Prowled Darkness (Dante's Circle, #7)(16)

“I thought I’d turn into a witch or maybe something that I’ve already met through the group. I figured we’d exhausted the amount of paranormals out there and I wouldn’t have to go through anything too new or scary.” She closed her eyes. “Boy, was I wrong.”

Malik pulled back slightly to look into her eyes. “I think the Conclave wanted to see what each of you could turn into. I don’t think they would have liked repeats.”

Her eyes widened and she held back a curse. “I didn’t even think about that. Damn it. Why didn’t I think about that?”

“Because you’re having a baby and we’re dealing with the fact that I left because I was an idiot. You don’t have to think about everything. That’s what a mating is for. I can help you think.”

She didn’t narrow her eyes at his choice of words but it was close. Hopefully, the man would realize that he didn’t have think for her but with her. One problem at a time, though, and since she couldn’t quite figure out which one to wade through first, she figured she’d go with something out of the box.

“Will you shift for me?” she asked quietly.

He stiffened for a moment before pulling back to look at her. “You want me to shift?”

She nodded. “I…I can’t think about everything at once or I’ll stress myself out more than I already am. So can you shift for me? Show me what you look like as a lion? I know it doesn’t make any sense, but maybe if I see you in your other form, it will make this all a bit more real. Because, frankly, this feels more like a dream than anything else right now.”

He ran his thumbs over her cheekbones and nodded. “I can do that. Then I’ll show you how to glamour yourself so you can leave the house and figure out the next steps. How does that sound?”

She smiled softly. “I think that sounds like a perfect plan.”

Malik let out a breath. “Good, because I’m kind of freaking out, too.” He smiled sheepishly. “It’s been a long day.”

She snorted. “Will you stay?” she asked suddenly. “After you shift back, will you stay? We can figure out the next step in the morning.” She was afraid if he left, he might not come back, but she wasn’t sure that was all of it. She loved this man and wanted him with her. He was her mate now, and that made her feel so many emotions she couldn’t quite quantify them. This man, this lion, was hers, and because she’d taken that leap, she had to traverse the world and this new path at his side, rather than worrying if he’d leave her once more. Because if she didn’t do that, there would be no true happiness in this mating.

He was hers, and he was the father of her unborn child. No matter what happened next, she wouldn’t be alone in dealing with it. She’d find out what it meant to be a phoenix and what the curse meant. She would figure out her powers and how to protect her child in a world where things weren’t just light and dark, but also grey and far wider than anything she’d known before. She’d find a way to fit into Malik’s life and realm. He would be King, he’d said, and she knew he couldn’t walk away from that. He’d told her he had issues with his family and that his father was dying and there was only so long he could stay away from that. He’d left before for a reason, and now she would have to leave with him because there was no way she could stay away again.

Her life had changed in an instant with the lightning, and now it had changed once again. She was mate to Malik and soon to be a mother. She was a phoenix and an artist. She was still Eliana, but never only Eliana.

And because all of that was too much to deal with after a long and emotional day—especially since she was pregnant—she wanted to see Malik shift into a lion and back again before she passed out from exhaustion.

One thing at a time, she reminded herself. If she just did one thing at a time, she could make it. Because once the baby came, there wouldn’t be another option.

Malik ran his thumb over her cheek. “Ready, beauty?”

She loved that he called her that. He hadn’t called her that before, only her name. Now it was though he was finding small ways to be close to her since he didn’t have to hold back as much as he had before. Or maybe it was just her putting too much emphasis on a word. Either way, he was hers and he’d have to fight her if he ever wanted her to let him go.

“I’m ready.”

Malik grinned and took a step back. “I can shift with my clothes on and have them come back because of my royal line. The baby, once he or she learns to shift and gains enough power, should be the same. But we might have a naked baby crawling around for a bit.”

She grinned at the idea, even if her mind whirled. It was scary enough to think she would have a baby, now that she was apparently having a cub, it just made it that much more monumental.

“When can lions shift for the first time?”

Malik frowned. “Soon after birth. I know I shifted about an hour after birth because I apparently wanted to curl up and nap, but it’s different for each baby.”

Thank the goddess she hadn’t gone to a human doctor to have this baby. Because, holy hell. “Shift for me?” she squeaked.

He winked then glimmered out of sight for a moment. It was so fast she’d barely caught it, but one moment he was all sexy brown skin and man, the next he was a lion of such exquisite beauty it took her breath away.