Deviant Games (The Controllers #8) - L.V. Lane Page 0,29

Her blood was changing me, and I wasn’t ready to be exposed.

“And what’s wrong with eggs?” Ethan muttered.

I rolled my eyes for effect. That was like five minutes ago.

Lilly giggled, and warmth invaded my chest. I remembered when I was new to her, and Ethan and I were busy beating the shit out of one another as we worked out the pecking order. I’d sat on the chair in her office with her all warm and softened after I’d fucked her into oblivion over her desk. She’d been terrified that Ethan would storm in and kill me. He was twice as possessive back then, so I’d called in a few favors to send him on a merry chase to be sure there were no interruptions.

She was so far out of her depth, the little princess of the ruling elite, dealing with two Alphas who were formidable in their own ways. She’d said that she’d left her comfort zone at the drop door of the ravaged hospital. I’d left mine the night I picked her up from Ethan a short number of hours later.

I told her I didn’t like the way she made me feel, and all she’d done was look at me bemused as she pressed her soft lips to my cheek.

And now?

Now I’d fallen so fucking hard, it was a wonder I could walk straight. If either of them found out, I’d be well and truly fucked.

“The baby likes cinnamon toast,” I said.

“Bullshit,” Ethan said. Which was a fair call. I didn’t claim any expertise in the nuances of female gestation. And was confident the bunch of cells was a long way from breakfast preferences. “Get the fuck off her before I kick your ass. Let her eat.”

Sighing, I shifted to cage her on all fours.

Ethan

“Baby?” Her tentative question sent a happy thrum through the pair bond. She had more to say on the matter, but Ryker snatched up a slice of toast and shoved it in her open mouth.

“Bite, babe,” he said, smirking.

She did, chewing rapidly because she clearly had questions. I wished I had the energy to kick him out. This was not the way to tell her. No sooner has she swallowed and opened her mouth when he shoved more in. I smirked and shook my head at him. Ryker as a father would be even more irritating than the regular version.

“Yes, you’re pregnant,” I said, extracting the toast from him before he could force-feed her any more. “You okay, Princess?”

Her pretty amber eyes met mine. Fuck, she was a mess after I’d forced her heat three times. A rational man might feel guilty. But my smug satisfaction in having her good and bred was universal to the Alpha caste.

Her face softened, and raw emotions leaked through the bond even before her lips trembled, and her eyes welled with tears.

We both purred—mine turned to a growl as Ryker went to smother her again. Tension escalated when he growled back. I shoved the tray aside, eyeballing him the whole time. His right hand was shoved in his pants. If I wasn’t here, he’d be balls deep already.

My dick jerked with interest because fucking an Omega into submission was the surest way to calm rampant emotions.

“She needs comforting,” he said.

“There are ways of comforting an Omega other than dicking them,” I countered. Hand closing over her waist, I scooped her out from under him. She buried her face in my chest, where she sobbed in earnest. Her emotions were volatile and hard to interpret and brought a tightness to my chest.

Ryker flopped down on her other side, spooning her back.

Hand on her chin, I tipped her face to mine. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”

She shook her head, the little brat. Her face was flushed, and tears still streamed. Parenthood? What the fuck did I know about parenting?

“I’m going to be a terrible mother,” she whispered, eyes searching mine. “I can’t even make a proper nest!”

I wanted to laugh, but I could see it was far too serious for that. In her role as program director, she was confident and poised. It was crazy that she should feel worried over something as natural to an Omega as breathing. She beguiled me with her fierce endurance in surviving what Tsing had done. She beguiled me in the way she picked herself back up and broke the Omega mold in making a career for herself.

And she beguiled me in her human fear of fallibility.

“We have enough bullshit spewing out of Ryker’s