On the way out Ram said, "Remember that you two are supposed to be babysittin'. Bottles in the refrigerator and, tonight, the only 'uck' word you're interested in is suck."
The babysitters stared at him like they weren't sure he'd been listening to himself speak. Finally Elsbeth laughed. "Sure thing, Ram. We'll concentrate on sucking until you get back."
Finnemore blushed.
Elora pinched Ram, who said, "Ow. What?"
They got a picture of the two of them taken in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center as a pair who was an official couple.
What a difference a year had made. The mission of Black Swan knights to eradicate vampire had transformed from kill to cure. They had retired, had a mating-wedding-handfasting, and a baby. They had bought an Irish farm and renovated the house then been forced to flee back to Jefferson Unit where it all started. As they smiled for the photo, Elora was thinking. Here we are. Full circle.
On the way to Bloomingdale's they passed by the little storefront where the gypsy fortune teller had so accurately predicted Elora's future. It was empty and dark. No sign or indication that the space was occupied. She had planned to stop and insisted they scour a four block area just to be sure they hadn't misremembered the location. Elora looked disappointed. It wasn't really logical, because her own sister-in-law was probably much more talented as a seer. She could go to Song anytime, but it wouldn't be the same.
Ram pulled her away from passersby and gave her his best little sexy crooked smile. He linked her arm under his. "Come now, my darlin' girl. Stay close. Warm me up and take me to shopaholic heaven. The future is ours to make and we're goin' to make the most of it. Startin' right now."
There was an unmistakable light in her eyes when she looked up at him. She pressed her body into his side as she nestled her cold nose into the crook of his warm neck. "I love you, Ram."
Just something about the way those words were put together never failed to make him smile. He didn't think he would ever get enough of hearing that. "Thin's change, Elora. Gypsies come and go, but by Paddy, there's one thin' that will no' change."
She stopped him right there on the city sidewalk and gave him the kiss he deserved.
It was just after midnight when they opened the door to their newly renovated living space. They would have been back ten minutes sooner, but Elora had pulled Ram close just outside their door. She intended to give him a "thank you" kiss for planning such a romantic, sentimental, and memorable first date anniversary, but Ram caught the sparks she was throwing off and they had gotten lost in heavy breathing and groping in the hallway.
When Sir Clivemoor whistled as he came down the hall, Ram pulled back and whispered, "Inside 'tis a very comfortable place where we can be naked and horizontal in private."
Elora concurred.
Elsbeth and Finnemore were sitting on the sofa talking. They were close together and holding hands, but everyone was dressed. Ram and Elora, on the other hand, stumbled in looking flushed as teenagers getting caught making out. They thanked Elsbeth and Finn, checked on Helm, and fell into bed laughing quietly so as not to disturb their sleeping baby.
The next morning, they were having breakfast in the solarium. As always, Helm caused a stir. Ram and Elora took turns grabbing bites and chewing between graciously thanking people for saying Helm was gorgeous. Helm loved the attention. He flirted with everyone, returning coos and giggles on cue.
Blackie sat by the baby carriage and watched the goings on with keen interest. He really didn't care for so many people coming so close to his baby. He tolerated the women with an aloof disinterest befitting his position as "most magnificent dog in the world". He tolerated the men so long as they kept their hands to themselves. Reaching toward Helm earned them a concentrated focus and a low growl. If pressed, he would put his nose on an outstretched hand and bump, which was an overt display of aggression. The guys who were smart changed their minds about touching Helm's cheek and took a prudent step back, especially the ones who had been at Jefferson Unit long enough to remember how Blackie behaved before he was adopted by the Lady Laiken.
During a break in Helm's fan base action, Elora turned to Ram and said, "Our baby pulls women in like a magnet. And it worries me."
Ram cocked his head and looked completely mystified. "Why?"
Elora gave him a half smirk. "Because I don't want him to end up being a slut like his father."
He stared for a minute until he realized she was being serious. Then he laughed so hard he had to hold his side where she had once - accidentally - broken two ribs.
"Elora, you're soundin' like a human. We do no' see prematin' sex as a bad thin'." He leaned into her ear. "Surely 'tis better to have a mate with skills to please you." He punctuated that by nibbling on her ear before he pulled back.
"Surely there's something in between a little healthy experience and being a total man whore."
Ram responded with an ear to ear smile that left no question he was unrepentant about his past. "You can no' possibly be jealous of the ghosts of single, nameless encounters!"
She thought about it. "Actually. Yes. I think I am."
"In that case, just let me finish these bangers. Then I will stand up on this chair and ask who might be up for babysittin' for a couple of hours while I take the milf beside me back to bed and remind her why she has no' a thin' to be jealous about."
Elora tried to contain a smile, but it bubbled up anyway. "The milf?"
"Hmmm." Ram nuzzled her neck right there in front of the entire morning coffee crowd.
"Stop, Ram." She pushed at him. "It's not dignified for someone in your position to put on public spectacles."
"Dignified? You did no' seriously use that word in a sentence describin' me."
"Yes. I did. Hoh. Hoh. Hoh."
He pulled back. "You know you're makin' me wish I'd never heard of the fuckin' Hall of Heroes."
"Lady Laiken?"
Ram and Elora looked up to find one of the young trainees.
"Yes?"
"Dr. Monq sent me to ask if you could come to his study."
"I guess. Did he say why?"
"No, ma'am."
"Okay. Five minutes." She turned to Ram. "You got this?"
Her eyes slid to Helm sucking on his fingers and kicking his feet like he was trying for all the world to dance an Irish jig.
"You're no' afraid to leave us unsupervised with all the females prowlin' the premises?"
"Very funny," she shot back, but her smirk quickly turned to a frown. "You're right. You two need to come with me."
"Great Paddy, Elora. You know I would no' be touched by another hand."
She beamed at him. "Yes. I do know that. I was just kidding, but I never get tired of hearing you say you're all mine." Elora leaned over the table and gave him a kiss to remember. "And don't forget it. I'm insecure and need constant reassurance."
She put her hand on Helm's chest and wiggled it just enough to make him laugh. "Later."
Ram sighed with contentment as she walked away. He never got tired of watching her go or seeing her come.
When Sol received a memo that the king of the Elk Mountain werewolves was coming to Jefferson Unit for a visit with Monq, he had called around to ask who had met the reclusive werewolf alpha and knew something about him. The trail quickly ended with Simon Tvelgar in Edinburgh, who reported that, so far as he knew, the only person Stalkson Grey respected was Elora Laiken.
As she approached Monq's offices, he emerged from his study. "Hello, my dear." He gave her a welcoming peck on the cheek. "We're entertaining a guest who says he knows you."
"Oh?"
Monq opened the door to his study and gestured for Elora to proceed. Stalkson rose when she entered and gave her a slight bow. The movement made the natural blond streaks in his beautiful head of hair catch the light.
"Mrs. Hawking."
He looked her in the eye with a self-confident and slightly arrogant gleam, but she didn't see an outright challenge this ti
me, other than trying to push buttons by calling her Mrs. Hawking when he knew that was not her preference. Or her name. She decided to ignore it. This time.
"Stalkson Grey! What a surprise! Are you here to pick up a stray?"
He managed to laugh without compromising his smug, arrogant manner in the least. "Not this time."
"Well, how is Harry?"
"He's... well, he's Harry."
"Oddly enough I think I know what you mean."
Monq motioned for Elora to sit in one of the stuffed chairs by the warmth of the gas fire. "I'm going to put a couple of people on looking into the problem of too many boys and too few girls. I understand that seeking me out was your suggestion."
Elora looked over at Grey and nodded. "I did say that, if anybody could help, it would be you. I may have gone so far as to call you a miracle worker."
"Schmoozing me, Lady Laiken?"
"I sincerely hope you can get to the bottom of it."
"We're going to try." Monq sat in the chair behind his desk. "Our guest will be here for at least a day. I'm afraid we're grilling him with questions, trying to eliminate as many dead ends as possible. I thought that, since the two of you are already acquainted, you might like to give the king a tour of the non-classified areas."
Elora looked between the two men. "Of course. Just say when."
Stalkson crossed his arms over his chest and looked amused.
"I was thinking now?" Monq gave Elora a pleading look. "We need to analyze some data before compiling another round of questions. Should take a couple of hours or so. If you would be so kind as to show him around the facility and take him to lunch, we should be ready to resume by then."
"Alright. I was just going to come down and see if I could do something to help the IBD team."
Monq glanced at Grey and decided it couldn't hurt to clarify that. "We've just formed a new team to develop an Interdimensional Breach Defense System. It's a project that's very personal to the Lady Laiken."
Grey looked at Elora with open curiosity.
She pulled a phone from her pocket. "Let me make a quick call to see if Ram wants to have lunch with us later."
Stalkson nodded. While Elora was talking quietly with Ram, he turned to Monq. "Any idea yet how long you'll need me here?"
Monq pursed his lips. "Probably just through the day."
"Will you be sending people?"
Monq looked at him closely and detected the worry and anxiety that was barely disguised by pride.
"Let's get through the afternoon and then we'll see."
Elora closed her phone and turned to Grey. "Okay. Tour bus leaving. All aboard."
Grey looked confused. "What?"
She grinned. "Never mind. I guess I just experienced a flash back to my own tour of Jefferson Unit. The guide had a sense of humor. He told me that he would accept a tip, thinking he was being funny, and then was sorry he'd brought it up because he had to spend a half hour explaining tipping to me." She chuckled. "I'm still not an expert on the subject."
Elora walked Grey around the facility showing him the workout facilities, the classrooms for trainees, the fabulous state-of-the-art medical clinic, and the courtpark. She explained the ins and outs of eating at Jefferson Unit including which baristas made the best hot chocolate and what time of day was best to ask for a club sandwich.
Last, she took him to her own apartment to show him their temporary quarters and the absolute best thing on the whole premises - her baby boy.
As they walked along the hall, he said, "You seem to be rather proud of this place, almost like it was your home."
Elora smiled and looked down for a minute before she slid her eyes back to his. "You're very observant for a werewolf."
He looked at her sideways. "How many werewolves do you know?"
She laughed. "Busted. I know a total of two.
"In an odd way, at the end of a very long story, this place really is like home to me."
"Does it have something to do with the Interdimensional Something Defense Thing?"
"Do you have security clearance?"
"Five."
"Okay. Consider it just between friends and off the record for now. Here's the nutshell version. I came from another dimension very similar to this one, which is why I'm strong enough to put you down without breaking a nail. I arrived here, at Jefferson Unit, as alone as a person can be. I went from prisoner of interest to Black Swan knight, which is why my name is Lady Laiken. I made friends who are my family. I fell in love and mated. And it all started here. So it does feel like home base. I guess it always will."
Arriving at her temporary quarters, Elora looked back at Stalkson and grinned. "Beyond this door lies the center of the universe." He cocked his head slightly to one side then looked past her when the door swung open.
Elora waved at Ram. "I brought Stalkson to see Helm."
Ram nodded at Grey and waved a hand toward where the crib was sitting in front of the window. When Helm saw his mother come into his field of vision, he pumped his little arms and legs like he was training for an Iron Man and gurgled excitedly. She laughed at him and he cooed at her adorably.
When Stalkson came into his field of vision, Helm grew still and studied the newcomer with intense interest and the suggestion of a scowl on his brow. Then he took a deep breath and gave Grey the longest, most perfect raspberry Elora had even seen rendered.
Grey blinked a couple of times like he was trying to decide if that had actually happened. Then he laughed openly, seeming to enjoy the baby's rebuke immensely. "The center of the universe has spoken." He looked at Elora and smiled. "I sense problems with authority. No doubt he's your boy."
Ram used his hand to wipe the laugh off of his own face. Elora gave Ram a cool look.
"On the contrary, problems with authority, should they develop, will be laid squarely at the feet of the elfling's father."
Grey smiled. "Whatever you say."
Counterintuitive as it may have seemed, Litha and Storm returned from their New York weekend loose, relaxed and prepared to thoroughly enjoy time together alone at the vineyard. It was Litha's turn to clean up after dinner. She was just finishing and planning to join her husband by the fire for a glass of sweet red when her cell played a few bars of "Devil Inside".
She looked at the caller ID. Unknown caller.
"Don't answer it," Storm yelled from the living room right on cue, like he had seen the caller ID.
She considered letting it go, but she had a strong suspicion that the caller, who'd prompted the mysterious ring tone that she did not have on her phone, was the furthest thing from unknown.
"Dad. How did you program a ring tone into my phone?"
"You noticed! Did you like it?"
"I haven't gotten that far. Answer the question."
"Magic."
"Really."
"I have to get off this plane."
"Okay. First, why are you calling me on a phone when you could just show up here if you have something to say and, second, why are you on a plane when you could just ride the passes?"
"Okay. First, I'm calling because the last two times I popped in I got in heap big trouble because you were boinking. Remember? Because you're shy about that. Remember?"
"Yes. Thanks for reminding me and for using such delicate phrasing."
"Second. I'm not on a plane. I'm talking about the plane, as in this limited version of reality."
She laughed. "Limited? Your options are practically infinite. What are you talking about?"
He sighed. "I'm bored."
"Well, maybe demons weren't meant to live for so long."
"That's your idea of sympathy? Feeling sorry for my grandchildren already." Instead of the indignant protest he was expecting, his daughter made no reply. "Hello? Can you hear me now? Where did I lose you?" He appeared in front of her on the other side of the kitchen island. He watched her reaction closely while he said, "Never mind," into the phone and then shoved it into the pocket of soft fau
x doeskin pants.
Litha set her phone on the counter next to her.
"I wasn't serious about thinking you'll be a bad mama jama." He flashed his most charming smile just as his eyes were pulled downward. "Ohhhhh." He grinned. "So all kidding aside, my little girl is really gonna be somebody's mama, which means..."
"Don't say it."
"I'm gonna be a grandemon!" He hadn't been this animated since, well, she'd never seen him so excited. "Forget what I said about being tired of this plane. This is just... It's just... I can't even think of a word to describe it. Transcendent! Yes! It's a transcendent experience. I can already tell."
"And when did you become interested in transcendence?"
Storm walked into the kitchen before the demon answered. When Storm heard voices in the kitchen, he knew it was his father-in-law and thought about hiding for a split second. He didn't, but suspected he would regret that decision before the visit was over. Deliverance almost knocked him over with a very big and, decidedly unwelcome, shirtless hug.
"The proud papa, I presume." He laughed and patted Storm on the back before turning back to Litha. "Have you named him?"
"He came with a name. It's Storm."
"Cute."
"What makes you think our baby is a him?" Storm asked.
Litha watched her father's face soften into something that looked like adoration. "It's a girl?" It was a whispered question that melted Litha's heart. One thing that could be said about her dad was that you could never guess which way he would jump.
Deliverance pulled Litha into an embrace and hugged her tenderly, rocking her back and forth. Litha met Storm's gaze over her father's shoulder. That beguiling twinkle she loved was fixed in her husband's black eyes.
"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me." He pulled back and looked his daughter in the face. "Next to you," he said softly.
Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf (Black Swan 4) Page 5