Wolf Tales 11 (34 page)

She couldn’t bear to watch. Sighing, feeling isolated and alone, Keisha turned away from the laughter and went back to the kitchen. She might as well start something for dinner. They’d have a houseful tonight. And maybe, just maybe, somehow, someone would help right her world once again.

Adam and Liana cleared the table after dinner. Daci and her guys offered to help with cleanup, and Keisha followed
the rest of the group into the big family room. Lisa took a big, overstuffed chair near the window and Tinker sat at her feet. Tia and Luc sat together on one of the couches. Tia’s babies were already asleep after a long day of travel.

Ulrich, Millie, Manda, and Baylor sat at the card table in the corner so Millie could show off some old albums she’d brought with her. Mei and Oliver leaned over their shoulders, checking out old photos of Millie as a child.

She’d looked exactly like Manda, and Keisha thought it must be bittersweet for all of them, to see what Manda might have looked like if she’d been able to grow up like a normal girl instead of one trapped between wolf and woman.

Jake and Shannon, along with Logan, were the only ones who’d gone for a run, but Keisha didn’t expect them to be gone for long. Everyone was fairly subdued tonight. She wanted to think it was because of the travel, but she couldn’t help but feel the concern the pack had for Anton.

He seemed oblivious to their worry. He’d been laughing with Ulrich and teasing Daci, and every once in a while he’d look at Keisha and wink. She wished she knew what he was thinking. His thoughts had often been blocked to her, but she could always invade them, always figure out what was on his mind.

Not now. Now she was merely one of many wondering what the wizard was thinking. He sat in his big recliner and pulled her into his lap. It was always better when they at least touched. She didn’t feel nearly as alone then.

AJ and Mik sat on the couch with Tala between them. The poor girl looked ready to pop, but Igmutaka insisted the babies were not ready yet. He’d solemnly promised to let everyone know as soon as they told him it was time.

Like Tala wouldn’t be able to figure it out? The spirit guide took his cougar form most of the time now, hunting during the day, and showing up in the evening to be with Tala. Now he lay on the floor at her feet, a big, beautiful
tan-colored cougar stretching a full nine feet from his nose to the tip of his tail.

Lily and Alex raced into the room, all freshly bathed and warmly dressed in their fuzzy footie pajamas. Xandi and Jazzy followed close behind, both of them soaked through from bath time. Alex ran straight to his daddy, but Lily went to AJ. She crawled up into his lap, and once again she patted his cheeks and chattered away.

Anton laughed. “Ya know, Tala. You might want to watch her. She’s really flirting with your man.”

“I noticed. And whatever she’s saying, she’s really serious. You be careful, AJ.”

AJ grinned and nuzzled Lily’s belly. She giggled and shook her head. “No. No, Unca AJ.” Then she patted his cheeks again. “Dada’s smile. Unca AJ got Dada’s smile.”

Tala frowned. “I wonder what she means by that? She’s been saying the same thing ever since we got here.”

“What’s that?” Keisha wasn’t quite sure what her daughter had said, though her speech was getting clearer by the day.

“Something about Daddy’s smile. That AJ has Daddy’s smile.”

Liana stepped into the room. “I heard her saying that yesterday. I wonder …” She walked across the room, stepped over the big cat, and knelt beside AJ. “Lily? Where is Dada’s smile?”

Lily’s eyes lit up and she let out a big breath. She patted AJ’s cheek again. “Here. Unca AJ got Dada’s smile. In here.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Liana shook her head. “Anton? Come here. Can you fit beside AJ?”

“I think so.” He lifted Keisha off his lap, crossed the room, and squeezed in beside AJ and the padded arm of the sofa. “What’s going on in that ex-goddess brain of yours, Liana?”

“I’m not really sure. Lily? Sweetie, this is very serious. I want you to try something for me. Can you talk to Dada
without using your big-girl words? With the quiet, secret words you keep in your head?”

Lily stuck her finger in her mouth and stared at Liana. Keisha held her breath for what felt like forever, until Lily solemnly nodded.

“Good girl. I want you to say, ‘I love you, Daddy,’ but don’t use your noisy words. Use your quiet words.”

Lily turned around and tumbled into Anton’s lap. He picked her up and settled her on his chest. She leaned close and put her little hands on his cheeks, just as she had done with AJ.

A moment later, Keisha saw tears at the corner of her mate’s eyes. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until Anton raised his head. His expression was one of dazed disbelief, but he smiled at her. “I can hear her. I can hear Lily. But how?”

Liana shook her head. “I don’t know. The purity of a child’s mind? I’m not really sure, but we’re not done.” She grinned. “Not by a long shot. Okay, Lily. Now, I want you to go to Uncle AJ and talk to him with your quiet words. I want you to go and get Dada’s smile. Can you do that?”

Again Lily’s fingers went in her mouth, but she nodded very seriously, crawled off Anton and back on AJ. He looped his big hands around her tiny little bottom and held her on his lap. “Hey, sugar. Can you find Dada’s smile?”

Lily giggled and fell forward, slapping her little hands against his cheeks. Then she frowned, as if she was dragging up every single bit of her ability to concentrate. A moment later, she sat back on AJ’s lap. He blinked, as if confused and maybe a little disoriented, but Lily didn’t seem to mind a bit. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, crawled off his lap, and went back over to her daddy.

The room had gone absolutely still. Adam, Daci, and the guys stood in the doorway, watching quietly. Even Igmutaka
was sitting up, staring with solemn cat’s eyes at Keisha’s baby girl.

Keisha wondered if anyone else could hear her heart pounding. The damned thing felt like a set of drums beating in her chest as Lily hugged her father, and then looked to Liana for directions.

“Daddy wants his smile back, sweetheart. Can you give it to him?”

“Okay.”

Keisha reached for Liana’s hand and hung on for dear life. She glanced at AJ and realized he still had a dazed expression on his face, and she couldn’t help but wonder what her baby girl had been able to do that would leave a grown man so spaced out.

Lily patted Anton’s cheeks. Then she did something different. She stood up on his lap and leaned her forehead against his. Her black curls corkscrewed this way and that, a curly version of her daddy’s hair. Her beautiful café au lait skin seemed even darker against the fairness of Anton’s. His hands circled her little waist, holding her upright as she pressed her forehead to his and held her palms against his temples.

She stood that way for what felt like a very long time. Then she slowly pulled away and yawned. Anton folded her into his arms and held her the way he’d first held her at birth, snuggled into the crook of his arm as her amber eyes slowly shut, as her perfect lips bowed into a tiny smile.

“Is she okay?” Keisha leaned close to make sure she was breathing, that everything was working.

She’s just very tired, my love. That’s all. She’s perfectly okay. Our little girl carried my smile from AJ back to me. That’s quite a responsibility for a nineteen-month-old baby.

Keisha shoved her knuckles against her mouth to keep from sobbing. She didn’t want to cry. She might frighten Lily, but she felt as if she might burst with all the emotions inside. “How?” She stared at Anton, at the huge smile that
split his face. Then she turned to Liana. Tears ran down Liana’s cheeks.

“Good.” Keisha’s laughter turned into a sob. “You can cry so I don’t have to, okay?”

“Sure.” Liana sniffed and reached for Adam. In two steps, he was by her side, grabbing hold of her. “Any time you want.”

AJ blinked and shook his head. “What happened?” He glanced around him, down at his hand trapped in Tala’s as if she held him in a vise. “That was just weird. I felt Lily’s thoughts in my head, and then nothing. She sounded so clear. Not baby talk at all. Very weird.” He stared at Anton and frowned. “It’s gone. Whatever I got from you that night, it’s gone. Lily?”

Anton nodded. “Dada’s smile. That’s what she was calling that part of me that you had. What’d you call it, Liana? My spirit or essence or whatever?”

Liana nodded and sniffed. Grinning broadly, Adam handed her a tissue.

Anton stared at his daughter, now sleeping soundly in his arms. “How the hell did a baby do that?”

“That’s twice now she’s saved you.”

Stefan’s solemn reminder had Anton nodding. “You’re right. When Keisha and Tia were attacked, when I was so badly hurt. Lily was just an infant then. Her mind must be…”

Stefan laughed. “A very scary thing.”

“She’s definitely her father’s daughter.” Keisha couldn’t take her eyes off Lily, couldn’t keep her thoughts away from Anton. Feeling him, actually soaking up the connection that had been missing for the past two weeks.

It felt like forever, and she was almost afraid to ask, but she did, anyway. “I wonder if you can shift?”

He closed his eyes a moment and smiled. “I can. It’s all there. The way it should feel, the things my brain and
body need to do. It’s as if there was a big blank spot in my mind, and now it’s full. I don’t understand any of this. Liana? Do you have any idea?”

She shook her head. “Not really, though when I was listening to Lily with AJ, I could tell there was more going on than just a toddler’s babbling. I wasn’t sure, but… AJ? How are you feeling?”

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around Tala, resting his fingers on Mik’s shoulder. “Like me again. I don’t know how you stand it, Anton—all those voices in the background. I couldn’t figure out how to filter them out. When Lily wakes up, I need to tell her that Unca AJ owes her big time.”

“So’s her daddy.” Anton slowly stood up without waking the baby in his arms. “I think she’s worn out. I’m taking the princess and putting her to bed.” He glanced at Stefan. “Looks like Prince Alex is out like a light, too.”

“Hey, it’s a rough job, keeping up with Lily. Give the little guy credit.”

Keisha watched Stefan and Anton leaving the room with their toddlers in their arms. She turned and caught Xandi watching her, tears flowing. Xandi held out her arms. Keisha stumbled into her embrace and they both burst into sobs.

Tinker suddenly leapt to his feet. “Are you sure? But…”

Lisa nodded. “I’m sure.”

“But… but Tala’s the one who …”

Smiling serenely, Lisa shook her head. “Trust me, Tink. A woman knows when she’s in labor.”

“Oh, shit.” Tinker swung around and glanced hopelessly at the rest of the pack. Lisa merely smiled and rubbed the huge mound of very pregnant belly.

Tala groaned. “This is so not fair.” She stared at Igmutaka. “If I find out you’ve got anything to do with these babies staying in the oven longer than I expected, I swear …”

The big cougar dipped his head and lay down. He rolled over on his back in a show of total submission. Tala glared at him.

The door to the back deck slid open. Logan, Jake, and Shannon stepped into the room. Shannon was looking down, concentrating on tying the belt of her bathrobe around her waist. Jake and Logan had each put on the sweats they’d left on the deck when they shifted.

Jake was the first to glance up and catch the eyes of everyone in the room staring at them.

“Hey, guys,” he said, grinning broadly. “We miss anything?”

Tinker paced. He wondered if he was wearing a trail in the floorboards, but after Tia’s long labor, Lisa’s appeared to be moving quickly and without any drama at all.

At least, as far as everyone else was concerned. The women had finally told him to leave. He’d argued, but they’d won—only because they could take Lisa’s pain away better than he could, but hell, he hated sharing that burden. Damned women wanted to share everything, but Lisa was his mate, having his baby.

Luc caught up to him and threw an arm over his shoulders. “They run you out?”

Tink merely grunted. He really didn’t feel like talking. He should be there with Lisa, damn it all, but she seemed happier with the other women around.

“I think it was the groaning, if you want my opinion.”

Luc kept pace with him as they reached the end of the hall outside the clinic and Tinker made another turn.

“Tia said Lisa couldn’t concentrate. She was worried about you.”

“What?” Tinker spun to a stop and stared at Luc. “Why the fuck should she be worried about me? She’s the one having our baby. Going through all that pain. I mean … shit, Luc.” His shoulders slumped. “I should be with her.”

“I agree.” Luc grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the clinic door. He didn’t even knock. Just opened the door and walked in.

It looked like a blasted hen party. Jazzy and Xandi sat in the corner drinking wine. Mei, Daci, Liana, and Millie had chairs pulled up close to the bed. They had serious expressions on their faces, like they were really concentrating hard. Then Millie smiled at Lisa and wiped the tangled hair back from her forehead.

“That was a good one, sweetie. How’re you doing?”

Lisa glanced up and saw Tinker. She smiled. “I’m doing great. You guys are much quieter when you deal with the contractions than someone else we all know and love.”

“Who? Me?” Tink grinned at her and sat on the edge of the bed. Maybe Luc knew what he was talking about. “I tried to keep quiet.”

“But you don’t know how to share.” Liana leaned close and kissed his cheek. “We know to take only as much as we can tolerate without really hurting. You think you have to do everything yourself.”

He shrugged. “Hey, it’s a guy thing. As long as Lisa’s okay.” He leaned close and kissed her gently. So perfect, and so absolutely beautiful this way, with her hair in tangles and her belly swollen.

He could have sat there all night, just staring at her, thanking whatever fates ruled his life that had given him this perfect mate—but the fates had other ideas.