by Jade White
Kevin and Lisa were fighting together, she noticed as she backed around a tree to put some distance between her and her enemy. She needed a moment to catch her breath. They battled well together, working as a team, protecting each other and fighting the other’s foe for them when they had an opening, but only if doing so wouldn’t leave the other at risk of being hit.
They might yet make things work out between them for the long haul.
If they could survive that long.
The were-jaguar stalked around the tree. It moved with grace and poise despite bleeding from several locations. None of the wounds either had delivered so far were fatal. Most were superficial, but not for lack of trying.
Miera attacked first this time, slashing high and low. The were-jaguar blocked the first blow, but the second connected with his knee. It buckled, and he lowered himself into a crouch before leaping into the air toward her. She tumbled to the side, and he landed right where she had just been.
Breathless, she faced him. Her stomach was tightening, and something didn’t quite feel right. Oddly, her first thought was that she wished Beric was there. Where had that come from? She could defend herself. She didn’t need him.
A were-jaguar whined, and she couldn’t tell if the owner belonged to her or was an enemy. Did it matter? They were hurting each other, killing each other, and all because the Brutal Claws wouldn’t leave them be. If it weren’t for them, she wouldn’t have to be forced into a loveless marriage. She could have her baby, and their family just be the two of them, until she did find someone she wished to spend the rest of her life with.
The crazy thing was, though, that Beric might have been the kind of were-jaguar she would have looked for. But he’d never consider her. Not after her getting pregnant by another.
Blind fury filled her, and she almost couldn’t see, a red sheen coloring her sight to the point that she couldn’t make out fine details. She attacked with a savagery she hadn’t known she possessed. When she came back to herself, she saw her foe fleeing from her. He was whimpering at his fellow were-jaguars, and they all followed him.
Gradually, her vision cleared completely. Although spots of grass were soaked with blood, none of the were-jaguars had been killed, on either side.
No causalities.
That was good at least.
Lisa approached. Even in jaguar form, her friend always managed to look her best. Should we head back? she roared.
Miera grunted. Kevin. Please climb up this tree and tell me how far those were-jaguars have gone.
Kevin rushed to obey. All jaguars were natural tree climbers, regardless of their form. With ease, he soon was so high up that Miera could hardly see him, the tree branches were too bushy.
A mile away already.
Any sign of them slowing down?
No.
Good. Miera nodded. Although a part of her wanted to remain out here, where she felt useful, where she could make a difference, where she hadn’t screwed up… yet… it was better to return home now before they were attacked again. Best to not push their luck.
Come on. Let’s go home. Miera retained her jaguar form whereas most of the others reverted to their human form. They quickly changed back into the clothes they had discarded when the battle had hit. She didn’t want to reveal her pregnancy to them just yet. In this form, she carried her pregnancy well enough so that it wasn’t obvious. In another few weeks, that wouldn’t be the case. Her future husband thought poorly of her. Her father certainly did, too. The rest of her people… would they judge and condemn her, as well?
***
That night, Miera dreamed of Beric. He came to see her, looking every bit as dashing as a movie star. Music started to play, and they danced together, moving perfectly in time together, as if they had practiced for years.
When he dipped her, she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her waist, trusting him completely.
But then he dropped her. Her back connected with the wooden floor of a shack. Where was the grand ballroom they had just been in?
He stared down at her, his face twisted with fury and contempt. “You would have me bring dishonor to my pack.”
“No, Beric. Please.” She scrambled to her knees and grabbed his hands. “It’s nothing like that.”
“I deserve to have an heir who is my own flesh and blood. Don’t you agree?”
She could hardly blame him. “I never intend—”
“Intentions?” He spat. Luckily, the saliva landed just in front of her feet instead of on her. “You knew you were pregnant when you had your brother send me your proposal. Couldn’t bear the thought of asking me in person, could you? You had to hide behind your brother.”
“That’s not it at all.” She shook her head fiercely. “Beric, please listen to me. I didn’t know—”
As if he just realized she was holding onto his hands, he jerked them away from her, essentially flinging her back onto the ground. “Because you sent him in your stead, we became friends. That’s why we went out scouting together. That’s why he ended up risking his life to save me. His dying is all your fault!”
“No, please,” she begged as tears streamed down her face. “That wasn’t your fault.”
“Exactly.” His face was twisted into a horrible sneer.
“It wasn’t mine either,” she protested.
“Is that what you believe? That you’re innocent? What would you have me believe? That you got pregnant by magic?”
“N-no.”
“Then what? You forgot a condom but were so overcome by lust you had to have him?”
She brushed her tears away and stood. Her finger pointed at him. “You have no right to—”
“I have every right. You have stolen something precious from me. My son or my daughter, whenever I have one, will not be heir after me. How do you think you would feel if you were in my place? If you had to be forced to raise another man’s child while knowing that child would steal your own child’s birthright?”
“I—”
“Did I sound like I was done talking? Did I?”
Miera shook her head and closed her eyes. “This is just a dream. This isn’t real.”
Forceful hands gripped her shoulders and yanked her off the ground. Her eyes popped open to see a terrifying sight. Beric’s face had changed into that of a monstrous being, animalistic and yet not any one creature. This wasn’t Beric at all. Maybe it was the leader of the Brutal Claws, or at least what she thought he would look like. She had never met Andreas the Bloodthirsty. Rumor suggested he might be a berserker, and if that was the case, no wonder so many were-jaguars were willing to do his bidding. Berserkers had almost enslaved the entire world at one point until cavemen mastered fire. Some said that was when berserkers started to lose their ability to change into every animal and the different were species were formed. Once they overcame their fear of the flames, they once again started to dominate over the humans. It took gunpowder for the weres to be forced into hiding. Now, humans only thought of werewolves and the other weres as creatures of myth, and it was better that way.
But could that be Andreas’s plan? To build an army of were-jaguars and rise up against the humans? To claim the earth as their own? Well, that would be more concerning if he started to recruit other weres, although werewolves were rather uncommon nowadays, were-lions tended to keep to themselves, and were-coyotes were just plain vicious. Even Andreas might think twice about getting entangled with them.
“You are nothing. You’re worthless. You’re pathetic.” The face might not be Beric’s, but the voice sure belonged to him. “You aren’t worthy of anything—not being a mother, not being an heir, not being my wife.”
Miera shuddered, trembling before his fury, but then something inside of her snapped. She pushed him backward. “I am not nothing. I am not worthless. I am not pathetic. I am an heir, and one day, I will be alpha. My child will be heir. Don’t you dare talk to me like that.”
“How can you—”
<
br /> She shoved her palms against his chest, forcing him backward. “With or without you—”
“Without me, you and your people will die.”
“No.”
“Yes.” His eyes shifted, changing to complete blackness and then engulfing into flames. His eyes were all she could see, orbs that promised terror and destruction. Inside them, she saw her people being ripped to shreds, being gunned down, being slaughtered in a hundred different ways.
And the last one she saw to be killed was no one else but herself.
Miera woke up covered in sweat and screaming so loud she thought her ears would bleed from the sound. Her throat was scratchy and unbearable, and she couldn’t stop trembling.
She forced herself to stop her wordless yelling. “It was just a dream. Just a dream, a dream…” Miera whispered the words, but she didn’t believe them.
It hadn’t felt like a dream. It had felt more like a promise. An evil, foreboding promise.
*
Beric had horrible dreams all night long. Miera tried to kill him. The baby tried to kill him. The baby was a monster. Miera turned into a monster. Beric became one and killed her and the baby. Maybe it was just nerves, but his sleep was horrible, and he woke up in a foul mood.
Regardless, he called Miera as soon as he woke up. Thankfully, she didn’t answer so he left a message. “Miera, it’s Beric. We need to talk. Face-to-face would be best. I think. Text me where and when, and I’ll be there.”
As he was eating breakfast, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Yes, we do need to talk. I’ll come to your camp. Noon?
He wiped his hands on a napkin and texted back, I’ll go to yours at noon.
Why?
Why what?
Why don’t you want me to come to you?
He hesitated. Texting made it impossible to hear tone. Was she upset? Maybe she thought he was being overly protective of her.
He started to text, I don’t want to put you through, when his phone rang.
“Hi, Miera. I just don’t want to put you through undue stress. That’s all.”
“You think I’m made of glass now?”
She sounded pissed. Great. Just great. Where had their easy conversations gone? Yeah, so they had mostly been talking about their mutual enemy more than their hopes and dreams for the future, or whatever it was engaged couples were supposed to talk about. Maybe they didn’t think they would have a future, but they still had to get along in the meantime.
“I went out scouting yesterday,” she continued.
“Yeah, well, so did I,” he growled. “And it wasn’t that pleasant of a time, let’s just say. I’m not trying to turn this into a big deal. It’s not. It’s simple. You can relax, and I’ll come to you.”
“I don’t need you to ride in on a white horse.”
“Good, because I never learned how to ride one.”
To his surprise, she burst out laughing. He’d been worried his joke would piss her off more. “You would be the kind of knight to have tarnish all over your armor.”
“Hey, a knight with shining armor is one who isn’t battle tested.”
“Oh, so you’re a real warrior, are you?”
He grinned. This banter he could appreciate. This he liked.
If only she wasn’t pregnant…
“So… any particular food I should bring with when I come over?” he asked.
“Oh, slick one. Still try to get your way but make it seem like you’re doing me a favor.”
She could see right through him.
“Well? Any food cravings?”
She hesitated.
“Don’t worry if it’s gross. I promise not to judge.”
Crap, that came out a little wrong. It might sound like he wouldn’t judge her food choices, just that she was pregnant.
“Nothing gross. I haven’t really thought about what I’ve been craving. I just had a huge breakfast, so I don’t need more food right now, but actually… a milkshake sounds good.”
“You want it right away? I can just swing by now instead of at noon.”
“No, noon’s fine. I have some things to do.” Now she sounded sad.
“What’s wrong?”
She sighed. “We can talk about it when you come over. It’s long and involved.”
“All right. See you soon.”
“Beric?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He couldn’t help smiling as he hung up. Maybe things weren’t quite as bad as he thought they were. At least as far as he and Miera were concerned.
His omelet was cold by now, but he forced himself to finish it. If the Brutal Claws came at them en masse, they would have to survive a siege, and that meant food would become scarce and quickly, especially if they had the Blood Roses here too. He wasn’t about to waste food.
As he exited the mess hall, Mark, one of his close friends, approached him. “Dude, why didn’t you have me come with you yesterday?”
“Couldn’t find you.”
Mark grinned. “Yeah, I might’ve been a little busy with Jess, but still.” His smile died. “Lionel…”
“I know, man. I know.”
“You waited for the fence. It’s fixed and as good as it’s going to get. When will the bells be ringing?”
“Today or tomorrow hopefully.”
“Good. I’m not a coward, but the Brutal Claws… they are just vicious.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I know.” Beric’s stomach twisted into knots.
“How many are we combined, the Blood Roses and us?”
“We’ll still be outnumbered three to one.” It all seemed so hopeless at times.
“Could be worse. Could just be us.”
“Aren’t you a ray of sunshine.”
Mark laughed. “Hey, man, I’m just keepin’ it real.”
“Oh, is that what you call your spending time with Julie?”
“Jess,” he correct with a grin.
Beric smirked. He knew the female were-jaguar in question. “I thought you hated her.”
“Yeah, well, if I kiss her and keep her mouth shut, she’s not too bad.”
“Dude, you’re awful.”
“I know.” Mark turned serious. “If I get knocked off the next time I go scouting, or when the real battles starts… I don’t really have much of a legacy, do I?”
Beric winced. He didn’t have one yet either, and with Miera being pregnant, would he ever have a legacy of his own? Or would it always be tarnished because his heir wouldn’t be his blood?
“You look ready to kill someone,” Mark said.
Damn. He better try to control his face better for when he talked to Miera.
“I’m just sick of this,” Beric used as an excuse. “Why us?”
“Because we—and the Blood Roses—are the largest packs in this part of the state,” Mark pointed out. “It’s only logical for them to go after us.”
“They can shove their logic up their asses.”
Mark laughed then checked the time on his phone. “Gotta get going.”
“Jess?”
“Yep. She’s actually not that bad. If I could get over her cheating on me, we might actually be able to make something of this, this time around.”
Beric winced inwardly as he waved good bye to his friend. It was wrong to feel betrayed by Miera. She had gotten pregnant before they had met. He couldn’t blame her for the past. Only the future mattered now, and if they wanted to actually live and experience that future, they had to get married. He had to get past his reservations. It wasn’t so much for him that he was upset. It was for his future child.
He walked around the main areas of support they had built onto their fences. Everything looked solid and strong, the metal gleaming in the sunlight. It appeared perfect, but would blood one day coat the strong frame?
***
Shortly before noon, Beric arrived for his meeting with Miera. He was nervous. Silly, but he was. There
were so many other things he should be worried about, but right now, he had to set things right with her.
She was waiting by the parking lot and approached as soon as he climbed out of his car. “Hi,” she said softly, hanging back slightly, acting even more nervous than he felt, which was saying something.
“Here.” He handed her a milkshake. “I wasn’t sure what flavor to get so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with vanilla.”
“It’s fine.” Even her smile seemed forced, but she took it easily enough. Their fingers brushed for a moment, and Beric found himself staring at her. She was beautiful, yes, but something else drew him to her. Her vulnerability. Her strength. Even her confusion. She was a were-jaguar who had faced some battles, he could tell, and he found himself wanting to know more about her, the were-jaguar who would be his wife.
“Fine. I might not be the most manliest of men…”
That got the tiniest crack of a real smile from her.
“But I know that when a woman says she’s fine,” he continued, “that she really isn’t.”
“I… A lot of stuff has gone down recently.”
“You want to go somewhere to talk? A walk or maybe a drive?”
“A drive would be nice.”
They climbed in, and he took off. He had already driven two miles, and the silence was killing him. “So, what stuff has been going on?”
“Yesterday, I went out scouting.”
“You said.” He grimaced. “You were attacked too, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Beric slapped his hand against the wheel. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You don’t own me,” she said coolly. “Until we’re married, what I do isn’t your business.”
“Just like who is…” He grimaced. Great. Open mouth, insert foot. “I mean…”
She didn’t wince. She just shifted in her seat to stare at him. “That’s in the past. I know it has ramifications in the present and the future—”
“But that’s not what is important right now. We need to marry.”
“You still want to?” Her surprise had him flinching.
“Yes,” he said simply.
Her hand touched his knee and squeezed it. Just at that simple, soft touch, he felt himself stirring, aroused. How could that be? She was pregnant by another. He shouldn’t have feelings for her.
