Daeton's Journey (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book 10) (9 page)

Ekho had never been to the Mortal Realm before.  Perseus could recall the first time he’d seen a vehicle and knew how strange they could seem.  Ekho hummed in surprise.  Daeton picked up her pace, threading her way down the hillside while Perseus walked slowly with Adi, who was unsure of his footing but didn’t want to be carried.

The van stopped at the base of the hillside and two Centaurs got out.  The sides of the van were covered, and Perseus knew it was a protective measure.  The bears inside wouldn’t know where they were, so the settlement would be protected against outsiders knowing the location.

The Centaurs opened the back of the van and a tall woman with long, black hair leapt from the back and grabbed Daeton in a big hug.

Ekho grinned.  “I think that’s her moman.”

Adi squeezed Perseus’s hand and he looked down at his son.  Adi pulled his thumb from his mouth and pointed at Daeton.  “Your moman will be right back, little one.”

More people left the back of the vehicle, most with Daeton’s coppery skin and onyx hair.  Perseus and his family held back to allow Daeton some privacy with her family.

Daeton made the rounds of hugging and kissing all her family members and then called for Perseus, Ekho, and their family to join them.

“Let’s go meet your moman’s family, Adi,” Perseus said.

Chapter 8

Daeton couldn’t stop crying as she hugged her mom, dad, brothers, their mates, and her nieces and nephews.  She felt like she hadn’t changed much in the last year she’d been in the Medes Realm, but to her family she’d been gone for ten years and they’d definitely changed.  Her nephews – Elizabeth, Ash and Axe’s twin sons Setimika and Bodaway – were nine years old.  They looked exactly as she remembered Ash and Axe looking from photos, and knew the handsome young males would break a lot of hearts when they were older.

Ash and Axe both held young girls in their arms – Aiyana who was three, and Dena, who was two – and they looked a lot like Elizabeth, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.  As Daeton hugged Elizabeth, she could scent that she was pregnant, and congratulated her sister-in-law.

Elizabeth’s hand touched her stomach with a sweet smile.  “This is Malia.”

Daeton’s brow rose.  “You’re so sure it’s another girl?”

She shrugged.  “I just feel as if I’m carrying a girl.  If it turns out she’s a boy, then we’ll figure out a different name, but I’m pretty sure my husbands will have another daughter who will wrap them around her little finger.”

Ash and Axe both grinned.

Daeton blinked at fresh tears.  “I’m missing so much.”

Elizabeth hugged her tightly.  “We’re here now.  Let’s focus on that.  I can’t wait to meet your husbands and your son.”

Daeton turned to hug her brother Griegs.  “Where’s
your mate, Sabrina?”

Griegs growled softly in annoyance.  “She couldn’t make the trip because of the sun.”  Sabrina was a vampire, and she and Griegs were beloved mates, which meant that Griegs was now immortal, the same as his wife.

“I’m sorry to hear that.  I was looking forward to meeting her.”

“She sends her love,” Griegs said.  He introduced her to his two sons, Dakota and Delsin, and the young males hugged her and kissed her cheeks.

She turned to Shaylee, her brothers Lynk and Tavian’s mate, and said, “I feel like I know you already from the letters.”

“Me, too.  Your family talks about you all the time.”

“That’s because awesomeness runs in the family,” her oldest brother, Axe, said.

Shaylee, Lynk, and Tavian had three children under the age of three – Jolon, Mika, and their one-year-old sister, Suni.  Suni reached for Daeton and she took the little girl into her arms.  She kissed her round cheek as Suni gripped a handful of hair and said, “Pwetty.”

“Aw, sweet little bear, you’re pretty, too,” Daeton said.

Daeton felt her husbands and son draw close, and she smiled at them.  Adi moved to her and hid behind her skirt, holding her free hand tightly.  “Everyone, these are my husbands, Perseus and Ekho, and our son, Adriel.  We call him Adi.”  She introduced all her family members.  It wasn’t hard to miss the briefly surprised looks on her family’s faces because her son was a Centaur and one of her husbands had a tail.

Perseus said, “It’s nice to finally meet you all.  Daeton talks about her home and family frequently.  We’re staying in two homes provided by the Centaur King, Arsen, and his mate, Sophie, and they’ve provided several more homes for you to use while you’re here.  If you’ll follow us up the hill, we’ll stop in the houses so you can freshen up and then we’ll meet them for dinner.”

Daeton introduced Cosmo, Elektra, Casper, and Abrax to her family.  She loved Perseus’s family, and was glad they’d come on the trip so they could meet her parents and siblings.  When she introduced Rysk and Tyrant to her parents, she could tell her dad was impressed to meet bear shifters from two nearly extinct races.  The males from Daeton’s family walked with her husbands and the others as they moved up the hill.  She was standing with her mom, her sisters-in-law, and many of her nieces and nephews.  Her mom threaded her arm through Daeton’s.  “Shall we, sweet daughter of mine?”

“I’m so glad to see you.  I know it’s only been a year for me, but it does kind of feel like it’s been longer.”

“Ten years has gone by so fast.  I still can’t believe that you’re married with a child.  He’s beautiful, by the way.  Is Perseus a horse shifter?”

“The term is Centaur, and yes.  He has a partial shift, like Adi, and he can also go all the way to full horse, but he doesn’t do that often because he doesn’t like not being able to talk.”

Elizabeth said, “And Ekho?  Can he go all the way to a cat?”

“No, he’s a leoneman.  He’s like that all the time.”

One of her twin nephews said, “I think having a tail would be cool.”

“I think it is, too,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

“Adi is so big for such a young one,” Shaylee said.

“Centaurs grow very quickly for the first two years of their lives.  He was walking by the time he was four days old.”  Adi’s growth never ceased to amaze her.

“He’ll be able to shift into his human form soon?” her mother asked.

“Not until he’s around two years old.”

Her mom and her two sisters-in-law filled Daeton in on the happenings in the den.  Elizabeth, Ash, and Axe lived above ground, as did Sabrina and Griegs, in homes they’d built on den property.  Shaylee, Lynk, and Tavian lived underground, as did her parents and most of the den members.  Daeton felt like she wouldn’t recognize the den if she went there now.

She stayed with her mom and sisters as they refreshed themselves, while Adi played with his cousins.  He had only ever played with Centaurs in the settlement, so it was a new experience for him.  Perseus, Ekho, and the Centaurs stayed with her dad and brothers.  She was thankful that they all got along.

The king and queen held a banquet for them, and Daeton stayed up until almost dawn in the home her parents were staying in, falling asleep on the couch with Adi tucked against her side and leaning on her mom’s shoulder.  She spent as much time with her family as she could during their far too short visit.  She wanted to freeze time and stay with them forever, but she knew she couldn’t.  Although it pained her, the visit was coming to a swift end, and before she knew it, the two days were over and she was walking with her family to the van waiting to take them back to the States.

She said goodbye to her family one by one, from her littlest nieces and nephews to her brothers and sisters-in-law.  Her father, his brown eyes glistening with tears, hugged her tightly.

“I’m so proud of you, daughter of mine.”

“You are?”

He pushed her gently to arms’ length and smiled.  “You’ve done more in a year than many do in their whole lives.  You faced down two enemies and protected your family, you saved two slave girls from a perilous future, and you’ve got a beautiful son and two good males as your husbands.  I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“Aw, Dad,” she said, wiping at the tears that marked her cheeks.

“My turn,” her mom said, elbowing her dad aside after he gave her another big hug.

“I’m proud of you, too, but I always knew you’d do great things.  When I held you in my arms when you were born, I was certain you’d grow up to be an amazing woman, and I was right.”

Daeton closed her eyes as they hugged and inhaled her mother’s familiar scent.  She couldn’t help being sad about their leaving, but she was thankful for the time they’d had together.

“I love you and miss you every day,” Daeton said as the hug ended and her mom kissed her cheeks.

“I love and miss you, too, my precious daughter.”  She looked at Perseus and Ekho.  “Take care of my daughter, sons of mine.”

“We will,” Perseus said.

After her mother hugged Perseus and Ekho and gave Adi several more hugs and kisses, she disappeared into the van.

“It’s time for us to go as well, princess,” Rysk said as he and Tyrant came to stand by her.

“What?”

Tyrant nodded.  “We’re the last of our kind and we haven’t been part of a den since we were very young.  Your father offered us the opportunity to join his den.”

“We know now why we were meant to come back to Cholas to stay with you.  It wasn’t just to help protect you from the wizard’s brother, but to find a place to call home…permanently.  The Medes Realm doesn’t hold anything for us anymore,” Rysk said.

“I understand.  I miss being part of the den.  Take good care of my parents, okay?”  She kissed their cheeks.

“It would be our honor,” Rysk said.

He and Tyrant shook hands with Perseus and Ekho and ruffled Adi’s hair, and then they climbed into the van and shut the back doors.  The visit was over far too quickly, and Daeton had a hard time keeping it together as she watched her family drive away.  Adi slid his hand into hers and she looked down at her son.  He took his thumb out of his mouth and pointed at the van as it disappeared into the distance.

“We’ll see them again in a year.”  She dropped to her knees and hugged him.  He rested his head on her shoulder with a soft sigh.  “Did you like meeting your cousins?”

He nodded and went back to sucking his thumb.

“I wish we could take you back to your home so you didn’t have to be away from your family,” Ekho said, squeezing her shoulder.

“We all have to make our own way, though.  My parents are happy that I’m happy.  I didn’t think I’d ever leave the den, but I can’t think of a better place to be than with my two amazing mates and my sweet son.”

“Aw, honey kitten,” Ekho said.  “You’re making me blush.”

Perseus chuckled.  “The king and queen have invited us to stay for a few more nights.  They’re having a hunting party tomorrow night and I know how much you enjoy hunting.  Queen Sophie offered to watch Adi with my moman.”

“Oh, a date!”

“A date?  Is that a good thing?” Ekho asked, offering her his hand to help her stand.

“It’s a great thing.  It means you’re going to let me have the biggest animal to hunt all to myself, and then carry it back to the settlement for me and do all the butchering.”

Perseus’s brow quirked.  “Is that really what a date is?”

She gave him a look of indignation, but she knew he could see right through her.  “A date involves a nice dinner out somewhere.”

“When we get home, we’ll go eat in Cholas,” Ekho said, leaning over and kissing her.

“I’d like that a lot,” she said.

Perseus rested his warm hand on her back and said, “Are you okay?”

“I am.  Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Let’s take Adi for a swim in the lake,” Perseus suggested.

“Now that’s a great idea,” she said.

Chapter 9

After taking Adi for a swim in the lake, they’d taken their small family to the orchards for lunch.  Draya and Fontaine had packed a picnic lunch for them, and they’d eaten under the shade of the apple trees and talked about returning to Cholas in two days.  Ekho knew his wife was a little distracted and distraught after seeing her family for such a short time.  He’d left his home on his own terms and never really looked back.  Although he was close with his father, his mother’s behavior had been the driving force behind his leaving.  Daeton, on the other hand, had been taken away from her home and, because her mates were from another realm, was unable to return to her parents.  They’d probably expected her to mate with a bear and live in their den forever.

He leaned against an apple tree and watched as Daeton picked apples and Adi placed them in a basket.  She wanted to show Draya and Fontaine how to make an apple pie, something her mother used to make when she was young.  Perseus leaned against a nearby tree.

“I think we should see if Draya and Fontaine would like to watch Adi for a little while tonight.”

Perseus lifted a brow. “Do you?”

“I was talking to some of the males at morning meal, and they were telling me that there’s a little cove on the lake that’s completely private.  It’s surrounded by trees and has a thick carpet of grass.”

“Now that sounds like a great idea.  Do you…want to be alone with her?”

“No.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love it when it’s just me and her, but I think she needs both of us right now.”

“I agree.  Tonight?”

Ekho nodded.  “After the evening meal.”

* * * * *

After their evening meal, Ekho sent Draya and Fontaine off with Adi to play.  Daeton looked at him quizzically as he lifted her hand and kissed the top.  “We’re going somewhere a little more private.”

“Oh?”

She glanced at Perseus, who smiled slyly but said nothing.

“Is there anything I need to bring?” she asked.

“Just yourself, little bear,” Perseus said.

Ekho slung a small knapsack over his shoulder with some supplies.  He wasn’t really sure how their time together would play out, but he wanted to be prepared for anything.  She took both of their hands and said, “Lead the way, my sweet husbands.”

They set off toward the lake.  They followed the edge of the lake to the small cove.  Daeton watched with amusement as he and Perseus laid the blanket out on the grass.  Ekho knelt in the center of the blanket and held out his hand.  “The night is ours, honey kitten.”

She slipped off her sandals at the edge of the blanket and sank to her knees, eagerness lighting her beautiful brown eyes as she moved toward him.  Perseus joined them, sandwiching her between them.

Ekho cupped her face.  She was so beautiful.  Coppery skin, onyx hair, a lush mouth just made for kissing, and curves for days.  “How did we get so lucky to have such a gorgeous mate?”

Perseus undid the tie on her dress.  “I’m not sure, but I’m thankful.  We get to spend the rest of our lives with the most beautiful woman in all the realms.”

Daeton’s cheeks darkened in blush as she smiled.  “I’m the lucky one.  I was a stranger in the Medes Realm, but you made it home for me.  I don’t know what I’d do without you both in my life.”

Ekho helped Perseus lift the dress over Daeton’s head.  Her hair fell down in a dark wave as her body was bared for them.  Ekho kissed her, pushing his tongue past her parted lips and savoring the sweet taste of her.  She slid her hands under his tunic and dragged her nails through his fur, making his tail twitch.  She always knew just how to touch him, and she seemed to revel in their differences.

As he and Perseus touched and pleased her, making love to her under the canopy of trees with the lake waters lapping at the shore, Ekho thought he’d never been happier than he was at that moment.  The only thing better would be knowing she was carrying his cub, the sweet little girl she’d seen in her vision.

When they were all exhausted and pleasantly aching from their lovemaking, he carried their dozing sweetheart back to their assigned home while Perseus walked next to him.

“When we get back home,” Perseus said with a low voice, “I’d like to start working on an addition to the house.”

Their current home had two bedrooms, one of which belonged to Adi.  “Why?”

“I feel like she’s going to be pregnant with your cub soon. Don’t ask me why I feel like that, but…” His voice trailed off and he grew silent.

“But what?” Ekho urged after a few quiet moments.

“I feel like this time next year, when we come back to see her family again, that she’s going to be pregnant.  Don’t ask me how I know that, it’s just a feeling in my gut.  It will take a few months to build the addition.  Starting now – before we need it – seems prudent.”

Ekho’s whole body warmed at the thought of her being pregnant.  “Did you have a vision or something?”

“No, it’s just a feeling.”  He chuckled.  “I think some of her prophetic nature is rubbing off on me.”

“I think it’s a great idea.  Can you imagine having two children?  A year ago, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find my mate and now we’re a family.”

“When we get home, we’ll be starting the next chapter of our lives.  I’m eager to see what the future will bring,” Perseus said.

Ekho agreed.  He hoped that Perseus was right and Daeton would be carrying his cub soon.  But even if they had to wait a while, he knew the timing would be perfect.  Daeton was as excited as he was for another child.  As their family grew, each child would belong not only to him, but to Perseus, too, whether they had tails or hooves.

* * * * *

Perseus loved to watch Daeton shift.  He didn’t shift into his full horse form very often, preferring his half-shift, but Daeton was a gorgeous silver-colored bear and she seemed to delight in being a bear.  Adi loved to see his moman shift, too.  Perseus held his hand as Daeton shifted.  His son squeezed his hand tightly for a brief moment, and then released it, prancing over to where she sat on her haunches and watched them.

She lowered her head and he scratched her behind the ears, chattering at her in the baby talk that only Daeton seemed to understand.  A gruff purr rumbled from her chest and Adi laughed loudly.

Queen Sophie came around the house with King Arsen, who was in his half-shifted form.  “I wish I was a shifter,” Sophie said.  “Daeton is such a beautiful color.  It must be so much fun to be able to be a bear.”

Arsen smiled down at his wife.  “I wouldn’t have you be anything except what you are, my sweet mate.”

Her cheeks pinked becomingly as she blushed.

Perseus shouldered a bow and quiver of arrows and called Adi over.  “You’ll be staying with Queen Sophie and your grandmoman for a little while.  Be good.”

Adi’s brow furrowed and Perseus thought he might cry, which he knew would make Daeton upset.  Before he could say something encouraging to his son, Adi seemed to shake off his worries and moved to Sophie and Elektra, taking their hands.

“He acts like a royal sometimes, and he’s so young!”  Sophie said.  “You must be so proud.”

Perseus
was
proud, and he could tell by the way Daeton chuffed that she was, too.  Ekho said, “We’ll bring back a rabbit for you, Adi.  I know how much you love your moman’s rabbit stew.”

He grinned and Perseus ruffled his head and said goodbye.  Draya and Fontaine were staying with some of the herd wives for the night.  Daeton wanted them to experience as much freedom as they could, and valued this opportunity for them to visit with a new group of women, to expose them to more females and see what life had to offer outside of the palace walls.  They’d been free for a year, but they often acted as if they were still slaves, wanting to please Daeton and do everything for her.  They were learning, though, and slowly coming out of their shells.

Daeton lifted her paw in a wave and lumbered between him and Ekho as they set off into the Centaur’s wooded territory.

The night passed quickly as they hunted.  The trio moved away from the Centaurs to hunt on their own.  The Centaurs, although excellent hunters, were too noisy for Daeton and Ekho’s stealthy hunting tactics.  As they wove through the woods with Daeton leading the way, Perseus thought about how lucky they were.  He and Ekho had been alone, unsure if they would ever meet the female from their shared mating dreams.  Perseus hadn’t even known where to look for her, and then she’d shown up in the Cholas marketplace.  When they’d found Ekho on the journey, Perseus had felt like their family was only just beginning.  Having a son with the woman he loved, and knowing his son was loved by Ekho as if he were his own – Perseus thought he was the luckiest Centaur in either realm.

Ekho walked next to him, his ears and tail twitching occasionally as he listened and watched for prey, but they both knew that Daeton would get whatever the first creature was that crossed their paths.

“This has been an incredible journey,” Perseus said softly.

“Through the woods?”

He chuckled.  “No, I mean finding Daeton.  She was from this realm, but you and I are from the Medes Realm.  Her life has been on the line so many times since we met that I shudder to think of how she could have died without both of us in her life.  But it’s been an amazing journey – the innocent female who saved a Centaur child’s life in the Cholas marketplace has become a courageous, loving wife and mother.”

Ekho murmured his agreement.  “I suspect that there are those who go their whole lives without growing as much as Daeton has in the last year.  It’s been crazy at times, but I’m glad we’re all together.  I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life.  Whatever the next chapter of our lives is, I’m glad the three of us will be going through them together.”

“Let’s just hope that the next year has a lot less of her almost dying.”

Ekho laughed.  “I’m with you one hundred percent.”