Abraxas's Kismet (Sentinels of Apollo Book 1)

Cerys Chapter 15

Two weeks after finding out that Brax was part of something called the Sentinels of Apollo, which reported to the Council of Oracles, it still amazed me when I thought about it. As if shifters and supernaturals, in general, weren’t enough to absorb, there was a group of elders who used a secret police force to enforce their laws and mete out punishments. I had more than enough to deal with just from all of that. We didn’t need the odd occurrence of knotting happening during sex.

After that episode, when we made up, we’d been wary of having sex after that. When it didn’t happen the next couple of times, we relaxed, then it occurred again. We were up to four times. Brax was stumped. He’d asked his friends if they had ever heard of such a thing. Even if they weren’t wolves, they had been around for a long time and exposed to multiple kinds. They all denied it and were just as intrigued as we were.

This led them to question me and ask if there was a chance somewhere in my bloodlines a wolf shifter had found a way into the family. The problem with that theory was that they were able to detect someone with their individual shifter genes, regardless of whether it was a few generations back. Brax swore I didn’t have any. Even Nightstalker said I wasn’t one, yet he insisted I was different and the same.

Brax asked if it’d be alright if he asked other shifters in the area if they had heard of or experienced it. I appreciated him not wanting me to be embarrassed, but if that was what it took to get answers, I didn’t care. We were both disappointed when they claimed they’d only ever heard of it with shifters of the same species.

I didn’t worry about it all the time. I’d been working to keep ahead of how busy it was at the hospital. Everyone kept commenting on how much better it was, despite being engaged with patients all shift the three days I’d worked. It was better because we had no Irene there yelling or making everyone a bundle of nerves. People kept asking me to tell them about what happened, but I waved them off, telling them I didn’t care to perpetuate the gossip.

Irene had made bail, and according to others in town and the ever-thriving gossip mill, she’d immediately left. She’d ended up fined and fired. She would need to be back when her case went to court, whenever that was. Dr. Gardener was hard at work trying to find her replacement. In the meantime, he’d asked another nurse to fill in. Her name was Becky Masterson. She’d done a similar job before. Becky would be a great replacement, but she didn’t want the responsibility, a case of been there, done that. She was happy, though, to fill in temporarily.

One thing that made me extremely happy was the first day that Angie came in late for her shift. Nothing new, but Becky had called her into her office, and when Angie emerged, she was pissed off. She’d been given a verbal and written warning together. She was told no call-offs or late arrivals for the next six months unless it was cleared with Becky or whoever took the job. I was excited to see changes happening for the better.

After my third day this week, I was almost in tears when work ended. I was so tired it was crazy. I swore I must be coming down with something, but I never exhibited symptoms. No fever, cough, congestion, or anything close showed up. I’d barely made it home at night this week before falling asleep.

It was Thursday, and I’d made an appointment with my doctor to have blood work drawn. I was wondering if I might have something more serious going on or maybe anemia. Twyla went with me, even though I told her and Brax I didn’t need someone to hold my hand. If I hadn’t allowed her to come, Brax was going to take half a day off to come with me.

My primary doctor gave me an exam, took blood, and told me she’d let me know if anything showed up. Instead of going back to Brax’s, I went to Twyla’s. I had some packing to do. Brax had gotten me to agree to move in with him. A lot of stuff was still in storage from my move here. Mainly, it was clothing and some smaller items in my room at her house. However, a lot had already migrated to his house. When we returned from my doctor’s visit, I was surprised to find my things had been packed.

“Twyla, you shouldn’t have done that. I told you I was coming to do it,” I gently scolded her.

“I had the time, and you’re dragging ass. I wanted to do it.” She waved it off.

I gave her a kiss and hug of gratitude and told her how wonderful she was. She agreed. We ended up seated out on the front porch, enjoying the weather, talking, and drinking peach tea. We’d been chatting and relaxing for maybe half an hour when a car coming down the street got our attention. Or, more like, it got my attention.

“Mom and Dad have the same car,” I observed offhand.

Twyla hadn’t seen them in years, so she had no idea what they drove. It was a huge, fancy car that they didn’t need. It was all about status with them. We watched to see who they were here to visit on the street. We hadn’t seen it before.

When it pulled into her driveway, Twyla and I exchanged shocked looks. Surely not. Why would they be here? That was the question racing around my mind. When the driver’s door opened and Dad stepped out, I knew things were about to get ugly. There wasn’t a reason for him to be here. Mom got out on the other side. Leave it to Dad not to open her door for her. Twyla taught him better, but Dad had his concept of what was right and wrong. Being a gentleman must be unnecessary in his book. After being exposed to Brax and how he cared for me, I was more cognizant of it in others. They both had frowns on their faces as they came walking toward us.

We didn’t say anything. When they reached the porch, Dad spoke first. “See what happens when you leave civilization? You forget all manners.”

I couldn’t help it. I snorted. My mouth opened, and out it came. “Look at who is talking about lack of manners. Why didn’t you open Mom’s door or let her hold your arm as you walked across the lawn?”

“Don’t talk back to your father,” Mom snapped.

“I’m making an observation, not talking back, but even if I were, I’m an adult. I can say whatever I want.”

“What brings you two here? You hate Needles, James,” Twyla asked. Dad and Mom both gave her an impatient glance and then sighed.

“Mother, we’re here to bring our wayward daughter home. Her rebellion has lasted long enough. If she doesn’t, she’ll have irrevocably hurt her career. We don’t agree with what she chose to do, but the least she can do is excel at it. She’ll never go anywhere in this backwater place. A friend has a connection at the best hospital in Vegas. He can get her a job on any unit she wants, but she needs to get there soon,” Dad told Twyla, but he kept glancing at me as he explained.

“Well, son, I don’t believe Cerys wants to leave. She’s settled here.”

“This conversation is one between us and our daughter, Mother. We’d like privacy,” Dad said as he gestured like he expected her to leave. He looked like a king dismissing a peasant.

“Seeing as this is her house, she doesn’t need to go anywhere. Say what you came all this way to say, then you can go. You’re not changing my mind. I’m not returning to Vegas,” I told him with a snap.

“I told you we should’ve never let her come here every summer, James. It took us the rest of the year to straighten her up every time, and it still didn’t help root it out. You’re an adult with adult responsibilities, Cerys. This little mutiny you and your grandmother cooked up is done. We’re here to get the essentials, and then you can have the rest sent later,” Mom added. Her top lip was curled up so far that it was a wonder she didn’t inhale it up her nose.

“I’m not leaving. I love it here. I have a fulfilling life and job here. I’ve made good friends.” I didn’t mention Brax because I could imagine how they’d try to pick him apart. I’d wait. If they didn’t leave, I’d tell them about him.

“What do you have to do to get a drink around here? You talk of manners. Aren’t you supposed to offer guests refreshments and a seat?” Dad asked. He ignored what I said and tried diverting us to something else.

“You’re not guests, James. If you want something, go in the house and get it. As for chairs, there are two right there. Dust off your asses and sit,” Twyla told them as she and I retook our seats.

I had to bite my inner cheek to keep from laughing aloud at the affronted looks on my parents’ faces. They gingerly walked over and sat down on the patio chairs. Mom glanced over at me. “Cerys, go get your father and me something to drink.”

“Oh, for goddamn’s sake, I’ll do it so you’ll shut up.” Twyla huffed. I stood and followed her inside, even though my parents tried to get me to stay. I wasn’t in the mood to be alone with them.

“I swear, if he didn’t look just like his daddy, I’d think they switched my son in the hospital. I’ve never met a bigger pompous asshole than him,” Twyla muttered as we got them each a glass of peach tea. If they didn’t like it, too bad. I giggled, which made her wink at me. We took the glasses and the pitcher outside, so if anyone wanted more, we didn’t need to return to the house.

As soon as we sat, they started. It was the same song and dance I’d heard a thousand times. I let them ramble. It was a good fifteen minutes before they ran out of wind. Dad slammed his palm on the table. I gave him a bored look. I knew he hated it when I did that. He was opening his mouth, no doubt, to blast me when I felt this fission of awareness zip through me. Ignoring him, I scanned the street.

“Are you listening to me?” Dad growled.

“Just a minute,” I said vaguely.

A couple of minutes later, I saw Brax’s familiar sheriff’s vehicle coming. I smiled and stood up. He pulled into the driveway and didn’t waste time getting out and to the porch. He was eyeing my parents. He came up on the porch, stopped, and kissed Twyla on the cheek. Dad had to say something about it as Brax rounded the table to get to me.

“Since when do officers of the law kiss people while in uniform?”

“Since this one is off work for the day. But even if he wasn’t when it comes to these two ladies, I always have a kiss for them,” Brax said calmly moments before he reached me and pulled me into his arms. The kiss he gave me was enough to make me breathless and flushed. Glancing away from the table, he smiled at me.

“I’ll be right back. I just have to get a glass. Do you ladies need anything while I’m in there?”

Twyla and I said no. I think my parents were too shocked at Brax’s answer to say anything while he was gone. He was back in a flash.

He leaned back after pouring himself a glass of tea and taking a deep drink. “So, what’re we talking about? Anything interesting?” Brax asked.

“Young man, I don’t know who you are, nor do I care. However, this is a private family conversation. Unless you’re here on official business, please leave. We’re trying to talk to our daughter,” Dad uttered.

“First, no, I’m not here on official business. Two, I believe I’m welcome, unlike you and your wife. Three, if it’s family business, then I most certainly need to be involved,” Brax told him.

“Who are you? We don’t have any other family around here.” Dad huffed.

Brax glanced at me. I felt his irritation with my parents, and he had just arrived. He wanted to see what I wanted him to say. Smiling at him, I answered my dad. “Dad, Mom, this is Abraxas Christou. As you can see from his uniform and vehicle, he’s a deputy sheriff in Needles. Brax, these are my parents, James and Grace Morgan. Dad is Twyla’s son.”

Before I could finish, Mom interjected, “That doesn’t tell us why he’s here or saying he needs to be involved in our family business.”

“Ma’am, if you’d let your daughter finish, she would’ve told you. I’m Cerys’ boyfriend. Anything that pertains to her pertains to me.”

Neither of them seemed thrilled at the news. Most parents would love that their daughter not only had a boyfriend but one who had a respectable job like Brax. He wasn’t a suit-wearing executive, so he was beneath them in their minds.

“Cerys, I can’t believe you. What is it with you? You go to college and major in nursing, which will never make you money or give you status. Then you run off to this godforsaken place. Now, you have a boyfriend who’s a cop, and he’s too old for you. That’s enough. We’re going home. You have a job waiting for you. Your dad went to a lot of trouble to get it for you. You have one week to report to your new position. Officer, I’m sorry, but you and my daughter are through,” Mom said disdainfully.

“It’s deputy, not officer. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Cerys is over eighteen. She’s an adult. Our age difference doesn’t bother us, so it’s none of your business. And like hell, she’s leaving to go anywhere with you. She’s staying here with me,” Brax growled as he narrowed his eyes on my mom and then my dad.

“Don’t you dare—” Dad started to object, but I cut him off.

“Dad, Mom, you need to leave. The answer is no, just like I told you before Brax arrived. It will remain no until eternity. The only packing I’m doing, which is already done, is to move from here to Brax’s house. He’s the man I love, and we’re beginning our life together. Vegas is in my past. Needles and he are my future. End of story.”

“You ungrateful child!” Mom almost shrieked.

“Oh, shut up, Grace. You’re giving me a headache. You’ve tried to make Cerys into your images since birth. She’s finally broken away, and she has no intention of returning. She’s happy, has a good job, and a wonderful man who adores her. If you can’t see and accept it, leave and don’t bother coming back,” Twyla said.

My parents got up, cast hateful looks at us, then marched stiffly to their car. As they got in, they had one more thing to say. “Don’t come crying to us when he dumps you or, better yet, leaves you pregnant and alone. We won’t help you raise a bastard,” Dad said spitefully.

“You never have to worry about that happening. You have a wonderful mother and an amazing daughter, yet all you want to do is tear them down and make them miserable like you. Don’t come here trying to cause either Twyla or Cerys headaches. If you do, I can promise you’ll be escorted out of town in a way you won’t like,” Brax threatened.

I watched in disgust and disappointment as they got in their car. Dad didn’t bother to open Mom’s door. They sped off without a backward glance. The tension eased in me as they did, and I felt it do the same in Brax and Twyla. We sat back down.

“I tried to get home sooner. I’m sorry that you were left to face them without me,” Brax apologized.

“No worries. We were just winding things up when you came. So, now that you’ve met the folks, are you going to tell me it’s been nice knowing me, but we’re through?” I teased him.

“Like that’ll happen. Forget about them. They’re not worth a moment of your time. Tell me. How was your day off? What did the doctor say? Did she figure out why you’re so tired?” he asked.

“I’m waiting for the lab work results. Someone will call once they have them. The day overall was good until my parents arrived. How about you?”

He gave us a basic outline of his day. When he was done, he zeroed in on what I said to my parents. “You got everything packed today?”

“No, I didn’t. It seems Twyla has been doing it. She wants me out of here,” I told him with a mock pout.

“Don’t you dare do that! You used to do it as a little kid to get your way. I knew it was only a matter of time before you moved out, so I’ve been doing it when I had nothing else to do.”

I blew her a kiss. After I did, Brax continued, “I heard from Heron today. He apologized that it’s taking Eagle Eye so long to find everything on Irene Clark. It seems they’ve had issues of their own they were dealing with.”

As he paused, I jumped in, “Honey, I forgot all about you asking him to investigate her. I hate that he wasted his time. She’s not my boss or in Needles anymore.”

“Eagle Eye isn’t wasting his time. It seems Irene has gone off the grid, as they say. However, she’d been seen with a group of unsavory characters before she did. No one seems to know them. They had late-night meetings. A few people have suspected her of illegal activities. The weird part is she hasn’t met with them here. It’s always in Vegas or Victorville. Now, hang on to your hat for this next bit. It seems a couple of the men she’s been seen talking with were accused of being suspects in a man’s disappearance a couple of months ago. Whether they did it or not, I don’t trust her or them. I asked him to let us know if anything else turns up.”

“Wow, that’s creepy and wild. I never would’ve imagined Irene associating with men with less than impeccable reputations,” I mused.

“Neither would I. Hopefully, it’s all a misunderstanding.” Twyla shivered.

“Twyla, I feel the same. If she’s associating with such people, it’s a concern. Okay, enough talk about Battleax Irene. Was there anything else?” I asked.

It barely came out when I was distracted by my phone ringing. Looking at it, I saw my doctor’s name, Amanda Hogue . “I need to answer this,” I told them. They waved for me to do it and resumed talking in whispers.

“Hello, Dr. Hogue. I presume it’s my labs you want to talk about. Did you find anything? Am I anemic?” I asked.

“Hello, Cerys. Yes, I’m calling about your labs. Your iron is a tad low. I’ll be starting you on something to help with that. Besides that, the other things we checked for all came back normal. You don’t have an infection, LUPUS, rheumatoid arthritis, or any of those. However, there was one test that did come back with a result we weren’t expecting.” Her voice had lowered.

“What did you find?” I asked fearfully. This got Brax and Twyla’s attention. They stopped talking and stared at me.

“My nurse likes to be thorough. She had an extra vial of blood, so she asked if I wanted it sent to test for another possible reason. I know you told me it wasn’t necessary, but I did it anyway. I don’t know how to say it other than to say it…” she paused before continuing.

“Cerys, you’re pregnant. That’s why you have no energy, and your iron is low. I’ll be calling in prenatal vitamins to take care of that. I know you’re a nurse, but if you have questions, feel free to call me. I know it wasn’t something you were expecting.”

“A-are you absolutely positive?” I croaked.

Brax was sitting there stunned. With his enhanced hearing, he heard the entire thing. Twyla was oblivious.

“Yes, I am. We had them check it twice. You’ll need to find an OB doctor. I have a few names if you don’t have someone in mind. Whoever you see will need to check to see how far along you are. I know you said you haven’t missed a period, but some women don’t. And if this pregnancy isn’t what you want, you know you have options.” She said the last part hesitantly.

“Oh my God, no! I do. I mean, yes, it’s unexpected, but I’m happy. I’m sorry, but I need to talk to Brax about this. Thank you, Dr. Hogue.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good evening,” she said happily before she hung up.

I sat there holding it in my hand like I was frozen. I vaguely heard Brax asking Twyla for privacy, which she granted. She was giving me concerned glances as she went inside the house. He waited until she was behind the closed door before he was up and over to me. He crouched next to my chair and took my hand in his after removing my phone from it.

“Cerys, did I hear the doctor right? Did she say you had a test come back that says you’re pregnant?”

I nodded. I was in shock, but I knew if I were, he would be, too. Wait. He said that a human and a shifter couldn’t have children. But Dr. Hogue was sure of the result. What if he thought the baby, if one existed, wasn’t his? Oh, God, I had to convince him I’d been with no one but him!