Page 23 of Courted by the Sabertooth (Mori’s Mementos #3)
Mori
Pierce’s Family Estate
“Preston is close to popping,” someone whispered in my ear, and I startled awake on the sofa.
Instantly I was on my feet looking high and low, ready to catch the baby whenever it decided to pop out.
Only Preston was out cold in the recliner.
We’d fallen asleep watching old movies as we’d done so many nights now that Preston’s belly was big and showing the marks where his cub had stretched his skin.
Going upstairs was too much of a hassle and I wasn’t about to leave him on his lonesome.
Some nights he slept in the downstairs bed but there wasn’t a television in there and he’d grown fond of it.
Sometimes he knitted while he watched. Other times he just drifted in and out of sleep as the old dramas and comedies played out across the screen.
“Preston is close to popping,” the voice sounded again.
I wiped my eyes and squinted at the otherwise empty room.
It wasn’t uncommon for spirits to show up and whisper to me.
Usually, they wanted my help with something.
Sometimes they came bearing messages, but it wasn’t often anymore.
Hell, outside of a few lost animal souls it hadn’t happened at all since I started working with Dern.
Maybe something about his energy was off and kept them away.
“Preston is close to popping,” the voice whispered again.
“Should I be annoyed or frightened?” My wolf opened one eye inside his inner sanctum.
I wasn’t sure but if it woke him up someone was definitely speaking to me.
I sniffed the air trying to find a scent.
Ghosts and spirits usually didn’t have them.
It was a man’s voice. So that ruled out Sharon Claudis.
It wasn’t coming over the family link so that ruled out both of our parents and any of our siblings.
Out of ideas, I squatted down and peeked under the sofa. Nothing there.
“Ni? Is that you?” I asked, poking at the link I shared with my best friend.
It didn’t sound anything like him but he’d recently had his second baby and maybe that made his voice different.
Ni was asleep and didn’t answer me. I stood up and came face to face with a spirit.
This one was tall and broad and looked a little too much like Venal, the sire of my twin’s cub, for comfort. Had his crazy mama finally offed him?
“Your brother is about to have his baby. If you don’t want the chair watered, it may be time to wake him up,” the man said.
“Who are you?” I cut to the chase because I didn’t have any patience left for his family.
“I’m not Venal,” he laughed as if they had been confused before. “He is the spitting image of me, though, isn’t he?”
“Fine. Yeah. What do you want?”
“Haven’t you heard of ancestors coming to witness the birth of the next generation? Just because Venal isn’t invested doesn’t mean we aren’t.”
“You have two seconds to explain yourself before I banish your ass to the Pit.”
“Oh, do you want me to visit your wolf friend?”
“He’s not in the Pit,” I shook my head. “How do you even know about Dern?”
“My descendent has gone a little… Let’s say, she’s gone a little batshit, huh?
” he shrugged. “I pay attention to what she pays attention to. I’d all but gone to rest when she started her bullshit.
Though, I won’t be around to watch much longer.
Now that I’m awake lingering is difficult. It grows more difficult each day.”
“Wait! Are you my brother’s baby?” I asked, stepping towards him.
“I will be,” he nodded.
“Is that why Sharon wants you?” I asked.
“No, she doesn’t know. She wants whatever it takes to keep Venal tied to her.
Some parents never accept that their children grow and have lives of their own.
Me being his child is merely a byproduct of her craziness waking me up.
No, this isn’t some silly movie where I’m going to be reborn to take her out.
I’m sure by the time I’m old enough again to consider such magic that you will have taken care of her one way or another. ”
“And how do you feel about that?” I asked.
“You will do what you have to to protect your family,” the spirit nodded and wafted to a seated position on the sofa. “I hold no ill will towards you or her. That’s not the energy I want to carry into my next life.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“I’m not telling you. I’m rather fond of the name your brother has chosen.”
“He didn’t tell me that he finally picked one out.”
“Andartan. It’s a variation of an old bear goddess’s name. He’s going to call me Andy for short. He’s already commissioned at least a dozen things with my new name on them.”
Preston stirred in his sleep and the chair received the sort of rain it was never meant to.
“Shit,” Preston murmured and dug his nails into the arms of the recliner as the spirit on the sofa disappeared.
“Dern, don’t touch me for the next three days!” I demanded of the sky before I ran to my brother’s side.
We were in for a long night but at the end of it we’d have a healthy happy new little bear cub to welcome into our family.