Chapter 2 #3
The goddess and the original Celeste were also present with King Arthur, the Original Mage, and the reigning King of the Dragons, Alarick.
They made the pact that created the Dragon Shifters and, by extension, the Dragon Guard.
It was why Vanessa believed with all her heart and soul that Cyrus was the man made for her by the Universe, her One True Fated Mate.
“After all,” Celeste chimed in. “There are no coincidences, and the Universe does not make mistakes.”
“Oops, you forgot to add, Fate does not make mistakes.”
“Didn’t forget, just hadn’t gotten there. Now, pay attention. I just know this bitch is up to something.”
Tugging at the oversized men’s pajama top she was wearing, Vanessa silently promised retribution to whoever had the nerve to undress her while she was unconscious.
Wanting to laugh at Angeline’s continued efforts to read her mind, she thought about slapping her right in the head with a whap of Magic.
Instantly, she had a change of heart. Any show or power would only cause more trouble.
Instead, she smiled sweetly and said, “I hate to be a pain, but is there any way I can get a cup of tea?” Rubbing her throat, she made a show of swallowing, then coughed. “I can still taste whatever was in the gris gris bag Aamon threw at me.”
Pouting, she sniffed, then had to work hard not to laugh out loud when Angeline narrowed her eyes, glared at Aamon, and snapped, “Go have the cook bring the tea. Hurry.”
Looking back at Vanessa, the bitch softened her expression and her voice as she feigned another apology.
“I do hope you’ll forgive us for Aamon’s overzealousness.
” Clearing her throat, she slid her eyes back to the asshole before painting on a smile.
“As I said, Aamon will be dealt with accordingly. Not even a hair on your head was to be harmed. I knew of your delicate condition and did not want you to suffer any undue stress or strain. I most assuredly did not, under any circumstances, want you to be unconscious when you arrived.”
Chuckling like they were old friends, Angeline touched Vanessa’s hand and exuded so much false charm that the room literally filled with the stench of burnt onions.
“With daddy gone, when mother got sick, it all fell to me.” Exhaling and rolling her eyes, the She-Wolf leaned and conspiratorially whispered, “You see, as the oldest, Angelique should be the next in line, but she was stripped of her birthright for running off to New Orleans with some wannabe Wizard and practicing Voodoo for several decades.”
Tsking, she thankfully removed her fingers from Vanessa’s skin and sat back.
“Daddy ruled with an iron hand. Oh, don’t get me wrong.
He loved us all but did not take kindly to any disobedience.
” Pushing a long, red curl off her shoulder, she went on, “So, the day Angelique left, he called me into his office and told me I would be next Luna. After momma died, of course, which we all hope won’t be for at least another hundred years. ”
“Should we tell her that her sister has other plans?”
“No, we are gonna…”
And that was as far as Vanessa got before Angeline had the audacity to say, “After all, your babies are gonna need to know their great grandma.” Pointing at Vanessa’s stomach, she added with a fake smile, “Especially that one. It will have to have momma’s approval for the adoption to go through and the blood ritual to be performed. ”
“Adoption? Blood ritual? What the fuck is wrong with these people?”
“They are nuckin’ futs. They want…”
“Oh! I know! Those fucking idiots want to legally adopt my baby, then put their tainted blood in its little veins to make it as evil as they are!”
“Girl, you need to calm down,” Celeste warned. “I know. I know. I know. I’m not usually the voice of reason, but you need to count to ten. You can’t lose it without a plan to get us the hell outta Dodge.”
Not sure whether to burst out laughing or sob uncontrollably, Vanessa was so glad when the largest, most muscular woman she’d ever seen walked into the room carrying a silver tray.
There was no doubt she was a Blackwood Wolf.
The family resemblance was undeniable, but this bitch was over six feet tall, and her physique said she was the gold belt holder for the Glorious Ladies of Wrestling-if that was still a thing.
Moving a grace that confirmed she was a Supernatural with the scent of wet fur that confirmed she was a Blackwood Wolf, the Big Lady, as Vanessa thought of her, set the silver tray on the table to Angeline’s right.
Standing up to her full height, she smiled when their eyes met, and her gaze was actually kind when the matriarch-to-be introduced, “This is Angelica. She’s the baby of the family, and I'm just so proud of her.”
“Thank you, Angeline,” the Big Lady cooed. “Will there be anything else?”
“Yes, my dear,” Angeline nodded. “Can you take Aamon out to the horse barn? Malick is waiting.”
Sadness flashed in Big Lady’s dark brown eyes, but she quickly hid the emotion and smiled as she agreed, “As you wish, Sister.”
“Thank you, Little One.”
“Little one?” Celeste burst out laughing. “I do not want to run into the one she calls Big One.”
“Me neither,” Vanessa readily agreed. “And we won’t as long as we use some finesse and a whole lotta bullshit.” Then she asked, “Is Malick who I think he is?”
‘If you think he’s the Pack Punisher, then yes.”
“Holy shit! These people really are medieval.”
“Yep, so, get that brain of yours working on an escape plan sooner rather than later.”
“I’m on it.”
Focusing on her hosts, Vanessa knew it was time to devise a foolproof escape plan. Sipping her tea, she saw Big Lady had left the door open and therefore broke whatever containment Spell the bad sister, Angelique, had cast. It was her first break, and there was no way she was going to waste it.
Slowly and carefully, Vanessa pushed her Magic out into the hall and found six guards, all female, who were most definitely Red Wolves.
“They’re all female,” Celeste confirmed. “I guess I’m not surprised.”
“Why is that? I damned sure am.”
“Think about it,” the Polar Bear Princess said. “Aamon has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt Rushmore and a disdain for women that had to come from somewhere.”
“I figured he was a momma’s boy.”
“Oh, I am sure he was, until…”
“Until daddy died, momma got sick, and Angelique took over. You can bet your ass, the moddie coddling stopped right then and there.”
“And Aamon has been pissed off ever since.”
“You know it, Girl.”
“Well, shit.”
A knock on the open door stopped Vanessa’s mental conversation with Celeste. It was hard to believe, but the proof was right before her eyes. There stood another massively muscled female Wolf, this one with blond hair and carrying a black garment bag that could have doubled as a body bag.
Hanging the garment bag on the front of the wardrobe across from the foot of the bed, Big Lady II laid a box Vanessa hadn’t seen on the end of the bed and turned to Angeline. The air filled with the buzz of a telepathic conversation right before Big Lady II bowed and mumbled, “Yes, Ms. Angeline.”
Then, to Vanessa, the matriarch-to-be explained, “I hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty of picking out your outfit for this evening’s festivities.”
Trying not to take a bite out of the delicate China teacup in her hand, Vanessa forced the word from her lips. “Festivities?”
“Well, of course, my dear, I want to introduce my future daughter to our Pack and what better way to do that than with a party?”
“Now, wait a minute. I appreciate you taking care of me after… well, after… After whatever Aamon did to me, but there’s no need for a party.
Your brother is not my Fated Mate. He is not the father of my baby.
Hell, I can’t stand him. There is no way in Hell that I am Mating that worthless sack of shit. ”
Leaning forward, Vanessa got as close as she could to Angeline’s shocked face. She had to be sure that there was no misunderstanding. The bitch would hear what she had to say. There would be no more Miss Nice Bear. It was time to let the shit hit the fan and hope for the best.
Leveling her glare, Vanessa let the Magic of the Original Polar Bear empower her words as she continued, “There is no choice. I was not made for Aamon. He damned sure wasn’t made for me.
If he were, I would spend forever by myself because there is no way in heaven or Hell, I’d ever have anything to do with the likes of your brother, Aamon Blackwood, or your fucked up Pack.
I have a Mate. I am carrying his child. You’re too late, Lady. Sorry ‘bout your luck.”
Without batting an eye, Angelien smiled and chuckled. “Every girl is nervous about her Mating Day, and you have to think of your unborn child, too. But never fear. Once you’ve gotten to know us all better, you will see that we are the Family, the Pack for you.”
“Is the bitch deaf? Ya’ need me to go give her facts with my claws?”
But Vanessa wasn’t listening. She had officially been pushed too far, and she was going to take care of the Blackwood family once and for all.
Throwing back the covers, she ignored Celeste yelling in her mind and got to her feet. Standing as tall as she could, making her five-foot-nothing frame look bigger than it was, she rolled back her shoulders and stared Angeline right in the eye.
Swaying just a bit but blaming it on being pregnant and getting up too quickly, she planted her fists on her hips and took two steps forward.
Looking down at Angeline, she spat, “I told your crazy ass brother that I wanted nothing to do with him. I told him so many times that even I can’t remember them all.
After he forced me off the road and held me against my will out in the middle of nowhere, I had Chief Cheveyo Thorntree put up a Magical barrier all around my ranch to keep his mangy ass out. ”
Poking the She-Wolf in the shoulder to make her point, Vanessa leaned down a bit closer and seethed, “What more does a girl have to do to get her point across? Kick you in the ass?”
The Voodoo Wolf, Angelique’s image blurred. Vanessa shook her head, then widened her stance to stay on her feet as the floor moved under her. Wrapping both hands around her stomach, she tried to step back as the muscular mountain of a She-Wolf with blond hair and sad eyes stepped forward.
Doing everything in her power to stay upright, Vanessa just barely steadied herself as tiny bursts of light flashed in her vision. Rapidly blinking with the hopes of removing the lights, huge black dots joined the party.
“You have to stand your ground,” Celeste slurred, her voice sounding hollow and really far away.
“What the h-hell do you-you th-think I’m doin’?”
“Party’s over, bitches.” Vanessa sounded drunk, even to her own ears, and her vision was getting darker and darker around the edges. Waving one arm while the other cradled her pregnant belly, she demanded, “Give me my clothes! I need to get the hell outta here!”
Stumbling forward, swinging her free arm back and forth to keep everyone away, she made it two and a half steps before the blond She-Hulk scooped her up.
Doubling up her fist, Vanessa stammered, “I-I’ll hit a-a-a girl.
Don’t-don’t ma-make me do-do it!” Throwing the punch, she missed everything but the She-Wolf’s shoulder and spat, “Put m-me d-down, and I’-I’ll show you wh-who-who’s the b-b-boss. ”
But the mountain of a woman wasn’t listening. No matter how many times Vanessa tried to kick and thrash, the huge She-wolf just kept moving away from the door.
Lying her back onto the bed, the blond Wolf whispered, “I am so sorry,” before standing up and leaving the room. “Oh, I’ll make you sorry, alright!” Vanessa yelled at her back, the words running together and sounding like Scooby Doo.
Squinting against the ever-growing dimness of her vision, she saw Angeline and Angelique smile and nod at one another.
“You b-b-botches dr-drug-drugged me!”
“It was only for your own good, dear,” Angeline sarcastically cooed. Then to her sister she asked, “Can you keep her docile until they are Mated and the babe is delivered?”
“Yes,” Angelique snipped. “I told you I could.”
“Then do it.”
Barely conscious, but madder than she’d ever been in her life, Vanessa slurred, “I’m gonna love watching you die.”