Wolf Tales 11 (36 page)

She watched him for a moment, then studied her daughter. Their little girl had latched on immediately and suckled peacefully. It took a moment longer for her new son to find his first meal, but when he finally got his little mouth around her nipple, she felt the suction all the way to her toes.

She laughed and leaned her head against Mik’s chest. “He’s like a little wolverine! Listen to him.”

He snorted and squirmed, sucking for all he was worth. Tala looked up and caught AJ staring at the baby with tears coursing down his cheeks. She tilted her head back so
she could see Mik. His face was suspiciously damp as well. Even Igmutaka appeared slightly stunned.

“You ever seen a baby born before, Ig?”

He shook his head. “No. Never. She truly is a miracle.” He raised his head and looked directly at Mik. “Your grandfather is proud, Miguel. He knows of this child’s birth. He blesses both this perfect little girl, and all of you. She will be as a star in the heavens. She is destined to be a woman of great promise.”

Tala smiled at her daughter. She already knew her name. “I want to name her Mikaela Star.” She tilted her head back and smiled at Mik. “Is that okay? Mikaela for her daddy, but we can call her Star?”

Mik nodded. “I like that.” He shot a sideways glance at Igmutaka, but the spirit guide was totally engrossed in watching the baby nurse. Mik grinned and shook his head. “What about this little guy? AJ? You have any preferences?”

“Tala first. Have you thought of a name?” He chuckled softly and ran his fingers through his son’s coal black hair. “I can’t believe we never really talked about names.”

Tala smiled at him. She wasn’t about to tell him she knew exactly what AJ wanted to name his little boy. “You were named after your father and grandfather, weren’t you?”

AJ shrugged. So noncommittal. Tala almost laughed, and then she realized where his mind was going.

“I’m not about to name him after my father,” he said. “The bastard abandoned my mother. Probably why she killed herself.”

He looked away, and the pain in his expression made Tala’s heart hurt. She knew how he’d found his mother, dead in the bathtub where she’d slit her wrists. He’d been about three at the time.

“Your mother’s father was named Jackson, though. Jackson Temple. I’m thinking of Jackson Miguel. Is that okay with you guys?”

AJ spun around and looked at Mik, not at Tala. “Is that okay with you, Mik? We could call him Jack.”

“Jackson Miguel Temple?” Mik grinned at AJ. Then he leaned across Tala and kissed his mate. “Works for me.”

Igmutaka slowly stood up. It wasn’t until he rose to his feet that Tala realized everyone else had gone, giving them this time as a family. “Ig? You don’t have to go.” She grabbed his hand. “You’re family, too.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you. You honor me. My cougar needs to go into the forest. I want to give thanks to both my gods and your goddess. They have blessed us today.”

Tala squeezed his fingers. “You’re right. They have.” She stared at the two babies, both sleeping now at her breasts. Star and Jack. She could get used to both names, really easy. “Thank you, Igmutaka. For watching over us. For being there when we needed you.”

He bowed his head. “I will always be here. Always.” Then he shifted, and the big cougar slowly walked out of the room.

Tala got the giggles and it took a minute before she could catch her breath.

Both AJ and Mik were looking at her like she was nuts.

“I just realized he was naked. Ya know, now that we’ve got kids …”

Mik looped his arms around his family. AJ sat on the bed beside him. “I am not wearing Batman boxers,” he said. “You’ve really got to draw the line somewhere.”

Tala nodded. “I wouldn’t think of it. That is so not you.” She relaxed against Mik’s big, solid body and hoped AJ wouldn’t find the packages from her trip to town last week with the girls. Not until she had a chance to bring him around.

SpongeBob SquarePants didn’t have a thing to do with Batman. Not a thing.

Anton curled up behind Keisha and drew her into his embrace. Three new babies, all healthy, all perfect in every way. He thought of their futures, the futures of all their children, and realized how much better their lives would be than the lives of their parents.

Instead of growing up as outcasts, as misfits in a world that didn’t understand them, they would always have the strength of the pack behind them, the love of parents who knew what it was like to be Chanku.

And these three were far from the last. Logan was going to be busy. Shannon and Manda were both expecting. Liana’s pregnancy had been confirmed as well, and now Keisha and Xandi were talking about having more.

Which led him full circle to thoughts of his amazing daughter. Not even two years old yet, and already Lily had saved him twice. She’d pulled him from the brink of death when he’d almost given in to the lure of peace across the veil, and now she’d given him back his soul.

There was no other way to describe it. Lily had found and retrieved “Dada’s smile,” and then she’d given it back to him. Sort of like taking precocious to an entirely new level.

His mate rolled over and kissed his chin. “Ick. Bristles. Somebody didn’t shave today. That’s not like you.”

He chuckled and rubbed his scratchy chin against her shoulder until Keisha giggled and tried to pull away. “Not fair. Maybe I’ll let my legs go for a while and see how you like that.”

He kissed her, carefully this time, cautious of the whiskers and her tender skin. “It was a rather hectic day. Three new babies, three new pregnancies. And you and Xandi dropping your little bombshells. Are you sure you’re ready for another one already?”

“I’m not getting any younger. Neither are you.”

He held her close and sighed, but it was a sound of pleasure. Of his pure and utter contentment. “That doesn’t
appear to be a problem anymore. At least from what Liana says. Even Millie thinks that, should she want to, she could get pregnant again. We are truly amazing creatures.”

Keisha laughed and nuzzled the dark mat of hair on his chest. “And if you’ll recall, Millie said it would be a cold day in hell before she considered having another baby. I don’t want to wait too long, get too comfortable with my life. I’m afraid that a day will come when I actually remember life before Lily.”

“I know. It was wonderful, having you all to myself, but I can’t imagine a world without Lily in it. Nor do I want to.”

He let that thought hang in the air for a while. Lily amazed him in so many ways. What would another child of theirs be like? With Keisha as their mother, he could only imagine any child she bore would be wonderful.

Keisha was silent. He let his thoughts caress hers and found what he’d expected. She’d fallen asleep in his arms, but it had been a rather long and hectic couple of days, and helping Lisa and Tala with their labor pain had to have been exhausting.

But for Anton, sleep would not come easily tonight. For the first time in weeks, he was complete, his mind free to take him beyond the four walls of their room. He let his thoughts wander through the quiet house. First he checked on Stefan and Xandi. Stefan’s thoughts were of Xandi’s wish for another child and his own desires as well. He was much too excited to sleep.

Anton hovered a moment, enjoying the wonderful world of Stefan’s mind. Who would have thought that a man like Stefan Aragat would take to fatherhood so well?

But then, who would have figured Anton as father material? He moved on and found Baylor and Manda, Jake and Shannon, all sleeping together in one of the guest rooms, their minds at rest and bodies sated. Millie and Ric
slept in another room, just the two of them. He bade them well and slipped on through the night. Mei and Oliver, Adam and Liana, Daci and her two guys. Tia was up with one of the twins, softly humming a lullaby while Luc slept with his other daughter curled beneath his chin.

Jazzy and Logan were making love. Anton lingered for a few moments, caught in the quiet passion of the two of them, but as Jazzy reached her peak, he moved on, unwilling to intrude more than he already had. At least they’d not sensed his presence.

Tinker slept beside Lisa with their daughter swaddled in soft blankets, asleep on his chest. They’d decided to call her Anna Marie, after Tinker’s adoptive mother. A beautiful name for such a gorgeous little girl.

Lisa’s fingers were tightly clasped in Tinker’s hand, and there was a smile on the big man’s face that matched the one in his heart. Anton paused there for a long moment, enjoying the unusual sense of peace in Tinker’s thoughts. He’d truly found exactly what he wanted—a family of his own.

Tala slept soundly with Mik on one side and AJ on the other. Their babies were in the small crib beside their bed, sleeping close together. He was surprised there was no sense of Igmutaka. Anton figured the spirit guide would stay close to his new charge, but maybe he hunted tonight. The stars were bright and the night clear.

His last stop was the nursery. Alex slept in a tumble of blankets and stuffed toys with a little toy car clutched in one hand. Anton’s thoughts hovered a moment before he moved on to Lily, expecting to find her sound asleep.

She sat up in her bed with what appeared to be a stuffed cat in her hand, chattering away as if it was the middle of the day.

Lily? Lie down now and go to sleep.

Dada? He felt her smile. I waiting to say good night, Dada.

Good night, Lily. I love you. Thank you for finding my smile.

You’re welcome. It was lost, but Unca AJ took good care of it for you. Good night, Dada.

It wasn’t the nature of cats to run for the joy of running, but Igmutaka knew that if he didn’t race the wind tonight he might never sleep again. He had to run, had to do something to contain the joy that had practically burst inside him today.

The child he’d watched over, almost from conception, the one he had protected, and then had the unbelievable privilege of catching as she slipped from her mother’s womb … that perfect child was his.

He ran on, thinking of the way she’d looked, all red and wrinkled with her thick, coal black hair and those tiny toes and fingers, and he tried to imagine her as a grown woman, with her dark hair cascading down her back. Would her eyes be amber, like her parents? Would she be small like her beautiful mother or tall and strong like her father?

He had no way of knowing. Not yet, but the years would pass swiftly, and one day he would see her as she was meant to be—grown and beautiful—and his.

He reached the peak of the nearest mountain. Not as high as the others, though high enough to be bare of trees. It was rocky and frozen this perfect winter night, but he found a place where the wind had swept the snow away, and he shifted. Standing tall and naked to the frozen night, he raised his hands in thanks.

It was a perfect night. The winter solstice—powerful and filled with magic and the promise of spring not so far away. Chanting the ancient words, as much a song of joy as a prayer of thanks, he called on the old gods to bless this child, to protect Mikaela Star and shower her with
gifts. He asked for wisdom and grace, for strength and a strong heart. And he asked for beauty as well.

Might as well go for whatever he could, right? She was, after all, his charge. And while he was at it, he called for the same blessings for her brother, and for the child born to Tinker and his mate. They were good people. Strong, honest people, all honorable and loving, and they deserved no less.

Then he turned his voice to the Goddess of the Chanku. When he called on Eve, she answered him, which made him wonder if the old gods still had their power. They’d been silent for so long. It was good to know the Chanku Goddess was alert and watching over her charges. It hadn’t always been this way, but he loved Liana in spite of her failings.

Loved her enough that he might return to her bed tonight and give Mikaela Star’s family time alone to adjust to the new members of their little group.

The wind whipped over and around his naked body and his long hair tangled and twisted on the currents of air. He was a timeless creature, one who had lived for many thousands of years, but he knew he was going to be tested.

And it wouldn’t be a battle-hardened warrior who would push him to his limits. No, he had a feeling it was going to be one very precocious, very beautiful young woman.

His young woman. His Star. He would be patient. It wasn’t going to be easy, but he would give her room to grow, to experience life. To find the path she was meant to walk.

But when she finally took that path, he planned to be waiting right there in the middle of the road. Planted dead center along the way she traveled.

The wind died down. Igmutaka bowed his head for a
final word of thanks. Adam and Liana’s warm bed was sounding better all the time—better than a cold night alone in the forest.

With that decision made, he shifted. The cougar screamed into the night, claiming this place as his own. With a swish of his long tail, he headed down the mountain, away from the barren piece of rock where he’d stood as a man—a man who had looked into the future and found his destiny.