20. Soren

Darting upright in bed, my heart pounds heavily in my chest as the fear I felt recedes some. After Adonis had taken me to the doctor to have my leg properly cleaned and stitched, he brought me home, helped me clean up in the shower, and then ate me to several orgasms before rocking me to sleep.

I'd never been afraid of the dark before, but last night, the mere idea of shutting off the light terrified me, and I couldn't stop crying. When Sally had come in with a few soft-lighted lamps to set in each corner of the room to replace the obnoxiously glaring light in the ceiling, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I'd still woken up a few times throughout the night from horrifying dreams, but Adonis had been there to soothe me and assure me that I was in his arms, he wasn't leaving, and I would be alright. I don't know if I believe that last part. Between the robbery, the shooting, and now the kidnapping, my nerves are shot.

Getting up from bed, I go to the bathroom and find a note with a pill container and bottle of water beside it. Reading the paper, I brush my finger across Adonis' manly scrawl and smile at his explanation for the pills.

One to help bring milk into my breasts—the man is obsessed with the idea of drinking from me.

One for any pain I might be feeling and one for anxiety.

All safe for a baby, just in case.

Rubbing my hand across my belly, I'm still a little sad that the test came back negative, though I hadn't been sure I wanted it to be positive, either. Yes, I want children, but I'm young. I figured I'd have plenty of time to decide, but the sorrow I felt made me feel as though I was failing Adonis, even though he reassured me we had all the time in the world and that he loved me no matter what.

I never could have imagined this man would turn my world around so quickly. But I want everything with him, and that includes giving him the baby he so desperately wants to implant in my belly.

After taking the pills, I brush my teeth and get dressed before heading downstairs to find Sally in the kitchen making waffles. "Good morning, darling. How are you feeling?" I shrug as I pull up a stool to watch her work.

"Can I ask you a question?" She bobs her head, pulling down a bowl and finding what she needs for whipped cream. "How do I know when I'm ovulating?"

"When was your last period?" She doesn't miss a beat.

I have to think hard about that. "It ended a few days before the robbery."

"You'd have been ovulating around the time Mr. Lorde had you brought here then. For a few days, you'd have been at your most fertile." My eyes widen at her explanation. "Tests are wrong all the time, you know."

Sliding a plate with a large waffle topped with whipped cream, strawberries, raspberries, and bananas over to me, Sally smiles at what I'm sure is my stunned expression.

"Wrong, huh," I mutter around a delicious mouthful of food. She grins and raises a brow at me, conveying her certainty that this one was.

"I have several more if you'd like one." Her eyes sparkle with mischief.

"Why do you have several more?" Sally must be in her fifties.

Her shoulder lifts casually as she goes into the pantry. "Adonis asked me to be sure there were a few on hand." She returns with two different brands and places them next to my plate before dishing out her own breakfast.

"Where is he?" I finally ask. I suspect I know, but I'm not sure I can go down there again.

"Downstairs." I figured as much.

We finish our breakfast in silence, Blue slowly munching on his own food. He keeps looking up to make sure I haven't disappeared on him. I knew he was a good boy. The shelter had no idea what they were talking about when they said he'd never make a decent pet. He's loyal, sweet, and so smart. He's everything anyone could want in a canine companion.

Grabbing the tests, I gulp down the glass of chocolate milk Sally poured me and push on the hidden wall. "Fingers are crossed for positive!" Sally calls after me.

As soon as I'm down the stairs, I realize Blue has followed after me, and before I can register what's happening, my loyal companion darts forward, attacking a man lying on the floor, blood dripping from a busted cheek and cut in his head.

"Daddy," I call out before he can turn around.

"Baby girl, what are you doing down here?" I don't see my father, and a sliver of worry for the man who never loved me weasels its way past my walls.

"Where's my father?" I ask instead of answering him.

"Hospital," Eli grunts as he drags Blue off one of the men from the warehouse. I think he was the one in charge.

Nodding, I slide into Adonis' side. "So, he didn't have anything to do with what happened to me?" I need to know.

"No," Adonis growls, and I think he's disappointed he didn't get to kill him, but I'm not sure, and I don't want the answer. "His only crime was trying to marry you off to that scumbag client of his." Who is also missing. "He's at the morgue," he answers my unspoken question.

"And him?" I nod at the man on the ground. Blue is still snapping and snarling at him, blood staining his face and paws.

"Abdul Karas. Stark hired him to shoot at you. Hired him to kidnap you before I got my hands on him. And he's been trying to steal some of my territory for years. It's time his bloodline comes to an end."

"Sally gave me these." I hold the tests up, knowing exactly what he'll want to do. "She said tests are wrong all the time and that I was likely ovulating when Eli and Zak kidnapped me." It's been a few weeks since then, so it's entirely possible I may be pregnant.

"Hey! It was more like a suggested trip that we didn't give you a choice in taking," Eli grunts, displeased with my accusation.

"You say potato, I say potahto." Grinning at the men who have become a better family to me than my own, I stroll back up the stairs and head to our room. I've barely made it through the bedroom door before Adonis is on me and carrying me to the bathroom.

"You're getting mouthy," he grunts as he pulls my shorts and panties down. I raise an eyebrow and hand him the sticks. Once he's ripped the packages off and tossed the lids on the counter, I start peeing, and he puts them in the stream before placing them on the counter. After wiping me clean, he pulls up my panties, and washing his hands, he carries me out.

Placing me in the middle of the bed, he lies down beside me. Leaning over, he brushes a finger across my cheek. "How are you?" Tears spring forward at his tender question.

Shrugging, I know better than to lie to him. "Scared," I reply honestly, hiding my eyes because I know I'll see pain in his.

"I'm so fucking sorry, baby girl. They never should have been able to get on the property." I realize that. He's gone over the security before.

"I don't blame you or anyone here. I blame them for thinking for even a second that I belong to anyone other than Adonis Lorde." I glance up at him then, and the fierce look in his eyes steals my breath. "Make them pay, Daddy."

Slamming his lips over mine, he devours me with an intimate kiss that feels like he's sucking my soul from my body. I'm on fire in his arms, and I never want to come up for air. His hands pet me like I'm his own little kitten in need of soothing. In some ways, I suppose I am. I need him like I need oxygen to breathe, and he doesn't hesitate to provide either of us with exactly what we need for the rest of the day.

By the time we come up for air, the night is dark, the bodies in the basement are cold, and the house is quiet. "The tests," I whisper, and we rush to the bathroom for the results.