by Erin Wade
Darke hung her head and tried to conjure Eden’s face.
“First things first,” Sable said as she clapped her hands. “You both need to shower and change into clean clothes. It’s obvious you haven’t showered since you left here. Then we can discuss your plan in more detail at breakfast.”
##
“It isn’t perfect,” Kristaal grumbled, “but I can’t come up with anything better. When do you plan to go to your village?”
“As soon as we finish breakfast,” Darke said. “We’re ready to put an end to the madness.”
When Darke’s phone blared Eden’s ringtone a few minutes later, she got up from the table. “I must talk with her,” she said as she hurried from the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
“Eden, it’s wonderful to hear your voice.”
She got right to the point. “I’ve been thinking, Darke. Going over what you’ve told me. I think I have a solution to your problem.”
“Really?” Darke tried to hide her amusement. How could Eden have a solution to a problem that was baffling their best military minds?
“Your problem is with the Lycanian males,” Eden continued, ignoring Darke’s condescending tone. “You should seek help from the females. I’m sure they would be delighted to return their men back to normal.”
“And just like that, you’ve solved our conundrum,” Darke said. “Why hadn’t we thought of that? Eden, you’re a genius.”
“I know that you’ll sterilize all the men, but you said all the women are with child, so it won’t even cause a blip in the ancestry line.”
“You’ve really thought this through,” Darke said in awe. “I’ve never loved you more than I do right now, Eden Daye.”
“I had to come up with something to get you back home,” Eden murmured. “Missing you is like a disease. If I can’t cure it, I will surely die of it.”
“Oh Eden.” The two words overflowed with love and longing. Surely Eden can feel it.
“I’m waiting for you, Darke.”
The call ended as Darke wished she could find the words to express her love for the blonde woman.
Darke regained her composure and entered the dining room where her family and Raven waited. “Eden has the solution to our problem,” she exclaimed.
The others sat in stunned silence as Darke shared Eden’s idea.
“That is such a simple solution,” Kristaal said, shaking her head. “Sometimes we can’t see the individual for the pack.”
“I thought we’d start by hanging around the hospital today. We need to find out where the testosterone shots are administered,” Darke said. “Are all the nurses pregnant?”
“If they’re female, they are,” Raven replied with disgust.
##
“God, I hate these things,” Raven growled as she adjusted the fake pregnancy belly. “Just knowing I had to carry this around for nine months would stop me from having babies.”
“I swear, if one more person rubs my stomach and talks baby talk to it, I’m gonna cut them,” Darke said, scowling.
“I know. We’re pregnant, not frickin’ petting zoos.”
“Looking nine months pregnant certainly deters the males we’ve encountered,” Darke pointed out. “Did you notice how they even cross to the other side of the street to keep from meeting us?”
Raven snickered. “Probably afraid they’re the father.”
They waddled through the hospital lobby, and Raven pushed the elevator button. “Remember, if anything looks like it’s getting out of hand, just fake a hormone attack.”
“I’ve never had a hormone attack. How do I act?”
“Think about never making love to Eden again and go with that feeling,” Raven instructed.
“So … a hormonal person acts crazy?” Darke said.
“You’ve got it.”
The elevator door opened, and they joined two young nurses inside. They exchanged the usual pleasantries about baby due-dates and introduced themselves to the nurses, Amara and Jaden.
Jaden looked miserable and didn’t join in their banter. After Amara got off the elevator, Raven began to complain.
“They’re animals,” she whispered loudly to Darke. “A gang attacked me. I have no idea who the father is. What can we do?”
“I know,” Darke sobbed. “Someone must stop the madness. Where is Queen Raven?”
“I heard she’s dead,” Raven said.
Darke slumped against the elevator wall. She felt a twinge in her soul. She couldn’t even imagine a world without Raven.
“Are you okay?” Raven said as she caught Darke’s elbow.
“Motion sickness,” Darke said. “It just overwhelmed me that we might have to live out our lives under these awful conditions.”
“What about your husband?” Raven asked Jaden. “Has the madness affected him?”
A tear slid down the nurse’s cheek. “I’m afraid I suffered the same fate as you.”
Darke and Raven nodded in silent consolation.
Jaden glanced at Darke then pushed the stop button on the elevator. “Are you serious about trying to stop the madness Lycan has inflicted on our village?”
“Yes,” Darke said.
Jaden pulled a pen from her pocket, scribbled an address on a piece of paper on her clipboard, tore it off, and handed it to Darke. “Ten tonight. Make certain no one follows you.”
“We’ll be there,” Darke promised.
##
Raven pointed out a well-kept house on a quiet street. “That’s it. Drive by it and go around the block.”
As they drove, they noticed vehicles parked at discreet intervals along the curb.
“They’re smart enough to disperse their cars so it doesn’t look like a congregation at one house. That’s good,” Raven noted.
They parked and were wary as they approached the house. “It could be a trap,” Darke cautioned as they stood in the shadows of a huge oak tree.
“I’ll check.” Raven dropped to all fours and transformed into the most gorgeous creature Darke had ever seen. Her solid-black coat with tips of silver was as beautiful as her Caribbean-blue eyes. She shook off her clothes and pregnancy belly. Then she looked at Darke, licked her lips, and bounded toward the rear of the house.
Raven moved along the ground like a shadow and stood on her hind feet to peer into the window. The room was filled with women in various stages of pregnancy.
“Looks like we struck gold,” Raven said when she returned to Darke and morphed back into human form. “They’re all pregnant and look pissed off.”
Raven shook her body. “It was good to be free of this thing,” she said as she picked up the pregnancy belly. “How could anyone endure this for nine months?”
Darke looked away. “Just get dressed.”
Raven gave the belly one last tug to settle it comfortably on her stomach. “Let’s do this.”
They received a warm greeting from the women, who asked all the usual questions: “When is the baby due? Is it a boy or girl? Have you picked out a name? Who’s the father?”
“We don’t know,” Darke murmured, hanging her head. “We were both attacked by a gang of rogues.”
The women in the room began relating similar experiences.
“Our males have become crazed animals,” one woman said. “It has to do with Lycan. He has murdered Raven and assumed her position. He has brought out the worst possible traits in our mates.”
“We loved Raven. How did we let this happen?” another woman said.
“Perhaps you should band together and stop him,” Darke suggested.
“How?” several asked in unison.
“How does he control the men?” Darke asked in a timid voice. “Is that something we can stop?”
“The three of us work in the hospital,” one woman said, linking arms with the two standing on either side of her. “There’s a ward on the top floor that is accessible by certain personnel. We aren’t allowed to go there.”
“Yes,
” the woman to her left chimed in. “There’s a steady stream of men going through there every day.”
“What do they do?” Darke asked.
“They’re inoculated,” the third woman said. “Once a week they’re inoculated with high dosages of testosterone.”
“Is it open at night?” Darke asked.
“No, from eight in the morning until eight at night. Then it’s closed while they bring in new supplies.”
“Where are the supplies stored?” Raven inquired.
The leader of the women shook her head. “We don’t know.”
“See if you can find out,” Darke instructed. “Let’s meet tomorrow night and share what we’ve discovered. Is there another place we can meet? We shouldn’t meet in the same place all the time.”
“My home is available,” an older woman volunteered. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stop this abomination. I’m not having a baby every year until I die.”
“That’s settled then.” Jaden smiled. “Anyone want dessert and coffee?”
The women gathered around the kitchen counter as coffee and cake were served.
“I know we’re not supposed to drink caffeine,” a young woman said, “but it’s the only way I can make it through the day.”
Jaden served Raven and Darke and pulled them away from the others. “Could you be the last to leave, please?”
##
“Thank you for staying,” Jaden said as she closed and locked the door. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone, but I can tell you what time the transport arrives every night. Perhaps we can follow it back to its location.”
“Excellent idea,” Raven said.
“What time does the transport deliver to the hospital?” Darke asked.
“Midnight, right on the dot,” Jaden said. “They pull into the underground garage and take the delivery up on the freight elevator.”
“Is there any way to gain access to the freight elevator?” Darke said.
“There’s a maintenance shaft on the second floor,” Jaden explained. “You might be able to gain access there and go up to the top floor. What good would that do you?”
“We could look around,” Raven said. “Get the lay of the land before finalizing our plans.”
Jaden frowned. “The doors to the hospital lock at ten p.m. The only way in is through the emergency room. You could come in through the emergency entrance. One of you pretend to be in labor and the other accompany. I’ll whisk you away on a gurney and then get you to the second floor.”
Darke cocked an eyebrow at her. “Tomorrow night?”
Jaden agreed, but Darke didn’t miss the hint of fear in her eyes. “Tomorrow night. We’ll still have the meeting with all the women who were here tonight, just in case they learn anything new. After the meeting we’ll put our plan into action.
“We should keep our plan to ourselves,” Jaden added. “There might be spies among us.”
They wrapped it up and bid Jaden good night.
“What do you think?” Raven asked, looping her arm through Darke’s as they headed for the car.
Darke pulled away from Raven’s grip. “Seems too easy,” she said.
“If my closeness bothers you, Darke, perhaps you should rethink your love for Eden.”
“I don’t question my love for Eden,” Darke hissed, “but I can’t deny my physical attraction to you. You know it, and you are deliberately tempting me.”
“Yes, I am,” Raven purred. “I will fight for you as long as I can draw a breath.”
Darke grabbed Raven’s arm and yanked her to a stop. “Wait! Someone just ducked behind our car.”
Raven cursed under her breath. “Just when we were having a meaningful conversation. Let’s beat them to death with our pregnancy bellies!”
Darke laughed out loud even though they were walking into danger. “There must be a spy among us,” she noted.
As Darke and Raven reached their car, two men stepped out from behind it and positioned themselves in front of them.
“Evening, ladies,” one of them said. Over his shoulder, Darke spotted six more men emerging from the shadows.
“Back to back,” Darke whispered to Raven.
One of the men leaped at Darke. The blow from her fist snapped his head back and bones cracked. The others backed away, reevaluating their attack plan.
“Seven left,” Darke mumbled. “Let’s get our backs to the car.”
The women held their hands in front of them as they backed against their vehicle. One of the men crouched as he prepared to pounce. Raven didn’t wait. She lashed out with her right foot, catching him under the chin. She sent him sailing into the air. His body hit the cement with a dull thud.
Darke smiled. “Someone’s been working out.” She loved fighting with Raven at her side.
“Six more, Countess.” Raven grinned. “Do you even need my help?”
“Always.” Darke yelped as all six men charged them at once.
Raven ripped out the throat of the first man to reach her, as Darke caught the point man attacking her and spun him around just in time for his friends to stab him.
Darke continued to hold the dead man as a shield as she moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Raven.
“Now the odds are in our favor.” Raven growled as she sank her teeth into the neck of her closest attacker.
Darke shoved the dead man hard, sending him crashing into the two men charging her. One man fell under the weight of his dead cohort and the other staggered backward.
Darke stomped viciously between the downed man’s legs. He curled into the fetal position, howling in pain. She stomped his neck, crushing his larynx as she sprang at her remaining assailant.
He threw a punch at her, and she slammed her fist into his arm, breaking both bones between the elbow and hand. She grabbed the injured arm and ripped it from its socket. She stopped short of clubbing him to death with his own arm, breaking his neck instead.
Adrenalin crashed through Darke’s body like a tsunami washing over an island. She turned to help Raven just as the wolf leader twisted the neck of her last assailant, letting it flop onto his shoulder.
“God!” Raven exclaimed. “I’d forgotten how powerful you are.” The two stood gazing at each other for several seconds.
“Let’s get these bodies away from Jaden’s house,” Darke said, her voice raspy with emotion. She checked the men’s pockets and found keys in the pocket of the third one. She hit the Unlock button on the key fob, and headlights flashed on a car halfway down the block.
“Grab our bellies,” Darke said with a snicker. “Yours slid under the car.”
Raven pulled their attackers’ car behind theirs and they loaded the men into the car “Follow me,” Raven instructed. “We’ll drive this vehicle over a cliff.”
##
Darke and Raven watched as the vehicle bounced off rocks and trees protruding from the sheer sides of the cliff. It burst into flames before it hit bottom.
The women fell into each other’s arms as they celebrated their victory. “We can do this,” Raven whispered. “You and I can do this, Darke.”
“Yes!” Darke said, overwhelmed with enthusiasm at the thought of returning the valley to Raven’s leadership. Before she knew what was happening, Raven pulled her in for a passionate kiss. To her dismay, she found herself kissing Raven back.
“We must get out of here and find somewhere to put ourselves back together,” Darke said, gently pushing Raven away.
“There’s a roadside park about five miles from here,” Raven informed Darke as they got into their car. “We can put our bellies back on there.”
They drove to the park to wash off the blood from their altercation and reassemble their disguises.
“I’m so glad you had the idea of these roadside parks,” Darke said as she strapped her fake pregnancy belly into place.
“Who would’ve thought we’d be strapping on fake bellies in the middle of the night? I swear, Darke, if one mor
e woman had provided me graphic details on the pain of childbirth, I would have induced her labor right there in Jaden’s kitchen.”
“Remember that childbirth film they showed us in high school?” Darke snorted as they walked to their car. “I think that’s what turned me lesbian.”
Raven laughed. “I would believe you if we hadn’t already been fooling around for two years.”
“Oh, yeah. There is that.” Darke chuckled.
Chapter 31
They checked into the hotel to get a good night’s sleep before putting their plan into action.
“Dammit, Raven, you got a room with one bed!” Darke was furious. “You can sleep on the frickin’ sofa.”
Raven bowed her head. “I’m taking a cold shower,” she said as she left the room.
Darke paced the floor. She hated being at odds with the woman she considered her closest friend. “We have to talk,” she muttered.
She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called Eden. When Eden’s voicemail answered she left a message. “I just called to say I love you and that my job here is almost done.”
Darke kicked off her boots and sprawled across the sofa. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. I can’t remember the last time I slept, she thought. The adrenaline had dissipated from her body and she was bone-tired.
She heard Raven enter the room. Visions of the woman with only a towel wrapped around her waist danced in her mind.
“Open your eyes and look at me,” Raven demanded.
“Are you naked?” Darke muttered.
After a long silence and swishing of clothes, Raven answered her. “No!”
Darke opened her eyes. “But you were, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” Raven said, exhaling a long, loud breath. “Darke, I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry with me. I honestly requested one room with two beds, not one king bed. I’ll gladly sleep on the sofa.”
“Raven, we need to talk.”
“May I go first?” Raven asked. “I have loved you all my life.” She held up her hand to stop Darke from interrupting. “I have always known that one day we would be mated, committed to each other. I never doubted it. Now you come home and tell me you have a mate … and she isn’t me.
