by T. Cobbin
He’d pointed to the glass shelves on the wall and said, “This is your shelf, this is mine, don’t mix it up. Peaches smell fucking sexy on your skin and in your hair, but me and my lion don’t appreciate going around smelling of it, thank you very much.”
Of course that had led to another bout of lovemaking. Damn, that man could get it up anytime he thought of her, which was practically all the time so she was told.
Maddy had learned quite a bit from Amier on her daily visits. Grey did too, only the hard way. He woke up one morning and insisted she join him in the shower, saying he had a bone to pick with her. More like a boner.
After she heard the water start she got out of bed, gathered some clothes, and quickly dressed. Slipping her trainers on, she walked to the kitchen and sent a bit of magic in the form of a freezing spell in the water, and then she ran. Mind you, it was rather hard to run and laugh your arse off when a roar sounded through the woods. It also made it easier for Grey to pick his bone with her. She thought cold water was supposed to chill his ardor.
Maddy had also grown closer to Vista, who was at the house almost every day. Tommy was adorable, shifting back and forth from a toddler to a cub to a boy. Maddy had learned that Tommy was infatuated with Grey. Whenever her mate was around, Tommy would find a way to stalk him. Grey would let him pounce on him every now and then, but not much more than that. He was the big almighty Alpha of course.
Maddy learned that if she distracted him then Tommy managed to get him a lot more. That was until Grey realized what they were doing. Maddy was the one who received the spanking for it. However, that didn’t stop her. Things at the moment were pretty good, but Maddy knew something was coming. She felt it from the pit of her stomach to the bones in her body.
Chapter 11
“I’ll see you later, princess. I’ll only be gone for a few hours. I don’t want to do this, but I have to. You know that, right?”
Her head wouldn’t move and she wanted to look around. She heard herself speak, but she hadn’t even thought about talking.
“Of course I do. I have Mace and Vista here.” She watched herself twist her fingers in the air, pulling four elements together and placing some kind of a protection shield around Grey. “I’m worried that this won’t hold. I haven’t done it before.”
His hands cupped her cheeks. “I have every faith in you. But I may not need it anyway, I’m not going to give Jerrick a chance to lay a paw on me.”
“I have no doubt that you can give that ex-beta a run for his money, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you go against someone who likes to play dirty.” With a sigh she placed a hand over Grey’s beating heart. “Go get him, cowboy. Make him pay for what he’s done.”
She watched Grey lean down and kiss her small but extended stomach. At first she was shocked at seeing the bump, but with all the bunny sex they had been having... She estimated she was about five, maybe six months.
She realized then that this might be a premonition, a little bit of their future?
“Look after our daughter, and try to get a nap. She kept you awake a lot last night.”
Putting her hand in his long blond hair, she tugged him up to eye level. Staring into his amber eyes and trying to keep a smile off her face, she said, “It wasn’t just her though, was it, Grey?”
She swore she saw a hint of red touching his cheeks when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a heated passion she had never felt from him before.
“Get that rest. I’ll be back before you know it.”
The scene blurred before her...was it the end? But as she felt a single tear fall on her cheek, clearing half the scene, she realized she was crying. She watched Grey climb into the black van he’d brought her home in and drive off with several members of his pride.
Things blurred and began changing. She was in the house talking with Vista while cutting some vegetables on the wooden board. Tommy was quietly playing with blocks in the corner when the back patio window smashed with two lions tussling together. One was blond with a dark brown mane, and the other was gray, his mane even whiter than its fur. Blood dotted both of them. Glass flew everywhere.
Vista ran and scooped up Tommy and come back to stand beside Maddy. She looked down at the pointed blade grasped in her hand, and she could feel Vista trying to pull her toward the back door of the house.
To her frustration, the scene blurred again. If these are future glimpses, at least let them play out, she thought. The scene remained blurry until her hand came up to her face and cleared her eyes. She was crying? Again?
Four pride members stood at the side of the van looking in. They parted as she drew nearer. Inside on the floor, partially covered in a green, bloody blanket, was Grey. She couldn’t see his amber eyes as they were closed. His skin looked so pale and white. She reached out to touch his skin, and it was cold as ice. She fell to her knees and screamed.
“Grey! Oh God no, Grey.”
Hands shook her. “Maddy, hey. Come on, wake up. It’s a dream.”
No, he was dead, he couldn’t be talking to her. He couldn’t be waking her up. “Grey?” She finally opened her eyes to see her man next to her, his skin pink and flushed. His amber eyes were full of panic and fear.
* * * *
The scent of fear, and the sounds of Maddy’s screams, filled the room. At first Grey thought someone was attacking her, but then he realized she was still asleep, and he’d started to wake her. Once she had opened her eyes she threw her arms around his neck and hung on like a limpet, crying “you’re alive” over and over. He sat there cooing and trying to get her to calm down. Finally, when all he heard was the occasionally sob, he pried her arms from around his neck, and she curled up on his lap.
“Ready to talk, princess?”
“You died.”
“I’m right here, baby. Listen to my heart, it’s beating pretty fucking fast. You scared the crap out of me.”
She looked up at him. Tear tracks lined her face, and she looked so miserable. Should he feel proud she had showed she loved him? She hadn’t said it once yet. Did she realize herself? Mind you, he hadn’t exactly said he loved her either, but he did with all his heart and soul.
“Tell me more?” he asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Please don’t make me.” She started sobbing again.
He wouldn’t push her, he hated the scent of fear and desperation on her. “Okay, princess. Just let me hold you for a while, yeah?”
She nodded against his chest, her arms looping as much as they could around his waist.
An hour later, as the sun rose in the sky, she dropped off to sleep again. He lay there and held her until the scent of fear finally dissipated.
* * * *
Maddy felt like shit. Not just shit, but unbelievable shit. This was the third evening in a row she had puked her guts up. There was no hiding it from Grey either. He was by her side, holding her hair back. She had to finally admit to herself that she could be pregnant. At first she’d been hoping it was a bug. Yesterday Vista had suggested she get a pregnancy test. Her boobs felt heavy, her nipples were ultra-sensitive, and now she was puking in the evenings.
“Morning sickness, my arse,” she grumbled, getting to her feet.
Grey dropped her hair down her back and went to give her a hug.
“Back off, lion man.” She pushed against his naked chest. He’d gone for a run after dinner and slipped into some silky black shorts when he returned.
She walked over to the sink, pulled out her toothbrush, and started brushing her teeth. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Grey slide something beside the bowl. A long, rectangular box with pregnancy test written on it.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She turned, waving the toothbrush at him. Yes, he stood there with a total smirk on his face. She couldn’t help but return a smile when he pulled her tightly against him.
“What you reckon? First time? Second time I had you?”
&nbs
p; “If your head gets any bigger, you won’t fit through that door.” Shaking her head, she turned back around in his arms, facing the huge mirror in front of her.
“If it gets any bigger, I’ll have trouble getting inside of you.” He pushed his rigid cock into the cheeks of her arse, and she couldn’t help the groan that escaped her lips.
Closing her eyes and taking a breath, she leaned over to spit out the toothpaste and rinse her mouth. Her nipples hardened as he rocked his hips, pushing his erection more toward her.
“Just the right height, princess.” His hands crept up her body, slipping under the spaghetti straps of her top and pulling it down. He cupped and fondled her breasts, his fingers brushing against her nipples.
She hissed in through her teeth and bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. It was pain mixed with pleasure. Was there ever a time this man didn’t want her? She had just lost her tea down the toilet for God’s sake. He leaned down, switching between nibbling and kissing her neck.
“How about you take that test?” he whispered in her ear, cooling her arousal.
Her fear and panic set in. What if she was pregnant? Would it be a girl? Would her dream come true? She’d hadn’t spoken to anyone but Amier about it.
Things that are seen can be changed, Leia, remember that, sometimes you have to be careful how though. Her mother’s words drifted over her.
Amier had admitted she never knew how her mother’s premonitions came to her but if she was to become pregnant then all she could do was inform Grey what she had seen in her dream and hope that the decision they made was the right one. Always follow your instincts, Amier had advised over and over.
Grey grabbed the top of her arms and spun her around to face him so fast that she felt dizzy. She looked up into his worried eyes.
“Are you going to tell me what you saw?”
“Let me take this test first,” she suggested, stroking his arms. “Then, if it comes out as I suspect, I will.”
“Why not now?” he growled. “You often scent of fear now since that dream. I don’t like it, Maddy. I hate seeing panic in your eyes.”
Leaning up on her tiptoes, she kissed his lips while reaching for the box beside the sink. “Test.” She rattled the box, pushed her Alpha lion out of the bathroom, and locked the door.
With a sigh she pulled her panties down and sat on the toilet, opening the cardboard box.
Two minutes it said. It hadn’t even been a minute when the first sign of another pink line came up on the stick. She had guessed already she might be pregnant, but these two pink lines confirmed it. There was no denying it now. She definitely had a bun in the oven.
She couldn’t help the big, fat tears falling down her face. Was she happy about being pregnant? Yes. There was no other answer. She loved her lion man, he was the other half of her. The thing that brought tears to her eyes was the realization that in a few months she could lose Grey if her dream had been a premonition.
“Maddy!” Grey hammered on the bathroom door. “Open the door. I can smell your fear.”
Picking up the stick, she unlocked the door, holding up the test. When she looked up at his face it was filled with love. More love than she had ever seen off of anyone in her life. Her breath whooshed from her lungs when he gathered her tightly to his chest.
“Breath...” she wheezed.
“I feel like howling. Oh my fucking God, we’re going to have a cub.” Grey released her and started strutting around the bedroom then stopped and let out an almighty howl. Turning toward her, his smile slid off his face. “Maddy?” he asked. “You are happy, right?”
“Yes.” She smiled weakly.
“So why are you scared?” he asked, running a hand over her cheek and wiping a stray tear away.
“I think I might know a little of what’s to come...”
“No, wait!” Grey shouted, turning toward the bedroom door.
A second later the door flew open, chards of wood spinning and firing across the room. Grey ran across the room faster than she’d ever seen him move before and stood in front of her. However, she did catch a glimpse of Mace standing there breathless with two enforcers behind him.
It would seem the cavalry had heard Grey’s howl, and they had arrived, but they definitely hadn’t come quietly.
Chapter 12
“Alpha?” Mace questioned.
“We’re going to have a cub, and you owe me a fucking new doorframe.” Grey growled.
Maddy could only stand in the one spot, feeling the heat rushing to her face. Mace, holding his hands up in surrender, stood a few steps back with a smile growing on his face.
“Congratulations, Alpha.” He nodded, the other two enforcers behind him dipping their heads up and down too like Noddy dolls.
Grey roared then turned toward Maddy, checking her over from top to bottom.
“I’m fine, you oaf. It was only flying wood.”
“That’s Alpha oaf to you.” He grasped her waist, pulling him close enough that her breasts rested against his chest. Looking down, Grey growled low, she could feel the rumble and watched as he licked his lips. His hips jutted forward, pressing his erection into her belly.
“Don’t even think it, lion man. First, there’s a door that needs to be repaired. Second, you need to go sort out your enforcers—”
“Ours,” he interrupted.
“Then I will tell you about the dream that I think was a little bit more of a premonition.”
“Then I get to fuck you, right?” he whispered in her ear.
Rolling her eyes and sighing, Maddy stepped from his arms and walked across the room, stepping over the splinters of wood, and headed toward the kitchen to make drinks.
* * * *
Breathing deeply, Maddy did as Amier asked. She twisted her fingers, pulling in all four elements from around her, and summoned the spell she was practicing. She was getting a whole lot quicker at doing stuff now. Cupping a ball of energy in her hands, she directed the ball toward her targets then sat back, watching the seeds grow and bloom.
It was autumn, and the leaves on the trees were turning brown and falling; the summer flowers had come and gone. Acorns and conkers fell like projectiles onto the ground from their trees, sinking into the earth to rot or flourish to become the next tree. Maddy was in Amier’s garden, planting and helping nature along its way. She was currently helping the begonias flower and watching the rainbow of colors develop and expand under the cabin windows.
It was good to relax. It had been a week since she had finally filled Grey in about her dream. He had taken it in stride and promised that when the time came they would come up with a plan. The drawback was she now had four enforcers following her whenever Grey wasn’t. The man went over the top sometimes, but it was fun getting him back; this morning’s snowstorm in his office proved that.
“Well done. A very nice thought adding in those dahlias alongside them. Nice coloring.” Amier nodded then turned to look over Maddy’s shoulder, a smile growing on her face.
Looking behind her, Maddy saw the massive lion sitting on its hunches at the end of the garden path, its deep amber eyes totally focused on her.
“Aww, hello there, pussy cat. Did you feel a little cold this morning?” She chuckled. “Did you have to put your fur coat on?”
The lion stood, pounced next to her in one giant leap, and straddled her as much as it could being she was sitting down. She didn’t even flinch or feel any fear, because she knew Grey would never hurt her. He nudged his face into her neck, brushing his fur over her face and chest. His rumbled purr was loud enough to hear as well as feel. Enveloping his neck and entwining her fingers into the slightly coarser hair of his mane, Maddy melted against him and purred in her own way, reciprocating his affection.
“I missed you today, my lion.”
With a stronger nudge she found herself pushed back so she was lying on the green grass. The look her lion gave her from above was the look a puppy would give if it was begging.
Did his lion just grin at me? She couldn’t help but burst into laughter, the lion had just smiled at her!
“Oh my God, that’s just too funny. One day please do that just so I can take a picture.”
With a rough lick from his tongue along her neck the air shimmied above her. Where once a huge lion stood over the top of her, a now naked, muscle-bound, sexy male straddled her.
“I love hearing you laugh. It’s such a sweet sound.”
She stared up at him, a stray giggle hitting her every now and again.
“I love you too. I have loved you from the first time I laid eyes on you. The first time I kissed you and held you in my arms. You are my queen, my heart, and the other side of my soul.” His voice lowered as he did. Their mouths clashed, their tongues fought, and arousal filled the air between them.
“Take me home, my lion.”
“With pleasure.”
His muscles flexed as he stood and grabbed her hand to help her up. She couldn’t help but roam her fingers over his body. Suddenly the air shimmered, revealing the lion that had moments ago pounced on her.
“See y...” Maddy’s vision blurred.
The world shimmered and changed.
Maddy looked around but could only see trees. She felt like she was on pride land, but she couldn’t be sure. Following her instincts, she turned around to see a small group of enforcers with Grey standing not far from her. Walking over, she watched the scene unfold before her.
A sobbing woman with knotted, dirty hair knelt at Grey’s feet. In fact, her whole body seemed to be caked in dried mud. The blue overalls she wore drowned her. The bottoms of her feet were red raw, blistered and cut in many places. Her pale, bony hands were held up in front of her in a pleading manner. Maddy noticed the bruised rings around the woman’s wrists like she’d been bound by something for a long time.
