Page 60 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn
Blonde heads peeked out of the fleece bundles. The girls were identical to each other, as far as Ledger could tell. Honey-colored eyes the same as his, more focused than he expected, stared back at him from the cutest faces and his heart melted. With a surge of joy, he realized he could feel the connection a part of him had secretly worried wouldn’t be there because he was divergent. It was more beautiful than a rainbow appearing through sunshine on rain-soaked clouds. It was bold and perfect.
A shudder of relief ran through him at how wrong his parents had been. They had rejected him; told him it was because he was divergent. That divergent's were inherently different and therefore couldn’t create the same bond with a shifter child.
They are wrong, my love. You are the most precious thing, and our babies already know this.
As he listened, his nose twitched, and he smelled baby powder and…blood.
“Have you fed them… blood?” he asked with concern. Thorn had already explained how the girls would feed from him, taking his milk and blood together. However, with Thorn keeping secrets from him, his temper was about to be unleashed if they’d carried out some other ritual type thing without his knowledge.
“No. No, most definitely not. The blood you scent is yours and mine,” Thorn rushed to reassure. “I bit you to seal my bond to them and you, and you had to bite me as the first child…”
His pulse stopped doing a tap dance on the wall of his chest at the truth. “Ate her way out of my ass,” Ledger supplied with more amusement than he’d ever thought he’d have after… Okay, he couldn’t quite remember that part, which was probably for the best.
Thorn winced internally at his description, and Ledger grinned at his girls in delight.
“Yes.” Everything about that one word conveyed Thorn’s awkwardness.
“I think that’s our cue to leave them to it, brother.” Calvert pushed Dacian towards the bedroom door.
“Thank you for everything.” Ledger glanced at both vampires, meaning it, though exactly what they did during that ordeal, he didn’t want to think too hard on.
Dacian gave a hand salute as Calvert winked at him, then they were gone.
He looked down at the two girls, smiling as their eyes had drifted closed. They’d had a big day.
“They have, and so have you. Do you want me to put them in their cribs so you can get some rest?”
Snuggling back against Thorn at the reluctance coming from him to let go of them all, Ledger murmured quietly, so as not to disturb the girls, “I’m sure I can rest like this.” Twisting slightly to glance at Thorn, he asked, “If that works for you?”
Thorn’s adoration was there in those captivating eyes. He brushed his lips over Ledger’s. “Perfectly.”
Love made everything brighter, made the burdens of life lighter. That was Thorn’s love for Ledger.
Ledger felt it down to the marrow of his bones. “Right answer.”
“It’s the only answer, Sweetling.” Thorn deepened the kiss, creating a loving embrace for Ledger’s soul. The past had chased him from the life he’d loved, but led him here, to his destiny. Wasn’t life just glorious?
