Wolf Tales 12 (4 page)

So beautiful, that long, thick cock, dark with pulsing blood, yet it looked pale against Keisha’s beautiful bittersweet chocolate skin. The visual was more than Anton could handle, so he turned his attention back to the box of toys they’d collected under Mei Chen’s influence.

There was a lot to be said for the younger generation and their fixation with all things electronic. He finally pulled a vibrator out of the box that looked like it could hang between the legs of Babe the Blue Ox.

Chuckling softly, he twisted the base. The low hum had Keisha and Xandi slowly turning to see what he’d selected. Xandi groaned. Keisha’s eyes went wide, and Stefan raised one very expressive brow.

Anton dragged the vibrator across Xandi’s bottom and left her giggling and writhing against the restraints. Then he teased Keisha for just a moment longer. Stefan laughed and put a restraining hand over Anton’s. “This woman’s mine right now. I think Xandi really needs to spend some quality time with Babe.”

Anton leaned over and kissed Keisha’s shoulder. Then he turned his attention to Xandi and did exactly as Stefan suggested.

Anton awoke in darkness. Body sated, mind moderately relaxed, he lay in the tangle of arms and legs and ran a silent inventory of what body parts belonged to which of his lovers.

Xandi’s arms were wrapped around his lower legs and Keisha’s cheek rested on his thigh. That had to be Stefan’s head on his belly—he recognized the stubble from a day’s growth of beard. Anton lay quietly, thinking of the night past, of the joy they’d all taken in this very special time with one another.

Still, the restlessness remained. He couldn’t attribute the subtle sense of something undone, of change looming, to anything in particular. He’d wondered if he might be frustrated by the changes in their lives with so many children—Keisha certainly hadn’t planned on twins, but Gabe and Mac were identical, and that single egg had split all on its own. Lucia had come along when Keisha had suddenly realized her boys were no longer babies, that Lily—already an old soul—was growing up faster than she’d expected.

Anton hoped she no longer felt guilty about her unplanned pregnancy with Lucia. She’d released an egg without actually discussing it with him, thank goodness. Lucia was already proving to be a treasure, one they might not have had if he’d allowed his practical nature to interfere with Keisha’s powerful need to mother.

Still, four children meant so little time alone together.

So little time like this past evening, making love. Playing grown-up games as if they had all the time in the world.

Keisha stretched and shifted her position until she lay alongside him. She ran her fingers through his tangled hair.
Thank you for last night. This feels so good, just lying here without anyone depending on us. Without anyone needing anything.

It does.
He nuzzled his cheek against her breasts, now swollen with milk, and sighed. She’d need to leave soon and feed Lucia. He’d heard her get up once during the night, but already it was time again.

Something troubles you, my love. What is it? Everything is so good right now. What can possibly be worrying you?

Her question interrupted his convoluted thoughts, but for some reason, knowing Keisha worried helped him focus his concerns, and it came to him then, so clearly he couldn’t believe he’d not realized before what was wrong with their lives. What they were all missing.

Don’t laugh when I tell you. It’s the fact that everything is so good.
He rolled his head to one side and smiled sheepishly at her.
I worry that we’ve grown complacent, that we’ve adjusted so completely to our lives as Chanku that we’ve settled into a routine. Routines frighten me. Complacency is dangerous.

Stefan rolled slowly to a sitting position. “Sorry,” he said, stretching. “I was eavesdropping without shame.”

Xandi sat up and leaned against the headboard. “Sweetheart, your middle name is shameless. So what’s this about complacency, and why are we all awake? It’s barely dawn.”

Anton sat up and crossed his legs. He pulled Keisha into his lap and grinned at Stef and Xandi. All of them awake and sitting on the big, rumpled bed, hair in disarray, bodies damp from sweat and hours of sex. It reminded him of those first early months before Lily and Alex were born, when they’d made love every night, when all of this had been so fresh and new.

“Stef and I talked about this a while back,” he said. “The fact we’re all healthy, the children are healthy. We’ve gone five years now without an attack or any threats to our safety. Our lives are as close to perfect as I’d ever imagined, but this perfection reminds me that we’ve forgotten something important.”

He wrapped his fingers around Keisha’s hand and squeezed. “What if I hadn’t found you? What if Stef hadn’t rescued Xandi, or Oliver hadn’t found Adam walking along that road? If Mik and AJ hadn’t stopped in that little bar in New Mexico and saved Tala, or Baylor hadn’t gone in search of the wolf girl and ended up with Manda? Stef? Remember how we used to argue about coincidence versus fate? I still believe in fate, but I think we need to help it along, not wait complacently for fate to happen to us. I’ve been thinking of all the others, the Chanku out there who don’t know who or what they are. The desperation in their lives. The unfulfilled destinies of people just like us, who don’t know they’re like us. Who haven’t got a clue what their lives could be.”

Stefan grabbed Xandi’s hand and lifted her fingers to his lips for a quick kiss. “I would have no life without Alexandria Olanet as my mate, as my wife. None at all.” He turned to her and rested his palms on her shoulders, touched his forehead to hers. “Anton’s right. We’ve grown much too comfortable; our lives are fairly well cocooned. But how do we find them? It’s not like we can run an ad or spike the water supply with Tibetan grasses.”

“No.” Anton chuckled. “Though I hadn’t thought of the water-supply angle. I’m actually thinking more along the lines of talking to Liana, maybe even reaching out to Eve. As an ex-goddess, Liana might be able to help. As our current Goddess, Eve could possibly steer us in the right direction.”

He raised his head. “All the packs are planning to come for the birth of Adam and Liana’s baby next month. Let’s see if anyone’s got any ideas. We can’t be the only ones.” He shook his head and tightened his grasp around Keisha’s waist. “There are others out there. They have no idea who or what they are. We have to find them.”

Keisha squeezed Anton’s hand, and he stared into her beautiful amber eyes. They were filled with tears—tears that sparkled on her dark lashes.

“I agree with you, my love. I know we should be looking, but it makes me afraid, too.” She sighed. One of those errant tears ran down her cheek and trembled against her lips. With a brusque swipe of her fingers, she wiped it away. “I’m sorry, but I keep thinking of that old saying, something about borrowing trouble.” She shook her head. “Why do I have a horrible feeling that’s exactly what you might be doing?”

A shiver raced over Anton’s spine. Without a word, he tightened his hold on Keisha and held her even closer.

Chapter 3

“Lily? Do you want to help? Alex, Stefan, and I are going into the cave to check supplies.”

Lily glanced up from her book, and it was obvious she didn’t want to be interrupted, but Harry Potter could wait awhile. If he didn’t occasionally drag her away from her reading, Anton feared she’d never leave her beloved books.

“If you need me, Daddy.” She sighed. “But I’m in a really good part.”

Anton grabbed her hand and pulled her out of his big leather recliner. “It’s Harry Potter, Lily. They’re all good parts.”

She carefully set the big hardback aside. “It’s all about magicians. Did you know Alex said magicians aren’t real? I told him you were a magician, and he said you weren’t a real one.”

“Does it matter if Alex believes you or not?” They’d had this conversation before. No matter what Lily said, Alex tried his best to prove her wrong. Unfortunately for Alex, Lily was generally right.

Lily shrugged. “Not really. Not about stuff that’s not important, but what if it is something important? What if I’m right and he’s wrong and it’s something dangerous?”

“Hopefully we won’t be faced with anything dangerous, but if that happens, you call for a grown-up.”

“He’ll say I’m a tattletale.”

Anton stopped at the doorway leading from the kitchen to the caverns beneath the house and knelt down to Lily’s height. She was already so beautiful she took his breath; to think that he’d had a part in creating a creature this perfect—and one who never, ever ran out of questions. “Lily. Think of what you’re saying. What’s more important? Being called a silly name, or keeping someone safe from harm?”

“Keeping someone safe.” She planted her hands on her hips. “But if he calls me names, I’m gonna sock him.”

“You do that. But don’t tell Uncle Stef I said you could.”

“Don’t tell Uncle Stef what?”

Anton whirled around as Stefan opened the door behind him and stepped into the kitchen from the cellar. Alex was right behind him. Both of them had their hands filled with bags. “Nothing important. Merely a discussion about name calling.”

“Ah.” Stef glanced over his shoulder at Alex, who stared at his shoes with rapt fascination. “I see.”

“What’s all that?” Anton peered at the bags in Stef’s arms.

“We were checking the big pantry in the main cavern and discovered mice and cereal and an open door make a rather messy combination.” He stepped past Anton and headed toward the back door to dispose of the trash. “We need to tell Xandi to pick up traps next time she’s in town.”

“One more thing to add to the list. It was a lot easier for everyone to gather here before there were so many of us.”

Stefan grunted as he and Alex went out the door. Anton and Lily headed down the stairs, through the cellar, and into the caves. The air was warm in this first level, surprisingly so for a cavern, but the water flowing into the large pool at one end originated in an underground hot spring.

Stefan returned a few minutes later. Anton gave Lily and Alex bags to check for any trash that might have been left after the last gathering, and then went to work on their inventory.

After a while, Lily’s voice rang out from the far side of the pond. “Daddy? Did you know someone wrote on the wall?”

Anton peered into the shadows. Alex and Lily were standing beneath an area where Mik Fuentes had spotted what he called cave art years ago. Anton hadn’t even thought of it since then.

“I think it’s cave art, Lily. Something Native Americans might have written ages ago.”

“Oh.”

He heard her talking to Alex and went back to his inventory. It was so peaceful here in the caverns. There was an almost otherworldly sense—as if people had walked here for ages and left nothing but memories.

And a few fascinating drawings on the wall, if Lily’s interest was any indication. He shook his head. They really needed to do a big shopping. Between the mice and the healthy appetites, stores were sorely depleted.

“Mommy, did you know there’s a picture book on the walls in the cave?”

Keisha looked up from the book she was reading. “A picture book?” She shot a quick glance at Anton.

He shrugged. “Remember the cave drawings Mik found all those years ago? Lily and Alex were looking at them today.”

She nodded and focused on Lily. “Did they say anything interesting? Can you read what they mean?”

Lily grinned. “Of course I can. I can read anything.” She held up her Harry Potter book. At six and a half, she was already finishing the fourth book in the series.

“So, what’s the writing say?”

“It’s a story about us. About the Chanku and where we came from and how we’re related to spirit guides and other kinds of shapeshifters.”

Anton frowned. Where the hell did she come up with all that stuff? Then he glanced at her Harry Potter book—lately the source of all fantasies—and relaxed. Lily’s imagination knew no bounds, and there was no lack of inspiration. He caught Keisha’s curious glance and shrugged, but Lily was still chattering away.

“There are some words I don’t understand, but I think if I ask Eve, she can tell me.”

“Eve?” Keisha flashed another confused glance at Anton. “Eve’s just learning to read. She’s only four.”

“No, Mommy. Not little Eve Elizabeth. Sparkly Eve. I bet she can read the stories.”

Anton set his newspaper in his lap. “Sparkly Eve? Who is Sparkly Eve?”

“Daddy.” A huge sigh followed. “Sparkly Eve is the one who lives in the pretty place between worlds. The lady with the swirly eyes.”

“The Goddess Eve?”

Lily smiled. “Yeah. That Eve. She can tell me what it says?”

“Lily, how do you know where Sparkly Eve lives?”

Lily suddenly took great interest in her pink ballet shoes. “I dunno.” Then she glanced up with a big grin. “Is Sparkly Eve a grown-up?”

“Yes, Lily.” He let out an impatient breath. “She’s a grown-up. Now look at me. How do you know where Sparkly Eve lives?”

Lily sighed dramatically, as only a six- going on sixteen-year-old can. “ ’Cause I go see her sometimes. At night. When you and Mommy are sleeping.”

A shiver raced along Anton’s spine. Very calmly, he said, “You do? And how do you go to the place between worlds?”

“You know, Daddy. You’re the one who told me how. You just dream yourself there. You lie down and think of Sparkly Eve and how pretty her world is, and then you fall asleep and go there.”

Unexpected relief washed through Anton. Knowing what he did of Lily’s abilities, he’d been afraid she was talking a bit more literally about traveling on the astral plane. At least dreaming herself there sounded harmless enough.

“I think that’s a great idea, Lily. I’m sure Sparkly Eve can answer any of your questions,” he said, going back to his newspaper. “Why don’t you try it tonight when you go to bed?”

“She really had me going there for a while.” Anton slipped out of his pants and tossed them on the bed beside Keisha’s clothing. “I had images of hunting our daughter down like a fugitive on the astral plane.”