Epilogue
Nero
Seven months later
I sipped my drink and closed my laptop.
“You need anything else?” Pretender asked.
It was late, both clubs were closed and I’d finished working for the night. “No. Get some rest, tomorrow will be busy.” He nodded and headed for the door. “Are you seeing anyone?” I asked before he could leave, the words slipping from me out of nowhere. Though I had been wondering, now that I had Mina.
Pretender paused at the door. My interest in his life still surprised him, and on occasion surprised me as well. I held…great affection for him. Mina had unlocked my emotions and, seven months later, I was still adjusting to it. No one saw me this way except my mate and, on occasion, Pretender, and, of course, my brothers. I loved my Lalka with my entire heart. What I felt for my ward, for my brothers was, I guess, a kind of love as well.
In other words, this was still confusing as fuck.
Pretender shrugged. “I don’t have time for friends or lovers.”
There was a strange look in his eyes. “You’re young, you should make time for enjoyments.”
He grinned, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes, something I never would have noticed before Mina changed me. “You know why I can’t do that,” he said roughly. “Someone always ends up getting hurt.”
I realized in that moment, that the someone was probably him. “One day you will find your mate, and—”
“No disrespect, Nero, but not everyone is destined for what you have. We don’t all have someone like Mina waiting for us to find them.” He shook his head. “I’m happy as I am.”
He was lying about the way he felt, something else I might have missed before. I studied him, his face that could have been carved by the angels themselves—beauty like that, it came at a price, which was why he covered his face most of the time. I’d named him Pretender when his parents first left him here because he’d imitated me constantly. I’d asked him if he wanted to rule my kingdom, if he wanted to be a warrior and run my clubs one day, and he’d said yes immediately. I couldn’t even remember what his birth name was. “You needed more from me over the years, and I was too blind to see it. You should know that I consider you family…and should you ever need anything, anything at all, ask and it’s yours.”
He nodded, then cleared his throat. “Thank you. Good night, Nero.”
He strode away and I sat back in my chair. Living a cold and emotionless life had blinded me to so very much, and I was still relearning to read those around me.
There was a soft knock at the door and my mate walked in. As soon as I saw her, I warmed. It started in the center of my chest and radiated out. Only Mina did that to me, only she warmed me to the bone and made me feel vulnerable, almost human.
She crossed my office and I slid my chair back so she could climb into my lap. “I was missing you,” she said.
“I was missing you too.”
Her head tilted to the side. “I saw Pretender on my way up, is he okay?”
I ran the backs of my fingers down her cheek, her jaw, to her slender throat. I constantly craved the touch of her skin, her warmth against mine, and there was no resisting it. I didn’t even try anymore. As always, she wore the velvet choker I’d gotten her after we mated. It was lighter than the one she wore to our blood moon ceremony, more suitable for everyday wear and had a small pink diamond that sat at the base of her neck. She said it made her feel closer to me, as if my hands were always on her even when we were apart. I loved that, more than I could express, because seeing her wear it, knowing she wore it when I wasn’t with her made me feel the same way.
“He says not, but I think that perhaps he’s lonely. Staying loyal to someone like me, for so long, he’s missed out on a lot…” I held her stunning lavender eyes. “I didn’t deserve his loyalty. I’m not sure how to repay him for it.”
Her smile softened. “You’re his father, maybe not by blood but in his heart. He loves you. That’s all he wants from you. To know you care about him as well.”
“That’s easier said than done, Lalka.” I realized then that her heart was beating faster than usual. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes.” She licked her lips and took my hand. “And, in the meantime, while you’re still learning to express your emotions for anyone who isn’t me…” She placed my hand on her stomach. “Together, the three of us will make sure Pretender feels part of our family.”
“Three?”
She curled her fingers around the side of my throat. “Listen.”
I frowned.
“Listen, Nero.”
I did. I honed in on the sound of the blood rushing through her veins, the faster-than-usual beat of her heart, the— My eyes shot up to hers as another heartbeat reached me, this one more distant, faster. “A baby,” I rasped. “You’re having a baby.”
Her cheeks were pink, her eyes glistening and bright with happiness as she nodded. “Yes, we’re having a baby.”
I’d noticed subtle changes to her body, but my mate being pregnant with my child had never occurred to me. Her joy made my already stunning bride even more beautiful. I wanted to feel what she did, but instead, fear filled me.
Mina never missed anything when it came to me. “You’re not happy?”
“I’m terrified,” I said, telling her the truth. “What if I… What if I hurt them the same way I did Pretender, and you? What if…what if I’ve reached my capacity to love and I don’t have any more to give? The way I love you, Lalka, you take up my entire heart.”
She didn’t look at me like a monster. No, her smile returned, and she covered my hand still on her stomach with both of hers. “There is no capacity. Love is endless, boundless. Listen to that tiny heartbeat. It’s part of you, of us. Our love created the baby growing inside me. You already love them, Nero. You already love our baby.”
Gods, I felt it. I felt that small heartbeat inside mine. I was still terrified, but she was right, Mina was always right. A fierceness filled me like nothing before. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to harm them, Lalka.”
“Oh, I know you will, and so will I,” she said as she shifted, straddling me instead. Her fingers worked my belt, undoing my trousers and releasing my instantly hardening cock. Positioning me, she sat, and I filled her with a groan.
Her arms wrapped around my neck as she rode me slowly, making love to her mate.
I was a different male because of her, for her, a better one, and I would do whatever it took to stay that way for my precious Lalka and our child.
“I love you, Nero.” She gasped as she moved on top of me, her little fangs sliding down, preparing to strike.
I held her tight to me. “I love you more.”
THANK YOU!
I hope you loved Nero and Mina’s story!