CHAPTER 30
Frankie
The sweet floral scent of the palace is gone, replaced by rain and steel. I sink down onto a bench near the hearth, rubbing my palms together, a rack of spears flanking the other side. Zarreth has me waiting here while he makes sure the rooms are secure.
Brynn brought us directly to the guest quarters in the Falkyrie grounds. I actually prefer it. The palace—and all its crystal arches and glassy bridges—was beautiful, but I’m more comfortable in a place I can actually live in, not just look at.
Jess and Graven stayed behind with the healers. The Queen doesn’t want her sickness spreading until they understand it better. I didn’t argue. I want her as close to the healers as possible.
Zarreth returns from his inspection and kneels in front of me on the woven rug.
He unlaces my boots, taking them off one at a time.
I let my head fall back against the wall and stare at the heavy beams crossing the ceiling, blackened by years of soot.
I groan when he presses a thumb into the arch of my foot.
My eyes close and I melt into the warmth of his hands. “God, that feels so good.”
He stands, grabbing my hands and pulling me to my feet. “I found something that will feel even better…something a little more suitable for a Goddess.”
I roll my eyes. He’s been calling me a Goddess ever since we left the Queen’s chambers and I told him about my conversation with Theia. Let’s see if he still calls me that once I tell him the rest.
We cross a small alcove off the main room, but the sound of rushing water has me stopping in my tracks. “Is that…running water?”
He grins, pulling me through the door. I almost collapsed right then and there. The sight of a nice warm bath nearly pulls the last of my strength from under me.
The first bath is all business as we scrub away the dirt, dried blood, and stench of travel. By the time we’re done, the water is black and useless.
The second bath, however, is absolutely amazing. Zarreth leans back against the tub, his wings tucked tight, watching me. I sink into the water between his legs, pressing my back to his chest, and sigh. If I ignore the knot between my ribs, the world feels still, peaceful even.
I should tell him. I need to tell him. I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t.
My fingers find his where they trace circles on my stomach. “Theia told me something else,” I whisper before I can change my mind.
His body stiffens, but he doesn’t say anything. He only waits, giving me time to think.
I take a breath, then another, trying to say what has me so nervous. “It’s not just you and me anymore.”
His fingers stop moving, and for a long moment there’s only silence…long excruciating silence.
“I know,” I blurt out, voice cracking. “I know it’s the worst timing ever. We’ve barely had a minute to ourselves since we met.”
Nothing. He still doesn’t move, doesn’t speak. I desperately want to turn around, to look at him, but I’m afraid of what I’ll see.
“And you never said you wanted kids, and I can barely take care of Ms. Kitty,” I rush on, not giving him a moment to speak. “And who in their right mind would bring kids into this world? And what if—”
“Melita.” He cuts off my rambling.
I snap my mouth shut and realize I’m shaking. He turns me slightly toward him, his hands still on my stomach. I keep my eyes down. I’m not ready to see the disappointment in his. He just got out of captivity after two decades. The last thing he needs is being tied down with kids.
“Frankie, look at me,” he says, gently.
I shake my head. “I don’t want to.”
His fingers tilt my chin until my eyes reach his. There’s no shock or panic in his expression. It’s deep and unreadable, and that’s almost worse. My eyes burn with tears, but I do my best not to let them fall.
“Thank you,” he says, Adam's apple moving when he swallows.
“For what?” Is he thanking me because I waited to tell him until we were in private?
“For giving me something I never thought I’d have…a family.”
A family. Our own family, a real one. But before I get my hopes up, I brace myself for the rest. I turn so we’re face to face, my legs straddling his. “Well…I hope you want a big family,” I wince. “Because Theia told me there are two of them…we’re having twins!”
I close my eyes, scared to see his reaction. Again he says nothing. The silence presses until I’m drowning in it, and it fucking hurts. Right when I’m about to spiral, his hands press into my cheeks. They’re trembling.
“Frankie.” His voice cracks, but it’s tender. I finally open my eyes and nearly break at the way he looks at me. There’s so much love…I can hardly breathe.
He leans in, eyes never leaving mine, breath warm against my skin. His mouth gently grazes my lips, capturing a salty tear. A sob breaks free, and then another, but he doesn’t stop. He holds me closer, taking every sound I give him.
He pulls back enough to catch my eyes. “I love you.” His voice shakes before he kisses me again, deeper like he’s trying to press the words into my mouth. “I love you so fucking much.”
I press my body closer to his, trying to crawl inside. To become one, to be a part of him. Then everything blurs. Skin. Tears. Broken whimpers. His hands sliding over my back. Mine through his hair. Everything in me reaches for him, needing him inside of me.
And then he is.
We tremble against each other, mouths desperately colliding again and again.
His hands are everywhere, my back, my hips, my face.
Water sloshes around us while I move up and down, back and forth.
His fingers dig into my hips, and my skin burns under his palms. A sound tears out of him, so raw it makes me weep.
Everything in me tightens until I can’t take it anymore.
We cling to each other, every nerve on fire, when it finally takes us under.
The tremor from my orgasm continues running through me when I ease forward, my hands finding his shoulders for balance.
He doesn't let me go far, just enough to guide me while I turn.
I settle back against him, his palms warm on my stomach.
His heartbeat steadies under my ear, nearly lulling me to sleep.
“Do you think their hearts keep the same rhythm as ours?” I ask, placing my hands on top of his.
“They do,” he says, running his thumb up and down my belly.
“You can hear them?” I wish I could feel them, or sense them somehow, but I don’t. I know it’s normal, but I was hoping since I have supernatural blood in me that I’d be able to sense them.
“Not yet, but your energy pulses to the same beat now. I noticed it after you came through the portal, I just wasn’t sure what it was.
I can feel it through our bond, almost like little tugs.
It’s…” His voice trails off for a moment.
“It’s amazing.” He plants a kiss on my wet head.
“You’re amazing,” he adds, but it’s so silent I barely hear it, almost like he didn’t mean for it to slip out.
“I’m scared, Zarreth. I don’t want them to be the next elders. Not now. Not with Dante out there, and whatever other monsters will come clawing for those seats.”
“Look at me,” he says.
Water sloshes over the side of the tub when I spin around. He holds both sides of my face, his eyes fierce when they meet mine. “I don’t give a damn what Theia said. Nobody is going to decide the fate of our children. Not the Gods, not the elders. Not while I’m still breathing.”
I nod because I want to believe him. And I do; I know he will die protecting us, but he can’t control fate.
And then there’s the other thing that’s been haunting me since the portal. I glance down at the water rippling around my fingers. “What if I turn out like my mom?”
His eyes hold so much warmth, it almost makes me cry.
“Melita, you are the most caring person I know. You love harder than anyone and put absolutely everything before yourself. That’s not going to change, and that is exactly what will make you a good mom.
What lies within you, your love, your compassion, that’s who you are. That’s who they’ll grow up knowing.”
I quickly wipe away the tear rolling down my cheek. I’m so grateful to have him by my side. His steadiness, his strength. I know we’ll be a thousand times better than my parents. “Thank you for always being there for me.”
“I will always be here for you, and for them.” He glances at my stomach, voice rough when he continues.
“But I should be the one thanking you. I’ve spent my entire life fighting, surviving, never realizing how empty I’d become.
You gave that empty life a meaning. You gave me something worth protecting, and now you’ve given me a family. ”
Hope nudges in, and tears blur my vision all over again.
I’m so lucky to be with someone so amazing.
I don’t know why I expected him to react any differently.
“I love you, Zarreth, with everything I am.” I lean in, letting my lips find his.
His mouth is warm, tasting like the man who has always been my anchor.
I pull back and nearly melt at the tenderness in his eyes. He doesn’t respond with words. Instead, he takes my hands and pulls me up until I’m kneeling in front of him. His gaze drops to my belly as he leans in. “I already know you’ll have your mother’s fierce heart.”
My throat tightens while I wipe away another tear. “And your father’s fire.” I smile. “That makes you our little firecrackers.”