Page 39 of Blood Bonds

“Osiris does not intimidate me.”

Sethios shook his head in dismay. “I thought you Seraphim were supposed to be a logical lot. First Caro, now you… Do none of you realize what my father is capable of?”

Gabriel stared at him. “Why New York City?”

“Because Ezekiel has been helping my father with some project at the Catastrophic Relief Foundation. I’m pretty sure they are building super soldiers using Seraphim genetics, or that’s what I’ve gathered, anyway. You might want to have a conversation with the Ichorian in charge—Jonathan Fitzgerald—about it while you’re there.”

“Seraphim genetics?”

“It’s a guess, but my father is all about experimentation, and I’ve suspected for years that he’s building an army. His recent partnership with Jonathan cannot be a coincidence.”

Just the subtlest of tics in Gabriel’s jaw indicated the first crack in his unemotional exterior. Sethios had clearly struck a nerve and perhaps even piqued his interest. His work here was done. Either the Seraphim would take his advice or he’d try to hand Sethios over to Osiris.

Emphasis on try.

He stood, needing to move. Or better yet… “I’m going to check on Caro.”

“She’s fine,” Gabriel murmured. “I can sense her peace.”

Right. Ethereal bond or whatever. “As I don’t possess the same bond, I’ll be checking for myself.”

He’d left Caro in his bed at her request. If it were up to him, she’d live there. Naked. Pregnant or not, he still wanted her, and he had spent the last two weeks teasing her. He wanted her to beg him to fuck her, and she would. He just needed to up his game.

But first, they had a future to discuss.

Unreal.

Yet, he felt oddly okay with the notion.

It should have scared the shit out of him, but a child provided something new. An experience he’d not yet lived.

I’m going to be a father.

His lips curled with the thought. Then flattened at thoughts of his own maker. Did Osiris know? Was Skye, even at this minute, telling him about Sethios’s future progeny?

He stopped in the doorway of his room and studied Caro. Her blonde hair popped against his black pillow, while the rest of her appeared soft and delicate beneath his silky sheets.

The mother of my future child.

His heart skipped a beat with the thought. On some level, he must have known. That explained his innate need to protect her, even when he barely knew her. Some hint of fate fucking with his instincts.

A sigh fell from her full lips as she burrowed more into his blankets.

So beautiful, yet deadly.

The perfect mate.

Mine, a dark part of him whispered. Perhaps not for eternity, but for now.

A piece of him grew inside of her—a future he would do anything to protect.

11

Pleasurable Teamwork

Hot chocolate.

A sweet indulgence—one that would be frowned upon and ridiculed.