blinked away tears, grateful that her face wasn’t visible. “I feel better now. You don’t have to keep rubbing.”
“How long have you suffered this pain?”
She sighed. “Not long. Only since the battle. I think the combination of multiple transformations and the babies’ freakishly rapid growth have aggravated my sciatic nerve. Iona said it will pass as soon as I give birth.” She suppressed a shudder. The birth. She wasn’t looking forward to that part, even if she was starting to look forward to meeting her babies. “Tieran…do breeding females give birth in the normal way?”
“Yes. But you are the only female who has been able to transform as the males do. I cannot say if you will be different in that aspect as well but I will ensure you have the best of care.”
She nodded and closed her eyes, saying, “I’m tired again,” so he wouldn’t see the tears threatening to ooze down her cheeks. For every step forward they took together, they tumbled two back. She felt the distance between them like a physical thing and not even their bond was enough to bridge the gap. Before, even when he was determined to keep his distance, Tieran couldn’t help himself around her. Now…he only touched her as a doctor would — efficient yet detached. She longed for the return of the wild beast who would rip apart anyone who stood between them. Maybe she wasn’t his True Mate. Maybe… she was just his baby mama.
#
Tieran’s hands still tingled from the cream he’d spread on Cassandra and his blood was percolating at a fine clip for restraining himself to the task rather than slaking his pounding lust within her soft and rounded body, making for a fine recipe for a raging temper. in the ongoing series.
He’d been able to hold his desire in check by the thinnest of threads, reminding himself that she was in a delicate condition, far more important than satisfying his needs.
He detoured to the work-out room, needing to blow off some excess steam. He was pleased when he found the expansive room empty. Tieran went straight to the punching bag, and without bothering to wrap his knuckles, he began taking his sexual frustration out on the heavy bag.
Cassandra was like a drug in his system and he was desperate for a fix. Her belly was a beautiful, rounded well of life, squirming with his progeny. Her breasts had plumped even more than before until he could almost taste the honeyed skin against his tongue. Her dainty pink areolas had darkened with the pregnancy and he could make out their outline from the gauzy, thin material providing some semblance of coverage of her lush body, but did nothing to prevent his imagination from filling in the blanks. Was it possible she became even more beautiful with the passing of each day? Was this the bonding that happened between mates? He could still smell her essence in the house, even though they hadn’t had sex since the forest floor, nearly a week ago. He ached to feel his cock sliding into her tight, wet sheath, stretching the slicked walls as he pushed himself deeper until he was seated to the hilt against her womanly flesh. Good God, this wasn’t helping, he groaned, refocusing on the bag. He landed a vicious punch that would’ve shattered bone then countered with a roundhouse kick that would’ve caved in a chest. He was in misery. Tieran caught the rocking bag and rested his forehead against the beaten leather. Sweat trickled down his back in rivulets and prayed to the Mother Goddess for strength and wisdom because at the moment, he felt as lost as a newborn pup. He pulled back and wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm, ready to begin again, but Serra walked in . She grinned and for a second, he felt that familiar tug, but it was weak enough to push it away.
“Remember when we used to train together?” Serra asked, going to the tape and quickly wrapping her knuckles.
“How could I forget? You bested me nearly every match until I was finally big enough to