by A C Warneke
Malorie slowly woke up from the memory and found herself lying in her bed. Feryn was sitting on a chair next to her, his head bowed and his shoulders taut. For a moment, she wondered why he was so upset but the confusion evaporated as a cramp seized her belly and it all came rushing back. At her pained gasp, Feryn’s head shot up, “Malorie.”
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her beloved mate, at the concern in his fierce green gaze. The only thing she could think of slipped past her lips as she mournfully admitted, “I think I’m losing the baby.”
Taking her hand in his, he brought it up to his lips and kissed her fingers. Holding her hand against his lips, his hot breath warming her cool flesh, he offered a smile that was ruined by the dampness in his eyes, “The baby will be fine, Malorie. She’s a fighter and has survived worse.”
She tried to smile at his encouraging words but it hurt too much because she knew it was too late. Clearing her throat, she asked, “How long was I out?”
“Just a few minutes,” he answered softly, lightly stroking her hair, his eyes filled with unspoken worry. Nodding towards a large plant in the corner, his lips quirked upwards in a half-smile as he murmured, “Even in sleep you need to discharge the Netherspace energy.”
A cramp rippled through her belly and it was all she could do not to cry. After the contraction passed, she held his eyes. “Do you hate me?”
“Never,” he growled fervently.
“I’ve ruined everything.” Swallowing, the guilt and pain bubbling within her as she breathed through another contraction, she licked her lips, “I didn’t understand what my presence would do to the other Aradians. I didn’t understand and now our baby is going to pay the price.”
“Mal….” He cleared his throat before he tried again, “Malorie, there will be other children.”
Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at him in misery, “But I want this one.”
“Malorie, it’ll be alright,” Jack said from the other side of the bed.
Startled because she hadn’t even known he was there, she turned her head and looked at him in bewilderment. “What are you doing here?”
Dull red colored his cheekbones as he glanced at Feryn before he answered, “It’s the damnedest thing, Mal. There was this sudden, inexplicable ache in my soul and I knew you were in trouble. Toby is in the other room watching cartoons.”
“You… felt my distress?”
“Maker’s bond,” Feryn murmured softly, stroking Malorie’s hair away from her face. She turned back to him, the worry in his eyes making her want to cry even harder. “What happened, love?”
Tears filled her eyes and she squeezed her eyelids closed, not wanting to tell Feryn why she had gone into early labor. His lips brushed against her closed eyelid as he asked softly, “Where did you go?”
“I didn’t go anywhere,” she murmured, keeping her eyes closed as she breathed through a contraction.
“Malorie,” he said sternly. “It’s obvious you went through Netherspace. Just tell me where you went, what happened, why you used the key I gave you.”
She opened her eyes and silently pleaded with him to not ask any more questions.
“Get out of my way, you bastard,” Ginny screamed from the living area, pushing through the door and coming into the bedroom. She rushed over to the bed and fell to her knees besides Malorie, guilt and compassion making her eyes even brighter than normal. “Are you okay?”
Malorie shook her head no as a tear slid down her cheek. Softly, wanting to think about anything else other than the baby that was coming too soon, she asked, “Did it work?”
Ginny nodded once, her eyes widening as she raised her head and saw Jack sitting there. Keeping her eyes on Jack, she said, “I think so. I feel… amazing.”
“You’re a Breeder now?” Feryn asked in a low, dangerous rumble.
“Mostly,” Ginny answered, her brows furrowed. “I mean, I feel the strength within me but it’s… incomplete, you know?”
“Why, Malorie?” Feryn asked, sorrow and recrimination making his words thick. “Why would you risk your life like this?”
“It wasn’t her,” Ginny protested quickly.
“I’m so sorry,” Jiro whispered from the doorway.
Feryn didn’t even turn his head as his eyes widened in horrified understanding. Brushing Malorie’s hair away from her face, he lowered his voice and softly asked, “Jiro did this to you?”
Swallowing, she nodded once, her heart breaking at the anguish that twisted Feryn’s face. Raising her heavy hand, she cupped his face and whispered, “He was under the influence of vamps, Feryn. I don’t think he meant for it to go this far. I don’t think he meant to harm me or the baby.”
“But he did,” Feryn bit out, pressing a tender kiss against her palm as his eyes flared with rage and grief.
“Feryn,” Jiro murmured, taking a step into the room and freezing when Feryn glared at him.
“Get out.”
Holding out his hands in supplication, Jiro begged, “Feryn, please.”
“I can’t even look at you right now,” Feryn sneered, his lip curling in a feral snarl as he turned back to Malorie, his anguished expression melting to love and sadness.
Jiro nodded in sad resignation but in quiet accusation murmured, “It wasn’t that long ago that you would have done the same,”
“I know,” Feryn admitted softly, his voice breaking as his eyes slid closed. Pressing his forehead against Malorie’s hand, he trembled, “I know.”
Jiro cleared his throat and risked Feryn’s wrath. “I want the Breeder.”
“No!” Feryn bellowed, coming to his feet.
But Ginny was faster, turning on Jiro with hatred in her eyes. “You’ll never have me, you fucking cock sucker! Not after what you did to me when I asked you to remove your goddamned mark.”
Malorie pressed her lips together to keep from whimpering as another contraction hit. She wanted to stand up and applaud Ginny but at the same time she wanted everyone but Feryn to leave her damn room so she could suffer in silence with just her mate by her side. She could no longer deny the inevitable and she wanted to scream at all of them.
“Feryn,” Malorie cried out, groping for his hand as her body seized up. “The baby’s coming.”
Instantly, he was by her side once again, shushing her as he gently stroked her hair. Ginny was between her legs and even though she knew it was foolish, she kept her knees together to keep the girl from taking the baby. Tears streamed down Malorie’s face as she felt the slightest pressure and then the baby was born.
Carefully, Ginny wrapped the little preemie up and placed her gently on Malorie’s chest and it was all Malorie could do to wrap herself around the infant and will her to live. Feryn’s large hand covered the entire baby as she struggled to breathe with lungs that were undeveloped and not up to the task.
“Give me the baby,” Jiro murmured, walking over to the side of the bed. Feryn’s head whipped around as he glared at his brother but Jiro ignored it. Swallowing thickly, he met Malorie’s eyes, “Step through Netherspace and make her strong.”
Malorie blinked her eyes, not understanding the words coming out of Jiro’s mouth. It wasn’t until Feryn eased the dying infant out of her arms that she started to struggle. “Let me hold her.”
“Will her to live,” Feryn ordered Jiro as he placed the teeny tiny baby in his brother’s hands. At Jiro’s solemn nod, Feryn scooped Malorie into his arms, tore the fabric of space and time and stepped into Netherspace. At her look of betrayal, he kissed her softly, “It’s only for a moment, my love.”
“I want to hold my child before it’s too late,” she cried.
“We have a few minutes,” Feryn murmured, holding tight.
“Every second is precious, Feryn,” she begged, beseeching him to take her back. In her desperation to return, she was barely aware of the chaos that swarmed around her.
After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, he stepped back through and she
felt the familiar tug and pull of energy surging through her. It was too much and if she touched the baby, it would destroy her and the child. Feryn’s calm voice broke through her thoughts, “Gently, my love. Control the flow of energy and give her just the smallest dose.”
Malorie swallowed, staring in horror at the tiny creature in Jiro’s arms. Her body trembled with raw power and she was frightened. Bring her shaking hand up to the baby’s cheek, she hesitated, feeling the power leap forwards. “I can’t control it.”
Feryn’s warmth seeped into her bones as he moved her closer to the baby, “Slowly, Malorie. You can do this.”
Taking a breath, she brought her hand up to the baby’s diminutive head and gently ran her finger along the smooth skin. Power fought to surge through her but she held back, taking it back into her body until she thought she was going to explode. After a moment, Jiro gasped and turned away, taking the baby with him, leaving Malorie with too much energy and a million questions.
Did it work?
“I need to discharge the rest,” she panted, feeling the energy building within her, knowing that if she didn’t find an outlet, she could take out the power.
“Malorie,” Ginny whispered, reminding Malorie of her presence.
Without thinking, Malorie wrapped an arm around Ginny’s neck and sealed her mouth over the redhead’s. Pinching the girl’s nose, she breathed the power into the girl’s body, completing the process of turning a vampire into a Breeder. Afterwards, the two girls collapsed and all Malorie knew after that was the feel of Feryn’s arms around her as he hauled her back to the bed.
“The baby?” Malorie gasped, clutching at his shirt.
“She’s alright,” he crooned, climbing into the bed next to her and cradling her in his arms. “She’s alright.”
“I want to hold her,” she insisted, searching for her daughter. Turning her head and meeting Feryn’s eyes, she pleaded, “I need to hold her.”
Pushing her hair away from her face, he looked at her with utter love and devotion and in the back of her mind it registered that it wasn’t a game to him, it had never been a game. Tears welled in her eyes and his expression darkened, “Sweetheart, you need to rest.”
“I’m okay,” she insisted, struggling to sit up, ignoring the way the room spun around her. A baby’s wail pierced the air and her heart tripped over itself in her chest. A smile broke out as she turned to Feryn, unable to contain her relief, “Please, Feryn.”
Holding her eyes, he motioned with his hand and she twisted around and trembled as Jack stepped into the room holding a pink bundle in his arms and a brilliant smile on his face. She was barely aware of Feryn propping pillows up around her as she held out her arms and Jack gently handed her the small infant. Brushing a strand of black hair from the tiny pink face, Jack breathed, “She’s beautiful, Malorie. We’ve figured she’s only about a week early.”
Blinking, Malorie tore her eyes away from her daughter and offered Jack a slight smile since her words had disappeared. Jack understood, offering her a wry smile as he said, “Ginny and I are watching Toby in the living room so the three of you can… talk.”
“Thank you,” Feryn murmured gruffly as Jack gave a jaunty wave and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Emotion washed through her as she turned her attention back to the baby. As she stared at the incredible miracle in her arms, Feryn wrapped his arms around her and held them close. His breath was hot against her ear as he slowly inhaled and exhaled and it took her a moment to realize he was silently crying.
“Feryn….”
“I thought I lost you, Malorie,” he choked out, tightening his hold on her and hugging her for all he was worth. “Don’t you ever attempt to create a Breeder again. Ever.”
“That’s not a problem.” Tracing the delicate curve of her daughter’s brow, her tiny nose, Malorie chuckled and sobbed at the same time. Resting her head against Feryn’s, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from her baby, her perfect, living, breathing baby. “Where’s Jiro?”
“I’ve banished him.” His tone was flat but he couldn’t prevent the clenching of his muscles and Malorie knew he was suffering.
“You can’t do that,” she said gently. A slight smile curved her lips as she thought of the perfect punishment. “Give him to me, Feryn.”
“Hell no.”
She frowned for only a moment before she realized he misunderstood her intentions. Chuckling, she looked at him and shook her head, “Not like that, my love. I want your brother to be my guard, to be Toby’s guard and the other Breeders’ guard.” At his bemused look, she continued, “He understands the temptation and now he understands the consequences of acting upon those temptations.”
He pressed his lips together in a hard line as he growled, “Malorie.”
Kissing the top of the baby's head, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the new baby scent wrapping around her and giving her a natural high. When the baby made a soft little sound, Malorie opened her eyes and found herself staring into the brilliant green depths of an Aradian infant. Clearing her throat, unable to look away from the ancient wisdom burning in the newborn’s eyes, she continued in a distracted voice, “We’ll give him a few days to sweat before we tell him…. Feryn, she looks at me as if she knows me. She doesn’t have the eyes of a baby.”
“Genetic memory,” he ground out, obviously struggling with her decision. “About Jiro….”
She didn’t want to talk about Jiro, not when her mind was made up. “I think we should call her Hope.”
“Malorie.”
She smiled to herself as the baby wrapped her teeny tiny fingers around Malorie’s much larger finger. “I’m not naming her after myself.”
There was a moment of silence before Feryn chuckled and pressed his lips against her neck. “I love you, you know.”
“I think I finally do.”
Epilogue
Malorie and Ginny sat on the blanket that was laid out on the grass and watched Toby, Feryn, and Jack playing a game of some sort. A brilliant smile curved Malorie’s lips as Feryn picked Toby up and ran from Jack, the three males laughing. Ginny heaved a lusty sigh as she rested a hand over her still-flat stomach, “I could watch that man all day. Have I thanked you enough for bringing him into my life?”
“You haven’t stopped thanking me,” Malorie chuckled. Her smile faltered when the baby sank sharp little fangs into her breast to drink some blood with the milk. Meeting Ginny’s concerned gaze, she shrugged her shoulders, trying to keep as still as possible as the baby nursed. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that part of nursing an Aradian babe.”
Leaning forward with a grin, Ginny brushed a kiss against the baby’s cheek as she squeezed Malorie’s shoulder in commiseration and stood up. “I’m going to round up my man and head home. The four of you are still planning on coming over for dinner, right?”
“Varick plans on joining us. He says there’s been a lot of promise with regular Breeder blood. And my dad and Tari plan on stopping by, too, with their baby.”
“That’s fantastic,” Ginny grinned. “So, we can expect all of you around seven?”
Malorie nodded and watched with a grin as Ginny flounced over, interrupted the game play and wrapped herself around Jack. It was good to see her ex-husband blissfully happy. The two created-Breeders had a unique bond that no one else would ever experience – ever – and it made Malorie incredibly happy that they fell in love with one another.
Life was definitely not how she imagined it would be.
Brushing a finger along her daughter’s cheek, her lips curved into a soft smile as she sighed, “You’re a miracle, Hope.”
The baby looked up at her with wide, vibrant green eyes and blinked as if she understood. She continued to suckle and Malorie just stared at her in wonder. The blanket shifted and Malorie looked up as Jiro sat down. Her smile was welcoming as she murmured, “Jiro.”
His eyes were fixated on Hope, the guilt still raging within him
. “She’s beautiful.”
“She is,” Malorie agreed, bending her head and kissing the baby’s black curls and breathing in the baby’s intoxicating scent.
“It’s amazing,” Jiro murmured. At her look of bemusement, he smiled and glanced down at her bare midriff. “I think your bonding mark has actually gotten bigger. I know for a fact that my brother’s has grown.”
“Feryn has been particularity amorous and possessive lately.” She wasn’t going to admit that she had worried the mark was going to disappear after the birth of the baby. When she had reluctantly told Feryn her fears, he started kissing her before the words were fully out of her mouth. Once she lost herself in a haze of passion, he shook his head and told her that the mark was forever.
Jiro tore his gaze away from her and the baby and stared at Feryn in grief. She watched as he struggled with his words and after a few moments, he swallowed thickly and curved his lips into a sad smile, “I should have known a Breeder created by you would be stubborn and difficult and intent on having her own way.”
“You probably should have expected it, though,” she teased him. At the flush that colored his cheeks, she added, “It serves you right that she chose Jack, you know.”
“Such a waste,” he huffed in wry disbelief.
“Maybe their baby will be your mate,” she offered.
Jiro let out a little chuckle as he leaned back and relaxed, “I doubt Ginny or Jack will let me within a hundred miles of their offspring but it’s a nice thought.”
“Well, you have twenty years to work your charm,” Malorie prompted, a smile curving her lips. “It didn’t take me more than, what, a week? before I forgave you?”
“Have you?” he asked in sincerity. At her blank look, he cleared his throat and began again, “Have you forgiven me?”
“With all my heart,” she told him. “You gave my daughter her life back.”
“I didn’t actually know if it would work,” he admitted, unable to tear his gaze from Feryn. “But I had to try something since I was the one who put both of you at risk. He’s going to hate me forever, isn’t he?”