Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Unable to stand it, he went over and pulled her into his embrace, nuzzling his chin on her hair. She was motionless for a moment before melting into him. “What’s wrong with me?” A whisper. “I’m stronger than this. I have to be stronger than this for her sake.”
He petted her with long strokes of her arm, his chin on the soft springiness of her curls. “You just gave birth two days ago. Cut yourself some slack.” Physical healing was one thing—the shock of it all quite another.
“Two days!” She jerked out of his hold. “Did Charisma try to contact me?” She shook her head. “Oh, how would you know?”
“We hacked your phone,” he said without compunction. “I remembered seeing it in the cabin, went back and grabbed it. It’s over there, on Finn’s desk.
“After we hacked it, we forged a message from you that said you didn’t wish to be disturbed as you were practicing ‘meditative pain management’ prior to the birth. A Psy contact told us the words to use. Charisma Wai replied in acknowledgment.”
“Your contact was smart,” she murmured. “Even Dr. Verhoeven recommended that to me—and I have been working on it. You know Psy don’t react well to most narcotics and the like?”
“Yes.” He ran his hand down her back and was gratified when she cuddled close to his chest again, one hand at his waist, the other on his chest. “As for Ms. Wai, I have a feeling she won’t stay out of contact much longer.”
“I’ll be ready.” Pulling back, Auden reached up to touch her hair, frowned. “It feels so soft.” Grabbing a hank, she brought it to her nose. “And it smells beautiful.”
Remi told her about Saskia. “Redhead,” he said. “Her hair is her crowning glory and she believes all her patients should wake up looking salon ready.” Actual words Sass had said to him once.
“Oh.” Auden smelled her hair again. “That’s a nice thing for her to do.” She sounded like she didn’t know how to take that.
Dropping her hair, she said, “I need to prepare to look more like myself—Charisma might call without notice.”
“I like seeing your curls.” His cat wanted to bat at them, play with them.
Hearing a tiny snuffle before he could give in to the feline urge, he reached over to place his hand flat on the top of the incubator, growling in his chest at the same time.
The monitoring lights danced.
“She’s happy.” Auden’s voice was a whisper. “I feel her here.” A soft punch to the heart. “No wonder my race has—had—all these rules around pregnancy.
“I don’t understand how any Psy who carried a child to birth, who felt that child’s mind come awake when it reached that stage of development, who sensed its emotions, could ever treat that child with anything but tenderness and joy and love.”
Her bewilderment made his leopard growl in affectionate agreement.
The cub’s monitoring lights lit up.
Auden smiled, startled and happy—and beautiful in a way it was difficult to describe. Happiness suited Remi’s Auden.
“She really likes you.”
“Cub knows charm when she hears it.”
Her lips twitched, the woman in front of him as far from the Auden he’d first met as it was possible to get…and nothing at all like the cold and different creature he’d seen that one morning at the cabin.
A stone hand squeezed his heart at the reminder of the sword hanging over Auden’s head.
Chapter 31
Remi, we’ve got a serious problem with the cub’s DNA panel. I’ve run it three times. Same result.
—Dr. Finn St. James to Remi Denier (12 hours ago)
AUDEN TUCKED HER hair behind her ears. “Will you keep the baby company while I fix myself up in case Charisma loses patience quicker than we think she might?”
“Me and the cublet have plenty of conversation to keep us busy.” Remi offered Auden his arm. “Have you been on your feet yet?”
“No.” She gripped his forearm hard as she settled her weight on her feet, but though she wobbled, she was able to stand.
He heard a demanding little rumble at the same time, felt his lips curve. “I’ll organize food for you.”
“I should be embarrassed at that, but I’m too hungry.” Releasing his arm, she looked around.
He pointed to the door to the back and left. “Shower and toilet through there. If I know Hugo and Sass, both will be fully stocked with what you need.”
It took her time to make it to the door, and he kept his eye on her throughout, ready to race over and catch her if he thought she might fall. Finn had told him that her weakness might linger for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Knowing the facilities had sensors that monitored a patient’s vital functions and would send out an alert if anything went astray, he didn’t worry once she was inside with the door shut behind her.