Page 36 of Balor
Collin grinned. “Good to have you back, brother.”
“Glad to be back.” I approached the bar and sat on a stool. “If I’d known working from home for a week would mean this much fuss, I’d have done it sooner.”
“Regardless of where you sit when you call the shots, you’re still the president of this club,” Jackson said, taking the stool next to mine.
Ben set a beer in front of me.
“You know we don’t really do titles around here, but I guess I’ll be hanging around more often if this is the reception I get,” I said, lifting the bottle to my lips. It would do Belladonna some good too. She needed to venture out into town on her own, start making friends and settling in. Now that the danger was over, there was no reason for her not to make this place her home.
“Anything else we need to know?” Jackson asked. “I mean, you’re fucking Balor Hades, and probably a billionaire a few times over. Still wrapping my head around that. But you’re the same man we’ve known for a while now. You’re not going to drop another bomb on us, right?”
“Things will get back to normal now,” I said. “Or as much as they can. The town is still cleaning up the mess from the battle with Thaddeus Kline’s coven. They damaged some properties when they first attacked, but everything will be put to rights soon enough.”
“Things are better, though, right?” Clay asked.
“Darkwood has always been close-knit. It’s even more so now.” I downed the rest of my drink. “We all have scars. Some on the inside, some on the outside. But we’re healing. Together. And I think this may have been a good thing for the town in the long run. They can now see how we need to band together when shit hits the fan.”
Collin came over and patted me on the back. “You could have told us the truth.”
“Didn’t want you to treat me differently, and I wasn’t convinced that wouldn’t happen. Or I worried that you’d decide to cut ties altogether. I need you. All of you.”
He gave a small shrug. “Guess we’ll never know how it would have played out. I’d like to think we’d have been the same.”
The men brought their drinks and came to stand near me. I felt the tension ease even more. I’d been worried for nothing. I should have known better. These men were my brothers. They’d stand by me, no matter what.
“Here’s to the Balor’s Saints,” I said, lifting my empty glass. “And all those who stand by us.”
“Balor’s Saints!” they shouted, lifting their drinks and taking a sip.
Collin snorted, then snickered.
“What?” I asked.
“Did you seriously name this club after yourself?” he asked.
I gave him a light punch to the shoulder. “At the time, I’d never thought anyone would know my true identity. Why? You want to change it now?”
Collin shook his head. “No, this works just fine.”
I hung out with the club for a while longer before heading back to Belladonna. I found her in the den watching TV, and I took the seat beside her on the couch. I placed my hand on her stomach, wondering when she’d start to show. It still felt unreal that she was carrying my child. I felt a flutter of magick against my palm, and my heart nearly skipped a beat. My daughter.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“That I’ll kill anyone who tries to take you from me. Or our daughter.”
She paused. “Wait. Did you just say daughter?”
“Yes. I don’t know how, but I felt her magick when I placed my hand on your belly. I saw a glimpse of her, and she’s beautiful. She also told me her name.”
She took a breath and let it out slowly. “Wow. A little girl. What’s her name?”
“Artemis.”
Her lips parted and she stared at me a moment. “Artemis. The huntress. Goddess of wild animals, the moon, and chastity. Among other things.”
I nodded. The child had more of my magick than her mother’s, but she was half-witch. We’d have to do our best to make sure was trained as both a witch and a mage, until we knew exactly who she’d become.
“I can’t wait to meet her.” She smiled softly. “I hope she’s strong like you. I want her to have your sense of justice.”