“I take it that’s a no?” Gabe said with a serious look.
“Oh God, I’m so embarrassed, no I’m not, never had the need before. Shit. I’m sorry,” she whispered, worry now etched on her face.
A baby, that’s what Gabe had been seeing, he was worried he had got her pregnant. Him or Josef? Could a Vampire have children? She didn’t even know the answer to that! How dumb was she?
“Firstly, you have nothing to be sorry about, we should have thought to ask. Secondly, no I can not father a child. However, a Wolf can, especially at the time of a mating. It affects the Wolf in ways unique to them, they become ... how to explain ... extremely potent, at the time of mating. So we need to decide what to do? We can continue as we have, and the chances of your becoming pregnant will be greatly enhanced, if you aren’t already. Or we can ask Gabe to use birth control from now until your next period, if it comes. It is your body, it is your decision.”
Josef wondered what she felt about this, the prospect of being pregnant with Gabe’s child.
Gabe hissed. The thought of using condoms while deep inside his mate went against everything that a Wolf felt at a time of mating. In fact, at any time, Wolves did not like to use birth control, though, of course he had in the past. A Wolf only wanted pups with his or her mate, nobody else. The need to have pups was strong in their DNA. However, if his little mate wanted him to, if she asked him to, then he would do it, even though that goes against his instincts.
Peri’s head was going in a dozen different directions...a baby? Was she ready for something like that? Could she be a good mother? After her upbringing, she had no clue as to what a good mother should even be like. She knew that Gabe would make a wonderful father, even if he was impulsive and headstrong, then she thought on Josef and his role?
They were a threesome, in everything, it would be wrong, if he wasn’t included. That would mean the child would have two fathers? Possibly, Josef would be able to curb Gabe's headstrong behavior as he seemed to have done in the past, that could only be a good thing. Being a father maybe would help her Vampire be more, human, no not human, what then? Humane and loving? Yeah, she was sure a baby would do that, but was she ready? Would she ever be ready?
She didn’t know.
She thought on the multiple times they had had sex, the times her Wolf had come deep, deep inside her. Christ, if he was more ‘potent’ at this time, then there was a real possibility that his seed had already taken root. She tried to remember when her next period was due? A week, maybe?
The truth was she wasn’t a hundred per cent sure. It wasn’t something she ever really kept note of, apart from in a general sense. They had never been regular, and she always had plenty of warning, when they were coming, cramp setting in a good day or so beforehand. Plus, with everything that had happened over the last few weeks, she had totally lost track. What should she do? What did she want to do?
Gabe moved to the bathroom, turning the taps off, and coming back into the room. He was obviously waiting on her answer, as was Josef.
“I’m not sure,” she whispered, “I mean, I’m not even sure when I’m due again. I’ve never had to keep tabs before now, and they're really quite irregular anyway.”
“Okay, that’s okay, baby. You just let me know, whatever you decide is absolutely fine.” Gabe was astonished at how his voice didn’t betray his true feelings. The need to mate, to mark her body with his canines, and bury his seed deep inside to impregnate his mate.
“Are you really more ‘potent’ now?” she asked, with her eyes wide, still feeling stupid for not thinking of this before now.
“Yeah, afraid so. A Wolf mating is usually that, a mating. Most, not all, but most Wolves impregnate their mates at this time. Both the males and females are affected, the females are more fertile and our sperm is far more effective, as it is when a female Wolf goes into her mating period. I’m really sorry, if that upsets or scares you. I should’ve thought on it before now.” He lowered his eyes, scared, in case he did see any upset or fear in her beautiful face.
“I’m not upset, at least not with you. I am with myself. I should’ve thought about it, too. Please, Gabe, really, I’m not upset at you.” She could feel his fear inside him, and she could also feel his reluctance to use a condom. Wolves didn’t use them at the time of a mating, though they did at other times that thought was clear in his head.
“Why don’t we just use condoms until my next period, and we’ll see what happens?” She moved closer and looked into his eyes, trying to let him know it was okay.
“You sure you're not upset with me?” he asked seriously.
“Yes, I’m sure, now were you two not going to give me a bath?” she queried, and looked between the two men.
Gabe nodded his head and felt his Wolf growl at the prospect of using protection, however, his Wolf could go and take a running jump. He would do whatever his mate wanted, full stop! He went to the top drawer of the dresser and pulled out a full box of condoms and put them on top of his bedside table, all ready for use.
Josef nodded his head, knowing her decision had been hard and that her being able to feel Gabe’s thoughts had impacted on her decision. He wasn’t sure what they would do if she was, in fact, pregnant. A baby? Not something either he or his friend had ever thought would be in their lives. They would just have to wait and see and respond to whatever happened.
“Bath time,” the ancient Vampire said, as he moved to the bathroom, catching hold of one of her hands and pulling her along with him, as he passed Gabe, as always at her back.
Chapter 17
After that, they all settled into a routine, one which had Peri tired out by the end of most days. With Gabe drilling her in the mornings, Liam in the afternoons, and Josef with the riding in the evenings, she was exhausted for quite some time.
Then her body got stronger, her mind even more so, and the riding? Well, she found she liked it, a lot, and worked hard to perfect it. Soon she was trotting and even got up to a slowish run, all with Lady. She knew she would miss the piebald, when they left. She had grown quite fond of the animal.
She would take out a treat for her every evening, whether it was an apple or a carrot, she made sure she took something. Lady eagerly awaited her visits, and Peri started to feel more and more for the horse, not relishing the time, when they would leave.
All thoughts of her monthly period had flown from her mind. Although Josef kept track of the days, counting, watching, noting no sign of the period and he wondered, was she? Could she be?
Josef made both Gabe and Liam give him reports on a daily basis on how she was getting on, and each time she saw a little smile on his face, her stomach shook, full of butterflies. She felt proud every time she did something better, faster, more powerfully, and strove to get bigger and bigger smiles out of her Vampire.
This evening she stood at the door to Josef’s office, as Liam was delivering his report of that day’s lesson. One which she was sure was going to surprise her man, one which had surprised her. Liam had been teaching her a lot, and she had mastered everything he had thrown at her. Today he moved onto something she had never even thought of, something which she thought was totally awesome.
She stood waiting to the side of the door, just outside the office, where she waited every day. She didn’t have to wait long.
“She WHAT?! That was her?! How in holy hell did she do that!” she heard Josef exclaim, and a smiled tugged at her lips.
“She can do whatever she wants to, Josef, including summon lightning,” Liam replied, and she heard a chuckle.
A chuckle? Josef was laughing?! Boy, this was even better than a smile. She wrapped her arms around her body and gave herself a hug. Josef was impressed.
“You can come in, Peri, I know you are there.” Josef’s words reached her ears, and she sheepishly walked in, her face blushing at being caught listening in.
Liam stood in front of Josef�
�s desk, and he had a proud look on his own face. The look on Josef’s was wonder, awe, incredulity, and then the smile, the one she had been waiting on, came over his face. A full-on, wide, bright smile on his face.
He stood up and walked out from behind his desk, enveloping her in his arms. “I am so proud of you, Peri, I knew you had immense power and now you can harness that power.” He pulled her in even tighter and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
He moved her away and stared into her face. “I was working when I heard the thunder, and I could make out lightning flashes, I wondered what the blazes was going on. We never get storms at this time of year, and then I realized there was no rain, and by the time I got to the window and looked out, everything was clear again. Now Liam tells me that it was you. Christ, Peri, you are one powerful Witch!”
She blushed and smiled slightly. “I know, it’s kinda scary, but a good scary. Lightning, Josef! I can harness lightning!”
She was a little scared at what she was finding out she was capable of, but boy did it feel good. For the first time in her life, she thought she stood a chance against her father, and she couldn’t wait for the confrontation that she knew was coming.
It had been four weeks since they had arrived at the ranch, four weeks of hard training, but boy was it paying off. She had never felt more powerful and sure of herself. Before, when she was alone, she was always running, always scared ‘they’ would catch up to her. That fear had now gone, replaced with an assuredness that she could take on whatever ‘they’ threw at her.
She was loved by two powerful beings and had never felt happier. Their life had settled into a routine and she reveled in everything that all three, Liam, Gabe and Josef, had instructed her in. She had been curious about never seeing Donovan or any of his men, but when she had queried her Vampire on that, his only response had been, “Good, you are not supposed to see them, nobody is.”
She knew they were there, but not once did she see them, though a couple of times she had ‘felt’ them around, near to where her and Liam practiced her magic. When she had looked for them, she couldn’t see them with her eyes, only felt them with her magic.
Liam had assured her that when the time came, he would work to place a spell around the entire area. A spell that would hide most of those present from any that came looking for her. That way they would have the upper hand, when the fight arrived.
Her men kept her satisfied in the bedroom department, too. She would blush, when she thought of the things they did. Gabe was especially inventive in that territory. She giggled, when she thought of her Wolf.
The Wolf would run with them while they rode the horses, and she had been glad when Satan seemed to quieten down after a week or so. Josef said he had been so bad when they arrived, because he hadn’t been ridden for a while. Now that Peri was enjoying her mare so much, her Vampire said they would come more often, and she had smiled, widely. She loved the ranch, the quietness, her mare, everything.
She looked forward to spending time on the ranch, when they weren’t all wired about what was coming. When they could truly relax and enjoy the place properly.
As the weeks moved on, Josef noted that no period arrived. Gabe was a little excited, though he tried very hard to hide it, whenever Peri was around, but Josef felt it. It was obvious the Wolf did not want to distract their mate from what was coming, and Josef was proud that his usually exuberant friend kept it inside.
As four weeks moved into five, then six, Peri began to get restless. Her magic was now fully harnessed, well almost, she could feel more inside, but she knew she could now take things further, when she wished.
Liam had taught her that she could basically do whatever she wanted. All she had to do was harness her power and think on what that was. Whether it was throwing a powerful magic force at an object and hurling it far away, to fireballs, to lightning, to squashing something, which she had great fun doing. But then, when she thought of doing that to an actual person, she had felt sick in her stomach. It was the same when Liam had her making things literally explode from the inside out. Doing it to an inanimate object was one thing, a living person? She wasn’t so sure.
She voiced her concerns to her men, both of whom assured her in a battle situation you do things that normally you would not. The detached way her Vampire spoke had her realizing once more how dangerous and deadly he was.
She worked hard, perfecting everything, and growing stronger now by the day. Her body had filled out somewhat, no longer deathly thin, but still trim and toned, well almost. She noted she had a slight roundness on her belly, all those damn cookies, she thought.
She ate well and loved well, and the feelings between the three of them deepened, developing far beyond what she thought was possible. The love between them was astronomical, and she was certain it was unique to them, their situation, nothing like it occurring before.
She could feel more and more of Gabe’s thoughts, and sometimes it would put her off her training. Standing with Liam in the area they used for practicing magic, she would be conjuring a spell and Gabe’s very lustful thoughts would enter her head, leaving her hot, bothered, and spluttering nonsense, instead of the intended spell.
When she saw him later, she would tell him off, and he would laugh, that deep down and dirty laugh of his. The one that would have her melting into his arms, all thought of chastisement gone from her head, as his lips would find hers and raise her to heights she had never even imagined.
Mostly the three of them would make love together, but occasionally it would be just two of them. Sometimes her and Gabe and sometimes her and Josef. At first she felt a little guilty, wondering if the other man would get jealous or annoyed, but there was absolutely none of that in their relationship.
In fact, if she was indulging herself with one, then the other always sensed it. Sometimes they would come and just stand and watch, which had her blushing to the roots of her hair the first couple of times. She soon realized that they got pleasure from seeing her get pleasure, if that made sense? Yeah, it kinda did, to her anyway.
She was beginning to miss a few things, though, like talking to Tania. The results of her first waxing were now gone, too, and she wanted to get it done again. She had tried shaving, once, and got a terrible, itchy rash, which had Gabe laughing and Josef frowning, so now she only tried to keep her ‘nether regions’ trimmed. Something she had never bothered about before. She found that when one of her men was loving her in that region, it was much more pleasurable without the added layer of her pubic hair. So she wanted to get waxed again, but it would have to wait until they went back to Vegas.
She also started to worry about ‘them,’ as she thought they would have found her by now. So far there had been no sign of them, well, to her knowledge anyway.
She soon found out that wasn’t the case. After a particularly stressful day, with her worrying herself about ‘them’, she was showering after her session with Liam. She suddenly felt sick, her stomach roiling, and she only just made it to the toilet, where she threw up for what seemed like ages, but was only a few minutes. She stood up shakily and brushed her teeth before resuming her shower.
The stress was finally getting to her, she thought.
Josef was standing at the bathroom door. The first sign, sickness. He was pretty sure their little mate was carrying his friend’s child. He wondered how she would take the news. Not that he was going to bring it up now – no – not until the threat had been dealt with. He turned and walked back downstairs, he would keep this to himself...for now.
Peri still felt a little off, so only put on one of the fluffy robes, after her shower. She didn’t need to get dressed, as Josef had advised that they would not be riding, but having an early meal and discussion. She wondered what he thought was so important as to cancel their fun with the horses. She had also realized he was very good at hiding his thoughts from her. Even if she only got glimpses, he could hide his mind fro
m her easily. And he had been doing that for the past few days.
As she walked back downstairs, she could clearly hear raised voices from the dining room. Walking towards the noise, she entered and found Donovan sitting at the table. It was the first she had seen the huge Vampire since their arrival at the ranch.
Something must be up, if he was now sitting down at the table with them, and that thought was confirmed by the scowl on Gabe’s face. She tightened the belt on her robe, as she took her seat.
“What’s up, guys?” she asked, and she waited on someone answering her.
Chapter 18
Peri looked around the table, waiting. Nobody spoke for what seemed like ages, but was probably less than a minute. Her heart rate had picked up, knowing something was definitely going on.
“It is time,” Josef said, and she raised an eyebrow.
“For what?” she asked, knowing full well what he meant.
“Donovan and his men have located several men in the area over the last couple of days. Seems as if you’ve been found, so we have to get ready.”
Peri took a deep breath. After all, this was what they were here for, a safe place to confront her father and whoever he brought with him. The people that had tortured and killed her friend, Daiki.
Although she wanted this confrontation, a small sliver of fear made its way into her stomach. Shit, was she strong enough to take him on? Liam said so, Josef and Gabe said so, but still, she doubted herself.
“You are more than strong enough, Peri, so please do not doubt yourself, my Witch. However, you have to know that both I and Gabe will be with you. You will not be doing this alone. If you don’t feel up to it, I will deal with him on my own, and in my own way.” Josef’s tone was now one she had only rarely heard. Cold as ice, hard as granite, scary as hell.
“No, I need to do this, for Daiki. I’m just a little scared is all,” she managed to get out without too much of a tremble in her voice.
Liam smiled at her from his seat next to Donovan. “Peri, I have never come across a Witch as powerful as you are. You can do this, just remember all our sessions, harness that power, and you’ll be fine.”
The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire Series Boxed Set Page 29
