Ascension - Book Eight - Man x Man

Chapter 109

Flushing darkly, I throw my boxer briefs into the trash and roughly pull my pants back on, cursing at the state of wrinkled unrest my clothes had become. "Not now, Tiberius." I snap, sharp as redo the buttons of my shirt. 

"Bastet was here." Verando tells him roughly, never allowing his eyes to leave me. I hear Tiberius nearly choke, across the room in a whirl of wind that made the table and couch shudder. Often, I'd forgotten the Siren was a form of deity. They could take souls, the devil's work for gods, and mischievous creatures. As his hand reaches for my wrist, he hisses sharply, singing his fingers as he retracts quickly. 

"It's cursed."

Verando runs a hand roughly for his hair, "Isn't everything from Eygpt?"

"Now who's being racist?" Tiberius teases before tilting his head with the glimmer of his golden eyes reflecting off the cuff. It felt hot on my wrist, almost threatening to scald me. I back away from him, calming the medal. 

"It's meant to keep out evil. Tiberius is pretty damn evil." I retort through my teeth, turning to face myself in the mirror, working on tucking my shirt back into my pants. 

"That hurts, you know." The Siren hisses, before turning his attention to my husband. "What does Bastet want with Nic? Why was she here, alone? I always thought gods of Eygpt were a package deal."

For that, I wasn't sure either. She hadn't given away much, beyond that she was enjoying her time on the surface as we had been warned. For over a thousand years the earth had been closed off to the mischief of the gods, it was evident by the Norse influence of the ones we'd dealt with on this plain used to be a battleground on the edges of a free for all. 

They were excited to flex their ability once more, and I'd just revealed that the unicorn still existed. "Tiberius, have you ever heard of a man carrying a child?" I change the subject sharply, earning a low growl in Verando's chest yet I ignore it. "You've been skulking around for longer than the earth has turned, what is your experience?"

Glancing back and forth between the two of us, I smirk, he's more afraid of my husband than he is of me. I shouldn't be surprised. Taking a large step away from the gray haired male, he clears his throat. "Keep in mind that this one literally carved me into pieces... but yes, I have. Gods don't always have a woman vessel for their spawn, so they carry their own children in a sense. But then.. the gods are also inbred so say what you will in that instance. Is that what this is about?"

"Nic wants to be pregnant. But he's a damned man, he can't be pregnant, despite the audacity to think that the laws of nature bend to his will." Verando's words cut me, I stiffen, resisting the urge to lash out. We'd just had such an incredible time together, my body was plummeting with exhaustion from finally being allowed to relax. 

Tiberius taps his chin, cautiously pacing in a way that would keep him out of the lycan's reach. "Bastet has other motivations behind giving you that cuff and I truly hope you consider that before you attempt to go forward with whatever it is you're plotting. Nothing between a mortal and an entity such as that is free, nothing comes from sheer kindness, the unicorn banned them from this world for a reason and it's a hefty price to consider. Ever read children's books?? There is always a trade."

Turning on my heel to look back and forth between the two, my eyes lock with Verando's and those eyes orbs settle deep into my own. I know he was afraid, this came from worry about me, yet our lives were filled with turmoil. I struggled to want to go back on my desires if it meant ultimately getting what I'd longed for. "You have six children." I almost accuse him. 

"I have six children." He repeats back shortly as if it's a reason. That he didn't want anymore, that we were beyond overwhelmed with managing what we had. "Xaiver and Darrius are as much yours as they are mine. I've only sired children, as a man should, and I've no desire to... bloody well go and birth one."