AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, baby.” He pulled me onto his lap, and I leaned my head against his chest.
“Actually,” I admitted, “in the dream I was giving birth with no one to help me.”
On the dirt floor in that cold, dank cellar.
Talon’s throat worked. “You know you’re safe now.”
“Yeah. But…” I shrugged.
“Hey.” He ran his fingers through my short locks. “You survived because you kept your head, did what you had to. You’re okay, and the baby’s doing fine. I’m fucking impressed. We all are.”
“Yeah?” That made me smile. “Mrs. Park did say I have lady balls.”
Talon chuckled. “You do. I’m so sorry you got sucked into this. So goddamned sorry. Lemaire had it out for Brien and Twilight—you were just the easiest way in. Because of Esposito and what he is to me.” His voice iced.
“Your father.” I swallowed queasily, flashing on how the poor man had hung in Lemaire’s grip as the vampire drained him of blood. “I saw him die. Lemaire…he was so fast and I couldn’t have stopped him even if I tried. It was awful—”
“Shh. If you’d tried to interfere, Lemaire probably would’ve drained you as well. As for Esposito, he brought it on himself.”
“I’m still sorry. He didn’t deserve that.”
“No?” Talon’s tone was hard. “Then he shouldn’t have helped kidnap you in the first place.”
I pulled back, frowning. “He tried to save me—you know that, don’t you? That’s why we were in the hall. Lemaire attacked him because he was helping me escape. And even before that, he did his best to protect me.”
“He shouldn’t have taken you in the first place,” Talon asserted. “The worst part is he was only in it for the money. He got in too deep at a Quebec City casino. My guess is, Lemaire lured him in, then lent him the money to gamble. He would’ve known Esposito was my father—it’s not a secret, not if you dig a little. And now that I’m a lieutenant, that made Esposito valuable. And I knew that. I had him under surveillance, but I never thought he’d sink this low.”
I relaxed against Talon again, stroking his chest. I could feel his emotions through the bond now, and I knew he needed soothing, even if he pretended like he didn’t give a damn about his father.
“I suppose. But I think he was sorry, that he hated himself for it. I heard him arguing with Lemaire, saying he’d promised that me and the baby wouldn’t be hurt.”
“Yeah? Well, he didn’t have to do it. He could’ve come to me as soon as he realized what they wanted him to do. But if it makes you feel better to think of him as the good guy here…”
“He was,” I said. “In the end, he was.”
Talon made a noncommittal grunt.
“Have you told your mom?” I asked.
“No. There wasn’t time. I’ll tell her tonight.” His chest heaved beneath my hand. “I don’t know what to say. There isn’t even a body to bury.”
I kissed his jaw, running my lips over the faint, dark bristles. “Tell her he did his best, okay? That he took care of me and the baby. She doesn’t need to know the rest.”
“You want me to lie?”
“You don’t have to lie. Just…don’t tell her the whole story, okay?”
“I’ll think about it.” Tucking me back into bed, he stood up and stretched.
Muscles rippled and his shirt inched up, revealing a slice of washboard abs. I guess I was feeling better because my insides tingled.
This man was my mate.
He’d claimed me.
Damn, I was lucky. And not just because he was hot as hell. He was the whole package, as far as I was concerned, the perfect blend of tough and caring.
“I’m going to shower,” he said, “then I’ll be back.”
