Skin Walkers - King (8 page)

As Monroe reached the door, Lilly called to him.  “M
r. StoneCrow.”  He turned to stare at her.  “If King’s actions are going to be a source of contention among the two of you, I’d like to take full responsibility now.”

Monroe frowned at her, “
You’re not taking the blame for what he’s done.”

“But they were my children,” she whispered then swallowed, dropping her eyes and amending sadly, “They
would
have been my children.  He’s defended me in a way I can never repay.”  Then she raised her eyes to stare at Monroe evenly, “But I
will
try.”

He
sighed, “What’s done is done.  My punishing King won’t change that.”  He turned to leave then paused before turning back, “Jenny informed me that she hasn’t had the opportunity to discuss this with you yet, but there are options.”

Lilly let her head fall back on the pillow as she rolled her eyes to the IV still steadily dripping into her arm, “Yeah I know.  Adoption.”

“No.”

Her
eyes shot to his.

The hint of a smile touched his lips as he turned the knob and pulled the door open.  “Not adoption.  There may be
other viable options for you to carry your own children.”

Lilly’s mouth fell open and before she could question him further, Monroe
and Legion disappeared out the door.

Halting
outside the door, Monroe let it close fully before he turned to find King had reclaimed his duties from RedKnife.

“You’ve got some explaining to do.”

King kept his eyes on the far wall, “You knew what I would do.”

Monroe leveled his
gaze on King, “You disobeyed a direct order.”

“What’s done is done.” King’s use of Monroe’s exact words didn’t go unnoticed.

“You’ve been demoted.  Legion’s taking over as Chief of Security.”

King rolled his shoulders, feigning b
oredom.  “Fine.”

“Damn it
, King!” Monroe stepped up until his nose was inches from King’s.  “Do you care at all what kind of trouble you’ve wrought on your brothers and sisters?”

“Don’t do that,” King challenged finally
turning his eyes to meet the CEO’s.  “You and I both know that you can make this disappear without batting an eye.  She’s given you five years of loyal service, and the second she’s attacked you can’t even avenge her.”

“Sometimes,” Monroe ground out through clenched teeth, “loyalty is rewarded with more than just vengeance.”

King shook his head and focused his eyes back on the wall, “No.  The
least
loyalty should be rewarded with is vengeance.  You’d better reassess your priorities, Crow.  There are some Walkers who haven’t been here as long as Lilly.  Do you think they’ll give their loyalty to you now when it isn’t repaid?”  King smiled to himself as he caught the flicker of understanding that flashed across Monroe’s face before he could hide it. 

“If Walkers in my domain disagree with my rule, then they can leave.” He didn’t wait for King to
respond; instead, he stalked halfway down the long corridor and stopped.  “By the way, you should know that Richard Jamison had a significant amount of money deposited into his account just before his attack.  I’ve just been informed that the funds came from Megalya Lab Corp.”  He turned and stalked down the hall tossing over his shoulder just as he exited the infirmary with Legion on his heels. "This attack wasn’t about Lilly.”

King didn’t get the chance to relax before Bishop exited an exam room, his expression dark.

“Thanks for the extra patrol shifts!”

King dropped his e
yes to stare as Bishop passed.  He let the Walker Sentry get nearly to the end of the hall before he called, “What would you have done if it had been Jenny?”

Bishop came to a hard stop.

Whether Bishop knew it or not, the other Walker’s could scent his desire, his fierce need whenever he was in Jenny’s presence.  The Surgeon was his. 

Turning, Bishop scowled,
“I’d have gotten answers before I sought vengeance.”

King pulled back his lips as his face contorted into a
n animalistic sneer, “You fucking reek of the lie.  We all see what’s happening between you and Jenny.  You’re rutting so hard for that little piece of ass that you can barely see straight.”  King’s scowl lessened; he knew how to goad the Sentry.  “I can see why.”

“Don’t!”
Bishop growled, his eyes dimming in warning as he turned to fully face the recently replaced Chief of Security.

“See
?” King straightened his shoulders and turned his face forward.  “We can’t even joke about your precious Jenny, but I’m supposed to let some man attempt to kill
my
Lilly.”  The words were out before King could check them, and he heard Bishop’s sharp inhalation.  Bishop had heard the words, smelt the possession, picked up on King’s emphasis.

“
Your
Lilly?”  Bishop grinned in triumph, “Appears I’m not the only one rutting so hard I can’t fucking see straight.”  Then without another word he turned and strode determinedly down the hall.

King fell back against the wall and slid down it to rest his head in his hands. 
Fuck! 
She belonged to him!  

C
hapter 14

Lilly felt better the
n she had in days.  She was healing nicely.  Days earlier Jenny had promised that after she’d run some preliminary tests, she would disclose to Lilly this mysterious means by which she might just be able to still conceive children.

“How are you today?”  Jenny asked without looking up from her
e-tablet as she strode into the room.

“Great.” 

Jenny shook her head.  She could smell that the comment was an exaggeration, but not an outright lie.  Setting down the tablet she secured a cuff on Lilly’s arm to take her blood pressure.

“So, today’s the day.”
Lilly slapped her free hand on her thigh and shrugged her shoulders in a gesture of nonchalance that didn’t quite hit its mark.

“Yes, if all goes well you’ll be out today.”

“And?”  Lilly prompted.

Jenny was silent for a moment as she finished the blood pressure reading.  Then she was pulling the stethoscope from her ears and wrapping it around the back of her neck before she smiled down at Lilly.  “
Aaaand
, I did the tests and I’m delighted to tell you that the results look promising.”

Lilly sighed in relief and fell back against the pillows propped behind her.  “Okay, so te
ll me already.  You said there’s some sort of regeneration process.  Is it a shot, medication…does it require surgery?  What do I have to do?”

Jenny paled slightly as she gnawed at her bottom lip.  “First let me disclose again that this is not a guarantee.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Seriously
, Lill,” Jenny sobered, “I don’t want you getting your hopes up.  There is a significant chance that the treatment might not work.”

“Okay, so it’s a treatment.  How often do I take it?  How do I take it?”

Jenny rolled her eyes at the other woman’s impatience.  “Look, we’re not your average humans here, so we’re not talking about conventional medicine.”  All Walkers on the estate had been informed that Lilly was now aware of their true identity.  Monroe wanted her watched from all sides for any sign of betrayal.  “A majority of our research is still in the experimental phase.  Walkers are rare Lilly.  This is my first chance to actually do any experimenting to find out what exactly works and the affect our unique abilities have on humans.”

“But does it work?
” Lilly demanded.

Jenny smiled, nodding slowly.  “Yes.  It has worked in
another instance.”

Lilly
smiled eagerly up at her friend as she gnawed on her bottom lip.

“But,” Jenny began.

A frown tugged at Lilly’s features.  “But?  But what?  There’s no but.”

“Yes
, Lilly, there is.  And, it’s a huge but.”

Lilly rubbed
her temple nervously, “How huge of a but?  Are we talking a monkey sized butt or a rhino sized butt.”

Jenny rolled her eyes
then turned serious.  “Rhino.”  She could scent Lilly’s fear and trepidation seeping into the room so she rushed on.  “In your case we’re going to administer the treatment in a manner that’s not been previously tested.”

“Why?” Lilly demanded, “Why can’t I just get the treatment the way everyone else has.”

Jenny erupted into laughter.  “You’ll need a candidate first.”

Lilly shook her head, “Come on
Jenny, out with it.”

“Sorry,” Jenny smirked before shaking her head and turning all business.  “Okay, s
o you have to let me finish before you cut in.”

Lilly nodded.

“Promise!”  Jenny demanded.

“I promise.”

“Alright.”  Jenny hiked up a leg to take a seat on the end of Lilly’s bed.  “So we discovered this particular phenomenon by accident. It involves the introduction of hormones and cells from a Walker into the affected party’s system.”

Lilly stilled, “So you’re going to infect me with Walker blood?”

“No.  Yes.  Well, sort of.” Jenny exhaled, “Look, it’d take me days to explain the science involved, but all you really need to know is that if we’re successful you’ll be able to carry your own children to full term and birth them as if your uterus were intact and perfectly functioning.  I’m not sure how much Monroe told you, but we are immune to illness, and we’ll live longer than the average human.  We can be injured, but minor injuries heal much more quickly in Walkers.”   Jenny cleared her throat and sat a little straighter.  “In the other instance, a woman who was unable to have children mated with a Walker.  For some reason they actually conceived.  I believe it was because his seed repaired the damage done to his mate.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ability at that time to do any proper testing, but I do now.”

Lilly’s mouth had dropped open and she openly gaped at Jenny.  “Are you kidding?”

Jenny shrugged, “What?  It’s not that big of a deal.” 

“You want to inject me with Walker semen and it’s not that big of a deal?”  Incredulity laced her tone.  “Oh
, my God.  I can’t do this!”

“Yes
you can!  It’s just artificial insemination…well, after the repair is made.  We’ll seek out volunteer donors for conception.  They won’t know what the samples are for.”  She had no intention of seeking out donors; King would be the sole donor. All her clandestine testing on King and Lilly had proven that Lilly was in fact King’s mate. 

“You can’t do that!” Lilly frowned at her friend.  “You can’t impregnate me with their child and not even tell them.  It’s wrong Jenny, even as badly as I want children I couldn’t do that to a man.
  Even if I could what happens if he finds out and hits me with some custody suit?”

“Lilly,” Jenny’s imploring tone turned soft, “
he’ll never know.  It’s a solely voluntary basis, just like a sperm bank.  You do realize that this is your one and only chance.  You can’t turn this down.  You won’t get the opportunity again.”

Lilly was embarrassed to ask, but she had to know, “What about disease?”

Jenny grinned and grabbed Lilly’s free hand.  “Walkers carry no disease; therefore it’s impossible for any to be passed on to you.”

“And you’re sure
it’s safe?”

“Lilly, I love you like a sister.  You know I wouldn’t put your ass on the line for
something so trivial as experimentation.”  The hypocrisy wasn’t lost on her.  “I mean hell I’m all for adoption, but this can work.”

“I don’t know.
” 

“Well, you need to decide.  Do you want the chance at a child or don’t you?  It’s up to you, Lill.”

After a few tense moments, Lilly gave a reluctant grin and squeezed Jenny’s hand.  “Let’s do it.”

Jenny’s eyes twinkled with excitement, “Okay.  First things first, you need to select a donor.”

Lilly felt the blood drain from her face.  “Uhhh, so soon?  Don’t I need to be completely healed first?”

A grin split Jenny’s features.  “Not
that
kind of donor.  We’re not looking for semen just yet.  But we do need a Walker to supply the initial blood samples that we’ll use to initiate the process.”  If she played her cards right, Jenny knew she could exclude King from the candidates and let Lilly believe she’d selected another Walker as the donor.  If King and Lilly would eventually become mates, it wouldn’t be by any influence or discovery of Jenny’s.  “What I’ll do is select several volunteers, and then you’ll choose whomever you feel suits your needs the best and we’ll proceed from there.”

“Suits my needs the best?”  Lilly’s brows knitted, “I thought you said we weren’t at the donor stage yet.  I mean how much of an impact wi
ll the blood or DNA or whatever the donor is donating have on the children I hope to bear?”

“Like I said, this is new ground so far as method of introduction into your system.  I don’t want to take any chances.  As a matter of fact it’d be preferable if you’d use the
same donor for both the blood and semen samples.”

“Method of introduction?  You keep saying that.  Speak English
, Jen.”

“The couple I told you about?  They were a
couple
.  They had sex.  In your case, we’ll be using donor blood, DNA, sperm, and whatever else it is we need to make this work.  No sex, just artificial insemination.” 

Lilly dropped her head into her one good hand, “
Is this as humiliating as it feels?”

“Come on
, Lilly, it’s science. 
And
it’s anonymous.  The only one who’ll know the donors—or if I have my way—
donor
you’ve selected will be me and you.”

Lilly peeked up from the hand that was shielding her face. “I thought you said they were volunteers.
  They don’t know what they’re volunteering for?”

“They
do, but you’ll select from the pool of candidates.  None of them will know who you’ve selected.”

“So how long to form th
is pool of candidates?”

“Give me a few days.  A week at least.”  Jenny stood and pulled her
e-tablet from where it sat on the table at the foot of the bed, “You’ll be coming in to see me frequently anyway, but let’s just make an appointment for next Friday?”

“Fine.”  Worry was once again seeping its way back into Lilly’s
soul.  “In the meantime, I’m being discharged today.  Can you arrange for someone to drive me home?”

Jenny
dropped her eyes to study the e-tablet as she sucked on the end of her stylus.

“
Jenny?”

The doctor
’s eyes shot up, “Oh.  Sorry.  Um, your ride’s been arranged, and I brought you some clothes.  They’re in the bathroom hanging up.  So, you get changed and I’ll get you discharged.”

Thirty minutes later and with the help of two nurses, Lilly was fully dressed and waiting on the edge of her bed when
Jenny returned pushing a wheel chair.  “Your chariot, m’lady.”

The nurses and Jenny helped Lilly ease into the chair.  As Jenny pushed Lilly out into the hall, Lilly felt the weight of disappointment settle over her as she discovered the hall was empty.  She’d know
n that King had stood guard just outside her door during her recuperation.  Whenever the door had opened or closed for the past few weeks, he’d locked eyes with her.  His presence slowly became a source of comfort, so to find him absent now was disconcerting. 

Jenny’s voice carried a slight amusement,
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll see
him
before you leave.”

“Who?
”  Lilly feigned ignorance.

“You know who.  That pain-in-the-ass King of yours.”

Lilly shrugged one slim shoulder, “Oh.  Him.  He’s probably back at work or…something.”

Jenny laughed lightly as she rolled Lilly through the narrow infirmary corridor
.  The wheelchair jerked to a halt when Bishop Arkinson entered the hall.  Before Lilly could say ‘hi’, her chair was spun and she was rushed into the nearest exam room.

“Uhh, what’s going on, Jen?” 

Face beet red, the Surgeon pulled open a drawer and began shuffling through it.  “What?  Oh!  Nothing.  I just forgot…something
.”

Lilly waited and watched as Jenny sifted through the drawer and after long minutes finally pulled
a band-aid free.

“What’s that for?”

“Oh, I uh…cut myself earlier.  I just remembered.  Thought I’d better get it taken care of.”

Lilly’s delicate brows hiked in disbelief.  “Okay.  You sure this doesn’t have anything to do with that new Sentry, Bishop Arkinson?”

“What?”  Jenny’s tone was suddenly brittle.  “Who?  No.”  She shook her head too quickly before gripping the wheelchair and spinning Lilly back toward the door.  “You ready to get out of here.” 

Lilly could only smirk as she was escorted out of the room, down the long corridor,
then out the front door of the Manor to a waiting black sedan with blacked-out windows.

“Wow.”  Lilly tried to shift in her seat as Jenny pulled to a halt at the back passenger side door.  “I could have taken a taxi.”

Jenny ignored her words, “Alright.  You’ve got strict instructions.  I want to see you again in two days, then two days after that.  And don’t forget to come back on Friday.”  She pulled a hand full of pre-signed appointment cards from her pocket and handed them to Lilly.  “If you need anything, if anything seems off, feels weird, hurts too much, call me!”

“Got it.”  Lilly tried to get to her feet before Jenny locked the brakes on the wheel chair and raced around to help.

“And none of that nonsense.  If you need help, ask for it!”

“Got it.”

“Seriously, Lilly.  Any set back could be detrimental to not just your health, but to our prospects for initiating your therapy.  So take it easy.”

Lilly sucked in a deep breath through her nose.  “Okay
, Jen.  Now give me a hug, I can’t stand for too long.”

Jenny leaned in and squeezed Lilly’s shoulders while whispering at her ear, “Call me.”