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Mae tried and failed to hide her laughter as the men on Corbin’s team presented him with the Asshole of the Week award. They handed over the sculpture she’d done of him, along with a plaque with his name engraved on it. Malik got a matching one and a framed photo of himself with no eyebrows. Thankfully, they’d grown back, but he’d not stopped giving Striker and Boomer the stink eye over the ordeal.

Corbin glanced at the statue and then at her, lifting a brow in question. She shrugged and he came closer, placing it on a table near her and then bending, lifting her and sitting—setting her on his lap. There were plenty of chairs in the conference room but he didn’t seem to care.

She leaned against her husband’s chest and inhaled, savoring his scent. She closed her eyes, thankful he was fully healed. It had been nearly a week since he’d freed her at great cost to himself. A week since he’d claimed her and changed her world forever.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” she returned, not bothering to lower her voice. She’d learned the men in the room could hear just about anything.

Duke had his wife, Mercy, close to him. He leaned and kissed her neck. Boomer was standing near the right side of the room, holding his wife’s hand, gazing at her lovingly. James’s wife was sitting next to him, working on her laptop—that she was rarely without—as he bent and kissed her shoulder. Laney turned and tongued him to the point Mae blushed. Just like that, Laney returned to whatever it was she was working on.

Mae suspected it had something to do with Brad, Alice and Ezra. When Laney had learned the details of Mae’s friends and possible family, the girl had made it her mission to dig for more information.

Deep down, Mae knew Alice was still alive. She was sure of it. And she was sure Brad was too. It was just a matter of finding them. Ezra was the one she wasn’t so sure about. None of the men had outright said it, but she suspected they feared he was dead.

Striker clapped, drawing everyone’s attention. “If you all could stop yer make-out sessions, I say it’s time to break out the drinks. Here is to our two-way tie for Asshole of the Week. Tut and Captain, yer tough acts to follow.”

“Would that I could fire him,” said Corbin, making the others snicker.

“I think he’s adorable,” interjected Mae.

Striker beamed. “Aye, yer mate thinks I’m adorable.”

Corbin groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

Mercy cleared her throat, looking hard at James. “Tell them.”

Mae glanced around, wondering what other news they had to share. When James met her gaze, she gulped. He stood and smiled. “It would seem congratulations are in order.”

“James?” asked Corbin.

James winked at him. “Green needed me to run another test on Mae.”

Corbin nodded. “Yes. The two of you were trying to work out why her singing doesn’t seem to influence mated males.”

“Right,” said James, appearing uneasy. “We haven’t nailed anything firm down there, but we did find out something else.”

Mae wasn’t sure she wanted to hear. She’d already learned she was a mix of a great number of supernaturals and that her birth mother had died as a result of a testing ring the men called Project Asia. She squeezed her husband’s hand, thinking back to the day before when he’d confessed to saving her mother only to be called away on a mission long ago before returning to find she’d died. He still blamed himself, though she couldn’t figure out why. She kissed his cheek.

He wrapped his arms around her firmly and held her against him. He looked to James. “Well, what else? What did the tests show?”

Striker tipped his head. “Anything reveal how she burned a man?”

James cleared his throat. “We believe the Fae in her did that, but no, that isn’t what I wanted to tell you.”

Laney snorted as she typed. “He always buries the lead.”

James huffed. “Green and I were running those extra tests and Mercy suggested I do one more. I did and she was right to push for it. Mae is pregnant.”

Mae’s eyes widened. She tried to stand but Corbin held her to him. “Shut up!”

Mercy beamed and touched her low stomach. “This is good news, right? We can be pregnancy buddies.”

Mae twisted, looking at Corbin, unsure what his reaction would be. His smile was so wide she thought his face might break. He grabbed her, his lips capturing hers, his tongue darting into her mouth. He kissed her to the point her body heated and it wasn’t until she remembered that they had an audience that she stopped him from going further.

“This is wonderful news,” he said, his gaze never leaving Mae. His expression fell. “When my mother finds out, she’s going to insist on flying over here to be closer to us and the baby.”

James cringed. “About that…”

“Corbin Amias Herman Jones.”

Mae recognized the woman’s voice at once and stood just as Corbin’s mother entered the conference room. She shook her finger at Corbin. “Of course I’d want to be closer to you both. Your father is handling our luggage. James found us a wonderful home to rent for the next few months.”

Mae tried to hide her laughter at Corbin’s obvious discomfort. He stood, giving James a hard look before he went to his mother and embraced her. She patted his back. “Darling, it’s good to see you, but I want to see my daughter-in-law. Move.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Striker leaned, watching Corbin’s mother walk. He whistled low. “Mmm.”

Corbin growled.

The men all laughed.

THE END