His fist slammed against the desk, rattling the wood. Papers scattered. “I asked you not to fuck it up and you did,” Torrent raged. “You fucked it up royally,” he snarled. “You rutted a vampire. What the fuck were you thinking? How was it even possible? We all thought you…you were…”

“Blood,” Bay muttered. “That’s how.”

“What?” Torrent frowned.

“I won’t get into the details, but—”

Torrent seemed to realize what he was referring to and put up a hand. “Don’t tell me. You were with a vampire. I can guess. I don’t want to know the details.”

Not that he planned on divulging any. It was between him and Ceri. “I’m happy about this.” Bay couldn’t help but smile. “Thrilled at the prospect of being a father.”

“Once she cured you, you could have moved on and had a nice human. Like my Candy.”

The thought left him cold. “I don’t want a human. I want to try to make things work with the vampire.” It was a long shot, but one he was going to take.

“It doesn’t sound like she wants the same. Brant said she was very apprehensive about you living with her.”

“I want to be there for the child. I need to ensure this pregnancy runs smoothly.” If nothing else, this was his top priority. “I will insist on being there for the birth.”

Torrent made a face. “You can’t be serious.”

“I have done some research and it is not frowned upon for vampire males to attend the births of their young.”

“You are a dragon!” Torrent boomed.

“This is a high-risk pregnancy. Many things can go wrong. I will be there! I will insist!”

“Let’s see what the vampire has to say about it. I know our healers will be against it.”

“Does this mean that you will let me go and live with her?” Bay had already decided he was leaving whether Torrent granted him permission or not. His place was at Ceri’s side. He only hoped he could convince her to mate him before the baby arrived. He wanted a family. He wanted Ceri.

“For the record, I think you are making a mistake. You do not have to live with her. You can still be a good father,” Torrent echoed what Ceri had said.

Thing was, Bay didn’t care what Torrent thought. This was his decision and his decision alone. He had already made up his mind. Bay couldn’t say any of that, so he let his silence speak.

“I can see that you have made up your mind?”

Bay nodded. “Yes, I have.”

“Do I have a choice but to let you go?” Torrent’s eyes blazed.

Bay looked down at the floor for a moment before meeting his king’s gaze. “My place is with my unborn child.”

Torrent nodded. “As your king, I am angered by this. As a male who is a father, I understand. I am giving you permission to leave. I am putting Beck in your place…temporarily. Flood will take second.”

“They are bound to clash.” Shit! It was never going to work. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be his problem, not right then. Not with so much at stake.

“They need to sort out their shit. You must know though, that if you leave, you will forfeit your leadership role. I will not reinstate you.” Torrent shook his head. “I am not punishing you, because I didn’t technically forbid you from rutting. I didn’t think I had to,” he muttered the last.

In the end, it was almost a relief to hear. Bay was not a male to back down from a challenge. Nor was he a quitter, but he did not enjoy his role as leader. Beck or Flood were far better suited. It was the main reason the two of them butted heads as much as they did. They were very different in some ways but exactly the same in others. “I understand.”

“You are leaving anyway.”

“I must.” Bay nodded.

Five days later…

There was a knock on the door and she almost jumped out of her skin. This was it. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her heart to stop going nuts.

“Coming.” She walked to the door and opened it.

Bay smiled as soon as their eyes met. Why did he have to be so darned gorgeous? Tall, dark and delicious. His scent enveloped her. Even though she didn’t drink much blood anymore, her fangs sharpened anyway. She was thirsty again for the first time in weeks. Not like before, but still—

She realized she was gaping. Who could blame her? He wore a pair of those cotton pants. They were white. Holy cow! White! His skin was golden against the fabric, his abs were…well, they were perfect. He’d been working out even more since she had last had sex with him, that much was clear. Why was she thinking about sex? It had to stop immediately.

His smiled turned to a grin. “Can I come in?” He glanced over her shoulder and into her apartment for a few seconds.

She blinked. “Sorry! This is a bit weird.”

“I guess it is. Look, we’ll get to know each other and then it won’t be so…” He let the sentence die.

Stilted. Awkward. Ceri knew he didn’t say those things out loud, but it was what he was thinking. There was also an underlying tension between them. Ceri was still attracted to him. She wondered if he felt the same.

She held his gaze a moment longer and then nodded once, reminding herself why Bay was really there. For a moment, just a few seconds, she’d felt possibilities. Not very intelligent of her. Just the other day Bay had attended the Stag Run. He had almost rutted another female. She wasn’t sure why he had changed his mind. Make no mistake, it was he who had rejected the human and not the other way around. Sure, Ceri had felt relief when she hadn’t been able to scent the other female on him, but she couldn’t shake the fact that he had been there in the first place. It was a weekend designed for mindless rutting. One he had felt the need to attend.

More importantly, he was there for the baby. That was all! He had made it clear that he was going to try to win her. It would be for all the wrong reasons though and she had to keep reminding herself of that. “Is this my bed?” He pointed at the couch.

She’d put a pillow, a sheet and blanket in a neat pile on the armrest.

Ceri nodded. “Brant is organizing us bigger accommodation. I would prefer two units next to one another—”

His jaw tightened. “No, we need to get properly acquainted. It would be better if we were under the same roof.”

“Okay, well then, this is it for now, I’m afraid. You can use that dresser,” she pointed at the piece of furniture in the far corner, “for your things. Can I show you around?”

“Sure.” He shrugged, pulling a bag from his shoulder and placing it on the floor next to the sofa.

“Through here,” she opened the door, “is the kitchen. I’m afraid it’s probably smaller than you are used to. I saw the apartments in your lair and—”

“I don’t mind.”

“It’s comfortable but certainly not as lavish as what you’re accustomed to.”

“Such things are really not important to me.” Bay shook his head.

“I place a weekly order for groceries. Let me know what you like and I’ll order it for you. We have two restaurants on the property as well. One in the castle. The other one – you already know – it’s in the hotel.”

“Perfect. Sounds good.” He smiled, following her back into the lounge area. There was a small four-seater dining room table to the one side.

“This is the guest bathroom.” She opened the door. “It’s literally just a toilet and a sink. We’ll have to share my en-suite bathroom, which has both a bath and a shower." They walked into her bedroom. She pointed at the closed door on the far side.

“We’ll manage.” Bay shrugged like it was no big deal.

She felt the now familiar thump, thump inside her tummy. Her son or daughter making themselves known. Ceri felt her heart squeeze. She put a hand on her belly.

“What is it?” Bay frowned. “Is everything okay.”

“The baby is kicking.” She smiled.

His eyes lit up, reminding her of a small child. “Please can I…” He was looking at her belly.

She was shocked at how much it had grown in such a short time. There was a definite curve. So much so, that she was beginning to look pregnant. Ceri nodded. “Here.” She took his hand and placed it on the spot where the little one had just kicked.

Thump.

“There,” she said. “Did you feel it?”

Bay frowned. “I don’t think so.”

“They’re still very soft.”

Thump. Thump. A bit harder that time. “Did you…?” She could see he was frowning even deeper than before. “Wait.” She sat down on the bed and lifted her top, pulling down her tights a little. Then she took his hand and placed it directly on her skin. His eyes were narrowed in deep concentration.

Thump.

Bay’s eyes widened.

Thump.

He sucked in a breath. “I can feel him. I feel the kicks!” he choked out. His eyes stayed wide, she could see he was barely breathing.

Thump. Thump.

Bay choked out a laugh. “That’s amazing! He’s kicking.”

“Or she.” Ceri found that she was smiling too.

“Or she, although dragon females are rare, one is hardly ever born. Never from a human female.”

“I am a vampire,” Ceri said. Then she realized that his hand was still firmly on her stomach with her hand pressing over his. His thigh was also up against hers. It suddenly felt close and intimate. Her mouth felt a bit dry. Other parts of her felt other things. Things they shouldn’t be feeling. Her nipples tightened. There was an achy feeling between her legs.

It was those blasted hormones. She was extra horny since becoming pregnant. Ceri jumped up, fixing her clothing.

Bay stood up as well. “I’ll just get unpacked then.”