Monster Girl Islands 2

by Logan Jacobs

  That they are, George said, they will be here before the sun rises. I can feel the first approaching quickly.

  “At least we had the warning from Ladonis,” I groaned. “I feel we are as well prepared as we can possibly be.”

  I also have faith that we are, George agreed, but we do have more to discuss.

  “What’s on your mind, dear friend?” I asked.

  I believe our girl Marella has a gift, he intoned.

  “What do you mean?” I sat up in the water. “What kind of gift?”

  I believe she is a soothsayer, he explained.

  “Like a psychic?” I asked as I climbed out of the pool. I was wide awake now, and I was curious and concerned as to what my dragon had to say.

  I’m sure you have not forgotten her warning before the battle, he began, but there was also the matter of her knowing of Arrick’s birth and name before anyone said anything to her. And today, while you were killing the boar and being stalked by the unknown predator, she was inconsolable. There was nothing the healer, the queen, Nixie, or I could do for her. She just kept crying for you, and then she suddenly stopped minutes before you arrived back at the village.

  “Is there any way to know for sure?” I asked. If this were even remotely true, we would need to figure it out as quickly as possible. I couldn’t imagine having the gift of foresight, ever, but especially as a baby who couldn’t possibly understand what it all meant.

  It would be helpful to get insight from another soothsayer, George said. Isn’t there another one in the village? The warrior woman you just mated with?

  I thought back to the times Sela had glimpsed the future, like my arrival on the island and the first attack from the large group of raiders after we’d built the wall.

  “Yes,” I said, “there is Sela. I think she at least has a touch of something like that. I will go see her immediately.”

  My thoughts exactly. Also, have everyone move into the palace tonight. The storms will hit early, and the people will be much safer here.

  “Thank you, George, I said as I dried off. Then I got dressed to go make the announcement that it was time to move and to also find Sela.

  There really was no rest for the weary.

  I stopped in the palace main hall and looked around at the milling and working women.

  “George has brought it to my attention that the first of the storms will hit before sunrise,” I announced to the hall. “Please spread the word and start moving your personal belongings into your designated areas. We don’t want anyone left in the far outreaches of the village when the storm hits.”

  There was a murmur of understanding as the women all got busy getting things ready. We’d planned well enough that everyone knew what they were supposed to do, and the transition moved like a well-oiled machine. This went a long way to calm my nerves about the whole situation.

  I looked around to see if I could see Sela amidst all the commotion, but she was nowhere to be found.

  “Mira,” I called out to the warrior woman as I caught a flash of her golden scales. “Have you seen Sela?”

  “She was in the kitchen the last time I saw her,” the warrior replied.

  I looked out across the hall one more time in case anyone needed me, but it wasn’t necessary. Everyone had seamlessly shifted into an urgent but calm mode, and I knew they would get everything done. With that comforting thought, I sighed a breath of relief and went to search the kitchen for Sela.

  I found her sitting at a table in the kitchen and sipping a cup of tea. Her head was propped in the palm of her hand while she seemed to doze off, which was so unlike her when there was so much work to be done.

  “Sela,” I said as I gently placed my hand on her arm, “are you okay?”

  “I am,” she smiled up at me, “I’m just exhausted, there hasn’t been much time to breathe, much less relax since the battle.”

  “That’s very true,” I agreed. “There will be time during the storm--”

  “I’m also with child,” she cut me off in a whisper.

  I blinked repeatedly and was surprised she already knew, since we had sex maybe twelve hours ago, but then I remembered Talise started showing signs on the same day, too. Just another bit of craziness I had to learn to accept.

  I wasn’t sure how to react with this woman. She was so straightforward and definitely not the sentimental type, so I didn’t think grabbing her and spinning her around was going to thrill her. Instead, I gently laid my hands on her face and looked her in the eyes so she could see my true feelings.

  “I am so happy, Sela,” I told her, and a grin split my face.

  “Me too,” she said as tears sprung to her eyes. “Thank you for filling my womb with your seed and giving me this gift, Ben. I will do my best to create a strong child for you.”

  I pulled her into a gentle hug and let her have a moment of vulnerability, but I knew she wouldn’t want too much fuss made over her.

  Sure enough, after a moment, Sela moved away and took another sip of her tea in an attempt to hide her tears and emotions from me.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked. “Physically, I mean. Any issues?”

  “I was feeling a little nauseous earlier,” she told me, “but the tea really helped. We still have plenty left from when Talise was pregnant.”

  “Are you sure?” I questioned. “I could arrange for more of the ingredients to be gathered before the weather gets bad. Hell, I will even go myself.”

  “I’m positive,” she laughed, “but I appreciate it. I don’t think I will need it as much as Talise did, just for these early days. I’m not nearly as sick as she was.”

  “As long as you’re sure,” I said.

  “Positive.” Sela nodded. “Now, I have a feeling you came to me for more than this chit-chat.”

  A feeling? Just what I wanted to know more about.

  “George and I have been talking,” I explained, “and we think Marella might be a soothsayer.”

  I felt silly saying it out loud since back home, in the United States, people would have thought I was crazy and considered locking me up.

  Here, though? Everything was crazy. Everything.

  “I have started to wonder this myself,” Sela mused. “Especially after the tantrum she threw today. I wasn’t here when she gave you the warning before the battle or any of the other times her light has shone, but there was no denying something is going on.”

  “Are you psychic, Sela?” I asked. “A soothsayer?”

  “Not a very strong one,” she shook her head, “more like I am very intuitive, like an empath, but that doesn’t mean I can’t sense the light in someone else.”

  “The light?” I questioned with a furrowed brow.

  “That is what my grandfather called it.” She smiled. “His name was Jonas, and he was the strongest soothsayer our village has ever seen. He was also Talise’s grandfather, so that might be where Marella gets it from.”

  “That’s right,” I nodded my head, “you and Talise are cousins.”

  I thought back to one of the conversations Talise and I had during her time sick in bed when she was pregnant with Marella. She’d told me all about her family tree and who she was blood related to on the island.

  “Most of us are related in one way or another,” Sela laughed. “It’s not a very big tribe, not anymore.”

  “Did your grandfather get lost in the island wars?” I asked in a tender voice. I didn’t want to upset the next mother of one of my children, but I needed answers.

  “Not by fighting,” she said with a frown. “A short time before the battles got too intense for us, he walked off into the jungle and never returned.”

  “What?” I gasped.

  “It is the way of our elderly,” she sighed. “When they reach an age where they can’t fight and they feel like they are more of a burden than an asset, they just take Oshun’s Walk and disappear.”

  “Tha--that’s incredibly sad,” I whispered. I couldn’t imagine just being a
ble to walk off and leave everything I knew and let the jungle have its way until death found me.

  “It is,” Sela agreed as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I begged him not to go, but he wouldn’t listen. The old bastard snuck off in the middle of the night as a raiding group approached, even though he knew we couldn’t spare anyone to go after him.”

  “How long ago was this?” I wondered.

  “About four sun cycles, or years, as you call them,” she told me.

  “I’m sorry, Sela,” was all I could say as I shook my head.

  “I have grieved and moved on,” she smiled, “but thank you for your sympathy. I sure do miss the old crab some days, though.”

  “Well, without anyone else to turn to,” I sighed after a few moments of respectful silence, “do you have any idea how we can help Marella? Any possible ways to comfort her during these visions or whatever? I heard she was quite inconsolable today, and I don’t want her to suffer more than she has to with this. It has to be extremely difficult for a baby to understand.”

  “Extremely difficult,” Sela nodded, “and it’s just going to get worse before it gets better.”

  “That is not what I really wanted to hear,” I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “I know it’s not,” she said, “but I am not going to feed you a load of shit to make you feel better about something you are going to have to deal with. It’s not going to be easy, not at all, but I will help in every way I can. One thing we can do is make a focal security object. Something she can hold onto during visions to bring her comfort until they subside. At that age, a blanket or toy would work well. Something special from you.”

  “She needs a woobie,” I chuckled.

  “Say what?” Sela asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I had a security blanket when I was a kid,” I laughed, “and I called it my woobie. That’s what Marella needs, something like a woobie.”

  I expected the eyerolls and the scoffing, but what I didn’t expect was this stoic, often distant, warrior woman to fall into fits of laughter at my admission of having a security blanket as a child.

  “Hey,” I choked out, and I motioned to my amazing dragon-kin body and the huge sword on my hip, “I didn’t come out of the womb all studly like this!”

  This, for some reason, just made her laugh even harder.

  Pregnancy hormones were fucking weird.

  “I’m sorry,” Sela huffed out through her laughs, “I don’t know why that was so funny to me. I haven’t laughed like this in forever.”

  “I hear and have witnessed that pregnancy hormones do crazy things to a woman,” I snickered.

  “It’s more than that,” she said as she sobered, “I know I may not show it, but I care deeply about you and am so glad you are here.”

  “I kind of figured out you liked me by the way you jumped my bones,” I grinned, “but seriously, I know you aren’t the sentimental, emotional type. I get that. I care about you, too, and I am honored you wanted to have my child.”

  “Okay,” she chuckled, “enough of all this blushing talk. I think for Marella, maybe one of the shirts you wear often that still has your sent on it may work. Also, a dragon blessing or two on it wouldn’t hurt things.”

  “That’s actually a really good idea,” I said as I rubbed my chin. “I will try not to kill something while wearing this shirt, and then give it to her.”

  “Yeah,” she smiled, “blood is not going to help her feel more secure.”

  “Thank you, Sela,” I replied. “Now, why don’t you let me see you back to your room? You need to rest.”

  “I want to argue that,” she scoffed, “but I can’t deny it. I am exhausted.”

  “Come on, giggles.” I smirked as I helped Sela get up from her chair and walked her to the room she was sharing with Hali. Then I got her settled into bed after she relieved herself, washed up, and changed into a sleeping gown. No matter how hard edged she was, I still had a special place in my heart for her. She was the first dragon-kin woman I’d seen, and I would never forget that first moment.

  “Sleep well,” I said as I kissed her tenderly.

  “Thank you, Ben,” Sela whispered in a sleepy voice, “for everything.”

  I watched as she quickly fell asleep, and then I left and gently closed the door behind me. I was thankful for my conversation with the warrior. I’d never seen that tender and compassionate side of her before, and it made me happy.

  I ran into Nerissa on my way back to the main hall, since she was headed toward her room with Arrick fast asleep in her arms. I swear he’d grown two inches and put on a good five pounds in the week he’d been in this world. He looked like a six-month-old baby.

  Fuck, I wondered if I would ever get over how fast the children grew up on this island.

  “Hello, my beautiful queen.” I smiled when I saw her.

  “Ben!” Nerissa squeaked and jumped at the same time.

  I guess she hadn’t seen me.

  “I’m sorry!” I said as I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it, I’d always thought it was funny to scare someone.

  Nerissa gave me a mock death stare that turned quite real when Arrick started fussing in her arms.

  “Here.” I held my hands out. “I will take him.”

  “Damn right you will.” She grinned. “He was quite fussy tonight, and I just got him to sleep.”

  “Any idea what’s wrong?” I asked as she passed our son to me. “He is usually not one to be fussy. He’s actually eerily quiet sometimes.”

  “He’s cutting his first tooth,” Nerissa groaned. “My nipples can attest to that.”

  Sweet Fucking Christmas, this was insane. He was growing super fast.

  “Poor fella,” I murmured as I bounced him against my shoulder. “I will try to get him back to sleep before I go finish helping everyone else get moved in.”

  “There really isn’t much left to do,” she said. “They even have the shutters in place and braced for the incoming storm.”

  “Wow,” my eyes grew wide, “that is very impressive.”

  “You got us all organized with a good plan in place,” Nerissa reminded me with a chuckle. “Don’t be so surprised.”

  “Glad to know my plans work,” I laughed while Arrick chewed on the collar of my shirt. Baby drool ran down my chest and stomach, and I thought some even pooled in my belly button.

  Wonderful, we were back to the ungodly amounts of baby spit all over again. At least it wouldn’t last very long.

  “Why don’t you just come to bed?” Nerissa suggested as she reached out and rubbed my shoulder. “You are beyond exhausted and could definitely use the rest.”

  “If I’m not needed,” I mused, “then I can’t think of a better idea. I will walk by and say goodnight to Talise and Marella, but I will take Arrick with me.”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” the queen agreed. “I will see you soon.”

  She kissed me, kissed Arrick, and then headed off to the women’s bathing chambers, and I couldn’t help but watch her glorious ass sway back and forth as she got further and further away from us.

  Man, that woman had a body, and I couldn’t wait to put another baby in her.

  I shook my head to clear it of lustful thoughts, and then Arrick burbled in my grasp.

  “You didn’t hear this from me,” I muttered to my son, “but your mom’s really fucking hot.”

  Arrick blinked up at me, and then he slapped his baby hand against my cheek. His skin was warm and wet with spit, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  A few minutes later, I found Talise and Marella in their chamber getting ready for bed. Mira was there too, and she was helping wrestle the toddler into a clean sleeping gown, which was completely pointless once the adorable cherub saw me walk in.

  “Dathdy!” Marella squealed and easily escaped from Mira’s hold. Then she ran straight to me, and I scooped her up with my free arm.

  I chuckled at all of her kisses, and so did Arrick
when she leaned in and kissed him, too. It kind of made me breathless when I realized I’d gone from a childless bachelor to a father of two and husband to a group of sexy serpent-women in a few months’ time.

  I wouldn’t trade it for anything in my old world, though.

  Wait, Marella had just ran to me. She’d only been walking before.

  “Did you just run?” I asked the little girl. Shit, I was in so much trouble now. Everyone in her path was.

  “Fasth!” she giggled and nodded her head.

  “Very fast!” I laughed. “No wonder your mommy and auntie look so worn out.”

  “You have no idea,” Talise groaned as she sat down with a sigh. “She was all over the place today. Thank the goddess for Nixie being able to keep track of her, because she kept giving me the slip every single time I turned away.”

  I laughed out loud, the babies joined me, and the three of us got dirty looks from both women. Then I got a really good look at Talise and Mira, and they both appeared very frazzled and worn out. Our laughter was not helping, either, and the women glared at us like we were some small, evil empire set to take over the world and make all in our wake suffer.

  “I’m sorry she gave you such a rough time today,” I said after my giggles settled down. “I promise I will be around more during the storms to help out. Maybe we will get her past the adventurous stage while we are all locked inside.”

  “I sure hope so,” Mira grumbled, “because I am absolutely beat. She even wore a young dragon out today, a dragon that just a week ago wore me out.”

  I handed Arrick off to Mira and put Marella’s nightgown on without much fuss. I got a few more dirty looks during the process, but I thought both of the women were just relieved to have someone else take over, so they didn’t say a thing about it going easy for me.

  “I am surprised Arrick is still up,” Talise noted as Mira bounced the boy on her knee. “He is usually so good about going to sleep, and pretty much everything else.”

  “He is cutting his first tooth,” I sighed. “I accidentally scared Nerissa in the hallway and woke him up when she jumped. She handed him over to me to get back to sleep.”