Beast of Dreams

by Cynthia Williams

  “What happened to Yasuyoshi?”

  Amanda rested her hand on his arm. “Yasuyoshi did quite well for a while, going on to invest in a number of ventures after he and Dad cashed in on what was left from the Io deal. Later, Yasuyoshi and my dad both got into politics, about ten years ago, when things started getting really tense between the Conglomerate and the outer colonies controlled by human subspecies. I think that involvement eventually led to their deaths. Dad went after the seat his own father used to have on the Conglomerate’s council and won. Yasuyoshi lost the seat he was trying to get but then decided to join in with my father and become one of his biggest supporters.”

  “I’m not surprised your father went into politics. He always loved a good argument.”

  “He loved it very much but he loved fighting for the principles he believed in even more. When I was in college, several members of the council made accusations against him, saying that he was being financed by wolfan organizations. He was investigated and then cleared, but somehow they decided to target Yasuyoshi. They found that Yasuyoshi had been giving the wolfan money, not the other way around, and then used that against him to say he was conspiring against “pure” humans. All his assets were frozen, and then one day my dad got word that Yasuyoshi committed suicide in despair over his financial troubles.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “So did my father. Enough so that he started to get deeply suspicious. He and Yasuyoshi had grown their businesses and had become quite wealthy, but they’d been broke a number of times, too. It wasn’t that big a deal to them. They used to laugh about how fortunate it was that there was always one of them with enough money to help the other bail out and start over.”

  “So Yasuyoshi is dead, the Conglomerate saying he committed suicide, and Jonathon is dead, too. My son told us about his rescue of the wolfan off of the Ursae Majoris Space Observatory. Jonathon was a good and decent man,” Alexander said, his voice full of regret.

  Bethan walked in and dropped a bowl of tubers in Alexander’s lap and handed him a small paring knife. “Here, you go. I found some work you can do from your chair,” she said, patting him on the head. She gave a wink to Amanda before heading back to the kitchen. Amanda watched him pick up the knife and start peeling the tubers, his eyes narrowing speculatively at the doorway his wife had just walked through.

  “Yes, he was a very good man,” he continued, turning back to look at her. “I understand that Jonathon sent you here to find out something. I’m surprised he never told you we had survived.”

  “I’ve thought about that, too, and I think that he didn’t tell me because the knowledge would have been too dangerous for me to have. Your survival hinged on absolute silence. In any case, he had to have known that once I was successful in getting here, I would likely find you all alive.”

  “You said before that your father sent you here to look for something to help the wolfan prevent or at least survive the coming extermination. Maybe Jonathon thought we could help by communicating in dreams.”

  “I’ve thought of that too, but I think it has to be something even more specific than that. There are other human subspecies who can communicate telepathically and certainly, a few human standards can do that, too. Telepathy would be an easier way to communicate and wouldn’t require that I come here.” Amanda felt frustrated at not having found an answer yet. She asked Alexander, “Can you tell me about your conversations with my father when he was here, or anything that seemed to happen out of the ordinary?”

  “I will. Let me think about it tonight and we can go over it tomorrow.”

  Jadd came in and smiled at them both, looking at the bowl sitting in his pack father’s lap. He shook his head sadly when he looked at the contents. “Not good, PF. These were supposed to be done by now.”

  Alexander passed the bowl to his son. “Your pack mother should have had you peel the barnips, not me.”

  “Yeah, but she hates to see you idle,” he said, carrying the bowl away.

  “I notice that Jadd called you PF?”

  “Yes. I’m his pack father and he’s taken to calling me PF. Knows it’s aggravating, too; that’s why he does it. Bloody teenager.”

  “I’ve heard several of the wolfan refer to their parents as pack parents and some to their parents as parents. What’s the difference?”

  “Pack parents give birth to, and raise as their own, a child who started life as one of the thousands of zygotes we developed and brought with us to Eridani. It’s really no different emotionally than having started life out as one of the children who are genetically derived from their birth parents. All of our children are cherished. We make a distinction only because it is necessary in the long run. As we grow in population, we can’t afford to have false barriers between individuals that might have married and had offspring except for the labels of being first cousins, or even siblings having the same birth parents. To achieve the greatest amount of diversity in the shortest amount of time, we need to allow genetically diverse individuals to breed.”

  “So you and Bethan are Jadd’s birth parents but not his genetic parents?” Amanda said, making sure she understood their relationships.

  Jadd poked his head back into the room, hearing his name. Alexander smiled, not surprised the young wolfan wanted to listen in.

  Alexander affirmed Amanda’s understanding. “Correct. Making the distinction that Jadd is a pack brother to Karrick, for example, allows for the offspring of Karrick and Jadd to be entirely comfortable with the idea of marrying each other and having children of their own.”

  “Hell, no. I don’t want my children marrying Karrick’s, PF. We’d be in-laws to each other. He’d be telling them what to do and then I’d have to kick his ass. Nobody’s bossing my kids around except me,” Jadd replied, his teenage voice cracking, pointing his thumb at himself.

  Amanda covered her mouth, trying to stifle the giggles swarming their way up her throat.

  Karrick tiptoed up behind Jadd, having just gotten back from dispatching a couple of wolfan to track down Shodan. He put his large hands on the younger wolfan’s shoulders. “Tell you what, Jadd. I’ll boss you around and then I’ll let you boss our kids around. It’ll be our little chain of command—”

  Jadd spun around, and to Amanda’s delight, carried out a perfect Aikido move that had Karrick futilely struggling in his hold. “And your mate will boss you around, and since Amanda will likely be friends with whomever I marry, she will listen to my mate, whom I will boss around…”

  Suddenly, it was silent in the room, and Jadd looked up to see the dull flush spreading up Amanda’s cheeks. “Um, uh, sorry about that, Amanda. I didn’t mean to let you and Karrick’s secret out.”

  “God, he told you?” Amanda gasped.

  Bethan, with typical mother radar, stepped into the living room. “Secret? What secret? What do you mean, Jadd?”

  Lesser wolfan had fallen under that demanding stare, but not Jadd. He was more afraid of the ass-kicking that would probably come later from Karrick. “Uh, nothing, pack mom.”

  Bethan grabbed Jadd by the ear and pulled him away from Karrick. She then turned to Karrick, and said, “Okay, out with it. I want to know everything!”

  “Everything?”

  “Yes!” she said, exasperated.

  Karrick gave an evil little smile to Amanda, remembering the trouble she got him into the day before with her dream remark to his mother. He knew she read him perfectly when the alarm began building in her eyes. Payback time, babe. “Break out the Kujah wine, Mom! Amanda and I are getting bonded this week!”

  * * * * *

  Amanda’s heart nearly stopped when Bethan ran up to her and put her arms around her. “Is this true? Are you two really getting married?”

  Blushing furiously, Amanda responded, “Um, no, he never really asked me. He’s just told me I’m going to marry him. He’s making an assumption I will because I tested my blood for pregnancy hormones this morning and it was positive
.”

  Dead silence filled the room.

  Jadd, known for his incessant chatter, stared bug-eyed at his oldest pack brother, completely tongue-tied. Alexander leaned forward, gripping the armrests of his chair, ready to jump up and tackle his wife once the impending storm of her temper hit. Amanda stood extremely still, her eyes closed, wishing she could find a rock to crawl under.

  Karrick coughed a few times to clear his throat. He reached up and rubbed the raw patch on his chin where Amanda had yanked out a good sized chunk of his fur. “Well, of course we’re getting bonded,” he said.

  Bethan gaped at the two of them, and as the shock began to dissipate, she started sputtering at Karrick. “Did you lie to me about seducing Amanda in her dreams?”

  “Mom, you’re always saying not to kiss and tell.”

  “Dammit, Karrick—”

  Alexander interrupted, “I need to talk with Bethan for a moment, kids.” He grabbed his slender wife by the waist and frog-marched her down the long hallway to their bedroom.

  Karrick and Jadd both felt relief when they heard the bedroom door open up, the steps of their parents clicking on the room’s hardwood floor, and then the door slamming shut.

  * * * * *

  In the bedroom, Alexander leaned against the shut door and intently stared at his wife. “Let’s allow the children to settle their issues without our interference, Bethan. We can all talk about this tomorrow after Karrick and Amanda have a chance to let this news settle in a bit and do some thinking.”

  “But…”

  He gathered her in his arms. “That’s enough for now. Amanda looks uncomfortable and Karrick just made a big ass of himself. Did you see how embarrassed she looked? Don’t you think this is uncomfortable for her, feeling she has to explain Karrick’s sudden announcement? An announcement coming after only a few short days of knowing each other, to tell us that they’re getting bonded?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. You’re right. God, what a mess. What are we going to do with that mangy wolfan son of ours?” she said.

  “I suspect he’s trying to force the issue of them marrying. He wants her and this is a way he thinks he can keep her. You didn’t help either by chewing him out for having a bit of fun with her in their dreams.”

  “Are you saying I’m partially at fault here for this mess?” Her voice was slightly sharp. “Well, it was somewhat more than a ‘bit of fun,’ Alexander. She’s pregnant.”

  “They’re very attracted to each other and they’re only doing what’s natural. I suspect they’ve been having a ‘bit of fun’ with each other nearly every day she’s been on Eridani, and probably a few times a day at that.”

  Bethan sighed, then after a moment, giggled, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “You’re probably right.”

  “Hell, you’re the psychologist, not me. Isn’t it obvious?”

  “You’re right. They’re always very aware of each other and always glancing at each other. They’re also constantly touching each other in intimate ways.”

  “Now, Bethan, there’s only so much I want to visualize in my mind.”

  “I’m talking about touching hands, light strokes on the arms or back as they pass one another, they even stand very close to one another, comfortable in each other’s personal space. They’re going through a courtship ritual as old as time, which will likely end with the two of them giving us lots of grandchildren.”

  “A courtship ritual like this?” he said, pulling her into his arms.

  “Mmmm…yes,” she said, pulling his head down and capturing his lips with hers.

  * * * * *

  Nathan and Carson strolled into the living room, wondering why Karrick was sitting in one chair at one end of the room, and Amanda sitting on the ottoman at the other end next to Alexander’s favorite chair. Jadd stood in the middle by the fireplace, with his arms crossed in front of him, leaning back against the wall and staring at the ceiling. Every now and again, he let out a loud sigh.

  “Would you shut the hell up, Jadd?” Karrick rumbled irascibly.

  “Don’t tell him to shut up. You shut up, Karrick,” Amanda grumbled at him.

  “Where’s Mom and Dad, Jadd?” Nathan asked.

  “In their room. Been there for about twenty minutes. I took the roast out of the oven so it wouldn’t burn.”

  “What are they doing in there?” Carson demanded, expecting everyone to have been seated and ready to eat dinner.

  Jadd glanced at them, and then went back to staring at the ceiling. “They’re discussing stuff. Karrick stuck his foot in his mouth.”

  “More like his whole leg,” muttered Amanda.

  Amanda glanced over at Karrick’s other brothers, curious to see if they matched the description Karrick had given her a couple days ago. They did.

  Carson was a few years younger than Karrick and about ten centimeters shorter, though he was still taller than their father. He was also of a more stocky build like his father and also like him, enjoyed the vice of a good smoke from his pipe.

  Nathan was of the same height as Carson but of a leaner build, and though the quietest of the brothers, he was the most intense and brooding.

  Karrick stirred uneasily in his chair. He hated being on the outs with Amanda. His hands tense in his lap, he glanced at her. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice almost inaudible.

  “What, Karrick? I didn’t hear you…you need to pull your foot out a little more,” Amanda said sarcastically, her face hot with humiliation.

  “Jeez, I can’t believe this. I think I heard Karrick apologizing,” Carson whispered, nudging Nathan in the side. Jadd glared at him and made motions for him to shut up.

  Karrick got up and crossed the room. He pushed Carson and Nathan to one side so he could stand by Amanda. He got down on his knees and pulled her hands into his. “I’m really sorry. Come on outside so we can talk in some privacy.”

  “Privacy didn’t matter to you before,” she said, the hurt evident on her face.

  “I wasn’t thinking. I made a big mistake. I love you and I’m really sorry.”

  “Okay. I’ll go with you,” she grumbled. Amanda got up, not looking at any of his brothers and put her hand inside his. She walked with Karrick through the kitchen and to the outside.

  Carson waited until the two were outside before pumping Jadd for information. “Okay, Jadd. Spill it. You better talk to me, and do it now. What in the hell is going on?”

  * * * * *

  Karrick pulled Amanda into his arms, feeling the night air caress his fur. He wondered if it might be too cold for her out there, and wrapped his arms around her. The two stayed quiet as she rested her head against his chest. Finally, Amanda spoke.

  “Did you tell Jadd I was pregnant?”

  “No. Hell, no. I only told Jadd that your uncle was supposed to pick you up in about a week and there was no way I was going to let you just disappear out of my life. I told him that you and I were mated.”

  “Well, doesn’t ‘mated’ mean that we’re having sex?”

  “Yeah, I suppose so, but it means a hell of a lot more than sex. Just having sex doesn’t mean you’re mated. I meant it as we love each other and we’re mated for life. That’s how Jadd would have understood it, too.”

  “I care about you, Karrick, and I do want to be with you. I just don’t want to be pushed into something when all you had to do is ask.”

  “Amanda, do you love me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want to be with me?”

  She hesitated. “Most of the time…when you’re not trying to force my hand on things.”

  “Do you trust me?” he pleaded.

  “How can I answer that? That’s something that has to go both ways. If you trust me, you would ask, not tell me to marry you,” Amanda said firmly. She tilted her head back to look into his face.

  “I love you and want to be with you always. Will you bond with me this weekend?”

  “Let me ask this, first. What happens when I lea
ve Eridani, Karrick? Don’t assume that I’m going to stay here, beautiful as it is and as nice as your pack is to me. I do have a career as an explorer, you know.”

  “Then I’ll go with you.”

  “Are you sure? You’re the pack leader, Karrick. The head alpha. How will you just up and leave them?”

  “There are other alphas, Amanda. Hell, either Carson or Nathan would make great leaders.”

  “You’d really leave if that’s what I wanted? Needed?”

  “I give you my word. But, Amanda, please understand that I can’t leave Eridani and then never come back. I love the people in my family and my pack, too. If I left, I’d always want to come back to see them. I would also expect that you understand that when I come back here, I’d want you, my mate, to accompany me.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay, what?”

  “Okay, if you’re being completely honest about this, and god, I hope you are, I would very much like to be your wife.”

  Karrick growled low in his throat before crushing his lips to hers.

  Amanda slid her arms around his neck as the kiss turned from a joyous affirmation to a primitive need on the part of both of them to get closer and make love.

  Karrick slid his tongue into her mouth, and moved his hands so one was embracing her backside and the other reaching underneath her shirt to caress the soft heaviness of her breasts. He felt his cock harden dramatically in the few moments the kiss had turned wanton. He was wondering if he should take her behind his parents’ house to the shelter by the lake, where he could sink himself into her, when several loud coughs caught his attention.

  Karrick turned around, ready to blast whomever was interrupting. Jadd stood there, smiling, ready to flee if Karrick took a swing at him.