CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Walking into the clubhouse's main sitting area the following morning, Viper frowned on seeing every one of his brothers there. "How come you're all gathered here?"

"We're waiting to hear if we're right in guessing that Ella now knows everything," replied Dice from the sofa. "Blackjack said he saw you teleport her to the yard last night; said you were gesturing for her to look around and that the conversation looked intense."

Viper planted his feet. "She now knows everything."

"How'd she take it?" asked Darko, leaning against the pool table.

"Far better than I thought she would." Viper was equal parts proud and relieved. "Don't get me wrong, she was shocked to hear what I'd become. Probably a little unsettled, though she didn't admit to it. But she rolled with it. Rolled with all I told her about our history and situation. Doesn't hold the curse against me. Most importantly, she still accepts my claim on her."

"I figured that," began Ghost, who was sitting on Dice's left, "since I noticed you two leave the compound last night on your bike and she was wearing the vest you had made for her."

From his stool near the bar, Razor slammed a glare on Ghost. "You didn't tell us that."

"What goes on between a man and a woman is their business," said Ghost.

Pushing away from the wall, Omen shot him a hard look. "You know we've been standing around asking each other how we think Ella might've reacted to all he told her. You could have put our minds at rest."

Ghost lifted his shoulders. "It was more entertaining watching you all sweat over it."

Razor clenched his jaw. "There are times I tell myself, ‘You know, he's not really that much of a prick; I'm hard on him.' Then you do shit that reminds me you are, in fact, a total prick."

Ghost put a hand to his chest, as if hurt. " I'm not the one slandering my brother's good name."

"It ain't slander when it's true."

"It ain't true, so it's slander."

Viper lifted a hand, palm out. "Stop."

Razor moodily grunted. Ghost only smiled.

Sprawled on an armchair, Jester looked up at Viper. "How come you never gave us a heads-up that you meant to finally unload it all on Ella?"

"Because it wasn't planned. I only told her because I didn't really have much choice." Viper paused. "She received another note. It said, ‘Everleigh'. Which means they're definitely being sent to her by someone from the upper realm. My business decisions virtually led them straight to her. It's the only thing that makes sense."

It pissed Viper off something fierce that he hadn't considered someone would do that. He should have been more careful for her sake. "She naturally wanted to know who the note referred to; she'd sensed from my reaction that I knew."

Dice twisted his mouth. "They'd obviously guessed that you hadn't told her everything; they were placing you in a position where you had to."

"Yes," Viper agreed. "They'll want her dead. Not merely to punish me, but to make a point to any current or future member of the Seven: If you fall to be with your own personal Ella, such a move will only lead to that person's death."

Razor grunted in agreement. "Is there any way to lure this bastard out into the open?"

Hustle sat up straight on the other armchair. "We could ask Ella—"

"We are not using my woman as bait," Viper snapped. His entity wanted to slap the angel for even suggesting it.

"It wouldn't work anyway," Omen remarked. "They'd know that Viper would never leave her unprotected; they'd guess it was a trap."

"I don't think we'll need to lure them out," said Dice. "Their last note basically announced their presence. They're probably bored and want to go back home. It won't be long before they step out of the shadows. We'll be ready when they do."

"Interesting choice of breakfast."

Looking up from the clubhouse's kitchen table, Ella cast her sister an unapologetic smile. "You want some. You know you do."

Mia snorted at the bowl of ice-cream and then made her way to the coffee machine.

It wasn't uncommon for them to see each other at the Black Saints' compound, since both spent many nights here. On those occasions, they had breakfast together before heading off to work. Today, however, they'd get to laze around due to it being Sunday.

Shifting a little on the stool, Ella scooped up yet more ice-cream and all but shoved it into her mouth. "I had a massive talk with Viper last night."

Mia's brows lifted in interest. "Really?" she asked as the coffee machine came to life.

There was still a sense of surrealness to all he'd told and showed Ella. She'd barely fully absorbed it. It hurt to think of how they'd once had their chance at happiness stolen from them. But now, thanks to him, they had a second chance. That he'd searched for her, fallen from the upper realm for her, so shrewdly infiltrated her life in his determination to keep her … it made her love him all the more.

"Well, don't leave me hanging. Elaborate."

"He told me everything. And I mean, everything. His story … well, it's a doozy. But I'm under a geas, so I can't share it." Ella gifted her with an apologetic look.

"Dice once hinted at it being kind of dark; he was worried you'd reject Viper because of it." She took a moment to scrutinize Ella's face. "As you look happy, I'm going to assume that you're not here against your will."

"Huh?"

"Well, I don't for one moment think that Viper would let you leave him, so it struck me that if you had rejected him he could very well have trapped you here."

Honestly, Ella wouldn't put it past him to do such a thing. "I didn't reject him. I'm here of my own free will. I … "

"Love him, I know. 'Bout time you realized it."

What the fuck? "You knew?"

"Of course I knew."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You needed to work it out for yourself."

"Heifer," Ella playfully tossed out before shoving the last of her ice-cream into her mouth. "You're always so stingy with information."

"Right back atcha. You learned lots that you're not sharing."

Ella dropped her spoon into her empty bowl. "I can share something else."

Mia's eyes lit up. "Ooh, what?"

"Unfortunately, it's not happy news. I got another note. I can't say what it said, because you'll only ask what it meant and I won't be able to explain. But, for reasons I can't go into, we're thinking it was written by a celestial. One who seeks to punish Viper for falling and thinks they can do it through me."

Mia's brow furrowed. "But … the notes were coming before you got involved with him. Unless you two were sleeping together for longer than I thought but you didn't tell me?"

"No, it's not that. Let's just say they were able to detect his interest in me." Ella scratched at her nape. "I don't know if I should tell Luka about the note. I mean, he'll have all kinds of questions. Some of which I won't be able to answer, which will lead him to ask more questions. Learning I'm in a relationship with the president of the Black Saints is going to make him mad. Hearing that Viper put me under two geasa will only enhance that fury."

Mia nodded, pouring coffee into her cup. "He'll hate that there are secrets he isn't privy to. Rationally, he'll know that that's how it goes with couples. But you're his anchor, so he'll ignore rationality. Especially when he won't want you to be with Viper. And if Luka hears that a celestial is on your ass, he's gonna be pissed at Viper. He'll hold him responsible for the danger that you're in."

"And by telling Luka it's a celestial, I'll be dragging him into a situation that I don't want him to get tangled up in."

"It might be best to not tell him about the note. You might not like the idea of hiding stuff from him, but there'll be plenty of stuff that he doesn't tell you regarding his own business—mostly for your protection. This is no different."

Ella lifted her brows. "That's true."

"My advice? Keep him ignorant. It's for his own sake as well as all those whose secrets you need to protect. You'll have to keep Mom and Jocelyn ignorant, too." Mia exhaled heavily. "You have practice at that sort of thing, at least. But you did try to tell them about your love life this week. Twice, actually."

The first time, she'd gently raised the subject of the Black Saints … only for both Melodie and Jocelyn to talk about how they really needed to get started on petitioning to have the fallen angels removed from the Underground.

In response, Ella had thrown in a comment about how well the club had integrated itself into demonic society; claimed that they could only have made important allies like Knox and Maddox if said allies felt certain that the club meant no harm whatsoever to the demons existing in this realm. Melodie and Jocelyn had strongly disagreed, tossing out stories of the deaths of past incantors who were wronged by the Fallen.

The second time Ella had tried broaching the subject, Melodie had scowled and said, " Don't make me think about them, I'm too annoyed that Knox refused to forbid them entrance to the Underground. " Ella hadn't even known until right then that her mother had actually made such a direct appeal to him.

Ella rose from her stool. "I've given up on the idea of gently breaking it to them. The fact is they're not going to take it well no matter what approach I take." She crossed to the sink and plonked her bowl and spoon into it.

Mia's brow furrowed as she stared at the bowl. "What made you settle on having ice-cream for breakfast? You on the rag or something?"

"No, but it helped me ignore the weird taste on my tongue." Ella grimaced. "It's been there since I woke up. I was going to scoff on a banana instead, but the smell of it turned my stomach." She wrinkled her nose at Mia's mug. "Same goes for your coffee, actually."

Mia poked her tongue into the inside of her cheek. "Hmm."

"What does ‘hmm' mean?"

Mia set her cup on the counter and then curled her fingers around Ella's upper arm. "Sweetie, why don't you come sit down?"

Allowing her sister to usher her back onto her stool, Ella frowned at the odd expression she wore. "What is it?"

Mia clasped her hands and hesitated, seeming intent on choosing her words carefully. "Having ice-cream for breakfast isn't exactly normal for you, is it? You have headaches that come and go. Also not normal. Certain smells are bothering you. Again, unusual. Now you also have a funny taste on your tongue. Definitely abnormal. And maybe it's nothing, but … " Mia trailed off and bit her bottom lip. "When was the last time you had your monthly code red situation?"

Ella went very still, startled by the question. "I'm not pregnant," she breathed.

"When was it?" Mia gently persisted.

"Well, it was … " Ella frowned, struggling to recall the last time she'd had her period. Her belly began to churn. "Shortly after I slept with Viper at the Red Rooms the first time." She scrubbed a hand down her face, feeling the blood drain from it. Her demon wasn't one to panic. Ever. But its unease was amping up with every second.

Mia gave her a gentle smile. "I think you should let me check you over, just in case."

Ella's pulse started to kick up. "I can't be pregnant."

"It's possible that I'm wrong. Let's be sure, though."

Swallowing, Ella rubbed her palms over her thighs. "Okay."

Her sister gave a satisfied nod. "Just relax. Stay nice and still for me." She rested a splayed hand on Ella's stomach and closed her eyes.

Her nerves winding tight with anxiety, Ella worried her lower lip. She fought the urge to tap her foot restlessly, impatience battering at her. Finally, her sister's eyelids lifted. "Well?" Ella all but croaked.

Clasping her hands again, Mia smiled. "Congratulations, sis. You're going to be a mom."

Oh, fuck .

Ella's ability to think coherently promptly went right out the window. She sat there in stunned silence, her mind whirling; her thoughts jumbled; her hearing tinny.

Mia kept talking, but Ella didn't take in a single word. Couldn't. She was stuck trying to absorb what she'd just heard.

Ella barely registered her sister disappearing from her side. What could have been minutes or hours later, a warm cup was pushed into Ella's hand.

"Drink this," her sister coaxed. "It's just herbal tea. Safe for pregnant women, I promise."

Pregnant.

Maybe it was the sensation of warmth from the mug that snapped Ella out of her panic. Maybe the word ‘pregnant' hit hard enough to make the entire situation sink in. Whatever the case, she felt her brain begin to slow its roll.

Her demon's shock swiftly became buried beneath the avalanche of parental protectiveness that had rained down on it. The wellbeing of the child now its sole concern, its sense of hypervigilance shot into the stratosphere.

"Do you know what you want to do?" The careful question from Mia was empty of judgement.

There was a lot that Ella didn't know, but she felt certain of one thing. Setting down the cup, she said, "I want to keep the baby."

Mia cast her a supportive smile. "I'll be terribly surprised if Viper doesn't feel the same."

Her child wouldn't be the first half-celestial-half-demon to be born. Some of the Fallen had bred with demons when they first fell eons ago—the eventual result being the creation of the breed of demons known simply as descendants.

It was believed that some archangels had also fallen back then; that they, too, had reproduced with demons. In fact, some thought that Raini's mate Maddox had archangelic blood. But Viper was the incarnation of a deadly goddamn sin, which made this situation a little different.

Ella wouldn't care if her child was half rhino—she'd love it no matter what. But she feared for it. The demon world wasn't even kind to descendants; considered them mutts. They weren't going to welcome her baby.

Mia gently squeezed her shoulder. "You need to tell Viper."

"Tell me what?" he asked, striding inside.

Ella jumped, almost knocking over the cup of tea; her palm flying to her belly in an unconscious protective movement.

Viper's brows drew together. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," her sister quickly assured him. "Ella just has some news."

He frowned. Squinted. His gaze dropped to the hand on her stomach. Then his blue eyes widened, his broad shoulders turned stiff, and his facial muscles went slack.

Viper's gaze slammed back on Ella's, disbelieving. "You're pregnant."

"Yeah," she rasped. "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

Holy shit . Viper could only stare at her, stock still. His gaze again dropping to her stomach, he felt a fierce surge of possession rise up inside him. His woman was pregnant with his baby. He swallowed hard, his throat growing tight; emotions burning brightly in his chest.

And, inappropriate though it might be, he had the visceral urge to take her to the floor and bury himself inside her—which his equally pleased entity was all for.

What they weren't pleased about was the fear in her expression.

Protectiveness dancing around his system, Viper walked straight to her and caught her face in his hands. "You're going to be fine," he firmly stated, refusing to consider any other possibility. "Both of you will be."

"I love how you think that the force of your will alone is all that's necessary to ensure that," she said, mirth playing over her face and chasing away some of the fear.

Mia smiled at them both. "This is so awesome!"

"Also slightly terrifying."

Viper moved a little closer, hugging Ella to him. "When did you find out?"

"Just now. Mia suspected it, so she did a little magickal scan to check." She looked at her sister. "Thank God you did."

"How far along do you think you are?"

"No idea," said Ella, shaking her head. "I've been feeling iffy for weeks, but part of that was because my sleeps weren't restful. The … dreams I talked about seemed to have stopped, but I still felt tired. This could have been why, I don't know. The symptoms of demonic pregnancy don't always start straight away. I had my last period over a month ago."

They'd always used condoms until recently, but she was on the pill. So either the pill hadn't been effective, or they'd come across a faulty condom at some point.

Viper palmed her stomach as he touched his mind to that of the child inside her, being sure to include her in the psychic ‘loop' he opened: Hey there, little one .

The young, underdeveloped mind stirred. It ever so gently bumped his, contentment traveling along the ‘channel'.

She gasped, her eyes going wide. "Was that the baby?"

"Yes."

"I-I never felt anything like that before."

"The baby won't be able to reach out on its own yet; only to respond to you when you open a telepathic door. As soon as your mind withdraws, that door closes. The baby's too young to open it alone."

"Wait, so you heard it?" asked Mia.

He shook his head. "It didn't speak, just responded with emotion. It feels content." He looked back at Ella. "Going by its psychic development, I'd say you're at least three weeks along."

Her mouth dropped. "Wow. Demonic pregnancies generally last thirty weeks."

"Celestial pregnancies go on for roughly twenty-six weeks. There's no saying how long exactly yours will last."

Seeing pure male satisfaction glittering in his gaze, Ella said, "I don't need to ask if you're happy about the pregnancy."

"I'm fucking overjoyed." A line briefly appeared between his brows. "Though I worry for you. It's not easy for non-celestials to carry archangelic babies."

Ella glanced at her sister, expecting her to react in some way to hearing Viper's confirmation that he was in fact an archangel. The woman didn't bat an eyelid, so she'd apparently decided for herself that the rumor was true.

"An ultrasound scan might help give you an idea," said Mia.

Ella grimaced. "I'm not keen on making this public yet."

"There are doctors who'll be discreet and won't ask questions. I know of one. I can contact him and arrange a scan for you, if you want," Mia offered.

Viper gave a curt nod. "Do that."

Ella frowned. "But what if this doctor isn't keen on being so discreet when they see you ? They'll assume you're the father and then know that the baby must be half celestial."

"We can conceal his face using a glamor spell," Mia suggested.

Ella blinked. "That's a good idea."

Her sister shrugged. "You would have thought of it yourself if you weren't flapping."

Ella squeezed her eyes shut. "God, everyone is gonna lose their mind when they find out."

Viper took her hand and gave it a supportive squeeze. "We'll tell your family and anchor together that you're pregnant and that the baby's mine."

"But they might say mean stuff to you."

He felt his brow pinch. "You think I'm going to let you have that conversation alone when I know how hard it's gonna be for you?" She wouldn't ever again have to do anything alone. He'd be right there, as would his brothers if she needed them. "I want you to consider moving into the compound."

"That's a good idea," Mia chipped in. "It's got better security measures than our complex. Not to mention it's inhabited by a bunch of people who would die to protect you and the baby if need be."

Viper could have kissed the woman. He could have. She'd said exactly what he'd been thinking, and it was clear that Ella was now ruminating on it.

She cleared her throat. "Well, yes, but … "

"Hey, I know it's a lot of change all at once," said Viper. "If you'd rather I moved into your building with you, I can do that."

Mia lifted a hand. "My personal recommendation would be the compound. Or some kind of walled-off estate where you can have crazy security measures."

"Is that really necessary?" asked Ella.

Just then, the air temperature dipped as Viper's entity surfaced. It lowered its glowing-white gaze to her flat stomach and rested its hand there. "Not a lot of things come as a shock to me, but this did. You should not worry so much about the reactions of your relatives and anchor." Its expression turned grave. "It is not them who are a danger to the child."

Her gut tightened. "Danger?"

"The people in the upper realm won't like that Viper has a child. If they find out, they'll try to kill it before its even born."

Ella's breath hitched, and her demon froze. "You're serious?"

"Oh, yes. Viper wouldn't want you to know that. He wouldn't want to scare you. But you need to understand the threat-level if you're to properly protect the little one here. Also, I find that fear is a good motivator—you should let it motivate you to relocate here, where you and the baby will be safest." It nipped her lower lip. "Take care of it and yourself. We'll talk again soon." It retreated, and Viper's eyes went back to their normal startling blue.

She swallowed. "Was it telling the truth? Will some in the upper realm truly think of harming the baby?"

His lips flattened. "Yes, but it won't happen." A firm, hard statement that allowed for no doubts. "There's no reason they should learn of your pregnancy. At least not for a while, providing we're careful. They'll be reluctant to act if and when they do, since you're a demon. It could risk starting a war."

Oh, Ella would set fire to the fucking Earth if anyone or anything tried to harm her child. There'd be a war for certain.

He gave her a hard look of reassurance. "I won't let anything happen to you or the baby, Ella. No one will touch either of you."

No, they wouldn't. She'd never allow it. "Will it need to drink blood?"

He hesitated. "Possibly. I can't know for sure. The baby will tell you if so. Once it can reach out on its own, of course."

She felt her brow pinch. "Tell me?" she echoed.

"Likely using telepathic images. Archangelic babies are highly advanced both intellectually and psychically. Our child might only be half archangel, but that won't make much of a difference. Even now it'll have a very good understanding of the things happening around it."

She stared at him dumbly, her brain stuck on ‘highly advanced'.

"The baby will see we're not living together, for instance. It's doubtful that they'll like it."

Her brow hiked up. "Oh, so I should move in here because the baby won't otherwise like it?" Not that she was going to argue about relocating.

Viper brushed his nose against hers. "Like I said, I'm willing to move to your building. But I would hope you'd prefer to be surrounded by the kind of protection you might turn out to need if things go to shit. Especially when we have strix hanging around. They can't get in here. Not ever. Your complex? I don't know about that."

Ella sighed. "I'm not going to fight moving in here. It's not like I'm supremely attached to my apartment anyway. And with the danger the Uppers represent, I'll take whatever precautions necessary."

Relief flashed in his eyes. "Good. The baby will be pleased by that."

She snorted. "Like it's really affected either way right now."

"It is, as I explained before, highly adva—"

"I don't want to hear that part again, it's freaking me out." A thought occurred to her, and she leaned forward. "Can the baby wield power?"

"Yes, though not a lot. Give it a month or two, and you'll probably see some real displays of power. That's generally how it goes with archangelic babies."

She felt her jaw drop. "You're serious?" The words came out on a choked whisper.

"Very."

Oh, fuck. "What sort of things will they be able to do?"

Viper pursed his lips. "I'm not sure. They're half archangel half incantor. That's one hell of a mix. Their demonic nature could put a spin on their archangelic abilities, and vice versa. On the other hand, their gifts might be either more celestial or more demonic."

She blinked rapidly. "I don't know what to say."

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't stress over it. There's no need to. The baby will be fine. They'll have better control over their abilities than a demon baby. That's good, right?"

"Good," she echoed numbly.

His lips twitched. "I know it's early days so you might be reluctant to share it with more people but, given how we'll want to step up security measures, I'd like to tell the whole club about the baby."

His woman absently dipped her chin. "I'm good with that."

He telepathically reached out on his club's channel, saying, Club meeting, be here asap. "When do you want to pass on our news to your mother, aunt, and anchor?"

Another sigh. "Soon. But not until after the scan." What will you being an incarnation of a deadly sin mean for the baby? she asked telepathically, worrying her lower lip.

Maybe something, maybe nothing. There's no history of this happening before, so I've no idea what to expect. But we'll handle what comes together. He tugged gently on her hand, urging her to stand. "Come on. Let's go share our news."

Not long after, they were in the meeting room, her sat on his lap while the others settled themselves on the chairs gathering around the table. "I'll get straight down to it. Ella's pregnant."

"She's what?" spluttered Hustle, shocked.

His face going slack, Dice straightened in his chair. "No way." He exchanged glances with the others, who were all equally stunned. "This is … I mean, it's good, but whoa ."

"Whoa works," mumbled Ella, still a little dazed.

Ghost smiled, rubbing his hands. "Well, congratulations."

The rest of the club passed on the same sentiment.

Viper nodded his thanks. "We don't know how long the pregnancy will go on for—the lengths differ for archangels and demons. We think Ella's roughly three weeks along, so that gives us something like four or five months before the baby is here."

Raising his hand, Darko bit his lip. "I hate to be the voice of doom and gloom—"

"No, you don't," argued Jester. "You love that shit."

"—but you know what the Uppers will do if they find out, right?"

"We've always been prepared for them to ‘visit'," Viper reminded Darko. "We'll be ready if and when they do. They will not touch Ella or our child."

"No, they damn well won't," agreed Razor. "Every person in our club will fight to keep them safe. If the Uppers do come here, they won't know what hit 'em."