CHAPTER NINETEEN
Thea marveled at how one heartfelt talk and a few quiet days and nights could coalesce into new directions—both personally and professionally. With the drop in daemon activity on the blustery winter streets, the warriors gathered in their man cave each evening to work out the allegiances of each Otherworld species and race. The rebellion had spurred some discontents into action but largely, the Darkworld citizens wanted no part of making the Watchers their enemy.
When confronted with the idea of an Otherworld Council, the Djinn Master had responded with optimistic reserve. The Watchers hoped to capitalize on that and make inroads with other Darkworld races while they had the time over the winter.
Seth’s actions had opened the door to communications. Because of him, the death of the Djinn boy, Taid, might serve some greater purpose.
As well as making her a new friend.
“More tea, Jhaia?” Thea gestured to the tray on the kitchen counter of the little cottage. Established as the receiving house for Otherworld guests to the property, the racetrack gatehouse had been exterminated of mice, remodeled, and overhauled with security measures.
Once Austin and Ronnie gave it their stamp of approval for country charm, she seized the opportunity to invite the Djinn boy’s mother over to meet Zane. Despite the concern of the males of the household, if she were a female grieving the loss of her child and could somehow connect to new hope in his memory, that it is what she would want.
The Djinn Master’s sister, Jhaia, was lovely and they had enjoyed the past hours getting to know one another.
“I’ve had my fill, thank you.” She adjusted the silk banding of Zane’s blanket next to his cheek and smiled. “My brother wants me back before the roads start to ice. Please extend my thanks to the Sumerian and his wife for their efforts. And do send along that recipe if she’s willing to part with it.”
“Of course. I shall ask her.”
Jhaia rounded the wooden table and offered Zane back to her. “And thank you for this afternoon. Your son is a charmer. Much like his father, from what I gather.”
Thea rolled her eyes. There was no getting away from it. Seth had that effect on women, whether he tried to or not. It was something she accepted but had yet to get used to.
When Jhaia and her escorts left, Thea stacked the dishes into the tea tray, covered them with a dishcloth, and Tanek carried them out to the truck. By the time he returned, she had Zane bundled in his little seat, ready for the short ride up the lane to the main house.
“That seemed to go well,” the warrior said.
She agreed, but really, why wouldn’t it? “People aren’t so different. Most only wish to live a good, long life and love their children. I wanted to show her that her son’s gift would always be cherished.”
Tanek parked at the old racetrack loading dock located just off the kitchen. He helped her inside with Zane and the dishes, and then went to park the truck in the garage.
Storme and Ronnie waited in the kitchen when they arrived and descended the moment they were free of their coats. Ronnie took the baby and Storme went straight for the tea tray.
“Which cup was hers?” she said, removing the towel.
“The one with the rosebud pattern.”
Storme took the delicate cup, gave it a gentle swirl, and flipped it upside down on its saucer. The art of interpreting the clustered grounds of tea intrigued her. That a member of the household possessed that ability was truly exciting.
After a moment or two, Storme tipped the cup back and peered inside. Shifting it toward the light, she looked this way and that.
“So?” Seth said, joining them. Her massive warrior bent to kiss first her lips, then their son on the forehead. “You getting anything duplicitous off her?”
Storme shook her head. “There’s nothing here beyond the genuine interest in building a connection with Zane. You see here, that archway, that’s a symbol for a coming together, and paired with this open circle there with the dot in it . . . that’s new beginnings, energy, power.”
Thea leaned in to see as well. Honestly, it just looked like a bunch of grounds clumped to the bottom of a dirty cup to her. “Will you do mine, Storme?”
Storme set down the Djinn mother’s cup and went back to the tea tray. Repeating the process of swirl and flip, they waited once more. “Do you have a specific question or anything you’d like to know? For the last one, I asked the goddess about intention. What would you like to focus on for yours?”
Thea thought about that. She and Seth were getting closer each day and she didn’t want to jinx that. Zane was healthy and strong, so nothing there. “Oh, I know.”
“Don’t tell me, just focus on the question.”
Thea did as instructed, leaning in to see what her tea leaves had to say.
“Wow,” Storme said, her brows raising.
Seth frowned. “Wow what?”
Storme pointed into the cup. “You better rest up, angel, because the goddess has big things in store for you. See that thing that looks like a wheel, that’s inevitable change. And the linked chain coming off it implies responsibility.”
“What are the stars?” she asked, pleased to see something this time around.
“Stars are good fortune and success. This is a great reading, Thea. You’ve got great things coming your way.”
Thea looked up at Seth, more excited than she likely should be, considering she was getting life advice from old tea grounds. Her question was about which direction to take in her professional life. She had an idea, but wasn’t sure whether to bring it up now or wait until Zane was older.
Either way, good fortune and success couldn’t be bad.
The snowball hit Seth smack in the side of the face. He blinked, both hands full with the massive fir tree he was dragging back to the Navigator. He turned, but Thea ducked behind the next row of trees on the tree farm. “You realize a calculated strike will only bring you a heap of trouble, right, angel? The minute my hands are free, you’re toast.”
Thea squealed, and the sound did something to his insides.
He gave the trunk a heave-ho and got moving once again. The sound of her boots crunched in the snow off to the left and he ducked the next projectile. “You’re living on the edge now. Consider this your final warning.”
When the next snowball clipped his wing, he dropped the tree and took chase. She didn’t know who she was dealing with. To take on a protector of the Otherworld? She didn’t have a chance. He drew a deep breath, his beast enlivened by the chase. “There’s no escape, angel. I’m a skilled hunter.”
The icy impact to the back of his neck brought on another round of female squeals. He tore through the rows, breathing in her scent as it transformed from delight to something more.
Something that clawed at his insides.
Damn, it only took a thought and a soft breeze, and he was right back to envisioning them naked. The past few nights had been great, no question. They’d taken things slow, were building something solid. He’d had more fun during their make out sessions than in all his sexual encounters combined.
But his control was wearing thin.
The growl that ripped from his chest spoke of a hunger too long ignored. In a lifetime, when he hadn’t gone more than a few days without sexual relief, being deprived weeks and months was agony.
He considered it a form of penance.
A flash of purple had him launching to the right. Thea’s winter coat stood out against the glare of sun and snow, making her visible any time she broke cover of the trees.
He caught her in a flying tackle and took her to the ground. Mid-air, he caged her against his body and rolled to ensure she landed safely sprawled over him, while he took the impact of the ground.
With her wrapped in his arms, her scent bombarded his senses in a lusty gust and he honestly didn’t feel a thing. “You should never run from a predator,” he said, tightening his hold on her as she squirmed. “It only brings out the beast.”
Thea’s pupils dilated, and she bit her bottom lip. “Perhaps I enjoy the beastly side of you.”
She did?
Before this dating thing, she pretty much said he was a man-whore dog. He’d been playing it all sorts of supportive—patient boyfriend to show her he could be more than what he was, that he could partner without expecting sex, that she meant more to him than just another hot fuck.
Had he misinterpreted or were they there now?
He lowered his lips and left them hovering just above her mouth. “Remember what I said back in the loft about respecting you for knowing what you want and going for it?”
She swallowed, dipping her chin in a gentle nod.
“Now is your chance to do that again.”
She wriggled against him, rubbing over his cock as she adjusted position.
He gritted his teeth, using all his strength to restrain himself. “Your pace, angel. I don’t want to fuck anything up, so you get to call all the shots here.”
Her mouth was heaven. The moment she claimed his lips, he shuddered from head to toe. How could simple kisses bring him so much pleasure? He gripped the back of her neck and held her where he wanted her, groaning as her arousal flared.
The power of his beastly side surged triumphant as it always did. He was a goner. He faced that fact days ago. No matter how much he loved his bachelorhood and didn’t want love or anything to change his life, it happened all the same.
Thea happened.
This. This was what Zander, Danel, and Phoenix had been going on about. This was how they’d ended up both lost and also found.
“Get a room,” someone yelled as footsteps tromped past.
Seth growled, his eyes flashing white as he glared toward the source of interruption.
Thea chuckled, catching her breath. “Perhaps moving this to a private space is good advice. Somewhere warm, where we might feel more apt to remove our clothes?”
Hells-to-the-yes!
His first thought was to dematerialize home and get on that, but the tree farm had surveillance cameras everywhere and exposure was still a sensitive subject. Also, his brothers would notice if they didn’t come back with the stupid tree.
Damn. He had them on their feet and heading back the way they’d come in no time. “Hold that thought, angel.”
Devoured. That’s how Thea felt each time Seth unleashed himself upon her. The man had a way with his lips that hit her straight between her quivering thighs. One look. One touch. One kiss, and she was a damp, heaving bundle of heightened nerves. This sensation was what she’d craved the past months.
This was Seth.
Standing at the end of their bed, he paused and pulled back from their kiss, his fingers locked on the hem of her sweater. “You’re sure we’re ready? I need you to be sure, angel, because this is too important to me to rush.”
“Sharing our bodies won’t ruin anything. Have a little faith, Warrior. You believe in us, don’t you?”
She’d grown used to the growl that filled the room. Seth’s beast spoke for him whenever things grew intense, which they did—often.
“I believe in us,” he said, in a voice not his own. “I believe in our family.” He pulled her tight to his chest, crushing her within his steel frame. Her whole body flushed, and she melted against him.
She wanted his hands on her . . . his lips . . . his length. She wanted all of him, everywhere. Her entire body flared to life, a slick heat awaiting him at her core.
Warm breath washed her neck as a wanton fire ignited inside her. He tilted his head and brushed his lips along the line of her jaw. “There are so many things I want to share with you, to show you, to do to you . . . things that will drive us both to insanity with the pleasure of them.”
She fought to breathe.
“My head’s been buzzing for months, my body aching and yet finding no relief. It only ever eases when I’m with you. It’s been you all along, I was just too stupid and stubborn to see it.”
“You are pretty hardheaded.”
He laughed. “No argument, but it is me, you want, right? Not Phoenix. Not just a male to ease your suffering. It has to be me, right?”
She froze. Didn’t he know that?
Not for the first time, she imagined Seth as a boy in ancient Egypt, fending for himself and his brother. He grew up knowing his mother didn’t love them, and his father never cared enough to take part in their life.
Somewhere inside this massive warrior, Seth remained that young boy, afraid to trust, hoping someone would see the value of everything he hid from the world but at the same time, expecting they never would.
They’d made great strides over the past weeks and months.
And still, they had a long way to go.
Something inside her clicked, and she finally understood. He needed her, yes, but he needed her to need him even more desperately. They shared something combustible. It ignited that first night and had been smoldering on a slow burn ever since. But more than that, they shared a longing to belong, to be loved, to have a safe place.
“It’s you, Seth. You, the father of my son, the male who rescued me from Hell. You who laid with me, and worried with me while our child was missing. It has always been you, even before my heart knew it.”
“Thank fuck,” he whispered, the tension in his shoulders easing as he leaned forward. “I am so blessed.”
She heard the strain in his words, knew he was fighting for restraint. Part of her relished the power to affect him. The other part of her quivered like a foolish girl. Then, he looked at her, his eyes flared with heat, and she didn’t feel foolish at all.
She felt wanted.
She felt sexy.
She felt bold and hungry and so, so, desperate for him.
Closing her eyes, the glorious spice of his arousal spun in her head. “It’s definitely you. You and this family is what I want now and for eternity.”
Her words barely passed her lips before Seth moved, fast and sure, pulling her heavy sweater up to free her breasts. They were sensitive. He’d seen her wince as Zane latched on to feed. He cupped beneath the weighted mounds, leaving her nipples in peace. “Are you too sore, angel? I mean, is your body ready for this?”
Thea swallowed. “I’m fine. I do have a particular ache I was hoping you might be able to help me with.”
“Anything to ease you, angel.” Lowering her onto the bed, he shifted until their bodies aligned. With so much contact, his world was both intensely focused and, at the same time, wildly out of control.
Like a kid in a candy store, he wanted everything at once. Every taste, every pleasure, every treat his mouth had watered for. Despite his beast’s need to ravage her, the man wanted to honor her—love her.
Dropping his hand from her neck, he skimmed a hand over her belly. A slight fullness from housing their son within remained. His fingers found the tissue pierced by the violence of her ordeal. The scars were a vile offense. Kyrian assured him that they would continue to heal and fade with time.
He didn’t want her to think they made her any less beautiful.
Shifting lower on the mattress, he pressed his lips to her suffering, worshipping her body. With deliberate slowness, he paid homage to her wounds.
He spanned her silky skin, his forced restraint killing him.
Heat curled up his spine and his balls ached, about to explode. The sweet scent of her arousal filled his head. It was all he could do to breathe. The smell of her hunger almost had him going off before they were even getting started.
Fuuuuck. He fought the warning tremors of his release building inside him. He didn’t want to rush this, but if he didn’t get inside her soon, he honestly might die.
“You good, angel? You with me?”
The answering moan confirmed what he knew.
They had finally gotten onto the same page and he was reading her loud and clear. Greedy fingers tugged at his shirt and he lifted his torso, so she could strip it off. Next went his pants. “You have me at a disadvantage here, angel. I’m naked and you’ve got way too much covering you up.”
Thea tilted her head back and arched off the bed to give him access. The undulation of her body was so erotic it blew the circuits of his brain. As he evened the birthday suit playing field, she nipped her bottom lip and he almost shot off early.
Her face, so beautifully expressive, telegraphed exactly how much she enjoyed it when he stripped her down.
She was perfect.
Reclaiming his place at her side, he brushed a hand down her belly and over the mound of her pelvic bone. Thea was practically a virgin and he remembered how tightly her core squeezed him that first time around.
He reached down to test—damn, she was wet and ready.
“Right there, yeah?”
She moaned, thighs trembling and rewarded his prompting by dropping her knees wider for him. Her current state of sexual readiness for him made his beast beat on its chest like a fucking Neanderthal. He teased his fingers down the center of her core, mapping out where, when, and how she liked to be touched.
“Seth . . . oh, Seth.”
The way his name slipped off her tongue resonated in his body at a powerful frequency . . . mine.
She was his. He clenched his teeth as something snapped inside him. The headaches. The aching libido. His incessant restlessness. He’d been taking a beating the past few months, but that was over now. Thea was his. He’d never go back.
Sharp nails raked his ass at the same time her tongue swept into his mouth, flicking and taunting until his head spun. He worked her with lazy strokes, inside and out, careful to give her enough pressure as she rode his fingers.
Fuuuuck.
Thea lost all inhibition during sex. Whatever polite reserve she held as an Angel of the Choir got checked and forgotten behind closed doors. The female was a live wire.
And damn, if he wasn’t getting the shock of his life.
Her body began to quake when she was close, and he opened himself up with his magical side. Unlocking the intimate pathway he’d only ever shared with Phoenix, he exposed his soft underbelly. He let her in.
Thea deserved that. She deserved to feel exactly what he felt—to know for certain she’d earned his trust, that she was special—the only female he’d ever opened himself up to.
Her orgasm hit with a force he couldn’t have imagined.
The pleasure was transformative. It lashed at his senses, raged through his system, and exploded out of control.
So responsive to touch, she ground on his hand as her juices coated his fingers. Her hunger hit him hard. She’d been aching too. He’d woken her sexuality and then left her wanton.
She sought relief. She considered other men.
His Mark burst out in its brightest neon and he knew he was done for. His bonding may have been different from the others, but maybe he was too hardheaded for the straightforward approach. Thea was his. Zane was his.
He never wanted anything more than his centuries-old routine, but on the other side of things, he’d kill anyone who tried to take this from him.
“Please, Seth, I need you.”
His beast roared—yeah, she did. Needed him to pleasure her. Needed him to be the father to their child. Needed him to be her hero. Well, he might be making up that last one, but he’d fill that role anyway.
Seth didn’t consider himself one for embellishment. He was a shoot-from-the-hip kinda guy, but without a word of a lie, his cock was soooo fucking hard, it hurt.
He’d never hit a horny breaking point before, but he had a feeling, with Thea, there were many new experiences in store.
God, he was so aroused his hold on things was fraying fast. He’d promised her slow. He wanted to get it right this time.
He dropped his hips, lining up exactly where he wanted to be. The sweet, heated nectar that ran from her body invited him in. With every shift of his hips, he reveled in the welcome.
Thea grasped his shoulders with a needy sob, thrusting her hips off the sheets. “Please . . . oh, please.”
“I’m trying to go slow here,” he bit out, groaning as she wrapped her legs around him. “I want this to be everything you need, angel.”
She whimpered and pressed back against his palm. “Forget slow. What do you want? Wild? Pounding? Sweating?”
Yes please. “Slow is better. I’m fighting for control here and don’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” She dug her fingernails into his ass and thrust her hips. He impaled her in one rough thrust and the look of triumph she wore was nothing short of breathtaking. “I’m not breakable. In fact, I like you rough, Warrior. Take from me all the pleasures you desire. That is what I desire.”
Seth’s beast let off a growl and he gripped her hips, relishing the fact he was the only man who’d ever taken her. His heart swelled with pleasure as he rocked in and out, burying himself in her heat.
His cock throbbed. It rubbed and slid inside her, and he fought not to explode.
“More,” she moaned, pushing against his hips. Clawing at him. “Drive me wild. I want more.”
“Roll over.”
Her pupils flared as he withdrew, and he flipped onto her knees. His mind blanked out and sexual instinct took the reins. Shit got real. Fast. Abandoning slow and steady, he reclaimed his place and thrust forward, slapping skin on skin when he hit home. Harder. Faster.
Bracing her palms on the bedding, she locked her arms, moaning, urging him on. He never would have guessed it—new to sex-play as she was—but she loved rough.
All righty then. When his palm came down on the round of her ass, she arched and gasped his name. The contact of hand on flesh also brought a fresh wave of moisture to her already saturated sex.
He fought for breath and struck a punishing rhythm. Over and over, he pounded inside her, a fevered heat breaking out all over his skin. Powerless to stop himself, his muscles churned, and his hips thrashed against her.
The huge bed creaked and banged to the beat of his thrusts. He let loose as the pressure in his cock built and throbbed and shot adrenaline through his cells in an insane rush.
“Oh, yes!” she cried, her arousal kicking through the roof. The scent of their sex, sweat, and passion filled his head. She cried out again, torturous rapture ripping through both of them. Her inner muscles flexed and released, gripping him tight and greedy as her orgasm took her.
Drenched in sweat—nothing but wildness connected them.
He couldn’t hold off. With a shout, he stiffened, the fierce, heated pulse of his release spilling into her. Throwing his head back, he shuddered, his muscles straining not to snap.
Rush after rush of release pulsed from him.
The relief that eluded him the past months hit hard and fast. It was the harshest ecstasy. It was the sweetest pain. When he had nothing left to give, he collapsed over her back.
Still joined, he rolled them onto their sides and listened to the feminine sounds she made as she caught her breath. His thighs shook, his lungs burned, and his heart pumped furiously in his veins.
Fighting to remain conscious, he chuckled.
“What’s funny?”
“We might need Storme or Phoenix to cast a soundproofing spell on our room.”
Thea raised a hand to her mouth. “Do you think they heard?”
Seth laughed. “Angel, the entire household heard.”
They lay there in silence while their breathing quieted and their hearts began to slow. When Thea shivered, he reached over and covered them with the duvet. Spooning up behind her, he nuzzled in her hair. “You okay?”
Thea nodded, peeking over her shoulder to meet his gaze. “I loved almost every minute of that.”
Amusement danced in her expression, so he played along. “Almost every minute? Well, tell me, my angel, where I fell short and prepare for a do-over.”
Thea rolled to face him and ran her fingers down the ridges of his chest. “We stopped.”
He chuckled, liking where this was going. “Still hungry?”
“Starving. I don’t know that I’ll ever have my fill. I want you again . . . and again . . . and again.”
Inhaling deep, he got nothing but lust, the mingled scents of sex and sweat, and hardcore anticipation. He fucking loved it. “If the lady wants a sexathon, who am I to argue? And I noticed, you still haven’t broken in your sex toys.”
Thea’s cheeks flushed an adorable pink. “I wasn’t sure what to do with them, and then”—she gestured between herself, him, and the bassinet—“all this happened.”
He nipped the bare skin of her shoulder, then kissed the sting. “It’s been a whirlwind. How about we get back to basics. Let’s see what you bought, and play for a bit, shall we?”
At that exact moment, their son decided to fuss.
Nice timing, kid. Seth chuckled and rolled out from under the blankets. “Come here, you little cockblocker. Did your parents make too much noise and wake you?”
He handed the baby to Thea and headed into the en suite to take care of cleanup. “You know, we’ll have to figure out a better arrangement for Zane. We can’t just wake him up every time we get carried away. He needs his own space.”
He trotted back into the bedroom, a warm cloth in his hand. When he caught the look on Thea’s face, he froze.
Shit. What did he say?
He knew he’d screwed up because he’d done it enough times over the centuries to recognize the look of fallout. “I’m sorry. Whatever I did wrong, I take it back.”
Her gaze narrowed, and he hit the rewind button in his mind.
“Shit. What? I honestly don’t know.”
Thea got Zane latched on for a midnight snack and smiled. “You said, ‘our room’ and ‘every time’ we get carried away. It was nice to hear, you know, you referring to us as a couple . . . making plans for what comes next.”
Thank you, sweet Lady. “Yeah, well, as weird as it is to hear myself talk like that . . . to plan for a future, it feels good too. Not just good, but great. Liberating.”
Thea heard the truth in Seth’s words and knew they were on the right path. Each day, they opened up a little more with each other. Trusted a little more. Grew a little closer. Their bonding might not have gone the same way as the others, but there was no wrong way to fall in love.
“At the risk of ruining the moment, since we’re committing to this, there are a couple things I need you to know.”
Thea dropped her gaze to Zane at her breast and Seth growled long and low. “If you have something to say, I want to hear it. Don’t hold back from me, angel. Ever.”
She swallowed, hugging the baby tighter to her chest. “It seemed to me that . . . during the sex, that you . . . I could be wrong because goddess knows I’ve misinterpreted males before, but . . .”
Seth lifted her chin and dropped his head to meet her scattered gaze. “But what? Spit it out. Just you and me here. Nothing to worry about.”
“You see, the other ladies knew the bonding had taken hold because of the transition and the wings, but your transition occurred when you claimed Zane and you already have your wings, and—”
“We’re bonded,” he said, his deep baritone solid and sure. “You are mine, angel. For better or worse, you’re stuck with me now. There’s no going back.”
Something fluttered in Thea’s stomach and she exhaled the breath she was holding. “I thought so . . . but didn’t want to assume. So, that brings me to my worry.”
“What worry? You’re starting to freak me out here, angel.”
She shook her head and adjusted Zane to her other breast. “Since we are now a bound couple, I want you to understand that I wish to be a partner like Austin is with Zander. I want an equal say. I want to make my own decisions. And if your brothers start taking my right to choose, even if they think it’s for my own good, I need to know you’ll speak up and set them straight. My future. My choices.”
Seth brow creased, and he got off the bed to step into his sleep pants. “Where is this coming from? Did I do something?”
“No. Not you, but Phoenix has a tendency to decide things for me. Zander too. I just want to be sure that I am allowed to make decisions about my own comings and goings.”
“What about if it’s your safety we’re talking about?”
“With safety concerns, obviously Zander and your brothers are your partners and you will insist on certain things, but when discussing our private lives—my plans, my outings, my interests—you and I will be the decision-makers, yes?”
She took Zane to the change pad and made quick work of changing his wet diaper. “If I don’t have any control over my life, and men continue to decide things for me, then living here is no different than life in the Choir.”
“Except for the off-the-rails sex.”
She chuckled, zipping up Zane’s sleeper. “Yes, except for that . . . and, of course, our son is equally amazing.”
Seth came over and took his boy, cuddling him against his bare chest. “Agreed. Okay, so you’re the captain of your own ship and I’m lucky to be aboard. I get that. But what is it you’re worried they might stop you from doing?”
She loved that he not only listened but let her lay out her terms. “As much as I want to be home with Zane while he is young, I also want to find my own purpose. I miss having tasks which contribute to the greater good of the community, and want that again.”
Seth frowned but nodded. “Okaaaay, no matter what you decide, I’ll support you . . . as long as you’re safe.”
She slid back into the warmth of the sheets and leaned against the headboard. “And what does that look like to you?”
Zane burped, and Seth chuckled and wiped his mouth. “If you want to go to school, I’ll carry your books. If you want a job, I’ll have Danel run background on the other employees and make sure you’re good. No matter what you do, I’ll escort you to and from each night.”
She half-expected that after living with Danel, Kyrian, and Zander. In truth, their protective nature was endearing.
“What if it’s not a course at the local college? What if I want a place on the Otherworld Council?”
The sudden tension in his frame spoke to how much he objected to that idea. “What? Why?”
“I have extensive skills in tracking offenders of the accords. I know a great deal about how the tiers of the Choir work. I am an angel bound to a Nephilim, raising a son with Darkworld gifts. I think that gives me a unique perspective to help with creating a vision for a different future.”
Seth turned away, raising Zane to his shoulder and patting his back as he paced.
“Do you not think I’m qualified?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it? Storme runs an international hotel chain and travels the world. Ronnie works in a hedonist club filled with Darkworlders. Why would me serving on a council be a problem?”
He frowned. “I never said it was, but you’ve thought about this. Give me the same opportunity before deciding I’ll nix it. You’re deeming me unreasonable before I even get a chance to think it through.”
She heard the frustration in his voice and realized how right he was. “I’m sorry. Please, take your time.”
Seth was a warrior who braved the worst things each night. Of course he’d have concerns. She didn’t want him afraid of losing his family—especially when that would never happen.
“I assume you and your brothers would be present during any physical meetings.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the way we see it playing out.”
“And Danel could provide me access to computer meeting software if it wasn’t a scheduled gathering of the council?”
“Sure, he’s good like that.”
She flipped back the blankets and patted the bed beside her. “I could work on complaints and possible solutions while Zane sleeps, and still focus on him during his waking hours.”
He slid into the bed, adjusting Zane to rest on his chest. “I never thought you’d neglect him. You’re a wonderful mother.”
She snuggled against his side and laid her head on his shoulder. With a lazy finger, she traced Zane’s sleeper along the rolling landscape of Seth’s abdominal ridges. “This is important to me, Seth. Will you at least take it to Zander and explore the advantages to having someone in the family sitting on the council?”
He kissed the top of her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
She looked up at him and he smiled.
“I’ll do you one better. I think you should chair the council.”
“Truly? You do?”
“Hells yeah, they’d be lucky to have you. And like you said, we’ll be at the meetings.”
Seth nodded. “And when I screw up—because you know I will—you gotta give me a chance to make things right.”
She nodded, sealing the deal with a kiss. “I can do that.”
And she could.
They’d proven they weathered storms well together and were committed to Zane. They enjoyed each other and now that they were bonded as lovers and parents, she honestly believed the turmoil of their past was behind them.
“I love you, angel,” he said, in Enochian, the language of the angels. “It’s overwhelming and I’m not sure what to do with that yet, but I feel it. I know it. And I’m looking forward to figuring out what that means for us.”
Snuggling into the warmth of their family, Thea looked at her warrior and showed him the depth of her love she felt. Somewhere along their path, love had replaced betrayal and anger. She had no doubt it would continue to grow, and they would achieve the prosperous good fortune and success the tea leaves foretold.
They had time. After all, they were immortals.
THE END,
THANK YOU FOR READING
I sincerely hope you enjoyed Seth and Thea’s story in, Watcher United. If you’d like to share your thoughts on the novel please leave a rating or review on Reviews help other readers find books. I appreciate all reviews and look forward to reading your thoughts.
In gratitude,
JL