Haulcon's Revenge (13 page)

She was too young for the change of life. Not even thirty yet, her mind should be as sharp as a tack. However, she hadn’t been herself in the last two weeks since getting approval for her trip. Normally by now her things would be packed and at the door, just waiting as she counted down the hours to leave.

But the only thing she had managed to get into her large, high-capacity hiking backpack was her camera and case, backup battery packs, two flashlights, four packs of D batteries and one pair of panties.

Even her trail mix ingredients were still spread out on the counter uncombined. Not to mention there were no rolls of film in the backpack.

“
I’m a mess.” She could only admit that out loud to herself. Hiding it from others and pretending everything was okay was one thing, but she couldn’t fool her own mind.

She sat down on her couch and curled her legs beneath her hip. The urge to sleep for hours pushed at her, only driving behind her need to eat. However, she had eaten all kinds of things over the last few days, but couldn’t find what she craved.

To make matters worse, she felt like she was starting to hallucinate because she seemed to see Haulcon at every turn.

Haulcon
.

Her body ached and cried out for him. At night she felt chilled to the bones and the only thing that warmed her up was reciting his name like a mantra until she drifted off to sleep.

She shoved up from the couch. “This is insanity, Adair,” she yelled at herself.

It had been three weeks and a day since she’d last seen him. The man had his life, his own clan that not only didn’t include her but was a complete different species.
Valf
. That one word was so far away from the word human it was ridiculous.

So, the man was sexy. And made tall, dark and handsome the understatement of the year when used to describe him. “More like massive, imposing and dangerous.”

However, she didn’t fear he’d hurt her. There’d been plenty of opportunity for him to kill her if it was in his nature. But he hadn’t.

What he had done to her with one bite, one thrust and a kiss had been twenty times more body rocking than all of her three prior lovers combined could accomplish.

“
I’m just sex deprived that’s it.” It was easier to blow off what she felt thinking about Haulcon to lust. Anything else was just ridiculous.

She desired him, but the strong urge her body had experienced to be around him like when she was in the forest was gone. Their connection, as he called it, was well and over.

Then why can’t you get him off your mind?

Why were you halfway up the mountain last night before you realized where you were going?

She’d gone out for steak and fries and had turned off in the opposite direction of downtown.

She arrived at the restaurant so late that the manager had given her call-in order away.

Shaking her head, she marched into her room forcing herself to pack.

“
Six panties and seven sports bras, check. Five pairs of socks, check.” She decided calling out the items she needed would keep her focused.

Gathering her clothes, she dropped them in the center of her bed as she collected them. In her bathroom she grabbed her ever-ready vanity bag. Glancing inside to ensure there weren’t any items that needed replenishing like body wash, unscented lotion, deodorant, nail clippers, a small mirror, and toothpaste. She pulled out her toothbrush and put in a new one. She noticed she only had a few tampons left so she grabbed her box from under the sink to add more to the small bag.

That’s when something started to dawn on her. Leaving the things on the bathroom counter, she rushed to the wall in her bedroom. Staring at the calendar of baby animals nailed up beside her dresser mirror she saw the date, October third.

Reaching out, she lowered the top page to show the previous month. There were no red Xs on any of the days.

A trembling started in her core. With shaky hands she brought the next page down to see August. There a line of red Xs boldly declared the last time she’d had her cycle—smack in the middle of the month.

Which meant that she should have started at the least the week of the 15
^th
of September. A week after she’d been up in the mountains. A week after she’d come upon a man beaten and tied in the woods, close to death. A week after she’d had sex with Haulcon.

“
Oh, God. Oh, God. OhGodohGodohGodohGod…” she stumbled back. Everything around her was spinning and she was struggling to breath.

“
It can’t be true. This can’t be happening.” Placing a hand on her forehead she collapsed onto her bed and tried to think and come up with a million reasons, logical or not, of why she could have missed her period in the last three weeks.

Her ovaries had been working like clockwork since she started at twelve years old. Never missing or delayed.

“
Wait. I’m on the pill.” She popped up almost wanting to shout with joy. Even though her last boyfriend had been a few years ago, she kept herself updated on her prescription.

Even though she was confident that pregnancy wasn’t the reason and it was most likely due to stress, Adair still grabbed her car keys and purse. It was late but there was always a drug store open in town. While she was out, she’d grab a burger, because she was hungry again, even though she’d just eaten a steak and sweet potato fries a little over an hour ago.

She’d even ignored the voice of her doctor that warned her how unhealthy it was for her to eat something so heavy so late at night. ‘It’s counterproductive to your weight loss.’

Adair shook her head at the words. She was a curvy girl, and would probably be one for the rest of her life. Her goal was to stay active, not starve herself until she was thin.

Fifteen minutes later she pulled into one of the empty front parking spots of the convenient store and went inside.

A few minutes later she was back in her jeep with a two-pack anytime prego test, a quarter of mint ice cream and dark chocolate covered pretzels. Laughing at her snacks, she realized that her period was probably just late and due to start any day now. That would explain her salty and sweet quick grab. However, she still traveled through the drive-thru of The Grease Shack and got a plain cheeseburger.

The burger was gone a mile down the road and she had the pretzels open and was crunching one after the other between her teeth until the small bag was empty.

“
It has to be period hormones,” she told herself.

Binge eating was something she did in college before big exams. Over the years she had gained more control over her life and eating habits.

Once she was home, she carried all the items inside, tossing her garbage in the trash and putting the ice cream in the freezer. Taking a moment to down a large glass of water to ensure her bladder was filled and ready she took the test with her to the bathroom. The quicker she confirmed that she wasn’t carrying Haulcon’s child, the faster she could get back to packing…and consuming her ice cream.

~YH~

Haulcon told himself to leave. The same lecture he’d given himself for the past two weeks. Normally he and his clan never even came close to the city, but valfs were still coming up missing and he was trying to discover why. The only thing he discovered were stiff corpses at the base of the mountain. Just dumped at the edge of the city like trash.

Such heartless care of a deceased valf went against everything they stood for. They ingrained respect in their young. He’d even ensured that Jacin and his nine allies had been given respect in their burial. If he could do it for his enemies then it damn sure should be done for those captured and fallen.

But captured by whom? How?

One thing he did know was that everybody died the same, lack of oxygen, caused by direct exposure to sunlight. Humans believed they died in a burst of flames from the sun. Another myth. But the sun’s UV rays constricted their blood vessels and caused them not to be able to carry oxygen to the brain. That caused the lungs to stop functioning and they would die gasping for air as their bones stiffened, causing severe pain.

As the Alpha, he didn’t take his responsibility lightly in protecting his people. That may have been why he had elected himself to patrol the city border, but it wasn’t what drew him night after night to Adair’s residence.

Thankfully, the apartments where she stayed had a small woodland area close by and her place was on the back end, giving him a place to observe her unaware.

He shouldn’t have been able to locate her. Even though they had been connected for some unexplainable reason after he drank from her, that was weeks ago. Without further contact and her not truly being his mate, their bond should be broken.

But, here he stood. As he stood most nights gazing through her wide windows as she went through her nightly routines. Now, he could see she had piles of things in places around her studio, as if she were packing. However, he didn’t see any cases, just a backpack, larger than the one she carried when she’d come upon him in the forest.

Was she going somewhere?

Back into the mountains maybe.

His heart raced. He was unsure if it was joy or apprehension at having her near to him and in his surroundings.

Regardless of the reason, their connection was strong and seemed to become stronger by the day. Even now his body trembled to be near her. Not just to taste of her sweet blood again, but to hold her and join with her in the most carnal sense.

He watched her come out of the bathroom, her face a mask of confusion and fear. Her dark features seemed pale and drawn.

His heart thumped in his chest. His wolf urged him to go to her. Something was wrong. This wasn’t the same look of stress and longing that had been the set of her face over the last few weeks. A look that he had hoped meant she was missing him as much as he yearned for her.

Haulcon
.

As clear as if he’d spoke his own name with his lips, he heard her call him.

Uncertain whether she had just murmured it for comfort or another reason, her high emotions drew him. Unable to fight the pull any longer he went to her.

The power he harnessed would have allowed him to force the door open. The human locks were no match for his valf strength, but he didn’t want to frighten her. Knocking he stood there, waiting like a young valf male at his first joining—nervous and unsure of the actions to take.

Time ticked by in long moments and he had to knock again a second time, more firmly than the first. Her place was only so big, practically able to be viewed in its entirety from one large window.

Suddenly the door opened and she stood before him bewildered and awkward.

Shifting from one foot to the other, she held him in her brown-eyed gaze. “Haulcon, what are you doing here? How did you fin—”

“
You have my child.” Abruptly his mind was flooded with feelings, emotions and images. Her scent was strong, heady. It wasn’t just the wild hibiscus that he picked up this time but an earthy spice—valf notes combined with hers.

The way she’d smelled when he’d given her the parting kiss after he’d released inside her. He had marked her as his and now she carried his heir.

She stumbled back, moving further into the room with a protective hand over her stomach. “How did you know that?”

He followed her steps, closing the door behind him. “I can smell him.”

Her eyebrows shot up high. “Him?”

“
Every gender of valf has a certain scent even as each individual is unique.” He moved in on her. Standing before her, he cupped her face. Her skin was like warm silk, he’d missed touching her. “How long have you known?”

“
Just now. I only discovered the truth a moment ago.” She shook her head, appearing once again as shocked and confused as she had looked when he saw her through the window.

“
Would you have kept this from me?” He glanced around her small place, barely the size of his Alpha room at the compound. Now that he was in her surroundings he could clearly see she was going somewhere. “Are you trying to leave with my offspring?”