Turning Night Read online

  He narrowed his starlight eyes. “What are you telling me?”

  “Either court her or leave the child with her until it is an adult. You can train it once it is old enough to learn the differences between her people and yours.”

  “That will not work. She lives and operates in the human world.”

  Max inclined her head, “Then, make her an offer. Provide for her and her child. Allow her access to her own people and you can have unlimited access to your child. It is up to you. I will return before dawn to hear your decision.”

  Hulorn inclined his head. “You are very wise, Abomination. Gregori was right to take you as his apprentice. It seems you have learned much.”

  Max moved with blurring speed and was back inside the house with the door locked before the shocking knowledge that he knew who she was seeped through.

  As shocked as she was, she still felt the tiny ripple of power when tiny, little Danlorn entered the world. She also heard Raven’s, “Holy crap!”

  Max was up the stairs in seconds. She saw a beaming Raila holding a squalling infant with pale skin and midnight hair. His ears were pointed, but his body was chubby and the pink and white of a newborn.

  “He is a shifter, like me.” Raila smiled happily.

  Max went over and sniffed near the child. There was a lot going on in the room, but it was the same scent that she had just been talking to outside. “He might be, but he is still Hulorn’s son.”

  As if to confirm her words, the infant opened his eyes in a squint and there were stars flowing in a sea of midnight blue.

  Max could smell both parents in the child, wilderness and ancient magic. “I think this was a natural and not a supernatural conception. I believe that those can and do happen.”

  Raven was still tidying up, but she agreed. “I have delivered more than a few freaky occurrences.”

  Hellebore was still staring at the spot where the baby had emerged, and she didn’t say anything. She was startlingly pale though.

  “Hells, sit down. You came into the world the same way; we all did. Deal with it.”

  Max took Hellebore by the hand and steered her to the chair that she had used earlier.

  Without being asked, Max fetched a glass of water and stayed there while she drank it. She kept her senses on high alert. This was a very vulnerable time for Raila and Raven.

  When Raven had finished the tidying, she gestured for Max to help her. “Lift her please.”

  Max carefully lifted the shifter and her infant and held them tightly while Raven changed the bedding with Hellebore’s help. Max looked down at Raila. “Huh. It really does take a village.”

  Hellebore grinned, “To make a bed?”

  “To have a baby. And make a bed, I suppose, I don’t know. I leave the bed and it is made again by the time I get back to it.”

  Raven laughed, “Eyleno is a neat freak as well. He is probably waxing the floor as I speak. He has been wanting to get to it for weeks.”

  Raila smiled sleepily. “Thank you for being here.”

  “Thank your brother for asking for help. If Rithak hadn’t negotiated with the Guild Master, I shudder to think what would have happened.” Max tried to be solemn, but the little guy was looking at her with those starry eyes. She puffed her cheeks and made a face.

  “I still can’t believe that you are the infamous Abomination.” Raila winced a little as Max tucked her into the crisp sheets and fluffy duvet.

  “I can’t believe that I came here as a bodyguard and happened to bring along a midwife.”

  Raven was sitting and rubbing lotion into her hands. “Me neither. That was freaky, Max.”

  Max finished tucking her charges in. “It was only prudent. She was pregnant and I had no experience with that. Well, that, and I have a project for my Turning Night that I want to complete before the party. For that, I needed you with me, so it was a logical turn of events to invite you along.”

  Hellebore winked, “What about me?”

  “Well, you are just fun to have around, and I love making the transporters send you.”

  Hellebore snorted and stroked the baby’s thick fuzz of black hair.

  “Well, I suppose we are to take shifts.” Hellebore raised her brows.

  Max shook her head. “We are all staying up until dawn. I have a negotiation to attend.”

  Raila blinked drowsily. “Negotiation?”

  “If he is the father, he has the right to visitation, but he will have to pay for it. Supporting you and the child is the way he will do it. When the child is an adult, it will have to choose the society it wishes to live in. There is no doubt about that. I will talk to him before dawn.”

  Max fished her camera out and took a picture of mother and son. “I will need this as proof. I don’t want to carry him with me. Hellebore, stay in this room, stay with Raila and Danlorn.”

  She left and headed for the main floor. She was positive that the father was not going to return alone.

  Chapter Three

  Away from the smells of blood and birth, Max breathed easier.

  She could feel the living beings upstairs, but it was the ones outside that she was concerned about. There was a dark gathering of power, and it was intense.

  Max quickly called the house. When Anthony replied, she spoke quickly. “I need Tonho, and I need him fast.”

  “How fast?”

  “I will deal with Gregori later fast.”

  She heard him crack his knuckles. “Oy, Tonho. The Apprentice needs you.”

  “What?”

  There was a crackling of power, and Anthony announced. “He is in the front yard.”

  “You are a champ.”

  “I am aware.”

  She hung up and slipped out the door into the front yard. A confused troll was standing next to some begonias.

  “Tonho. I need your help around back. What do you know about midnight elves?”

  “Spirits in elven form. Why?”

  “Because, by my count, there are a dozen of them on their way through the woods. We have Raven, Hellebore, a shifter and a newborn in the house. They can’t come in.”

  He nodded and lumbered around back without further explanation. Trolls were great once they knew what you wanted them to do.

  She retreated through the house, checking for any possible breach sites. The house was secure, and the living, breathing women upstairs were safe.

  Max waited in the kitchen and made a pot of tea while Tonho settled down on his haunches and stared at the woods. He was one of her best friends at home and had a focus on protection that was admirable in the extreme.

  She brought him a mug of peach tea and settled down next to him. “Here you go.”

  “What are they waiting for?”

  “The hour before dawn. We have a few minutes.”

  Tonho sipped at the tea. “Huh. Good blend.”

  “She has a lot of herbal tea, but I know you like peaches.”

  “Thanks, Max. Why are they waiting?”

  “Because, I told the baby’s father that that is the time I would negotiate. Now, I find that he is holding less cards than he thinks.”

  Hulorn appeared out of the forest that backed the yard. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you have exposure to modern tech?” It was a fair question. Many of the modern magical creatures ignored technology as beneath them.

  “I do.”

  “Good. Your child is not what you think it is. It is a splice of your body and Raila’s.” Max brought out her phone and showed him the picture. “This is your son. Danlorn.”

  Hulorn blinked his star-bright eyes. “It isn’t possible.”

  “It is more than possible. It is what has happened. The baby has his mother’s skin, his father’s hair and eyes. Well, his eyes are deep blue with stars in them; they are lovely.”

  He looked at the image of Raila and the infant. As he touched the screen, the image of the baby expanded until its chubby face filled the screen.

 
“He isn’t a midnight elf.”

  “No, he isn’t, but the question is, do you want to have anything to do with him, or do you and the rest of your clan just retreat back into the woods.”

  He gave her a slow look. “You know that they are there?”

  “I didn’t come out just to give my companion some tea.”

  Tonho rose to his feet, barring any entrance to the home.

  “You brought a troll?” Hulorn looked shocked. “They eat children.”

  Max scowled at him. “And midnight elves steal them in the middle of the night. Myth can often hide the full truth. It is truth but hardly the full story.”

  Max had looked into trolls when she first started hanging out with one. Trolls ate their dead. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was part of their culture. A rotting troll carcass could cause disease to spread in an area faster than any other pathogen. Burning that much meat would be a waste in lean times, but it was now commonplace when food was plentiful and sanitation of the corpse disposal could be assured.

  Funerals had taken the part of feasts, but the foods served at the feasts had names that harkened to the ancient traditions. That was far grimmer than the current state of the troll nation. They were bodyguards, hired muscle in forestry, shipping, anywhere where lifting a lot of weight was an asset.

  Hulorn nodded. “Point taken. I simply do not like one of his so near my son.”

  Tonho snorted. “I hate the scent of wet leaves that your kind brings in, so we are even.”

  The midnight elf may have been taunting him to distract him, but when one of the elves made a try for the house, Tonho stopped him with a meaty hand to his forehead, gripped him and hurled him away.

  The elf skidded along and fetched up against a tree.

  Max winced. “Well, that isn’t good. Now, Hulorn, will you tell them to stand down so you can tell me what you are willing to offer the child and its mother?”

  They stood in the fading darkness and spoke softly, negotiating until they had reached an agreement. Max finally called a halt when the sun came out. “I will make the offer to Raila. If she agrees, she will come out with the baby at sunset so that you can meet your son.”

  Hulorn fidgeted. “What if she does not agree?”

  “You will have to petition the shifter’s council for visitation. They abide by bloodlines, though your lack of an actual relationship will hurt your cause. Your urge for access to your son will be taken into account.”

  “But you believe there is a good chance she will agree.”

  Max sighed. “Bring me a flower, right now. Find one quickly that does not grow on her property.”

  “Why?”

  Tonho snorted. “Idiot.”

  Her troll friend had brought his hood up, and she grinned at him.

  Hulorn disappeared into the forest.

  Tonho jerked his head. “I will be in the shed, keeping watch. Get some sleep, Max; you look like hell.”

  “Ah, Tonho, you know I don’t sleep well when I am not with him.”

  “Try. The mother and child will need you at your best.”

  Max couldn’t fight that one.

  Just as she was about to go into the house, Hulorn appeared with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. The roses were white with silver edges and the dew gleamed like stars. He pulled a few strands of long black hair from his head and wound it around the collection of stems. “Bring this to her. I mean her no harm and would like to begin anew if I may.”

  He was sincere; Max could read it in his bright eyes. The sun made him squint, but he still stood there while she debated his gift.

  Max took the roses and made sure not to touch the thorns. “I will bring these to her. Find another gift for this evening. We will see you at sundown.”

  “Whatever happens, thank you for your efforts.” He inclined his head and disappeared into the woods again.

  Max entered the house while Tonho guarded her back. Her carrying the roses over the threshold allowed Hulorn to come into the house itself. She knew what the hair had meant, and she had allowed him to do it.

  With the doors locked and the sun up, they were as safe as they were going to be. When Max entered, it was to find all four of her charges fast asleep. Danlorn must have sensed that she was there, because he began fussing the moment she came in the door.

  Max looked at the flowers and smiled. “Blood calls to blood. I know that better than most.”

  Raila was asleep, curled around her son. Max put the flowers down next to Raven and picked up the little squirming bundle.

  She didn’t need enhanced senses to tell her that he needed a diaper change. Max took him and held him snugly to her as she went exploring the other rooms. A nursery was ready and waiting for him. Max trotted out babysitting skills from high school, and soon, he was leaning against her shoulder, snuffling softly.

  She paced with him, keeping him close while the others slept. When he fussed and squalled, Max brought him in to Raila.

  She smiled and sat up, reaching for him. Raila winced as her infant latched on and fed.

  Max sat at the edge of her bed and spoke softly. “I have spoken to Hulorn. He wishes to arrange visitation, and he will not take your child from you. He offers you this bouquet, but he has allowed himself to cross your threshold by giving it to me.”

  Raila smiled down at her son. “Let him come. The bond between us is strong. I can follow my son wherever he goes.”

  “And he can feel Hulorn. He woke up when I brought in the flowers.”

  Max reached over and took the roses from where they had been resting next to Raven.

  Raila took the flowers with her free hand. “I love roses.”

  She inhaled deeply and a soft smile played around her lips. Hulorn’s scent mingled with the flowers, and Max guessed that there was a bit of a flashback in action. Apparently, the one-night stand had left a few memories in addition to the new life.

  “What drew you to him?” Max asked softly.

  “He was smart, fearless and he smiled anytime someone spoke to him. He was the first genuinely friendly midnight elf I had ever met. We danced, listened to the songs, and I invited him to my room at the hotel. When I woke, he was gone, and it wasn’t until two months later that I had proof of our excellent timing.”

  Max chuckled. “Good. I was hoping that there had been mutual attraction and not magic going on. I am guessing that this was at the annual gathering at Hotel Spectre?”

  “That’s correct. I saw you there with the Guild Master. There was a lot of yelling going on.”

  Max laughed. “There usually is. He is a big sweetheart, though. He has been the most supportive thing in my life to date.”

  In a shy whisper, Raila asked, “Does he drink from you?”

  “When he has to or during sex. Neither of us needs to consume much, but biting one’s mate in the heat of passion is…satisfying.”

  Raila blushed and looked around. “For shifters too.”

  Hellebore sat up, “I heard that. Anyone else for breakfast?”

  Max yawned, and her fangs slipped past her lips. Raila looked surprised and Hellebore was fascinated.

  Raven sat up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Did someone say breakfast? Geez, Max, put those away. There are kids present.”

  Max snapped her jaws shut and got to her feet. “I need a bit of shuteye. Hellebore, wake me if there is so much as a sneeze on the wards. Oh, and Tonho is in your shed, Raila; he might need a sandwich or dozen.”

  Hellebore nodded, “I will bring something out to him.”

  “I would prefer if Raven does it. He knows her, and she can move through the wards without ruffling them.” Max yawned again.

  Raven nodded. “You look like hell. Go and sleep.”

  Raila agreed. “My spare room is at the end of the hall.”

  Max smiled her thanks and headed for the room. “Ah, full sunlight, how wonderful.”

  The bed smelled like Rithak, so Max looked underneath. Raila may be pregnant,
but she was an excellent housekeeper. There was enough room under the bed for her, and she grabbed a spare blanket from the cupboard along with a pillow and crept into her hiding place. She had never been able to sleep in a sunny room, even when she was fully human.

  The heartbeats of the house’s inhabitants lulled her to sleep.

  Chapter Four

  Max opened her eyes and met Raven’s red gaze. “What time is it?”

  “Just after four. Tonho insisted that you eat before he does. Have a sandwich.”

  A ham and cheese on rye was waggled at her.

  Max snatched it and crawled out from under the bed without her normal grace. “Thanks.”

  “Why didn’t you sleep in the bed?”

  “Too much light. Messes up my REM cycle.” She munched away. “How is everyone doing?”

  “Hellebore is singing lullabies and honing her targeting on midnight elves. Raila isn’t pleased, but Danlorn doesn’t mind. He is napping and gurgling away.”

  The tray sitting on the dresser had a stack of ten sandwiches. “I will take those out to Tonho.”

  “Thanks. Though I have delivered their babies, trolls still make me uncomfortable.” Raven sighed. “They are just so damned big.”

  Max didn’t comment on it, she merely took the tray and headed down the stairs. Gregori was nearly as tall as Tonho, though not as broad. She supposed it was a matter of taste.

  She knocked on the shed door, and Tonho opened it. “You shouldn’t have refused the food.”

  “You need to eat too, Max. If you are not feeding from the Guild Master, you need to take in food.” He stuffed a sandwich in and kept talking. “How will you deal with him when you return?”

  “For stealing you? I don’t know. I suspect that lingerie will be involved for a few minutes.” Max smiled. “Once Rithak is back, we can both return home. Gregori’s revenge will have to wait a while. We are going to get back just in time to prep for my anniversary.”

  “It is going to be quite a gala. Even my people have been invited. My mother is excited to meet you.”