Chapter 18 Danny
I STARTLED AWAKE in an unfamiliar place. The room was quiet and dim. I had on a robe-type outfit that I’d never seen before. I smelled like Saxon, like balsam fir and something else… Lake water.
Fuck. The cave. We’d been trapped. I’d gone into heat. Heart thundering, I bolted upright. Saxon lay beside me on a bed. His usual glowing skin was lackluster. His eyes were closed.
A male Fae appeared. He lifted his hand in greeting, but didn’t get too close. “Hello Danny. Do you remember me? I’m Simon, Saxon’s brother. How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I whispered. My backside was sore from Saxon’s vigorous fucking, but otherwise I was fine. My face flushed. Did Simon know I’d been in heat? Did he know that I’d begged Saxon to fuck me? Even if he did, I didn’t regret it.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
“We’re not sure yet, but we’re doing our best. We’ve spoken with all of the best Fae healers in the world.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“A demon bit him. Their venom is poison to a Fae. It’s one of the few things that can hurt us.”
Had he known that? Had he lied to me? Maybe. But I didn’t blame him for that.
“Why did the demons come after him?”
“He’s the heir, so he’s seen as a threat.”
“But he was going to step down,” I said.
“Power recognizes power. The title didn’t matter.” Simon stepped closer, but still didn’t touch me. “When you were missing, Gatlin called. Your brothers know that you’ve been rescued and that you’re safe. Because of the recent threat to our security, we could not disclose our location. We can give you a secure phone to call them when you’re ready.”
“Thank you,” I said. I wasn’t ready. Not yet. I looked around the cabin. We were in the main room, which might have been a living room. There were at least four other Fae in the kitchen. There was no human medical equipment, but there were several bottles that looked like an IV, but the colors were purple and red. Maybe they were magical potions. I didn’t ask.
“Would you like to sit next to him?” Simon asked. “Feeling your touch might help. But it’s not required.”
“I want to.” I tried to sit up, but I couldn’t quite make it. Simon held out his arm, and I accepted it. I didn’t like the fact that I was letting a strange Alpha this close. But it was for Saxon, so I could endure it.
With Simon helping me, I made it the few steps to Saxon’s bed. I crawled in next to him and rested my head on the pillow. Simon covered us both up with a thick blanket. I put my hand on Simon’s bare chest and immediately drifted off into a deep sleep.
I slept on and off for the next three days, stopping only to check in with my brothers and my cousin. Cason wanted to come get me, but I didn’t want to leave Saxon, who still hadn’t woken up. I stayed through the weekend, but on Wednesday, I had to go back to class; I’d already missed three days.
Saxon’s brother drove me to class, then picked me up after class. I sat with Saxon while I studied. That was all I did. The Fae healers were always present, but they didn’t speak to me. Only Simon did. Simon’s mother and aunt visited but they slipped in and out while I was asleep. That went on for three weeks until one evening, I got sick.
I ate some rice and chicken for dinner, prepared by the Fae healers, just as I had every night. But this time I vomited.
I didn’t make it to the bathroom. I threw up on the floor of the cabin. One of the healers picked me up.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Don’t worry,” he said. He cleaned me up, and put me back in my original bed, not in the one with Saxon. I lay there, back cramping. An hour or so passed, and another healer took my blood and pressed her hand against my stomach. A few minutes later, she returned and pressed a warm cloth against my back. “Sleep,” she said.
I slept.
But sometime later, I woke up. They must have thought I was still asleep, because I heard them talking about me.
“Are you certain?” the male healer asked. “You know nothing about humans.”
“I know when one’s with child.”
The female scoffed. “This is too important to get wrong.”
“But the child won’t even have pure blood.”
“But it will still be powerful.”
“They’ll need to be mated, of course, as soon as Saxon’s awake,” Simon interjected.
Child? Mated?
Was I pregnant?
“Do you think he’s aware?” the male healer asked. “He did throw up.”
“Humans throw up all the time,” the female said. “So I am not sure. I’ve kept an eye on him. He doesn’t drink alcohol. He doesn”t smoke. He’s had only one cup of coffee per day and he eats the meals we’ve provided, which are nutritionally sound.”
Oh God. I was pregnant. With Saxon’s baby.
And they were watching me. They were managing me. Because of the baby. Fuck.
I had to get out of there.
This was the outcome I’d wanted to avoid. I’d seen up close how virile these Alphas were, after watching my brothers get pregnant. And I’d been adamant I wasn’t going to have intercourse with Saxon. Until I thought we were going to die.
This was supposed to be a freaking practice run, a way for Saxon to date. What was I doing here? I was a poor college student, who’d needed an Alpha to pay my cousin’s bills. I had nothing to offer the leader of the Fae. I had a good life, and I was thankful for it, but I had no place mating the heir to the northeastern Fae Alpha.
Would Saxon wake up?
What if they tried to take my baby? I hadn’t planned to have a child, not ever, and Saxon wasn’t my mate. I didn’t know what he’d want. Would he want me to raise his child, or would he want me to hand it over to his family?
He loved his family, but he’d left them. That obviously meant something. More importantly, what would his mother and brother say? They’d seen that I was taken care of, but even human families were territorial about their descendants. I was certain Fae would be even more so.
And if they lost Saxon, then my child would be his only heir. I shivered. I didn’t want to imagine a world without Saxon. I hadn’t known him long, but he was a big part of my life now, and he was the father of my child.
And selfishly, I still wanted my English degree.
Hollis and Haven were planning to continue with their graduate degrees, but their Alphas were alive and well.
I wanted Saxon to wake up. But that might never happen.
As if they were reading my thoughts, the male healer came closer. “He’ll wake up soon. Should we ask him if he knows about the offspring?”
“No,” Simon said. “I’ve sent word to our mother that Saxon’s omega is carrying his child. She’s still the clan leader, and it’s her progeny. She’ll want to make the decisions if Saxon doesn’t wake up, and that includes how this child is raised.”
There it was, exactly what I’d feared. A powerful person, one who could take away everything I cared about. One who had power over my body, and my child. I laid there, frozen while the world moved around me. I let myself spiral for a moment, then I stretched and opened my eyes.
“Danny, how are you feeling?” Simon asked.
Did he know? The healers were still in the room. I didn’t want them to know I was freaking out. “I think I’m a little dehydrated.”
Simon smiled. “I’ll bring you some water.”
Tomorrow was Thursday. I’d go to school, like normal. Then I’d get the hell out. The next morning, I made up a story about needing a book from my apartment, and Simon dropped me off there. I told him I’d take the bus with one of my brothers, and that seemed to satisfy him.
“Danny!” Cason exclaimed when I came into the apartment. “Oh my God.” He ran forward and gave me a hug.
I was glad that Cason was home. He was the most reasonable. “How much cash do you have here in the apartment?” I asked him, letting him hug me. I didn’t have much time to waste.
“I have about $750.00. But why do you need cash? What’s wrong?”
“Can I have it? I’ll leave you my bank card and my information, and you can withdraw that much from the ATM to replace it.”
Cason let go of me. “Yes. But why?”
“I’m pregnant. I just found out. It happened after we were stuck in the cave.”
He blinked a few times. “Oh. Wow.” He lunged forward and hugged me again. “Jesus. That’s something. And congratulations. But wait. Did that asshole push you?”
“No. No, I begged him. I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“So what’s the problem?” Cason motioned for me to follow him. He went into his bedroom and pulled the cash from a lockbox that was inside a shoebox under the bed.
I accepted the cash. “Saxon still isn’t awake. His family is interested in my baby.”
“Interested? What does that mean? You don’t think they’ll take the baby from you?”
“They might. He or she is the heir to their clan. I can’t risk it.”
With Cason watching, I wiped my phone and left it tucked under my mattress. I dumped the contents of my backpack out. To a casual observer, it would look like my school stuff was still inside.
I hated to leave my new copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the one Saxon bought for me in London. But I had to leave room for the practical items. I stuffed cash in my pockets, in my crossbody bag, and into my backpack. With Cason’s help, I packed two water bottles, beef jerky, two apples and a box of granola bars. I took a blanket, two outfits and a flashlight. I’d stop and buy a flip phone somewhere.
“If you can get somewhere safe, then I’ll send you more money. Or I’ll come to you,” Cason said.
“You have classes.”
“Yeah, and I can retake those classes too. You need us. You know Ace and Baylor feel the same.”
“I need one of you here for Zander. And one of you needs to be here for Hollis and Haven.” I let out a small sob, but quickly tamped it down. I was going to be an uncle to their children. Now I might miss their births. And my child might never know his or her cousins. “You can’t tell Haven anything. Because Gatlin and Saxon are friends. And I know he’d never betray me, but Gatlin is his mate. He can’t hide anything from him.”
Cason tugged at his hair. “I really fucking hate this.”
“I know. I’ll text you my new number. If I can.”
“Are you sure you have to go all cloak and dagger?” he asked.
I made a face. “Yes. They have infinite resources.”
“You’re sure you can’t just talk to them?”
I tugged my backpack on. “If Saxon were awake, I’d try. But I don’t know them. And I can’t trust them.” Now I just had to get to campus, and then I’d be on my way.