check off more.” Lucas licks the bite wound on my neck and slowly pulls out.
“Tomorrow?” I breathe.
“And every day after.” He kisses me, and I can taste my blood on his lips, and it’s oddly hot. We get redressed and walk out of the bathroom, pausing to look around our room again.
“When do you think we can move in?” I ask Lucas. “Before Thanksgiving?”
“I would assume so, unless something comes up. The plumbing and electrical work were the most concerning once the structural damage was fixed. I don’t anticipate any issues, but you never know in old houses.”
“Yeah, true.” I pat the wall and turn off the bedroom light. Lucas takes my hand as we walk out, and he pauses by the doorway of what will be the nursery.
“Elena,” he says softly, almost as if he’s trying out the name. It’s one we’ve agreed on if the baby turns out to be a girl. We haven’t settled on a boy’s name yet, which alone makes me think we’re going to have a son. I like Aiden, but Lucas wasn’t crazy about it. He wants to name his son after himself, going with tradition, but it’s weird to me to call my child by the same name I like to scream out while my husband is ravishing me.
“Elena King,” I echo. “I like it.”
Suddenly, there’s a lot of commotion downstairs, followed by a deep bark. Lucas and I hurry downstairs, finding a group of the workers standing by the front door.
“Don’t go out there, miss,” one tells me, pulling a hammer from his toolbox. “There’s a wolf out there.”
I look at Lucas, heart hammering at the mention of a wolf. Lucas shakes his head, letting me know it’s not a werewolf.
“I think that’s our dog,” he tells them and goes to the door. Scarlet runs in as soon as he opens it, coming right by me. She sits, head nearly level with mine, and wags her tail. Everyone’s eyes are on me, shocked to see such a large dog.
Hah. If they only knew.
“She’s an Irish Wolfhound,” I explain. “And very sweet.” I slip my fingers under her collar, which grew with her, and her tail thumps against the ground.
“We should get her home,” Lucas starts.
“The house looks great,” I tell the construction crew. Patting my leg, I follow Lucas out the door. “What happened to stay in the woods until I come find you?” I ask Scarlet. She looks up at me, flashing puppy-dog eyes. I was a sucker for it when she was a cute little fluff ball, and I’m a sucker for it now. “It’s okay, I know you missed me.”
“It’s hot hearing you speak a language I don’t know.” Lucas laces his fingers through mine. “It’s been a while since I’ve been around someone I don’t understand.”
“Stop low-key bragging you speak like a hundred languages.”
“If you live long enough, you have the time to learn a lot.”
“But not everyone would.” I look up at him, falling in love all over again. “You made it a point to learn as much as you could. To expand your world. And I think that’s hot.”
“Should we go back and have sex in the kitchen?”
“With an audience?”
He shrugs. “It’s never stopped me before.”
I laugh. “Tomorrow. I’m exhausted.” Lucas picks me up, cradling me against his chest. “I can walk,” I protest, but really, I don’t want him to put me down. And he knows it.
“I’m aware, but I’m faster.” He speeds forward, getting us back to the house in less than half the time it would have taken to walk. I eat dinner and then get ready for bed, aware it’s not even seven o’clock yet.
I really hope I get my energy back when I get into the second trimester. I know being worn out and tired is normal, but every day the exhaustion gets worse and worse. This baby only has half the divinity I do, and I can’t imagine how terrible my own mother must have felt. She was fully human, and I think back to her photograph, of her smiling with her hands on her big belly.
I wish she were here. She was the only person on earth--the only person ever—to have a child with archangel blood. And now I’m having a child, continuing on the family line of angel hybrids. Fuck, it’s weird.
Lucas gets in bed with me, and we put on a movie. I swear I’m not going to fall asleep, but only make it through the