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Chapter Four

Jolie

My head is over the toilet bowl for what feels like the millionth time this week. As if I didn’t already have enough going on, someone decided to throw morning sickness into the mix. Why do people breed if this is what happens? It’s a bunch of bullshit, if you ask me. Finals are almost over, and we only have a handful of days left. Thank god.

Betty sent Chester all the information she received from Mr Z about Project Athena, but they have had to hire so many new staff, as well as fix the damage done to Olympia. It’s been a lot.

“Hey, are you okay? You should have woken me.” Marlow rushes to my side and pulls the hair out of my face.

“There is no point in the two of us suffering this fate.”

Marlow plaits my hair and pulls a spare hair tie from his wrist. “There is nowhere I would rather be,” he says, rubbing my back.

“Is everything okay in there? The bed is awfully empty.” Davis walks into the bathroom, bare chested and rubbing his eyes.

“Apparently morning sickness doesn’t just happen in the mornings. I’m very acquainted with the inside of this toilet bowl. I should thank Petra for it being so clean.”

“Shit, I’ll run and grab a bottle of water from the fridge,” Davis says.

“And some crackers—I’m hungry now.”

Davis chuckles and leaves the bathroom with a salute. Marlow helps me up once I’m done, and I brush my teeth.

We both head back to bed, and Davis returns with my water and crackers. This week I have learnt that small sips work best.

I crawl back into bed, and Marlow pulls me against his chest; while Davis slides in the other side, facing me.

I lay like this for a few hours until the sun comes up. Both men are lightly snoring, so I slip out from between them and go downstairs. Brennan should be awake by now.

There is no sign of him in the kitchen, and it takes ten minutes to find him and Chester in the office, folders of papers scattered over the table.

Chester looks up as I enter. “Little Angel, why are you awake?”

“Apparently, feeling like shit all the time can be a pregnancy thing. I hate it,” I complain, closing the distance between us until I’m in his lap.

Brennan puts down the paper he is reading and turns his attention to us. “Sorry, I had to finish reading that. We wanted to confirm something before we knew for sure, but Betty was right. Chester, myself, Kai, Creed, and Trace have fathered one of the babies and same with our brothers.”

“How is that even possible?”

“That is what we are trying to figure out. Chester has been going over the research, but it’s so far advanced that we don’t fully understand it. I have a few interviews lined up for a new team of scientists.”

Chester places a hand over my stomach. “I have read that the babies will be the size of a poppy seed, and their hearts should begin to beat in the next week.”

“You’ve been reading?” I ask, glancing at him over my shoulder.

“We all have. Kai came home with ten copies of Dad’s Guide to Twins . It’s a very interesting book,” Brennan adds.

“Is it now? No one gave me a handbook. I don’t know what to do with one baby, let alone two. What if I’m a horrible mother?”

Brennan moves from his chair and gets down on his knees in front of me, taking my hands in his. “You will be an amazing mother. Never doubt that.”

Tears spring to my eyes as Brennan lifts my shirt and places a kiss on my stomach. “I can’t wait to see you with a big belly,” Chester whispers, his erection growing beneath me. My stomach rumbles, and Brennan pulls my shirt back down.

“Let’s make you some food.”

Brennan stands and waits for us to follow. If he wants to feed me, I am happy to try to eat.

Chester stands and carries me like a baby. “I can walk.”

“I know. But I already have to share you, and soon we are adding little people into the mix. Just let me enjoy this.”

We follow Brennan to the kitchen, and Creed is already in there, his bare back facing us. I bite my lip at the sight. Nothing is hotter than watching him cook in his boxers.

“Tenshi, as much as I want to fuck you right now, I need to feed you first.”

Chester growls. The last few days there has been no sex because movement has made me feel nauseous. “Calm down, man. Sex won’t hurt the babies,” Creed cajoles.

I snort and look between Creed and Chester while Brennan steps up to the coffee machine. “Those imbeciles have been arguing constantly. Chester is still worried that sex will hurt the babies, and Creed thinks it won’t. We have all tried to reason with Chester, but you saw how that went the other day.”

“I’m not worried about sex,” Chester grumbles. “Just when it involves certain people, like those who enjoy cutting off air supply, which is not good for the babies. Others like a little rag-doll situation, which can also hurt the babies.”

Boston chooses now to waltz into the kitchen. “You just explained all the reasons Jolie shouldn’t have sex with you and maybe Laughn. The rest of us are good to go.”

“I’m going to kill you one day real soon,” Chester sneers, and Boston pushes him a little more.

“Opening that cold black heart of yours has made you soft. Threats are beneath you—you used to be an action man.”

Still cuddled in Chester’s lap, I place my hand over his. “Boston, there is only so much I can do. If you push him and he snaps, it’s your own fault.”

Creed places a plate down in front of me, consisting of some fruit, toast, crackers, and a plain croissant. Also, a small white pill.

“What’s that?” I ask, wrinkling my nose at the sight of it.

“That is our version of a pregnancy vitamin. I’m just sorry it took me so long to make it,” Chester murmurs from behind me. “I wanted to make sure it was safe before you took it.”

We all finish eating and get ready for school. We only need to be there this week for our exams. This week, I only have my English and maths tests, and today it’s English.

Today is no different from last week; the stares and whispering are still annoying. It is Laughn’s first day back. He has missed a few exams, but due to his injuries, he is able to do the make-up tests. Once he finishes those, he will graduate with us.

“Does it feel weird?” Sinclair whispers, looking up at Boston, who is warning everyone not to approach with his icy glare.

“It does, but we all only have a handful of exams left and then we’re done.”

“What is going to happen with the trials?” Blayne asks, shoving a muesli bar in her mouth.

Shrugging because I hadn’t thought about it until now, I reply, “I don’t know. I will have to talk to Brennan.”

“Jolie, I need to get into Olympia,” Blayne says insistently. “This life sucker is ruining everything.”

“It’s only temporary. Once he is born, I will look after him.” Sinclair puts her hand on Blayne’s leg.

I turn to Sinclair and raise a brow. This is news to me.

“Let’s go pee before our test. They won’t let us out halfway through, and my bladder is the size of a toddler’s,” Sinclair announces.

Both Blayne and I stand. Laughn grabs my arm and pulls me close to him, placing a kiss on my lips. “Kick ass in that test, baby.”

Sinclair leads us to the toilets. Once we are inside, she locks the door and checks the cubicles to make sure they’re empty.

“What’s going on?” I ask them both.

“Blayne doesn’t want the baby.”

“Okay, and . . .”

“I know how messed up this whole situation is,” Sinclair says, “but we need all these babies, otherwise whatever messed-up crap Mr Z involved us in is pointless. So I will raise her baby.”

“I don’t want to be a hands-on mother,” Blayne admits. “To be honest, I don’t even want to be a mother. That might make me sound selfish, but I want to work and go on assignments. To come home to my wife and kids. Fuck it, I want to be the dad.”

I laugh at her. “So, does this mean you two are together?”

Sinclair rolls her eyes. “That’s what you got from that conversation?”

I nod. “Well, my babies will have ten fathers, so their life will be far from normal. How does Colt feel about this?”

“I’m with him too,” Sinclair says, and my mouth falls open.

“I was just as shocked. Colton settling down? Never thought I would see the day,” Blayne adds dramatically, and Sinclair slaps her arm.

“And the rest of your team?” I ask.

“Van is pissed, but he will come around. He likes Sinclair, and I think he is slightly jealous. The others are okay with it and are slowly getting to know her too. Who knows what will happen in the future? We might be one big happy family just like you and your guys.”

I snort. “Not always so happy. I have to stop Chester from killing Boston half the time. Hell, he tried to strangle Laughn the other day. It’s not smooth sailing.”

“Is that a bite mark on your neck?” Sinclair gasps, leaning over to pull my shirt blouse down. I slap at her hands, but she just laughs.

The bell goes, and we all quickly pee before heading to the exam. Our English exam is being held in the sports hall, and the chairs are positioned so that no one is seated close together.

Trace is one of the teachers overseeing this exam, and he winks at me from the side of the room.

“Okay students, you have three hours to complete today’s test. Once you’re done, you can bring the exam to the front of the room and leave. Please remember that once you have handed them in, I cannot give them back.” He glances down at his watch, then back at us. “Your time starts now.”

First, I open the exam, then read the entire booklet before starting. Once my pen hits the paper, I don’t stop until the Trace gives us a five-minute warning. Placing my pen back on the table, I scan what I have written, feeling pretty good. Finished, I stand and head to the front of the class, handing in the test to Trace and leaving the room.

Davis is leaning against the wall outside the sports hall, waiting for me. He pushes off and comes to my side, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “How’d you go?”

“Good, I think.”

“I’m sure you aced it. Are you hungry?”

“Starving, I really want sweet potato fries.”

“I know a good burger place. Let’s go.”

“Wait for me, fuckers,” Laughn says, striding towards us. “You two look cute together.”

“Jealous?” Davis questions, and Laughn laughs.

“Not a chance, because we look fucking perfect.”

Davis, Laughn, and I all go for burgers. I only manage to eat my sweet potato fries, but it’s nice to just relax for a little while and not have to think about babies, rebuilding Olympia, or alpha men who forgot how to share after kindergarten.