by Anna Lewis
This is it, she decided as the heavenly bliss pulsated through her entire body. This is my place of happiness, I never should have let anyone affect it. And she knew that after all of this that she never would again.
Her future was going to be different from this moment on. What she, Wade, and B had wasn’t illegal, and it didn’t hurt anyone. It didn’t even affect anyone other than themselves, so there was no point in worrying what the hell anyone else wanted. Talia made a point of not getting involved in other people’s business, so there was no point in worrying anymore.
She decided that from this day forward, she would be strong and she would stick to her guns no matter what. With that one revelation in her mind, a warm happiness spread through her body and she felt that deep satisfaction that she so desired.
Chapter 9
Things progressed much better with Talia, Wade, and B once she’d made the decision to ignore the haters and make herself happy. People were still against them of course, Talia assumed that they always would be, but as Bonnie predicted they soon got bored and moved on to something else. It was almost as if they needed to get a reaction from her to keep the gossip going, and without any reaction, there wasn’t any point to the gossip.
Talia didn’t even want to think what that said about the human race, but it did help her see why she’d always connected so much better with the Ec’dua… they didn’t seem to have anything like that inside of them. She was much more like them in a weird way – happy for everyone else to simply live their lives in the way that made them happiest.
But of course, just as life seemed to be getting better and settling into a wonderful routine of love, intimacy and closeness, something else happened to change her life and terrify her.
It started with what felt like a fever racing through Talia’s body, and it soon became a sickness that she just couldn’t control. She felt ill all of the time, and that manifested itself in weird ways throughout her body. She threw up, she got the shivers, she was sweating all the time, and no matter how much B and Wade wanted to help her, they just couldn’t seem to grasp it. They couldn’t seem to work out what was wrong, and so they couldn’t do anything about it.
“Get Bonnie,” Talia finally croaked out, the first time that she could actually speak. “I need her.”
B and Wade were aware of Bonnie and they’d actually met her once or twice, but they weren’t sure why Talia was so insistent to have her by her side right now. Although they had no idea what to do, so they went along with her plan purely because they had no other choice.
As soon as Bonnie walked through the door, she instantly knew what it was. It was strange, an unusual situation, something that no one had ever seen before, but she could tell right away. She already knew exactly what was going on.
“You’re pregnant,” she gasped out in shock. “You’re having a hybrid baby.”
“What?!” Talia screamed in shock, sending a coughing fit racing through her body once more. “What do you mean? Is that even possible?” She’d never even considered it as an option, she’d never thought about it at all. She’d been too preoccupied by everything else, and now she could see how naïve she’d been. How could she have overlooked such an obvious thing? “What do we do now?”
“First of all, don’t panic,” said Bonnie kindly, rubbing her friend’s cheek. “We will work through it together. I’ll be here for you and B and Wade too. This might be scary and none of us know the outcome, but we’ll do it together.”
Chapter 10
Talia’s pregnancy only got more difficult from that point onwards. She had all of the support that she needed, but her sickness continued to get worse. On top of her constant illness, she was also completely stressed that things were going to go totally wrong when the baby was born.
She had no idea what she was going to give birth to, whether or not she was going to survive it, whether or not the baby would be healthy, and how things were going to go afterwards. She was terrified. No one else knew the answers to her questions. There was no recorded instance of a half-human half-Ec’dua. But they did not seem to be as scared as she was. In fact, Talia felt like everyone was so concerned about getting her through her pregnancy that no one seemed worrying at all about how things would be afterwards.
She tried talking about it, discussing it with everyone, but they all kept brushing her aside – even Bonnie, which suggested to her even more that she had something to be worried about. If they wouldn’t talk about it, it was because they were scared and they didn’t know. The fact that they were so keen to keep it a secret scared her too… what did they think was going to happen?
She couldn’t believe that she’d managed to survive the war, just to die in childbirth…
“Oh fuck!” she screamed out as agony suddenly tore through her body. “Bonnie! What the hell is going on?”
This was wrong, it felt so wrong, and she stared at her friend in a panic. Fear flooded into her chest like water in a sinking ship. Was this the moment she was going to die? Was she about to lose the baby? Could a half-Ec’dua survive in a human uterus?
“The baby is coming,” Bonnie said serious. “The moment is here.”
“But I’ve only been pregnant for a few months!” Talia screamed, tears falling down her cheeks as she panicked more than ever before. This couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t. It made her realize that despite all of her worrying she really did love this baby, and as scared as she was about it all, she didn’t want anything bad to happen. “Is this normal?”
“I don’t know,” Bonnie snapped into action. “But that’s what’s happening and we just need to deal with it. Anything else will come much later on. Just breathe and focus on one step at a time.”
One step at a time… she felt like she could do that. Well, she was going to have to anyway…
Talia quickly learned that giving birth was the most painful experience that she would ever go through. She was red hot with screaming agony for hours and hours on end, and normal pain killers did not help; not that there were many around, what with post-war rationing still in effect. She clung to Wade’s hands, dug her nails into B’s skin, but even inflicting pain on others didn’t seem to make a difference.
“Kill me!” she eventually screamed out to anyone that would listen. “Just kill me!” She didn’t know much, but she was sure that death would be preferable to this…
And with that statement, everything started to fade and Talia couldn’t cling to the light. The darkness was coming for her and it wanted to swallow her up. She blacked out.
***
“Good morning, mommy,” Bonnie grinned as Talia came back around. “I’ve got someone who wants to meet you.”
Bonnie held the baby in her arms tenderly. The baby was pink-skinned and wrapped in a soft shawl.
“Oh!” said Talia, utter joy cracking her face into a smile, tears forming like dew in her eyes.
“It’s a boy,” said Bonnie.
“Is… is he okay?” she practically whispered. “Is he… human?”
“He’s both,” she nodded, handing him over. As Talia held her new born baby for the very first time, an intense wave of love crashed over her and she instantly knew that she would do anything for this child, no matter what. She would fight anyone that tried to hurt him, kill anyone that hated him; he was hers and it no longer mattered what he was.
All of the stress, all the illness that she’d been through, it was all worth it to have this amazing child by her side.
“He’s definitely a hybrid, I’ve seen him shift shape a few times already, which is normal with Ec’dua babies too, but the main thing is that he’s happy and healthy, and that you’ve done an amazing job to get him here.”
Talia glanced up at the three faces around her – B, Wade, and Bonnie, and she instantly felt like she could tackle anything now. There was a sense inside of her that she was stronger now, that enduring the pregnancy, giving birth and having the baby had made her tougher, and that would get
her through anything.
“What shall we call him?” she asked them all, staring back at her handsome babies face.
“Well he’s an important child,” Bonnie told her quite seriously. “He’s the first of his kind and he genuinely has the potential to change the world, so whatever you call him, it needs to signify that.”
“Let’s call him Ethan,” I say smiling brightly. “It means strong, and this baby is going to have to be strong to face this world.”
“Ethan,” Wade and B agreed quickly.
“I love it,” said B.
“Me too. Let’s go with that,” said Wade.
Sensing that Talia needed a moment alone with her child, B, Wade, and Bonnie left the room, allowing her to say the things that were building up inside. There were some good points to the mind reading thing after all!
“Well little Ethan,” she said, snuggling her nose against the most gorgeous creature that she’d ever laid her eyes on. “Things are going to be hard for us both from now on, but honestly I can promise you one thing – I will always love you, I will always look after you, I will always be here.” Talia considered the future for a moment, before speaking out again. “I mean, it might be hard, but it’ll be good too, I can promise you that. You’re important, you’re going to change the world and that’s something to be really proud of. You are living, wonderful proof that humans and Ec’dua have a bright future, together.”
She lay her head back on the pillow, smiling to herself. It was all worth it now, all the fighting, all the loss, all the heartbreak. It was all worth it to have this little gorgeous boy in her arms, and her wonderful relationship with B and Wade. Nothing else mattered.
Epilogue
By the time Ethan was two years old, the entire world was a different place. He was considered normal now, and although he was the first hybrid, he certainly wasn’t the only one. The world had started to take a different view on inter-species relationships, and now things were done much more in line with Ec’dua ways.
Love was freer, everyone was more accepting, and the planet was a much happier place to live in.
The love that Talia, Wade and B shared might have just been for them, but what they’d really done was opened the door for everyone else to have a happier life too. That made them proud and happy, but more importantly they were just grateful that they were free to live the lives that they had always wanted to live.
Now that they had Ethan, everything was perfect, and that way the way that they wanted it to stay forever more.
THE END
Protected by a Dragon
Kayla
The whole world loves me, I'm a pop star, beloved by all…
Except some people love me a little too much. I don't know why the strange man on the Internet has become obsessed with me, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't anything to worry about. I certainly don't think that I need a personal bodyguard.
That is until Hex comes along, and my whole world is turned upside down...
Hex
Running, always running… that's what I seem to do best.
I left home to escape a failed romance with another dragon shapeshifter, and now I'm floating through life, refusing to get hurt by anyone.
Until Kayla.
No one will tell her the truth. Everyone seems to assume that she's too fragile, but I disagree. If no one will tell her about the man who has been stalking her, then how will she know how much danger she is in?
As long as I don't fall for her, as long as I keep these unexpected feelings in check, I might just about be able to save her life...
Maybe.
Chapter 1 – Kayla
“Thank you, everyone,” I burst over the mic, causing another round of booming cheers from the audience. “You have been a great crowd.”
I loved my job, it was amazing, I had the whole world at my feet just for doing what I enjoyed the most – singing – but very occasionally I would get tired. Every now and again I would find it a little much, and tonight was one of those times.
Usually after gigs, despite the constant warnings from my management team, I would go outside and sign autographs to keep my fans on my side, but tonight I wasn't feeling it. I just couldn't be bothered.
Okay, that wasn't really the case. Actually my problem lay with the constant communication from a man who was rapidly becoming something of a stalker. What had started out as a few slightly creepy letters was now a constant bombardment on my social media accounts, and it was quite emotionally exhausting. I loved checking the Internet, it was the closest thing I got to normal, adult communication these days, but that had been taken from me. Now it was something I feared.
“We need to get you straight to the hotel,” my manager, who everyone called Mouse, insisted the moment that I stepped off stage. “Apparently a suspicious person has been spotted outside.”
I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket, wanting to see if my mom had called me, but Mouse slid it from my fingers right away. “What the hell?” I whined, but he just shot me a look as a reply.
“You need a media blackout. I don't want this guy to be able to locate you in any way. Tweets have locations, Instagrams have geotags…”
“Can't I just call my mom?” I said. I missed her, I needed her tonight. The blackout seemed like an unfair punishment.
“No,” he shot back sharply. “We need to be much smarter about things now. You can call her tomorrow.”
I watched in disappointed amazement as he whizzed away from me, indicating for me to follow. I shook my head sadly and trailed behind him like a sad little puppy. I'd come into this business assuming that the power and money would lead to freedom… how wrong I was.
As I slid into the blacked-out car next to my manager, he rambled into his phone at a barely legible volume. I didn't care anyway, why would I want to listen to what he had to say? But then I heard a few words that caught my attention, and I found myself leaning in despite myself.
“…new security… bodyguard… shifter company… round the clock…”
Was he talking about getting extra security for me? I had bodyguards for when I was out and about for my work, but not for the rest of the time. I was famous, but not quite enough for round the clock protection. I wasn't sure that I needed it. Yes this was a creep, but he wouldn't actually do anything, would he?
Plus a shapeshifter… was that really necessary? Wouldn't a human be enough? Sure, shifters had their extra abilities – the vampires with their strength, the werewolves with their speed, and the dragons with their flight – and yes they were a lot stronger, but it all felt a bit much to have one as a bodyguard.
I'd had my fantasies about shifters, all women did, but after a disastrous date with a werewolf just as I was on the cusp of becoming famous I'd put that idea well from my mind. Not that I would be dating this bodyguard, of course. He would be just another person looking after me.
“So,” Mouse gave me a serious look. “We're about to step everything up a level, just to be really careful.”
“Right, whatever,” I rolled my eyes obviously. “I don't really care, I think it's all stupid, but whatever you think. Now can I please just have my damn phone back? I need to call my mom.” Now it had become a point to argue about. I just couldn't understand why I was being punished.
“My assistant is arranging a shapeshifter bodyguard to come and look after you,” he talked over me, maddening me by being so annoying. Because I didn't always smile for photographs, when I wasn't totally in the mood to be dealing with the press, I had the reputation with some that I was bratty. For a while I did what I could to change that, before giving up and accepting that it wasn't going to happen. I just acted like myself. Now though I half wished that I were more of a brat because I got the sense that really flipping out could have actually had an effect. “He will be here tonight. He's going to meet you at the hotel, so you need to be ready for him.”
“Right, whatever.” I crossed my arms across my chest and looked angri
ly out of the window. What was the point of any of this? I'd considered giving up my career a few times, but now that thought was becoming more regular, and more overpowering.
Maybe if I really acted out, if I just acted like the spoilt brat that others already assumed I was, then my label would drop me. I didn't know what else I would do with my life, I didn't have a backup plan, but anything had to be better. Mom would probably be glad to have me back anyway.
“You will need to be on your best behavior,” Mouse warned as if he could see the cogs turning in my brain. “I don't want to hear any bullshit, all of this makes my job difficult enough, I don't need anymore.”
Urgh, this was ridiculous, I would get out. Just to piss Mouse off. He deserved it. He had no idea what this life was like for me. He had it easy, raking in the money without having his life paraded and made up for the world to see. I was the one who had to suffer, who had the stalker. I needed to make my own choices for once.
Chapter 2 – Hex
I cricked my neck, and stretched out my arms, re-feeling my human body again. I liked my human form, it was tough and powerful, although my features were so dark they sometimes scared people. But there was something so freeing about being a dragon.
My body took on a deep black coloring, with orange tints, and my wingspan was one of the biggest around. As I flew above the rest of the world, looking down at everyone, I felt free and important. I felt like I mattered to the world.
I grew up in a very small town, populated mostly by dragon shifters like myself, but I always wanted more. I felt like I was much too big for my hometown, so I couldn't wait until I was old enough to get out. As soon as I hit eighteen years old I moved from city to city, trying to work out where I fit in. It took me a while, four and a half years to be precise, but when I got to Los Angeles it just felt right. I enjoyed the sun, the space, the people. I knew there and then that I wanted to stay.
