Apparition

by C. L. Scholey

  It took effort, feeling so languished, but Zoe lifted her hands to rub at his chest. She loved the feel of his muscles under her dainty hands. Her nose nuzzled him. She sighed in contentment.

  “Hmm, what did you say?” Doss asked.

  Confused, Zoe leaned back to peer into his face. “I didn’t say anything. I just sighed.”

  “I was sure I heard something.” Now Doss looked confused, he looked around. He seemed to be concentrating hard. A huge grin split his face. “I thought we had missed the last of the must cycle. I was wrong; a Tonian is the same as a Castian in must, at least I am. I am guessing my cock won’t grow as huge again for another four years when a warrior must is high again. It won’t need to fill with the added pressure of a piece of my shield.”

  “What do you mean?” Zoe asked.

  Doss slipped from her and sat her beside him. His hand pressed to her belly. “Breathe me in,” Doss commanded.

  Dutifully Zoe sniffed him, although she felt a bit self-conscious. “Uh, Doss? I feel silly.”

  “Sorry, Zoe. You’re going to have to let Loy and Raiden come close and take a good whiff of them. The babe needs to identify with family. Let her scent them, she’ll do the rest.”

  “Baby?” Zoe said startled. “A baby? My baby? Your baby?”

  “Our baby,” Doss said and smiled.

  “You mean I can toss a warrior on his ass without trying? Like Brandy did? Man, that Tonan went ass over tea kettle, it was awesome.”

  “Well don’t look so excited.”

  “I am excited,” she exclaimed. “She has a mommy and daddy and family. All thanks to you and your compassion. You saved us, Doss. You have given me everything I ever wanted. I love you so much I think my heart will burst.”

  “We have just enough time to go play in the healing waters if you’d like to wash before we go for dinner,” Doss said and winked.

  Zoe thought it was a wonderful idea, but washing was the last thing on her mind. Especially when her mate was looking so big and sexy.

  Epilogue

  The suns were burning brightly and Zoe waddled along outside in the small field smiling. She was picking the beautiful white Effie flowers that smelled heavenly. A multitude of bird songs sang in her ears as she strolled. She had missed the sound of birds on Ulsy. It was a shame no one thought to save any on Earth. The Castians had. Many things the Castian warriors had done were endearing. She no longer feared them. Many females had mated with them. Some had missed the last female must, some had not. Some women were still healing while the warriors continued to do their best to be acceptable and less threatening. After all, the Castians had all the time in the world.

  Zoe was with Caveat, they were alone. Her hand rested on the small of her back, her rounded bare belly protruding, catching the suns’ rays for her baby’s shield. As her pregnancy progressed, Zoe’s tolerance for brighter sunlight increased dramatically. The shield that not only required the sunlight also protected Zoe from it as well. At first, she had been worried about burning, but Doss had explained there was a catch to the shield. Nothing was allowed to harm Zoe while carrying. She thought the idea highly amusing that she could stand outside all day long absorbing rays without the need for sunscreen. The concept made both mother and child content.

  She was nine months along in her pregnancy and couldn’t wait to see her daughter. It had been a wonderful pregnancy, no sickness or discomfort or stretch marks. Cobra had told her the baby’s shield cured her of any ailment or malady while inside. Once outside of her, the baby shield would be that much stronger when Zoe produced her milk shield; it would need to be, to protect both mother and child when not together. But by that time the hormone the mother would produce would have every Castian male feeling protective of both her and the child. It readied the males for when the baby shield dropped, and if any danger became apparent, any male could protect the female child by enclosing her in his armor.

  Zoe moved farther along. Her face tilted to the sunlight. Her fingers settled into Caveat’s fur for a moment. Caveat seemed content to follow her; his herd was safe and shading themselves under a massive tree by a river not far from where they strolled.

  Zoe loved to caress the swell of her baby’s rump. “When will you make your appearance?” she said aloud. She spoke often to her daughter. She felt a tiny movement and knew she had her child’s attention. Doss said the baby knew Zoe, her voice, her love. “I love you.” Zoe wondered if the babe was smiling in the womb.

  They wandered closer to the river; Zoe was getting anxious and hoped the exercise would induce labor. The stallion made no offer to drop to a knee and allow her onto his back. Zoe had stopped riding him when it became too uncomfortable. Oddly enough, the stallion seemed to sense her condition and loved gently pressing his lips to her belly and would nicker ever so softly. These last months the baby had kicked in recognition. Each time, Caveat tossed his head looking delighted. Zoe remembered the stallion had two of his own foals; he had to know something was up.

  Zoe thought her life was perfect. Both she and Doss had been accepted into the Castian stronghold. The war between Tonan and Castian raged, but it was apparent the Tonans were fighting a losing battle. Human females were like an infection to Tonan warriors. An emotional virus that attacked their blood, bombing it with empathy. Some of the Tonan race who had allowed the human females close didn’t realize the leap they would take. The Tonans had wanted to empower their race with numbers by mating the human females—instead, they had subjected themselves to a new combat. One they lost quickly. Their foe was relentless and they were blindsided. The vicious Tonan breed duped themselves. As they had once attacked females, the females now attacked them—with emotion. Karma was a bitch. There was no pretending with human females once mated; they were nothing like the Tonan females. For these few Tonan males who mated for the greater good, they became the greater good.

  Doss had explained he understood. A human female was capable of great love. When there was absolutely no malice involved in a mating, no fear or regret, the Tonan had no choice but to feel what his mate felt. They hadn’t counted on that. The Tonans had thought their female mate would accept the despicable Tonan way of life the way Tonan females had. None had predicted the weak laughable human females would be the ones to change the Tonan males.

  Zoe wasn’t surprised. A human craved love, acceptance, a Tonan didn’t care. He did soon after the mating took place. To many Tonan males it was disconcerting. To most, having a woman openly express love after spending hundreds of years with only feeling deception was overwhelming. A human female’s tears, once mated, could drop a Tonan warrior to his knees, bending over backward for his mate when he too was feeling their sorrow. Their mate’s pain was a huge eye opener to many. It was no longer funny to witness grief when it was felt. Doss wasn’t the only one who had trouble keeping up with female emotion. The more volatile Tonans hadn’t mated and some were prone to suicide missions as they watched their lifestyle fall apart and many comrades leave the fold.

  Cobra had been beyond amused when Tonan after Tonan had expressed a desire to return to the Castian way of life. All were mated and wanting a warrior mate to keep their female safe. It compounded when the Tonans’ memories of secretions flowed. As well, they absorbed. Water had poisoned all females and it would seem water would restore all life. Zoe had known there was power in tears; it would seem they could bring a warrior to love. It had taken a race of human females to fell the foe. Any Tonan accepted into the fold pledged allegiance to Cobra and snapped off their tails.

  The Tonans were watched closely, but their emotions were so high and uncontrollable it was laughable to the Castian warriors who were used to sensing and feeling emotion. In the beginning after meeting Zoe it had been hard on Doss, but to see a Tonan warrior cupping his mate’s face and promising her anything if she would just stick with one emotion at a time was priceless. One Tonan warrior raced around for hours looking for a puppy—his mate, pregnant and hormonal, had to have
a puppy.

  “Damn it, what the hell is a puppy?” He finally bellowed at the top of his lungs. Cobra took pity on him and had one made from a hologram.

  After chuckling with the thought, Zoe stumbled when Caveat screamed in rage and a dark shadow appeared. A brilliant light flashed and Zoe was surrounded by six Tonan warriors. Renegades on a suicide mission. All six cracked their long tails like weapons surrounding her. The baby shield was already in place. Caveat charged the closest enemy.

  “No, Caveat, run!” Zoe screamed.

  The horse wouldn’t leave her if he thought she was in danger; he had no way of knowing her baby carried a protective shield. The shield wouldn’t protect any other than the mother. Both Zoe and the baby were indestructible; Caveat was not. Caveat slammed his back hooves into an attacking Tonan, sending the warrior flying. His teeth gripped another by the shoulders and shook him; all the while the Tonans attacked him, ripping at his flesh. It didn’t stop the stallion; he was ready to battle until death.

  Zoe screamed and screamed for Doss, she felt their child send a wave message to her father. Zoe knew the babe loved Caveat, just as she knew their child loved her and Doss, Loy and Brandy and her uncle Raiden as well as his warrior mate, Cace. Her child was powerful enough to transmit messages to her father and Loy. As with Zoe, no matter where the babe was, her father would find her, like a homing device that linked them emotionally. Caveat screamed in agony and Zoe felt his pain rip through every fiber of her being. Caveat had been her baby too at one time.

  “Doss!” she screamed and suddenly he was there, flying from the sky, dropping from a high branch in the trees. He ripped into a Tonan and killed him in his uncontrollable rage. Doss was bellowing his fury as he ripped at each Tonan warrior like a man gone wild. Loy was there and then Cobra and Raiden and Cace. Many more were behind them. The Tonans were soon lying in a puddle of their own blood while their armor rusted and shimmied over the terrain in the slight wind. Doss and the others had killed them all.

  “Caveat.” Zoe whimpered.

  The stallion was on his side trying valiantly to rise, but failed time and again until he lay still. Zoe was beside herself in terror. Caveat was more than a friend, more than family. Once the last Tonan had been killed, the baby shield dropped and Zoe fell to her knees and pulled the stallion’s head into her lap. She struggled her bulk forward to kiss his face, her tears dropping at a steady rate to dampen his fur. It was too much. She couldn’t lose him. They had been through too much together. Zoe clutched at her belly when an odd sensation rippled through her. There was no pain but she knew immediately the baby was coming.

  “Doss, she’s coming,” Zoe whispered.

  “We have to get you back home,” Doss said urgently. He looked to the sky but there was no warrior ship.

  “Doss, I can’t leave Caveat!” Zoe cried.

  “You won’t have to,” Cobra declared. He gathered his men. Between four of them they lifted Caveat into a standing position and they were on the move. A trail of blood followed the majestic beast, but he was far from done. Doss lifted Zoe into his arms. She clung to him gasping for air through her mountain of tears. She called and encouraged Caveat to keep going.

  The healing waters were surrounded in a mass of soft foliage. It had three couples frolicking who vacated immediately when seeing the state the horse was in. They had never used the water on animals, especially anything so large. With more help, the horse was lowered into the pool and to Zoe’s relief the water swirled around him. Loy kept the stallion’s nose above the water. Caveat whinnied at the strange sensation but Zoe called to comfort him.

  Doss was receiving instructions from Cobra as Zoe gave birth. All he had to do was catch the baby, everything else was naturally done. The umbilical cord would clamp itself; the baby wouldn’t cry but would coo. Once the babe was in her mother’s arms, everything else would begin to heal until it would appear the woman had never given birth.

  The healing waters splashed and rolled and with surprise Zoe saw Caveat leap from them, he had yet to be healed completely and Zoe felt her panic build. Nothing would keep him away from her, not even his pain. The horse shook himself off and immediately went to Zoe. Cobra tried to keep him back, tried to direct him back to the healing waters, but it was no use. The stallion made it apparent nothing would stand in his way to get to the woman who had been the best friend he had since birth.

  “Zoe, the babe won’t let anyone near you. Even Doss will be repelled for a while after he sets the child in your arms, until you and the babe bond,” Cobra said in obvious distress.

  “We—all—ready—bonded,” Zoe said through gritted teeth as she bore down.

  Even though there was no pain, the stress of pushing a life from her body was hard. Caveat settled himself behind Zoe, dropping down to let her lean against him. It was easier using him as leverage and he whinnied softly as though to encourage her. Within moments, the babe came forth and Zoe was holding her in her arms. Zoe gazed into her infant daughter’s beautiful smoky gray eyes. Tufts of white blonde hair curled at her ears. Zoe felt her, her emotions. It was remarkable. She had been feeling more of her lately. She had envied Doss his ability to converse with her, but now Zoe could.

  The baby enveloped them all in a shield. Her distress at Caveat’s pain had been so great she had wanted to help. Doss couldn’t heal Caveat, but it became immediately apparent the babe could. She couldn’t shield the stallion when she was sequestered within the womb, but her ability to heal was strong now. Zoe was sobbing.

  “This is your family, Zaina.” It was Doss’ mother’s name. Doss kissed the top of the baby’s head. She was perfect.

  “I promise to take good care of you. I love you both so much,” Doss said. Caveat snorted and Doss chuckled. “Yes I love you too, you old ass biter.”

  Caveat whinnied softly in welcome to Zaina. Zoe was exhausted. She closed her eyes and let Caveat comfort her as she had comforted him as a baby. Doss curled around his mate and child. They would remain that way for the next twenty-four hours, getting to know one another. Only food and drink would be allowed past the shield and only by a blood relative.

  “Remarkable.” Zoe heard Cobra mutter.

  It wasn’t so remarkable. They were a family. Families stayed together through unquestionable odds. They didn’t always follow a pattern; sometimes they made their own paths. Sometimes they were an apparition, only seen when you needed just a glimpse and nothing more. But nevertheless, they were there.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  C.L. Scholey lives in her Ontario home with her husband and children. She is working on the next book in her series. She loves to connect with readers and can be reached at clscholey@hotmail.com or check out her web page www.clscholey.com

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