Call of the Siren(77)

Sensing that he’d touched on something important, he crooked his arm under his head. “What did you do with the money?”

An embarrassed flushed covered her face. “There are a few halfway houses in the city that cater to abused mothers or those in recovery, as well as their children,” she said, casting her gaze down toward his chest. “I give it to them.”

Something inside Dagan’s chest broke for her. Despite her tough outer shell, he’d sensed from the very beginning just how much she cared about others, and what she’d told him now made it clear how very right he’d been.

“You’re an amazing woman,” he whispered.

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m just a woman trying to right her wrongs.”

True. And that was what he loved most about her.

He hooked his finger under her chin, gently forcing her gaze back up to his. “You are amazing, Lina,” he repeated, making sure she realized just how much he meant those words. “I could lose myself in you forever.”

Her eyes went bright with unshed emotion, a tremulous smile curving to her lips. “Me too, Dagan. Me too.”

Neither of them mentioned the obvious. That their forever might end far too soon. There was no need to dwell on that. Not when they’d been graced with this precious moment.

Closing the distance between them, he placed a soft, tender kiss to her lips. Right now, Lina was his, as he was hers. And now that they had each other, he would never willingly let her go.





Chapter Nineteen

Brynn sat on the couch in what was to be her new home, her eyes taking in every detail of the space surrounding her. The personal, homey touches that had been placed in the cave—a living room complete with a leather sectional that looked very similar to the one back at their New York City apartment, artificial lighting that made the place sparkle like a white-lit Christmas tree, and even an improvised kitchen—did nothing to dispel the essence of fear that permeated the space.

This was all so wrong.

Aegin shifted in Brynn’s arms, the endorphins from his liquid meal beginning to take hold. His beautiful red eyes fluttered shut, and his tiny hand caressed the upper curve of her breast. Sleep finally claimed him, and his mouth detached from her breast as his head fell back against the crook of her arm.

A sense of euphoria filled Brynn as she gazed down into her son’s face. Never in a million years could she have predicted the utter joy, combined with the incessant fear, that becoming a mother would bring. He was the most amazing thing she’d ever created, and she knew Keegan felt the same.

Please, please, baby…get here soon.

After readjusting her blouse, Brynn dropped the nursing blanket from around her chest and wrapped it around Aegin.

Bram, one of the panther shifters who worked as a bodyguard for Keegan and Brynn, paused in mid-pace. His eyes landed on Aegin’s tiny sleeping form, and a tender smile crept to his face. It was so at odds with his burly “man killer” appearance that she couldn’t help but grin in response. She and Keegan weren’t the only ones who’d fallen for Aegin’s sweet innocence. They all had, from Keegan’s brothers—who she loved as dearly as if they were her own family—to Bram, Reiver, and the small contingency of men they’d brought with them for protection.

“He asleep?” Bram rambled, his voice low and deep.

She nodded from her position on the couch, gazing back down at her sleeping son. His lips moved in an instinctive suckling motion, and she let out a soft laugh, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his fuzzy head. He smelled so pure, so innocent. This tiny little being gave meaning to their crazy lives, reinforced that what she and Keegan had together was worth fighting for.

It wasn’t fair. Keegan should be with her. They should be reveling in the newness of their infant, not fearing for their freedom and their lives. Damn his employer for putting them through this.

She’d always viewed the Council with no small measure of contempt for its screwed up philosophies about interactions between the various interdimensional species, but this was just so wrong. Keegan and his brothers had been loyal to the Council from the very beginning. They’d captured their own father and turned him in—though admittedly the bastard had deserved that and more. And this was how the Council repaid them.

At least she knew Keegan and his brothers had managed to successfully retrieve Lina. Keegan had called several hours ago to notify her of their success, and that they were back in the state. He’d also told her of the bomb Lina had been implanted with.

Brynn’s heart broke for the sad, beautiful angel. It was easy to see she’d suffered some sort of horrific trauma in her life. Though she tried to be hard and aloof in their presence, sometimes Brynn would catch her looking at Aegin with teary, emotion-filled eyes that bespoke a heartache so intense it clogged Brynn’s throat just to think of it.