Where Wild Things Roam

Blessings

Sean    

For as small as this town is, I have to hand it to the medical personnel and non-medical allied health staff in Candlewood. They take patient privacy and protected health information seriously. Not a peep, or a rumor or a whisper anywhere in town gets back to me about Ian and Darby visiting Dr. Myers for a fertility consultation. In fact, by the time I start wondering about Darby’s recurring atypical headaches and mood swings worse than her typical fae capriciousness, there's a subtle but potent change to her scent. I use Big SIS to hack into the hospital’s information system, only to learn she’s been taking the medication for over two weeks.

It’s an estrogen blocker Darby’s taking, a drug to stimulate ovulation. “I should have known,” I whisper to myself in my office. After Ian’s medical visit, it was only a matter of time.

My wolf half gives a desirous growl.

Annoyed, I focus on the medical records and communications associated with Darby’s chart. All kinds of emails are flying between Dr. Myers and other medical providers regarding the anonymously shared DNA profile that belongs to Darby. Among shifter providers, the fae markers are recognized as such and, through her blood, dissociated fae lineages have suddenly become joined. It’s quite the hullaballoo.

I’m envious. Of course. Not of them struggling to conceive a child. But that it’s all special. Like her.

And, she’s with my Alpha, goddammit.

I’m not fooling myself anymore that Ian didn’t know. He knew I was after her. And f**k if he’s not smarter than me, he knew making me one of Candlewood’s Second triumvirs would put that under his control. He knew.

I drag a frustrated hand down my face, logging out of the SIS and focusing on the work I have to do today. Ivan’s sent a timeline adjustment for one of the construction projects in Ciudad d’Arena—some new building standard— so I’ll have to deal with that quickly.

I have an appointment after lunch at Kassandra’s with an occupational therapist. She’s been having some trouble with balance lately and I want to make certain there’s nothing in the house that might lead to a fall. 

There’s also an evite on my calendar for next week from Ian— ‘Contract discussion: Matilda Linden’—and I groan. It’s undeniably the last thing I want, consorting with witches to track down the one who put the curse on Ivan. And just when we were starting to get some real traction with Leo, our vampire contact.

 My wolf half starts to interrupt, but I continue quickly before he can.

Beyond frustratingly unsatisfied, I flip my cell over on my desk. Maybe I will take a few of those numbers Jack offered me a few months ago. If nothing else, maybe if I come—anywhere besides in my own hand—I won’t be obsessing over Darby quite so ardently.

There’s a text notification from Leo from early this morning and I wonder how I missed it.

Check your email, Magic Mike.

Bright Arianrhod, why won’t he f*****g use my name? I’m surrounded by and wading through assholes, I think, skimming the long list of emails until I find the one from Leo. The subject says: Hooked a big fish, but there’s no body—there never is—just an attachment. A grainy, dark video of a woman reading what sounds like a poem.

As I watch it, I know that’s not what it is.

The woman is diviner, scrying using candlelight and water in a shallow bowl. I can’t tell from the video if there are any other components to the ritual, but I’m confident from her blank stare and the flat monotone of her voice, she’s seeing what she speaks, answering the low, mumbled questions addressed to her by someone nearby.

“In a mystical dell, secluded for more than a millennium,

Unknowingly safeguarded by the wolves of the Desert,

Is the celestial lamb that you seek.

Among her dowry are the charms of lost ages,

Keys to the kingdom the seven keep.

Neither by might nor by treachery is she ensnared,

Tempted only by the black wolf of the Wood is she

Thus lured out, subdued and made weak.

Among the trees walk the gods of lost realms

And new bloodlines with Were guardians sleep.”

Holy s**t.

**

Ian    

“I digitally enhanced the video to get a clearer image of her face, but the background is too dark to narrow down where to look for her.” Flipping to a different application on his laptop, Sean shows Jack and I the woman’s face. “Do either of you recognize her?”

“No. And beyond some great footage for another Blair Witch movie, I don’t see how this benefits us.” Jack takes a sip from his bucket-size raspberry lemonade from Darla and Joe’s. “We already knew all that.”

Rising, I pace to the window, staring out at the plaza below. “We did know the information, at least as far as we can trust Leo. We didn’t have a picture of the woman though, assuming this is really her and not something he’s mocked up because working with us is profitable.”

“If it’s not, he’s not going to have long to enjoy whatever profit he’s making,” Sean counters.

“So let’s say it is.” I turn, crossing my arms over my chest. “We have a picture of the woman. Even if we don’t recognize her, Mattie might, and if not, I’m sure she could divine her location.”

Jack shakes her head. “Even if we do, that doesn’t mean we have either the witch that cursed Ivan or the location of this Cordelion dude that’s supposedly after Darby, so I still think it’s worthless.”

“Unless she is the witch we’re after.” Sean shrugs noncommittally.

“A week then, until the meeting with Mattie to hammer out the details of a deal to divine the witch, and however long to get to her.” I rub the backs of my fingers against the scruff on my chin.

“Unless Leo can lean on this contact and get something more before then.”

I glance at Jack. “You’re good with that plan? We put the vamp up to squeezing his contact, and failing that, we negotiate with Mattie next week.”

“Yeah, that’ll do for me.”

I nod, facing Sean again. “What’s the situation with our vamp’s payment plan?”

Sean snorts. “It cost us four hundred bucks to put in the little greenhouse Anna’s using to cultivate the flowers. Otherwise it’s a few quart size zipper bags of dried leaves we weren’t using anyway.”

“I don’t think the greenhouse should count.” Jack shakes his head, leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankles on my desk. “I’ll reimburse that cost out of pocket if I have to. That little building has made Anna happy as a clam.”

Annoyed, I walk behind Jack, tipping his chair beyond his balance. “Get your feet off my furniture, Jack.” I let him crash backwards to the ground. “Maybe I will dock your pay for it. The big issue will be when Anna delivers. Who’ll cultivate our supply then?”

“Ow! Dammit, Ian, don’t be such a dick.” Rolling onto his feet, Jack stands and rights the chair, then stretches trying to rub out the hurts where he hit the ground. “That was completely unnecessary.”

“So is me having to tell you to get your feet off my furniture. Again.” As I take a seat at my desk, there’s a rap on the office door. “Come in.”

The door swings inward, Lili standing on the other side. Since Kallie left for Desert pack, Lili has filled in for me, and she’s so much more efficient even at half-time, I haven’t had to hire someone. “I have a problem,” she says calmly, her hands wrapped around the baby bulge at her middle. It’s another nice contrast between her and Kallie—nothing seems to flap Lili.

“Okay. Shoot.”

Looking down, Lili braces herself in the doorframe, then lifts her foot out of one ballet slipper she’s wearing. Clear fluid drips off her toes and back into the shoe. Confused, I glance at Jack and Sean, then back to Lili. Only then do I realize, the water dripping into her shoe isn’t because it was already filled with moisture. There’s a trickle of water running down both of her legs.

“Holy s**t!” Jack darts around Sean’s chair to his mate, crouching, and cups his hands on either side her belly. “Your water broke! How are you so calm?”

Understanding what’s happening now, I pull the lap blanket I keep at the office for Darby from a drawer in my desk and toss it to Sean to hand to Jack. “Here.”

Sean stands, grinning and closes his laptop with a snap. “Looks like we’re closing shop early and having a baby. Jack, either you get this show on the road, or I’m taking her to the hospital myself.”

**

Lili    

Note to self: your water breaking does not mean you need to rush to the hospital.

Clinging to Jack’s muscular arm and leaning heavily against him, we pace up and down the short hallway outside my labor and delivery room, the back of me flapping out of this ridiculous gown. I pause, panting hard as another contraction cinches around my middle and Jack checks his watch.

“We’re at three minutes apart now, lover,” he soothes, rubbing tender circles on my lower back as the pain rolls through me.

It’s been nearly fourteen hours since we got here, the majority of which have been spent with me waddling up and down the thirty feet of this hall on Jack’s arm, breathing through contractions, with random interruptions for ‘light snacks’ of essentially the worst food I’ve ever tasted from the hospital kitchen and for Dr. Myers to peer into my body only to tell me I’m not fully dilated and this process is going to continue.

“I don’t care!” The words snap though I don’t mean them to and immediately apologize. “I’m sorry. I wish I’d known. We could have been at home the last twelve hours instead of pacing around this ugly, sterile place with nothing more than this going on. I could have been drinking that wonderful hot tea Townsend makes for me. Gah!”

Weak tears squeeze out of the corner of my eyes, dropping in splashes on the ugly tile floor, and I grip Jack’s arm, trembling as a hot flash washes over me with this contraction.

“I know, Lili. I’m sorry. We didn’t know.”

My sweet, beautiful mate. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world being part of a relationship with him and Anna, and I’m so grateful for his patience and tolerance.

I draw a shuddering breath as the last of the pain ebbs.

“That was almost two minutes long and three minutes apart. I think we should get back to the room and have the nurse check you again.”

I nod weakly, waiting for the disorientation and nausea to pass, then clutch at my middle again.

“Oh, s**t! Already?” Jack glances at his watch when I nod, unable to speak through my gritted teeth. “I think the baby just kicked this into high gear, Lili.”

As the latest contraction ebbs and Jack scoops me into his arms, long strides eating up the short distance to my door, two nurses rush around the corner meeting us there, summoned by Jack through the pack link. I lose track of everything around me.

A moment later through a haze of pain, I hear one nurse comment, “Fully dilated.”

To Jack, another nurse says, “Dr. Myers is on her way. Triumvir, if you’re getting on the bed behind her, you better do it quickly.”

I collapse against Jack’s broad chest as he eases behind me, his long legs dangling off either side of the bed. He holds my hands gently, cradling my body against his, encouraging and soothing me as the baby’s head crowns and sometime after two in the morning, our little boy is born.

I don’t remember falling asleep, but I must have. When I open my eyes, there’s light rimming the drapes over the window.  A beaming Jack gently bounces a blue wrapped bundle in his arms at the bedside, Anna standing beside him, staring into the baby’s face. He’s like a toy against his father’s wide chest and huge arms.

“You’re awake!” Anna totters over to me, kissing my forehead. “He’s beautiful, Lili. Just perfect!”

After I pull myself into a sitting position, Jack sets our son into my arms.

“He is perfect, lover,” Jack practically sings. “You did so good! Look what an awesome mommy you are!”

“Did we name him?”

“Not yet,” Jack chuckles, kissing my cheek. “Not without you.”

A rap on the door gives me a moment to consider, as Darby and Ian crowd into the cramped room with a large bouquet of flowers, Ellie and Michael immediately behind them.

“Oh my word!” Darby exclaims with a bright smile, and a hug around my shoulders, all eyes only for the baby.

As she backs away to allow Ian his hug and congratulations, there’s another rap at the door and Sean pushes in too, this time with a bundle of mylar balloons. “Wow. Gang’s all here. Congrats, Lili. Jack. Anna. Do we have a name yet?”

“Nope. We were just opening that discussion.” Jack takes a seat on the edge of the bed, and to give the others more space in the room, pulls Anna onto his lap. “Any thoughts, lover?” he asks me.

I shift my gaze to Michael, Jack’s adoptive father, tucked quietly into a corner of the room, watching his family proudly with the slightest hint of a smile.

“I think we should name him after his grandfathers.” Michael’s eyes focus on me, surprised, and I add, “How about Thomas Michael Moran?”

All eyes turn to Michael whose smile now meets at the back of his head. He touches my foot through the bed’s thin blanket, giving it a squeeze, his version of a grateful hug. “I think Tom would be happy about that. I also think we should let this poor woman get some rest. She’s worked her ass off today.”