Hope Awakened by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 11

The next day…

Hope stirredthe sauce as it bubbled, in a pot, on the stove. She replaced the lid and leaned against the counter. The sun was just setting over a magnificent horizon. This was certainly a view she could get used to looking at every day.

“Hey,” she said as she caught sight of Locke. His shoulders were slumped. There wasn’t the usual spring to his step.

He gave her a feeble half-smile, which wasn’t like him at all.

“What’s wrong?” She frowned.

“Nothing. I’m fine.” His smile widened, but it seemed to her like he was trying to look like he was fine when he was far from it.

“I’m making spaghetti bolognese if you’re hungry,” Hope tried. “I’m sick of those ready-made meals. There’ll be garlic bread as well.” She lifted her brows.

“Nah, I’m good, thanks.” He shook his head. His eyes were clouded. “I’ll grab something later.” He opened the fridge, choosing a soda. “I came for one of these.” He held up the can. His whole demeanor screamed that he was dejected. He reminded her of a sad puppy.

Locke loved to eat. On a normal day, he would wolf down three of those ready-made meals in one sitting. She had made egg and bacon the other day and although Locke didn’t touch the eggs – for obvious reasons, Ferals didn’t eat eggs – the big shifter practically inhaled everything else. She had to make another pack of bacon just for him. He never said no when it came to food. Never! This was bad.

Hope turned the heat down on the sauce. “Tell me what’s going on.” She fixed him with a stare. “I don’t mean to pry, but you look like you need to talk.”

“It’s nothing.” He shook his head.

Bullshit!“Out with it, buster. I can see that something is up.”

“My leave was declined. I’d really hoped to get a couple of days off. I was told that I have to wait until at least two months after the royal chicks are born.” He sighed. “I haven’t seen Tracey in ages. I don’t want to add a couple of months onto that. I had hoped that I could catch a break before the chicks come. There are plenty of males who could do this job just as well as I can, but…” He shrugged. “I guess I understand where Reece is coming from. There is a lot of pressure on him to keep the queen and the chicks safe. There are spies among us. He can’t just pick anyone but…” He sighed.

“All of those reasons are valid, but you deserve time off. You said that you are due some leave.”

“Overdue.” He widened his eyes and cracked open the soda, taking a sip.

“It’s not fair.”

Locke shrugged. “It’s understandable. Thing is, I asked for one measly weekend…hardly a long time. I’m not upset with Reece, just the situation.”

Locke was such a nice guy. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

“I’m worried that Tracey might meet someone else. Her ex has also been sniffing around. He was the one who ended it, and now suddenly he wants her back. I wouldn’t blame her if she moved on, one way or another. Long-distance relationships are tricky, as you said.”

“If she moves on so easily, maybe she isn’t the right girl for you,” Hope offered, folding her arms. Sometimes the truth hurt.

“I’ve known her all of a couple of months. Spent days with her in the flesh. I can’t expect her to wait forever for someone she hardly knows. It’s just that we really hit it off. It wasn’t just the sex…it was everything. I enjoyed spending time with her in every way. A weekend would sustain our new relationship until I can spend some real time with her. We’ve been talking on the phone every evening for hours.” He got this wistful smile.

“I know, I’ve heard you laughing.” She couldn’t help but smile as well.

He widened his eyes. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t keep you up.”

“Not at all. I swear I wasn’t listening in.”

“Oh, I know,” Locke sniggered. “Humans have terrible hearing.”

“Hey!”

They both laughed. Locke turned serious. “I’m going to call Tracey now with the bad news.” He shook his head. “I wish I could see her, that’s all. I feel depressed. A couple of months seems like a very long time.”

It was a very long time. Hope had to agree with Locke. Long-distance was tough when both parties saw each other fairly regularly. It was impossible when the length of time grew too long. Phone calls and texts were great, but face-to-face contact was paramount.

“How was dinner last night?” he asked, taking another sip of his drink.

“Great. I don’t think that elk steaks are for me.” Hope made a face. “But everything else was delicious.”

“And Reece? Did he give you any more trouble?”

“No.” She shook her head. “For the most part, it was almost as if he wasn’t there. If he did speak, it was to point out that he was on duty. He checked the perimeter several times. His behavior freaked Claire out once or twice.”

Locke shook his head and then choked out a laugh. “Sounds like Reece. I’d be worried if he was talking, jovial, and happy.”

“Did something happen to make him like this?”

“We all have our pasts. A skeleton or two in the closet.” Locke’s answer was cryptic. She saw it as a confirmation of sorts. Something had happened. It had to be bad.

“Did his mate die from clutch sickness?” she blurted, feeling bad the instant the words left her mouth. “You don’t have to answer that. I’m prying. I should ask Reece directly.” He would never tell her anything. He was like a closed book. All she’d learned about him during the course of last night was that he liked Coca-Cola and oranges. Oh, and rare elk steak. That was it.

Locke shook his head. “I know you’re not trying to pry. You’re trying to understand him better. Knowing things about a person’s past will often help do that. He didn’t lose a mate. Although…” He looked like he was thinking it through. “What happened to him was probably worse. At least to a male like Reece.”

Worse?

What could be worse than losing the person you loved?

Hope couldn’t ask, even though she was desperate to know. She’d pried too much already.

“I need to call Trace,” Locke said, his eyes instantly clouding.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, already turning to leave.

“Let me know if you change your mind about dinner.”

He gave a half-hearted nod.

* * *

The next day…

Claire gotonto the examining table and propped the pillow behind her head.

“Comfortable, sweets?” Magnar winked at her.

“Yes…very.”

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Good to hear it.”

“Great stuff,” Hope said, partly to remind them that she was still in the room. “I take it that Leukos can’t make it?”

Claire shook her head. “He had an important meeting with the dragon kings.”

“Dragons?” She felt her eyes widen in surprise. In fact, she was quite sure that they looked like saucers. It couldn’t be helped because…dragons. Holy shit! She supposed, when all was said and done, that it wasn’t so far-fetched, considering that she was working for griffin shifters. That there were wolf and bear shifters, too. Even vampires. The vampires advertised openly about wanting to mate with human women. Dragon shifters, though. Dang it! Dragons!

Magnar laughed. “You should see your face.” He nodded. “Yes, dragons. It’s not common knowledge that they exist. Your nondisclosure agreement is in place to protect all of us.” He looked at her sternly for a moment.

“Of course. What happens on Feral soil, stays on Feral soil,” she blustered, berating herself for overreacting.

“Exactly.” He seemed to relax. “Anyway, Leukos is in a meeting…he couldn’t cancel.”

“No problem. There will be quite a few more of these before Claire…um…lays the eggs. Shall we get started?” She looked down at Claire.

“I’m ready when you are.”

“I’m going to perform an abdominal palpation, same as last time,” Hope said.

“Of course. Go right ahead.” Claire smiled.

“You know the drill.” They had done this once before. “It would be great if you could pull your shirt up to just under your breasts.”

Locke cleared his throat. “I will wait outside. Shout if you need anything.” With that, he left the room, the door clicking behind him.

“What?” Claire said. “No jokes, no smiles, what’s up with Locke?”

“Yes,” Magnar remarked. “He isn’t himself today.”

“Locke has a girlfriend,” Hope blurted. She chewed her bottom lip. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. Then again, it wasn’t a secret.

“That would explain it.” Magnar grinned.

“Hey.” Claire smacked him on the side of the arm.

Hope giggled. “That’s not why he’s upset. He really likes this girl. They’ve been chatting for a while now. He had hoped to get a weekend off to go and see her, but his leave was declined.”

Magnar frowned. “I wonder why.” He rubbed his chin.

“Something about this assignment being too important.” She shrugged. “He’ll take his leave in a couple of months. He’s missing his girlfriend…that’s all.” Hope wanted them to understand the situation. She didn’t want them getting the wrong idea about Locke.

“This assignment is all-important, but so is the mental health of this team of royal guards. I think that now is the right time for leave – before the chicks hatch.”

“That was his thinking. Reece feels differently and Locke respects that. He might be a little down for a few days. It’s important that you understand why that is.” Hope breathed in deeply. “Anyway, I’ve overstepped. I probably shouldn’t have said anything. He has assured me that he is fine. Shall we get back to the examination?”

“Yes, let’s,” Claire said. “Like you said, I’m sure he’ll be himself in a day or two. Poor guy.” She pulled her top up.

“Push your pants down a little as well, please.”

“Sure.” Claire smiled brightly. She lifted her hips, allowing the garment to be pulled down a few inches. Magnar was nice enough to help out.

“Great.” Hope rubbed her hands together to ensure that they were warm to the touch. “Here goes,” she said before gently placing them on the other woman’s belly. It didn’t take long for her to feel the three lumps. “They’re definitely bigger already, and it’s only been a week since I arrived.”

Claire breathed out. “So, everything is looking good? Delise said that she is happy with my progress. She says that she thinks the eggs will come sooner rather than later. She gives me two weeks.”

Hope made a noise of affirmation, continuing to palpate Claire’s stomach softly. So far, she and Delise were working well together. Evander was very keen, which she liked. He asked loads of great questions, some of which were helpful to her as well. “Everything is looking and feeling great. How are you?”

“I’m starting to get a little tired here and there. My lower back hurts if I overdo it, but other than that, I’m fine.”

“All is perfectly normal,” Hope said. “I want to weigh you. Same as last time. I also want to take blood and run a couple of routine checks.” She put up her hand. “It’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“You have Vicky’s file,” Claire said, frowning. “Do you plan on comparing us?”

“I will use Vicky’s tests and general pregnancy and birth as an indicator of what is considered normal, but it won’t be the be-all and end-all. If some of your results vary, then we will take it from there. Everyone is different, and every pregnancy is different. In other words, we’re not going to panic if results are different.”

Claire sighed. “Good to know.”

“Do you guys have any questions?”

“Sex,” Magnar blurted. He grinned, and Claire laughed. Hope could hear that the other woman was embarrassed.

“What about sex?” she asked, urging them on.

“Is it still okay? We’re technically still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. We still have plenty of sex. There are two of us, and one of Claire, so…it’s…it’s a lot…that’s all. Is it okay to be having regular sex with two men, or should we slow down?”

“As long as you feel fine,” Hope said to Claire. “As long as you don’t feel pain or cramping or anything else out of the ordinary, there’s no reason why you can’t have plenty of sex. In fact, the body produces hormones when a woman orgasms, that have been nicknamed the ‘happy hormones’ because they make you feel relaxed.”

“In other words, you’re prescribing sex?” Magnar asked, eyes bright.

“As long as it feels good, then go for it.”

“Don’t worry about that, Doc,” Magnar grinned. “We do everything in our power and then some to make sure it feels better than just plain good.” He winked at Claire.

Claire giggled. “Magnar,” she admonished, “I’m sure Hope doesn’t want to hear about our sex life.”

“No,” she shook her head, “that’s absolutely fine. You guys need to be able to tell me anything or ask me anything. What happens in this room, stays in this room. Doctor-patient confidentiality. A healthy sex life is important.”

“In that case, can we leave now and get going?” Magnar asked, still grinning.

“Stop it, babe! Behave yourself.” Claire’s cheeks were blood-red.

Hope chuckled. “Let’s get the rest of the information I need, and you can be on your way.” She looked pointedly at Magnar, who grinned.

“Now you’re talking,” Magnar said as he helped Claire up.

It made Hope wonder if she’d ever had such a healthy sexual relationship with Emmet. Maybe in their very early days. The honeymoon period, as Magnar put it. Still, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Had their marriage seemed perfect because she had made it out to be that way in her head?