Claim Her (The Warriors of Hades 1)

When he looked into their faces, he could see the same thing reflected back at him: she was theirs, and they were just as possessive and territorial of her as he was. What a strange and wondrous thing it was to care about something other than himself and his brothers.

He placed a hand on her belly and anticipated all the things the future held for them.

Epilogue

Three years later

Tessa smiled as Marren, her two-year-old son she had with Rylan, ran around the cooking area, trying to get away from his little brother. Darak, her and Zarek’s one-year-old son, giggled as he chased after his brother, but when he tripped over his feet and fell onto his hands and knees, that laughter turned into cries.

But Zarek was right there, picking up their little boy and pressing him to his chest. Both of her children looked just like their fathers. They had the same black hair, and although their skin was red, it was a few shades lighter. The dark lines of their wings marked their backs, but they were too young to use them, so they lay dormant.

The only thing about her children that resembled her at all was the fact that they had her blue eyes.

She was due to have her third child, another son for Soran, any day now. Her mates had explained years ago that their kind could not father female children, so that was why they had sought her out at the auction. It didn’t matter if her children were male or female though. She was grateful to be a mother and loved them unconditionally.

With her belly big, her feet swollen, and the energy being sucked right out of her, the most she could do on any given day was rest with her feet propped up. She had seen numerous humans pregnant during her lifetime, and in every instance, they were miserable right before they had the babies.

Her pregnancies had been the same each time: ten months in length, and right before she had her children, the pain of carrying such a large baby—given the fact that her mates were impossibly big—became too much to handle.

Marren ran up to his brother and started murmuring incoherent and coherent things. Darak instantly stopped crying but refused to let go of his father. Rylan scooped up Marren, but before they strode to the playroom with the kids, they looked over at her and grinned. She cared for them deeply, couldn’t picture her life without them anymore, and knew that fate had to have had a hand when Rylan purchased her from that auction.

She rested her head on the back sleeping platform and closed her eyes, but the peace was short-lived when she sensed Soran sit beside her. Their appetites for her were insatiable, but Tessa couldn’t deny that she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

He rested a hand on her abdomen, and she marveled every time at how much larger their species was than hers. His red hand covered nearly the entire width of her swollen belly, and when he moved his palm back and forth, heat started to fill her. “Once you have the baby and feel up to it, perhaps we can take a trip? I hear the beaches of the Aquatica Ocean are especially beautiful this time of year.”

She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Soran. Over the last two years, she had learned a lot about her males and realized they may be hard and gruff on the outside, but when it concerned her and their children, they were gentle giants. They protected them, treasured them, and made her feel like there was no other female in the world for them.

“I’d like that.”

Soran was the adventurer out of the three of them, whereas his twin, Zarek, preferred to stay home with his family surrounding him. Rylan took over the leadership position, but he did it with pride. There was never a time that she felt like her safety, or the safety of her children, was ever an issue, even when the scaly beasts had risen up from the lakes of fire and made their way into their home.

Her three males had destroyed them in a matter of minutes, and never once did she have any doubt they couldn’t succeed in doing that. She lifted her hand and placed it on Soran’s cheek. Even now, after all this time, she still marveled at how much warmer their flesh was compared to hers. Their son gave a mighty kick, and the smile that her male gave her was blinding.

“I think my son is ready to come out.” He rested his head on her belly as their child, whom they named Sarikus, continued to kick.