Epilogue
Kain
There was no white picket fence and no porch swing on his father’s estate.
There was, however, one of the best secured properties on the continent, along with a very powerful demon as determined to keep Selma alive as Kain was.
“Have you seeded the breeder today? She is exhausted.” Kirigan frowned at his very round mate, the perpetual glass of bourbon in his hand momentarily forgotten.
“I have. But I will do so again after my meeting with Lord Inesso from New Mexico. The little one seems to need more and more power the closer we get to his due date.”
Selma wasn’t the only one exhausted from this pregnancy.
At nine months, she needed his seed five times a day for their baby not to start siphoning her life force.
It was a pleasurable task, to be sure, but between taking care of Selma and securing their borders against the Europeans, Kain was running on fumes.
“Consider asking Kesh to share the burden. It’s not unheard of for an unmated brother to discreetly help out during the final trimester, especially not with a baby as strong as your son promises to be.”
Before he could tell his father that fucking no one was “sharing the burden” of keeping Selma with enough semen to feed her little unborn monster, his mate sucked in an outraged breath—and unleashed.
“For fuck’s sake! What’s wrong with you, you insane pervert?! This is not a free-for-all. I’m not some shared fucktoy to be passed around!”
Kain swallowed a grimace and instinctively put a hand on her shoulder, easing her a half-step behind his body in case her outburst ignited his unstable father.
Though he shared at least some parts of her sentiment, he knew the mad demon could easily be pushed off-kilter and lash out in ways they’d all regret.
Much to his relief, Kirigan seemed entirely unfazed. He tilted his head, regarding Selma’s ire with something akin to academic interest.
“Do you not feel the exhaustion all the way into your bones, little one? The constant drain on your strength, even with your mate’s seminal contributions?
You will handle birthing and the first demanding weeks of motherhood with more ease if you allow more regular seedings, and even if Kain increases his deposits, the potency with such frequent coupling will suffer too much to be of much use to you.
The obvious solution is to bring in another virile male who won’t trigger Kain’s natural possessiveness too much. ”
Despite an instinctive flare of offense at the suggestion his mate needed “another virile male” to keep her in peak health, he couldn’t deny there was some logic to his father’s reasoning.
She’d already been through so much in the early days of her pregnancy, depleting her reserves while he’d been held captive, unable to provide for her.
She’d denied Kesh then, too, but with the birth of their son looming near, perhaps…
Perhaps they both needed to push through the discomfort, for her well-being.
“My love… he has a point.”
“No.” She leveled him with a flat stare, and that one look told him all he needed to know about his chances of changing her mind. “No, he does not. If you’re worried about your potency, then drink a fucking protein shake—”
“You know demons don’t drink protein sh—”
“—and eat some pumpkin seeds—”
“Pumpkin seeds? Selma, what—?”
“—and have a damn stretch, because you are not ‘sharing the burden’ of fucking me!” With a final glare in his direction, Selma spun on her heel and waddled off in the direction of his old bedroom.
“So much fire,” Kirigan murmured. He took a swig of the amber liquor in his hand, then turned back to the ancient texts he’d been reading in the hopes of uncovering any clues on the European royal family’s vulnerabilities. “Make sure she doesn’t burn out.”
“I’d rather watch the world burn a thousand times over than see her extinguish. I don’t need your cautioning,” Kain growled, irritable at having set off his mate’s hormonal anger with a perfectly reasonable suggestion yet again, not to mention his father’s unnecessary reminder.
“But you do need help. Your son eats a little more of her every day, despite what you give her. He’s strong—extraordinarily strong.
If she were any less powerful, he would have drained her life force by now.
” Kirigan flipped a page in his book, eyes scanning the text.
“She has days before he will need more than her light and your semen can provide. Then he will have to feed on her life itself. Call Kesh. If you don’t, the possibility that I may have to step in to save her would be… distasteful for all parties, I’m sure.”
It was all Kain could do to contain his immediate and visceral anger at the idea of his monstrous father on top of Selma. He exhaled a sharp breath, forcing his hands to unclench. “I will speak with h—”
“Son of a bitch!” The agonized shout echoed through the mansion, interrupting him with a wave of blind panic.
His mate!
Kain was down the hall in less than two seconds, finding her hunched over and leaning against the wall, breathing heavily.
“Selma? What’s the matter?” He grasped her hands gently so to not risk further harming her, his gaze sweeping over her body in search of injury.
“I think—oh!” Her voice snuffed out, eyes widening. A splash of water hit the floor between her feet.
Sick dread struck his brain stem. No! No, no, no! “Selma—”
“It’s only her water breaking. Your mate’s in labor.”
Only when Kirigan’s voice cut through his terror like a beacon of light did Kain realize his father had also come running at Selma’s pained cry.
“Labor?” he echoed, the word taking a second to thread through his riled nervous system. He looked back to Selma. “You’re in labor? Our son… He’s coming?”
She gave him a small smile, slowly straightening. “It would seem so.”
“Take your mate to your room. I’ll call the doctor for you.” Apparently losing interest once he realized Selma wasn’t in immediate danger, Kirigan turned away and walked back toward the library.
Kain pushed any thoughts of his father from his mind, his focus zeroing in on Selma. Gently, he grabbed her by the elbow. “Can you walk, my love?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. That contraction hurt like a bitch, though.” She looked down herself, grimacing at the wetness covering her legs and feet. “I need a shower.”
Kain frowned. “A shower? You’re in labor. You need to lie down.”
Selma rolled her eyes. “Yes, and I’m likely going to be for hours, as you’ll remember from the five books you bought on human pregnancy. I’ve got plenty time to shower.”
He remembered the frankly nonchalant attitude all five authors had displayed regarding the miracle of childbirth. He’d been dubious when he’d read it, and now, after hearing Selma cry out in pain? Yeah, hard pass.
He tugged gently on her elbow. “You need to conserve your energy, my love. Come, I’ll get you settled in bed while we wait for the doctor.”
“Kain!” Selma jerked her elbow from his grasp and gave him a scowl. “Stop it. I’m having a shower!”
She wasn’t thinking straight. Pregnancy hormones had made her increasingly temperamental over the past few months—it was only natural that labor would impair her ability to make rational decisions. It was his job as her mate to be her strength and guiding hand during the birth of their son.
Gently, he wrapped his arm around her round body, taking some of her weight and turning her toward the bedroom. “Shh, don’t worry, little one. I’ve got you. You’ll feel better once you lie down.”
Selma was still in the shower when the doctor arrived some twenty minutes later.
Reluctantly, Kain exited the bathroom where he’d been anxiously hovering while she cleaned herself, doing his very best not to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom where a laboring woman clearly fucking belonged.
Her light might be burnt out from nourishing their son for the moment, but she’d made it abundantly clear what she’d do to him—and his balls—once it recovered if he tried to tell her how to be in labor one more time.
He’d have taken the testicular pain if it’d meant getting her to see reason, but the risk of causing her any more stress if he forced the issue kept him from revolting.
The doctor was waiting in the hall.
Kain stopped at the top of the stairs, wound too tight to attempt the pomp and circumstance required of his newly acquired royal title. “What the fuck took you so long? My mate’s in labor!”
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I came as soon as your father called me. How far between her contractions?” The doctor sounded infuriatingly calm. He climbed the stairs, seeming in no rush.
“She’s only had the one.” Anxiety gripped his esophagus. “Does that mean something’s wrong? Stars, you have to help her!” Kain gripped the man by his upper arm and hauled him toward the bathroom.
“Not at all, Your Majesty. Early contractions are often sporadic and far apart—”
A pained whine from the bathroom interrupted the doctor, and Kain stopped listening.
“Selma!” He barged through the door, still dragging the other man along, and found his beloved mate leaning against the shower stall wall, one hand clutching her bulging belly.
“It’s just a contraction, Your Majesty.” The doctor carefully extracted himself from Kain’s grip as Kain rushed to his mate’s side. “It’ll be over in a moment.”
Kain hovered anxiously over Selma, fighting the urge to scoop her into his arms. “Tell me what to do. How can I absorb her pain?”
“You can’t.” The doctor’s voice turned sharp. “She is in the process of creating life. Interfering with demonic magic risks catastrophic consequences for both your mate and son. We have to late the wonder of female nature run its course.”