Marie Harte: The Perfect Creation

And he can heal.”

Rafe thought about it. “Would that make you happy?”

“The ability to choose makes me happy. I never thought I’d want children until I learned I couldn’t have any. But with you…”

Rafe felt warm all over. “So when we’re ready, we’ll try. If you want to.”

“There’s just one thing.”

“What?” He stroked her back, already imagining how she’d look with his babe in her belly.

“Well, Drekk heals by sharing fluids.”

“So?”

“So my internal organs…it’s not like he’s going to cut me open or anything. It’d be a painless procedure.” She flushed, and Rafe suddenly understood what she wasn’t saying.

“So he’d fuck you, and heal you with magical cum? Dammit. Drekk,” he shouted.

“Rafe, relax. We don’t have to have children…”

“The hell we don’t. But there’s got to be another way.” Drekk teleported inside the room in an instant, causing Rafe to glare as he tucked Erin under a blanket. “Dammit, you ever hear of knocking?”

“You just yelled my name.” Drekk looked decidedly put out.

The doorway slid open and Ryen stood there looking both pale and angry. The sight of Erin wrapped in a blanket in Rafe’s arms seemed to stymie him.

“Great. Why not invite the crew of Mara’s Light while you’re at it?” Erin huffed with a blush.

Rafe glared at Drekk’s smirk. “You told Erin you could cure her sterility?” Ryen turned wide eyes to Drekk as well.

“Yes.”

Drekk’s calm, sober response had Rafe check his own answer. Drekk didn’t look like a man bent on seduction, or even conquest. And Rafe had to stifle his innate jealousy. He swallowed hard. “So you’d, ah, release inside her, and she’d be fertile?” Drekk exhaled loudly and ran a hand through his hair, as if in agitation. “That’s how it works. Orally might or might not fix the problem, but it would cure any other ailments.” Ryen goggled between them, and Rafe wondered if the large male understood what they were talking about.

“So if we agree to this, it’s a one shot deal, right?” At that, Drekk grinned. “I’m good for more than one shot, Rafe.”

“Dammit, Drekk—” But the sly glance Drekk shot Ryen held Rafe’s tongue. Drekk had mentioned he was partial to males, and the way Ryen stared back at his friend, in puzzlement, but without his earlier animosity, spoke volumes to Rafe. “We’re considering your offer. And…” the words stuck in his throat. The knowledge that because of Drekk’s giving nature, he and Erin might actually be parents one day stirred his emotions. “We appreciate your offer. More than words can say.”

Drekk smiled, a grin of true joy that had Ryen blinking as he stared. “Good. But if you really want to thank me, take Cheltam’s job.”

“That’s up to Erin.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Rafe sighed. “I hadn’t meant to go into this now, but we haven’t discussed the future.” To his surprise, Erin glanced away.

“What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Ryen repeated, frowning. The big guy really did seem to care for his sister.

“I just don’t know what the future holds.”

“Honey, none of us do.” Rafe shifted her into his lap and hugged her tight. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been anything but someone’s experiment. The most I’ve ever been on my own was the four months I was on the run from Blue Rim. And all that time was spent evading those jerks. I’m scared I won’t fit it.”

“You’ll be fine,” Drekk said, his words soothing. “You and Ryen will fit in, but it’ll take some work. I suggested Rafe return to playing Cheltam, because he’s good at it and Gar is driving me nuts.”

“Gar?” Ryen glanced from Drekk to Rafe.

“My brother.” Rafe shrugged. “Honestly, I’d like to return to playing Cheltam. I get to bend the law, a little. Sernal, my brother, also my boss, isn’t around as much, so we can do as we please. And we help a lot of people too scared of the law to ask for help.” Erin stared at him and slowly nodded. “I like that. I needed Cheltam’s help.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I wouldn’t mind having a discussion with Gar about how to deal with helpless and desperate women.”

“Helpless, you’re not,” Drekk snorted. “Actually, he was going to use you as bait to trap Blue Rim. One way or the other, they were going down.”

“Bait?” Ryen and Erin said at the same time.

Rafe quickly continued. “Bottom line is that we need a new start, baby. Why don’t we work together? I’ll resume my role as Cheltam, Drekk of course, will maintain his role as my right hand man, with his new apprentice, Ryen. Hell, we can always use more muscle, as long as it’s contained,” he directed towards Ryen, who looked stunned. “But you’ll be my new lady friend. My mate. My wife.”

Erin blinked. “Really?”

“Really. And this is permanent , so don’t even think about going anywhere without me.” He rubbed her bottom and her eyes flashed with heat.

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered, but Ryen must have heard her because his eyes widened, the glint of yellow in his pupils shining with brilliance.

“ Erin. He’s touching your …”

She kissed Rafe’s neck. “It’s not something you haven’t done to a woman before, Ryen.

Now please, go away. I’m about to get really busy really soon.” Ryen grumbled, glaring at Drekk when Drekk shoved him out the door. It slid shut behind them, but not before he heard his sister’s new mate rumbling how much he loved her.

Satisfied that Erin, at least, appeared to be in good hands, Ryen turned to Drekk. “I want to see Anin.” His reason for being. To protect and serve. Always to serve… Because without his purpose, he was nothing.

“She’s fine, Ryen. We’ll see them in a few short hours.” Drekk paused, and Ryen stopped, looking down into the male’s curious grey eyes. Something about Drekk drew him, but he couldn’t have said what. Perhaps it was the fact that like Ryen, Drekk was the only other male Creation in existence...that he knew about. And he seemed sane, a hell of a lot clearer than Ryen.

“Anin needs this time away to become her own person.” Drekk crossed large arms over an equally broad chest. “She can’t do that if you’re always there telling her what to think and what to do. Mara’s Light is a good place for her to grow, and no one will guard her better than those Raggas on board. You’ll see when we meet up with them. Hell, you’re the only man I know who’s ever taken Nu off his feet,” Drekk added with a grin. He sobered as he stared at Ryen’s unsmiling face. “No more ‘Yes, Sir’s’ for Anin unless that’s what she wants. Like Erin,” Drekk said quietly, knowingly.

“Were you like that?” Like me? he wanted to ask.

“I was, and it took me a long time to fit in with the inhabitants of the System. But my peer group was different than yours. We were a lot wilder, a lot rougher.” Drekk cleared his throat and broke eye contact. And Ryen suddenly felt lost. He stared unseeingly for a moment, perplexed at the changes taking place all around him.

Drekk looped an arm around his shoulder, and Ryen started. He wasn’t used to touching unless he was fighting or fucking. Much as he loved his sisters, he didn’t feel comfortable touching them. Too big, he feared accidentally hurting them.

“Don’t worry, Ryen.” Drekk winked. “I’ll help you. Before you know it, you’ll be laughing and loving with the best of them.”

The warm light in Drekk’s gaze convinced him to take a chance. After all, if it had worked for Erin, maybe life outside Blue Rim would work for him as well. And if it didn’t, well, he’d died once before. How hard could it be to die again?