“Have you been awake this whole time?” she asked.
A small nod.
“You should rest.”
Hyde’s expression said clearly that rest wasn’t happening. Not while she needed protecting. Stubborn. Just like Victor. She shifted in his arms—awkward with the blanket cocoon—and pressed her palm to his chest. Right over that double heartbeat.
“I’m safe,” she said. “You made sure of it. You can relax.”
His eyes closed briefly. When they opened again something had shifted, some of the tension bleeding out of his massive frame. He adjusted his hold on her, settling more comfortably, still alert but not quite so rigid. They sat like that for what felt like hours while the storm slowly weakened outside. The fire crackled, and his steady breathing provided a soothing counterpoint to the wind.
She dozed again and woke to find the baby kicking. His hand immediately moved to her belly, palm covering the movement. His eyes widened slightly.
“That’s the baby,” she said. “Your baby too, if you want.”
Want was too mild a word for the expression that crossed Hyde’s face. His hand stayed on her belly, reverent and protective.
“I’m sure she’s going to be a handful,” Chloe continued. “Stubborn like her parents. She’ll probably inherit your strength and my inability to back down from a challenge.”
Hyde’s chest rumbled, almost like a laugh.
“You’re going to be a great father,” she said. “Both of you.”
The rumble cut off. Hyde stared at her with those glowing green eyes.
“I mean it.” She covered his hand with hers. “Victor’s terrified he’ll turn into his father. But you—both versions of you—have been nothing but gentle with me. Even tonight, when everything went wrong, your first instinct was to protect me.”
His throat worked. No words came out but the emotion in his eyes said everything—gratitude, trust, and most of all, love. It was all there in that inhuman gaze. Her eyes burned. She was definitely crying now. Stupid pregnancy hormones making herweepy. Or maybe not so stupid. Maybe just… feeling everything more intensely.
“I love you too,” she whispered. “Victor and Hyde. All of you.”
Hyde’s arms tightened, gentle but unmistakable. They stayed like that as the night slowly gave way to dawn and the storm finally broke. Weak sunlight filtered through the makeshift patch in the roof.
She stirred, stretching as much as the blanket cocoon allowed. Her back ached from the awkward position but she felt surprisingly rested.
Hyde hadn’t moved all night. Just held her. Kept her warm and safe.
“Morning,” she said.
Hyde blinked down at her. In the growing light she could see him more clearly. He was still beautiful. Not in a conventional way—his features were too sharp, too inhuman for that—but there was a savage grace to him that took her breath away. A raw, barely contained power, like watching a thunderstorm or a wildfire. Dangerous and magnificent in equal measure.
“You’re beautiful,” she said.
His eyes widened. He looked almost… confused.
“I mean it.” She reached up to touch his face. His skin was warmer than human skin and the texture was slightly different. “Victor thinks you’re a monster, something to be feared and suppressed.”
He flinched, and her heart ached for him.
“But you’re not,” she said gently, stroking his cheek. “You’re part of him. The part that’s brave enough to be protective when he’s too afraid. The part that doesn’t second-guess love.”
He leaned into her touch, and his eyes drifted closed.
“I love this side of you too,” she continued. “Not in spite of what you are. Because of it.”
A shudder ran through Hyde’s massive frame. When he opened his eyes they were wet. Her heart broke and mended simultaneously. “Come here.”
She pulled his head down to her shoulder—awkward given the size difference but manageable. Hyde came willingly, folding himself around her. They stayed like that as full dawn broke and light streamed through the windows and the damaged roof. The storm was finally over.
