20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Amelia thought about disappearing under the cover, but that wasn’t going to work.

“You ditched Sheela and Todd, who were there to keep you safe. What would you have done if the hunter got the drop on you? I could be out searching for your dead body right now!” His voice didn’t get louder. No, it got softer and that was scarier than if he was yelling. There was no doubt that he wasn’t going to hurt her. Nope, what she saw was house arrest and guards that would follow her everywhere. This was not how she wanted to live life, even if there was an element of danger in living. What would the world be like if they all pulled up stakes and stayed in the house?

He ranted some more, and she listened because she had ditched the two people who were there to keep her safe. When he was done, she wrapped her arms around him. He was concerned, no, he was scared that he could have lost his mate. It was the same way she felt when he left pack lands.

“I feel the same way. A sense of fear deep in my chest when you leave. Wait, you felt it, didn’t you?”

“I was in that meeting that wasn’t worth the time when a sense of fear flooded me. You weren’t safe. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew there was no way I could get to you in time. I sat talking to possible clients with a fake smile on my face as I tried not to grit my teeth. My pregnant mate, who didn’t know she was pregnant, life was in danger. Yes, I felt it!” he finally screamed, allowing some of the tension to bleed out of him.

She smiled as her hand worked through his hair, feeling the softness of it caressing her.

“Who was it that made sure I had defense lessons even when he knew I was pregnant?”

“One day you may have to defend yourself.” It was a protest but a weak one. He knew like she knew there might be a day she’d have to fight, even if she was eight or nine months pregnant.

“Your lessons came in handy. Not so much hand-to-hand, but the critical thinking. My wolf and I used those lessons.”

“Amelia.” She placed a finger over his lips.

“Listen, please. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I felt that hunter. At first, I thought they were after me. I couldn’t have Sheela and Todd around a hunter. You know what happened with Julie. I thank Luna every day that you’re immortal, but they aren’t, and I will never put their lives at risk for me.”

He gave a grunt, knowing his soft-hearted mate wouldn’t risk another’s life to save hers.

“When I got closer, I knew that the hunter wasn’t after me. That should have given me a release, but the tension I felt ratcheted up in my chest. It was suffocating me with the need to intervene. I couldn’t help it; I needed to see who was in danger. It was this young boy. The same one who gave me a stuffie. Rome, this child was wearing a crown on his head. Only I could see it, but it was there. Then I spotted the woman who was hunting him. She blended in so well with the surroundings. A white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes dressed in a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt. No one looking at her would have thought she didn’t belong. But her eyes, Rome, they were so hard and filled with hate.” This was the part where he was going to lose his shit, and she couldn’t find a soft way to tell him.

“I needed to know to confirm what my eyes and my senses were telling me. I approached her after I pulled out my scarf with the fringe.” She waited, holding her breath.

“What!” His roar felt like it shook the bedroom. Were other people holding on, thinking an earthquake happened? He was up and pacing around the room.

“Rome.” She got out of bed.

“Don’t Rome me. You faced a hunter, walking up to her like it was no big deal. Don’t you care for your life or mine? What about the child you carry?”

Amelia threw her arms around his waist and held on tight. “Baby, she wasn’t after me. I wasn’t on her radar. She was going after a different type, and I hid my hair and all signs of my wolf so she wouldn’t know I was other.”

“It was risky, Amelia, damn risky.”

“I wish you could have seen that child. How was I supposed to bring a baby into this world knowing I stood by and watched someone’s baby die without interfering?”

“I hate it when you break out logic. I want you to be safe. Logical arguments mean nothing to me.”

“I’m safe right here in your arms.” He held her tight, rocking back and forth.

“I killed her.” She held her breath, waiting to see what he would say. It was hard for her to believe she’d killed two people since she left her pack. If the hunting continued, there was a chance she’d kill more. How was Rome going to take knowing he was mated to a killer? The thought made her stomach churn with acid. Not something the expecting mother needed.

Was that what made her an abomination, the willingness to kill to keep others safe? Was that boy’s life worth the life of a hunter? Didn’t she have hopes and dreams too? Tears flowed as she realized she really was an abomination.

Rome picked her up and set her on the side of the bed. “This is one of the things I worry about my soft-hearted mate. Killing Julie was in a rush of emotions. You thought she killed me. Also, you were in a situation of kill or be killed. We’re all primal beings needing to put ourselves first even if we deny it. Anyone in your situation would do the same. This other hunter was different. You made a choice to take her out and save the boy’s life. If you hadn’t killed her, maybe you incapacitated her. She knew what the boy looked like. It would be easier to track him, and she would. She would have kept going until either he or she was dead. You simply took the decision of who would die in your hands. You’re not a cold-blooded killer more like a vigilante for the right side. If I were there and had seen the hunter I would have done the same thing.”

She looked at him with an accusation in her eyes.

“You’re right, but I’m not my pregnant mate and your safety will always come first.”

“You’d give me the same lecture even if I wasn’t pregnant.”

“Your safety will always come first.” He didn’t deny a word she said.

She snuggled closer to him, thinking about what she wanted to say next. This was another of those things he wasn’t going to take well. She wrapped her arms and legs around him.

“You’re acting like an octopus. Why do I think I’m not going to like what you have to say?”

Well, that got a laugh out of her. “You’re not going to like it, but we need to talk about it. I scented and felt the hunter nearby. Neither Sheela nor Todd knew anything was happening. How?”

Rome was quiet, thoughtful. He thought he knew what was happening. He didn’t think his mate would be pleased with the news.

“I was there when the goddess of the Dark Night cursed omegas. When it first happened, I was sure it was to make sure that we never found a mate or had a family. I doubt those very thoughts now. Luna didn’t just make you an omega so that I could have a mate. You could have been an alpha or a beta, as if I would care as long as you were mine. Instead, she made you an omega. The end or so we’re told. Omega the last letter of the Greek alphabet. The end is the furthermost or the extreme point of something.”

“I think that Luna blessed you. That’s why you can sense hunters nearby even if they aren’t coming after you. I can sense a hunter focused on you, but I never sensed one outside of that.”

“Well, get ready.” She was thinking of how she unknowingly tapped into Rome’s alpha voice. “I could be wrong, but I think we’re going to share power.”

He allowed that to roll over his head and slide off. If it happened, they would face a new learning curve. For now, there was something different he wanted to share. He pulled Amelia down and gave her a sweet kiss. Their love making was hot and frantic even after her heat passed. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, and she felt that same about him. Still, there was a part of him that wanted slow and sweet.

He kissed her; it was gentle as he tasted her mouth, taking over but giving her the same chance to explore and taste his mouth. His hands moved down her body in a slow pattern, taking his time to explore every inch of skin under his hands. Then he sent his tongue to lick her and his teeth to nip her. He scented her skin, committing every inch to memory. When he got down to her sweet breasts, he stopped, amazed at the bounty she carried. They were just the right size, and he loved feeling them underneath his fingers and her nipples in his mouth.

“I love everything about you, from your white hair to your kick-ass ability to save children and everything in between.”

Amelia’s heart beat faster. Her mate loved her; beyond that, he didn’t think she was an abomination or a killer with a taste for blood. He understood her need to protect those who had been singled out for no reason but the circumstances of their birth. She might have cried, but Rome took one of her nipples into his mouth, worshiping it. A breathy moan came out as one hand went to the back of his head, holding him in place, and the other went to his back, tracing the muscles she loved to play with.

“Rome.” She wanted more, hot and fast.

“Nice and easy, baby, slow and tender.” The sound of Rome’s voice relaxed her even as she strived for the ultimate freedom, only he could give her.

Her hands roamed his body as he worshiped her nipples and breasts. The feeling of him lying there made her want to scream. He was heavy, but it made her feel safe. Like, no hunter or even Dark Night could hurt her as long as Rome was protecting her. Her back arched as he kissed down her body before turning her over. She took her time moving up and down on him, caressing and kissing every inch of his skin. She loved looking into his eyes; they were golden, and his wolf was close to the surface. Her fingers caressed his arms, and she could feel the short black fur of his wolf.

It was a heady feeling to know she was making love to both. Her pussy rubbed against his cock, encouraging him to make love to her.

“You’re so greedy.” His voice was deeper, driving her wild. She wanted to feel him pounding deep into her until she lost her mind, and then his knot would seal them together.

“Make love to me.” He lifted her up until his cock was slotted against the opening of her pussy. She placed her hands on his chest, and he let her go. Slow or fast, the ball was in her court now. She started slow, savoring the feeling of being filled by his thick cock. The sensations running through her as he touched every inch of her made her want to howl. Her pussy wept with honey as she felt him rubbing against the sensitive walls.

A growl came from her when she was fully seated on his cock. She met his eyes, silver melding with gold, before she set a fast pace. She lifted and then fell on his cock. He thrust into her every time she lifted. Deep guttural sounds came from Rome. They pushed her to go faster to drive her pussy harder on his cock. His thrusts came faster. Soon she wasn’t sure where she ended, and Rome began. When her orgasm came it took her by surprise, she’d be so focused on the pleasure and giving her mate the same pleasure.

Her head flung back as she screamed to the universe that she reached nirvana. Rome didn’t stop; he kept thrusting until she experienced multiple orgasms. With the last one, he drew her close enough that he bit her, sending her off into another orgasm as he came with a shout. His knot enlarged, tying them together.

Amelia could feel her heart racing and her pussy throbbing around his knot. When she finally reached the ground with no more fireworks going off, if you asked, she’d swear she’d seen an angel or two. Rome made her comfortable on his chest, and she fell asleep knowing she was loved for who she was.