Creed

Chapter Thirteen

The fire coming from the fireplace across the room gave off a romantic atmosphere. Angel finished her last piece of elk. Creed had brought in more pillows from the spare bedroom and both of them sat up in bed, cushioned from the headboard.

“Thank you. I didn’t even know you could cook.” She flashed him a smile. “It was really good.”

“I’ve lived alone since I was a small youngling. I don’t like to eat it fresh from the bone. The scouts taught me how to cook.”

“You didn’t get the craving for raw meat from your mother?”

“No. I enjoy my meals cooked.”

“Me too. I always had to glance away when someone from the pack captured and immediately ate a rabbit or something. Raw meat is gross.” She moved her legs, untangling them from his bedding. “Thank you. It was so thoughtful of you to start a fire and then fix me di

“You’re my mate.” He used a napkin to dab at her chin.

“You’re spoiling me.”

“You deserve that and so much more.”

She studied his eyes. “How are you doing?”

“Why do you ask?”

“We just spent two hours messing up your bed and this is our first night as mates. I know how I feel, but I’m wondering about you.”

“I like this.”

“Good.”

He took her plate and twisted away, placing it on a table he’d carried in. He faced her again. “I would like to discuss something with you.”

“Okay. Hit me.”

He scowled. “Never.”

“It’s a saying.”

“I don’t like that one.”

She gri

“There’re two subjects we need to cover as new mates.”

She was curious. “What are they?”

“I just thought of another. Three subjects.”

“Okay.”

He pulled away from the pillows to get a better look at her face. “Will you take my blood? It will strengthen the bond.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have fangs. I’ll have to bleed for you.”

She nodded. “I’m sorry about that. I’m familiar with it since my parents told me what mates do. You’ll need to cut yourself so I can get the blood.”

“Never apologize. It’s a custom of ours to share blood that way. We don’t bite into someone unless it’s to take their blood to trigger the mating process. I bit you tonight because we’re still bonding. Once it’s complete, I won’t have that urge anymore.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“I’d like for you to sleep in my bed with me.”

That surprised her. “Was there ever a doubt?”

“We keep our own bedchambers. That’s our custom.”

“That one sucks, so no, I’m not sleeping apart from you. I’d have fought with you’d tried to put me in another room. I’d have just climbed into bed with you after you had fallen asleep. Try to keep me away from you.”

He smiled. “Good. I like having you close, and I’d worry about you being cold or frightened in another room.”

“That has nothing to do with my reasons. I just want to hold you.”

His expression softened. “I want that as well.”

“You said three. What’s the third?”

He reached out and placed his hand on her stomach. “Children. We need to decide if you should eat the root or not.”

“The what?”

“It’s our form of birth control for humans. I asked a scout I trust about how to avoid pregnancy happening while I went to get food. He said he could get it for me if I wanted. You need to start eating it, since I’ve mated you. You need to take a bite of the root every day. Our sperm is very strong when we go into the ravage or when we first take a mate. You’re putting off the calling scent and my body responds to that by trying very hard to impregnate you.”

“So you’re saying you have super-sperm right now?”

He nodded.

“This root works as a contraceptive?”

“Yes.”

Angel placed her hand on her stomach, imagining what it would be like to have Creed’s baby. The thought wasn’t a bad one. She liked the idea. “Do you want kids?”

His eyes were blue at that moment but they sparked with silver, as if lightening were striking inside the irises. “I would be honored if you did. You’re human, so there’s a higher chance you can get pregnant since you can’t control your ovulation cycles.”

“I don’t think so. I’m on the shot. It’s a human form of birth control. I haven’t taken your blood yet except for when I bit you. I don’t think that was enough though. Once I do, it can mess with it. Otherwise, in a month it won’t be good anymore. That’s when I’m due to have another shot.”

His lips compressed into a tight line.

“What?”

“Why were you on it? No—don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” He looked away.

“I have the worst periods ever,” she admitted. “Cramps. I get PMS. It’s bad. I’ll cry, then burst into a bitch fit of major proportions over stupid shit. It’s not pretty. That’s why I started taking the shot and stay on it. It prevents me from having periods.”

He held her gaze. “It wasn’t because you had a lover before you came home to the pack? Is he waiting for you to return?”

“No.”

He rubbed her stomach. “I would like to leave it to nature.”

She understood his meaning. “That’s fine with me.”

“You wouldn’t feel ill at ease if you got pregnant?”

She didn’t laugh at the way he put it. She translated it into freaking out. “To have a little version of you? No.” She clasped his hand over her belly. “Never. As you said, it would be an honor.”

“It’s a new concept to me, contemplating having a youngling. I believed I wouldn’t have to consider it until after my hundredth birthday.”

“You’ll make a wonderful father.”

He looked away. “I have my doubts.”

“Hey?” She reached up and grabbed his jaw, turning his face back. She held his gaze. “You will make an amazing father. Trust me on that.”

“I never wish to be like my own.”

“You won’t be.”

He grew silent.

“I’m going to tell you what my mother said to me. I had this freak-out moment once about what kind of mother I’d be one day if I ever had kids. My biological one took off, remember? She abandoned me to that place where you found me. Just left me to that hell. I was worried I might have inherited bad traits. See where I’m going with this? Do you want to know the advice my mother shared?”

He leaned into her hand, watching her. “Yes.”

“Life is what you make it. You take the bad you’ve experienced or seen and learn what not to do later in life. Who you become is up to you. The past is just that. You let it go and move forward. You are going to be a fantastic father.”

“I lack in the ability to show emotion.”

“That’s why you have me. We’ll have time to work on it, Creed.” She smiled. “You’ve come a long way. Could you imagine us in bed together like this a month ago, doing the things we just did?”

He smiled back. “No.”

“See? And this is our second night together. You build walls and I’ll break them down. I won’t let you close yourself off ever again.”

“You will tell me if I’m too cold? I worry I might not meet your needs.”

She leaned in closer. “You meet and exceed them.” She brushed her lips over his. “Trust me.”

He stroked her cheek. “You are everything to me.”

“I love you too.”

She closed her eyes, deepening the kiss. He kissed her back. He was a fast learner in this regard, as well. He pulled her closer, his big hands roaming her body. He used his elbow to shove the pillows out of the way, dragging her down with him to lie flat. She pushed the sheets away to reach more of his skin, doing some touching of her own.