Shadow Watcher (Darkness #6)(23)

“Stefan, I can still have sex when pregnant. I don’t know much, but I do know that much.” Her eyebrows were low over her eyes, berating, but elation tickled their link. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks turned red. “You’re happy, though?”

Stefan couldn’t speak. He didn’t want to cry like a little girl. Instead, he laid his palm on the side of her face. Then, shaking, he moved his hand slowly downward between them until he was gently resting it on her flat stomach. He felt like the luckiest male in the world. It was not only his baby because she was his mate, but it was actually his baby. From his body. His blood. Their mingled blood.

He couldn’t help the lump in his throat. Nor the stinging in his eyes.

Sasha’s smile was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “I love you so much,” he said, choking up and falling silent. It was the safest way to maintain his manhood.

What he would tell her, when he could, was that this baby would want for nothing. Not ever. If he died tomorrow, this baby would always be taken care of. As would she. Forever. Not one person on this earth would ever touch a hair on their heads. Not one. He had loved no one like he loved Sasha, and now he couldn’t imagine even what the word love meant. It was too small a word to encompass his feelings. Not the swelling that started in his heart and ran the length of him, so deep, so pure.

“I love you,” he tried again, his voice shaking.

Nope, not ready yet.

He could wrangle his past and come out on top. He could stare a demon in the face and growl. He could take on an army of overwhelming odds with nothing more than a grimace. But he couldn’t hear that his mate was having his baby and not sob like a child.

No one had told him it would feel like this. No one could’ve possibly prepared him for this moment.

With a deep breath, he clutched her to his chest and just held on. His wildest dreams were coming true, and he’d rip apart the world to make sure these two people were safe.

Chapter Seven

I blinked into the murkiness of our bedroom. Judging by the light, it was a couple hours before nightfall. I registered the warm palm on my stomach, sending the vibes of safety through my core. Stefan’s heat lined my right side. His even breathing was the only sound in the room.

I closed my eyes again, so contented with his presence I didn’t want to leave it.

It had been four months of quiet since we found out I was pregnant. No one had heard or smelled the strange lurking shifter around. It was as if he had done some homework on Charles and me, and then taken off. While that brought up a lot of questions and speculation, it was actually an extremely good thing, because like Jonas and Charles had said, everything changed once Stefan and the Mansion found out I was pregnant.

I was no longer allowed to do much. And while that would usually piss me off, for a wonder, this hadn’t. In fact, I wasn’t having the reactions Charles and Ann thought I would to all the change. Well, not as far as Stefan was concerned, anyway. When he had me sit in on one of his boring meetings because he didn’t want me out of his sight, I would normally have rolled my eyes and tried to blast him across the room. For the last four months, though? Meek as a lamb.

I went willingly, almost gladly, when he insisted we compromise on duties so we could be in each other’s presence constantly. I allowed him to carry me up stairs. I didn’t baulk when he held my plate to collect dinner in the common eating room. And yes, I even allowed the guy to cut my meat.

My mate cut my meat like I was a child, and for some reason, I was not only okay with this, I was comforted by it.

Comforted by it!

I cringed from myself every time I thought of it. But when I was in the moment, it all seemed so natural.

Toa had given me one of his long lectures on the phone, explaining that my sudden desire to be treated as a princess was to do with our blood link, and with my understanding of his primal need to take care of me and protect me. And that was probably true. This certainly seemed like animalistic behavior. But I still couldn’t think about it with a level head without blinking in confusion. I hardly even knew myself.

This was only the case with Stefan, though. With anyone else, I was still a cranky ol’ sod who didn’t want to be told what to do. I was surprised Jonas hadn’t had a heart attack!

I soaked in the waves of love and safety promised by Stefan’s presence. I felt my body hum with his touch. I felt the soft flutters of our baby as it swirled within my growing belly. And I felt a peace I’d never known settle on me like a soft, warm blanket. My sigh expressed my absolute bliss of this moment and of the million moments I’d had in these past four months.

Unfortunately, I also felt like I was going to wet the bed.

I eased myself out of the covers so as not to wake Stefan. I knew I only had a short time before I could get back in bed without him waking up—any distance had him looking around, wondering where I’d gone. I hurried to the bathroom, did my deal, and came back to find his eyes open and his gaze monitoring my progress.

“Good morning, beautiful. How do you feel?” he asked, rising.

“Oh.” I stopped halfway to the bed. “Are you getting up?”

He froze. “No? Are you coming back to bed?”

I smiled like an idiot and continued my journey to his side. He stood and opened his arms for me to fill. “I thought maybe we could take a walk before we started our day,” Stefan said, laying his cheek on the top of my head.