by T. S. Ryder
In the end, there was nothing to for it except call them. Charity’s stomach churned and her fingers felt cold as she called. When there was an answer, she almost hung up right there. But she wasn’t the type of girl who hid her feelings from her parents anymore. No. She was going to face them head-on.
“Hello, Mom,” she greeted her mother. “It’s Charity.”
“Oh, darling.” Her mother’s voice was full of relief. “Hope said that you were okay, but I needed to hear your voice for myself. Are you okay? I need to get your father. Oh, please tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay, Mom.” Charity’s tense muscles started to relax. An unexpected surge of emotion rushed through her. Her eyes started to burn and a lump grew in her throat. Even though she tried to swallow it down, there was a distinctive wobble in her voice when she spoke again. This was her mom, after all. She’d sung her bedtime stories, kissed her scrapes, taught her how to sew and had stood up to the principal when he suggested that Charity was to be blamed for the bullying she endured in High School. “I’m fine.”
A loud sniff answered her. “I know that this is hard for you, baby. But don’t worry. We’re going to be here for you. Your father and I have already been looking into everything you need to know to deal with . . . it.”
It was like a glass of ice-water had been dumped on her.
Scratch that. It was like she was thrown into an ice-cold lake. The zap of warmth leaving her body at hearing her mother’s words was far more than one small glass. She couldn’t speak for a long moment, uncertain of how to process what she had just heard.
“Darling? Are you still there?”
“I’m here.” Her voice was raspy. “Mom, I’m not going to terminate my pregnancy.”
“What? No, of course not. I would never suggest that you do something like that.”
A bit of the feeling came back to her extremities. Before Charity could continue to ask exactly what she meant about taking care of ‘it,’ though, her mother continued.
“But you’re not going to want to saddle yourself with a child. Certainly not a shifter baby. Your father and I have found a few nice adoption agencies. One of them specializes in shifter babies, you know. There are so many of them born out of wedlock to parents who don’t want them. We’ll help you find a nice family to raise that baby right and—”
“Mom.”
“You’ll want to sign all the adoption papers before you get too hormonal.”
“Mom!”
“Pregnancy makes women do strange things. It makes you stupid. Your father used to say that I was—”
“Mom!” Charity nearly shouted. “Mom, I’m not—”
“Darling, it’s Charity.” There was brief noise on the other side of the line, then her father’s voice came through.
“Charity? Are you okay?”
Charity sighed. She wondered if they’d even notice if she didn’t answer. “Yes.”
The sound took on a tinny quality that spoke to the phone being put on speaker. Her father continued. “Hope said that you two were with one of your friends. Where are you? We’ll come pick you up right away. Is Honor with you? Please tell me Honor is with you and that shifter didn’t get her, too.”
“What are you talking about? Honor wants to hurt me.”
“Is that what he told you? She’d never hurt a fly.” Her father’s voice rose. Well, that was the reaction she had been expecting. She could almost imagine how red his face was getting. “But that shifter, he’s dead. I’m going to kill him. Hurting my little girl like this? I’ll kill him.”
Charity tried to remain calm. “Devin didn’t hurt me.”
“You don’t have to be afraid of him, darling. The police are already looking for him,” her mother said. “He took off around the same time you ran away from him. I know that you’re afraid he’s going to find you—”
“I’m not afraid of Devin!”
“As soon as he’s caught by the police, they’ll keep him far away from you. You’ll have to testify against him, but everybody knows that those shifters have insatiable appetites for human women.”
They simply refused to believe her. No matter what she said. They’d already decided what had happened. Fury churned in her chest and she had to resist the urge to just scream profanities at them. She should never have called. Never should have hoped for anything other them being bigots. Tears burned her eyes as she choked on everything she wanted to say to them.
“Mom, Dad, I want you to listen very carefully to what I am going to say.”
“Of course, darling,” her mother said. “We’re here for you, whatever you need.”
“What I need is for you to call the cops and tell them that you were mistaken. Devin is not a danger to me or anybody else.”
Her father spoke “Charity, I know that you must feel ashamed—”
“No.” Her rage slipped into her voice this time. “Ashamed? Anything but ashamed. Actually, no. I am ashamed. I’m ashamed that I have two hard-headed and judgmental hypocrites for parents. I’m ashamed that you hate anybody who isn’t exactly like you so much that you’d assume that a kind, intelligent young man who only wants to make the world a better place – a young man I love – is a rapist. I’m ashamed to call you my parents.”
There was a brief pause. “Now, listen here, young lady,” her father shouted. “I will not be spoken to like that!”
“You’re a judgmental hypocrite!” Charity shouted back. “I love Devin and we are going to raise our child together to love others and to be kind and unselfish. Everything you aren’t!”
She hung up and, to stop them from calling her back, took the battery out of the phone. Then she collapsed onto the couch, sobbing. That was it. The only person she had left was Hope. And her baby. And, if he would have her, Devin. Her hands clenched as her chest tightened so much that she could hardly breathe.
Devin . . . I need you. I need you right now.
Chapter Ten – Devin
It took days driving through the city, comparing buildings to the picture on his phone. Half the time, Devin didn’t think that they’d actually find it. In those times, it was Leo who bolstered him, telling him that the fact that they still hadn’t heard from Charity, despite the calls and texts, was proof that she was unable to contact him.
“By this time,” he argued, “she would have at least sent a message back to you, saying she wants nothing to do with you.”
It was a logical thought. Still, it made Devin’s stomach churn to think about what might have happened. Her family was furious when they came to confront him about his relationship with her. What if they had done something? It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility . . .
It also wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that she had lured him in and was planning something with Honor to destroy him. At night, when he lay in the back of the jeep, out near the beach where overnight parking was allowed, those were the thoughts that plagued him. Charity was so beautiful, kind, and she made him feel things nobody had ever made him feel. But what if it was all a lie? He didn’t want to believe it, but each day they spent in the city, the thought got stronger until he was certain that it was going to drive him crazy.
But they finally found it. The little white house with green trim, accentuated by a red door and a glass window to one side. A unique ensemble that was unmistakable. Devin’s heart pounded as she stopped the jeep and looked at the eccentric little house.
Leo, who’d had his eyes closed, opened them and blinked. He glanced around and straightened when he saw the building. He clawed at his hair in a vain attempt to make it lay flat, then turned to his brother with a grin.
“Well, we found it. What are you waiting for? Run over there and see if she’s there.”
Devin swallowed hard. If she didn’t want anything to do with him . . . If she was working with her sister to undo all the work he’d done for the shifters . . . How would be he be able to continue on from that?
Why am I doubting her?
Devin closed his eyes and rested his head against the steering wheel. He inhaled, exhaled, and emptied his mind. Then he pulled that fear back to the forefront. What if Charity wasn’t who he thought she was?
He examined the question. First off, he confronted why it was there. He feared she would end up someone he couldn’t trust. It was because of his history. He’d met with so many of the shifters on the island who had gotten involved with someone who turned out to be not who they thought they were. People who had hurt them in the end. Not just humans, but an overwhelming majority of them. So was that why he was afraid? Perhaps it was his fear that he wasn’t good enough.
Now on to the next question: what would he do if it turned out that she was working with Honor to undo his work? What would he do then?
Well. If that was the case, he would put aside his personal feelings and pain. He would confront the situation with the resilience that it demanded and he would take whatever came at him. He’d stand strong and protect his pack the way he always did. They came first. Whatever hurt he suffered, he would deal with it.
It was all he could do.
Leo still stared at him, so Devin opened his door. “Stay here.”
Devin headed toward the house. He saw a face briefly in the window, but it was gone before he could tell if it was Charity. Only seconds later, though, the door burst open. Charity flew down the sidewalk, her face lit up.
“Devin!”
His heart nearly burst at the happiness in her voice. He broke into a run. Charity jumped on him when she reached him, and he grabbed her around the waist. Her legs encircled him and he held her tight as he spun her in circles. His heart was so full of joy seeing her happy to see him that it was all he could do.
“You’re okay.” Her hands tangled in his hair. She pulled back to smile down into his eyes. “You’re okay. I was so worried. I lost my stupid phone and I didn’t have your number memorized and I was so afraid. I thought that we were lost to each other forever. I know that sounds silly, but I thought that Honor might hurt you and me—”
Devin cut her off with a kiss. He was too happy to see her to be worried about Honor and her plots. With his arms around her waist, pulling her in tight against him, he kissed her hard and deep. His eyes closed as he moaned. Just being this close to her set everything inside of him on fire. He hardened as she started to roll her hips against him, though it made it difficult to keep holding her. Their tongues tangled, the two of them kissing each other desperately, passionately.
Leo coughing behind him broke them apart. Both Charity and Devin panted as he lowered her back to her feet. Her hands remained on his chest, foreheads pressed together.
“Wow,” she whispered. “I guess distance does make the heart grow fonder.”
Devin laughed. “Let’s not try it out again. I don’t know if I can get much fonder of you.”
Charity slipped an arm around his waist. “Come inside. We have so much to talk about.”
They went into the house, where Hope Gatiss stood looking wary. Devin couldn’t even feel annoyed by her. Let her think what she wanted to think. It didn’t matter. He had his Charity back, and that was all that mattered. He kept his hand in hers, making sure that contact wasn’t broken. Introductions were made, and then Charity tugged him into a bedroom.
His first instinct was to lay her on the bed and rip off all their clothes, but he repressed it. As much as he wanted to kiss every inch of her skin to make sure she was truly unharmed, they needed to talk.
They sat on the bed, hands twined with one another.
“You just disappeared. All I had was one message where I heard you telling Hope to leave me a message.”
Charity wrinkled her nose. “She threw my phone out the window.”
Devin’s brows rose.
“That’s not important. The thing is, Hope came to me in a panic. She was terrified because . . . ” Charity’s eyes widened. “Wait. You don’t know. How could you know, we haven’t been able to talk. But you don’t know!”
Devin had to laugh. “Know what?”
A smile blossomed over Charity’s face. “That I’m pregnant. And you’re my baby daddy.”
Devin’s eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat. Pregnant? Warmth spread through his chest and he caught her tight in his arms. He kissed her, laughed, and kissed her again. A baby. Their child, growing inside of her. He couldn’t believe it. It was too good to be true. He pulled her tight against him again and kissed her neck.
But as he did so, a frown crossed his face. Why would Hope be panicked over Charity’s pregnancy? More importantly, why would Charity tell her before telling him? There was more going on here. He pulled back and gave her a quizzical look.
Apparently, that was enough for her to know what he was asking. She trailed her hands down his chest. “I don’t know how Honor found out, but she did. Hope saw her buying a gun.”
The blood in his veins turned to ice.
“These past few days, I’ve been terrified that she bought it for you, not me.”
Devin made a strangled noise in her throat. Of course, she’d be more worried about him than about herself. So, what if her sister had bought a gun and her other sister immediately ran to her, clearly afraid for her safety. It was obviously him that she needed to be worried about. He shook his head, bemused by her thoughts.
“Don’t shake your head at me.” Charity playfully pushed his shoulder. “I knew I was okay. I didn’t know if Honor had come after you, though. If anything had happened to you—”
“She did approach me,” he said. He shivered as he remembered her cold, dead eyes. “She said she was worried about you. That she didn’t try to hurt me or Leo only means that she is after you.”
Charity swallowed hard, fear rising in her eyes. Devin almost wished he hadn’t said anything. But when had not someone about the potential danger they were in protected them in any way? No, it was best to share everything so both of them knew exactly what they were up against. He wrapped his arms around her.
“I will protect you, Charity. No matter what. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here now. I’m here.”
He kissed her, then curled his fingers under the hem of her shirt. He tugged it up so he could see her stomach. He kissed her navel before laying her back. Using both his hands and his eyes, he studied her form. Was there a slight roundness to her stomach that hadn’t been there before? He couldn’t quite tell. With a smile, he kissed her navel again, this time sweeping his tongue across the top of her pants. She reacted just the way he had hoped, arching her back towards him.
“How far along are you?”
“Two months.”
Devin thought a moment, then nodded. “So it was probably that night on the beach with the orcas singing.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought, too.” She smiled. “I was a little nervous about telling you. Excited, but nervous. I’m glad that I finally was able to, though. Seeing your smile . . . that was the best feeling in the world.”
Devin laughed softly. “You think so, do you? I think hearing you say you are pregnant was the best feeling in the world. Or, you know what else might be the best feeling in the world?”
“What?”
He took in a deep breath and said it in a rush before he lost his nerve. “I love you.”
Charity’s eyes widened. Her smile was so big that he thought it might burst. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down, kissing him passionately. In response he wormed his hands between her shirt and her body and pulled it up; their kiss broke just long enough for him to take the shirt off. When he started on her bra, he moved to her neck.
“I can beat that,” she gasped, body moving with his to allow him the best access. “I love you, too.”
She was right. Hearing her say those words was the best feeling in the world.
Chapter Eleven – Charity
Her body tingled all over. It was like she had been dashing about in a desert and suddenly an oasis appeared. She drank him in g
reedily. Her hands were all over him, touching him, pulling him closer, making sure that he was there. He pulled back from their kisses to knead his hands into her breasts and she leaned into his touch.
“Do you mind if I’m on top this time?” she asked him while her hands played with the top of his jeans.
Devin’s eyes darkened and a smile spread across his face. “You know I love it when you’re on top, with all of your teasings.”
Charity giggled at that. There would be very little teasing this time . . . They rolled together so that he was beneath her. She knelt over him and ran her hands over her thighs, knowing he loved watching her touch herself, before tugging her pants off. She focused on him them, massaging him through his heavy jeans.
A thrill went through her when she felt how hard he already was. She licked her fingers and began touching herself while unsnapping his jeans with one hand. Devin lay back watching with a grin on his face. He lifted himself up one to remove his shirt before tangling both hands into her hair. He guided her to himself, and she was more than happy to take him into her mouth.
Devin’s head fell back and the familiar moan came from his throat. Charity adjusted herself so that she could comfortably pleasure herself and him at the same time, then started in earnest with both of them. Her pregnancy had made her more sensitive; so sensitive that she soon found she couldn’t apply direct pressure the way she was used to. Devin’s hands remained in her hair and she loved the feeling on him there – not pushing her head down but keeping her hair out of her face.
It didn’t take long for Charity to decide that they were both ready. She kissed her way up Devin’s body, licking his hard muscles as she did so. His body was so beautiful, all golden skin and contoured muscle. As his hands moved up and down her back, his biceps and pectorals rippled. She couldn’t resist nipping at one of them, loving the little shudder combined with a moan that he gave her for her troubles.