Cataclysm (27 page)

Colton cocked an eyebrow. “So which is it, Princess? Are you rubbing off on my brother, or are you fucking a duck? Because this is something I seriously need to know about.”

Narrowing his eyes at Colton, Gabe put a hand on his hip and rolled his head on his shoulders. “Do you really want to mince words with me, Colton Tyler Grayson?”

“If anyone can, I think it would be me. Am I right, Gabriel Robert Baxter?”

Kerrigan gasped and took a step backward while taking Dominic’s hand and urging him to do the same.

Gabe closed his eyes and started to count to ten, but before he reached three, his eyes popped opened. His voice was deep, his teeth clenched. “Don’t you ever call me that again!”

“Why, Bob?”

Colton was sorely pushing his limits. Gabe couldn’t stand the middle name his biological parents had given him. It was too hetero for his liking. “I was drunk when I shared that with you. In private, I might add. And I swear to all that has been touched by the hands of Oprah herself that if you ever call me that again, I will cut you!”

Before Kerrigan could warn Colton not to, he stepped toward Gabe and reached for his hand in a move that could only be labeled as one of the bravest things she had ever seen. “Aw, don’t be that way, Princess.”

Gabe pulled his hand away and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look at him. “It’s not going to work. You’re going to have to do a lot more groveling than that to win my affection. Diamonds might be a good start.”

Colton took his face in his hands and turned his delicate chin to look at him. “I love you, Gabriel Baxter.”

Those words were more powerful than laying all the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London at his perfectly pedicured feet.

“You love me?” he asked, tearing up.

Colton nodded. “Yes, Princess, I love you.”

“Oh, Daddy!” Gabe wrapped his arms around him and unleashed the tears. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

“I’ll say it to you every day for the rest of our lives, because it’s true.” Colton pulled back and looked at him with his bottom lip caught between his teeth and suggestion in his eyes. “I think that was our first fight. What do you say we go back upstairs and do a little making up?”

Kerrigan elbowed Dominic before he could say anything to ruin his brother’s and her best friend’s moment. It wasn’t until after they were gone that they finally sat back down, not a bit interested in going inside to listen to whatever sounds might come out of Kerrigan’s old bedroom.

“All I’m going to say is thank God they can’t have children.” Dominic reclined back in his rocking chair and picked up his tepid beer to finish it off.

She fought the urge to touch her belly. By her calculations, it was still too early in her pregnancy to show, which was a good thing. Still, she really needed to make an appointment with an obstetrician for an official diagnosis. Since Dominic had brought it up, it seemed like a good time to take a look inside his head.

“Have you ever thought about having children?”

Dominic nearly choked on the gulp of beer he had just taken but managed to swallow it down. He looked over at her to read her expression. Whatever she felt about the topic, she kept it well hidden. Images from his dream-turned-nightmare flashed through his mind. Did she know about his dream? Had he talked in his sleep?

He deflected the question by answering with a question of his own. “Is that something you think about?”

She shrugged and looked out over the front yard. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m still pretty young, so it hasn’t exactly come up a lot before now. I never planned to be with Jackson long enough to think about having children.”

“And now?”

She looked at him. “And now, to quote Grammy, everything happens for a reason. I see myself spending the rest of my life with you, so if somewhere along the way the stork decides to pay us a visit, I’d be okay with that.”

He sat his beer down and reached for her, pulling her over into his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist. He was quiet for a moment, contemplating his next words. “I’m not sure what kind of father I would be, or if I’ll even be around long enough to find out that answer.”

“Don’t say stuff like that.”

“Why? It’s true, Querida. I’m nowhere near ready to give up, but we need to prepare for the very real possibility that we might not find a solution to my current... problem. And while I also believe that everything happens for a reason—how could I not after all the time I spent with Availia?—I worry about what having a child might mean. Not only do I not want to leave you to raise a child on your own, but there’s also the matter of my father to contend with. A baby would mean another soul in his direct bloodline, and I’m sure he’ll be foaming at the mouth for the chance to fuck with my child, just because he can.”

Kerrigan didn’t say anything in response. He could sense her unease about the topic, probably because all her life she had lived by the Guardian’s mantra, even when she didn’t realize it. Plus, it probably didn’t help for him to bring up the very real fact that he might not make it out of his curse alive.

Dominic placed a tender kiss on her shoulder. “Hey, let’s not worry about it for now. If it’s meant to be, it will be, right? Besides, we’ve got enough on our plate to worry about right now without adding baby talk to it.”

She gave him a halfhearted smile and a nod before resting her head on top of his. Her sadness was palpable, but he didn’t ask her about it because he knew she would say she was fine. He just needed to get through the hellish half-life he was living, and then he could give her the life she obviously wanted—a somewhat normal life raising a child without the fear of a lingering curse always looming over its head. It was yet another thing Drew could do for her that he couldn’t.

Speak of the Guardian, and apparently, even if the words aren’t actually spoken aloud, he shall appear.

Drew’s rental sedan came into view just down the street, and Dominic tensed all over. His blood pressure began to rise as if on cue, and he instinctively tightened his hold around Kerrigan. He didn’t know what it was about the man that made him react so protectively. Wait, yes he did. It was because he knew Drew had his eye on his girl.

Kerrigan managed to wriggle her way out of his grasp and stood so that she could greet their visitor. Dominic rose to his feet as well and then felt that familiar tingle begin to spread through him, unable to stop the transformation.

“Shit, Querida...” When she turned to see what the matter was, he took her in his arms and kissed her with wild abandonment.

And then he was gone.

“Dominic?” she called to him with a hushed voice.

She felt his cold breath on her lips. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. I’ll be watching you.”

The sound of a car door shutting distracted her from the conversation. Had it not been for the fact that Drew would surely think her mad for talking to herself, she would have let Dominic have it. Big time. Him and his jealousy. They were both really beginning to piss her off.

“Kerrigan,” Drew greeted her with a nod once he let Akasha out of the backseat. “You’re looking astonishingly beautiful as usual today. Where’s the extraordinarily lucky Mr. Grayson?”

“Oh, he’s not here right now.” She did her best to ignore the chilly breath that blew against the back of her neck. He was there all right. Judging from the cold pressure on her back and the ring of frost around her waist, he was standing right behind her with a protective hold around her body. Even in ghost form he was trying to protect his turf. It was enough to make her roll her eyes.

“I could have sworn I just saw him sitting in the rocking chair.”

Kerrigan looked down at the chair and shrugged. “Um... nope. As you can see, he’s not here. He actually went to the doctor to get his... um, man bits checked out. He’s had this burning sensation when he pees lately.” She held back a giggle. She could only imagine how well that went over with Dominic.

The coldness around her waist seeped to the inside of her thigh followed by a pressure she wasn’t expecting. Jolted, she jumped and smacked at her thigh. Drew looked at her like he was concerned for her sanity. She laughed uncomfortably. “Mosquitoes are really bad this time of year. Why don’t we go inside?”

There was a soft chuckle in her ear, forcing her to laugh out loud again to cover the noise.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Miss Cruz?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah... I’m fine, just eager to start training.” She turned in the direction where she believed Dominic to be and scowled before leading Drew inside.

Millie ran up to his play date and greeted Akasha with a shower of wet kisses to the face. Her little corkscrew tail wagged back and forth, and she playfully nipped at Millie’s ear in return. Kerrigan led them both out the back door to turn them loose in the garden, and then turned back to Drew.

“How about the dining room?” She pointed to the room off to the left.

“If that’s where you’re comfortable, that’s fine with me.”

“The dining room it is then. Hopefully, it will be a little more
private
,” she said, accentuating the last word.

“Not likely,” Dominic’s voice drifted in the air around her.

“What’s that you say?” Drew asked.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself.”

“I see.” Drew stepped through the threshold of the dining room after her. “Are you quite sure you’re up to training today?”

Kerrigan closed the door and faced him. Feeling a bit wicked and vengeful, she decided to play some tricks of her own. She put her hand to the collar of Drew’s shirt and feigned straightening it even though nothing about his appearance was out of place. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than spending time with you today. I’m very anxious to get on with our training.”

He graced her with that dazzling smile. The Light in his eyes flared briefly and then simmered away again. There was a thump on the wall directly behind him, and he snapped his attention in that direction. “What was that?”

“What was what? I didn’t hear anything.” Kerrigan took her seat. “Why don’t you just come sit next to me and we’ll get started?”

Drew shook his head, thinking he must have been hearing things, and walked over to join her. She turned her chair toward his, her eyes widening when she saw his chair pull back of its own accord right when he was about to sit. He landed with a thud on the floor.

“Oh, Drew! Are you okay?” She scrambled to help him up. When she took his elbow, that hum that signified their connections vibrated through her skin. For the briefest of moments, goose bumps pricked her skin until she released him, and he fell back to the floor again.

“Sorry! Sorry!” She reached to grab hold of him again.

He put his hand up to stop her. “That’s quite all right. I think I can manage for myself.” He stood and pulled the chair under him before sitting.

Kerrigan sat back down and gave him an apologetic look. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that feeling.”

“Well, that’s certainly understandable.” He reached for her hand. “Perhaps if we touch more it won’t be quite a shock in the future.”

The lights from the sconces on the walls began to flicker in and out. When Kerrigan withdrew her hand, they came back on and stayed lit. “We’ve been having some electrical problems,” she explained. “It’s a very old house.”

Drew didn’t know why she was lying, but the Ring of Truth warming against his chest left no doubt that she was.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?”

She forced a smile and nodded vigorously. “Yeah, sure! Everything’s just... peachy keen. Let’s get started.”

Even though he was completely suspicious, he decided to let it go. One thing he had learned about Kerrigan Cruz was that if she didn’t want to talk about something, there was nothing he could say to convince her otherwise.

“And, you’re sure you want to continue on your quest for more energy, even after what happened at the beach?”

Kerrigan thought back to the way Dominic had been thrashing and calling out in his sleep before she had roused him. And then she remembered what he had said about Drake draining energy from Colton in his dreams. She had sighed and looked at Drew with renewed determination. “I just have to. I still can’t tell you the reason, but it’s of the utmost importance.”

“All right. Why don’t we work on something a little different, then? I’d like to show you something. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to pull energy from me, but perhaps this way might be a bit more enjoyable for the both of us.”

Dominic’s whispered voice was at her ear. “I’ll break his fucking neck, Querida. I swear.”

“Go... away,” she mumbled through clenched teeth.

“I beg your pardon?”

The scowl on her face morphed into one of pure pleasantry, and she laughed forcefully. “Oh, I just have this
annoying
song that keeps replaying in my head. It’s grating on my last nerve.”

“Are you ill, Miss Cruz?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine. Why do you ask?”

“You’re not acting altogether like yourself this afternoon. You seem out of sorts.”

She waved him off. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Actually, Dominic and I haven’t exactly been seeing eye to eye where you’re concerned. He thinks you’re out to steal me away from him, but I keep telling him that you’re just helping me out with my training. It’s fine though. He’ll eventually come around and stop acting like a complete
ass
.”