Page 17 of The Love Bitten Series: Vol 2

“Yup.” My lips curved into a grin as I thought about what was in store for us today.

Sliding his palm against mine, he gripped my hand as we teleported to my obstetrician’s office. When I’d first learned about the existence of vampires and the council filled me in on the details of their day-to-day lives, I hadn’t been surprised at the number who chose to become doctors. The risk of being exposed by humans in the medical field was too high, and specialists were notorious for their limited hours and schedules. Trying to convince a human doctor to see you in the middle of the night would’ve been difficult, to say the least.

But there were no such problems with a vampire doctor. Plus, they understood all the ins and outs of our species. For example, since daywalkers were notoriously possessive of their consorts, only female doctors went into the OB/GYN field. Which was a damn good thing because Liam had enough trouble when Dr. Wright had to do pelvic exams. I didn’t want to imagine how he’d react if she was a male daywalker—or even worse, an unmated one.

We popped straight into the exam room—another handy advantage to being a daywalker, the ability to telepathically communicate with the nurse and teleport to the office when they were ready to see us. After the nurse checked my weight and other vitals, Dr. Wright joined us. “Are you ready to see your baby today, Mommy and Daddy?”

“Absolutely,” we replied in unison, making me giggle.

After I leaned back on the exam table, Liam rolled the stretchy band at the top of my pants down to my hip bones. Then he settled in place at my side and laced his fingers through mine.

“This is going to feel a little cold,” Dr. Wright warned before squeezing some gel onto my belly.

I barely noticed since all of my attention was on the monitor to my left. I didn’t want to miss even a second of the ultrasound. Liam and I stared in awe as our baby’s image appeared, and the room was silent until Dr. Wright asked, “Would you like to know the sex?”

Although I sensed Liam’s answer through our bond, my gaze darted toward him to see what he wanted to do. The excitement in his bright blue eyes as they stayed locked on the screen confirmed it. “Yes, please.”

Dr. Wright tapped her finger against the monitor. “You’re having a boy, and he’s definitely not shy about showing off the goods.”

“We’re having a boy,” Liam murmured in a raspy tone.

I squeezed his hand, happy tears filling my eyes. “And with the Bancroft genes, I’m sure he’ll have his daddy’s dark hair and bright blue eyes.”

Dr. Wright scooted off her chair and handed me a tissue. “You’ll probably want to wipe off while I give you two some privacy. I’ll see you again in one month, and then we’ll move to every two weeks.”

Liam waited until she left the exam room, and then he rounded the table and pressed a kiss against my belly. “I’ll always be happy with whatever we get, but I have to admit that I love the idea of a mini-you running around our house sometime in the future.”

“It’s bound to happen at some point,” I reassured him with a watery smile. “We have all the time in the world, and with as active as our sex life is, you’re bound to get me pregnant again before too long.”

EPILOGUE

LIAM

“Happy anniversary, darling,” I whispered in Amaia’s ear before kissing a path down her neck and over her shoulder.

She giggled and rolled onto her back, allowing me to loom over her and gaze down into her beautiful face. “I feel like you add an ‘anniversary’ to our list every year. We’ve already celebrated the day we met, the day we had our claiming ceremony, and the day we were married. Let’s see…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “The day we found out we were pregnant with our oldest…and each one after, the first whiskey we created together, the day you kept me awake during our whole daysleep to set a record for most orgasms in twenty-four hours, and all the rest. How is it possible you’ve found yet another one to commemorate?”

“Every night with you is one to celebrate.”

Amaia’s pale cheeks turned pink, and her violet eyes sparkled. “I feel the same way.” Her lips curved up, and she looked at me expectantly. “So? What anniversary is it today?”

I grinned wickedly, but before I could tell her, I was interrupted by a banging on our bedroom door. “Mommy!” our oldest daughter, Tempest, shouted. “Draven ate all of my cookies!” Then she stomped her foot on the ground like only a wronged six-year-old could do.

“That boy,” Amaia sighed, shaking her head. “His consort better be able to bake if she’s going to be able to handle his sweet tooth.”

“Or learn to cook for himself,” I chuckled. When it came to our children and their magic, we had strict rules about what they could use it for. We wanted them to be self-sufficient without it. However, our eight-year-old son was too clever for his own good. He often found loopholes…such as eating his sister’s cookies, rather than making them himself.

A sniffle from the hallway tugged at my heartstrings. I hated it when any of my girls cried.

“Those were for my school treat,” she said in a watery voice.

“Oh, dear,” Amaia said, her tone sympathetic. “She was so excited.” Then she called out, “I’ll be right there, baby.”

Today was the first day of the school year for our children. Two years ago, an unmated female daywalker had moved into a house down the block. She’d become a schoolteacher a couple of centuries ago, and when she found out there were so many of us in this area, all homeschooling, she put forth the idea of creating a school for “nocturnal” families. We’d all loved the idea and had donated enough money to buy and renovate an old building and pay her salary for at least a decade.

The kids had flipped when they found out, and though she didn’t show it to anyone else, I knew my consort had been a little sad at their enthusiasm to be away from her. But I’d gently explained that it was more about being cooped up inside and being able to see their friends and cousins every day. Then I cheered her up with my mouth between her legs.

They were all starting their second year in the new school, and our very dramatic kids believed the first day set the tone for the rest of the year.

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