MARLOW #4
Fenn’s fingers trace the contours of my face as he speaks, and his voice breaks a little.
"You picked me before you knew for sure we were fated. It means the world to me. Thank you, Marlow."
My heart nearly trembles with happiness. This belongs to us now. This moment.
He leans down and presses his forehead to mine.
I take his hand and lace our fingers together, then pull it to my chest and hold it flat over my heart.
"You were always here. Today, we just made it official."
◆◆◆
The morning is beautiful. A ray of sunlight filtering through the blinds into our new bedroom wakes me up.
Fenn is lying behind me, his arm wrapped around my waist. Domestic bliss? My heart softly flutters. Oh, I like it, I like it so much…
I gently slip out of his embrace and walk over to the window.
It overlooks the most flower-filled part of the garden, beyond which the orchard begins.
I spend a moment gazing at the trees lit by the sun and the multicolored carpet of blossoms. I still can't get over it.
Mr. Davos's son had a great love for them and cultivated many different varieties here.
I intend to keep everything exactly as it is. Perfect.
I leave the bedroom, letting Fenn sleep a little longer. His appointment with Renato Santoro isn't until another hour from now, so I step outside.
The morning sun bathes the entire driveway and the gravel garden paths in warm light.
I take a deep breath, feeling waves of happiness inside me. I raise my hands and brush them through the air, as if catching the wind.
So, is it this?
My life has finally emerged from the darkness it had been trapped in for the past year and sailed into open waters.
Shyly, I touch the mark on my neck. Feeling the imprint of his teeth beneath my fingertips sends a pleasant shiver through me.
Then, a quiet beep from my phone signals an incoming message.
I glance at the screen and see that it's Dr. Lee.
It was he, who sent me the text message earlier, asking if he could call me, but now he's trying again…
I hesitate over whether I should even react. I want to cut myself off from everything that happened at the facility. I don't need any contact with him, but out of simple courtesy, I decide to call.
"Good morning, Doctor."
"Marlow, it's nice that you're finally answering"
"I don't understand. Do you have something important to tell me? I've already closed the chapter that connected me to the AA program in any way."
"Fair enough. I can't say I don't understand that. Still, there's a piece of information that I think is very important for you."
"I'm listening, then," I say, sitting down on the porch bench.
It's really pleasant here, and there's a view of the neighboring hills dotted with houses, the cherry orchard, and the winding road.
"There was a mistake in the laboratory that led to an unexpected discovery. On the day you left the facility, Caspian came to me asking for a pregnancy test."
"Well, that's interesting, but I've already heard the rumor that he's a beta with omega characteristics, so it's not exactly shocking."
"Apparently he didn't know it himself. He had what are known as hidden heats."
"Well, I guess congratulations to Juan. In the end… he managed to get someone pregnant. If not poor Timmy, then someone else."
"It’s not Juan’s."
"Oh."
"Here’s the thing. There was a labeling error. I thought it was Caspian’s blood. I was pretty confused; neither Rupert’s nor Juan’s DNA matched the fetal DNA in the first sample. I even suspected Caspian might have another lover, but that’s not the case."
A moment of silence passes. I stare at the horizon, blanking out.
"Could you explain it to me like I'm five?"
"I realized the date was wrong. The first sample was yours. So I took another test, this time correctly using Caspian’s sample, and confirmed that Rupert is the father of his child, but not yours."
"Wait, just wait… Come again?"
Dr. Lee sighs. "I dug deeper. I compared the fetal DNA present in your blood to Fenn Drax's genetic profile. And it's a perfect match, Marlow. Drax is the father of your twins, not Rupert!"
The phone nearly slips from my hand as it starts shaking. I swallow hard, my throat feeling as though it's filled with dry wood shavings.
"But… how?"
"Well. I suspect you had intercourse. That's how."
"That's not what I asked!"
"Vasectomies sometimes fail. Drax also hasn't had a follow-up examination in over a year. His mutant physiology might have created an additional channel on its own, or some other factor may have accelerated the regeneration of the ducts. I can't tell you why. I can only tell you the result."
My head is spinning. I'm glad I'm sitting down because I think I would have collapsed otherwise. My whole body feels like it has turned into jelly.
Wow. Wait. Really? Incredible. Hard to believe. I admit I have trouble wrapping my head around it.
"Are you sure about this, Doctor? Absolutely sure?"
What a turn of Fate!
"I am. I double checked it. I even managed to separate the DNA of both children, and they’re both his. Fraternal twins. I am absolutely certain about their paternity."
"Could you send me some kind of document? I don't know, a printout that says 'You Are the Father' or something."
Dr. Lee lets out an amused snort before replying, "Yes, I can prepare such a certificate."
"I'd really appreciate that, because this is almost unbelievable. I'd already come to terms with my situation, and now here's a miracle… another miracle of Fate. You should know that Fenn and I are fated mates!"
Dr. Lee is silent for a moment before unexpectedly saying,
"That would explain a lot, including the fact that he's the father. His ducts probably regenerated because of your magic."
I sigh. "Ehhh. And everyone says monsters and shifters don't have fated mates, but that's not true."
"Well, it's much harder for shifters to recognize one another, that’s for sure. The signs are less obvious than they are for ordinary alphas and omegas."
I suddenly realize the doctor is talking about both of us, not just Fenn.
As if he’s already taken it for granted that I’m not ‘ordinary’.
It makes me slightly breathless, because I have had years of fear ingrained in me by my dad about situations like this.
Well, and Dr. Lee isn’t Renato or Davos.
He represents THEM. The ones who snatch people like me and lock them in cages.
"What do you mean… shifters, plural?"
A moment of silence.
"Come on, Marlow. I have your blood sample, don’t I? It’s not exactly human."
A shiver washes over me. "And what…" my voice breaks, "what are you going to do about it?"
"And what should I do? Not my business, Marlow. I called to relay the news about Drax’s paternity."
This moment feels strangely important to me. I’m aware that my caution can never fully disappear; after all, I’ve seen what happened to Fenn, but maybe I don’t have to live in constant terror, like I could end up on a dissection table at any moment?
The world doesn’t end because an extra person knows.
Maybe I could even talk about this with… my dad? Could I finally be honest with my own family? Change what has hurt me for years, come clean, feel like I belong? And possibly even learn the truth about them too?
The doctor casually continues, "You know, some people, like shifters, may find their fated mates and not even realize they're already living with them. It’s just very complicated.
" He falls silent for a moment, and because I stay quiet, still in shock, he apparently decides to give me time for it to sink in, he just makes a deep sigh.
"Okay. Well… I wish you both good luck and," he pauses briefly before adding, "happiness. Because it's hard to come by."
For a moment, I mull over his words, rubbing my chin.
"Do you know, Doctor, what Caspian is planning? And what about the AA program?"
Dr. Lee lets out a small huff. "The AA program has been discontinued, which is for the best. It was doomed to fail anyway. Caspian? He’s no longer here. He left the facility yesterday with Rupert and Juan. From what he said, they’re planning to live together and raise the kid."
"Oh wow, so things worked out for them too."
"Yeah, it seems so. "
I sigh, feeling a kind of lightness spread through my limbs, but there’s still one more thing I can ask, I guess. Why not?
"Is it true that there are other mutants at the facility now? That Dr. Lomax wants to open a new experimental program involving them? When I was leaving the lab, I saw one of them. He had silver-gray skin, black hair, a tail, and black eyes…"
"I can't confirm or deny anything." His tone shifts slightly, becoming formal and detached. "At the moment, I'm not assigned to that program, and I don't know whether I'd want to participate in it. We'll see how things develop. Goodbye, Marlow," he says, ending the call quickly.
Ummm, okay, he probably isn’t allowed to talk about it.
"Goodbye, Dr. Lee."
I sit there in shock and… happiness even though I somehow still can't wrap my head around the news. Really? Could my life actually clear up like this?
For long minutes I stare at the horizon high above the green hills, my thoughts scattered like a flock of cheerfully bouncing lambs.
Incredible. Everything has suddenly smoothed out, like a crumpled sheet of paper, and become so much simpler!
Then I hear the door creak behind me.
My beautiful fated mate stands there and just looks at me, and I can see it all in his eyes. Happiness. Devotion. Love.
Without a word, but with a wide smile, I walk over to Fenn, who grins back at me.
His hair is messy, and his face, covered with red streaks, still looks sleepy, yet somehow adorable at the same time. My domesticated monster.
"Hey, sleepyhead…" I touch his chest with my fingers, enjoying the feeling of his smooth skin against mine. His muscular, broad arms wrap tightly around me and lift me slightly off the ground, and his lips kiss my temple; he radiates warmth.
Pressed safely against his neck, I’m inhaling his scent.