Epilogue
Epilogue
Emerson
“ I 'm sure you've noticed this,” Willa says, pulling the thermometer from my forehead. “But you don't run nearly as cool as a normal vampire.”
“I've noticed it,” Dread says, giving a serious nod. “It could be the fact she's likely carrying a demon child. She's my mate. Her system would ensure she can carry our pups without issue.”
“That's a possibility.” Willa nods. “I doubt I'll be able to give you any definitive answers on that. Once you give birth, I think we'll have a better idea of what's a side effect of the pregnancy and what is your natural state.”
“That makes sense,” I agree.
“This might not be what you want to hear, but I'm going to wing this exam,” Willa says, giving me a chagrined smile. “I've been a doctor for close to sixty years, but you're my first vampire pregnancy in general.”
Dread is stretched out at my side with an arm around my shoulder. He chuffs his displeasure at that statement. I swat his hand.
“Thank you,” I tell her. “I appreciate your honesty and that you're willing to help at all.”
“Whether or not Ryktus is pleased, I still view you as family. I'll do whatever I can to ensure you and the baby are healthy.” She pulls out an old-fashioned fabric measuring tape and comes to my side.
“Thank you,” Ryktus growls from where he stands just inside the room.
Willa gives him a nod. “Okay, let's see what the measurements say. I normally don't do this part until four or five months along, but even visually, I can tell you're quite large.”
“Thanks,” I grumble as she pulls my skirt down in the front and repositions my shirt until it's tucked under my breasts.
Her hands tenderly begin to palpate my stomach.
As a vampire, my heart beats much slower than it did when I was a human, but the flummoxed look on her face makes my pulse race.
“Hmm,” she says. Her mouth purses. “And there's no possibility you're further along than you think?”
“No, I hadn't had sex since before my daughter was born.” I shake my head. It's literally impossible. We've already given her the dates I was with Laithe and, subsequently, the other guys.
Dread lets out a low growl. I pat his hand trying to comfort him.
“Okay,” Willa says. She heads over, writing something out on my chart. “Let's check with the Doppler.”
“This is a whole process,” Arsyn says from my other side. “I love you, sweet mate.”
I return the sentiment against his lips as he gives me a quick kiss. My anxiety is high, but logically, I know I'm lucky. We might not have many answers, but things are better than they could've ended up.
The strange thumping sound of the heartbeat monitor echoes around the small exam room. My confusion grows when the sound seems to radiate at different speeds.
“Okay, so this is going to take a minute while I count this out,” Willa says. She moves the wand around, and after an agonizing wait that seems to last forever, she decides it's time for the ultrasound.
“What have you determined?” Laithe asks, getting very close to Willa as she sets up the machine. “Why did your heart rate quicken?”
“Back up,” she snaps. “Or I'll have you wait in the hall. It's nothing bad, but I'd prefer to have more information before I guess, in case I'm wrong.”
“Lai, give her some space,” I say, giving him a look that means tone it down.
“It happens with monster fathers, but I will kick your ass out into the waiting room if need be,” Willa says, raising her eyebrows.
Laithe grumbles his way through stepping back a few feet as she preps the machine and eventually squirts cool liquid on my lower stomach.
I figured Dread would be the grumbling, growly one.
But he's surprisingly subdued. He hasn't been more than a foot away from my side, but he's not on edge like I thought he would be.
The last few weeks, he's only gotten more affectionate and cuddly.
I won't lie; I absolutely love how they all seem to gravitate toward me lately.
My stomach is slightly swollen. They all touch it quite regularly. I might get tired of their hovering eventually, but the loneliness and stress I felt when I was pregnant with Ember, all of it, is a thing of the past.
I looked up pictures of normal pregnancies, and my belly is comparable to somewhere around four or five months pregnant. I get that supernatural pregnancies progress at different speeds, but.... I blow out a breath and try to remind myself not to obsess. Nothing can be done.
“What are those bubbles?” Ryk's deep, growly voice shocks me out of my thoughts.
“Do you happen to know any fertility witches?” Willa asks distractedly as she presses buttons on the keyboard and moves the wand with her other hand.
“Nadia is a fertility witch,” Dread says. “And she's been avoiding all of us the last month or so.”
“Why?” I ask, trying to lean forward to get a better view of the screen.
“I'd say someone put you under a fertility spell. An extremely potent one.” Willa gives me a tight smile. “On the plus side, your measurements are safely within range.”
“What are the bubbles?” Ryk demands in a firmer tone.
“Embryonic sacs,” Willa says.
“There are four of them,” Laithe hisses.
“They're mine,” Dread says, lazily lounging next to me. He sounds extremely smug. “I didn't want to upset any of you, but I've been able to smell my pup for weeks.”
“Hey, dickhead,” Arsyn says, reaching around me to slap Dread's shoulder. “Me too. My spawn is definitely one of those.”
“What?” I hiss. “Did you say four?”
“I did,” Willa says, still focusing on the screen.
Laithe turns toward me with his eyes fully white.
“Don't make me put your ass down,” Dread says, huffing a sigh. “No matter who is the biological?—”
Laithe prowls closer and knocks Dread off the exam table. He breathes in deeply at the base of my neck and...licks me. I don't move, because his monster is very clearly in control. I'm not afraid he'll hurt me. I'm just really freaking confused.
“Whatcha doing?” I ask as he leans over me, sniffing the other side of my neck.
“I contemplated it, but I thought the idea was insane. Only it's not, because you're absolutely an omega,” Laithe says, pushing his lips to mine.
“I agree,” Willa says, continuing to take measurements. “I'd also say congratulations are in order. You're about to have the first multi-species litter in several hundred years.”
“No one is to know of this,” Dread says. He's leaning over the head of the exam table, and he looks tense for the first time in weeks.
“That's going to be a hell of a secret to keep once the babies arrive,” Ryktus says. He shoves Lai out of the way and pushes his mouth to mine. “I love you, little one. All will be fine.”
“Thank you,” I say, kissing him one final time.
Nadia and Meena absolutely have some explaining to do.
“Would you care to tell me why the hell you decided it was okay to give me a fertility spell? I thought you gave me a damn contraceptive spell,” I hiss at Nadia several days later.
“I did,” she says, shrugging a lithe shoulder.
“I'd never put a spell on you without your consent.
I didn't know you had omega blood. Otherwise, I would have set a stricter countermeasure.
The backlash from overriding the spell amped up your fertility.
In my defense, it's still a little hard to believe. They were hunted out ages ago because of how powerful they made their mates.”
Yeah, I got a lovely crash course from the guys about omega history. I'd heard the term before, but never had any idea those stories were actually based in fact. The reality is they didn't go completely extinct. They likely went into extreme hiding due to their genocide.
“I'm shocked none of the guys figured it out once Arsyn popped a knot,” Nadia says, shaking her head. “Only alpha shifters are born with them, but demons and fae who mated with omegas often gained the extra appendage. They're way older than I am, and even I knew that.”
“Yes. Well, now that I know that, I'll be bitching at them too.” I glare. “You should check for any possibility of omega blood in the future before accidentally ramping up someone's fertility by mistake.”
“I'm so sorry,” she says, laughing. It's almost an unhinged sound.
Nadia is always so put together.
I frown even harder.
“No, I really am,” she promises, squeezing my hand.
“My life has been a shit show recently...” She goes on to explain why she's been missing so much.
I actually feel like an asshole for snapping at her by the time she's done.
“I know I messed up. It's like a one-in-a-million chance. Can you forgive me?”
“I already have,” I assure her.
“Are you excited?” she asks, chewing at her lower lip.
“I am,” I say truthfully. “Four different species...” I chuckle. “It's going to be a wild ride. That's for sure. But I'm really happy that Ember won't be an only child.”
“I'm still shocked that Laithe is the father of one of them,” Nadia says with wide eyes. “I guess I never realized how ancient he is. The newer generations are completely unable to breed with humans.”
My eyes fly to my stomach as the belly moves wildly.
“Are they moving? Can I feel?” She doesn't wait for an answer. Her hand lands on my stomach and her face lights up. “Shit, Emerson. That is wild.”
“I'm pretty sure one of them is practicing flying around my womb,” I say, grinning and shaking my head.
“You don't hate me?” Nadia asks, blinking at me with wide eyes.
“No. But I'm really damn grateful to have four guys to split all those diaper changes with.”
I managed okay with Ember, but four babies are an entirely different story...