Fang Chronicles: Zenya's Story (32 page)

Nicolas held Zenya after making love long into the night. It was the last night before she shifted to cat for the remainder of her pregnancy. Laura requested to attend the birth and Zenya agreed. She would have no problem delivering herself, but once the baby came she knew the doctor needed testing samples. There would be no privacy for the new mother, but Zenya understood what this child meant for beastkind.

Morning light came too soon and after claiming his mate a last time before his child’s birth, they walked out of the room and joined the others for breakfast. Cruz, Mateo, and Talya were assigned to the firing range during the afternoon and their excitement kept them from sitting still.

“You three will run the entire property and be back here for lunch.” Alpha eyes begged them to argue.

Of course, it was Talya who tried to have the last word, “But, alpha, what shall you do without us?”

“Enjoy some peace and quiet.”

“Well you should have let us have some last night.”

Talya immediately looked to Zenya for her punishment.

“Dishes, no shooting practice, or run the property?”

The three teens couldn’t get out the door quick enough.

After they helped clear the table, Nicolas took Zenya’s hand and they walked deep into the woods. He nuzzled her hair away from her neck and breathed in her combination human, cat, and pregnant scent. The three mixed to become incredibly alluring. “It’s time, my love.”

“I know, but I shall miss this.”

“Me too, but I want our baby here sooner than later, though if you change your mind I won’t object.”

“I’m not changing my mind. I agree with you and I can’t wait to hold our child.”

They removed their clothes and shifted together. Nicolas would sleep with his mate each night as wolf, but he was able to shift at will while Zenya’s change back and forth would only delay the birth. They traveled the property for two hours, checking in on the teenagers. Nicolas was happy Talya had the two younger boys to remind her of childhood.

Esta impatiently awaited their return and she told them she was shifting to cat until the birth, too. Nicolas heard Aster groan in the background and felt sorry for the disappointed wolf. His courtship was not going as quickly as planned, though their eventual mating was just a matter of time. Now it would be at least six weeks longer. Nicolas figured that was Esta’s plan, but he was glad Zenya would have a she-cat to commiserate with. 

The clan settled in for the birth of their first child. The enemy remained quiet and the weeks passed.

Chapter Forty-five

Nicolas rested beside Zenya on their bed in wolf form.

“You need to speak with the boys about the birds and the bees.” The words whispered from her mind to his with humor.

He licked her ear. “And what do you think I could teach them that they don’t already know?”

“Anything is better than what Talya told them this afternoon.”

“Do I want to know?”

“I don’t believe so.”

“Just how did they miss you being within hearing of this conversation?”

“I’ve turned into a lump of plump flesh everyone ignores.”

Nicolas shifted to human and laid his head against her fury belly. “This is the only part of you that is even slightly plump. You still don’t wish to know the sex of our first child?”

“Bite your tongue. How dare you insinuate there could be another when I’m barely surviving this pregnancy.”

Her melancholy was completely normal and Nicolas tried to go with the flow. “Laura will be here tomorrow and you didn’t answer my question.”

“No, I do not want to know. Will it make a difference?”

“Not in the slightest, but some days I feel we have too much estrogen in our clan.”

Nicolas’s devilish grin let her know he teased but her sharp nails extended and caused small wounds in his naked thigh.

“Okay, not enough estrogen must be the problem.” His playful words did the trick and the sound of her telepathic laughter was music to his ears.

Both their heads turned at the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

Zenya looked at her mate. “Are we expecting anyone?”

Marcus’s voice came from the front of the house. Nicolas rose from the bed and put on a pair of sweatpants. Zenya followed him from the room.

Nicolas sighed, “I assume this isn’t a social visit?”

“No. I received a call about an hour ago from Dmitri.”

“Is there a problem to the north?”

“Not exactly. He asked if we’d heard from Honey.”

“I haven’t heard from the bear since we separated after South America. What happened?”

“Dmitri was vague and didn’t give me any real answers, but asked that we let him know if Honey shows up or makes contact.”

“That’s all?”

“Well, no. Cheri called forty-five minutes later and asked about Honey, too.”

“What’s going on?”

“She was a bit more forthcoming.”

“And?”

“It seems Honey kidnapped Mandy, Emily’s sister.”

“What?” Nicolas was stunned.

“That’s pretty close to how I reacted. He showed in Cheri’s territory after his trip with you, left for a while, and then returned. Cheri said he paid absolutely no attention to Mandy, but apparently ordered a large feral cage and had it delivered to Cheri’s property.”

“Why a feral cage?”

“Cheri, Brandt, and Emily wanted the same answers, but by the time anyone thought to search down the bear it was too late. Mandy and Honey couldn’t be found, and the feral cage, along with the large truck that delivered it, disappeared.”

“The bear is crazy.”

“I think you’re right.”

“When did this happen?”

“Three days ago.”

“And they can’t find them?”

“No.”

Zenya’s voice sounded in Nicolas’s head, “Where would he take her?”

Nicolas relayed the question.

“No one is sure, but they’ve checked several places and they’re looking at a few more.”

“Do you think she’s in danger?” Zenya asked.

The hardest part of her being cat for these last weeks of pregnancy was her inability to communicate with Marcus’s clan, including his children.

Nicolas answered her himself, “I can’t believe he would hurt her, but bears are out of my realm. They have different rules they live by, some instinctual, and some dictated by their vampire. Chances are good he wants to mate with her, but I’ve heard their mating is bloody and violent. Brandt or Emily will kill him.”

“They need to find them first.”

Marcus arched his eyebrows. “But why the cage?”

“I think that’s what has everyone so upset. She obviously didn’t go willingly.”

“Will Dmitri help locate them?”

“We’re not sure. He runs his nightclub in Colorado, interacts with some cats, and all of our American wolf clans, but keeps his bears fairly private. The Kodiak, or alpha, as we would call him, never leaves his territory. I met him once many years ago. He wasn’t pleasant to be around, and I think without Dmitri, they’d all kill everyone that stood in their way. We have no idea how many beastkind bears exist.”

“I have a feeling we might find out sometime in the near future.”

Zenya relayed to her mate, “War with the cats is bad enough. We need Dmitri and his bears.”

Nicolas relayed Zenya’s words again.

“I agree, Zenya. Dmitri tries to stay out of wolf and cat politics, but he helped keep the Canadian cats out of our fight. He never takes credit for his actions, but we know he had a hand in assisting our cause.”

Zenya let out a loud roar and walked over to her favorite pile of blankets. “Continue your conversation, but I’m lying down for the remainder. All I can think about right now is the story you told me of the fingers of his dead friend hanging around his neck. I’ve met Mandy and she treated me with respect and care. It’s her I’m worried about.”

Esta walked over and spoke telepathically to Nicolas, “Honey frightened even me. The man was large and crazy and his bear worse. He took on a vampire.”

“You’re right. He isn’t totally sane and he became worse after Korep died. Of the two bears, Honey worried me more.”

“I almost hope Dmitri finds him and returns Mandy to her parents. We’ll let him enforce his own rules and punish his bear,” Nicolas said out loud.

“Let’s hope that satisfies Brandt and Emily.” Marcus said goodbye, then blinked from the room.

Dr. Stevens arrived the following day. She insisted everyone call her Laura. With her arrival, the dynamics of their too-small cabin changed, so the doctor was given the single cabin to sleep in. Nicolas provided guards, giving his pack extra duties to keep them out of his hair. The coming child had them all overprotective and excited. They decided Zenya would give birth at Laura’s cabin, so if it lasted very long the others would have the large cabin to rest in.

A week later, in the middle of the night, Zenya licked her mate on the side of his face.

He awoke instantly. “You smell funny. It’s the baby.”

“Yes, daddy, it’s the baby.”

“We need to get you to Dr. Stevens.”

Zenya smiled inside her head. He hadn’t called Laura by her official title during the past week. “I’d like to wait a bit and just lay here with you. I want to dream about holding our child, taking a shower as human, and eating at the table with everyone else.”

“We let you sit at the table.”

“It’s not quite the same when I can’t hold a fork.”

“You haven’t complained.”

“That’s because I find too many other things to complain about and decided to spare you.”

“You are so good to me.”

“You’re a bad liar. I’ve been horrible.”

“I would never disagree with a pregnant she-cat.”

Her breathing changed before she could snap back at him. He shifted to human and then ran his hands through the fur of her neck and shoulder.

She soon controlled her breathing. “You might not want to do that when the pain gets worse. I like you with two hands and ten fingers.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Zenya tried to keep her apprehension to herself. “Thank you. I think we should go.”

Nicolas wanted to carry her, but her low growl made him put his hands up in surrender. “Whatever my mate wants.”

“Please don’t forget those words. It might be your head on a platter an hour from now.”

“I’m sure our pack will do your bidding.”

“They better.”