Page 48 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn
“Ache? Is it bad? Do you feel funny? This… this could be…”
“The girls booted the heck out of my organs. It’s that kind of ache.” Ledger wasn’t as convinced when he did the sums in his head. Was this it?
Thorn jiggled him a little to place a hand on his belly, the blue of his eyes deepening, fascinating Ledger enough to distract him from his woes.
“Not yet, but soon.” He pressed his forehead against Ledger’s, his gaze soft and adoring. “And no, you haven’t become a bitch.” He held him a little tighter, as if to relay his assertion even when Ledger knew it wasn’t true. He was being bitchy. “You’re pregnant, Sweetling. You’re still working, and the girls are keeping you up at night with their antics. I’m not at all surprised you’re a little… tetchy. Your body is adapting daily tothe hormones and changes that, in themselves, are very hard to cope with.”
“You sound like you’re reciting what’s on the internet,” Ledger chuckled wetly, finally finding his lost humor.
“I was,” Thorn replied, sounding as amused as Ledger. He brushed a kiss over the top of Ledger’s forehead. “What about the shower? Do you want me to tell Trev we aren’t interested?”
Whatever Thorn felt about that, he kept on lockdown as Ledger glanced up to look at his husband and gave a hefty, resigned sigh at the worry he wasn’t quite able to keep from his expression.
“Get him to come. At least I can wash all of myself then.”
Maybe.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Thorn
Sounds of banging and hammering coming from the bathroom had Thorn grinning widely to himself at just how fast the renovations were coming along. Trev had given himassurances with the hefty bill, so Thorn had high expectations. The cash he’d all but thrown at Trev was worth it when Ledger had shown some excitement at Trev explaining he could use a corner of the enormous bathroom and not interfere with the existing tub or view Ledger loved.
The promise Trev gave to have the room looking like the shower had been there all along, with the walls retiled after laying the new pipes, had Thorn counting down the hours. The previous night Ledger had allowed him to lift him into the tub, but with how his emotions swung much the same as the old pendulum in the antique clock housed downstairs, Thorn didn’t know from hour to hour what Ledger’s mood would be.
He popped his head around the door, not stepping inside with how many men were in the bathroom working. “How’s it going?”
Trev, who was kneeling down next to a pile of marble tiles that Dacian had found in the basement, didn’t look up as he answered, “The same as it was when you asked two hours ago.”
The chuckle he released held some embarrassment. “Sorry, it’s just…”
“Your mate is pregnant,” Trev answered, finally looking up, holding a tile in his large hands. “I get it. Mine wasn’t much better. The irrational mood swings. The weird cravings at three in the morning. How you need to think about moving before you actually can because your centre of gravity is way off base.”
Thorn stared at the huge shifter. He wasn’t an omega? “You… were pregnant?”
Trev’s chuckle came with a nod. “Folks see my size and immediately assume I’m an alpha, or at least a large beta.”
“Wow… I didn’t know.” Thorn used his exceptional sense of smell and found nothing that alerted him to what he’d assumed.
“Yeah.” Trev shrugged shoulders more fitting for an alpha. “I don’t go out of my way to explain to folks anymore ‘cause those in town know.”
Then how had Thorn missed it?
“Thorn, where the fuck are you?” called Dacian from the living area, derailing Thorn’s questions for Trev.
He turned in the doorway to see Dacian enter the bedroom. “You bellowed?”
“Why are you here when Max arrived five minutes ago for our meeting, the one you’re supposed to be at?”
Damn.
“Damn, is right. Stop hassling Trev and leave him to get on with his job and come and do yours.”
Dacian didn’t give him a chance to reply as he took hold of his arm and dragged him out. “You know fine well Max gets too fucking handsy with me and I hate being left alone with him.”
Thorn tried to hold onto the laughter. Max was a pint-sized vampire who had been crushing on Dacian for a very long time. The vampire was half Dacian’s size and found his surly nature more of a turn on that off-putting. “I told you to be nice, then the little tyke will leave you alone.”
“Stop laughing, it’s not fucking funny,” Dacian snapped, his eyes glowing red with temper.
