Race just grunted. He hadn’t really thought about it. Arin was Mara’s so therefore Arin was Race’s. Probably shouldn’t say that out loud. Sounded pretty arrogant.
So he did what he normally did and kept his mouth shut.
“So you’re a wolf, huh? That’s pretty cool. Don’t meet many of them, since y’all tend to live in dens.”
The guy continued to talk. He was good at it so Race let him, though he couldn’t keep from watching the doorway to the kitchen. He couldn’t see or hear anything and it was driving him nuts but Selvans had told him to go and he didn’t want to piss off a deity. Especially not one who was helping Mara.
A half hour later, he was ready to climb the walls. And storm the kitchen. Arin had started to get antsy, gnawing on his fist or anything else he could get in his mouth.
He figured Mara had packed a bottle and he was just about to dig it out when Selvans walked into the room.
Race didn’t wait for permission this time. He figured he’d been patient long enough. Selvans would understand.
In fact, as he got closer, the god smiled at him, though he looked tired. “I’ll hold the baby, son. I think you’re going to want your hands free.”
Shit, that didn’t sound good.
He passed off Arin then rushed into the kitchen, finding Mara slumped over the kitchen table.
He called her name. Okay, he shouted her name, which made her groan.
She sat up with a start as he reached her, sucking in a breath that sounded pained.
Race cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him and only him. “Mara, are you okay?”
Vaffanculo, she looked so damn pale, as if she’d had the life drained out of her. Her face was the color of ashes except for around her eyes, which looked bruised.
Then she opened her mouth and everything else ceased to exist.
“I’m fine.”
Her voice was raspy, as if she had a sore throat. But she had her voice back.
Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m fine. I’m just tired and—”
He grabbed her and hugged her to him, only loosening his arms when he heard her squeak out a protest. She must have thought he was going to release her because her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she clung.
He would’ve sat there forever, holding her, but when she pulled away, he let her go. Not far. Just far enough to look at him.
“Everything’s going to be fine.” He’d make sure it was.
She smiled, just a bare curve of her lips, but it was enough to make him breathe a short sigh of relief.
“Can I see Arin?”
“Shit, of course. Just let me—”
“Here he is, dear.”
Selvans walked into the room, as if on cue. Arin was already reaching for Mara and she took him and hugged him to her, whispering in his ear. Arin’s entire focus was on Mara as she spoke to him, his eyes wide. Then he began to giggle, which made Mara’s smile widen.
“Race. Mara. We need to talk.”
Sal’s quiet statement cut through the room, causing Mara to clutch Arin a little tighter and Race to move closer to Mara.
“We’re pretty sure when the spell broke, it alerted Veive to your location,” Selvans said. “And since we’re pretty sure he’s working with the Mal, we’re just going to assume that he’ll tell them where you are.”
Sal and Selvans exchanged a look that raised Race’s hackles.
“Why would they care?” Mara’s voice sounded weak and he didn’t think it was a side effect of the spell breaking. “Arin wasn’t born Mal.”
“No, he wasn’t.” Selvans shook his head, his gaze transferring to the baby. “But he was born to be my replacement.”
Mara stared out the window of Race’s truck, an odd sense of relief warring with nerves as Race drove home.
Finally. An explanation. A reason. Something that made sense.
Okay, yes, her son was going to grow up to be a god. And yes, that should freak her out completely.
But it was so far out of the realm of real life that it didn’t seem real.
Turning from the window, she focused on Race, who hadn’t looked surprised at the news. Actually he’d looked rock-steady. As he always did.
It was why she’d been drawn to him from the first minute she’d seen him. But it wasn’t the only reason she’d fallen for him.
The rest was pure chemistry, at least on her end. It was a combination of the way he treated her and the way he treated Arin. In the way he’d made love to her last night and the way he’d stood beside her for the past six months. Even if he hadn’t said a word, she’d known he’d been by her side and on her side at every turn.
But this…
She had no idea what was going to be required of her. And she wanted to be up to the challenge. Needed to be for Arin.
“You’re going to hurt yourself thinking that hard.”
She smiled and automatically raised her hands to answer before she remembered.
“I don’t think that’s possible.” It felt almost weird to have her voice back again. The raspy quality was receding with use but it was almost as if she were regaining the use of her lips. “My son is going to be an Etruscan god. It’s not something you hear every day.”
Everything was topsy-turvy in her world but she’d realized she might never be able to get off the roller coaster.
“No, but you heard Selvans. It means nothing right now. Arin’s going to have a normal childhood. Except for the fact that he can communicate with animals. That might take a little getting used to. But he’s going to have you by his side. And he’s going to have the lucani at his back. And when the time comes and he needs to know what’s expected of him, we’ll handle it.”
She liked the sound of that. “We” instead of “her”. Liked the sense that she wasn’t alone against the world.
Though she knew she should probably learn to stand on her own, to take care of herself and Arin on her own…just knowing she didn’t have to allowed her to breathe easier.
“And what if the Mal find out?”
That was the thing that most worried her because it was the most immediate threat. Selvans was still powerful, more so than many of the other deities, so he wasn’t in danger from anyone who they knew of. Not like the goddesses who’d been targeted by Charun in the past year.
Thesan, Goddess of the Dawn, and Lusna, Goddess of the Moon, had given up some or all of their powers in order to save themselves. Lusna had transferred hers to Cat. Mara assumed that’s what would happen with Arin and Selvans. Later. Hopefully much later in his life.
“The lucani won’t allow the Mal to get close to Arin.” He paused and shot her a look. “I won’t allow it.”
That look promised so much more than his protection of Arin. And it made her want to wrap her arms around him and kiss the hell out of him. Made her think of getting him alone in a dark room and showing him just how much she appreciated him.
As if he’d read her mind, he shot her another look, this time his gaze narrowed and glittered.
By the time they got home, she couldn’t wait for Arin to go down for the night. He’d been cranky on the drive home. He hated to be confined for long periods of time and he’d been in the car seat more than he’d ever been before.
After she’d fed him and bathed him, he’d practically fallen asleep in her arms. Laying him out in his crib, she stood by the side for several minutes just watching him breathe.