Bound to Shadows Page 0,17

charged buzz I'm getting off you both?"

I began tucking into the lamb. The meat just about melted in my mouth and I groaned in delight. Quinn glanced at me, his thoughts reaching for mine. You do realize I'm planning to make you groan like that later.

Unfortunately for us both, I have to be at work by eight.

He glanced at his watch. I can do quick.

I leaned sideways, dropped a kiss on his cheek, and said with a mental grin, Quick would be good.

Liander placed the remaining plates on the table, then sat down beside Rhoan. His smile was a mile wide, and there were little crinkles of happiness lining the corners of his eyes. Rhoan was almost as bad.

"Well," my brother said, picking up his utensils and cutting into the thickly sliced lamb. "We do have an announcement to make."

"Color me surprised," I said dryly, munching down more lamb.

Rhoan's smile grew, though I wouldn't have thought was possible. "We have decided to have children."

I just about choked on my meal. The meat lodged somewhere in my throat and I started coughing violently. Quinn gave me several hard thumps on the back, which didn't exactly help. As I wheezed and wiped the tears from my eyes, he pointed out the obvious. "You're both guys. Neither of you can actually carry a child, and one of you is sterile."

"We do realize this," Liander said, eyes twinkling. "Which is where we hope Riley comes in."

"Me?" I squeaked. "In case you've forgotten, I'm as barren as Rhoan here."

"You may be barren, but you have frozen eggs," Rhoan said. "We're twins, Riley, which means you're as close as Liander's going to get to having a kid with me."

I looked from one to the other. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Liander nodded. "My sister has agreed to carry the child for us. It's our chance to have a child, Riley. It's our chance to carry on the family name." He paused. "But if you're not comfortable with it, that's fine. We'll just pick another donor. We don't want it to seem like its you or nothing."

"Either way," Rhoan added softly, "It leaves Liander with something to hold onto if the worst ever happens at work."

Something unfurled inside me - a desire long acknowledged and yet long forced away. My fingers began shaking - in fact, I think every part of me was shaking - so I put my knife and fork down on the table and leaned back in my chair. Quinn caught my hand, his fingers so steady and warm against mine. I squeezed his hand, more grateful than ever that he was there.

"We're different packs," I murmured, more to break the expectant silence than out of any real concern over whose name any resulting child might bear.

A child. Liander's and mine.

God, I wanted to get up and dance at the prospect and yet, at the same time, my stomach was churning with fear.

After everything that fate had thrown my way of late, it was hard to believe I was now being presented with this opportunity. Hell, part of me didn't want to believe that it might actually happen, because I didn't want to face the pain of yet more disappointment.

"Told you she'd say that," Rhoan murmured, then leaned forward, his arms crossed on the table. "We're starting a new pack. The Jenson-Moore pack, which currently consists of three werewolves and one vampire. Said vampire will be expected to play uncle and change diapers along with everyone else."

"Said vampire" Quinn said dryly, "seems to be getting the raw end of the deal. No surname involvement and excrement duty. Do not expect joy at the prospect."

"You did get off midnight bottle duty, even though you're usually awake," Rhoan said, glancing at me. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think I'm too shocked to actually think," I muttered, then leaned forward and studied the two of them. Though it was good to see the two of them so excited - so happy - the sick fear churning my stomach wouldn't let me give in to that same happiness. Maybe because I'd been right where they are - had my hopes up for something good, only to have it pulled out from under my feet - and I didn't want them to go through the same sort of pain.

"You do know this won't be easy," I said slowly. "My eggs are viable, but no one can say what effect, if any, the drugs Talon once gave me will have had on