Authors: Kate Douglas

Tags: #Romance, #Man-Woman Relationships, #Fiction, #General, #Paranormal, #Demonology, #Revenge, #Paranormal Romance Stories

Starfire (33 page)

BOOK: Starfire

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Still, the restlessness remained. He couldn’t attribute the subtle sense of something undone, of change looming, to anything in particular. He’d wondered if he might be frustrated by the changes in their lives with so many children—Keisha certainly hadn’t planned on twins, but Gabe and Mac were identical, and that single egg had split all on its own. Lucia had come along when Keisha had suddenly realized her boys were no longer babies, that Lily—already an old soul—was growing up faster than she’d expected.

Anton hoped she no longer felt guilty about her unplanned pregnancy with Lucia. She’d released an egg without actually discussing it with him, thank goodness. Lucia was already proving to be a treasure, one they might not have had if he’d allowed his practical nature to interfere with Keisha’s powerful need to mother.

Still, four children meant so little time alone together.

So little time like this past evening, making love. Playing grown-up games as if they had all the time in the world.

Keisha stretched and shifted her position until she lay alongside him. She ran her fingers through his tangled hair.
Thank you for last night. This feels so good, just lying here without anyone depending on us. Without anyone needing anything.

It does.
He nuzzled his cheek against her breasts, now swollen with milk, and sighed. She’d need to leave soon and feed Lucia. He’d heard her get up once during the night, but already it was time again.

Something troubles you, my love. What is it? Everything is so good right now. What can possibly be worrying you?

Her question interrupted his convoluted thoughts, but for some reason, knowing Keisha worried helped him focus his concerns, and it came to him, then. So clearly he couldn’t believe he’d not realized before what was wrong with their lives. What they were all missing.

Don’t laugh when I tell you. It’s the fact that everything is so good.
He rolled his head to one side and smiled sheepishly at her.
I worry that we’ve grown complacent, that we’ve adjusted so completely to our lives as Chanku that we’ve settled into a routine. Routines frighten me. Complacency is dangerous.

Stefan rolled slowly to a sitting position. “Sorry,” he said, stretching. “I was eavesdropping without shame.”

Xandi sat up and leaned against the headboard. “Sweetheart, your middle name is shameless. So what’s this about complacency, and why are we all awake? It’s barely dawn.”

Anton sat up and crossed his legs. He pulled Keisha into his lap and grinned at Stef and Xandi. All of them awake and sitting on the big, rumpled bed, hair in disarray, bodies damp from sweat and hours of sex. It reminded him of those first early months before Lily and Alex were born, when they’d made love every night, when all of this had been so fresh and new.

“Stef and I talked about this a while back,” he said. “The fact we’re all healthy, the children are healthy. We’ve gone five years now without an attack or any threats to our safety. Our lives are as close to perfect as I’d ever imagined, but this perfection reminds me that we’ve forgotten something important.”

He wrapped his fingers around Keisha’s hand and squeezed. “What if I hadn’t found you? What if Stef hadn’t rescued Xandi, or Oliver hadn’t found Adam walking along that road? If Mik and AJ hadn’t stopped in that little bar in New Mexico and saved Tala, or Baylor hadn’t gone in search of the wolf girl and ended up with Manda? Stef? Remember how we used to argue about coincidence versus fate? I still believe in fate, but I think we need to help it along, not wait complacently for fate to happen to us. I’ve been thinking of all the others, the Chanku out there who don’t know who or what they are. The desperation in their lives. The unfulfilled destinies of people just like us, who don’t know they’re like us. Who haven’t got a clue what their lives could be.”

Stefan grabbed Xandi’s hand and lifted her fingers to his lips for a quick kiss. “I would have no life without Alexandria Olanet as my mate, as my wife. None at all.” He turned to her and rested his palms on her shoulders, touched his forehead to hers. “Anton’s right. We’ve grown much too comfortable; our lives are fairly well cocooned. But how do we find them? It’s not like we can run an ad or spike the water supply with Tibetan grasses.”

“No.” Anton chuckled. “Though I hadn’t thought of the water supply angle. I’m actually thinking more along the lines of talking to Liana, maybe even reaching out to Eve. As an ex-goddess, Liana might be able to help. As our current goddess, Eve could possibly steer us in the right direction.”

He raised his head. “All the packs are planning to come for the birth of Adam and Liana’s baby next month. Let’s see if anyone’s got any ideas. We can’t be the only ones.” He shook his head and tightened his grasp around Keisha’s waist. “There are others out there. They have no idea who or what they are. We have to find them.”

Keisha squeezed Anton’s hand, and he stared into her beautiful amber eyes. They were filled with tears—tears that sparkled on her dark lashes.

“I agree with you, my love. I know we should be looking, but it makes me afraid, too.” She sighed. One of those errant tears ran down her cheek and trembled against her lips. With a brusque swipe of her fingers, she wiped it away. “I’m sorry, but I keep thinking of that old saying, something about borrowing trouble.” She shook her head. “Why do I have a horrible feeling that’s exactly what you might be doing?”

A shiver raced over Anton’s spine. Without a word, he tightened his hold on Keisha and held her even closer.

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ISBN: 978-1-4201-2256-5