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I have every faith and confidence that she will this time, but I’ll also have to share her.
Which orcs are not known for.
Then there’s the fact that I’m goddamn terrified of what happens if she doesn’t conceive. Seeing her in pain eats me alive from the inside out. Every single time she apologizes for somethingoutsideof her control, I ache to make the world burn.
It’s no failure on her part, but she views it as such. The worst part is the helplessness. No matter how hard I try, I can’t fix it for her, and that makes me murderous.
“Kraken are polyamorous,” Hex says calmly, like that comment isn’t completely out of left field.
“I know,” I growl. They’re one of the few shifter species that are.
“Does Ali?”
“I don’t know.” I frown, spinning to face him. “Why?”
“My kraken currently carries five eggs,” Hex says, exhaling heavily. “One is likely unviable. I wasn’t aware I was still producing them because of the disconnect with my beast. Another will be unsalvageable within the year if it’s not implanted.”
My jaw falls as I swipe a hand over my face.
I’m not sure why I hadn’t considered that.
Hex could give her everything she’s ever wanted if... “She hasn’t seen a human doctor. She rarely talks about it, but I don’t think even she knows if it’s her uterus or her ovaries that are damaged.”
“I believe it was extensive damage to both,” Hex says quietly. “It was fucking brutal. I’ve never seen magic exact a price like it did that day.” His eyes glaze like he’s reliving those horrible memories. “I think I still have to extend the offer. My stinger—the tentacle that gains access to the womb—won’t allow implantation of the eggs if they wouldn’t be viable.”
“You’re saying you may be able to tell?”
“If the issue is with her ovaries or tubes, then there’s every possibility she could carry my eggs. Once her body accepts them, they would absorb her maternal DNA. They’d be her fledglings.”
“The two of yours,” I say before I can hold it back. My teeth grind together. I want to make her dreams come true, but I’d never deny her the chance to be a mother. Not even if it’s Hex who helps her accomplish it.
“When a female incubates for a kraken without accepting the eggs as her own, they’re born male if they’re fertilized. If not, they’re simply passed from her body once they become unviable.Butif she accepts them, then there’s a chance they’ll be born female. In that case, they can be fertilized individually. Yes, they would be mine in a way—they’ll always have latent kraken DNA—but my brother and I were born of the same clutch. His father is fae, as is my mother. He may have kraken DNA, but he looks like a full-blooded fae and can’t shift. My father is obviously a kraken. He provided the eggs and fertilized mine. Hence, how I am fae but also able to shift into a kraken.”
“So, if her body accepted the eggs as her own, then they could be fertilized individually? Otherwise, they’d be passed once they were no longer viable?”
“Correct,” he rumbles, nodding. “My kraken wanted to inform her the night Laz implanted his eggs in Vivie, but it seemed in poor taste.”
Malice steps from the shadows, holding a wide-eyed Ali in his arms.
Silence staggers over, tossing himself down on the couch.
Ali stretches her legs to indicate she wants down. “When were you going to tell me?”
Malice puts her feet on the floor, and she wanders toward Hex in only a dress I don’t recognize. Malice and Silence are in sweats I’ve never seen before too. I’ll chalk that up to their magic.
“Soon,” Hex says, bowing his head low. “As soon as I knew it wouldn’t offend or hurt you if I offered.”
“Offend me?” she scoffs, tossing herself onto his lap. “Don’t be silly.” Her hands land in his beard, tilting his chin up to look at her.
“How much did you hear?” Hex asks carefully.
“That there’s no guarantee, depending on what area was damaged. That you’d entrust me with your offspring.” Her head shakes. “I’m overly emotional, because it’s been a never-ending day.”
She shouldn’t need to apologize for showing how exhausted she is, but her upbringing really fucked her up.
Hex’s nostrils flare and his gaze shoots to Malice. “You bonded.”
“We did,” Malice says, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, I hope you fuckers are ready for little nightmare babies. They’re like smoky jelly for the first few months. Good luck trying to catch them.”
