Read Curve Charm (Paranormal BBW Erotic Romance) for Free Online

shame transformed to a deep sadness. Esme reached across the table and wrapped her hands around Leah's.
    "I am overjoyed that you are carrying Seth's child and that, when your baby is born, he'll have playmates to grow up with. But…"
    Esme trailed off, thinking of how wrong everything would be if she were pregnant with Dana's child. Never mind Dana's claim to the child -- the whole clan had a claim. Knowing Coop, he might deny her the right to raise the baby and she couldn't flee off the clan's lands and keep the child safe. She shook her head, the very thought of it all making her faint and cold.
    Leah reversed the position of their hands until she was holding Esme's. Feeling how the fingers had turned to ice, she rubbed at them. Mindful of the fragile look on Esme's face, she kept her voice soft and gentle. "But what?"
    "But you have Seth."
    Leah turned Esme's left hand over and softly brushed her thumb over the heart line. One line, unchained, unbroken -- one love her whole life through. "And you have Dana," she whispered and then her voice grew stronger. "All you have to do is crook your little finger and he's here."
    Esme shook her head, the dark blonde curls bouncing in denial as she pulled her hands away and folded them in her lap. "It's not my palm you need to read, little sister. He hasn't been around the property at all -- unless he's wearing half a dozen charms."
    "He's giving you room and time. He doesn't want you leaving the safety of the clan's lands." Another guilty look flashed across her face. "But he made sure Seth has you well guarded, and the wolves report to Dana, not Seth."
    Another flash of pink rose on Leah's cheeks and Esme realized her friend had been eavesdropping on a private conversation. Only there was no eavesdropping around wolves. Seth would have known his mate was listening.
    "Coop insisted you be watched, too," Leah continued. "Said it was Dana's head if you pulled a Gordon ."
    A shiver ran down Esme's spine as she remembered Gordon's betrayal and his death. Free of any blood oath, he had helped the Hunters kidnap her and Leah, his promised reward a siphoning off of Leah's magic to restore his failing reserves. He'd died with a Hunter's knife buried in his throat to keep him from spilling any secrets when it was clear that Seth's pack had discovered the cabin and was closing in.
    Still, why would Coop blame Dana for anything Esme did? She looked at her friend, asking just that question.
    "Because Coop wanted to extract a new oath from you." Leah fingered a dark brown swatch of fabric, her gaze tracing the faint coppery threads woven into it. "I swear Dana was going to take Jack out, but Jack backed down. Said it was Dana's head if you betrayed us."
    Catching the import of "us," Esme raised her hand from her lap and gave Leah's arm a little pat. "I'd die first," she said and gave another soft pat. "And I'm not going anywhere, at least not anytime soon. Have to see that cub of yours born."
    Leah's head bobbed. "Especially since you're his godmother."
    The smile that had started to lift at the edges of Esme's mouth slammed flat. "Leah, honey, that honor is traditionally reserved for pack alphas or, since Seth is a pack alpha, to the clan alpha and his mate."
    "Yeah, I've been told that." Leah crinkled her nose. "But it's all worked out. Jack said he was fine with it."
    Esme wrinkled her eyebrows at that. "Coop said okay?"
    Leah nodded, then started chewing at her bottom lip again. "He said it was almost as good as getting you to take a new blood oath."
    Esme sighed and shook her head before a reluctant laugh escaped her. "That old bastard's right."
    Standing up, she circled the table and bent down to give Leah a hug. "And I'd be honored to be your cub's godmother."
    A sharp spike of joy crackled around Leah. She turned her head and planted a kiss on Esme's cheek. "Now, what are we going to do about my baby shower?"
    **********
    Releasing a tired puff of air, Esme wiped a hand across her sweaty