Chapter 58

(**Rayne**)
*Later that night*

Rayne let the steaming hot water relax her body as she leaned back in the tub. Parker was out cleaning the deck since they got home. Kerri’s body was taken away when Declan’s crew retrieved Frank. Parker hadn’t given her the full details about what happened yet, which she will push for when he comes inside. He only told her who breached the wards, and that Kerri was dead because she fell on her own dagger when the magical blast went off.

What could Frank want in this house? They kept a little money in the safe and a few pieces of jewelry Rayne had bought over the years. Nothing worth a lot of money. The only truly valuable item was the handcuffs that they carted away Frank in. Those cost her a good bit of cash, a few favors, and a bit of her pride to acquire. She told Parker that she wanted them back when Declan returned. He had called his father on their way home to ask for their return.

Now she is left alone to think about the events of the day. The day started with Parker waking her up with kisses all over her body before he settled on her belly. He was excited to go to the clinic to confirm what the home test told us. The silly grin on his face was infectious and soon they were both smiling like idiots. After they pulled themselves together, he insisted on giving her a bath.

That of course led to more than just washing her body. When they finally pulled themselves out of the bath and got dressed, it was time to go to the clinic. The ride there was full of nervous energy. Rayne was battling her fear of what she would be told. That fear is still in the back of her mind. How can she ensure the safety of her child in the world it will come into?

The Collectors and the fight against them terrifies her. How can she protect her child when so much is unknown about those bastards? With so much on her plate now, bringing a child into all of that chaos is dangerous. The timing is all wrong. She could feel her anxiety ramping up as she placed her hand over her flat stomach. The thought of anything happening to her unborn baby had her gasping for breath as a full-blown panic attack hit her.

“Rayne?” Parker yelled as he rushed into the bathroom.

“Parker,” she gasped as he knelt down by the side of the tub.

“Baby, it is going to be fine. You can’t think of all of that right now.”

“It isn’t safe for us to have this baby, Parker.”

He only sighed.

“I am right, Parker, and you know it. We can’t do this now.”

“Then when, Rayne? It may never be safe with what we do. The Collectors may never go away. This baby is a gift! How can you think of it as something bad?” Parker stood up from the floor and stormed out of the room.

Shame and regret washed over her as she heard the back door slam closed. She let her fear overwhelm her. He was right about the baby being a gift. Why had she let all the crap she couldn’t control get to her? She had never been like this before in her life. Rubbing her belly, she figured it was the hormones. Now she owed her mate an apology.

They actually both owed one to each other.

Climbing from the tub, she wrapped a towel around her body to go get dressed so she could go find her mate. He hadn’t gone far since she could still smell his scent. Pulling on a pair of black leggings and her Mickey Mouse t-shirt, Rayne then walked to the back door. She found him sitting on the back stairs with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

The sadness coming through their bond made her heart clench. Though she felt not all of it was directed at her. Stepping outside, she walks around to stand in front of him. She grabs one of his hands and places it gently over her belly when he looks up at her with a questioning expression.

“I am sorry, Parker.”

“Do you really think our baby is a mistake?” The quiver in his voice made her heart tremble.

Pushing him back, she moves to straddle his lap, then places both her hands on his face. “No, I don’t think our baby is a mistake. The timing is horrible with all we have going. No child we make now or in the future is a mistake. I let my fear get to me.”

“Do you really think between me, your father, and all of our friends that we would let any harm come to this baby?”

That thought makes Rayne laugh out loud. He has a point about that, about the protectiveness of those in her life. Between her mate and her father, they will look the baby after at all times. Arabella is an entirely different story altogether. Rayne knows her friend will protect their child in such a way that no one will think of harming it.

“Does Arabella know?”

“Yes, I may have mentioned it when she showed up to see what set the wards off.”

“She was here in California?”

“Yeah, she appeared out of smoke as we were walking to see if Frank was awake. She looked overjoyed, but it was obvious she knew before I said anything.”

“Tell me what happened on the beach today.”

He stood up in response with her now clinging to him with her legs around his waist. “Let’s go inside first.”

Carrying her inside, he closed the door with his foot then walked to the bedroom. With tender care he put her on the bed then left the room to go turn out all the lights in the house. When he came back, he had a plate of cheese, slices of salami, and crackers. The smell making her stomach roll as nausea swamped her.

Parker grimaced and took the plate back into the hall. “I am sorry.”

“No, it is fine. I am hungry, thank you. Just give it a bit for my stomach to settle. Now come sit and tell me what happened on the beach. Why were Frank and Kerri here?”

He walked back into the room after placing the plate on the floor in the hall. Sitting on the bed beside her, he brought her closer to his body. His scent calming her down as he held her. She squeezed his hand to encourage him to continue. After heaving a sigh and squeezing back, he did.

“To lay a trap for me.”

“What? Why?” Her voice cracked as she practically yelled her shock.

“He planned to get into the house and wait for you to come home alone. You were his trap.”

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks, making her gasp in shock. “He was going to use me to get you to come to the house so he could kill you.”

“Yes, but how did you know?”

“Nyra and I were talking while you and your brother had your alone time. I shared a gut feeling I had with her and she agreed with me.”

“Frank is so jealous of my place in Owen’s heart and memories. He figured if I was no longer in the picture, our brother would have all the time in the world for only him. I think he didn’t think it all the way through. Owen was pissed and punch him in the face.”

“I would have loved to see that.”

“Blood spurted all over, even more when I hit him to knock him out for the cuffs.”

“What do you think this Shifter Council will do to him?”

“I don’t know, nor do I care right now.”

“He is your brother still, no matter what happens.” Rayne moved away a bit to face him.

“That I am painfully aware of. The brother I didn’t know I had wanted to kill me to. Why? So that he could be the only brother Owen has. Talk about a lovely family connection we will have.”

“One day maybe he will feel different.”

“Yeah, maybe, but for now I am not spending anymore of my time on Frank. What matters now is you, our baby, and this wedding.” He closed the distance between them to place his lips over hers. Pulling back, he looked her in the eyes, “About what I said earlier.”

“You really hurt me, Parker. More so since I knew you meant it.”

“I did, but not really. Having the ability to speak to you in my head at any time is new to both of us. I have always been in tune with your emotions and you mine, but it differs from actually being able to feel them. To hear your thoughts anytime you want. Today was a day full of heightened emotion and entirely too much drama.”

“Do we need to work on privacy? Keep the link closed more often?”

“Fuck no! We both just need time to adjust. I love feeling your emotions and hearing your thoughts when you let me. I snapped at you in my anger at Frank and I am so sorry I hurt you.”

“Then make it up to me.”

“How do you suggest I do that?” Parker raised a brow at her.

“Go get that plate and feed me, then we will go from there.” The wicked glint in her eye had him laughing.

“You are my naughty little mate,” He kissed her again before he climbed off the bed to grab the plate for her.

Rayne allowed him to feed her a few bites before she pushed his hand away so she could feed herself. They sat in a comfortable silence as they shared their plate of snacks. One of his hands idly stroking up and down her leg. When her phone beeped to signal an email, she picked it up to see who it was from.

With a huge grin on her face, she opened the email from Samantha. She squealed in delight at the images she saw of her wedding dress. It was absolutely perfect.

“What has you squealing like a little girl?”

She closed the email as he leaned over to look at her phone. “Nothing for you to see right now. You will see it in two weeks.”

“Oh, that was from Samantha, huh?”

“Yes, she sent me the perfect dress design. I am so happy with the results.”

“Who have you invited to the wedding?”

Rayne informs him of the small guest list and they talk for the next few hours on what they each want for their special day. Most of what they each had planned was agreed on by the other. A few minor details here and there needed ironing out, but they had time to do so.

“Will you have Sebastion and his mate stay for the wedding?” Parker asks her when they fell into silence. “If they want to after the location spell, then sure. Will that be a problem for you?”

After their visit to Redwood, it seemed like the two men had come to an understanding. The hostility from their first meeting was gone after Parker helped Jace laugh and smile again. Rayne had hoped that Sebastion and Irina coming to Bodega Bay would go smoothly. Maybe she was wrong with that thought.

“No problem, I was just curious of you would ask them to stay. Will it be odd for you to have your ex-mate and his new mate at or wedding?”

Rayne frowns at his question. Would it be odd? When she first met Sebastion, she never wanted a mate. He brought his lover to a Mate Ball then left his true mate in the dirt after calling her weak and pathetic. She no longer holds that against him since she has moved on with her life. After their talk while she was in Redwood, Rayne felt relieved that he let her go when the Moon Goddess gave him the choice.

What would she have done had he fought for her? The bond was weak when he found her and Parker in the woods, but it was still there. Would it have gotten stronger if he stayed to stake his claim on her? What would she have done if things had turned out differently? Her heart belonged to Parker long before Sebastion found her.

Anger flares through the bond as Parker takes her silence as a yes to his question. He instantly moves away from her to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Hey, wait a second, don’t pull away from me.”

“Your silence was all I needed, Rayne.”

“Do you want to know what I was thinking or do you want to be mad at me?”

“Will it matter?”

“Yes, you fool, it will. Now listen well because I am only going to say this once. That fact that you do not know the depths of my feelings for you is just sad. I have loved you for the last year, hell longer than that if I am being honest with myself. You owned my heart the minute you touched my body as more than a friend. I said nothing because you seemed to like our life just how it was. I never wanted Sebastion and you know it. He let me go so that I could be happy. You are my happy, Parker!”

Parker stood up off the bed to turn around so he could look at her. “I know what you say is the truth, but what were you thinking about that had you going quiet.”

“What our lives would be like if things had gone differently. What would we have done if Sebastion tried to fight for me instead of letting me go to be with you? Our bond was weak, but still there. Thankfully, we never had to live that life. We are blessed by the Moon Goddess as a mated pair. Let’s show our family and friends that.”

“I love you, Rayne. Had he staked his claim I would have challenged him knowing he would have killed me.”

Tears slip down Rayne’s cheeks at his declaration. His words were something she knew in her heart to be true. Sebastion being an Alpha wolf would have killed Parker over her. Her heart would have died if he did.

“We never have to worry about that again, Parker. Now get your ass back on this bed and hold me.”

“Oh, my naughty mate, I am going to be doing more than hold you.”

The glint in his eye made her shiver in anticipation as he pulled his shirt over his head. His muscles rippling and his tattoos moving as he did. His eyes never leaving hers as he undid his jeans. Climbing onto the bed, he pulls her to lay down under him then claims her lips. Her arms wrapping around his neck, one of her hands going to the band in his hair, while the other grips his shoulder.

The night is still young, and he has all night to make love to her. Sighs, moans, and the whisper of bed sheets fill the room as Parker takes his time getting her naked.