by Ardy Kelly
“You’ve got a year to decide, Oscar,” Chet replied. “But in the meantime, you may grow to like helping people.”
Oscar sighed. “My life just got a lot more complicated.”
“Your life just got a lot more interesting,” Chet corrected while nudging David. “Now, let’s get those sheets drying.”
Once the linens were tumbling in the dryer, Chet took charge of getting Oscar settled. “Where’s your room?”
Oscar blinked, still adjusting to 20/20 vision. “Upstairs, I think. I haven’t seen it yet.”
“Let’s go,” Chet exclaimed, grabbing a box from the lobby and taking the stairs two at a time.
David put an arm on Oscar’s shoulder. “I know this is a lot to take in.” He put his other hand to his belly. “Trust me, I know. But don’t let it wig you out.”
Oscar nodded. “It’s just…I’ve never had a destiny before.”
“I found it,” Chet hollered from above.
Oscar and David follow the voice upstairs. Past a door marked “Private” was a large room. An entire wall was devoted to overstuffed bookshelves. A kitchen sat to the left, with another door on the right.
The area beyond revealed a bedroom similar to the Wolves Lair. The mural covering the walls was of a single owl watching over the Do Drop Inn and its guests.
Chet smiled. “I guess he finally got around to making you that owl room.”
With David’s queasiness cured, he cleaned out the upstairs refrigerator while Oscar and Chet brought the remaining boxes from the lobby. Once finished, David felt a wave of drowsiness overtake him. As Chet and Oscar changed the sheets in the “Owl Room,” David stretched out on the sofa to rest his eyes.
He didn’t open them again until morning. His neck was stiff from lying on the armrest of the sofa. “Hello?”
“You’re awake,” Chet replied.
He sat up. “Why did you let me sleep?” He turned his head.
There were books open on every piece of furniture in the room. Sticky notes hung from all of them. In the center of a librarian’s nightmare, Oscar and Chet sat cross-legged, balancing books on their laps and scribbling notes on legal paper.
“You’ve been up all night reading?” David asked.
“We’ve got supernatural blood,” Oscar practically squealed.
Looks like he’s come to terms with his destiny, David thought.
“We’re descendants of fey folk,” Chet explained.
Oscar nodded enthusiastically. “There’s full fey, and then there’s halflings, who have one parent who is fey. But Chet and I must be quarterlings. Listen. ‘Quarterlings (those with a grandparent who is fey) frequently inherit the extraordinary beauty of their ancestor but very little if any of the fairy magical powers. Quarterlings have been known to possess gifts such as future visioning, and healing of the sick—’”
Oscar looked up from the book. “That part was underlined. ‘Yet these powers do not come from their bloodline. Being creatures tied to nature, they can merge with powerful earth energies that exist as vortexes. This union is symbiotic and creates what is called a watcher. The watcher’s charge is to transmute the energies of the earth into powers that will benefit the living and/or protect the vortex from dark magic.’”
“You two are fairies?” David asked.
“Smile when you say that,” Chet replied with a wink.
David hadn’t realized how much he liked Chet’s attention until he lost it. And he had definitely lost it. Beck’s library was all Chet was focused on now. He could sympathize with “football widows.” He was a fey widow.
At first he had tried to join in, but the pair had moved into advanced fey iconography that meant nothing to him. Instead, he made use of his own talents. He brewed a pot of coffee. It earned him a quick, “Thank you,” before the two quarterlings started quarreling about how much magical fey powers they had.
“The text said, ‘little to any,’” Oscar stated.
“That was one text,” Chet argued. “This book mentions a training regimen to develop powers.”
“But it doesn’t say what that training entails.”
“We’ve only done one bookcase so far. We’ve got four more to go.”
David groaned. He left the apartment, unnoticed. It wasn’t his intention to be unnoticed, but it happened just the same.
He grabbed groceries from the main kitchen to make breakfast, spotting the calendar with the large, red X. Oscar’s attitude had changed overnight, and he doubted there would be any more countdowns.
As he searched for the flour, he spied the boxed muffin mix in arm’s reach. “They won’t even notice,” he mumbled. “Nobody cares about the pregnant guy anymore. Now it’s all about being fey.”
He remembered his sister’s outrage when she found out he was pregnant. “This week was supposed to be about little Joshua,” she had said. “But now it will be all about you.” He empathized with her reaction now.
“The hell with it.” He climbed the stairs with purpose. “I’m making a baby and all the fey magic in the world can’t compete with that!”
By the afternoon, Chet suggested they spend another day.
David didn’t bat an eye. “Sure. But you’re going to sleep tonight.” Chet had been up over twenty-four hours, and shouldn’t be driving them back until he was well rested.
He kept the men fed, watching through the day as their energy slowly faded. Around four o’clock, they both fell asleep with books in their laps. David set a timer. He would allow them a ninety-minute nap, and then wake them. If they slept this afternoon, they wouldn’t sleep tonight. He considered it good training for becoming a dad.
Oscar and Chet were kneeling in the sand by the front porch, plunging their hands into the ground and chanting words they learned phonetically. The only effect was to stir up some non-magical dust.
A truck approached. It was the first vehicle they had seen since arriving. Unsurprisingly, it turned on the lane to the inn.
The truck pulled up to where Oscar and Chet had been bare-handed hoeing their magic. A man in blue hospital scrubs stepped out. “I saw the lights on when I drove past last night. Wanted to see if the place was open for business again.”
Oscar appeared tongue-tied, which didn’t surprise Chet. Having lived in Timber Crossing, he knew how to spot an alpha shifter. The man was big enough to make the boulders in the backyard look like pebbles. The blue scrubs highlighted his ebony skin.
“Opened yesterday,” Chet replied. “This is the new owner.” He pushed Oscar forward. “Are you looking for a room tonight?”
The man’s eyes lingered a moment longer on Oscar before answering Chet’s question. “No. I’m a local. My name’s Kai.”
Oscar and Kai were too distracted staring at each other, forcing Chet to keep the conversation going. “You work at the hospital?”
“Yeah. Beck was a close friend. Sad to hear about his death.” Kai’s attention instantly shifted to the porch when David approached. He flared his nostrils and sniffed.
David stared him down. “What are you?”
Kai took another whiff. “What are you?”
“Pregnant,” David answered.
Kai narrowed his eyes. “But I don’t smell shifter.”
“Yeah. That surprises most shifters.” David stepped closer. “So what are you?”
“I’m a coyote—”
“No. At the hospital. Are you a nurse, doctor, administrator? What are you?”
“I’m a doctor.”
David swore. “I heard shifter doctors are very rare. Something about fluorescent lights.”
Kai shook his head. “I know several.”
“I’m going to kill Troy.” David held out his hand. “Give me your card. I might be needing your services if my veterinarian student doesn’t work out.”
Despite his dazed expression, Kai pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to David.
“Thanks.” He took the card. “It’s too hot out here for me. These
two can answer any questions about getting the healing waters up and running again.” David turned and walked back inside.
David’s appearance, brief as it was, freed Dr. Kai from having to surreptitiously broach the subject. “Is it working again? I tried bringing a patient but the water never sparkled.”
“Oh, it’s working,” Chet said. “But first, I need a favor.”
Once they spoke, he left Kai and Oscar alone.
David was waiting in the lobby. “Is he gone?”
“He’s arranging some time with Oscar to bring a patient over.”
David’s eyes lit up. He snuck outside, taking a seat on the porch while pretending not to listen in.
“Can you hear anything from this distance?” Chet asked as he took the seat next to him.
“Shh.” David waved his hand. “I’ve got wolf hearing. They’re talking about the vortex.”
“Anything good?”
David listened for a minute. “The vortex isn’t a cure-all. It can’t set a broken arm, but it can speed the healing.” He listened longer. “He calls it the world’s best CAT scan.”
Though Chet couldn’t make out any words between the two men, Oscar’s laugh reached his ears. “What’s so funny?”
“The doctor offered Oscar a free exam.” David paused. “I don’t think he was talking about a medical procedure.”
Kai opened the door to his truck. Before climbing behind the wheel, he turned to the porch. “Bye, Chet and David. The exam offer goes for you, too. Have a good trip back.”
“Damn,” David swore. “I forgot about coyote hearing.”
Their inability to produce any fey magic dampened Chet and Oscar’s enthusiasm for further research, to David’s relief. After dinner, they took another plunge in the pool, allowing Oscar to practice his “sight.”
By ten that evening, the two fey were sound asleep, while David wrote out his muffin recipe on a legal pad.
The next morning, Chet began paying attention to David again. Unfortunately, David didn’t have time for the kind of attention Chet was offering. This morning he had to teach Oscar the second B in B&B.
The owl had no natural talent in the kitchen, but being a lawyer could follow a recipe to the letter. David composed lists of which ingredients to have on hand for adding to omelets. He broke it down by which needed to be sautéed, how long they should be sautéed for, those to add at the end, and appropriate garnishes.
He also gave vegan and vegetarian alternatives.
After breakfast, they exchanged contact information, and promised to schedule a visit in the future. “You might see me in three and a half months,” David warned.
Once they turned off Do Drop Inn Lane, Chet asked, “Well? How was it?”
“You mean other than finding out you’re a mythical creature tied to an earth vortex, and Oscar can cure morning sickness? It was pretty uneventful.”
“I meant our first vacation together. Troy said it was a true test of compatibility.”
“I’m not trusting a single word out of Troy’s mouth right now.” He adjusted the vent, directing the cool air to his neck. “But if a fortune-telling fey is certain we are supposed to be together, who am I to argue?”
Chet nodded. “Damned by faint praise.” He tapped his fingers on the wheel. “So, you’re resigned to being a couple.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t say anything. I don’t know how you feel.”
“That makes two of us.” David fell silent, hoping Chet would change the subject but the man continued tapping. When the silence became too much, he confessed, “I felt jealous you were spending so much time with Oscar.”
“Jealous? That’s a good start.”
“There was nothing good about it.”
“I’m not so sure. I’ve never had a jealous boyfriend before. Are you going to make a scene every time I arrest an attractive man?”
“Are you going to gloat every time I get jealous?”
“Maybe.” Chet pointed out a road sign. “Now, we’ve got a choice to make. Timber Crossing is four hours away. Las Vegas is only two. We could get married there.”
“You keep pushing marriage.”
“I’m not pushing.”
“Marry in haste, repent at leisure.”
Chet barked a laugh. “This fortune-telling fey knows you’re going to say yes. I’m just not sure when.”
“Well, according to the sign, Hell is thirty-three miles from here. We could check if it’s frozen over yet.”
Chet chuckled. “You can’t put me off that long.”
He’s right. I can’t. David rested his elbow on the window. “No proposals until we’ve finished the first road trip. There’s a lot of anxiety whirling around in the back of my head about this pregnancy. Right now, I just want to enjoy being as far away from family and wolf packs as I can get.”
David bit his lip, before committing himself to his next sentence. “And I’m enjoying spending time with you.”
“Likewise,” Chet replied. “What about San Francisco?”
“What about it?”
“We could drive up there and have another night to ourselves. You need to pick up some clothes. And I’ve never been.”
David laughed. “I’m going to have to beat the men back with a stick with you on my arm.” He nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it. But I’m warning you, my place is a mess.”
Chet laughed. “I live in a construction zone. It couldn’t be worse. But we need to make one stop first.”
Dr. Kai greeted them at the hospital. “Ready to get tested?”
Chapter 11
Having lived in San Francisco since college, David was acclimated to the city’s charms. Seeing it through Chet’s eyes reminded him how special the place was.
“These hills are crazy,” Chet exclaimed, as they crested Powell Street. Any local driver would have avoided this route. Cable cars and pedestrians made each intersection a mini Times Square.
David had suggested this detour because today was all about the journey…and he knew the destination had an unmade bed and dishes in the sink.
Not that Chet noticed. He stared out the windows of the apartment. “Wow. What a view.”
The sight of Twin Peaks off in the distance was especially beautiful today. A low fog bank hovered nearby, obscuring the tower but not the deep-blue sky above.
“Okay, Mr. Tour Guide,” Chet said. “What should we do first?”
“The laundromat. My dryer’s on the fritz.”
“Show me.”
David opened the utility closet, and Chet peered behind the machine. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It doesn’t turn.”
Chet opened the dryer door and the light inside came on. “It’s got electricity.” He closed it and pressed the on button. “I know that sound. The belt’s broken. Got a screwdriver?”
David pulled a small case from above his head, and flipped it open.
Chet grabbed the Phillips head screwdriver and began to dismantle the machine.
David stared in awe. “You know how to do that?”
Chet shrugged. “I told you. I grew up in a B&B. I know pretty much everything about how to keep a washer and dryer working.”
Removing the front panel, he pulled out a long, frayed belt. “Yep. That’s the culprit. Didn’t we pass a little neighborhood hardware store?”
“Yeah, two blocks down.”
“Great. You start a load of laundry, and I’ll go buy a new belt.”
“Take my keys.” David exchanged the keys for a kiss before Chet left.
David had never felt alone in his apartment before. He busied himself rather than think about it.
He started his first load, changed the sheets on the bed, and gave a quick spiffing to the bathroom. He washed the dishes and checked the refrigerator. “All I’ve been doing is throwing out spoiled groceries.”
Grabbing a trash bag, he tossed the food inside and dragged it to the hall. Jamming an umbrella in
the door to keep it from locking behind him, he made his way to the trash chute at the far end of the hall.
He always enjoyed listening to trash bags slide down the seven stories to the basement, before crash landing in the garage. He also appreciated it was at the back of the building so he wouldn’t hear it from inside his apartment.
Wondering whether there was trash pickup at Chet’s remote cabin, he didn’t see Dominic on the couch until the door shut behind him.
“Hello, David.” The wolf purred in a tone meant to be sexy, but it was laced with too much menace to be appealing.
“What are you doing here?”
“You disappeared.” Dominic rose from the sofa. “I was worried about you.”
Unease crept into David’s stomach. “You don’t need to worry about me. You can see I’m fine.”
“Very fine,” Dominic agreed, as he moved closer.
David stepped back, but not before his guest smelled the pregnancy.
Dominic’s eyes grew wide, and the corners of his mouth rose. “You’re carrying my cub. I wasn’t sure you could, but it was worth a shot. Quite a few shots, as I remember.”
“You’re not the only one I’ve had sex with.”
“I was the only one during your heat.” He grabbed David’s wrist. “That baby is mine. I’m part of the Morehouse dynasty now.”
“There is no dynasty. And you are already mated.”
“No one would blame me for leaving a beta for the omega carrying my child.”
“It’s not your child,” David insisted.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’ve already got a mate.”
Dominic sneered. “I don’t see a bite on your neck. I could just lean in now and seal the deal.”
“Get away from me.” David pushed at Dominic. Before he could escape, Dominic wrapped his arms around him tighter than a boa constrictor.
“You already know how good we are in the bedroom.” He licked across David’s neck, preparing the skin for his bite. David struggled uselessly. “Come on, honey. Stop acting like you don’t mind when I get a little rough.”
A click echoed in the room. In front of them, Chet stood, his gun cocked and pointed at Dominic’s head. “Let go of David, and back up. Nice and slow.”
