“He’s a starving little beastie,” I murmured, grinning at his father, whose lips continually twitched. “What’s so amusing?”
Ryder laughed outright and slowly shook his head before he spat out what he found so humorous. “Dristan finally figured out a way to get to you. He’s able to touch you, and I can’t even be upset over it. Not to mention, he bet me once that he’d be able to get inside your pussy.” My smile faltered, and I snorted at how inappropriate his statement was. “He didn’t have a chance with how hotly we burned for one another, but he found a way to do it nevertheless.”
“Seriously?” I grunted before giggling when Ryder’s mirth increased as the babe made a noise that almost sounded like a bubble of laughter. I smirked at the milk-drunk babe, who was smiling in his sleep. “It’s almost poetic, isn’t it?”
“That he got to your—” My warning stare cut him off.
“No, not that he finally got to that, Ryder.” I fought the twitch of my lips, fighting not to laugh at his twisted humor. “That we brought him back, and we get to be his parents. That even though tragedy stripped him from us, the universe gave him back, so we can protect him once more.”
His jaw clenched and jerked before he leaned over, planting a kiss against my forehead. Neither of us voiced the grief we carried over Kahleena, but it didn’t require articulation. It was there, tearing us apart and muddling the bliss of bringing new life into the realm. She had been a shining beauty that could never be replaced. The world was darker without her in it, and it would never be the same again.
Chapter Nineteen
I woke to find Ryder sitting in front of the fireplace and staring into the flames as if lost in thought. I could make out the tiny babe in his powerful arms, and the soft sound of our son sucking his fingers made my lips spread into a grin. Zander and Cade were sitting in the chairs that bracketed the couch, both leaning forward as if drawn in physically by whatever they were whispering about.
Glamouring on a thick robe, I slipped from the bed and moved closer to them. They spoke in soft tones, but there was a pregnant silence in the air after Ryder had informed them about Kahleena and what had transpired throughout the day.
Slipping in beside Ryder, I stroked Dristan’s cheek, discovering he was wide awake and still infatuated with his fingers.
“He’s hungry,” Ryder muttered but didn’t move to hand him over. “The boys couldn’t sleep. We didn’t wake you, did we?”
Shaking my head, I leaned against Ryder’s shoulder, closing my eyes. “I couldn’t sleep with the nightmares plaguing my mind.”
I’d dreamed of Arius torturing Kahleena. His men had held me back, and I’d been unable to reach her while she pleaded for me. Right before he removed her head, she’d accused me of failing to find and protect her.
“I suffered the same fate,” Ryder offered before he tugged me closer against his side.
“Us too,” Cade admitted as he stared unseeing into the flames. “There has to be something we’re missing. Lucian said there wasn’t any trace of a portal when Kahleena vanished or reappeared. We’ve monitored each new portal opened inside Faery to try to see if we can find her, or the asshole holding her that way, but it’s as if we’re running in circles, seeking a ghost. Lena couldn’t scry for Kahleena’s location, either. It’s like she’s dead and has been since he first captured her.”
I swallowed past the bile that shot to the back of my throat. Cade’s forehead furrowed and his nose scrunched, and Zander’s expression turned worried as he pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger.
Dristan let loose an angry howl, and my breasts tingled with the need to provide him with nutrients. Ryder smirked and made soft noises, which appeased Dristan for a moment, but then he vanished from his father’s arms and appeared in mine. My brows shot up, and Ryder chuckled, leaning back to watch as I carefully tucked Dristan within the robe.
“We should go,” Zander stated, rubbing the back of his neck with an uncomfortable look pinching his features.
“Stay,” I whispered, smiling in his direction. Grabbing a blanket, I covered Dristan even though he was shielded by the robe. I chuckled warmly as he acted like he’d been starved in the few hours I’d managed to sleep. “I prefer that we be together right now. I could use the distraction and have been sorely miffed about being left behind while you three were searching.”
“You were rather rounded . . .” Ryder aimed a look at Cade, who chuckled as he scratched his neck as he considered his words wisely. “Big?”
“Never tell a woman that, ever,” Ryder stated as Cade tossed him a worried look. “Trust me, son. You either get creative after a while, or you don’t and get cut. Women are mean, vicious creatures. Remember that the next time you think to tell one she is rounded or big.”
“I was very rounded.” I snorted before Cade laughed, and Zander made a sound of agreement. Ryder tossed me a look of reprimand, as if he was intending to use the moment to teach the boys the right way to handle a pregnant wife. As if he could handle me.
“First rule of wooing, boys? Never tell a mate she’s big, rounded, or even fluffy. I doubt you will need that advice. When you find her, and she carries your child? She’s the most ravishing, ethereal being you’ll ever see. It’s intoxicating to know you are the cause of the swelling of those enticing curves.” Ryder’s eyes glittered with love, and the weight of it mixing with the emotions rushing through me threatened to drown me, and leave me overwhelmed.
Zander let out a low whistle and sank back down into the chair. “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” he admitted, setting his palms on his knees, peering back into the flames. “I do not want that sort of stress or responsibility so soon. I enjoy being free to stretch my legs.”
“No shit. But I think you meant cock, not legs,” Cade agreed. The boys snickered as if they were normal teenagers, and it sent a rush of warmth through me. I loved that they’d ended up as close as they had.
“I wasn’t either,” Ryder announced, forcing our attention onto him. “No one is ever ready for it when it happens. If you find her, you’ll know immediately that she’s the one you’re meant to be with. One look at your mother, and I knew I’d have her. At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to strangle her or kiss her, though. Of course, your mother had a mouth on her that could make anyone blush.”
I chuckled as the boys smirked at me. “I was hunting monsters before I hit puberty, Fairy. Of course, I had a mouth on me. Who wouldn’t? I was raised by stuffy elders, who didn’t care about anything but our ability to harness magic and unleash it on their enemies.”
“What was that like?” Zander inquired, sitting forward with his attention anchored on me.
“I lived under strict guidelines, but Alden made sure that I never felt alone. There were also Larissa, Adam, and Adrian, who were constantly by my side. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a childhood that you’d want because it consisted of training, wielding magic from the leyline, and hunting dangerous beings, but I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if it weren’t for my time there. Then I met your father, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do more. It was a tossup between murdering him or kissing him. Of course, that was after I’d stopped fearing him and realized I had a chance of doing both, maybe even at the same time.” Ryder’s lips curved into a knowing smile because I couldn’t have done both back then. Not when merely touching the prick set my blood on fire.