Page 7

Chapter Seven

Aswan

By the end of June, I wasn’t certain if the gods of the ancestors were punishing me or rewarding me.

I couldn’t go longer than a few minutes without remembering the feeling of Hannah in my arms, or the taste of her on my tongue. I was in a constant battle with my Kteer , struggling to keep from claiming her in the most primitive way, while also wanting her more than my next breath.

Yeah, I was screwed alright, and the only thing that kept me centered and focused was her children. The kitlings . How long had it been since I’d called children that? Giza, the oldest of us, had recently welcomed a daughter, and was crowing about the next generation of kitlings in this new world.

Other people’s children had only been kids to me. But Ben, Tova, and Joshy? They were more than just Hannah’s kids. They were mine . Mine to protect, mine to nurture, mine to care for. They were my kitlings, despite belonging to Hannah.

Every day I learned something new about one of them, or myself. As much as Ben loved nature and the outdoors, he was a budding engineer, and his designs were innovative and interesting—and sometimes downright impossible. Tova was a phenomonal story-crafter. Sure, she chattered nonstop, but her imagination was remarkable. I’d already started her and Emmy on writing “books,” and one of our favorite things to do was to read them out loud to Joshua, who chortled and clapped to everyone’s delight.

And Joshua? He was my little guy in every sense. From the moment I got him out of his crib in the morning, to slinging him under my arm while I worked—much to his delight—to walking him in our new and improved stroller to the market…he had smiles just for me. At first, I was afraid Hannah would be offended by this bond, but on the contrary; I often caught her watching the two of us with a soft sort of pleasure in her eyes.

The little boy was completely potty-trained during the day now, barring some accidents. The trick, I’d discovered, was to let him walk around in just a shirt outside and allow him to piss on the bushes. He thought this was great fun, and often bellowed, “Doshy pee-pee!” as he ran for his mother’s azaleas.

The timing of the potty-training was convenient because his birthday was this coming weekend. Hannah was planning a gathering of family and friends in the backyard, and I’d thrown myself into the choosing, purchasing, and constructing of an outdoor playset just for him .

“That’s awfully expensive,” she’d said when I’d suggested it, chewing on her bottom lip. “I don’t know if I can?—”

“It’s my gift to him.” How was I supposed to think about what I was saying when all my attention was on that plump lower lip? “Please, Hannah?”

The first time she’d learned how much money I—and the rest of my brothers—had in our investments, she’d been flabbergasted. When we’d come through the veil to her world, the scientists had spent a full year studying us before letting us loose. The government’s hush money had been wisely invested, and thanks to Abydos’s company, all of us were quite comfortable.

“I don’t understand why you’re working at all,” she’d blurted, throwing her hands up in frustration. “You could be sitting on a tropical beach somewhere.”

I’d caught her hands then, smiling softly, despite how badly my Kteer urged me to claim her. “Because I need to be useful. Because you and the kitlings needed me. Because the only tropical beach I want to hang out on is right here in Eastshore, and I told Sakkara I’d meet him and Emmy with Tova, Ben, and Joshy this afternoon at beach access number fourteen.”

Her grin had been a little lopsided, a little uncertain…but finally she’d exhaled. “You have more money than I do, Aswan, and you’re my nanny. It’s intimidating.”

I shouldn’t have said anything. Instead, I squeezed her hands. “Then let me spend some of it on my favorite people.”

Something changed in her eyes then, something soft and contemplative and a little hot. I thought I smelled her need again, but she nodded and pulled her hands from mine. “Don’t think this gets you out of cooking for the party, though. We’re going shopping on Saturday and have to discuss the menu before then.”

Oh yes, because this weekend? The weekend of Joshua’s party?

The kids would be staying with her parents.

Her mother was in between rounds of chemo, and feeling strong enough to chase after Joshua, with the help of her husband and Ben and Tova, so she’d made the offer to keep them Friday and Saturday nights, before bringing them back for the party Sunday afternoon.

She’d suggested this would allow Hannah the chance to cook and clean and prep for the party, but I’ll confess I was a little fixated on the Being alone in the house with her for forty-eight hours thing.

“Hey, man, focus.”

Tarkhan’s exasperation jerked me from my reverie, and I saw him nodding to something behind me. I turned around, but saw nothing, and when I turned back, his expression had turned to laughter.

“The ratchet, Aswan. Pass me the ratchet, or this thing is going to fall on my foot. Then lift your end , for fu—I mean, for goodness’s sake.”

Smirking at his attempts to curb his cursing as he struggled to hold up one end of the jungle gym, I scooped up two non-identical wrenches. “Which one of these is a ratchet? ”

“The one on the left.” He shifted his stance to keep the heavy playset upright, his voice sounding strangled.

My grin grew. “My left or your left?”

“ Aswan .”

With a chuckle, I dropped the crescent wrench and came to stand over his shoulder and screw in the carriage bolt to take the weight off his shoulder.

“Oh, thank the gods,” he sighed, ducking out from under it. “You know, when you said you wanted my help in putting this together, I didn’t think you meant I’d be doing it all.”

“Really?” I hummed innocently. “I can’t imagine why. You’re definitely the right male for the job. You want a beer?”

I saw him calculating as he eyed the half-constructed playset, then clearly deciding there was time, sighed again. “Absolutely.”

“You keep an eye on them,” I intstructed, nodding to where Ben and Tova were working together to screw the rock-shaped handholds to the climbing wall. “But don’t say anything unless they ask for help.”

With a tired little salute, Tarkhan settled on the porch steps while I hurried inside to listen for sounds of Joshy waking from his nap. Not hearing any, I grabbed two bottles from the garage fridge and headed back outside.

“Here.”

Tarkhan grunted his thanks, his attention on the kitlings. “He’s good with his sister. Patient. ”

“Yeah,” I agree proudly, popping of the cap. “For a long time, he thought he had to be the mature, responsible one, and I think that really weighed on him.”

“Too much responsibility,” my friend muttered. “I feel that.”

I glanced at him and hid my wince. Yeah. Yeah, he did understand. “Well, it’s been cool to watch Ben realize he can be a kid again, you know? Now I see that”—I tipped my bottle at the pair of them working together in the shade of one of the oaks—“and I know that’s the real him. He is patient and kind. I mean, little sisters can be annoying, but he does well with her.”

Tarkhan didn’t say anything, and eventually I glanced over…only to see a sort of stricken look on his face as he stared at Tova.

And I remembered why he was here in the human world in the first place.

“Oh shit, Tark,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

He swallowed and glanced away. “It’s okay. Long time ago, you know? I don’t think about it.”

That was a lie, but I wasn’t going to call him out on it.

Not now.

Not ever.

While I struggled to find a way to drag this normally cheerful friend of mine back into the conversation, he cleared his throat. “So…the party’s on Sunday?”

Thankful, I latched onto the offer. “Yeah. I’m thinking slow-cooked ribs, a few salads, lots of burgers and brats for the kids. Hannah says you and the others are welcome to come. Sakkara will be here, of course.”

He grunted and sipped his beer. “Maybe,” he finally said. Then he shot me a look and took another sip. Then another look.

“What?” I finally asked.

“So…Hannah, huh? She’s…”

I felt myself bristling. “She’s what? Wonderful? Beautiful?”

When his lips curled, I saw the trap. Crap .

“Yeah, wonderful and beautiful, that’s what I was going to say,” Tarkhan smirked. “I’m glad you see it.”

“Of course I see it.” My eyes narrowed. “Do you see it?” This friend of ours was used to human women throwing themselves at him, and if he thought he was going to charm Hannah…

What? What are you going to do? It’s not like you have a claim to her .

Didn’t I?

That kiss…

His chuckle told me everything I needed to know. “I’m not interested in your Mate, Aswan, relax. I’m just…happy for you.”

With that, he pushed himself to his feet with a grunt and meandered toward the half-completed playset, sipping his beer idly while he examined the next steps.

And me?

I sat there, my beer forgotten, stunned .

Mate .

Hannah was my Mate.

Holy fucking shit, Hannah is my Mate ?

My Kteer was howling in glee, and I swallowed, pressing my fingers against my chest until I felt my claws trying to pierce the skin.

Hannah was my Mate.

I knew it. I knew it .

My Kteer knew it, my heart knew it. Tarkhan had seen it—how?

Your eyes, you idiot. Your eyes are glowing.

Fuck, I’d wondered about that.

How had I not realized it?

Hannah was my Mate…and I was hers.

Now claim keep Mate forever taste lick claim Mate CLAIM.

But.

But.

But she was my employer. I was her nanny. I couldn’t afford to claim her, the way my Kteer was begging, because I couldn’t afford anything to change between us.

Hannah had shared about her past, her experience with her ex-husband. She couldn’t afford to allow another male into her life, into her heart, and risk her children. And I would do nothing to risk the kitlings’ happiness.

Nothing .

I took a deep, shuddering breath and bent my head, my elbows resting on my knees. I would never risk the happiness of Ben, Tova, Joshua…or Hannah.

Don’t forget the scent of her arousal.

My lips twitched. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forget that scent, or what it meant. Despite her trauma, despite her tears, she’d been as aroused by that kiss as I was. She’d wanted me, as much as I’d needed her.

No, maybe not.

Maybe to her, I was just a big male with nice muscles who could safely fulfill her fantasies. She’d been attracted to me from the beginning—I’d recognized that even during those first days. It had been a long time since she’d been with a male, right?

Maybe, when she looked at me—when she kissed me—she didn’t see a Mate, potential or real.

Maybe she didn’t see a forever.

Maybe she didn’t want a forever, she just wanted a night.

Or forty-eight hours alone .

With another deep breath, I lifted my head and stared, unseeing, at the half-constructed playset in the middle of the yard.

This weekend, we’d be alone. Sure, we had plenty of work to do to prepare for the party, but the kitlings wouldn’t be around. I wanted her, and she wanted me…and maybe this was our chance.

I’d let her lead. If she showed any indication that she was interested in pleasure, I would show her pleasure like she hadn’t imagined. I would prove that, even if we only had a short time together, even if she wasn’t looking for forever , I would take care of her.

Because there was no need for her to know what my Kteer was demanding. I could show her pleasure without claiming her. I could bring her ecstasy without her being my Mate—hells, Tarkhan did it frequently!

Yeah, that was it.

This weekend, if that’s what my Mate wanted, I would show her pleasure, and not think of tomorrow or next month or forever . I wouldn’t claim her. I wouldn’t pressure her.

And I would do my best to convince my Kteer that no matter how certain I felt it, deep in my chest, Hannah Woods wasn’t mine .