I Dated a Legal Devil, page 24
He chuckled. “I also enjoy satisfying your hungers.”
Vikor stroked her softly. “And you have been much more stable since he has been tending to you.”
“I know. The high-calorie meals are really nice.” She grabbed Vikor’s arm and pulled it across her breasts, using it as clothing. She put his other arm across her hips. “Now, point me at the food.”
He snorted and rotated her. She lifted the lid and got a fingerful of pate before Vikor hauled her back. She stuck her finger in her mouth, and her toes clenched happily. It was a variety platter of all her favourite things, and she wanted to jump in face first.
He pulled up a chair, and she could reach the platter. She looked at Klauz, and he nodded, so she dove in.
The canapés, snacks, piped treats, and small things on itty-bitty pita disappeared rapidly. Klauz asked her opinion of a few items, and she gave it and kept eating.
When she was done, she sat back and picked a few pieces, reaching up to feed them to Vikor. He made faces at a few pieces. She giggled. “They are what I need, not you. The iron in the pate is helpful.”
Klauz frowned. “You need iron?”
“Well, I have a pretty violent cycle. This has all happened between fury and the crimson tide.” She shrugged. “The implant helps, but it kind of numbs things. If we ever want to have kids, I should have my eggs removed and frozen while I can.”
Vikor murmured in her ear, “Will that be rough on you?”
“A little, but it is only one cycle, and then, I will have a store of eggs that can slowly be added to one of your contributions, and Vaken can have a cousin.”
Klauz chuckled. “Using an incubator, you could have more than one child at a time.”
Her eyes got wide. “No. I want at least six months with each baby before the next shows up. You guys can draw lots for which one is next because my work will be done. I was good with Vaken when he was a baby, so I think I can maybe manage two at the same time.”
Ekron grinned. “My sister has a nanny service that she uses.”
She bit her lip. “I am just worried about you all trying to have babies at the same time. It seems like something you would do.”
Klauz smiled. “Beating Kritz to a baby is tempting.”
“Well, he will know what you are up to. Z-Tech is the company that makes the gestation tanks.”
Klauz chuckled. “I might just go through Zera.”
“It may involve less gloating or demands to be a godfather.” She smiled.
“Doesn’t matter. He has been watching our conversation and is delighted at the thought of a family member he can carry around. He says Arcady wants to babysit.”
She snorted. “It isn’t that simple. I have to get an implant removed, and then comes the crazy. I think more chocolate than you can manage. They have to give booster injections to increase the egg output, but if this works, they only have to do it once.”
Vikor murmured, “You have looked into it?”
“Uhhh. Sort of. Vaka did. He wanted to have kids with me, so he did all the research.”
“But did you want to have kids with him?”
“Did he see this face a lot?” She shrugged. “No, I didn’t, but he wanted it very badly. Then, he started dating Shisha, and they had Vaken.”
He held her tight. “He gave up just like that?”
“Well, yes and no.”
“Explain that.”
“Don’t ever look at Vaken’s genetic makeup.”
He froze. “You... what are you saying?”
“Shisha can’t have kids. Well, her ovaries can’t. Even if my brother wanted my funds, a genetic child takes priority.”
Vikor turned her to face him. “Vaken is yours?”
“Genetically. I donated the eggs. Some of them are still in storage. Hey, we could use those. They are from seven years ago but are still usable, I think.”
He stroked her cheek. “Eggs from a twenty-one-year-old you? That sounds sensible. How many did they get?”
“Twenty-three viable eggs. They used two to get Vaken,” she mentioned.
He rubbed her belly. “Did it hurt?”
“I had needles jabbed through internal organs. So yes, it fucking hurt.”
Vikor whispered in her ear, “Was Vaka there?”
“Yeah, but he had to keep behind my head, no checking out the zone. Shisha was there as well.” She smiled. “They held my hands. It kept me from punching the doctor.”
Ekron asked, “Does Varun know?”
“No, but I saw him take a swab when he met Vaken, so he might know by now.”
Vikor sighed. “Of course, he would. We will deal with that when it raises its head. So, my nephew will be my stepson.”
“No, because Shisha is his mother. I gave them a single cell, and they built a whole person out of it. Well, Shisha did. You all know the difficulty that actives have carrying to term.”
Vikor cocked his head. “Would she carry for you? I mean, since it is doubtful that you can.”
“First, we haven’t even looked into that. I have no idea if I can or can’t carry, but if I can, it is going to involve some intervention.”
Ekron chuckled. “Vikor wants to anchor you to us as quickly as possible. I can’t say he’s wrong. The thought of a little girl with your eyes graduating from high school gets me all weepy.”
“High school? Wow. Your brain works fast.”
Klauz laughed. “I am waiting to see what happens when they go active. They will certainly have quite a choice for advisers in this grouping.”
“Wait. They? How many they?” She started looking around at her guys.
Vikor chuckled. “If we are using the incubators, I wouldn’t mind two.”
Everybody else nodded.
“That is ten fucking kids!”
She looked around. “Even this place doesn’t have room for ten kids, plus a guestroom for Shisha and one for Vaken.”
Ekron laughed. “That is why some nice folks have become contractors.”
She frowned. “That is still a lot of kids.”
Ekron snorted. “Salat and Khytten have five, all under two years old. They hired nannies.”
She paused. “Oh. Right. You would have to with five. And that is how they are in town.”
She shivered. “I’m cold.”
Ekron chuckled. “That’s my cue.”
Vikor surrendered her, and Ekron led her through the house by the hand, right past Stella, who nodded and wasn’t fazed by the nudity.
Ekron opened his closet and went inside, humming and putting clothing over his arm. “Here we go.”
She looked at him. “What’s that?”
“It’s a slip. It keeps the fabric from getting stuck to the skin and keeps it sliding loose.”
“Huh.” She got dressed and pulled the slip down, smoothing it over her hips before pulling on the dress he had picked. Deep in her mind, she was planning a sprint to get some jeans. She knew already that all of the guys enjoyed skirts for the accessibility, but when she played with Vaken, she wanted to be able to run, jump, and climb. Sneakers would be good, too.
“Ekron, where did all of my stuff end up?”
“Storage unit. Why?”
“I miss jeans.”
Ekron laughed. “You are going to have to sneak them past Vikor. We discussed your fashion options while you were at Z-Tech. He likes you in skirts.”
“I know, but I like playing and roughhousing with Vaken. I can’t do that in a skirt.”
He smiled. “We can get you a go bag that you can change into in the car. You don’t wear jeans to work, do you?”
“No. I mean, I wouldn’t wear this.” She swished her hips, and the fabric wrapped and twisted before the skirt hung straight again.
He urged her to sit and put on the strappy sandals.
When she was properly shod again, he lifted her up to kiss him. She draped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
His tongue teased hers, and she ran her fingers through his hair as she whimpered and started to rock against him. She pulled her head away and gasped. “When did I become fixated on sex?”
“When we offered it to you whenever you wanted.” He nuzzled her ear. “Fortunately for us, you wanted it a lot.”
“So, do I put out a signal or something?”
He chuckled. “You start making direct eye contact, there is a flush to your cheeks, and you lick your lower lip repeatedly. Your ears even wiggle a little, and you hold your own hands.”
She blinked. “All that?”
“That is if you are with us all and can’t decide, so we decide for you.”
She sighed and bit her lower lip. “Truthfully. Is it weird that you guys have to book the private time?”
“I think it’s reasonable. We all have different events and schedules. All of us had the BDC in our budgets, so continuing is not a problem.”
Drin wrinkled her nose. “It feels weird.”
He grinned. “Really?” He shifted his grip on her, and there was a ping from her com. She looked at it and blinked. “You want a fifteen-minute date?” She checked the time. “Right now?”
He grinned and walked to the bed, dropping her to the coverlet. “Yes.”
“But, I just got dressed.”
“I like undressing you. So, are you accepting the booking?” He was peeling his shirt off and unbuckling his belt.
She activated the acceptance and read the requirements. She just needed to be fully clothed. “So, is that your default preference?”
He was glowing and golden. “Yeah, it is. I like the look of your legs with the heels and the edge of your skirt riding just high enough that I want to dip and take a look.” He crawled on top of her. “In that outfit, you are a walking peep show.”
Drin stared. “But you picked it!”
“Yeah, and I deserve a reward.”
He ducked his head and disappeared under her skirt. She covered her eyes and moaned as he brushed past every layer of clothing until he got what he wanted. The pulse of energy escaped quickly and thudded through the house.
After that, Ekron moved over her and joined her in pleasure.
* * * *
Techor chuckled. “When are your parents coming, Vikor?”
He grinned. “They will be here in ten minutes. Do you think they will be done?”
Remark shrugged. “I wouldn’t be, but then, I am a little fixated.”
Klauz laughed. “Join the club... oh wait... you did.”
They all laughed.
Another wave of energy swept through them, and Techor grinned. “That’s gonna happen one more time before they are back.”
They all waited, and when the surge of inspiration struck them, they laughed again.
Techor saw their mate and a smug Ekron return to them a few minutes later. Drin was a little ruffled but still adorably sexy. He had always thought a succubus would exude sex, and she did, but it was more that she inspired them to endlessly seduce her. It was a fun game, and he knew she had no control over the effect she had on them. They just had to make it easy for her by constantly falling into her trap. He had smiled more in the last week than in the previous six years.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Drin had just gotten her knees together when Varun and Niseth arrived. They looked surprised to see them all, and that was fine. Drin was shocked to see them.
Varun looked at her sitting in the curve of Ekron’s arm, and he scowled. “Drin, I need to speak with you in private.”
“No. You have to do it in front of my family. If you are talking about what I think you are talking about, they know already.”
“They know that Vaken is your son?”
She frowned. “He isn’t my son. He’s my nephew. He’s Shisha’s son. She wanted him, she carried him, felt him kick, and she bore him.”
Niseth leaned against her husband. “He’s your son.”
“I gave Vaka and Shisha an egg. A single cell. They did the rest.”
Niseth frowned. “Why?”
“Shisha was sterile, but they wanted a baby, and they both asked me.” She smiled. “I asked the eggs, and they weren’t doing anything interesting, so I went through the injections, and they harvested me, and here he is.”
Varun looked surprised. “You were just the egg donor?”
“Correct. I was never in a position to raise a child. So, since his other parent was gone, I helped out where I could.”
He coloured. “Ah. Right. I am sorry about that. After the extraction, can you have children?”
Drin snorted. “Greedy for more grandchildren?”
Niseth looked wheedling. “Yes. Can you?”
Vikor said, “Her activation status that comes with her changed appearance has a side effect that may make an incubator a necessity, but there are plans.”
Varun raised his brows. “Plural?”
Drin twirled her finger to cover the other guys with them. “We are going to have to figure out the schedule for which one will arrive first, but having siblings with different fathers is going to make for some weird parent-teacher meetings.”
The guys laughed.
She bit her lip. “Yeah, I can’t see that getting weird.”
Varun looked around. “All of them?”
She looked at him with her hand on her chest. “Not at the same time. I am a lady.”
Vikor grinned. “Well, there was that night in Hell.”
She stared. “Shut up, Vikor, or my days of dangling from your horns are over.”
He laughed, and his parents were startled. The other four were smiling.
Techor chuckled. “That’s a memory I will treasure.”
Remark grinned. “That’s the story that I am going to be telling on long missions, over and over.”
Drin gasped. “Don’t you dare.”
Vikor chuckled. “How do you think word of the BDC spreads? Stories told in groups of actives. Out of ten told, one of them gets accepted as a patron, and word of mouth keeps demand high.”
There was a knock on the wall, and a feminine voice called out, “Hello? Wow. This is quite the gathering.”
Ekron kept his arm around Drin. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hello, my son. Drin, where did you get that dress?”
“Uh, hello, Evali. Ekron picked it.”
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus.” He squeezed her and pulled her onto his lap.
“Wait, am I some kind of shield now?”
He hugged her. “You are very useful. Mom, I got the dress from Morkithel.”
Evali gasped. “My own son would drive a dagger to my heart by shopping at my enemy’s salon?”
“Yeah. She needs clothing that has laces. He specializes in lacing.”
Evali turned to Varun and Niseth, and she nodded. “So, the boys are sharing a mate now. Looks like our families will continue to collide. I have already put in a bid for the first grandkid.”
Drin leaned back and murmured to her chair, “If the kids were passing through my uterus, I would be seriously nervous by now.”
Evali held up the garment bag she was carrying. “This is the dress for the award ceremony. I will trade it for a guarantee that Ekron’s baby will be in the incubator by the end of the year.”
Drin smiled. “We don’t have enough room. Well, barely enough. We need more space.”
“There are twelve bedrooms here plus the large bedroom.”
“Five of them, one of me. That’s six rooms accounted for, plus two guestrooms for Shisha and Vaken. That makes eight. Then we need at least one nursery and two nannies. So that takes us to eleven. No room for more than one doting grandparent, and something tells me that there will be at least three decanted together. It depends on where my frozen eggs are right now and how many incubators we are allowed to buy. And then when the kids are eighteen months old, they are going to need their own rooms.”
Evali grinned. “I stand corrected. Ekron, feel free to use my contractor. You are going to need another wing if you are going to be hosting the link and having babies. I will also offer my decorator to you for the renovation.” She gave her son a direct look. “As long as my grandkid is in the first batch.”
Ekron snorted. “We know that Vikor’s is first, but after that, who knows? If we arm wrestle for it, I am next.”
Drin frowned. “Why are the babies so important? Vaka was obsessed as well.”
Vikor looked at her. “You don’t have an urge to have more little actives?”
She gave him a long look. “I just got over my fear of not having enough to eat, losing my apartment, or not being able to provide for Vaken. I am dressed in clothing I wasn’t able to afford and probably still can’t. My job hangs in the balance, and my future isn’t something that is taking shape for me. If I can keep my balance in the present, it’s a miracle. I also just finished a secondary activation. My long-range plans don’t exist yet. My current situation is a little head spinning. I should be ready when the babies show up, but I am glad I am not going to be physically pregnant. I think that might drive me insane at this point.”
Everyone looked at her soberly. She thought it was finally sinking in. She eased away from Ekron, kissed Vikor on the cheek, and headed into the house.
She walked into the kitchen, and Stella apologized again. Drin told her it was no problem and got herself a glass of water. “Stella, is there a way into the back yard that doesn’t go through the main patio area?”
“Oh, of course. Come with me.” Stella smiled and led her to a study that had a glass door. There was a stand of trees not too far off.
Drin smiled. “Thanks. They need to talk about stuff and don’t need me there for it.”
“Will they be worried?”
