Page 30 of Gargoyle Reaper

Clinging to Malachi as they flew back to the lair, his only thought was of Archer. The pain from his injuries faded to a dull throb as anticipation built in his chest. He needed to see his mate, to hold him and assure himself that the father of his unborn child was safe.

Chapter Eleven

Archer placed a hand on his belly, not sure if the slight swell was his imagination or from wishful thinking. A week had passed since the fear of losing Ezekiel had almost consumed him. When Ezekiel had retuned from his showdown with Lysander and his cohorts, he’d launched into a tirade at his mate. After several minutes of yelling and warning Ezekiel never to do anything so stupid again, he’d collapsed into his arms, kissing him until they were both breathless.

If that didn’t prove to him that he loved the infuriating gargoyle, he didn‘t know what would. Judging from the bemused crowd of Slayers who witnessed the dramatic display, he figured his feelings were also obvious to them.

Speaking of Ezekiel…

Archer was propped against the pillows in the guest room bed, waiting for his mate to return from a meeting with Archangel Michael and several of the top Slayers involved in the most recent battle. He’d been a little queasy earlier, so he’d told Ezekiel he’d meet him back in their room. But now that he was feeling better, he was back to being horny.

He tapped his fingers on the blanket, his legendary impatience beginning to take over. Ezekiel had also promised to discuss with Michael when they’d be going back to the lair beneath the San Gabriel Mission near L.A. That was Ezekiel’s home base, and while leaving Boston made him a bit sad, it had never truly been his home. The beautiful city was merely where he’d ended up after being bounced around the state throughout his younger years.

The latch to the bedroom clicked and he was hit with the now familiar rush of excitement whenever Ezekiel was near.

As soon as Ezekiel’s gaze landed on him, he broke inot a wide smile. “You look better, my love.”

“Lots.” He patted the bed. “Join me?”

Ezekiel chuckled. “My, my. Aren’t we anxious.”

“You know I can’t get enough of you, gorgeous.”

“Such a flatterer.” Ezekiel grinned as he began removing his shirt. “By the way, Amir and Dante will be arriving later. Amir’s excited to meet you.”

“Oh?” Archer picked at the blanket.

Ezekiel sat on the bed next to him, leaning in to place a quick kiss on his lips. “Still don’t believe it’s possible for you to be pregnant?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. As you said before, after all I’ve witnessed, why should that be so hard to accept?” He shrugged. “I hate to admit it, but part of me is afraid to get my hopes up.”

Ezekiel’s expression softened as he cupped Archer's cheek. "I understand, love. It's a massive change. But since Amir has been through this, experienced his own doubts because he never knew he was Naphilim - he can answer any questions you might have.”

“I appreciate that. I do have about a million questions.” He paused, biting his lip. “Are you going to deliver our baby?”

Ezekiel’s eyes brightened. “I wouldn’t let anyone else near you.” He winked. “Plus, I’m the only one who’s qualified for the job.”

Archer frowned. “Hey, what about me? I thought I was your healer partner now.”

Ezekiel tsked as he laced their fingers together. “Of course. But I’m not planning on your delivering our child alone.”

“Fair enough.” He decided he’d rather not think about pushing a baby out of his body, so he changed the subject. “Did Michael say when we can head back to L.A.?”

Ezekiel nodded. “As a matter of fact, he did. We've been cleared to return home in two days.”

“Cool. What about everything else?”

Ezekiel rose frm the bed and started removing his pants. “What everything else?”

Archer still had so many questions. While he understood how difficult it was to reconstruct his history because the records pertaining to his birth were wither lost or destroyed, he figured an Archangel might at least be able to come up withsomething.

“Who my real family was? And why Colin gave me the key to the security deposit box?”

Ezekiel paused in the act of removing his pants, his expression turning serious. “I'm afraid Michael didn't have much new information about your family. “As for Colin,” Ezekiel continued, “it seems he was part of a secret society tasked with protecting Nephilim children. He likely knew of your heritage and was trying to keep you safe by hiding information about your true identity.”

“But why give me the key now?” Archer drew his eyebrows together. “Why wait until now?”

Ezzekiel finished removing his pants then sat back on the bed. “From what Michael could gather, Colin likely wanted to protect you from the shadow creatures for as long as possible. Giving you that information too early could have put you at risk before you were ready to defend yourself.”

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