Lost Paradise

by Tara Fox Hall

  “Two fathers, two eggs,” I explained, flushing. “You should be aware of the possibility, as it might happen to Harriet. She is subject to the same conditions I’ve been in.”

  Perseus crumpled the papers and threw them down on the floor, glaring at me. “I will check this out with Camlyn, Sarelle,” he hissed. “It had better be as you say.”

  “Go ahead,” I said defiantly, staring him down. “I’m not lying.”

  “At least the dhamphir will have something to feed on while he’s growing,” Perseus hissed nastily.

  Dizziness overcame me, then sudden worry. What if he was right?

  Devlin grabbed hold of my arm, steadying me as he watched Perseus. “By law, you can’t take her from me,” Devlin said with relish, flashing Perseus a fang-filled smile. “There is no way in Hell Samuel would stand for it, not and set a precedent that might cost him his own heir. You can’t fight the both of us, Greek. Now get the Hell out of my house and don’t come back.”

  “Let’s go,” Perseus said, with one last look of hate toward Devlin. He strode out, his weresnake henchman following him, sheathing his knife as he gave Lash a last parting hiss.

  Lash ignored him, sheathed his own knife, then went to the papers and picked them up. He smoothed them, then handed them to Devlin. Devlin skimmed the papers, then slowly looked down at me. “Is he sure?” he said joyously. “There’s no mistake?”

  “Yes,” I said happily. “You’re going to be a father.”

  Devlin hugged me tightly, then lifted me in the air as he whirled me around a few times, laughing, smiling radiantly.

  “Congratulations,” Lash said, giving him a wide smile.

  Devlin hugged him fiercely. “We have to celebrate,” Devlin said, turning from Lash to me. “Let’s go out!”

  “Davy’s?” Lash suggested.

  Devlin looked at him, then said carefully, “Do you mind?”

  “Cin has left the state,” Lash said with a shrug. “I don’t mind.”

  I looked at the floor uncomfortably. Cin had been a weresnake waitress at Davy’s, and Lash’s lover. Their breakup had been precipitated by his one liaison with me, which had led to his discovery of Cin’s unfaithfulness to him through sordid means that had affected me. He and I had never talked of it, after his apology…

  Don’t think about that.

  “Davy’s it is.” Devlin turned back to me. “Does Danial know?”

  I forced a smile. “You’re the first to know,” I said warmly, hugging him again. “I came straight here from Dr. Camlyn’s. No one else knows except Serena and Lash.”

  “Good!” Devlin shouted with glee. “I want to be the one to tell him.” He pulled me close, then lovingly sang, “Here is all I need!”

  “A book of verses underneath the bough,

  A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and Thou,

  Beside me singing in the Wilderness,

  Oh, such a Wilderness would be Paradise enow!”

  I gave him a giddy smile, happy that he was so happy. “Your own creation, Dev?”

  He shook his head. “From the Rubaiyat.” He offered his arm. “Come, Sar. This night will be filled with many songs, all of them in your honor.”

  * * * *

  We had a great night at Davy’s. I had a glass of wine to celebrate, two grilled cheese sandwiches, and some chocolate peanut butter pie.

  The guys got trashed. From the first, Devlin and Lash toasted the baby, downing one drink right after the other. Within an hour they were singing drinking songs loudly, both their voices out of tune. The wearbears Nick and Jazz had taken up positions by the doors, but weren’t in much better shape, despite they’d had plain beer instead of the concoction Lash and Dev were drinking.

  Devlin couldn’t drink much alcohol, or at least, that was what he’d always told me. Still, Lash and Dev were drunk on something mixed with blood. I suspected some type of drug possibly, though Devlin refused to tell me what it was they were imbibing, his only answer a gleeful smile.

  After the first round, Devlin called Danial and excitedly informed him he was going to be a daddy. Terian showed up at Davy’s with Danial ten minutes later.

  “Bro!” Devlin cried, jumping up and hugging Danial hard. “Another round!” he called to Gary.

  Gary brought over some more mugs, giving me a happy smile. I gave him a halfhearted one back.

  “You are wasted, Dev,” Danial said rolling his eyes and smiling. “What have you been drinking?”

  “Blood, laced with a little something,” Devlin said raucously. “Want some?”

  “Just one,” Danial said, gingerly taking up a mug. “I’m only doing this because I’m so happy for you.”

  By the time Danial had finished his mug, he was singing along with Lash and Dev, his notes pretty much on key. I’d never heard him sing before. I tried to listen, but it was hard to make out the lyrics, even though there weren’t many other people in the bar. Giving up, I went over to the bar where Terian was chatting up a brunette.

  I tapped him on the shoulder. “Got a minute?”

  “Sure.” He said good-bye to the woman, then turned to me. “Congrats.”

  “Thanks. You must have been here before.”

  “Once, with Titus, after I met Leri with him the first time,” Terian sighed. “I needed a drink, and I think he did, too. He brought us here.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” I produced the letter given to me by Lash a couple days ago. “Here.”

  Terian took it. “What’s this?”

  “I know this isn’t the time. But I don’t know when I’ll see you next. Going to Danial’s and Devlin’s every weekend is fun, but I’m starting to feel like I never see anyone but the three of them anymore.” I gave him a half smile. “I hope Sundown is adjusting okay?”

  I’d met Sundown a week ago. Theo had been right; she could’ve been my sister, something I found upsetting, but didn’t know how to address, not that it was my place to do that anyway. It was Terian’s business who he dated. But I’d seen in her eyes when she’d met me that the resemblance between us hadn’t been lost on her, either.

  “What’s this, Sar?”

  “A letter from Leri.”

  He made as if to crumple it. I stopped him. “Wait, read it.”

  “I don’t want to hear anything she has to say,” he said vehemently, and made to crumple it again.

  “It’s about Keriam’s real identity,” I said quickly. “She is the only one who knows, Tears. Read it. You can always burn it later.”

  Terian nodded, stuffed it in his pocket, and then walked away abruptly.

  I’d done my good deed for the day and it had left me in a foul mood, feeling unappreciated. It was about midnight by now; past time to leave. I walked over to Danial, Lash and Dev, who were singing When a Man Loves a Woman.

  “I’m ready to go home.”

  Devlin staggered to his feet. “My Lady,” he said gallantly.

  “I’m not letting you guys drive,” I said, holding out my palm. “Keys, please.”

  Dev handed them to me as Terian teleported Danial home. A little while later, I arrived back at Hayden with Lash, Devlin, and the bears, all of whom were now coherent. Leaving the keys with the bears, I followed as Lash and Devlin walked upstairs together, supporting each other.

  “Think Danial will tell Theo?” Lash hissed snidely, as he went inside his room. “Won’t he be surprised.”

  Guilt hit me. It wasn’t right that Theo didn’t know about the twins. In all the celebration, I’d forgotten to tell him. A phone call was out of the question.

  “Love!” Devlin called loudly from his doorway. “Come to bed!”

  Screw it, I’d teleport home quick and tell Theo. Elle was at our house tonight, but I shouldn’t wake her if I was quiet.

  I went up to Devlin. “I’ll be right back.”

  “No!” he sang with longing and volume. “Come to bed, my love. Come and be with me! Thou are flesh of my flesh!”

 
“Go take a cold shower and brush your teeth,” I said sternly. “And maybe I’ll think about it when I get back.”

  With deliberate effort, Devlin headed to the bathroom. Reassuring myself that as a vampire he couldn’t drown, I teleported to my bedroom at home.

  “Theo,” I said softly.

  “Sar?” he said, his words heavy with sleep. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

  “I saw Stephen today. I’m having twins.”

  Theo’s face lit up. “That’s wonderful! I wanted—”

  “Only one is yours,” I said quickly.

  He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. “Is Stephen sure?”

  “Yes,” I said, apologetic. “I didn’t think it was right that you didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay,” he said in a tone that meant it really wasn’t. “This is good. You’re not only having my child, you’re having his, too. We’ll be rid of him that much sooner.”

  He was deluding himself, but I was too tired to argue. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ve got to get back.”

  “Elle and I’ll be there at the horror movie,” Theo said, rubbing his eyes. “Elle has macabre taste. Must be from Tawny. I never had a taste for horror movies.”

  Was mentioning her a dig at me, because he was angry over my news? “I watched too many of them with her when she was young, trapped in her cougar form,” I replied. “I didn’t think it would warp her, but I guess it did.”

  “I don’t think that was it,” Theo said, raking his hand through his hair and giving me a smile. “But maybe it was. Go. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sweetheart.”

  Maybe I was being too sensitive. “Sleep well,” I said. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Sar,” Theo said.

  I teleported quickly back to Hayden. Devlin was still in the bathroom. I got undressed and slipped into bed. He came out a moment later, looking ill.

  “Are you okay?” I said, concerned.

  “I will be,” Devlin said, sighing. “I’m out of practice. It’s been a while since I did drugs that heavily.”

  Many, many possible replies crossed my mind, but I held my tongue on everything except, “Go to sleep.”

  He laid down in my arms, one possessive hand on my belly, stroking it softly.

  * * * *

  The next day, I didn’t see Lash in the kitchen when I went down for breakfast. Concluding that he was also not feeling well, I ate quickly and teleported to Danial’s.

  It was mid-March now. Business was back in full swing, and Solutions Inc., Danial’s detective company, was booked solid.

  I worked hard for the first four hours, even though it was Saturday, then took a break about lunch. Danial was still sleeping. Hesitant to disturb him in case he also was feeling ill, I brought my hastily made sandwich over to the werecompound, eating most of it on the way. Then I sought out Elle and Theoron to break the news to them that there were going to be two babies born in late summer, instead of one.

  Theoron was amazed one of the babies would be like him. “A dhamphir?” he said incredulously. “I thought I was the only one.”

  “You were. Don’t worry, you’re still special.”

  Theoron looked mournful. I hugged him.

  “It’s Devlin’s child, isn’t it?” Elle said astutely, her blue eyes looking at me with Theo’s exact calculating stare.

  She still looked nine, but she was maturing faster and faster. “Yes,” I answered honestly. “You know he and I are Oathed, Elle. There is nothing wrong with him being the father of my baby.”

  Elle shrugged nonchalantly. “Dad is happy about it. I saw him last night when he came in with Terian.”

  Apparently to her, Danial’s opinion was all that mattered. That was a blessing. “Let’s take a walk, kids, while we wait for your father to get up.”

  During the walk, Elle and Theoron both eagerly pointed out tracks to me, and also named some birds we saw and heard. Though the weather had been cold and there was still snow coating the ground, the first signs of spring were evident in the budding trees.

  When we returned, Cia and Aran were waiting for us. Aran Jr. was there, too, in his fox form.

  Cia greeted me, her eyes dancing with pride. “He’s changed for the first time. We’re letting him spend time as a fox for a while to learn how to use his other form.”

  “He’s adorable,” I said, petting Aaron Jr.’s soft reddish fur. He made little yips and barks, then jumped up on my legs. I picked him up carefully. He licked my nose, then began struggling to get down.

  Danial came out of his bedroom, dressed. “Please go get on fresh clothes,” he told the kids. “Hurry now.”

  Theoron and Elle ran to get ready, as I said my goodbyes to Cia and family. When I returned to the great room, Danial was there alone, reading a book.

  I looked him over skeptically. “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay,” he said, his tone off enough from normal that I understood his response to be a positive exaggeration. “I take it Devlin was hurting last night?”

  “Yes,” I announced, smiling. “He said he was out of practice.”

  “That drug the blood was laced with is very potent,” he said, wincing slightly. “You can lose your reason easily with just a glass.” He paused, gathering his courage. “Is it true I was singing?”

  It was in his voice how much he wanted that to not be a true memory. “Your voice was good,” I praised, giving him a kiss. “You should sing more often.”

  Danial blushed. I watched him with relish. “You should blush more, too,” I added, kissing him again. “You are unbearably attractive when you blush.”

  He tugged me down on the couch next to him with unnatural swiftness and tickled me. “Is that so? Well you are unbearably attractive when you wriggle about and shriek—”

  “Stop!” I shrieked, laughing. “Stop! I need to breathe!”

  Danial stopped tickling me, giving me a quick hug before releasing me and standing up. “We should go, Sar,” he said, offering me his hand. “Where’s Theo? He should be here by now.”

  “Here!” Theo called loudly, striding in. “I was getting these for Sar.” He handed me a large bouquet of white roses.

  He had never gotten me flowers before, ever. I was so touched, I started to cry. Danial handed me a tissue. I took it gratefully, then went into the kitchen to put the roses in some water.

  Theo came in behind me. “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said, resting his hand on my upper arm.

  “They aren’t sad tears. They’re happy tears. Thank you, they’re beautiful.” I leaned in close to some of the beautiful blooms, hoping to catch some fragrance, but there was none. Masking my disappointment, I followed Theo back to the great room where Danial and the kids waited.

  * * * *

  We made it to the theater in plenty of time to get our tickets. I stood in line for candy and popcorn, while Danial and Theo went with Theoron and Elle to get seats. I had just finished giving my order to the attendant when I felt a hand cup my buttock and squeeze.

  Danial would never do something like this, especially out in public. “That had better be you, Theo,” I said darkly, turning to look. My eyes met an expansive chest. I raised my head to take in laughing golden eyes and a winning smile, laced with more than a little triumph. “What are you doing here, Dev?” I said in surprise.

  “Seeing a movie,” Devlin said, smirking, as he put his hands on the counter on either side of me. He leaned in, then rubbed me gently with his lower body. There was a shifting beneath his jeans, then a gentle flexing motion against my groin.

  “Stop that,” I said sternly, trying not to laugh. Devlin smirked wider, then rubbed again. Crimson with embarrassment, I looked over at the cashier to see Lash paying for the food I had ordered, along with some extra bottles of water.

  “Where are you sitting?” Devlin said, moving his body away from mine casually, as if nothing had happened. “We want to sit near you.”

  If I said no, h
e’d do it anyway. “Follow me.” I grabbed my food, Lash grabbed his water, and we three headed into the theater.

  The movie trailers hadn’t started yet. Theo and Danial both turned to me with a smile, then both of them looked annoyed. “What are you two doing here?” Theo accused, irritated.

  “Seeing a movie,” Devlin restated. “Blood by the gallons and songs to boot. What could be better?”

  “The ratio of guards to kids is two to four with just you two,” Lash hissed to Danial, ignoring Theo. “With us its four to four. Better odds.”

  Lash was right, in that I was human and vulnerable…making my half-human children within me equally vulnerable. “He’s got a point,” I added half-heartedly.

  Danial rolled his eyes. “Sit down, then.”

  Theo growled as Lash and Devlin sat behind Theoron and I, but didn’t protest further.

  I was able to relax during the film, knowing they were both watching my back literally. While I enjoyed the movie, the blood and gore was a little over the top. Devlin, the kids and Lash laughed through much of it, while Danial and Theo did not. When it was over, we all walked out together.

  “If they ever make a movie of my life, I want Depp to play me,” Devlin said. “He’s a great actor.”

  “He would play me instead, Dev,” Lash said, grinning with his one fang bared. “He looks more like me, anyway. You’re too tall and blond.”

  Johnny Depp didn’t look a thing like Lash, but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to antagonize him.

  Devlin gave him a good-natured shove. Soon they were tussling in the parking lot. After a moment, they broke it off, then turned to face us.

  “Where’s your SUV?” Devlin said to Danial. “We’ll escort you.”

  Uh-oh. “We have to go,” I said, giving Dev a smile. “We’ll be fine, it’s just down—”

  “To your parents, yes,” Devlin said, grinning. “Lead on. We’re coming, too.”

  I gaped at him. “What?”

  “No way,” Theo growled.

  “Yes,” Devlin said, grinning widely and baring his teeth. “Sar’s having my child. It’s only appropriate that I meet her parents. It’s positively overdue.”

  God, I should have seen this coming, as soon as I saw him tonight.