Point of No Return (36 page)

“You had better switch your rings,” Devlin
said with amusement. “Theo’s sure to notice.”

“Thanks,” I said, flushing, and moved my
rings around so the band and diamond Theo had given me was again on
my ring finger and Danial’s rings were on my right hand.

“I had to remind him to switch his as well,”
Devlin said with more amusement. “You two are just like a pair of
teenagers.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing. But as the
minutes passed my easygoing nature slipped. Soon I was grumbling
silently, thinking about how I was sick of being naked on tables
and men wanting things from me.

Stephen came in. “Sarelle, as it did before,
your blood shows that you should have turned a long time ago,
but—”

“She is not turning,” Devlin said in
restrained fury. “I have turned enough women to know, Camlyn.”

Stephen glanced at him, then back at me.
“Devlin seems to know what he is talking about. You are healthy,
almost overly healthy. All your vitals look good. I don’t think
you’ll need any additional vitamins either; at least I won’t
prescribe any at this time. I do need to check to see if you’re
pregnant. If you aren’t, I can at least confirm that your scars are
or are not healed enough so you can try to be.”

“Couldn’t you say something else, Stephen?” I
said irritably, lying back down.

“What would you like me to say?” Stephen said
pleasantly, sitting down by my feet.

“Checking my reproductive system, maybe?
Seeing if I’m ready to have children? Anything that doesn’t mention
scars.”

“Is she always this way?” Devlin asked
Danial.

“When she’s here like this, yes,” Danial
said, giving him a quick raise of the eyebrows.

“I saw that,” I said, glaring at them both.
“Why don’t you both wait outside?”

“Not a chance, Love,” Devlin purred, moving
over to stand over me. “I want to know if the deed is done, or if I
get the pleasure of trying anew tonight.”

Theo was expecting to take me home after
this. If I went to Hayden instead...I tensed up immediately.

“Relax, Sar,” Stephen said. “Breathe
deeply.”

I let out a breath irritably, then a few
more.

“I’m done,” Stephen said, moving back from
me.

He’d barely touched me. Yet I had to be
pregnant; I had The Lust...

“What is wrong?” Danial asked anxiously. “You
exude worry, Stephen.”

“Sar is pregnant,” Stephen said. “I am
guessing about three to four weeks, but it could be less.”

All three of us gaped at Stephen.

“The baby is developing fast, a little too
fast. I want you to come in every other week until you are about
six months, and then every week after that. If the baby gets too
big, we’ll do a C-section, Sar. Don’t worry—”

“This is wonderful,” Devlin said, grinning
from ear to ear. He stepped over to me quickly. “This is the
happiest day of my life, Sar—”

“It’s not yours, Dalcon,” Stephen said.

We all froze.

“Sar’s blood has a little were DNA in it,”
Stephen continued. “It never had any before. It has to be from the
baby, because the baby is were—”

“No,” Devlin gasped.

“It can’t be! Sar has The Lust!” Danial
exclaimed. “She has all the symptoms—!”

“Sar’s part vampire now,” Stephen retorted.
“She may have The Lust no matter what kind of child she is
carrying, be it mortal, vampire or were.”

For a half second silence reigned. Then
Danial burst out laughing. Devlin turned to him in a split second
and slammed him against the wall, holding him by the throat. Danial
struggled, but continued to laugh, almost choking on it as it
poured out of him.

“Damn you!” Devlin shrieked. “You
orchestrated this somehow! How did you—?”

“I did nothing,” Danial choked out. “I’m
ecstatic that for once your well-laid plans are for naught. That
Theo, who has loved Sar far longer than you have, will get the
child he has been wanting with her for years. He has only years,
Dev. Sar can bear you a child after she has this one for him—”

“They are not for naught,” Devlin said, his
tone cold. “Sar is mine. She’ll bear my children or none at
all.”

Danial fought loose, shoving Devlin out of
the way, then got between us, glaring defiantly at his brother.
“How dare you say that?”

“You’ll not abort my child!” I yelled at Dev,
incredulous. “How could you even think it?”

“Hush,” Danial said forcefully. “No one is
going to. Dev is just letting his ass overload his mouth.”

Devlin glared at him, then folded his arms
across his chest.

“You have to let this take its course,
Dalcon,” Stephen cautioned. “Sar should not have achieved a
pregnancy this soon after all of her health troubles these past six
months.”

“What are you saying?” I asked.

Stephen’s eyes held regret. “That it’s
possible you’ll miscarry, even likely—”

I blinked back tears. “I can’t go through
that again—”

Danial held me tightly, stroking my hair,
trying to soothe me. “What can we do? There must be something. I
don’t want her to go through that again.”

“Neither do I,” Devlin said irritably, after
a moment. “She could die like Annabelle did. Her health is our top
priority.”

“You need to limit sharing the virus with
her,” Stephen replied. “Keep giving her blood as she needs it, but
not a lot. I don’t know if the virus will affect the baby—”

“You just said the baby will be were,” Danial
said, glancing at Stephen. “Vampire virus and were virus do not
affect one another. Bloodletting shouldn’t affect the child—”

“Don’t take her blood if you can help it,”
Stephen interrupted. “If you must bite, fine, but—”

“She is not anemic,” Devlin shot back. “You
just said she was healthy, overly so—”

“You want to take the chance you’ll hurt her
or her child?” Stephen said angrily.

“No,” Danial said, glaring at Devlin. “Of
course we don’t.” Devlin echoed him a moment later, glaring
back.

Stephen turned to me. “I’ll write you another
prescription for some prenatal vitamins, Sar. These ones are
specifically for weres. Other than that, come back in a month for a
checkup, and call me with any problems.” He gave me a smile, then
left..

Danial handed me my clothes. “Do you want a
ride home?”

“I can’t believe this happened,” Devlin said,
anguished.

“What will it mean for us?” I asked as I
dressed.

“Nothing, in terms of you coming to me,”
Devlin said pointedly.

My hackles went up at his possessive tone. “I
mean what about Samuel and the rest?”

“I’ll find some way to deal with them,”
Devlin said. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you
later, Love. Remember, I expect you this weekend, and on Wednesdays
as well.” He strode out.

“Do you want that ride?” Danial asked.

What I really needed was some time to
myself.
“No. Can you send him home early, though? I need some
time to think about all this.”

“Of course,” Danial said. He hugged me.
“Remember, you don’t have to face this all on your own.”

I gave him a blank look, buttoning my
overshirt.

“We are Oathed to each other,” Danial said,
concerned. “Dev and I will figure out a way for you to have this
baby, don’t worry—”

I have to get out of here, now.
I
kissed him quickly, then teleported home, the walls of Exam Room
One dissolving into the brightly colored walls of my home. Ghost
and Darkness began whining and barking happily, and I led them over
to the couch. I sat there stroking them, too overwhelmed even to
speak.

I was having a baby and it was Theo’s.
Devlin’s well-laid plans were in tatters, as Danial had said; the
Rulers would certainly demand me back, as soon as they knew. But
what was the worst was I wasn’t sure I wanted this baby at all.

I rubbed my eyes, feeling despicable.
What
the hell was I going to do?

Ghost jostled my arm with his big white nose,
whining eagerly.

“Well, the first thing to do is to take you
for a walk,” I said, wiping at my eyes. “Thank God for dogs.”

I put on my coat, and took the two dogs
outside into the gently falling snow. There was not much on the
ground, enough so I could walk without too much trouble to the gate
at the end of the field and beyond. As the dogs ran and played, I
went through my options, none of them looking any better.

I believed in a woman’s right to choose,
especially in the case of rape or sex coerced under an influence
that impeded a woman’s right to say no. Despite the odd nature of
my circumstances, my case was squarely within those parameters. I’d
never have had sex with Theo willingly...

Wouldn’t you,
an inner voice asked.
You’ve loved him for years, no matter what sexy vampire was
calling you theirs. You were always his, really...

“Stop it,” I said aloud. “That isn’t
true.”

Of course it is,
the inner voice
persisted.
You’re soul mates; Terian said so. Titus said
something similar. What else could allow you to get pregnant from
one night after all you went through during Christmas and New
Year’s?

“Maybe,” I murmured, then turned to home.
“Maybe I’m just going batty from all the supernatural shit.”

I had just gotten back through the gate when
Theo came running up, gun drawn. “What in the hell are you doing
out here!” he yelled. “I’ve been worried sick.”

“The dogs needed a walk,” I said defensively.
“I’m pregnant, not crippled.”

He grabbed my arm, then began to march me
back to the house. “At least it’s done,” he said roughly, running
his free hand through his hair. “Once you have the baby, you won’t
have to go to him anymore. We’ll be free of him. I’ll do whatever I
have to in order to keep him away from you—”

“That’s not going to happen,” I said
arrogantly, an odd glee rising up from within me. “Devlin isn’t
done with me.”

“He will be,” Theo growled. “He’ll have his
baby, and—”

My glee grew into sudden happiness, then pure
joy. “Theo, you aren’t listening.” I stopped walking and kissed
him, then pulled back for effect. “My baby’s going to have a
tail.”

His eyes widened, then he abruptly went down
on his knees before me in the snow. Ghost and Darkness ran over to
him, barking worriedly.

“I’m okay guys,” he managed, then got to his
feet. He hugged me very delicately, as if I might break. “You’re
sure?”

“Stephen confirmed it. There’s werecougar DNA
in my blood.”

Theo let out a loud whoop of joy, and then
picked me up and began walking fast.

“What are you doing?” I said, laughing as I
half-heartedly struggled to get free.

“Taking you inside where it’s warm,” he said
with a grin. “We have celebrating to do.”

* * * *

About a half-hour later, I teleported Elle
and Theoron to my house, so we could tell them together.

“What’s going on, Mom?” Elle said, once she
sat down. “You’re very happy, but serious.”

“Your mom is going to give you another
brother or sister,” Theo said, his joy radiating out of him,
suffusing every word. “He or she will be werecougar like you are,
Elle.”

“Really, Mom?” Elle asked eagerly. Theoron
looked dubious.

“Yes, really,” I said happily, hugging
her.

Theoron climbed up on the couch and hugged
me, too. “I hope it’s a boy. Boys are better.”

“I’d rather have a sister,” Elle said,
sticking her tongue out at him. “I want someone to dance and sing
with me the way you and I do, Mom!”

“There’s not a choice,” I said, laughing.
“Sorry, I can’t choose.”

“When can we find out if it’s a boy or a
girl?” Theo asked quickly.

“Another month and a half,” I answered.
“There’s a test Stephen can do on my blood. If it’s a boy, there
will be “Y” chromosome DNA in my blood—”

“Does Grandma know?” Elle interjected.

“No,” Theo said, giving me a smile. “Let’s go
tell her, Mom.”

I opened my mouth.

“Yes, we’ll bring Danial,” Theo said, putting
his hands up. “I know the standing rule that Theoron goes nowhere
socially without him.” He took my hand. “Besides, it’s time we came
together as a family, anyway. No more secrets.”

As he squeezed my hand in his, I wanted to
say that Devlin should also be there, that to leave him out of this
was like keeping a secret. He had a place here in the family, too.
But I didn’t speak up, not wanting to spoil Theo’s happiness.

* * * *

Danial was obviously nervous as we approached
my parents’ home, Theo and the children trailing us. He glossed it
over as he always did, shaking Chris’s hand politely.

“Good to see you, Danial.”

“Theo,” my mom said, ignoring Danial. “Go
right in to the kitchen. There’s a fresh pumpkin pie waiting for
you and—”

“If you’ll serve him and the children some
pieces, Tina,” Danial said kindly but pointedly, “We have exciting
news we would like to share.”

As my mother was bringing in the pie to serve
us, Theo reached his limit. “Sarelle’s pregnant!” he said happily
to my mother. “I’m going to be a father again—”

My mom stopped walking and swayed, dropping
the pie she was carrying. Danial reacted with lightning speed,
grabbing it and her before either hit the floor. He put the pie
carefully on the table with one hand as he eased her into her chair
with the other. “Sit down here, Tina,” he said gently. “I’ll serve
the pie.”

“Congratulations,” my stepfather said,
beaming. “I’ll get the thirty-year Port Ellen. Be right back.”

My mother cast worried eyes my way. “Not that
I’m not happy for you both, but... How safe is this?”

“Sar’s fine,” Theo said soothingly, taking
one of her hands in his. “She’s going to a good doctor, the one who
she went to when she had Theoron. We’ll keep you posted on how the
baby is developing, and let you know as soon as there's a due
date.”