“Zoey,” Barry stuck his head into the room. “Your parents are here.”
“I’m leaving,” Zoey sat up, but fell right back onto her pillow with a cry of pain. Her eyes teared up. “I don’t want to be yelled at.”
“You should have thought about that before you tried to sneak out again!” Dad stalked into the room and flipped on the overhead light. Zoey cringed and covered her head.
“Sir, your daughter has a head injury. The light causes her pain,” Barry flipped it back off.
“She should have thought about that before getting herself kidnapped!” Dad turned it back on.
“Stop it!” I growled.
“And you! You brought her here. I told you to protect her and you let this happen?”
“No, I didn’t let this happen. She’s a kid. She wanted to see that damn band and she tried to go again. I was out hunting down the damn rogue vampire who’s been stealing and torturing omegas. What have you done with your retirement?”
“Don’t talk to your father like that, Jessie,” Mom came into the room wringing her hands.
“Don’t tell me what to do! In all my years as Alpha of this pack nothing like this has ever happened!”
“What were we supposed to do? Lock her in the closet?” I stood up.
“Don’t you take that tone with me,” Dad said.
“Stop it!” Logan yelled. “She’s hurt and she’s right here. She got hurt protecting me. It’s my fault! So, don’t yell at them. Yell at me.”
“Hemlocks do not yell at pregnant omegas,” Dad said. “Maybe you should take your mate somewhere to calm down while we get your sister packed up to go home.”
“I’m not going anywhere!” Zoey whined from under the blanket.
“You’re not responsible enough to be here. You won’t listen to your brothers. You won’t listen to the future Alpha of this pack. You behaved like a pup, young lady, and my pups belong safely on Hemlock Mountain.”
“I’m not going back, Dad! I’m not going back!”
“Yes, you are. This isn’t a discussion,” Dad said.
“Mom!” Zoey peeked out from under the blanket and turned to her for help.
“I think it’s for the best, honey,” Mom said.
“Maybe you could wait a few days until Zoey is stronger,” Barry said.
“No,” Dad shook his head. “There will be no putting off the inevitable. This pup is going home today.”
“Sir, it is my official medical opinion that this patient remains under supervision until she is healed enough for a drive across two states.”
“We have excellent doctors on Hemlock Mountain,” Dad said.
“She’s a kid,” I cut in. “So, she’s going to do stupid things. This isn’t about her sneaking out. She didn’t sneak out and get hurt at a concert or crash a car or something. She was still on campus when they kidnapped her and my pregnant mate. Here at Hemlock Academy!” I growled. “She was still home! She was taken from her home! They both were!”
Dad’s face turned pale.
“On campus?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “On campus.”
“He came onto the campus grounds?” Red dotted his face.
“Stop it, honey,” Mom squeezed his arm. “Your blood pressure is going up. Remember what the doctor said. You’re not a young wolf anymore.”
“The threat has been eliminated,” I said. “He’s crow food.”
“And his underlings?”
“Dead.”
“Sir,” Logan stood up. “Alpha? I’m not sure which is appropriate.”
“For a mate of my son? Dad will do just fine.”
“Alright,” Logan bit his lip. “Your daughter, Zoey,” Logan took her hand and held it up to keep Dad’s attention. “She knows she shouldn’t have left campus last time. She shouldn’t have been out of the house this time, but she’s not stupid. She’s just as stubborn and brave as the rest of your pack.”
“Do you have a point, omega?” Dad asked.
“She’s smart. She saved my baby. I’d like to take her on as my apprentice.”
“For?”
I gritted my teeth. Dad barely remembered what all of us did for a living. He didn’t bother to try to remember what our mates did anymore.
“I’m her alchemy professor, sir,” Logan said. “She has a real gift for it and I’m afraid I can’t relocate to Hemlock Mountain to teach her.”
“I need to think about this and discuss it with my mate,” Dad said.
“Of course, sir,” Logan nodded. “Take your time. Zoey will rest while we wait.”
No one said a word until they both left the room.
“You were amazing,” Zoey smiled up at Logan. “No one ever gets him to listen. All he does is talk and talk since he retired.”
“I’m pregnant,” Logan shrugged. “Alphas tend to shut up and listen to pregnant omegas.”
“Thanks,” she gave him a one-armed hug. “Did you really mean it about me being your apprentice?”
“You’re good at alchemy. Even if you pursue another career an apprenticeship will look good on your resume,” Logan smiled.
“Knock, knock. Can I come in?” Leslie peeked her head inside the door.
“Leslie!” Zoey grinned. “You’re still here!”
“Of course, I am. I brought flowers, but Nurse Barry wouldn’t let me bring them in,” Leslie smiled. “Something about pollen.”
“It’s alright. Thanks, though. Jessie, help me sit up.”
“Easy does it,” I lifted her gently until she could rest her back against the pillows. She cringed and drew in a sharp breath.
“I’m alright. Really, I am. It just hurts,” she smiled up at me.
It cut like a knife to think about never seeing my little sister’s goofy smile again.
“So, tell me like everything!” Zoey said.
“Well, all of my brothers showed up. Like all of them, but I wasn’t leaving. So, they tried to fight Ryan and security showed up. It was like a bar fight in the street and I couldn’t stand it anymore! I thought my head was going to explode from how stupid all the Alphas were acting while the literal world hung in the balance.
So, I set off a gunk-bomb. A Ryan special, as I call it. I set it off down the street, but they were all so worried that it was that vampire…” Leslie’s words trailed off. “I’m sorry, guys. They might have realized you two were in trouble if I didn’t do that.”
“No,” Logan shook his head. “I saw it go off just before I blacked out. Even if you didn’t set it off security wouldn’t have gotten to us in time,” he squeezed her hand.
“What did they say when they found out you did it?” Zoey asked.
“Well, my brothers decided I could take care of myself after all,” Leslie blushed.
The three of them sat on Zoey’s hospital bed and chatted about that night, alchemy, and possible baby names for our unborn child. I sat in a chair next to the bed and listened to their chatter. The Grim Howlers sang on in the background.
Logan and I still hadn’t gone to sleep, but he refused to leave Zoey’s side and I refused to leave his. Jeb was dead and the omegas of the world safe again, but now came the hard part.
The difficult part of any mission was the aftermath. That’s when the healing comes, and you learn to quit looking over your shoulder. Well, most people do. Trackers always look over our shoulders alert for the next threat to our homes and packs.
Logan’s hand rested on his baby bump and I couldn’t look away from his stomach. Our baby grew inside, sleeping in his or her egg, oblivious to the danger of the outside world. They trusted that we would protect them and keep them happy. This time nature fell in the favor of our victory. Our little one would see the world and meet the brave aunt who helped protect them.
The door swung open and they all fell silent.
“Zoey, we’ve reached a decision,” Dad said.
Mom walked in on his heels and sat in the chair next to me.
“He knows y
ou can protect her,” she whispered in my ear. “He was afraid of losing his baby girl. Zoey is the apple of that man’s eyes.”
“I know,” I smiled at her.
“You will remain at Hemlock Academy,” Dad announced. “You will rest until you heal. You will not complain about bedrest or whatever the doctors here deem pertinent to your healing. Then, you resume classes and become Logan’s apprentice. You will call your mother every single night at seven. You will tell her how your day was. What you did. What you ate. Who you talked to. What the doctors said and anything else she’d like to know. You will not worry your mother.
If I even give one whiff of you putting a toe out of line I carry you back to Hemlock Mountain kicking and screaming if I have to.”
“I won’t do anything like that again, Daddy,” Zoey smiled up at him.
“I hope not,” Dad crossed the room to hug her. “The stars wouldn’t shine so brightly without you around.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Logan
Two months after being kidnapped I was as big as a house. My belly extended past my feet and Jessie had to help me tie my shoes. Zoey stopped by everyday after school to help with dinner and keeping up with the housework. Hemlocks rotated in and out of our home at all hours of the day until they needed to be home for their own dinners. Some nights, Ross and Wrynn cooked, and everyone came over to eat. Though, with the addition of Wrynn’s baby boy, named Adrian after his father, he needed all the help he could get too.
With Jeb dead and the breeding farms a thing of history the dean lifted the omega curfew. Zoey cried to find out the very day it lifted the Grim Howlers started a tour across Europe and Asia and she’d have to wait a full year until they were back stateside. There was no way her parents would allow her to fly across the world and she knew better than to ask.
I was still ravenous everyday eating four and sometimes five meals, but my morning sickness disappeared after the ordeal. Nurse Barry scheduled appointments for weekly ultrasounds and we all waited for the baby to come.
“Can he bring the portable one here, today?” I asked Jessie as he tied my shoes.
“He could,” Jessie nodded, “but you said you wanted some fresh air.”
“I’m not walking. I can’t walk. Maybe you could just roll me there,” I sighed.
“We’re taking the car. I’ll roll the windows down,” Jessie grinned up at me.
“I don’t wanna move,” I sank into the sofa.
“I’ll carry you,” Jessie grinned.
“I’m too big for that. It’ll be like carrying a house around,” I looked down at my belly. “I think the baby is a full-sized dragon and not just an egg.”
“You’ll never be too heavy for me to carry,” Jessie gently scooped me up.
“If this egg doesn’t come out soon I’ll need all the Hemlock Alphas to help carry me out to the car.”
“Nah,” Jessie laughed.
“You better come out soon. Do you hear me in there?” I poked my belly. “Come out and meet your family.”
“They’ll come when they’re ready,” Jessie grinned opening the car door and helping me inside.
“I wish we knew what the baby’s sex was,” I sighed. “It’s hard to shop without knowing it. I mean, I know there’s really no such thing as boy and girl colors, but I still want to know.”
“I’m happy for the surprise,” Jessie slid behind the wheel.
“You’ve been awful happy recently,” I eyed him suspiciously.
“I have a healthy mate and a healthy baby who will soon arrive into the world. I’m a happy wolf.”
“And you haven’t had to work either,” I teased him.
“That too. I get to spend all my time with you,” he leaned over and kissed my cheek. I took his hand and entwined our fingers. “That and Ross said it’s been a week since Zoey woke up the house screaming from nightmares. She’s starting to do better. Her and Kimi have really taken to one another.”
“If the baby’s a girl I think we should name them after her,” I said. I’d put a lot of thought into it but wasn’t sure how Jessie would feel about it. I knew he loved his baby sister, but naming a child was a big deal. For the rest of the baby’s life they’d be called by that name. “If it’s not against Hemlock rules. I mean, I know Ross went through a whole big ordeal just to name his daughter Syra.”
“I think Darian will make an exception this time,” Jessie grinned at me. “Though, Zoey’s head will grow twice as big if we do.”
“Then she’ll fit in with her brothers,” I laughed.
***
“The egg is healthy,” Nurse Barry said. “It’s moving right along and sitting a lot lower this week. It shouldn’t be long now. From all the notes Bane left me he or she looks ready to come out, but we have to wait for your water to break. It’s tricky business inducing a dragon egg delivery.”
“How much longer?” I looked at the screen. “They’re getting huge.”
“I can’t say for sure,” Nurse Barry smiled at me. “Just keep taking it easy. Move around when you feel the urge. Your natural instincts are the best guideposts we have from here on out.”
“Don’t forget my ultrasound photo,” I sighed and looked down at my belly. “You’re never going to come out are you. You’re afraid. You remember what happened.”
“The baby doesn’t remember anything. They weren’t aware of it,” Jessie kissed my forehead.
“Then why won’t they come out?” I whined.
Tears swelled up in my eyes. I was never much of a cryer before I got pregnant, but now everything set me off. It’d gotten worse since Zoey’s injury. Sometimes, when she was cooking or over reading one of my alchemy books I’d look at her and just start crying. Nurse Barry said it would pass. That it was just because she saved my baby and was hurt so badly.
“Because they’re still hungry,” Jessie smiled. “How about orange chicken for lunch?”
“Alright,” I sniffed. “Just wait until this crying spell stops. I hate these. It makes me feel so silly.”
“You’re not silly at all, mate,” Jessie wrapped his arms around me.
***
Two weeks later I woke up at three in the morning struck wide awake by the need to pace. At first, I thought I was in labor, but the contractions didn’t come. I needed to move. I needed to gather things. I wasn’t sure what, but I had to gather things. The baby would need things, right? I had to gather. What would a baby dragon need? Should I send Jessie out to hunt? No, babies drank milk. Even baby dragons.
“Nest,” my wolf whispered.
“Nest?” I blinked.
That didn’t make sense. Wolves birthed in dens. Maybe that’s what I needed. A nice safe cave away from everyone, but first I had to gather things. I need to gather things for the baby.
“Nest,” my wolf said again.
“Mate?” Jessie yawned walking out of the bedroom. “Is it time?”
“No,” I shook my head. “No contractions. I have to gather things.”
“What things? It’s not the full moon. It’s not time for those petals,” Jessie wrapped his arm around my shoulder, but I couldn’t stop pacing.
“Not them. Things for the baby.”
“We already bought everything on your list. Did we forget something?”
“No, just… I need to gather things.”
“What things? Tell me and I’ll get them.”
“Nest!” My wolf growled.
“I think I need to build a nest,” I shifted my weight from foot to foot. “It doesn’t make sense, though. I think being pregnant is making me crazy.”
“Alright, what do we need?”
“For a nest?”
“Well, birds use sticks, but I don’t want to bring sticks into the house.”
“How about blankets?”
“That’s a start.”
“You sit down here and let me make some calls,” he led me to the sofa and I sat down. With him working on the nest my need to pace passed.
“It’s the middle of the night,” I blinked.
“It’s for a baby,” Jessie said.
Two hours later our furniture didn’t have any cushions left on them and even our bedding was woven into a nest. Sleepy Hemlocks dropped off their extra blankets and pillows and went home to go back to bed.
Sitting on the floor, Jessie and I took our time weaving it all into a suitable nest that took up most of the living room. He pushed all the furniture against the walls, so we could still walk through the house.
“How’s it look, mate?” Jessie stood back to take a good look at it.
“Perfect,” I crawled into it. “Thanks for not calling me silly.”
“I don’t think it’s silly at all,” he crawled into the nest with me and pulled me close. “If it’s something you think our baby needs I’ll get it done. Whether it’s a nest or something else. I didn’t even think about building a nest, but since our baby will enter the world inside of an egg I think it was a great idea. I’m glad you’re thinking ahead and I’m always happy to help. It’s my job and my honor to provide for you and all of our future children.”
“Let’s just concentrate on getting this one out first,” I laughed and cuddled into his chest. “Now, I’m going back to sleep.”
“Goodnight, mate,” he kissed the top of my head.
“I love you, Alpha.”
“Love you.”
“Alpha?” I yawned as my eyes drifted closed.
“Can we break in the nest when we wake up?”
“Already looking forward to it.”
Chapter Forty
Jessie
“I’m sure Hemlock Academy will survive being a few potions short for a while longer,” I wrapped my arm around Logan’s shoulder and tried to guide him back to bed.
“It’s almost flu season. My potions are better than any flu shot out there,” Logan groaned. “I have to do this. It’s my job.”
“And you’re on carrier leave,” I stepped in front of him and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Quit that,” he frowned.
“Sorry, was I squishing the baby?” I quickly stepped back.
Omega Magic Page 19
