The Others Agency

by V J Lee

  “We didn’t use protection. I remember that we decided not to stress over it. Whatever happened, we’d ride it out together.”

  “Right. Then a week later, we were in that war with the Trolls.”

  “Aurora said something about Trolls. What do they have to do with all of this?”

  “I’m getting to it, if you’ll let me talk.” He waved his hand at her to continue. “We fought with those freaks for days. We took turns sleeping. I’d sleep, you’d cover me. You’d try to sleep, and I’d cover you. By the third day, you finally fell asleep. I let my guard down and fell asleep curled up by your side. Feeling your strong arms around me made me feel so safe, I couldn’t help myself.”

  Her eyes glazed over in remembrance of the moment, and she looked happy for a few seconds. Trevor wanted to put that look on her face again. He wanted her to be happy, because of him, because of what he said or did—the way it used to be.

  He bent forward and scooped up her legs, bringing them around to his lap. She tensed for a second, but when he started rubbing the instep of her foot, she laid her head down on the arm of the couch. He tossed the pillow from his end of the couch to her, and she placed it under her head, sighing contently. She continued telling the tale he was desperate to hear.

  “Remember when we woke up?”

  “Yeah, there was a Troll standing over you, not doing anything, just standing there with his hands out.”

  “When we woke up, he took off at a dead run. I don’t know what you know about Trolls …”

  “Not much. To me, they’re so plain and boring that they’re forgettable. I remember you said once that to you, they’re freaky-looking.”

  “True on both accounts.” She moaned when he rubbed a particularly tight spot in her foot. “They are all male, so they have to find women who can carry their children. Consequently, they have some black magic mojo that allows them to pull a fetus out of a woman’s womb and implant it in another. They can also keep it in a kind of magic stasis, enabling them to take a fetus out of a host and re-implant it as many times as they need to. The one who took our baby was working for Dr. Jekyll.”

  Our baby … the words hurt, yet warmed his heart. “Dr. Jekyll?”

  “You know, Roth. Anyway, Roth put Jacob in his wife, Petra. And in return …” She didn’t finish the sentence, but she didn’t have to. He knew.

  “In return, he would kill my parents, so they would leave Travis and me all their money. Then she could come back in and take everything from me.” He squeezed her ankle lovingly. “As soon as she walked into my life and you walked out, she did take everything.”

  Rissa continued, as if he hadn’t interrupted. “Roth would experiment on the fetuses, splicing the DNA of Others into them, and then placing them in different uteruses to see what happened. I don’t know what he did to Jacob … If he is Other, it’s nothing I have ever seen. There is no mask. He’s not hiding anything. He’s just illuminated by a bright aura one-hundred percent of the time. It’s so pure and good, Trevor. There are no dark edges, just pure love and peace all around him. I think that’s why Petra couldn’t turn him back over to them, knowing he could get hurt. She felt it as well.”

  Trevor thought about what she said, and reiterated what he had come to understand. “That’s how Jacob is mine and yours, but she carried him.”

  “Exactly. Being pregnant with our baby, carrying him to term, getting to feel soft, newborn skin against mine, watching him grow and teaching him … They robbed me of all that joy.”

  His heart really did hurt, so much that he clutched at his chest. “I’m so sorry, Rissa.” He rubbed her leg. “I’m glad he’s ours. Just think … from here on out, he is all ours.”

  Trevor didn’t miss the pained look on her face. He was certain it had to do with him being an asshole and taking her to court, inflicting pain and stress upon her that she wasn’t physically strong enough to manage.

  “So, are you going to talk to me about what I saw in the video?” He nodded toward the open laptop.

  Rissa closed her eyes and her brows furrowed. No doubt, she was trying to decide what to tell him and how much he should know.

  “I gave myself up for Jacob. I’m sure you figured that out by now.” Trevor nodded. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat. When I left home to meet up with them, prior to my capture, they had a Troll with them. He ran his hands up and down over me, hovering just over my belly. I had no idea what the fucker was up to. I didn’t know at the time that I was pregnant again … you know, from our hotel romp. He took the baby.”

  Rissa laid there quietly for a while, her face expressionless. If her eyes weren’t open, he would think she had dozed off. She blinked away the haze from her weakened state and continued.

  “When my captors started to understand that I wouldn’t be telling them who the Others were, they punished me severely. I’m not sure what their long-term plan for me was, but a Siren and a Troll helped me escape. The Troll had placed his hand over my stomach, and at the time, I didn’t think much of it. Trolls are weird. Plus, he passed me the USB drive during that same exchange. When I was in the hospital, Cosmo brought Apollo in to assess my injuries, and he informed me that I was expecting. The Troll had removed the fetus upon my arrival to the facility, knowing that the torture I would be subjected to would likely force a miscarriage. When my exit strategy was secure, he implanted the child back into my uterus. I didn’t know then, but with the help of the Siren, that Troll had saved both our lives. Then, Apollo healed my internal bleeding and some injuries I had sustained throughout my duress.”

  “Wait a sec … I thought the Light Ones couldn’t heal humans.”

  “They aren’t supposed to, but they have been known to heal small fractures and injuries, here and there, acquired in the field. Mine ended up being more extensive than Apollo had thought, but he fixed me up anyway. The baby absorbed his residual energy first, but it wasn’t enough. When it had consumed the last of Apollo’s, it turned to mine. This baby is sucking the life force out of me.”

  “Okay, well … don’t get pissed.”

  “You know, when someone instructs me to ‘not get pissed,’ before they tell me something, it makes me want to punch them in the junk, before they open their mouth.”

  Trevor instinctively covered his manhood. “If the baby was gone, would you be okay?”

  She shot up off the couch, fueled by adrenaline. Shock and horror contorted her beautiful face. “You’d better not be saying what I think you’re saying.”

  Trevor scooted back against the arm of the couch, before attempting to reason with her. “I’m concerned that if you don’t have enough energy to deliver the baby, something bad could happen to the both of you.”

  “Apollo has been assisting with fetal growth, so my gestation period takes much less time. It should develop enough to deliver before I go.”

  His heart sank. He couldn’t speak. She is dying, because of our child. If I have to make a choice between her and our baby … it’s a no-brainer. It’s her. It would always be her. “You don’t even know if either of you will make it through this.” He ran his fingers through his hair, closed his eyes, and felt like he couldn’t go on.

  “I need to try. I feel—in the deepest depths of my soul—that this baby has a purpose. I have to let it have a chance.” She slumped back on the couch with a sigh.

  “What about you? Don’t you deserve a chance? You can have another child. You can find love, get married … try again.”

  Shaking her head, she replied, “No, Trevor. This is it for me. I know that. I wasn’t meant to be married or raise a child, but I can bring one into the world.” She sat all the way up to look at him. “You have to promise me you will take care of both of them.”

  “Riss, how can I, knowing that the baby killed you? What if I have nothing but hostility toward it?”

  She reached out to place her hand on his arm. She was so pale, with skin so paper-thin that her veins and her bones were sickeningly visible.
“I know you, Trev. You could never have any ill-will toward a child we created.”

  God, he wanted to be the man she thought he could be, but if it was a girl? A little girl who looked just like Rissa? What would he do? How could he love her—or even look at her—after taking away the only woman he ever truly loved?

  “If you can’t do it, I’ll understand. You can give the baby to my sister or my parents.”

  “I would love and care for anything you … we … made. You never have to worry about that.”

  When she didn’t respond, he looked over at her. Her head was slumped down so her chin rested on her chest, eyes closed. He moved her to lay down on the couch with her head on his lap and brushed her hair out of her face. She was out like a light. But something was off. He had never seen her so still, even in sleep. She appeared as if to be in a comatose state.

  “Riss? Hey, beauty … come on, let’s go to your room.” He took her by the shoulders and shook her. With higher volume and increasing desperation in his voice, he repeated, “Rissa! Come on, now … wake up! You’re scaring the shit out of me. Come on, get the fuck up!” She didn’t move. Thank fuck she was breathing, but it was shallow, her chest barely rising and falling.

  * * *

  Rissa wanted to stay in the darkness. It was peaceful there. If she remained in the dark, there would be no pain, no illness. Even when she allowed the slightest amount of light to seep into her mind, her entire body hurt and she felt bile rise into her throat. She didn’t want to let go of the cool blackness.

  She relaxed her body, letting the dark overtake her again, but she could feel something outside of herself attempt to break her free from her cocoon. She heard whispers. The blankets and pillows around her were familiar, and she recognized that she was in her bed. More whispers—so many of them. She slowly transitioned from peaceful darkness, to bright claustrophobia.

  A recognizable scent flooded her nostrils, reminding her of sunshine, sex and leather. Something else smelled exotic and spicy. Then, there was Trevor’s clean, fresh scent.

  Murmurs continued to keep her from falling under the dark magic spell of sleep again.

  Forcing her eyes to open was harder than it should have been. They felt like they were glued shut. Just when panic began to set in, a warm cloth was placed over her eyes, washing away the gunk that had collected in the corners of her eyes while she was asleep. She pulled the towel from her face and opened her eyes. The light was almost blinding. When she winced, someone turned it off.

  “It’s alive!” Cosmo’s voice rang out right beside her. He was sitting on the pillow next to her head. The intoxicating smell of warm leather and sex had been him. On the other side of her, Trevor sat with his hand on her face. There were people in her room. Lots of fucking people in her personal space.

  Successfully sitting up in bed was nothing short of a miracle, and she knew as soon as she did, her stomach would revolt. There was a straw pressing against her lips, before she could even think to sit up.

  Taking in large pulls of ice water helped her parched throat. Rissa kept sucking on the straw, letting the liquid slide down her throat, barreling through her veins and cooling her down from head to toe. Cosmo pulled the glass away, making her pout.

  He leaned down to her ear. “Slow down, dynamite, or you’re going to make yourself sick.” When she tensed at the reminder of her too-frequent retching, he said, “There was a little something in the water to help with queasiness for a bit. Sit up and listen to what these assholes have to say, so you can get back to resting.”

  Then, he put the glass on the nightstand, took her under the arms, and pulled her up. Trevor adjusted a pillow behind her back, then went to stand by the wall.

  Rissa got settled, pulling the sheet up to her chest, even though she was fully-clothed. She looked around in observation of everyone in her room. Titus, Aurora, Apollo and Cosmo were present, representing the Light Aliens. Tate, Timber and Sky, of the Spirit Wolves, stood together in the corner of the room, next to a bookshelf filled with titles she had yet to read. She always thought that one day, she’d find time to read them. Trevor would have to do it for her now. Up against the wall by her bed, stood Jock, Dakota, Cruz, and of course, Trevor. In the shadows by the walk-in closet were the Vamps: Ethan, Cody and James. Their presence must have meant that it was nighttime.

  She finally spoke through the somber silence. “So, is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on, or do you expect me to read your fucking minds?”

  Cosmo’s rich laughter filled the room. Aurora sent him a scathing look. “Sorry, but even sick, she cracks me up.”

  Apollo walked over to her side of the bed. “How do you feel?” He took her wrist to check her pulse.

  “I feel exactly the way I look: like shit. I just woke from a nap, but everyone is looking at me like I rose from the dead. Why are you all here?”

  “You look gorgeous, as always,” Trevor corrected her self-assessment.

  “You have been asleep for three full days,” Aurora commented.

  “That must be why my bladder is so full and why it tastes like a Spirit Wolf pissed in my mouth.” Again, Cosmo laughed out loud.

  “First of all, why does it have to be a Wolf? Second, I’ll go with you to take care of business, sweet pea.” Sky pushed Apollo aside to lift Rissa out of bed. This chick was a beast, and helped her to the bathroom, making sure she didn’t stumble.

  Once she was finished, had washed up and brushed her teeth, she was helped back to her bed. She sat back against the headboard and fixed herself so she was comfortable again. “So, three days, huh? What was that about?” She addressed Aurora and Apollo, who glanced at each other in silent communication. “And what was that look about?”

  Aurora stepped forward, brows furrowed in worry. “When we all agreed to help move the pregnancy along, we didn’t take into account that a larger fetus would require more energy than you were able to produce. The baby is depleting you at an alarming rate. If we continue assisting with the child’s growth, neither of you will make it to delivery.”

  The room was quiet, except for the sound of her breathing and her racing heartbeat. “I’m afraid to say that it is now too late for our original offer for you,” Apollo said.

  Trevor’s head swung around to look up at the big man. “What do you mean, ‘original offer?’”

  “Not our story to tell,” Titus spoke up for Apollo. “If she wanted you to know, she would have told you.”

  Trevor looked at Rissa, eyes hard, but pleading.

  “They said they could send the baby back to energy, until I was ready to have it.”

  “Why didn’t you do that? That seems like the perfect answer to all of this.” Trevor gestured up and down the length of her body at her emaciated state.

  “I couldn’t, because if I wanted this same baby back, you and I both would have to agree to it.”

  His anger was building as he ran his hands through his hair, then scrubbed at his face. He moved so he could pace back and forth at the foot of the bed.

  “I would have agreed.”

  “I don’t want to get into this now.”

  “I don’t get a choice in any of this? I don’t get to keep you, and now I may not get to keep the baby. Why is it only your decision? I get that it’s your body, but that baby is my flesh and blood, too.”

  “Fine. If you want to do this here and now, fine. If I sent the baby back, you and I would have had to be together again, for the baby to come back to us. That is not going to happen.” He shot her a pained expression. “Oh, don’t give me that droopy dog face. I can’t trust you to keep it in your pants, and you can’t trust me not to lie to you. We are not meant to be together. If we can’t trust one another, we can’t be together. Period.”

  Again, the room was silent. Trevor nodded his head, but his anguish and anger were apparent in his eyes while he stared at her.

  “This might not be the best time, but we think we know why the baby is sucking all your e
nergy.” Aurora hesitated. Titus pulled her into his side for support.

  “Why?” Rissa wanted to know.

  After Aurora and Apollo had exchanged glances again, he stepped forward. “The energy that I am using to grow the child, is causing it to need exponentially more energy to thrive. It is taking everything you have. At this rate, neither you, nor the baby, will be alive by this time next week.”

  Holy shit. A week. All her fighting to keep this baby had been for nothing. Now, they both would be gone.

  Stepping out of the shadows, Ethan came into view. “What if we were to feed the baby our blood? It has the potential to save them both.”

  “She’s not putting any part of you in her mouth, you freaking bloodsucker,” Trevor seethed.

  “I agree. That doesn’t seem like a viable option,” Timber said.

  “We could see if our medicine woman or man can give it a try,” Tate offered.

  “Why don’t you dumb fucks just take her to a real fucking doctor?” Dakota snapped. Cruz nodded at his side.

  “Trust me when I say there is nothing a human doctor can do that Apollo or Aurora can’t. They are also highly-qualified human medical doctors,” Titus mentioned, holding tight to his woman, with pride.

  The air in the room was thick with tension. Everyone was here for Rissa, to help her. Her heart swelled with love for these beings, then shattered when she thought of how much it would hurt them when she was gone. She hadn’t realized that attempting to keep the baby may have been more of a selfish act, rather than selfless. She thought she was doing the right thing by protecting an innocent life, but her death would hurt the people she loved. Rissa looked over at Jock, who had unshed tears in his eyes. His left eye twitched, the biggest tell that he was upset. She swallowed the acid that had made its way up from her stomach.

  “There is something we can try. It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try.” Apollo was somber as he spoke.

  “For fuck’s sake, man, say it! If there’s even a one percent chance that we can save her, we have to try at least!” Jock yelled.