Chapter Eleven

The warm summer sun was up when Delilah slipped out of the house. Samuel was already gone when she woke. She left Henry fast asleep, snoring away. She glanced around the camp and then hurried across the courtyard to the main building. She glanced in the gym to watch Sam train and smiled. Her new fiancé was pretty dang sexy when he was battling his brothers. Her brow creased. That was if he was serious about marrying her and Henry. She shook her head as she continued her journey to the kitchen. She had more important things to deal with at the moment.

She waved at Eve and Meg as she stepped into the kitchen. The other two women were cleaning up from the early morning breakfast.

Eve winked at her. “Did I see a new car this morning? Did you have two warm bodies to snuggle with last night?”

Delilah felt her cheeks get warm. “Yeah. Henry’s here. He’s still sleeping.” She glanced around. “Is Momma here?”

“No, she’s visiting with Littlefoot in her cabin. Why?”

Delilah took a deep breath. “Where would I go for a medical test?”

Meg frowned at her. “Noah. He’s Littlefoot’s nephew and our doctor. What kind of test do you need?”

“A blood test. Or a stick to pee on. Whichever he has.”

Meg folded the towel on her hands and hung it over the oven handle. “Well, funny you should ask. I was going to ask him about the exact same thing. Let me give him a quick call, and we’ll leave in a couple minutes.”

Eve set the bowl in her hands on the counter. “If there’s room, I want to go too.”

Meg hugged her friend. “Eve, I don’t think it’s a good idea. If our tests are positive…”

Eve pulled her at arm’s length and stared Meg in the eye. “I need to take the test.”

Meg’s eyes widened. “Do you think you’re…?” Her words died off. Eve nodded in response.

Meg continued with a smile. “Well, then. I’ll call Noah. Three tests. Wow. I’ll be back.” She slipped out the back door.

Delilah looked at Eve. “So, you think?”

“My period is never regular. But I’ve never felt so sick in my life. And my boobs are killing me.”

“My breasts are painful too. And there’s the obvious sign. But I haven’t felt sick. I just assumed the lack of my period was stress and the sudden physical strain I was under. I’ve been in Egypt for a month. Before that, I was in Mankato for three weeks and before that Beijing for four months. I’ve been climbing rock formations, digging up dirt, and all sorts of other crap.”

“Not everyone feels sick. I’d happily spend months hovering over a toilet if it meant I was.”

Meg slipped back inside with a huge grin. “He’ll be ready for us. Let’s go.”

Delilah slipped a set of keys out of her pocket. “We can take my rental. I might as well get use out of it before I return it.”

The three women made their way out of the family building and hurried across the camp to the cars. Delilah stopped when she heard her name called. She slowly turned to find Henry following her.

“Where are you going?” he demanded.

Delilah shot a look at the other women and then smiled. “We girls are going out to run an errand.”

He frowned. “Can I go?”

“Henry, it’s a girl thing.”

“Dee, I’m the only guy mate. No one likes me here. What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”

“Sleep. Read. Watch Sam train.”

“What are you doing that you don’t want me to know about?”

Meg interrupted. “Delilah, Noah’s waiting. We have to go.”

Henry glared at Delilah. “Who’s Noah?”

There was a rustle in the grass. They all turned to find Littlefoot had joined them. “I’m heading home. Henry can stay with me while you ladies visit Noah.”

Delilah glanced from Littlefoot to Henry to Meg and Eve. This was a battle she wasn’t going to win. “Okay. We need to go. Jump in.”

“I’ll follow in my truck,” Littlefoot replied.

Delilah slipped behind the wheel as everyone else climbed in. She glanced at Henry. He looked hurt and confused and still spooked out of his mind. She sighed as she started down the trail. He thought he was scared now. He was about to be terrified when they found out the test she was about to take was positive.

»»•««

The three women looked at each other uneasily. Delilah glanced at her watch and sighed. Every second seemed like a year. She needed an answer.

Once their blood was taken, the nurse sent them out, promising to call when they had the answers. Littlefoot took all of them to his house where his family had prepared a huge lunch. Even though Delilah was anxious, she couldn’t help getting caught up in the laughter and conversation of Littlefoot’s family. They were caught off guard when Noah called for them to come back. The three women hurried to his office.

Delilah’s heart pounded when Noah stepped in with three envelopes in his hands.

“Moment of truth,” Eve murmured.

“I have the results of your blood tests in these envelopes.” He held them up for the women to see. “I also have three exam rooms set aside for you to ask me any questions you may have.”

Eve shook her head. “Unless Meg and Delilah object, give them here. I’m used to hearing the word negative. Tell us what they say.”

Noah looked at Meg and Delilah. They both nodded. “Go ahead,” Meg said to him.

“Well, usually I would refuse to do that. But not this time.” He held the envelopes out to them. “They are all positive. I’ll be sending each of you home with bottles of prenatal vitamins and get appointments scheduled for all of you. Congratulations, ladies.”

Meg and Delilah tore into their envelopes. Eve stared at hers. Delilah touched her arm. “Are you all right? This is good news, isn’t it?”

Eve nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. “It is. It’s unbelievable. I was told I could never have children. I’m pregnant.”

“Wait until you tell Micah.”

Eve’s glistening eyes grew wide. “I’m not. You two can’t, either. It tore him apart that we couldn’t get pregnant. He’ll be devastated if I lose this baby. Give it a few weeks. When I feel safe, I’ll tell him.”

Meg smiled. “Don’t wait until you start showing. He’ll figure it out.”

Eve laughed. “Well, no shit.”

The women rose and thanked Noah with hugs. As Delilah reached the door, Noah spoke. “Delilah, could I talk to you?”

She stared at him confused. “Sure.” She closed the door and then leaned on it.

Noah took a deep breath and continued. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but my uncle has told me of your situation. It helps that I’m also the guys’ medic when they fight. Do you know who the father of your child is?”

Delilah shrugged. “No. I was with them both on the same day.”

“I want to do an amniotic fluid test in a few weeks, so I know if I’m dealing with a normal infant or, you know, a Hallow. Would that be all right?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks. And congratulations.”

Delilah beamed. “Thank you.” She hurried from his office. She didn’t stop until she reached the parking lot. She found Henry leaning against the SUV.

She looked around confused. “Where is everyone?”

Henry glanced down the road. “Littlefoot took off with Eve and Meg to take them back. I said I would wait for you. So, what did your test results say?”

Delilah bit her lower lip. “It’s nothing.”

“It must be something. Tell me.”

“Can we wait until we get back and talk to Sam?”

Henry frowned. “You never hold things back from me. Look, I’m sorry about what I said last night. I know you’re not easy. See?” He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. “I bought these bands a week ago. This is what I want. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”

He opened it up and turned it to her. Inside, nestled in dark blue velvet were two gold men’s bands. In between them was a beautiful diamond ring and a smaller gold band. He continued. “I want you as my wife. I want him as my husband. I don’t know how to make it work, but I need you both forever.”

Delilah knew she had to look like a fish with her mouth wide open. She slammed it shut. “They’re beautiful. Wow.”

He shut the box and slipped it in his pocket. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Dee, I love you. You have no idea how long I’ve loved you. When you told me back in college that you loved me? I loved you too. I bought the diamond then. I wanted to ask you to marry me then. I was confused about how I felt about men. I didn’t want to hurt you. So I avoided you while I tried to figure it out. Then I lost you to archeology. You were traveling the world, and my love for you grew stronger.” He laid his forehead against hers. “I was so, so stupid. I’m sorry. I love you. I need you forever. Please be Delilah Cavanaugh-Hakimi-Hallow.”

“That’s kind of a mouthful, don’t you think?” She kissed him. “I like Delilah Hakimi-Hallow myself. I love you, Henry. I always have. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

She wasn’t sure how long they kissed. She was light-headed and breathless when their lips finally parted.

“The doctor?” Henry asked again.

Delilah licked her swollen lips. “Sweetheart, wait for Sam. Please.”

He cocked his head. “You had a blood test, right?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

He grinned at her. “Nothing. It’s just the fact that you all had the same blood test. And that bottle in your purse doesn’t look like a prescription. It’s vitamins, right?”

“Henry, please.”

He kissed her tenderly. Then he nuzzled his nose against hers. This wasn’t the Henry she knew before. The terrified, paranoid one was gone. This one was gentle, protective, caring. And she was certain his chest swelled a little. Shit. He knew.

He took her hand in his. “Let’s go home to our fiancé, bella.”

“Great idea.”

The ride back to the Hallows’ camp was quiet. While they were still on the road, Delilah watched Henry out of the corner of her eye. He wasn’t pale anymore. He had a wistful smile as he held her hand tightly in his. She swallowed hard and finally spoke. “You know, the Hallows are only fertile during the full moon. And well, I’ve seen Sam transform from a werewolf back to a man. An insanely sexy man.”

His grin grew a little bigger. “I’m aware.”

“I thought you should know. You know, for when we talk with Sam.”

He sighed and squeezed her hand. “Beautiful, this thing you won’t tell me about? It doesn’t matter how it got here. I will love it, and you, and its other.” He laughed and winked. “Well, you know. You all three are my breath, my soul, my reason to live.”

“Oh.” Her heart fluttered. She turned into the forest. She couldn’t see Henry’s reaction any longer, but she could still feel his touch. She hoped Samuel was as pleased with her news.

Henry took her hand in his as they crossed the camp to the cabin. Several of the brothers were outside, each stopping to say hello and to introduce themselves. She didn’t know how long she would have to wait before Samuel was finished training. The fight was two weeks away. He was in the gym from sunrise to sunset. He had to be ready.

She was stunned to find him sitting on the couch when she and Henry stepped inside.

“Where have you two been?” he asked with a huff. “You missed the fireworks. Josiah is mated now to a cute leggy blonde teacher. Never expected a teacher for him, but whatever.”

Henry looked at her and grinned. “Well?”

She nudged him toward the sofa. “Go sit next to him.”

Henry shrugged and sat beside Samuel. Samuel frowned. “What’s with the cheesy smile?”

Henry reached over and cupped Samuel’s head with his hand. He pulled Sam into the deepest, sweetest kiss she had ever seen them share. Henry pecked one more kiss on Samuel’s lips. “I know.”

“She told you.”

“No. I guessed. She, Meg, and Eve took the same test. And she has a bottle of vitamins in her purse.”

Samuel’s brow creased. “Is she?”

Henry’s grin grew the biggest she’d ever seen. He planted one more triumphant kiss on Sam’s lips. “I think so. Daddy.”

Delilah stomped her foot. “For the love of fuck.”

Both men looked at her. “So?” Samuel asked. There was a tinge of excitement in his voice.

Delilah sighed. “Yes. I’m pregnant. I don’t know which one of you is…”

Samuel waved his hand to quiet her and then stood. He wrapped her in his arms. “Beautiful, we’re both the father. It doesn’t matter to me which one of our guys did the job. You, Mama, are our world. I’m stunned. And so excited. I’m going to be a father.”

Henry stood and hugged them both. “Me too. I never thought I wanted to be a dad. Now I can’t wait.”

“You’re both okay with this?” Delilah questioned.

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

Delilah looked at Henry. “Show him what you showed me.”

Henry slipped the jewelry box out of his pocket. He opened it and showed it to Samuel. “I guessed on your size,” Henry admitted.

“You weren’t kidding about getting married,” Samuel replied.

“I would never kid about eternity with you, Sam.”

Samuel grinned. “Should we go show our little mama how happy we are?”

Henry laid a trail of kisses from her cheek until he lingered on her lips. “Until she’s glowing in pleasure and relaxed. Of course.”

There was a knock on the door. Samuel shook his head. “Ignore them. All I want is to snuggle you both and celebrate.”

“Sam,” a voice called from outside.

Sam huffed, exasperated. “What the fuck do you want, Joe? Don’t you have a new mate to appease?”

The door opened, and Josiah stepped inside. He didn’t seemed fazed by their embrace. “Leroy’s dead.”

Samuel pulled away from his mates. “What the fuck do you mean he’s dead?”

“Rock and Cort weren’t so obvious this time. There was hardly a drop of blood in his body. But that’s not the bad part. The bad part is that the Blood Brothers want to meet with their fighters now that they own the entire promotion.”

“How did they get away with it? No blood has to raise a red flag or two,” Delilah questioned.

“Human detectives aren’t thinking vampires. As far as they’re concerned, vampires are a fairy tale. That’s how the bastards are slowly taking control.”

Henry sighed as he let go of Samuel and Delilah. “It’s me. He said he would start killing those Sam cared about unless I joined them. I fucked up. I’m sorry.”

Josiah gave him a comforting smile. “Well, they made a fatal error, then. They don’t know us as well as they think they do, and that can work to our advantage. Leroy wasn’t close to us. He cheated us on a regular basis. We fought for him. He cashed in on our ability. No loss on our part.”

“But now they own us,” Samuel continued. “Cay and Mike hold the belts for that promotion. The more belts we win, the deeper we get.”

Josiah stared at Samuel. “Maybe it’s time to decide what’s more important to us. Being champions or our lives and the lives of those we love.”

“Fighting is all we’ve ever known.”

“Being alphas are all we’ve ever known. How we dominate is where fighting comes in. But we’ve got bigger things to deal with now. Get ready to go. We have to head out to Duluth soon.” Josiah looked at Delilah and Henry. “Just us. Mates stay at home. We need to keep what we love, what we hold dear, where it’s safe. You both are safe here.”

“And your mate?” Samuel countered.

“They don’t know about her yet. But trust me. As soon as Sarah stops freaking out, she’ll be here in my arms and not in Bemidji where I can’t protect her. Twenty minutes, Sam.” Josiah stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Samuel pulled them into his arms. “Stay put. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He looked at Henry. “Please be the voice of reason. I love my sisters-in-law, but they’ve gone off on their own before instead of staying put. And I’m certain they can coerce this one.” He kissed Delilah on the forehead.

She scowled. “Hey now.”

Henry laughed and pulled Samuel to him. He kissed him hard and deep. “I’ll keep an eye out for all of them.”

“Thank you.” Samuel paused and then held out his hand. “Could I have my ring?”

“I’m not sure we’ll ever have our wedding,” Henry replied.

“Ask if I give a shit. You are my husband. Delilah is my wife. Nothing, not the law, will change that for me. I’m a werewolf, Henry. It’s hard for laws to apply to me. And I’m not ashamed of us.”

Henry smiled as he slipped the ring out. Instead of handing it to Samuel, he slid it on his finger. Delilah wrapped her fingers around his to help him.

Samuel grabbed her left hand and held it up to Henry. “The diamond.”

“No,” Delilah insisted. “I agree with Sam. I think I know of a couple cultures where our situation applies. I might be able to talk to someone. Until then, as far as I’m concerned, you both are my mates, and you are my husbands. I want to wear my band and my diamond, please.”

“As you wish.” Henry slipped the two rings from the box and handed the band to Samuel. Her heart pounded as she watched Sam slip the band on her finger. Henry pushed the diamond on after it. “You belong to us forever.”

“That’s everything I want,” she murmured.

Henry looked at the door. “Sam, you have to go.” He popped the last ring and held it up. “But I want this too. I promise you both I will be there in sickness and health, rich or poor. Eternity will not tear me away from you.”

“Me too,” Delilah agreed.

“Me three.” Samuel took the ring from Henry. Samuel waited for Delilah to get an awkward hold on it. Together they slipped it onto Henry’s finger.

Samuel gave them each a long slow kiss. “Be back soon.”

Delilah caught his hand. “Be safe. I don’t trust them.”

“I will. Love you both.”

Henry and Delilah echoed “I love you” in unison. Samuel pulled from Delilah’s grasp and disappeared out the door. Henry led Delilah to the couch and sat down on it. He tugged her down beside him and gathered her in his arms. She hugged him tightly.

“He’ll be all right,” Henry assured.

“I’m not so sure,” Delilah replied. “Those vampires are bad news.”

“He’s Sam. He’s pretty invincible. He only has one weakness.”

“And that is?”

Henry paused. “Us.”

Delilah buried herself deeper in his arms. Henry continued. “Do you think we could actually get married?”

“I know there are some parts of Nepal that practice polyandry. I did some extensive work with the Department of Archeology in Nepal. I can send some emails and see what we need to do.”

“Polyandry?”

“We’re not talking a man and a bunch of wives. It’s a woman and a couple of husbands.”

“Got it.”

Things went quiet as they held each other. She felt safe in Henry’s arms. She sighed. She would feel a whole lot more secure if her other mate wasn’t heading into the vampires’ lair. She couldn’t wait until this fight was over. Maybe then they could escape Rock and Cort.