“O’Reilly thinks that he’s following him around.” Dominic told her that he more than likely was. Then told her what Roger had said. “They’re going to try and kill him? I don’t understand. Why is it that they’d be following him if—? To learn what he does all day. There are many that think he does nothing all day but talk. The moron does a lot of that, but he’s finding out too what is needed. He drives me to distraction, but he’s a good king.”
“Did you know that your English gets better the longer you’re here?” She grinned at him. “You know. Back to Will. I don’t know where they’re staying, do you? I meant to ask Roger if he knew, but he had me distracted about the other things he’d been telling me.”
He told her everything that he’d heard about the two of them. It was a good deal more than she’d heard, that was for sure. Looking around the room, she noticed that the room was beautifully decorated for Christmas.
“Mom had someone come by and do it for us. She’s been working with her new project. Victor is all snuggled up in the shelter now, and she’s been over there organizing a big feast for the people there that are left. Also, she makes it so that the elderly can have a good meal.” Charlie asked him why there were only a few there. “She arranges for the few people who might not be able to have family around, like they can’t travel for one reason or another, to take in a few of them for the week to help out around the house and enjoy Christmas through New Year’s. You’d be surprised how many of them stay after and live with the people. It’s a nice way for them to have friends and a roof over their heads.”
Dominic took her to the dining room to look there, as well to show her the large tree that was in the main entrance to the house. She told him that she’d not even noticed any of it when she’d come in.
“I guess seeing him, seeing him as just a person, threw me. I don’t know what I expected, but I don’t think it was for him to look like everyone else. He’s even kinda handsome.” She looked at Dominic when he didn’t say anything. “For my entire life, I’ve pushed people out of my life. Mostly out of my heart too, I guess. I thought it would be easier on me to have people afraid of me rather than to be discarded like I had been. This was even before I found out that I had been literally discarded like nothing. Then you came into my life and fucked that all up.”
“I hope you don’t expect me to be sorry. Because I’m not. I love you with all my heart.” For an answer, she kissed him on the mouth. “I’m taking that as a yes. I love you, Charlie. And always will.”
They were both laughing when they headed up the stairs. She thought about what was to happen tonight, and decided that she really didn’t care. The pain and the knowledge that it would be there scared her, but knowing that she’d be with Dominic forever made it seem all right. Getting into the bed naked, she curled her body around his.
“Dominic, would it be all right with you if we didn’t have children right away? I know that I said I wanted them, but not right away. I do want them, but I’ve been so alone for most of my life. Pushing people away so that I couldn’t be rejected first. I’m overwhelmed by all the love in your family. Jealous too. I wouldn’t know the first thing about a kid.” Dominic told her that he’d seen her with other peoples’ kids. “Oh, they’re great, but I’m not good with them on a one to one shot.”
“We can wait. Actually, now that you bring it up, I’m all for that too. We have a lot of time to be whatever we want. And I want to get this project going and have you happy. I guess we could be the best uncle and aunt to the others, and figure out what we’re doing first.” He laughed. “My brother Caleb wanted that too until he married Olivia. They’re one big happy family now.”
“Thank you.” She thought about the projects that he had going with her people. “You’ve saved us from extinction—you know that, don’t you? I mean, the people that you help, they help my kind so much more than you can realize. There are fewer and fewer of us born every year.”
“O’Reilly told me that too. I thought that I’d been dreaming when I first had a conversation with him and Sham, did I tell you that? Be that as it may, I’m so glad that I got to be a part of your life. I love you, Charlie.” Neither of them spoke for a long time. It was nice, she thought, that he didn’t have to fill the voids with words when quiet was just as good. Closing her eyes, she thought of all the things that she’d arranged for the holidays, and remembered the conversation she’d had with Sham yesterday about gifts.
Getting up when she realized that Dominic was asleep, she made her way down to the Christmas tree in the hallway. Just as she had hoped, there were leprechauns all over the tree putting gifts, small things that would be something larger, on each and every branch. She watched them for several minutes before asking them how much longer they’d be about.
“We each have gifts for you two.” She asked O’Reilly what they were. “Now if I were to tell ye, don’t you think that’s be no fun for us? Sheesh, woman. You know, you shouldn’t be so hard on me. I might well be your neighbor.”
“Heaven forbid. Having you that close will drive me over the edge of reason, and I’d have to knock open your head to see if there was a brain in your head at all.” He nearly glared at her, then seemed to have second thoughts. “You best be careful of this tree. Dominic’s mother had it set up so that it would look nice here. Did you bring what I asked you to?”
“Yes, they’re all right here. I will tell you that I saw nothing with my name on it. That’s a little remiss of ye, if you were to ask.” She told him that she hadn’t. “So mean you are, Charlie. I thought for sure that you’d be in better spirits since I found you a mate and all.”
“You found me a mate? And here I be thinking that it was the fates. What do you think she’d say if I were to mention to her that you be taking all the credit for her work? I don’t think she’d be any too pleased with you.” He looked around as if the very woman would come out of the walls for him. She thought of their last conversation. “O’Reilly, about today. I wanted—”
“Mildred, she told me that I should have thought about you not knowing that man. I am sorry for that. I love you, girl.” She told him that she liked him a bit too. “I said that I loved you. You got no words to say back to me?”
“Not today. I do have a question. What are your plans for being king if they’re out to get you?” His face turned a bright red, blending in nicely with not just his hair, but his button nose as well. “You’ve someone to take over then. I thought you might be thinking on that. You’d do well to have somebody that people can trust. I’m sure you’re a thinking that too. Or should I say that Mildred might be thinking on it.”
“You wound me, Charlie. Wound me to the very core of me heart. And before you go making some kind of meanness about it, I do have one.” She didn’t say anything, but watched as the group with him went into the living room. “You go on back to bed now. Get yourself some loving, and leave me to my work. Mayhap you could get a little of the niceness that good Dominic has in abundance.”
“Mayhap you bring out the meanness in me. Did ye ever think about that?” When he blustered, she laughed. “Go on with your work, O’Reilly, and I’ll get back to me bed. Thank you for doing this for the family. I’m glad that you suggested it.”
She was making her way up to the bedroom again when the first pain took her breath away. Nearly to the door, she could hear Dominic retching and moaning about his belly. Not sure then if it was the magic, she called out to him just as she was, what felt like, torn apart.
This is it, she thought. They were going to miss the holidays with his family. Then Charlie screamed out in pain. Roger was suddenly there, and she could only cling to him as he put her to bed. The bed dipped just a little when Dominic was beside her. All she could think about was that they’d had a watcher. Roger would either kill them both and make them his pets, or they’d live to tell about this on their own terms. The next wave of pain had her begging t
o be killed. Charlie closed her eyes tightly when her body seemed to come apart again.
Chapter 5
Will didn’t know what was happening, but he knew that it was bad. When Dorcus had had the brats before, she would hurt for a little while but then she’d be done. This time she was screaming in a way that had him terrified that she wasn’t going to make it. That this offering would be the end of everything he knew.
“Dorcus, tell me what to do.” She screamed at him to take the babe from her. To cut it from her body. “I can’t do that. What if I hurt you?”
“I’m hurting now, you moronic fuck.” He knew that she was hurting. Dorcus would never say such a thing to him unless she was. “Take it from me, Will. I swear to you, I’m going to die if you don’t.”
Before he could think how to simply tear the thing from her body, she screamed again and it came rushing out. Then a second child followed the first. What scared him the most was the amount of blood there was. It was dripping off the bed in big puddles. Dorcus wasn’t moving either. Then the babies started to fuss.
“Shut up. Can’t you see what you’ve done to her? Shut up before I shut you up.” Will turned back to Dorcus and found himself lying on the floor across the room. The person that had more than likely hit him wasn’t anyone that he thought that he knew, but was bundling up the babies and talking to them. “What do you think you’re doing? Put them back and get out of here.”
When she turned to him, he watched her transform into something monstrous for a moment, growling at him like he wasn’t to move. She was something that he didn’t want to be around. Her face became white and drawn. Teeth that looked more suited to a vampire or an ogre appeared, then grew to unholy lengths. Even her arms had gotten longer, nails like claws growing from her hands.
Staying where he was, he even covered his eyes so that she’d forget it was there. Whatever she was, a harpy he thought, he wanted nothing to do with her. When she spoke, he looked up at her as she had the children, the evil ones, in her arms.
“She’ll need to rest here for a long while. I’m afraid she was nearly too close death to even live now should she get up and be moved around too much.” When Will smiled, thinking that it was wonderful that at least one of them was dead, the woman shook her head. “Not the babies, but the woman there. Dorcus. She bled out gravely. She may still die. Had she been in a hospital, I think she might have had a better time of it. But here in the middle of this area, it was too much for her.”
“Nay, she cannot rest. We have things to do. Things that require us both. I will not have it. She is all that I have in this world.” She told him that he had the babes. “I don’t want them. I was going to drown it anyway to give to the demons.”
“You’ve had them, and now you’ve no use for them? What sort of person does that to their own children?” He told her what their plans were. “You’ve had a demon here? Do you have any idea how many laws you’ve broken by just saying such a thing? You just wait until the king finds out what you’ve—”
The woman’s head was just gone. The body that was still standing seemed to linger much too long for his mind, it seemed to him. Then, as it was dropping to the floor, he watched as Dorcus pulled one of the children free before she laid back on the bed, now covered in the blood of the harpy.
Scooping up the other child, he held it from him as it was screaming its head off. Putting it on the bed, Dorcus asked him where it had come from. The one that he had was the male child.
“‘Tis yours.” Dorcus then asked about the female that she had. “They’re both from your body. I saw them both come from you as if they were being set free or something. That must have been why you were in so much pain.”
“I guess.” She looked so weak that he was worried for her. “I feel as if they took a large part of me, Will. I hurt in my insides worse than any other birthing. They look to be the size of the other females, don’t you think? Much too large for me to have only just birthed.”
Will didn’t want to bring up the deal that they’d made. It would mean that she’d have to get up from the bed and walk to the water. The stone that the demon had brought up from the earth so long ago was where he’d demanded that they meet him.
“I’ll be all right soon.” He asked her if she wanted him to go instead of her. “Nay, you know that we both must be there for the bargain to be made. I only need to rest for a moment or two longer.”
He let her rest while he pulled the body of the harpy to the opening and tossed her to the ground. Going back to her, Will noticed that the magic that Dorcus had used to make their home was depleting. There were large places where, instead of home like settings, he saw only stone, cold and damp from the mountain that it was holding up.
Going back to the bedroom that they shared, he noticed that both the kids were sleeping finally, and looked down at them while Dorcus slept. They had been cleaned up a little, their cords clipped closer to their bodies. He’d not realized how much the harpy had done before Dorcus had killed her.
They were both fat little things. The female had hair as red as Dorcus’s, and a great deal of it. The male had darker hair, also a lot of it. He wondered briefly what they should be called when he thought of where his mind was going. Naming them would be bad. Daring to name a thing you had no intentions of keeping would make it harder on to give it up. Or so he had heard. Waking up Dorcus, he asked her if she was ready to go.
“Yes. But I think you’ll have to carry me there, then come back for the things.” He didn’t know how she thought that was going to work. He had never done anything like that before, but for her, he’d do just about anything. “I’m so weak, Will. I think that they might well have killed me.”
“Don’t say that. Please don’t say things like that. You’ll begin to believe it and leave me here.” Picking her up from the bed, he could see how much it had cost her to have killed the other woman. The blood was sticky on the bed in great stains. “I’m going to lay you onto the floor, my love. Then I’m going to get you something to wrap around you.”
“Yes, please. I’m so very cold right now.” When he left her there, he thought about killing the babes for their part in this, but knew that they’d need them both more than ever now.
Will was thinking that he’d make a bargain for the other child so that the demon would heal Dorcus. It would be worth it to the demon; he would be getting two for the price of one.
Finding an old ticking sheet, he shook it as it took it over to Dorcus. Wrapping her in the thing proved to be harder than he thought that it should have been. She couldn’t help him, so when he needed her to lift her arm up, he had to do it himself. She had closed her eyes, and did not open them even when he picked her up in his arms.
Will was startled by her weight. She seemed to weigh nothing at all, and he thought that the babes might have taken more than either of them had figured. Carrying her to the opening of the cave, he noticed that more of the magic was disappearing. Now there was more cave showing than home. He worried about that as well.
Taking her to the stone by the lake, concerned because she’d not spoken a word since he’d wrapped her up, Will felt for her pulse and found it to be weak enough that he could count it. Numbers had never been his strong suit, and in this, he knew that she was in trouble.
“I’m going for the children.” Nothing from her. “If the demon shows himself, you explain to him that we have something special for him. That I’ll be along directly to show him what we have to bargain with. Don’t die on me, Dorcus. I don’t want you to leave me.”
While he was going back to the cave, Will thought of what he was going to do once they were king and queen. He was going to order someone else to have children for them. Keeping her safe was something that he knew that he’d have to do from now on.
The cave opening was about the same size that it had been when they saw it the first time. He was concerned that the brats
would have been crushed by the stone that was there when Dorcus made the two of them a home. The place where they had slept was still there, as if it had been in waiting for him to return. But there was something odd about it. Then it hit him. The bed was gone.
It took him another hour to figure out that the babes were gone as well. The blood that had foreshadowed their birth had long since dried, and was gone too. When he went into what had been their living room, the place they had both enjoyed, the room returned to its original form. The stone seemed to be only waiting for him to see that it had been cleared of everything, including the babes.
As he moved toward the opening of what had been their home, the stone behind him crashed back into place. Terrified that he’d be caught by the moving walls of rock, he ran the rest of the way out until he was in the bright sunlight of the day.
How was he to explain that the children were gone? And where had they gone? Perhaps crushed, as he’d first thought? Will knew nothing about babies and the things that they could do. For all he knew, they could have been walking by now, and had toddled off to who knew where. But for some reason he doubted that was where they’d gone.
Someone had taken them. He was as sure about that as he was of his love for Dorcus. She had been on the demon’s rock without the babes. The one thing that he was going to save her with had been at their home. Dorcus was the one thing that had been a constant in his life. Will wouldn’t have any idea where to go if she were to leave him.
He was nearly to the rock when he saw the demon. Rushing to the man, unheedful of where he put his feet, he tripped up and landed an inch, or even less, from where the man stood. However, he wasn’t standing, but hanging from a branch with a bejeweled knife in his throat.
“Did you know that? I hadn’t any idea that the blade that killed one of your kind had to be a certain knife. I guess you really can teach an old dog—”
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