by T. S. Ryder
She knew so many things, but she didn't know what the future held. And that terrified her. She wanted his arms around her. She wanted to give herself to him, fully and truly, more than she had ever given any person before.
Sex can encourage labor, she thought, but then realized she didn't care. She wanted Stephen to not only have his arms around her, but she wanted to fully be in sync with him. She wanted to be close to him, to be one in body and soul. Her mind made up, she rolled over and turned on the light.
Stephen blinked, pushing himself to his elbow.
"I didn't think you were sleeping," Iduna said.
"What's the matter?"
Iduna looked at her mate. She knew this was what she wanted, and so there was no reason to talk about it. Was there? Or was it best to discuss what they wanted first, so as to avoid disappointment? Was it instinctual? Her mind started to spin out of control. She pressed her hands to her temples.
"Iduna?" Stephen moved closer, cupping her face with his hands. "Iduna, talk to me."
"I want to make love." She meant to say it firmly, but it came out a whisper.
Stephen's hands caressed her shoulders. "I do, too."
She looked up at her mate and was overwhelmed by a rush of love that took over her at just seeing the tenderness in his eyes. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her.
His hands traced down her neck to wrap around her waist. Iduna sighed as her Bear hummed in satisfaction, feeling a tug deep inside her, drawing her closer to her mate. His touch was experienced and oh so gentle, far gentler than the fevered lovemaking that she had thought this would be. Every move was deliberate. Every kiss like a prayer. He stroked her back softly, then still moving with infinite care, he undressed her.
Iduna had imagined what her first time would be like. She imagined lust, she imagined a desperation to be one together. She imagined tearing off each other's clothes and going at it like animals. The images had always left her feeling a little disgusted rather than aroused, but as Stephen's gaze swept down her naked body, she felt only warmth. Love and desire flowed into every inch of her body.
Her core tightened with desire, as his hands moved over her skin, ghosting along her body. It left a pleasant tingling in its wake. He bent and pressed a kiss to her baby bump.
"This was the only way we would have been together. It's why I was so desperate to have a child, why I chose to go with AI. Somehow my Bear and your Wolf knew each other all this time, and they knew what had to happen to bring us together." She stroked her fingers through his graying hair and let her head fall back. "Logic can't explain this."
Stephen chuckled and pressed another kiss to her mouth. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
She laid down as Stephen began to undress, the warmth inside her building as she watched him take off his clothes. He was a beautiful specimen, firm but yielding, toned but not hard. And when he laid over her, she wrapped her legs around him, wanting him so bad it hurt.
He didn't take her at once, rather readying her while he gazed into her eyes and kissed her, being so gentle that it consumed her. Everything in that moment was between her and him, and the dizzying feelings of warmth and protection that he created in her. It stung a little when they finally became one, but Iduna didn't mind the little pain. She healed quickly enough. Stephen set just the right pace, not too fast. Her Bear roared in triumph and she could hear his Wolf singing in reply.
Stephen kissed her. "I love you!"
Iduna could only hold him tighter, letting the blissful ocean take her away. Her eyes slid shut. In that moment, she felt completed like she never had before.
Chapter Eight – Stephen
As they were leaving the hotel the next morning, half a dozen police cruisers pulled into parking lot, sirens blaring.
Stephen tensed, instinctively reaching over to shield Iduna. When the guns were pointed at them and the police started shouting for them to leave the car, his mate gave him a look of despair. Stephen's heart pounded wildly. His Wolf growled, wanting to defend his mate, but he knew it would be useless to resist.
"We'll just have to explain the situation," he said to Iduna. "Do as they say, don't resist."
"There is documented proof that sometimes that's not enough to stop them from shooting."
Stephen kissed her. "It's our only chance."
She shivered but nodded, and they slowly exited the car from either side. Stephen forced himself to stay calm. Whatever they were being arrested for–probably for what happened at the rest stop with that other cop–they only had a chance to get out if they could explain the situation, find a sympathetic ear. Surely one of these police officers would hear them out. The whole barrel couldn't be rotten apples.
Stephen kept his eyes on Iduna as they were read their rights and handcuffed. She looked calm, although her breathing was faster than normal. It was odd that in this situation where he was longing to protect her, she would at the same time be his rock. He knew if he took his eyes off her or if she had even a fleeting instance of fear, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back. He would attack. And he knew that they would kill him for it.
They were shoved into the back of the same police cruiser. Stephen moved closer to Iduna and rested his head against hers. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, not quite managing a smile. "Are you?"
The handcuffs were biting into his wrists, but he shook his head.
Iduna turned to the officers in the front of the car. "We want a lawyer."
The cops glanced back and snickered.
"Don’t say anything until they give us lawyers," Iduna said, turning to Stephen. "Nothing at all."
"Lawyers. Sign of a guilty party right there," one of them said.
"We're not—"
"Lawyers," Iduna repeated. "Otherwise they'll twist whatever we say to fit their agenda."
Stephen hesitated but nodded. He trusted that Iduna knew what she was talking about. He tried to settle back in the cruiser, despite how uncomfortable it was. He would just have to keep reminding himself that this was what he had to do to keep Iduna safe. Just wait for a lawyer.
He tried to force himself to stay quiet as they drove through the town, but when the buildings became fewer and fewer, a shiver ran down his back.
"Where are we going? Don't you have to book us?"
"You're wanted back closer to the Alberta border."
"You can't just take us back," Iduna blurted. "It's not legal."
"You're criminals. What do you know about what's legal and what's not? Typical Shifter." The cop shook his head. "Ignores the law until it benefits them."
Stephen turned to Iduna, but the cops turned on the sirens, and then blared the radio so that they couldn't talk. It stayed that way until they were well out of town, at the same rest stop where the police-hunter had cornered them. The two cops that had driven them out to the stop got out, walking towards another car. It was a black sedan.
The cop who had been part of the attacks on Iduna's community got out and greeted the two that had arrested Iduna and Stephen.
"Do we still wait for lawyers?" Stephen asked Iduna, his face ashen. "Or do we tell them what he's done?"
"I don't know. They can't just hand us over to him. There's paperwork and… and rules. They can't just turn us over. What about all those other police that were there when we were arrested? How are they going to explain that away?"
"Christianson. Are these the two that attacked you?"
The hunter smiled and nodded. "They don’t look it, but those two are dangerous Shifters. I've been tracking them all across BC. It's been quite a hunt, I tell you. And they've been claiming that I've attacked their little Shifter community. They slipped away from me a few times because of it."
Stephen's heart sank. Of course, he gave a preemptive strike against the truth. Would the two cops that drove them out here even believe them, should they tell the truth? How would he protect Iduna now? He found her hands with his, still cuffed behind
their backs. She clung to him like he was her last lifeline.
"Are you sure you want to take it from here?" one of the cops asked, glancing backward at them.
"Yeah. I can handle them."
"That's not legal!" Iduna shouted. "You can't just hand us over to him. There are rules and paperwork!"
The cops only laughed as they gave Christianson the keys to the cruiser and headed to his car. Iduna kicked the seats, screaming in frustration, but Stephen was silent. Maybe the whole barrel wasn't rotten, but these cops certainly were.
He had failed. He had failed his mate and their baby. He should never have insisted on staying at the hotel overnight. If he hadn't, they wouldn't be arrested now, they wouldn't be back in the hands of a hunter that had already tried to kill them once. Or would that have made a difference? Would they have been arrested in Victoria just as much as here?
"This isn't legal." Iduna slumped against him, hiding her face in his shoulder. "This isn't legal."
Christianson ignored them as he got into the cruiser. He pulled away from the others, waving with a friendly smile as he headed back towards the mountains. Stephen trembled, fighting against the cuffs that held him bound. He tried to shift, but to his frustration, he couldn't. His Wolf was there and fighting to get free. His body simply refused to change.
"I can hear you growling back there," Christenson said pleasantly. "There's a reason your hands were cuffed behind your back. We've found that in that position you can't change. Don't know why, but I don't care."
"Arm sockets." Iduna sniffed. "Human arm sockets have a three-sixty rotation, other animals don't. If a Shifter tried to change while their arms were secured behind their backs, they would dislocate at best—"
"What are you babbling on about?" Christianson glanced in the rearview mirror. "You know, you two have given me a lot of problems. I wasn't expecting to see a Wolf that day in the Bear community. Don't you hate each other? But when you were in the truck, fighting against me… well, I knew I had to kill you. An eye witness is just too dangerous."
"I have money," Stephen blurted. "If you let Iduna go, I'll give you everything I have."
"Didn't you just hear what I said about eye witnesses? Besides, this will make a far better story. Two dangerous, Shifter criminals escape custody, the man kills his young, pregnant girlfriend before being taken out by our hero, the human police officer. You filthy animals need to be put back in your place. Your communities disbarred, a registration put into place. Hell, maybe even an annual hunt to keep your numbers down."
"We're not animals."
"Tell that to the humans who are mauled to death by your kind every year."
Iduna shook her head. "Out of the fifteen Shifters been proven to have killed a human in the past year, thirteen of those were clear cases of self-defense and the other two were provoked by humans—"
"So it's our fault you beasts are killing us?" Christianson's face twisted in disgust. "That's just like you Shifters. Turn your crimes around and play the victim. And because of all the bleeding hearts we have in the capital these days, they don't just lock you up like you deserve."
Stephen growled. "So you're saying that if I had killed you when you were shooting at Shifters and burning their houses, I would be the one at fault? It wouldn't be a case of self-defense?"
"What I was doing was self-defense. We need to get rid of you before you steal our jobs and rape our women."
There was no reasoning with a man as full of baseless hate as this man was. Stephen growled, rubbing his wrists raw as he fought to free himself from his restraints. But he didn't try to talk to the cop anymore. The trees got taller and thicker as they continued up the mountain. After about half an hour they turned onto an ill-paved road. A couple of hours after that, they turned onto a dirt road. Then a logging road. They were heading deep into the bush.
Nobody to call for help. Nobody to witness what really would happen.
"Iduna isn’t a Shifter." If he could somehow save her life, somehow get Christianson to spare her… maybe dying wouldn't be such a terrible thing. "She was adopted by Shifter parents. And they abused her, that will help your position, won't it? She's not a Shifter, you don’t have to kill her!"
Christianson shook his head. "If that's true, she can be the martyr. But you animals lie about everything, why should I believe you now?"
"Please. Please don't hurt her. She has done nothing wrong. Please! She doesn't deserve to die!" Stephen felt every last bit of hope breaking down. Maybe he would have a chance to attack before Christianson killed them. Maybe. There might be a chance that he could get Iduna out… but it was slim to none.
Iduna let out a short scream. His Wolf tensed. He whipped around, heart in his throat. Iduna's eyes were huge as she stared at him. "My water broke!"
Christianson let out a string of curse words. "Are you kidding me?"
She began to sob. Christianson pulled the car to the side of the road, continuing to swear. He stared ahead for a long moment before he shook his head. "Fine. If you want the plans to change, they'll change."
He got out of the car and dragged Iduna out. He tucked the keys to the handcuffs into her pocket and then pulled Stephen out. He drew his gun and Stephen's heart stopped.
"I have a couple of friends coming. They'll be here in two hours." The human gave them a vicious smile. "I'd start running if I were you."
Chapter Nine – Iduna
It was impossible to tell how close together her contractions were coming now. Time just didn't seem to have any meaning anymore. It hadn't been until Christianson had shot his gun into the air that Iduna really understood that he meant for them to start running right away. She could tell Stephen wanted to stay and fight, but that would have just played into the corrupt human's hands.
Shooting somebody in the chest as they came at you, especially if you were a cop, was far easier to explain than bullets in the back. And so she had begun running, knowing that Stephen would follow. As soon as Christianson was out of sight, they stopped and fished the keys from her pocket, unlocking their handcuffs. With hot, pink water still gushing down Iduna's legs, soaking her pants, Stephen shifted into his Wolf and carried her through the trees.
The contractions hadn't stopped since then. They were getting stronger and more frequent. She couldn’t stop herself from crying out regularly. It felt like she was being torn in two. The baby was dropping between her pelvic bones, the pressure almost as bad as the pain of the contractions. Tears flowed freely down her face.
She had wanted a baby so badly. And now she was going to give birth, only for that monster to murder her baby. And that was only if she actually gave birth before Christianson found them. Otherwise, her little one would never even be born.
Her Bear roared, beating hard against her chest but she held it back. During the birthing process was the most dangerous time to attempt to Shift. The baby wasn't as connected to the mother, and wouldn't shift with her. It could get stuck in the birthing canal, or the mother's immune system could attack the infant before it was born, killing it.
She closed her eyes and buried her face in Stephen's coarse fur, clinging to him as he ran.
Stephen leaped over a log as the most powerful contraction yet hit. Iduna screamed in pain, losing her grip on her mate. She felt herself tumbling off him, but was unable to stop herself from falling. Her hands flew out, scraping themselves on bark and bushes. She fell heavily on her side. Sticks stabbed into her arms, making her cry out again.
She lay there, panting. Shivers ran down her spine as the cold wind soaked her through. Sweat beaded on her forehead and neck. When Stephen came back to her, whining, she grasped a handful of his fur and shook her head.
"I can't run. The baby is coming right now. You have to help me or this baby is going to die as it's born. We need a place that is sheltered against the wind. We have some time. Christianson was going to give us a two-hour head start, and even if he didn't give us that full time, your running will have put a buffe
r between us. But I can't keep going. The baby is coming."
One of her hands rested on her stomach. She could feel it shrinking under her hand before the pain from the contraction hit. The scream tore out of her mouth even as she tried to suppress it. If Christianson or his 'friends' heard her screaming, it would bring him right to her. She shoved her fist into her mouth to muffle her cries.
Stephen shifted smoothly back to human form. He grasped Iduna's shoulders. "We can't stop."
"I can't keep running. I'm sorry. I can't. I can't."
Her mate pulled her into his embrace. "Okay. Okay, then I will find a good hiding spot. Hold on. I love you."
He pressed a swift kiss to her forehead. Iduna closed her eyes, wanting the feeling of his lips against her skin to linger. She wasn't sure how long she was there, feeling lost and alone before he came back and scooped her into his arms. The pressure between her legs was increasing. Was the baby crowning already?
"I found a thicket against the wall of a cliff. It's sheltered from the wind at least."
Iduna nodded. She buried her face into Stephen's shoulder, concentrating on her breathing. She had read about childbirth for years before she got pregnant. Now it was just a matter of putting her knowledge into practice. They didn't have the warmth or hot water or towels she wanted for the baby. But that was okay, they would improvise. Shifter babies were more robust than humans.
Her Bear settled down in her chest, no longer furious. It made gentle tongue clicks of encouragement. Iduna sucked in a deep breath and let her fear go. It wouldn’t do any good in this situation. The focus was on the baby.
When they got to the thicket, she directed Stephen to help her undress. The cold air made her shiver but she ignored it. Her pants were soaked through and the baby needed skin-to-skin contact. She braced herself against a Sitka spruce, squatting.
"Gravity helps to pull the baby out," she explained. "And squatting helps to widen the pelvic bones. At least I think it does. You'll have to catch the baby as it comes out. You can use my shirt to clea—"