Chapter 381 Chapter 381
Reeves stood by the desk when he walked in. “Sorry,” he motioned to the door, then dropped his hands.
Konner shook his head, “it’s fine.” He looked at the door, “it was just a moment of weakness.”
“Is that what you’re calling it?” He smirked. “I want to say we’re only human, but that doesn’t fit, so I’ll lead with we have needs too.” He shrugged, “And Terah is beautiful,” he grimaced, “if not a little intimidating.” Reeves moved over to the desk and started arranging things with nervous energy.
Konner watched him for a moment, he didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it before, but Reeves was way too relaxed with that comment. “You and Nolyn?”
Reeves stopped, his head jerking up to look at him. Dropping the folders, he straightened. “It’s not like we have a lot of choices without leaving the Sanctuary—which neither of us wants to do.”
Konner understood, loneliness was the hardest. “It’s not wrong, but—”
Reeves shook his head. “It’s not without affection,” he blinked a few times, “we made a pact, we’re both in our twenties, so still young.” He frowned, “if we hit forty and still have no mate, we’re going to have some kids and co-parent.”
Konner wasn’t sure what that entailed, he’d also thought Nolyn had given up the idea of having children without a mate. He cleared his throat, “and if one of you find a mate?” He thought of Terah, then focused hard not to have his mind go there. Reeves could be her mate and honestly, he didn’t know how he would cope with that if it happened.
“Then we walk away,” Reeves shrugged, “as you and Olanna did—so I’ve been told, that was before I was here.”
Konner looked at the floor for a moment. “Things were different with that,” he’d spent a year convincing himself of that, “Auburn was away for courses, so we could get construction permits, it never occurred to us—”
“Yeah, well, I hope I’m not Terah’s mate.”
He looked back at him—there was no male that would honestly think that when it came to the water spirit swimming and singing in his pool.
“Not because she’s not beautiful or-or kind but,” Reeves moved his hand up and down Konner, “I’ve never seen you like that,” he smirked, “relaxed, intrigued by someone,” his smirk changed to a blank expression, “I was beginning to think you were cold, broken…”
Konner held up his hand, so he’d stop, “I get the point.” He straightened his shoulders, “it doesn’t change the fact that Terah may—”
“Find someone that will give her ten children,” Reeves shook his head, “fate wouldn’t do that to me.”
Konner smiled. “You just said you were willing to co-parent with Nolyn.”
Reeves picked up a stack of folders, “yeah, in fourteen years, not in nine months,” he shrugged, “or however long it is.” He frowned, “it doesn’t equate. I heard Shaelan say gestation is forty weeks, like one-forms, that’s ten months but why do they say nine months?”
Konner had honestly, never in his life given it any thought at all. The calculation involved in conception had never been at the forefront of his mind. “I know nothing about it.”
Reeves snorted and started walking into Konner’s office, “might want to look into that, because Terah seems adamant about having children. She has told all the females. And unless we light up like light bulbs or whatever if we ever swim together, that’s all on you, boss.”
Konner stood there staring at his back. He hadn’t even considered the children she wanted being a definite part of her plans. Yes, she’s said it, but he’d assumed she meant later. He scowled at the floor, it explained why she was checking the males off the list.
“Konner?”
He blinked to see Reeves standing in his office looking out at him.
“I’d like to sleep before dawn.”
Shooting him a hard look, he went into the room. “You’re going to have to swim with Terah before I go away.”
Reeves froze, then moved just his eyes to look at him.
Konner tried to shrug it off, “so we know soon than later.”
“I thought you said—”
“It wasn’t right for me to deny her swimming with her own kind after a lifetime alone.” If he hadn’t been waging an internal war, he would have laughed at Reeves shell shocked look. “She swam with the boys earlier, Lucus was in awe of her.”
“In awe how?”
Konner tugged the folder Reeves had a death grip on, “her speed, how powerful she is.”
Reeves’s jaw snapped shut. “So basically, she’s going to make me look like a tortoise crawling along the sand.”
Konner grinned. He’d swam with Reeves; he wasn’t slow or lacking in the water. “I guess we’ll find out.” He knew it was mean and slightly juvenile but knowing that Reeves would now avoid swimming with her as long as possible, took some of the sting out of old wounds Konner thought long healed. Konner opened the file and look at the materials list, without really seeing it. Since when did he play on others’ weaknesses? He needed to go for a long swim when they were done and clear his mind—he couldn’t afford to be distracted from work and the upcoming ops.
Operations that would bring them more clan members and closer to fulfilling all their hopes and wishes.