Merrily Ever After

by P. Jameson

“How is she, Doc?” The first words out of his mouth were concern. Even for a complete stranger. Magic was a protector. He always had been, and if anything, time had only made him more protective of the clan.

  “Doing just fine now.” Doc gestured to the bottle. “Now that she’s got some food and someone to snuggle her.”

  Magic stared at the baby. Moving closer, he took in her scent, frowning. “How the hell did a shifter get onto our property without our knowing?”

  Ryan shook his head. “Seems like someone would have noticed. Have you spoken with Mason?”

  Magic rocked back on his feet. “Can’t find the damn cat. Him and Sunshine are giving me the run around. No answer at their cabin. Checked the gym. Not in the kitchen. Gash says he was in the lodge earlier but I can’t seem to find him.”

  Ryan pressed his mouth into a line. He only did that when he was holding something back.

  “None of us scented a stranger,” Magic continued. “Makes me think our senses need sharpening. Just because Ouachita hasn’t seen any trouble for a while, don’t mean we’re immune to it.”

  “True,” Doc agreed. “You should talk to the other Sorcera and find out if they know anything we should be watching for.”

  Magic nodded. “Good idea. And when I find fucking Mason, he’s gonna get an earful too. He’s supposed to be our fucking Elder. Supposed to warn us when shit is gonna happen.”

  Ryan pursed his lips. Oh, he was definitely hiding something about Mason. Layna would get it out of him later. Then something occurred to her.

  “I did smell something earlier.” She found Magic’s intense glare. “When I was talking to Clara at the front desk. I thought I smelled a shifter. One I’d never identified before. But I thought it was just… well… I thought I was just sensitive to her pregnancy. Now I wonder if I was picking up on the stranger.”

  “You’d know it if a full grown shifter walked into this place.”

  “It was very faint. I almost thought I’d imagined it.”

  “Doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.

  His cell phone rang and Layna looked back to the baby as he pulled it from his pocket to answer. Those sweet green eyes were growing heavy. With her belly full, she’d be asleep soon.

  “What do you mean you can’t find anything?” Magic boomed into the phone.

  Doc shushed him and he frowned. “The baby,” she hissed pushing him toward the door so he could finish his conversation outside.

  Layna settled on the sofa to rock the little cub to sleep. She didn’t know how to comfort a baby, but so far, she was straight killing it. Almost as if she was a goddamned natural. The nameless baby wasn’t crying anymore and her sucks at the bottle became slower as her eyes grew drowsy.

  Ryan eased down beside her, carefully pulling the pink blanket back to see the baby’s face. “Look at that,” he murmured. “She’s calm as can be now.”

  Layna laughed. “Us girls don’t like to be hungry.”

  Doc looked up from her desk where she scribbled furiously on a notepad. “It’s true.”

  “She’s going to sleep,” Ryan whispered.

  “Yeah.” Layna could feel him staring at her, but she didn’t want to pull her eyes from the beautiful child. Not until her lids stayed closed. Then, maybe.

  Ryan brushed his fingers over Layna’s cheek and she dragged her gaze to him. He was a man on fire, so many emotions mixing into one expression. Confusion and love and anger and… hope. There was hope there, just like what she felt in her heart.

  No.

  No matter what her animal wanted to claim, they couldn’t get attached to this cub. She wouldn’t let Ryan be hurt over another lost hope.

  She opened her mouth to offer the baby back to Doc, and at the same time, Magic pushed back into the room. “The bears and Gash can’t find a thing. No trace of feline besides our own. No unfamiliar tracks. It’s like whoever left her here just… fucking vanished.”

  “Shit,” Ryan breathed.

  Magic hooked his hands around his hips and frowned. “Gash has an idea where to look, but it will have to wait until morning.” He sighed heavily, his gaze softening a touch when it landed on the baby. “So I guess this little beast needs a place to stay until we can locate her family.”

  Layna jerked her gaze to Doc. “She can stay with you and Owyn, right?”

  Doc stared over mountain of paperwork on her desk. “I mean… she can, but—”

  “Doc and Owyn have their hands full with their own young,” Magic interrupted. “Besides, she seems to have taken to you already.” He nodded toward the bundle in Layna’s arms. “What are we gonna call her anyway? We can’t just keep using pronouns.”

  “I don’t know,” Layna snapped out of frustration. “She didn’t come with a tag or instructions.”

  Magic smirked. “As far as I know, no baby does. Why don’t we call her…” He tapped a finger against his lip. “Dandy. Because that puff of creamy hair on her head reminds me of a dandelion.”

  “Dandy?” Layna was not letting this baby be called Dandy. Even temporarily. “As in Yankee Doodle?” She turned to Ryan for help, and he shrugged, his eyes going gooey again.

  “It’s kinda perfect.”

  “Dandy,” Doc mused, a smile curving her lips. “I like it. But with an ‘I’ because it’s cuter.”

  Magic nodded. “Dandi with an ‘I’.”

  Layna stared down at the little girl who was already winding her way around their hearts. “Dandi,” she murmured. It was cuter with an ‘I’. “But just until we find out her real name.”

  “Have it your way.” Magic turned to leave. “Y’all have fun changing diapers tonight. Glad it’s not my job this time.”

  With that, he left. And Dandi was Ryan and Layna’s responsibility.

  The idea was terrifying. Exhilarating and heartening. But most of all terrifying.

  Chapter Nine

  Ryan stood in the middle of the kitchen feeling like the luckiest SOB and the most helpless of losers at the very same time. He and Layna had been responsible for the abandoned baby for a mere four hours, and were already failing hard.

  Dandi wailed in his mate’s arms and his heart lurched at the pained expression on Layna’s face. Yeah, he could feel it too. It hurt like a bitch to hear the baby cry. A physical pain he hadn’t expected. All the mated males in this clan, plenty of them with babies, and not a damn one of them had warned him that it would hurt to hear one cry.

  Fuckers.

  No, not one. His. That’s what his mind kept supplying anytime he thought about Dandi. He didn’t have werecat instincts but there was something about this baby that felt… different. Felt permanent when there was no evidence that she could remain with them.

  He’d heard Rhys and the other babies cry plenty of times. None of them caused an ache in his chest. Like he wanted to hunt down the source of her discomfort and kill it fucking dead.

  “No, no, no,” Layna said into the phone that was propped on her shoulder. “Doc, you have to help me. I’m not doing this right.” Her voice held so much defeat. It reminded him of the way she’d sounded just hours ago in his old room, before they made love. He couldn’t let her feel like that again.

  Walking around the counter, he reached for Dandi. Layna hadn’t put her down once since Doc placed the baby in her arms.

  “What are you doing?” Layna snapped, bringing his eyes up to hers. Her animal swirled in the green depths. He’d seen it many times before, those beautiful cat eyes of hers. Usually when they were making love. But this time, it wasn’t desire that brought her beast close. It was protective instinct.

  “You need a break, and I haven’t held her yet. Let me have her while you talk to Doc.”

  Something happened across the phone line that had Layna’s attention. “No, I haven’t put her down. So what?” She pulled the cell away from her ear and faintly, he could hear Doc yelling on the other end. “Shit, Doc, okay. Calm down.” Layna looked at Ryan, panicked. “Here. Take her before Doc has
an aneurism.” Carefully, she passed Dandi over and then shook out her hands like they were asleep. “Okay, okay. Ryan has her. You can stop the yelling.”

  Ryan stared at the red little face that screeched up at him from the blanket and his heart constricted. Shit, Doc had to come through. They had to do something fast. Dandi must be in pain. Why else would she cry so much?

  “Yes, of course.” Layna sighed. “She’s been fed and burped and changed. All the normal things.”

  “What’s wrong, little cub?” he whispered, bouncing her the way he used to do his nephew and niece. So red. So screechy and squirmy. “Tell Unc—” No, not uncle. Not this time. “Tell us what it is.”

  And then like a precious little miracle… she sorta did.

  Not on purpose of course. She was too small to really know what the problem was, but… he did.

  “I know what’s wrong.” It was barely a murmur at first, and then he shouted it to get Layna’s attention. “I know why she’s crying!”

  Rushing over to the couch, he laid the baby on the cushion and started unbundling her from the blanket. Layna came to peer over his shoulder.

  “She’s hot,” he declared. “Look at her.” The tiniest bead of sweat accumulated on Dandi’s forehead.

  “That… that can’t be it.”

  Ryan blew gently on the baby’s face and she immediately quieted. She blinked up at him and he swore he could see relief in her tiny expression. He chuckled at the way she cocked her head. Like she was learning his face.

  “Hey, sweet girl,” he whispered, and she answered with a soft coo.

  “Doc, can babies get too hot?” Layna’s tone was both awed and skeptical. “I mean, is that a thing that happens?”

  Dandi fussed again until Ryan continued blowing on her face. His breath ruffled her blond puff of hair, reminding him what Magic said about her name. Like a dandelion. One day it would probably turn golden yellow too.

  Layna knelt beside him, breathing a sigh. “She’s calming down.”

  “Yeah.” Ryan grinned. “Kinda badass how we figured it out, right?”

  “You figured it out,” Layna corrected, the phone still pressed to her ear.

  He shrugged one shoulder as if he hadn’t been freaking out just as much as she was. “It’s all that uncle-ing I’ve been doing. I’m just good, what can I say.”

  A hint of a smile turned her lips upward before her attention jerked back to the phone.

  “What? No. Doc, you can’t leave me. What if she does it again? What if she gets worse? You have to stay on the phone. What if—”

  Ryan watched the baby’s bright green eyes become aware of her surroundings now that she wasn’t so upset. Her gaze wobbled between him and Layna with curiosity. As much as a baby her age could muster.

  Layna pulled the phone away from her ear to glare at. “The fuck… she hung up on me. Doc hung up on me.”

  “It’s the middle of the night. Can’t blame her, really.”

  Layna scowled and he reached over to softly tweak her chin. “Turn your frown upside down. Baby’s watching.”

  Her gaze went to Dandi and instantly her expression smoothed into something so beautiful it made his heart throb. Suddenly, she wasn’t just his Layna. She was all things. A mate, a mother, a huge heart open and offering its love. She was pure magic. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “She’s so beautiful,” Layna whispered. “I… I can’t understand why anyone would leave her behind. How anyone even could.”

  Just like before in Doc’s office, fury rolled through him like a thunderstorm as he considered the situation. The knowledge that someone gave Dandi up, left her alone in the dark with no assurance that she’d be cared for… it burned him up inside. Made him want to pound something—or someone—to a pulp. He’d never understood a parent abandoning their child, though he’d seen it when he was young and his mother opened their home to foster children. It was how he first met Renner. Who knew the runt would become Ryan’s brother-in-law one day.

  But that situation turned out okay, so maybe Dandi’s would too.

  Layna’s hand landed on his thigh and he jolted. Slowly, she leaned in and dropped a soft kiss on his cheek. “Frown upside down,” she murmured. “Baby’s watching.”

  Ryan found Dandi’s little green gaze and softened to mush. It was an instant effect. Not even a conscious thought. She just twisted around the bond he already shared with his mate, like she belonged there.

  Like she’d always been there.

  Like she always would.

  Damn, he hoped Mason was right.

  ***

  Layna laid her head on her mate’s shoulder as she stared at Dandi and tried to come to terms with their unique situation. There were as many unanswered questions as doubts floating around in her mind, but one thing was for sure.

  This baby girl was here for a reason.

  After all the tears and crying, Layna could hardly believe the poor thing had just been too hot. And that Ryan had figured it out. Just more proof that he was made for this. He was meant to be a father. Meanwhile, she was a mess of twisted emotions and inner panic. Maybe the universe was giving her a sign. Maybe there was a reason she couldn’t get pregnant. And maybe that reason was that she wasn’t mother material.

  A knock on the door brought her attention away from the baby and Ryan. “Who could that be?” It was after two in the morning. The entire compound should be asleep. Besides Doc, who she’d clearly woken with her frantic call.

  Rising from the floor, she went to answer it, finding Mirena the Brave on the other side. The Sorcera was a bit of a daredevil, full of sass, and mated to one of the bear shifters who were responsible for security. Layna’s heart dropped. Had they found something? Maybe they sent Mirena to collect Dandi.

  No. Mine. Her werecat stood ready to fight for the little one. But that was absurd. Dandi had a home somewhere. With someone. Maybe even someone dangerous. Shit. Layna blinked away the horrible thought and tried to ignore the quarreling behind her sternum.

  “Hello, Layna.” The Sorcera smiled, her naturally ruby lips spreading until her cheeks rounded to touch the long dark hair that framed her face in wide waves. “Can I come in?”

  Layna stepped aside, unable to make her voice work. Mirena’s long skirt swished around her legs as she entered the cabin, and Layna closed the door behind her. She cleared her throat, looking to Ryan for help. He seemed to understand the fears she couldn’t speak out loud as he rose from the floor, and lifted Dandi into his arms. He pressed the baby to his chest, his big hand coming up to cradle the back of her head.

  “Mirena,” he said.

  “Hello,” she answered kindly. “And hello there, little ladycat.” She grinned as she approached Dandi and Layna moved closer to keep watch. This instinct was crazy. Mirena would never hurt an innocent child. She had several of her own, and was as motherly as any of the females in the clan. But…

  She can’t take the baby away, her cougar snarled. Not now.

  Layna swallowed back a growl and Mirena must have noticed because her head snapped around in surprise. Layna’s gaze cut away. They were friends. It wasn’t nice to growl at friends.

  “Why are you here?” When she looked at the Sorcera again, she was frowning.

  “Well. Probably not for whatever you think I’m here for.” Mirena sighed. “A little birdie told me you guys were having trouble getting the baby to settle, so I came to help.”

  The breath rushed out of Layna with such force that her sight went black for a moment and she staggered with relief.

  “Whoa.” Mirena grabbed her arm to steady her. “Here, let’s get you to the couch. Sit, sit.”

  Layna was in a daze as Mirena urged her down to the sofa and Ryan hovered nearby.

  “LayLay…” It was the nickname Mirena’s young, and many of the others, had started calling her. “You’re exhausted, aren’t you.”

  Layna shook her head. “No. Not really. I’m just… I’m…” Fucking tears wel
led in her eyes and she tried to blink them back.

  Mirena knelt beside her, wrapping her hands around Layna’s and meeting her eye to eye. “What is it, my friend? What can I do to help?”

  Shit. She didn’t like talking about her weaknesses. Her battles. It was the very last thing she wanted to do. But she’d already shared her heartache with Mirena many years ago when the Sorcera was injured and thought she’d never be able to have young. If anyone knew what Layna was feeling right now, it would be Mirena.

  “My animal is fighting me. It’s bonding with the young already. No, not already. From first glance.”

  “From first cry,” Ryan corrected.

  “Yes. And I thought the bears or Gash had found her family. I thought they sent you to bring her back to the lodge. I… I…”

  “You thought I was taking her away.”

  Layna’s stomach twisted and she recognized the sensation as fear. A paralyzing fear that she was about to lose something so vital to her existence that she’d never survive it. She’d only felt this way once before, and it was when she thought she’d never see Ryan again, back before they were mated.

  Shit. She was in so much trouble with this baby. If they were this tightly connected after just a few hours, what was she going to do when they finally found her parents?

  “Well, breathe easy.” Mirena squeezed Layna’s hands and stood. “I’m only here to cast a small sleeping spell.”

  “A what?” Ryan bounced the baby gently as she began fussing again.

  “The little ladycat has had a long day. And so have both of you. She needs to rest so you can rest.”

  “Nah, it’s okay,” he argued. “We’re good now. She was just hot and worked up.” But Dandi let off a frustrated cry that seemed to disagree with him. Layna pressed her palm to her chest where it throbbed every time the little thing cried. She wished she could comfort the young, but no amount of holding or rocking seemed to do the trick.

  “Is it safe?” she asked Mirena.

  “Perfectly so. I’ve used it on each of my own. It’s very gentle. Just lulls them a bit so they can calm down enough to sleep. You don’t want to rely on it of course, but I think she’s earned a little help after everything that’s happened today.”