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And how terrifying was it to know that he would be a father. It hadn’t been part of the plan–Gregor had been expected to Bond with Zero–yet here he was: a father-to-be.

A revelation and a terror rolled into one. All he knew was that he felt a spark for Gregor Tierney. He thought it might be love, though what did he know? He’d never felt romantic love before. Yet when he looked at Gregor, he thought he was seeing his future happiness. As though everything he wanted and needed had been distilled and encapsulated in one distrusting but charming person.

He’d thought he was bringing home a Bondmate for his younger brother. He’d been blessed instead.

“Blessed Gregor Tierney,” he whispered to himself simply to hear the sound of the words. The name of the life-changer that had entered his sphere and decided to make a place for himself.

Whatever the future held, Dylan’s life was forever tied to Blessed Gregor Tierney. There were invisible strings bound between them pulling them into each other’s gravity.

Even without the child-to-be, there was a connection that could never be severed.

Because Gregor Tierney chose him.

And that was an amazing thing. To be chosen first and most favored.

He pitied Zero–Jaisuyen Park–who had never been told “No” to something he wanted and wasn’t taking it well.

Baby brother is most distraught, he thought. And there was a bit of disgust there, overshadowing the love he felt. Zero was behaving like a child throwing a tantrum and it was winning him no favors.

Dylan had already advised that he get hold of himself, but Zero had merely scoffed. The jealousy blazing from his gray eyes had resulted in Dylan cutting the visit short and ordering Cousin Deland to keep Zero company … Read the rest “ParaShift 2: 04 (Gregor Tierney/Dylan Park, mm, scifi, a/b/o, mpreg, State Rule) #HarperWCK”

He’d enjoyed flirting with danger. Hanson had wanted to make it a life sentence.

And here Gregor was: Alone in a big bed after a night of stress and pleasure. The relief itself made him bone weary.

He had no plans to get out of bed. Not until he was good and ready.

The world can deal with itself, he thought. Today is for me alone.

Gregor thought of the things that made him peaceful or happy. He pushed away anything dreary or dark.

And with the relief of having found a comfortable position for his achy body, he fell back asleep. Someone would surely let him know if he was needed.

* * *

Dylan steepled his fingers under his chin and fought off a frown. “How did this happen?”

Second Prime Donella Miri shrugged, her armor creaking. “He was a very foolish boy. I don’t think he’ll ever be so young again.”

“What could he have been thinking?” Dylan wondered.

“Young, dumb, and far too trusting of someone outside the Family. The friend–Tiedo Rasmussen–was dragged out of the Longmarch River early this morning. He must have been killed right after the Acolytes got hold of him. The Figworth boy betrayed everything for nothing.”

Dylan sighed. “Micah Figworth is looking at some dark days ahead. There’s going to be an Inquisition. There has to be.”

Miri’s gaze dipped in momentary sympathy for the teenager.

There was no question that he’d betrayed the Duadenora Family. Even if he might not have realized the level of his betrayal when he gave confidential information, he’d still committed the act.

Lives had been lost. A rare Third had been risked along with the precious new life within.

Micah Figworth had threatened the future of the Duadenora Family. First for the life of an … Read the rest “ParaShift 2: 03 (Gregor Tierney/Dylan Park, mm, scifi, a/b/o, mpreg, State Rule) #HarperWCK”

Burying his face in his pillow, Gregor breathed deep and let his body go limp and loose. He could feel himself drifting into lazy reverie.

Life had been moving too quick for him to handle–to the point where he’d felt the edges of him scrabble away–but suddenly everything was so much easier. The lurking darkness that had been Virgil Hanson was gone forever.

It was a darker satisfaction to know that he was gone by Gregor’s very own hand.

I killed the boogieman, Gregor thought. And it was strange, yet right.

Virgil Hanson had haunted Gregor’s every step for nearly eleven years. He’d been the first and most lasting mistake Gregor had ever made.

And now he was gone.

Forever.

Gregor’s lips stretched in a fierce grin and he ground his pelvis into the mattress for the simple pleasure of it.

His changing body had needs he’d found impossible to ignore. It wasn’t just shifting biology; it was surging hormones, some of a kind he’d never experienced before. His very bones were becoming different. Shifting to relieve the ache was becoming a pleasure unto itself.

Being a Third meant having a body that was sensitive to hormones. A little testosterone, and a Third began laddering muscle. A little estrogen, and mammary tissue gathered on even the flattest of chests. And either one would push a Third into sexual maturity, where the visible changes happened.

The cocktail of drugs Gregor had used to block his puberty as a Third would have killed a Two, and damaged the bones and organs of a First.

He’d been told to eat and sleep a lot.

He was fine.

Fertile at the time. Gravid at the moment.

“Fecund is the Third, near mindless in the need to mate. It’s a wild thing, riding … Read the rest “ParaShift 2: 02 (Gregor Tierney/Dylan Park, mm, scifi, a/b/o, mpreg, State Rule)”