Page 54 of What The Hex (The Family Spells)
“Don’t defend someone that doesn’t need defending, Graceley.” Spectre crossed his arms over his chest and switched his attention back to Caine. “You’re being remarkably quiet right now.”
“If you think that’s because I wouldn’t kill the bastard, you’re misinterpreting it.” Caine looked straight at me, usually the most reactive of the entire group. And yet, there was something in his gaze that had me confused. Dare I say … sympathy?
I shrugged it off as an impossibility and lifted both hands up, palms out.
“I know this is a big deal, but please let it lie until after my mother leaves.” I clasped my hands together in a plea and Spectre sighed, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair.
“If Caine can keep his cool then so can I.” Spec nodded with his chin in the direction of the door. “Go on. We’ll be right behind you.”
Relief poured through me. I knew we weren’t finished with this conversation just yet, but my husbands were being more understanding than I’d expected. Allowing Monster to stay in my dreams—in a sex dream, no less—was akin to cheating.
No, not akin to … it was.
It really fucking was.
I gave both him and Caine a kiss on the cheek before retreating into the hallway. The first thing I did when I stepped out of the bedroom was pause and brace a hand against the wall for support; I made sure to catch my breath before making my way to Spectre’s bedroom where Hex was still fast asleep. He was adorable like that, curled onto his side, his demon wings limp, tail twitching as he dreamed.
My heart warmed, and my throat felt tight. Once again, I found myself putting a hand over my belly. Hex didn’t know anything about my being pregnant. To be honest, I hadn’t believed it until I’d woken up last night.
How did Monster know so quickly?
How could he possibly?
With a sigh, I leaned my shoulder against the doorjamb and watched Hex sleep for a few moments, a smile teasing my lips. He was a motorcycle-riding douchebag, a manwhore, engaged to another woman … basically wrong for me in every possible way.
Yet, I couldn’t forget the way he’d kissed me when we’d sat on a giant pumpkin together at the pumpkin patch, jack-o’-lanterns glowing all around us. It’d been magical; it’d felt right. Seeing him hold my kids felt right. Carrying his baby … even that felt right.
“Cats and cauldrons,” I cursed, rubbing at my forehead.
Caine reappeared beside me, lifting the edge of his lip up in a small snarl. I leaned into him, and he put his arms around me, soaking me in the forest-sweet scent of beast. Fuck, I’d missed my husbands. How it was even possible to miss someone when you’d been sleeping for the duration of your time apart, I wasn’t sure, but I did. I ached. I burned.
I turned to him.
“You need pants,” I reminded him because, as a werewolf, he sometimes forgot that simple fact.
“Right, much as I need a half-demon dickhead in my house.” He gestured with his chin in Hex’s direction. “Once that fucker wakes up, waddaya plan on doin’ with him?” Caine dropped his feral gaze to mine and, despite the fact that I’d just let Spectre screw me into the mattress, I felt my body responding as if I hadn’t slaked my thirst just minutes ago.
“I don’t know,” I responded honestly. “I guess it depends on his reaction to … everything.”
I could not forget the fact that Hex had clearly been trying to escape his own wedding—or the fact that he was shackled and was technically captive to me.
His grandmother, wherever she was now, had clearly not tried to summon him back.
Or else … she hadn’t been able to.
If she’d tried while I’d been sleeping, would she have succeeded?
I needed to have a nice long talk with Monster as well as my mother, two propositions that filled me with undeniable terror.
It wasn’t until I felt the first stirring of my mother’s magic that I knew we were already in trouble.
“Shit,” Caine growled out as I pushed past him, stumbling in my haste to get to the stairs. He darted into our bedroom to grab pants while Argent and Spectre dashed out to join me, tugging on a robe and shirt respectively.
I’m not ashamed to admit that all three of us actually sat down and then scooted our butts along the steps of the staircase. Trying to walk down the old, narrow stairs in this state was just asking for trouble.
Granted, our house was sentient and just loving enough to throw up the rug at the base of the stairs to catch us if we fell, but still, the embarrassment would live on.
I made it down first, shoving up to my feet and ending up in, of all people, Monster’s arms. When I tilted my head to look up at him, and our eyes met, I felt like the rest of the world was falling away.
