Shaylee
My stomach is aching from laughing so hard. This woman is a breed all her own and I love her. I know I shouldn’t take pleasure in it, but the way she needles Aden, and gets him so creeped out, is pretty damn entertaining. He gives me a dirty look that is clearly indicating his branding of me as a traitor. I just manage to squelch more giggling and keep my face straight.
Fate gets up and takes a seat behind her desk. We each move to one of the two chairs positioned in front of it. She sits back and considers me a moment before turning to Aden with an amused smile.
“I wasn’t sure which way this was going to go, especially considering that your decisions were not premediated, but made in the moment. I guess I haven’t been paying that close of attention to you two lately.” She cocks her head and studies me for another moment, then smirks at Aden. “She doesn’t know, does she?”
Oh. “No, he finally told me last night,” I interject.
Fate smiles at me in delight. “No, no. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about you being pregnant.”
Ever cell in my body goes haywire and I jump to me feet screeching, “WHAT????”
It can’t be, he wouldn’t—I’m not… I start wringing my hands together, the stress of the moment causing my grip to be almost painful. “You must be wrong. There’s no way. I mean we’ve got years before.” My words are stuttering from the scattered thoughts bouncing around in my head. It suddenly breaks through, the way that Fate was talking about it. As if Aden knew…
I whip around and am slightly mollified to see the shock on his face. He shakes his head for a moment, mostly likely in denial, because that’s certainly what I’m feeling. But, there is something in his expression that is suspect.
Could Fate be wrong? She must be. But, my thoughts are coming together and I start to remember little things. Being so tired yesterday, how hungry I was this morning, getting sick yesterday and this morning. But, all of that happened in the last day. Those could be symptoms of the flu.
Fate’s gaze is bouncing back and forth between the two of us, vastly amused by our reactions. I start pacing in a little two foot by two foot spot, and I can only imagine that I look like a wind-up toy in a box, that turns around abruptly every time it hits a wall.
I know I’m freaking out, I just hope Aden isn’t; I’m not sure we could handle the situation if we are both about to crack. The next time I turn and I’m facing him, I look to see his face has shifted. His shock has morphed into a mixture or excited wonder and…pride?
Oh, give me a break.
“Seriously, Aden? You think you could put away your extremely inflated man card and instead of focusing on the fact that you successfully knocked up your girlfriend, how about we figure out what the fuck we are going to do now that you’ve KNOCKED UP YOUR GIRLFRIEND!!!” My voice has gotten progressively higher and now, I’m practically screaming.
Aden doesn’t say anything and I growl and return to pacing. After a few quick rotations, I turn around and bump right into Aden’s strong chest. I need his strength and I melt right into him. He smooths my hair back and kisses the top of my head. “We can do this, baby. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
Fate snorts and I whip my head in her direction. When she notices my face, which I’m sure conveys every emotion related to fear and shock, she waves her hand lightly, “Sorry. That’s just a funny phrase.” She accompanies the words with a killer smile. I’m starting to wonder what it was I liked about her. “No, I mean, because people say that as if I can tell them exactly what is supposed to happen in their life, like their destiny is ‘pre-ordained’.” She uses sarcastic bunny ears to put quotations around the last word.
Aden sits down in my vacated seat and drags me onto his lap, before wrapping me up in his arms again. He gives Fate an exasperated sigh, then asks, “Would you get to the point of why we are here, already?”
Fate sticks her tongue out at him peevishly and I almost laugh. Almost. She gives him a slightly evil grin and then meets my gaze. “It wasn’t on purpose. I’ll give him that. But that doesn’t mean he was careful about it.”
I stiffen at her words and Aden lets out an aggravated groan. “What the fuck, Fate? Did you really have to go and make things worse?”
It hits me then, all of the times we didn’t use protection. We used it more often than not but when I say ‘we’ didn’t use protection, I mean it. As much as I’d like someone to blame, it doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t insist on it every time, and it definitely doesn’t change the fact that apparently, I am now pregnant. Holy shit, I’m fucking pregnant.
I sit up and grasp Aden’s chin, bring his face around to mine. The daggers he was throwing at Fate, swiftly change to a slightly embarrassed and wary look. I’ve calmed down enough now to give him a tremulous smile. “It’s as much my fault as yours, Aden. It takes two and I wasn’t exactly insisting that you use protection every time.” A look of relief washes over his face and is immediately followed by one of adoration.
He gives me a sweet, lingering kiss. “I love you, baby.” Before I can respond, we are interrupted by a gagging sound.
“Ugh, this soul mate business is going to kill me one of these days. Seriously, I’m going to choke on the sickeningly sweet scent of love in the air.”
Aden’s back to glaring daggers and I’m back to stifling my laughter.
“Sexual tension? That I can do. You want to throw down right here? No problem, I can sell tickets, join in, film it for posterity, whatever you want. But this gooey crap,” she motions to the two of us, “I think I need a good hard fuck to get it off of me.”
I can’t keep the snort in and I erupt into hysterics, while Aden just looks up at the ceiling and shakes his head. I’m pretty sure he’s asking God what he was thinking when he chose this chick to be Fate.
“Ok. Ok. Back on topic.” Fate seems to rein herself in a little and leans back in her chair again, watching us. “So, here’s the skinny, as far as I can see it right now. Things are going to get darker out there. I’m not sure when, but someone’s made a decision already that has set this course for the worse and it’s very unlikely that it will change. I know you’ve been wondering if Shaylee’s power is the result of genetics or something, but in reality, you’ve been given your enhanced gifts for a specific purpose and it definitely requires you to work together.”
I want to ask her questions, but Aden gives me a little squeeze and a miniscule shake of his head. So, I keep my mouth shut and listen.
“I’d tell you more about your purpose, but I can’t right now because the motions are not set in stone. Until they are, you just need to keep preparing, keep training, do…whatever it is you guards do.” She scoots her chair in and rests her elbows on the desk, her hands in fists under her chin. “Shaylee, the baby complicates things a little bit, but not as much as you might think. Keep training until it’s physically necessary for you to stop. Once the baby is born, get back to it quickly. Yours’ and Aden’s fate has not changed, it’s just been tweaked and I know you’ll be able to handle it.”
I’m a little confused, but Aden seems to be following her, so I guess I’ll get the “skinny” from him later.
Fate’s eyes cloud with despair for a moment, before they clear up, returning to the bright intensity they’ve been the rest of our time here.
“Aden, there was one thing you were right about; Shaylee was discovered before she was marked. I’m pretty sure they turned a Fate reader.” Aden stiffens again, and leans forward, his face a mask of fury.
“Are you fucking with me?” I’m taken aback by the ferocity of his tone and peek at Fate to see if she’s offended by it. But, she seems to equal his sentiment, because she doesn’t take the bait laid out right there in front of her with that statement. I’m also a little rattled because that is a question that I wouldn’t normally ask someone in Rien. But, things are just different for Fate; she plays by a whole other set of rules.
“No. I’m not one hundred percent sure. This particular Fate reader’s destiny has been flitting around so much with indecision that I can’t get a good handle on where he’ll land.” She pauses for a moment, seemingly considering her next words. “It seems as though they turned him before he was marked. I’m even more baffled as to how he was found out. But, because he wasn’t marked yet, his fate is murky. He doesn’t stand solidly on our side or theirs.”
Fate looks to the ceiling, and for the first time, I see a slight sadness enter her features, but she closes her eyes, and like last time, it is gone almost before it was there.
“I can’t know everything. You understand that, right?” her question is filled with intensity, brittle with stress. Aden nods but waits for her to get it all out. “Sometimes, it’s almost impossible to know whether sharing something will change your destiny, rather than giving you a nudge in the right direction, so that you can make your own choices that will lead you to the right future.”
She closes her eyes again and rubs her temples. This entire conversation is playing out in front of me and I feel a little like a spectator at a play. I see and hear everything, but I’m not really a part of it. And yet, so much of the play seems to be about me.
“Look, I can’t tell you what will happen, as I said, it’s changing too rapidly right now. But, I can’t get a handle on whether I should share this information, so I’m just going to take the leap.” She looks straight at Aden now, and I am startled when I see the reproach in her gaze. “You’ve forgotten that there are still shadows in Rien. At night, the shadows are more alive than we want to think. He’s been in the shadows, Aden. He continues to stalk her.”
Aden gapes at her in disbelief, then something seems to dawn on him and it quickly turns to rage, he’s almost shaking with it. “Are you telling me he’s been in our home at night? That he’s been the evil in my dreams?”
I gasp at his words. No. Fate’s head swivels toward me and she nods.
“He—he tried to suffocate me, didn’t he?” The words get clogged on their way out and I have to control the need to gag.
Fate doesn’t respond, just continues to contemplate me. Aden, however, has all kinds of responses. He lets out a string of curse words and phrases that have my ears turning a little pink.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me, Shaylee?” he roars.
I bristle at his accusatory tone and snap right back. “Because I thought it was a dream, jackass. Why didn’t you tell me that you’d been having dreams like that?”
My reasoning deflates his argument and he hangs his head for a moment before laying it on my shoulder and whispering an apology. His hand is softly rubbing my belly and I feel a warm little glow under his administrations. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He nuzzles my neck and murmurs, “Either of you.”
“Are we back to this again?” Apparently, Fate is done with this meeting because she stands up and begins to walk toward the door. “Take it to your bedroom, would you? I’m off to find someone to take me to mine.” Her words don’t carry the humor that they did before.
I snuggle up tight to Aden and revel in the safety I find in his arms. The car ride home had been silent, and when we arrived, Aden rushed us up to our apartment, intent on avoiding everyone. He silently undressed me, and then stripped off his own clothes, before crawling onto the bed and pulling me down with him, wrapping his body around me. We’ve been in this position for over two hours, silent and safe in each other’s embrace. But, I’m getting a little worried at where he’s disappeared to in his head. Something has been on my mind, so I decide it’s as good a place as any to ease into conversation.
“Aden?”
“Hmmm?” I almost miss it, because his face is buried in my neck. He nuzzles it lightly and a sweet shiver tingling starts up at my center. I try to keep my focus on the conversation I want to have, but he’s not making it easy.
“Are you happy about the baby?”
He stills, and then raises his head so that his emerald eyes are gazing steadily into mine. “I’m over the fucking moon, baby.”
I can feel the light glowing inside me at his words. I’ve spent the last couple of hours thinking about being pregnant and every moment, I got just a little bit more excited about it. Sure, it would probably have been better to have waited, but now that this little life is growing inside me, I can’t imagine it any other way.
“Me too,” I say softly. He smiles widely at me, his dimple popping out and making that tingle get a little stronger. He makes me feel loved, worshiped, and adored. I don’t care if those are technically all the same thing; I feel each one of them.
“I’m excited to see our baby grow here.” His hand, that had been resting on my belly and rubbing light circles, slowly starts to move up until he’s cupping my breast. The tingles are igniting into a burn and it’s spreading to each nerve throughout my whole body.
He squeezes it lightly, and then begins toying with my nipple. Everything seems to have changed in a day because they are over sensitive and I gasp at the rush of lust traveling from the hardened peak straight to my pussy. “I love your tits, baby. But, I certainly have no problem with them getting bigger.” I giggle then moan when he lifts my breast up and slowly licks around the dark pink area before sucking the nipple into his mouth. I moan again and fidget just a little, bringing my legs together to try and relieve some of the pressure. Aden growls low in reply, and comes up over me, using his knee to part my legs before settling in between my thighs. When the hot, hard pressure of his cock pushes against me, I cry out and grip him with my legs around his hips.
“Fuck, baby, are you more sensitive?” He tests his theory by pressing a little harder against me, causing me to whimper and lock my legs even tighter. He’s looking down into my eyes, watching my reaction to his movements and he gets a satisfied little grin that turns sly in an instant. “You’re already so wet down there, baby. I can feel it coating my cock, making it slick and hot.” His words ignite me, just like he knew they would and I’m about three filthy words from coming.
He rocks into me a little harder this time, and then seals his mouth over mine, his tongue thrusting into my mouth in the same rhythm. It only takes another minute before I’m shaking with tremors of release. Aden moves down from my mouth laying hot, wet kisses all the way down to my breasts. He suckles, licks, kneads, all the while still rolling his hips, causing shockwaves to course through my body.
“I want to take you in my mouth and feel you come around my tongue, baby. But, I don’t think I can wait. You’re so fucking sexy and your responses have my cock ready to explode.”
I squeeze him between my legs with all of my strength. “I need you, Aden. I need you, now.”
Without any preamble he rears back and sinks deep, deep inside me. His mouth crashes down on mine and his kiss consumes me. I feel as though every part of me is fused with every part of him. Our souls, our hearts, and our bodies are one. The pace is frantic, both of us anxious to take that leap together.
“Are you ready?” His breath is coming out in pants and I can feel his body contracting.
“Yes!”
“Let go, baby. Let go.”
With his next thrust, I scream and shoot off like a rocket, splintering apart, shattering into an oblivion like no other. His shout registers through my haze as he joins me in the stars and the feel of his orgasm rushing through him, heightens the sensation on every inch of my skin.
We ride each other through to the very last pulse and then collapse in a languid heap. He rolls to the side, slipping out and chuckles at my whimper of protest. Moving some wayward hair out of my face, he kisses me tenderly and whispers that he loves me, then turns me onto my side and pulls me in to his protective cocoon.
“Aden, when you said Saliysuli to my grandparents, you were telling them we were forever, right? That we are fated?”
“Yes. I wanted to make sure they understood that you belong with me. You’ll always belong with me.” He’s placing little kisses along the shell of my ear and I sigh in contentment. “Did you see the carving on the headboard?”
I nod, I hadn’t thought about it since I first saw it. “Did you have it done after you found out we were fated?”
“No. It was on the original design when I had it built. No one has ever slept in this bed with me but you. This bed was always intended to be where I would sleep with my soulmate.” I can feel him grinning into my hair, “The mother of my children.” He pauses and I think he’s done. “My wife,” he adds in a whisper.
I turn my head, my face beaming, and give him a kiss. Then settle back down into his embrace. At this moment, the world beyond us ceases to exist and we are just the three of us. Safe, warm, loved, and completely happy.
Blissful moments are often a precursor to its opposite. But, I don’t want to think about that.