Page 24 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn (Vaughn Winery #1)

Ledger

Life seemed to be on a repeat cycle, like he’d gotten shoved into a washing machine that didn’t seem to have an off switch and just kept going, tossing him around and around. It made sure he was never quite sure which way was up, and which was down, all because of his emotional state.

Thorn had sent Ledger home earlier this afternoon for a nap when he’d found him nearly asleep on his feet. The last few nights, no position was comfortable enough for him to get some solid sleep. The moment he found a comfortable spot, the girls decided to have a fight.

On the sofa was a mound of different shaped pillows in every conceivable colour and type. Did any of them really help when there were four arms and legs vying for what little space there was inside him? Not really, but Thorn hadn’t quit trying, and Ledger didn’t have the heart to dissuade him.

None of that was the issue right now, or why he sat on the lid of the toilet crying.

It was the ultimate injustice of how the bathtub was no longer an option for climbing into when he wanted to.

Weeks earlier, he’d struggled, and Thorn had picked him up, placing him in the tub.

Since then, Ledger had made a concerted effort to figure out the best way to get in and out on his own.

It was the little things.

He’d managed right until today. Nothing worked, and he’d tried until he was sweaty and hurting.

His belly was just so big and unwieldy with how high the tub was off the ground.

It made it impossible to manoeuvre when his height and current weight worked against him.

He became so overwhelmed, all he could do was cry at his current predicament.

Pregnant, you’re just pregnant.

He didn’t hear Thorn come in until he spoke. “Oh, Sweetling, what is it? Are the girls fighting again?”

Lips trembling, he sniffed, wiping the back of his hand over his nose, meeting his mate's concerned stare.

“I can’t get in the tub,” he sobbed, sounding pathetic as Thorn crouched in front of him.

“I thought I had figured it out with the footstool I found.” Tears dripped off his chin, plopping on his naked legs as he held Thorn’s gaze.

“But it doesn’t work when your belly has a different center of gravity and has gotten so big it makes you tip backwards when you’re trying to stand on one foot. ”

“I’ll help you.”

The washing machine went on a fast spin and tossed Ledger’s emotions around once more, which meant only one thing.

“I don’t want you to help. I wanna do it myself.

Shouldn’t I be able to wash myself? I’m pregnant, not ill,” he sobbed pitifully.

“It’s not fair. And there’s things you aren’t telling me.

I know it.” He didn’t give Thorn a chance to reply and continued with his rant.

“How are the girls gonna feed from me? Are they gonna need the milk or blood?”

It had been playing on his mind over the last few days when he’d leaked milk, worrying it was happening because maybe the girls weren’t meant to have it, making him defective. The milk wasn’t supposed to come in until after the birth, wasn’t that what he’d read? He couldn’t remember.

Thorn waited a few seconds and Ledger, the rational side, got he was waiting to see if he was going to continue. The irrational side didn’t. “Answer me!”

There were teeth marks on Thorn’s lower lip when he released it. “The girls, when they feed, will need the milk and… blood. The blood is to seal their bond with you and me.”

Anxiousness came with the response, yet it was honest and helped a little. “So, they’ll bite my nipples?” Not horrific, and at least mentally he could prepare for that.

“I believe that’s how they do it.”

Thorn’s gaze lingered on the rosy nipples, a hunger there in the depth of his gaze that Ledger wasn’t going to act on with his head full of worries over what the girls could feel and potentially see. “Whatever’s going on in your head, it’s not happening.”

A sheepish look replaced the hunger, and Thorn rose and offered Ledger his hand.

Ledger rose with as much dignity as he could muster, giving the filled tub a sneer as he went to the sink to fill it. He understood fully he was cutting off his own nose to spite himself by not getting Thorn to lift him in the bath. Except, being reasonable wasn’t on the agenda today.

When he turned on the tap to fill the sink with hot water, he didn’t miss the sigh that came from the vampire behind him, watching but not offering to help further.

“You don’t need to watch me, I’m perfectly capable of washing myself.

” He sniffed back the sob and pretended like he’d not warbled like a yellow-rumped warbler.

The sound of Thorn’s footsteps fading and the dose of hurt got Ledger eyeing himself in the mirror with disgust. His shoulders sagged, and he huffed out an exasperated breath.

Why did pregnancy hormones make a sensible person become so unreasonable?

He supposed if he had the answer to that, he’d be as rich as his husband.

With another sigh, this one heavier, Ledger reached for the washcloth to soap it, another tear leaking down his cheek as he caught the reflection of the full bubble bath he couldn’t get in. “Why can’t we just go to sleep and wake up with babies?” he whispered to the empty bathroom. “Why?”

Ledger blinked blearily at the sound of voices coming from the living area. His groggy brain struggled to catch on as he glanced at the clock and groaned at the lateness of the morning. He’d overslept, and it was all Thorn’s fault for not waking him.

There was the blame game starting, and he’d not even put a foot out of bed. He was a monster. “Damnation!”

Huffing and puffing he rolled onto his side, then used the bedside cabinet to heave himself into a sitting position, taking a second to let everything settle before he stomped to the bathroom to relieve himself.

Bypassing looking at himself in the mirror after another uncomfortable night, he quickly carried out his morning routine, trying to recall his schedule for the day. Something else his pregnancy was responsible for, his sudden forgetfulness. Every day, he seemed to develop a new symptom.

“Did they make the list just for me?” It sure as heck felt like it.

The girls chose then to start a fight. His belly looked like what was inside it was doing its best to escape with how fists and feet punched at the wall of muscle, making odd shapes. One got a good kick at his lower belly, and he groaned at the achy pain that followed.

Rubbing the spot that got jabbed, he scowled.

“Come on, you know what Daddy said about fighting. It’s most unladylike to punch and kick each other.

” He worked on sounding firm. It was useless.

The girls were much like their uncles and Ledger had to wait them out, at which point the aches had spread into his lower back and made him a tad grumpy by the time he left the bathroom to dress.

He muttered and cursed under his breath. More ruffled than he liked, despite the new outfit Connie had made specially for him looking pretty, he was back to stomping through to the living room.

He stopped in the doorway, his gaze narrowing on the stranger sitting opposite Thorn on their couch, giving him a flirty smile, or it was in Ledger’s opinion, which was the only one that counted right then.

The man was big, broad in the back, with narrow hips from what Ledger could tell.

Ones he was envious of when his had disappeared months ago.

Thorn rose and gave him a beautiful smile, but Ledger didn’t give him a chance to speak before demanding, “Who is this?”

The mountain of a shifter rose elegantly, adding to the need to vent his frustration, and offered Ledger a hand. As he approached, Ledger craned back to stare up at the giant. Just the type his husband had enjoyed fucking before they met.

A lazy smile spread over the handsome face making Ledger grind his teeth together as he took the offered hand out of sheer politeness. “Hi, nice to meetcha Ledger. Thorn was telling me all ‘bouts ya. I’m Trev, I own a plumbing business in town,” he explained rather quickly.

Ledger forgot his angst towards the giant and frowned, glancing in Thorn’s direction at this new turn of events. “Plumber?” he questioned letting go of the hand dwarfing his, seeing exactly why they had the giant in their home.

“Trev has agreed to install a shower in the bathroom,” Thorn said by way of an explanation, his expression turning wary, as if he was just picking up Ledger’s miffiness.

“Why do we need a shower stall?” he asked with a level tone, one he didn’t feel. He didn’t want a shower; he wanted to be able to have a bath. Logic be damned.

Concern came across their bond as Thorn seemed to weigh his next words. “Sweetling, I just thought a shower stall would—”

“Would what? Stop me from having a hissy fit because I’m too big to get into the tub alone?” he asked sugary sweet.

Trev looked between them both as if now getting there was something amiss.

“Listen, I’ll come back later when you decide what it is you want,” he offered affably.

“As I said, the price is steep due to how quick y'all want it fitted.

Just give me a call before lunch time to confirm y'all still want me to get organized for coming back this afternoon when I can free up my men.”

“Thank you,” Thorn replied, not taking his gaze from Ledger’s. “I will.”

The guy hot footed it out the door and the second the door closed, Ledger put his hands on his non-existent hips and demanded, “Is he one of your fuck buddies?”

A feeling that was both regret and hurt came from Thorn as he shook his head, eyes pleading. “No, Sweetling. He has done some plumbing for us before and he’s reliable, as is his team.”

It was all very plausible and made Ledger feel like the drama queen he was turning into. This started the water works, and he found himself swept off the floor and cradled in Thorn’s arm as he apologized once more for the outburst.

“I can’t seem to stop this unreasonable behavior.

The girls were fighting again. They don’t listen to me.

My back aches. And I’ve become a real bitch.

Why can’t I stop it?” he sob-sniffed, burying his face in the collar of Thorn’s shirt, surrounding himself in Thorn’s scent.

It calmed him and the girls, who had started to fuss.

“Ache? Is it bad? Do you feel funny? This… this could be…”

“The girls booted the heck out of my organs. It’s that kind of ache.” Ledger wasn’t as convinced when he did the sums in his head. Was this it?

Thorn jiggled him a little to place a hand on his belly, the blue of his eyes deepening, fascinating Ledger enough to distract him from his woes.

“Not yet, but soon.” He pressed his forehead against Ledger’s, his gaze soft and adoring.

“And no, you haven’t become a bitch.” He held him a little tighter, as if to relay his assertion even when Ledger knew it wasn’t true.

He was being bitchy. “You’re pregnant, Sweetling.

You’re still working, and the girls are keeping you up at night with their antics.

I’m not at all surprised you’re a little…

tetchy. Your body is adapting daily to the hormones and changes that, in themselves, are very hard to cope with. ”

“You sound like you’re reciting what’s on the internet,” Ledger chuckled wetly, finally finding his lost humor.

“I was,” Thorn replied, sounding as amused as Ledger. He brushed a kiss over the top of Ledger’s forehead. “What about the shower? Do you want me to tell Trev we aren’t interested?”

Whatever Thorn felt about that, he kept on lockdown as Ledger glanced up to look at his husband and gave a hefty, resigned sigh at the worry he wasn’t quite able to keep from his expression.

“Get him to come. At least I can wash all of myself then.”

Maybe.