Daddy.

The word hit him harder than the floor. And no, he didn’t faint. He merely rested his face on the ground for a moment.

It didn’t make the room stop spinning.

All of his world spun because Chandra carried his child.

It occurred to him to refute it. To demand a test. To deny, deny, deny.

Except…

Deep down inside, real deep, he knew the truth. The child is mine. Mine and Chandra’s.

The how was probably simple. During one of his fugue states, Parker had managed to take something precious from Tomas. Something more than just blood or tissue.

That seed now grew in Chandra. I have a family. A family that needed him. His heart palpitated with excitement. It didn’t last, as his blood suddenly ran cold. Tomas remembered what Chandra had said about Parker forcing her to eat something.

What did he do to my mate and child?

Hadn’t the man done enough already?

I’ve had enough of his games. Tomas slid an arm around Chandra’s waist before leading them from the kitchen to the dining room, their steps down as they approached the large arch leading to the front of the house and main hall. The closer they got, the louder the hum of voices.

It seemed a great many people had shown up to visit Parker. Not all of them human. His nose twitched as he noted dragon in the mix, shifter, even some Fae. Of more concern, he also scented nothing—the wyverns he brushed past made no attempt to pass themselves off as anything else.

Only a few people sent a glance Tomas’s and Chandra’s way, their focus more on the staircase, the kind of sweeping, fancy affair meant to present a grand dame or, in this case, a man with delusions of grandeur.

People milled around and talked, the soft buzz filling the vaulted room that served as an oversized antechamber. None of them knew why they’d been called, but excitement bristled.

“What do you think he’s going to say?” Chandra asked as Tomas slowed on his way to the front door and freedom.

“I don’t know, but given Parker’s history, I doubt it’s anything good.” Tomas frowned, his dark brows knitting tightly as he looked around. “A good portion of the crowd is made up of reporters. I see a few cameramen. And that woman in the green pantsuit does the local evening news.”

“A bunch of reporters in one spot?” Chandra straightened. “I think it’s time the world heard about the real Parker.”

“Don’t fool yourself. The world knows and chooses to ignore. Parker’s got deep pockets and dangerous alliances.”

“So how are we going to stop him?”

At that moment, there was a stirring in the crowd.

Parker emerged at the top of the stairs on the bridge formed where the left and right met. He held his hands up, and the room quieted.

“Thank you for coming. I’m sure you’re quite curious as to why I’ve asked you all here.”

“Are you going to prove the existence of aliens this time?” someone shouted from the crowd.

“Everyone knows aliens don’t exist,” Parker replied with a snicker. His voice projected, whether by magic or device, it didn’t matter. Everyone could hear him.

“I have called you here because I have a grand announcement. In this very house, I have the biggest secret, and I’m going to—”

If Tomas had blinked, he wouldn’t have seen it, a blurring glimmer of movement, something behind Parker.

Something that pushed.

Gravity loved a good shove. Parker went sailing over the railing.

A single scream sounded out, “He’s falling!”

The words no sooner rang out than it was over, the hurtling body moving too quickly to catch. Everyone heard the sound as it hit the hard, stone floor.

Crunch.

A half-second of utter shocked silence then…

“Oh my gawd, he’s dead.”

Parker had fallen from the top of the stairs.

And, somehow, no one could explain how it had happened.

Not even the cameras.

As for Tomas…had he seen something?

Did it matter?

His nemesis was dead. The saddest part about that was Tomas didn’t get to deliver the blow.

He might have felt gypped. Except it meant, once the police were done questioning the guests who had witnessed it, he and Chandra were free to go.

They were free to do whatever they wanted.

“What’s our next move?” Chandra asked him in the car he’d borrowed—Parker wouldn’t miss it—once they were away from prying eyes.

“Now we eat.”

She stared at him.

“Shower?”

More staring.

“Fine, you can sleep first. But then, I get a turn.” He grinned.

She sighed. “You’re hopeless. How can you act so blasé?”

“Because Parker is gone. Which means the threat to you is gone.”

“But what of the woman he called queen?”

The car might have swerved. “What did you say?”

Chandra explained what she’d seen, and he frowned.

“Are you sure she was a dragon?”

“No, I can’t be sure. She didn’t change into one or anything. The woman I saw had red hair, a red dress, and she had freakishly green eyes.”

“That doesn’t sound like the current Crimson Sept matriarch.”

But Chandra didn’t reply. He looked down to see her snoring, her head pillowed against his arm. Safe. For now.

However, the thought that it might not be over for her—and their child—wouldn’t stop gnawing at him.

He drove all that night and part of the next day. He drove until he was in familiar territory and ensconced in his grandparents’ house, somewhere in British Columbia, guarded by the Mauve Sept. His family.

He’d rejoined them at last. It would provide a layer of protection to his mate and child. As Chandra slept—and the doctors he’d called in tested her blood to see what Parker had wrought—Tomas went looking. Looking for someone to eliminate. He had to get rid of any threat.

When Chandra finally woke, he was waiting, and he had no sooner said, “Good afternoon,” than he was shoving a picture in her face. “Is that her?”

She blinked, looking delightfully tousled. “Don’t I even get coffee first?”

He sighed. Rising from the side of the bed, he went to the door, stuck his head out, and bellowed, “Breakfast platter. Now.”

He returned to sit, and he noted her gaping at him.

“It won’t take long.”

“Would it have killed you to say please?”

“And disrespect the lessons my grandmother taught me? I don’t ask. I command. Especially now that I’ve returned to the Mauve. Now, you didn’t answer. Do you recognize this woman?”

“Who is it?” she asked, a furrow on her brow.

“This is the current Crimson matriarch.” Who, while fond of wearing red, opted for sedate outfits, not the form-fitting item Chandra had described.

A shake of her head confirmed her reply. “That’s not who I saw.”

So who then did Chandra see? Who else colluded with Parker? And with him gone, would they continue, or were the sick games over?

That more than anything was the question they needed to answer. However, Parker was dead, and he’d taken with him so many secrets.

Such as what he’d done to Chandra.

His mate.

The woman carrying his child.

No wonder he’d felt such a connection to her from the moment they met. They were connected. First by science. Then by flesh. And now, their lives would be forever intertwined.

“Forget about Parker and everything else. We have more important things to discuss.”

“Such as?”

“You and me.” He captured her hand and used it to pull her close. “From the moment we met, I knew there was something different about you.”

“So you’ve said. I’m human, and you’re not.”

“It’s more than that.” He ran the tip of his finger along her jaw, stroking the caramel skin. “You are the treasure I’ve been looking for my entire life.”

“You want to own me?”

He groaned. “Why must you question everything I do?”

“Because.” She shrugged. “It drove my father a little mad, too.”

“I am not your father,” Tomas growled.

“Are you sure? You seem to want to control me.”

“You think I am the one in control?” He laughed and dropped to his knees. He held out his hands. “Have you not yet realized, doctor, that you are the one with all the power? From the moment we met, my will, my life, my heart, was no longer my own.”

Her hand reached out to touch his face. “I don’t want to own you either. Can’t we both just be together as equals?”

“You mean, have the world revolve around us both? It’s an interesting concept.”

She laughed. “How about we just love and respect each other?”

He made a face. “Can I respect you later? Because, honestly, right now, I just want to do dirty things to you.”

“What kinds of things?” she queried.

“The kind that makes you scream with pleasure.” He kissed her lightly. “Things that make you wet.” He brushed his mouth over hers again. “Things to show my love.”

“Love?” She stopped the kiss and placed her hands on his chest. “Do you love me?”

His turn to freeze. Fear kept him from replying.

She knelt before him and cupped his cheeks. “It’s okay. I love you, Tomas.”

She loved him. His heart swelled, and he managed to say, and quite arrogantly, too, “I love you more.”