ROMANCE: Lion Protector (Paranormal Shifter BBW Military Romance) (Shapeshifter Alpha Male Short Stories Book 2) (52 page)

I found Buck still at the stables. He smiled as I approached, which made me feel even worse.

“You’re late,” he said. There wasn’t any anger in his tone though. “That’s not like you. Everything ok?”

“I was sick,” I told him. Concern washed over his face.

“Hey, if you need the day off—“

“Buck, I have to quit,” I blurted out. He looked hurt and I hated it. But I was about to make it a thousand times worse.

“What…but why?”

“Can’t be on the horses anymore. Might make me lose the baby.” I was barely able to get my voice to come out above a whisper. My hand fluttered to my belly as I watched comprehension dawn on his face.

“Charlie, you’re….you’re pregnant?”

I nodded miserably.

“Oh my God,” he said softly. “Oh my
God.
” He somehow sounded more awestruck than horrified. He put his hand over his mouth.

“What the hell are we gonna do?” I asked him.

He shrugged helplessly. “I…I don’t know.”

Neither of us said anything for several minutes.

“Buck, what are we gonna
do
?” I finally asked again.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Have a baby I guess.”

“That’s not funny.”

“No, it’s…I know it’s not funny.” After a long pause he said quietly, “I’m gonna have to ask Ruth for a divorce.”

“Buck, you’ll lose the ranch,” I protested.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, shaking his head. He walked over and placed his hand on my belly. “This changes everything.”

I couldn’t find any words. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks. I knew how much the ranch meant to him.

“Hey, hey, shh,” he said. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. “We’re gonna get through this.”

And I believed him.

*****

I fingered the edge of my hat nervously as I waited in my attorney Herb’s office for Ruth and her lawyer to show up. To say that she hadn’t taken it well when I’d asked her for the divorce was an understatement. I was not looking forward to this meeting.

“Showtime,” I said under my breath when I heard her approaching in the hallway. Herb gave me a reassuring nod and I drew a deep breath.

Ruth’s attorney was a severe looking blonde with sharp blue eyes. I’d be willing to bet she wasn’t an inch over 5’ 3”. I’d also be willing to bet she could mop the floor with anyone who crossed her. Ruth was doing her best to pretend I wasn’t in the room. I was pretty sure that there were glaciers that were less icy.

“Mr. Williams,” said the attorney.

“Ma’am.”

“Marsha Swann,” she said as she gave my hand a curt shake. She had a grip like a vice.

“Please, have a seat,” Herb said, gesturing to two empty chairs.

“Thank you,” Marsha said as she seated herself.

“I’ll stand, thanks,” Ruth said coldly as she stared out the window.

Marsha turned her attention to the manila folder she had brought with her. She passed it to Herb.

“I think you’ll find my client’s demands quite reasonable,” she said. “I feel certain that we can settle out of court.”

I narrowed my eyes. If Ruth thought I’d sell off the ranch without a fight, she had another thing coming. But I held my tongue as Herb flipped through the pages of the document. He cleared his throat when he reached the end of the document.

“Is this…are you serious?”

“Perfectly,” Ruth said without shifting her gaze from the window.

“Alright,” he said disbelievingly.

I almost didn’t want to know what those papers said.

“Well, Buck,” Herb said. “This seems…reasonable. Very reasonable.”

“Ok,” I said. I braced myself before asking, “What is she asking for?” It felt odd talking about her as if she weren’t in the room.

“Nothing, really. Personal effects. Several pieces of antique furniture. Her vehicle, of course.”

“And?”

“And nothing. That’s it,” he said, holding his hands up.

I was completely taken aback. “The ranch?”

Ruth said something under her breath, but I didn’t catch what it was.

“I’m sorry?”

“I said I don’t want your damn ranch,” she snapped. “I want the family we were supposed to have. I want Colton back.”

I winced at those words. There wasn’t a damn thing I could say to that.

“I hate you,” she said. “I hate you for making me this way. So no, I don’t want a damn thing to do with you or your God-forsaken ranch. You can just go right to hell. And take your little
whore
with you while you’re at it.”

“Leave her out of this,” I said.

She didn’t reply except to sneer, turn her back to me, and walk out of the room.

*****

December came faster than I could have imagined. I held Charlie’s hand as she pushed. And screamed. A lot. She had been in labor for almost 12 hours and the baby was going to be here any second. I was almost afraid for it to come. I couldn’t help but remember the eerie silence, the unnatural stillness of Colton when he had come into the world. I would never have told Charlie, but I was terrified.

“Come on, Charlotte,” Doctor Jansen was saying. “Big push. You can do it.”

She nodded and pushed with everything she had.

“There we go!” he said elatedly. “It’s a girl,” he said with a big smile.

Her tiny cries filled the room as he held her up. I didn’t realize until then that I had been holding my breath. Doctor Jansen let me cut the cord before handing her to Charlie.

“You done good, Darlin’,” I told her. She smiled up at me as she held our daughter in her arms. I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone so much.

THE END

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Chapter 1

              Giggles sounded throughout the room as Emma Neal felt soft lips press against her neck.  She smiled as her lover left a small trail of kisses on her skin.  Eventually, she tried to push him away but he was persistent as he continued to make his way down her delicate flesh, slowly approaching her collarbone.  Suddenly, however, he stopped, looking up at her, his red eyes shining brightly.  He flashed her a smile, his sharp teeth sparkling in the candle light. 

              Emma looked down at him, gently brushing his silver hair out of his eyes.  When Emma had first met Varius she had been afraid of him.  He wasn’t like her.  He was an alien from a planet far, far away from Earth; a place called Strernon.  Emma had arrived on this foreign ground two years ago.

              While still on Earth, Emma enrolled in a space travel program. Her mission was to find life in another galaxy.  It was a solo operation.  Emma had been eager to take the trip, picturing herself famous when she came back with the proof that there was indeed life in other parts of the universe. As she boarded her ship, she wondered what these other lifeforms were like. 

              With this motivation, she was soon traveling through the Milky Way Galaxy making her way to the unchartered corners of space.  Everything had gone smoothly until she reached the outer recesses of the galaxy.  Her spaceship started to malfunction and she found herself plummeting through the darkness of outer space.  At one point she fell unconscious as she plunged into the unknown, into a sure fire death.

              Somehow, however, she woke up.  When she looked around everything was different.  She was still in her spaceship but when she looked out of the window, she found herself on a foreign planet.  All the wildlife was green and exotic, like something out of a sci-fi movie.  She had tried to pry herself out of the pilot seat, but she was trapped.  Her legs were broken. 

              She groaned as pain throbbed throughout her entire body.  She felt weak and light headed as she looked around.  Her throat was parched as she tried to call out for help.  “S…Someone… Please!”  Her screams were feeble and it seemed like no one would ever come for her.  Emma feared death.  Why did it have to end like this?

              Emma spent two days passing in and out of the hands of mortality.  By the third day she was stranded on the foreign planet she was sure her time was up.  She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.  However, just before death could take her, someone wrapped their arms around her and pulled her out of the wreckage.  Before falling into the pits of unconsciousness, she looked up to see an almost human face looking at her: a Strenkon.  The last thing she remembered was looking at his beautiful silvery hair.

              Emma took a deep breath and pulled herself out of her daydream as she ran her fingers through Varius’ soft gray hair. 

              “Thinking about the crash again, aren’t you?”  He asked in a husky voice as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.  She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. 

              “How did you know that?”  She asked as she rolled over and laid on top of him, playfully pinning him to the bed, before kissing his neck.  Varius bit his lip as he felt her legs squeeze his waist.  He loved when she straddled him.  It made him feel helpless but yet really excited at the same time.

              “You had that look on your face again…”  He explained before pulling her toward him and kissing her lips passionately. 

              “What look?”

              “That look you get… like you are thinking really hard… you get it whenever you think about the crash.”  Varius gently caressed the side of her face before kissing her forehead. 

              “Well, I think about it a lot… if it wasn’t for you… I wouldn’t be alive right now.  I had dreamed of being a famous astronaut… of furthering the human race… but I failed on my first mission.”  Emma’s voice was soft as she thought about her disappointment. 

              “Hey… it’s okay… you did your best… plus… don’t you like living and being with me?”  Varius offered her a puppy dog face.  She chuckled before smiling.

              “Of course, I do.  I love you, silly.  You know that.”  Emma leaned down and kissed him again before laying by his side, cuddling close to him.  “I just wonder what my life would have been like if I had succeeded…”  She said as she looked at the ceiling of their cottage. 

              Varius and Emma lived in the Wooded Area, a part of the planet that was barely populated by the Strenkon.  Most of the aliens lived in their main city: Miuvis.  But Varius had never been there as he had lived his entire life in the Wooded Area. 

              Varius was about to roll over and get on top of Emma when there was suddenly a knock on the door.  The two of them blushed, knowing they both had the same thing on their minds, but that it would have to wait.  Varius got up and walked over to the door before opening it. 

              Suddenly, a small green skinned alien female hugged him.  “Good morning!”  A peppy voice rang out as Varius chuckled. 

              “Good morning Antica,” he said affectionately before running his fingers through her leafy hair.  She smiled before unlatching herself from her brother’s legs. She squealed as she spotted Emma on the bed.  In an instant, she jumped into the bed and hugged her tightly. 

              Emma smiled as they hugged each other.  Antica was now like a sister to her.  She loved the little tree-like alien almost as much as she loved Varius.  The three of them had lived together in their cottage for two, almost three, years now, and even though Emma’s life wasn’t what she expected it to be when she had set out on her mission, she was still happy.

Chapter 2

              A few days later Emma and Varius were in the kitchen waiting for Antica to come back home.  She had gone out to gather some food for their dinner.  While the couple waited, Emma walked over to Varius and smiled at him. 

              “You know, I am happy I married you.”  She looked up at him lovingly and he chuckled. 

              “At first, I thought it was silly since it is not customary to “marry” in our culture.”  Varius looked at his wife with kind eyes.  Emma gave him a quizzical look.

              “So if you guys don’t get married… what do you do?”  She asked.  Varius looked at her, about to answer, when Antica walked into the kitchen.  There was a sad look on her face as she held the basket in her hand.  Varius frowned.

              “Antica… what happened?  Why are you upset?  Did something happen?”  Varius asked concern in his voice as he looked at his baby sister.  He brushed her hair out of her eyes.  She looked up at him with watery eyes.  She had been crying.  He kneeled down, getting to her eye level before gently placing his hands on her shoulders.  “Antica… please… tell me.”  His voice sounded desperate as he pleaded with her. 

              Finally, she answered by holding out the basket and showing him the meager amount of food she had gathered for the three of them.  There were a couple of berries and some roots from the trees, but nothing else.  There was barely enough food to feed one person, let alone three.  Tears started to fall down her cheeks.  “I… I think the Wooded Area is dying… all the trees and creatures… they are sick…”  She whispered softly. 

              Varius’ eyes grew in surprise.  He had noticed this change weeks ago when he had hunted for meat.  It seemed like the creatures in the area were running away and the wildlife that remained struggled to stay alive.  At this rate, they would have to move soon.  He looked around the cottage and frowned.  He had lived his whole life in this cottage, it would be painful to leave but if it meant the survival of his family, then he would pack up his things in a heartbeat. 

              “Hey… shh… don’t cry it will all be okay… I promise… alright?” Varius said seriously as he looked into his sister’s innocent yellow eyes.  She sniffled a bit before nodding her head and walking over to Emma, handing her some of the berries. 

              Emma shook her head.  “No… sweetie you eat it.”  Emma looked at her before pushing the food back.  The small Strenkon’s eyes widened as she slowly ate some of the berries.  The two adults watched as she quickly ate the rest of the food.  Emma’s stomach growled slightly.  Varius frowned, looking in her direction. 

              “We can’t stay here anymore…”  His voice sounded sad as he moved toward the bedroom.  He started to fumble with an old chest as if looking for something. 

              “What are you doing?”  Emma asked, watching him as he pulled out various items from the chest, discarding them throughout the room.  Soon he pulled out a folded piece of paper looking excited. 

              “I found it!”  He exclaimed as he started to unfold it quickly before placing it on their bed. 

              “What’s this?”  Emma asked. 

              “It’s a map to Miuvis,” he explained before looking at it more closely.  His finger gently pressed against the center of the map.  There was a vivid picture of a bustling city there with a label above it. 
Miuvis.
Emma tilted her head.  “This is Miuvis.  It’s the capital.  Almost 90% of the Strenkon population lives here.  They will have food and resources there for sure.  They always do.” 

              “Are you suggesting we go there?” Emma asked.

Varius looked up at his wife, his red eyes bright as he nodded.  “I don’t think we have any other choice,” he said, plainly. 

              “Okay… so where are we on this map?”  She looked at it, but most of the map was colored in green.  Varius looked at the piece of paper closely before pointing to a spot to the left, surrounded by tree-like symbols. 

              “Here.  It looks like a two day trip by foot.”  He said, looking out the window.  “We should start packing.”  Emma nodded, grabbing a bag. 

              Soon, their bags were filled with what little resources they still had left.  Each one of them carried their own bag.  Eventually, they left the cottage with heavy hearts.  Antica was crying by the time she walked over the threshold.  She couldn’t believe that she was leaving her childhood home, the place where she had lived her entire life.  She looked at her brother before grabbing his hand. 

              “Hey… it’s okay… I won’t let anything happen to you… I promise.” Antica nodded and looked up at her big brother.

              “Can I hold Vivi?”  She asked with large yellow eyes the size of the moon.  Her brother chuckled but nodded before whistling loudly.

              Suddenly, a small red, dragon-like creature came flying toward them.  The creature landed on Varius’ shoulder looking at him with a questioning look in his beady black eyes.  Varius pried him off his shoulder before handing the creature to his sister.  She smiled and petted him gently, cuddling into him, much to the creature’s discomfort. 

              “You know… I don’t think I will ever quite get used to the fact that you can pretty much do magic with that little spirit animal of yours.”  Emma commented looking at Vivi, who was trying to squirm out of Antica’s grasp. 

              “I still can’t believe I married someone from a different planet… but I did…”  Varius smiled before kissing her cheek.  She blushed a little.  “Or the fact that humans change color when they are embarrassed.”  Emma blushed harder making Varius chuckle. 

              “C’mon, let’s go… we have a lot of walking to do.”  With that, Varius made his way toward the tree line.  Antica and Emma looked at each other for a moment before holding hands and following him into the unknown.