Misunderstood Miracles

by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

  Her moans and breathing pick up as my pace thunders on. Maybe one of my shields is endless come and never-ending hard-ons, because I’m never able to get enough of her. The way she smells like citrus and spring gets me going. The feel of her body brushing past me during the day has me at attention. I can spend hours worshipping her body and roll her over for another session seconds later. I’m never done with her. I don’t ever want to be.

  Just as she’s about to climax, I nip her ankle bone while slipping my thumb over her clit. Alannah explodes, chanting my name along with a few cuss words. People in the lodge heard that. People in the entire county probably heard that. My balls definitely heard that.

  I thrust a few more times before throwing my head back in a stuttered roar as I empty myself inside my woman. Slowing my strokes, I look down at her flushed cheeks, tussled hair and sleepy, sex-hazed eyes.

  I feel better.

  Her pussy is definitely my therapy.

  I release her legs and help her to her feet.

  “Feel free to use my pussy anytime,” she announces happily, strolling into the bathroom.

  Something primal and territorial comes over me as she disappears behind the door.

  “No shower,” I bark, prowling after her.

  Alannah’s hand is stopped mid-way to the knob while she looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  “Is this some hippie thing I don’t know about?” she asks with a quirked brow, moving to turn the water on.

  I clamp my hand over hers and lean into her face, growling, “This is some caveman thing that means I don’t want you meetin’ other men unless you smell like me.”

  “Kane,” she huffs, rolling her eyes at me. “I’m not meeting anyone in this state. Look at me.”

  I do as she requests.

  Her hair looks like she’s been good and fucked. Check. Her face looks like she’s satisfied. Check. She’s still a little winded from me working her. Check. My son seems pleased as he rolls around. Check. My come is in her and on her. Check. And she smells like my cologne mixed with my sex. Check.

  “You look great,” I compliment.

  “You’ve lost your mind,” she scoffs, trying again to turn the knob beneath my hand, which I stop.

  “Seriously?” she groans. “I’m sticky.”

  “I’ll allow a washcloth.” See, I can compromise.

  “You’ll allow a washcloth?” she repeats slowly and dramatically.

  “Your listening skills are impeccable.”

  “You’re gonna use my pussy and allow me to clean up with a washcloth? Did I just wake up in a bad romance novel? Pinch me.”

  “Huh?”

  “Pinch me so I can wake up from this weird ass dream and get back to reality.”

  “I’m not pinching you, and you’re awake. Stop fuckin’ around. We’ve got a couple minutes to finish gettin’ ready.”

  “I’m pregnant with your son. Aren’t I marked enough?” she continues, attempting to argue.

  “No. Unless you wanna meet a bunch of strangers covered in my come…which I’m not opposed to by the way, I suggest you shut it and get movin’.”

  “Sorcha,” she shouts at the ceiling. “If you’re listening, please go kick my dad in the balls. This is all his fault. If I didn’t have a dad like him, I’d tell you to go fuck yourself right now, Kane Rand.”

  She stomps over to the vanity, muttering to herself all the while as she cleans up with a washcloth.

  I turn on the shower and climb in. She spins around, yanks the door open and flicks me in the balls. I chuckle at her attempt to hurt me, which only fuels her anger.

  “Fine,” she seethes. “You take your shower, jerk. I’m gonna go downstairs and welcome our guests.”

  That was a threat. I don’t know what kind of threat, but I’m not about to find out.

  “Alannah,” I say in a quiet, menacing tone. “This is not the day to push me.”

  “I’m fat, hormonal and emotionally worn out. You just went all territorial on me and then climbed into a shower in complete contradiction to what you requested of me. I have no outward claim on you, but you have it right here,” she says, pointing at her belly. “This was thoughtless of you.”

  With that, she walks away.

  Yeah, I’m a complete prick. I know it. I embrace it. Hell, I’m proud of it. Not when my woman looks at me like that. I just hurt her after she spent the day making me feel better. Selfish doesn’t begin to describe me right now.

  I wash off quickly and sprint into the bedroom to find it empty. Sage Development is here. I can hear the murmurs of more voices than usual. Shit.

  I roughly dry my hair, drag on dark jeans and a black T-shirt before shoving my feet into socks and boots. It’s strange not needing clothing or shoes, but always wanting them. I think it’s a way for me to feel normal, like I belong. Or maybe it’s because I grew up with a lot of ‘clothes optional’ days with my parents. What a colorful life I’ve led.

  I thud out of our room and down the stairs into the great room, which as I suspected, is full of suits. Alannah’s standing with a nervous Rory, whispering things that are making him smile. That just makes me feel like a bigger dick.

  She’s in one of those sun dresses that makes her look regal again. This one is a soft yellow that complements her eyes. I feel like less of a dick when I spot two suits looking at her hungrily. See, pregnant doesn’t mean off limits to men. It means fertile, and appeals to our baser needs in life. Well, my inner caveman is not down with that shit.

  I move into the room and straight to my woman, wrapping my arms around her to cup her belly. Dropping my mouth to her ear as she lets go of Rory, I whisper, “I was a dick. That wasn’t fair of me, and I’m sorry for upsetting you. I was also fuckin’ right. Look across the room at your twelve and ten o’clock.”

  She does and grumbles, “Look at every woman in here.”

  I do and find a lot of women staring at me as though I’m naked. I don’t give a fuck how they look at me, but Alannah does. She’s pregnant and feeling a little insecure now that we’re entering the real world again. Not once did any of the bearers look at Alannah the way the suits are. They respected our relationship from the get go.

  Time to school some people.

  I put my fingers in my mouth as I stand at my full six and half feet, releasing an ear-piercing whistle that stops every other sound in the room. With all eyes on me, I state, “I’m taken. She’s taken. Anyone in this room that can’t keep their fuckin’ eyes to themselves and their hormones in check, there’s the door. First and last warning.”

  Chann’s instantly chuckling while Alannah’s cradling her face in embarrassment. Alex and the dragons are smirking at me along with all the other male bearers, while Nora is rolling her eyes.

  “Kane,” Alannah hisses through her teeth, looking up at me.

  “What?” I ask nonchalantly. “Problem discovered. Problem solved. Still pissed at me?”

  “You’re the weirdest man I’ve ever known, Kane Rand,” she responds with a sigh.

  “You’re not mad anymore, so my work here is done,” I declare, wiggling my eyebrows at her upside down face before kissing her forehead.

  “Let’s get this shit movin’,” I order, locking eyes with Ronan for the first time. I hate that they look so much like mine. But if Dr. Sadist’s manifesto is right, we’re all pretty closely related in some weird way. I hope Alannah’s not my millionth times removed sister or some shit. I shudder at the thought and then push it well out of my mind. No need for that in my brain. Ever.

  All of the Sage Development people take the chairs that have been lined up in front of the hearth, facing the room. I sit on the couch directly facing them with Alannah, Rory and Alex. The dragons and Nora take the couch to our right while Devin, Rhys and Lucas are on the couch to our left. Chann has a camera pointed at Sage Development that’s hooked to a laptop so Dermot and Reagan can watch from Chicago.

  We’re all here.

  “I trust that
Kane filled you all in on my background,” Ronan starts. He receives nods and grunts in response. “I’m sure reading Davina’s manifesto was confusing and frustrating. I know it was for me the first time I read it. There are some things I can clear up for you and there are others I can’t. For starters, she had a lot of things wrong.”

  “No shit,” Braden snorts.

  Ronan smirks and continues, “The rules she laid out seem to hold true from what we’ve learned through our research. Her parameters are almost completely wrong though. As you all know, Kane has more than one shield, and it appears his son will be born a bearer. Her ideas about age of acquisition and strength of shield due to violence of sacrifice seem to be unfounded. If you have a shield, you have a shield. I don’t believe there is any flexibility to them. Unless you all have something to share?”

  “I don’t think anyone in this room’s sharin’ shit until we know what your game is,” Alex spouts.

  The lithe blond woman sitting next to Ronan in the standard black pantsuit with a white button down, leans over to whisper in his ear. She’s one that was eye fucking me a few minutes ago. Doesn’t hold a candle to my woman.

  She and Ronan finish speaking as he nods for her to do whatever she was requesting.

  “I’m Cassidy,” she introduces herself. “Ronan found me at the same time Canyon Nine did. I was in a hospital recovering.” She pauses for a moment, seemingly collecting herself. “I’m a feast.”

  “Not familiar,” I grunt.

  Her big doe eyes lock on mine as she says, “I can’t starve. My brother and I were in a foster home, more like a torture chamber. Our foster parents used us for their own enjoyment until they finally grew bored. That’s when they locked us in the basement. My brother refused to eat a bite of anything, forcing me to eat the molded and rotting food that was stored down there probably ten years before we were imprisoned. He died of dehydration three days before the authorities showed up. Now I can’t starve or dehydrate.”

  She wipes an errant tear from her cheek before steeling her spine.

  “When I was in the hospital, a female doctor came in and put something in my IV. She had a young face with grey hair. She told me when I woke up; everything would be better. Whatever she gave me almost killed me. I was placed in a medically induced coma. I woke up to Ronan hovering by my side. He’s never left me since then.”

  “Doctor Sadist,” Emmett huffs.

  “Huh?” Cassidy asks, looking over at the massive brooding man.

  “Our nickname for Davina Slone,” he explains, his features going hard as he does.

  “Sounds about right,” Ronan agrees.

  Cassidy and Emmett keep staring at each other, tension and heat building between them.

  “These other nine can share their stories too. I brought along bearers who were able to get away from Davina to show you I’m not the enemy. Canyon Incorporated is.”

  “Incorporated?” Alannah questions, looking up at me with concern in her big blue eyes.

  Nodding solemnly, Ronan says, “Canyon Nine is only a sliver of Canyon Inc. They research and develop everything from drugs to weapons, technology to clothing, transportation to food. If research can be done, they’re doing it. And none of it is for the greater good.”

  “So we’re not safe,” Nora says sadly, gazing up at Braden in fear. He pulls her close, kissing her hair.

  “Actually, Canyon Inc. believes you’re all dead. From what I’ve been able to discover, you were all put through your paces during a group test.”

  “The shit during the escape?” I grumble. “They were fuckin’ testing us?”

  “That’s why they came at us in waves, targeting specific shields,” Devin points out.

  “My guess is that they learned you were going to try to escape and tried to cover themselves with a group test. The cameras caught everything until you ended up in the escape hatch. What transpired up on the canyon and in the forest wasn’t seen at headquarters. The explosion you all took Canyon Nine down with left a lot of unidentifiable bodies. Canyon Inc. decided you were part of the casualties. They’ve put a hold on their bearer program until a new facility can be built.”

  “You know an awful lot about a company you’re supposedly working against,” I growl.

  “Enemies closer,” he retorts. “We’ve got moles in their organization.”

  “So they’ve probably got moles in yours,” Rory responds.

  “They do. I know who they are and feed those people just enough information to keep them happy,” Ronan explains.

  “What do you want from us?” Rhys asks.

  “Nothing. I’m here to offer my help in any way I can. Sage Development has created an antidote to Serum-X, Davina’s memory wiping drug. We can help you all get your memories back. We can provide you with counseling, job training, housing and anything else you may need as you begin to rebuild your lives.”

  “I think we’ll pass,” Dermot’s voice snarls through the speakers on the laptop. “No one just gives freely without expecting somethin’ in return. Doctor Sadist had a lot of good intentions according to her and look where that got us.”

  “I understand your trepidation,” Ronan concedes. “I’d also like to offer you jobs. A place where you can use your shields and help other people in the process.”

  “Not gonna be lab rats again,” Kevin grumbles. “And no one in this room’s lettin’ you get your hands on that baby.”

  I jerk my chin in thanks at my friend.

  “I don’t want the baby. Of course, we’re all curious. We’re bearers, and we’ve never seen a baby born with one shield much less many. But our fascination, is just that and nothing more. Sage Development doesn’t kill families and remove bearers from their lives. We give them a place where they can live full lives.”

  I hate that this motherfucker knows so much about us and we know nothing about him. Chann’s been digging to find out what he can about Sage Development. He’s come up with little to nothing so far. I’m not taking anyone at face value. I never have. I trust my gut and my gut tells me, Ronan Walsh is full of shit.

  “We have a lot to think over,” Alannah speaks for the group. “At this point, we all just want a break. We need to heal and in order to do that we need space from Canyon Nine and in essence you’re part of that. Thank you for takin’ the time to come a explain things for us. But right now, it’s best for us to part ways with Sage Development.”

  Cassidy starts to argue, but Ronan puts up a hand to silence her.

  “I respect that decision. If any of you change your minds, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” He climbs to his feet, his people following. “I wish you all the best of luck.”

  They all walk out the front door, Cassidy taking a long look at Emmett before she leaves. It’s not until their SUVs are out of sight that we speak.

  “That motherfucker’s slimy,” Dermot’s voice echoes through the room.

  “Yeah,” a few of us grunt in agreement.

  “I’m a vest now,” Reagan’s voice announces. “I shot myself in the foot this morning. The sacrifice part of that crazy manifesto is right.”

  “You can still do damage at close range, Reagan. Be careful with that shit,” Devin orders.

  “She doesn’t have a gun anymore,” Dermot retorts in annoyance at Reagan.

  “Good,” the room agrees.

  “Any of you considering Ronan’s proposition?” Lucas asks.

  We all shake our heads. It would be jumping from the pan straight into the fire.

  “You?” I return his question.

  “Hell no. I’m with you,” he answers quickly.

  “Since we’re all stayin’ together, I’ve gotta set some shit up for us. We’ll leave here and go stay at my parents’ cottage. It’ll be a squeeze until we can get somethin’ bigger built. Let’s get memories back and have a baby. Then we’ll see where we’re at.”

  Everyone in the room agrees verbally or with nods.

  This is the end of this
chapter in our lives. But the story is only beginning. Wherever we go from here, our lives will never be the same. We’ll carry the scars of our past. But we’ll carry them with honor because we’ve earned them along with the people who sacrificed their lives for us. We’re tributes.

  The Warrior Shields.

  With our hands bound together, we stand in the squash field looking into each other’s eyes as the sun peeks through the break in the forest. A glowing ball of red and orange dominating the space with warmth. And when the wind kicks up, whipping Alannah’s champagne-colored dress around, we know its time.

  My woman slides a wide black titanium ring on my finger saying, “Today I become your wife. I give myself to you willingly and without reservation. I promise to honor and cherish you, to love and support you, to respect and treasure you all the days of my life.”

  I slide Sorcha’s ring over Alannah’s slender finger. The massive oval emerald sits proudly, surrounded by smaller round diamonds. It’s been in Sorcha’s family since the beginning of time according to her. I found it in her jewelry box on top of her dresser, right where it’s always been. Everything about the cottage was unchanged when we got here two months ago.

  We came home and home was waiting for us.

  “Today I become your husband. I give myself to you willingly and without reservation. I promise to honor and cherish you, to love and support you, to respect and treasure you all the days of my life.”

  I press my lips to Alannah’s and seal our private ceremony. I’m in black slacks and a black button down. I still can’t do white, and my woman didn’t care what I wore this morning. Alannah’s dress is long-sleeved and snug at her tits but flows loosely over her big belly from there. The entire thing is covered in delicate, shear lace with something silky beneath it. She looks magical with no make-up on and a dewy fresh glow to her face.

  The bearers are in their house on the property, waiting to have a breakfast reception. I had one massive building erected on the land for the bearers to make their own. We needed something quick because we were breaking Sorcha’s at the seams. We’re slowly making our way to building something more permanent that can house all of us. We just can’t quite decide what we want yet.