Dating Two Dragons (93 page)

“I need for you to come with me, Charlie.”

“Come with you to where?”

“I need to take you with me to visit the leader of my pack.”

“What?  Why?”

“I’ve known all along that I am the real leader of the pack.  I’m bigger.  I’m stronger.  I’m smarter, but he has everyone on his side.  He has them all convinced that he is the leader and I’ve had no way to prove him wrong.  That is, until now.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Don’t you get it?  You don’t have some errant twin floating around your body.  You’re pregnant.  I got you pregnant.”

“That’s insane.”

“Did you just watch me turn into a bear and back into a human or not?  Is it any crazier than that?”

“Okay.  Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you got me pregnant.  How does that prove anything about you being the leader of your pack?”

“Because only the true leader of a bear pack can get another man pregnant.  I didn’t even know it was true.  Legend says that our kind were once nearly wiped out, but the leader of the pack somehow prevailed upon a local witch to grant him the power to impregnate his male partner so that the pack might carry on.  Since then, his direct descendants all have the same power.  It’s never been proven true, because I am the first gay descendant of that leader.”

“Then why am I the first one that you’ve knocked up?”

“I don’t know the answer to that.  Perhaps it was the timing of the moon at the edge of fullness or just some point in a cycle I don’t understand.  Maybe it requires that I’m with the one person fate has designated as my true life mate.  Whatever it was, it happened and you are carrying my baby.”

“I can’t let this thing be born, Tommy!  It will kill me!”

“No.  It won’t kill you.  You aren’t the first and they survived without losing their life.”

“How would it even be born?”

“The pack doctor will do a caesarian when the time comes.”

“No.  Absolutely not.  I’m not having a baby I got from a one-night stand.  I’m not having some sort of freak bear baby!”

“Charlie, you are much more than a one-night stand.  I felt something strong for you from the moment we met.  Now I know why.”

“You didn’t even try to get my number or make plans to see me again after our night together!”

“I was afraid you couldn’t accept what I am.  I didn’t want to keep getting closer only to have you reject me once I told you the truth.”

“Well, we are far beyond that now, aren’t we?”

Tommy smiled at him and pulled him close, smoothing his hair with his powerful hands.  Finally, he pulled him away and looked at him for a moment before kissing him softly on the lips.  There was something in his eyes that spoke to Charlie just as it had the first time he had looked into them and he suddenly felt calm, completely at peace.  It was the oddest effect that Tommy had over him.

“It will be okay.  Let’s go take care of getting my rightful place in the pack and anything you want or need will be yours, Tommy.  We will get through this together.  I promise you that you will never be alone.”

Charlie found himself mouthing the word “Okay” as he followed Tommy toward his Lexus.

“Give me the keys.  I’ll drive.  I don’t want to endanger you on the back of the bike.”

Charlie handed him the keys and climbed into the passenger seat.  They started out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction from the way they had gone to Tommy’s place before.

“Tommy, I just started school.  It’s going to look bad if I drop classes so soon.  My parents are going to be livid.”

“Do your parents know that you are gay, Charlie?”

“Yes.  They don’t accept it and I have always kept it private so as not to rub their noses in it, but they know.”

“Okay.  This baby is going to be delivered in about a ten days.  The normal gestation for humans and bears is much longer, but because of the dire straits the pack was in when the first shifter was impregnated, it is said that the gestation was put into a sort of hyper mode.  That seems to be true based on how fast you have started to show and the doctor has been able to detect that this is a baby.  Go to classes until you can’t hide it anymore and then call in sick for a few days.  Once the baby is delivered, you can resume classes as normal.”

“Um, yeah.  That’s all fine and good, except for one thing.”

“What is that?”

“What am I supposed to do with a baby?  A bear baby, at that.”

“You won’t be alone, Charlie.  The pack and I will take care of our baby while you attend classes.  That is, assuming you want to remain a part of the baby’s life.  If you don’t, we will take care of the baby without you.”

“Or I could just have this thing taken out and get on with my life.”

“Do you really want to do that?  How often does a gay man get to have a baby?  Do you not want children?”

“I wanted to adopt one or two someday.  I never considered growing my own and having it excised from my belly.”

“It will be okay, Charlie.  The baby’s blood will empower your body to get through this.  You won’t even be able to see a scar afterwards.  The healing powers of a baby like this will be temporarily embedded in your blood so that your wound disappears almost immediately.  His power will heal your body to its natural state.”

“I need to think about it.  It’s a lot to ask, Tommy.”

“Okay, but you don’t have long.  You have a decision to make rather quickly.”

“I know.”

They both fell into silence as Tommy turned onto an old dirt road that seemed to lead to nowhere.  They drove quite a way down it before entering what appeared to be a bit of a gyspy camp filled with tents and RVs that were situated along some cliffs and a river on one side.  A tall, broad looking man not much older than themselves walked toward the car, flanked by several other men. 

“Come on Charlie,” Tommy said as he climbed out of the car.  Charlie climbed out of the opposite side and made his way around to the front to wait.  Tommy took his hand and walked toward the larger man.

“What are you doing here, Tommy?  I thought we had agreed you’d stay away from the pack while the council decided your fate.”

“My fate?  I think my fate is cemented now, Harrison.  It seems that I was right all along when I said you weren’t fit to be leader.  As it turns out, I’m the rightful leader just as I’ve said all along.  You could have spared me that fight with you if you’d just admit you were a liar.”

“Come on, Tommy.  Why are we going through this again?”

“I’ll tell you why.  You lied.  You claimed to be the descendant of Austin Ambrosio, but you aren’t.”

“And how do you figure that?”

“Because I now know that I am the only descendant.  The legend holds that there will always only be one male child that extends down the line of the Ambrosio clan and I am that male child in this generation.”

“Your claim is quite spirited, but I’m afraid that you have no proof.”

“Ah, but that is where you are wrong.  Have you met my friend, Charlie here?  We met a couple of nights ago and spent a beautiful evening together.”

“And this means what to me?”

“It means that you are a phony, because if you will look a bit closer, you will see that Charlie is pregnant.  The baby he is carrying is mine.”

Tommy reached for Charlie’s shirt and pulled it upward to expose his now very rounded belly.  Charlie looked embarrassed and pulled his shirt back down, standing quietly as the events continued to unfold before him.

“It’s a hoax!  What did you do, fill his belly full of air?  Find someone with a tumor?”

“It’s not a tumor!” Charlie suddenly shouted.  “Don’t you dare call our son a tumor!”

Tommy looked at him, caught off guard by the outburst.  Then he smiled proudly and turned back toward Harrison.

“See?  Not a tumor.  It’s a were bear and it will be here in no time at all to secure our place as the head of this were bear clan.

“I am the leader of this clan.  I am the leader of this motorcycle club.  I don’t care about this little prank you’ve conned your friend into playing along with.  You’ ll never be the leader.”

“Now wait just a minute, Harrison.”

The men all turned to look at an older man who had stepped up from among the crowd that had gathered.  He looked like he was eighty years old, very fragile, with long white hair and a scraggly beard.

“If what Tommy says is true, you cannot keep him from his rightful place as leader.  Once this baby is born, he will automatically take his place as your replacement.  It is stated in our bylaws that only when there is not heir to the Ambrosio legacy can alternate leadership be installed.  If he is, in fact, that heir, it is his place to lead us, not yours.”

“Shut up, old man.  He is full of tricks.  There will be no baby.”

“You need to show respect to your elders.  Time will tell,” the man replied.  “Tommy, take your friend and go for now.  When the baby is ready to be born, call the shaman to bring it into the world.  The council will not hesitate to bring you to the head of the table where you belong.”

“Thank you, Sir.  We will go for now, but we’ll return soon.”

Harrison scowled and looked at them menacingly.  Tommy and Charlie climbed back into the car and left the encampment.

“I’m not sure.  Did that go well?” Charlie asked.

“Yes.  That went well for everyone but Harrison.  He won’t give up leadership so easily.  That puts you in danger, Charlie.  He’ll do anything to keep our child being born, so I’m going to need for you to stay with me until it is.  I will escort you to any classes you need to attend in the interim.”

“So you expect me to go to class with a tattooed biker sitting by me as my bodyguard then?”

“I don’t have to sit beside you, but I will be just outside the classroom and walking with you to each of them.”

“I feel safer already,” Charlie said sarcastically.

“You should.  I’m going to take you home with me now.  We will go get my bike tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Charlie replied.  He felt exhausted, both emotionally and physically.

Back at Tommy’s house, they got ready for bed.  Tommy kissed him softly as he climbed into bed beside him and curled around him, but didn’t attempt anything further.  It was just as well, as Charlie wasn’t sure he was capable of doing anything more than sleeping anyway.  He dozed contently until the wee hours of the morning when loud voices from the other room woke him up.

“Let’s take this outside, Harrison.  You’ve no right to come into my home like this.”

“Where is your little boyfriend, Tommy?  Tell me where he lives.  I will go rip him open right now and prove he has nothing in there but whatever he is dying from.”

“You’ll do no such thing, Harrison.  Now, get out of my house.”

“Is he here?  Is that why you are so anxious to get me out of here?  Awh, did I disturb your little snuggle bed time?”

“I said get out, Harrison.  It’s the last time I’m going to ask you.”

“Or what?  You still think you can take me after the way I kicked your ass last time?”

“That was a long time ago, Harrison.  I’ve grown a lot since then, both as a human and as a were bear.  I wouldn’t do anything foolish if I were you.”

“I’ll do as I damned well please.  No sniveling little butt licker like you is going to unseat me from the head of the clan or the club.”

Charlie heard footsteps approaching the bedroom door and then a terrifying half human half growl as Tommy screamed at Harrison.

“Get outttttt!”

The sound of something breaking filled the house and the sounds grew more muffled.  Charlie wanted to go out and see what was going on but he knew that he was no match for a were bear and putting himself in the way would only bring more danger to Tommy who would no doubt have to protect him in addition to himself.  Instead, he snuck quietly out of the bed and went to the bathroom, climbing into the long linen closet and hiding behind the rack of towels that descended down one side. 

Even with the walls between him and the outside, he could hear the sounds of the two men, who from the sounds of it were now in full bear form, fighting viciously in the back yard.  It seemed to go on forever as their large bodies could be heard slamming against one another and hitting various things in the yard.  A loud howl resounded through the house as one of them was no doubt injured, but Charlie couldn’t tell which was which just from their sounds.

A loud crash came closer to the house as what sounded like a window or perhaps the French doors that led out back shattered.  More howls of pain filled the air as the growling and thrashing continued.  Finally, there was a clawing at the bedroom door as Charlie shrank back further into the closet.  The splintering sound of the door filled the room as the were bear, no doubt Harrison, managed to get through the door and roared loudly.  It was terrifying.

Once again, the sounds of splintered furniture and metal could be heard as the bears continued to fight.  There was a loud crack and one of them whimpered pitifully in pain.  Charlie heart sank at the thought that it might be Tommy.  He kept as quiet as possible so that he wasn’t detected.  The room around him grew quiet as his heart thudded heavily in his chest.  Should he go out and look or stay where he was?  Unsure of what to do, he waited to see if there was any further noise.