The Bear's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance (8 page)

Igor pulled the start cable of the outboard motor as Valemon lifted Rachel into the boat, and then climbed in himself. The black shapes of the wolves stood on the beach howling and yipping, disappointed that their quarry had escaped.  

Igor steered the laden boat through the narrow channel in silence.  Rachel pulled her phone out and stared at its cracked screen waiting for that elusive signal bar to spawn.  After about ten minutes of staring, one bar blossomed on the phone’s display.

She handed the phone to Igor so they could attempt to retrieve Rachel’s laptop.  He dialed Hilda’s private number and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Hilda picked up the phone.  “Hilda, If Hans hasn’t destroyed it yet, bring Rachel’s laptop to the cavern.  Ssh, don’t say anything...just do it.  We’ll be there in about an hour, two tops.”  With that, he hung up.

Valemon seated the two wooden oars in their hinges.  “I’ll row first.” He began to row with large, powerful strokes.  “With both of us taking turns we can go twice as far,” he said.

Igor grunted in acknowledgment as he snapped Rachel’s flimsy smart phone in half and pitched it into the dark water.  Njord will forgive him, he thought.  He didn’t want the phone traced by Hans while they went searching for the Aerie. Rachel looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. “I’ll buy you a new one when this is all over,” he rumbled as he turned towards the bow to spot for Valemon while he rowed.

“You better,” Rachel muttered under her breath as she sulked angrily in the bottom of the boat.  This adventure was probably the most miserable one she had ever taken in her life, and she’d been through a few.  Attacked and held hostage by religious militants, sitting in a palm tree in the middle of a typhoon, and now this, first a broken ankle, a broken head and now a pregnancy that would probably kill her. 

She would rather be with the militants right now than here, she thought as she shivered miserably as another pain ripped through her body.  She felt a gush between her legs and looked down to see a bloodstain spreading around the crotch of her khaki trousers.  Great, she thought, all the more smell for them to track me with, she quipped in her head.

Rachel felt the boat shift as the two men traded places.  Valemon stood watch and navigated while Igor faced stern and rowed.  She curled up and closed her eyes, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the boat.  All the stress of the day had finally caught up with her and her body and mind decided to shut down.  Sleep was what her body screamed for at that moment, and sleep was what it was going to get.

*

The sun was setting as Valemon navigated the row boat into the hidden cove underneath his manor.  He looked up and saw Hilda standing on the rickety old dock holding a closed laptop, waiting for them to arrive.  He pulled up alongside the ladder and climbed out.  Igor gently roused the slumbering Rachel from the bottom of the boat and helped her debark.

“Oh Master, I didn’t know if they were going to follow me here.  I pleaded a female issue and was excused but I don’t know when they’ll track me down and find me. Here, take the computer,” she blurted out as she shoved the laptop in Valemon’s large hands and ran off. 

Rachel walked up to Valemon and took the laptop from his hands and sat down on the old dock.  She opened the lid and prayed there would be enough battery life to log on to the WiFi and get the web address. 

The laptop powered on and she entered her login credentials.  She stared at the icon that indicated the machine was in the process of connecting to a wireless internet connection intently, praying for it to work.  After a minute, the connection strength showed two bars and she sighed in relief. Her battery life was at fifty percent, not good.

She hastily opened up her web browser and went through her recent history.  She found the web page she was looking at the night Valemon came in to check on her and clicked on it. 

Valemon knelt down behind her to watch what she was doing.  His eyes went wide as he saw the webpage slowly load up.  “That’s old Norse,” he said excitedly.

“Do you know it?” Rachel asked.

“Yes, it was taught to me by my father and his father before him.  It is a language that is considered dead by most, but my family are curators of the ancient and eclectic,” he said wryly as he picked up the laptop to get a better look. “It gives a brief history about my family and the Ironwood clan, nothing we don’t already know, but that rune stone...” he trailed off as he examined it closely.  “I can’t make out what it says but the location of it is given below the picture, it’s near Lake Rossvatnet. Still a fair clip away,” he said sadly.

Igor perked up.  “You know, we can drive most of the way there on the E6 if we can grab a car from the garage, it would take us the better part of two weeks to get there on foot, and Rachel doesn’t have much time.”

Valemon sighed.  “It seems like too much of a risk,” he rumbled.  “I don’t want to get her killed before we even get started.”

“We’re all doomed if we don’t try,” Igor said to his cousin.  “I’ll go get the car and bring it to the front gate, you two, try to sneak out without the guards noticing you.  I’ll grab the hybrid because it makes no noise when it’s on the battery.”

Valemon nodded.  “It probably is the best bet.  It’s going to be dark soon, so we might as well wait.  At least they won’t be able to see us as well.  It's a few hours at best until total darkness.  We might as well rest up while we can.”

The trio curled up around the shivering Rachel.  She was coated with a thin sheen of sweat that glowed unhealthily under the fluorescent lighting.  Valemon touched her forehead with one of his massive palms and quickly withdrew it.  “She’s burning up,” he whispered. 

Igor looked grim as he walked towards the hatch to the upper courtyard.  “We need to get going fast.  She’s going septic from that brat of yours.”

“But it’s not quite dark out,” Valemon pleaded.  “We can’t take the risk.”

“Wanna bet?” Igor growled as he shoved the wooden door out of the way.  “Either we leave now or she dies, pretty simple,” he barked as he pulled his massive frame up the ladder. 

Valemon looked at the sickly Rachel.  “Come on, we need to go,” he whispered as he helped pull her up.  He supported her by the waist as she stumbled along next to him. When they arrived at the hatch, Valemon lifted Rachel up to Igor who helped her climb though.  Valemon silently followed and closed the door with a soft thud.  “Okay, we’ll meet you outside the main gate. Good luck,” he whispered.

Igor gave a swift nod and silently walked towards the converted stable.  Valemon took Rachel by the arm and guided her around the outer wall in the twilight, while trying not to make any unnecessary noise.

Rachel began to feel dizzy and swooned against the cold stone wall that surrounded the manor’s courtyard. Valemon caught her by the waist before she fell to the ground, scooped her up and carried her in his arms.  Her fever caused ripples of heat to waft from her forehead in the near darkness, and he felt more concerned for her than ever. He carried the woman effortlessly around the courtyard and to the front gate, which was already open.  He slid alongside the stone wall and out the gate without being detected by the prowling dire wolves in the yard.  After they had escaped the manor grounds, Valemon moved them into a small copse of trees that adorned the side of the main driveway and waited.

His ears perked up at the sound of tires on gravel, knowing it was Igor in the hybrid.  He peeked out from the bush and saw his cousin’s large hand poking out of the window, motioning for them to get in the car.  Valemon stood up with Rachel in his arms and walked toward the car.  He set her down and leaned her limp form next to the car while he opened the back door of the hybrid SUV.  Once he had opened the door, he put the unconscious Rachel on the back seat and covered her up with the blanket which was folded neatly on the floor.

He closed the door, walked to the passenger side and got in.  He looked at his cousin, pale and bleeding. “What the hell?” he exclaimed as his cousin punched the accelerator.

“Nothing, just got bit by one of those mangy dogs.  I’ll be fine.  Just a flesh wound,” Igor replied as he held up an arm, which was wrapped in a makeshift bandage.

“Alright.  Let’s go.  We need to get to the E6,” Valemon ordered.  “Her fever is getting worse.”

“I’m on it.  Don’t you have a house up by that lake?”

“Yeah I do,” Valemon replied.

“Well, let’s go pay it a visit, shall we?” his cousin asked as he wound his way down the narrow country road that wound its way through the Norwegian countryside.

Rachel let out a fitful moan from the back seat and fell silent once more.

CHAPTER FIVE

    
The black hybrid SUV took the first exit onto the northbound lane on the E3 motorway.  Two large men sat in the front while a woman lay in the back, moaning and writhing in feverish agony.

“How is she doing?” asked the driver, as he glanced in the rear view mirror.

The passenger turned in his seat to get a good look at the pregnant blonde woman who was passed out in the back seat.  “She’s still the same.” 

  “I feel absolutely awful,” Valemon  said.  The massive, silver-haired man shifted uncomfortably in the seat.  His legs were beginning to get cramped since his seven foot frame was not meant for vehicles such as this. 

Igor, the driver, was feeling the cramped quarters as well.  He was Valemon’s cousin and was just a few inches shorter than his aristocratic relative.  He ran his hand through his short white-blonde hair and searched for a rest stop.  “I know we shouldn’t stop with the Ironwood clan on our tail, but I really need to get my legs stretched out.  I’m beginning to cramp up. It will give us a chance to check on her better, too.”

“Yes,” Valemon agreed.  “There is a service station not too far from here. We can stop for a quick stretch and a bite to eat.  We still need to keep our eyes open.  Those wolves can be anywhere or anyone.”

“I know,” Igor growled.  “That’s what happens when the dam is an immortal, she can breed longer.”

“Not just that and you know it.  They don’t care if the human women they kidnap die in the process of whelping the litters.”

“Forgot they had litters and not singles,”  Igor muttered.  He pulled onto the off-ramp that led towards the rest area.

“And that’s what gives them a real advantage over us,” Valemon finished.  The rest stop was in sight, the bright fluorescent lights illuminating the darkness around the area. A few large trucks were in the parking lot; their drivers were sleeping in the cabs for the night before continuing on the long trek to their destinations. 

Igor checked the fuel gauge on the hybrid and noticed it was half-full.  He decided against tanking up and exited the vehicle.  He checked on Rachel, who lay moaning in the back seat, and went inside the gas station for a coffee.  Valemon followed close behind while keeping an eye on the car.

“You should stay out there with her,” Igor whispered.  “I’ll bring you one, don’t worry I know what you take in it.”

Valemon nodded and left the interior of the store.  Igor walked to the carafes that held the black, fragrant liquid that would sustain them during their long drive to Lake Rossvatnet, in search of the Aerie, so they could find a way to help Rachel through her deadly pregnancy. 

Igor poured the strong black truck-stop coffee into the paper cups provided and added the right amount of sugar and creamer for each man.  He noticed the counter attendant giving him an openly hostile look as he served himself the coffee.  He walked up to the counter, placed the two cups down, and reached for his wallet. 

The shaggy haired youth standing at the register continued to give Igor a cold, hostile stare as he went to pay for the coffee.  “How much?” Igor asked the kid.

“Ten Kroner...” replied the youth as he reached for something under the counter.  “And the girl,” he finished as he pointed an ornate dagger at the stunned Igor.

Igor quickly regained his senses and hurled the hot coffee in the face of the Ironwood Clan youth and ran out the door while he had the chance.  “Get in the car,” he barked at the shocked Valemon.  “They’re coming.  That kid’s one of them.”  He yanked open the SUV’s door, sat down and gunned the engine.   Valemon quickly took his seat in the passenger side and buckled his seatbelt.

“Where to?”

“We’ll keep going.  There has to be somewhere that isn’t owned by those mutts,” Igor growled as he glanced in the rear view mirror.  He saw large dark shapes move in the darkness as he left the service station behind in a cloud of dust.  He hit the entrance ramp and finally clicked in his seatbelt as they merged onto the quiet motorway.    “I hope we left the mutts behind.  Any change in Rachel?”

“No, none at all.” Valemon sadly replied to the question.  “The good news is she isn’t deteriorating, though.”

“True.  Improvement would be better, but that would be too much to hope for right now. I guess mother went through this for two weeks before I clawed my way out.” He sighed heavily.  “I’m lucky father forgave me.”

Valemon put a comforting hand on his cousin’s knee. “It wasn’t your fault and you know it. Your father didn’t know the risks.  I did, because of what your father and mother went through, yet I continued on my fool’s quest anyway.”

“You really don’t want to get locked in your bear shape forever, do you?”

“No, I don’t.  I enjoy the finer human things in life.  This curse our family is under is starting to get old.” Valemon moped.

“Well, that’s your ancestor’s fault.  That’s what happens when you jilt the queen of the Iron Woods for a mortal.” 

Valemon snorted.  “That’s her damn fault for showing up as an ugly troll.  If she would have just shown up as her usual self, he might have just gone for it.”

Igor laughed.  “And that’s the lesson.  You know how those gods can be.  Never judge something by their first appearance.  Blahblahblah, but because your ancestor decided that beauty was more important, we’re stuck turning into bears, same with your kid back there, if he lives through this.”

“You’re right.” Valemon sighed as he looked out at the dark forest. “We’re stuck with it now.  Changing shape does have its advantages, but I would really enjoy going a full month without having to go through the entire painful process.   Maybe the Falcon Clan will have some sort of fix for that too,” he said wryly as they sped through the darkness.

“So,” his cousin pried, “do you love her?”

Valemon shot Igor an incredulous look. “Don’t be daft; I’ve only known her a few weeks.” He snorted.

Igor shot a glance at the older man from the corner of his eye and saw all that he needed to see.  Concern for Rachel was etched all over Valemon’s bearded face.  “Right,” he replied skeptically. He knew his cousin all too well since they had grown up together. Valemon was older by a year, but Igor was the wiser of the two, since he was the one least sheltered. A cry of pain erupted from the back seat as Igor drove through the dark Norwegian night.  The motorway was all but deserted as he navigated to their destination.   Valemon turned around in his seat to see Rachel contorted in agony and clutching her stomach.   She writhed and yelled out as the baby within her underwent another massive growth spurt.   Her stomach distended and roiled grotesquely as the child within stretched it once again.  After the agonizing process was complete, Rachel looked as if she were six months pregnant. 

“Wow,” Valemon muttered.  “I think we might need to carry her when we have to hike to the Aerie, if we can locate that rune stone.   She’ll be too big to hike the distance.”

“You’re right.  We might need to take turns lugging her if she doesn’t come to in time.”

“It’s best if we let her rest for now.  We still have a few hours to go yet before we reach the turn off to get to the lake.  I hope Hans didn’t remember that I have a house out there.  I do think that was one of the holdings my family kept secret from his.” 

“Good.  Those mutts didn’t need to know all our family’s secrets.  I’m kinda hoping that we end this bullshit once and for all.  Who knows, the Falcons might be able to mediate this feud.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t count on it, they’re notoriously neutral in these kinds of affairs.”

“Soon their neutrality will be tested.  They won’t be happy with you, you know.  They might just side with the Ironwoods and Rachel be damned.”

“You have a point,”  Valemon rumbled as he looked back at the distressed woman.   “If it saves her life, though, I’ll do whatever they ask.”

“And you said you weren’t in love with her.” 

“Shut up. I just feel bad for dragging her into this mess, that’s all.”

Igor smiled knowingly in the darkness as he kept driving.  He knew his cousin too well. 

*

   
Igor noticed the petrol gauge pointing near empty when he saw another rest stop exit.  As he pulled off, the sun was dawning in the east and they were almost to the road leading to the lake.  “We need to fill up or we won’t get there.  The battery will only take us so far after the tank runs out.”

“Yeah. The house, if I recall, is pretty far up the lake, near where the mountains are.  We’ll need to off road it for a little bit if the road isn’t maintained,” Valemon explained.

“Don’t worry, this car has some pretty good off road capabilities.  That’s why I picked it.  Never know where we have to go to get away from those mutts. Anyway, you’re going to have to take the wheel.  You slept most of the way; it’s my turn to catch some Z’s.” Igor pulled in to the service station. 

Valemon nodded and yawned as the SUV pulled up to the pump.  “Let’s hope there are no Ironwoods here.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay at the pump. We can live without coffee until we get to the lake house,” Igor said as they exited the vehicle.  Valemon crossed over in front of the SUV and entered the driver’s side while Igor filled up the tank.   When the tank was full, he pulled a card out of his wallet and tapped it to the card reader. He sighed in relief as the payment went through, since sometimes the card readers on these pumps were sketchy at best.  He sat down in the passenger’s seat, buckled in and closed his eyes.

Rachel let out a soft moan as she tossed and turned listlessly in the back seat.  Her long blonde hair was dark and knotted from the feverish sweating and restless tossing and turning.  Her stomach was grotesquely distended from under her button up shirt.  Fresh stretch marks marred her fair stomach with angry purple streaks and dark blood soaked her pants.  She needed to be seen fast. 

“I don’t think she’ll be able to make it to the Aerie,” Igor said glumly.  “You might have to go up there alone if we can find out where it is and talk one of them into coming down to the lake house.  She won’t survive the trip up there.”

Valemon grunted.  “I’m really not looking forward to going up there by myself, but I will if I have to.  I don’t want her dying on me.”

“Good call. I’ll stay with her to fend off the dogs if they find us.  At least she won’t be left completely alone.”  Igor leaned the seat back in an attempt to get comfortable and yawned. “I think I’m going to catch a nap.  At least my snoring will keep you awake enough to not steer us into a ditch,” he said as he pulled his cap over his face to shade his eyes from the sunlight. 

Valemon drove along the motorway, taking in the scenery.  They were in a remote area so there was not much in the way of traffic.  Tall mountains loomed to his right with sun peeking over their snow-capped peaks and the dark Norwegian forest was to the left, filled with potential danger.  He shivered as he sped past the tall swath of conifers.  If he remembered the old family legends correctly, this thick dense forest was the Iron Woods.  The last place he wanted to break down was here.

“I’m thirsty,” a small voice piped up from the back.

“Rachel?” Valemon inquired as he looked in the rear view mirror. “How are you doing?”

“I’m real thirsty. And sore.  Very, very sore.”

“I think there’s a bottle of water back there.  I usually keep a stash in my vehicles so I don’t have to stop when I get thirsty.”

He listened as she shuffled around, searching for the water.

“I found one.  Thanks,” Rachel said quietly as she cracked open the top of the plastic water bottle.  She tipped it to her lips and chugged it down as fast as she could.  The water was luke warm but it was better than the parched feeling at the back of her throat. “Thanks,” she gasped when she had finished draining the water bottle.  “I’m still thirsty.”

“We’ll be at my house on the lake in an hour, if you can hang on until then.”

Rachel flopped back down on the back seat.  “I’ll try.”

Valemon was shaken by Rachel’s haggard appearance.  Her skin was pale and waxy, the dark circles that formed under her eyes looked like two fresh bruises and the healing cut on her forehead looked angry and infected.  If there were a zombie movie filming nearby and they needed an extra, Rachel would be the perfect candidate.  

“Where are we going again?”   Even her usually vibrant voice sounded weak and haggard.

“We’re going to my house up on the lake.  I’m going to leave you there with Igor while I go find the Aerie.  Hopefully, one of the Falcon Clan will agree to come down because there’s no way that you can make it to whatever peak they live on.” 

Rachel looked out the window towards the snowy mountain peaks.  “What if they don’t agree to come?  What will happen?”

“You’ll die,”  Valemon replied grimly.  “The baby will live, until I hand it over to Angrboda, but you...the baby will claw its way out of you, and you will die from massive shock and blood loss, just like Igor’s mother.” Valemon swallowed hard, trying to contain his emotions.

Rachel was feeling so detached from everything.  She knew she should feel some form of fear or anger at the news, yet she felt nothing.  It was rather disconcerting to say the least.  “Oh,” was her reaction to the grim news.  “That doesn’t sound good at all.”