Page 52 of Stars in Umbra (The Sable Riders #8)

She shook her head, and his eyes narrowed, as if noting the fatigue in her eyes, red-rimmed and shadowed with strain.

She leaned in, her fingers trailing down his jaw, warm and seeking. ‘Can we go upstairs soon, honey, please?’ she asked, her voice quiet but clear.

Kage groaned in mock disappointment. ‘ Nada . You just saved the world. Let us bask in your magnificence a little before you run off into the stars and each other.’

Rina, who was usually the last to leave any party, offered only a wry grin. ‘I’m sorry, I have to pass,’ she grunted. ‘It’s been a long few days, and what I need most is my bed.’

Zane raised his drink. ‘In that case, one ultimate toast: to our newest Rider hero and his woman.’

Mo wrapped Rina in his arms, gathering her close as they stood still with their family for a moment, toasted.

‘G’night, brothers,’ Mo rasped.

‘Sleep well, kaka , and Rina,’ Kainan replied with an approving smile and nod.

The others murmured their farewells, their eyes filled with concern, care, and love as the pair walked away.

MOLAN

Mo saluted with his brothers and their women with one hand, the other around his woman as he guided her toward the elevator.

‘Enjoy making babies,’ Kage called out, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

At the words, Rina faltered in her step.

Mo caught her, his arm slipping to her waist to steady her.

He glanced back at the Riders, his expression unreadable, and raised a middle finger in their direction.

Their roar of laughter followed them into the lift.

As the elevator doors slid shut, Mo sensed Rina tense again.

He stared down at her, his heart sinking.

Her eyes were dilated, dark with unspoken emotion, and a touch of trepidation.

Worry ratcheted through him.

‘You okay, mi kaya ?’ he probed in a whispered rasp.

Rina’s voice was soft, but the heft behind her words struck him with the force of a silent pulse. ‘We need to talk.’

‘OK. Let’s get inside, and you can tell me what’s on your mind.’

She nodded and leaned on him as Mo guided her through the quiet corridors of Sable HQ, his hand never leaving the small of her back.

He opened the door to his suite and let her in first.

Inside, the lights adjusted to their presence, dimming to a soft amber hue.

The chaos of the past day clung to them, but here, in his sanctuary, silence offered them space to breathe.

The balcony doors sat open, letting in a cool breeze and a distant murmur of night traffic.

He kicked off his boots, then turned to her. ‘Relax, sit down, mi kaya .’

But Rina wasn’t settling.

She slid off the top of her armored skin suit, revealing a vest.

She discarded the clothing on the divan.

She toed off her boots and paced, arms crossed, her gaze flicking around the space without focus.

Mo tilted his head. ‘You’re restless, baby. What do you want to talk about?’

She paused mid-step but didn’t look at him.

‘What’s going on, mi kaya ?’ His voice was quieter now.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

In time, she slowed, strode to the couch, and slumped into it.

Her gaze was so solemn, his soul kicked in panic.

He was by her side in seconds.

‘Woman, speak. What the fokk is wrong?’

His growl was authoritative, commanding that she glance up at him, blinking.

She bit her lip, then blurted. ‘I’m pregnant.’

Mo froze.

His vision and thoughts stuttered, and his heart hammered in his chest with a heavy, disbelieving beat.

His breath hitched halfway between disbelief and reverence, and he took a step toward her as if proximity to her might help anchor what he had just heard.

‘Say that again,’ he murmured.

His vocalization was raw and hoarse as he sank to his knees in front of her.

‘I’m pregnant,’ she repeated.

His hands moved before his mind caught up.

First, they went to her face, cupping her cheeks with a gentle touch.

One hand remained on her face.

The other glided lower, his fingers splayed across the flat plane of her abdomen.

His breath hitched as he sensed the pulse of life stirring beneath her skin.

A laugh escaped him, a broken, disbelieving sound, swallowed almost at once by the sob that tore through him.

He pulled her down with him, onto the floor, into his arms, burying his face in the warm curve of her neck.

His body shook with silent, joyful tears, and she wrapped her hands around him in quiet comfort.

She held him as he embraced her and the fragile new life they had created.

He calmed down after a few minutes, then reared back, as he shared a sudden thought. ‘Are we keeping it?’

‘Of course we are, handsome,’ she chided.

He stared at her, shaking his head in disbelief.

‘I freaked out too at first,’ she confessed, smiling despite the sheen in her eyes. ‘Which is partly why I didn’t share.’

His smile slipped, his brow furrowing. ‘Not sure how I feel about that, woman.’

‘I was also in complete shock, so give me a break. We also needed your enemies out of the way first.’

He soothed her with a hand stroking her jawline. ‘Apology accepted. We had a lot going on.’

‘Still, I wasn’t ready, so I grappled with it for some time, but I got my shit together and accepted we’re having a baby.’

He took an inhale. ‘Does this make us a family?’

‘ Naam , forever and a day soldier.’

Rina gathered him close.

He pressed his forehead to hers.

‘ Fokk yeah,’ he whispered. ‘Yes to the baby. Yes to a life together. Yes to you. Always. I love you so much.’

‘I love you more.’

Mo stared into her eyes for a long time, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘How did I get so lucky?’

RINA

After her confession, Rina held her man tighter, unable to speak past the emotion swelling in her chest; relief, joy, and the lifting of her guilt.

When she found her breath once more, she cupped Mo’s jaw, her thumb brushing over the rough stubble there, her eyes wet.

‘Set your burdens down, Mo,’ she whispered.

‘I know the sorrow you’ve carried, the past scars, the pain of it all.

However, I don’t just see the soldier, or the merc, or the pain.

I see the man. I see the god-light in you, whether you believe it or not, and I want to guard it, nurture it, keep it alive with you. ’

She leaned closer, her forehead resting against his. ‘Love isn’t always gentle. It can bruise, it can cut, but I’m not afraid of that. Not if I’m facing it with you. Whatever comes, we’ll face it as one.’

Her hand slid to his chest, over the steady thunder of his heart. ‘I know you’ll cherish our child. You’ll protect them and safeguard us, with everything in you. I want that. I want to build a life with you, even if it’s small and humble. A clan of our own. A family we choose, and fight for.’

Her voice broke into a fiercer tone. ‘The truth is, there’s nowhere to hide from you.

You’ve stripped me bare in every way that matters.

And if it costs me my pride, my walls, even the portion of me that once thought I could walk away, then so be it.

Because I would rather lose pieces of myself than ever surrender you. ’

MOLAN

Mo cradled his woman, his broad shoulders trembling, his fingers flexing against her back like he didn’t trust the moment to stay.

He had never thought this reality, of a lover, a baby to look forward to, and a found family, would be part of his story. Not him. Not after everything. And yet, here she was. Here they were.

Mo’s hand cupped Rina’s face, rough thumb brushing over the softness of her cheek.

‘You’ve done more than stand at my side, mi kaya . You’ve held up a mirror, forced me to see who I really am, more than a blade, more than a weapon. A man. You pulled me back when I would’ve drowned in blood and ghosts.’

His mouth curved, humor breaking through the gravity. ‘And yeah, I laugh when you cuss at me. Fokk , I live for it. Because it always ends with you close, your hands on me, proving you don’t just fight me, you claim me. I need that, woman. I crave it.’

His eyes darkened, his glyphs pulsing under his skin. ‘It wasn’t chance that brought us into each other’s place. It was the stars. Destiny, in fact, and together, we can bend the whole damn galaxy if we choose.’

He drew her closer, voice softening to a vow. ‘I’m over running hot, burning through years like they don’t matter. I’m done with the fast lane. What I want now, what I’m fighting for, is slower, deeper, lasting. It consists of you and our child. A life that’s ours, no one else’s.’

His hand slid to her belly, in devotion. ‘So hear me, Rina: I want to give you my name, my protection, my everything. Please take it all, because I’ll help you lift it. Always.’

When the tide of emotion ebbed, Rina tilted her head, wiping his cheek with her thumb.

‘I’ve always wanted kids,’ he rasped. ‘Remember, I said it to you.’

‘Oh, I recall the moment,’ she whispered. ‘I think you bewitched me, honey. Those words had too much sorcery woven in them. Fact, I think you caused it.’

His brow furrowed. ‘Of course I did, my seed -’

She stopped him with a finger to his lips. ‘You need to know I had protection, an implant in my arm. I believe that when you spoke your Sacran utterance about waiting for me to bear your kids, the potency of your godhood power made it so.’

He knifed back, staring at her. ‘The fokk ?’

‘It’s my working theory at least, nothing else makes sense.’

‘Stop, mi kaya . I instigated the baby?’

‘You might have.’

He racked his brain, shaking his head. ‘I really need a handle on this Sacran shit. I require a whole day with Issa to get around what I’m capable of before I pop off and cause some major damage.’

‘I’m not certain of it, but there’s no other explanation, my love,’ Rina said with a soft smile. ‘Regardless, I forgive you.’

‘ Fokk yeah, you do,’ he growled, reaching to tuck her hair behind her ear.

‘It took a bit to get used to the idea, but when I calmed down, I think I handled it all right. My nausea sucked, but things are settling. I’m happy because I want your child, Mo. Because for whatever mad, celestial reason -.’

He cut her off, his voice thick with truth. ‘I love you too, Rina.’

She laughed, then hiccuped on a sob, and they both chuckled again, tear-stained and grinning like fools.

He pulled her closer, breath ghosting her ear. ‘Then brace, soldier. I’m about to be the most obnoxiously devoted man you’ve ever seen.’

‘Oh yeah?’ she teased. ‘Ready to hold my hair while I throw up?’

‘Damn right I am. I’ll hold your hair, massage your feet, give you the whole freakin’ universe if I have to.’

She cupped his cheek again. ‘The baby’s healthy. He, or she, has some significant Sacran energy. My skin’s been glowing under my belly. I think they’ve got your potency.’

Mo grinned, a little wolfish. ‘I did notice you’re more radiant as of late, but with all going on, I didn’t put it together.’

Her lips twitched. ‘I did, and in fact, I’ve made a month-by-month plan. I’ve got everything mapped until the delivery.’

‘Of course you have, Colonel Precision.’ He chuckled, eyes warm. ‘Sounds like I’ll be the fun dad and you’ll be running military drills in the nursery.’

She mock-punched his shoulder, and he caught her hand mid-air, pressing it to his chest.

Then he kissed her. Slow. Deep. Unhurried.

When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead against hers.

‘You have no idea how much I needed this.’

‘I think I do,’ she murmured, stroking his hair.

He glanced down at her belly again, still awestruck.

‘I’m going to protect this child with everything I am,’ he growled. ‘I will be the wall no threat can climb.’

‘I hope you will,’ she breathed.

In the soft silence that followed, the city lights flickered beyond their window.

Even as the night curled around them, the man who had been built for war cradled the most lasting promise of peace he’d ever experienced.