WereBabies

by Jade White

  “I concede that,” Grace acknowledged. “Now, how did you do it?”

  “The elephant researchers down the path were very helpful,” Shannon said, attempting to look innocent as she spoke.

  “In the dead of night?” Grace asked in disbelief.

  “Yes, I am persuasive,” she said simply.

  “I know that, but it isn't fair to flirt with men you don’t care about,” Grace pointed out.

  “I would do far worse to make sure the boy has a safe place to sleep,” Shannon said meaningfully. There was no disputing the love in her eyes as she spoke about Luke.

  “I love you,” Grace said, wrapping her arms around her best friend.

  “Thank you for doing this for our son,” Dylan said earnestly. Shannon nodded in acknowledgment, though she was clearly embarrassed at the attention she was receiving.

  “Can we talk about more pressing issues now?” she asked suddenly.

  “Yes,” Dylan responded hesitantly.

  “What the hell happened today?” she asked.

  “It's a custom among our people to take the children of your enemy as your own through a ritual. Javi thought that she could become the mother of my child in the same way. I don’t understand how she could have thought that it would have worked. The ritual hasn’t been performed since all factions of werelions were united one hundred years ago.

  “Even if it had worked, I would never have come to choose her. I would always have seen her as the woman who killed my mate. It would never have given her what she really wanted,” he said, shaking his head as he spoke.

  “What is it that she wants?” Shannon asked.

  “She has long thought that she is destined to be my mate,” he said frankly. The thought that Javi had wanted to take her family as her own struck cold in Grace’s heart. She leaned closer to Dylan and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, as though the closer he held her, the safer she would be.

  “So she thought if she killed Grace and took the baby as her own, there would be nothing standing in her way?” Shannon asked in shock. In all the years that she had known Grace, Shannon couldn’t even remember anyone who didn’t like Grace, let alone wanted to kill her.

  “Yes,” he said simply.

  “Why does she want to be your mate so badly?” Shannon pushed.

  “I am the current ruler of our pride. If she were my mate, she would be their queen.” He said it frankly, as though he was telling her the time or the date.

  “Does that make Grace their queen?” Shannon asked in shock.

  “Yes it does,” he said, staring at Grace with love in his eyes.

  “So then the mating habits of werelions are different that traditional lions?” she asked, unable to suppress her scientific curiosity.

  “Yes, in order for a cub to be conceived, the pair must be mated. We don’t mate with multiple partners, as lions do. That is one of the main ways in which our civilization is closer to that of humans,” he explained.

  “What other ways are you similar to traditional humans?” she asked, amazed at the insight she was gaining.

  “Well, our pride is larger than the 10 or so individuals that you find in a lion pride. We are also more evenly distributed between males and females than the animal prides are.”

  “And how are you similar to wild lions?” she pressed.

  “Our pride is insular, just as their prides are. In addition, individuals are often turned away from the pride when offenses are committed,” he added vaguely.

  “And how will your pride take having a human queen?” she asked, trying to picture the group he had described welcoming her friend with open arms.

  “They will come to love her as I do,” he replied without an ounce of doubt.

  “Wait,” Shannon said. “This isn't over yet, is it?”

  “Not yet,” he said, “but it soon will be.”

  “What does that mean?” Grace asked, unable to hide her concern.

  “It means that we will just have to show them that you will be an amazing queen,” he said, kissing her on top of the head when he finished speaking.

  “How in the world am I supposed to be a queen?” she asked in unveiled horror. Grace had always been a very simple person and Shannon could not think of a soul with less desire to be anyone’s queen than her best friend.

  “You need only be yourself and raise our son to be a strong brave man,” he said smoothly.

  “I can do that,” she nodded, with a tentative smile. Still, her eyes betrayed how uneasy she was with the entire situation.

  “Then everything will be fine,” he said, pulling her close once again.

  “What happens if it isn't fine?” Shannon asked. She had a dark feeling that if things did not go as Dylan planned, it was Grace who would be in the greatest peril. As thrilled as she was for their happiness, she was worried for her friend’s fate in all of this.

  “It will be,” Dylan assured.

  “What if they don't accept her?”

  “Then I will choose her and the child,” he said without question.

  Just then, a man walked towards them from the darkness. He seemed to be made of the darkness that surrounded him. His jet black hair and dark eyes were enough to take Shannon’s breath away. As he continued to stalk towards them, she realized that the darkest thing about him was his expression. He was clearly livid about something and his eyes were locked on Dylan. As Dylan saw him approaching, he stood and put himself between the stranger and the women and child.

  “Dylan is it true, what they are saying?” the stranger bellowed.

  “Hello, Jason,” Dylan said calmly.

  “Tell me,” the dark man demanded.

  “Yes, I have chosen a mate,” Dylan said, turning to look at Grace with an encouraging smile.

  “One of their kind?” Jason asked indignantly. The fury on his face was plain.

  “You know that I have,” Dylan said with an edge to his voice that neither women had heard before.

  “And she has already born your child?” he said in disbelief.

  “Yes, a boy named Luke. He's asleep in the house.” Dylan gestured toward the damaged hut as he spoke.

  “Which of them is it?” he said with disgust in his tone.

  “It would do well for you to use a more courteous tone,” Dylan warned.

  “I am sorry cousin; please introduce me to your mate,” he said in a forced tone of respect.

  “Much better,” he said guardedly. “Jason, this is Grace.” He turned then and extended a hand to Grace. She took it and he pulled her to his side.

  “Pleasure,” Jason said without sincerity.

  “And this is my friend, Shannon,” she said, tilting her head towards Shannon.

  He clearly had not even taken notice of her before that moment. The man stopped and stared at Shannon intently, so intently that it made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Still, she took the opportunity to study this new stranger. His face was strong, but his eyes were soft and full of emotion as they swept over her. He seemed to be full of rolling emotions that made it very hard for him to stand still, but something about her kept him frozen in one spot.

  “Charmed,” he said with all the sincerity his voice had lacked when he addressed Grace. Dylan observed his behavior with a curious look on his face, but said nothing. As handsome as Jason was, Shannon knew that she couldn’t let her guard down and certainly couldn’t forget that he had come there to take a stand against Dylan’s love for Grace.

  She walked around Dylan and stood only a foot from the handsome stranger who had invaded their home. He did not move an inch, but looked down at her with an undefinable expression on his face. She knew she should be nervous, as he was clearly not their ally, but she was too angry to worry about that. Her impulse to defend her friend was stronger than her instincts for self-preservation.

  “You will forgive me if I am not thrilled to meet a man who came here to ruin my friend’s happiness,” she replied with as civil a
tone as she could manage. Though she wanted to confront him, she did not want to provoke him for fear of what he and Dylan might do if a fight came about.

  “And you will forgive me if I have a hard time accepting the human who is going to ruin my cousin’s life and the peace of my pride,” he said. His voice was as soft as velvet when he spoke, very near a purr, even in his anger. It was as though she could feel his very words on her skin. Still, she knew that she couldn’t let that distract her from her anger.

  “They are in love and they have a child, it's a little late to try to keep them apart,” she pointed out, feeling a little more relaxed.

  “He should have known better and if you really care about your friend, you would want to keep her far from all of this. It isn't safe,” he said as though he really did care for her safety.

  “Are you threatening my family?” she asked, her temper rising again.

  “No, but there are many threats to her here,” he said frankly.

  “So you think she should just pack up the child and go?” she said, her anger very present in her voice.

  “Absolutely not. The child belongs here with his own kind. You and she should leave, though. You have no place here,” he said frankly. The expression on his face grew stormier and she wished very much that she could read his thoughts, because there seemed to be something more to his feelings than what he was saying.

  “No man, half lion or not, is going to tell me where my place is,” she said. Though she was doing her best to keep her anger in check, the edge in her voice rivaled his own. His eyes grew larger, as though he was shocked that any human would speak to him in such a way.

  “Enough, you two,” Dylan commanded, stepping between the two of them as though he was afraid they might tear each other’s throats out.

  “No, it isn't enough. They have no idea what you have involved them in. This one isn't even involved and she stands before me as though she is fighting for her own mate. They don't understand any of the dangers,” he accused. He pointed at Shannon and seemed appalled at Dylan’s behavior towards both women.

  “Don't you dare speak about me as though I am not here,” Shannon warned, once again edging around Dylan to face Jason.

  “She is a part of this. She and Grace are as close as sisters are and she has been helping her to raise the child. You will show her respect,” Dylan demanded, his arm quickly snaking around Shannon and depositing her safely behind him.

  “You ask too much of us all with this,” Jason exclaimed.

  “I am asking you to follow your leader and to trust me,” Dylan explained.

  “What will you do when another rises against you? If it's a male, they will kill you, her and the child,” he said with a tone that was more concerned than threatening.

  “I won't let that happen,” Dylan said defensively.

  “You may not have any choice. I don't want to take sides against you, but this is wrong and you know it. My allegiance is with the future of our people and you are putting that at risk. Humans bring nothing but trouble,” he said, clearly disturbed by the entire situation.

  “You are my cousin, but if you take sides against my family, I won't have any choice but to treat you as my enemy,” Dylan said calmly, but with a layer of steel under his words.

  “Let us hope that is doesn't come to that,” Jason said sincerely.

  “Yes, let us hope,” Dylan said.

  With that, Jason turned and left. When he was nearly out of sight, he turned and stared back at them for a moment longer. Instead of his eyes locking on Dylan, though, Shannon was sure that he was focusing on her instead. It was as if she could feel his gaze upon her like a caress. She knew she should feel nervous, but the thrill that went through her was undeniable, then he turned and disappeared from sight.

  “That was your cousin?”

  “Yes,” he said, staring off in the direction in which Jason had left.

  “He seems lovely,” she said with sarcasm, rather than admit that she felt much more for the stranger than she should.

  “He is a solid man, just a bit of a hot head. He's too much like his own father in that way, but he will come around,” he said, his eyes lingering on the horizon.

  “What does that mean?” Grace asked, placing a comforting hand on Dylan’s shoulder.

  “His father wanted very much to wipe the village off the map and take control of all the lands surrounding our territory. He tried to lead a rebellion against my father when we were young. He failed, of course, and was turned away from the pride. My father raised Jason as his own, but he has always felt as though he has no real family of his own. He always puts the pride first. I think he has spent his whole life trying to prove that he isn't his father,” he said with a sad expression on his face that clearly affected Grace as she wrapped both arms around him.

  He rested his chin atop her head and savored the moment, though Shannon knew that trouble was on the horizon for them all.

  “How much danger are we all in?” Grace asked as she buried her head in Dylan’s chest.

  “None at the moment and I will keep it that way,” he swore to her.

  “I trust you and I love you,” she replied gently, laying her hands against his cheeks and staring intently in to his eyes.

  “We should all go get some rest. It's been a very long night,” he said without looking away from her.

  “Yes, we should be safe for now and I am dead on my feet,” Grace said quietly.

  “You go get some sleep. I'm going to sit up in the nursery for a bit,” Shannon said casually.

  “Guarding the babe?” Dylan asked.

  “It doesn't hurt to have a set of eyes on him all the time,” she said, suddenly feeling a bit anxious that he was alone as they spoke.

  “You are a good friend. Thank you for everything,” Grace said, giving her the tightest hug she could remember in the history of their friendship.

  “You are very welcome. Now go get some sleep. You look like hell,” Shannon said as she patted her friend on the back.

  “I love you too,” Grace said as she and Dylan went inside.

  She sat outside for a moment longer, alone, staring off into the wilderness that surrounded them before she went inside, giving the parents a private moment to say goodnight to their son. The events of the last twelve hours had her a bit rattled, which was a new and uncomfortable feeling for her. Added to that were the odd feelings that had sprung up when Jason had arrived. It was ridiculous to feel so drawn to someone who was a threat to the only two people she had loved in decades.

  What she did not know was that Jason, who had returned to his lion form, was watching her from a distance. Though he knew he could not stay there with Dylan and his new family, he was not yet ready to walk away from Shannon. The fearless human female had left an impression on him and, for some reason, it was very important to him to be sure that she was safe.

  Though he didn’t think any of the others would plan any sort of attack so close to Javi’s failed attempt, he lingered anyway. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he needed, on some very basic level, to ensure that she didn’t get caught up in the turmoil that Dylan had set in motion.

  Even after she went inside to look after the baby, he stayed. His eyes never left the hut and his sharp hearing allowed him to hear her enter the baby’s nursery. It allowed him to hear her coo to the baby as she picked him up. He heard the creak of the rocking chair as she settled in with the babe in her arms. Then, he heard the gentle tones of her singing him a lullaby.

  Because of his own family history, such domestic displays usually made him uncomfortable. This time, though, it was different. The sounds of this woman soothing a child brought him a sense of comfort and peace that he hadn’t known he was still capable of feeling, and it scared the hell out of him.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Early the next morning, Shannon was still groggy from the events of the long evening. She had stayed up for hours and just held the sleeping baby to assure herself that he was
safe and sound there with her. Still, her sleep had been fitful and she rose with the sun as she usually did, as did Dylan and Grace. They left to go on a walk to start the morning, leaving the baby with Shannon.

  She went to the small fire pit outside her door to build up enough of a flame to get a pot of coffee perking. She strolled down to the well with the baby on her hip to fill her bucket with water.

  To her surprise, when she returned she saw Jason approaching once again. He looked much calmer than he had when he approached the night before. She knew she should be nervous, with him approaching her while she was alone with the baby, but she felt no fear. In truth, she was relieved that he had returned. A part of her had been afraid that she would never see him again until he came with the others to dethrone Dylan. She quickly deposited the water and the baby inside and went to meet him.