Munro (Immortals After Dark #18) by Kresley Cole

            Each night after they made love, they talked for hours. He’d told her the heartbreaking tale of sending away his mortal son, then returning to Tàmhas’s deathbed, and he’d confided to her more about his brother’s past. Will had overcome so much to make a new life with his mate, and the two were clearly devoted to each other.

            Chloe knotted her sun-streaked hair atop her head and said, “Will told me you’re making amazing strides with your beast.”

            “Amazing? And here I thought I was stumbling instead of striding.”

            Each day before he and Will left to hunt for Jels, Munro trained with her. In their first session, he’d told her, “When I remove your cuff, your beast will rush to the fore. I want you to breathe deeply, and picture yourself forcing your way back to the surface.” The instant he removed the cuff, her beast had surged beyond any hope of control. Munro had quickly cuffed Ren once more.

            Will had said that the beast responded to confidence. Basically, one had to out-alpha its alpha and conquer it. So Munro had made her release it and force it back, over and over. Inhale. Exhale. Off to the background, beast! Now. NOW!

            Ren told Chloe, “My new record is four minutes.”

            “I know you can do it. I’m a big believer in mind over matter.” Chloe had overcome much to become an Olympic-caliber athlete in her mortal life. Now she was a sword-wielding cambion. Her weapon was always within reach, just as Ren’s blade was.

            “I believe I can do anything if it would alleviate Munro’s worries.” Ren’s warrior mate needed an enemy to vanquish; in his eyes, her beast was a foe, one who might steal her from him.

            Yet sometime soon, she would remind Munro that only she could conquer her own beast. Ultimately, it was up to her, and she was ready to meet the challenge, ready to fight for their future.

            It held so much promise. Her new life at Glenrial was a marvel.

            If she wanted “conditioned” air, she used an app on her phone. If she needed new clothes for her changing body—her Dream Duds stamp had finally resurfaced and peeled away—then she went online shopping. If she craved pleasure, she only had to look at Munro a certain way and she found herself carried upstairs to bed.

            If she needed knowledge about her pregnancy, she pressed a button on her computer mouse.

            In fact, she might have discovered a way to hedge against that fork-in-the-road foretelling. Ren told Chloe, “But just in case I don’t conquer the beast in time, I’m going to schedule a cesarean section.” She’d already consulted a doctor that Loa had recommended.

            Chloe’s eyes widened. “That would allow you to keep your cuff on!” She made like she was dusting off her hands and said, “Problem solved.”

            “I’ll still keep working, but I think it’s a good option.” Ren had also started thinking about other worst-case scenarios: the warlocks striking again. She felt safe behind Glenrial’s barrier spell, but as she reminded Munro, hiding was never a good course when dealing with immortal adversaries. Traps worked best.

            As she pondered strategy, she noticed Rónan consistently hitting the target with his knife handle. “Rónan, you’re throwing with the same number of rotations each time, which is good, but try backing up one step.”

            “Got it.” He backed up, took aim, and threw. Just shy of the bull’s-eye.

            “There! That’s your sweet-spot distance to the target.”

            “Thanks, carnie,” he called back with a grin, using his nickname for her.

            When it was Benneit’s turn, she said, “Remember, Ben, it’s almost like you’re pushing as you throw. That’ll help your consistency.” She stood to demonstrate the motion, her round belly affecting her center of balance. When Benneit hit the bull’s-eye on his second throw, she called, “Good show, Ben!”

            His longish black hair hung in his eyes, and he blushed furiously, but she could tell the praise pleased him. The two brothers were down-to-earth and as kindhearted as she’d imagined them.

            Unfortunately, their family unit in the lodge would be splitting up soon. Last night Munro had told Ren that Will, the elder brother and Lord of Conall, had a duty to live at his ancestral estate in the Highlands. He’d added, “Mayhap it’s time for us to separate.” But he’d looked dismayed by the prospect.