Page 50 of Demons of Eden

“Uh, really good actually. Way better than I have been, even after the other times I…” I scrunch my nose, not super excited about having this particular conversation with Ash. How exactly do you discuss with someone that because he got you pregnant,you’ve become an insatiable mess who needs to fuck to survive? I mean, I’m certain he already knows more about the subject than I do, but it sure as hell doesn’t make it any less awkward. As my discomfort at the weirdness of our situation grows, I shift myself off from his lap and into the empty space between him and Torrin.

“Well, the child ismine,” Ash replies, and there’s something about his voice that sounds possessive in how he refers to them, sending prickles across the back of my neck. His tone changes, becoming more matter-of-fact as he adds, “Of course feeding from me would make you feel better than with the hunter.”

“Here,” Torrin suddenly grunts as I find the plate with the pie being set on my lap. It smells so good that I dig my fork right in and take a bite, groaning at the flavour explosion on my tongue.

“This is why you’re my favourite,” I inform him between shovelling more bites into my mouth, relieved when he shoots me one of his usual grins.

“To answer your other question, Marbas informed me hunters were assisting a witch in a search for me. I came to find out why,” Ash says, stealing my attention back from the pie for a moment.

“I knew Marbles was lying,” I grumble, stabbing my fork into the pie a little harder, though I wait to take another bite as I think. There had been something suspicious about Marbles’ reaction to the whole situation, but I’m relieved he still passed along the message despite his mistrust for hunters.

“Marbles?” Ash questions, sounding amused.

“It suits him.” I shrug, not about to explain myself or my nicknaming habits more than that. “So, now you know why I was trying to find you,” I prompt, hoping he’ll show his hand on where he stands with our current situation.

“I do,” he agrees with a sigh. “Well, we’re past the very brief window where a demon pregnancy can be terminated. Though,I’m admittedly unsure whether the process would have ever worked on a witch, so our options were always limited. I know you’ve been forced to carry and will need to deliver the child, but I want you to know I can raise them alone?—”

“What?” I cut him off snappishly, now watching himverycarefully. He might have helped me with my vitav situation, but if he thinks I won’t kill him right now to protect this baby, then he’s missing some screws.

“I only meant you weren’t given a choice in giving birth. So if you don’t wish to raise the child, I will?—”

“You will not! No one is taking this baby from me,” I snarl, placing my hand instinctively on my stomach, now gripping my fork in the other in a way that’ll make stabbing far easier. Not that I think stabbing a demon will be easy. If only I had those damn magically imbued knuckleduster glove things Daion’s teaching me to use.

He did try to convince me of the value in carrying them around…

“Smooth,” Torrin interjects sarcastically from behind me, breaking off into an amused snort, but I’m not taking my eyes off the demon. Considering he and his brothers were the ones to warn me that the demon might try to take my child away, I don’t know what he possibly thinks is funny about this.

“Fuck. I think you’ve misunderstood me.” Ash pauses, noticing my increasing glare at his words. He raises both of his hands, holding them open in the universal sign of surrender. “I apologise, Eden. I don’t want to take anything away from you, especially not the child.Our child.I was trying to give you a choice. That's all.”

I keep staring as I try to assess the truthfulness in his words, but it’s strangely difficult to figure out what’s a real threat and what’s an imagined one.

Ash hesitates, but then slowly leans forward, placing one of his hands over mine where it rests on my stomach. “It’s unexpected, but I do want this baby…if you’ll both have me?”

I let the silence stretch between us for a moment before finally nodding. He smiles then, the genuineness of it setting me a little more at ease. It also makes me think back to the night we met, only softening me further. I can’t help but wonder how this all would have gone had I not vanished in the morning while he showered, but there isn’t much use in dwelling on it. Not when we’re both here now, with a tiny little demon on the way.

“We can?—”

“Suvi?” Torrin says questioningly. My head snaps up, looking for my best friend, only to find Torrin staring at his phone with a confused frown for a moment before he answers its silent ringing. I can only just about hear her voice coming through his phone, but it sounds like she’s talking a mile a minute. His frown only deepens as he stands, stalking out of the room with a little wave of his hand in our direction.

For some weird reason, I have areallybad feeling about this...

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Well fuck,” I grumble to myself now I’m alone.

Ash has gone to get me a glass of ice water while Torrin, Rio, and Daion are off talking about the call with Suvi. I don’t know what they all really have to talk about. The long and short of it is that my entire coven’s now aware I’m pregnant. Not exactly great news, considering the progression of this pregnancy is anything but normal and people are sure to notice. I had expected it to get out sooner or later, especially with Alina now knowing. I’d still hoped for a little more time before it became the hot gossip of the day, though.

Now I’m stuck sitting in their living room, staring up at the ceiling while I contemplate my options. Do I go home, or do I wait it out? If I wait it out, do I get a hotel, or should I be fleeing the damn country? I really don’t know what the right thing to do is. Nothing could have ever prepared me for the reality of my current life.

“Eden, can I speak to you for a minute?” Daion asks as he walks back into the room.

“Sure.” I sit up, nodding at him. I’m glad for any break from my miserable dwelling.

“After talking with the others, we think it would be best if you stayed with us for the time being,” Daion explains, and as he says this, Ash steps in with my ice water in hand.

“If you think I’m letting her stay in a house filled with demon hunters, you’re insane,” Ash hisses. He hands me my glass and then takes the space at my side, pressing close.

“Let me? You’re insane if you think you canlet medo anything.” I narrow my eyes on the demon, turning away from Daion, who has wisely opted to take the seat across from us.

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