The Demon Who Fed on a Shark (16 page)

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Excited. A bit concerned, but grateful.”

Those were only a few of the emotions passing through him, and

Alexis wanted to be honest. He couldn’t exactly open up to Skylar

Cunningham, though, and he doubted the seahorse would be

interested in his emotional state beyond how much it affected the

baby.

“That’s good.” Skylar seemed thoughtful. “This is, to our

knowledge, among the few children between a magical creature and a

shape-shifter, so you can understand our concern.”

Alexis understood that, and more. Unlike with other shifters, his

baby had developed as a humanoid fetus, seeming to have, at least on

the outside, more incubus characteristics than shark ones. Apparently, this must also be the reason of the quick growth. Incubi children, like their parents, fed on emotions, and Alexis’s son thrived on Alexis and Morgan’s bond. Still, the situation had brought back doubts of

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whether the child was truly Morgan’s or not. Morgan had been there

to silence all voices, but the hesitation was still there.

“And I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Alexis said

carefully.

Skylar took a deep breath. “Alexis, this isn’t easy for me. I’m torn

between my two children, and you’re the reason. I want you to be

honest. Do you love Morgan?”

What a question. Of course he did. Morgan had changed his life

and had shown him the true meaning of being fulfilled, physically and emotionally. He’d sate Alexis’s hunger in every possible way. For the first time, Alexis didn’t feel starved for emotion. Before, he could

never get enough, as if every person merely offered scraps that

couldn’t satisfy him. But Morgan…Morgan was a whole new world

of sensation and feelings, Alexis’s world. And Morgan had given him

a child. What more could Alexis ask for?

Morgan’s voice flitted inside Alexis’s mind, warm and loving.

“Tell him. Tell him that. He’ll understand. My dad is a good person.

These past weeks have just upset him greatly.”
Morgan paused.
“And
I love you, too, baby. So very much.”

Alexis was so lost in the heat that invaded his veins that he didn’t

realize he was essentially ignoring Skylar. He cleared his throat and focused on his mate’s father. Skylar gave him a dark look, having

obviously taking his brief silence for a negative response. Alexis

decided honesty was the best policy.

“Sorry,” he said. “I was talking to Morgan.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d made a comment like that, and

Morgan’s family never truly believed him, no matter how much both

Morgan and Alexis insisted it was true. When Morgan mentioned it

the day of their mating, Skylar looked like he believed his son, but

throughout the past month, more and more doubt gathered. It seemed

that today, Skylar intended to pursue the thread of conversation.

“Were you really?” he inquired, his dark-green eyes so much like

Morgan’s it hurt.

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Alexis nodded and beamed. “Yes. He told me he loved me just as

much as I love him.”

There. It was a reply to Skylar’s earlier question. Alexis didn’t

know how convincing it had been, but it was, nevertheless, true.

“He’s giving us privacy,” he added.

A small smile fleeted on Skylar’s lips. “Things are never really

private, not when you’re having a conversation with someone’s

mate.”

“I suppose.” Alexis mused over that. “I was afraid of it in the

beginning, and that’s why I failed so abysmally. But I realize now that it’s a good thing. It makes us stronger, and the people who love us

understand it.”

Skylar nodded. He didn’t insist on the issue, and Alexis didn’t add

anything else, either. In the end, he couldn’t force the Cunninghams to believe him.

“Layton’s coming home today,” Skylar said at last.

He didn’t elaborate, but Alexis got the message. He knew how

torn Skylar was because of their situation. Skylar was fundamentally a good person, but most of all, he was a parent, and his love for his kids naturally brought him and Alexis into a conflicting position.

“I’ll talk to him,” Alexis said. He liked to think Layton had been

his friend before Alexis abused his power like that. Unfortunately, his stay at the Cunningham mansion led Layton to avoid his own home,

something which needed to stop. Layton might be angry with Alexis,

but he shouldn’t punish Morgan and his parents for it.

“Just be careful.” Skylar gave him a warning look. “I believe

Morgan when he says you’re carrying his son, but beyond that…”

Skylar trailed off, the meaning of his words clear. Alexis tasted

humiliation and apprehension in his mouth. For all the talk about

feelings, in the end, Alexis was only a carrier for Morgan’s son.

“Understood. Don’t worry, Mr. Cunningham. I’ll discuss things with

Layton, and then we’ll stay as far away from each other as possible.”

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Bitterness seeped into his tone, and the conversation would have

probably deteriorated further had Morgan not chosen this moment to

intervene. He entered the room, looking perfectly poised and

composed. “Dad, do you mind giving us a moment? Alexis needs his

rest.”

“Certainly.” Skylar leaned over Alexis and, to Alexis’s surprise,

gave his belly a little pat. Then, with a smile toward Morgan, he left the room, his erratic emotions still swamping Alexis.

“He doesn’t know what to do,” Alexis told Morgan once the door

closed and Skylar was safely out of earshot. “I’ve put us in such a

horrible situation.”

“It’s not just your fault.” Morgan sighed. “Maybe it would be best

that after the baby is born, we went to live on our own. They won’t be very happy about it, but at least for a while, it might be the only

solution.”

Alexis tried to consider all their choices. Alexis’s family was out

of the question since they’d insisted that Morgan should be cut out of the child’s life completely and the baby should be raised like a true incubus. Thankfully, Rhys remained supportive, so Alexis wouldn’t

be alone if he had questions, but in terms of living arrangements, he wouldn’t find any solution there. The Cunningham household might

calm down in time, but Alexis genuinely didn’t know if it was fair for him to continue to stay here. If he left, Layton might come back more often and Morgan might be able to patch things up with his twin

better. Without Alexis’s presence, the healing process would be

smoother.

But where else could they go? Neither of them had individual

funds. In many ways, they’d depended on their parents financially.

Morgan’s friends were also Layton’s, and turning to them would just

make an already bad situation worse.

“I could work,” Morgan suggested. “I’ll talk to Sara. Maybe she

can help me find employment somewhere.”

Alexis frowned. “With the humans?”

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He wasn’t thrilled about the perspective. Mingling with humans

was far too dangerous now that they knew of the existence of

paranormal creatures. Even if the widespread panic from the

beginning had stopped, humans were still suspicious of anyone who

looked a little different.

“No.” Alexis shook his head angrily. “I won’t risk you.”

Morgan rubbed his eyes. “Dad is coming up with a way to

organize employment for shifters and other paranormal creatures, but

turning to him won’t help.”

“Look, we’ll deal with it when the time comes.” Alexis might hate

depending on the Cunninghams, but for the moment, they all needed

to focus on the baby. “Your parents are reasonable people. I’m sure

they’ll help.”

Morgan lay on the bed next to him and sighed. “I’m sorry. I

should have been there to protect you better. It would never have

come to this had I known how to be a good mate.”

Alexis cuddled at Morgan’s side. “Let’s stop with the blame game

because we’ll never agree. Look, I’ll talk to Layton tonight. The fact that he’s coming home is a good sign, right? He’s your twin, and he

loves you. We can get over this together.”

“Together,” Morgan repeated. “All right, baby. We’ll wait for a

while longer.”

His hand landed on Alexis’s stomach, caressing gently. “And

how’s my little man today?”

An infusion of love assaulted Alexis, both from Morgan and from

their unborn child. Their son already had a powerful bond with both

Alexis and Morgan, and when the three of them were together like

this, Alexis couldn’t remember anything that could go wrong.

“I’d say your little man is happy to see you.” Alexis laughed.

“Now come here and give me a kiss. I’m hungry.”

It wasn’t really true, and Morgan’s grin told Alexis the shark

knew it. But then Alexis didn’t have to be hungry to need Morgan’s

kisses. He always did, whether he’d just fed or not.

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As Morgan descended upon him, Alexis surrendered to the

passion between them and decided that, whatever came, he could deal

with it later.

* * * *

Later that day, Alexis stood on the terrace at the first floor of the mansion. Layton was already in the house, but Alexis had not gone

down to greet him. He’d decided to allow Morgan and his parents to

talk with Layton in private.

Alexis sat on a chair and looked out into the distance. The night

air was cool and refreshing against his skin and the lights of the city glittered in the distance in a rainbow of colors. Once, Alexis’s life had been there, among the flashing frivolity, but now, he had something

much more important, a new being living inside him.

He was so lost in his thoughts he almost yelped when he heard a

voice behind him. “Hello,” Layton said coldly. “Dad said you wanted

to talk to me.”

Alexis turned, and indeed, there was Layton, his arms crossed

against his chest in an aggressive posture. Alexis had the urge to

shield his son from sight, but repressed it.

Instead, he kept his gaze steady and replied, “We don’t have to

hate each other, Layton. Or rather, you don’t have to hate me because I don’t hate you. I’m sorry for what I did. I know it’s a poor excuse, but I wasn’t in a good place mentally at the time.”

Layton took a few steps forward and sat on the seat in front of

Alexis’s. “Morgan insists you’re his mate,” he said almost absently.

“I’ve never known him to lie to me, but what you did makes me doubt

his words. I don’t like it.”

Alexis averted his gaze. This was what he’d feared, this separation

between the two brothers. “I don’t like it either, and neither does

Morgan. He’s hurting a lot, you know, because of your absence.”

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“What will you have me do? Just accept you with open arms into

the family?”

“I’d like that very much,” Alexis answered, “but it’s not going to

happen. At least don’t take out your anger with me on Morgan. That’s

the only thing I ask.”

Layton didn’t say anything. Alexis looked back toward him. He

could sense a wide array of emotions coming from Layton, and he

wanted to see how they reflected on Layton’s face.

Layton sat there, intently staring at him. He didn’t even seem to

be breathing. “Layton?” Alexis asked, a bit concerned. “Are you all

right?”

But Layton didn’t reply. Instead, he just gazed at Alexis as if he’d

never seen Alexis before. And then, all of a sudden, Layton pounced

on him. Before Alexis even knew what was going on, Layton’s lips

landed on his own. It was so surprising and forceful that Alexis didn’t even know how to react for a few moments. Thankfully, the shock

wore off soon, and he pushed Layton away from him.

“What are you doing?” he asked. He gave Layton a wide-eyed

stare, panting and clutching his belly. Had he accidentally done

something to seduce Layton? Had his powers slipped out of his

control?

“Stay calm, baby,”
Morgan’s voice appeared in his mind.

“Breathe. You’re fine. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Layton was breathing hard, too, his gaze like daggers as he looked

at Alexis. Morgan rushed onto the terrace and to Alexis’s side. Behind him, Skylar and Byron followed, and much to Alexis’s dismay, even

Sophia. The damn woman was forever getting in Alexis’s way and

sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.

Morgan hugged Alexis tightly, and Alexis immediately found

comfort in his strength. “Hush, baby. It’s okay.”

“What happened here?” Byron asked in an authoritative tone.

By miracle, Alexis found his voice. “Nothing,” he lied.

At the same time, though, Layton said, “I kissed him.”

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Silence fell, the same awkward silence that had greeted Morgan’s

announcement that he considered Alexis his mate. Alexis wanted to

explain that he hadn’t initiated anything, but denial would just make him look even guiltier. Layton’s parents would never believe him.

They’d think Alexis had tried to seduce Layton again.

To his surprise, Layton got up and shook himself. “It’s okay. He

didn’t do anything. I was merely testing a theory.”