Page 20 of Ours (The Possession Duology #2)

Unlocking the door to the mansion, Kade elbowed the hunk of wood open.

Grabbing Lexi’s upper arm, he unceremoniously ushered her inside.

They hadn’t said a word to each other since leaving the ultrasound room.

Every time she attempted to speak, he was quick to warn her with a scathing look.

There were too many ears listening in that damn hospital.

He didn’t need her to accidentally make their situation worse.

Slamming the door behind him, he warily eyed her from head to toe. He wasn’t used to feeling this conflicted. He loved her more than anything but fuck. She should have been truthful from the get-go. Thanks to her lie, they were now in deep shit.

“Why did you lie to me?” he asked angrily, stepping into her personal space.

Standing ramrod straight, Lexi narrowed her green eyes. She was stunned and hurt by his accusation. What good would it have done her to lie? Especially over something that would be found out eventually. God, he was thick. Obviously, he didn’t know her as well as he claimed.

“Really? That’s where your mind went? You honestly think that I lied to you about the sex of my child?” she countered, squaring her shoulders and standing her ground. “At my twenty-week ultrasound, the tech told me that my child was a boy– ”

“Our child,” he corrected, his voice deep and rough. “She’s ours, Lexi!”

Baring her teeth, she placed her opened hands protectively over her bump.

His sudden outburst put her body on edge.

Her blood raced through her veins, causing her temples to throb with every quick heartbeat.

She knew she needed to calm down for the sake of her daughter but found herself growing more and more agitated with the man standing before her.

“Oh, so you still want to claim her? Even if she can’t be the heir to your precious crime organization?!” she asked, visibly shaking.

“Of course I fucking do!” he growled, his dark eyes locking on hers. “I love her!”

Furrowing her brows, she took half a step closer to him. He was confusing the hell out of her, and she didn’t understand why. “Then why are you mad at me ?!” she hissed through gritted teeth.

Staring at her, he remained quiet for a long moment. He wasn’t mad at her, per se. He was angry with the whole situation.

“I’m not,” he said, purposefully softening his voice.

Scoffing from his reply, she roamed her hands over her stomach to try to stop her daughter from kicking. It seemed as if her little princess was just as upset with her father as she was.

“Then why are you yelling at me? Fucking hell, Kade! I feel chewed up and spit out. I’m hungry and tired.

I have to pee...oh, and now...on top of everything else going on.

..I know it’s only a matter of time before Bloodbayne has me, and our daughter, killed,” she said, her thoughts running all over the place.

God, you’re such a thick-skulled jackass , Demetri chastised. Comfort her right now, or I will do it for you.

Pushing out a defeated sigh, he opened his arms and pulled her into a full embrace. He hated the fact that she was terrified and wished he could take all of her fears away. Like hell he would ever allow anything to happen to his girls. She needed to believe that and trust him.

“He won’t kill you or our baby girl,” he said, nuzzling his lips against the crown of her head. “I won’t let him.”

Pressing her flushed cheek against his chest, Lexi closed her eyes. Listening to the steady thrum of his heart, she allowed herself to take comfort in his arms. Within a handful of breaths, her agitation with him melted away. He sounded so confident, she only wished she felt the same way.

“We need to go,” she said, her voice laced with urgency.

“Go? Go, where? Lexi...there’s no running when it comes to Bloodbayne. He will send Valentina to hunt us down before we even get a chance to leave the Tri-State Area,” he replied.

Lifting her head from his torso, she gave him a quizzical look. What was he talking about? They had ample time to disappear.

“Bloodbayne hasn’t contacted you in days! If we left now, we could get on a plane an—”

“Lexi,” he interrupted, “I’m leaving in less than eight hours.”

Looking at him with wide eyes, she pushed herself away from his grasp. Frantically searching his stoic face, she stammered as her brain raced to make sense of what he was saying.

“What?! What are you talking about? You’re leaving? To where?” she demanded.

Pressing his lips together, he gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

He didn’t know why he was surprised that Nikki kept her in the dark about his little trip, but it pissed him off, nonetheless.

“Thailand. I have some business that I need to attend to. I’ll only be gone a few days. ..a week at most—”

“You can’t possibly leave me here, alone!” she said, raising her voice. “If you leave me...leave us ...we will be dead before you come back. You can’t lea—”

“Lexi!” he exclaimed, gently grabbing her upper arms to make her focus. “Stop! Just...stop...and listen to me, ok? Just...listen.”

Snapping her mouth shut, she reluctantly followed his command. Nodding her head, she waited for him to speak. She prayed that he had at least a semblance of a plan.

Softly running his hands along her arms, he took in a large breath. Centering his gaze on hers, he softened his masculine features. He could tell that she was on the verge of a panic attack by her shallow breaths and dilated pupils. He needed to soothe her, for her sake and their daughter’s.

“Ok. Good...that’s my good girl,” he began, giving her a loving smile.

“Now listen to me. Bloodbayne won’t find out.

I promise you, ok? While you were in the bathroom changing, I had a little talk with the ultrasound tech and the doctor.

I made sure that the sex of our child remained male on all your medical records—”

“How can you be so sure?!” she interrupted.

“Sweetheart, just trust me. They changed the records right in front of my face and I know for a fact that they value the lives of their family members so they won’t say anything...now please, don’t interrupt me again, ok?” he asked, his expression turning stern.

Swallowing hard, she slowly nodded her head. She didn’t believe for a second that the hospital staff would care about his threat if Bloodbayne approached him, but she was curious to hear his plan.

Letting out a sigh, he moved his hands to cradle her face. Keeping her steady, he continued with his train of thought.

“There’s no running, Lexi...the only way to keep you and our daughter alive is to eliminate Bloodbayne.

But there needs to be planning involved.

..this isn’t something that can be done right this second for a few reasons.

For one, he isn’t even in the country. He left for Columbia yesterday and he won’t be back before I come home.

His entire security detail is with him, so there’s not even the slightest chance of a threat.

You, and our baby girl, will be completely safe here for the next few days.

I will be in constant contact with you. I’ll text and call every two hours and as soon as I’m done with this ridiculous mission, I’ll be on a plane coming home to you.

Then we can come up with a plan to take him down, ok? ”

Blinking up at him, Lexi mulled over his words.

If Bloodbayne wasn’t even in the country, then she really had nothing to worry about.

She was more than capable of protecting herself for a few days.

Once he came home, they could take his father out together.

Their twisted little family would then be safe.

This could work, she told herself. No. This would work.

“Ok,” she said. “Just a few days?”

Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her forehead. “I’ll be back before you even begin to miss me.”

Closing her eyes, she melted under his tender kiss. A week alone was nothing. She had been through far worse and had always found a way to keep her head above water. Even if Nikki remained silent, she knew she would be ok.

“Deal?” he asked, his lips curling into a lopsided grin.

“Deal,” she replied.

“That’s my girl,” he praised, pushing a strand of hair from her eyes. “Now why don’t you get ready for bed. I’ll grab some snacks and meet you there. How does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect,” she said, feeling her stomach rumble. “Don’t be long. I’m hungry.”

“I won’t be, I promise,” he replied.

Forcing a cheerful smile, he watched her as she turned on her heels and headed towards the master bedroom. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he waited until she crossed the threshold before dropping the charade. He was stunned that she didn’t ask any more questions. Maybe she finally trusted him?

You’d better hope nothing happens, Kade. You know damn well Valentina stayed behind, Demetri warned.

Turning towards the standing mirror flanking the hallway, Kade set sights on his reflection. Shrugging his shoulders, he hissed a reply. “I don’t think she caught onto that...but it’s not important. Bloodbayne won’t find out.”

Uh huh, his alter replied.

“Oh, shut the fuck up Demetri!” he growled, stepping up to the looking glass. “You’re just trying to get under my skin! Well, it’s not going to work!”

Would you get your head out of your ass for just one second?

! This isn’t about you or me. This is about Lexi.

She needs some reassurance, Demetri countered, switching the direction of the conversation.

She needs to feel like you’ll come back to her, come hell or high water.

Besides the baby, you are all she has left right now. She needs to be loved and comforted.

“Yeah? Well, it’s a fucking good thing that I intend on doing just that, huh?” he bit back.