Page 131 of Terror at the Gates

I hesitated, but Zahariev wrapped his hand around mine, guiding the bottle to Liam’s lips.

“Hold it here, and see if he latches,” he said. “The nipple goes all the way in his mouth. Just keep the bottle tilted. Perfect.”

He took a seat opposite me when he was finished with his instruction.

“Maybe you should do this if you’re such an expert,” I said.

“You’ll have to learn someday.”

“Why?” I asked. “I’m not having children.”

At least, that was my goal if I managed to stay in Nineveh.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Why does everyone want to argue when a woman says she’s not getting married and she doesn’t want children?”

“I’m not arguing,” he said. “I just asked a question.”

“I wouldn’t make a good mother, Zahariev,” I said. The question frustrated me. The answer was obvious. “Mine isn’t exactly a great role model.”

“That’s what will make you a great mother,” he said. “Your desire to be better than her.”

“Do you want to be a father?” I asked pointedly, but the question didn’t seem to bother him the way it bothered me.

“Maybe,” he said. “If I find the right woman.”

I scoffed. “You think you can find the right woman when your marriage is going to be arranged?”

“You might try to burp him,” said Zahariev, changing the subject, though I wasn’t surprised. He didn’t like when I talked about marriage.

Guess we were even.

“I don’t know how to do that,” I said.

Zahariev stared before rising to sit beside me.

“Give him here,” he said.

I didn’t know how to hand off a baby, but Zahariev acted like he’d done this a million times, slipping one hand under his head and the other beneath his bundled legs. He sat him up, his large hand splayed across Liam’s chest as he patted his back until he made a quiet gurgling sound.

“There you go,” he said, chuckling quietly. After, he cradled Liam in his arm.

It was a sight, and suddenly, my uterus didn’t even belong to me. I wouldn’t say I wanted a baby, but I definitely wanted to fuck, and if Zahariev were mine, I’d jump his bones the second we were alone.

I looked away.

Silence stretched between us.

“Did you tell Gabriel about the demon in Liam’s room?” I asked.

“Let’s get him through the funeral first,” said Zahariev.

“You shouldn’t let him stay here,” I said. “You should tell him it isn’t safe and that he needs to move. This place is cursed.”

I was surprised when Zahariev’s hand landed on my thigh. I stared at the letters etched on his knuckles before meeting his gaze.

“I have invited Gabriel to the compound,” he said. “He hasn’t accepted yet, but I won’t force him out of the home he shared with Esther. It’s safe here for now.”

---