by Yvette Hines
Reaching out, she lowered the top page to show the previous month. There were no red Xs on any of the days.
A trembling started in her core. With shaky hands she brought the next page down to see August. There a line of red Xs boldly declared the last time she’d had her cycle—smack in the middle of the month.
Which meant that she should have started at the least the week of the 15th of September. A week after she’d been up in the mountains. A week after she’d come upon a man beaten and tied in the woods, close to death. A week after she’d had sex with Haulcon.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. OhGodohGodohGodohGod…” she stumbled back. Everything around her was spinning and she was struggling to breath.
“It can’t be true. This can’t be happening.” Placing a hand on her forehead she collapsed onto her bed and tried to think and come up with a million reasons, logical or not, of why she could have missed her period in the last three weeks.
Her ovaries had been working like clockwork since she started at twelve years old. Never missing or delayed.
“Wait. I’m on the pill.” She popped up almost wanting to shout with joy. Even though her last boyfriend had been a few years ago, she kept herself updated on her prescription.
Even though she was confident that pregnancy wasn’t the reason and it was most likely due to stress, Adair still grabbed her car keys and purse. It was late but there was always a drug store open in town. While she was out, she’d grab a burger, because she was hungry again, even though she’d just eaten a steak and sweet potato fries a little over an hour ago.
She’d even ignored the voice of her doctor that warned her how unhealthy it was for her to eat something so heavy so late at night. ‘It’s counterproductive to your weight loss.’
Adair shook her head at the words. She was a curvy girl, and would probably be one for the rest of her life. Her goal was to stay active, not starve herself until she was thin.
Fifteen minutes later she pulled into one of the empty front parking spots of the convenient store and went inside.
A few minutes later she was back in her jeep with a two-pack anytime prego test, a quarter of mint ice cream and dark chocolate covered pretzels. Laughing at her snacks, she realized that her period was probably just late and due to start any day now. That would explain her salty and sweet quick grab. However, she still traveled through the drive-thru of The Grease Shack and got a plain cheeseburger.
The burger was gone a mile down the road and she had the pretzels open and was crunching one after the other between her teeth until the small bag was empty.
“It has to be period hormones,” she told herself.
Binge eating was something she did in college before big exams. Over the years she had gained more control over her life and eating habits.
Once she was home, she carried all the items inside, tossing her garbage in the trash and putting the ice cream in the freezer. Taking a moment to down a large glass of water to ensure her bladder was filled and ready she took the test with her to the bathroom. The quicker she confirmed that she wasn’t carrying Haulcon’s child, the faster she could get back to packing…and consuming her ice cream.
~YH~
Haulcon told himself to leave. The same lecture he’d given himself for the past two weeks. Normally he and his clan never even came close to the city, but valfs were still coming up missing and he was trying to discover why. The only thing he discovered were stiff corpses at the base of the mountain. Just dumped at the edge of the city like trash.
Such heartless care of a deceased valf went against everything they stood for. They ingrained respect in their young. He’d even ensured that Jacin and his nine allies had been given respect in their burial. If he could do it for his enemies then it damn sure should be done for those captured and fallen.
But captured by whom? How?
One thing he did know was that everybody died the same, lack of oxygen, caused by direct exposure to sunlight. Humans believed they died in a burst of flames from the sun. Another myth. But the sun’s UV rays constricted their blood vessels and caused them not to be able to carry oxygen to the brain. That caused the lungs to stop functioning and they would die gasping for air as their bones stiffened, causing severe pain.
As the Alpha, he didn’t take his responsibility lightly in protecting his people. That may have been why he had elected himself to patrol the city border, but it wasn’t what drew him night after night to Adair’s residence.
Thankfully, the apartments where she stayed had a small woodland area close by and her place was on the back end, giving him a place to observe her unaware.
He shouldn’t have been able to locate her. Even though they had been connected for some unexplainable reason after he drank from her, that was weeks ago. Without further contact and her not truly being his mate, their bond should be broken.
But, here he stood. As he stood most nights gazing through her wide windows as she went through her nightly routines. Now, he could see she had piles of things in places around her studio, as if she were packing. However, he didn’t see any cases, just a backpack, larger than the one she carried when she’d come upon him in the forest.
Was she going somewhere?
Back into the mountains maybe.
His heart raced. He was unsure if it was joy or apprehension at having her near to him and in his surroundings.
Regardless of the reason, their connection was strong and seemed to become stronger by the day. Even now his body trembled to be near her. Not just to taste of her sweet blood again, but to hold her and join with her in the most carnal sense.
He watched her come out of the bathroom, her face a mask of confusion and fear. Her dark features seemed pale and drawn.
His heart thumped in his chest. His wolf urged him to go to her. Something was wrong. This wasn’t the same look of stress and longing that had been the set of her face over the last few weeks. A look that he had hoped meant she was missing him as much as he yearned for her.
Haulcon.
As clear as if he’d spoke his own name with his lips, he heard her call him.
Uncertain whether she had just murmured it for comfort or another reason, her high emotions drew him. Unable to fight the pull any longer he went to her.
The power he harnessed would have allowed him to force the door open. The human locks were no match for his valf strength, but he didn’t want to frighten her. Knocking he stood there, waiting like a young valf male at his first joining—nervous and unsure of the actions to take.
Time ticked by in long moments and he had to knock again a second time, more firmly than the first. Her place was only so big, practically able to be viewed in its entirety from one large window.
Suddenly the door opened and she stood before him bewildered and awkward.
Shifting from one foot to the other, she held him in her brown-eyed gaze. “Haulcon, what are you doing here? How did you fin—”
“You have my child.” Abruptly his mind was flooded with feelings, emotions and images. Her scent was strong, heady. It wasn’t just the wild hibiscus that he picked up this time but an earthy spice—valf notes combined with hers.
The way she’d smelled when he’d given her the parting kiss after he’d released inside her. He had marked her as his and now she carried his heir.
She stumbled back, moving further into the room with a protective hand over her stomach. “How did you know that?”
He followed her steps, closing the door behind him. “I can smell him.”
Her eyebrows shot up high. “Him?”
“Every gender of valf has a certain scent even as each individual is unique.” He moved in on her. Standing before her, he cupped her face. Her skin was like warm silk, he’d missed touching her. “How long have you known?”
“Just now. I only discovered the truth a moment ago.” She shook her head, appearing once again as shocked and confused as she had looked when he saw her through the window.
“Would you h
ave kept this from me?” He glanced around her small place, barely the size of his Alpha room at the compound. Now that he was in her surroundings he could clearly see she was going somewhere. “Are you trying to leave with my offspring?”
“What? No. I don’t know.” She admitted stepping away from him and dragging her nails along her scalp. “Look, I had plans, have plans. Assignments waiting for me.” Frustration laced her words as she put more distance between them by turning her back and staring out the window into the darkness.
“You cannot go away carrying what is mine,” he declared.
“What is yours?” She swung around facing him with an accusing finger directed at him. “Listen up, valf pal. I’m a grown woman and it has been years since I let anyone dictate to me what I can do with my body or where I can go.”
Before she finished a blink he was in front of her, a growl rumbling along his throat. “I am Alpha and my heir will go where I go. I see your human custom…families spread apart. It is not done with valfs. It will not be done with what is mine.”
“Back off.” She slammed her hands hard into his chest.
He only stepped back because he wanted to. Her human strength could not injure him.
“You don’t have the right to dictate anything to me. My human-kind may not always make the perfect choices when it comes to fam-ily.” Her voice faltered. “But yours isn’t so grand either, shall I remind you of how we met.”
Shit. Something told him, he was going about this all wrong. Moving away he took several breaths and shoving his hair back from his face he calmed himself and attempted to start over. Facing her, he began, “Adair, discovering your pregnancy caught me way off guard.”
“Welcome to the program already in progress, valf-man.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her sarcasm. Even her show of fight had warmed his heart, even though she was standing up to him, she was a strong mother for his little one.
“Maybe I should have started with the question rolling around in my head. How is this possible?”
“I don’t know.” Her shoulders lifted and dropped hard. “I have been on birth control for many years. Never even had a pregnancy scare let alone an actual happening.”
“That doesn’t mean anything to me.”
“Well, birth control is something that keeps a woman fro—”
He growled.
She slapped her hand against her thigh. “Don’t growl at me, Haulcon.”
Inhaling and letting it out slowly, he said, “I know what it is. However, your human meds and concoctions don’t have an impact on us.”
“We’re not talking about you, but my body.” She tapped a finger against her chest.
Stepping toward her, he informed her, “My seed.”
Shaking her head, she threw her hands up. “Leave it to me to find myself with a being that carries super sperm.”
“We will have to figure this out once we get back to the compound.” He started to take her hand and head for the door.
Pulling it back before he could take hold of it, she stared at him. “Hey! I didn’t say I was going anywhere with you. Like I told you before, I have work and people counting on me to produce said work.”
“None of that matters to me.”
“But it matters to me. This life and any other I bring into this world,” her hand once again was on her belly, “is my responsibility.”
He realized they were at an impasse. Short of tossing her over his shoulder, he was not getting her out of her residence. Yet.
“How do you suggest we handle this?” Crossing his arms he waited to see what she had to say. He’d always considered himself a reasonable man. If someone could present to him a better argument or idea than he had come up with himself, he could be swayed. He might as well allow Adair to try.
Standing there silent for a moment, she looked from him then back to him again. Shaking her head, she simply said, “I don’t know.” Moving to the couch she sat down.
To Haulcon she appeared defeated and that was one look he wasn’t used to seeing on her face and one he didn’t like. Adair was courageous and strong even in the most unusual situations. Not many people would have handled coming upon a man balanced on the edge of death and remained calm and decisive. She had.
He sat next to her on the couch, not touching her, even though his body yearned to pull her into his chest. If he touched her, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to restrain himself from wanting more. This close to her, her special scent was already wrapping around him as heavy as his favorite coat.
“The only thing I can process right now is how unwise it would be to get in my car and go get another burger. Trying to decide how to raise a new life is way beyond my scope of mental process right now. I’m supposed to be in the Grand Canyon in two days. I have no backup plan for something of this nature.”
Haulcon ignored her comment about leaving the area, instead he zoned in on her words about her diet. He could smell a combination of beef and chocolate on her breath, letting him know it hadn’t been long since she’d consumed them. “When was the last time you ate?”
“The better question is when I haven’t eaten,” she let out a short laugh. “I can see this baby is going to wreak havoc on my waistline.”
His brow became tight pondering a single possibility, even one he didn’t want to see as the reality. “What have you desired?”
She leaned back onto the couch. “Everything. Normally, I am a poultry and fish kinda girl, but I’ve craved red meat. A lot of it. Steak, burgers, barbeque ribs.” She licked her lips and sighed when she said the last part.
Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees. This can’t be possible.
However, he would argue with himself that everything that happened between him and Adair was beyond the realm of possibility for both their species. At least since the thaw of the Ice Age when the great continents were no longer connected. His kind had gone into Siberia and Tibet for centuries. A few had remained in Canada and Northern America living among the Eskimo but those had long been wiped out or the bloodline dissipated. It wasn’t until the last hundred years that valfs had migrated from Europe to North and South America. Keeping to small cities surrounding mountains and jungles.
“What is on your mind?” she asked, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.
He must have been musing for longer than he realized. Even her lightest touch sent warmth radiating throughout his body. He recalled what it had been like, that brief moment they had truly been joined. When they conceived their offspring—his heir.
“You need blood.”
She quickly pulled her hand away. “I need what?”
She wasn’t the only one who needed it. Being around her made him realize that he had not truly fed and found nourishment since the last time he drank from her. Keeping his fangs retracted was making his gums burn.
“Blood. More specifically, my valf serum.”
Scooting back into a corner she held her hands up to ward him away. As if she believed he was going to slit his own wrist and spray her with it. That wasn’t how it happened at all.
“Haulcon. I know that I might be carrying a valf…half valf baby inside of me. But, there is no way I’m going to become some blood sucker.” Her face was twisted in disgust. “No offense.”
“Offense taken.” How could he not, she was grimacing as if everything about his species repulsed her. “You don’t have to drink it, Adair. Even though once our offspring is born he will. Feeding from you and I until he is strong enough to take it from an animal himself.”
“Well, maybe the child will get my style of eating.” She folded her arms under her breasts. Full voluptuous breasts he never got a chance to reveal the last time they were together.
“He will do both, as valfs can. But for now he needs nourishment.”
“Ok. Then if I don’t bite you, how do we get the baby the vitamins he needs? Can it be blended in a smoothie?”
“No. It can be transferr
ed through a kiss or bite. It is a part of our blood and released through our fangs combined in our saliva if we so choose.”
He noticed the movement of her throat as she swallowed.
“So…it is as simple as you kissing me.” She licked her lips.
He watched the movement of her tongue and held back his groan. “Yes. But, a kiss would only give it to you in small doses. Since you have gone without for at least three weeks you really need a larger amount. That is why the child continues to force you to consume more and more red meat.”
“Well, I survived your other bites so I guess it wouldn’t kill me. It only hurts a little.”
“If I recall correctly my bite brought you pleasure not pain.” Fuck. Why did he go there? His cock was blazing and hard, throbbing with every heartbeat.
“Can I just give you my arm and you take it like they do at the doctors when I’m giving blood.”
Shaking his head, he informed her, “It’s done through a major artery. Your neck, underside of your arm, the bend of your thigh.” He allowed his gaze to travel to those areas on her body as he called them out.
When he mentioned her femoral artery he could smell her sexual desire kick up. Adair could try and pretend all she wanted that she was tough. As if she were immune to what had happened between them in the mountains, but the evidence of it was in the seductive notes of her response.
Leaning toward her, he placed both of his hands on either side of her shoulders, caging her between his arms and the couch. “So, tell me, delectable one, where would you like me to start?”
“Start,” the single word came out on a whispered moan.
“Yes.” He lightly grazed the side of her face, fingering the hair that wildly framed her face behind her ear. He felt her shiver against his fingers. “Once I begin tasting you, sweet Adair, I can’t see myself stopping for a long time. Not until we both have been brought to satisfaction.”
She blinked once. Twice. Then she shocked him by leaning up and caressing the gray streak in his hair. Her touch gave him a completely different experience than when Nyca had done it after it appeared. This time his body seemed to come alive. His heart was racing and his cock stretched even more.
