Chapter 56

(**Rayne’s POV**)

Rayne looks at Nyla’s pregnant belly. How will it feel to be that far along? With a life growing inside her? Being a mother was something Rayne never thought she would be or something she wanted. Now that it is a reality for her, the knowledge that soon she will be responsible for another life scares the life out of her.

Helping others of the supernatural world isn’t the same as raising a child. How would being a mother change the way she helps others? There is danger in what her group does. Her baby will be born into that danger and the war looming in their future. This isn’t the life she would want for her child. Panic set in as she thought of her child being hurt by their enemies. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes and soon spilled down her cheeks.

“You went from looking overjoyed at the idea of being a mother, to looking terrified and sad.”

Rayne blinks her eyes a few times to clear the blurriness caused by the tears. “I never really saw myself as a mother. It wasn’t a priority. The life I lead is dangerous. Bringing a baby into that is a bad idea.”

“What do you mean that your life is dangerous?”

“How much do you and Owen know about what Shadows Retreat is?”

“A bar that is a safe haven for supernaturals. Somewhere that is a neutral ground for all of us. Somewhere we can go if we are in trouble.”

“All of that is true, but there is more to it than that. We are like an underground network that provides safe passage, rescue, and relocation for those that need to start over or have been hunted by humans.”

“Wow.”

“The situation we are in now is a dangerous one. There are humans out there who know about the existence of supernaturals. They hunt us, cage us, and charge others of their kind to view us like circus animals. They are called The Collectors.”

“Holy shit. We hear rumors about them in Ireland, but we thought it was only rumors.”

“They are very real. We know a few names now of some big movers in the organization. We also know that they are all over the world, and there are more than we know.”

“Is there danger coming our way?”

“Not directly, no.”

“Then live your life every day to its fullest. Love your mate, even though he can be an asshole, and enjoy the life growing inside you. The two of you made that happen.”

Nyla was right, of course. There is no point dwelling on the what-ifs until they become a right now situation. The fear is still strong in Rayne’s mind, but a smile spreads across her face. “My mother would love this.”

“Where is she?”

Rayne explains her past and the events that brought her to California. That lead her to Parker. When she finished her story, Nyla was in tears from laughing so hard. The story of how Parker barged into her hotel room the night they met, had the two women laughing until they cried.

“Can I ask you a question?” Rayne sobered as a thought occurred to her.

“Sure, we are sisters now. Ask me anything you want.”

“Frank. What is the issue there?”

Nyla’s eyes darken with anger at the mention of Frank. “He was my neighbor. I met him when I moved in to the house next to theirs. I met Owen a few days later, and we knew instantly that we were mates. Frank didn’t know because we kept it a secret from him and everyone else in the gang. Owen was trying to get out of that life, so he wanted to keep me a secret until it was safe.”

“I can understand your reasoning, but why keep it from Frank? Didn’t Owen trust him?”

“Frank gets over excited sometimes about things and tends to have loose lips with secrets. Owen didn’t want him to accidentally slip and tell the wrong person. After meeting their boss one night, I understood why. Killian is a terrible man. One that doesn’t hesitate to kill people who cross him or lie to him. I was safe as long as my relationship with Owen stayed a secret.”

“So, I am guessing Frank assumed you were single.”

“Yes, and we spent time together often since we were neighbors. I never lead him on in any way that there was anything other than friendship between us. He didn’t get the hint. When he made a move one night to kiss me, I knew I had to set him straight.”

“Did he listen?”

“No, he doubled down and tried harder to get me to see him as boyfriend material. When Owen made Killian his deal that allowed his freedom, he told Frank about us. That was a hideous day for them. Frank accused Owen of stealing me from him, called me a cheating whore, then he left. We didn’t hear from him again for a few months. When he came back, he had the idea to come here.”

“What was his plan?”

“He wanted to see if Parker would know if he was the real Owen or not. I think he also wanted to see if Parker would recognize him as family if he didn’t believe he was Owen.”

“I think there is another reason he came here.” Rayne wanted to tell Nyla the feeling she had since Frank and Kerri showed up at their house while she was in heat. How much should she tell her? She hadn’t even told Parker her thoughts about it yet.

“What do you mean? Do you think Frank came here for something other than what he claims?”

“I occasionally pick up other people’s emotions. Some of what I pick up from Frank is less than nice towards Parker. Two emotions I get from him are jealousy and hatred. Those confused me at first, since they only met a few months ago. I felt his hatred grow towards Parker from the first day. The jealousy came later as they spent time together and Paker shared stories from their childhood. Their parents.”

“Do you think Frank came here to hurt Parker before Owen and I could get here?”

“Not knowing then that he wasn’t Owen, I thought he wanted to hurt Parker for some past trauma they went through. Now I think that more than anything else he wanted to hurt Parker to get him out of the way.”

“Then when Owen and Parker finish their bonding time, tell them about your theory. Even if he didn’t come here with those intentions, from how he reacts to Parker, I am inclined to believe you may be on to something.”

Rayne and Nyla talk for the next few hours about their mates. Swapping humorous stories of their similar personalities. The crazy things both have done over the years. Even separated by distance and time, Parker and Owen had more in common than they knew. Torn apart by the death of their parents and the lies of the priest at the orphanage, both brothers seem to still feel connected by the bond of family.

The idea of family made Rayne think of Bridgette and Alec. They were the closest thing she had to siblings until Wilson began his decent into madness. Now Alec is dead and Bridgette is a mother herself. Making a mental note to call Bridgette tomorrow, Rayne looks up as the door to her office opens. Her father enters carrying a tray in his arms.

“Have you come to make sure I eat?” The smell of tea and ham sandwiches made her smile.

“Well, with everything going on, I figured you wouldn’t bother. I brought food for both you and Nyla. The tea is chamomile with a little extra that Arabella left here.”

Rayne shook her head at the mention of their witch friend. It reminded her she still needed to check in on how Cyra was doing. There had just been so much happening since her heat. So much weight was on their shoulders at one time. Devon and Kade out there trying to rescue Cyra’s mate, along with Kade and Dominic’s. Learning that they were being held by the same man who is after Sebastion Drakos came as a surprise.

There is a group of witches coming to Shadows Retreat in two weeks to help Sebastion’s mate find her daughter. With luck, there will be no incidences that day, because that weekend was her and Parker’s wedding. Their life together has been anything but slow. This, however, is the most chaotic it has ever been at one time. Now they were going to add a baby to all of that chaos.

When Rayne looks back to her father, she notices the fatigue on his face. Was he not sleeping again? Was he thinking of her mother? The news that Rayne was going to be a mother seemed to hit him harder than she expected. Edmund put the tray on the desk, squeezed her hand gently, then left the room. They would need to talk later tonight.

“How is he doing with the news of your pregnancy?”

“He seemed happy at first, then he became withdrawn and distant. He is here, but mentally I think he is somewhere else. For him, all the memories he has of the past, happened just recently. Having his memory returned is a double-edged sword because now that he remembers the past, he has to mourn the loss of those who died. He didn’t get to do that then, but now he has to face it all. My mother’s death being the hardest because he watched her die before he was injured and left for dead.”

“I can’t imagine that pain. I don’t want to think of my life without Owen in it.”

“You won’t have to anytime soon,” Owen’s voice came from the open office doorway.

Parker was standing behind him, off to the side. Rayne could tell by the look on his face that he heard everything she said about Edmund. He shook his head before both of them entered the room. Owen walks straight to the couch where Nyla is sitting while Parker hesitates on where he should sit or stand. In the end, he settles for sitting behind his desk across the room from Rayne’s.

They set up their desks to face the center of the room on opposite walls. That way while they were working, all they would have to do was look up to see each other. This also put distance between them today. Rayne is still angry with him for how he spoke to her in the hallway. What he said hurt, but the emotion behind the words hurt more.

He meant those words, even if not how he said them.

“What have you ladies been talking about in here?” Owen asks after he sits down next to Nyla. His hand rubbing her belly.

“How similar the two of you are, even though you spent most of your lives apart.” Nyla leaned into him.

“Oh, really? Like what?” Parker asked as he pushed his hair behind his ears just as Owen did the same with his.

Nyla noticed their actions and just shook her head with a laugh.

“They get that from their mother,” Declan spoke from the doorway.

“Where is Frank?” Parker demands when he sees his father is alone.

“He left, claiming that he had somewhere to be. When I asked if he needed help, he just brushed me off, said he could take care of himself. Edmund said I could come up here. This is a pleasant set up the two of you have. Who runs what?”

“What do you mean?” Rayne asks with a frown. Is he asking questions about the bar or about the true purpose of Shadows Retreat?

“The bar. Who does what?”

“Parker is in charge of all the employees, the hiring and firing, but mostly we run everything as a team. I pass everything by him before we decide anything and he does the same.”

“What about the other part of the bar?”

“I started that, but we are a team there too.”

“What other part of the bar? It is a bar, what more is there?” Owen asks as he is now the only one in the room that isn’t aware of what Shadows Retreat does in secret.

Rayne opens her mouth to tell Owen everything she told Nyla earlier, but before she can say anything Parker talks. He basically repeats her earlier words, but leaves out The Collectors. Nyla knows about them, so there is no need to add onto Parker’s story.

“That is why I came here. I heard a rumor about this place and what it does for our world. When I learned the name of one of the owners, my interest doubled. You both are making an impact in the supernatural communities all over the world. How did you even get started with this?”

Parker told them the story about the battered girl they picked up on their way to California. She was their first good deed. Knowing they helped her made Rayne want to do more for other like her. The rest just fell into place as they made connections with other supernatural communities in California. Then their network grew wider to span across the United States. With Morty’s help, they expanded that network to Europe, South America, and Canada.

As Parker and Owen talked about what went on behind the scenes of Shadows Retreat, Rayne left the office to go find her father. Halfway down the stairs, the bracelet she wore on her left wrist started to heat up. It was the one Arabella made to send notifications about any breaches to the wards on the beach house. Parker had one too, and Rayne heard his footsteps running out of the office.

Someone is at the house that isn’t welcome there.

“Who would try to get into the house?”

“Where is Edmund?” Parker’s voice was full of concern for her father above all else.

“He is still here somewhere. The wards wouldn’t go off for him, he means no harm to us.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Rayne. I asked so we know he is safe and not in the magical blast area.”

“Who is trying to get into our house?”

“Only one way to find out. You stay here with Nyla and I will go with Owen to see what happened.”

“But what if there is more trouble?”

Parker joins her on the stairs, pulls her into his embrace, then leans down to kiss her softly. “I will be fine. Owen will be with me.”

“I will be with you too,” Edmund said from the bottom of the stairs.

With that said, the three men departed the bar after agreeing on what they would do once they reached the house. Rayne was reluctant to stay behind, but in the end agreed. Parker reminded her she was pregnant, and with love shining in his eyes, asked that she take care of their baby. Damn him for pulling that card on her. Women have been warriors and mothers long before Rayne became one.

For now, she would do as he asks. They would talk later about how she is not a fragile porcelain doll. Mates males are the worst.