Prowled Darkness (Dante's Circle Book 7) (8 page)

He just shook his head and picked her up. “I’m here for you to beat up on and call names during the birth. It’s kind of my job.”

She just held onto him and knew that this was one moment she’d never forget. Honestly, she hadn’t thought about what it would be like to be with him forever because she’d been so afraid to fall. But now that she’d fallen, she couldn’t help but think that this man would be there for her and the baby. She had to trust in that even if trust didn’t come easily for her. The fact that it did now with him should scare her, but she was too worried about the baby to do anything about it.

She closed her eyes and leaned on him as they made their way through the wards and into the lion realm. Later, when she wasn’t in pain, she would study the place where Malik had grown up and where she would evidently be raising their child, but for now, she just let him carry her and her burdens.

Soon she found herself in a private room that looked like a hospital room but much warmer, more inviting.

“We’re at a healing station,” Malik said calmly. “It’s not a hospital since we’re at the part of the compound where the royals live. We have personal healers, doctors, and nurses to care for you.” He sighed. “I’ve spent most of my time away from you here. My father is two doors down.” He shook his head. “I want him to make it long enough to meet his grandson or granddaughter. I don’t even know why I’m thinking that since it’s not like he truly raised me.”

She gripped his hand during another contraction. “Tell me,” she gasped. “Why didn’t he raise you?”

Malik let out a breath and kissed her sweaty brow. “You should be focusing on yourself.”

She shook her head. “I’m trying to focus on you and not the pain because, apparently, they don’t have drugs for me.” Something she was
not
happy about, but apparently her new body chemistry wasn’t conducive to drugs—which they hadn’t told her until they’d gotten her on the gurney.

“My mother died giving birth to me,” Malik said softly. “I was the first born and father never found another woman to marry. As he mated my mother, he couldn’t ever find another mate, and I figured that finding someone else to be with in that way would be too hard for him. But I think the fact that he lost the mating bond broke him. He ended up giving me to nannies and tutors so he could reign over the realm.”

Malik took a deep breath, and Eliana reached out to cup his face. “You aren’t your father,” she whispered. “You’d never do that.”

“But if you…” he stopped. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“And you won’t have to worry about that.” She didn’t want to think about that at all, but Malik had his own demons. Just as she had hers.

Loud voices sounded from outside the door and Eliana frowned. “What is that?”

Malik growled. “I think I have an idea. Stay here.”

She raised her brows and pointed at her belly. “Can’t really leave.”

But he didn’t say anything as he stormed out. The man had to stop telling her to stay places when she couldn’t leave—and, frankly, he just had to stop ordering her to stay as it was.

The noise grew louder, and Eliana strained to pick out the different voices.

“I don’t care who the fuck you think you are, your furriness, but you better get out of my way before I get all pixie on your ass.”

Eliana pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh at Faith. Her friends were there, thank the goddess. But, apparently, there was someone in the way.

“You little mongrel
freak
. You are not fit to be near the Leo or his family. Get out before I have you thrown out.”

Whoever owned that shrill voice needed to get a hand to the face or something because there was no way Eliana’s friends were going to be barred from seeing her. Plus, Malik had promised her the others would be able to be there. Maybe not in the room during all of it, but she wanted them there. No matter what she had said before about being alone even surrounded by them, it was all a lie. She was scared and wanted her friends.

She wanted the family she’d made.

“Aunt Prudence, you have no right to bar them,” Malik’s deep voice flowed over her and the baby seemed to calm down some.
Prudence
? Really? What a bitch of an aunt name. “I allowed them to come here for the birth of my child, and you will not stand in their way.”

“Child?” the woman gasped. “You cannot have a child. You’re not mated. You’re just trying to get around the rules of succession.”

“Get the fuck out of here, old woman. My
mate
is giving birth to my child. I will one day be the Leo, and you and your husband cannot change things. You’re out of your depth here. But if you don’t leave my presence right now, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” His voice had gone low and dangerous.

Eliana let out a breath as another contraction hit so she couldn’t hear what happened next, but she was damned tired of doing this alone already. He’d better get his ass back in the room and that aunt of his had better fall off her high horse.

The door slammed open and Malik stormed in, his hands fisted at his sides. “Sorry I was gone for so long.”

She held out her hand and he quickly took it. “What the hell happened?”

“Malik’s aunt is a bitch,” Faith answered as she came in with the rest of them following her.

Levi let out a breath and kissed his mate on the top of her head. “What my mate means is, it’s taken care of. Now you have more than enough people in this room to make sure you and the baby are fine.”

Dante walked toward her and leaned closer. Malik let out a growl, but she just squeezed his hand. “You’re mated to him now,” the dragon whispered. “The bond between a lion and his mate can only come with true free will so I know you weren’t forced into it. But if you find yourself still unforgiving of what he did to you, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

“Watch yourself, dragon,” Malik growled.

The blue and black dragon shrugged. “I’m a prince, too and far stronger than you. If you hurt our phoenix here, I’ll end you.”

Eliana held up her hands. “Okay, enough with the posturing. I’m sure you all have mighty penises and everyone is happy with them. But for the love of all that is holy, stop it. I love Malik and he loves me and we’re about to have a baby. We’re not throwing our problems under the rug, but we are moving on from part of it so we don’t flounder.”

Malik glared at her even as Faith cackled and Nadie snickered.

“Dante really does have a nice penis,” Nadie offered, and Eliana threw her head back and laughed.

Jace chuckled even as he put his hand over Nadie’s mouth. “Anyway, we’re all going to go out to the private waiting area so you’re not overwhelmed.”

“We’re here for you,” Tristan said softly. He looked over at Malik. “Both of you.”

With that, each of her friends and their mates kissed her forehead and temples before leaving her alone with Malik. She should have felt a loss at their departure, but she couldn’t, not with Malik at her side.

“They didn’t really comment on the phoenix thing,” she said casually.

“One thing at a time, remember?” Malik said. “I’m sure they’re all talking about it now, and when you’re ready, you can show off your new feathers.”

She smiled as she looked down at her arms. “I guess I need to learn to glamour.”

He nodded. “Thankfully, no one caught us when we were driving in the human realm without your glamour. I wasn’t thinking.”

“We had more important things to worry about.”

He shook his head. “The baby is important, but protecting our worlds is just as important. I know that sounds like I’m putting our baby behind others but…”

She squeezed his hand. “But it protects not only our baby, but everyone we love. I understand. We’ll make it work.”

Another contraction hit and she gritted her teeth. Malik ran his hands down her side and back, soothing her. She was so damned grateful he was there.

“About your aunt?” she asked once she could speak again.

“Later,” he growled. Another contraction hit.

Everything went quickly then. Healers came in and checked to see how far along she was, and apparently, she was farther along than they’d all thought. She gripped Malik’s hand with all her strength and pushed when they told her to. Tears streaked down her face and she felt like she was going to die if this baby didn’t come soon, but after another hour of pain and anticipation, she screamed, pushing harder than she ever had before.

Malik cried next to her, kissing her softly as the healer held the baby out to them. Their daughter let out a cry that ended in a loud roar, and Eliana sobbed even as she smiled.

“We have a daughter,” Malik said softly, his voice full of awe. “A daughter.”

“And she’s loud,” Eliana added with a laugh. “And ours.”

Before she could reach for her daughter, however, the door slammed open and a tall woman with a pointed chin came in.

“Your father is dead,” the woman snapped. “Long live the King. For now.”

Malik fell to his seat, his hand still on hers. Eliana turned her attention from the woman to her newborn daughter.

Holy crap.

Two weeks of pure torture surrounded by bliss seemed to pass quickly for Malik. Too quickly. He stood in front of his mirror, trying to figure out if he should wear a tie for his father’s funeral or not. It didn’t seem like an item he should really be caring about in the grand scheme of things, after all.

His father was dead.

Malik was now the Leo of his people.

He
was a father.

He had a mate who loved him.

And he was lost.

Soft arms slid around his waist and settled over his stomach. “You’re thinking too hard,” Eliana said from behind him. She rested her head on his back and he closed his eyes, relishing her touch.

“I can’t help it,” he said honestly.

And he couldn’t help it. In the past two weeks, he’d had to deal with countless things that he’d never had to before. With his father dead, his people needed a leader. The others had given him two weeks to gather himself and his new family before he had to truly be the Leo in all things. The two weeks were standard for any royal line. In that time, normally, he would be mourning and working on his new life.

Yet he’d also had to learn how to be a father and a mate in that time, as well as deal with his uncle and aunt, who lurked far too closely for his liking. He wasn’t sure what they would do, but he knew they weren’t going to stand by and let him be Leo at his age.

He also hadn’t mated a lioness so he
knew
the other shoe would drop soon.

He just had to keep going and protect his mate and child.

And Penelope, Pen for those who loved her, could break him in more ways than he could fathom, and he would revel in every moment of it. His daughter was magnificent. A proud little cub, who at this moment, was sleeping in her lion form in a bassinette near the king-sized bed in the master bedroom. She slept on as he tried to come to terms with the fact that he had no idea what he was going to do next, only that he had to do it.

“We will say goodbye to your father today,” Eliana whispered as she came to his side. He tightened his arms around her and inhaled her scent, needing her closer now than ever. She’d put her glamour on even though they weren’t in the human realm. Though anyone could scent that she wasn’t a lion, she’d told him she hadn’t wanted to add anything else to the trouble that lay at his feet. So she hid her true self while they tried to reconcile the fact that they hadn’t even had time for her to figure who or what that self was.

He was a selfish bastard, but soon he would take her to the others of her kind and help her find her place. He just had to say goodbye to his father and officially take the throne first.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to say goodbye,” he said honestly. He hadn’t known his father as he would have liked to, but he’d still loved him in his own way.

“I’m sorry Pen and I will never know him.”

He sighed and tucked her close. “Me too, beauty. Me, too. I suppose we should make sure Pen is ready to go with us.”

Eliana scrunched up her face. “I really wish she didn’t have to go.”

“She’s their princess.”

“I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t name her Nala.”

He swatted her behind and kissed her. His cat stretched, wanting more than just this touch. In these two weeks, Malik and Eliana had slept side by side as they found their rhythm, but they hadn’t made love. As a supernatural, medically speaking, Eliana didn’t have to wait, but they’d waited nonetheless. It hadn’t been the time, but he knew that time was coming soon.

He needed her to be his in truth as much as he needed to know his place in the world and how his new family fit into it.

“Let’s get on with it,” he muttered.

“Don’t wear a tie,” Eliana said as she slid her hand over his chest and to the skin peeking out at the top of his shirt. “You look more dangerous without it, and for some reason, I feel like you need to look dangerous right now.”

He kissed her, sliding his tongue along hers before pulling back with a groan. “We need to go now before I take you right where you stand.”

Her eyes darkened. “Later.”

Later.

Malik ran a hand over his face as he made his way to the large living room of his father’s home. No, he supposed it was
his
home now. He and Eliana had been staying in a guest room there since the baby was born, but now it was his home. The funeral had gone well, if not quietly. To his surprise, no one had spoken out against Eliana and the baby. They’d seemed…happy that he’d found his mate.

Only his aunt and uncle and their children were against him.

He’d have to deal with that, though he truly didn’t want to.

Pen was tucked in his arms, curled into his chest in her human form. Eliana had put her in a tiny grey dress that made her look adorable. With all that had been going on, he hadn’t been able to truly reconcile the fact that he was a father.

This child in his arms was
his
child. His blood. A creation of the love between him and Eliana. He’d never been the sentimental sort, but damned if that idea didn’t make him want to cuddle his child close and cry just a little bit.