“Beloved,” Cypher said, his voice gentle as he held her tighter. He could always tell when she was having one of her moments, when she couldn’t pretend this was real. She couldn’t make herself believe he wasn’t gone and that they were really in their room together. “I will be here for as long as you need me,” he reminded her.
She pressed her face harder against him and breathed in his scent. Tears ran down her cheeks and her chest tightened. His words were meant to comfort. Instead, they broke her a little more. Lilly knew that day would come. She would never stop wanting him, but there would come a day when she wouldn’t need him. She knew it because she remembered the day when she realized she no longer needed Dillon. Though, at the time, she had been sure that day would never come. The memory took over unbidden as her love held her.
“She’s perfect,” the doctor said as she wrapped the baby, her baby, and brought the child to its mother. Lilly had labored for hours. There’d been no one to help her. No one to hold her hand. No one to remind her to breathe or assure her she was doing great, as there had been in all the damn birthing videos she’d watched. It had just been Lilly and the medical staff. But she’d done it. Lilly had gone through nine months of pregnancy, worked two jobs, gotten a nursery ready, put a damn crib together with the crappiest instructions ever written, and endured twenty-seven hours of labor all on her own.
She reached out and took the small bundle from Dr. Freeman. Tears filled her eyes as she stared down at the little girl who was now her entire world.
“What’s her name?” the doctor asked.
“Jacquelyn,” Lilly said, her eyes still on her baby. “Her name is Jacquelyn, and you’re right. She is perfect.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the little miracle. Lilly knew from Dillon how hard it was for the Canis lupus to produce offspring, and yet, here was her little Jacque. “It’s you and me, kiddo,” she whispered. “And we’re going to be just fine.”
The memory faded as she felt another presence in the room. “You were never alone, Lilly of the sprites. Never.” The Great Luna’s voice filled her mind, and the goddess’s peace filled Lilly’s heart. Her lips turned up in a small smile as Cypher held her to him. Even back then, some part of Lilly had known she wasn’t actually alone, that she was being watched over by someone up there. She just didn’t know who. Maybe that’s why she’d finally realized that, though she wanted Dillon, she didn’t need him to survive.
The smile faded as she clung to her mate. She wasn’t there yet. Not with Cypher. “I love you so much,” she told him, as she did every night.
“And I you, my strong, sweet Lilly.”
Chapter 14
“A little free advice: before you kill someone, consider the fact that it might cause people not to trust you … even if you offer them cotton candy.” ~Myanin
Tenia hugged Torion and again made him swear to keep his power secret. Then she bit back tears and took several deep breaths to prepare herself to face the wolf outside. She knew he was still there. She could feel him through the bond. Tenia hated the fact that there was a part of her that found comfort in the damn thing. For the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel alone. But she knew it was a false sense of security. She was still alone. She couldn’t trust him.
She pulled the door closed and forced herself to meet Skender’s silver eyes. “I don’t trust you,” she said.
“That’s okay. I’ll still protect him with my life,” Skender said, and the conviction she heard in his voice was like iron.
“If you hurt him, or allow anyone else to hurt him, I will ruin you.”
“You already have,” he replied.
“No,” she growled. “What I will do to you will make anything Alston could do look like child’s play,” she said as she stepped closer, keeping her voice low. The confusion of emotions coursing through her made her shake. She wanted to rejoice at the idea of having a partner, someone to stand at her side, to share the weight of the heavy burdens on her shoulders … but not like this. Tenia wouldn’t stand with the enemy. She glanced around, realizing she’d been standing there much too long, simply glaring at him. He wasn’t what she needed, even if there was a part of her that wanted him. There wasn’t anyone else in the corridor, but that didn’t mean there weren’t ears listening.
“I would never do anything to hurt you or Torion,” Skender said, using their bond as if he, too, realized there might be unseen ears listening. His voice was urgent and demanding. It was clear he wanted desperately for her to believe him. “I don’t expect you to trust me, Tenia. But I’ll keep telling you and showing you. I will protect him if I do nothing else good in my life. Torion will be safe.”
Tenia stared into his eyes, her jaw clenched tightly. Dammit! I wish I could trust him. To know that her precious young was safe when she couldn’t be with him. That would mean more to her than anything. “I don’t know why the Great Luna has done this,” she said, using the bond because she couldn’t say this out loud. “But I trust her. Why should I trust you?”
“Because she made me yours,” he practically whispered as his hand reached up and gently cupped her cheek. “I am not worthy of you or your son. But I swear this to you, Tenia. No harm will
