No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the babe gave a kick that he felt where his stomach met Nessy. Quickly setting her feet on the ground, he put his hand back on her belly and damn near cried when the scales still covering Nessy flashed as the baby gave another resounding kick.
“Wow! Nessy breathed, her left hand going to her back. “I think we have an NFL kicker in there.”
Shooting up to his full height, Cyrus scooped Nessy into his arms. Making across the garden in four long strides, he lovingly sat her on a stone bench and got to his knees on the grass in front of her. “Are you okay? DO you need anything? Is the baby okay? What can I do? Should we…?”
“How about you get her back to the Pride,” Tamsyn chuckled. As his hand fell onto his shoulder and she gave him a friendly squeeze, the Bobcat Queen held out the other and, while shaking with Nessy, smiled brightly, “Just to make it formal, I’m Tamsyn.”
Letting go of Nessy’s hand and Cyrus’s shoulder at the same time, she turned to the side, wrapped her hand around the Enforcer’s waist, and continued, “And this is Ruairí, my Mate.” Pointing the thumb of her freehand the other way, she added, “The one who looks like me but with light hair is my sister, Peaches, and the big guy with the beard is…”
“Hey, Luke,” Nessy smiled. Then to Tamsyn, she chuckled, “We met. It’s a Bear thing.”
As the group erupted in laughter, Carrick appeared. Looking more tired than he’d ever seen his friend and mentor, the Legendary Guardsman stood beside Ruairí and smiled, “I assume you are Vanessa.” His voice was filled with a calm, friendly warmth. “It is wonderful to meet you in person.” Winking, he gave her a sly smile, “Suffice it to say, I have heard a lot about you.”
“Well, crap,” Nessy huffed. “I sure hope it wasn’t all bad.”
Moving forward, Cyrus was happy to move a little to the side as Carrick stopped in front of Nessy, smiled brightly, and took her hand. Laying his free hand over hers, he reassured, “Everything Cyrus said was the honest truth. He spoke of your beautiful heart, your capacity for compassion, and the wonderful way that you accept him for exactly who he is…” Another wink and leaned in close before loudly whispering, “…warts and all.”
“Hey!” Cyrus pretended to object as Vanessa’s glorious laughter filled the garden.
As the laughter died down, Tamsyn suggested, “Hey Cy, why don’t you get Vanessa back to the Pride while we finish cleaning this mess up?”
“That sounds like a wonderful plan!”
Getting to his feet, Cyrus stopped short when Carrick cleared his throat and asked Vanessa, “May I ask a question first?”
“Of course,” Nessy readily agreed.
“I am only asking because I do not want to cause you any stress by reliving your capture…”
“Sure,” Nessy nodded. “Go for it.”
“But how do you…?” Carrick looked puzzled.
“How do I know what you were going to ask?”
“Indeed.”
Patting her belly, she chuckled, “I didn’t. The baby did.”
For one of the only times in all the years he’d known the legendary Guardsman, Cyrus witnessed true shock and awe on Carrick’s face. Slowly nodding, the Elder scratched the stubble on his jaw before smiling, “Ah, yes, your babe is indeed strong.” When Nessy gasped, he added, “Yes, I can now feel your unborn child, and not only is the baby a powerhouse, but they have the heart and soul of a true Warrior of the Light.”
With his expression brightening, his eyes twinkled as he added, “What a blessing for this holiday season and for Bear and Dragonkin. Congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you,” Cyrus quickly responded, smiling brightly when Nessy joined in before adding, “Go ahead, Carrick. Pull whatever information you need from my mind. The sooner you find Angelique and Angeline, and those loyal to them, the better off the world will be.”
“Isn’t there a third sister?” The legendary Guardsman asked.
“Oh, yes, Angelica,” Nessy quickly confirmed. “But she’s a good egg. She helped me escape.”
“She did?” Everyone asked in unison.
Nodding, Vanessa confirmed, “Oh yeah, she let me hit her over the head with a marble top table then pretended to be unconscious.”
Pausing to shift from one hip to the other, Cyrus could see that his Mate was tired and uncomfortable but could feel that she wanted to finish speaking to the Elder. Reaching forward, hetouched the top of her thigh and let cool, calm, soothing Magic through their Mating Bond.
Feeling as if he could walk on water when Nessy looked at him and whispered directly into his mind, “Thank you,”Cyrus kept the Enchantment flowing as she continued, “And I’m pretty sure she took out some of the Blackwood Pack, too.”
“Understood,” Carrick nodded. “And she is the… the…”
