Without Regret (Pyte/Sentinel #2)(10)

While her search was running she grabbed a king sized Milky Way bar from her bag and started nibbling away.

“Come on, baby, work for mommy,” she mumbled around a mouthful of caramel, nougat and chocolate.

Chapter 3

“What the f**k?” Joshua grumbled as Chris abruptly released him when they reached the foyer.

“Keep an eye out and let me know if anything happens,”

Chris said, barely giving his brother a glance as he headed up the stairs.

Joshua snorted. “I’m not your bitch!”

Chris went to his room and quickly changed into a pair of dry underwear and jeans. One look in the mirror had him cursing. Two minutes later his hair was combed, his face shaved and he was pounding on his father’s door.

“Someone better be dying!” his father warned as he ripped open the door.

His father crossed his arms over his bare chest, glaring.

He just glared. Chris casually took a step back, realizing he’d just interrupted the four hour block with Madison and he had about sixty seconds to speak or run like hell. He might be stronger and faster than a human, but he was no match for a Pyte. Not that his father would ever hurt him or one of his siblings, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t find himself tied up and hanging upside down in the foyer, again, if he didn’t talk fast.

Ephraim raised an expectant brow.

“I think my mate’s downstairs,” Chris blurted out, feeling like an ass.

Just like that all the hostility in Ephraim drained. He reached out and put a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“If my response to her was any indication, then I’m pretty sure,” Chris said dryly.

Chris heard an excited squeal come from behind his father and wasn’t too surprised when a very excited Madison, wrapped in only a sheet, shoved his father aside and pulled him into a hug.

“Your mate?” she asked excitedly. “This is so great!

What’s she look like? What’s she like? Do you like her?

Can I meet her? Are you happy? Which area does she guard? Are you moving? You’re not moving are you?”

Madison demanded.

Before Chris could figure out which question to answer first Madison stepped back and yanked the waist of his jeans down.

“Hey!” He shoved Madison’s hands away.

She frowned, looking disappointed. “It’s still light brown,” she said, referring to his Sentinel mark, a freckle color crescent moon and cross just beneath his navel that would turn red once he came in contact with his mate and once they mated it would turn black.

“That’s because he hasn’t touched her yet,” Eric explained as he joined them.

“Eric!” Madison squealed excitedly as she threw herself into Eric’s arms and yanked the much taller man down for a hug.

Ephraim growled menacingly.

Chris and Eric shared a look. While Madison was a warm and loving person, more so since she married Ephraim, she was never this friendly and affectionate.

Yeah, she’d hug Eric, but she wouldn’t do it in only a sheet with her very jealous husband standing close by mostly because she wouldn’t want anyone’s death on her hands. She was a rational level headed woman, not this bubbling overexcited woman in front of them.

The only explanation he could come up with is she was on a sugar high. Since she hadn’t eaten human food in over nine years since Marc was born it wouldn’t take very much sugar to make her this wired. As a female Pyte she could only consume food for one reason.

“You’re pregnant?” The words rushed out of his mouth before he could stop them and he really wished he had.

The last pregnancy, and god only knows how they all survived it, she was a tad emotional at times, especially when sugar was involved or she was hungry. A hungry pregnant Pyte was no joke.

She pulled away from Eric, her chin wobbling. “It was going to be a surprise,” she said, wiping away a few tears.

Aw, f**k….

All three men in unison took a cautious step back.

Seems he wasn’t the only one that remembered the last pregnancy.

“I was planning a big family dinner,” she mumbled. Her beautiful caramel brown eyes suddenly turned a fiery red as they focused on his father. “You told him!”

Ephraim shifted nervously. “No, I didn’t tell them, baby. I promise. He just guessed.”

She narrowed her eyes on her husband. Deciding that sacrificing his father was the only way to go, Chris discretely shoved the man forward. Ephraim turned his head to glare at him.

“You bastard,” he mouthed.

“I know,” Chris mouthed back, grinning.

“Then how did he know?” Madison demanded.

Mouthing one last expletive at Chris, Ephraim turned around to face his wife’s emotional outburst. He put his hands up in a placating gesture while Chris slowly, ever so slowly, eased to the right towards the stairs only to find Eric doing the same.

“He just guessed, baby, that’s all,” Ephraim said in his most charming tone, hoping to calm her down.

Madison gasped. “You’re saying I’m fat!”

Chris and Eric moved faster towards the stairwell. As much as he loved his father the man was on his own.

“No, no, baby, that’s not why,” Ephraim quickly said.