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Feeling strangely betrayed, Devin went back to maiming the poor carrot bearing the brunt of her ire. Working herself into a fine fit of temper, she shoved the uneven chunks into the pot simmering away. She shrieked as the near boiling broth spattered her hand and wrist. Cradling her wounded limb to her chest, she gave a whimper of pain.
“Get out,” she shouted as no less than half a dozen men just appeared in the cozy kitchen, each with their hand on their weapon in readiness to defend her.
When they didn’t move fast enough, Devin brandished her chef’s knife at them with an infuriated roar. Driving them back out of the doorway, she slashed at the air before them with wordless sounds of fury. They wouldn’t relent.
Dodging her swipes and thrusts, they sought to disarm her. Caging Devin in, herding her down the hall towards the back wall. She screamed her rage at being cornered. Common sense fled her thoughts, pure instincts driving her. Devin wanted them gone, and now. Lunging and whirling, she fought for every hard-earned step forward. So intent on getting these awful people from her space, she didn’t notice the front door opening. Missed Beau’s warning shout and the dark, hulking form rushing at her until it was nearly upon her.
A split second before she sent the knife sailing in his direction, she recognized Rey. Pulling up short, she held the blade wavering at her shoulder as she stared wild eyed at his bruised and bleeding face.
“Who did this,” she demanded on a growl vicious enough that the Alphas nearest backed up a step, and then another as Devin’s grip firmed on the hilt of her knife.
Stepping into the warmth of Rey, her fingers ghosted over the bandaged line over his high cheekbone. Tracing the air above every hurt she could see, her vision dimmed at the edges. A crimson haze etching its way across her sight, bathing it in shades of old blood and pain.
“You tell me,” she snarled as Rey closed the distance between them.
“He’s dead, sweetheart,” Rey murmured, his fingers tracing a careful path up her arm toward her hand. Taking the knife from her gently to be seized by unseen hands. “His head is decorating a pike in the wharfs.”
“Good.” Devin gave a single nod, the seething redness inching back. It didn’t disappear, roiling just at the edges of her vision, waiting for the moment she was pushed too far to return in a rush.
“More people are going to be coming—”
“No! You get these bastards out of my house, Rey. I can’t, you hear me?”
“To deliver some things,” Rey continued as if Devin hadn’t interrupted him. Rubbing at her shoulders, his chin jerked at the black garbed strangers surrounding them. Ordering them away to melt back into the shadows. Making themselves less apparent to his furious mate.
“Deliver what things?” Devin sniffed once, grumbling under her breath as she shrugged Rey’s hands away to go into the kitchen. Turning the heat down on the soup, she refused to turn around to face him. Afraid he’d leave as soon as this new task was finished, she didn’t want him to see that trembling fear lingering in her gaze.
“I need to talk to you, sweetheart. Things are… They’re going to be interesting for a minute.”
“So? Talk.”
“Fine. We’ll do this your way,” he muttered as he came up behind her. Catching Devin in his strong arms, he nudged her head aside despite her feeble protests, laying his lips against the claiming mark. Inhaling deep, he let it out in a hard sigh. “Kahler’s kids are coming here. Tonight. Now. Quinn is in the hospital, and he wants us to watch them.”
“What,” Devin shrieked, trying to turn around. She knew from his tone he was serious, but she needed to see the solemn richness of his umber eyes, to bear witness to the tense lines of his face.
“I don’t know why. I only know their things are being delivered and they’re on the way.” Rey hooked his ankle around one of the chairs, tugging it out from under the table to sit before he pulled Devin onto his lap. Forcing her wild gaze to meet his.
“What am I supposed to do with two kids, Daniel? I… I don’t…” Devin’s breathless laugh was bordering on hysterical, her hands fluttering through the air in a wild burst before slapping to her thighs.
“Babies. One’s a toddler, the other’s just a little thing. I think. Two cribs are coming.” Rey wrapped his hand around her nape, squeezing hard before massaging at the tight column. “It’s just for a few days.”
“Just because I’m an Omega doesn’t mean I know a damn thing about kids, Rey,” Devin snarled, shoving at his arm though he wouldn’t be budged.
“You’ll figure it out,” he murmured, dragging her closer to brush a kiss against her lips. Leaving the taste of flat iron and earthy richness.
“What do you meanI’llfigure it out? Where will you be?” Devin scoffed, already shaking her head as much as Rey’s tight grip would allow.
“Here, as much as I can be, but… There are some things I can’t hand off to Beau, sweetheart. You’re just going to have to trust me that it’s going to be okay.”
“Are these…” Devin gasped hard, clapping a hand over her mouth as her eyes showed far too much white around shimmering violet blue. “These are challenges, aren’t they? That’s why… Oh, Gods!”
“There is nothing to worry about, hear me?” He growled, shoving her against the subterranean resonance.
Devin took a breath to tell him he didn’t know that when someone slammed their fist against the front door, announcing the arrival of something Devin couldn’t begin to comprehend.
* * *
“O-Okay,” Devin murmured as she gnawed at her lip, eyes glazing while she scanned the list for the hundredth time. The nanny provided a wealth of detail, but with the scent of babies and powder invading her senses, she was more than terrified.
