Chapter 34

AYRA

“Interesting cart you’ve got there.”

I swiveled around to find Dalia standing a few feet away from me with a smile on her face.

“Long time. Should you be here? Nathaniel doesn’t like you very much,” I said, checking out a pink onesie on the rack.

“That’s his cup of tea. I’m here to check on you. So, you’re pregnant.”

“Why would you think that?”

“The cart is a dead giveaway.”

“Oh, these aren’t mine. Reese is pregnant. I’m doing the shopping for her because she’s not comfortable being seen in public.”

She frowned at me, her eyes fixated on my stomach like she could see directly into it. “So, the rumors were wrong?”

“What rumors? You’re acting weird right now. Side note, you can’t see a baby growing inside my stomach just because you’re staring hard.”

She shook her head, looking up at me once again. “Sorry. I just thought the rumors were right, since you had the fertility ceremony a while ago.”

“We didn’t. They said something about it being pushed later down the year because of some solstice or something. I wasn’t listening when Nathaniel mentioned it.”

“Does that mean you’re not pregnant?”

I gestured for her to come closer, and she did, lowering her upper half so I could whisper into her ear.

“Yes,” I whispered after checking around to make sure no one was close to us.

She pulled away from me with widened eyes. “Really?”

“It’s a secret. Nathaniel doesn’t want anyone to know, so you can’t go about telling everyone.”

“I promise I won’t. I don’t even have friends I can tell this to.”

“Great. So, yay! We’re having a baby.”

“I believe congratulations are in order. I never thought I’d see this day.”

“Shit happens. Leave before Shane gets here. He’s my assigned bodyguard, and I’m sure he’s somewhere around here.”

“I’ll check up on you in, say, a month?”

“Mhm. Be careful out there. I want nothing happening to you because you’re somehow tied to me.”

“I will.”

“Just how many more clothes are you going to buy?” Shane asked, walking down the aisle toward me.

“Oh, hey.”

When I turned to check behind me, Dalia was gone. That was close. I didn’t want to spend an hour convincing Nathaniel that Dalia wasn’t a threat.

“I think I’m done for today. I’m so excited about the baby.”

“At this point, I’m convinced you’re the one having the baby. Reese isn’t as excited, and she’s the one carrying the baby. “

“Pregnancy isn’t everyone’s thing, but you’ll see how protective she gets when she has the baby in her arms.” I held up the onesie in front of me. “Do you think Reese is going to like it?”

“For fuck’s sake, we don’t even know if the baby is going to be a boy. He can’t go around wearing pink.”

“But it has these cute kittens on it.”

“Again, we don’t know if it’s a boy.”

I shrugged, tossing the clothing into the cart. “I’m buying it, anyway. Let’s normalize boys wearing pink. It doesn’t make them a pussy because they’re wearing something that’s associated with being ‘girly’.”

“And now you’re going to lecture me,” Shane said, his lip pressing into a flat line. “Fuck, I got the worst part of the job.”

I jabbed his side. “Hey, I’m fun to be around.”

“Damn right you are,” he drawled sarcastically.

“I’ll let that slide, but back to the discussion about boys wearing pink...”

“Oh, God,” he groaned.

***

I knocked on Nathaniel’s door, pushing it open when I heard a ‘come in’.

“You look exhausted.”

“I am exhausted,” he corrected, pushing his chair backward so I could plop down on his desk.

“You still haven’t told me what that demon came to tell you last night.”

He’d been tense ever since, getting lost in his head more times than I could count. Now, his eyes looked sunken, like he hadn’t slept for days. Something huge was bothering him, and it irritated me he’s refused to say anything about it.

“It’s nothing you should worry about.”

“I figured you’d say. Unlike you, I’m not keeping any secrets, and I’ll have you know I went to talk to Ishmael today. Since I can’t ask the doctors, he was my last resort. He said no one could predict how fast or how slow the baby would grow since it’s a tribrid. On the one hand, it takes longer for demons to fester, but wolves give birth after five to six months.”

“I know. He told me. Anything else you’re willing to share?” He asked with a knowing look.

“You know.”

“I asked you not to tell anyone, Ayra. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon that scene.”

“You were there.”

“Yes. I came to find you after Ishmael told me about your visit.”

“It’s just Dalia. She can’t do anything.”

“Oh, really? She can’t do anything? Dalia is a snake.”

“So you say. Put aside the time you all were kids. She has done nothing ‘evil’. You don’t even know for sure if she’s guilty.”

“She was the only one that knew.”

“You, Nikki, and Kimberly are the only ones that know, but tell me how the rumors had already begun spreading around. She already knew.”

“She just wanted you to confirm it. You don’t think that’s suspicious?”

“Hey, we all can’t be cynical, Nathaniel. She looks like she is genuinely a nice person.”

“Looks can be deceitful. Don’t fall for it. I’m just worried something is going to happen to you.”

I cupped the side of his face, leaning forward to place a kiss on his forehead. “Nothing is going to happen, okay?”

“Benjamin is waking Draven up.”

“That sounds... serious?”

“It is. Draven was a millennium old when he was forced into stasis. It’s been two millennia since then. With the overall build-up of his powers and strength, he’ll be unstoppable.”

“But you’re also a millennium old,” I reminded him.

“Technically, he’s three millennia old. That’s a whole build-up of power.”

“We’ll figure something out. Draven might not be bad if he wakes up.”

From the look in his eyes, I could tell Nathaniel didn’t believe me, so I went down a different route; hopping off his desk before climbing onto his lap.

“You know what that just made me realize?” He shook his head. “How old you are. Imagine being alive for so long. It’s mind-blowing.”

He snorted. “You know there are demons over ten thousand years old, right? They like to keep to themselves and are rarely seen, but they exist. Compared to them, I’m nothing. In the demon realm, you’re still considered a youngling.”

“Regardless, you’re still old.”

His lips twitched up in a smile. “You do realize that my demon had already begun growing even before I was born, right?”

“Either way, you’re still old.”

“Yet you’re the one who still wants to fuck me.”

“Maybe I like ‘em older.”

“It’s a possibility,” he agreed.

“So, don’t go feeling too special.”

“No one could ever accuse me of that.”

“Hey, wanna head home?”

“What’s in it for me?”

***

BENJAMIN

“Are you sure she’s pregnant?” I asked, bouncing on the edge of my seat.

“Yes. She confirmed it herself. I think someone is giving Nathaniel information from our side. He didn’t want her to tell anyone,” she replied.

“It’s Rozol. The bastard can’t keep his mouth shut to save his life. To think I once considered him a brother. He’s a coward like Nathaniel.” I curled my hand into a fist, smiling to myself. I could just taste the victory at the tip of my tongue. “Just you wait, Rozol. Even your lair won’t be able to protect you after I make my move. You’ll suffer for going against me.”

“I don’t think it’s only Rozol that deserves to be punished,” Ryker said behind me after I’d dismissed her.

I was so over him thinking he could boss me around. He didn’t own me, neither did he prove to be useful in the past, but I gave him a listening ear. That would not change my mind about anything, so I didn’t see any error about it.

“What are you on about, Ryker?”

“Your lair members. They’ve been rather mouthy. The rumor about Ayra’s pregnancy has spread around the realm like wildfire. No one knew except us.”

He had a point. “They’re quite boastful,” I mused.

Ryker came to stand in front of me. “I wonder who they got that from.”

“Well, fuck you, Ryker. You’ve been a useless ally. You said you were more powerful than Ishmael, but he could undo the damages of your spell.”

“Ishmael is determined when he puts his mind to it.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re stronger than him. Prove it. Show me how powerful you are.”

“What do you want me to do?”

I smirked at his question. That was the opening I’d been waiting for. “How do you wake a three-millennium old demon?”

“Who are we talking about here?” He asked with a frown.

“Who do you think?”

“Draven.”

He clenched his jaw tightly. “I’ll need Samuel for this.”

“Then we’ll get Samuel.”

“I don’t know, Benjamin. I haven’t heard from him since he up and left with the entire poison.”

“I’m way ahead of you for the first time. I know where he is.”

***

“Samuel is in here? This is the same inn Ervin sought refuge in. The same inn Nathaniel and his brothers killed him in. The same—”

I cut him off with an irritated glare. “Yes, Ryker. It’s the same inn.”

I pushed the door open, stepping into the common room where several supernatural creatures sat, some conversing while others were eating.

“Let’s have a seat, shall we?”

I didn’t wait for Ryker’s reply before I took a seat at one of the empty tables. Ryker looked disgusted by the sight of the room. I couldn’t blame him, though. The place looked shitty. For fuck’s sake, mold grew on the ceiling. How hard was it to clean up the place?

“I’m sorry, we didn’t ask for that,” Ryker said, looking visibly sick as he moved backward when an old woman bounded over to us, placing a bowl of soup in front of us. “Benjamin, I think we should leave.”

“Why?” the woman asked with a smile, showing off her brown, decaying teeth. Her front teeth were missing, adding to the nightmare that was her mouth.

“Fuck, I can’t take this.”

Ryker pushed past the woman, running out of the inn.

“He’s always been a germaphobe,” the woman said before morphing into a taller, masculine form, and yeah, it was Samuel alright. “I see you got my message.”

I’d only met him once before when he and Ryker came to me with their plan. He had the same bone structure and frame as Ryker; tall, lean, perfectly symmetrical face. He left his dirty blonde hair hanging around his face as opposed to Ryker’s perfectly cropped hair. They were both good-looking, but it was a shame that they were vile creatures.

Samuel slid into the chair Ryker had just vacated. “The Staxtons have been up my ass lately. I’ve been stuck here for ages. Keela is one relentless bitch. I tell you, she’s fucking Zachary. The son of a bitch has been going hard for her. Imagine sending his vampires after me. Fucking pathetic. He’s a little bitch. Just because he’s immune to magic, he thinks he’s invincible. I broke Ayra, and she’s significantly better than him. Let’s see how long he remains at the top.”

It was safe to say Samuel was a chatterbox, and I knew if I didn’t stop him, he’d keep on going. If the Staxtons were after him, we needed to get out of here fast.

“How about we save that story for later? We have to get the hell out of here.”

“Yeah, we do. Come on. I’ve got to show you the poison.”

He jumped to his feet, following me out the door. Ryker was still bent over, puking his guts out when we got outside. His entire body froze when he caught sight of Samuel behind me.

“You little shit. You were the old hag, weren’t you?”

Ryker’s eyes darted between me and Samuel. “Come on, brother. We have a dynasty to bring down.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I want Keela for myself,” Samuel replied, his voice taking on a dark edge.

Just how fucked up were these two?

“Isn’t she Zachary’s sorceress?” Ryker asked.

“Exactly. He’s never gonna let her go easily. We’ll have to bring him down for me to take her. And when I finally do? I’ll make her regret ever going against me.”

“We’re taking Nathaniel down first. Understood?” There was no damn way I was letting them get off track here. I’d waited so long for this.

Samuel smirked at me, waking me off nonchalantly. “Of course, boss.” He rolled his neck. “I have an issue to sort out with Nathaniel’s new bitch, anyway. That’s killing three birds with one stone; Ayra, Nathaniel, and Zachary.”

“Correction. It’s four. She’s pregnant,” Ryker interjected. “We’ll take them down together.”

“Together,” Samuel affirmed with a nod.

“Together,” I agreed with a chuckle. Things were finally falling into place.