Garrett and I were staring at our friend with wide eyes and open mouths. Neither of us was surprised when Aedus and Lord Caelen slowly stood, towering over him and looking extremely irritated. As the three of them began to speak in Fae, their voices grew louder and angrier. It was obvious that Liam was being stubborn and apparently not agreeing with whatever they were saying.
Garrett sent to me, “I can understand some of this…Caelen is saying that Liam is acting like a child and not thinking about the future of the race and also that Liam was disrespectful to you by using the language he used. Aedus is angry because he thinks Liam was disrespectful to their father and also because he thinks Liam might support us if we decide on the abortion. Whoa, Liam just cursed at his brother and Caelen is really getting angry now.
I saw Liam flinch twice as if his father had sent him a strong and probably painful mental warning. He nodded curtly and then turned to me, a touch of gold in his lovely eyes.
“Jacqueline, I apologize for going on about Kennet. I know that those memories are not pleasant, and I apologize for my crude description.” He glanced at his father. “However, I won’t turn my back on our friendship. I’ll support whatever decision you make regarding the child that you’re carrying. I hope that my father and my brother come to their senses soon.” I was amazed to see him continue to glare at them. “I’ll say goodnight for now, but I’ll be here at the regular time tomorrow morning. Please contact me right away if you need me for anything.”
I squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Liam.” Garrett grasped his shoulder and then he disappeared. We gazed once more at the other two powerful fae still in our kitchen.
Lord Caelen sighed sadly and then spoke. “Try to understand. We haven’t had a birth in our Sidhe in over seventy-five human years. We’ve just celebrated the wonderful news of Philladre and Aedus’ child and now this miracle occurs. If this child dies, it would represent a death to the future of our race, and you must understand that nothing is of more importance to the Fae. If the death is not an accident or a natural death, then many would see it as an act of war. My people have lived on this planet much longer than humans or most other supernaturals. The population of seelie fae in Cascade and at court would not take the death lightly. This would be a situation where I would not be able to protect you, even though I would personally argue on your behalf. Neither of you would be safe. Not anywhere.”
Aedus walked to me and crouched down so that his handsome face was only a few inches from mine. He spoke softly, but with great feeling. “Philladre and I would raise your son. Liam and Kellaine would also. It would be a great honor for us, and you know that we would love him as our own. Please, Jackie, don’t do anything without careful thought.”
I smiled wanly at them both. “I’m going to take everything you’ve said tonight very seriously and I promise that Garrett and I won’t make any rash decisions. Thank you for coming so quickly. I know that you’re trying to help me. Please don’t be angry with Liam.”
Aedus laughed. “We’re used to his outbursts. It’s the human side that connects to others so passionately. Sometimes I envy him. I wouldn’t change him even if I could.”
After they left, Garrett and I sat outside on the iron bench near the fountain, silently leaning against each other as the sun finally set behind the woods on what seemed like one of the longest days of my life. My hand kept moving to my belly of its own accord, as if I still needed to experience some kind of sign, not totally believing what the test had shown or what Caelen had told us. Sasha popped his head through the patio doors.
“We’ve all fed, Garrett. You said you wanted to know when we were back. I’m sorry if I interrupted.”
I smiled at Sasha, knowing full well that he could have just told Garrett mentally. He was checking up on me. “Did you hear earlier?” He nodded. “Did you tell the others?” He shook his head. “Ask William to make sure that I get at least ten minutes of that phone call tonight.”
“Of course, Mistress.” This time I smiled in appreciation. Him calling me Mistress was his way of showing respect and I needed the boost right now. He stood for a few moments, unsure as to what else to say. “Is there anything that I can do for either of you?”
I looked at him, standing there trying to help and had an idea. “I’d like a training session. William can join us with Heinrich too. In an hour if that’s alright.” Physical exercise had always been my friend when it came to getting out my anger and frustrations and relieving my stress without actually hurting someone. I watched him glance at Garrett who must have sent him a mental message because he nodded and went to tell the others.
“He could have just told me mentally that they were back, but he’s worried about you.” He seemed amused. “You need to eat, my love. Why don’t you call Ethan while I make you something?” He stood, taking my hand and leading me back into the kitchen.
“Garrett, it’s important for me to go on normally. I’m pregnant but I still need to work out. And you didn’t just tell Sasha to take it easy on me, did you?”
He ran a gentle hand down my jaw line and grinned mischievously, trying to get me to smile. "I won't attempt to forbid your participation under these conditions: You have to eat well, sleep at least seven hours and of course I have to be there too."
"Did you actually use the word 'forbid'? I laughed and shoved him away, but he grabbed me back again.
"It’s your choice. But I can't guarantee that I'll always be brimming with enthusiasm when you decide to train with my best fighter to relieve your anger.”
He clutched my hand in his, his expression growing very serious. “You know, my love, that if I had been with you when you got the call from Bridgett, I wouldn’t have let you go alone, I would have followed you, and Bridgett might have been tortured and killed by Kennet. We make the best decisions we can and then we have to live with the consequences.” He shook his head and shrugged. “I told Sasha that he should avoid belly strikes, that’s all, I swear.”
He lifted his arms as if in surrender, so I grabbed his belt and pulled him closer to me, then wrapped my arms around his neck. "I was pregnant when I helped you wipe out Nathaniel's nest and also during the fiasco with the Los Altos Pack. Nothing should change now."
His mouth twisted into a half frown. “I'm very glad that I didn't know about the pregnancy at the time.”
I looked at my extremely protective mate and nodded. "Me too."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The training went well. We had outdoor lighting which lit up the whole grassy backyard area like we were in some kind of an exhibition arena. I was becoming much more adept at using the long staff, actually able to block and strike against Heinrich who was almost a foot taller than me. Sasha brought out the short 3 foot long staffs and we worked with them for a while. The disadvantage was that you had to get much closer to your enemy, which gave them a lot of other ways to attack you. Heinrich was a freaking giant and had an arm span a third longer than mine, so it was better for me if I used the long staff against him. Still he disarmed me over and over, because he was just so much stronger. We weren’t using vamp speed and I wasn’t tapping into the magic. This was just training to learn the basics and to get some much needed exercise. William was holding his own against Sasha, although I guessed that Sash was taking it easy on him. You couldn’t learn anything if you were constantly on the ground with the end of the staff at your throat.
I watched Garrett observing us work out. He was smiling but I could tell that he was a little worried about me because he cringed whenever Heinrich attacked and he kept looking at my belly. Finally, I pretended to need a break and walked over to sit in the chair beside his. He smiled so sweetly, not letting on how concerned he’d been. Maybe he'd forgotten that I was able read his emotions perfectly.
“I can tell that you want to play too. Why don’t you and Sasha go at it? I’m done for tonight.” Relief flashed in his eyes, then his lips curled up in an evil grin.
“Are you too worn
out, Sash?”
“Never, to take you on, old man.”
“I’ll be back in a moment.” Garrett disappeared in a flash and then reappeared in sweatpants and a tee shirt. I looked him over. No matter what he wore, he looked amazing. This was going to be fun to watch so I settled in with a cup of tea and a throw blanket that William thoughtfully provided. Heinrich pulled up chairs.
“I’ll put a hundred on Sasha,” said Heinrich, laughing.
“Only a hundred, Rick?” Sasha was watching his opponent warm up. “Not much of an endorsement.”
“We don’t get paid for another two days.” Heinrich shrugged.
“You must have some money saved, Rick.” I was teasing him, since I knew he loved to party it up at the supernatural bars he frequented, entertaining the ladies he fed from with the best liquor and food and often expensive gifts. He’d accumulated quite a stable because of his generous reputation and other male vampires knew enough to stay out of his way. They only had to take one look at his powerful body to see that this was a vampire who’d sent many to meet their final deaths under Eleanor's tutelage. Funnily enough, he was also addicted to EBay, where he bought classic vinyl albums to add to his collection of Heavy Metal, one of his passions.
“I’m not really the saving type.” He arched an eyebrow at Will who was already putting money into bonds and the stock market.
I nodded. "I’ll take that bet, Rick.” I grinned at him and he laughed again.
“The loyal mate backs her man. Sweet but not smart.” Heinrich shook his head, smirking.
“I’ll take the bet too,” said William. “I think that Garrett is smarter and so will out maneuver him.”
“And the brown-noser speaks up from the wings.” Heinrich slapped him on the back a little too hard, but William sucked it up and didn’t complain.
“Hey, I meant what I said. Garrett will win because he’s faster and smarter.”
“Thanks a lot, Will. After all I’ve done for you.” Sasha was chuckling.
“After all you’ve done to me, you mean.” A pained look passed between them as they remembered life under Eleanor’s rule.
Garrett had finished stretching and was ready to start. He pulled off his shirt, Sasha already had his off, and I grinned in appreciation. Sinc should so be here. They held the short staffs as they circled each other, sizing the other one up. Sasha was 2 or 3 inches taller, and he was broader and more muscular too. But Garrett was super fast, his cheetah genes helping out, and he was stronger than he looked. They’d agreed to use vamp speed but Garrett swore he wouldn’t pull up any magic.
I watched them both try to intimidate the other, hissing and glaring as they moved gracefully around our grassy backyard. To be honest, they both looked pretty terrifying with their long fangs and their swirling silver eyes, but the atmosphere in the stands was relaxed and playful, none of us taking the encounter seriously.
I had to tap into the lines to see the vamped-up action. Sasha struck first with a blow to the stomach which Garrett was able to avoid by twisting to the left and then countered with a blow that only grazed Sash’s shoulder. Sasha smiled and responded by quickly rocking forward to slam the staff into Garrett’s upper thigh. Garrett hissed in pain as he moved back to switch his stance, then jabbed forward faster than I could see to hit Sasha in the center of his chest.
Sasha grunted and then jumped up and twisted in the air like a master martial artist to whack Garrett across the back, making a sound that carried across the yard and bringing Garrett to his knees. He was only there for a split second before he was springing up and out of the way of Sasha’s next swipe with the staff. Garrett countered with a strong whack across Sasha’s knees which had him grimacing.
In another amazing move where both of them jumped and turned effortlessly in the air, their staffs clanged together as they landed on the ground then pushed against the other’s incredible strength. However, neither of them were able to force the other one down or even back. They broke apart laughing at their efforts and losing some of their ferocity in the process.
The fight continued for another fifteen minutes, both of them getting in a few good hits and taking a few as well. Sasha was definitely the more experienced fighter, but Garrett never let down his guard and was able to come up with a few unexpected attacks.
Sasha wiped his chin, which was bleeding from the latest hit Garrett had managed to score and laughed. “I think we should call it a draw. Garrett nodded and winced when he looked at his oddly angled wrist. I watched him give it a short pull to realign the bones so it would heal correctly. Eww. Sasha added, “If you were using the lines I wouldn’t have lasted two minutes.”
“You were holding back.” Sasha shook his head but Garrett arched an eyebrow, a gesture to say he knew the truth. Sash just shrugged.
“You’re going to be a dad, old man. I can’t knock the shit out of you.” Sasha had been teasing, but I couldn't look into Garrett's eyes, afraid of what I'd see.
When Bridgett called, Will gave me the phone so I could tell her the news myself.
“I already heard. Everyone’s talking about it here.” There was a moment of silence on the line before she asked, “How are you feeling? Have you decided what you’re gonna do? It’s gotta really suck that its Kennet’s, but maybe you shouldn't hold that against the little guy. Kennet’s niece seems cool. She stopped by to say hello to me today. In fact everyone’s been coming by to introduce themselves. I’m kind of a celebrity.”
As usual, she annoyed me and made me smile at the same time. “I’m doing okay, Bridgett. Garrett and I need to talk. We haven’t really had a chance to sit down alone. I’ll let you know as soon as we figure something out.”
“Lady D said that you can call me anytime—since you’ll need sisterly advice—and we both know how good I am at that stuff.” We laughed and I managed to choke out a goodnight and hand the phone over to William again.
That night, when Garrett and I lay together in our bed, I took his slender hand and moved it under my shirt to rest on my bare belly, which actually did seem a little bit rounder. He pulled away with a sudden jerk, so I sat up quickly, terrified that he didn’t want to touch me with Kennet’s child inside of me.
He shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t bond with the child, if you’re going to decide to…”
“To have an abortion? Would that be a mistake?” I was confused and afraid and I almost wanted someone just to tell me what to do. Only...I’d regret it later on if it hadn't been my decision. "Are you angry with me?"
When he saw my expression, he pulled me closer. “I’m so sorry, you know I don’t mean it that way.” He kissed my head then reached for my hand. “You’ll do what you have to do and I’ll love you forever no matter what. Try to understand. If I formed an attachment, the loss would be too painful.”
I noticed something in his eyes for the first time and practically slapped myself for being so thickheaded and selfish. Through all of this, I’d never asked him what he wanted. “Please tell me honestly what you want me to do.”
His face became a blank slate so he wouldn’t give away his feelings, which I realized he'd managed to mask expertly since we'd found out about the baby. “I won’t. You have to decide…”
Our emotional connection kicked in and I found myself trembling from the intensity of his deep yearning. “Garrett,” I interrupted, “You want this child don’t you? You want to be a father.” I remembered seeing him look at other children with great fondness. I’d seen him standing often in front of his family portrait, looking at it with longing, not just because of his great loss, but also because he’d never have a family like the one he’d been a part of. All these years and he’d never raised his own family. Eleanor had stolen his chance to have children.
“Why haven’t you ever had children? I mean, when you were a shifter, before Eleanor turned you. You were a cheetah for over a hundred years.”
He looked at me sadly, his eyes dark with emotions long hidden. “I sh
ould have told you earlier, but it always seems like we’re in the middle of some crisis and I never get around to telling you all the things I want to say. I had a lover, her name was Caroline, and I had two daughters with her.”
I bit my lip, then looked down at our hands clasped together. “I thought you said you never had another mate.” I wasn’t jealous, he just never lied to me about anything, so I was curious.
When I looked up again he was staring out the window, thinking back to long ago. “Caroline already had a mate when we became involved. It was an arranged marriage and she was miserable. She begged me to run off with her, but I wouldn’t leave my parents and my sister. Our world was dangerous and I felt it was my responsibility to help protect my family. I failed miserably in the end.”
“That was Eleanor’s doing. It was never your fault. Tell me about Caroline, please.”
“I was wrong to be with her but I was foolish.” He turned to me, unsure as to what he should say. True to his nature, he was honest. “I loved her and if she’d been unmated I would have claimed her and gone through the ritual. The pregnancies were accidents. Birth control was rather primitive in those days.
“We were discreet. Her mate thought that the children were his and she—" he took a deep breath, "—she didn’t tell him that they weren’t. She never allowed me anywhere near them because she was afraid he'd find out the truth. They looked just like her. I used to stand behind the trees and watch them play.” He looked devastated. “They died tragically in a fire: Caroline, her mate, and our two young children. After that, I never wanted a permanent bond with another woman. I felt I couldn’t survive another loss like that. Aaron was the only one in my family who knew about Caroline and my children.”
Blown Away (Rogues Shifter Series Book 4) Page 18
