Fifty-Two: Joselin
Joselin’s P.O.V.
I placed my hands in my back pockets, admiring the view as Natalie and I approached the small pool of
water. The normal crystal blue water was murky and dark, showing that someone or something had just
been active and disrupted the stillness and peace of the natural hot spring.
It was only a few miles away from the city, but the time it took us to go there was twice as long as
normal as we enjoyed a leisurely walk.
My morning had started at lunchtime when Natalie rang the doorbell, something I was tempted to have
Tobias uninstall. Even though I would never admit it, her visit to ensure I was okay meant a lot to me. I
was right in choosing her as a friend.
It also meant that I had slept the day away, missing my morning meeting with Killian to go over the
day’s agenda and the million other things I had to do each day. I was behind on my work already, but
now it has impacted others, which bothered me.
Yet, Natalie insisted I take the day off and walk with her. There wasn’t much of the day left, so I agreed.
By the time I had gotten out of the shower and dressed, it was into the early afternoon.
Still, she ushered me out of the house with a bagel in my hand, insisting fresh air would do me good.
I sat on the large rocks, slipping my shoes off and dangling my feet into the water below. I knew there
were creatures in there, some that would love to drag me into the water to watch me drown, but it didn’t
bother me. We had a mutual appreciation for each other, and they kept me alone as long as I threw
them some food now and then. Delicasies, like a fresh liver or a heart, if I wanted to spoil them. A
whole body if they were starving.
‘Tm surprised you could pull yourself away from your mate for this long.” I smiled at Natalie, wanting
her to see I was only joking. She crossed her legs, observing the three-foot-long waterfall across the
spring that led from the larger hot spring above. This one was smaller but deeper.
I watched as the water began to settle until I could make out two glowing pale-blue eyes below,
watching and waiting.
I looked over my shoulder at the guard filling in for Tobias, making it clear that I was speaking to her
before returning to the creature.
I didn’t know or trust the new guard as much as the others and wanted privacy. ’You, fetch a rabbit.”
The creature blinked. Its double eyelids closed one at a time, overlapping before showing the glowing
blue again. I corrected myself. “Make it a deer, and be fast about it. I want it to still be hot when you
return with it.”
The woman turned to glance at Natalie, who nodded in approval. I almost laughed at the smell of her
fear as she took off to retrieve the animal for me. It really was good to have people scared of me from
time to time.
“It was no big deal. If he didn’t knock me up by now, it wont happen until next month. Plus, I was really
worried about you.” Natalie said, leaning back on her palms but noticing the creature as well and sliding
back a few inches away from the water’s edge.
“I appreciate that, but I will be fine,’ I muttered, angry that Rona was not back yet for me to end this.
“Are you sure it’s a curse? What if you’re pregnant? You’ve been tired. Your appetite has changed, and
the lightheadedness… it makes sense.” Natalie said, trailing off as the creature disappeared. His blue
eyes were made to blend into the water.
Thomas stepped forward, looking down for the threat to his queen, but he couldn’t see it. It could only
ever be seen when it wanted to.
The idea of a baby was far-fetched, but now that it was in my mind, my muscles coiled. I wasn’t ready
for a baby.
“Impossible. Tobias hasn’t cum in me yet, and I doubt a baby would make my magic fade.” I said,
waiving my hand dismissively at the idea, and bit back a smile as George made a noise that sounded
like a mix of a choke and a snort. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but when we all paused to look over
at him, he had schooled his expression and looked out into the forest.
“That doesn’t make it impossible.” Natalie insisted as she patted my knee twice.
“It’s not an option. My body has had too much damage done to it.” The healers had gotten their hands
on me countless times, but they couldn’t touch scar tissue and healed damage. They could only fix
what was currently injured.
“You’re making assumptions instead of stating facts. Maybe you should let the doctor run their tests to
see what’s happening.” She shrugged, smiling softly as she leaned back. “Can you imagine if we got
pregnant at the same time? That would be something.”
“No one will be touching my blood.” All humor was gone from my voice, and I felt a shift in the air as
something rubbed against the bottom of my foot. The beast felt my agitation, and small waves formed
in the water.
I pulled my legs out slowly, crossing them beneath me as I kept a close eye on the water until I found
the glowing blue eyes staring up at me again.
“You could just pee on a stick then.” Natalie laughed but sounded uneasy as she slid back another few
inches until her knees aligned with my hips.
I didn’t bother responding to her. She was right. How could I justify killing Rona when she returns if all
this time I was just pregnant?
But I knew it had to be more than that. How could a fetus drain my magic? The female guard returned,
a deer over her shoulders in a fireman carry. She tossed it onto the ground beside me, and I glanced at
the body as the water was disturbed again.
“You should make sure someone is feeding him,” I said to Natalie as I pulled a pocket knife out and
sliced open the stomach with little difficulty. Still hot.
“What exactly is ‘he’?” She rose to her feet, stepping back as the water became more violent, splashing
on the rocks.
“I don’t know. But look how hungry he is.” I murmured as I grabbed the liver and rose to my feet. The
giant creature broke through the surface as I tossed it into the air and over the water. His head was the
shape of a dragon with a long snake-like body. The curious part was that none of it was solid. It was the
same color as the water it lived in, and without being able to touch it to confirm, one would think it was
made of water too.
“Holy shit.” The female guard whispered in shock as the ten-foot-long creature arched back into the
water after catching the liver in his large mouth, his massive pointed teeth puncturing the organ and
sending blood to spray out and hit the top of the water.
“If I didn’t have to pee, I do now,” George grumbled, his eyes wide in shock before Thomas hit him, and
he regained his composure, standing with his back to us to examine the forest around us for danger.
“On that note, we should return to the castle. If we leave now, we can get there in time for dinner.’
Natalie said, dusting her butt off as I bent down and pulled out the heart. As I tossed it into the air, the
creature shot out again, and George let out a sound of freight before spinning around, not wanting to
have his back to the beast.
I laughed, peering down into the water. “How hungry are you, boy?” His eyes blinked at me once, and I
nodded. “George, do me a favor and throw this deer, would you?”
He looked positively sick. The lack of color in his cheeks was amusing, and Natalie pressed her lips
together to bite back a laugh. ‘Okay.”
George was slow to move to the body, and as the water rippled in excitement, he stumbled back, falling
on his ass and making the rest of us roar with laughter. “I’m just fucking with you, Georgie. Just testing
your limits. Luckily, these guys never leave the water, so you won’t have to fight one. You can stick to
the enemies on dry land to protect your queen.”
With a flick of my finger, the carcass went flying up and over the water, the creature jumping for it
again. Its body is adjusted to fit it. His jaw was unhinged, and he seemed to grow bigger as he sank his
teeth into the animal before dragging it back into the water.
“You’re as twisted as your mate,” George grumbled as he returned to his position. The comment filled
me with pride, and I couldn’t have been happier that he had compared me to Tobias.
On the long walk back, I couldn’t help but toss Natalie’s thoughts around my head. There was no way I
could be pregnant. If I were, the world would become far more dangerous.
A kid raised by me and Tobias would raise hell.
Natalie understood that I was lost in my thoughts and stayed silent next to me, occasionally glancing
over at me to make sure I was okay. I was fine today. While I was still tired, sleeping in had been
monumentally helpful.
The large form of my mate standing at the entrance to the courtyard made all of my worries away. I
would talk to him about Natalie’s theory and then pee on a stick, but not now. Right now, I just needed
to get some food in me.
Watching that water beast take down the deer made me hungry.
I sank into my mate’s side as he joined us, lovingly wrapping his arm around me. His smell made my
mouth water, and I turned my head to kiss his peck as we kept walking. He returned the gesture with a
kiss on my head that made me feel giddy.
Throughout dinner, he kept his hand on my thigh, seeming pleased that my appetite had returned. He
asked me about my day through the mind link, but I didn’t have it in me to discuss needing to rule out
pregnancy in such a public setting. Even if they couldn’t hear me, I didn’t know what Tobias’s reaction
would be. Happy? Angry? Scared?
I would wait until we got home.
My knee was bouncing, and I was growing increasingly more nervous about the conversation as the
meal came to an end.
As the servers cleared the tables to bring out dessert, all suspicion of pregnancy left my mind as Cyrus
hunched forward, letting out a scream of agony that echoed through the dining hall, making every
Lycan and wolf climb to their feet for battle.
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