by Hawke Oakley
This is bad enough going through it once, I thought in annoyance. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do it a second time…
Thankfully, my mate had the kindness and patience to take care of me without complaint. I’d cancelled the rental on my apartment (good riddance to old man Pete), and Ryu helped me move all my things into his place, where I was now staying permanently.
It was a Friday night, and the Drunken Dragon was busy as usual. Good thing I had Ryu by my side to help, and I’d even hired Nate to work a few shifts a week. He was a competent, chatty employee, good at talking to the other customers when I just wasn’t up to it.
“You know, with two kids and the both of us, maybe we should think about finding a bigger home,” Ryu commented. As he said that, Angel—lazing in his arms—burst out into laughter, like she approved of the idea.
I groaned and nearly tossed the cleaning cloth into his face. “Moving again is literally the last thing I want to think about right now. Can’t it wait until after I pop this baby out?”
Ryu chuckled. “Yes, you’re right, sorry.”
He strode over and gently stroked my swollen belly. Angel copied her dad, stretching out her hand to do the same.
“Do you feel that, Angel?” Ryu said to her. “That’s your baby sibling. You’re going to be a big sister to them soon, you know.”
Angel gurgled with a smile.
I couldn’t help but smile back. I knew the discomfort of the pregnancy was going to be worth it in the end. The six months of aches and pains would result in a beautiful baby that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
I guess this is how people wind up doing it more than once.
But right now, as another sharp pain flared up in my back, I groaned and sat back in my heavily cushioned chair. Ryu frowned.
“Aches again?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “This part I could really do without.”
As another round of customers lined up at the bar counter, Ryu sheepishly glanced back and forth between them and me. I sighed and held out my arms. “You take the orders. Give Angel to me.”
“Sure you’ll be okay?”
I nodded and waved him off. I’d rather sit with my child than deal with half-drunk alphas any day.
“You’re the prettiest face in this whole bar, you know that?” I said to her as I bounced her on my knee.
She giggled. Her long blonde hair flew up and down with every bounce. I noticed how long it had grown since that night we found her. I didn’t know if I had the heart to cut it.
“One thing’s for sure, you certainly didn’t come out of a mess like me,” I mumbled playfully. “That Halo guy must really be something else.”
In the months since we got Angel back, my constant paranoia slowly diminished. For the first few nights I had nightmares—ones I didn’t even want to mention to Ryu. I was petrified that Halo Fire-Eater would show up one day and snatch Angel away, like Mav and Henry did before. Losing her again was my greatest fear.
Sometimes I wondered where Halo was, and why he’d left his baby on the front step of my bar. Did he really not want her? Or was it more complicated than that?
I glanced down at my daughter. She smiled brightly up at me, without a care in the word. Sitting in my lap was the child of a mage so powerful some considered him a god—and she had no idea.
Whatever Halo’s reason was, I supposed the truth was lost alongside him.
“Da.”
I stopped bouncing Angel. I stared at her. “Did you just—?”
Encouraged by what must have been the funny expression on my face, Angel laughed and said it again. “Da!”
My jaw dropped. “Are you trying to say ‘daddy’?”
“Dada.”
Joy burst in my chest. I leapt up—with considerable effort, given my uncomfortable belly and prosthetic leg—and cried, “Ryu! Ryu, she’s talking!”
Ryu nearly dropped an entire cocktail. He glanced over his shoulder from the counter and exclaimed, “Oh my gods! What did she say?”
“She said ‘dada’!”
Ryu quickly finished dealing with the customer then rushed over, grabbing Angel’s hands in his own. “Can you say it again? Say dada!”
“Da-do,” she said.
“Oh, close enough!” Ryu scooped her up and twirled her around, making her golden hair spin. She laughed and slapped his arms. “I bet by the time the baby’s born, she’s going to be making full sentences.”
I took her back and smirked. “Very funny. Maybe she can comfort me while I’m giving birth.”
“No way. That’s my job.” Ryu grinned.
Suddenly, Nate’s familiar face pushed through the crowd and braced himself on the counter. “Geez, you really weren’t kidding about it being busy on Fridays,” he muttered.
“Do you need a break?” I asked.
“Nah, it’s not that.” But his mouth was set tight, like something was bothering him. “There might be a bit of a problem, though.”
“What?”
Nate winced. “One of those guys you kicked out of the bar is here.”
Fury raged inside me. “What?” I spat. “I told them they can never come back here!”
Nate looked sheepish. “He’s not doing anything bad—I think he’s actually looking for you.”
Ryu glanced between Nate and I, wondering if he should step in. Finally, he said, “Why don’t I see what’s going on? You stay here with Angel.”
I frowned deeply, wondering why either Mav or Henry would dare show their faces around here again. Ryu hopped over the counter and Nate led him deeper into the crowd. Among all the people, it was difficult to see anybody. If Nate hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known either of them was here now.
I held Angel closer. “Don’t you worry. No one’s ever going to take you away from your dads again.”
Ryu and Nate returned a moment later flanking Mav like two bodyguards on the verge of attack. Instantly I glared at Mav, ready to chew him out, but then I noticed the meek expression on his face.
“What are you doing here, when I explicitly banned you?” I growled at him.
Mav raised his hands. “I know, I know.”
“There better be a good reason for this,” I warned.
“Well, to be honest… I really did miss the booze here,” Mav mumbled, staring at the floor. “But I did wanna, uh, apologize. For acting shitty.”
My glare narrowed.
“And also, I thought you might wanna know something about your kid,” Mav added.
My grip tightened on Angel again. “What?”
Still sheepish, Mav rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, when me and that omega Henry were watching her for those two weeks—”
“Watching her? You stole her from us!” I snapped.
Mav winced. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my idea, but I shouldn’t have listened to him.”
I growled. “And?”
“Anyway, Henry was acting weird the whole time. He’d say stuff I didn’t understand about her.” He nodded to Angel. “He treated her like she was made of glass or somethin’—and not like the way you handle a regular kid. It was almost like, he was super scared he was gonna get smited by the gods, you know? It was crazy.”
The words took me completely off guard. My eyes widened. I caught Ryu’s glance, and he was just as shocked at what he heard.
“I think that’s part of the reason we came back here,” Mav continued. “It felt like, he wanted to get caught, I guess? Like she was a big problem, more than he bargained for. Felt better to return her so you could deal with it.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I just figured you should know, since it is your kid and all… That’s it.”
My mind raced. Did Henry know more about Angel than we thought? Or did something happen to him during the two weeks Angel was in his care?
Did Halo Fire-Eater come to Henry?
Mav seemed totally oblivious, so I assumed he didn’t have the same experience.
So did Henry know Angel was special before he stole her? He must have…
“Well?” Mav prompted, looking up at me like a guilty dog.
“What?” I snapped, annoyed that he was interrupting my thoughts.
“Am I allowed back at the bar?” Mav asked.
I scowled. “Well, you did steal my daughter and openly harass omegas at my bar.”
Mav ducked his head, feeling guilty. “I know. I won’t do it again—either of those things, I mean.”
I gave him a hard glare before muttering, “Fine, whatever. Just know that if you fuck up again, my new employee can shift into a three-hundred-pound snake, and he will eat you.”
Nate grinned and waved at Mav, who blanched. “I promise I won’t cause any trouble,” Mav said.
“Good,” I growled.
As Nate dealt with Mav’s order, Ryu returned to my side, still astonished by what we heard. “You caught that too, right?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Henry knew something about Angel. More than he let on.”
“Maybe that’s why he stole her in the first place,” Ryu said seriously. “Not just for revenge on us, but because he knew she was… valuable.” He frowned at using that word, but I knew he meant it as Henry’s thought process.
“And he was scared of Halo finding out, so he returned her?” I considered. “That makes sense, given that no one knows where Halo is. I guess Henry thought of Angel like a ticking time bomb.”
“Dada,” Angel said.
I hugged her. “Whatever the reason, I’m just glad she’s back with us.”
But Ryu’s expression was still serious. “Do you think Halo Fire-Eater knows we’re good parents?”
“Huh? How would he even know? No one’s seen him for, what, hundreds of years?”
Ryu shrugged. “That doesn’t mean he’s not around. For a mage so powerful, he must have ways of knowing things. It’s like magic itself—it could be flowing through your veins, but you wouldn’t know unless you witnessed it.”
I frowned. I hadn’t considered that before.
“So…” Ryu continued softly. “Maybe he sees us. Maybe he knows we’re good parents to Angel, and that’s why he hasn’t interfered.”
Could that really be true? All this time, I’d only thought of Halo Fire-Eater as a legend—and then as a deadbeat parent who cruelly abandoned his kid. The possibility that he’d left Angel in our hands on purpose hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“Sorry to bring all this up again,” Ryu mumbled. “It doesn’t change anything, or how we feel about our daughter.”
He leaned down to kiss her forehead. I ruffled her golden hair.
“Da! Da-da!” she cried.
* * *
“Do you mind taking Angel home?” I asked Ryu after the bar closed up and we readied to leave.
“Sure. Where are you going?”
“I’m just grabbing a few things from the store. Besides, I think Angel needs a diaper change,” I commented.
Ryu took a whiff of the air and frowned. “Ugh, you’re right. I’ll see you at home then.” He paused. With a serious glance, he said, “Whatever you’re doing, don’t be too late.”
“I won’t,” I promised.
This won’t take long. I can already smell that fox a mile away.
I slipped down the street, shifting into my wolf. The scent trail was stale, but I knew the back streets of Cinderhollow better than Henry did.
There, up ahead. A single figure walked alone under the street lights. With a growl I shifted back and trailed behind him. Henry suddenly stopped, looking over his shoulder suspiciously, then gasped when he saw me.
“You again. What do you want from me?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. Then, somewhat fearfully, he added, “I already gave your kid back. Leave me alone.”
“Tell me what you know about Angel’s parents,” I demanded with a growl.
Henry’s mouth tightened. For a moment I thought I’d have to intimidate the truth out of him, but finally Henry spoke. “When I had the idea to steal her from you, I didn’t know. I was just angry and wanted you both to suffer.”
I flinched at the sharpness of his words.
“It was only after that I noticed something was wrong. Mav was too stupid to realize, and he wasn’t there most of the time anyway,” he added bitterly. “That girl knew magic. She could shift into forms she shouldn’t have been able to. I knew then she was more trouble than she was worth.”
“How so?”
Henry’s eyes flashed with annoyance but also fear. “I only knew about one shifter who was as powerful as Angel. Halo Fire-Eater.”
I felt the hot flash of recognition as Henry said his name. So he does know.
“How do you know about Halo Fire-Eater anyway?” I asked. “You only just arrived at Cinderhollow.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “My skulk has lived in the surrounding mountains for centuries. Just because Halo was born in Cinderhollow doesn’t mean we don’t have our own legends. You’re not the only ones who know about him.”
“So why didn’t you keep Angel? Why give her back if you knew how valuable she is?” I demanded.
Suddenly, Henry looked very small, and I felt like I was seeing him for what he truly was—a pathetic, cowardly man who got himself into trouble far deeper than he could deal with.
“You know he’s out there, right?” Henry said under his breath.
“Who? Halo?”
Henry winced. “Yes. And his enemies.”
I paused. “What are you talking about?”
“Halo has been in hiding for hundreds of years,” Henry said slowly. “Don’t you think it makes sense that his enemies are still out there? Why else would he still live in secret?” He paused, then added, “Why else would give up his child?”
So he doesn’t know for sure, I thought. He’s just assuming.
I’d had enough of our conversation. “Thanks for the tip,” I muttered. But before I left, I turned and added in a warning growl, “Oh, and don’t ever think about messing with my family ever again.”
Henry frowned, not saying a word, but it was clear from the anxious look on his face that he wouldn’t dare to try.
20
Ryu
When the sixth and final month of pregnancy finally rolled around, neither Scar or I were taking any chances.
“I’m going to be honest with the both of you,” Dr. Lynden had told us at our last clinic visit. “Given Scar’s age and situation, I recommend a c-section instead of a natural birth.”
“Hell, I’m not about to argue with that,” Scar had muttered.
Our friends joined us the day of the c-section. Scar wouldn’t admit it, but I knew him well enough by now to know he greatly appreciated their support and presence. And it didn’t hurt that Gabriel and Raja were so good with Angel.
Scar squeezed my hand as we walked towards the front desk. Gabriel, Dante, Raja and Lorenzo sat in the waiting area, all giving us supportive smiles. Charlotte, Noelle and Noah huddled in the corner playing with the clinic’s toy set, while Angel sat in Gabriel’s lap. As much as she loved Gabriel—and the other way around—Angel seemed to know something was going on with her dads. She watched Scar with a slight furrow in her brow that broke my heart.
“He’ll be back out soon, baby,” I promised her.
“You won’t even know I’m gone, Angel,” Scar said.
At the front desk, the beta nodded at us. “Ah, you must be Scar. I have an appointment here for you.”
“That’s right,” Scar mumbled. I could tell he was nervous. I rubbed his back in soothing circles as he filled out a few forms.
“Everything’s going to be great,” I told him.
He made a grunt. “I hope so.”
We waited for a few minutes for Dr. Lynden to arrive. Gabriel and Raja both offered Scar their comfort.
“You’re not gonna feel a thing,” Gabriel said.
“Yeah—thinking about it makes me wish I had a c-section,” Raja added. “It was
so damn painful.”
Scar raised a brow. “I’ve been through enough pain to be used to it. I would’ve done it naturally, if it wasn’t safer this way.”
Dante butted in. “So? What are the baby names you got?”
Scar waved him away. “Shush. It’s a secret.”
Groaning, Dante cried, “Why? You’re so mean!”
Gabriel laughed. “Honey, it’s their baby. You don’t get a say in it.”
“Maybe if you’re so excited about the names, you can make a third,” Lorenzo teased his brother.
“Oh, hell no,” Gabriel declared. “Two is enough for now. You alphas can talk all you want about wanting more kids, but until you’ve pushed a baby out of you, you don’t get a say in it.”
The conversation did a good job of distracting Scar from his worries, and soon enough the beta from earlier stood and announced his name.
“Dr. Lynden is ready for you now,” he said.
Scar swallowed thickly. I held his hand and helped him stand. He’d grown huge over the past six months. Despite all his discomfort, I still thought he was incredibly sexy looking like that.
“Come on,” I encouraged him. “Let’s go have a baby.”
All our friends called “Good luck!” from behind as we followed the beta through the doors and down the hall to the operating room. Scar’s breathing grew shallow and rapid.
“I’m right here,” I comforted. “Don’t worry.”
“I know,” Scar murmured. “It’s just, the last time I had a surgery was…”
He trailed off, wincing in pain. I knew he meant the traumatic situation with his amputations. I curled my arm around his shoulders.
“This won’t be anything like that,” I promised. “This is a surgery of joy, not loss.”
The corner of his lips curled upwards. “I guess you’re right.”
Dr. Lynden appeared in the doorway to usher us inside. “Come on in, you two. We’re all set up and ready for you, Scar.”
He nodded and followed her. Anxiety flashed across his eyes when he saw the operating table and all the sterile medical equipment. He clutched my hand harder.