me. “I understand.”

I scrubbed at my cheeks to cease my tears falling. Agony split down my chest and through the center of the bond, desperate to know where I stood with the rest of my mates.

Silence suffocated me for almost a minute before Alaric spoke. “I trust you had good reason to protect Mia from us. But I need to be able to trust you.” He tapped the single radio on his belt as if it were his lifeline.

A pit of dread opened in my gut at the possibility of proving that to my suspicious and guarded mate. Tenuous and fragile, our relationship an uphill battle. One I thought we surmounted until Danny threw a grenade on it again. Fuck, I was just as much to blame.

“I’m not hiding anything else.” I didn’t know how else to show him besides let it unfurl across our connection, opening up like a flower to the sun, no crevice left untouched. “I didn’t expect Mia to end up with me. This was the last place I wanted to bring her when it’s not safe.”

Danny’s demon chose that moment to appear, all teeth and sharp edges, dark shadows curling over his body. The bastard was my eternal punishment, reminding me of my wrath and sin.

“I don’t deserve to be a mother for abandoning my child—”

That was all it took for Slade to break, moving like a predator, sharp and fast to drag me onto his lap. The heat of his chest pressed my back. “It must have been hard for you to part with Mia. Even harder to bring it up. Like opening up an old wound.”

Relief trickled through my clenched muscles, easing them. I skimmed my palms over his hand, thankful that he understood my pain even if he didn’t approve it.

Zethan crouched beside me, his feud with Slade evaporating to clasp my hand, massage my knuckles and comfort me. “I’m sorry you had to do this alone, baby. That you didn’t have the support of your family. That you lost Mia and her father.” The set of his shoulders tensed into a straight line. “Carried this pain for so long.” Each word echoed in my body like an unpleasant aftershock.

God. This man. He shared my pain in the loss of a child. He didn’t betray that he knew my secret. Would walk into the fires of Hell with me. Had my back until the very end. My heart galloped to a loving, indebted beat.

“That’s it, sugar.” Slade stroked my back. “Free that chaos.”

Suddenly I understood why he let his emotions escape. Letting it build was catastrophic and burdened me with regret and guilt for too long. Shuddered breaths burst out of my mouth as everything I buried released.

“What do you want to do?” My breath caught as I waited for their reply, my whole world on the verge of shattering.

Zethan’s eyes held the fiery depths of the Underworld. “She’s my child now, too.” My bond thudded at his pure acceptance.

“I’m in, Nurse A, no hesitation,” Slade whispered into the shell of my ear, his hand clutching my thigh, tugging me closer to his body. “I’ll burn the world down if anyone hurts that little girl.”

A whimper escaped me, quenched by his kiss. Rough and sweet, sealing his vow, tainted with the bitter promise that if I lied again, that was it for us.

Alaric fell to his knees before me, swift, light, and graceful like a bird. “My falcon returned to me. I won’t abandon my little birds again.” His tender promise surrendered his trust into my palms, catching me off guard, and I swallowed the sob creeping up my throat.

Our bond tightened with their pledges of allegiance.

That only left Castor’s vote.

An agonizing moment passed before Castor joined the circle, massaging my knees. Tightness in his eyes set me on edge. “Liz got pregnant with my child and lost it. I never told you. I’d be a hypocrite to hold that against you.” His words were backed by heartbreak and the same unworthiness I felt at being a parent.

I remembered Zethan telling me that a few months back. Also, that Slade and Liz tried IVF but were unsuccessful. My heart skipped to a devastating beat for them both.

Determination set Castor’s features. “Just give us time to get accommodated to the change in circumstances.”

“Okay.” A request I could fulfil. The dread cemented in my chest cracked and crumbled. I didn’t feel absolved by any means, but a weight lifted from me.

My promise dulled their anger and soothed their concerns. Relief loosened the tightness in my chest, and I sucked in grateful gulps of air. Now that we got that sorted, I wanted to go to the bedroom and forget all my pain.

Slade nudged my men off him as he hefted me into his arms bridal style. “Now we’re retiring to the boudoir?”

I hummed my pleasure at his suggestion. “Yes, take me to bed. I don't want to think about this anymore.”

CHAPTER12

Aaliyah

Four godsand a goddess assembled in the bedroom for something special. Each of my men lounging lazily on the bed, Slade and Zethan at opposite ends, the spell to block mine and Zethan’s curse glowing with the lit candles. This moment was a long time coming. Craving for the five of us as a collective pounding a steady beat between my legs for months, growing in demand by the day, now thrumming so hard my body vibrated from the force.

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