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Consequences	By : Sabriel0405 Category: Anita Blake > Het Views: 4737 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Anita Blake series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
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Chapter 8

I woke slowly, my languid body enveloped by a living electric blanket. The full moon was only a day away and Micah’s body temperature had risen accordingly. When Nathaniel was in bed with us, it was like sleeping in an oven. Great in the winter. Actually, Micah didn’t like either of them sleeping with me too close to the full moon. Not unless we were sure the ardeur had been sated. Micah had never slipped his control with me but he wasn’t interested in pushing that edge. The last two months had been hard on him.

Memory assailed me as I came fully aware and the hot blush stained more than my cheeks. Micah was awake. His body tensed around mine and he smoothed a hand down my silk-covered hip. I stopped breathing. The nightgown that Jean-Claude had slipped on me, the one he had torn from my body, was unscathed. Hell, I was wearing it.

“It was just a dream, Anita. Just a dream,” Micah whispered in my ear. If anything, I blushed harder. Every time I believe I’m beyond embarrassment, I’m proven wrong. I relaxed against him again and turned in his arms.

“Were you there?” I asked. I didn’t know how Jean-Claude controlled the dreams. I knew that in those that Asher had been in, he had been a fully aware participant.

“No, but when Jean-Claude woke me a little before dawn, he told me that he had included me. I used my imagination. Particularly since you were still flushed, though the dream had ended hours earlier.”

My face kept heating. At this rate, we’d be able to cook on my cheeks. “It was intense,” I said. The understatement of the year. I rolled away from him and got off the bed. My limbs were stiff from being in one position for so long. The lights were on full daylight mode and I wondered about the time. I wasn’t wearing my watch. “What time is it?” I asked.

“A little after ten,” Micah said, watching me move the way a cat watches a mouse. It made me a little nervous but he apparently realized what he was doing and shook his head as if to clear it.

“Wow. I haven’t had this much sleep in ages.” I felt rested. My world had not fallen apart. Yet. There was still more to come. But not right away. I used the bathroom, brushed my teeth and got back into bed. Since I couldn’t have coffee, lying between silk sheets was the only vice left to me. Assuming I wasn’t shooting someone. Micah laid a gentle kiss on my lips.

“We have to tell the pard,” he said. I nodded. It was time. “But the real question is when to tell Richard.” I recoiled but he wouldn’t let me go. “He’s going to find out sooner or later. Wouldn’t you rather it comes from you?”

“Yes, but not yet. He’ll hurt Jason, Micah. He’ll hurt him for something that wasn’t his fault. It’s one of the few times he’ll damage first, ask questions later. I’ve just shaken Jason’s world. I don’t want to destroy it!” I wanted to finger my knife or my gun but they weren’t by the bed. I had begun to feel safe at the Circus and didn’t sleep with my gun under the pillow most of the time.

“I understand, Anita. I even agree with you. But there are going to be werewolves who know and Richard is not going to take that well at all.”

“You barely know him, how do you know how he’ll react?” I asked.

“He’s a man who loves you as hard as he’s trying to hate you. This is going to be a huge blow to him. It will be better if he hears it from you. As long as Jean-Claude or I am there too,” he added, almost as an afterthought

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. “I don’t need you to protect me!” Anger put fresh but more familiar heat on my face.

“It means that Richard, as alpha as he is, sometimes doesn’t have a good handle on his temper. I want to be there if he loses it.” Micah was matter-of-fact and I knew he was right. He hadn’t even been here the morning that Richard had laid waste to this very bedroom, the morning after Jean-Claude and I had had sex for the first time.

I didn’t say anything for a long moment. He was right and I hated it. Hated when I had to worry about someone other than myself. How could I protect a baby from my life? I sighed. “I’m not ready to tell Richard yet. I’m not showing yet. I don’t see him that often. I want to wait a while longer. I don’t think our people will tell him. I know Jason won’t.”

Now it was Micah’s turn to be silent. I wasn’t expecting an argument. He said what he wanted to say and if I disagreed, that was my right. “What about your parents?”

Okay, I didn’t get an argument. But he still kept pushing. I wanted to tell my parents less than I wanted to tell Richard. “Can we not go there at all? I don’t see them. I’m not going home for Christmas. They don’t have to know yet.”

“I haven’t met your family. If you believe that’s the best option, go with it. I only want you happy, Anita. You know that,” he said and stroked a hand through my hair. “I assume you’ll tell the other shifter groups after you tell Richard. But what about RPIT? And Animator’s Inc?”

All my good feelings leftover from the dream were gone now. Reality was always a slap in the face. Work wasn’t an issue. I didn’t owe them explanations. So far pregnancy wasn’t affecting my job. I’d tell them when it became obvious. Dolph was a different story. Our relationship was stiffly civil these days. He was going to explode. Particularly since he would want to know who the father was. I didn’t want to be in the same room with him when I told him. But it was more than that. Working with RPIT had been dangerous in the past. I’d been hurt, sometimes seriously, sometimes not. Now was not the time to be taking chances. I know they had learned a lot but they still needed me. It all came down to choices and mine were running out.

I wrapped my arms around my bent leg and laid my chin on my knee. “I know, Micah, I know. I may be the queen of avoidance, but I know.” Micah hadn’t even mentioned Ronnie or Catherine. God, I wanted to shoot something now. And Edward. I couldn’t even imagine how Edward would react.

Micah must have sensed my mood because he took my hand and held it. Just held it. Let me feel his warmth, his heat, his support. He had said to me that we’d get through this together. Maybe we would. “Okay,” I said, “Let’s get this show on the road.” I moved to get out of bed when Micah stopped me.

“They’re all here, just waiting anxiously for you to wake up.”

Micah got up and opened the bedroom door. They must have been right outside because they bounded in and pounced on the bed. I was suddenly surrounded by bodies in various state of dress, or perhaps that would be undress. Nathaniel snagged the spot closest to me, Zane threw himself at my crossed legs, chin in his hands, heels practically kissing his butt. Cherry curled herself at Micah’s feet but she made sure to be touching Zane. Merle and Noah were more circumspect, stationing themselves on the sides of the bed. Merle relaxed enough to sit in a chair. Caleb flopped onto one corner of the bed, Gregory grabbed another. Gina nudged Caleb over while Violet knelt by Noah. Vivian wasn’t there. She was with Stephen, which was just as well.

I looked around at my pard, My family. Sure, they were cannon fodder. I hated to have them around in a fight because most of them would either get in my way or in the way of the bad guys. They bled a lot around me. But I could no longer imagine life without them. Even Caleb’s smart-ass comments had ceased to rile me. Much.

They waited expectantly. I debated how to phrase it, how to preface it. In the end, I just told them. “I’m pregnant.”

There was dead silence. I couldn’t even hear people breathing. Nathaniel moved before he spoke, his hand caressing my abdomen. “A baby? You’re having a baby?” There was awe in his voice. I guess neither shifters nor vampires have much cause to be around babies because there was a lot of awe to be had every time I told people.

I looked at Cherry. She was biting her lip and the look of concern was too obvious to ignore. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

She didn’t saw anything for a long moment. “I know you’ve cut out the coffee, but, Anita, you have a dangerous job. You’re still consulting with the police. You don’t even realize how much you do for yourself that you shouldn’t be,” she said.

“I know. You’re right,” I replied and tried not to sound annoyed.

“Have you been to a doctor?” she asked.

I found an excuse to lookNathNathaniel and stroke his hair. “Doctor Lillian confirmed that I was pregnant.” It was true as far as it went.

“No, I mean a human obstetrician. You need to be taking prenatal vitamins. You need to have an ultrasound. You need…,” she trailed off. I heard it anyway. You need to keep the baby safe.

“I’m making an appointment this week,” I said. I couldn’t get angry. They only wanted to keep me safe. Funny but I thought that was my job.

Caleb finally asked the question that I knew was in everyone’s mind. “So, who’s the lucky daddy? It’s not Micah,” he stated with a knowing smirk.

Micah had begun massaging my shoulders, which meant it was too difficult for me to lean over and slap the sly grin off Caleb’s face. “Caleb, shut up,” Merle said. Sometimes I forgot that Micah hadn’t always been Nimir-Raj. We had never discussed it. That hadn’t been a good time for Micah, Merle or any of them, those days running from Chimera. He was Nimir-Raj now, which is all that mattered. I let the whole exchange go.

I debated how I wanted to answer the question. If I told them the truth, the chances that Richard would hear about it increased. If I lied, well that wasn’t an option. I’d put too many people in a bad position. Unfortunately, too many people in this room knew what had happened that day. They’d put it together. Sooner rather than later. “I need a promise from all of you that you won’t tell anyone,” I said.

Nathaniel looked hurt. “You can trust us, Anita, you know that.”

I stroked his hair again. “I do trust you. But telling you endangers the other person. You are all mine,” I said and looked at each one in turn. “But I will hurt you if I find you’ve deliberately discussed this with anyone not in this room except Jean-Claude.” I debated about adding Asher and Damien but since they didn’t know yet and I wanted to tell them, I figured I could always amend that threat.

Gina weighed in. I still didn’t know her well and she was slow to trust. I didn’t hold it against her because I was, too. “I thought you were supposed to protect us?” she asked.

“Just because I won’t let others hurt you, doesn’t mean that I won’t.” I met her eyes and she looked away first. “Anyone who can’t agree to this is free to leave the room now.” No one moved.

“Jason is the father of this child,” I announced. I saw nods of surprise and otherw of remembrance and acceptance. “It wasn’t his fault so don’t treat him as though he did something wrong or screwed something up for us. I am still Nimir-Ra and I will still protect you. You have my word.” They all touched me then, licking my hands, my arms, affirming that they were mine.
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Consequences