by T. S. Ryder
He sat in the tent, waiting for the normal interrogation team to show up. Thompson, that big, pale Bear that looked like he had a stick up his ass and Tyson.
Thompson was still convinced that he had something to do with the attacks on the Bear community. Tyson, thankfully, seemed to believe him, but it was clear that he didn't think the Wolf was a suitable mate for his little girl.
Not that Stephen could really blame him. After all, he was much older than her. But they were mates, as amazing and improbable as it was. Stephen had wanted to find his mate for so long. He wasn't going to give up when he finally found her.
"Time for your outhouse break," one of the guards said, unzipping the tent.
Stephen got up without a word. He walked towards the outhouse. His heart leaped when he saw Iduna coming towards them. The two Bears escorting him put themselves between her and Stephen, low growls in their throats.
"You are not permitted to speak with the prisoner," one of them said.
"I know." Iduna held out two small bottles. "But we have not had a proper balanced diet since we got here, and I'm concerned that we're all going to come down with scurvy or other nutrient-deprived diseases. So I've procured essential oils rich in vitamin-C for everybody to ingest so we all remain in optimal health. It's cedar oil. Very high in nutrients, although a bit pungent."
Stephen knew that Iduna liked to share her knowledge, but this was coming off a little too scripted. And her word choice sounded like she was deliberately trying to confuse them. If that was what she was trying to do, it worked. The guards looked exasperated, but they shrugged and took the bottles from her. Both downed the contents.
"There. Now no scur—"
The closest Bear's eyes bulged. He grasped his throat. And then both were down, vomiting. Stephen backed away as their huge bodies convulsed. Iduna, however, jumped over them and grabbed his hand, dragging him away from the camp.
"Hurry!" she urged.
Somehow Stephen made his feet move, following Iduna through the trees. At one point she stopped and told him to shift, which he did. She then climbed onto his back–she was heavier than she looked, but so heavily pregnant and with such a strong, muscular body that was only to be expected–and told him which way to go. By the time they heard the sounds of pursuit, Iduna had led him to a clearing where half a dozen vehicles were. She unlocked a truck, and they were off.
"I hope they'll be okay. They should be okay." Iduna clutched her seatbelt as Stephen drove over the logging road. "Cedar oil is not for internal use. It'll cause vomiting, thirst, and in some cases even extensive damage to the digestive tract. But their healing abilities should counteract any long-term damage. I hope they'll be okay."
Stephen reached over to her, catching her twisting hands in hers. "I'm sorry."
"No. I am." She stilled. "I acted impulsively. I shouldn't have poisoned them. But Thompson was talking about making you reveal your plans. I know what that means. I couldn't do nothing. You're my mate. And we have to end this. I'm tired of being shot at and our houses burned down. The government has to listen to us. We're citizens! It's the government's job to protect us. It's time to stop trying to deal with it ourselves. So we need to go to Victoria. Right to the legislature buildings and get noticed…"
Stephen couldn't help but notice the quiver in her voice. He squeezed her hand tighter, but he didn't know what to say. And so he remained silent, letting her tell him about when Victoria was founded and what original uses the city had.
***
They drove for several hours before they got out of the car to stretch. Stephen's eyes were getting heavy, and from Iduna's yawns, she was just as tired as he was. It was still at least five hours to Vancouver, though, and then it would take at least another three hours to get to Victoria. After that, they could only hope that the legislature buildings were open and that they would get the political help they needed.
"How are you doing?" he asked her, seeing that she was rubbing her back.
Iduna gave him a wan smile. "I'll be fine. Just a backache. It happens when I sit too long. The pressure on my lumbar—"
Stephen wrapped his arms around her as she cut herself off. "And emotionally?"
"I don't know what you mean." Her voice was stiff.
"I mean are you okay? I know you were acting for the best of your community, but they—"
"They'll understand once I get the premier involved. I just…" She looked up at him, her big eyes filling with tears. "I just don't know if my parents will ever accept you and me as mates. What if they never do?"
"They will. They love you. They'll understand." Stephen brushed a kiss on her lips. The contact had electricity zinging through his body. "I love you, Iduna. I want you to know that. We're mates, but I also love you. I had stopped believing in love at first meeting, but you are all I want. All I need."
"Except I talk too much."
"No. I love listening to you. You have such a passion for knowledge. I just wish I knew more, so we could have a dialogue and not just me listening."
Tears ran down Iduna's face. She threw her arms around him, kissing him hard. Her ferocity surprised him, but it wasn't unwelcome. He moaned into her mouth, pulling her body close to his. The effect was instant and he forgot about being on the run, both from those human hunters and her community. He forgot about everything except that his mate was in his arms, her beautiful body against his, her beautiful soul so close he could almost hear her Bear grunting in approval.
Stephen broke from her mouth, wanting to taste every inch of her. He trailed his mouth down her jaw and focused on the sensitive patch of skin under her ear. Iduna shivered and moaned, pressing herself tighter against him. He walked her back, leaning her against the car. His hands roamed her body, aware they were at a public rest stop, but equally aware that there was nobody around to steal this moment from them.
He had just slid a hand under her shirt, thrilled at the touch of her warm skin when a second vehicle pulled into the rest stop. Stephen pulled back, Iduna moaning in protest. A police car stopped right behind them.
"We'd better get going."
Iduna let out an annoyed huff. "Just when things were getting really exciting."
Stephen laughed and kissed her again. "That's just a taste of what's to come, my darling. I promise. We have the rest of our lives to continue."
"I never realized that sexual arousal could actually feel like that," she sighed. "At least, not with another person. I've never had a reaction to kissing like that before. Probably because I have never been kissed by my mate like that before."
"Probably," he agreed, helping her into truck. He went to his side and was just about to climb in when the police officer got out of his car.
"Hey there. Can I get you to wait for a moment?"
Stephen froze. The voice was familiar. Adrenaline flooded his system. He nodded, though, and tried to look unconcerned. As the police officer got closer, he smelled a familiar scent. And saw familiar blue-gray eyes.
It was one of the hunters. He had followed them all this way. No wonder the local police force didn't do anything about it! Stephen glanced into the truck, smiling at Iduna, trying to look like he didn't recognize the man. The cop had a hand on his gun as he approached.
"Can I see you license and registration?"
He was close now. Stephen didn't waste any time. He leaped forward, landing a solid punch to the cop's face. The man grunted, stumbling backward. The gun came out of the holster. Stephen lunged and knocked him down. He grabbed the gun from the cop's hand and pointed it at him.
"Get up."
Iduna leaned out her window, eyes wide. "Stephen!"
"Call your parents. He's one of the hunters. The local human police are in on it." Stephen snarled as the hunter slowly got to his feet. "Give me your handcuffs and keys and get into the outhouse."
"You dare pull a gun on me?"
"You tried to kill us yesterday. You're lucky I don’t blow your brains out."
T
he hunter's face twisted in fury. "You filthy animals will get what you deserve."
"And I will have no problem shooting you. Now do as I say." Stephen let his Wolf infuse his voice with a deadly growl.
Fear flickered over the hunter's face. He tossed Stephen his handcuffs and went into the outhouse. Stephen hurriedly cuffed the doors shut from the outside. After testing how sturdy it was, he went to the other half of the outhouse and dropped both keys and gun down the toilet. Finally, he returned to the truck.
"They're not answering," Iduna whispered, the cellphone pressed to her ear. "But the campsite is far away from any cell phone towers. They probably don't have a signal."
Stephen clutched her shaking hand in his own. "Yeah. That's probably it. They don't have a signal."
Or something worse might have happened. Stephen tried not to think about that. He needed to be strong and optimistic for Iduna. She was all that mattered right now.
Chapter Seven – Iduna
They hadn't gotten far from the rest stop when Iduna started feeling new contractions. She breathed through them, trying not to let her pain show as she tried to call her mother's cellphone again. They didn't have time to waste on false labor! And that’s what this was. It had to be.
"There's still no answer."
Stephen squeezed her hand again. There were a lot of possible reasons why her parents weren't answering their phones, and not all of them had to be bad.
A particularly fierce pain shot through her belly. Iduna hunched over, crying out.
"Is it the baby?"
"No." Iduna shook her head. "It's false labor. It'll be over in a few minutes."
They were passing through a town at this time. Stephen glanced worriedly at her and shook his head. "No. We are going to the hospital. Just to be sure."
"We can't take the time!"
"Iduna, I know that you are very smart. But once in a while, you have to listen to other people. Now is one of those times. You can't know for sure that this is false labor. So we are going to the hospital. And you need rest. I know it's important to get to Victoria, but you're exhausted. So I'll drop you off at the hospital, and then I'll rent a new car… that cop has this license plate. I'll get a motel room and come back for you. We won't get to Victoria until one in the morning at this rate, anyway. That's too early to do anything."
Worry creased his brow. His plan made sense. Iduna couldn’t deny that she was tired. Her shoulders slumped, but she nodded her consent. The health of her baby was also something she had to take into consideration.
She just hoped that it wouldn't end up being a plan they came to regret.
***
The car Stephen rented was nice. The hotel room was nice as well. At any other time, Iduna might have been thrilled to stay here. It wasn't like she didn't have luxury back home, but there was something about hotels that awoke the kid in her. Elevators and ice machines were just like an amusement park to her.
The circumstances were all wrong, though. She was dilated three centimeters. That didn't mean that the baby was going to be born anytime soon, but it did mean that she was in the early onset of labor.
Her nerves churned as she laid in the bed, trying to keep herself still and quiet, so as to fall asleep and convince Stephen that they could get back onto the road as soon as it was morning. She could hear his breathing beside her, the warmth of his body next to hers. Her mind was a mess. She couldn’t get it to shut up.
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."