9. Elio
CHAPTER 9
ELIO
The second I made sure Amara wasn’t going to hit her head, I lashed out, catching her father by the wrist and applying as much force as I could to the pressure point until he dropped to his knees with a yelp. My body screamed at the sharp movement, but I had a point to prove.
I yanked him closer. “Let me make myself really fucking clear. If you ever put hands on my mate again there won’t be a piece of you big enough left to identify your body. You’ll treat her with respect, and if you ever try to come for either of us, I will use everything I’ve learned that brought me into Bianca Gallo’s inner circle. I promise you my skills are extensive and creative. I can make sure you suffer for weeks, every second full of misery until your heart finally gives out.”
“I didn’t— fuck !” he gasped in pain, his forehead sweating. “I didn’t mean to hurt her!”
No, he didn’t mean to, but I hadn’t meant to bond her either and we’d both have to suffer for our mistakes.
“And yet you did.” I released the pressure point and he sucked in a shuddering breath before I planted my foot on his chest and kicked him over.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” her father hissed.
“I think we both know exactly what’s wrong with each of us. You’ve been fucking around in the little leagues your whole career and now you’ve caught my attention. You’re just lucky you live on this side of the river.” I gathered Amara into my arms, cradling her head.
“Shit, she just got out of the hospital.”
“What do you mean she was in the hospital? When was this?”
“While you were gallivanting all over fucking Europe instead of being here with my kid, that’s when.”
“Fucking Christ. I wasn’t gallivanting, I was dealing with a death in the family.”
Amara stirred with a whimper and curled closer. I bit down hard against the pain her movements caused, trying to keep any sounds of distress to myself.
“What is wrong with everyone today?!” She fully burst into tears, cradling her head and sniffling against my skin, the salt water of her tears darkening the edges of my vision when they skated over one of the burns.
“Fuck, kiddo, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aiming for you.”
“Don’t hurt him! You can see he’s been through enough. Don’t be such a jackass.”
Amara’s father seemed sufficiently chastised. “We should get you to a doctor.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted.
“Your father is right. You only lost consciousness for a few seconds, but you should get checked out.”
“Oh, so I can go to the hospital, but you can’t?”
“A concussion from intervening in a fight is a lot easier to explain than almost a dozen fucking brands on my skin. It’s not the same thing, and you’re my mate. I need you to stay in good condition.”
“Fuck’s sake,” she grumbled. “Fine.”
Amara’s father begrudgingly helped me bandage up all my burns, and I pulled on a borrowed shirt that was dark enough to hide the bandages through it. We both took her to the hospital, and one of the nurses immediately recognized her, trotting over.
“What are you doing back here?”
“I tried to break up a fight between these two idiots,” Amara said.
“She lost consciousness and I want to make sure she’s okay,” I told the nurse.
The nurse glanced from her to me and back again. “Is this your mystery mate?”
Amara nodded. “Yep. He found me eventually.”
“Good, I’m glad. Have you been through triage yet?”
“Nope.”
The nurse went to talk to one of her colleagues and Amara was taken right in. Apparently omegas who had been unconscious were a top priority. All the better for us. They took all her vitals and a blood panel, and sent her for a quick brain scan while her father and I paced in the waiting room.
“She’d better be okay for your sake,” I snapped.
“She’s a tough cookie. She’ll be fine.”
We barely spoke until that same nurse came out to talk to us. “Amara would like to talk to her mate privately for a moment. She’ll be cleared to leave afterward but I’ll give you a pamphlet on concussions and symptoms to watch out for just in case.”
I followed the nurse back, feeling a puff of pride that Amara had asked for me and not her father. She was sitting cross-legged in a chair when she came into view and immediately popped up.
“We have a problem,” she said. “Or maybe you won’t think it’s a problem. I don’t fucking know. I don’t know what to do with this information.”
I looked up to the nurse for some clarity.
“You do it,” Amara told her and closed her eyes.
“She’s pregnant. About four weeks along if the timeline for when you two got together is accurate.”
The world dropped out from under my feet. It was good news, but also terrible given the timing. My mate and child would be exposed to so much danger just from being part of my life. How was I supposed to raise a child with someone I barely knew? My obsession with Amara wouldn’t help me be a good father. God knew I didn’t have a good example to work from, and I wasn’t entirely certain she did either since she’d never mentioned her mother still being around.
“Say something,” Amara demanded.
“I…don’t know what to say. Do you want to keep it?”
She burst into tears. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to decide right now,” said the nurse. “It’s still very early. Why don’t you go home and think about it for a while?”
Amara sniffled and burrowed against my chest, and I held my breath at the sparks of pain that elicited. I wrapped my arms around her anyway, giving her what comfort I could considering the world-altering news. All of my alpha instincts were on board with the idea of seeing her get round from growing my child, but the much more practical side of me was well aware that this was not the safest time for me to have a pregnant mate. Once her scent came in, it would be difficult to hide from anyone, and that would make her an even easier target for Bianca.
“Breathe for me,” I said softly, nuzzling her hair. The compulsion to soothe her was all-encompassing.
Amara sucked in a hiccuping sob, trying to obey.
“That’s my good girl. We’ll do whatever you want and I’ll take care of you no matter what.”
“Here you go, sweetie.” The nurse passed us the pamphlets she’d promised. “Give us a call if you have any questions, and come back if any of the symptoms listed pop up.”
“Thank you.” Amara gave her a halfhearted wave.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” I promised the nurse. She gave me a smile before going back to her work, and I stroked a hand over Amara’s hair. “Ready to go back to your apartment?”
She nodded. “Please.”
Amara’s father followed us out. “What was so important I couldn’t be included?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Amara replied. “Maybe.”
Once we arrived back at the apartment, she ordered her father to head home, and while he listened, he was obviously not happy about it. I took her straight to the nest, though it could hardly be called that, considering all her nesting supplies were scattered across the floor. I picked out a few of the top layers that hadn’t made contact with the carpet and arranged them so she could have a wall at her back, and I climbed in after her. She settled as carefully as she could against me, and after some very careful rearranging, we found a spot where she didn’t touch any of the burns. My back was screaming, but I could suffer through that for now.
“What do we do?” she asked quietly.
“You’re supposed to be resting,” I reminded her.
“But how am I supposed to think about anything else?”
“Fair enough. Still probably a conversation for later, though.”
“Or it could be a right-now conversation.”
I sighed, running my hands through my hair. “All right. What are your thoughts?”
“I don’t know. Feels kind of scary right now, but also I always kind of wanted a kid just so I could give them a better childhood than I had. Is that selfish?”
“Not more than any of the other reasons people have children.”
“Do you want one?”
“I want specifically you to have a child with me, but also I would be lying if I said I wasn’t fucking terrified to put a pregnant mate around Bianca.”
“I’m not entirely fragile,” she said. “I might go a little feral on Bianca’s ass if she were a threat to one of our kids.”
“One of?” I asked. “We’re having multiple?”
“Well, yeah. I grew up as an only child and I always wished I had a sibling.”
“Brothers aren’t that great. They can be, but sometimes they just beat the snot out of you for fun.”
Amara wrinkled her nose. “Not really worse than most of the things I’ve heard about parenthood.”
“Why are you so okay with having kids with me? You don’t even know me.”
“I mean, I figure I’ll get to know you over time. And we’re bonded so I’m stuck with you regardless unless you die, and I don’t really wanna think about that happening.”
I traced my knuckles over her stomach. She wouldn’t show or have any outward indication of her condition for weeks and it felt strange to know so early. In the old days people found out omegas were pregnant when their scent altered, becoming sweeter, creamier, and taking on even more hints of the scent from the other biological parent. Now they had tests to find out almost immediately with how quickly omega hormones shifted once their heats were over.
I had to keep her safe. The compound was no place to raise a child, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t a good place for me either.
Fucking Bianca. If she could have just accepted the bonding was out of my control and not punished me for it, I could’ve slipped right back into the way things used to be. I had put up with so much bullshit from her over the years, so much pain, spilled so much blood I’d lost count of the lives I had taken…
And now, with my omega at my side and my child in her belly, the burns on my skin had me contemplating what freedom might taste like for the first time in decades. What the fuck would a life without Bianca even look like? Certainly less bloody. I wasn’t built for peace. I was a weapon, honed and polished, used over and over again. What purpose did the blade have in times of peace?
“Are you planning on telling me what’s going on in your head?” Amara asked, tapping a spot on my chest that was free of bandages.
“Nothing important.” A lie, but saying it out loud might make it too real.
I pulled out my phone and messaged Marco and Enzo.
E:
When does she expect me back?
Z:
Couple hours ago
We’re already on our way to haul your ass back
E:
Fuck’s sake
M:
What happened?
E:
Burned the shit out of me
Z sorry in advance if I cost you a mate
Z:
Don’t worry about me
Her plan for me is already in the works
M:
We don’t get to know?
Z:
You’ll meet her soon enough