Her eyes went wide. She'd never convince Malcolm to stay out of it, and there was no way in hell she'd let any harm come to any of them. She knew what she had to do.
* * * *
Sable woke with a cramp, a tightening in her belly that radiated to her tailbone. It felt like someone was digging an elbow into her back. Heart pounding, she sat up, leaned against the headboard, and took deep breaths until it receded.
She forced herself to relax. It was all perfectly normal. The doctor called them Braxton Hicks contractions, her body's way of getting ready for the real thing.
She glanced at the clock on the night table. Gods! 2:00 a.m. She hadn't meant to fall asleep.
Now she had to bust ass to get out of here. Her wolf felt her agitation and stirred inside her. Stress brought out her feral side. She put a hand over her heart and calmed the beast. I'll let you out later, I promise.
She slipped out of bed and padded across the floor to the bathroom. Standing at the sink, she washed her face with cool water and took a drink.
She packed a few things in a small plastic bag, and after a few moments’ thought, threw her rings in, too. She might not wear them anymore, but they would buy a lot of diapers for her babies.
It bothered her to take money from Karin's purse, but she did it anyway. She needed it to get out of town, and it was far less than they'd lose if she stayed.
She snuck out of the house, walked a half mile, and then prepared to shift. Her clothes went in the bag and then she brought on the change. She snapped up the bag in her jaws and took off, propelled by her powerful hind legs.
The rhythm of her movements on four legs and the play of muscle rippling under her skin took her mind off the infrequent contractions. The trail she left in her wake couldn't be helped. There was no time to cover it. Hopefully, by the time anyone missed her, she'd already be on a bus to wherever.
Her path took her through Outlaw property. She could go around it, but it would take longer. Their acreage was so big she'd be nowhere near the house. She figured she'd reach the bus station before dawn.
A dog barked in the distance, and her hackles rose. She increased her speed, but she still heard him advancing. Her breath came hard and fast, and the sound of her furiously beating heart almost drowned out the barking. Fear took over. Her insides seethed with it. She didn't want a dogfight on her hands.
A painful spasm made her stomach contract, and she slowed to a walk. It peaked, and when it subsided, she started running again. Another came ten minutes later and then another. The time between contractions got shorter, and they increased in intensity.
She recognized a pattern, and her heart sank. They couldn't be coming now. It was too early. A hard cramp, the worst yet, brought her to a stop. Unable to ignore the signs any longer, she looked for a quiet, secluded place where she could give birth. Ahead, she spotted an enormous tree that offered some protection, and she made her way there. Sprawled under its exposed roots, in a pile of pine needles, she panted through each recurring cramp.
An eerie calmness came over her and with it the knowledge that she could trust her wolf's instinct to bring the babies into the world.
Suddenly a dark shape crashed through the undergrowth to her left. She lifted her muzzle and growled a warning. Her wolf would fight to the death to protect her pups. The bloodhound stopped a few feet away. Sable snarled and bared her teeth to keep him at bay
"Over here!" Jonas's shout rang clear in the quiet of the woods, and she got ready to do battle.
He appeared in the clearing, Jude right behind him. They both carried rifles. Did they recognize her? Terrified they might shoot first and ask questions later, she looked inside for her human form and watched the black fur recede in the cold light of the moon. She and her babies were one. They changed when she did. That would stop after the birth, but now they relied on her for everything.
Her muzzle receded, and she screamed. "Don't shoot!"
Jonas looked from her to Jude. "Looks like we caught a wolf on our property. What should we do with it?"
Jude gave him a dirty look, and then he turned to Sable. "No one is going to hurt you."
A hard, painful contraction made her groan, and she clutched at her stomach. Jude rushed to her side and dropped to his knees. Frightened, she cowered against the tree.
"Don't be afraid of me." He looked so miserable. She couldn't bear it. "I'm sorry." Was he apologizing to her?
"Jude?" She reached out for him.
He pulled her into his arms. "Let me help you."
Sable started crying. He looked worried and totally helpless, but just having his arms around her helped more than anything.
"Jonas, do something for God's sake," he yelled. "Let's get her back to the ranch."
The ranch was the last place she wanted to go, but she wasn't getting a vote. At this point, it didn't matter. Only the babies mattered.
Jonas kneeled at her feet, helped her bend her knees, and spread her thighs apart. "It's too late for that. The baby is crowning."
"What the hell does that mean?" Jude's voice shook.
"The head is visible, and it's not slipping back in. This baby wants out."
"Jesus Christ!"
"Calm down, I need your help. Grab that bag and take out whatever is in it. We'll need something to wrap the babies in."
Jonas slipped a shirt under her hips, and Jude got behind her so she could lean back against his chest and push. He murmured encouragement in her ear while she groaned through another contraction.
"Just a few more," Jonas urged.
She visualized her baby and gave a long, hard push.
"The head is out!" Jonas sounded as excited as if he did it himself. The baby wriggled a shoulder free and flopped into Jonas's waiting hands, already wailing. "He's perfect, you did good."
She started crying again and held her arms out.
"Let me clean him up a little." Jonas started to wipe the tiny face, and the infant let out a howl that scared the bloodhound. He started backing away.
Jonas laughed. "Hey, Jude, you all right? You look worse than Sherlock." He handed the baby to Sable.
"Oh, Jonas, he looks exactly like you," she whispered. "And Jude. He's so beautiful." He went right for her breast.
"Takes after his father." Jude chuckled.
"Oh!" Another hard contraction hit.
"Uh oh. Here we go again." Jonas got ready to catch baby number two.
Her heart lurched when she saw the look on Jonas's face. The baby was so quiet.
"Jonas, why is he blue?" she cried. It was too early for him. If anything happened she'd never forgive herself. This was all her fault.
Jonas laid the baby on his lap and lifted the tiny feet. He flicked the soles with a thumb and forefinger until the infant let out a tiny whimper. Jonas rubbed his back and let out a sigh of relief when the whimper turned into a wail. He handed him off to Jude. "He's smaller than big brother. Keep him warm."
Sable sighed with relief. "Thank you, Jonas. If you weren't here I might have lost him."
Jonas narrowed his eyes at her. "The dogs started carrying on and we came to investigate. What were you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
Sable kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to tell him she was running away.
"Let's worry about that later." Jude spoke up. "After we take them home." He handed baby two to Sable, and she cuddled the twins close.
"Please, just take me back to Malcolm's house." She was afraid if they took her to the ranch, they'd never let her leave with her babies.
"No way!" Jonas exclaimed. "It's too far. The babies need to be checked properly and kept warm. We had less than ideal conditions out here, and those cords could get infected. Besides, you're bleeding a little more than I like."
"Is she going to be okay?" Jude's voice shook. He really was worried about her.
"They'll all be fine." Jonas took the shoelaces out of his boots and tied the cords. "Jude, give me your knife so I can cut thes
e." Jonas checked his handiwork and passed the knife back. He looked at Sable. "Now give me the babies, and Jude will carry you."
She shook her head and wouldn't let them go. Finally, Jude had to pry her fingers off them. "You'll get them back as soon as we get home. I promise." Jude took his shirt off and wrapped it around her before he lifted her. She hoped she could believe him.
* * * *
"She looks so pale." Jude's voice cracked.
"Lay her on the exam table and get a blanket from the couch. Then go get that cradle you made and whatever else you have for the babies." Jonas shifted the twins in his arms.
Sable looked up at Jude. "You made a cradle?"
Jude's eyes got suspiciously wet. "It was supposed to be a surprise for you. It's not perfect." He kissed her hand. "Thank you."
"For what?" she whispered.
"For my sons. I love you." He bent to kiss her mouth.
She threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Jude, I'm so sorry. I love you, too."
"Jude! Hurry the fuck up." His brother was a fool. He knew Jude missed her, but he thought he was getting over it. Seeing her and the babies turned him into a sappy idiot.
"Right away." Jude covered Sable and turned to go. "I'll put everything in my bedroom. They can stay with me after you check them out."
"No, they'll be staying right here."
Jude looked like he was ready to argue, but Jonas didn't care, he wasn't about to give in on this one. If scare tactics were necessary, so be it. "Unless you want to take the chance on her bleeding to death while you're sleeping."
Jude turned white and threw Jonas a dirty look. He walked back to Sable. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Or the babies. I'll be right here with you." He squeezed her hand. "All night," he reiterated to Jonas before walking out.
Jonas shook his head and took the twins into the little white bedroom that used to be Sable's. Then he went back to check the mother.
"Are they safe in there by themselves?" Sable asked.
"Of course," he assured her. "I wouldn't have left them otherwise. They're on the bed, they're not going anywhere."
"They might be friskier than human babies," she told him. "Take care of them, I'll be okay."
"They're cocooned in clean towels with a headboard on one side and a footboard on the other. They'll be fine for a few minutes." If nothing else, at least he was sure of that. There was so much he didn't know about Lycan physiology, he'd have to wing it and rely on what Sable could tell him.
Her normally tanned skin had a gray cast he didn't like. "We should think about getting you to a hospital. You might need a transfusion."
"No. No hospital. You said you could take care of us here."
"We'll see how it goes."
"The babies go where I go."
He didn't answer. "Looks like the bleeding slowed down." Relieved, he checked her blood pressure and heart. "I'll examine the babies, and if all's well when I come back, we'll nix the hospital."
Those big eyes followed him like laser tracking. She didn't trust him. He couldn't blame her. He wasn't a pushover like his brother.
"This thing weighs a ton." Jude set the cradle down.
"It's beautiful." Sable looked at Jude as if he was Superman, and his twin lit up like a Christmas tree.
Disgusted, Jonas shook his head. "Stay with her while I check the babies."
He threw a few things in the cradle and carried it into the bedroom. The babies were right where he left them. He sat on the bed, and damn if they didn't turn those blue Outlaw eyes on him as if he were getting the examination.
He started to remove the towel from the second born, the smaller boy. The sudden movement triggered a loud cry. The infant extended his arms then bent them and pulled them back to his body.
"I don't blame you, little guy, you had a rough night. But the worst is over.”
The infant fisted his tiny hands, screwed up his face, and started crying.
"Okay, buddy, I didn't mean to scare you. I know you're probably hungry, and I'll make this fast." Luckily, they'd purchased baby equipment including a pediatric stethoscope, thermometer, and even a baby scale.
He finished quickly and put a tiny newborn diaper on him. He looked at the nightgown and shrugged. "This looks a little girly to me, but at least it's got blue flowers." He wrapped the boy in a soft baby blanket and picked him up.
"You stay put," he admonished the other baby. "I'll be right back."
He walked into the lab and handed the bundle to Jude. "Baby B. I think he's hungry. Give Sable a hand." Jude held him gingerly, he looked nervous as hell.
He chuckled at Jude's ineptitude. "He won't break." He looked over his shoulder as he walked out. "But don't drop him."
Big brother waited placidly and didn't complain at being uncovered.
"Well, you have a little more meat on your bones to keep you warm." He put him on the scale. "Five pounds, a half pound more than your brother, a real bruiser for a preemie."
The baby stared at him as if he understood every word.
"Okay, big guy, time for your once-over."
Cute as a button. He reminded himself they might look like Outlaw babies, but they were half Lycan. There had to be something different about them but damned if he saw it.
He should have been a little faster, the infant sprayed him, and the unexpected shower took him completely by surprise. "So you think that's funny, do you? Marking your territory already and you don't even know how to use that thing?" He swore the baby actually smiled while he cleaned him off.
"I have to learn how to stay out of the danger zone when—"
He took a closer look. The baby was perfect, just like his twin, except for a tiny spot in his groin. His blood went cold. This baby was a Jonas mini-me, right down to the miniscule birthmark that Sable called a paw print. What were the odds that Jude's son would carry his birthmark? Not impossible, but not likely either.
Did the bitch lie to his brother? It sure looked that way. She didn't know who the father was, but she figured Jude was an easy mark. He played right into her hands and married her.
In his heart, he already knew the babies were his, and in a weird way that pleased him, but he needed to be sure. There was one way to find out the truth. A DNA test.
Chapter Twenty
Jonas ran the DNA twice. He expected the tests to confirm his suspicions. After a five-day wait, the results knocked him for a loop. It had to be a mistake. He went over every step of the procedure and finally conceded that the results were correct.
He'd been so sure he fathered the twins. The joke was on him. He was half-right. The first-born boy, the infant with the birthmark was his son, no surprise there. But the second baby had been fathered by Jude.
Bi-paternal twins. Multiple eggs released in a cycle and fertilized by sperm cells from two different men. Voilà, twins with two different fathers, a rare phenomenon, at least in the human population. Maybe not so rare in the Lycan community, but then he wouldn't know about that. After all the research he'd done, he still didn't know a whole lot about the shape-shifters. They were an enigma. He doubted Sable knew much more. She'd been a lone wolf since childhood, and much of her history had been lost.
She’d had a tough life. He'd lost his parents, too, but he had siblings and grandparents. She had no one. Until Jude. No matter what had transpired between him and Sable, he had to admit she genuinely cared for Jude and the babies. The few times Jude let him get near her, he could see how close they were. They shared something he'd never have with Nicole.
He should have left them alone. His motivations were selfish. Jude had been right all along. He just couldn't keep his hands off her. He'd taken advantage of Sable's primal instincts because he wanted his brother's wife, and he hated himself for it.
"What are you doing?" Jude entered the lab and walked over to his desk.
Startled, he quickly slid the papers into the shredder. "Just cleaning up." They would be Greek to Jude, but he didn't want them lying
about. No sense taking any chances. They didn't change anything, and he'd already made up his mind. "Sit down for a minute. I have something to tell you."
Jude's expression darkened. "If it's about Sable, I don't want to hear it. I've already called the lawyer and put a stop to the divorce."
"It's not that." Jonas reached for the drawer where he kept his bottle. "It's early, but have a drink with me?"
"Yeah, okay."
"Don't look so worried, this is good news." He poured them each a tumbler of scotch. "I regret all the grief I caused you."
"You already apologized, Jonas."
"Just hear me out. Seeing the twins made me realize how much they need both their parents. This time I want you and Sable to have a real chance to make it work. I'm taking a long, much-needed vacation. Now you and Sable can play house and have all the privacy you want."
"What are you talking about? You don't have to do this."
"No matter what you say, we both know I'm responsible for the trouble between you two. It's only natural for you to have some hard feelings. So don't pretend you want me hanging around. I'm not exactly the poster child for harmonious family relationships. I want to do the right thing here and get out of your way for a little while. Without me hanging around you can make a fresh start." Jonas stared at him. "That is what you want?"
"More than anything," Jude said firmly. "Hell, we know it won't be easy, but we'll figure it out as we go along." He paused. "You're family, Jonas. We need you on our side."
"And I'll always be there, but that doesn't mean I have to be breathing down your neck. It's time for me to make an honest woman of Nicole and have a few kids of my own. Why should you be the only one to have a wedding in the big city?"
"Hell! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Jude came around the desk and gave him a bear hug. "This is great news. Janis is gonna be pissed. She wanted to be next."
Jonas smiled. "Her time will come."
Stanley, Gale - Mating Call [Black Wolf Gorge 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 17