“What? They do! I watched it on Sherlock Holmes while riding Acyn reverse cowgirl.”
“I could have lived my entire life without having known that,” I said, and jumped as Nyota tapped the window.
“You know, for the person who is supposed to police the Silversmiths, you’re pretty jumpy. Rather pathetic, really,” Nyota snorted.
“White lies,” I whispered, rubbing the bridge of my nose before climbing out of the car to awkwardly hold her hand to prevent the curse from striking.
“You’re sure you wish to stay in this place, Silversmith?” Ian asked, narrowing his eyes on me with a look of pity.
“Pretty sure it’s condemned, sweetheart,” Conrad snorted, grunting as Nyota elbowed him in the ribs. He whistled, and the female shifters slipped from the shadows, clapping as they found me and gathered around me with excitement. “They’re rather smitten with you. They wouldn’t shut up about being mothers since you dropped the baby bomb on Rhys. So, until he pulls his head out of his asshole, you have us.”
“All of us. Stop hogging the poor girl, mutt. She is going to need all of us to get through this shit,” Hunter snorted. I turned, staring at him where he was leaning against the side of the house. “This place is a shithole. I could see hiding a dead body in it, but not a beauty like you.”
“Yeah? Well, it may be one now, but it’s ours. We will fix it up, and Bullet will have a home here.”
“Who is Bullet?” Ian asked.
Nyota snorted, elbowing him again. “It’s the baby, vampire. Keep up,” she stated.
“You’re naming the Van Helsing heir Bullet Van Helsing?” Ian snorted and then caught the irritation on my face. “I mean, it’s a strong name! One he will be very proud of.”
“I am calling the baby, Bullet, because it is the size of one.”
“Oh, thank fuck,” he laughed and then righted at the look of ire I gave him. “It’s cute and catchy.”
“He knocked you up on Beltane, that bastard. One child is created a year for immortals, and he got the lucky draw.” Conrad grunted, closing his eyes, dropping his head back while rolling his neck.
“And he threw it away,” Hunter finished, smiling as I swallowed hard. “Don’t you fret, pretty girl. You have us, and Rhys’s devoted sister at your side. Rhys will come around eventually, and if the prick doesn’t, one of us will gladly become your mate.”
“And what, Hunter? Love the daughter of the monster who destroyed him and murdered his delicate, sweet mother? He may come around for his child, but he cannot forgive himself, let alone forgive me. He will never see past that evil bitch that gave birth to me or love me. I don’t want that for my child or me.”
“So what you’re saying is, you’re going to need a baby daddy?” Conrad asked, smirking devilishly while he rubbed his hands together, and the women shifters smiled, nodding happily.
“No, that is not what she’s saying,” Nyota snapped.
“Shh, it’s getting to the sex part,” Nyx said.
“Rhys and I were never in a relationship. He made it very clear that I am nothing to him and that I will never mean anything to him. I’m his silver, but that doesn’t make him my soulmate. He said we could be enemies, friends, or lovers. I’m pretty sure he just forced me into the enemy category by default because of who created me. I’m not looking for some medieval love, dating shit right now, either. All I want is a bed, and to cry my eyes out so that I can wake up from this nightmare. Can one of you make that happen?” I asked, turning to look at them.
“My cabin is free, and it’s about a mile from here up in the woods. You can sleep in it tonight, and we can come back and see what needs doing here tomorrow.” Conrad scratched his chin, frowning. “I’d send the women, but they’re shit for security.”
“I’ll take tonight’s watch,” Hunter announced, holding out his hands for the keys.
“You’ll be outside, though?” Ian asked, hiking a brow into his hairline.
“Of course,” he grunted, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Remington is exhausted and has been rejected by enough assholes tonight. No one deserves what she went through. Out of all of us, I know rejection the most. It’s how I became the king, after all.”
Twenty minutes later, I found myself tucked into a bed with enough testosterone around the house that it made it difficult to sleep. The moment I closed my eyes, Rhys was there. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth slanted into an unfriendly grin.
“Are you ready to play, Love? I’ve been waiting to show you the real me.”
The End For Now
About the author
Amelia lives in the great Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she can be found on her author page, hanging out with fans, or dreaming up new twisting plots. She's an avid reader of everything paranormal romance.