Mated for the Holidays: A Holiday Mpreg Romance in the Hemlock Mpreg Universe

by Maggie Hemlock

  “What are we the Gilmore-Montero Coven now?” She laughed.

  “Would that be so bad?”

  “You’re not even going to argue over which name comes first?”

  ‘Alphabetical order is fine with me,” I shrugged.

  Without speaking, Gloria and I stood up and headed downstairs to the workspace. During the wee morning hours while everyone else slept we drew up the treaty of coven marriage merging our magical destinies as one. When the details were hashed out, we signed our names in blood from pricked fingers. The parchment glowed golden. Our magic accepted the new state of affairs.

  “Welcome to the family,” I grinned at her.

  “Welcome to the family.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Aidan

  The first winter sunrays danced into the bedroom. I blinked and reached down to touch my belly as was my habit since discovering I was pregnant. The baby bump was still there and whole. Luc lay stretched out on his back next to me sound asleep. I kissed his cheek and scooted to the foot of the bed. On my way to the bathroom something glowing on the nightstand caught my attention. I circled the bed to take a better look.

  “Frost’s Pit has frozen over,” my wolf muttered. “We’re a single coven.”

  I couldn’t stop smiling on my way to the bathroom. All members of my family were officially a family now. I made my way down to the kitchen and started the coffee pot. Then I went to look for Zera. She wasn’t in her guestroom. Figuring she likely spent the night with Barric I walked down the hall and pressed my ear to the door. Inside, Barric sniffled.

  “Barric?” I whispered through the thick oak door.

  “Zera’s not here,” he said leveling his tone as much as he could.

  “Can I come in?” I asked him.

  “Fine.”

  Barric sat on the edge of his bed. Heavy bags hung under his eyes and his shoulders stooped. I sat down next to him and patted him on the back.

  “Do you know where she went?” He asked me after a long moment of silence.

  “Are you two together?” I asked him.

  “I thought we were. It was strange. We just clicked. I didn’t think I’d click with anyone like that until I met my true-mate. She said harpies couldn’t find true-mates on this side of the Other World, but for a while it didn’t matter. It’s only been a week, but I felt like she belonged in my life. Even after what I found out last night. I was angry. We argued for a while. She should have told Magi Montero. He would have figured out something.”

  “First, the Book of Possibilities is just that,” I told him. “It’s a magical record of everything that could maybe someday happen, but it changes a lot because we make choices. Mapping the future isn’t a science. It’s guessing. I bet if we looked at the book today it wouldn’t say anything about that accident. Secondly, Zera is a harpy. She’s a resident of the Other World. Spirits and people over there like to watch over us over here where things are more uncertain. She didn’t mean to cause harm and for what it’s worth I think she likes you a lot.”

  “Then why did she take off without telling me? She didn’t even leave a note,” he sighed and rubbed his tired bloodshot eyes.

  “What happened last night after everyone else went to bed?” I asked him.

  “We argued. She stormed out and I thought she went to her room.”

  “I know where she probably is. Get dressed.”

  “Can’t you just summon her?” Barric asked.

  “I could, but I think we need to meet her halfway on this. Summoning a heartbroken harpy is a good way to lose an eye.”

  “Shouldn’t we tell the others where we’re going?” He asked

  “Nah, let them sleep in. Get dressed and meet me at the car.”

  The harpy-witch relationship worked both ways. She helped me navigate magic and I helped her navigate the crazy rules of Earth. Barric and I arrived at the Gilmore House a little after eight. I led Barric upstairs to the attic door. Then I paused. The attic belonged to my family, but Zera made it her own during the dark half of the year. I knocked on the door and waited for her to answer.

  “Aidan?” She whispered from inside the attic.

  “It’s me and Barric.”

  “You can come in. I don’t want to see him right now,” she said.

  Barric’s eyes fell to the floor.

  “Just give me a few minutes,” I whispered to him and went inside.

  Zera sat perched on a box of books preening her feathers with her nimble fingers. Harpies were preeners by nature but took to the task obsessively when stressed out. I sat down on the floor across from her and waited for her to speak.

  “Why’d you bring him here?” Zera asked.

  “Because I think he loves you.”

  “What does he know of love?” She rolled her eyes and preened faster.

  “What do any of us? Last night when I fell asleep Luc was totally pissed off at Gloria. This morning I wake up to a glowing contract uniting the covens as one. People never make sense, Zera. That’s just how we are.”

  “It’s like that in the Other World too. Why have a book that tells you what will happen, but it lies?” She huffed.

  “Can we promise never to open that book again? I mean, either of us.”

  “Everyone’s on their own now.”

  “We have each other. All of us,” I said and scooted a little closer to her.

  “I don’t,” she shook her head. “Gloria hates me more than ever. Barric thinks I’m an evil spirit.”

  “I DO NOT! THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID!” Barric shouted through the door.

  Zera hopped off her perch and walked to the door. She swung it open and stared eye to eye with her much shorter boyfriend.

  “That’s exactly what you said.”

  “No, it’s not!”

  “What did you say exactly?” I joined them in the doorway.

  “He said I swooped in all dressed like an evil spirit and tried to chase his baby brother away. That I acted like some villain from a child’s fairytale.”

  “Do you hear yourself?” Barric growled. “I said dressed like and acted like. I never said you were either of those things!”

  He tossed his hands up in frustration.

  “We are how we act. If you believe I acted as those things you called me those things!” Zera crossed her arms.

  They were both right depending on which logic trail you followed.

  “What am I supposed to think?” Barric groaned.

  “Not everything dark is bad. The night is dark! It fuels magic just as much as the sun if not more!” She spat out the words. “Somethings just are.”

  “I understand you were trying to help, but…” Barric’s words trailed off. “I don’t want to have this argument again.”

  “What do you want me to do, Barric? I didn’t even know you then. It’s not like I could’ve given you a head’s up to what was going on.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me once we met? You held my brother and played with him after trying to get rid of him.”

  “I did it to save him too! You want to know the other possibility I saw in the book? The one that doesn’t change?”

  “Fine! Tell me what the silly little book said!”

  “The babies are destined to be true-mates! I just needed them far enough apart until they were older, and it was too late for the accident to happen! Baby Edgar is going to be the first harpy born on Earth in a long time and I want him to be happy!”

  My mouth hung open. This is the sort of stuff I didn’t want to know from the book. The Book of Possibilities based all of its predictions on facts and calculated outside circumstances. The boys wouldn’t recognize each other as true-mates until after their first heat and rut respectively. I rubbed my forehead. I skipped breakfast and was starving now. I just wanted to be at home in Luc’s arms and to sit down and rest, but none of those things could happen until I fixed this.

  Barric took a deep breath and looked at Zera. Everyone said there was a fine li
ne between love and hate, but the line was really between love and frustration. If you don’t love something or someone, they can’t frustrate you. If you don’t care the outcome doesn’t matter.

  “I can’t take back what I did,” Zera shook her head. “What’s done is done. I’ve apologized a thousand times. I don’t know what you want from me.”

  Barric’s eyes teared up. I turned around and walked to the furthest corner of the attic to give them as much privacy as possible but could still hear them.

  “I wanted you to be at Montero Manor when I woke up!” Barric finally said. “I don’t care what my parents say. If my true-mate shows up and isn’t you we’ll figure it out then, but for all anyone knows we’re true-mates and our connection is just blocked by whatever spell that damn harpy used to self-banish all of your ancestors back to the Other World!”

  I heard the ruffled of wings wrapping around someone and snuck a peek at what they were doing. Zera’s tall back blocked my view, but her wings were wrapped around Barric. I smiled despite the hunger gnawing at my stomach. The world spun and I twisted around reaching out for Zera. Then the hardwood floor rushed towards my face as the world went black.

  ***

  “That hurt,” my wolf complained.

  He was right. I ached all over. I was in a soft bed with my head on someone’s lap. I sniffed the air and Luc’s scent filled my head. A smile tugged at my lips despite the achiness.

  “Shhh….” he whispered to me. “You’re okay.”

  “I didn’t know he skipped breakfast. I swear,” Zera said somewhere farther away.

  No one answered her. My left arm stung, and someone had stuck a piece of tape to me. I tried to feel at it with my other hand, but Luc entwined our fingers instead.

  “It’s just fluids,” he whispered to me.

  “The baby?” I pulled away from his hand and felt my stomach.

  The baby bump had doubled in size since I woke up this morning.

  “Baby Edgar is fine. Zera caught you before you hit the floor,” Luc said.

  “Thank you,” I groped the air trying to find her.

  Her hand caught mine and squeezed.

  “What happened?” I blinked my eyes open and looked up at Luc.

  “You took off without breakfast and fainted in the attic,” he said.

  “I’m sorry. I needed to get here and…” I didn’t finish my sentence out of respect for Zera and Barric’s privacy.

  “It’s okay. We’ve got to make sure you eat enough from now on, though. All the drama has to go on the back burner for the sake of the baby.”

  “After this there best be no more drama,” I yawned. “I’m starving. Can I eat?”

  “Gloria’s coming back with the ultrasound machine,” Zera said.

  “We need to figure out why the baby grew so quickly,” Luc added.

  “I told you guys,” Zera sighed, “the baby probably sprouted his wings. They take up a lot of room.”

  “We hope that’s all it is,” Gloria pushed the cart carrying the ultrasound machine into the room.

  “Better safe than sorry,” Scott said from the corner of the room.

  “You guys came too?” I sniffed.

  My hormones were definitely messing with my emotions. Harvey and Scott came along despite all the drama our family caused them. Harvey held Baby Max close to his chest, and I swore I’d never seen a prouder papa anywhere.

  “We’re family. We’re all connected by the boys,” Harvey said.

  “Did you tell them?” I asked Zera.

  She shook her head hard and fast.

  “I did,” Barric said. “I think we all need to stay on the same page.”

  “And Barric’s family are joining the Gilmore-Montero Coven,” Luc added.

  “Can everyone shut up until we find out what’s going on with the baby?” Gloria growled.

  “Bossy,” I laughed, but everyone else fell silent.

  This time the gel wasn’t cold like before. The baby came onto the screen feathered wings first.

  “It looks like I swallowed a feather pillow,” I laughed. “His wings are so huge.”

  Gloria moved the ultrasound wand around to get a better look at the rest of the baby. His fingers and toes were all there. His eyes were shut as if he slept through the drama unfolding around him. Then on the screen was all the proof I needed to know I was right. Our baby was definitely Baby Edgar.

  “Told you,” I stuck my tongue out at Gloria.

  “Okay, you were right,” she laughed. “So were you Zera. The wings caused the growth for the most part, but this pregnancy is still moving along at record speed.”

  “A little slow for a harpy pregnancy,” Zera shrugged.

  I shot Gloria a look that begged her not to start an argument.

  “Can you guys let me talk to Gloria alone?” I asked.

  Everyone else filed out of the room, but Luc stayed where he was.

  “You too, Alpha. I’ll be okay. Zera’s probably fixing snacks right now, but can you go to Patty’s and grab some burgers and stuff? Then maybe stop at the store and buy some ice cream bars? Not the triple colored sort either. I want the all chocolate ones with the chocolate chips.”

  “You sure you’re alright, mate?” Luc locked his eyes to mine.

  “I am,” I nodded. “Thank you both for bringing the family together. I know it wasn’t easy, but I think it’s for the best. Now, let me talk to my sister. I feel like I’ve barely seen her at all since we met.”

  Luc kissed me goodbye and left. Gloria took up the spot next to me on the bed and glanced at my belly.

  “Go ahead,” I nodded. “It’s really weird right now. Sometimes I can feel his little feathers twitching.”

  “I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have gone after Zera like that, but all I could think about was the baby. She put you in a stressful situation and made Max get off to a rough start. She meant well, but all I saw was red.”

  “I almost fainted when she said the boys died in a car accident or had the chance to, I should say,” I admitted to her what I didn’t even tell Luc. “It was like a knife right through my heart. I think that’s the scariest part of having a baby. While Baby Edgar is inside of me Luc and I can protect him against almost everything. Once he’s outside of me the world has a say in things. Sure, for a few years we can keep him attached to our hips, but then he’ll start forming opinions and wishes of his own. I want him to be happy, but not go off and get himself killed.”

  Tears filled my eyes as I spoke. I wasn’t sure if the hormones or the fear gripping my middle caused them. Gloria wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into her. She was my sister and one of my best friends. There was no competition between her and Zera. I’d do just about anything for both of them, but the friendships were different.

  “He’s not going to die in a car accident. We’ll buy them magic carpets instead. That way even if they sneak into the liquor cabinet anywhere, they’re safe. We’ll do all the right charms, so the carpets fly themselves and won’t let them fall off. We’ll put homing devices to bring them to Montero Manor, the Gilmore House, or Barric’s parents’ house depending on which is closest. We’ll force them to live long lives and suffer like we did,” she laughed, but she was crying to.

  Everything was changing. Most of it was for the better. Most of it was wonderful, but that also meant the little bubble she and I shared for the last decade had to pop. It wasn’t just us and occasionally Zera anymore. There was Luc and the baby. Barric and his family. Others would come soon too if we were lucky. I wanted her to know how proud I was of her for keeping everything together after Grandma Rosa died and I told her as much.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m not talking about the money. We have bank accounts all over the world. There wouldn’t have been a reason to without you. What good is a coven without family? What good is anything?” She sniffed. “This summer I want to travel. Like really travel. Maybe go to Europe and look up some of ou
r more distant cousins and invite them home. Maybe spend a few weeks in the Bahamas with a cabana boy holding a shade leaf above my head. Before I go even for a few months I need to know you’re going to be okay.”

  “I’ll be okay. Everyone will be okay. You deserve a real vacation and sometime for yourself,” I said and hugged her tight.

  “You’ll send me lots of photos of Baby Edgar while I’m away? I don’t want to miss anything!”

  “You won’t. We’ll send you photos and we can video chat. You can show me all the cute cabana boys I can’t hookup with, because I’m mated off and make me green with envy,” I laughed through my tears.

  Our tears morphed into laughter and then into silence. Our bubble hadn’t popped. It grew to include our new family members.

  “There’s only one question left,” I said.

  “What’s that?” She asked.

  “Who do you think will carry the babies? Zera or Barric.”

  “Definitely Barric,” Gloria nodded. “No one wants to see a hormonal Zera.”

  “How does that work with female Alphas?” I asked her.

  “That’s a conversation for when you’re older,” she laughed as Zera carried a tray of snacks into the room.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Luc

  After Aidan’s fainting spell I laid down some ground rules. Family was important and a growing coven was good for everyone, but they couldn’t bring their drama to Aidan anymore. Gloria and I decided that it was best if he went on bedrest for a few days to make sure his body recovered from the sudden growth of Baby Edgar. If anyone had drama, they could bring it to one of us or even to Harvey, but they were to leave Aidan alone. Everyone agreed that it was time to put the chaos of the past month or so behind us and move forward together.

  Zera and Barric stayed at the Gilmore House where Gloria taught him the secrets of her trade. She had a bit more patience with him than I did at the moment. My wolf and I had no patience for anything or anyone who stood between us and Aidan. As the days passed our lives circled around each other and are soon to be born baby.

  I went into what Aidan dubbed ‘cave-Alpha daddy mode.’ I put the servants away for a while and took care of the security and baby preparations in person. They kept the magic wards up to date and were my extra eyes and ears, but I actively participated in the daily on goings at Montero Manor. I didn’t want to miss a single important moment because I sat back and let magic live my life on autopilot. When I wasn’t doublechecking the babyproofing and supplies I stayed by Aidan’s side. We spent long days together curled up on the sofa watching it snow. That winter brought in more of the white stuff than I’d seen in over a century. It just kept piling up. Usually I kept the front lawn clear of the stuff with magic but didn’t that year. Why rob Aidan of something that made him grin like a fool? Montero Manor was alive with the Yule spirit. I even put up with his around the clock Yule songs playing over the radio throughout the house. Each time he smiled he lit up like a Yule tree. It was worth the minor annoyance of too much holiday spirit for my tastes. Though, with Aidan by my side it wasn’t as annoying as it’d been in past years.