Fina released her grip and helped Brutus off with his BabyBjorn.
“I brought everyone crackers and chocolate. I wasn’t sure what you’d like.” He pulled the pack from his back and set it on the ground.
“I’ll take that. Thank you!” Chela swooped by and disappeared into a ravenous mob of pregnant women.
“That was nice of you.” Fina smiled at her big strong guy. She still hadn’t broken the news to Brutus that he was going to be a father. Again.
“I have arranged to have more supplies dropped in a few days—food, cloth diapers, biodegradable soap, medicine, a satellite TV, satellite comm system and laptops so the girls have internet for their education, and some construction materials. Seriously, your huts suck, and I really object to my daughters getting rained on.”
“Brutus, you must’ve spent a fortune.”
“Eh, well, I sold my house, and the twenty acres of land in Sedona next to it went for top dollar. Plus, I’ve been saving money for a really, really long time.”
It’s funny. She had no idea how old Brutus was. Maybe it’s better I don’t ask. She liked thinking of him as her younger man. Wouldn’t want to burst that bubble.
“Any update on the missing immortals?” she asked.
“No. But I decided to hand the mission off. I’m done with being a soldier.”
“Really?” Fina felt her heart squeeze inside her chest. “So…you’re staying? For good?”
“Yes.”
There were no words. Saying she felt happy simply didn’t cut it. “What made you change your mind?” she asked, knowing how important his work was to him.
“I realized that waiting for the world to be perfect in order to start enjoying my life and finding happiness was pretty stupid. Especially now.”
“Because you’re no longer immortal?” she asked.
“No, because I have you.”
Fina’s stomach rolled, but in a good way. She felt like she’d walked into a romantic dream. And I never want to wake up. Her life was officially perfect. And hard. With memories of dark moments. And regrets. But she was starting to learn there was a divine wisdom to it all. Bad things and people made the good more valuable. Like now, for example. Not being possessed by evil was really wonderful. Not wanting to slit everyone’s throats wasn’t bad either.
“As long as this is really what you want,” she said, “and you won’t feel guilty about not running around, saving the world.”
“I made my peace with it. And funnily enough, the moment I stepped down, some of the gods’ mates started coming up with a plan to get the gods back.”
“You think they’ll figure out a way?” Honestly, Fina felt for them. To be left so suddenly must be horrible. To not know what happened or where they were would be a nightmare.
“I don’t know,” Brutus replied. “They’ll need someone really smart, someone very brave, and someone who knows something about the underworld—if that is, in fact, where they are.”
Who knew? “Well,” Fina flashed a bright smile, “let’s not think about that for now. This is a happy moment, and you and I need to celebrate. There’s this really nice tree over the hill that has been missing you.”
Brutus’s blue eyes flickered with annoyance.
“Sorry. Sorry. Mea culpa. My hut works great, too. Plus, I have something to show you.” Still cradling the pets in her arms, she turned and urged him to follow. She opened the bamboo door to her hut and let him enter first.
“Is that…” Brutus pointed to the little pair of pink baby boots on her bed. One of the women knew how to knit and had been teaching her.
“Yep.” Fina set the kitten and dog down on the bed and picked up the booties, placing them on her stomach. “How do you think they’ll look?”
“Seriously?” Brutus’s eyes lit up. It was the exact same look he’d had that time he looked at Colel when she found the two of them in the jungle. Fina remembered wishing that a man, him specifically, would one day look at her like that.
And now he was. Only this time, his entire face lit up, not just the eyes. He stood a little taller, prouder, and fiercer, too. Yes, he would do anything to protect her and their love.
Even better, he’s going to have lots of sex with me and fix the damned roof!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Nine months later…
Brutus had never sweat so much. He was dripping from head to toe, pacing from one end of the village to the other, then hiking up to the waterfall and down again. Anything to stop worrying.
All ninety-four women, who not only had their moon cycles together for the last five centuries but also decided to go into labor together too, were about to give birth.
The only consolation was that forty of the men in his old platoon, including the small elite group of soldiers with whom he used to have a telepathic connection, had come to settle upstream in their own little village. It had been Brutus’s suggestion—fine, fine. He’d begged them—given how shorthanded he was. Caring for almost a hundred hormonal pregnant females was more work than he could handle.
Also, they were not shy about their sexual needs. The final straw had been when they took him from Fina’s hut in the middle of the night and tied him up. Yes. Again! Only, this time, out of loyalty for their new queen, they didn’t touch him. They just put toothpicks in his eyelids and made him watch as they touched themselves.
Brutus cringed. I can’t believe these pervy women are going to mother my children. Fina had laughed it off and said it was actually pretty nice of them, since they hadn’t actually broken any rules.
Anyway, he thought it was wise to bring in reinforcements, and after hundreds of years of saving asses, the men owed him a few favors. Now, there were more men to help fetch snacks and water. The men had more sex and hot women than they knew what to do with.
“Brutus! Brutus!” Fina screamed.
Oh gods. It’s time. He ran to the hut and spoke outside the door. “Can I come in now? Is it safe?” Fina had thrown a dagger at him about an hour ago and told him to jump in the crevasse to be with her mother.
“Yes! Safe! Come here!” she screamed.
Brutus poked his head inside, only to see Fina…well, squeezing out a baby. “Wow. Now that is incredible!”
“Shut up! Only you would think that! Get over here and get ready to catch it.”
Brutus was about to tell her how beautiful she looked bringing a new life into the world, but the moment he opened his mouth, the little thing was halfway out. He grabbed the clean blanket to her side and caught the little devil just as it popped out.
“Great job!” Brutus looked at the most beautiful creature, besides the mother, he’d ever seen. “Wait. Why does it have a penis? Is that normal for girls?”
“What?” Fina screamed. “No!”
“Yes!” He puffed out his chest and wrapped his little soldier in his arms. “Hello, Señor Baby. It’s very nice to meet you!”
Fina gave Brutus a dirty look. “Over my dead body will that be his name.”
Suddenly, Brutus heard hysterical screams throughout the village. “Then I guess you’d all better start coming up with really great boy names.” Brutus could not wish for more in life—his new life. For centuries, he’d given up so much, and it seemed that now the Universe was paying him back in spades. A good woman who loved him and an entire village of sons and warriors. Life couldn’t possibly get any better.