CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lero
The Nightshade Bear Territory
I didn’t jump into action right away. Instead, I curled up on the sofa and did my best not to cry but eventually I cried myself to sleep.
Not knowing was the worst thing in the world.
When I woke up my mate and Mori still weren’t back.
An hour had already passed. Wess was back in the kitchen making snacks.
I almost went in to ask if he’d seen anything new about me and Vallis but my phone vibrated in my pocket.
When I pulled it out it was Ivan’s face on the screen smiling up at me.
“Hello,” I answered on video call because there was no reason to hide my tears now.
“What the hell is going on, Lero?” his brows were high on his forehead.
It all came out in a rush of tears. I cried all the way through not even sure if Dad could understand what I said but he did. Working in labor and delivery had given him a lot of practice at understanding crying omegas.
“I’m on my way,” he said as soon as I fell quiet. “Your carrier and sire are at the clinic. He’s getting an ultrasound today.”
“Why didn’t you or Sire do it?” I sniffled.
“Eh, official ones are better done by someone you’re not married to. Less likely to miss something or freak out about nothing,” he said, keeping his voice level.
“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” I asked.
“We would and I thought we could say the same about you,” he said.
“I… You all have enough to worry about,” I said, a sob breaking through my words. My hormones and half-completed mating link was going to be the death of me. “I… I didn’t want to stress you guys out!”
Dad took a deep breath and ran a hand through his short hair.
“It’s alright. You don’t have to tell us everything, but we could’ve helped you, sweetheart.”
Thanks to the Other World gateways Dad was there in less than half an hour. It gave me just enough time to get home and put tea and coffee on. Dad walked in the back door into the kitchen while I was eating a leftover piece of pecan pie over the sink.
“At least it has some protein,” he chuckled before waiting for me to finish so that he could pull me into a tight hug. “I didn’t tell them yet. They were planning to catch a movie afterward and…”
“Why didn’t you go with them?” I asked.
“Because I’m technically on call. Don’t worry.
I passed it on to someone else but, kiddo, you don’t have to worry about us.
Sometimes we do just two people dates or someone has to work.
Your carrier has been stir crazy because your sire won’t let him out of his sight.
I figured getting out of the house for awhile is exactly what he needed.
Well, now that he’s forgotten again about how that asshat broke your heart.
Really wish you’d have told us about Vallis.
If you had he’d stop dreaming of…. Well, never mind.
That’s his business, but this is a good thing. ”
“How can you say that?” I asked, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table.
“Because if he hadn’t found you, he’d have died.”
Dad was never one to mince words. I always said that if I had an injury that was going to do me in that I hoped he was around because he’d be upfront with me even if he was kind about it.
“He still might die,” I sighed.
“Nah,” he shook his head and sat his black leather medical bag on the table.
Over the decades he’d added patches and buttons until it looked like a bizarre pattern of every color imaginable more than a black leather bag.
“He’s family now. So he’s not allowed to die.
Have you been getting enough to eat with all the stress? ”
“I have to feed him every time he shows up and it’s the holiday season. I swear I’ve gained weight.”
“Good,” Dad said and glanced at the coffee part. “Caffeine in moderation is fine. I’d go down the whole list of what to avoid but you grew up hearing it and now probably isn’t the time.”
“Is it ever the time?” I laughed.
“How are you feeling? Morning sickness?”
“Just once. Today. Well, twice today. Once before the pixelated baby test and once after it,” I admitted.
He produced the familiar bottle of orange-flavored morning sickness gummies from his bag and then pulled out another.
“Leave one on your nightstand. It might save you some days,” he said, finally sitting down at the table with me. “And if we don’t hear from them soon, we’ll figure out where exactly he’s buried at and I’ll go fuck up her world in person.”
I nodded. That’s exactly what I didn’t want. Dad didn’t need to see another war or another tyrant.
“Don’t worry about me. You survive one tyrant and you sort of develop a taste for their flesh,” he laughed.
I fell into telling the story again. This time leaving out only the most intimate parts that no one ever tells their parents no matter how old they are.
I told him about Finn and the dagger. I told him about how Sharon Claudis got her tit frozen and lost an arm.
How Vallis swore he saw her go towards his world and how before that we didn’t even know if there was a path there from Earthside.
I even told him how Mori suspected that his dragon friend, Annila, was pregnant or had an egg somewhere and that Sharon Claudis may have been the cause of that.
I told him more than I planned to and as I emptied out my worries guilt beat me upside the head.
Dad had been through too much and I was bringing him more troubles.
“I’m not going to say I’m happy to hear anyone got hurt but I’m not made of glass, Lero.
I’d be more worried if you weren’t worried about all that going on.
If the people who aren’t getting hurt don’t believe there is a problem that’s when you have really fucking big problems. I know looking at the larger picture doesn’t always help but think about it this way – Pami going down now probably means that she’ll never reach her full potential. ”
That made me feel a little better. Her face flashed through my memories. I’d die to save Vallis and she killed her true-mate because he didn’t want to take over a world.
I kept an ear open to the group links and family links, but I didn’t hear anything from Mori.
When I finally felt as if my emotions were back in place and not practicing their acrobatics throughout my body, I stretched out on the sofa.
Sure, I really wanted to wait for Vallis but sometimes an ultrasound proved a false positive on a pregnancy test and other times it diagnosed potential problems with the baby.
I took my shirt off and stared up at the ceiling wondering if Vallis would’ve been the type of alpha to bite Dad for trying to do an ultrasound or would his parental role in my life take away the fear he might rip open my belly and gobble up the baby?
I mean, that’s what they feared, right? What else was there to fear about an exposed belly?
“Years ago there was freezing cold gel you had to try to warm up before an ultrasound,” Dad said. “Modern magic bypasses needing a conductor with the newer machines but sometimes I still find myself reaching for the gel.”
Dad stared at his handheld machine as the wand moved across my stomach. I knew when he found the baby because the corners of his mouth perked up in a grin.
“Just one?” I asked, hopefully.
“Just one and from the shape of the jellybean and size, I’d say a bear cub. That means you’re in for a long pregnancy but also long means the changes will happen slower, giving you more time to adjust. You’ll be grateful for that later.”
“I just hope Vallis gets to see his baby,” I said and bit my lip.
“One way or another, kiddo, that’s gonna happen.
War or not. He’s one of ours now and I don’t think Pami knows what that means for her.
Plus, you told Mori, of all people, first. Seriously, that’s like lighting the dynamite and shoving it in her ear.
I’ll print these out on the laptop in a bit. How about we go for a walk?”
“Are you trying to take me to tell Grandpa?” I asked, unsure if I was ready for that.
“Honestly? I’m trying to kill time. So that you don’t have as long to worry,” Dad shrugged. “We can sit here and worry if that’s what you need to do.”
“Won’t they get worried if you aren’t home before them?” I asked.
“I left a note with the broad strokes. So, they’ll probably be here. Maybe.”
“You’ve sentenced me to death by carrier,” I groaned.
“Well, maybe if he drowns you in his tears,” Dad shrugged. “Come on. Up and at ‘em. Gotta keep your nervous system regulated for the baby. Then when they get here I’ll make some sweet and sour steaks or something, okay?”
“You better cook. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.”
“See. You’ll be alright. A hungry bear is a healthy bear,” he teased, holding out his hand to help me up off the sofa.