by Gale, Avery
“It’s alright. I know you were teasing, but I’m just scared because these babies aren’t supposed to be coming just yet. I know the doctor said it was possible because they’ve gotten so big, but I’m really worried. And these stupid hormones are for the birds, I tell ya. These will be gone as soon as the babies are born, right?”
Jameson had to give Angie credit for keeping a straight face at Kit’s hopeful question when even he knew the answer.
“Well, it might not happen overnight. But you’ll start feeling more like your regular self before you know it. Now, tell me what I need to pack for you. Or do you already have a bag ready?” Jameson chuckled as Angie turned into a virtual tornado of activity. First she’d made a series of phone calls and then she’d let Kit direct her to the bag in the closet that had already been meticulously packed. In the meantime, Trev quietly traded him places so he could discreetly move to another bathroom to clean up before they left. Jameson shook his head as he made his way out of the room, wondering to himself how the hell men involved in traditional marriages managed alone.
Trev helped Kit to her feet and got her in and out of the shower faster than he’d ever managed before. Touching her was sweet torture because he could feel each one of her contractions as well as the scorching fear racing through her mind. When it became clear the pains were too close together for them to possibly make it into the city, they moved quickly down to the small infirmary and clinic they’d built on the estate. Trev had heard Tristan making calls to get air transportation for the medical team and equipment Angie had already started coordinating. His attention was drawn back to the terrified woman in his arms as the next contraction started to build and Trev’s knees nearly buckled at the intensity. He had no idea how women managed it and he suddenly had a lot more respect for those that were brave enough to go through it a second time. Seemed to him that once you knew how blinding the pain was, you’d avoid it like the plague in the future.
“Feel like you’re in the eye of the storm, baby?” Trev smiled and stroked the side of Kit’s face as they made their way down the bumpy path in a small cart. Even though she was cradled in his lap to cushion her from the majority of the rough ride, the discomfort was still clearly etched in the tense set of her jaw and the thin line of her pursed lips. Trev couldn’t believe how helpless he felt and how deeply that affected him. The last two contractions she’d had were particularly strong and her skin had started to glow and sparkle with each tightening of her muscles.
After they’d settled her on one of the beds at the clinic, Trev heard a commotion outside the door and sagged in relief as the medical team Angie had summoned strode into the room accompanied by their pack’s physician. They unpacked their equipment with incredible efficiency, but he felt as if someone had tightened steel bands around his chest when he saw they’d brought intensive care equipment for the babies. He pulled the doctor to the side and asked why there were four of everything. The elderly man laughed, “Don’t panic, Trevlon. I’ve been surprised more than once by a baby hiding behind his or her siblings, so I like to be ready. And sometimes equipment doesn’t work like we want it to, so I’ve brought extra.” With that, the elderly doctor moved to Kit’s side. “Well, Kit, I see you have livened things up a bit. Did you forget that I was supposed to leave first thing in the morning for some fun and sun? So let’s see what we can do about getting your sweet babies here all safe and sound, huh? My wife is going to be in a real snit if I don’t take good care of you so I can relax while she spends me into the poor house on vacation.”
Trev and Jameson sighed at Kit’s obvious affection for the elderly doctor they had known their entire lives. He and his wife were members of their pack but didn’t live at the estate. The minute the man sat down on the little stool between Kit’s splayed legs, he and his brother growled deep in their throats. Doc looked up and laughed. “Take it easy you two. Hell, I’m old enough to be her papa and you both know it. Now, places everybody, we have some very special babies to deliver.”
Watching Doc switch from the affable joking fellow they all knew and loved to the all business professional as he examined their mate was unsettling because it was obvious the older man wasn’t altogether pleased with whatever he’d discovered. Standing suddenly, Doc kicked the rolling stool he’d been sitting on behind him and started barking orders like the most jaded drill sergeant. The entire room exploded into a well-orchestrated symphony of precisely choreographed motion.
Chapter Three
An hour later Trev stood at the side of Kit’s bed and watched the new mama’s eyelids finally drift closed. Her long lashes brushed over the dark circles under her eyes highlighting just how little rest she’d been getting the past few weeks. This pregnancy hadn’t been a particularly easy one for his beautiful mate, but Kit had taken one look at their children and sworn to he and Jameson that it had all been worth it. Holding his daughter in his arms while his twin held their son made every emotion, sound, hell even the colors around them seemed magnified somehow. Trev wasn’t sure he’d ever know how to explain it, but now every worry he’d had about Kit and the babies was more intense than ever.
Letting his mind drift back to the conversation they’d had with Doc in the hall as his team had prepared Kit for childbirth, Trev shuddered. The terror he’d felt had been almost all consuming when Doc had explained that both babies were beginning to show serious signs of distress during each contraction and he was worried about their oxygen levels. Watching Doc deliver a boy and then a girl via C-section less than ten minutes later had brought tears to his eyes. Jameson looked up from watching baby Ryan sleep in his arms and smiled. They’d chosen that name because it meant “little king” and he would indeed one day become their pack’s Alpha leader. Trev cradled Adana in his arms. The name meaning “her father’s daughter” had been an immediate hit with them both. Catching Trev’s eye, Jameson quietly spoke, “The money we spent on this clinic just paid us back a million times over. Doc told me outside we would have lost all three of them if we’d tried to drive into the city.” Trev hadn’t spoken with Doc because he’d stayed with Angie while she’d cleaned and examined both babies.
Jameson’s words shocked him to his core and for the first time in his life, Trevlon Wolf thought he might actually faint. He was suddenly so overcome with fear for his small family he could barely keep his knees from shaking. He felt the blood drain from his face, and when he looked over at his brother Jameson, he merely nodded. “I know, I had the same feeling. Hell, I had to sit down out in the hall. The idea of losing Kit and the babies terrifies me. We have to figure—“ That was all Jameson got out before Kit’s mother swept into the room.
Trev nor Jameson were terribly fond of their mother-in-law. The woman was ice cold to her core in Jameson’s opinion and the callous way Carla Harris had treated Kit when they had first met her left a very sour taste in both of their mouths. They tried to remember that her abrupt nature wasn’t something they would ever be able to change so they made every attempt simply to accept her. Kit’s father, Richard, on the other hand, was a wolf shifter with a gentle spirit and he obviously loved his daughter deeply. But their favorite member of Kit’s family was definitely her spirited grandmother, Ruby Stone. Kit’s nickname for the diminutive woman always made him smile. She had quickly become the adopted grandmother of the entire pack and everyone lovingly referred to her as Granny Good Witch. Ruby’s colorful, straightforward personality and deep love for her granddaughter had endeared her to both Jameson and Trevlon immediately.
Kit’s mother had fought alongside Jameson and Trevlon’s parents as they’d fought to their deaths defending them when they’d been young adults. Ruby had whisked Carla away before Jameson and Trevlon had finally managed to unlock themselves from the sealed doors of the closet and stumble into the room finding all three of their parents dead. Until they’d met Kit, they had always believed the attack that had killed their mother and fathers had been directed at their mother. She’d been a witch mar
ried to two wolf shifters, just as Kit was now. In fact, their mating with Kit had been prophesized and it was that prophecy that had prompted the attack that had left them as their Alphas of their pack at such a tender age.
Of course, Carla being Carla was chattering a mile a minute when she hit the door and didn’t stop even though they both cautioned her that Kit and the children were sleeping. If Trev hadn’t been watching Ruby, he’d have missed the small flick of her wrist and he had to hold back his laugh as suddenly Carla’s voice was little more than a hoarse whisper. Spinning on her heel with her hands fisted on her hips, she glared at her mother before straightening and waving her own hand in the air. Then speaking softly, she said, “Very funny, Mother. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to see my grandchildren. Which one is which?” When she didn’t get a response immediately, she waved her hand and Trev saw a swirl of glitter surround him for just a second before the white blanket around Adana turned a soft pink, and when he looked at Jameson, he saw his bundle of joy was now wrapped in baby blue.
Kit sighed as she watched her mother’s little display of power with amused resignation. Honestly, the woman should have been an actress with her predilection for dramatic presentation. But even I can see the love in her eyes, those babies are what she has wanted for a very long time. “Very dramatic, Mother. You could have given my husbands longer than a quarter of a second to respond you know. There wasn’t any reason to…well, do what you did.” Kit knew her mother and grandmother both understood. As genetically linked witches they could easily read each other’s magic. But all three men in the room were wolf shifters so they hadn’t known her mother had actually assessed both children and known in an instant not only the gender but that both Ryan and Adana held tremendous magical potential. They were both shifters as well, and as twins their magic would be magnified and enhanced by each other. Her granny had done the same assessment already weeks ago, and told Kit most of what her mother had just found out. She hadn’t wanted to know the genders and Ruby had respected that. Now Kit had to hold back her gloating smile because it was obvious Granny Good Witch had cut her daughter out of the loop.
When Kit looked between Jameson and Trev her heart melted as their gorgeous smiles lit their expressions and reflected the happiness that she could practically see coming off them in waves. She knew that she would never tire of looking at her mates, and watching as they cradled the babies in their arms had been the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. Both men were six and a half feet tall and their broad shoulders a testament to their strength, so seeing them hold babies that had weighed in at just over six pounds was an incredible sight.
‘Are you alright, baby?’ Trev’s voice sounded in Kit’s mind and she blinked several times before she realized that she had been staring blankly at him. No doubt the residual effects of the drugs she’d been given were still clouding her mind. And even though she was still having trouble fully processing everything that had happened, she nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry I was staring. It just humbles me to see you and Jameson holding our children. And to see how peaceful they are in your arms. I’m going to remember this in the middle of the night too you know.”
After maneuvering a huge vase of flowers onto the wide windowsill, Kit’s dad stepped forward and hugged her. “They are unquestionably the most perfect grandchildren in history, sweetheart.” He kissed Kit on the forehead and then added conspiratorially, “And I’m awfully anxious to get my turn to hold them both, but that probably isn’t going to come any too soon. One of the hazards of hanging out with two women who can zap you with lightning with just a flick of their wrist.” He laughed and they watched as her mother and grandmother both commandeered a baby.
Kit giggled when her granny’s clothes all turned pink as she held Adana. Even her usual red sequined high tops were now hot pink and sparkling like they were made of diamonds. When the elderly woman noticed her looking, she danced a quick jig as she moved toward the head of the bed. She turned to Richard and handed off the baby before grasping Kit’s hand. “Kit, I’m sorry we weren’t here. I heard what happened and even though we’d heard rumblings…none of us realized things had gone this far. You and I will talk more in a bit because you are about to have a whole lot of company.” Ruby’s eyes sparkled, and immediately the door burst open and Kit’s room was literally filled with people in a matter of seconds.
Chapter Four
Four Months Later…
Dr. Angie Michaels leaned against the doorframe of the operating room she was leaving and grasped it with both hands, holding on to the metal frame as if it were a lifeline. She tried to catch her breath as the room suddenly seemed to be spinning around her and her eyes weren’t cooperating either, having trouble trying to focus on her surroundings. She knew she had been on her feet far longer today than she was ordinarily, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t done hundreds of times before. She’d been struggling for several months to conceal her bone deep fatigue from her husbands because they’d been harping at her to cut back her schedule. Even though she knew they were right, she really was wearing herself into the ground, but they were being such asses about it that she just couldn’t bring herself to give in to their Neanderthal demands. But this didn’t feel like ordinary fatigue and she hoped she wasn’t coming down with something.
Slowly moving to the side of the wide hall so she could steady herself with the rail, Angie made her way down the corridor toward the small waiting room. She needed to speak with the family of the young man she’d just operated on and being tired was no excuse to keep them waiting. He’d been injured in a very strange car accident that had killed both of his parents so Angie wasn’t sure who she would find in the small surgical lounge. Rest was going to have to wait because she wasn’t willing to let whoever it was wait any longer than necessary to hear that Braden was going to be fine. He was going to need physical therapy after his legs healed, but with some strength training, she was confident the fifteen year old would bounce back quickly.
Rounding the corner of the waiting room, Angie couldn’t have been more surprised to see her friend Kit’s mother sitting alone on the sofa casually flipping through a magazine. “Mrs. Harris?” She wasn’t sure why she’d asked the question because Carla Harris was probably one of the most beautiful women Angie had ever met. Her face was one of those no one ever forgot or mistook for someone else so there wasn’t any question about who she was. The woman was also insanely paranoid about having her picture taken and Angie smiled to herself because she knew the hospital’s security staff was probably currently clambering to figure out what the hell had gone wrong with their surveillance equipment. Kit had told them about her mother’s affinity for scrambling camera feeds and recordings anytime she was within their range and Angie couldn’t wait to hear the “spin” the hospital administration came up with for the security lapse.
Carla stood and smiled as she extended her hand, “Hi, Angie. It’s nice to see you again, although I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances.” The minute their hands touched Carla’s smile vanished and she quickly led Angie to a chair. “Spell me, dear, you are a mess. Sit down and let me help before we talk.” Angie felt as if someone was pouring pure energy into her and then she relaxed and smiled inwardly as she realized that was exactly what was happening. She wasn’t sure how long Carla sat with her before she suddenly felt better than she had in weeks. I have no clue what she did, but she is my new best friend. I wonder if Kit can do this? Angie was startled when Carla laughed out loud and Angie realized that she’d never seen Kit’s mother be anything but cool and distant. Even when she’d been holding her grandchildren, who she clearly adored, she seemed almost detached. “Oh dear, you really might as well say all of that aloud, you know, because I can hear it all. And yes, I’m well aware that I come across as a heartless bitch, but I assure you there is a very real heart beating in my chest. And the young man that you just worked so tirelessly to help owns a big piece of it.”
Now that she felt more her
self, Angie looked at the woman sitting next to her with an entirely new level of respect. “Okay, talk to me. You know I can’t talk with you about my patient unless I know you are his next of kin or guardian.”
Carla merely nodded, “I understand and I wish more than I can say that I could tell you that. But we both know that isn’t true and I won’t lie to you. What I can tell you is that he is in a lot of danger. Did you notice that every person who has dealt with him were exhausted after? And the fact you are so drained is something my mother and I are going to explore, I assure you. Do you have any family in Ireland by chance?” Before Angie had even been able to answer her question, Carla went on. “His magic is drawing healing energy from each of you every time you touched him, so naturally you got the worst of it as his doctor, but still.” Angie watched as Carla considered her words carefully before continuing, “The accident that took his parents was a carefully staged attempt to kidnap Braden.”
Even though Carla’s words had shocked her, Angie moved as she planned to head back down the hall and check on the young man who looked more like a boy than a man. His crystal blue eyes and curly blonde hair had captured Angie’s heart and she’d felt oddly drawn to him. Carla stood as well and reached for Angie’s hand. “He’s safe. At least for a while. I won’t be able to conceal him for very long though and then I’m going to have to find a place that is safe for him to recover. And eventually he’ll need to be placed with a magical family if I can find one that isn’t afraid to take him.” Carla’s eyes were shining with unshed tears and she seemed lost in thought for a few minutes. She finally continued explaining that the man and woman Braden had been riding with weren’t really his parents, but a foster family who had been trying to protect him. Angie listened as Kit’s mom explained that his mother had died during childbirth. The little boy had lived with his shifter father in both Ireland and Scotland until his magical abilities had become too hard to disguise any longer. They’d moved numerous times but even with the Supreme Council’s help, it had been impossible to stay ahead of the dark forces that wanted the child.
