She considered it. “Actually,” she whispered, “she told me, but her memory isn't very reliable these days. I wasn't sure I believed her."
"Told you when?” he asked sharply.
She sent him a searching look. “When I came back from up north. I came to see her and she said—well, she said she knew I'd been with you. She
did
know about wolfen. I didn't tell her ... anything. She's always had a nose for things, but I wasn't sure I believed her about that part. Everyone always said he was Indian."
"
You
are part wolfen."
She nodded. “If Grandma is, then I am—but not much.” She studied him unhappily. “Does it matter that much?"
He seemed to emerge from his abstraction at the tone of her voice. He lifted a hand to stroke her neck lightly. “I didn't know when I gave you this. What do you think?” His hand drifted down to the baby in her arms and he caressed their daughter's soft cheek. “It's just.... I think it explains a lot of things I didn't understand before. I wonder if there's any truth to the story about her grandfather and mine?"
"You think we might be too close?” she asked teasingly.
He sent her a narrow eyed look. “We could never be too close to suit me. I'm just curious. I think my father said I was named after his great, great grandfather."
"Who had a brother that was disowned by the pack because he took a human woman as wife?” She shook her head at him when he merely glanced around at the old woman frowningly. “She gets things mixed up in her mind. It's sad, because she obviously still has the gift—she
knew
I'd been with wolfen and she knew I was pregnant, even before I did—but you shouldn't take her too seriously because she
does
get confused about things. She could be mixing up anything she ever saw or heard with this ... including things she's read or movies she's seen."
"Or it could be true,” Balin said. “I know there was
some
tale from way back that no one was very happy about."
He crouched down to speak to her grandmother again before they left. “What was your grandfather's name?"
Grandma smiled at him a little vacantly. “Grandpa!"
Danika averted her gaze when he looked at her. “I'll take you back to your room, Grandma. We have to go now, but I'll be back to see you soon. Alright?"
Her grandmother twisted around to look at her for a long moment, frowning, but finally merely nodded.
* * * *
Bleary eyed from exhaustion, Danika marched into the living room where the men had congregated and plunked her screaming daughter, Jessica, in Balin's lap. He looked down at the baby and then back up at her just in time to see her marching back into the spare room, which had become the nursery. She returned a few minutes later with screaming babies number two and three and handed Con and Dakota their sons.
"I've tried everything else to get them to sleep. Give them a ride."
Wincing at the noise his son, Jake, was making, Con scowled at her. “Baby! The game's on!"
Danika crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot militantly.
"You said you didn't want them on the bikes!” Balin objected.
"But
you
decided to take them for a ride and
now
they expect a ride to put them to sleep! So give them a ride, damn it!"
Flicking a sulky look at her, Con, Balin, and Dakota grabbed their jackets and trooped outside with the babies. Jessica was still screaming when Balin tucked her against his chest and zipped the jacket up, forming a bunting for her—ditto Jake and Tyler. The moment the jackets were zipped, however, they knew what was coming and the screams dwindled to hiccoughs before the men even revved their engines.
Uttering a long suffering sigh, Balin engaged the gear and began to ease the bike forward.
"Not too fast!” Danika warned them.
Con and Dakota exchanged an irritated glance as they walked their bikes around in a circle with Balin in the lead. “Gods damn it, Dani! I can't even keep the bike up at this speed. Look! It doesn't even register on the speedometer!"
"That's fast enough. Keep your feet on the ground."
"I think it would work just as well to sit still and rev the engine!” Con complained.
"If you'll stop complaining they'll go to sleep and you can go back to the game.” Balin gave her a speculative once over as he passed her again.
She smiled back at him. “...or other things,” she murmured.
Con glared at him. “My night!"
Balin's lips tightened. “I thought you wanted to watch the game."
"Not that bad."
* * * *
Danika flicked a smile at Xavier as he returned to his seat and straightened his seat belt. “Everybody happy now?” she asked, glancing at her three tots in the back seat of the crew cab the men had brought home on her birthday.
Jessica grinned at her. “Happy now!” she replied cheerfully, waving the toy Xavier had given her.
"What about you?” Xavier asked, reaching across the seat and skating a hand lightly over her bulging abdomen. “Are you happy, Dani?"
She smiled at him lovingly and placed a hand over his, sighing contentedly. “Two are going to be a breeze after those three hellions."
Xavier chuckled. “You think mine might be a female?"
She sent him a curious look. “Wouldn't you rather have a son?"
"I'll be happy either way."
"But it would be nice if it was a girl?"
He frowned but finally shrugged. “Females are rare among wolfen births. I was just thinking that you had one for Balin and maybe you would have one for me. You don't know how special little Jessica is."
She glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror again. She was the image of her father—thankfully! Beautiful! “Oh, I think I can imagine,” she answered, glancing pointedly at the two motorcyclists that had been sent by Balin's father to lead their little convoy, each flying a pendant with the fleur-de-lis of the Chevaliers.
She shook her head. “I still can't believe Balin really is a prince. I always thought everybody was just joking. You think that's why Balin's parents finally relented and decided to acknowledge us? Because of Jessica?"
Xavier grinned at her wryly. “Part of it, maybe. It doesn't hurt that they discovered you had a smidgeon of wolfen—royal blood, no less. Then, too, I think they finally realized Balin could hold out longer than they could in their disapproval. He loves you. He doesn't care if they disapprove or not. Well, he does. It thoroughly pisses him off, which is probably why they decided to make nice."
Danika glanced in her rearview mirror at that, studying the four men on motorcycles behind them—Balin and Con in the lead, Jared and Dakota behind them. Xavier's bike was in the back of the truck since he'd volunteered to ride with her and baby-sit the toddlers. “Who won the last competition, by the way?” she asked.
Xavier looked uncomfortable.
"Spill it, Xavier! I thought y'all would get tired of it after a while, but I know you still go at it regularly."
Xavier shrugged. “Balin. We were thinking about trying best two out of three."
She reached across the seat and squeezed his hand. “Y'all haven't figured out, yet, that nobody's ever going to win that contest?"
Xavier lifted her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. He sent her a steamy look when she shivered. “They haven't figured out, yet, that we all won. Tonight's my night,” he murmured, then ruined the sultry look by waggling his brows at her.
She chuckled affectionately, turning her hand to caress his cheek. “I love you, Xavier."
He flicked a searching look at her and smiled happily at the look in her eyes. “I love you."
The End.
Visit www.newconceptspublishing.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.