Unfettered Vampire (Found & Freed: The Unfettered #5)

11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

Ned

C onsciousness slowly settles over me like a warm, fuzzy blanket. Awareness comes to me in a slow, steady drip of information. The softness of the pillow beneath my head, the gentle weight of the blanket over my body, and the firm warmth of someone holding me.

It’s morning. I’m in Morgan’s bed. He is spooning me.

Nothing happened last night. Well, nothing fun. He simply held me while I fell apart, and he is still holding me now. I’m wearing one of his tee shirts, and he’s in a pair of boxers. The heat of his naked chest radiates into my back, warming me in a way I haven’t felt since I... died. Yes, died. A heavy word that hangs in the metaphorical air, but there’s no denying it. Since then, I haven’t felt warmth, not real warmth, until now.

I slept like a baby. For hours. It’s a miracle. Especially considering how increasingly restless my nights have been lately. I’ve become used to cold beds and colder dreams, so the peace I found in Morgan’s arms feels like an oasis after years of wandering in the desert. If I had known that the cure for both my sleeplessness and permanent chilly flesh, was being snuggled by a hot guy, I would have started doing it decades ago.

But now that I’ve discovered it, I’m not sure I’ll be getting a repeat. Last night, I completely fell apart. I didn’t realize how tightly I had been holding everything in until the dam finally burst. All my fear, pain, regret, and stress. Every dark emotion I’d experienced in the harem, it all came flooding out. A torrent I couldn’t stop. And Morgan was there for it all.

Now, in the calm aftermath, I feel lighter, almost... cleansed. It’s as though a boil has been lanced, and all the disgusting pus has drained away, leaving me with a euphoric sense of peace.

Morgan was wonderful, so kind, so gentle. He just held me, seeming to know that was all I needed. I didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to do anything. I only wanted to be held, to feel anchored by someone who wasn’t afraid of my storm.

The feel of his strong arms around me was everything. But that had to have been a lot for him. Surely, I’ve scared him away. No one wants to deal with that level of emotional meltdown, right? He’s not going to have any feelings for me now. All I’ll get from him is pity. And isn’t that a crying shame?

But it is understandable. He was compassionate enough to forgive me for being flaky with his kids. He was wonderful enough to hold me all night. It would be greedy to want even more from him.

Suddenly, Morgan stirs behind me. His warm, slightly rough hand slides down my bare arm, rubbing gently, and it feels like a spark of electricity, a warm fire that spreads through me .

“Oh good. You’ve warmed up,” he murmurs, his voice still thick with sleep. “You were so cold last night. I was worried about you.”

My heart thumps. Oh my. This gorgeous man is being so kind and attentive. He doesn’t seem freaked out by my freak-out. It’s too much. My head is spinning, and my stomach is doing strange flips. Am I swooning? Is that what this is?

“How are you feeling?”

Before I can answer his question, the bedroom door bursts open. A stampede of children rushes in, and before I know what’s happening, the bed is full of three bouncing kids, their laughter filling the room.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Noah says, pausing in his jumping to glare at me. “How come Ned gets to sleep in your bed, and I’m not allowed? You said I was too big! Ned is bigger than me!”

Morgan chuckles beside me, sits up, and pulls Noah into a headlock, ruffling his hair fiercely as Noah squeals and squirms in mock protest.

“Because Ned was sad and needed a cuddle,” Morgan explains, his tone light and easy, as if none of this is a big deal. “Now, who wants pancakes?”

A chorus of excited voices fills the room. “Me! Me! Me!”

Morgan flashes me a quick, concerned glance. I smile and nod at him in reassurance. My faculties are all back together. My breakdown has ended.

He smiles warmly at me and then turns his attention fully to his children.

He roars like a beast, bending over so the kids can climb on top of him. They cling to him like little monkeys as he stands up and walks toward the kitchen, their giggles and shrieks echoing through the house.

I watch them go. I cringe as I hear them make their way down the stairs, but they appear to make it down safely. Then pots and pans clang and cupboard doors slam.

I’m grinning so much my face is hurting. Morgan is the most wonderful man on the planet. There is not a soul who can hold a candle to him. He is perfect. In absolutely every single way.

Oh lord. Just listen to me. I am being a right soppy ass today. If anyone knew, I’d die of embarrassment. But luckily, I am the only one who has to listen to this drivel.

I chuckle softly as I slide out of bed and pad over to the bathroom. My clothes are on the radiator, but they’re still wet from last night’s downpour.

Damn it. I don’t have any spare clothes here, which is a very silly oversight and something that needs to be fixed. For now, though, I guess I’m going downstairs in Morgan’s tee shirt. It hangs like a nightie on me, so it’s perfectly decent. Still, it feels shockingly intimate.

I take a deep breath and head downstairs. The smell of pancakes hits me the second I walk into the kitchen, delicious enough to make my stomach rumble. Morgan glances up from the stove and flashes me a quick smile before turning back to his cooking. The children are clustered around the table, each assigned a breakfast-making task. It’s a scene of chaotic efficiency. Eggs being cracked. Pancake batter being whisked, plates being set.

Morgan doesn’t seem to need any help from me. Besides, it’s good for him to have this time with his kids. They look so happy, so at ease with him. My heart swells at the sight.

My phone is still on the table from last night. I quickly pick it up and check for messages. No new updates. No further disasters. Everything has calmed down. Thank fuck. Seems like Jade really did just have a panic attack, and it wasn’t anything more sinister.

The timing was inconvenient, though. Red and Brodie are busy dealing with Red’s heat. Blue and Sammy are off somewhere in the ocean. Gray and Mal are visiting Hell, and Lello and Carter are at the lake.

Pink was free, but the lovely boy is basically a human. He has magic that he cannot wield, and no other powers or strengths. So it was only me who could come to Jade’s aid and make sure nothing paranormal was going on.

We really need a family planner or something to make sure not everyone’s away at the same time. If Jade’s magic flinging around freak-out had been something bigger than a panic attack, I might not have been able to handle it by myself.

I shake my head, pushing the thought away. No use dwelling on what-ifs. Right now, I’m here, and Morgan is dishing up pancakes. The scene before me is warm, vibrant, and alive.

Everyone joins me at the table, and the noise level instantly skyrockets. It’s loud, noisy chaos, and I love it. I find myself laughing at the antics of the kids, feeling a joy I haven’t experienced in what feels like an eternity.

As I watch Oscar and Lottie squabble over the maple syrup while Morgan tries to mediate, a pang of longing strikes me. This is what I’ve always wanted, a family. Something I never had. Barbara was barely a year old when I was turned. I lost the next few years to the hazy, blood-drunk frenzy of a baby vampire. By the time I was myself again, I’d missed her entire childhood.

When Barbara’s daughter, Susan, came along, I was just a ghost in the background. Always there, but never truly present. How could I explain why I still looked twenty? I couldn’t. So I missed out again. As I did for Jennifer, because I thought it was the right thing to do. A mistake I will regret forever.

But here, watching these kids bicker and laugh, feeling Morgan’s quiet strength beside me, I realize that I’ve been given another chance. This is everything I’ve ever wanted, a dream I never thought possible. Could I really reach out and claim it?

My gaze drifts to Morgan. He’s still smiling at the kids, but when our eyes meet, something passes between us. Beneath the exasperated amusement in his expression, I don’t see any pity for me. Instead, I see warmth. Genuine warmth. Fondness. Affection. Maybe even... more?

My stomach swoops, and I look away, my heart racing. Morgan feels something for me. He does. I’d be blind not to see it. And of course I feel something for him, too. Oh lord do I feel things for him.

All I have to do to gain everything I’ve ever wanted is to simply allow it to happen. To let myself believe that I’m worthy of this.

It is right here in front of me. I just need to take it.