Chapter 41

CATALINA

^TWO MONTHS LATER^

I shoved a handful of popcorn into my mouth, shouting obscenities at the TV. “The door was right there! What the fuck?”

Another hand reached into the bucket, grabbing a handful. “Women are just dumb,” Kol said sarcastically.

“Tell me about it,” I agreed, watching the girl barely avoid the killer.

Dante walked in holding another bucket of popcorn. He went to take the empty seat next to me, only for Lucien to flip over the couch, claiming it. I rolled my eyes.

“Better luck next time, new blood.” He smirked.

Ever since Dante decided to stay with us a few months ago, my other mates had made sure he earned his spot next to me. They gave him a hard time any chance they got. More than once they’d come to blows. Dante was not one to be bullied. But hey, at least they were working together.

Dante shrugged, moving to one of the other many couches. He learned early on the best way to get under Lucien’s skin was to not give him a reaction. I noticed the small smirk he tried to hide when he took his seat.

Lucien snorted. “Coward.”

“Or maybe he’s just sick of your shit,” Nick sighed from his spot on the floor between my legs.

Nick and Mateo were the only ones not giving Dante a hard time. Even Sebastian joined in on the chaos.

Kol shushed them both, eyes focused on the TV screen. One thing my demon mate and I had in common? We loved a good gory slasher movie.

I burped, popping a few Whoppers in my mouth. Kol smiled warmly at me, his gaze dropping to my bulging belly.

It was like once the twins knew they were safe, they wouldn’t stop growing. And that’s right, I said ~twins~. When we first found out I was having twin girls, I was shocked, accusing all these fuckers of setting me up.

And who was the guilty party with twins in their bloodline, you may ask? Apparently, old Dracula here ate his twin in the womb. Also, another bombshell he dropped on me: I was dating freaking Dracula.

He only told me ~after~ he confessed about the twin thing. I guess he decided he’d just come clean about everything. I was beyond shocked. My mate was ~the~ first vampire.

So now here I was, only four months pregnant, looking like I was six months. I hated these mates of mine.

Suddenly, Kol let out a shrill scream next to me. I jumped in surprise, looking at him with wide eyes.

“They killed the only demon in this movie.” He pouted.

Oh my gosh, he screamed because they killed a demon? My goodness, he was unhinged.

A throat clearing in the doorway got our attention. Mateo and Sebastian stood there, covered in paint.

“Is it done?” I asked in excitement, trying to get up from my seat. Nick jumped up to help me.

Mateo nodded, and I tried not to squeal in excitement.

Mateo and Nick helped me up the stairs to an unused guest room in Lucien’s house. Sebastian waited outside the door after using his vampire speed to get past us.

“Close your eyes.” My eyes closed quickly, excitement thrumming through me. Mateo took my hand, leading me into the room.

“Now open them.”

I gasped, my eyes taking in all the pink brightness of the nursery. Pink walls, pink carpet, stuffed animals of every color, and lastly, matching purple cribs. I sniffed, trying to hold back my tears.

“It’s beautiful.” They really outdid themselves, especially considering they did it in two days. The rest of my mates gathered in the room, taking it in.

In the corner was a black rocking chair. I frowned at it. “Why black?”

Mateo came up behind me, wrapping me up in his arms. “That was a gift from your mother.”

I looked at Dante, who was staring at the chair with a look of warmth. “It’s the same one she used for you.”

The tears burst out of me. Mateo buried his face in my neck as I cried. Well, that explained why it was black. When and how did they get in contact with her to get this? Had she had it this whole time?

It took an embarrassingly long time for me to calm down. Damn hormones. Once I finally did, I walked over to take a seat in the chair. It was comfortable, and I relaxed in it immediately.

When I looked up, my mates were all staring at me, probably waiting for me to have another breakdown.

“I love you guys.”

Their faces filled with relief, a chorus of “I love yous” thrown back at me.

I leaned back in the chair, resting a hand on my belly.

Making myself a silent promise, I decided that from this day forward, I’d allow nothing to take this from me—the family I built, and the one I’d cherish until my dying breath.

I loved my men and all their faults. They were ~mine~, forever and always.