~Harlow’s Point of View~“You doing okay hun? You seem a bit distracted tonight,” Angel says, giving me a small smile. I shake myself a bit, knowing that the council witch is basically a human lie detector. She’s also served as a shrink to me of sorts, making sure that I don’t have any lasting effects from my attack. She’s been so knowledgeable with all of my thousands of questions. I really do look forward to our weekly appointments.“I’m okay. School’s been a lot. I’ve also been anxious for my scan tonight,” I say, knowing that it’s a big one. She nods with understanding and thankfully buys my explanation. I mean, it isn’t a total lie.“I’ll go ahead and renew the spells I have in place on you before you go, to keep things hidden. But pretty soon your body is going to change too much and it’ll be obvious. We’ll keep the scent hidden indefinitely as long as we can so it only smells like you,” she says, rising to her feet. I don’t answer her, because it's nothing I don’t already know
~Tate’s Point of View~My heart races and the blood in my body practically heats to a melting point every time I’m near Harlow. But tonight, sharing her ultrasound with her, was everything. I could tell it was to her too. Good thing I’d been pacing in the hallway like a lunatic waiting to see her for an hour.Colt is restless in my mind, already having played out the entire night in his head. I just need to convince her to go along with it.*We almost had her last time,* Colt says, whining and hanging his head.The full moon is in a couple days, so naturally all unmated males are keyed up. But that’s an excuse for us feeling this way; because obviously it’s just Harlow. We’re like this every time she comes out here, and I know that as her pregnancy progresses, she’ll only have more and more appointments. As I turn to stare at her, I simply can’t help the butterflies in my gut, and the stupid smile on my face.“So uhm, you in a hurry to get back at all,” I ask, as I wipe my mouth. The
~Harlow’s Point of View~“I’m sorry what,” he asks, and his face is absolutely priceless. I scold myself when I realize what I just said and shake my head with embarrassment.“Goddess I didn’t mean… uhm… I mean like everything you do just seems so effortless. You move with such ease like you’ve already mapped it out in your head,” I say, somewhat stumbling over my words like an idiot. I look off into the distance, feeling my cheeks heat. The hot water doesn’t help.Like you could think straight sitting in the lap of a hot warrior with a massive erection!! HUUUGE!I mean elephant trunk huge!! That isn’t normal! I’ve seen plenty of naked males and none were close to this!“Oh that’s just my training,” he says, and I can feel him looking at me. I start to pull back, sensing how awkward this is, but his arm snakes around me in the best way. It's quiet for a long minute, and I have absolutely no idea what to say. It’s all I can do to not panic. No, to hell with that, it's literally all I
~Tate’s Point of View~*We shouldn’t be here,* Colt grunts, as he thunders through the woods. I can only agree. I’m practically faint with the memory of her touch, her breath, her everything.I’ve never been more sure of the fact that Harlow is indeed my fated mate. Just thinking about her practically naked on my lap…*Make a right, you’ll see us,* Hunter shouts over mind-link, as my wolf abruptly turns.When we break through and into the clearing, I see literally the entire council assembled, and my dearest grandfather barking orders. There are at least a dozen Shadows. Ugh, gonna be a long damn night. For the entire council to be out, together? Not good. They rarely involve themselves in our day to day.“Tate! Where have you been,” my father snaps, with my mom by his side. He’s harder on me than any other of my siblings and since we’re the youngest, yeah it pisses me off. But I do like rising to meet his demands in a way. It’s a tit for tat and based on the stories I’ve heard about
~Harlow’s Point of View~A yawn escapes my lips as I listen to Ginny carry on about her day over dinner. Today was a true test of my patience because it seemed to drag on forever. Without Luke to be a distraction, I had just my daydreams of last night with Tate. I don’t know what to make of Luke not being in school, but it irritates me. But also, a part of me has to wonder if he was telling the truth. Maybe he didn’t leave because of me. If that’s the case, how will I handle two males in my life at once?“So? The clothes are good? You look super cute,” Ginny says, pointing to the new yellow blouse I’m wearing. I had picked several tops that were loose enough to give me room to grow.I smile down at myself, definitely happy with the new wardrobe. But I was also desperate to get up to my room and into just a nightgown. My boobs and feet are killing me and the jeans I’d chosen are a bit tight. I’d stayed late after school in the chemistry lab, trying to make up for what I missed yesterd
~Luke’s Point of View~Play it cool, don’t panic because she’s a couple minutes late. Goddess you’re pathetic.*I don’t think so at all! In fact being away from her has put me in quite a pissy mood. I could really get used to--* Dante cuts himself off when we see her. He doesn’t even want the distraction of his own thoughts and I get it.Her glossy red mane is loose again, not that I don’t like the pigtails. But this just makes her even more of a Goddess. She’s got on another form fitting dress with those boots, ugh!I lick my lips before I can help myself, and stand like a fool by her locker. We were barely able to sleep last night with everything going on, and with such fresh memories of Harlow’s soft body, her heavenly aroma of arousal and--“Good morning,” she says, giving me a big smile. Before I can even control myself, my lips do that crazy thing that they never do. As she stares at me, I can’t keep myself from laughing.“You have a bit of…” I say, raising my finger to her mouth
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Ohhh my gosh! There’s so many,” I squeal, as I run toward a mama and her puppies. They look as though they can’t be more than a few days old. They’re all nursing or trying to, since they want to crawl over each other.I immediately want all of them though I know that isn’t practical. But in my head, I’m already naming them. They’re golden retrievers and they are impossibly cute. A pet was something I always desperately wanted but in foster care it would have been another mouth to feed, and they don’t like that.“No,” Luke says, as his hands move to my shoulders in an attempt to hold me back.“But it's going to freeze tonight! We can’t leave them,” I protest, pouting.“Surely you know how crazy wolves are over transferred scents? She isn’t going to want our stink all over her babies,” he says. I make a face at that, but know there is probably some truth to it. My mind instantly wanders a mile a minute, trying to figure this out. “She knows what to do Harlow, l
~Harlow’s Point of View~What a fool I am! For the second time Luke has left me and I should do the same. I should use the packhouse phone and call for a witch to zap me into another time zone. Hell I don’t even know where the Shadow Warriors headquarters is, and I’m sure that’s how they want to keep it. Could be in another realm for all I know.Is that a thing?? Put that away for another day.I throw myself into my room and lock the door, fuming. I stare at the handle, practically daring it to open. The wait isn’t long, and there’s a knock. There’s not a doubt in my mind it's Luke, and I turn to look at the window as a possibility of fleeing. But I’m on the second floor and that doesn’t seem like an appealing escape plan.My hand rubs my belly absentmindedly as I hear feet shuffling. “Can we please talk,” Luke says, his voice low. I scoff.“Why, so you can lie to me? Make up something to justify you being so weird? Or tell me you have a girlfriend back at home,” I snap, and cross my
~Rowan’s Point of View~“What’s wrong,” a male asks, as Harlow winces and touches her belly. She breathes through it.“I’ll get the doctor,” another male says. My entire world spins out of control and I nearly snarl, pushing down the intense need to bat them all away as my beast wants to do. People are touching our mate, putting their scent on her and it’s only me that should be caring for her.“She’s fine and stubborn, she insists on staying,” I say, and snake my arm around my little acushla, pulling her away from those gawking at her.“Rowan, this is Lilly and her mates River, Hunter and Skylar. They’ve helped me so much with my pregnancy and helping to find out about my family. They’re really the absolute best,” Harlow says, standing up straight once her pain subsides and waving her hands.My defenses immediately go up, sensing the magic of a very strong witch nearby, though it's been doing that since we got here. It’s making me nuts. There are far too many in a concentrated area.
~The day of the charity ball~~Harlow’s Point of View~“Rowan, we don’t have time,” I giggle, as my mate licks my clit in the most torturous way. He knows damn well neither of us cares about time. When we get going, there’s no stopping things. Everyday with him has just been better than the next and I’ve never been more convinced I’ve absolutely found my true fated mate. Of course Hope in my head constantly panting and drooling is also making it all the more apparent.*Just relax,* Hope insists, lost in the feeling, the warmth and comfort of our mate. Each moment is too precious, especially when he goes out so much at night, and I have no idea where he’s going. I know so little about his “work” and while it feels like it isn’t my place to ask… it's killing me.But then he comes back and holds me, kisses me then more. And I forget I’m angry, I lose myself to him each and every time. “There’s time,” he breathes, and I gasp realizing he came inside me earlier this morning and I haven’t s
~Luc’s Point of View~“Fuck I had no idea there were so many. They look like a damn bee hive of dumb blood suckers,” Tate whispers.I roll my eyes and scrub my face, holding my position in the clouds. I can’t argue with his words, knowing this was once me. Leading the charge of mindless newborns at that. You couldn’t have told me a damn thing, I was absolutely convinced I was invincible in those days. Really… most of my days. We whisper to each other and try to identify a leader, but can’t manage it. None seem capable of flying, which is a damn huge positive. Though it took me many years to perfect it and manage to stay up for more than a few minutes at a time.Tate’s hot breath is just in my ear, his weight on my back is a lot… the male has certainly never missed a meal. Though having a vampire side to me makes my body almost stay a certain way I hate. I can lift weights, do whatever exercises I want, I can’t build muscle and keep it the way a normal human can and that’s always pisse
~Rowan’s Point of View~“Uhm…what are these,” I hear, from just in the bathroom. I move to the door to find it open, and Harlow is gaping at the sink counter. I rub my chin and admonish myself for being in such a hurry.“I uhm… they’re piercings. I took them out because I didn’t want to scare you our first time,” I explain and quickly gauge her reaction. She looks beyond confused and it's completely adorable. She’s just in one of my muscle t-shirts, and it stretches over her little belly perfectly. We slept in half the day, and I guess we both really needed it.“For … where,” she asks, her face totally blank. I rub the back of my neck, feeling embarrassed. I’m never embarrassed, it's completely against everything a McGrath stands for. But this teenage girl who holds my heart in her hands…well her opinion means everything to me.“I got it done on a whim. If I leave them out another day or so the holes will probably heal. I’ve probably already left them out longer than I should’ve,” I sa
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Hmmm, more, more…” I mumble, rubbing between my legs. *Yes! Ohh this is so good, SO good,* Hope cries out. I work my clit and move between it and my wet center, desperately wishing for something to really fill me up. Remembering the feel of Rowan yesterday, how damn masterful he was with me. Luke was certainly good but Rowan went down on me like a starved bear needing honey. The sound of a foot step shakes my entire body and I grab for the blanket, knowing that I’m in bed completely naked. With Hope’s help I can see my way around the dark now, though I know it’ll be sharperr after our first shift. “Just me macushia,” a deep voice says. Then a warm hand cups my cheek. I look up into Rowan’s eyes, and he’s clearly hungry…*Starved! Ohhh let’s do it,* Hope squeals. *Isn’t it too dangerous? What if he bites us,* I warn, as the bed dips and I move a bit to give him room. “What does that mean,” I ask, knowing it's something Irish. He gives me a warm smile and
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Rowan sent you to get me,” I question, checking out his brother. One of Rowan’s guards stands next to him and nods. “He’s had a rough night and well, his body needs a bit of time to recover,” Declan explains. I make a face, wondering what that really means.The idea of leaving the safety of Olivia’s house to sit in the cottage alone with a family that hates me for murdering their son makes me absolutely sick. I’d have no way whatsoever of defending or protecting myself.“Why can’t I just stay here,” I insist, frustrated. Also, if my mate is in distress, he needs me!“They’re predicting tonight may be another almost full moon, sometimes it can last more than one twilight,” Declan insists. I’m terrified knowing if he wants me to go, I’m going. He could take me like Mikey did.He reaches for my hand and I jerk it away. I quickly realize Hope did that, not me. I relish the feeling, but I’ll need to get used to not always controlling my body.“All the more reason
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Oh I couldn’t,” I say, covering my face from embarrassment. “Come on!! This is a hot thing a lot of females do! A pregnancy boudoir shoot. It’s normal,” Olivia says, trying to pull my hands from my face.I gape at the see-through blue scrap of lace fabric she’s holding up, and shake my head again. Sure, her mate is upstairs with her babies, and won’t exactly see but… a photo anyone could see. Goddess what would Luke think of me in this? Or Tate?*Get those other males OUT of your head! I know you had crushes on them but we have a real male and our true fated mate,* Hope insists. I sigh, knowing she’s right but there’s just some reason I can’t shake them. Even though Luke hurt me, even though Tate should hate me… I still care about them. I care about their opinions of me.“It’s just for Rowan. You know he’d probably take another male’s eyes for looking at what’s his,” Olivia gushes, like that’s something to be proud of. Sure enough, Hope nods in approval.O
~Luc’s Point of View~“You again. The witch is a lot prettier,” Otis whines, falling to sit in the sand. Well he’d certainly love the Greek paradise that has welcomed me to stay. Tempting, but no one is her. Not even close. The women there did nothing for me.I drop beside him and sigh, then rub my face. I literally feel as if I’m going through physical withdrawals from Harlow. Then there’s that damn male from a few nights ago that I can’t get out of my head.*We must find our sunflower! She has to be terrified,* Dante whines, curling into a ball.The Shadows epically failed to get her and protect her. Now that the McGraths have her, there’s no telling what they’ll do. Blessedly, they let her doctor visit, and confirm she’s all right. She even said she’s in good spirits, though I don’t see how. She’s so close to giving birth, she doesn’t need this stress. She should be at the packhouse, safe and relaxed. I have so much damn anger surrounding how she got taken, and all that’s followed
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Hey…” I hear, making me smack my lips and sigh. My body feels absolutely limp and relaxed. Almost like I’d had sex all night. But I didn’t. I pop one eye open to see Rowan looking down at me with great amusement. I like seeing him relaxed too, it’s been quite tense since I met him.And ya know, killed his brother. Well, I’m not losing any sleep over that.“It’s probably pretty common for people to fall asleep during a massage,” he says, with a small grin. I gasp and sit upright, seeing that the room is empty except for us.“Aw damn. I really was enjoying it, I didn’t mean to pass out,” I claim, realizing my boobs are practically heaving out of the towel that’s wrapped around me. I quickly try to fix it, but he certainly gets an eyeful. I can’t help but look down at his … yup, he’s hard. I grin and tuck the material back in my cleavage. He clears his throat.It was impossibly nice to fall asleep in his arms and wake up in them. Though he was gone when I’d gott