by Jaymin Eve
But she didn’t. She continued marching toward us, sidestepping me in an instant so she could ream Braxton a new one.
“Braxton Compass, what the heck are you doing fighting with your brother? Jess is waiting for you at the house.” Her voice lowered then. “She’s run out of cake.” The very real panic in Braxton’s eyes would have had me laughing, except I was no longer in any sort of place for laughter.
The dragon shifter’s eyes flicked back toward me and he took a step closer to Mischa, crowding sort of protectively around her. “It’s not the best idea for me to leave you with Max. He’s not in control.”
My brother wasn’t wrong. I was hanging on by a thread. And while I respected his need to keep his mate’s sister safe, everything inside of me was screaming that that was my job.
Mine.
This was a mental battle I’d been having with myself since Mischa had first appeared in Stratford. The connection between us had been instant and it had been strong. Her similarity to Jessa, did have me wondering for a short time, if that was the reason for the bond. I’d even tried to convince myself of that, but I knew it was something more. But what was it? What the hell was going on with me? At times I felt stronger emotions toward Mischa than I had to the vampire who’d been my true mate … supposedly.
Unable to stop myself, I moved with super speed to her side, reaching out to touch her. At the last minute I managed to refrain. “Who do I need to kill?” My voice was at the lowest of registers, right before the vampire side of me took control. She hadn’t been fertile during our time together, which meant… “Whose baby is this, Mischa? Who dared to touch you?”
My words were coming out wrong. She was not mine, she was free to be with any of the supernatural races. It’s just that I’d never seen her with anyone before I left, and she was clearly heavily pregnant. It could be a few months for a vampire hybrid or even longer for the other races. She’d only been in Stratford for five months though, and in that time we’d been a little busy dealing with the dragon king and his bullshit.
It better not have been rape, because death would be way too kind for that supe. In fact, he would wish he killed himself by the time I was done with him.
I lost the battle with my hands then, and somehow I was cupping her face. She was a tiny thing, a foot shorter than me, slim but curvy. Her eyes were the color of oceans and I often found myself wanting to stare into the mesmerizing depths.
I was just opening my mouth, to demand more strongly this time, when she reached up and her soft hands grasped mine. Heat shot around my body, through my dead heart, and had my stomach roiling. Before I could figure out what the hell that was, she wrenched my hands off her face and took a step back from me.
What the hell? She’d never done anything like that before. She’d always been so gentle and sweet, seeking me out. Unlike most of the races, she’d been raised with humans, and had never acted like a normal shifter.
After we slept together I’d had many regrets. Mischa had been desperately trying to find her place in our world, and as my pack mate’s twin, and a virgin, I should never have touched her. Our night together had been … a mistake. Of sorts.
I’d handled the days after in true asshole fashion, not knowing a better way. I had hoped that by distancing myself from her, she would come to understand that a long-term relationship wasn’t possible between us.
Then I’d met Cardia at the sanctuary and everything changed. There had been no choice but for me to fully turn my back on Mischa. Complete cold shoulder. I’d had to protect her from Cardia. I’d known very early on that the vampiress was possessive.
Case in point with Jessa. I’d taken a stand with our relationship and my true mate had not handled it well. A time would have come when she’d have retaliated. Jessa could hold her own, but Mischa was not a fighter. I’d wanted her far from Cardia’s radar.
Mischa and Braxton were currently having some sort of silent conversation, and it was pissing me off to the point where my fangs were so fully extended that my gums actually ached.
“Talk to me!” My glower landed on Braxton. “You lied to me, Brax. I asked how everyone was and you never mentioned Mischa was pregnant. Not once.”
The pauses made sense now though.
Surprisingly it was Mischa who spoke up again, fire blazing through in her voice and flickering in those ocean eyes. “Don’t blame Braxton. I wanted to be the one to tell you. I tried right after the council leadership ceremony, but you took off so fast. You just … left.”
For the first time a note of vulnerability crept into her tone. It was gone in an instant, her face hardening again, but I had heard it. The truth was I had avoided saying goodbye to Mischa. That another female was even close to my mind or heart when I had lost my true mate … it was not a fact I could deal with.
“So tell me now. Everything.”
My patience was gone, and even though I knew I’d already pushed hard enough, I couldn’t stop from growling her name to hurry her along.
She bristled at the demand in my voice and I never in a million years expected her to say what she did next.
“I’m over four months pregnant. The baby is yours.”
Mischa Lebron
The past twenty minutes were like something out of the Twilight Zone. What the hell was happening?
I’d been out walking in the forest, something I tried to do every day, as I found it calming for both me and the baby, when I heard the shouts. I’d recognized the bellow and dragon energy of Braxton, and for some reason found myself running through the trees to see what was going on with him. I really should have known the missing Compass quad would be there too. That tugging sensation in my gut only ever happened around Maximus, but I’d been completely blindsided to round the corner and find him locked in a man-battle like no other.
Holy sweet mother of mercy.
Seriously, if these two idiots hadn’t been trying to pulverize each other into fine grains of sand, I’d have been tempted to pull up a chair, snack on some candy, and watch the show.
I must have caught the tail end of supe-wars, because after a few more grappling moves, both of them ended up sprawled on the ground. It was then that reality really hit me hard. Hard enough that my knees threatened to drop my huge butt to the ground.
Maximus was back. He had finally returned home.
Breathing deeply, I allowed myself one moment of pain, one moment to breathe in the sight and scent of the massive vampire. Yes, I was a freak who could scent other beings.
Why did he have to be so perfect? So goddamned perfect in every way—well, except for his abandoning asshole personality, that was. But physically there was not a single thing I could fault on Maximus. On any of the quads, really, but while Braxton was absolutely godlike, I preferred Maximus’ stronger features. He was a little rougher, with a broad, masculine face, built and shaped like a huge, Viking warrior.
Apparently I was into the Viking type of dude. Who would have thought it? I’d always expected I would fall for someone arty. Good one, Mischa.
I was still frozen to the spot when his head whipped around and he locked me in those dark eyes. It took me a few extra deep breaths but I managed to pull myself together. I was going to try very hard to act like this was no big deal. Actually, it was perfect timing because I didn’t want to wait another second for him to know about his baby. I couldn’t wait another second.
I started stomping toward them, keeping my focus strong on my angry energy so that none of my soft and painful Maximus feelings would crowd back in.
His gaze was predatory, and it took every iota of my inner strength to keep striding forward, to not freeze under his now-black eyes and ferocious expression. Why was he so angry? Did he already know about the baby?
In one swift and smooth motion he was on his feet, moving toward me. As each step closed the distance between us, the ache in my chest increased. My stomach swirled uneasily and I knew my current stress was not great for the baby. Which is why I
chose to side-step around his large form and head for Braxton, desperately clinging to my pretense of not caring. To save face, I scrambled for something urgent to tell the dragon shifter.
Braxton’s dark blue eyes followed me, his concern was barely concealed. Every now and then his eyes would dart back to his brother. I wanted to ask them what the hell they were fighting about, but instead decided to act like it was no big deal. And for these supes, it kinda wasn’t.
Reaching the dragon shifter, I quickly scolded him for fighting because Jessa would expect that of me, before switching topics to something very pressing. “Jessa is out of cake,” I murmured. Which was our code for “Jessa is out of cake, get her some freaking cake, she’s actually going to kill someone if she doesn’t get some cake.”
A tendril of what looked like panic fluttered across his dark eyes. I could see he was torn about leaving straight away to find his mate, but in the end he crowded closer to me and said, “It’s not the best idea for me to leave you with Max. He’s not in control.”
So I wasn’t the only one who noticed that the Viking vamp was currently in a state of mega-pissed-offness. Before I could think up anything else as a distraction, the furious supe super-speeded my way, towering over me. I lost my breath and suddenly I couldn’t ignore Maximus Compass any longer. His broad shoulders filled the forest, his presence sucked all remaining oxygen from around me. I worked extra hard to keep a calm face.
Maximus’ hands twitched at his side as he finally growled out, “Who do I need to kill? Whose baby is this, Mischa? Who dared to touch you?”
That low voice did something to my brain, like spasmed it out, so it took me a few seconds to actually register those words. So he definitely hadn’t known about the baby until he saw me. And he was angry about it. Oh, and when did he think I had time to be getting it on with someone else? Men … seriously!
But if he thought it was someone else’s baby, well … that didn’t make any sense. That should have made him happy. I was getting the impression that it hadn’t crossed his mind even once that this could be his child. Great, this was going to be a really pleasant conversation.
Before I could calm my thoughts enough to compose a gentle way of breaking it to him, he reached out and cupped my face in his huge hands, covering up my cheeks and encasing me in warmth and energy.
No, no, no, no! I could not let him pull me in again. I had been without his attention for so long now that the slightest touch had me drowning in soft, gooey emotions. No! I would not go through that again. I’d barely survived last time, and everyone had suffered for my weakness.
It was so hard, but I managed to reach up and knock his hands away, freeing myself. Something flickered across those blacked-out vamp eyes then. I found myself shifting to see Braxton, wondering if he had any idea of what I should be doing or saying to make this situation better, but he was as unreadable as his brother.
“Talk to me!” Maximus drew both of our attentions, but his gaze was focused on his brother. “You lied to me, Brax. I asked how everyone was and you never mentioned Mischa was pregnant. Not once.”
Wrong. So very wrong. I let the anger free again, jabbing toward the vamp. “Don't blame Braxton. I wanted to be the one to tell you. I tried right after the council leadership ceremony, but you took off so fast. You just … left.”
Shit. Some pain leaked out in that last part. Time to lock it down again.
“So tell me now. Everything!”
Suddenly I was the sole focus of those obsidian eyes, glittering with emotions as they captured my gaze. Captured and held.
With great effort I again freed myself from him, drawing on the strength I had been working hard for. Strength and independence. He had left me, more than once, and I had learned not to trust him.
“Mischa,” he said, warning in his tone.
Right! Okay, asshole. You want to know everything, you’re going to get everything.
“I’m over four months pregnant. The baby is yours.”
He stilled. In fact he was so still that if I hadn’t known he was a living, breathing supe, I would have expected the massive warrior was a statue, bronzed and perfectly preserved by a Renaissance artist. I wanted to glance at Braxton again. Hopefully this time he’d give some indication of what I should be doing.
I had just dropped a massive bombshell on the grieving vampire, something I’d been trying to find the time to say for months, and I wasn’t sure what the right protocol was now.
The uncomfortable silence grew, and I’d just reached the point where I had to say something when Maximus started to growl, these low, ripping growls which started in his chest and ricocheted outwards until most of his body was shaking. I’d never seen him like this before, almost as if he was blurring around the edges as his body tried to shudder apart. Unable to stop myself, I took a step closer to him, one hand raised as if I could calm him with my touch. Yep, I was an idiot. If anything, that would probably have made it worse.
I never got to find out. Before I could connect with the growling, transitioning, weird vision of a vampire, Braxton snagged me around the waist and had me up and in his arms in seconds. In the blink of an eye we were moving, and he didn’t stop until we were right on the edge of Stratford.
“What’s happening?” I asked breathlessly, pounding on his chest to let me down. I struggled until eventually he set me on my feet, and then swiveled around and planted himself firmly in front of me.
“I’m going to shift,” he said. “Get back.”
My head was spinning with questions and fears, but I didn’t hesitate to get out of his way. Squished by giant lizard was not my preferred way to go. In a flash of motion and a distinct spark of energy, the six and half feet of male was suddenly standing on four massive and muscled, black and blue scaled legs. His gigantic body blocked my line of sight, so I had no idea what was going on.
“Mischa!” Jessa’s shout came from a few hundred yards away, but she managed to make it to my side in seconds. “What’s happening? Why’s Brax all dragon-beast?”
I didn’t answer straight away. I was trying to edge my way around the huge creature blocking the path. Was Maximus heading in this direction? Was he the one Braxton feared?
Every time I moved, the dragon moved too. And each time he twisted that long neck around to throw squinty yellow-eyed glares in my direction.
“Misch…” Jessa was going growly now.
“Can’t you, like, read each other’s minds and stuff now you’re mated?” I didn’t really have answers for her. Well, any more than Maximus is back.
Max is home? I hadn’t even realized that she was in my head, but maybe that was easier for her than trying to get into the dragon’s head.
Yep, Braxton has me blocked out. He’s focusing on a threat. She paused for a second, putting two and two together. Max is the threat? What the fuckery?
Uh oh. Now she was going all mama bear for one of her quads, and she had an especially soft spot for Maximus. Those two had a tight bond. The way he’d stuck by her even when he found his true mate had shown me how much strength and loyalty he had—not toward me of course, but for those he loved he would do anything, move mountains and sacrifice his happiness. He was a male of worth and would be a wonderful father.
Jessa let out another curse, and then before I could stop her she reinstated the block between us and took off. It was ridiculous how fast she was still, even pregnant. Unable to stop myself, I followed. There was no way I was letting her take on the threat … or Maximus on her own. Braxton’s roars echoed after us, but neither of us glanced back.
“Jess!” I shouted. “What the hell are you doing? Max is all vamped out or something, and he’s not in a good place.”
I heard her derisive little laugh, but she didn’t slow.
There were heavy thumping steps behind us. Only the trees were stopping Braxton from taking to the air. He was much faster when he flew. Somehow Jessa had known where we were; she’d probably followed our scents. I still
sucked the big one at differentiating individual scent trails, especially trying to figure out if they were new or old, but my twin was an expert.
Truth be told, almost all shifters, even those yet to reach the maturity of their first change, were better at this stuff than me. It was going to take me forever to catch up with my race, but I was determined that eventually I’d be as knowledgeable, skilled, and strong as everyone else.
As the torn-up clearing came into sight, Jessa ground to a halt and lifted her nose to scent the air, before turning to glare at the rapidly advancing dragon. She had clearly figured out what had happened here. Not surprising; she knew these boys better than anyone. I also stopped, my head darting around. Maximus was no longer where we’d left him.
Where had he gotten to?
Just as I had that thought, hard bands wrapped across my shoulders and midriff and I was snatched up. I shrieked for a second before his scent caught up to me. I wasn’t being kidnapped by Kristoff the crazy evil sorcerer. Nope, it was Maximus, the crazy-ass vampire.
As he took off, using that speed which was dizzying, I caught one final glance of horror on my twin’s face. She took a step forward as if to follow, but her dragon got to her first, blocking the path. Then we were gone. The force-field around the town dropped briefly and I felt none of the magic or energy as we crossed to the other side.
As Maximus ran, clutching me close to his chest, I wanted to tilt my head back and see his expression. At the moment, though, keeping the contents of my stomach down was taking at least ninety percent of my concentration. I’d been extra sensitive to food and rapid movement for my entire pregnancy.
Still, there was enough of my brain left to notice that despite his strong, almost desperate grip, he was holding me gently. There was no anger in his arms; the true soul of Maximus always shone through, even if he was fully vamped.
At the speed we were moving, I wondered where he planned on taking me. Seriously, we’d soon be crossing out of Connecticut at this rate.
