by K. F. Breene
“What the hell has he kept from me?” I said in a hushed tone.
“Oh crap. Sasha, no. That is off-limits. You’ll kill me in that.” Charles tugged me to get me moving. He was punched again by Jonas and then gently moved aside by the helpers in pink.
“Jonas, bro, seriously. You haven’t been in the car when she drives crazy. She’d kill herself.”
“Let’s just wait for the Boss and then we will all go inside,” one of the ladies said in a voice as gentle and beautiful as a meadow in summer. She was totally suited for her job.
Stefan jogged up with Paulie at his back. I heard more cars in the distance but couldn’t see them yet. When Stefan met my eyes, the tightness around his eyes vanished. The haggard look of fear washed away into relief. He slowed to a walk and held out his hand for Paulie to do the same. They approached like a couple guys out for a stroll.
“Hi, baby. Everything going well?” Stefan asked in a calm voice.
A different sort of relief washed over me. It wasn’t of helpers knowing what they were doing, or Charles and Jonas acting like dorks, it was the stability and grounding only Stefan could give me. I entwined my fingers with his and heaved a huge sigh.
“Three shifters. Tried to attack her, and in the state she’s in.” The vicious growl bespoke horrible torture that panther would receive if Jonas got his way. Or any of the clan, really. Probably any species alive, actually. In what world did someone try to kill a pregnant lady? It was a level of disgusting I still couldn’t picture.
“Ann and I took two out before Sasha said to keep them alive, though,” Charles admitted, his gaze on my face. Then my stomach. “Okay, what are we waiting for? Inside, right, Sasha? We should go inside?”
“You kept one alive?” Stefan asked like he might’ve been asking if I’d saved him a piece of apple pie.
“Shifter attacked here?” one of the women in pink asked. Shock and fury warred in her features.
“One is hurt but alive, yes.” I scrunched up my face as another contraction grabbed a hold of my body and started digging in claws. It was getting worse. The pain was more consuming now.
“Inside, yes,” I panted.
“Is she in labor?” Stefan asked in the same calm voice.
“Yes, Boss. And yes, let’s all move inside.” Another of the ladies in pink motioned us forward. “Boss, maybe you can have one of your men arriving take care of anything that needs to be done while you focus on your mate. She needs you right now.”
“Of course. Jonas, take care of it. Paulie, go with him and fill him in on what you know.”
“Yes, Boss,” someone said as another wave of pain washed over me. Worse and worse. Here we go.
Chapter Eleven
Charles paced in the front room of the suite. He heard Sasha cry out and had to stop and squeeze his fists against the mortal anguish she was obviously in. “Don’t they give drugs anymore, bro?” He started pacing again. “I mean, the movies had drugs.”
Jonas sat in the chair, gently rocking. Paulie leaned against the wall by the door. Tim, Ann and Delilah sat on couches. Delilah’s man was beside her, holding her hand, trying not to look totally freaked out. He was not pulling it off. When a guy in the field sounded like Sasha, that meant he was dying. He was holding his intestines dying a slow, agonizing death.
Jonas had thrown him against the wall when he asked if Sasha was dying. Then one of the annoying women in pink told him to calm down, that this was all standard practice.
Standard my ass. This shit is shit. That’s what it is. Shit.
Swearing, even mentally, should’ve helped. Why didn’t it help?
Another tortured cry came from the inner room. She’d been at this for eight hours. In pain for eight hours, and his was serious pain. World-ending pain. Pain someone didn’t come back from.
“How is this normal?” Charles muttered. Pacing.
“Why don’t you knit?” Ann offered.
Terrible idea. This called for movement. Fighting. Swords.
“What’s the deal with that panther? Can I rough him up or something? Let’s get a pen together and I’ll fight that bastard. That’d give me something to do.” Charles flexed his fingers.
“We have him squared away. We’ll question him after Sasha has the babies and Stefan can get away. I’d also like to wait until Dominicous and Toa get—”
A soft knock sounded at the door. A smiling woman in pink— though smiling at a time like this seemed ridiculous—crossed the room and opened the door. Dominicous stepped in with a hopeful expression. Mr. I-Stare-Constantly, Toa, glided in right behind him.
“How is she?” Dominicous asked in a hush. He carried a huge teddy bear under each arm. Toa held a giant bouquet of flowers.
The agonizing scream sounded again. That door didn’t do much to muffle the torture of childbirth.
“She’s nine centimeters dilated. Won’t be too long now.” The woman gave that irritating smile again and took the presents. Dominicous smiled, too, as if there wasn’t someone in anguish in the next room.
Charles wasn’t cut out for this. He wasn’t up for this kind of thing.
“Dominicous, we have an issue you might need to know about. I’m not sure how much Stefan has told you,” Tim said, his eyes tight. He was trying to act cool, but childbirth was freaking him out, too. Charles could tell.
“Did the panther surface again?” Dominicous asked pleasantly. It was hard to miss the edge to his voice, though.
Toa sat at the opposite end of the couch as Tim. He stared at Charles with those icy blue eyes.
“Not in the mood, bro.” Charles paced toward the other side of the room.
“You would think this is your child,” Toa said. “You have a deep loyalty toward Sasha, it seems.”
“Give that guy a prize, someone. It only took him a couple years to clue into what everyone else already knew.”
“The humor, yes. I had forgotten.” Toa sniffed and shifted his gaze. Thankfully.
Jonas cracked a smile. Which dwindled at the next cry from the other room.
“He tried to attack Sasha,” Paulie said in a growl.
Dominicous turned to the human and took his measure with that flat, assessing stare born of leading men through battles. Paulie held it for a moment, not one to back down from anyone. But, as anyone with a bit of sense did, he looked away not long after. Charles didn’t blame him.
“I’ve heard about you, of course. A human with great potential. Cato can’t wait to meet you. You, and a few others Toa is already acquainted with.” Dominicous turned back to Tim. “But this attack came…recently?”
“Right before she went into labor,” Jonas spoke up. “She was walking in the grounds here and he attacked. His two minions went after Charles and Ann. They were most likely a distraction. The panther must have thought Sasha would be distracted and wouldn’t see his attack until too late. He knew she was a mage high in power though.”
Dominicous’ whole body tensed. His jaw clenched and a vein pulsed in his neck. Burnished gold flared through his tattoos and lit up the blade of his sword attached at his hip.
“Let’s just remove all weapons, shall we?” the smiling woman in pink said in an irritatingly pleasant voice.
“He probably didn’t think she would be able to do magic in her advanced state,” Toa said thoughtfully. That glacial gaze stared at Jonas.
Jonas stared back with fire. “I think you’ll be the best person to get that question answered…”
“Oh yes,” Toa agreed before glancing at Dominicous. “I think that is exactly right. Especially if this is someone working with the Europeans. They would’ve been skeptical of a human being high in power.”
“And we don’t think he was acting alone?” Dominicous turned to Paulie.
“I have someone tracing his plates. They need to use a hacker I know who’s good but expensive,” Paulie answered, holding the gaze a little longer that time. “This guy’ll come through, though. If there’s a trail, he w
ill follow it.”
“Useful, this human.” Toa turned that eerie gaze on Paulie. Paulie’s brows furrowed. “I didn’t realize working with a human that had been a criminal could be so advantageous. Sasha does stumble upon some gems.”
“Just gotta roll with it, human,” Charles muttered. Dealing with Toa could be polarizing. “He’s always that weird.”
Dominicous was about to speak when the most angelic sound graced their conversation. An infant cry.
“Jonas, if you tell anyone I cried like a bitch, I will kill you in your sleep.” Charles wiped his face.
“I would still kick your ass, even asleep, weakling.” Jonas’ eyes were glassy, too.
Eventually a different baby cry drifted through the door. Still everyone held silent. It wasn’t over yet.
Another uncomfortable wait passed before one of the smiling women walked out of the inner room. “Mommy and babies are both fine. A boy and a girl.”
Charles could not help the huge smile. Nor the tear dripping down his cheek. The pressure of emotion on his chest was a welcomed one. He couldn’t wait to hold one of those squirmy little infants.
* * *
I woke to softly filtered light. Genevieve was standing beside my bed holding one of my babies. “Time to feed, Sasha,” the woman said in a hush.
Stefan climbed out of his side of the bed and came around to take the blue wrapped baby from Genevieve. We’d decided to name him Savion. Genevieve then turned back to her helper for the pink wrapped baby, Sabrina. The tiny little thing was handed down to me.
“Ladies first, Savion.” Stefan kissed him on his forehead before staring down at me with an expression dripping love.
It was only a week since having the babies and still my body felt like I’d been through a gruesome battle. I’d been visited by probably everyone in the whole world. Flowers and teddy bears and candy and bottles of wine all littered the suite. Charles and Jonas lingered constantly, always with their hands out to hold the babies. Dominicous and Toa were always first, though.
I was shocked that Toa was totally into kids. Totally into kids. I couldn’t remember ever seeing him smile, but when he held Sabrina, his white chompers showed in full force. He played and laughed, bouncing her around the room. Dominicous did the same with Savion
It was clear that my children would never know what it was like to be lonely.
My kids wouldn’t grow up like Paulie or me. They wouldn’t be awarded to the state with nothing but a “good luck.” They wouldn’t scratch and fight their way through life, seeing imaginary people and wondering if they were insane. They wouldn’t spend every second just surviving. No, they’d be loved and cherished, helped and supported through each stage of their life, regardless of who was looking after them.
That thought had me crying in joy every time I thought of it.
After I had fed Sabrina, I let Stefan take her so I could feed Savion. “How’s my beautiful girl?” Stefan said with a smile. He kissed her nose. “You look like your mama.”
“Poor thing,” I muttered, trying to get Savion to latch. The little guy just wasn’t into it. His sister—easy. She took it nearly immediately. He just wouldn’t stay on.
“Here, Sasha, let me help.” The nurse leaned down to help me.
“Stefan, can you walk her away?” I hated when he watched while I worked at the boobs. It made me feel awkward.
Without a word, he bounced Sabrina toward the window. “Will you like the darkness better, or the light, little girl?” he asked in a soft tone. “Like your mama, or your daddy?”
After I finally got Savion to latch, I watched Stefan with our daughter. He took to parenting within the first moments of Savion’s life. He had taken his son and helped wash him while Sabrina was being born. He insisted on holding them both until I was ready. I’d never seen him so happy in my life. He had glossy eyes and a serene expression as he rocked two quiet babies in his arms. As the nurses finished with me, he said, “I love you so much, Sasha. Thank you for giving me the gift of our two beautiful children.”
Fate had chosen well with Stefan. I couldn’t have picked better myself. Every day I thanked God for him. Every time he kissed me, or kissed our babies, my heart swelled and I felt an answering love through our link. Life was bliss.
Chapter Twelve
Two months after I’d had the babies I was on my way with Jonas and Charles to the shifter compound in the woods. I’d left the babies in the care of two nurses, who would be the kids’ nannies. Delilah had been right—there was a huge benefit to having a baby with these people. You got free daycare and nannies. It was a mother’s dream.
Which Delilah would know soon enough when she had hers.
“I miss them already,” Charles said in a whine. “Sabrina smiled at me, did you see that? Before we left. I think she likes her scarf, even though you won’t let her have it.”
“That was gas,” Jonas growled from the driver’s seat.
“You’d smother her with that thing, Charles!” I leaned back and closed my eyes. While there was a day crew to help with feedings, I woke up every time I heard a baby cry. I was hardwired to get all stressed out when it happened. I had help, had a mate that helped, and still I was exhausted. I could not imagine doing it alone.
I hadn’t even bothered to ask about the Ferrari everyone had kept from me. Though now I knew why Stefan never drove himself anywhere.
“That was not gas!” Charlie argued. “You’re just pissed because Savion scowls at you instead of smiles.”
“He’s too much like his father,” Jonas retorted.
I rolled my eyes.
We pulled to a stop next to Jameson’s blue SUV. It was a quiet walk into the main house where they had the shifter tied up in the living room. The marks my spell had left on the guy were long gone, and there were no other marks from Toa except the man’s crazy eyes. Charles stayed with me while Jonas ducked out again to ask some shifters if there had been any other sightings. Apparently Tim’s guys had smelled people like the clan, but no one had seen anyone. After I had taken a look at the jerk who tried to kill me, I’d go look for some goons trying to hide with their magic. I was no stranger to unraveling an invisibility spell.
The room hushed when I walked in. Tim pushed off the far wall toward me. “Hey Sasha,” he said solemnly. “Sorry you had to come here for this.”
“I’m ready to go back to work,” I said. This jerk tried to kill me right before I gave birth. He had tried to end three lives. I didn’t have a soft spot for the guy.
Stefan walked into the room with Paulie right behind him. Stefan gave my back a rub as he passed. “This guy’s car is registered to a human in Arizona. Paulie had someone check it out—the humans are long gone. Dead, probably. Their assets are most likely in the hands of this guy’s boss. No lead.”
The man in the cage stared at the ground. He would not look at me.
I walked directly in front of him and stared down into the physical cage. It was tall enough for him to stand up in and turn around, and wide enough to squat or sit, but not big enough to lie down. That, in itself, was a form of torture.
“So he won’t give up what he knows?” I asked with a bite to my words.
The man looked up slowly. He was attractive with light brown eyes and a masculine cleft in his chin. His smile set off warning bells, though. He was cunning and a killer, both. I could see it in the coldness of his eyes.
Not a big deal, though. Everyone in this room was a killer in some form. And this guy would probably see that first hand before long.
“Got yourself in quite the pickle, huh?” I asked in a cheery voice. “Picked on the wrong human.”
“Ill planned,” he said with a British lilt to his speech. “An issue I will not repeat.”
“No. You won’t live long enough to. Pity. Right, well, I’ll leave Toa to deal with you. I have to go find your clever friends who are probably hiding in the bushes.”
The man snorted. “A human with a God compl
ex. How refreshing.”
“God complex? Because I can use my magic?” I lightly shook my head. “Never argue with a stupid person, he’ll drag you down to his level and then beat you with experience.”
I winked at Stefan and made my way outside with Charles following right behind. We checked in with a shifter standing by the door. “Where’s Jonas?”
The guy pointed off to the right. I let my magic spread out and walked off that way. Once at the tree line, I glanced way off to the right, and then the left, looking for a grumbling, stocky character. I didn’t see one.
“Think he went around the back?” I asked in confusion.
“Doubt it,” Charles said, peering into the trees, and then looking back at the house we’d just come out of. “Where’d he go, I wonder.”
I pushed my magic as far as I could, feeling the shifters dotting the area but staying away from the house. I walked to the right, trying to push farther. Trying to get a feel of Jonas if nothing else. The guy didn’t usually play hide-and-seek.
Halfway to the back I felt something. Up high. A mingling magic and a definite spell working. I glanced up and noticed a branch not quite out straight like its friends, but bent. As if someone was sitting on it. And then I felt the eyes. Very clever.
“Got one,” I said quietly.
Charles looked up as I unraveled a pretty simple concealment spell. The shifters smelled Charles’ kind abstractly, but not directly. Why? Because they were perched up in the trees. As the spell withered away, I couldn’t help but laugh.
A middle-aged man in black spandex clung to the trunk halfway up. He had a surprised expression mingled with an “oh crap” look.
“Gotcha!” I yelled up at him.
He tried to jump away into the trees, but I threw some binding around him and watched as he fell to the ground to a lump. Charles was standing over him with a sword a moment later. “How do ya like me now?”
“Except I was the one that did it, dummy,” I said. “C’mon, grab him. We’ll take him in and see if Jonas hit the toilet or something.”
