The Shadow Realm

by James Galloway

  "A new life is always good news," Triana said calmly. "I'm glad you asked to talk to me, because I was going to contact you anyway."

  "I guess so," he chuckled humorlessly, absorbing it all. Kimmie, pregnant! "Does Jesmind know?"

  "Not yet," she answered. "I'll tell her, if you want me to."

  "I--it's only fair," he said. "Go ahead."

  "I'd better get going, cub," she told him. "There are things I need to do, and this spell is starting to weigh on me."

  "Alright," he said. "Thanks, mother."

  "Any time, cub. I love you."

  "I love you too."

  And then the image of her vanished as the spell was cancelled. Tarrin leaned back on the couch and mulled it over. Kimmie was pregnant. She was a Were-cat, meaning that it wouldn't even slow her down until the cub was almost ready to be delivered. Were-cat females only carried for six months, not the nine normal for human females, and they were born with much more strength and mobility than a human infant. A Were-cat infant could crawl within days of being born. Another sign of the accelerated beginning a Were-cat cub received over its human counterpart. She wouldn't start showing it for about two months, and then her waist would slowly begin to expand. But they were heading off into danger, and Tarrin was very wary of bringing Kimmie with him. Then again, he was wary of leaving her behind. He'd not been ther for the births of his other two cubs, and a part of him wanted to be a part of this child's life from its birth. Kimmie was a turned female, and that meant that she'd probably be much more amenable to the idea of allowing him to remain with her until she gave birth to the cub.

  Triana's warning did worry him a little. Kimmie was a turned female, and that was uncharted territory. Tarrin was a turned male, and his two cubs had turned out alright. He could only hope that a turned female would produce a healthy cub. But this was a turned female giving birth to a cub sired by a turned male. It was double jeopardy.

  Kimmie seemed to know when to make an entrance. She came into the apartments and called out his name as Sapphire flew into the room and landed on his lap, rubbing her head against his paw fondly. Tarrin looked at her as she came into the parlor and she stopped dead at the strange look he gave her. "What?" she asked curiously.

  Tarrin stood up so quickly that he displaced Sapphire and approached her. He didn't say a word. She was wearing a dress, meaning that he couldn't put his paw on her bare belly from the top, so he expedited the matter by grabbing her skirts and lifting them as he bent down. "Tarrin!" Kimmie squealed with a giggle, but she made no attempt to stop him as he put his paw under her skirt. She seemed a bit disappointed when he placed his palm on her belly instead of somewhere else, her expression turning curious as Tarrin wove a spell of Mind and sent it inside of her, seeking.

  It was there. It was a completely unformed entity, little more than biological processes, but it was separate and unique, differing from the signature of its host.

  Kimmie was definitely, certainly, and thoroughly pregnant.

  He leaned in and tested her scent. It wasn't there, at least not yet. The signs would become apparent after the baby grew a little, began making changes to Kimmie's body chemistry to suit its needs.

  "Tarrin, if you're going to play games, at least explain the rules to me," Kimmie protested. "What are you doing?"

  Tarrin looked down at her, then leaned in and gave her a very delicate, very gentle, very intimate kiss. She seemed a little breathless for a second, putting a paw on his shoulder and looking up into his eyes in confusion.

  "I have news for you, Kimmie," he told her gently. "I think you may like it."

  "News? What news? Is this why you stuck your paw up my--" Her eyes widened visibly, and she put a paw on her belly, over his own, with the dress' material separating them. "You mean--"

  "Yes," he told her with a smile. "Kimmie, you're pregnant."

  She gave a squeal and actually jumped up and down, forcing him to remove his paw before it tore her dress. She jumped into his arms and kissed him exuberantly, all over his face, digging her claws into his back to the point where she drew blood. "I'm so happy!" she said excitedly as she kissed him. "I can't believe it! Are you serious? How did you know? How long have I been pregnant?"

  "Triana told me," he told her. "She said you've been pregnant a few days."

  "So we conceived on the ship coming here," she laughed. "Probably that last night. That was a wild night," she said with a bright, naughty smile.

  "Triana told me to tell you that she wants you to take it easy with the magic," he told her. "She said that since we're both turned, she's not sure about how the pregnancy is going to go. And since you work with magic, she doesn't want anyone casting any spells on you except for me, or you exhausting yourself with magical study while you're pregnant. She said it may affect the baby."

  "I can still study?" she asked quickly.

  "She said you can still study, but don't overdo it. No exhausting yourself or exposing yourself to strong concentrations of magic. And don't you dare let Phandebrass cast any more magical spells on you!" he said adamantly.

  "He won't, I guarantee you of that," she laughed, kissing him again. "We're going to have a baby, Tarrin," she said gently, touching his face with a paw. "You couldn't have given me anything in the whole world to make me happier than I am right now."

  Tarrin held her for long moments, letting her continue to celebrate by kissing him. Everything else was forgotten, everything else didn't matter. For that long, sweet moment, there was nothing but the joy of knowing that Kimmie was pregnant. That they were going to have a baby.

  Chapter 7

  It was a very calm, quiet, happy night.

  The sun would be coming up soon. Tarrin lay on the huge, oversized bed he shared with Kimmie, arm draped protectively over her as he watched her sleep. He couldn't help but stare at her in wonder. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby, their baby. Although he had two other children by two other females, this was his first opportunity to be there with the female during her pregnancy. He hadn't even known about Jesmind being pregnant, and when he made Mist pregnant, he knew that the circumstances of their meeting and his mission wouldn't permit him to be there with her. If she allowed him to remain at all. Females usually forced a male away after they became pregnant, part of the cat instincts working within them, and Mist was very much dominated by her cat instincts.

  He already felt more intimate with Kimmie, closer. If anything, then because of the child they were bringing into the world. He liked her, she liked him. They were both turned, so he was sure she would be able to tolerate his more human-grounded concepts, just as he expected her to be more human in her approach to dealing with him, but he was pretty sure that she knew that he wouldn't be like human males. He wouldn't see her as an invalid or delicate, because she was a Were-cat female. Her pregnancy would have no effect on her until days before she was ready to deliver, when her body began preparing for the event. She'd be as mobile and capable as ever until then. Of course, there would be some changes in his behavior, he knew that. He felt wildly protective over Kimmie already, and her pregnancy wouldn't even show for two or three months. She was more than capable, but that didn't mean that he'd like it if she intentionally went into a dangerous situation. He'd allow her her studies and let her travel with him, but he wouldn't let her fight. And deep down, he had the feeling that Kimmie would be just as reluctant to fight as he would be to allow her to do so. Were-cats didn't get pregnant very often, and when they did, the instincts of protecting the unborn cub were exceptionally powerful within them. It was why Jesmind left him, it was why Mist returned to the Frontier. They were doing everything they could to put themselves out of potential harm. Kimmie wouldn't have that same opportunity, but Tarrin would make sure that she was the safest being on the face of the planet.

  They hadn't told the others yet, but they knew something was going on. They'd attended Keritanima's rather unorthodox wedding the night before, which had been little more than a pries
t, Keritanima, Rallix, and all Keritanima's friends and siblings gathering in her apartment for a ceremony that lasted about five minutes. It was quick, clean, and easy, a simple exchanging of vows and rings that made their marriage legal under the law. Tarrin felt that it was almost too sterile, too unemotional, but he realized that this was a wedding of convenience, a marriage of necessity, not a marriage of love. That marriage, the official state wedding, would take place after Keritanima returned. It would be Kerri's chance to shine, her chance to have the kind of wedding any girl from her social background wanted, with all the emotional trimmings to make it a day she would never forget. Until then, though, she seemed content with her unofficial ownership of Rallix. They'd seen how wildly happy Kimmie was after the ceremony was over, saw that even Tarrin was happy, almost talkative and outgoing. For the grim, brooding Were-cat, that was almost unheard of. Five separate times, Allia asked him if he was feeling well. But Tarrin couldn't help it. He just couldn't stop smiling, just couldn't stop being happy over it. It was all both of them could manage not to tell all of them, but both of them wanted to do it after the wedding, so as not to take anything away from the already skeletal feeling of Keritanima's wedding ceremony. For all it was worth, that night belonged to Keritanima, and neither Tarrin nor Kimmie would steal her thunder.

  But there were receptions, and there were receptions. Keritanima's inner circle had their own reception of congratulations and a strange fizzy wine called champagne, then Keritanima and Rallix attended the other reception, the one for which the invitations had been sent out. That one was attended by a group of confused and mystified nobles, who were invited to a party when they had no idea what the occasion was. Tarrin thought it odd for Keritanima to wed in secret then have a public reception, then Dolanna explained to him that in order for people to leave Rallix alone, they had to know that he was Keritanima's husband. So Keritanima was broadcasting that fact, using the reception as a perfect vehicle for spreading the news. Rallix had become a target as soon as the Queen took interest in him, inviting him to her ball, and that target grew larger when Keritanima revealed her alternate identity and absorbed all her assets under her true name. They would know that a wise, shrewd, observant man like Rallix would know the truth, and he'd become an inviting target for others to use against Keritanima. So Keritanima simply put him completely out of reach. Rallix had a Vendari bodyguard now, which happened to be Szath, and Dolanna explained that now Rallix had all the protections and distinctions allowed him under the laws that governed and protected the royal family. Rallix was now unassailable, or at least so out of reach that any attempts to abduct or kill him would be months in the planning, for the penalty if the perpetrator failed would be the most severe possible.

  It had to be a culture shock for the quiet, efficient man. He'd gone from running a lucrative business in relative anonymity to being in the highest levels of the Wikuni government and society. He was given the official title of Duke of Wikuna, but wouldn't ever be called king. If Keritanima died, he wouldn't be in line for the throne.

  After the reception--they didn't attend the stuffy noble one--they had a very long, very honest talk. Tarrin and Kimmie said what was in their hearts, brought everything out into the open so they could know one another's mind, done in preparation for the baby. Kimmie wasn't shocked to know that Tarrin didn't love her romantically, but he was a little shocked to hear that Kimmie did. Kimmie admitted that she had had a crush on him that started after he healed Mist, a crush that had bloomed into something more, but she was quick to tell him that she didn't expect him to feel for her the same way she felt for him. Unlike many females, Kimmie's crush was realized when she persuaded Triana to let her come with him, and she managed to catch her male. Kimmie explained that she was quite content with his attentions and his friendship, and that not only did she know where his heart lay, she was quite willing to take what he would give to her and be happy with it. She knew that he belonged to Jesmind, but, as she said, "I'm happy to borrow you from her for a while." That they were going to have a baby together made her even more ecstatic about the whole thing.

  That took Tarrin a little mulling to rationalize. It felt, wrong, that Kimmie loved him, but he didn't love her in return. It was like violating her trust, or hurting someone he did like a great deal, and did love in a platonic manner. But she was patient and tender in explaining how she felt to him, that it was alright for him to love Jesmind and be with her, that she understood, that she was happy being his friend. Unlike many relationships, since Kimmie could consumate her feelings with him, it seemed to be all she wanted or needed. She had him for now, and though she knew he didn't love her the same way she loved him, it still seemed to be enough for her.

  She had to talk for quite a while to ease Tarrin's concerns about that. It did change the way he looked at her a little, but he couldn't forget who she was. She was one of his best friends, someone that knew him better than he knew himself, someone who could read him like a book, someone he could entrust with his deepest secrets and be sure they would go no further. He could tell that she wasn't talking just to calm him, she was speaking sincerely from her heart, so when she said she was more than happy with the relationship they had, he believed her. He still felt a little guilty over it, but if it made her happy, he'd go right on going they way they were going.

  After he swallowed that and understood it, he realized that it really wouldn't change their relationship a great deal. They'd still be tender lovers, they'd still have their talks, and they'd still be best friends. It did change how he saw her a little bit, it made him understand some of the things she did a little better, but he knew it wouldn't change them where it mattered. He would be a little more attentive to her, more sensitive to her needs, but the core of their relationship wouldn't change.

  Kimmie sighed in her sleep, rolling over on her back. Tarrin put his paw under his head to prop it up and looked down at her, smiling gently. He reached down with his other paw and brushed her dark hair from her face, which made one of her reddish-furred ears to twitch reflexively. He admired her for a long moment, reminding himself yet again how pretty Kimmie was, and he felt at that moment to be a very lucky Were-cat. He had Jesmind's love, and he had beautiful, engaging, interesting females like Kimmie and Mist seeking him out as well. It felt strange to him to have multiple females interested in him, and for the first time ever, he accepted that fact gladly, even revelled in it a little bit, letting the dirty-minded rascal in him shine through for the first time. Even human males enjoyed attention from more than one female.

  He just couldn't resist. He slipped his paw under the blanket and put his palm against Kimmie's flat, surprisingly soft belly. He knew he wasn't going to feel anything, he wouldn't for months, but just knowing that the baby was in there was enough to make him try anyway. He wondered what it would look like. Would it be a boy, or a girl? Would it be tall, short, thin, stocky? Would it have Kimmie's fur or his? Her hair, or his? Would the baby have blue eyes, or green? Usually that would be a given, but Kimmie was a unique female, and that put many of the things that were generally taken for granted in Were-cat infants in question when it would be Kimmie's baby. Triana seemed worried that the baby may have unforseen problems, but Tarrin was pretty sure that Triana was just being over-anxious. The Were-cat traits had bred true for Tarrin, and he had little doubt that they would breed true for Kimmie, even if Tarrin was the father.

  He wasn't sure what the baby would look like, but that didn't matter. He'd love it, the same as he loved Jasana, and would love Eron when he met him. Tarrin's children were everything to him, and this new child would never want for attention from its father. As soon as all this unpleasant business with the Firestaff was finished, he'd return to Aldreth, go home, and would always be there for his children. He'd never have to leave them again, never have to abandon a mate and child in service to another again. He'd be free, free to live his life, free to raise his children in peace.

  And for the mothers...well, there w
ere three of them, but his heart was large enough for them all. He loved Jesmind, loved her desperately. His compassion for Mist was still strong, and if they were together again, he felt that it too could be something more. And Kimmie...well, that was a delicate situation. He really liked her, she was one of his best friends, and that seemed to be enough for both of them.

  Kimmie stirred as Tarrin caressed her belly, her tail wrapping around one of his shins, and she opened his eyes. She looked over at him and smiled gloriously, putting her paw over his. "Morning," she said. "Can't sleep?"

  "I slept some," he replied. "I'm just, you know."

  "I can see that," she said with that same smile. "And you have no idea how wonderful it feels."

  "Kimmie, about last night--"

  "Don't start that again, Tarrin," she told him seriously, gripping his paw. "You know how I feel now. Does it have to change things? You understood things last night, so please don't dwell on it anymore." She sat up and took his paw between hers, holding it to her breast. "I love you, but I know your heart belongs to Jesmind. I don't mind that, Tarrin. In a way, it makes me very happy, because you're happy. Can you understand that?"

  "I, I guess so," he admitted.

  "This may sound a little corny, but I don't mind being the mistress. Honestly."

  Tarrin looked at her, and couldn't suppress a chuckle.

  "I know it sounds funny," she said with a crooked grin, "but it's the truth. You and me, we're friends. Good friends."

  "Best friends," he told her honestly.

  "Best friends," she smiled. "But look at this as a Were-cat, Tarrin. Don't you think I can be happy being your mate? When you're with me, I know your attention is on me. I don't need you to love me to be happy with that. I have you, and I know you like me. I don't need you to love me back to be happy with what I have now. Please understand that."

  "I just don't want to hurt you, Kimmie."