Page 72 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
Drest was to me in a flash, using his body as a shield between me and the basement door. He gripped my shoulders lightly. “Rachael, honey, tell me Henry’s not conducting experiments down there again.”
“Honey?” asked the other man.
Did he know? Would he get Drest in trouble with the Nightshade Clan over being with me?
“Honey, look at me,” said Drest. “Don’t worry about him. I need to know what your brother is doing down there. Tell me it’s not what I think it is. I know Henry has talked about re-creating Victor’s experiments, but he’d never really bethatfoolish, would he? It’s forbidden for a reason.”
I knew as much. I closed my eyes for a second, fighting tears.
“Drest,” I said, touching his forearms. “Henry’s not himself. Not after what happened to Amice. He’s always been passionate about certain things, and—”
Drest tensed. “He’s been adamant that the rules and restrictions shouldn’t be in place.”
I nodded. “Our father understood what had to be. When he was still alive, Dad was able to talk Henry off the ledge of insanity. Amice was good at it too, but even she got tired of trying to constantly rein him in. I couldn’t blame her. He’s a handful. I know.”
“He’s your older brother,” said Drest, frustration rolling off him. “He should be the one looking out for you. Not the other way around.”
I put my hand on his chest, wanting to calm him. “I know, but he’s family, and he’d never hurt me. You know that.”
“I’m starting to wonder if that’s true.” Drest cupped my face in a loving manner. “I hate that I’ve not been able to be here to help with everything. I swear, I’m working on finding a way that we can finally be—”
The other man’s hand shot up. “Don’t finish that sentence because later, when I’m asked about this, I want to have plausible deniability.”
Drest offered a droll look to the man.
I bit at my inner cheek and touched my stomach. “Henry isn’t happy aboutthis. I think he’s figured out that, um, well, you know.”
“Shit,” said the other guy. “I mean, on one hand, congratulations, on the other, what in the hell were you thinking, Drest? You should have told me.”
“Because you’d take the news so well?” questioned Drest.
The man grunted. “Well, I know now. Means I’m an accomplice. What can I do to help and what in the hell is making all that ruckus downstairs? Is someone down there doing what I really hope they are not, or did someone take up an interest in steam engines?”
ChapterTwenty-Four
Drest
Drest kepthimself between Rachael and the basement door. Whatever in the hell Henry was doing down there, it wasn’t good, and there was no way Drest was going to allow his mate to be harmed.
All he wanted to do was lift her in his arms and whisk her away. He wanted to load her, Astria, and even the damn goblin into his car, drive away, and never look back.
He was no closer to finding a way out of the jam he’d gotten them in than when he’d first claimed her eight months prior. He spent night after night lying awake in bed, wanting to be near her, all while desperately trying to think of something—anything that would let them be a family. He couldn’t be forced away from her, and right now, that’s exactly what Gil and the others would do. They’d force his hand and strip him of his family.
The last four weeks had been the hardest of his life. He’d thought being away from Rachael after the Nile incident had been hard. It paled in comparison to the last month. He wanted his wife and unborn child with him.
He stood there before her, wanting desperately to kiss her and tell her how much she meant to him. Most of all, he wanted to beg her to understand that he was trying to figure out something.
She rubbed her belly and her back at the same time, looking incredibly uncomfortable.
Drest didn’t care what Stratton thought of it all, his mate needed comfort. Giving in, Drest drew Rachael against him and palmed her stomach, letting up some of his power. Like all Fae babies, his child thrived off the magik of her father. It was why Drest hadn’t been at full strength. The baby was pulling from his energy reserves even from afar.
It wouldn’t have been draining on him if he was near Rachael at all times. If he was intimate with his mate, rebuilding his energy through sex. But being separated from her prevented that. And there was no way in hell he was seeking out another woman—even if he could. He only wanted his wife. No one else. He let more power up and into her stomach. “Better?”
Rachael leaned against him. “Yes. Thank you.”
More banging came from the basement. Whatever Henry was doing, he sounded like he might bring the house down.
Drest kissed his mate’s temple, lowering his voice so only she’d hear when he spoke. “I love you so much. You’re my world. Know that.”
