Read Online Dark Solace by Tara Fox Hall - Free Book Online Page B

thoughts,” Dev whispered
eerily, kissing my shoulder.
    I smacked him hard on his chest. “Stop being
creepy,” I said, giving him a dark look.
    “I can’t help it,” he said, nibbling at my
neck. “I’m very happy, Love, and I have always loved teasing
you.”
    I didn’t answer.
    “What were you thinking? Something wildly
inappropriate, as usual?”
    I knew about Harriet from Theo, but Devlin
might have more information. He was likely the one who had actually
talked to Samuel. “Theo told me about Harriet,” I replied
hesitantly, testing the waters. “I’m wondering if they’re planning
on trying for me again.”
    Devlin hugged me. “They’re demanding
information. I told them of the different trials you faced in your
pregnancies. So far, they’ve attributed their own failure with
Harriet to bad luck.” He paused. “There is good news; Samuel sent
his condolences about your ‘new barren state’—”
    Hope swelled inside me. “He bought it?”
    “Hook, line, and sinker,” Devlin said,
smiling widely. “He’s stopped clamoring for me to share you with
him. Once we give him your health records, we’ll be free of
him.”
    “That will be such a relief,” I murmured.
    “For me, too,” Devlin affirmed resentfully.
“I want them to fuck off, and this should make them get lost. They
are never getting you, Sar. Never.”
    “Language,” I cautioned, putting my finger to
his lips. “You are a father now.”
    “Sar, if I loved you for nothing else, I
would love you for that,” Devlin said passionately. “Venus is
everything to me now. I miss her if we are apart more than a few
hours. I finally moved her crib to the nursery. I was waking her up
by spending so much time touching her, and she needs to sleep.
Serena is watching her at night. I have cut back on her other
duties a little, and she is enjoying the break.” He paused. “I’m
sorry I didn’t tell you about her and me.”
    I shifted uneasily.
    “Truthfully, I had forgotten it happened. It
wasn’t for pleasure, it was business—”
    “I’m good with that,” I said, covering his
mouth. “You can stop now.”
    Devlin reached up and removed my hand. “Then
will you give me your Oath again?”
    “Can you keep it this time?” I replied
evenly. “If I should ever walk in on you again—”
    “I promise you, you won’t,” Devlin said
quickly.
    “— ever again see you like that with
someone else, there won’t be any more chances, Dev. I mean
that.”
    “I’ve learned my lesson, Sar,” Devlin
replied, laying his head on my chest. “It won’t happen again. But
I’m not demanding your Oath, if you aren’t ready to give it.”
    That was a relief. But why wasn’t he? “I
appreciate that,” I whispered finally.
    “I want you to,” Devlin assured quickly. “I
just want you to know that I’ll protect you either way, and give
you my blood when you need it, though the latter I’d prefer to
administer during lovemaking, to ease the pain you feel—”
    That was the only reason, sure. “I appreciate
that, too.”
    “Will you do it?” he pressed. “I have your
choker here.”
    “Not right away,” I said firmly. “But I’ll
come to stay with you as I did before, every week. If everything is
still okay between us by the end of the year, I’ll Oath to you
again then.”
    “I can wait,” Devlin said with surety. “I’ve
waited this long. A few months won’t matter.”
    I ran my fingers through his hair. “It will
go by in a blink.”
    Dev sighed. “With you, yes, it will. Are you
staying tonight?”
    “Of course,” I answered. “Go back to
sleep.”
    * * * *
    Danial was pleased that I’d made up with
Devlin. He was more pleased that I would be renewing the Oath at
the end of year. Still, it gave him a lot of pleasure that his was
the only choker I would be wearing until then.
    Theo was less happy, but he stoically
accepted it as necessary. We didn’t really talk about it much. Our
time together was mostly taken