Guppy chewed on his bottom lip as he thought things through. “I think you're right, Sloane. Sweetheart, are you in any pain? Does anything feel off to you?”
I paused before answering, letting myself catalogue how I felt now that I had time to focus. “No, no pain. I need to pee, but I feel fine.”
Bram scrubbed a hand across his face thoughtfully. “I was going to suggest that we rendezvous with the dragon, Vaeryn, first thing upon arriving in Besmet. Now, I think the better course of action would be to go directly to the castle. I know the first meeting with my father didn't go well, but I know him. If Asrael truly took his dragon army to Besmet, my father will want to know as soon as possible so he can prepare for an attack. He values his crown above everything, and won't want to lose his kingdom or his seat. With you pregnant and mated to me, there's nothing he can do now even if he wanted to try to stake a claim,” he said confidently.
“We're still days ahead of our scheduled meeting with Vaeryn. I think this is a good plan, and as much as I don't want you anywhere near King Thane, our options are limited. Bram, I'm assuming there are doctors within the palace who would be able to evaluate Saige's pregnancy?” Cam asked, ever the leader.
Bram nodded. “Of course. That's why I suggested this change of plans. I think we'll all feel better once we get feedback from a doctor, so we know what to expect.”
Faris stepped up beside me, taking my hand in his. Soft lips pressed against my knuckles, and I smiled at the sweet gesture. “What do you think, Firefly? Are you okay with this plan?”
The thought of seeing a doctor did put me at ease. Maybe we could hear their heartbeats?Do demon doctors have ultrasound machines?Bram’s father had been creepy as hell, but I didn’t see what other options we had. We couldn’t let the demon realm be taken by Asrael, and I really did want to see a doctor now that it had been mentioned. Being part demon, it wasn’t like I could just walk into a normal hospital here—there might be info I really needed to know about demon pregnancies. However, there were several things I had to make clear first.
“I don’t trust Thane. At all. If I have to be near him, I want no less than two of you with me, and under no circumstances is he allowed to touch me. We get there, share what we know, see a doctor, and get out.” I looked at Bram. “I’m sorry, baby. I know it’s your home, but I was so scared last time and I—” My words died in my throat when my big red demon wrapped his arms around me.
“I’ll never forgive myself for allowing you to be terrorized like that in my home, by my own blood,” he spat, his voice getting deep and growly.Why is psycho Bram so hot?
I patted his back. “You couldn’t have known. We know now, so we can be smart. He showed his cards the last time we were there. I don’t blame you, Bram. I just want everyone to be on the same page going in there. I’d prefer we not go at all, but this could very well be the end of an entire realm, plus we need to get as much information as possible regarding the pregnancy and the girls. We're all a little in the dark here…”
Unsurprisingly, everyone seemed to be in agreement with the change of plan. These little babies were going to have so many loving influences in their lives; just thinking about that made my heart swell.
“Alright then, team.” Cam's voice refocused the room and the guys all straightened up, ready to receive their orders. “Let's finish packing and we'll leave as soon as possible. I'm going to take a quick shower and grab my gear upstairs.” With that, he marched over to me and lowered his face to mine. I sucked in a breath when he placed a hand on my round belly. “You're so beautiful, baby girl. I'll pack your stuff. Just relax, okay?” He kissed me hard, leaving me stunned before he headed up the stairs.
Kai took Cam’s place in front of me, leaning in to nuzzle the side of his face against mine. “I also need to have a quick shower, but I'll be back really soon. I'll bring some snacks, and I also saved some of those Italian pinwheels that you liked so much. Do you want me to make anything else to bring? Are you craving—”
I stood and threw my arms around Kai's neck, pulling his face to mine. “I'm fine, Alpha. But thank you for thinking of me.” I pressed a small kiss to his pouty lips. He looked like he still wanted to argue, or rather,insistthat he should prepare more food for me, but I was sure the castle would have plenty of food.
He sighed, and I could hear the others moving around, packing our things. “Okay, okay. But I'm still bringing the pinwheels. That sundried tomato aioli was some of my best work.” He winked and jogged out of the room to go shower as well.
“What can I do?” I asked the others, feeling kind of useless.
“Sit down and rest, Goldie. It might be a while before we get to sleep later,” Bram told me without looking up. He was busy putting things into his pack, so I sighed and sat back down. Miranda and Gran joined me at the table, and I decided a few minutes of girl time wouldn't hurt. I'd miss them while we were gone.
Clearing my throat, I tapped my fingers on the table and glanced at my best friend. “I'm sorry I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell you yet. I would have before we left.”
“Saige. You have nothing to be sorry about. Pregnancy is a personal journey, and nobody is entitled to be a part of it unless you want them to be. I am so happy for you, babe. You're stunning and glowing and…” She trailed off and just squealed with excitement, triggering Gran and myself to join in. Khol grumbled something about women, and Miranda lifted her middle finger at him, earning several chuckles from the guys.
“It's crazy how everything has led to here. This moment. Despite all of the obstacles that are still out there, I can't help but feel incredibly lucky. Does that make me a bad person?” I furrowed my brow. There was a war coming and so many unknowns, and all of a sudden, I had a flare of panic that I was being incredibly selfish.
“Absolutely fucking not, Saige Wildes. You stop that right now. Whatever you're thinking, you're dead wrong,” Gran snapped, pointing her finger at me. “You aren't lucky, you're deserving. You've worked hard your whole life; you're strong and independent. You give to everybody without a second thought, and without expecting a thing in return. People don't get lucky, child. They get served the wins they earn and you better enjoy every moment of it. There will always be people out there who want your power, your magic, your money or your family, and you can either let them win, or you can fight. You fight and you fuck them up, Saige. I taught you nothing less than to create your happiness and to own your magic. You don't know what tomorrow will bring, so you damn well better enjoy today. And fuck anyone who says otherwise.” Gran nodded sternly, ending her rant, leaving the whole room full of open mouths.
I stared at her, blinking and working through her words. She was right. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Excuse me, I need to, um…” Rick held out a hand to Gran, his eyes blazing. “A word, Bette baby?” I giggled when Gran placed her hand in his and glanced at me, waggling her brows up and down. Rick led her through the kitchen and out the back door, Gran's trailing squeal of delight making everyone laugh.
Khol shook his head. “That woman is something else.”
“At least she has Rick back. It's so romantic,” Miranda replied with a swoony expression.
“How's Annie?” I asked my friend. She wasn't here, so I assumed she was at Miranda's parent's house.
“She's good. It seems like she wasn't mistreated while she was taken, and I'm so thankful for that. In fact, she doesn't remember a lot about her time there. She said they just had her painting and drawing a lot. Probably trying to figure out how her affinity works, and if they could get any glimpses of what the future might bring.” She scowled at the table and abruptly slammed her fist down. “I want that bastard dead, Saige.”
“I know,” I said gently, taking her hand. “He deserves nothing less. He'll pay for his crimes one way or another.”
* * *
“Are we ready?”I asked my guys who were congregated around me in the backyard. Everyone had moved surprisingly fast, and we were ready in under an hour from the time we'd returned from the lake. We’d all taken the vile-tasting drops to prevent us from being frozen in place by demonic power, and everyone had their shapeshifting blocking stone on their body somewhere.
