Shifters of Shadow Falls Collection (Books 1-3) (22 page)

Chapter 2: Veronica

I think these dogs always have their meetings in the kitchen. I glance at Dom and Caleb before quickly averting my eyes. My heart races and I struggle to restrain my heart from beating faster. I'm so fucking embarrassed from my outburst earlier. Tears threaten to prick at the back of my eyes but I shut that shit down real fucking quick. I'm not weak. I refuse to be such a weak little bitch. I focus on keeping my breathing even and slowly grab my hands under the table. I need to calm the hell down. I hate that they saw me like that. My sweet pup practically ratted me out. My breath threatens to hitch and my shoulders start to slouch at the betrayal, but I keep my spine stiff and shoulders squared. I wish he hadn't pinned me like that. I wish he wouldn't push me. I massage my wrists in my lap as anger consumes me. He fucking chained me.  

His large hand plays on my thigh and I unconsciously lean towards him. My pup, my mate. My heart weakens at his touch. I know he only means to help me, but it's not helping. It makes me feel so weak and helpless. I refuse to be either. I've worked too damn hard to be made so vulnerable. I pull away from him, but he grips me harder and turns his head to face me. His silver stare bores into me, but I refuse to look back. My fingers tingle with the itch to touch him, my body wants me to crawl into his lap, but I won't. I shift in my seat so I'm sitting sideways; the move breaks the contact his hand had on my thigh and settles my back to him. I look towards Devin, defying my mate and my own needs. His exhale is long and slightly shaken, my heart sinks knowing I've hurt him. I don't care though. He knows what he did. He can deal with the consequences. He knows it hurt me. It hurt too fucking much for me to give him my love right now.

"I want to make this fast and simple." Devin takes a long breath. "Save your questions until the end." He looks pointedly at his mate and she huffs in annoyance. She's quite brazen for a little human. I rub my wrists again and look down remembering this morning. Remembering how weak I was yet again for sharing something so personal, too personal, with her. I have no idea what made me want to talk to her. I wish I hadn't. They know too much. I don't like it.

"Natalia," that bitch's name catches my attention and my eyes fly to meet Devin's. "Natalia and several, if not all, of the vampires from the Authority are on a mission to eliminate the other vampires. They want to destroy their immortality." His words make my lips purse and I pinch my forehead in confusion.
Destroy their immortality?
  "They're poisoning the blood from the donation centers and most likely the blood being sold to the covens." My eyes widen in disbelief. I keep my lips shut although I want to bombard him with questions of how these allegations came to be.

"The shifter that attempted to take our mates told us they made a deal with a vampire. That they were going to exchange control of Shadow Falls for drugs. Shadow's pack will deal with the consequences of their actions. But for now, Alec has asked for our help in proving the dead shifter's allegations are true.  

Veronica's coven wanted to make a deal with us to have a bank built in Shadow Falls." Devin's gaze settles on me. "You’ll go to your queen and let her know that we’re willing to allow them to build the blood bank. No one will mention anything about what we've learned." I part my lips to object. I can't allow my coven to continue to drink tainted blood. "No one, Veronica. Not one fucking word. If Natalia or any of the other vampires who are in on this find out that we know, we’ll be in danger. They will come to kill us and attack the allies we have within the Authority, or they will run." I press my lips tightly together and nod. I understand. I don't fucking like it, but I understand and I will obey. Most don't adhere to the law anyway. I cling to that knowledge.

"What about Shadow's pack. Days have passed since the offering and we haven't heard anything." 

"You'd think they'd give a shit that we killed four of their members."  Jude’s response to Caleb’s question earns a nod from Dom.

Lev huffs and snorts, "yeah right. Like they care."

"How are we gonna deal with them."  Dom’s voice comes out hard.

"I should've ended him rather than let him run." Devin's brows pinch together as he strums his fingers along the table.

"What do we know of their pack?" I ask as I realize I don't know a damn thing about Shadow's pack.

"They went to the mountains. Maybe ten men, a few women I think."

"They're weak. We could easily take them."

"I will not risk our pack. Jude you'll scout out his pack. We don't know enough to attack. I want to know everything. Come back with a plan of attack. We won't give them any mercy this time. Vince and Veronica will go to her coven. Tell them I want to know how the blood banks are run and go to Still Waters. Three vampires have been abducted. Find them. I want to know everything that's going on. You have two days. No more than that. I also want you to take your fucking cell phone this time Vince."

"You got it boss."

"What drug could possibly make us mortals?" I'm still reeling over this revelation.

"We don't know. The drug in the shifter's system is an amphetamine called Captagon. It's highly addictive, it keeps them awake and energized," Devin's eyes find Jude's, "that could be a problem for you. I expect to hear back from both you and Vince, every hour on the hour. Call Lev. If Lev doesn't hear from you, we'll come immediately. Is that clear?"

They answer in unison, but my question is still left unanswered. "What about the blood, what's the poison?" I can't imagine this drug actually existing.

"We don't know Veronica. Keep her safe Vincent."

"That goes without saying." Vince's response pisses me off. As if I can't keep myself safe. I'm one of the elites of the immortals. I shake off my irritation and ponder the idea of this drug's existence.  

Something I could drink that would rid me of this immortality; the thought lights a need deep within me that I didn't know I had.

I could be a mortal.

A chill stiffens my bones. I've often found myself envious of humans. I used to dream of what my life would have been. It would've been fucking awful. A small curl to my lips reveals my fang and I graze the tip of my tongue across the sharp point. If I drank this tainted blood, would I still have my fangs? How long would I live? A comforting warmth surges through my body. I would grow old with my mate. I turn slowly in my seat and lean towards him. He immediately grabs my chair to pull me closer to him. My stomach revolts at how cold I was to him just moments ago.  He doesn't deserve how harsh I am towards him, I'm certain of this truth, yet I can't help my reaction when he pushes me like he has. I know he means well, but I don't care for it.

I would give anything to grow old with him. Could I bare children for him? There's no doubt in my mind that I would trade my immortality to give him a child. I've lived long enough and experienced more than most care to dream. But to have a child! To carry Vince's young. I would give anything; I would drink anything. The temptation weighs heavy on my heart. I need to learn more of this drug. If it's true, if I could be mortal, I would sacrifice everything to have it.

Chapter 3: Ari

"How do you know you're pregnant? It's way too early to tell isn't it?"  I still can’t really wrap my head around the fact that she could be pregnant.  It’s just so fast.

"Dom and Caleb are convinced. They said they can smell it, but I think they're full of shit." Lizie pops the spoon of yogurt into her mouth and closes her eyes, "I fucking love strawberry yogurt. How come we never bought this before?"

I smile at her goofiness, seriously it's just yogurt, "didn't know you liked it." I shift on the barstool. "Are you happy?"

Her bright eyes soften and she puts her hand out on the table, palm up. I put my hand in hers and she squeezes in response. "Happier than I've ever been." Her reassuring words make my whole body relax.

"Are you really pregnant?" I just can't fathom that in only days she knows that she's pregnant. She shrugs her shoulders and goes back to scarping the plastic cup with her spoon, trying to get out as much as possible.

"They said they have strong swimmers and there's no way they weren't going to knock me up this heat." She giggles into her cup, now licking the sides of it since the spoon isn’t good enough. I shake my head and hop off the barstool to grab her another from the fridge.

"You're ready to be a mom?"

She smiles as she catches the new cup I toss at her. "I can't fucking wait Ari. Can you just imagine it? A little baby, cooing at us, snuggling into my arms."

"They scream too you know? And shit a lot." She laughs at my blunt statement and nods her head.

"Yeah I know. They have their moments. But it's all worth it. All the late nights of them wanting to be held. When they're gone I'll miss them. I may be irritated when they cry every time I put them down, but when they're older, I'll wish they'll let me hold them again." Her eyes fill with tears and I wrap my arms around her in concern. "Fuck I'm so damn hormonal Ari." She giggles while tears slip down her cheeks. "I don't just want a little baby; I want a family." She sinks further into my arms, dropping her spoon and the yogurt to grip my arms. "I
have
a family." She sobs, "They love me so much and I love them." I squeeze her tight as my eyes tear up.

"Damn girl, you're definitely pregnant. All emotional." She laughs and pulls away from me, wiping her eyes.

"I hope I am." Her happiness makes me question my decision to wait.  

The thought of Lizie holding a baby suddenly shoots all sorts of emotions through me. Jealousy being the most prominent. It takes me off guard. I'm not a jealous person, especially not of Lizie. I want her to have happiness. I shuffle to the fridge to find something to eat while I question my feelings.

"What do you think it’ll be like?"

"Having a baby?" Her eyes catch mine briefly before I look into the freezer.

"Yeah."

"Heaven. Well sometimes heaven, sometimes hell. But it's all a phase and it will be worth the hard times."

"It's so much responsibility, so life changing." I snort at my own words. Everything has been so fucking life changing.

"It is, but I've always wanted a big family."

"Really? I never knew that."

"I never really talked about it. It's not like I'd ever let a guy near me so," she breathes deep before tossing the cup over to the trash can and missing. "Damn it." She gets up and walks over to clean up her mess.

"Is that why?"

"Why what?"

"Why you never dated anyone?” I feel like shit for not knowing any of this before.

"I don't know. I just buried it all and tried not to think about it. I guess I just never wanted someone." She tosses the cup in the trash. "You know, I never thought I'd have kids. Since I'm latent, I didn't know if I could risk trying to have a family. What if I settled for some guy, obviously he would've been human?" I close the freezer with disappointment. There's nothing in this damn house I want to eat.

"I could've never told him about what I am. Shit I couldn't even tell you. And then if we had a baby and that baby was a werewolf." She shakes her head as she drifts off before sitting next to me and spinning on her stool. She bites her lip, obviously thinking about something. She finally stops and looks at me as I take the seat next to her. "I always wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't. I didn't want to believe it was true. Some days I'd actually convince myself it was just a nightmare. It was so much easier living like that." She leans in and rests her head on my shoulder. "You're not mad at me are you?"

“I could never be mad at you, babe.  Besides, I knew you went through something and when you were ready you’d tell me.”

“I don’t think I would’ve ever been ready though.  I never wanted to deal with it, you know?”  She leans back to look at me in the eyes and I nod slightly. 

“I know.  I really do get it.  You don’t have to be worried about me, you know I still love you.” 

“I love you too.”  She kisses my cheek before sitting back on her seat.

All this heavy talk is making a lump form in my throat.  My whole world is so fucking different now.  I decide to change the subject to something I’ve been wondering about.  “Are werewolf babies born like human babies or like…”  I trail off as I think about getting pregnant with Devin’s
pups
.

“Do you remember in bio when we talked about the difference between altricial and what-ever-the-fuck the other word is?”

I just blink at her before stating flatly, “I fucking hated bio.”  She laughs at me and starts one of her little tid bit tangents she’s known for.

“Some babies are born and they’re completely dependent on their mother, like humans and dogs; whereas other species give birth and the babies go on their merry way, completely functional, like,” she scrunches her nose in thought, “like sharks, I think.”

“You’re such a fucking dork.”  My cheeks hurt from smiling at her.  My best friend appears to be back to her normal happy-go-lucky self.

“The first one is called altricial and that’s what werewolves are.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.”  She stares blankly at me.

“What’s coming out of your vagina?  A dog or a human?”  She laughs at me again before shrugging.

“Werewolves can be born in either form.”  I’m not really feeling that answer.  The thought of giving birth to a dog isn’t very … encouraging.

“So your babies may be werewolf or definitely will be?”

“They’ll be werewolf, so will yours by the way,” she raises her eyebrows at me before continuing.  “I just don’t know if they’ll be like me or if they’ll be normal.”

Latent.
  My heart sinks as I watch her close in on herself.  I don’t fucking like her doubting herself.  “But you said you felt her, right?  Your wolf?”

“Just the once.  I don’t know why she left me.”  Her words are so sad as she spins slowly on the stool. 

“What brought her back?”  Lizie blushes at my question which makes me really want to know what happened.  Yes!  This is a much better conversation to have.  My cheeks burn and I lean in to whisper, “was it the sex?”

She bites her lip again looking shy, which is an odd look for her to give me, “we didn’t have sex, just other stuff.”   She shakes her head and composes herself, “but we’ve had sex since then and she didn’t come back.  Unless-” her eyes brighten and she takes a quick inhale. 

“What?  What was it that brought her back?”  I love the light in her eyes, it’s hopefulness.

“He punished me with a belt-”
Punished?
  My head spins as I register the word. 

“What the fuck!”  I jump out of my seat, causing it to fly backwards and crash on the tile floor.  That mother fucker!  I practically scream as my body burns with anger.  “I’ll fucking kill him!  Where the fuck is Dom?”  I ball my fists as my heart races.  He fucking hit her!  Tears well in my eyes.  How the fuck could he hit her?

“Knock it off, Ari!  And shut your mouth about Dom!  He didn’t do a God damn thing to me.”  I step back, caught off guard by her offended reaction.

“He hit you.”  I stare at her wide eyed with disbelief.  How could she be defending him?

“First of all, Dom has never hit me,” her voice cracks as she speaks.  “Dom loves me and so does Caleb.  And Caleb used a belt to get me to open up to him.  And I fucking loved it,” she points her finger at me as tears fall down her face, “and you better not fucking judge me for it Ari.”

“I-” I don’t know what to say.  I feel like complete shit.  “I have no right.  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.”  I put my hands up in surrender and walk towards her.  My best friend is practically shaking with emotion.  “I’m so sorry babe, it was wrong of me to jump to conclusions.”  She leans into me for a hug.

“Please don’t think badly of me.  Don’t hold it against him.”  She pulls back with her hands on my shoulders, “tell me you won’t think bad of him.  Please.”  I part my lips.  He hit her.  He punished her. 

“You liked it?”  She nods her head and brushes the tears away with the back of her hand.  “A belt?”  She blushes again and hiccups. 

“I swear Ari.”

“Okay babe, if you’re happy than I’m happy.”  I take a deep breath and look right into the baby blue eyes of hers, “but if he hurts you, you know you can tell me right?” 

“It’s a good hurt.”  She blushes beet red before giving me another hug.  “I love them so damn much.  I’m so fucking happy.”

To each his own I suppose.  I don’t know if I’ll even look at Caleb the same again.  Between the two of them there’s no way I’d guess it was Caleb who’d be into that.  An odd feeling comes over me.  A weight seems to lift off my chest.  I glance at Lizie, so happy and at peace with everything.  I feel like I can let go, like for the first time in our lives, she doesn’t need me.  She has her mates now.  As I walk past her to pick up my fallen stool, Lizie gasps and touches her chest.

“Lizie?”  I drop the stool back on the floor at the sight of her shocked expression and her hand gripping the shirt on her chest.

“I feel her Ari.  I feel her!”  I stand frozen staring at Lizie.  I have no fucking clue what to do.

“What should I do?”  I’d do anything for her, but I have no idea how to help her or what to do.

“I don’t know.  I don’t know.  I’m so scared she’s going to leave me.”  Tears well in her eyes again.  She rubs her chest before whispering, “don’t leave me.”