Chapter 83

(**Rayne**) 

Rayne woke to the gentle stroke of a hand on her belly. She opens her eyes to find Parker propped up on an elbow while his free hand runs over the exposed flesh of her stomach. Her baby bump was finally showing. He has gotten into the habit of rubbing her stomach when he wakes up from a bad dream or just needs to feel comforted.  

Ever since Killian took her, Parker has had nightmares of what could have happened if they didn’t get to her. Knowing that she almost had a miscarriage makes them worse. He tells her after each nightmare that he knows it didn’t happen, but how he felt so close to that dark edge of despair when she was gone.  

The darkness that crept into his soul when he couldn’t reach her through their link was something that he never wants to feel again. Rayne can’t really blame him for that feeling. While she was confident that he would come for her, there were moments when she feared she would never see him again. 

Thank the Goddess that they didn’t have to live with the what ifs. Killian and his twisted girlfriend are dead. Owen and his family are free of that threat looming over their heads. Now if only Nathaniel would show his face, it would be great. Having him lurking in the shadows, ready to attack them at any moment, has everyone on edge. 

Nathaniel may be human, but he was a Warlock and from what she come to know, he was into dark magic like Necromancy. The Dark Witches hold grudges. They never forget. If he goes to his allies for help, then they will face them as an enemy, as well as The Collectors. 

“Hey,” she whispers. 

Parker’s eyes snapped to hers. The wistful look on his face makes her smile at him. He leans down to kiss her belly before he lays down next to her. “I’m sorry if I woke you.” 

“Don’t be sorry, Parker. Your feelings are natural. So are the nightmares. We will take this one day at a time until they fade away. I am right here with you and have no intention of going anywhere.” 

His lips descend on hers in a gentle kiss that soon spirals into passion. Rayne brings her hands up to cup his cheeks as she opens her mouth to allow his tongue to sweep inside. Parker’s hands caress down her body slowly, causing her to shiver as her arousal spikes. 

Breaking the kiss, she rolls onto her right side to face him, then lifts her left leg over his hip. Sleeping naked had its advantages. Parker gripped her ass in one hand, then with a flex of his hips toward her, he slipped slowly inside her.  

They made love for hours. Each kiss, caress, or stoke of his body within hers chased the shadows away. Later, they lay with limbs tangled and fingers gliding over sweat slicked skin. 

“What do you think about the name Amalia for a girl?” Rayne asks. 

“Amalia Solas has a pleasant sound to it. What do you think about Rowan, for a girl? We could call her Ro.” 

“Why not Donovan for a last name?” 

Parker sent her a surprised look. “You would give our child my last name?” 

“We could use both names.” 

He wrinkled his nose at the idea of a hyphenate last name. “No way are we going to that to our child. One last name. We can decide on that when the time comes.” 

Rayne laughed at the look on his face. Two last names are a little too much. Even she has to agree with that. One last name is wonderful, two last names just seem pretentious. It reminds her of when she watched television or movies where female characters have used their maiden name and married name in a hyphenated name. Just pick one.  

Don’t want to take your husband’s last name? Then don’t. However, she knows that is just her opinion on the matter and not everyone feels the same way. Most supernaturals either have a last name that is a family name or no last name at all because they chose to just go by their given name. 

This isn’t the first time she has laughed at the strange habits between her kind and the humans.  

“What do you think about Kai for a boy?” Parker asks. 

Rayne repeated the name to see how it would sound. Kai Solas. Kai Donovan. Both sound nice. “How about Edwin?” 

“For your father. I like that.” 

“There are two more names I like, but that are more gender neutral, just in case we decide not to know the gender until birth.” 

“Do you want to know if we are having a boy or a girl?” At the sound of Rayne’s stomach growling, Parker laughs. “I think food is a good idea. Let’s get dressed and you can tell me the other two names while I make dinner.” 

As she did what he suggested, she thought of what he asked her about the gender of her baby. Does she really want to know if they are having a boy or a girl? Knowing the gender could be helpful for many things. Picking names, decorating the nursery, and personalized gifts from her friends that craft.  

However, in the grand scheme of things, all that really matters is that her baby is healthy. “I think we should wait until the birth.” 

Parker leans down to give her a kiss on the forehead before he pulls her out of the bedroom to go feed their bellies. “I like that idea. So much of our lives together has been a surprise. Why not have this part of our future together be a surprise too?” 

Silence settled over them as they work together to make dinner. Rayne was craving red meat, so Parker pulled steaks out of the refrigerator. Normally, he would grill them outside, but he opted to pan-sear them with chopped bell peppers and onions instead. The aromas filling their kitchen were practically making her drool in anticipation. 

Parker always took great care when he made steaks. He liked his medium-rare like she did, but she asked him to make hers a rare steak today. The bloodier that better today. What a wonderful day for pregnancy cravings. Rayne made the side salad while he cooked the steaks. 

When everything was done, they took their plates out onto the deck. The light breeze coming off the ocean made her shiver. Parker wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as they sat down to eat. “What are the other two names you thought of?” 

“River and Wren.” 

The way his eyes lit up; she could tell that he likes both names.  

Soon enough, it was time to head to the bar for the night. As she was dressing for work, the pair of jeans she pulled on wouldn’t zip up all the way. Tears filled her eyes when it hit her again that she was going to be a mother soon. Parker found her twenty minutes later, sitting on the side of the bed sobbing. 

“Hey, what is going on here. I thought you were happy with becoming a mother?” 

“These are happy tears, Parker. I couldn’t zip my jeans and it made me cry. My baby bump just made me unable to wear my skinny jeans and I am so happy.” 

Parker walks straight to her, scoops her up, then sits down on the bed with her now in his lap. “When I heard you crying, I didn’t even think. I just reacted and came running. Here you are crying happy tears. You are going to be an exceptional mother.” 

“It makes me wish more and more that my mother was here with me for this.” 

This time, her tears were from missing her mother all these years. All the mother/daughter things that they should have had done together. All those typical things girls do with their mother as they grow up. Rayne only had that until she was nine years old. The rest was pain. 

“Rayne, my love, please don’t go down that dark path in your head. You remember those good times with her instead. Use some of what you remember to show our child how they are loved. Let her live through you and on within our children.” 

“Children?” 

“Do you really think we will be able to stop at just one?” 

“How many are you thinking about?” 

“Well, a dozen seems like too much to ask for. Seeing that I can’t seem to keep my hands off you for long, I am sure we will just have to see how it goes.” 

“The Moon Goddess willing, you will never grow tired of me.” 

To prove a point, Parker stands up off the bed with her still in his arms, spins around and tosses her on the bed. Swiftly her jeans are pulled from her body, then he kisses his way up her legs. “I will never…,” he kisses her inner thigh. “Ever…,” he blows his breath over her silk panties. “Get…,” he moves her panties aside and flicks his tongue over her. “Tired of you.” 

Soon his jeans follow hers, along with the rest of their clothes. Slowly, Parker worships every inch of her body. He uses his hands, mouth, and tongue to send her up and over the edge of pleasure so many times that she lost count of the orgasms. Then, when she was a limp, whimpering mess, he spread her legs and slid deep inside her core. 

It was after midnight when they finally showered, dressed, then left the house for Shadow’s retreat. Rayne’s body was loose, and it felt like she was floating on air. Sex with Parker was always a magical experience, but today it felt different.  

He made her feel like a goddess while he worshipped her. In her heart, she knew that what they experienced was more than sex and that he was paying homage to everything about her. The words he whispered to her while they made love meant more than just words.  

Their love for each other was more than their mate bond. It went above and beyond what she originally thought it could ever be. Parker is more than her mate and he has been long before she realized it. He is her best friend, keeper of her secrets, and the one person she has never had to hide from. 

Parker is everything to her and soon she will have a child they created out of love.  

“If you keep smiling like that, I am going to take you downstairs and recreate that night I asked you to marry me.” 

“That is a very excellent idea, however, we may not get that chance.” Rayne points at the back door of the bar. 

Standing outside the back door, Declan is waiting for them with two men they have never met before. From the set of their shoulders and the look on Declan’s face, whatever news that brought them to Shadows Retreat will be bad news. 

“Have you been waiting here long?” Parker asks.  

Declan steps forward to greet him as Rayne hangs back a little. There is an air of authority coming from the other two men that makes her nervous. Their scents tell her they are shifters. Shifters don’t have the same hierarchy system that werewolves or other were-animals have. They are nomadic by nature. 

So, because they move around the world so much, they don’t follow the laws of Alphas. Yet, with the power coming from these two men, it seems that something in the shifter world is changing. Whether that is for better or worse, it hard to tell. 

“No, we have only been here for about thirty minutes. Argyle said that you two hadn’t come in yet, so we waited out on the patio. We came over here a few minutes ago.” Declan turned from Parker to look at his companions. “Can we talk inside? Up in your office perhaps?” 

“Who are these men?” 

“We can do the introductions inside if it is all the same to you.” One stranger says. His voice is deep, with an accent that is very thick. His charcoal-grey suit looks tailor made for him. It fits well with his olive skin tone.  

If Rayne had to guess on his origins, she would say Greece or another Mediterranean country. His companion has very similar features, which makes her believe they are related in some way. Who are these men and what do they want with Parker. 

She has a feeling that is who they are here for. Not once have they looked her way. Their eyes have stayed on Parker or Declan this entire time.  

“There is a room next to our office that will give you four the privacy you need for whatever it is you came here to say.” Rayne states firmly. 

The man who spoke looks her way as she speaks up. There is a softness to his eyes when he looks at her. His stance relaxes as his dark eyes roam over her face. He whispers something to his friend that has the other man moving to the door, then holding it open for them. 

“A pregnant woman should not be kept out here waiting. Let’s go inside and I will get to the reason for our visit.” 

Parker places his hand on her back to lead her inside. Rayne heads straight up the stairs, then down to the soundproof meeting room. After opening the door with her thump on the keypad, she steps inside, then walks to the large, overstuffed chair in the corner. Parker sits with her since the chair was costume made for them. 

The two strangers join them, followed by Declan, who closes the door behind him. Once everyone is seated, the man who seems to be the one in charge leans forward in his chair and looks at Parker. He flashes a smile before he speaks. 

“My name is Andre, and this is my brother Kostas. We are the founders of the Shifter Council. I have to say, after hearing about the two of you through rumors, I am glad I finally have that chance to meet you in person. You father has told you about the new Shifter Council, correct?” 

“Yes. It is a wonderful change.” 

“Well, we have come to offer you an alliance with us, as well as a seat on the council.” 

Rayne felt Parker’s shock through their bond. To say that this is a surprise is an understatement. “Why?” 

“We have heard of what the two of you and all of your allies have been doing for the supernatural world. Since becoming aware of The Collectors, we are even more impressed with what you have accomplished here in just short time.” 

Parker leaned forward a little. “My home is here. I won’t leave this behind.” 

“There will be no need. You can serve on the council from here. You are a very respected man out here in California. The shifter community here needs you to give them a voice with the council.” 

Well, this was not at all what Rayne expected to hear when she saw these men with Declan tonight.