by T. S. Ryder
Maribel was in labor and had been for the past two hours. The midwives wouldn't permit him into the birthing room with her, declaring that birthing babies was women's business. He wished he could be there, to hold her hand as she went through this pain.
The scream died off and Sheridan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He'd never felt so helpless before. Even when they had been in Armstrong's clutches, when he was forced to stay still while the nails were driven into his body, he hadn't felt like this. Then he knew he could do something to save Maribel if he needed to.
And he had. The agony of ripping himself off that cross would stay with him forever, but he had saved her.
Now, if something went wrong with the birth, there was nothing he could do. No amount of brute force or strength of will would be able to free her from the dangers of childbirth. He was helpless.
Billie walked up the corridor. She winced as Maribel let loose another scream. Sheridan dug his fingernails into his palm until this scream passed as well. With a sigh, he yanked at his hair. If something didn't happen soon, he was going to go crazy.
"You're a woman," he said to Billie. "Go into the birthing room and find out what's happening."
"Sir, with all due respect I'll only get in the way. Labor takes a long time. I remember when my younger brother was born my mother took nearly a full day to birth him."
Sheridan blanched. How could he survive another hour of this, let alone a day? More importantly, how could Maribel? Even in this day and age when there were so many medical advancements and knowledge, women still had to go through this!
"Why did I ever decide I wanted to be a father?" He yanked harder on his hair. "I would take it all back to stop Maribel from being in this agony!"
Billie smiled sympathetically. "She'll be fine, my lord. You have the best midwives available and all the equipment they need. She is the one who decided she didn’t want drugs. But if I can distract you?"
Sheridan let his hands fall to his side and nodded. "What news have you brought me?"
"The governor has once again extended a personal apology to you for your mistreatment at Armstrong's hands and has decided on a compensation for the blood donors whose identities were revealed. The investigation into the vampire relations bureau is still under way, but so far there have been no other anti-vampire sentiments found in it. And the men that attacked you with Bennet and Armstrong have both been caught."
Sheridan nodded in satisfaction. That was good to hear. Since the attack on his person, the governor had been bending over backward to keep the relationship with the vampire kingdom friendly. A war with vampires would be costly, not only in terms of loss of life but also in trade. The king had no desire to make things more difficult than they had to be, but it was a good wake-up call for the humans to police themselves better.
"Invite the governor to come see the baby," Sheridan said, brow furrowing. "I'm getting tired of his apologies."
"And have you made a final decision about Romanoff?"
Sheridan ran his hand through his hair. "Yes. The general will stay in the dungeons, except for a few hours every day when he serves at a human soup kitchen. Maybe if he serves them, he will develop compassion."
"And if it doesn't work?"
"Make sure he's always heavily guarded when among the humans." After experiencing being nailed to a cross himself, he was never going to threaten crucifixion again. It was his hope that Romanoff would come to see reason eventually.
The door to the end of the hall opened. A wizened little woman came sweeping down the corridor, a satisfied smile on her face. As she got closer, Sheridan could smell blood and the distinctive scent of newborn baby on her. He ran to meet her.
"Your daughter has been born, my lord."
A girl. Sheridan's face broke into a smile. "May I see them?"
The midwife nodded.
Sheridan turned to Billie. "Gather everybody in the ballroom for the announcement, and prepare a statement for the press."
Billie nodded. Sheridan raced down the corridor, beaming. The midwife followed close behind him and made him wash his hands before he was allowed into the birthing room. The other midwives bustled about, cleaning up, but Sheridan went straight to the bed where Maribel was lying. Her skin was pale with exhaustion, brow sweaty, and dark bags circled under her eyes.
She was so beautiful.
"Hey," she croaked at him.
Sheridan sat on the bed next to her and peered into the face of the tiny baby she was holding. "Hey."
The hospital gown she wore was on backward, the opening at the front. It was gaping so that the baby could rest right against her chest, a receiving blanket covering them both. Big brown eyes, blinking and squinting, peered out of the tiny wrinkled face. Sheridan gently stroked the downy hair.
"She's beautiful," he whispered. "Perfect, just like you."
Maribel smiled sleepily. "I don't feel all that perfect right now. I feel like I was just hit by a truck."
Sheridan had to laugh at that. He looked up as the midwife checked Maribel's pulse and her eyes. "Can I take her back to our room?"
"Always in a rush!" The midwife rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Men! The woman just had a baby. Give her half an hour and we'll see. But if you want your privacy, we can give you some."
"Thank you. You may go announce the baby's gender now."
The midwife bowed at her waist. She hustled the rest of the midwives out quickly, leaving husband and wife alone. The baby was rooting around, her lips pursed. Maribel shifted her hospital gown off her breast and held the baby to it. The baby girl latched on and began to drink eagerly.
"Amazing. She knows exactly what to do." Sheridan beamed.
"Mmmm. I wish I could say the same. I know we took those parenting classes and everything, but I still worry. I never even had a babysitting gig before this. What if I do something wrong?"
Sheridan kissed her forehead. "You won't be alone."
"Yes. Yes, you're right. I don't have to do this on my own. I have you."
"Of course. You have me, and you'll always have me."
He wrapped an arm around her. Maribel laid her head against his shoulder, nestling in closer to him. Both were silent as they watched their little baby feed. Sheridan kissed his wife. The road bringing them here had been painful, but oh so worth it. If he had a choice, he would do it all again.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too."
Maribel kissed him as a cheer rose from the ballroom.
*****
THE END
The Shifter's Secret Baby
Description
A curvy gal with a secret love child PLUS an impossibly hot werewolf Alpha PLUS a vampire coven getting ready to flash some fangs…
Eric Civery is scorching hot, filthy rich and the powerful Alpha of a werewolf pack. His gobs of money and killer abs can get him anyone he wants. But he isn’t interested. He gave his heart away a long time ago.
Kayla thought that she would never see Eric again. Three years after their passionate affair, all she has from him are memories… and a little daughter he doesn’t know about.
But the past comes rushing back when Eric and Kayla meet again. She knows she has to forget about him—it will only end up being a big mess. But why on Earth does the guy have to be so freaking hot?
And as the same intense passion that was Eric and Kayla’s undoing years earlier reaches a boiling point, a vampire coven threatens to attack Eric’s pack.
Eric has to ask himself one question: Can he keep his mate and child alive? Is he prepared to risk everything for them?
Chapter One – Kayla
An ear-piercing squeal made Kayla Hollis flinch. She groaned as the sound charged towards the office space she and her business partner rented. A spine-chilling noise like that could only be one of four things: a dying cat, screeching tires, an unholy demon from the underworld, or her partner, Donna, after receiving some good news.
&nbs
p; Kayla already knew which one it was. Yet, she did hope that, for once, it was the unholy demon. When the doors to the office burst open, Kayla held her breath–only to sigh in disappointment. No demon this time.
"Guess what?" Donna's black hair flew in a wild mess around her head, as it usually did. She ran her fingers through it, making it stand on end as she danced through the office. "It's fantastic! It's terrific! It's going to put us on the map and make us a household name!"
Kayla smiled indulgently. Donna could be pretty high-maintenance and excitable, but they had been friends for three years now, and there was nobody better for creating business contacts. "What is it?"
"Okay, so I was just walking down the street when my phone rings. So I answer it, 'This is Donna Freeman from Freeman and Hollis Marketing Co., how may I help you?' And guess who it was!"
"I have no clue."
"Eric Civery! CEO of Galaxy Transport Co.! They make the most luxury electric cars you can imagine, and he called me. He wants to do business with us."
Kayla's face went white. Her green eyes widened, and she was instantly bombarded by hundreds of memories. A tall, handsome young man meeting her at the university grad mixer. A glass of wine spilled all over her white dress by a girl who called her fat. Him taking her home and staying the night. Waking up to him making eggs the next day and asking if she wanted to see a movie. Going out with him almost every day after that. The utter devotion in his eyes every time he looked at her. The way his grin made her heart jump every single time.
And the last night they were together, in the back of his brand-new pickup truck, hearing him moan her name again and again. The diamond ring he slipped on her finger after only knowing each other for three months – the ring that had filled her with terror. Breaking up with him and running, cutting all contact because she couldn't see him without wanting him, and knowing she couldn't give him what he wanted…
And the beautiful gift she had been granted nine months later.
"Hellllllo, Earth to Kayla." Donna waved her hand in front of her face. "Where did you go? I just told you he's coming over right away to discuss his marketing proposal. He's got this piece of land just outside of town or something, and he wants to build this great big community farming thing or something. It's going to be great! Everybody comes and takes part in caring for it, and then they're going to do some sort of distribution of what's grown there. Something like that."
"That's a lot of somethings," Kayla whispered.
Donna shrugged. "It was windy outside, and I was so enthralled. Eric Civery! Have you seen his picture in the paper? He's scorching! And he's, like, a triple billionaire. Filthy rich. And isn't he the Alpha of some big werewolf pack?"
"Yes." Kayla turned away, trying to hide her trembling from Donna. "And you ought to know what pack since we live on the packlands that his pack owns. We're on the outskirts, but it's still his."
"And he wants us to market for him."
"Yeah… Us."
"Gee whiz, girl! Try not to sound so excited." Donna plopped into her office chair. "What's with you? I thought you'd be excited. We've been doing decent these past two years, but with a client like Eric Civery, we could really boom. Maybe make enough so we can hire a few more people, take on more clients. Why do you look like a puppy that just got kicked?"
Kayla chewed the inside of her cheek. Her nerves churned. Needing something to calm them, she yanked open her desk drawer and searched inside for some chocolate-covered marshmallows. Both of her hands trembled so much she could hardly open the package.
"Okay, that face is green. Are you pregnant?"
"No."
"Then—"
"Eric is Mikayla's father."
"Oh." Donna froze. Her eyes rounded until they were as big as saucers. "Oh!"
Kayla nodded grimly. "Yeah. Oh."
Donna began to fidget again. Honestly, the woman was never still. Probably why she was so trim, unlike Kayla's own rather bulky frame. It also helped that Donna was diabetic and ate a strictly vegan diet in order to keep it under control.
"Do you think he knows that you’re part of the business? Maybe that's why he chose us instead of some big hoity-toity company. Maybe he's still madly in love with you and—" Donna cut herself off, frowning. "If he's Mikayla's father, why haven't you ever mentioned him before? Why haven't I met him?"
Kayla miserably stuffed the whole treat into her mouth. "He doesn't know I was pregnant."
Donna's jaw dropped.
"It's just… it was really complicated."
"It can't be that complicated! A man deserves to know he's a father, doesn't he?"
"Yes. But it was complicated."
Donna folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Kayla, I have known you for three years. You and I became friends that day that you came to my apartment answering that ad I placed looking for a roommate. I was with you at the hospital when you pushed your baby girl out. I helped you nurse her through colds, and I helped you through your post-partum depression. Why didn't you tell me about this?"
Kayla's shoulders slumped. Her friend had a point. After all they had been through together, she at least deserved an explanation. "Being with Eric was like a fairy tale. Including the timeline."
"Meaning?"
"He was so intense. He told me he loved me on our second date, and we'd only been together for three months before he proposed."
"He proposed?"
"I turned him down and ran away."
Donna gasped, pressing her hands to her mouth. "You didn't!"
"His parents cornered me after he proposed. They told me all these things that I'd have to do as his mate. They convinced me that I couldn’t possibly give him what he needed. And at the time I believed them. It didn't help that everything happened so fast. I didn't know what to do."
Donna rubbed her temples. "And you never told him about Mikayla because you thought you weren't good enough for him?"
"By the time I realized that it was just my self-doubts getting to me and his parents just didn't want him to marry a non-Shifter… he was Alpha. He already had so much stacked against him – I didn't think adding a secret love child to the mix would help him. I have wanted to tell him so many times. But I’ve been too afraid." Kayla shook her head in self-disgust. "I'm a horrible person."
"Not a horrible person," Donna said. "But you need to tell him."
"I will. By the end of the week."
Donna nodded. She still looked concerned, though. Fortunately, she didn't look as judgmental as she had been a few moments ago. Not that Kayla really blamed her for being judgmental. For almost four years, she had been kicking herself for never telling Eric he was a father. And now he was going to show up again and—
Panic flared through her chest. "Did you say he was coming right over?"
"Yes."
Kayla jumped to her feet, breaking out into a cold sweat. Her sweater was too frumpy, so she yanked it off–only to remember she hadn't worn anything under it. Donna burst into keels of laughter as Kayla pulled her shirt back on, her face as red as a tomato. She ran to the bathroom to try to tame her hair.
"Honey?" Donna called. "When I said he was coming right away, I meant right away. He just pulled up. He's getting out of his car. He's got a hottie with him. Ooooh, boy. Forget Eric, he's got the scorcher with him. They must be brothers or something."
Kayla rushed back to her desk and sat at her computer, closing out the YouTube pages she had been looking at. She pulled up her art portfolio instead. Her heart pounded, her mouth dry, and she had the uncomfortable desire to go use the bathroom. But that was just nerves, and it would pass.
Moments later, Eric stepped through the door. He stopped dead. Kayla froze, staring at him. A million feelings rushed back over her. There were so many that she had no time to process them, and so merely let them wash over her. She clung to the arms of her chair.
Just looking at him brought back so many memories that she wanted to throw him on the floor and ride him unti
l they both died of exhaustion.
"Kayla!" the man with Eric bounded forward. He picked her up out of her chair and swung her in a circle. "Wow! It's been forever!"
It took a moment for Kayla to recognize him. Eric's little brother and the beta of the pack. "Quin. Hi. Yeah, it's been a long time."
Quin sat her down and beamed. "How have you been?"
"Okay. Started a business. You?"
"Can't complain. Pack's doing good. Business is going well."
"Speaking of business." Eric finally came in, closing the door behind him. "I'd love to take some time to catch up, but I don't have a lot of time. I am looking for something that will excite the local people to take part in a community garden for those in need."
"Of course." Kayla smoothed her sweater and tried to make her voice as cool and professional as Eric had made his. "What tone are you looking for? I imagine something binding. Something that will really build up a nice sense of warmth and community."
Eric nodded. He stepped a little closer, putting a briefcase on her desk. His elbow brushed hers and Kayla bit her lip to stop from gasping. It was like a shot of electricity had leapt from him into her. It sparked all sorts of unwanted feelings back in her. She stepped away. That part of her life was over.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Quin frowned at her. "You look a little green."
"Actually, I'm not feeling good." Kayla swallowed hard. "I think I got some food poisoning. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to leave the meeting early. Donna will provide you with some ideas, and we'll have a few sketches ready for you by the end of the week. If you'll excuse me."
Eric nodded stiffly. Kayla grabbed her purse and practically ran from the office.
Chapter Two – Eric
Why did it have to be her?