Fighting the Lies

by Anna Edwards

  “The magic won’t work?” Emma’s heart sped up. If Jessica couldn’t do the spell, what would she do. This was the only thing that would prevent Nuka from getting his way.

  “No, the magic will work.”

  “Then do it. Please.”

  “I can’t remove your womb, because there’s already a baby growing in it.”

  Emma let out a loud bark of laughter.

  “Good one but now’s not really the time.”

  Jessica’s face was pale before, but now, it was the colour of snow. She looked sick to the stomach. The witch’s hand returned to her stomach, and a moment later, the sound of a rapid heartbeat filled the air.

  “My heart beat?”

  “No.” Jessica placed the other hand over the swell of her breast near her heart. A slower beat echoed out. “That’s your heart beat. This is your baby’s.” The faster heart beat echoed around the room again.

  “Scott?” She’d slept with him. They hadn’t used any protection. Shifter’s didn’t if they could get away with it. They didn’t get all the diseases that humans did. They relied on smell to deal with pregnancy. A male could scent when a woman was fertile. Surely Scott would have smelt if she could get pregnant. The candles Selene had put out. They’d disguised all smells in order to rid themselves of the stench of the dungeons. They’d both been so caught up in the moment they’d forgotten to even consider a baby. She started to hyperventilate. She was pregnant with Scott’s baby. If Nuka found out; oh God, he would kill it.

  “You have to come with me. We have no choice, now.”

  “I can’t.” She was trying to calm her mind. Get some sense into it, but all it was doing was screaming at her that she was pregnant. She was carrying Scott’s baby, and Nuka was going to kill it. “I’ll delay the wedding and mating as long as possible. Go to Kas. Jessica, he has to get me out of here without getting himself into trouble.”

  “Emma, that’s not going to be possible. Kas will say that you and the baby are the most important thing now.” Jessica was holding her hands out and pleading for her to go. She couldn’t though.

  “Jessica, if I leave now, Nuka wins. He’ll get victory over Kas, and there’ll be nothing for this baby to grow up to. The world will be destroyed. Go back to the pack. Get them to figure this out.”

  “Let me put a protection spell on you both.”

  “No,” She held her hands up. “Ciaran will know. I’ll be careful. Go. We don’t have much time.”

  “Ok.” The witch had tears in her eyes.

  “Jessica.”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t tell Scott.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Jessica landed back in her bedroom in the Glacial Blood mansion. She felt sick; no she was going to be sick. She jumped over a pile of magical books on the floor and ran into her bathroom. The spotless white bathroom was far too bright for the migraine developing in her head. She pulled up the toilet seat and emptied the contents of her stomach. Emma was pregnant. She’d almost removed her womb. Scott was conned into being a breeding tool for Nuka’s pack, and at the same time, Emma was also going to be forced to do the same. She wiped her mouth, flushed the toilet, and gave her teeth a quick brush. She still felt sick, but the headache was holding itself at bay. She needed to find Kas. They didn’t have much time.

  She went back through her room and stepped over another pile of books, these were volumes on mythological creatures. She really needed a book case. She was down the stairs and heading towards Kas’ office in seconds. She didn’t bother to knock.

  “Kas?” She opened the door. The polar bear was at his desk with a mound of papers on it. He was looking through the evidence again. It was futile. She knew that now.

  “Are you alright?” He looked up at her and his big brown eyes immediately swam with worry.

  “Emma called me.”

  “What’s wrong.” He was on his feet. “I was told the execution was not happening today. I tried to see her but was denied.

  “That’s because she isn’t in prison anymore.”

  “What?” confusion clouded Kas’ face.

  “She’s at Nuka’s mansion.” Jessica took a seat at the desk, still feeling ill, but the adrenaline of the situation was starting to course through her veins.

  “What the fuck is she doing there? What’s going on?” Kas thumped the table, and the pile of paper scattered everywhere.

  “She’s to be married.” The words floated off her lips in a barely audible sound.

  Kas slumped back down into his seat. The mechanisms of the old fashioned office chair spinning under his defeated weight. “Nuka?”

  “Yes.”

  They sat in silence while Jessica let him get his temper under control. They both knew that a raging polar bear was the last thing that would help anyone now. They needed the calm and level-headed Kas, the one who saw his pack as part of his blood family and would do anything to protect them, because he was a mastermind, a genius in the field of battle.

  “She was released into her brother’s care, and he sold her Nuka to bind the packs.” He surmised.

  “She didn’t tell me the full details. All she said was that she was to be married and mated by the end of the day. Nuka plans to use her to breed an army.” Jessica rang her hands together in her lap.

  “Just as he wants to do with Scott. Two strong lions. The best of the breeds. We’ll have no hope of defeating him.”

  “It might be worse than you think?” A thought from her past relationship with Ciaran entered her head. He couldn’t have discovered it could he. He’d been trying, but nothing had worked. It was one of the reasons that she’d left him. His magic was taking a dark path, which she couldn’t follow. That and the fact she’d caught him fucking another pupil over his desk. The sick feeling twisted again in her stomach. She had loved Ciaran. She’d seen her whole life being with him, but that day everything died. Never would she submit to a man’s affection again.

  “What?” Kas had come around the table while she was reflecting and was rubbing her back. She gave him a smile of gratitude.

  “When I was with Ciaran, he was working on a potion to accelerate growth into adulthood. He tried it out on mice. The results were pretty gruesome, and I felt for the innocent creatures tortured by the spells he wove. His concoctions were getting better. The last one, before I left him, didn’t destroy the animal’s physique as much as the others.

  “Do you think that he might have perfected the potion?”

  “It’s been a while since I was with him. The one thing about Ciaran is his determination. If he want’s something bad enough, he won’t stop until he gets it.” She thought ruefully that was how he had worn her down in the end.

  “I suspected something. Scott’s ancestry is such that he will create a strong child. I believe that he does not fully understand the strength that he wields. He just knows that his blood is one of the purest for a Barbary lion. Plus, he’s a lazy bugger.”

  “We need to get him out of there before he starts mating.”

  “We do.” Kas went to the door and shouted at the top of his voice for Brayden and Selene. The love birds appeared within seconds. Jessica couldn’t help but feel for them. They should be on honeymoon, but instead, they were fighting for the lives of their friends.

  “What do you need boss?” Brayden flexed his arm muscles. Even though it was winter, he still only wore a thin t-shirt. Selene was wrapped up warm in a figure hugging polo neck jumper and jeans. “I want you to go and drag Scott from wherever he is and bring him back to Glacial Blood.”

  “That’s not exactly the easiest task you’ve ever gave us.” Brayden frowned.

  “It will be when you tell him that he was double crossed by Nuka. He commuted her death sentence to one even more heinous. Marriage to the man himself.”

  “Emma is to marry Nuka?”

  “Why that dirty scumbag! First me then Emma. When I get my hands on him, I’ll tear him apart.” Selene turned red with fury.r />
  “It’s ok, honey; he’ll get his. I think we need to concentrate on finding Scott now. He’s going to want a piece of Nuka, if the bear touches one hair on Emma’s head. “

  “He’ll be livid. They’re virtually mates since they slept together.” Selene responded.

  “They slept together? When.” Kas replied.

  “Oops.” The multi-shifter looked at Jessica for guidance.

  “It was the night before her trial. Scott asked us to take him back to Emma. He needed to prove to her that he loved her. Selene and I provided magical cover.” Jessica offered as explanation.

  “After what happened with Ciaran the first time he went in the cell, I told you that nobody was to go back.” Kas was angry at them.

  “We had to try for him.” Selene added.

  “We shall discuss disobeying my orders later. For now, you two go and find Scott. Don’t let him go after Nuka on his own. We need a plan. Jessica and I’ll work on that. Just tell him to come back here.”

  “We’ll do our best, but you know that when he sees red there will be little we can do.” Brayden offered up in response.

  “Selene is magical. Use that. Just don’t fall into Ciaran’s traps.”

  “We’ll be as quick as we can.” Selene placed her hand on Brayden. Her skin turned green, and they both disappeared.

  “We need to get planning.” Kas came and sat back down at the desk. “Where is she?”

  “Your mother’s old room at Nuka’s mansion.” In a time when Nuka was not as deranged as he was now, the packs had visited each other. Nuka’s house had been a second retreat for his and Kas’ mother and father. Jessica had instantly recognized the room that Emma was in. The lady of the house’s boudoir. The Lincolns had always been old fashioned in their etiquette. Unfortunately, that often meant that women were little more than chattels to them. Kas was the first one to see them as equals. Nuka would use a secret passage to visit Emma. He would give her her own household as long as she performed for him. If they failed, she would be safe as long as Ciaran didn’t find out about the baby. The baby. Damn it. She hadn’t told Kas the most important bit.

  “That’s easy to get into. It’s getting out. He needs to think that she escaped…”

  “Emma’s pregnant.” She interrupted.

  “What?”

  “She was terrified when she called me. Nuka’s threatened her so much that she would not leave with me because of her fear of repercussions against you. She asked me to take her womb so that he would not be able to breed with her. She was sacrificing herself for the fight.” Jessica shuffled on the chair. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to do that.

  “You agreed to do it?” Kas’ dark eyes bore into her.

  “I couldn’t see an alternative at the time. We have so little time. Nuka could be coming for her as we speak.”

  “It’s ok. I was just shocked. I know that you felt you were doing what was right.” Kas reached out across the table and stroked her arm.

  “I started to perform the spell, but then, I heard the heartbeat of the baby. It is only a few days old but is strong. Ciaran has not sensed it, yet, but when he does, he will kill it.”

  “We can’t wait for Brayden and Selene to get Scott. We have to get her out now.” Kas thrust the chair back and strode purposely towards the door. “We’ll get the rest of the pack and go now.” She jumped up and followed him. “I will deal with the consequences later.”

  He pulled the door open, the heavy oak almost falling off the hinges. Tyler stood the other side.

  “We’ve got a problem.” The wolf looked shocked as Kas had almost mown him down.

  “Can you deal with it?” Kas ran his hand through his hair and pushed past Tyler down the corridor.

  “Trespasser, a lion.” Tyler continued. Normally, Kas liked to deal with the trespasser as they always had a purpose, and if they didn’t, they were feral, and he didn’t want any of the pack to be judge, jury, and executioner.

  “Tyler, I don’t have time for this at the moment. I need to help Emma. She’s in big trouble.”

  “Then, I think you really need to come and see who we have in the basement.” Kas stopped his passage towards the front of the house. He detoured into the kitchen. Jessica followed along with Tyler. They descended the stairs into the basement at a rapid pace. What was going on? She could feel her heart beating faster and faster.

  “I see your hospitality to intruders hasn’t improved Kaskae.” A middle-aged woman spoke from the cell. Even though she should have every right to be angry at being locked up, if she was a friend of the pack, she spoke in soft waves. “I like it. At least I know I’m safe here. Kas let out a long exhalation and put his hand against a nearby table to steady himself. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” The woman laughed.

  “I think I have.”

  The woman suddenly seemed remorseful.

  “Is it true then?” Tyler asked.

  “Yes.” Kas replied.

  “Is what true? What’s going on?” Jessica was thoroughly confused. Who was this woman?

  “Jessica, I’d like to introduce you to Isabella Bryant. Emma’s mother.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Scott pulled the T-shirt over his head and lowered his pants. He was left standing in the middle of his empty, apart from a luxurious king-sized divan, bedroom in nothing but his birthday suit. After he’d arrived back at Nuka’s mansion, he was whisked away to a wooden compound on the northern edge of the land. It was, he was told, for the lionesses of the pack. They had too many parties to be trusted in the main house, so it was better that they had their own property. It reminded him of the chicken coups that his grandfather used to have. All the ladies lined up and the cock strutting around picking which one he would favour today. He’d always envied that little bird as a kid. He thought he would have the best of times, a different woman to get it on with each day. He didn’t feel that now, not when he was the cock and a hen was in front of him spread open and waiting.

  “How do you want me lover?”

  He didn’t. How about that? How about he wanted her fully clothed and in the next room. Not flashing a pussy that has obviously taken many a pounding and was in desperate need of a shave. It was a coat that even a yeti would be proud off.

  “On your back is fine.” He replied.

  “Oh come on. It won’t be that bad. I’ve been told my vagina is magical. Never not had a guy that hasn’t got off in it.”

  Yeah probably because it’s a hole that’s given freely and easily. It’s all some guys need to come.

  “It’s so tight I’m told that it will squeeze that massive dick of yours until you fill me full of your seed. We’ll create a little baby cub just like it’s daddy.”

  He looked down at his cock. It wasn’t hard in the slightest. In fact, he thought it looked smaller than normal like it was trying to shrink away and hide. He gave it a stroke. No response, not even a twitch.

  “Are we feeling a little performance shy? Come here and I’ll help with that.” She licked her lips. It was all he could do to stop himself from vomiting. How did he think he could do this? He wanted Emma’s body, her muscular curves that she wrapped so freely around him. Her tight little pussy that was neatly manicured and gripped his cock like a vice. The moans she gave when he finished inside her and drenched her havens. “Well, whatever thought just went through your head keep it there, because that’s a mighty impressive erection, especially with that ribbing. I can’t wait to feel it inside me.”

  He looked back down at his groin. His penis did indeed stand proud, but at the lioness’ shear squeal of delight, it deflated.

  “Oh damn, well I don’t think Nuka is going to be impressed with this turn of events.” The lioness had sat up and was looking at his appendage with disappointment on her face. “I’m just going to have to suck it. There is nothing else for it.” She reached out to touch him. He jumped back. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, what does a lady have to do here to get la
id and knocked up?” She threw her hands up in the air and reached for her dressing gown. “I’m going to go and talk to Nuka, tell him you are not holding your end of the bargain up.” She pulled the silk gown over her sleek shoulders and tightened the cord. He couldn’t look at her anymore. He was going to fail Emma. If he couldn’t do this, she would be imprisoned. He wondered if she was free already. If she was back at Glacial Blood. He hoped so.

  “If you show Nuka that cunt, he will understand why I couldn’t get it up. Learn to wax!” He retorted back. His anger getting the better of him.

  “How dare you!” She slapped him hard around the face. “I’ll see that you regret that comment.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe it was just this particular lioness that he couldn’t perform with. The next one might be better; somehow, he doubted it though.

  “You’re a real jerk.” The lioness huffed out of the room with a cry of anguish and cat calls from the lionesses that had so obviously been listening in at the door. He closed it and fell face first onto the bed. Could his life be any worse? A few days ago, he was balls deep in the woman he loved, but now, he was being forced to mate with skanky lionesses.

  Energy crackled around him.

  “Eww, naked Scott butt. Cover it up, Brayden.” Selene’s voice appeared in the room. He rolled over. “Oh God, even worse. Scott’s dick pointing for the sky.” Typical, the second he thought of Emma, he was standing to attention.

  Brayden placed his hand over Selene’s eyes.

  “You want to put some clothes on?”

  “What’s the point? I’ll only have to take them off when the next one comes in.” He collapsed back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He hadn’t noticed the mirror before. Obviously, the lionesses like to watch when they were fucked.

  “You’ve already mated?” Brayden’s questioned was filled with trepidation. The snow leopard picked up a blanket and threw it over Scott to cover his manhood. Selene opened her eyes.

  “I couldn’t get it to work.” He responded remorsefully. He was a failure. He couldn’t even save the woman he loved.