Ellida (37 page)

“Do you want to elope? It’s the perfect time
and the perfect place.”

I laughed, instantly at ease. “This is the
third time you’ve tempted me with this. I would love to, but being
the Alpha pair, aren’t we expected to have a big wedding at home,
and not to sneak out to Vegas and get hitched? James would throttle
us both if we pulled a stunt like this.”

“My question is—what do
you
want?”

“I want to marry you. I also want our family
and friends to share that day with us.”

LATER THAT day, thanks to some convincing
statistics and a bit of compromising, we happily resumed our
romantic holiday in Vegas.

WE REALLY should be careful what we wish
for. A good part of my life I’d wished I was a human. My wish had
come true in the most inopportune moment.

I didn’t turn into a human, of course. I was
still a half-wizard, half-werewolf. Yet, with some of my abilities
disabled, some others on hold, I was pretty much like any pregnant
human woman. Only more vulnerable, thanks to the circumstances.

I didn’t need the home pregnancy test to tell
me I was pregnant. I started feeling funny soon after we’d returned
from Vegas, but I kept it to myself. I didn’t want to upset Jack
even more. True to his word he’d given me in Vegas, he didn’t
mention our condom accident and its possible consequences, not even
once, counting on time to confirm his suspicions.

And then one fine morning, I woke up
nauseated and barely made it to the bathroom. On my way back, I
felt dizzy, my mouth tasted as if I sucked a penny, my breasts were
tender and heavy, and yes, I was a few days late.

Luckily I was home alone. I didn’t want Jack
to get his proof watching me rushing across the room to the
bathroom to hug the toilet bowl.

Jack was surely right about one thing: the
timing was wrong. I was about to create a whole bunch of trouble,
mostly for Jack, but possibly for many other people around me. I
was scared. And I’d never been happier in my entire life.

I sat down on the bed, my hand protectively
across my abdomen. Inside it a small dot pulsated with life. I
closed my eyes and saw the swirls of orange, pink and gold, and I
felt
we were having a girl. She’d have Jack’s amber eyes,
and his soft, brown hair.

I wanted to phone Jack immediately, but I
also wanted some short minutes just for myself, a few precious
moments of pure bliss, unspoiled with fear and anguish.

I’d been scheduled to work a day shift, but I
was so consumed with happiness that I’d decided to take a day off
and stayed at home. Jack would be back soon, and then I would tell
him. He would be out of his mind with happiness. And worry, but I
didn’t want to think about that now.

I mentally skimmed through my schedule for
that day. No appointments, no surgeries. Ahmed could easily cover
me. I reached for the phone to call him, but my hand stopped in the
middle of the motion.

I realized several important things
simultaneously. First, for now on, I had to be careful about using
any of my abilities. Second, if I phoned Ahmed, he’d know something
had happened; otherwise he would’ve gotten my mental message.
Third, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to send it anyway. I somehow
knew my telepathic software had been shut down.

I was so sure of it that I tested it. My
inner sensors could neither see nor hear Ahmed.

“We’re back to the ankle monitor, Jack,” I
said, glad about this spontaneous change. It was easier not to have
my powers at all than to be constantly careful not to use them.

I called Dr. Falkenstein and told him I
needed a day off.

WHEN JACK came home and found me on the sofa
in the living room, still in my peach terry robe, the color drained
from his face.

“You are pregnant! Your period’s three days
late,” he stuttered. He stood frozen at the door, happy and shocked
at the same time. He walked toward me, as if in a trance.

“I’m going to be a father… I
am
the
happiest man alive,” he whispered and opened his arms. I hurled
myself into his firm embrace.

If he was worried, and I knew he must have
been, he was doing his best not to show it. It was one of the most
treasured moments we had ever shared and I knew Jack wouldn’t do
anything to spoil it. We were entitled to complete happiness, no
matter how short. Soon Jack would start thinking about the possible
implications and make plans to protect me. But now, for a brief
moment of absolute bliss, there was only me, Jack, and his warm
hand across my flat abdomen. Nothing else mattered.

IT WAS a normal, easy pregnancy. At first I
puked a lot and felt tired. My hair was flat, food smelled and
tasted funny and I was emotional. But as the summer slipped into a
rich early autumn, those symptoms diminished and soon I started
feeling strong and full of energy.

It was hard to keep a secret in Red Cliffs.
Soon the whole town knew that Jack and I were expecting a child.
Needless to say, the entire community was thrilled with the news.
By the time I got pregnant, there were more than a dozen other
expectant mothers in the town. I was afraid I had unintentionally
stolen their thunder.

Our family was delighted and, putting aside
their concerns, lavishing me with care. They phoned constantly,
cooked for me, did my grocery shopping and my housework and came to
be with me when Jack wasn’t at home. Most of the time I enjoyed
their attention, although there were times I thought they went a
bit overboard.

To their credit, I have to admit that they
tried their best not to make it too obvious that I’d been put under
a sort of surveillance.

Jack would take me to the Clinic, where
Ahmed, who was my prenatal caregiver, would take over babysitting
me. Eamon would come at some point and spend a part of my shift
with me, sitting in my office. Then James would join him after a
while. Whenever he was on duty, Mike Kowalski, our Deputy Sheriff,
would pop up to say hello. Maggie, Betty, Morgaine and Peyton were
my faithful lunch companions. All of a sudden, Ella and Arnaldur
became very fond of afternoon tea at my house. Together with Jack’s
grandparents, they were apparently scheduled for the 2-5 p.m. watch
on my days off. They were usually replaced by Takeshi and Athena,
or the guys from the band, or Alec, Drew and Lily, and they would
stay with me until Jack came home.

It was hard to imagine Seth could harm me as
long as I stayed in Red Cliffs, but my family and friends were
circling the wagons nonetheless.

In spite of Jack’s protest, I’d decided to
continue singing every Friday and Saturday night. Safety-wise, a
bar full of my town folks was an excellent idea. Besides, I kind of
liked being a star.

Between my work and singing, our house
constantly full of people and Jack’s busy schedule, there wasn’t
much opportunity to be alone with that sexy father of my child. Not
until late in the evening, after the last visitors left, did we
have time just for us.

Those peaceful evenings reminded me of our
few weeks in Rosenthal. Jack would make us supper, and then we
would talk, watch TV, have a walk or retire to our bedroom and—a
great improvement on our Rosenthal days—make love.

At first, I had to convince Jack it was okay,
even preferable, to maintain a healthy physical relationship.

“Of course I know that,” he’d said. “At least
theoretically. But are you sure it’s okay for you? I mean, I can
wait.”

“This pregnancy is as healthy as they come,
Jack. And in a healthy pregnancy, sex drive can increase, decrease
or stay the same. I think I’m in that first group.”

“Well, if you say it’s safe, who am I to
question it?” he added, but I felt he still wasn’t one hundred
percent convinced.

I had a solution for this. “If it will give
you peace of mind, talk to Ahmed. He’ll tell you the same.”

“You must be kidding! How can I talk to Ahmed
about my sex life with my pregnant wife?”

I laughed. “What’s the big deal? If memory
serves, you used to discuss my monthly cycle with him.”

Jack braced himself on his elbow, slanting
his mouth over mine. “That was different. You know what? I’m gonna
trust you with this. You’re a doctor.”

“Relax, we’re fine right to the moment labor
starts,” I murmured kissing him back.

JACK’S LOVE was my shield against fear and
uncertainty. His own defenses were the thorough preparations for
the upcoming battle.

For my part, I’d decided to obey everything
he asked. I didn’t make a single complaint about my sudden lack of
privacy, extensive social life and various guards that surrounded
me. I focused on the child growing inside my body, my little girl
who started tickling me with her little arms and feet.

Often, I’d stop in the middle of a sentence,
dazzled, feeling her quickening. I was certain she knew somehow
when Jack was around. She could be quiet all day and then suddenly
move as soon as Jack put his hand on my bump. I was surprised that
Jack could actually feel her little acrobatics under his
fingers—she was only 16 weeks old—but then I remembered that his
bonus abilities hadn’t been shut down like mine. “Oh, we already
have that special father-daughter bond,” Jack said to me. “You
can’t understand that.”

Evenings and nights were her favorite time.
We would lay awake for hours, with Jack’s hand placed on my
abdomen, and let her play.

“Have you thought about the name?” I asked
Jack one night.

“Let’s wait until she’s born. Let a name
choose her.”

Jack smiled and patted my stomach. “Okay
than. For the time being, we call her Miss Canagan. Or Miss
Mohegan-Canagan?”

I pressed my hand over Jack’s. “Miss Canagan
is perfect.”

As if she could hear us—“Of course she can,”
Jack said, convinced—she started kicking. “I think Miss Canagan
agrees.” He kissed my little bump and said to her, “Now would you
kindly go to sleep? Your mother and I need some private adult time,
if you don’t mind.”

WE WERE going to raid Copper Ridge on the
night of October 27th. If we were lucky, it’d be over in a few
hours. I’d sent a message to Darius and he agreed. I’d spoken to
Bessim Nimmani, the Winston Einhamir. He’d said he’d send his men
right away, just in case we had to move the date of the attack up.
They arrived the following day and stayed hidden in the forest one
hour from Red Cliffs.

James, Ahmed, the Blakes, Adam and Ingmar
also knew the date. I didn’t tell Astrid, though. The longer I
could keep it from her, the better.

I pushed the date of the attack a month and a
half forward. Crazy as he was, Seth Withali was essentially a
clown, like those super-villains from Batman movies; a highly
intelligent screwball with a cruel sense of humor. His
modus
operandi
was deeply ingrained in his current mental state. I
suspected he was planning some kind of attack on Halloween night,
taking advantage of the festive atmosphere Red Cliffs was famous
for. Darius couldn’t confirm nor deny my suspicions. He’d informed
us that Seth was indeed planning to do something soon. He’d been
training his squadron and spending hours and hours with some of the
vampires he’d hired and kept in his private quarters.

He could still decide to make a move any time
before October 27th so I’d tightened the security around
Astrid.

For once she didn’t complain about being
under a 24/7 watch. Our baby put everything into perspective.

Our baby… My daughter. My little Miss
Canagan.

We hadn’t talked about it yet, but I
suspected Astrid would like to continue working after Miss Canagan
turned one, so I had a plan: I would be a stay-at-home dad. An
Einhamir position wasn’t exactly an eight-to-four job. The two of
us could travel short distances and attend unofficial meetings and
receive people at our house. Mom, Dad and the rest of the family
would pitch in when necessary. I would need to learn a few girly
things, though: how to do braids, polish her fingernails, play with
dolls and dress Miss Canagan in complementary colors. It shouldn’t
be too difficult. We could also watch football together, build a
tree house and ride horses.

My daughter and I had already established a
special relationship. As soon as I put my hand over Astrid’s
stomach, she would start moving. She felt like gentle bubbling
under my fingers. I knew she could recognize my voice. She liked
music, and her little maneuvers would become more prominent if we
played it. So far, I could say she wasn’t very keen on opera, but
liked good old rock, like her Daddy.

IT WAS supposed to be the happiest time of
my life. I was in love with the most beautiful woman that ever
walked the earth. She was my bond-mate, my partner, my friend and
my lover. And she was pregnant with my child. I should have felt as
if I’d conquered the world. Yet, Seth was set to take that
happiness from us, and ruin God knew how many other lives in the
process.

Well, over my dead body.

If only Astrid had agreed to go to Gelltydd
Coch. Our relatives and Livia’s Tel-Urugh friends would keep her
safe there until we took Seth down. Here in Red Cliffs, she was a
constant challenge for Seth, a lure he was madly and blindly
attracted to. But Astrid had stuck to her guns, resolutely refusing
to leave Red Cliffs.

No matter how much her decision complicated
my life, I understood her. And I knew that I would’ve been lost
without her. She was my sun and moon and all my stars. She was bone
of my bones, and flesh of my flesh, as I was hers.

I braced myself on my elbow, hovering over
the sleeping woman that I loved with all my heart with my every
thought, every breath, every fiber of my being. Her hand was placed
across the soft swell of her stomach, where our little daughter was
sleeping, safe, warm and protected. Astrid looked more beautiful
than ever. Pregnancy had slightly curved her hips, her breasts were
big and swollen, getting ready for nursing, her rosy nipples became
darker and larger, her firm, round bum got heavier. I smiled: now I
needed both my hands to squeeze it. Her face shone with the
beatific glow reserved for pregnant women.