12. Theo

CHAPTER 12

THEO

The Mouthy One: I swear on all that is holy, if my unborn child was hurt because of Theo's little show and tell, I will star hop myself to Stellaria and extinct his entire race.

Thing One: I'll handle it. You just focus on one endangered species at a time, bro.

Humans are so touchy.

Supes as well, apparently…

I sighed and leaned back in my papasan chair, pretending the ocean view before me was the same one I enjoyed from the terrace of my Teal Coast home.

Maybe I'll just star hop there for a few hours.

Decompress in the hot tub with some twincest porn.

Of course, I knew I wasn't going to act on my compulsion, not least of all because Andre would simply follow to drag me back to this tropical prison.

Although the punishment might be worth it…

I sighed again, knowing full well there were other obligations besides my Demon's approval keeping me here.

"Family" obligations.

Gross.

My begrudging loyalty was misplaced. For as much as this extended clan had warily accepted me into its ranks, here I was, banished to the deck of the grand lodge while the others descended on the resort's infirmary to check on the pregnant human.

Who is just a human…

Violentia was right. I had been creeping in the shadows, but it wasn't because I was hoping to catch a nip slip.

Shocking, I know.

It also wasn't the Suarez family enforcer I'd been keeping an eye on. No, I was interested in— fascinated with, you might say— the unassuming little human currently carrying supe offspring. The reason for my interest had less to do with Kai's parasitic condition and more with her winning my Celestial Cube in the family's annual White Elephant gift exchange a week earlier.

Before somehow activating it later that evening.

Andre had thoroughly scolded me the next day over my decision to throw my weapon in the ring. Only after I'd sworn Kai didn't possess the Stellarian DNA needed to be considered a threat with my cube did he let it drop, but that was probably because he was still recovering from our own debauchery.

Nothing like a good breeding session to take the edge off.

Once my twins had fallen back asleep, I snuck away to check if what I'd told Andre was actually true. It was easy enough to infiltrate the Suarez family compound in my true form, and it didn't take long to locate the bedroom where the human slept. Surprisingly, Violentia wasn't in bed with her, but since I didn't trust the overprotective supe to leave my prey alone for long, I wasted no time getting to work.

It would have made things easier to simply enter Kai's body and look around, but I'd inconveniently discovered morals since finding my stellar collisions, so I decided against it.

Distasteful.

Instead, I unleashed a few dozen tendrils to ‘taste' the air around her. These handy tools weren't simply used to decode emotions but vibrations as well, which was perfect for determining who on Earth was hiding superpowers. It was a little tricky at first—since Kai was carrying a superpowered child sending out vibrations of their own—but I eventually determined she was no danger to us.

The contents of her womb, however, were a different story.

And now I know something the others don't.

It was clear the soon-to-be fathers had no idea what they'd created, as evidenced by their noticeably laissez-faire attitude regarding parenthood.

Yes, yes, glass houses…

I don't need a reminder.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in! Like a dead mouse left on my doorstep."

Sigh.

It appears yet another consequence of my actions has arrived.

Rude, rude, rude.

"Hello, Bunny," I muttered as the petite-yet-formidable Parisian gracefully lowered her bejeweled skinsuit into the chair beside me. "Fancy seeing you here, considering the bar is closed until noon."

She tittered and tapped a manicured talon against the tumbler she carried, and I realized what I'd initially mistaken for ginger ale was actually sparkling wine.

It's a bit early to be drinking, no?

At least without orange juice.

"You underestimate me." She sniffed, offended. "I simply uncorked my emergency reserves."

That's the spirit!

"And you didn't bring any for me, Madame Alarie?" I teased, assuming she was holding out. "How uncharitable."

Bunny rolled her eyes but dutifully reached into her Birkin bag before pulling out the half-empty bottle of Crémant and handing it over.

Jackpot.

"You may have the rest." She smiled sweetly—the way a crocodile does while floating toward a herd of wildebeest drinking at the river. "I don't need to come in contact with any more of your bodily fluids than I already have."

Touché.

I chuckled warmly, thankful there were no hard feelings between me and my fellow social climber.

That's one less person in this family who hates me.

Not that I care.

"Where is that perfect child of ours?" I cooed, knowing exactly how to butter her up. "Instilling terror in the masses, I hope. "

"Last I saw, Simon was holding his brother-in-law back from murdering you." Her smile turned genuine. "He is quite perfect, though, isn't he? Mon vilain."

I hummed in agreement while taking a swig directly from the bottle, feeling markedly less tense thanks to the fizzy salvation I'd been provided.

"It's those impeccable genes of his, Bunny." My grin grew when she daintily snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised to learn that all my scattered offspring have ascended to dictatorial positions in their chosen fields of tyranny. Not that I'm interested in tracking any of them down to find out."

There have been quite enough reunions as it is.

Bunny eyed me knowingly. "Oui. Although… I've heard one of them managed to track you down anyway. A big one."

Her Cheshire smile returned in full force when I groaned in despair. "Don't remind me! I'd be impressed with Ziggy's tenacity if it wasn't so… inconvenient."

Not least of all for making me contemplate!

My drinking companion hummed thoughtfully. "Well, it may be inconvenient for you, Theo, but I am thankful for it."

"Because you love seeing me squirm?" I murmured, watching in amusement as she reached into her bag for another bottle of wine to top off her glass.

She's like an alcoholic Mary Poppins.

"Non," she replied, steadily meeting my gaze. "Because all I've ever wanted was for my son to have a sibling."

Oh.

Upon seeing she'd rendered me speechless—never an easy task—Bunny continued, "I tried for more children and left a few husbands when they couldn't deliver. Perhaps I should have propositioned more supes, hmm?"

Now I was the one offended. "I am far better than a supe, Bunny, and thanks to me, so is Simon."

So there.

"I know this may come as a shock," she scoffed. "But this isn't about you."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find a way to make it about me anyway," I purred in reply, annoyed by the truth in her words. "That's what I do?—"

"It's about family," Bunny brusquely interrupted. "And the sooner you get your head out of your arse, the sooner you'll discover you've not only created one for yourself," she nodded at Gabriel as he rounded the corner to join us, "but for your sons. Plural."

Then, she rose from her chair, stuffed her newly opened bottle of Crémant back in her Birkin, and flounced away.

End scene.

My angel snickered before climbing into my lap. "Dang. You need some ice for those burns, old man? Bunny Alarie does not play."

"No, she doesn't," I solemnly agreed. "And I'm quite upset about it. In fact, I believe the only thing that could soothe my distress would be you bouncing on my cock."

"Theo!" Gabriel hissed, squirming just like he had when I'd fucked him with my tendrils last night during family dinner. "Can you cool it for one second?"

No, I cannot .

It was so easy— and extremely satisfying—to wind this one up, but something had felt… off with Gabriel since we'd arrived on the island, so I obeyed.

"Were you sent to relay news of my execution?" I chuckled, unable to resist burying my nose in his hair and inhaling deeply. I was rewarded with the scent of vanilla and chamomile tea, mixed with chalk pastels and Strathmore 400 Series paper.

And lust, of course.

Delicious.

"No…" he murmured absently, fiddling with the edge of my kimono. "I just got bored of listening to all the Doms trying to out-Dom each other."

I barked a laugh. "Yes, well, aren't you glad you're not trying to be on top?"

As expected, he tensed in my arms before quickly shaking it off. "Yeah. Super glad."

Gabriel's cheerful tone didn't quite match the uncertainty I was tasting on the air, but the desire simmering beneath the surface distracted me.

I just want to devour him.

"Is something on your mind, angel?" I crooned, brushing away a few strands of hair that had escaped his bun before planting teasing kisses along his neck. "You know you can tell me all your dirty secrets…"

Though I think I have at least one of them figured out already.

My angel sharply inhaled as a fresh burst of lust flavored the air. Without stopping my torment, I instinctively raised my gaze to follow the path of his .

Only to land on Micah Salah.

Ziggy's mate.

Oh, well that makes perfect sense.

"Spectacular view, hmm?" I chuckled, absolutely loving this turn of events and positively salivating to enjoy the ensuing entertainment to the fullest extent.

"U-uh… yeah," my perfect slut stuttered, forcing his attention to the sea. "It's so pretty."

Is he now?

I was about to go in for the kill when Gabriel spun to face me. "Why did you show Kai your true form?"

What?

"I… what?" I stuttered, continuously amazed by how my twins could catch me off guard.

"It was a whole deal for you to let me and Dre see," he grouched adorably. "And then you went and showed her like it's no big thing."

Somebody's jealous.

"I was testing a theory," I gently explained while shifting him in my lap to maximize him rubbing against my cock. "I wanted to see how she reacted—how her… body reacted."

Whether the parasites can take over.

Gabriel's expression morphed from confusion to suspicion. "Theo… Did you not learn your lesson the last time you fucked around with supe DNA and found out?"

Obviously not.

"I also don't think it's healthy to be scaring pregnant people," he added with a huff .

Rude.

"Well, I didn't expect her to pass out cold," I snipped, dropping my gaze as inconvenient shame coursed through me. "I'm not that frightening."

Am I?

My angel's hands cupped my face, forcing me to look at him again. "Old man, you are absolutely terrifying."

Any tension left from my conversation with Bunny evaporated with this perfect pillow talk. "I suppose her reaction was inevitable, then," I sighed contentedly. "Should I be expecting Andre to punish me for my crimes?"

Please?

"Nah," Gabriel murmured, trying—and failing—to covertly glance in the direction Micah had disappeared to, much to my delight. "Xanny calmed down as soon as he found out the baby was fine."

Is that all he's worried about?

The baby.

"They don't know the gender?" I asked as casually as possible while fishing for as much information as possible.

"Nope," he replied absently, no doubt thoroughly distracted by his salacious fantasies once again. "They don't want to know what they're having ahead of time."

Mission accomplished.

I kept my intel to myself, partly because I didn't feel like explaining how I'd obtained it, but mostly because life had been a bit… boring since finding my stellar collisions.

Time for a chaos grenade .

Or two.

Let's make it several!

I would do my best to outwardly behave while inwardly waiting for the show to start.

And I don't even need to be the one to pull the pin.