Page 82 of Vengeful Mates
The French door fridge beeped at me, and I jolted. Water I loaded into the ice compartment froze, ready for the lemonade I just made for the men. A sweet little thank you to keep them hydrated and their energy levels up. Hell, I fucking needed energy, since I barely touched my damn breakfast.
Every nerve sizzled with apprehension. I needed sleep. For this move to be over. For Colton to be six feet under for spoiling my plans for a happy ending. For my men and me to move on with our lives. The stress of moving, keeping a secret, danger, and lack of safety wore me down. I didn’t know how much more I could take. Bitter hatred turned into poison, rotting me from the inside out.
Absently, I rubbed at my belly, worrying about the health of the life inside me.
Katie, Benny’s new girl, dropped pitted olives into the Greek salad.
I caught one whiff and my stomach rolled like violent seas. The urge to hurl came swift and furious, and I rounded the marble island.
“Excuse me,” I told the four women, rushing out of there, down the hall to the ensuite of the main bedroom.
Fuck, this place was huge. Slade went overboard as usual in the design. Wainscoting wall panels. Embossed aluminum ceiling tiles. Oak flooring that highlighted every movement. Top-of-the-line fixtures.
We came here a few weeks back for lock-up stage. I couldn’t remember which way to the bedroom. Did I follow the trail of steel-colored walls or lemon? Right? Left? Shit, I never had this problem before. Northshore Hospital was a maze of rooms, corridors, offices, and I never got lost. Where was my damn head?
I bumped into someone in the hallway and swallowed back my vomit.
“Angel?” Alaric caught me by the shoulders. “You don’t look well.”
Shit. Adrenaline stormed in my bloodstream. My vigilant mate was the last person I wanted to find me like this. If he caught on to my secret, he was the most likely to report to Slade and the rest of my men.
“I’m busting for the ladies.” I crushed any hint of guilt and my lie from the bond. “I haven’t had a break all morning.”
Alaric frowned, not buying the lie. He tucked me in his arms and rested his chin on my head. “You’re tired. Have a rest. We’ll do everything.”
Rest?Impossible. I needed to keep myself busy to curb thinking about our enemy and his plans. What a sweetheart though.
“I’ll rest when this is over.” Truth for once.
Alaric’s palms traced along my back in lazy circles. “Promise me you’ll take it easy?”
A promise I couldn’t keep unless I wanted to go mad with worry.
“Alaric, I’m busting!” I reminded my mate, and he released me.
“I’ll be watching to make sure you take a break.” He pointed two fingers at his eyes then at mine.
Shit, shit, shit!
I blew him a kiss and hurried off, fumbling to remember the directions. Taking a gamble, I selected the next right and finally found our bedroom, the Alaskan frame and mattress set up for us.
Clamping my hand over my mouth, I hurried into the bathroom, hoping to God no asshole biker tucked himself in there for a twenty-minute bathroom break, stinking it up. If I found anyone inside my personal bathroom, I was going to go loco on them.
I burst into the empty bathroom, hunched over the sink and let my stomach loose. Fuck, this was getting harder to hide. Three heaves later, I finished, pressing my sweaty forehead to the cold basin.
Hasty footfalls tread on the wooden floors, and I bolted upright, scrambling to rinse the evidence down the sink.
“Baby?” Zethan came up behind me to rub my back, and I fumbled to get rid of the last bit of mess. “You’ve been sick a lot lately. Tell me what’s going on.”
I braced myself on the counter. “It’s just stress.” My heart squeezed with every lie.
His eyebrow quirked, telling me he didn’t buy it either. Panic rose in my throat as he caught me, holding my hair back, stroking my back. Normally, his touch undid me, and I’d lean in for more. Today it burned like the bitter rush of guilt I fumbled to wipe from my mind.
Fuck. I couldn’t keep this secret forever. Couldn’t hide it from my men when it involved them. I didn’t want the news to detract from Slade’s vendetta to ensure our safety. If they knew what I carried, they’d be distracted and make mistakes. Or Slade might do something really dangerous and foolish, like broker peace. Fucking peace! No, we had to eliminate the Raine family from existence.
Goddess,I sounded like a War goddess declaring a feud.
Zethan’s hand came to rest on my belly, tracing idle circles. Warm. Protective. Bolstering. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you, baby?” His calm understanding chased away some of my apprehension.
