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Chapter 539: Old Friends

RETH

He took his time finding the longest of his shirts, then helped her sit up and put it on. The buttons were taxed to their limits over the swell of her belly, and the sleeves hung so far past her hands that she laughed.

Reth helped her roll them up, then tried to get the open collar to set closer. There was an inch of shadow between her breasts where the shirt came to a V over them. But Elia laughed and slapped his hands away. "You think Brant has any interest in my cleavage?" she said lightly.

Reth muttered something about there being no need to tempt the male, but Elia just giggled and started to scoot herself off the furs.

"Whoa! No! You stop right there," Reth ordered.

Elia froze, then frowned. "Reth, I can walk into the Great Room. I\'ll sit down as soon as I get in there. It\'s not much further than walking to the water closet."

He shook his head. "No. I promised Aymora. If she finds out I let you go anywhere she\'ll never leave us alone again. No, I\'ll carry you out and put you on the lounge with a blanket over your legs."

"But—"

He stared down at her sternly until she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Okay, fine." But there were little spots of color in her cheeks, and her scent was threaded through with pleasure. She loved it when he touched her, especially when he carried her.

Not as much as he loved carrying her, though. Better than any male had ever carried her before, he would wager.

"What was that? What were you thinking?" Elia asked quickly, her face curious.

Reth blinked. "What?"

"Your scent, you smelled… smug. What were you thinking? About me giving in to you carrying me? Are you that competitive and I just never realized it before?"

He was going to have to remember her new senses. They could prove very inconvenient.

With a heavy sigh, he slid his arms under her knees and behind her shoulders and lifted her, carrying her towards the door. "No, my love, I wasn\'t competing with you. I was… hoping that there were no other males who you\'d smell so pleased about carrying you, that\'s all."

"So you were being competitive?" She shook her head. But then she threw her arms around his neck and leaned into his ear. "I\'ve never wanted anyone the way I want you, Reth. And never enjoyed another male the way I enjoy you. Ever. You\'re my heart." Her words started playful, but ended in a hushed whisper as he made it to the door.

He stopped before it, looking at her, loving that his arms were full of her, but hating that he couldn\'t touch other parts of her.

"And I have never loved another the way I love you, Elia," he said, his voice hoarse. "You are safe in my hands. Always."

"I know," she said, sliding her fingers into his hair. "And I\'m so grateful. Aymora\'s story… that was so heartbreaking, Reth. Please… please don\'t ever take any risk like that? Even for me."

He nuzzled her and took her lips in a soft kiss, just for a moment. It was hard the way his body reacted. He didn\'t want to fuel the fire for his friends who would enjoy teasing him for lighting up like a teenager for her. Of course, it was also the truth that he did…

When they pulled apart, her eyes were sparkling and his heart was on fire. "I love you, Elia," he whispered.

"I love you, Reth."

Then he leaned down and opened the door, regretting that he had to share her, but so, so grateful she was back so that he could.

*****

ELIA

Sitting on the lounge receiving hugs and exclamations from Behryn and Brant was both a joy, and a frustration. She wanted to be on her feet, holding both of them, making them tea, able to move around and… she just wanted to feel normal. But the truth was, she hadn\'t felt normal since the moment she walked through that portal, and sitting here in her own cave was the best she\'d felt since.

She wouldn\'t complain.

There were sore spots on either side of her belly, like tiny muscle cramps, low, near the join of where her thigh met her stomach. But other than that and being extremely tired, she was the happiest she\'d been in months.

She was in Anima. She was safe. Reth was safe. And… even if Aymora was struggling, and Behryn had shadows under his eyes, at least they were all still here and together.

Whatever they needed to face she was certain that they would.

Once they\'d both hugged her, Brant had taken the space at her feet on the lounge, rubbing her ankles with a gentle smile, while Behryn pulled up a chair in front of her, his eyes less pinched than they\'d been when Reth carried her in.

Reth stood at the arm of the lounge, behind her, his hand possessively on her shoulder. She held it with one hand while she spoke to the other two, comforted by his presence so close.

"How are you feeling? It sounds like you made quite a dramatic entrance back into Anima," Brant said. "What\'s this I hear about you being able to shift now?"

Elia laughed nervously and looked up at Reth.

"It\'s okay," he said. "I told them after you told me in the dream. They didn\'t believe me. So I win again."

She snorted, thankful for the release of tension, then turned back to Brant. "It was… a shock," she said. "But we think it\'s from the blood exchange. All of them."

"Is it permanent?" Behryn asked, his eyes wide in shock.

"Aymora doesn\'t know. But… I kind of hope not. I don\'t know how you all do this shifting thing. I found it terrifying."

"You just need some training," Behryn said with a soft smile. "Once you\'ve had the baby and you\'re stronger, we\'ll work on it. You\'ll enjoy it once you feel like you\'re more in control."

She went a little cold for a moment at a flash of herself, trapped within the beast and pounding, pleading, doing everything possible to try to get it submit so she could come forward.

She closed her eyes for a second and the males all murmured, but then she took a deep breath and forced herself to smile.

It didn\'t matter about the darkness she\'d been in the past few weeks. She was here now, surrounded by strong, loving people who would help her. She would focus on that.

Reth\'s hand tightened on her shoulder, and she reached up again to squeeze him back.

*****

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