Small Fry Chapter 1

3rd November 23631

We sat tense at the dining table, nursing our coffees. Declan sat on one side and I sat on the other. Our legs jiggled nervously and I think together we stared into our beverages instead of consumed them.2

A thick silence filled the living room, as I sensed Declan was trying hard not to look at his wife he had inadvertently impregnated. Normally, married couples would celebrate this kind of thing? But when the couple in question were a 300 year old European Werewolf who had his elderly body reversed back to his twenties when he was transformed into a Circulator; by his 297 year old wife who was the first female Lokoti Werewolf as well as the Last Circulator who perpetually looked to be in her twenties? It kinda put a new spin on things. 3

Declan and I had been mates for 273 years. He had aged slowly as I did not. His bright blue eyes slowly faded with time just as his blonde hair did. He got to show off an ever youthful wife however the drawback was that I may not have aged but I also could not breed. Not only was my bio-electromagnetic field in temporal flux, but it was as if my ovaries and womb were too. Now I had turned my elderly husband into a youthful Circulator too? His sperm matched my eggs bio-electromagnetic frequency and then… ta daa! 4

“B…you’re pregnant.” My European Werewolf/ Circulator husband instantly smelled the change in my hormones the morning after.5

I growled in frustration as I rubbed my face from stress. My long, black hair flopped over my dark blue eyes. How could I have been so stupid? I knew the reason why I couldn’t breed was because of the whole temporal flux/ bio-electromagnetic frequency thing! Why didn’t it ‘click’ in my mind before my newly-youthful husband pounced on his always-youthful wife to celebrate his change? 6

Declan looked up sharply when he heard my growl. I guess he decided to take affirmative action, or try to get a grip on our situation. He took a deep breath before he spoke.7

“OK.” He tried to call our silence to order. “You’re pregnant.” I gave him an unimpressed look for stating the obvious. “Shut up.” He smirked at my expression. “But let’s come up with a plan of attack here, instead of sitting here in shock like a bomb’s just gone off.” 8

“What plan of attack…?” I looked on him still unimpressed. “We’re not planning a battle against a coven of European Vampires.”9

“You’re 24 hours pregnant B.” Declan frowned. “24 hours means it’s still just a bunch of cells inside of you.” I now gave him a peculiar look, wondering what he was trying to say? “Remember our first time together?”10

“It may have been 279 years ago Dec, but yeah…I still remember our first time.” I said dryly.11

“Right.” His frown deepened. “And do you remember what happened right after it? What I did to you?”12

I suddenly straightened as if he had thrown a glass of icy water over me, as my eyes bulged. “No, you don’t mean…?”13

“B, I’m 300 years old. Yesterday, I nearly died of old age! You turned me into a Circulator, so we can evolve to the space time continuum together. You and me having a baby? That would be like an elderly human couple having kids at the age of 70!”14

“But we don’t have bodies of 70 year old humans! We’re both physically in our twenties!” I objected.15

“Two days ago, my joints would hurt going up the stairs! Two days ago when I used to have sex with my wife, I would be lucky if I could make two rounds! Two days ago, I was on pain medication for arthritis! You may have reversed my biological clock B, but I have an old soul! My mind still feels like it’s an old man!”16

“So what are you saying, Declan? That you don’t want to have this thing? This child? This baby?” I asked offended.17

“B, we’re supposed to be evolving to the space time continuum, the way an elderly human packs up and moves to Florida for retirement!” Declan said indignantly. “I mean, can we take this thing with us? To the space time continuum? When you’re pregnant? I mean, we’re supposed to turn into beings of light! What’s going to happen to the child inside you?”18

I let out another growl of frustration as I rubbed my face again. I think this made Declan feel bad, as he stood up from his chair and moved to the one that was right beside mine. He rubbed my back as he spoke in a sympathetic voice.19

“I know how you used to want kids, especially since you couldn’t have any of your own. But I haven’t heard you talk about kids for the last 50 years so I assumed you finally grew out of it. With this happening to us now? It’s like winning the lottery when we’re already millionaires.”20

I groaned as I buried my face into my hands, “I don’t know Declan… I really, really don’t know.”21

“It’s still less than 24 hours, B. All we’re doing is stopping a bunch of cells. OK, look at it this way. You don’t feel bad when you pull a young weed out from amongst your garden bed of daffodils do you? This is the same thing.”22

I turned and looked on him in abject horror at what he was suggesting, “what?”23

“Look, just think about that afternoon in the woods the first time we had sex. You didn’t mind then, did you?” He tried to shrug this off.24

“Yeah, but you said it would stop me from getting pregnant! You didn’t say this would end pregnancy!” I retorted, pulling away from his touch.25

“What I would do would be exactly the same thing… I have to do this now or within the first week or it won’t work.” Declan said seriously.26

“And then what? I’ll have to have an abortion the ‘human’ way?” I asked sarcastically.27

“Yes.”28

“Declan!” I stood up in disgust. “Why are you so eager to kill this thing?!”29

“B!” Declan stood up in disgust at my disgust. “Think about this!” 30

“I AM thinking about this! It’s a little bit hard to think about something else!” I snapped back.31

“B, please.” Declan’s eyes watered. “You’re carrying another European Werewolf in there.” His eyes momentarily lowered to my abdomen. “And I swore I would be the last…”32

I took a wary step back from him, now seeing the light. “Is that your real reason why you don’t want the baby, Declan?”33

“Yes.” He admitted. “I mean, think about our discussion all those years ago when Nairn tried to help us to get pregnant. Remember how I said that we should try for a girl because a boy would be harder to train? What if it’s a boy in there, B? There is no way we can take a new-born male European Werewolf into the space time continuum with us. It would be like letting loose a demon inside of an unprepared heaven.”34

“Why are you so adamant that you want a girl?” I wondered out loud.35

“Because they’re not as strong as males! Female European Werewolves aren’t as strong as male European Werewolves and female Lokoti Werewolves aren’t as strong as male Lokoti Werewolves!” Declan raised his voice. “I don’t trust male European Werewolves! A son of mine would no sooner knock his Lokoti Werewolf mother out of the way to attack the human she was trying to protect!”36

“But you were a little male European Werewolf and you didn’t hurt your mother…” I began to argue back.37

Just then Declan’s expression fell guiltily, “once.”38

“What was that?”39

“Once I did.” Declan’s face paled. “When I was three years old, on my very first full moon. Luckily, your Dad, Grandpa and Grandfather were there. Your Dad caught my Mom before she hit the wall and your Grandfather caught me before I smashed through the locked front door. I would have made a run at a human Lokoti, but the older male Lokoti Werewolves were able to stop me.”40

At first I was startled into silence, but then I tried to console him. “But Declan,” I began. “It was your very first full moon and you were only 3 years old. You were a new Werewolf, you had to be trained.”41

“I know but it took years and years for my training to come into effect. Your Dad caught my pregnant Mom, but from the strength I knocked her out of the way? I could have even harmed Derik whom she was pregnant with at the time. Your Dad never trusted me because of it, which was why he hated the idea of you ending up with me.” Declan looked pained.42

I found it hard to imagine a three year old boy throwing his mother up against a wall when she tried to restrain him. But then I could picture this, if the three year old was in his European Werewolf body. Since their bodies expand so much with supernatural muscle? The three year old Werewolf Declan was probably almost as tall as an adult human, let alone stronger than one. Is this why he’s so afraid of creating anymore European Werewolves, even as children?43

“But hang on.” I shook my head. “Don’t forget that our baby will be half Lokoti Werewolf as well, like its mother.”44

“And what if it’s also a Circulator, like its mother?” Declan arched a wary eyebrow. “Then it could have my strength and your speed! Just imagine if it could sneak out of the house by instantaneously phasing and go snacking on human that way? A Circulator – slash – European Werewolf? We could be creating an almost unstoppable murderer!”45

“Declan!” I walked up to hold his head in my hands to force him to look into my eyes. “I just did create a Circulator – slash – European Werewolf! And I have faith in YOU! Just as I have faith that we could train our child to respect life.”46

“B, you’re not listening to me.” Declan pulled my hands from his face and held them over his heart. “When I was first turned at the age of three, the bloodlust almost ate me inside and out! Night after night, your Grandfather sat with me. I tried so hard not to hunt human, for the sake of my Mom and my little brother. But just as much as I loved my family? Sometimes when the bloodlust got so bad, I would even crave THEM!”47

“I don’t believe you.” I shook my head again.48

“Listen to me B… that first year that I changed? There was a reason why your Grandfather stayed with me night after night to train me. Sometimes I would stand in Derik’s room and watch him sleep in his cot. At first I would look on my little brother with love? But then my stomach would rumble, my mouth would water and the bloodlust would be saying, ‘do it, feed your hunger! Make the pain go away! He would taste so good and he would take your pain away.’ Then my Mom would come into the room and stroke my hair, thinking that I was acting all brotherly and protective over Derik? And her soft hands with those veins standing out from underneath her skin, smelled like the tenderest steak you have ever tasted in your life…”49

“Declan!” I cried out in alarm, as I pulled my hands back sharply.50

“THIS is why I don’t want to risk a son ever thinking that about you!” Declan grabbed hold of my arms. “Because B, I may have fought off the bloodlust from human to animal to protect my loved ones? I WILL NOT abide another threat to come along and destroy everything I worked so hard to build!”51

“So what are you saying? That your son will want to eat me? Do you want to eat me, Declan? Like you wanted to eat your mother and brother?” I asked, hurt.52

“I’ve always wanted you B.” Declan suddenly pulled me close. “You’ve always smelled delicious to me. Then coupled with your aura as a Circulator? You know how you’ll get a specially decorated chocolate Easter Egg that you think is too pretty to eat? So you try to keep it in the fridge for as long as possible, to keep and to look at? That’s what you’re like to me. You smell delicious, but I want to keep you for as long as possible… for as long as possible, B. I want to look on you, smell you and possess you forever. If a child of mine ever looked at you wrong? Then that would be the very last thing that young European Werewolf would ever do.” 53

My eyes watered as I tried again by cupping his face and looking deep into his watery blue eyes, “Declan. Please. Stop. Just listen to me! This child will be half Lokoti Werewolf. Lokoti Werewolves don’t crave their family members or members of the Lokoti Tribe. This child will be half you and half me and I firmly believe that it will be the amalgamation of the best of the both of us.”54

Declan sighed wearily, as his eyes skipped away. Even in human form, he could harden if he didn’t want to listen. Usually Declan would listen, so why wasn’t he now?55

“You don’t think that I’m listening to you? Why won’t you listen to me? B, turn off the stars in your eyes and wake up and smell the coffee! I WAS a young European Werewolf! I KNOW what young European Werewolves are like! Think about it B, in the SSIT Report on Different Breeds of Werewolves? Elisha Worthall noted that European Werewolf children through the eons, have only been sighted TWICE! These were only brief sightings, before the children would disappear. Think about it… why would these children disappear? Did they run away from their parents to start hunting solo at the age of five? Or did the monstrous parents annihilate the little devil if the child either turned on them; or risked exposure by being too hard to control? Our child wouldn’t turn into a Werewolf after the age of ten like a Lokoti Werewolf, but it will be born immediately as a Werewolf! Humans term toddlers going through the ‘terrible twos’? In our case, it would be literally!”56

Declan’s pessimism was seriously scaring me. I pulled out of his arms, which were evidently reluctant to let me go. I took one step back, when they tried to reclaim their hold so I took several more on top of it. 57

I shook my head tearfully as I gave him a betrayed look, “no Declan.”58

“B, c’mon. Just give me ten minutes and it will all be over…” his hand reached out.59

I practically jumped backwards in fright! Who was this baby-killing monster? This can’t be my loving mate for the past 273 years…! 60

As my form of protest, I turned to make a move towards the door when suddenly Declan moved in the speed of light to block my path! 61

What the…?! We both froze in shock. Declan’s been a Circulator for just over 24 hours and he can already move in light speed? This fact unnerved me, at how his European Werewolf genes had leapt onto the Circulator bandwagon and were even going for the reigns! This even gave Declan pause, as he looked from me to the door he was now standing in front of.62

“Woah, I’m gonna have to get used to that.” Declan’s eyebrows arose, then he turned back my way. “B, let’s talk about this.” 63

“I’ve tried to talk about it! You just want to kill it!” my voice grew shrill.64

“IT! That’s right B, it’s an IT!” Declan’s voice rose. 65

“It’s an IT until I know if IT’S a boy or a girl!” I said adamantly.66

Declan’s eyes narrowed, “there’s no way in hell that thing is going to stay in you that long for you to find out.” 67

“WHAT?!” I roared, with my eyes flashing their Werewolf turquoise.68

Declan’s eyes turned their Werewolf green as he fixed his dangerous gaze on my face, “just ten minutes B and it will all be over.” 69

He was starting to scare me and I mean seriously. I turned around to march towards the back door instead, when again a bright blur that was my husband next sped past to block my path. This time when he skidded to a stop, neither of us looked surprised but only determined. 70

“Let’s just review the facts here.” Declan quickly held up his hands in a ‘stop’ gesture. “There’s something else you haven’t considered B.”71

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” I crossed my arms defensively. 72

“What happens to the mother with a European Werewolf growing inside of her?” Declan’s eyes looked right into mine.73

I felt a sudden pang of fear at his intonation, but so he wouldn’t see I tried to cover by looking away impatiently. 74

“Fact one.” Declan started to count on his left hand. “You’re a female Lokoti Werewolf. Lokoti Werewolves are fifty times stronger than a human but European Werewolves are a hundred times stronger. Fact two, is the baby would be created immediately as a European Werewolf, not after their tenth birthday like a Lokoti Werewolf. Fact three, you’re gonna have something in there with claws! It could tear itself out of you if it wanted to! And with that thing’s strength? Can you imagine what it’s going to be like when it kicks?” 75

“Is that fact four?” I asked sarcastically.76

“OK, it can be.” Declan shrugged. “Which brings us to fact five, the change.” 77

“Change? What change? You already said it’s going to immediately be a European Werewolf.” I huffed.78

“What if a foetus this size,” he put together his hands to demonstrate, “changes into its European Werewolf shape whilst it’s inside you? It could go from this to this…” he tripled the space between his hands! “…in a matter of seconds.” 79

My eyes bulged as my mouth fell open and my feet started to move as I backed away in horror…! 80

Declan looked on with a pained expression, “what’s going to happen to the mother then, B? A female European Werewolf could possibly cope with their greater strength and regenerative ability. But what about a female Lokoti Werewolf?” 81

I shook my head in disbelief, unable to believe the horrible picture he was painting.82

My husband rushed forward to grab hold of my arms as he began to plead, “c’mon B, let me do this! In ten minutes it will all be over, I promise! Just give me ten minutes!” 83

“No!” I squealed terrified. “No, Declan! No!” 84

“If you still want a baby after all these years? Then I’ll go out and I’ll find one and I’ll bring you back a human baby! But let’s have a human baby, c’mon B!” 85

“No!” I started to cry as I tried to pull away but he refused to let go.86

“I mean it! I’ll do it today, B! I’ll find you a baby and a human one at that and bring it back to you! But I’d do it as soon as I got rid of the thing inside you!” Declan also turned tearful. 87

“Stop it, Declan!” I tried harder to pull back, but his grip was iron-clad. 88

“B, listen to me! I’ll do this to you right now and then ten minutes later, we’ll phase back through time. We’ll go back in time where there are plenty of orphans! You can pick any human baby you want!” 89

The tears were streaming down both of our faces now, as I realized we were at an impasse. I wanted to have this child and Declan wanted to destroy it, as he was afraid it would destroy me. I was turning desperate for it to live, as he was turning desperate for it not to. 90

Knock, knock, knock! 91

“Er, hello?” Ki opened our front door, as he looked on in concern at the scene he had stumbled onto.92

Our Medicine Man frowned upon the sight of Declan gripping hard onto my arms, with me trying to unsuccessfully squirm from out of his grasp. Ki’s protective Lokoti Werewolf instincts kicked-in, as he disapproved of a larger, stronger being that was holding onto a struggling, weaker one. 93

“Can you please let go of Aunt B, Uncle Dec and maybe we can sit down and talk about what seems to be the trouble?” Ki forced his voice to sound calm.94

“Scan her!” Declan barked out as he didn’t look away from my wet face.95

“What?” Ki blinked.96

“SCAN HER!” Declan roared. 97

“OK Uncle Dec.” Ki raised his hands in a surrender gesture, as he was holding his ‘Medicine Bundle’ which was an old black leather doctor’s bag in his right hand. “Let’s just all remain calm here, shall we?” 98

He slowly lowered the bag onto the floor as if he were afraid of making any sudden moves around the volatile European Werewolf. Next he opened his bag and pulled out his medical scanner. He slowly returned to his feet as he held up the scanner to show Declan.99

“Scan her, Ki!” Declan ordered. 100

I tearfully shook my head as I glared at my husband, “this isn’t going to solve anything!”101

“If you don’t believe me B, then let’s get a medical opinion!” Declan replied. 102

Ki looked from me to Declan, before he turned the scanner on and he waved it in my direction. 103

“Well?” Declan finally looked in his direction, but he didn’t let go of my arms.104

“Aunt B is healthy Uncle Dec, nothing to report…” Ki began as he read off the screen, “…oh, hang on.” 105

There was a pause, as Ki blinked and then he blinked again as if he didn’t believe the results. So he waved the scanner over me again to double-check. Now my face turned away from Declan to look Ki’s way. I watched him go completely still for a minute, before he raised his other hand to thoughtfully rub his jaw.106

“Well?” Declan prompted him. 107

“Um, according to this…” Ki began.108

“B’s pregnant!” Declan finished impatiently. 109

“…from the elevated levels of hormones in Aunt B’s system, the scanner is saying that Aunt B is almost 24 hours pregnant.” Ki tried to put what he saw as a miracle into a scientifically plausible manner.110

“24 hours?!?” Declan and I both exclaimed in further surprise, before we stared at the other.111

“Then that means…” I began.112

“…that I knocked you up probably from our first go.” Declan finished.113

“First go? And this was yesterday, after Uncle Dec nearly died of old age?” Ki lowered the scanner to look on the pair of us. “How many goes were there?” Declan and I threw Ki an unimpressed look. “Never mind, you don’t have to answer that.” 114

I looked back at Declan as he simultaneously turned to me.115

“First go?” I raised my eyebrows. “Boy, there’s everything about your kind that’s strong, isn’t there?” 116

“My argument exactly.” Declan seethed. “Which is why we have to nip this thing in the bud.” 117

“With no pun intended?” I retorted. 118

“Just remember that right now they’re just cells, B. Like I said, in ten minutes it will all be over.” Declan spoke coldly. 119

“And then what Declan?” I changed the subject slightly. “What happens the next time we have sex? You heard the Medicine Man, you knocked me up the first time! I’ll just get pregnant again! Birth control doesn’t exactly work on our kind.” 120

“Birth control for humans maybe.” Declan’s voice turned to ice. “But my kind has its own methods, one of them I’m trying to use now.” 121

“What?” I uttered out as my stomach churned in a sickening manner. “So you want to do THIS all the time?!” 122

“Well what choice do I have?” Declan bit out.123

“That’s not birth control! That’s genocide!” I objected.124

“What choice do we have, B?!” Declan suddenly shouted. “It’s either them or you! You’ll die if you have this thing!” 125

Abruptly we were interrupted by Ki who couldn’t keep up with the conversation because he was still stumped by the news I was pregnant in the first place.126

“Hang on here for a minute, people.” Ki put up his hand. “Let me just get some facts straight here. Uncle Declan nearly dies of old age and is turned into a Circulator by his mate who is a Circulator, who coincidentally is also supposed to be barren. Then they celebrate their love in their typical style, in the bedroom. Uncle Declan as a youthful European Werewolf again, manages to impregnate is barren wife from the first round which I assume there were many rounds. Now, have I got this right?” 127

“Yes!” Declan and I both said impatiently.128

“Man, is this one for the medical books!” Ki shook his head in wonder. “But of course the irony is, we can’t tell anyone because it would give away the fact that Werewolves and Circulators exist.” 129

“B’s eggs are in temporal flux! B turned me into a Circulator by putting me into temporal flux! Even my swimmers are in temporal flux now! Do you get the picture or do we have to draw you a frickin’ diagram?!” Declan snapped bad-temperedly at our Medicine Man. 130

“…aaahhh….!” Ki finally came on board with how this happened. “Right! Got it!” His face showed the proverbial expression of the light being switched on. Then he tried to keep his casual expression whilst he looked on my husband, “so um, Uncle Dec? How about you let go of Aunt B while we talk more on this.” 131

“If I let go of her, she’ll go bolting out the door!” Declan said in annoyance. 132

“He wants to kill it!” I looked on Ki for help.133

“How about we all sit down and talk about this calmly…” Ki began.134

“B’s carrying a baby European Werewolf inside of her, Ki!” Declan yelled. “Something that can claw out her insides, expand when it changes and squash every single organ inside her body! Then when this IT is born it can run in the speed of light since it has two Circulators for parents!?” 135

“Oh.” Ki’s face fell thanks to my husband’s descriptions. 136

“But our baby will be half Lokoti too!” I repeated. “Ki? Tell him it will be half Lokoti Werewolf too!” 137

“Why yes it would be, but the question would be what genetic traits would be inherent in the foetus.” Ki thought out loud.138

“We can’t wait to find out! We can’t risk it!” Declan cried out stubbornly. “We have to get rid of it now!” 139

“We have to do no such thing!” I tried again to escape from the monster’s clutches. 140

“B, please!” Declan used his greater strength to pull me into tight embrace. “Don’t fight me on this! Your life is in danger!” 141

“No it’s not!” I uselessly pushed against his chest. “It is not Declan!”142

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Declan looked on, helpless.143

“Oh yes I do!” I fired up. “My warning signs as a Circulator aren’t warning me about this! I don’t have alarm bells going off inside of my head! If this thing was bad, then I’d have one of my bad feelings which I don’t!” 144

“Wait wait wait!” Ki couldn’t stand watching our physical and emotional fight any longer. He crossed over to try to release me from Declan’s arms. “Let’s just hear her out, Uncle Dec? Please?” This gave Declan pause, when Ki put his hand on Declan’s arm and gave him a pointed look. “Let her go, Uncle Dec please.” 145

Declan looked from Ki to me, as I looked away angrily and I refused to meet his demanding gaze.146

“Fine!” Declan said annoyed. “But if you try anything stupid like running out those doors B? You’ll see that I’m just as fast as you!” 147

“Oh yeah?” his bullying attitude was grating on my nerves. “Do you think that’s all Circulators can do? Just run really fast?” 148

Suddenly Declan’s arms tightened about me, as he growled in my ear, “just you try it!” 149

“OK, I will!” I growled back.150

I tried to instantaneously phase from his grasp, but I oddly I couldn’t. Huh, what? That’s strange. I tried again, but it didn’t work. I should have disappeared from my house in Alaska and reappeared at Circulate HQ on Taurus Six! So why didn’t I? I tried to just go into phase so I could slip from Declan’s hold, but that didn’t work either. My biological body wasn’t turning into one made of light… what’s going on here? 151

When I turned my head around to look back over my shoulder at Declan? He was hugging me from behind, with his eyes squeezed shut and it looked like he was muttering something? It was like he was concentrating against me! But how? 152

“What are you doing?!” I cried out in alarm. “Stop it!” 153

I closed my eyes too and concentrated harder when I felt something happen. I felt my body begin to warm up and a little of the usual tingling sensation, but it wasn’t enough. My skin momentarily glowed, but my biological body didn’t dissolve into waves of light as I wanted it to.154

Ki caught the panicked look on my face, which made him raise his medical scanner and scan the both of us to see what was going on? 155

Whatever it was Declan was muttering? It became louder as I started to work he was chanting the same thing over and over again. When I heard the words? I couldn’t believe the simplistic mode that Declan was somehow using to stop me from going into phase! 156

“Stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me …” he said over and over again. 157

Our Medicine Man lowered his scanner as he looked my way taken aback, “somehow Declan is using his aura to control your aura.”158

“What?!” I exclaimed as my eyes nearly popped out of my head! 159

“Declan is using his bio-electromagnetic field to disrupt your bio-electromagnetic field.” Ki reported his findings. “I can see from the readings that you’re trying to go into phase, as the electrical activity in your brain has increased as well as along your central nerve system? So has Declan’s but instead of going into phase, he’s putting you out of phase.” 160

My eyes further widened in fear as I inwardly blanched, what kind of monster have I created? How is Declan learning his abilities as a Circulator so fast? This can’t be right... it can’t be natural! This was so supernatural it wasn’t funny! 161

“Stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me stay with me…” Declan chanted louder. 162

“Stop it Declan!” I cried out helplessly. 163

“I will if you will.” He replied in between his loud muttering whilst keeping his eyes closed.164

Wait, I think this has happened before… to another Circulator in the past. I wracked my brain as I tried to remember, for some instruction of what to do. I recalled that the Circulator escaped from the other Circulator doing this, by ending the bodily contact. Declan can only do this if he was holding onto me so our bio-electromagnetic fields could be touching. He can’t stop me from going into phase if he wasn’t touching me. 165

“Declan stop it!” I decided to warn him. “I can fight you off, even if it’s just long enough to get away to go into phase. But I would hurt you to make you let go of me. Then once I go into phase and escape? Who says I won’t come back?” 166

I couldn’t see his face properly as he was standing directly behind, but I heard the hurt in his voice. “I know you can B. I know you can… but look at where I’m standing? The back of your neck is right near my mouth. If I thought I was about to lose my grip on you? I would bite your neck where I bit you the first night you changed when I knocked you unconscious. If it means knocking you out and then doing what I have to do, to end this pregnancy? Remember New Orleans and St. Petersburg, let alone every other time where I did what needed to be done for the safety of my mate.” 167

My heart raced as now I was scared to death for my child! I let out a helpless cry as I tried to move my neck away from Declan’s face but I couldn’t move far enough. 168

“Uncle Declan, please.” Ki spoke forcefully. “If you don’t release your hold on Aunt B now, I will have to call on the First to intervene.” 169

That gave both Declan and I pause, as we both knew what this meant. If Caesar was called here to order Declan to release me? Declan as Caesar’s Second would have to obey. If Declan didn’t? He would have a pack of fourteen male Lokoti Werewolves ready to fight the dissenter as well as the threat to their first female Lokoti Werewolf. 170

I sensed Declan’s European Werewolf bloodlust almost throw back its head and roar out its battle cry! His bloodlust would find this kind of challenge fun! But it was Declan’s heart that stayed his murderous desires. He had spent the last 168 years as Second, as he fought alongside of the males as well as led them in numerous fights-to-the-death. He would be turning on his own men, let alone hurting his wife by fighting her people. 171

Just then I felt Declan’s hands release my arms, then I felt his own arms drop. I was free… I turned around and looked dismayed on my mate for nearly harming me by harming my child? As Declan looked tearfully back. 172

“Tell me again you don’t have a bad feeling about this?” Declan rasped out, as if he was having difficulty to breathe. “Tell me how you’re gonna live through this?” 173

“As Aunt B said Uncle Declan, this child will be part Lokoti Werewolf too.” Ki reminded. “Maybe this baby will be exactly half and half? I’ll keep a close eye on Aunt B, I promise. You two won’t be alone. No Lokoti ever stands alone, you know this yourself Uncle.” 174

“B?” Declan didn’t seem to hear him, as he stared transfixed. “Tell me, B. What can you see? Tell me what you ‘see’.” 175

I turned away to walk alone into the darkening kitchen. The whole house darkened in fact, as the sun outside was taken away from the looming dark clouds that were heavy with snow. 176

As if I were in a trance, I wandered over to the kitchen sink to stare out the window above it, at my garden. The grass was still short from the last time it was mown, as the colder weather always stagnated the grass’ growth. I saw my bare Jacaranda Tree move in the cold wind, as it had lost all its leaves. I stared at my wilted garden plots that were just waiting to be buried under the heavy snow that was typical of an Alaskan winter. 177

I didn’t ‘see’ any visions whilst I was staring hypnotically at the life outside of my house. But just as I could have my bad feelings that warn me of danger? If either mine or somebody else who was close to me, if their energy was in danger of disappearing from the time line? I felt several more feelings appear inside my chest, right where my heart was. These feelings didn’t fill me with a sense of dread, instead they filled me with a sense of purpose. I KNEW things that couldn’t be explained by science yet, as I SENSED things which as I came to realize, was from a combination of my Circulator’s ability to see through time as it came from my Lokoti Werewolf extra sensory perceptions. 178

“Our daughter isn’t going to be a Circulator.” I said quietly, almost unsure of my own words. I continued to stare at the bare Jacaranda Tree, when I caught sight of a snow flake fall past the window. “She’s going to be the eldest.” Another snow flake fell past the window and then another. “And none of them will be Circulators.” I watched the snowflakes begin to fall thick and fast on the strong wind, so they fell to the ground in a sloping pattern. “I was meant to be the last.” I watched the many white dots cover the green grass. 179

Suddenly the window rattled from a violent gust of wind, as my Jacaranda Tree bent wildly. 180

“The time line has to make adjustments to compensate from Declan’s altered bio-electromagnetic frequency.” I said softly, as the wind began to whistle past the eaves of our house as a flurry of snowflakes flew by. “My daughters won’t be Circulators like their mother is, because their mother was meant to be the last. But because their mother changed their father, they were created too but not as Circulators. The whole universe has been thrown out of whack.” 181

Then I felt Declan come to stand beside at the sink, as his greater body-heat radiated outwards.182

“Daughters?” he asked softly. “No boys?” 183

A tear slipped from my dark blue eye, as Declan’s relief didn’t bring me happiness but it upset me by his one-track minded pursuit.184

“And what would you have done if it was a son?” I turned and looked up into his own watery blue eyes.185

“If we had a son who was a half Lokoti and a half European Werewolf, but who wasn’t a Circulator? I would do exactly what I’m going to do now.” He said firmly.186

“And what’s that?” more tears spilled over from my eyes which challenged his.187

“Give his mother a kiss and a cuddle and help her raise the little trouble-maker.” Declan emitted a small smile. 188

“After everything that has happened today, what makes you think I want you for the job of fatherhood?” I put my hands on my hips. 189

Declan simply grinned like an idiot – a tearful idiot – but an idiot nonetheless.190

“Since you said ‘daughters’ and not ‘daughter’, it means I’m let out of the doghouse sometime in the future.” He shrugged. 191

“Lucky me.” I said flatly, looking back out the window. 192

Just then Declan laughed and loudly too. He leant on the kitchen sink heavily, as he laughed and laughed. He seemed to be laughing in pure relief! He was laughing like a man who had found his last rations that had been lost when he was snowed in, during a hard winter. 193

“Frickin’ hell, B.” Declan wiped his eyes on the back of his hands since his raucous laughter made him cry again. “I can almost picture her now. She’s going to be tall, with blue eyes and she’s going to make all of the boys work hard as she continually beats them in school and sport.” 194

“Maybe she’ll be a girly-girl who doesn’t want to play soccer?” I shrugged.195

“Nup, not our first born.” Declan shook his head. “She’s going to be half and half exactly, I can tell. I’m gonna teach her how to drive and repair her hover-car if it breaks down. You’re gonna teach her soccer and I bet she’s going to be brainy like you. When you’re not helping her with her homework? She’ll be in the kitchen helping me cook.” 196

“Maybe we shouldn’t be placing all these expectations on her yet.” I said warily. “I mean, your last expectation of her is that she was going to kill her mother!” 197

I thought these words would have wounded him or even kicked him with my hint at his dangerous behavior? But instead they did the exact opposite. Declan stood closely to smile down.198

“B, since I was 14 years old, I have trained my mind never to think of myself as a father.” Declan confessed. “It was that age when the Lokoti Werewolves told me that I could never take a human woman for a mate for risk of harming her or turning her. I thought to myself, if they’re scared of me changing her? Then they probably wouldn’t want me to have kids that were like me either. When I fell in love with you when I was 17 years old? I thought well since you’re human let alone younger than me I still can’t touch you so I still can’t have kids. Then you changed before your 18th Birthday and I kissed you when I stopped you from hunting human? I thought, great! So I get to have sex but I probably still won’t be allowed to have kids.” 199

That gave me pause as I sensed that this sudden confession was an honest one. His words and the emotion behind them hurt my heart as I felt like throwing my arms around him to offer comfort, but I stayed my limbs.200

He continued, “when you were married off to Grant instead of me? This only compounded the idea that the pack thought the risk of me breeding with you was far too great. Then it came out you were so-called barren and you couldn’t give Grant kids? I thought, sucked in Grant! She was meant to be mine all along! Then for 274 years I got to enjoy the marriage bed with you with out worrying the pack about what the marriage bed could produce. Low and behold, you turn me into a Circulator and bingo! A baby makes three? I’m sorry I didn’t run out immediately to buy a bottle of champagne and a cigar. For nearly 300 years I was taught and self-taught that I wasn’t father material because I could plant a rotten seed.” 201

Now this really gave me pause, as I never knew his deep self-hatred was buried so deep inside of him, it was thoroughly rooted in his psyche. 202

“Declan I would breed with you any day and twice on Sunday.” I said strongly. “Why the hell do you think I threatened to hurt you when you threatened to hurt the baby? I know the seed is as good as the man.” 203

My husband abruptly pulled me into his arms so he could look hungrily into my eyes. “Say that again, B.” 204

I cupped his face as I peered directly into his eyes, “I know the seed is as good as the man.” 205

“Say it again?” 206

“We’re going to have an awesome child who’s going to be like their awesome father.” 207

“Say it again?” 208

“I don’t want to procreate with anyone but you.” 209

“Say it again?” 210

“Declan, I’m hungry.” I whinged tiredly, changing the subject from how emotionally and physically exhausted I felt. 211

“Right! Food!” he instantly stood to attention. “Well B, you’re a pregnant woman who is mated to the right guy in relation to food. I’ll keep you so full that you’ll never get any of those reknown cravings pregnant women are supposed to get. Ki? Would you like some brunch…?” 212

However when Declan and I turned to look, Ki was no longer standing there.213

“Ki?” I called in surprise, but there was no answer. 214

Declan and I exchanged a surprised look as we departed from the kitchen to find Ki, his scanner and his ‘Medicine Bundle’ were gone. 215

“Oh.” We both said in surprise. 216

“I guess he thought the emergency was over.” I said flatly.217

“That and I think he’s gone to Caesar to have a talk about us.” Declan frowned thoughtfully. 218

“Why?” I looked on in alarm. “You did let go, eventually.” 219

“Well B? Let me put it this way.” Declan leaned casually against the wall. “The tribe’s first female Lokoti Werewolf who is also the Last Circulator, turns the last European Werewolf who is her mate into a Circulator. For over 250 years, everyone thinks she’s barren. Bingo! Her handsome and charming husband does the manly thing by knocking her up? Baby will make three in the Sabre household, but is the world’s first half Lokoti/ half European Werewolf.” 220

I smiled on his dry sense of humor, “I like your little explanations. They’re like little stories in themselves.” 221

“Thanks.” He emitted a boyish grin with his youthful bright blue eyes and blonde, spiky hair. “So, what does the pregnant woman crave? Bacon and eggs? Or sausages, eggs and pancakes?” 222

“Um, how about all of the above?” I shrugged. 223

“I love my wife!” Declan chuckled as he moved closer. “Man are we going to have fun over the next nine months.”224

“Man, are we going to have an interesting next ninety years.” I corrected.225

Declan pulled back sharply to give me an incredulous look, “ninety years?!”226

“There’s kids and then there’s grandkids.” I reminded. 227

“Oh yeah.” Declan frowned as he turned to go into the kitchen to prepare. “By the time we make it to the space time continuum? We really will be like a pair of seventy year old humans, moving to Florida to retire.” 228

“Yup.” I sighed, moving to sit up on the bench to talk while he cooked. “In a couple of years you could have a daughter sitting here instead of me.”229

“Why? Where will you be?” Declan passed me a funny look as he started to pass me the ingredients to cook up breakfast. 230

“I don’t know… away lecturing?” I shrugged.231

“So what? Because I’m the cook, I’m gonna turn into the house-husband?” he asked annoyed. 232

“Well, you are retired.” I reminded.233

“Hmm.” Declan frowned as he paused in his food preparation. “I guess you may have to keep up with your academic work to bring home the bacon. After working at the same job in the same place for over 280 years, I’m in no hurry to return to the Garage. Our ‘rug rat’ is going to need to eat to grow.” 234

“The way you constantly shove food down my throat? I doubt our kid will ever go hungry. It’s a good thing we’re having Werewolf children and not human children. With their supernatural metabolism we won’t have to worry about our child becoming obese.” I said dryly.235

“Damn straight!” Declan suddenly picked me up to swing me around. “I’m going to be a father! I finally knocked up Bianca Sabre ladies and gentlemen! I knocked up the unknockable woman! And she WANTS me and my child more than anything!” 236

I squealed in fright at first, then in laughter. “We’re going to have a baby!” 237

“We’re going to have a baby! We’re going to have a baby!” Declan now chanted.238

“Declan!” I cupped his face. “Do you know how good it feels like when I get to give the man I love a child?” 239

“Er, about as good as it does for me to know that I’ve finally given you the thing that you always wanted?” Declan smiled tenderly as he leaned in close. 240

“I already have you and I always wanted you.” I stroked his cheek. “And now baby makes three!”241

“Baby makes three.” Declan gently rubbed his nose against my face. “My baby B and I are having a baby female Werewolf!” 242

“A one-of-a-kind, just like her parents.” I sighed happily. 243

“A beautiful girl just like her beautiful mother.” Declan mumbled before his lips smothered mine. 244

I allowed this kiss, even though a part of me was still on guard. There was a tiny part of my brain that was murmuring, ‘careful’. It was like my instincts didn’t entirely trust Declan’s turn-around all because his progeny would be female. 245

“Man! I fee like an idiot.” Declan moaned as he gently banged his forehead into mine.246

“Why?” I gave him a close look, which wasn’t hard considering our faces were only a couple of centimeters apart.247

“We could have done this ages ago!” Declan sounded annoyed with himself. “Just imagine what it could have been like if this happened 279 years ago. Imagine our first time in the woods where I pounced on you, but I was a Circulator then too. We could have started a family then, so you never would have married Grant for those five years. I could have made my Mom a grandmother sooner. She would have been thrilled about this, if she were here.” 248

“Yeah well it nearly did happen, but we both chickened out.” I reminded. “I was about to turn 18 years old and after you pounced on me? You did whatever you did because you were worried I would become pregnant which neither of us were ready for then.” 249

“Yeah but B?” Declan pulled away slightly to stare into my face. “Remember once you postulated about the idea of sending a letter back in time? Now that we’re both Circulators, we could! I could write myself a letter that says ‘let her change you, you idiot and then knock her up’. Then hand-in-hand I would walk you home from the woods afterwards and look your father in the eye and declare that we were mates.” 250

“Yeah but Declan.” I faltered. “My Dad would KILL you.” 251

Declan laughed out loud at the thought, “he could TRY to kill me B. But I take a licking and keep on ticking!” 252

“Declan! You’re acting delirious!” I looked on warily. 253

“I just wish we could have had our parents and your grandparents here for this.” Declan sighed. “I wish I could have got to see my human mother hold my daughter in her arms, before she died of old age.” 254

I paused from the strong sense of longing I felt inside of him, as he was picturing this in his mind.255

“Derik got to have the happy family life with the wife and kid. He gave my Mom two grandkids whom she loved to death. I just wish that I could have done the same. I just wish that the tribe and the pack hadn’t feared the idea of me creating mini-European Werewolves in the forms of children. I just wish that your father never rallied for the idea that you should marry Grant, but he trusted me enough to take care of you.” 256

This really made me stop still, as I felt these old hurts of his never closed nor went away. Declan’s expression was more than wistful, it was a mask of pain. He looked up from staring at the floor to meet my waiting gaze.257

“I remember the meeting the pack had with the Council of Tribal Elders like it was only yesterday. They met to talk about the tribe’s first female Lokoti Werewolf who was also a Circulator. Your Dad was beside himself with worry, as he was scared that you might escape with your greater speed and kill a human. Your Grandfather warned that they couldn’t keep dosing you with DYSTAR or whatever it was called, that stopped you from phasing because you could build up a resistance. Then it was a Tribal Elder that came up with the idea of mating you to another Werewolf who could stop you from craving human as well as help with your training? And everyone just immediately looked at Grant like I could have been invisible or something. Nobody even looked my way much less thought of me as a possible suitor. When I spoke up by reminding everyone that it had been me who had stopped you from crossing the border of Lokoti land? Your Grandfather mused how I might be fast enough to keep up with you but your Dad put a stop to it immediately. Hunter Wisetail walked over to stand beside his best friend Ian Elm and his little brother Grant and said that a female Lokoti Werewolf should be mated to a male Lokoti Werewolf. Of course Harry who was First at the time as well as the Tribal Elders all liked the sound of that.” Declan recanted bitterly.258

I leant back against the kitchen bench as I listened to the jealousy in Declan’s voice which never faded even after 279 years. 259

“You mean Grant wasn’t asked?” I started to frown. “When I first found out about the arranged marriage, Grant told me he had been asked.” 260

“Yeah he was formally asked at the meeting, by Harry and the Tribal Elders. But you with your aura and your pheromones let alone your pretty face? They may as well as have announced that he had won the lottery instead!” Declan snorted as he returned to preparing our late breakfast. “Nobody even apologized to me! I’m sure my feelings for you were suspected even if they weren’t spoken of? Finn and your Grandfather only a couple of times when I was alone with them, made mention of them. But they both knew I had to keep my distance because my little brother who just happened to be your best friend, had feelings for you too.” 261

I watched Declan slap the bacon bad-temperedly into the frying pan which instantly began to sizzle, as he threw in a couple of hashbrowns too. 262

“Finn and Grandfather knew?” I echoed in surprise, as I thought our forbidden love as it was then, had always been a secret?263

“At a dinner at your grandparents house one night, when I was 18 years old and you would have been 15? You typically walked off angry after one of our many fights and went to go stand with Derik as usual. As I watched you walk away when I really wanted to kiss you instead? Your Grandfather caught the expression on my face and gave me a knowing look. When your father was out of earshot, your Grandfather said ‘good things come to those who wait’. That was the only thing he ever said about it, as he didn’t disapprove but he did keep quiet.” Declan said.264

He cracked several eggs in a bowl and proceeded to beat them so hard, the whisk made a squealing sound against the thick glass bowl. I watched him add the other ingredients for pancakes, as he cooked from memory. 265

“When it was just me and Finn at the Garage, when the other guys were either on their lunch break or had gone home or whatever? We would be leaning over a vehicle and then Finn would say as casual as can be, ‘so Declan, do you like soccer?’ I wouldn’t look up as I would be in the middle of something and I would reply, ‘yeah I like it fine.’ Then Finn would say, ‘I was wondering why you kept watching the other kids play. Here I was thinking it could be over a girl instead, who just happened to be running around the field with your little brother.’ In surprise, I dropped the wrench into the motor when I hit my head on the hood!” 266

I cracked up laughing, as I could very well imagine Finn with his cheeky sense of humor bringing it up like that! Even Declan chuckled as he continued to cook. 267

“Finn would only talk about it when we were alone. Sometimes in summer during the long daylight hours when the bloodlust was making me restless? We would stay up until midnight repairing engines. This was when we talked the most, as Finn would talk about his wife and kids. Then he would sneakily bring you up by suddenly saying, ‘so how’s your spectator sport going?’ and we would talk about you in the third person and never actually say your name. We always referred to you as ‘that girl who really liked soccer’.” 268

I felt myself blush as I hopped back up onto the bench to sit and listen.269

“When the truth came out about us to the whole tribe? And we first moved in together? Finn gave me an early mark nearly every day for two months so I could go home sooner to you. When I started to feel embarrassed at the favouritism he was showing me? Finn said in front of the whole crew that were working that day, ‘you’ve done your hard work Declan. Now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labors’.” Declan sighed as he finished up the pancake mix. 270

I watched him pull out another frying pan to cook it in. “Finn said that?” 271

“Finn, my Mom, your Mom and your grandparents at first seemed like the only people who didn’t have a problem with our coupling.” Declan frowned as he tipped some of the pancake mix into the frying pan. “I felt your father’s and Ian’s uneasiness for years. Your father never trusted me with you. I think the only thing that stayed his objections about us was that you couldn’t breed back then. If you had become pregnant to me at that time? Your father would have had the same reservations that I spoke of, with what carrying a European Werewolf inside you could do.” 272

“A half European and a half Lokoti Werewolf.” I corrected him again. 273

“B, I’m gonna watch you like a hawk.” Declan suddenly leaned in close. “If you thought my stalking behavior was bad before we became mates? You have no idea what it’s going to be like when you’re pregnant! I’m gonna be stuck to your side 24/ 7. I’m gonna be worse than superglue! Because as much as I’m happy about being offered the chance of playing the ‘happy family’ with the wife and the kid? If this pregnancy turns dangerous for you in anyway…” 274

I interrupted him when my hand dipped into the raw pancake mix and then I smeared it across his cheek! 275

“There.” I said simply. “I’m just preparing you for what it’s going to be like feeding our baby daughter.” 276

“Well if she’s going to be anything like her feisty mother? The food is going to be worn on the walls!” my mate chuckled, referring to another incident in our past. 277

Declan dipped his finger into the mix before he slowly ran it down my neck and then along my collar bone. Next he leaned in to slowly lick it off with his hot, strong tongue which made my stomach melt and my eyes flutter closed. He wasn’t in a hurry to pull away either, in fact he pulled me closer as he turned really amorous.278

“Um, Declan?” I half-opened my eyes when I noticed a new smell. “Your bacon is burning.” 279

“B, you have no idea…!” 280

I almost relaxed with laughter when I felt his sharpening teeth bite harder into the soft tissue of my neck.281

“We’ve hardly eaten in the last two days! In between you nearly dying of old age and then with you trying to end my pregnancy? I’m STARVED!” I said indignantly.282

Declan reluctantly pulled away as he gave me a long look, before he returned his attention back to the stove. 283

~~~~~~~~