Lover Reborn

they were split in half—

There are some others still in the closet.

“Oh, thanks.” She went over and tried not to get depressed as she saw their clothes lined up together. God… “Ah, do you know where she is?”

Down in the kitchen with Qhuinn.

As John’s grid shifted, Xhex stopped in the process of pulling a fresh set out. Narrowing her eyes over her shoulder, she said, “What aren’t you telling me.”

Wrath and Phury don’t want to involve her. She offered to help and they shut her down. If you use her, they can’t ever know you did—I can’t state that more plainly.

Xhex blinked, her breath freezing in her lungs.

No one can know, Xhex. Not even Qhuinn. And it goes without saying that you’ve got to keep her safe.

As John met her stare grimly, she didn’t care about any of that shit. Didn’t even hear it.

With this piece of intel, he had just chosen her and her quest over both his king and the Primale of his race. Even more, he had potentially handed her the key to infiltrating the Band of Bastards—and sent her into the belly of the beast.

Talk about putting his money where his mouth was.

Xhex forgot about the leathers and walked over to him, taking his face in her hands. “Why are you telling me this?”

It’s going to get you there, he mouthed.

She brushed back his hair from his handsome, tense face. “You keep this up…”

And what?

“… and I’m going to owe you.”

Can I pick how you repay me?

“Yeah. You can.”

Then I want you to move back in with me. Or let me come live with you. I want us to be together properly again.

Blinking hard, she bent down and kissed him slowly, thoroughly. Words didn’t mean shit. He’d been right about that. But this male, who’d been all about brick walls and obstacles in the spring, was clearing the way for her big-time now.

“Thank you,” she whispered against his mouth, rolling everything she was feeling up into those two simple words.

John beamed at her. I love you, too.

After she kissed him once more, she stepped off from him, threw on a fresh set of pants, and grabbed her muscle shirt. Pulling it over her head, she—

At first she thought the hot flash that went through her was because she was standing directly under a heat vent in the ceiling. But as she moved and it stuck with her, she looked down at her body.

Glancing over at John, she watched him stiffen and glance into his lap.

“Fuck,” she whispered. “Who the hell’s in her needing now?”

John went to check his phone, and then shrugged his shoulders.

“I should probably get out of here.” Symphaths could generally control their fertility at will, and she’d always had luck with that. As a half-breed, however, she wasn’t willing to take a chance on it with someone actually having their time next door. “You’re sure my mother was over it when you went down to see Layla— Shit, I’ll bet it’s her. I’ll bet it’s the Chosen—”

A groan bled through the walls from over on the right. Where Qhuinn’s room was.

The muffled thumping that followed could only mean one thing.

“Holy shit, is Qhuinn…” Except she knew the answer to that. Training her senses next door, she picked up on their grids. No romantic love between them—more like resolution on both sides.

They were doing what they were with a purpose she could only guess at. But why would they want a young? That shit was crazy town—especially given the Chosen’s station… and his.

As another surge from the needing threatened to overtake her, Xhex lunged for her jacket and her weapons. “I really should go. I don’t want to get exposed, just in case.”

John nodded and went to the door.

“I’m going to go check in on my mother now. Layla’s going to be busy for a while—but afterward, I’ll talk to her and let you know how it goes.”

I’ll be here. Waiting to hear from you.

She kissed him once, twice… a third time. And then he opened the door and she left—

The instant she got out into the hall, the hormones hit her hard, knocking her off balance.

“Oh, hell no,” she muttered, taking off for the stairs and then dematerializing down to the hidden door under the staircase.

The farther away she went, the more like herself she felt. But she was worried about her mother. Thank God they had drugs to soften the edges of that crucible.

Tohr couldn’t possibly have serviced her. No way.

Emerging from the tunnel into the office, she strode out into the training center’s long corridor. There was nothing peculiar in the air, and that was a relief. The fertility period was violent, but the good news was, when it was over, it got out of Dodge fairly quickly—although the female generally required a day or so to recover fully.

Putting her head into the main examination room, she found no one. Same with the two recovery rooms. But her mother was here—she could sense her.

“Autumn?” she called out with a frown. “Hello? Where are you?”

The reply came from somewhere much farther down, where the lectures used to be given to the trainees.

Striding toward the sound, she pushed her way into the primary classroom and found her mother seated at one of the tables that faced the blackboard. The lights were on overhead, and there was no one else in there with her.

Not good. Wherever the female was in her mind… was a not-good situation.

“Mahmen?” Xhex said as she let the door ease shut behind her. “How’re you doing?”

Time to tread carefully. Her mother was as motionless as a statue, and just as put together, everything all arranged from her tightly braided hair to her carefully matched clothes.

That totally-put-together was false, however, nothing but external trappings of composure that just made her appear even more brittle.

“I’m not well.” Autumn shook her head. “Not well. Not well at all.”

Xhex walked over to the instructor desk and put down her weapons and her jacket. “At least you’re honest.”

“Can’t you tell what is on my mind?”

“Your grid’s shut down. So you’re hard to read.”

Autumn nodded. “Shut down… yes, that would cover it.” Long pause, after which her mother looked around. “Do you know why I came in here? I thought the residue of the teaching would rub off on me. Not working, I’m afraid.”

Xhex eased her ass down on the desktop. “Did Doc Jane check you out?”

“Yes. I am fine. And before you ask, no, I wasn’t serviced. I did not want to be.”

Xhex exhaled in relief. Aside from her mother’s mental health, the physical risks of pregnancy and birth were not anything they needed to face right now—although maybe that was selfish.

Come on, though, she’d just found the female; she didn’t want to lose her so soon.

As Autumn’s eyes shifted over, there was a frankness in them that was new. “I need a place to stay. Away from here. I have no money, no job, and no prospects, but—”

“You can move in with me. For however long you want.”

“Thank you.” Those eyes moved away and lingered on the blackboard. “I shall endeavor to be a good guest.”