Chapter Three

The white and gray marble stood my height, formed into a peak. "To the one who believed in peace. In loving memory of James R. Davis, Opalescent Court Oracle" was inscribed on the face, just at chest level in beautiful script.

The image always brought tears to my eyes.

While Bastion layed out our blanket, I approached the memorial, placing a gentle kiss over his name. I missed him so much.

We lost less than a dozen men that day, but each one of them hurt. It was my duty to protect them, but I couldn't. I couldn't even protect myself.

Bastion's electric touch gripped onto my shoulders.

"Hey, baby. Are you okay?"

I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand, turning to him with a smile.

"I miss him." Was all I could say. Bastion didn't need to hear my complaints when his were so much worse. He lost both of his parents and I knew he blamed himself.

He sighed, wrapping his arms around my back, pulling me against him. "I miss him, too."

We stood there in silence for several minutes, watching the slight breeze push through the once living remains of the tulips I had planted.

"Why don't we get some food in you, baby." He suggested, breaking our silence and kissing the top of my head.

"Please." I agreed joyfully.

He walked me over to the oversized picnic blanket, leaning over to the basket to retrieve the sandwiches he had made. I licked my lips, already feeling the saliva forming on my tongue.

They smelled incredible. Brisket. My absolute favorite.

He unwrapped one for me and handed it over. I wasted no time digging in, moaning at the delicious way the meat melted in my mouth. Bastion didn't eat right away, but instead dug out a glass bottle that held some of my mom's homemade lemonade. He took out a glass, filling it and placing it in front of me with a charming smile.

"You're spoiling me." I said between bites, already reaching for my next sandwich as he finally opened his own.

"If Rory can, so can I." He replied with not a hint of malice.

"Where is Rory, anyway?"

He shrugged. "I think he had to take care of some things at the ARIA today. Something about a problem with the slots or something."

I frowned.

"He didn't say bye." I muttered, taking a bigger bite. Bastion just laughed.

"Believe me, he tried. You were so out this morning. He showered you in kisses and you didn't even stir."

I giggled in response, feeling exponentially better knowing that Rory still cared. Not that he had shown me he hadn't, I was just a little more insecure since becoming pregnant.

Thankfully, Rory was able to do most of his work from his office in the house. That way, if I ever missed him, I didn't have to go far. But if he had to go to ARIA, I was out of luck. As I'd said, I wasn't allowed to head into the city.

An involuntary shiver shot through me as a wave of cool air swept over us.

"Ah, one sec." Bastion said, reaching behind the basket and pulling out another blanket. This one was thick with fleece lining. He went to throw it over my shoulders, but I stopped him.

"Join me." I pleaded, giving him a faint smile.

"Of course, baby."

He sat beside me, rearranging the blanket to drape over both of our shoulders as we ate. It was so warm and comfortable beside my mate. I could've stayed like that forever.

"Can you tell me a little more about James?" I finally asked once our meals were done. He didn't tense like I expected him to, but instead smiled, snuggling me tighter.

"You knew him as well as I did." He claimed.

"I want to hear some stories from you, though." I requested with my best attempt at puppy dog eyes. He bought it, looking to the sky as he reminisced.

"He was the ideal father, even if I didn't know it at the time. He never once raised his voice at me. Even when I did stupid shit."

"Stupid? Weren't you like the perfect wolf?" I asked. The way James talked about him was always in love and admiration. I assumed Bas was the very best, even if he did fool around with women. But he scoffed, moving his hand to rest on my belly.

"No, baby. Far from it. I caused loads of trouble for my parents."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Well, one time I got busted for vandalizing the middle school."

I gasped. "You didn't!"

He nodded his head.

"I did. I spray painted 'Principle Marks eats dog shit'. I was pissed because he gave me detention for sleeping in class."

Oh my Goddess.

I stifled my laugh with my hand.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not funny, I just never expected you to have been so wild. What happened?"

"I had to write a formal apology and got suspended for a week. It was a light sentence because my dad was on the council. I got out of alot of shit because of that. Then, when I got home, he just..."He trailed off, his far off gaze telling me he was fighting the emotions he felt. "He told me that things would get better. That I had a bright future to look forward to. That my mistakes were just little bumps on the way there."

I stared at him in awe as he recounted his father's words.

"Was your mom the same way?" He laughed, louder than I expected.

"Hell no, my mom chased me with a fucking wooden spoon. My dad had to talk her down from kicking me out."

"Sounds like quite the challenge. Two completely opposite people living together and raising a son."

His countenance fell, making me regret my words.

"I'll be better. I want to be the man my dad was. I want to teach our sons that it's okay to fail sometimes." His thumb traced over my belly.

"Sons? You think it's two boys?" I raised my brows, shocked to hear his guess. He nodded confidently.

"Yup. Two strong boys."

I nudged him with my shoulder. "Could be two girls." I suggested.

He winced. "Goddess, I hope not. Two girls sounds like a headache. If they ended up half as beautiful as you, I'd have to chase off all the boys."

I giggled at his groaning before taking his hands in mine.

"You are going to be an amazing father, Bas. Just like you're an amazing King and an amazing mate. You don't need to be your dad. You just need to be you." I assured him with my most genuine smile.

His eyes began to water, but he turned away before I could see his tears fall.

"I hope you're right, baby. I hope being me is good enough."

I pushed his crossed legs down from his chest so I could straddle his lap. He allowed me, sniffling and wiping hand down his face before facing me. Then he moved to support my back.

"Can I have a drink?" I asked casually. I knew my venom would help calm him. I could see in his eyes that he was warring with himself, and that was the only way for me to help.

He was afraid to be a dad. That was expected. I was terrified to be a mom, too. The only one who seemed remotely confident was Rory, but then again, he always looked confident. He was probably struggling, too.

"You're still thirsty?" He inquired curiously, his eyes fleeting to the empty glass bottle on the blanket.

"For you, I am." It wasn't completely a lie. Just thinking of Bastion's apple cinnamon blood was wetting my taste buds. I licked my lips and he parted his lips slightly, taking a quick breath. His blood was already rushing to his groin.

He tilted his head for me, exposing his artery and shutting his eyes. I trailed my fingers down his tan skin, watching in fascination as goosebumps erupted.

"I won't be held responsible for what happens once you do this." He warned with a smirk, showing his dimples.

I giggled, giving his neck a soft kiss before extending my fangs and diving in.

Glorious.

His body immediately melted into mine and I moved to cover his mouth before he groaned too loudly. I got to it just in time, his muffled noises of pleasure vibrating my palm.

He was so sweet. So tantalizing.

It was getting too hot under the heavy blanket that encased us, but neither of us could bother with pushing it off. We were entranced.

He pushed me down harder onto his erection and I broke away, sealing him in one quick and breathless motion.

He gave me no time to steady myself before grabbing hold of my face and crashing his lips onto mine. His tongue sought mine urgently, one hand moving to the back of my head to force me even closer.

I tried to listen for others, but the sound of our own blood rushing wildly drowned out everything around us.

That's when I got an idea.

I broke our kiss, doing one quick glance around before climbing off of him.

"Aria, what-" He began, out of breath.

"Shh, quiet." I whispered, my fingers reaching out to undo the button to his jeans.

"Are you crazy? I was joking earlier." He whispered back, his own head searching the vicinity.

We were surrounded by dead bushes and mostly covered by a blanket, but the rush of doing this outside still excited me like no other. I tugged down his zipper and reached into his boxers to free his rock hard member. He shivered, still eyeing me curiously with his blackened eyes.

"I said we couldn't have sex outside. We won't be." I stated, matter-of-factly.

"Then what- Oh shit, Aria." His head rolled back on his shoulders as my mouth swallowed him. He used his hands to fall back on, his chest rising and falling quickly with my ministrations.

"Fuck." He whispered as quietly as he could.

I used to tongue to trace his length, focusing on where the tip connected with the shaft. His hips raised on instinct, pushing him deeper into my mouth. I kept myself from gagging when he hit the back, pulling him out so I could pump him with my hand.

"It's cruel to drink and not satisfy you." I repeated Rory's sentiment with a grin. He smiled, shaking his head in amusement and lifting one of his hands to move my hair from my face.

"I love you." His dark eyes twinkled as he said it, despite the dreary sky above us.

I took that as a sign to continue.

I lowered my mouth back over him and he kept his hand on my hair so he could see what I was doing.

"You look so hot with your mouth on me, baby." He growled, low and seductive.

He was close.

I could feel the twitching and taste his sweet precum. I wanted to overindulge on him. I knew how to do that.

I took him deeper into my throat, moving my hand down to his balls and squeezing them firmly. He bit his tongue, keeping his rumble in his chest. One bite. One little bite, low on his shaft.

"Fucking- Aria..." He grounded, lifting his hips again to spill into my throat.

Once his legs stopped tensing, I pulled off, looking into his sated hazel eyes as he regulated his breathing. I licked any leftover come from my lips and he pushed my hair behind my ear.

"I don't deserve you." He drawled out, thick with exhaustion. I giggled.

"Let's get you covered before someone sees."

He looked down, blinking as if just remembering where we were, rushing to fix himself. Then he stood, dropping the blanket as he stretched his arms high above his head and exposing a thin strip of his tanned skin through the bottom of his t-shirt.

"All our wolves are going to smell the come on us." He said, raising a brow and fighting a grin.

"That sounds like a them problem." I feigned apathy, tossing my hair over my shoulder as I turned to pack up. He chuckled.

"My wild mate. It's chilly, let's hurry in." He kissed my forehead reverently. "I don't want you catching a cold."