by Audra Hart
“Well, I would put your due date at… Let’s see today is March 17th, Okay, probably April 7th to April 13th. Sorry that I can’t pin it down any closer than that. The growth rate doesn’t seem to be set, so it is impossible for me to say exactly. But if what Sammy said about the baby weighing 12 pounds is correct, we may have a hard time deciding when to take him by C-section. I don‘t want him to start trying to gnaw his way out and on the other hand, I don‘t want to take him too early. Any suggestions Gullveig?”
“I am empathic, I will know when he is ready to be born. That’s what I did with the mortal females and they all survived. Morna should be more than able to handle it.” Gullveig says confidently.
“I do want to do some blood work though when we go to Chicago. I guess we will do that tomorrow?” Asks Micah as he looks at Luca. Luca nods and then Micah says, “Well, Luca you and I need to discuss weaving a spell similar to the one that you wove around her brain when she was being attacked by the stone cannibal creature. Her uterus needs to be reinforced. There is a slight congenital defect, as the baby grows it will put more and more stress on it. Besides, if she plans on training for battle, she needs protection for the baby anyway, above an iron-lion spell.”
Morna and Luca look at each other and chuckle. It is obvious to them that they both had been thinking the very same thing. Luca takes Morna’s hand, and says, “I saw the defect, can you give me precise measurements of her uterus right now? That way I can weave the spell into the uterus. I will remain connected and expand it as the baby grows.”
“Sure I can. Morna, please lie back again so we can get those measurements. I would like to observe the uterus as he weaves the spell anyway.” Micah says excitedly. The two men spend several minutes discussing the condition of the uterus, its specific measurements, and the specific constructs of the spell, and how Luca will maintain it.
Morna meets Gullveig’s eye over the pair and winks. Gullveig smiles back and finally says, “Boys, she’s not an old Chevy. Would you stop talking about her uterus like she’s not here? Both men laugh and apologize to Morna. Luca places his hands lightly on her belly, and smiles slightly when he hears her heart beat a little faster. He looks into her eyes and gives her that lopsided grin she adores, and chuckles when her heart rate increases a little bit more. He returns his concentration to the ultrasound screen and weaving the spell on her uterus.
After about 30 seconds Micah lets out a low whistle. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. His spell corrected two minor problems with the condition of your uterus. I have no doubt that Luca can maintain it, and make necessary adjustments as the pregnancy progresses. You should do fine Morna.” He says as he wipes the lubricant gel off of her belly and helps her to sit up.
“I knew he would be able to do it.” Morna says rather smugly. It is obvious that she is supremely confident in her mate’s abilities as a healer. And then she turns her attention to her godson. “Thank you Micah.” Morna reaches out to hug him but stiffens up slightly when she hugs him and turns her nose to his neck and inhales deeply. She stands up so abruptly she almost knocks Micah down. “Well, anything else we need to do here tonight?” She asks in a stiff voice.
Micah is confused by her change in demeanor, but says quietly, “No, I think we are good to go for now.”
“Good, I need to get dressed and take care of something.” Morna says quietly. Micah seems a little confused by her abrupt change in mood, but gets up and leaves the room with Gullveig.
Luca remains behind and meets the eyes of his mate. “I am so sorry Luca! I think I just got a taste of what you have been enduring for centuries just to be near me,” Morna says in a frightened whisper.
Luca comes to her quickly and takes her in his arms. “Morna, I am so sorry I have done this to you! Does your throat burn?”
“A little, it’s like I am intensely parched. I have been dealing with this intense thirst and undefined craving for days. Now I think I know what it is I have been craving. When I hugged Micah, I could smell his blood, and hear his heart pushing the blood through his body and my craving intensified by a thousand fold. I have to go hunt before I get anywhere near the children again, that’s for sure.”
As Morna says this, she is bordering on tears. Luca holds her more tightly and she gently pushes him away, “No big surprise here, but that craving also seems to be tied into my desire for you. Oh God, I am a total mess!” Then she pulls him back toward her and starts kissing him. “What the hell!” They both laugh and continue kissing and holding each other for a few more minutes before Morna says, “Oh crap! I forgot Damian and Breena are out there.” She laughs at herself and stands up to get dressed.
Damian looks at Morna with deep concern when she comes out of the bedroom and says. “Baby, would you prefer we wait until we get to Chicago to do an exam? It’s only been a few days after all.”
Breena is trying to process the very confusing emotions that have been coming from her sister, and decides that Damian probably has some insight into what is going on with her, and says. “I would.”
Micah nods and says, “Cool! I am going to go hang out with my brother and parents. Goodnight all.”
Gullveig and Heimdall both have a good idea about the source of Morna’s confusing emotions and excuse themselves to go join their respective partners.
CHAPTER 8 - THE PASSION, THE HUNT, THE PASSION
Damian watches Micah as he walks down the hall and says, “Gee, he didn’t have a clue did he?”
“I certainly hope not!” hisses Morna. “It mortifies me that you do.”
“Why Morna? You are, in many ways, exactly like Luca and I. You told me yourself, it’s just biology. You aren’t above biology either it appears.” Damian says tersely.
“Damian if you are thinking that I somehow thought I was better than you and Luca, well you are very wrong. I don’t have the supreme self-control either of you do, and that scares the hell out of me now that I know what I am craving is blood.” Morna takes a deep breath to collect herself. “I sure as hell don’t think I am better than either of you. You just don’t understand how much I have always admired both of you, and now more than ever that I have a little taste of what you two deal with on a daily basis.”
Damian hugs Morna and says, “I am sorry. I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I should have known better. I guess I was feeling a little like a lesser being since you had been exposed to venom and weren’t controlled by a thirst for blood like I am. I really am sorry for reacting that way.”
Morna hugs him back and kisses his forehead. “Kiddo, I probably would have thought the same thing. Don’t worry about it.” Morna pulls out of his embrace and says, “Love you guys, but I gotta go!” And then she is gone before anyone realizes she has left.
“Damn woman!” Luca mutters as he runs after her. He’s not even sure where she is heading. He starts tracking her scent and follows her to their suite. He finds her sitting in the tub naked, running hot water and crying. Luca comes to her and tilts her face up to meet his. “Morna, what can I do?”
“How the hell do you do it, Luca? I got a good whiff of Micah’s blood and I desperately wanted to tear his jugular out and drink every drop of blood in his body. I love that boy as though he were one of my own children, and I wanted to kill him. Even standing near Breena made me a little nuts. How the hell have you done it for five hundred and seventy-seven years?” Morna reaches out and strokes his face, her love and admiration for him are clearly written in her eyes. “How baby?”
Luca lifts her up out of the tub and sets her on his lap and holds her tenderly. “Just like you did. I just don’t do what my biology compels me to do. You are still doing it. You came here to try to relax in a hot bath rather than going hunting.” Luca holds her in silence for a few moments before saying, “But you will have to have the blood. The baby needs it and you need it. You will have to give in at some point. I am sorry, but that’s your reality now. I pray it is only temporary, durin
g the pregnancy, but your situation is so unique, who knows.” He says softly.
“Don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault. Think of all the times over the years I begged you to change me so that I didn’t have to lose you, so that I didn’t have to torture you every day just by being what I was. And when I was exposed, I begged you to love me that way. I knew the risk. I know how hard it is for you to deny me when I ask for, and really want something. I was selfish, and I am sorry for that. But I am not sorry for what happened. I meant what I said when I realized my hair doesn’t grow any more. Being able to have another baby with you, being able to love you freely, being able to understand you better, all of that is so worth what I am dealing with now.” Morna says sincerely and then she kisses him tenderly, gently.
Luca finally breaks off the kiss and says, “I will hunt for you, bring the blood to you like you did when you held me in the binding spell right after my conversion. You don’t have to hunt.”
“Luca, it is not the hunting animals part of it that scares me, I am just fine with that. If I was sure I would never try to feed on a human, I would be perfectly fine with this whole situation. But we both know that I do not have the same amount of self-control that you do.” Morna says quietly.
Luca chuckles wryly. “Morna, you are one of the most disciplined warriors I have ever seen. You just have to approach this like you do when you are training, or in combat. Use that iron will that you have to see your duty done and to push your body farther and farther to accomplish your goals. Use that iron will to control yourself. You are definitely up to this challenge, my love.” Luca assures her with full confidence.
Morna kisses him again and crawls off his lap into the tub, and starts undoing the buttons on his shirt. “Yeah, like I have control when it comes to reining in my passion for you? That iron will?” She eagerly rains kisses on his perfect chest, and then looks back up to his beloved face.
“Baby, I am your husband, your one true mate. You don’t have to control yourself in that regard and you know it. Because you have every right to have me anytime, anywhere that you want. That’s why you are so passionate about me. That is completely different.” He unbuckles his belt and quickly peels out of his clothes and joins her in the tub. “You are comparing apples to oranges.” He leans down and takes a breast into his mouth.
Morna moans and holds his head to her breast as he suckles. Then suddenly she giggles and asks, “Is this an apple or an orange?”
Luca pulls back and looks at her and smiles her favorite lopsided grin and says, “Neither. I think it’s a grapefruit.” They laugh together at his silly joke, and then he gently pulls her face to his and kisses her passionately as he draws her body over his own and guides her onto his erection. They both moan in pleasure as she slowly slides down the length of his shaft and back up again very, very slowly. She pulls away from the kiss and reaches behind him to shut the water off and giggles happily when he nips her breast that swings in front of his face as she does this. “I love you Morna Glynn Michaels”
“I love you Lucian Invictus Bellona Michaels, now and forever.” She vows as she stares into his eyes. “Whatever comes, we face it together.”
“Together.” He assures her as he takes her hips and starts moving her up and down on his erection. They slowly take their pleasure in each other’s bodies.
When they are finished they dress and set out for Heimdall’s park to hunt. Morna stops him in the hallway and says, “Please check on our children for me before we go. I don’t trust myself to do it.”
“Morna, I will do it for you. But I promise you that you would not hurt those children. You wouldn’t hurt any child, much less your own. There is just no way you would do it.” He says solemnly, and kisses her lips tenderly, reassuringly.
When he comes back out of the last bedroom he says, “Nora and Aiden are sleeping soundly. I guess Kyle is still hanging out with the Spell Weavers. I am glad. It is good for him to get to know his people better.”
“I agree. Let’s go, maybe we can get back before he goes to bed.” Morna says somewhat urgently because her craving for blood is mounting in intensity at an alarming speed. “I assume we should get Heimdall to clear the park? I don’t want any sentient beings in there while I am hunting.”
“Yes, that would be best.” Luca agrees and they take off running for Heimdall’s hall. They meet George and Brigid out for a walk a few miles from Morna’s hall.
When they stop to say hello to their friends George is watching Morna speculatively, and standing slightly between Brigid and the other couple. Morna watches George and says, “I guess Micah told you about my, uh, cravings?”
“He did. But Maria and I suspected it would happen anyway. You aren’t the first human to give birth to a vamp’s child that Stone Breakers have encountered. You okay with all of this?” George asks curiously.
“As long as I can control myself around humans, I don’t have a problem with it. How about you, my brother? Do you have a problem with it? Do you have a problem with me?” Morna says as she meets her friend’s eyes.
“Hell no, Morna! I know you will control yourself. Your mission is to protect humanity. You wouldn’t ever cross that line.” Asserts George fervently.
“I appreciate your confidence, but I need to go try my hand at hunting. This craving is getting pretty intense.” Morna admits aversely. “Brigid, will you two be ready to go back to Chicago with us tomorrow? I am eager to see what you can do for Aiden.”
“I am ready Morna. Just don’t get your hopes up too much. We may not be able to fix everything for him. Cerebral Palsy can be tricky. There is usually a lot of damage to the brain at birth. It can be very hard to heal. I am very encouraged that Luca will be with us. His precision with his spells will be very helpful.” Brigid says honestly. “Aideen is awesome at what she does, but she doesn’t specialize in the brain, nor is she an orthopedic surgeon. I wish we had one in our little group.”
“Well, hopefully tomorrow will bring good news,” offers Luca hopefully. He is secretly wishing that he knew more about CP. “I need to get this one fed and in bed. She needs rest. She hasn’t slept well in a while. We will see you both at breakfast, in the main hall?”
“Sounds good Brother!” says George as he extends his hand to shake. He turns to Morna and starts to hug her when she shakes her head no, and very quickly backs up a step. George chuckles and Brigid smiles her goodnight before Morna and Luca take off running again.
When they arrive at Heimdall’s they are shown into Heimdall’s private sitting room. The very one where they had discussed Aideen’s recovery a few days earlier. Rinda comes in first and heads directly for Morna. Luca stops her less than a foot from her dear friend. Morna hisses, and bares her teeth. Then she tells Rinda between clenched teeth. “Back up, sweetie. Please!”
“What the hell is wrong?” Asks Rinda, looking from Luca to Morna.
“I’m craving blood, it’s sort of a side effect of the pregnancy. And you smell particularly appetizing to me.” Morna hisses again. “Please love, please keep your distance!” Morna begs reluctantly with a pained groan.
“Well you wouldn’t attack me!” Rinda asserts as she tries to take another step toward Morna. “You are not a vampire!”
“No, I wouldn’t mean to. But being this close to you right now is very painful.” Morna confesses. “And Rinda, I am not venomous like a vampire, but I do have the teeth to feed with. Please stay back, just until I feed, at least. Please, love.”
Heimdall joins them and says, “Morna, I suspected this was happening. I have already cleared the park of all sentient beings. You have free reign, Baby Girl.”
Morna looks at Heimdall, “Godfather, you seem to be very accepting of this new development.”
“Gullveig and I have discussed the vampire/human conceptions and births before. It was an obsession of hers for years to see that the hapless human females survived their encounters with vampire males. Those females, of course, did not hunt. But you a
re not a typical human female. But Gullveig did not expect the cravings to hit you so soon.” Heimdall admits.
“I have been craving for days, I just didn’t realize what it was that I was craving. Besides, I was dealing with other, more important matters.” Morna says stiffly.
“Of course,” Heimdall says thoughtfully. “Well, dear girl, I do appreciate the courtesy call, but it wasn’t really necessary. Feel free to hunt any time. I have already given Luca and Damian permission. It certainly applies to you.”
Morna hugs her godfather and steps back quickly as she says, “Damn, you smell good too. But nothing like Rinda does, she smells so good!” She groans like she is in pain, as she looks at her friend and says “Sorry love.” Finally she turns to her mate; “Shall we?” And she follows him to the park.
Luca takes her hand when they get to the entrance of the park and says, “Love, you don’t have to do this. I will bring you enough blood to satisfy any requirements you might have.”
Morna takes his face in her hands and kisses him and then she quietly asks, “Why are you so reluctant for me to do this? Will it change me in your eyes somehow?”
“Never Morna. But it may change how you see me.” Says Luca quietly.
“Darling, it will only give me a deeper understanding of you, a deeper connection to you. I am oddly looking forward to that part.” Admits Morna softly. “How do I do this?”
“For me Morna, instinct took over my first time. And I saw how you hunted on the Spirit Plane when you went after the NA’YU’NUWI, it is much the same in this situation. You have superior senses to your prey, and superior speed and strength, you will do fine. Just turn yourself over to your instincts.” Luca instructs. “I suggest you go after a wild boar or a stag. Richer blood, much more satisfying. Just please weave the iron-lion spell to protect your body. You heal fast, but there is no sense in challenging your already stressed, pregnant body.”
