Celestial Seductions: The Complete Series: An MM Gay Paranormal Mpreg Romance Collection

by Odin Nightshade

  After a moment, Hugh stood. He needed to return to his office for a board meeting.

  “You look after yourself,” Hugh said, admonishing, as he stood and walked to the door. “I don't want anything to happen to you. It would kill me.”

  Ethan felt the ache in his throat grow to overwhelm him. He nodded, unable to speak. His eyes were bright.

  When Hugh had left, he put his head on his folded arms and cried.

  ***

  Ethan stopped the car in the drive and walked to his front door. He felt a little better after talking with Hugh; a little stronger. He still felt nervous, but at least he felt safe enough to walk up the path to his door without looking over his shoulder. He opened it and stepped in.

  He shut the door and hung up his coat and walked through to the room at the back, which he was using as a study. He stopped.

  The window was open, the curtain blowing back in the breeze.

  I know I shut that this morning.

  Ethan swallowed, not quite wanting to believe it. He froze in the doorway, thinking. I always shut it before I go out.

  Ethan swallowed. No. On his desk, before the window, lay a package. He felt himself reach out to take it, almost against his own free will. I don't want to see this.

  With the package was a note. He lifted it. Opened it. Inside was a gun.

  He dropped it, his fingers slipping open as his mind revealed to him, piecemeal, what it was he was holding.

  Alex never had one.

  He opened the note.

  I have bought a gun. More than one. This one's not loaded. The other one is. I can come to your house, armed, and break in. No one stopped me. No one will stop me when I come again. And next time, it will be loaded. Come back.

  Ethan felt his legs give way under him. He sat on the floor. His stomach heaved and twisted, and he felt himself retch, dryly.

  No. He wouldn't. He can't. He won't.

  How would I stop him?

  He was right. He had managed to enter Ethan's house, armed; and there was no one there to stop him.

  What can I do?

  Ethan backed slowly out of the door and went to the kitchen, sat down at the table, his head in his hands.

  He breathed deeply, letting the sheer horror work slowly out of his body.

  This is serious. This man means business. He means he would come in here and shoot me. I need to do something.

  The first thing he thought of was to tell Hugh. Tell him, and ask if he could stay there for a while, at least until they could go to the police.

  No. You cannot tell him. If he knew you were...someone else's; that you were pregnant with someone else's offspring...what would he think? He wouldn't want someone else's leftovers. That's all he would think. You can't tell him. What would he do?

  Ethan breathed out. It was useless.

  Tell the neighbours? He dismissed that one straight off. Tell them what? That a maniac is going to come here and shoot me for carrying his child? That would really sound sensible to them.

  He was pacing, now; unable to sit still with his worry.

  First, close the window, his mind said, logically. Then, lock the gun away. The thought of touching it made him feel ill. The threat it presented made it seem somehow vile, wicked. But he wanted it safely out of the way.

  Then, call Hugh. You don't need to tell him; you just need to be somewhere else tonight.

  Right.

  Ethan walked through to his study, mechanically. Shut the window. Lifted the gun from where it lay on the floor and carried it to his room; locked it in the safe and hid the key. Washed his hands. Sat down in the bedroom.

  “Hello?” He waited, relieved to hear Hugh's voice.

  “Hello! This is nicely unusual.” Hugh sounded surprised, and warm.

  “Hugh. I...” Ethan stopped, unsure how to say this. “Uh...would it be okay if I came around?”

  “Sure. Of course. That would be...great.” Hugh's voice lifted. He meant it, clearly. He paused. “Is there something wrong?”

  “Uh...no. No, I'm fine; really.”

  “Good. Good! When will you be here?”

  “In about thirty minutes?”

  “Okay. Good. See you soon, then.” This last was warm and rich with longing; a voice that made Ethan's body glow despite the fear.

  ***

  Twenty-two minutes later, Ethan was pulling up outside Hugh's cottage on the edge of the field.

  “Hi!”

  “Ethan! Come in.”

  In another two minutes, Ethan was sitting on the big chair in Hugh's sitting room, steaming-hot coffee between his hands, and Hugh was opposite him, his face a mask of concern.

  “Something is worrying you. I know you. You don't have to keep it from me.” Hugh was talking, his voice gentle. His hand was on Ethan's hand, his knee touching Ethan's knee.

  Ethan looked up and met his warm, concerned eyes with his own.

  Hugh looked back, into eyes that were grey-green and full of pain.

  “It's nothing.”

  “No. It's not.” Hugh leant forward so their brows touched, looking into his eyes. “Something bad has happened. You don't have to tell me. But please, feel free to stay as long as you want.”

  They kissed; lips meeting with a sweet delicacy that touched body and soul with its gentleness.

  An hour later, they were in bed together, bodies cooling after a passionate session.

  Ethan's head rested on Hugh, resting on his muscled shoulder. Hugh's arm wrapped his chest, and he kissed his head.

  “I am glad to have you here.”

  “I am glad to be here.”

  Hugh's arm tightened around him, and the fingers of the other hand rested lightly on his chest.

  They lay for a moment, completely relaxed.

  “Hugh?”

  “Yes?”

  “I...” Ethan wanted to tell him; so badly. Could he? Could he trust him? He nodded. Why doubt? If he wanted to know for sure, he would try. He loved Hugh; he knew that. If Hugh loved him...well, he would care, then, wouldn't he?

  “Hugh...I...I have to ask something.”

  “Ask.” Hugh smiled. “Whatever it is, I swear it can't be weird as things I've been asked in the past.”

  Ethan smiled, a watery grin. “Um...I don't know.”

  Hugh chuckled, dryly. Ethan breathed in.

  “Um...if...if someone you...cared about...had not told you something big; what would you do?”

  Hugh was still for a moment, thinking. “I would wish they had trusted me enough to tell me.” He replied, directly.

  Ethan felt himself suck in a breath of relief. He felt weak, and amazing at the same time.

  “And...whatever it was, if they told you, and trusted you, that would be more important.”

  “Sure.” Hugh nodded.

  They lay still for a moment.

  “Uh...Hugh..?”

  “Yes?”

  “I was with someone before you. Months before. And I'm pregnant.”

  Hugh was still for a moment. Ethan felt his heart clench. He rolled over, to look at Hugh's face, after the silence had started to grow heavy. He looked down.

  Hugh was smiling.

  “Hugh!”

  “Ethan.” His arms were around him now, and he held him, stroking his hair, crushing him to his chest so he could hardly breathe; kissing his head. He spoke to him, a stream of words spinning down with his breath as he kissed his hair.

  “Ethan, how could you not tell me? That is wonderful news. Wonderful. Of course, you will have to move in here, with me...and we shall pay for the doctor together. And you will keep the baby here, and take time off to care for him. We can use the study for a nursery. Did I tell you I've always wanted a child?”

  “But he's not yours.” Ethan said, disconsolately.

  “He's yours.”

  They looked at each other. They kissed.

  The kiss became more, became a movement of bodies over each other, a touch of a hand, a slow exploration. After m
any hours, they slept, Hugh's arms around Ethan. It was Saturday the next morning, and they slept longer than either would have imagined; safe with each other, and at peace.

  ***

  Next morning, Ethan and Hugh were sitting at the kitchen table together. They had coffee cups between their hands, the warm dark scent curling through the air of the kitchen.

  “So. We have to do something about this.” Hugh's voice, firm.

  “Hugh. He's not stable. He's not safe.” Ethan's hand was over Hugh's squeezing protectively.

  “No.” Hugh acknowledged. “You're right. Which is why we will play it safe.”

  “Call the police?”

  “Maybe.”

  “What else can we do?”

  “I don't know, yet.” Hugh agreed.

  They sat for a while, thinking. The day sank closer to evening and the scent of coffee wreathed around them, mixing with the spices of chicken in the oven.

  “We could...” Ethan started, considering. “We could maybe scare him?”

  “Yes.” Hugh nodded. “We could lie in wait for him outside your apartment, perhaps?”

  “That's a great idea!” Ethan smiled, eyes sparkling. “You're brilliant! He must wait for me to go to work, and then come over and cause his trouble.”

  They sat back a moment, thinking.

  “He has a gun,” Ethan mentioned, “and we know he's unstable enough to try and use it.”

  “Yes.” Hugh sounded slightly rattled for the first time that day.

  “But...but will he be expecting us in our other forms? We could sneak right close to him, that way; maybe disarm him before he could react first.”

  “We could.” Hugh smiled. “You're brilliant too.”

  “Thank you.” Ethan smiled broadly. They grinned at each other.

  “Too much brilliance around here, that's the trouble.” Hugh said, smilingly.

  They laughed.

  After a moment, Hugh replied to the idea, in consideration.

  “He will recognise you in your shifted shape,” a pause, “he knew you in that form, and his own shift will recognise yours.”

  “You're right.”

  “He doesn't know me, though.”

  Ethan sat. Looked down at him.

  “No. He doesn't.” He paused. “But...Hugh...”

  “I'd be perfectly safe. Or, safe as anyone can be facing an unstable guy.” He smiled. They kissed. After a moment, he continued. “Here's what I think we could do...”

  They talked. They planned. They argued some points. In the end, they had devised a way forward. They kissed then, slow and tenderly. They slept.

  ***

  Monday morning. Hugh was waiting in the street near Ethan's lodging, in the car.

  “Okay, let me in.” Ethan's voice was crisp and strained. He tapped on the window, twice, mouthing the request to Hugh.

  Hugh opened the door and Ethan slid onto the seat beside him.

  “He saw me leave. I'm sure of it. I think I caught a glimpse of him. Of JC, anyway.”

  Hugh looked, questioning.

  “His bike. JC. It stands for Just Cruising, but with the obvious religious parallel.” He shook his head, smiling.

  Hugh smiled back. “Right. Let's go and see what we find.”

  They tried to discount it, but the tension in the car was overwhelming. They were about to confront an unstable man, with a gun, whom they both knew was capable of anything. Their hands met and touched lightly; transferring strength between them.

  They switched on the engine and went round the block, arriving opposite the road Ethan had just driven down, leaving his house as he did every other morning, for work.

  Only this time, he had driven in a wide circle, back to where Hugh had parked the car, a minute's drive from his apartment, at the other end of the street one road away.

  They swung the car into the road opposite Ethan's apartment and slowed.

  “There!”

  On the wide pavement near a small green area, they could just see a bike; half in the shade of a hedge.

  “That's him?”

  Ethan nodded. “I would never have seen him there when I left.” he nodded towards the hedge. “It's the perfect spot.”

  “It was.” Hugh agreed, nodding. “Well, let's park somewhere here, shall we? And see what we see.”

  “We should go somewhere where we can see the front and the side of the house. He was going in round by the back window to leave his notes.”

  “Okay.” Hugh pulled the car over, and they parked on the corner of the opposite block. From there, they could see the front and side of the building that housed Ethan's apartment. They were also out of sight of the park.

  They turned the key in the ignition and waited.

  “There.”

  Sure enough, a figure in dark clothing appeared at the side of the block. He walked over, casually, and up the driveway of the building where Ethan lived on the ground floor.

  He walked around the garden, to the back window.

  “Now.”

  Silently, they opened the door. Ethan walked to the front of the house, and Hugh slipped around the back. They waited.

  There was silence for four or five minutes. Then a shriek rent the air.

  “No! Get off me!” The shout was more like a scream; desperate, shrill.

  Ethan, as he heard it, felt his heart stop. He ran round the corner of the house.

  There, he saw a large, grey timber wolf in the apartment garden in the middle of town, standing his ground and growling, terrifyingly, at a man in dark clothes who was backed up against the wall.

  As Ethan reached him, the man pulled out a knife and slashed wildly at his aggressor. The timber wolf, who had been in mid-spring, ready to knock the man to the ground, fell back, grunting. In his shoulder was a long, ragged wound.

  “No!”

  Ethan ran forward, reaching for him, for the man; anything to get between them.

  “Ethan!”

  “Alex!”

  They saw each other at the same time. Ethan's body filled the space where Hugh had been, where Alex was still standing with the knife poised. It grazed Ethan's chest and would have done more damage had Alex not immediately recognised him.

  White-faced, Alex stepped back.

  “Ethan! No.”

  He bent down to where Ethan and the wolf were sitting on the ground, both panting and gasping.

  “Ethan? Are you okay?”

  Alex sounded concerned, of all things. Ethan blinked.

  “No.” His eyes looked to Alex's face, and met his steady dark-brown gaze. There was no malice there, only a deep, fanatical care.

  “I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” Alex had his hand over his eyes. He was weeping. “I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't. I'm sorry.”

  “I'm...not dead.” Ethan smiled crookedly. He rested a hand on Alex's shoulder.

  At that moment, he felt a hand on his own. Hugh had appeared, in his proper form. He was pale grey in pallor and winced when he moved his arm.

  “Hugh!”

  Ethan turned to him at once, reaching out for his wrist, looking into his face.

  “I'm...alright.” Hugh nodded, grimacing. “Let's go inside...people are looking at us strangely.”

  They looked over the fence at two or three people in the street, who had clearly been watching. They all looked away, feigning disinterest. Ethan nodded, grimly.

  “You're right. Let's go in.”

  “You'd better promise you aren't armed.” Hugh nodded to Alex, who was still crouched at the wall.

  “No...no.” Alex nodded. His face was pale and strained.

  “Right.” Hugh nodded briskly. “Come on, then.”

  Ethan led the way to the front of the apartment block and let them all in.

  Inside, Hugh kept a good eye on Alex, who went to the table and sat down. He was shaking.

  “Ethan,” he said, without looking up, “I'm sorry.”

  “You told me already. I know.” Ethan sat oppos
ite him and rested a hand on his, a gesture of reconciliation.

  “Coffee.” Hugh nodded briskly. He looked as if he was about to fall over.

  “Hugh. Your shoulder...”

  “Is fine.” Hugh nodded, hissing in his breath sharply.

  “No.” Ethan said, equally-brisk. “You're hurt. I'm having a look at that. What if you need an ambulance?”

  “It's not that bad.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Ethan and Hugh had bandaged each other's wounds. Alex had silently made coffee.

  “We can settle this in a way that suits all of us,” Hugh was saying, as they sat and talked, “we just have to discuss what that is.”

  “Well, you don't need to be introduced. You're clearly Ethan's lover.” Alex said, wryly.

  Ethan felt colour rush to his cheeks. “Yes.”

  Hugh nodded. “Right. Perceptive fellow, eh?” He smiled. Ethan smiled too.

  “All I want is my son.” Alex began. “And to be able to see Ethan sometimes.”

  Ethan felt his heart swell. “You didn't seem that keen on seeing me a while back.” He said instead.

  “I am sorry. Truly.” Alex was not looking at anyone. “I was being so, so stupid.”

  “Quite.” Ethan nodded.

  “Okay.” Hugh cleared his throat. “So. You want to see Ethan and the boy. So do I.” He paused. “Ethan?” Ethan looked at him, eyes warm with care. “What do you want?”

  “I think...I think we could settle it like this....” Ethan began.

  After two or three hours of talking, all three had come up with a solution they liked. Ethan stood, stretching, and winced as the cut in his chest pulled. Hugh and Alex both half-stood, concern lining their faces.

  Ethan and Alex stood facing each other for a while, complex messages passing between them in just a glance. They stood back and embraced. Alex looked relieved and peaceful.

  He and Hugh shook hands. Then he left. Everyone was reconciled.

  Hugh and Ethan went to their car.

  “Work?” Hugh asked, looking rueful.

  “Maybe...” Ethan started. Their eyes met, and they smiled.

  “We can call in sick?” Suggested Hugh, smiling.

  “Now that, my dear, is a fantastic idea.”

  They drove back to Hugh's home, where they dressed their wounds and revived with some hot coffee. And if it was several hours before the light in the bedroom went off and the light in the kitchen came on again, the only people likely to notice were the odd driver taking the long road out of town.