Forever Our Ever (15 page)

“Good evening. Sorry to wake you, but Tella wanted to see for herself.”

He saw Kris shiver and figured that Ever had moved to sit beside Kris.

“She just informed me that I have horrible timing. Sorry about that, Ever,” said Silva with a sheepish grin.

Tella walked across the room and stood beside the bed. “You’re right, Silva, she is beautiful and special. What natural power she has. Half-were, and half-witch. What an amazing combination.”

“Ever’s not a witch,” said Kris with conviction.

“She has always been a witch, she just didn’t realize it. You made her stronger by giving her your alpha spit. It is how she has escaped the gray and how her body is still alive, even though her spirit is not within it. Ever is now magic, and nature is aiding her. All she needs is some training to become a truly amazing force.”

“Well, we wouldn’t stop her if that is what she wanted to do. Ever has a mind of her own and is free to explore whatever avenues she wishes. Of course, it is far easier to talk to her when she has flesh to talk with,” replied Kris. “So do you have a way to accomplish that feat?”

“I’m still looking into it, but I have some ideas. Her werewolf side was more powerful on the full moon.” Tella walked over and looked down at the children. “I believe that was when these little sweeties were born.”

Reaching into the babies, she pulled one out with a single hand. Liam wanted to leap on her and tear the child from her hand, but he reminded himself that they needed her help. She held Seren up higher to get a better look at him, and he started to cry. Tella smiled. “My, he has a strong voice. Alpha boys always do.”

Kris rose and held his hand out for his son. Tella handed him over and Kris returned to sit on the bed. A moment later Seren fell quiet, his wide blue eyes staring at Ever, or at least where Liam was thinking that she was sitting.

“Anyway,” Tella continued, “weres are weakest during the phase when the moon is backlit by the sun and not shining on the earth. It is the new moon or no moon, but whatever you call it, it is less powerful where weres are concerned. It is on that night that Ever may be able to reenter her body. I believe that I can help her accomplish that, but it is going to take quite a bit of time on my part to research it. It is also going to use my natural power and it will take me weeks, if not months, to recover. I believe that I am entitled to be compensated for my time and personal expenditure, don’t you think, Kris?”

“Of course. Tell me what you want. We are not exorbitantly wealthy, but I’m prepared to pay for your services.”

Tella laughed, but the sound was filled with darkness. “I do not want or need money, dear boy. What I want has far more value than paper dollars.”

Liam walked over and sat on the bed, identifying where Ever was by feel before moving over to be touching her. Kris took a relaxing breath and gave Tella a smile. Liam knew that he was masking all emotions, but that they would give Tella anything to have Ever back.

“Okay,” replied Kris. “I need to know the cost before I sign a contract. I would also like to know what assurance you are going to give me if I agree to your terms.”

“Wise boy. I’m not sure I can give you a guarantee as such. I will promise you that if you do nothing, by the next full moon, her body will be dead. The flesh can only survive for so long without a spirit within it. I’m sure she can last another week, but she has a finite time on this earth if nothing is done. I will also promise that I will do everything within my power to help her. If nature will not allow her to rejoin with her flesh, I will walk away with nothing. If it works, then I will expect what I demand with no question or argument. There will be no further contact with me after the deed is completed.”

“Fair enough. What do you want, Tella?”

She pointed to the child in his arms. “I want the alpha male. I will come for him after he has learned to eat solid food. I will train him to be my mate and then I will have a child with him so I may raise her to be my heir.”

Liam stared at his brother. There was no way that he could make a bargain like that. To give up his son to this dark, evil woman was unthinkable. There had to be another way.

* * * *

Kris gazed down at his son, his stunning alpha child. It would be the only son that was ever born to him. Mick has said that even if they could get Ever back to normal, she would never have more children. Seren had light, were-blue eyes and the brown family hair, but in the short strands on his tiny head, Kris saw the faintest signs of the brilliant blond streaks that his mother had.

When he had first seen Ever’s perfectly highlighted hair, Kris had assumed it had been done with hair bleach. But Ever had no bleach in the house and he had never seen her touch up the strands. When he had asked her about it, she said that it had happened after Carmen bit her. Now his son was to have the same blond highlights. They would mark him as unusual and as an individual. He would be tall and handsome and women would flock to him. Was it fair to condemn him to such a life, a slave given to a witch for her services? “What will happen after you are done with the child?”

“That’s up to him. I don’t even care where he lives, as long as I get a child out of the deal. After I have trained him to accept my personal preferences in life, he can even live with you until he gets old enough to mate, if he so
desires
. My only requirement is that he is not allowed to mate with another woman before my child is born. I don’t want him used and spoiled. His sperm must be fresh and untarnished to assure that my daughter is strong and healthy. Once he is old enough, I will finish his training, and afterward…He is free to go if he
wants
.”

Kris stared at her. There had to be some kind of catch. If all the woman wanted was for Seren to fuck her, then it really wasn’t that big of an issue. Of course, keeping him chaste and pure was going to require an effort. Were boys were not known to shy away from sex. “I need to discuss this with Ever and my brothers. Is there a way to get in touch with you?”

“I will send Silva for an answer tomorrow night. I will not wait longer, because I need time to prepare myself.”

“Then I will have an answer ready to give him.”

“Then we will have a deal. Just know that it will be a deal set in stone, and the cost for breaking it will be her life.” Tella spun and, with a final look at them, walked from the room. Liam jumped up to go show them out and Kris felt Ever’s hands on his temples. He tried to shake her off, but there was no way to do so. His eyes closed and he was lost as his body dropped to the mattress.

* * * *

Ever glared at him. “No! No! No! You will not trade my child for her services. I don’t fucking trust her.”

Even in the dream, Kris had a headache. Her yelling at him was not helping anything.

“Ever, she just wants to have a strong child.”

“I don’t give a shit what she wants. She is trying to trick us and I didn’t like her wording. What the hell is
if he desires?
If I’m figuring correctly, he won’t
desire
to leave her once she starts to train him. He will be lost to us forever and there will be no getting him back. How can you even consider this, Kris?”

“How can I not consider it? We have no way to know what to do without her. Didn’t you hear what she said? You will be dead before the next full moon.”

“I heard her. I’m just not willing to give up our son’s life in trade for my own. He is our firstborn son, or I think he is, if he’s alpha. He will rule this clan someday, and he is meant to take your place. What happens if there is no alpha because he is in the clutches of that woman? What then, Kris?”

“I don’t know. There is a chance that one of our other sons will have an alpha child.”

She raised her eyebrows and glared at him. Obviously, she knew that it was a lie. Only an alpha could bear an alpha child, and it had been a ridiculous thing to say. He had such a headache. He just wanted her to shut up.

“How fucking stupid do you think I am?”

“I know that you’re not stupid. I’m sorry. You made my head hurt when you knocked me into sleep. Can you at least stop yelling at me?”

“No!” she howled even louder. “Not until you get this asinine idea out of your head. There has to be another way.”

“Like what, Ever? I’m not a witch, I’m a were. I have no idea how to get your spirit back into your body. I will not let you die. I can’t let you die. I love you too much. If it means giving up our son, then so be it. I love Seren with all my heart, but I can’t live without you.”

Ever dropped back on her heels, glaring at him. “I’m an adult. He’s a child that has experienced nothing in life. How can you ever consider condemning him to a life with her?”

“How do you know it will be a horrible life? Maybe she means it, and he can live with us and then return to us after he has fucked her. No big deal.” Even as the words left his mouth, Kris knew that they were a lie. Ever was right, Tella had put too much stress on the words “desire” and “want.” Whatever she would do to him would make him not want to come home. He would only desire to be with her for whatever she cared to do to him. She would be the alpha of the house and Seren would bow down to kiss her feet.

He shoved back his hair, massaging his temples with his finger. “Give me another option. I will not sit back and allow you to die.”

“What about the books that Silva spoke of? Go get them. Maybe they will tell us something or point us in the right direction. Set your computer up and we can search the Net for information. Maybe there is something at the library that will help, or maybe we can find a way to get in touch with a witch who won’t ask for an unreasonable price. We can look for books on witchcraft on the net and contact the people who wrote them. Someone might be able to help us. Anything is better than giving up our son.” Tears began to drip down her cheeks and, given different circumstances, Kris would have thought they were simply created to make him feel worse.

He completely understood her frustration. Kris didn’t want to give up his son. He loved Seren, and it would break his heart to hand him over to Tella. The problem was that it would crush him to lose Ever. She was his soul mate, his eternal, and he would die without her. Then all of their children would be without a mother or father. He knew that his death would happen, just as surely as he knew that the word “desire” had been used in context to represent that his son would no longer have free will to desire anything.

* * * *

Liam removed Seren from Kris’s arms and laid him to Ever’s breast. The child might as well eat, considering he was already wide awake. He was surprised at Kris for going to sleep with Seren in his arms. Maybe he hadn’t fallen asleep, considering the time period. Only a few moments had passed since he had walked Tella and Silva out. Liam had been in a hurry to lock the door and get back to discuss things with Kris.

Stroking the baby’s back, he considered the decision that had to be made. Seren was the family heir to alpha. He was probably one of the last children that would be born a Sten. He supposed that they could have more children with another woman, but he certainly didn’t want to fuck anyone else. He wanted to be with Ever and would keep his promise to never take another mate if anything happened to her. The whole time he had been with the children, he had thought of nothing but Ever. Every time the cell phone rang, he had been hesitant to answer it with fear that she had died.

If Tella was speaking the truth, then they didn’t have many options. The ultimate choice would be Ever or Seren. How could such a choice be made without tearing them all apart? How could they, as loving parents, give up one of their children? Of course, not doing so would mean the death of the woman who had illuminated their lives with her love. She had brought them closer and created the perfect union of their existences. They were a family now, as they hadn’t been in years. They were back on clan property because of her and everything had seemed as though perfection had touched them. Now that had turned into a nightmare that would end in tragedy, one way or another.

* * * *

Kris lay on his back with his eyes closed. He was still rubbing his temples, but the movement of his hands was slowing and he refused to say more. Ever understood that she was looking at this from the opposite side of the coin. In her mind, it was give up her child or give up her life. She would not choose her own life over Seren’s. To condemn him to an unknown future at the hands of that witch was unthinkable. She didn’t trust the woman, and there had to be some other way.

She was so angry with Kris, yet in a way, she could understand his thinking. He loved her as she had never imagined being loved. She was his mate, a half to make him whole. She was now the center of their family unit and was as she was now because she had given them four children. Ever didn’t resent the children for causing her to be in this state. It was not their fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that she had hemorrhaged during birth. Mick had done what he could to save her, but it had not been enough. Her body had not been in agreement. From what Liam had told her, Kris had risked her life to save her. She had not known that it was so dangerous for Kris to infuse her with his saliva, but it had kept her alive. Well…sort of alive. Her body was alive. Her spirit was alive.

To attack him had been wrong. It would have been wiser to discuss it with him instead. She could have brought him around to her way of thinking, if she hadn’t yelled at him. “Kris?” she said softly. His hands had stopped rubbing and now lay at the sides of his face. “Shit!”

Ever had discovered that once they fell asleep in the dream, it was almost impossible to wake them up. She willed herself back into reality and sat up. Liam was sitting beside the babies’ cradle, staring at them. It was such a tragic sight. Ever joined him, standing at his side, and Liam put his hand back, finding her leg and letting his palm hang against her skin. It must be strange to touch her, with no substance against his hand. It was different for her because she could see them, but not really feel them. There was simply a sensation of warmth against her fingers.