He moved strangely, canting his head at odd angles. The power he radiated was wandering over me, crawling against my naked skin. The navy-blue, silver outlined stare shifted to the swollen mound that cradled the babe growing within. The creature emitted an odd noise that almost sounded soothing, as if he didn’t like my or my baby’s sudden alertness, or my anxious concerns. My hands twisted into the blankets, quietly following him and the manner his body moved in, which was almost too brisk to be noticeable.
Opening my mind, I tried to reach for Ryder through the link we shared, but slammed against an invisible barrier. Swallowing the uneasiness washing through me, I remained perfectly still. I tried reaching out for Ryder again, only to hit the same barrier as if the creature above was preventing me from seeking help. The rhythm of my heartbeat echoed noisily in my ears, and I was positive the creature above me received the sound clearly.
“You’re not welcome here,” I murmured, viewing its laser focus moving to zero on my lips.
It plunged, and I roared, calling out for the guards. Somehow, I rolled off the bed and managed to dodge the creature with my clumsy tumble. My body hurtled against the floor, forcing out a gasp of pain. I scrambled behind the chair, intending to use it as a shield to place a barrier between the creature, and me. The creature crept closer to me, and I expelled a breath before finding my footing to attack the bastard.
My body slammed into his, sending us both to the floor. Releasing a battle cry, I punched him in the face, but my strike only made him laugh. I jerked back and struggled back to my feet, hating that the uneven burden of my abdomen almost dropped me back toward the individual. I danced back, putting distance between me and the creature, but he just looked offended. The rich scent of male and sex assaulted my nose and pulled a shuddering breath from my lips.
“What the fuck, Syn?” Zahruk snapped, planting a palm over his damned mouth.
My lashes batted, gaping at the bastard that had been creeping above me, lingering on the ceiling. Zahruk straightened, and I blanched at his transformation. He hadn’t simply evolved. Zahruk had gotten a full upgrade from a soldier to here-are-my-panties-you-can-have-them-and-my-fucking-soul.
He was dripping sexual temptation, and the dangerous hint of predator that hovered thickly between us had my tongue gliding over my lips. His body rippled with sinewy ropes of muscle, all pulsing with the power he held. He’d moved from lethal assassin to death-by-hormones since he’d been here last.
“What the hell were you doing flying over my bed?” I demanded, scowling at him. “You destroyed my fucking door, and then you decided to do what, exactly? Hover above me? What the fuck right back at ya!” I growled, incapable of extracting my stare from the solid wall of enticing male standing in front of me.
“Holy fucking Tinker Bell,” I moaned, gliding my focus to the appendage his slacks failed horribly to contain. It jerked, and I sucked my lip between my teeth, nibbling the tissue hard enough to hurt.
My stare snapped back up, discovering him inches away from me. He leaked lust, promising scandalizing ecstasy. His mouth twisted into a knowing grin, and his brands hummed with a wickedly dark whisper of enticing rapture, drawing me into their spell.
“I require some holy water and sage. Also, might need to call for a fucking priest to rinse my mind of the thoughts I almost just had.” Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I scrubbed my palm over my face and shook my head. “You need to turn that shit off this minute! I’m a married woman, Zahruk! I shouldn’t be entertaining these thoughts, you fuck-head!”
“My magic isn’t on, Synthia. I dulled it as far as it’ll go to evade being discovered hovering over your nude, helpless body. Don’t think that would’ve looked good, all factors considered. You might wish to dress,” he stated, drifting an eager gaze down my naked form. “Not that I don’t enjoy discovering what has ensnared my brother, but he probably wouldn’t enjoy knowing you’re naked and alone with me. And I didn’t break the door, the fire did. The ice on the glass didn’t appreciate the fire I started before I heard the babe’s pulse and halted to listen to him. You woke up, and I overreacted and hid.” His burning gaze dared me to remain naked and find out what would happen. I shimmied with magic, glamouring on a kimono that hid the gentle, ice-blue nightgown beneath it.
“You thought hiding on the ceiling was appropriate? You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!” I responded, twisting my gaze toward the echo of feet pounding the main room. A second later, Ryder strode into the bedroom, faltering when he spotted the issue.
“I told you I fucking panicked,” he grunted, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes dropped, and he swallowed loudly. “He’s grown a lot since I was here last. The pregnancy is progressing well?”
“Why were you panicking?” Ryder asked carefully, settling beside me before he casually took in the alterations to his brother. His earthy scent encompassed me, sending a trickle of need pulsing in my abdomen.
“I returned here, but ended up landing in your bed. This time, it was only your wife on the fucking thing. She was stark ass naked, so I made like a fucking thief and got the hell out of it, meaning to quit the apartment. That was my intention, but I noticed the chamber was chilled and built a fire. Then I heard the beating of the babe’s heart. It drew me to her, and the tempo was akin to the one I used to track Dristan by when we were children.” His hand slid to his neck, and he shook his head. “After that, memories trapped me in place. The ice stuck to the glass caused the door to shatter, which snapped me out of it and also woke her.
“I fucking panicked because she was naked, and I’m not myself. Before I’d collected my thoughts, my wings were fucking stuck to the ceiling, and I was hovering above your naked wife, asshole. Satisfied? I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me and ending up in your fucking bed, but it’s disturbingly wrong.”
“I second that.” Ryder grunted. “You hid above her?” he continued, hiding the laughter by coughing into his hand. Ryder’s eyes sparkled with amusement, which caused his lips to twitch. “And got stuck?”
I groaned, sliding an annoyed stare toward Ryder.
“Yeah, and then my wings extended, and I fell, and she kicked my fucking ass,” Zahruk announced, chuckling along with his brother. “Not my brightest moment.”
“You said the babe’s heartbeat is akin to Dristan’s?” Ryder asked, and the mood sobered. My palm landed on the swell of my abdomen, and both men’s gazes slid to it with pain in their faces.
“It’s the same tempo down to the skip that gave him away when he was a little boy. Honestly, I didn’t think rebirth was a possibility until the moment I heard the skip and realized it was coming from Synthia’s womb. I assumed our sons securing rebirth if they died in battle was a myth they fed us. Each time it skips, I’m more convinced it’s exactly as Dristan’s was.” Zahruk cleared his throat, smiling tightly. “I need to go find sustenance and see if it reduces the intensity leaking from my pores. You refilled the feeding rooms?” His tongue slid over his lips, and power rushed through the chamber.
“I did, and they’re filled with willing feeders. You should know that Alden isn’t well,” Ryder offered, gently running his fingers through his inky hair. “His change isn’t normal, and when he feeds, he kills the one he is feeding from. There is merely a husk of skin left by the time he’s done.”