Chapter 188
“Okay, so what I want to do is remove the part of me inside of you to-”
“No,” Anastasia says, cutting me off. “Don’t do that. Why?”
It catches me off guard. The genuine hurt in her eyes is a little too real for me.
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“I’m-” I shift in my seat and reach for my camera to hit record. I take a deep breath and give her my undivided attention. “I’m recording,” I point at the tripod. She nods and sits back. “We’re here because we want to learn more about how this works. “What it does and how I can use it for more than just hurting people. I refuse to believe that this is all my power has to offer.”
“Okay,” she nods. “But you’re going to put it back, right?”
“If you want me to, yes.”
“Cool,” she lets out a sigh of relief.
“Ana, why do you want me to put it back?” I ask.
She shrugs and looks around the room. I don’t stop her when she gets up and walks toward the glass to stare out into the river. It’s morning, and the swirls in the rushing water look like diamonds in the sunlight.
“When I was a little girl, my dad favored me. At least, that’s what everyone thought,” she comes back to the chair almost in a daze. “Between Santiago and me, I was always the strongest. The one who raged harder, the one who still stood up after he beat the shit out of us, the one who, despite his discipline, would still question his orders.
“My father was in love with the game. A real sadist, and he loved nothing more than pushing people past their boundaries. It’s what made him the man he became. I wanted that. To not feel empathy for what I was doing. And for a while, I believed I didn’t care. But sitting in that bed the way I was, everything caught up.
“I deserved what I got, and I was trying to find a way out. Then you came along, and you healed me. I was mad at you for it. I wanted to hurt you enough to make Ragnar kill me. I underestimated your character. I just kept getting better and better.
“It feels like you healed a lot more than just my wounds, and when you’re around, I want to prove that you chose the right person to save. You have no reason to care about anyone as much as you do. Especially with the way everyone treated you before you became Ragnar’s mate. It’s reassuring to know that if I do start going crazy like the old man, there’s someone who can stop me.”
“Ana,” I get up and go around the table to hug her.
She doesn’t move, and I end up wrapping my arms around her head. She pats my arms and then clears her throat, letting me know she’s uncomfortable with how intimate the moment is, but in my defense, she started it this time.
“You’re really grabby today,” she says accusingly. “It’s a boy, huh?”
“Yes,” I laugh. “At least the lady who told me I was pregnant thinks so. I’ve taken lab work, and it’s true. Aimee
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Chapter 188
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said it’s way too soon for an ultrasound, but I have my own,” I point back at it. “That is going everywhere with
me.”
“That’s cute,” she smiles.
“Enough about that. Let’s get back to the extraction of my affinity influence in your system.”
“Do you think it’s going to hurt?” she asks.
“I am going to be as gentle as I can, but you have to tell me if it hurts, okay?” I tap the couch beside me because I can’t sit in the armchair with her. “There is also a possibility that I can’t take it out, so we should also be prepared for that.”
“I’m hoping for that,” she smirks and sits beside me.
I take her hand and allow my affinity to reach for traces of me inside of her. Her skin breaks out in goosebumps when I lock in on her pulse to slowly gather every trace of it. I pull away when I find something that’s never been there before, and I’m glad I didn’t immediately spin the water in her system.
“Ana,” I say, looking up at her.
“What? Did it work?” she asks, opening her eyes. “I only felt when you invaded me. Is that what it’s called? Penetrating sounds too aggressive.”
“I’ll say,” we both look over at the lift to see Ragnar and Xavier walk out of it. The four of us laugh.
“Um, no, I didn’t do anything. I have a question,” I say and reach over to turn my camera off.
“No, you cannot be our third. I refuse to share. We talked about this, Ana,” he says, falling into the armchair where Ana had just been.
“I will throat check you,” Ragnar growls at her. She grins and gives him a little playful smirk.
“Also, it’s never been an option,” I add. “That’s not my question.”
“What?” Ana laughs.
“Is he like us, now?”
“Oh, yeah. For the past year,” she nods happily. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, I won’t be able to channel you for the next eleven months,” I shrug.
“What the fuck?” Ragnar laughs. She stares at me like she doesn’t know what I’m talking about. Xavier quickly catches on and shifts impatiently in his seat.
“Is this what I looked like to you?” I ask Ragnar. He laughs, nodding when she looks back at him.
“I don’t get it. What’s happening?” she asks.
“I think we should go,” Xavier says breathlessly. He stands up and goes over to her. He takes her hand and
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Chapter 188
helps her up. She’s still looking between us, cluelessly.
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“I think that you should stop somewhere and get her something really pretty before you say anything.” I agree. He pauses and looks back at me.
“Are you certain? You need to be one hundred percent sure,” he gives me a pointed look.
“I am one hundred percent sure,” I smile.
His eyes glow a brilliant green, and his lips twitch up into an almost smile. He looks over at her, the way Ragnar looks at me when I’ve done something he really likes.
“Okay,” is all he says as he leads her toward the lift. “Thank you, Sophia.”
“Anytime,” I call back, waving at them. Before the doors can close, she starts to interrogate him.
“That is going to be an interesting child,” Ragnar says and holds up one of my straw cups. “I brought you a strawberry smoothie. Elize insisted on putting it in this cup.”
“Yeah, fruity scents make me squeamish, but I really want to eat fruit and stuff like this,” I say, taking it. “Thank you. How was your first day back in court?”
He takes his suit jacket off and drapes it over the back of the couch. He lets out a heavy sigh and sits back, massaging his temples.
“My dad has officially taken over. It’s crazy,” he looks over at me defeatedly and then reaches into his pocket.
“Look.”
I take his phone and hit play on the screen. When Elder Baldr enters the room following Ragnar, everyone starts cheering him on. He goes as far as walking up to the center podium with his arms in the air as if he were a rock star or a famous actor.
“He really loves being an elder,” I laugh.
“It gets worse,” he says and takes the phone.
He fast-forwards the video of him explaining the new aid act I put together back in Africa, so that it’s established in every Lycan city, while his father quietly mocks him. The rest of the court is trying their best to stay respectful, but if I had been there, I know I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from laughing.
“Oh, Honey,” I say, pressing my lips together. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I want to fire him, but the court’s never been this engaging before. We have the new generation in love with this fuckery,” he sighs and then glares at me when I take his phone so I can watch it from the beginning.
“You know what? He’s going to make a fun Grandpa,” I laugh. His anger fades, and he tries his best not to smile, but he can’t help it.
“You’re right. I want these eleven months to go by fast. I know he’s going to take time off to be in about everything.”
your
face
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Chapter 188
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“He and my grandmother. She hasn’t been here these past couple of days because I asked her to let me get a feel of the house before she comes to help me get stuff for it. Tell you what, I will entertain them for you if you promise me one thing.”
“Sure,” he nods.
“Ah, you can’t just agree and then back out.”
“What?” he squints his eyes.
“I want Kaylee and Ivar to come stay with us for a while. I want to help him mark her properly,” I take his hand. I grip it tighter when he tries to pull away. “Hey, this isn’t a favor for her. It’s a favor to our brother. He deserves to be just as happy as we are,” I take his hand and place it over my belly. “Please, you can think about it, and I’ll mentally prepare the baby and me for your father’s shenanigans.”
“And if I refuse?” he challenges.
“I’ll make you ticklish every single time you have to go to court with him and tell him,” I threaten.
“You wouldn’t dare,” he says, standing up to move away from me.
“I would,” I laugh. “That is a promise.”
AD
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