Authors: Kelly Clark
Soon enough, Kerri was reaching her third orgasm. Patrick was reaching his first. As he felt his balls tighten his bear took control and before he could stop himself his teeth sunk into Kerri’s delicate neck as his nails dug into her back. He had marked her.
Chapter 9
In their pleasure, the couple had forgotten themselves. They had forgotten
protection,
and before they could stop it, Patrick was shooting his load into her bare womb. Kerri’s eyes grew large as she felt his seed filling her.
“P…Patrick… did you put on a
…
c…condom?” Kerri stuttered. Patrick’s eyes grew large as he looked down. He had ridden her
bareback,
and now he had climaxed inside of her.
Kerri could see the answer on his face. She could feel herself start to freak out as the threat of pregnancy terrified her.
“Kerri… please
…
calm down
…
it’s okay
…
even if you are…” Patrick couldn’t make himself say the word. He continued regardless. “Even if you are… I will stay by your side every step of the way… I will never abandon you. That’s a promise.” Kerri looked into his sincere eyes. She knew he was telling the truth.
Finally,
she nodded her head and calmed down.
Maybe starting a family with Patrick wouldn’t be so bad. She smiled at the thought and suddenly being pregnant wasn’t too bad. If she was going to have a family with anyone it would be Patrick.
“You promise?” She asked, softly. He smiled, leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
“I promise.” As he said
this,
he carried her to bed before gently lying her down. He crept into bed beside
her,
and they fell asleep, happily embraced in each other’s arms. It was a dream come true for Patrick
Chapter 10
Six months later, Kerri found herself working in her office. Her stomach was already well
formed,
and she smiled as she felt the soft kick of her baby inside of her. She rubbed her stomach gently, thinking about Patrick. Ever since their passionate night together, they had officially started dating, and now they were happily in love. Life was perfect.
Soon, Kerri got back to work, trying to finish up a big project before going home for the day. Just as she was about to log off, she was summoned to Mr. Lane’s office. She gulped nervously but managed to make her way to the office without the help of the secretary. When she entered the
office,
she looked around, trying to find the CEO of Lane Industries.
Instead, she found Jerimiah Lane standing there, a grin on his face. She looked at him curiously. Suddenly everything went black.
***
Kerri woke up a few hour later to find herself tied up to a chair. She couldn’t
see,
and she started to panic. Suddenly, as she began to struggle a light turned on over her head, making her close her eyes. Slowly, she started to open them, letting them adjust to the sudden brightness.
As she did, she looked up to see Jay standing there. Fear started to creep under her skin as she stared into his merciless yellow eyes. What was he going to do to her? A million questions ran through her head as she tried to free her wrists from their bonds. It was useless, however. He had her trapped. She was helpless.
Jay looked down at her now. As he
did,
he started to
circle
her. He grinned like a maniac, putting her nerves on edge. Kerri wanted to yell out at
him,
but her lips were taped shut. She was rendered mute. All she could do was look up at him.
Suddenly, he was in front of her, his fingers tightly gripping her chin. She winced in pain trying to get away. He grinned at her, as something evil lurked
in
his expression.
“Do you want to learn something? Hmm…?” He asked before letting go of her and
circling
her again. “Did you know that the baby…” He pointed at her stomach now. Kerri flinched away at his movement. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as her fear continued to grow. “Is going to kill you?”
Kerri’s eyes grew large at his words. He was lying. Patrick would never put her in danger like that!
“No… I guess you didn’t. But let me tell you
…
humans can’t
bear
the children of shifters. You have a
bear
growing inside of you. How well do you think that will go? That thing will rip you open from the inside.” Jay continued to spew these lies at her. Kerri tried to block them out. She tried to ignore him but soon enough she started to believe him. What if he was telling the truth?
“It will be a very painful death. Much worse than a
normal
birth. The bear will claw its way out of you, causing immense pain and then you will bleed out. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?” He grinned as he looked at her horrified look.
“The truth of the matter is that bear of yours. Patrick, is it? He used you. Shifters like us only use human women to carry our children. He doesn’t love you.” The words
pierced
through Kerri’s chest like an arrow. She felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces. It couldn’t be true, could it?
“Patrick just used
you,
” Jay said the words casually. They ripped through her soul. Tears started to spill out of her eyes, trailing down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe this. She loved Patrick. She had trusted him. Now she felt so betrayed.
“But don’t worry sweetie. I will put you out of your misery before that happens.” Jay grinned at her as he pulled out a gun. Kerri’s eyes grew large as she looked at the black barrel pointing at her. He had the gun between her eyes, his finger on the trigger.
“Don’t worry this will be a quick and painless death.” There was a smirk on his face now. Kerri sobbed with terror as she closed her eyes and uttered a small prayer. She didn’t want to die.
She flinched as she heard him cock the gun. She knew the end was near and started to tremble. She tried to plead with him through her gagged
lips,
but it was useless.
Jay was about to pull the trigger when a crashing noise sounded throughout the room. Patrick, in his bear form, suddenly tackled Jay to the ground. The gun flew to the other side of the room, out of his grasp. The two of them started to fight, their animal forms roaring and lashing out at each other. Suddenly, Patrick turned into his human form and dashed for the gun. He grabbed it quickly and pointed it at the wolf. Without
reserve,
he pulled the trigger. Jay hit the ground, lifeless. Patrick unloaded the gun to find silver bullets. How ironic.
Patrick then made his way to
Kerri,
who was sobbing. He quickly untied her before pulling her into his arms.
“Shh… it’s okay now
…
you’re safe
…
he’ll never hurt you again. I promise.” He whispered as he kissed the top of her head. She cried into his chest for a moment.
“P…Patrick?” She whispered softly, looking up at him with
red-rimmed
eyes.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“J… Jay… said that you were using me… that the baby would kill me…” Kerri was going to continue when Patrick stopped her. He gently put his finger to her lips. He gently took hold of her face, his hands on her cheeks. Their eyes locked.
“Would I ever hurt you?” She hesitated before shaking her head. “And do you know why I would never hurt you?” She again shook her head.
“Because I love you.”
*****
THE END
Chapter One
The napkin in Hettie’s hands was nearly ripped to shreds before she noticed she was pulling it apart. She stopped, felt her cheeks flush and looked around to see if anyone had
noticed
. She licked her lips and looked back out the window at the passing scenery. She was leaving everything behind, her father, brother and uncle, her best friend and her dream of being the schoolteacher for the town she grew
up in
.
She was nervous but knew what needed to
be done
. The man she was going to meet and marry had given her father enough money to get the store out of the red and into the black. She needed to be strong and accept that things had to change.
At 24, she had never expected to leave her home and travel across the
country
to marry a stranger. But it was apparently her lot in life. God must have decided this for her or she wouldn’t have felt as compelled to go when her father mentioned it. He’d shown her the ad and asked if she would be willing to make that kind of change. The war had put an economic strain on their small
town,
and the store was beginning to fail. Although her family were all supporters of President Lincoln, it didn’t put money in their accounts.
James Banks had placed the ad. He was Sheriff of the town of Elko, in Nevada, and was looking for a bride. He was willing to help them financially if she would agree to travel there and marry him. She had accepted.
It was four weeks ago that the prospect of this adventure
was placed
before Hettie. Her mother had died when she was only
twelve;
she barely remembered her. She had grown up in the loving,
firm
care of her father and uncle, her mother’s brother. Her older brother of two years had also vowed to protect her throughout her life and had held true to that statement, keeping her safe from harm whenever it approached. And it had.
Hettie was fully aware of the methods of men. She had sometimes
been accused
of being too rough, though she was a small, fit young lady, with long blond hair that waved around her
petite
face. Her eyes sparkled an aquamarine blue and were framed by long dark blond eyelashes. She had small red lips and high cheekbones. She certainly didn’t look rough on the outside.
She wondered what James
was like
. A Sheriff. She guessed he might have a lot of rough characters he had to deal with regularly. She hoped he wasn’t a big, tough man. She didn’t want to be fighting for the rest of her life. That sounded miserable.
She was working herself into a frenzy. She pulled in a deep breath and relaxed her muscles. She would have a headache by the time she got there if she wasn’t careful. That was the last thing she needed.
“Are you all right, dear?” the elderly woman sitting next to her leaned forward and looked up into her eyes. Hettie gave the woman a smile and nodded.
“I am, thank you.”
“You look very nervous. Is this your first time on the train?”
“I did a little traveling with my father when I was
younger,
” Hettie confessed. “But
this time,
I am traveling alone. I’m not a
little girl
anymore. But I feel like one inside.”
The woman nodded emphatically. “I can understand that, sweetie. You are off on your
own
adventure then?”
“Yes, I’m going
to the West
to start a new life.”
“
Oh,
my. Leaving all you knew behind, are you?”
“Yes.”
The woman nodded, put a hand forward and rested it on Hettie’s “I’m Ester
Canaberry
. What’s your name?”
“Hettie Longfield.”
“Well, it’s good to meet you, Hettie. Do you know where you will be living when you get to the West?”
“Elko. I’ll be wed to the Sheriff there.”
“How interesting.” Ester nodded, taking her hand back and resting it in the other small wrinkled one on her lap. The knitting needles she had been using clinked when she set her hands down. “Do you know how to knit?” She asked, glancing down.
“I do.” Hettie nodded.
“Would you like to do some with me while we travel?”
Hettie had to smile again. She nodded without a word and lifted her hands to receive the work Ester had been
working on
. She inspected it. “Is it a bonnet?”
“It is. It’s for my great grand baby girl, Mona. I am also traveling to Nevada, but not Elko. That’s where my daughter lives now. She went there in the same fashion as you.”
Hettie’s eyes opened wide. “Isn’t that a coincidence?”
Ester tilted her head. “Yes, it does seem so.”
Ester’s stop was before Hettie’s, so she spent the last hour riding by herself. She had finished the bonnet for Ester, who praised the work vehemently, making Hettie blush furiously. She was relieved to hear that her stop was next and gathered her bag in her lap, retrieving her coat from where she had set it next to her. She certainly didn’t need it. The air was
very warm
and dry.
She
patiently
waited until she
was given
permission to depart. She looked out through the window at the platform outside. It
was deserted
. She pulled in a deep breath, stood up and walked out of the cabin.
She was the only one leaving the
train,
but
there were several people getting
on. She watched them when she stepped off as they said goodbye to their friends or family. It made her miss her brother and father.
A couple was coming toward her with attentive looks. She straightened her spine and made sure
a pleasant
look was on her face. They didn’t look
very happy,
but they also didn’t
look
unfriendly. She was confused by their presence and prepared herself for whatever might be coming her way.
“Hello!” The woman was the first one to greet her. She was tall, slender and dressed in a single layer dress, tall boots that reached halfway up her calves and was carrying a parasol with bright colors on it. Hettie had to assume it was to keep the sun from bursting down too much on the woman’s head because there was not a single chance of rain. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
“Hello,
” Hettie responded, smiling at the woman and reaching out to take her hand.
“You are Hettie?”
“I am.”
The woman nodded and looked back at the man she
was with
. He was tall, muscled and looked like he wanted to turn around and run right then and there. Hettie was somewhat amused, wondering if he was the man she was to marry. He certainly didn’t have the countenance of a Sheriff. She suddenly envisioned herself taking over as Sheriff of the town in his place. She lifted her hand to hide a giggle.
“This is John, my husband. I am Elizabeth
Bannerman,
but you can call me Liz. We are here to pick you up. Are you prepared? Do you have your bags?”
“This is what I have here.” She gestured to the two luggage bags sitting next to her.
Liz looked up at John and nodded. He gave her a distinct look, leaned down and picked up the bags. Without saying a word, he turned and went back toward the edge of the platform, where six steps would take them down to the parking area. Hettie saw a pretty yellow carriage waiting there, with two horses leading it that looked tall and majestic.
“Very nice
carriage,
” Hettie said, admiringly.
“Why, thank you, Hettie.”
Once they were in the carriage, Hettie tried not to mention the tension between the husband and wife.
It was so thick; Hettie thought she would be able to cut it with a knife.
She looked from one to the other. He was looking out the window, his jaw set. She was smiling at Hettie with a nervous look.
“May I ask why James did not come to get me?” Hettie
asked
in a small voice. She was a strong
woman,
but the pressure in the room was palpable.
John made a strange, grunting sound in his throat and Liz cast him a look before dropping her eyes.
“You need to tell her before we get there, Liz. You can’t leave her in the dark.”
“I’m sorry?” Suddenly Hettie was afraid she had made
a bad
decision answering the ad. She peered at both of them, settling her eyes on Liz’s
friendly
eyes to calm herself.
Liz sighed deeply and leaned forward. She put her hands on Hettie’s knees and looked at her pleadingly.
“John is upset because I…you…well, you see, John and I decided to play matchmaker.”
“This is you, Liz.” John shook his head. “I was skeptical.”
“You didn’t have any problems with it before, John.”
“I changed my mind.”
“It’s too late for
that,
and you know it.”
“Please tell me what’s going on.” Hettie pleaded, taking Liz’s hands and squeezing them gently.
Liz pressed her lips together in an attempt to give Hettie a reassuring look. “I placed the ad and sent for you, dear. James is my
brother,
and I feel he has been alone long enough.”
“How long has he been alone?” Hettie
asked,
the tightness in her chest loosening just a little with the
secure
sound of Liz’s voice.
“A little over three years. And you have never been married?”
“No. In his
…
your letter, you didn’t mention how old James is.”
“He’s 29.”
Hettie was relieved he wasn’t too much older than she was. “Has he any children?”
“No.”
“Did you tell her anything at all about James in your letter, Liz?” John sounded annoyed but looked less stressed than he had a few minutes before.
Liz looked at him. “
Of course
I did, John! I just…did
n’t
mention those things.”
“So you just described him and said he’s the Sheriff?”
Liz ignored him and looked at Hettie again. “He’s got a good heart, Hettie, you don’t need to be afraid of him. He won’t hurt
you,
and he’s not in the saloons or bars
much,
so you don’t have to worry about that. He doesn’t spend any time with the women in town either. He has a lot of…” She
stopped,
and her face flushed a little as her emotions got a hold of her. “He has a lot of memories that it’s difficult for him to get
rid of
. I think a fresh start with a new woman will do him some good.”
Hettie rolled that statement around in her mind. She agreed that
a fresh start
was always a good idea, especially when things got tough. But she’d been deceived and wasn’t sure how she felt about it. If James wasn’t the man who had paid her family and it had been Liz instead, that meant her preconceived perception of him was flawed. In fact, she had never communicated with him at all. She had no clue what he would
be like
.
Plus, Liz was fond of saying the word “I
.”
She had made all the decisions here. What kind of person was her brother?
Hettie moved her eyes to John, who was looking out the window again. He glanced at her just when she looked at
him,
and she dropped her eyes.
He
didn’t
look
nearly as upset now. He kept his eyes on her for a few more moments, considering her. Then he looked back out the window with a thoughtful gaze. She couldn’t help wondering what he was thinking.
Liz leaned forward again, getting her attention. “Don’t you worry, Hettie. I like the way you look. You are sweet and
kind;
I can tell. James will love you. You’ll see!”
Hettie just smiled at her.