by Lisa Oliver
Simon chuckled. He did remember. Ra stayed holed up in his studio for four days ‘thinking’ and totally lost track of time. In the meantime, Seth got himself an apartment and moved out of the packhouse believing Ra didn’t love him or want kids. But then he remembered what came afterwards. Thanks to his Fae heritage and some shitty Fae family members who wouldn’t help, Seth almost died giving birth.
“What if I have complications too, like Seth did?”
“That was something to do with magical overload. You’re not magical, are you?” Ra looked him up and down as if searching for a blue spark which is what blossomed around Seth on the infrequent times he used magic.
“I don’t know what I am, that’s half the problem,” Simon sighed. “Never in a million years did I dream, hope or even think about kids. Hell, I wasn’t even sure there was a mate out there for me, let alone getting pregnant.”
“Don’t you want them?” Ra asked in a low voice. “Because I’m sure….”
“Of course, I want them.” Simon covered his stomach with his hands. He didn’t have a clue what babies could sense in the womb but he’d be horrified if his little ones came out traumatized believing they weren’t wanted. “I just never imagined I’d be the one carrying them. I’m hardly what you’d call nurturing.”
“You do a pretty good job with my three. I wouldn’t worry about it, honestly. Just go with your gut, listen to your animal half and you’ll be fine.”
My snake is part of the problem. It’s not as though they’re known for maternal instincts. But Ra stood and stretched, indicating the conversation was over. “I’m off to get a hammer. Might as well get a door knocked through this wall while Seth’s got my three in the living room. While we’re at it, you can tell me how you plan to run my campaign for mayor. It’s less than eight weeks to voting. I don’t want the mayor stopping my campaign on a technicality.”
Beats wallowing here, dwelling on shit I can’t change. Simon followed his friend down the stairs, stopping to check in on Seth. As Ra predicted, the little bunny shifter and his triplets were playing some sort of game involving balls, crawling and lots of laughter.
Michael spotted them first, but Annabelle was faster at crawling, reaching Ra’s legs and holding up her arms, a huge smile showing three teeth already. Simon’s eyes grew suspiciously wet as Ra dropped to his knees and was smothered by all the kids and Seth within seconds. Damn hormones, he thought as he hurried out to his garage.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Should you be doing that?” Darwin dropped his bag inside the door and hurried to help Simon leverage what appeared to be a door frame in place.
“It’s not heavy and I can handle it fine on my own,” Simon huffed as he knocked in some pre-fitted nails, attaching the door frame to the hole in the wall.
“I see. We’re in a grumpy mood today,” Darwin snatched the hammer out of Simon’s hand and dropped it on the floor before running his hands up his mate’s chest. “Hi darling, I’m home. Did you have a good day?”
Simon tensed for a moment, then his body relaxed under Darwin’s hands and strong arms bracketed him, something he was starting to enjoy. “I’m glad you’re home, babe. I was hoping to get this done before you got back. Damn Ra was supposed to help me, but he got caught up with his little ones and….”
“You did all this on your own?” Darwin stared in astonishment. All their furniture, or rather Simon’s furniture had been moved around, creating a space that was now taken up with a door into the next room. That in itself wasn’t too surprising if Simon had been working at it all day. But there was no mess, barely a speck of dust which meant Simon carted the debris from the hole away himself. “Why didn’t you get one of the others to help?”
“Liam offered, but he kept chatting about all the toys he wanted to buy for our babies which was driving me nuts. Brutus made sure I got lunch. I couldn’t let Rocky in here with a hammer or we wouldn’t have any wall left. Seth offered to ring his dad, Charles, who did the conversion for their nursery….”
“But you wanted to do it yourself. Oh babe,” Darwin’s eyesight blurred and he laid his head on Simon’s chest so his mate wouldn’t see. “I wish I’d been here. I should’ve been here. This is the sort of thing we should be doing together.” Guilt washed over him in waves. He was torn; so determined to maintain financial independence and yet the need to be with Simon grew with every passing day, especially now his mate was carrying their precious twins. His first day back at work since they’d got things settled between them had been torturously slow. “Maybe I could….” Damn, what could he do? It wasn’t as though he had any skills to work from home.
“You don’t have to do anything.” Simon’s finger tilted his chin and while Darwin’s instinct was to hide his emotions, he wouldn’t do that to his mate. “I’m sure you love your work and I can do everything that needs doing here.”
Simon meant it. It showed in the furrow across his forehead, the rare warmth in his eyes and the sincere tone of his voice. But none of that made Darwin feel any better. “I’m worried,” he said softly. “Worried that what we have between us isn’t enough. Oh, the sex is great and I know we care about each other,” he added quickly when Simon’s furrow deepened, “it’s just we don’t seem to be connecting the way I thought we would. We’re so different and now with the babies coming, you seem to be coping with everything and me, I’m just hiding in my work. What if we suck as parents?” He nuzzled into Simon’s chest again, unwilling to face the censure he was sure he’d see in Simon’s eyes.
~~~~/
I didn’t see that coming. Simon knew this was his cue to talk; to share the same worries he’d confided to Ra earlier. But years of keeping things close to his chest, hiding his feelings as he helped others with their issues made confiding difficult. Ra’s dismissal of his concerns – rely on my animal indeed – didn’t make things any easier and as Darwin pulled out of his arms, he realized his nature was holding him back from having the connection Darwin talked about.
“Gods, you don’t need my issues too,” Darwin quickly swiped his hand over his face. “I’m just being a drama llama. Now….”
“No. No you’re not.” Simon gently tugged Darwin into his arms and led him over to their bed. Maybe not the best place to talk seeing as his cock stood to attention every time Darwin walked into the room; but he ignored it, focusing on his mate instead. “I had a talk with Ra today,” he huffed. “Well, I tried to but all Ra said was trust my animal and it’d be fine.”
“You’re worrying about being a parent too? Is it because I’m working? Are you worried you’ll have to cope on your own?” Of course, Darwin would think it was his fault. He had more guilt than anyone Simon ever knew and yet Simon still wasn’t sure why.
“It has nothing to do with your job,” Simon said quickly. “This is about me, and how I’d never thought I’d be a parent and now I am, and I couldn’t get my jeans on this morning and it just hit me. I’m pregnant with twins. The first thing I saw when I hatched was my brother eating my siblings. How the fuck can I be a parent?”
To his surprise, Darwin laughed. “We make a fine fucking pair, don’t we? I had a shit upbringing; you didn’t have one at all and now we’re having twins. Well, at least we know there’s no eggs involved so the little ones should come out healthy.”
Simon found himself with an armful of mate. “I can’t imagine what it’s like,” Darwin said, his eyes warm, his smile soft. “Carrying a living being inside of you. Or two of them. Must be a bit like having a horrendous case of parasites or worms.”
“Aliens,” Simon smiled too. “Thank goodness we’ve made sure they haven’t got tentacles and claws on the scan.”
“Nope. Just fingers, toes, four arms and legs and two darling little heads. I don’t know if I’ve said this and I probably should have before now, but hon, I’m terrified yet over the moon you are carrying our babies. I admit I hadn’t thought about it; having children I mean, but now….”
“
It’s like a jumble of custard and ice cream,” Simon nodded. But from Darwin’s widening eyes, he didn’t get the reference. “You know when you eat hot custard with ice cream and they’re both on your spoon and you take a mouthful and you don’t know if it’s meant to be hot or cold? That’s what my brain feels like.”
“I get it.” Darwin leaned forward and rubbed their noses together.
Simon’s eyes closed, the intimacy of the action warring with the seriousness of their conversation. This is connection, isn’t it? And it seemed his mate had a few skills in the mindreading department.
“It’s scary, unexpected and yeah, a hell of a lot of responsibility bringing new life into the world. But we have a bit of time; a chance to deepen these feelings between us so we can learn to work together and you know what else we have?”
Love? Simon didn’t dare voice that thought right now. His mind was a mess as it was. He shook his head.
“An insanely strong desire to raise our kids better than our parents did.”
It seemed so simple when Darwin put it like that and yet Simon knew he was right. Just because he’d been hatched and abandoned didn’t mean he’d do that to his babies and Darwin would no more ignore his children’s needs than sprout wings and fly. Simon had watched his mate with Annabelle, Michael and Sage. He was good with kids even if he didn’t realize it himself. “You’re right,” he said, feeling better than he had all day. “And thank you.”
“What for?”
Not minimizing my worries, not trying to make it out like our animal halves had all the answers…. “For being you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Geez, what is with you guys? You can’t move like that. You’re not Jabbawockeez, you’re shifters. You’re supposed to be fluid. Fluid!” Darwin tugged his hair but it didn’t help as he glared at his new pack mates. The furniture in the living room was pushed back; everyone had been seconded except for Simon who was sprawled out on a large chair with a smirk on his face. But for the life of him, Darwin couldn’t work out why the men couldn’t dance.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with Jabbawockeez, they’re a huge hit online,” Mal protested. He did a couple of jerky moves as if to prove his point.
“I know, I know,” Darwin sighed. “They have tight choreography, they are excellent at what they do, but really guys? I am aiming for sex appeal and the Jabbawockeez aren’t sexy.”
“They are for geeks and people who….”
“Not for this type of thing.”
Finding a slower song, Darwin hit the play button and My Girl came across the speakers. “You have to find your sexy self,” he explained as he started to move. “You don’t act like robots when you’re bonking someone, so why get all stiff when you’re dancing.”
“Stiff happens when you think about sex,” Rocky called out, slowly moving his hips. “I don’t want to fall over when the weight of my massive dong….”
“Like this?” Seth fell into step with him and Darwin smiled grateful for the interruption. Sure, he was usually taking his clothes off when he danced professionally, but he’d always enjoyed himself on the odd nights he took time off. “That’s right, sway the hips, move your feet, then down to the floor,” Darwin fell forward catching himself with his hands, “and pump that butt once, then twice; don’t forget to smile at the audience and then back up again.”
He slapped Seth on the back and grinned. “You’ve got it, even if a room full of predators didn’t.”
“I’m not sure we should be humping the floor to a classic,” Lucien complained. “Now if you put on a bit of Beyoncé for example or even vintage Brittany. What?” He asked as Brutus laughed. “I like them.” He hummed a few bars to Hit Me Baby One More Time, as he wiggled his hips. “I can get into that.”
Scrolling through his playlist, Darwin found the song and hit play. “Fine. Now follow me and think about sex, or jelly or whatever the hell it will take to get a wiggle in those hips. Think sex appeal.”
The sultry music started and Darwin forgot about the others and started to move. It was a great song to dance to. Spotting the gleam in Simon’s eyes, he slinked over and hip bopped his way down until he was level with Simon’s crotch. He licked his lips as he caught Simon’s eye and bopped back up again. Letting his hips keep the rhythm he sauntered back, pleased to see the others were trying. “Now take your shirts off,” he called out about half way through as he pulled his over his head and whirled it around. “Roll the shoulders and strut your stuff.” He pranced forward, singing along, “give me a sign.” Oh, Simon was giving him signs, unmistakable ones; he was going to be in for one hell of a night. Darwin couldn’t wait for the lessons to end.
~~~~/
Simon must have been a real ass in a previous life. That’s the only reason he could think why Karma was bitch slapping him now. He’d begged off from the dance group – claiming he wasn’t sure if he’d fit his jeans when the time came. If it was actually embarrassment and the weird idea that no one wanted to see a pregnant man get their groove on that stopped him, no one would know but him. Watching Darwin dance though, that fired Simon’s blood and as most of his blood was nestled in his groin area, he was understandably ready to drag Darwin off to their room as soon as his mate finally told the others they could rest.
Which was why he was glaring at Lucien and Liam now. “What?” He asked the unrepentant pair as he spied Darwin heading for the kitchen. “I’ve got things to do.”
“Yeah, your mate,” Liam laughed as he looked around nervously. “Don’t think we didn’t notice you watching that little mouse dance. He’s got some sexy moves.”
The hair on the back of Simon’s neck prickled. “What’s wrong? You didn’t stop me just to tell me my mate’s sexy.”
Lucien elbowed Liam who elbowed him back. The two men had a silent stare off for a moment and then Lucien said, “We got a letter. From the pride. We want to know if it’s legal or…whatever…Liam show him.”
“Come into my office.” Simon led the way, racking his brains trying to remember what the brothers had said about leaving their pride. He knew it was years ago; the boys were teenagers when Ra found them covered in scars, sores and bruises, panhandling for food. Neither of them spoke much about that day, or how they got in their situation and after a time, the rest of the pack simply accepted Lucien was quieter than most and Liam had a thing for fluffy toys and cuddly things. They were still a hell of a pair to have at your backs in a fight, but as he sat down in his office chair, Simon realized he didn’t know a lot about his friends’ pasts at all.
“Now, what’s this about?” Simon kept his growl to a minimum.
“We didn’t want to bother you,” Lucien began.
“You’ve got a lot going on with Darwin and the babies,” Liam continued.
“We got this letter a week ago,” Lucien prodded Liam to produce it and Liam passed it over the desk reluctantly. “We didn’t think much of it.”
“But then we got a call from some legal guy in the pride and…what do you think?”
Simon scanned the letter quickly and then stopped and read it more thoroughly a second time. It was addressed to Liam and Lucien, the letterhead sporting a professional looking logo and the names of legal partners down the side. In other words, official.
Dear Sirs,
RE: Restitution for Breach of Contract
It has come to our attention that you have both reached thirty years of age and as yet have not contributed to the pride’s cub population.
In accordance with pride legal statute 12, subsection c, failure to produce one or more cubs prior to the thirtieth anniversary of your birth, the pride as described in subsection d-f of the same statute hereby demand immediate payment of $200,000 (Two hundred thousand dollars) EACH as restitution for the lack of income two or more cubs would provide to the pride during their lifetime.
On receipt of this letter please complete one of the following options:
1. Provide proof such cubs exist includ
ing DNA tests, birth records and details of the mother concerned. These cubs will be required to be presented to the pride alpha no later than one full month after the date of this letter.
2. Send a check for the amount owing, made out to the pride alpha. Both of you will be required to make separate payments for accounting records.
3. Provide details of the lionesses you are currently involved with and a signed affidavit from the women concerned ensuring pregnancy/birth is something that will be completed within the next twelve months following this letter.
Failure to do so….
Simon’s eyes skimmed the rest of the letter which seemed to consist of nothing more than veiled threats of legal action involving the Pride Court and the Shifter Council. “I’m glad you came to me with this. Do you have a copy of the contract you signed?” He asked gently, his heart heavy as he noticed Liam curled against Lucien, his body shaking.
“We’ve never signed anything,” Lucien growled. “We were teenagers when they beat us, kicked us out and refused to have anything more to do with us.”
“Why?” Even as he asked, Simon already knew. New shifters were always full of piss and vinegar. The boys were as gay as the day was long and it was clear from the tone of the letter, being gay wasn’t going to get the pride alpha the cubs he was using as a pride resource. Lucien’s halting tale confirmed his suspicions.
“What do we do?” Liam asked when Lucien was finished. “I don’t understand how they even knew where we were. They didn’t want us but now they’re demanding money…like…like they didn’t know about us. Like we’ve been a part of their pride all along.”