Goddess Of The Underworld (Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Xavier

Levi’s gate sealed to a dull shimmer and the corridor took back its hush. The moment the war room faded, I caught Envy shift her weight, subtle, a little wince she tried to hide as she rolled her ankle and set her hand at the small of her back.

That was all it took. Maddox lifted his head inside me, ears forward, a low, warning rumble pressing against my ribs. “Off your feet. Now.”

I stepped to her, palms finding her hips. “You good?”

“Fine,” she lied, which would’ve worked on anyone who didn’t know the way her jaw tightens when her spine complains. The swell beneath her dress curved a little fuller than last week, our child making their quiet case for more room. It did something fierce and

foolish to me every time I looked.

“Meeting’s over,” I said, already deciding. “Noah can handle topside. Levi’s got the decoy.

You’re with me.”

Her brow arched. “Alpha voice? In my house?”

“In our house,” I corrected, soft. “And our house says sit.”

A second set of bootfalls, lazy on purpose. Haiden slid in beside us, hands in his pockets, gaze flicking once to Envy’s belly and staying there with a look that was half prayer, half grin. “Talen’s pacing,” he said. “If I don’t put him where he can watch you breathe, he’s going to chew through a door.”

I snorted.” Pack of reasonable–men“, Maddox grumbled in my head, deeply pleased. Move

her.

“Levi,” I said through the midnlink

“Listening,” came his answer, dry as ever.

“You’re on our net. Sing out if the cord twitches.”

“It will,” he said. “I’ll wake you if ‘when‘ becomes ‘now.‘ Go away.”

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“Bossy,” Haiden muttered, already sliding an arm around Envy’s waist. “C’mon, milady. Your fan club insists.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t fight us, which was how I knew she was tired, pregnancy rolling in hard and making her need regular naps. We steered her down the moonlit hall toward our rooms; the Underworld’s heartbeat kept time under our boots, slow and sane. At the door, our wards lifted like a cat leaning into a hand. I peeled them back, set them

to purr.

“Couch or bed?” I asked.

“Couch,” she said. “If I lay flat I’ll be out before I can pretend to argue with you.”

“Promises, promises.” Haiden detoured to the sideboard, coming back with water, fruit, and the indecent stash of honey biscuits he swears are for the ‘guests.‘

I eased Envy down, then knelt at her feet and unbuckled her sandals, thumbs circling the bone at her ankle. Heat shimmered under my hands as Maddox lent me a little of his warmth; I worked up her calf, slow, steady, watching her eyes unfocus, the tight line of

her mouth soften.

Haiden dropped onto the other end of the couch and lifted her legs into his lap, kneading the arches with his knuckles like he was trying to convince the knots to sign a treaty. “There she is,” he murmured when her shoulders finally let go. “Hello, spine. Remember what not–hurting feels like?”

“You’re insufferable,” she sighed, half a laugh.

“Accurate,” he said, without shame.

I leaned over and brushed a kiss against the curve of her belly. “Hey, little one,” I said, low and private. “Your other daddys ran a very boring meeting. We fixed it by stealing your

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“Tell him to use ink,” I said. “We’re housebroken now.”

“Topside,” I said. “Hawk’s in his glory. Dad and Tommy are already moving pieces. We’ve got two hours of quiet, minimum. We’re hoarding them.”

“Easy,” I breathed against her temple, one hand splayed over the gentle swell of her belly. The other traced her mating marks, slow and reverent. “You’re safe.”

She turned her face, found my mouth with hers, soft at first, then hungry. Haiden kissed the inside of her knee, then higher, then higher still, his breath stuttering when she made a sound that went straight through both of us. I swallowed it, kissed it back to her, felt her relax further into the bracket of our bodies.

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Chapter 120

“Perfect,” Haiden coaxed, lips at her thigh, at the place her pulse beat wild. “Tell us what you need.”

“Closer,” she said, breath catching. “Both of you.”

We obliged, closing the distance inch by inch. I mapped the new lines of her body with my hands, memorizing every curve that hadn’t been there last week, kissing the place where our child pressed against my palm. Haiden’s knuckles skimmed my fingers; he looked up, eyes dark, and we moved together, a practiced, careful choreography, no rush, no strain, everything cradled and easy. Her laughter bubbled up when I teased the corner of her mouth with my teeth; it melted into a sigh when Haiden’s tongue traced a slow line where her skin was most sensitive. The room seemed to lean closer, lamps dimming on

their own,

wards humming like a low note under our breathing. Maddox’s satisfaction rolled through me; Talen’s purr climbed, a bass thread under hers.

“Xavier,” she said, warning, praise, plea. I answered with my mouth, with my hands, with a promise against her skin: “I’ve got you.”

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