Fic The Mate Part 4
Jun. 10th, 2005 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jessara40k_ljHere's the last part of this story. I am working on the sequel, with any luck I'll get it done inside a month.
Anita had decided who would be the best journalist to give their interview to the instant she learned that it would soon be public knowledge that her mate was pregnant. Irving was a wolf, and so she’d be able to influence him, both as his Bolverk and because she’d given him her protection once. And so would Jean-Claude, so it was almost certain that he’d be amenable to their terms. But she wasn’t going to just override her mate’s opinions, if he could think of a better option then they’d use it.
And even if Jean-Claude couldn’t think of a better idea she wasn’t going to disturb Irving on Christmas day. The next day would be quite soon enough, when it was out in the papers anyway.
She shook her head, dismissing her thoughts and picked up her presents for her mate before driving to the Circus. She found him curled naked on his bed, and she couldn’t help but smile at the picture of total sensuality he presented, his hair covering his entire upper torso, and a portion of his groin. He looked up at her from lowered lashes, smiling gently and seductively, one hand stroking across his hip.
“At least put a robe on before I’m tempted to ravish you!” Anita laughed, making a joke of the lust he aroused in her. Jean-Claude rose silently from the bed and obeyed before taking a large box from his cupboard and moving to kneel on the rug beside the chair. Anita took the hint and sat in it, handing the two boxes she had for him down to him. Her gifts for the other vampires she’d left under the tree Jean-Claude had put up in the living room to indulge the younger members of his kiss, but she wanted to give her mate his gifts personally.
“Open them now, I’ll need to explain about one of them.” Jean-Claude glanced up at Anita and obeyed. The first box he opened contained a belt, made of white gold that matched his necklace, except for the buckle, which matched the front piece of his collar. It was sized for when he gave birth, but Anita could see that he was pleased by the implication of an entire set of similar decorations existed, or would exist to be given to him over the forthcoming months, or years.
Jean-Claude looked directly up into Anita’s face when he’d opened the second gift, a set of seven charms on a bracelet, each in the shape of an ankh, set with a single ruby and engraved with the word 'tonight', and all made of white gold, the bracelet itself matched to Jean-Claude’s necklace.
“I do not understand, master.”
Anita lifted her left arm to show a similar bracelet, but with only three charms on it. “Each of those charms is a promise. Give one to me and we’ll have sex however you want it, including whatever vampire wiles you wish. If you want to arrange something similar feel free to do so, but I don’t expect it.”
“Thank you, master.” The vampire smiled up at Anita and held his gift up for her to unwrap. She found lingerie and a black pants suit in silk, cut to flatter her figure.
“Thank you Jean-Claude. I’m beginning to think I should just let you dress me all the time, you have exquisite taste.”
“I am honoured that you think so master.” He bowed his head, looking uncertain. “I wanted to lie with you tonight, something slow and gentle, it is not so much for sex as for comfort, but sex is in there too. Do I need to offer you one of these?”
“No, not for that. But have you thought of any better way to control what people learn about your pregnancy than I suggested last night?”
“No, but I think Irving Griswold would be the best reporter to approach.”
“I agree. Now to bed with you.” Anita was surprised to see her mate crawl to the bed, keeping his head below hers and imbuing his actions with total sensuality. She kept the sex that night slow and gentle, drawn out to the point where her mate could hardly breathe for arousal, and concentrated on retaining enough control not to shred his back.
~~~000~~~
Anita rang Irving Griswold the very next day.
“Irving, how would you like an exclusive interview with the Master of the City about his pregnancy?”
“His pregnancy? How can he be pregnant?”
“You’ll find out if you take the interview.”
“What’s it gonna cost me then Anita?”
“We get to look over the article before you send it to print, and if there’s anything we don’t want revealed then you take it out. We’ll let you bring a photographer, but he doesn’t get to listen to the interview itself, you can bring him in to take the pictures afterwards – and we get final say on which pictures are used. And we get to say we’ve given the St. Louis Dispatch an exclusive, so no one else can bother us about the matter.”
“A pre-emptive strike then?”
“Yes. Are the terms acceptable?”
“I’ll need to get approval, but they should be – I’ll get back to you by six.”
“Fine.” When she hung up Anita made sure she had a pen and paper nearby and that it was alright to ring Severus now before dialling his cell phone number.
“Hello. This is Severus. Who are you?”
“Anita Blake. My lover, Jean-Claude became pregnant for the first time at the end of July.”
“With your child? Congratulations.” And the man did sound as if he was pleased for her.
“Thank you. But I actually called to ask how you took Inanna from Rhudan.”
“Why do you want to know? I lost my mate Quintus after I claimed Inanna, he was jealous of her, and thought that I didn’t want him any longer.”
“Hugo kidnapped my mate, and tried to force him to miscarry my child. I want to take Regulus from him in revenge, and also because he freed Jean-Claude. It was his idea for me to force a bond on Regulus and get him with child.”
“So you do not think he will be upset that you have taken a new mate, when your claim on him is so new?”
“No, I only plan to lie with Regulus until he is with his first child by me. If he ends up with a heightened sex drive during his pregnancy then I’ll let him take other lovers. And I’m thinking of just handing him over to the Traveler once I’ve claimed him, if he agrees that is. The Traveler once loved him, and I think that feeling is still there. I won’t tell him to obey the Traveler, just to live with him, except for visits to see his child once a year, unless he chooses to take her with him – in which case it will be visits so I can see my child once a year.”
“You say you will only lie with Regulus to get him with child, I found him most tempting, are you certain that you will not change your mind about that?”
“I need an emotional connection, or to have lost all control of myself as when I first experienced the ardeur, to take someone to my bed. I’ll do it to repay the debt I owe Regulus, to take vengeance on Hugo and to please my mate, but that isn’t enough for anything longer lasting.”
“The emotional connection has to come first for you then?”
“Normally, yes, there have been a couple of exceptions. Will you help me, please?”
“I gave Inanna a potion before I fucked her. It contained my blood, her blood and the liquidised afterbirth from my mate’s most recent child. It also contained some herbs, but I chose them based on the herbs that worked best with my power, you should select whatever fits in with your power best – just no abortifacients. Feed the potion to Regulus and then fuck him focusing on how much you want him to be pregnant. If it works then even someone who Hugo didn’t agree to lend him to will be able to fuck him. That’s the easiest test, but it might be hard on him. And this is a one chance only thing.”
“I see.” Anita had written what she could down, but she wanted to make sure she had it right. “So, let me test my understanding. I keep the afterbirth when Jean-Claude gives birth, and use that mixed with my blood and the stuff I use in my zombie raising ointment to make a potion. Then I add Regulus’ blood before I fuck him, and make sure he drinks the mixture. After that I have sex with him and concentrate on wanting him pregnant. Do I have it all right?”
“Yes. There is one other thing. You need to give your mate a gift when he gives birth to each of your children. And for the first child it has to be something you could use to restrain him with, but still acceptable for him to wear in public.” And with that Severus hung up.
~~~000~~~
Jean-Claude sat curled at Anita’s feet, head resting in her lap. He didn’t need the sort of pampering Anita thought it took to take care of a pregnant male. Not that he objected exactly, but Anita had said that he could arrange the interview however he wanted to, and he wanted to make it clear that he was submissive to Anita. Lying on the couch with his master fussing over him would hardly have conveyed the right impression.
The other vampires had reacted interestingly. Asher had been sympathetic and made it plain that he still loved Jean-Claude, but he didn’t really treat him as a person in his own right anymore. It wasn’t anything overt, but somehow Asher always made him aware that he only held St. Louis by Anita’s grace. Damian was very sympathetic, and his best source of information on carrying a child, but for some reason Jean-Claude felt uncomfortable about the fact that Anita used the Viking to satisfy her during his pregnancy, even though it was her right. He saw Damian as a rival in a way he’d never seen Jason, Nathaniel, Micah, Asher or even Richard. Hannah had been supportive too, and she’d explained to the confused younger vampires, including her lover Willy McCoy, what his pregnancy meant. Faust’s only concern had been to make sure that he wasn’t likely to get pregnant. Gretchen was still obsessive over him, but she seemed to have given up on getting him into bed, and she didn’t appear to hate Anita anymore. Instead she was totally focused on protecting him, even going so far as to give him orders if she thought he was putting himself in danger.
After the third time he appealed to Anita only to have her support Gretchen and agree that he had been reckless he gave up trying to argue with her and just complied. And Gretchen became his almost permanent bodyguard. It was only Asher and Gretchen who really made him feel like a mate, all the other vampires tended to act as if he were still Master of the City in his own right, rather than holding the position only by Anita’s grace and favour. In some ways it was refreshing, not to have them expecting his protection, but it also scared him and reminded him how vulnerable he was now.
He was roused from his musing when Anita’s hand tightened on his hair and he heard the werewolf come into the room. Jean-Claude smiled up at him, but he didn’t speak, preferring to wait and let Anita or Irving initiate things. They’d signed the agreement two days ago, on New Years Day, so they didn’t need to worry about that.
“Hello Irving. Please sit down. Did you bring a photographer with you?”
“Yes, your vampires insisted that he wait in another room Jean-Claude. I thought I could send for him and he could take pictures after the interview if you don’t mind.” Irving seemed to be putting a lot of effort into staying polite and ignoring the fact that the Master of the City was sitting on the floor while he took a chair.
“Of course not. Now what did you want to ask?”
“I can see that Jean-Claude is pregnant, but how is it possible?”
“The short answer is magic, some vampires have the ability to bear a healthy child. No one knows exactly why, but we do not show that ability until we carry our first children. Vampires who can bear children are called mates. The first child a mate carries is sired by someone alive who he considers dominant to him. Not just dominant as in more powerful, but with specific right to control over him. If we are claimed then only the ‘father’ of our children, the one who makes the claim, can get us pregnant, and we cannot be touched sexually without their permission. If not we can be forced to bear children by anyone alive with even the slightest scrap of magic and knowledge of how to cast the spells. And anyone who’s got us pregnant has the opportunity to claim us. And not one of us can disobey the people who claim us. We have no choice but to be totally submissive. It is very rare for a vampire to be a mate; there are only six of us in the world – and only three Sires, people who have proven capable of giving a mate their first child.”
“So three of these ‘mates’ can carry the children of anyone who knows the right spell?”
“No, we’ve all been claimed. But Regulus was claimed by a lycanthrope who took him from the father of his first child, and Enkil has claimed three mates.”
“Right. What happened to the guy that got this Regulus pregnant in the first place?”
“One side effect of claiming a mate is becoming truly immortal. Because someone else claimed Regulus Leo didn’t become immortal and he died.”
“So you’re immortal now Anita?”
“Pretty much. I didn’t expect it, or want it, but I can’t refuse it.”
“Why not? Couldn’t you have just, not claimed Jean-Claude?”
“I love him, and I will not lose him. If I didn’t claim him I would lose him to someone.” Jean-Claude smiled, glancing up at Anita from beneath lowered eyelids.
“Thank you Anita. Do you have any other questions?”
“How do you feel about being Anita’s slave? That is what you described earlier, isn’t it?”
“I know Anita will not abuse me, and that she will protect me against anyone who threatens me. And I love her. She hasn’t asked me for anything that I wouldn’t do willingly, and she’s guaranteed she won’t do the things that scare me most.”
“Oh?” Irving made an inquiring sound and Jean-Claude reacted to it.
“Now that Anita’s claimed me if she wants me to get pregnant then I will get pregnant, but she’s promised she’ll only do that if I request it. And she won’t make – or let – me sleep with anyone except for her and Asher. Not that I want to sleep with anyone else.”
“I see. Umm...I take it you won’t be able to breastfeed?”
“No, I don’t think so, not as the only supply. I will produce some milk, at least enough that I can give my child the first feed, but even if I do produce enough milk to feed her exclusively I wouldn’t be awake to feed her during the day. Traditionally a mate chooses how to care for his child, unless his master decides to intervene. I’d thought we could find a wet nurse. I know it is not something modern humans would find appropriate, but...” Jean-Claude trailed off, uncertain.
“If you want it, and you can find someone willing then you can have it.” Anita stroked the vampire’s hair gently, reassuring him. “But I want to be involved.”
“Thank you, master.” Jean-Claude smiled up at Anita, trying to show how much he adored her – he knew how lucky he was to belong to such a generous Sire. If he’d met Enkil or Severus earlier they might have seen he was a mate and gotten him pregnant, and in his eyes Anita was being incredibly generous.
“Would you rather I didn’t mention that you’re looking for a wet nurse in the article? Is there anything else you’d rather I didn’t mention?” Irving sounded anxious; it seemed as if he’d just remembered that Jean-Claude could call wolves.
“There isn’t anything so far I want to keep secret. You could ask Damian or Asher if you want a bit more in the way of background. Do you have any other questions?”
Irving leafed through his notes, looking for anything he hadn’t picked up on. Jean-Claude knew that the next question would be about his position as Master of the City.
“You said mates are submissive to whoever claims them, Anita for you. How does that work with you being Master of the City?”
“Anita has been generous, and allowed me to continue to hold St. Louis, albeit effectively in her name. Enkil permitted his mate Wu Fei to continue holding Beijing for 50 years after he claimed him. If my Sire decides to she can take the city and give it to another vampire and any vampire who visits the city can demand to deal with Anita directly, instead of with me.
“Oh. Err...what’s the correct protocol now then?”
“Whatever Anita wishes it to be. In general wait for her to speak to me first and take your cue from that and she might decide to speak for me. I really do not know, my master hasn’t spoken to me of what restrictions she wishes to impose.”
“Anita?”
“I’m not entirely comfortable owning people. I do tend to give my protection to anyone who needs it, and much as I hate to admit it I am dictatorial, but that’s not the same as actually owning someone, even someone who wants to be owned.”
“Then you haven’t considered any restrictions?”
“He can’t make any commitments for me without my knowledge and consent, and I don’t like people flirting with him in my presence, but that’s about it.”
“Right, so you don’t mind if I speak directly to Jean-Claude or anything. Jean-Claude, how are you going to give birth? You aren’t exactly equipped for it.”
“Damian tells me that will change when I go into labour. That is unless Anita decides a C-section is easier and has one done around 36-38 weeks.”
“Jean-Claude, I don’t really care, it is your body, give birth whichever way you prefer.”
“Then naturally. I would rather not be cut open. You are capable of blocking my pain master, if you wish it.”
“Then I’ll do my best to be with you when you give birth.”
“Thank you master.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, when are you due?”
“Late April or early May. Do you want to get the photographs now?”
“Yes please.” Irving went out to get his photographer. He took a few pictures of Jean-Claude curled at Anita’s feet, then paused.
“I’d like some pictures of Jean-Claude by himself if you don’t mind.” The photographer sounded uncertain who to speak to. Anita stood, helping her mate to his feet and settling him on the white couch, his red linen robes and black wool jumpsuit making a dramatic contrast. His robes didn’t quite hide his bare feet and once he’d pulled out his necklace to rest visibly on his chest Jean-Claude laid his hands on his swelling stomach.
“You might want to take a close up of this.” Jean-Claude played with his pendant. “It illustrates my position perfectly.”
“'Property of Anita Blake' – that’s a slave collar!” Still the photographer took a picture of the pendant, close enough to see the engraving.
“It isn’t a collar. Anita didn’t think that was a good idea for anything but formal occasions.”
“Are you saying you actually have a collar – and wear it?” Irving took his notebook back out and held his pencil ready.
“Master?” Jean-Claude looked at Anita, asking permission to answer, not sure whether he hoped to be granted, or denied it. As it happened Anita answered for him.
“Yes, he does have a collar, and a leash. By vampire law he had to wear them when the Traveler came to confirm that he is pregnant, and he’ll have to wear them when I present our first child, and every time we are invited to the presentation of a child. I don’t intend to make him wear it unless I have to, but if I have to I will.”
“The collar was actually something I got. Anita didn’t like the idea at all. Enkil keeps his mates in collars at all times. I’m lucky, Anita doesn’t demand much in the way of displays of submission. When I do make displays of submission it’s always my idea.” That silenced any objections and the reporter and photographer left quickly.
~~~000~~~
Anita held her mate by the waist as she guided him into the hospital. It had taken them nearly three weeks to decide which of the offers to act as Jean-Claude’s midwife that had flooded in after Irving’s interview had appeared on the 7th of January they should accept. Anita had insisted that any offers which were addressed solely to her be thrown out at the beginning, and Jean-Claude had been equally stubborn about offers that didn’t acknowledge that Anita had the right to make the decisions, not him. In the end they’d gone with Monica’s recommendation, the doctor who’d helped with her pregnancy.
Dr. Robertson had sent her letter to Anita, but she’d made it clear that she would need to be able to work with Jean-Claude to help him, and was perfectly willing to do so. She’d also said that she would hope that Anita would be able to accompany her mate as and when it was necessary. And Jean-Claude was not comfortable going to his first appointment and ultrasound session without his master accompanying him.
There were no other patients waiting for Dr. Robertson, she’d actually set up a special session just for them, although there were other couples that couldn’t go to the hospital in the daytime none of them wanted to be present when the Master of the City was having his check-up done, and it would have made Jean-Claude even less comfortable.
“Hello. Anita, Jean-Claude. If you’ll just get undressed and put this on.” She held out a hospital gown and nodded towards a door. “You can change in there.”
Jean-Claude looked at Anita and she read the uncertainty in his eyes. “Do you want me to come with you Jean-Claude?”
“Yes, please.” Anita took the gown from Dr. Robertson and led her mate away.
Jean-Claude had dressed down for the appointment. He wore black jeans, just in a larger size than usual for him, a large black sweater and black loafers, a size larger than usual to accommodate his swelling feet. He kept his head bowed the entire time he undressed; holding out his hand blindly for the gown, but with an air of desperation, and it worried Anita a little. She didn’t give him the gown, instead she stepped up to him and lifted his chin with her hand so he had to look at her.
“What’s bothering you Jean-Claude?”
“I’m huge. And you’ve been so good about not demanding your rights to my body, but...I can’t help wondering if that means you don’t want me at all.”
Anita pulled Jean-Claude into her arms and ran her hands over his body sensually. “Yes, of course I want you, but only if you’re willing, I refuse to be another Belle Morte, or another Musette, and force you to my bed. You aren’t normally this insecure, what brought it up?”
“I’m going to have to show my body to a stranger. And just because I don’t show that I’m scared you’ll decide I’m not worthy of you doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.” For all that his words sounded almost assertive Jean-Claude’s tone of voice was one of total submission. And it disturbed Anita that he felt unworthy of her, especially when she realised how much the way she’d treated him probably had to do with that.
“You are certainly worthy of me, never doubt that. I am not ashamed of you and I intend to show you off as much as I can. If you don’t want to do this you don’t have to. Damian said that Regulus goes through all of his pregnancies without a doctor, so you don’t really need one if you don’t want one.”
“You’d feel better if I had a doctor though wouldn’t you?” Anita blinked at the question, she hadn’t quite realised just how dependent Jean-Claude had become on her approval until now.
“Yes, but what matters is that you feel comfortable.”
“Just...please stay with me.” Her mate pulled the gown on as they were talking, still keeping his eyes cast down.
“Whatever you need my mate.” Anita was not going to abandon her mate, or upset him if she could avoid it. She guided him through to the doctor’s office and watched him throughout the tests, holding his hand when he needed it.
Finally it was time for the ultrasound; Dr. Robertson looked at them both before she started it. “If I can tell do you want to know if you’ve got a daughter or a son?”
“Whatever Jean-Claude wants.” Anita didn’t really care whether they found out now, or when her mate gave birth.
“Please. I would like to know.”
“All right. This gel is going to be cold Jean-Claude.” She squeezed the gel out directly onto his stomach and smoothed it over his stomach before beginning the scan.
“You’re going to have a daughter. Do you want me to print out a picture?”
“Yes, please.” Anita finally answered when she realised that Jean-Claude wouldn’t, even though he plainly wanted the doctor to give them a picture.
~~~000~~~
Jean-Claude curled around his belly, brushing his hair out, since he’d started showing his world had narrowed to the point where his major concern was looking good for Anita. At first he’d had to hide from the humans because they couldn’t know about his pregnancy. And when that became irrelevant he’d been far enough along that Anita had insisted on restricting him to light work – paperwork or interviewing people.
He just hoped that Anita would permit him to resume a more active role as Master of the City after he gave birth. She would be perfectly justified in commanding him to do nothing more than raise her child if she wished it. Functionally she was Master of the City now, with some help from her vampire servant and from Asher, what if she wanted to continue like that, keeping Jean-Claude as a figurehead?
Jean-Claude trembled and dismissed the thought, putting his hairbrush aside and rising to dress for the interview he had scheduled in an hour. He hadn’t expected to get a letter applying for the position of wet nurse when he mentioned it in his interview with Irving, but he had, and so he’d arranged to give Jessie an interview. He’d have to clear it with Anita if he decided to give her the job, but his master had granted provisional approval and would be coming to check Jessie over once the interview was finished.
Jean-Claude pulled on a wool jumpsuit, with purple linen robes and made sure that his necklace was plainly visible. He hesitated over the make-up; he wanted to be a credit to his master by looking good, but he hated wearing it. And although Anita had appeared to like it on him well enough she hadn’t been particularly aroused or excited by it. He made a decision and left his face bare, and began braiding his hair as he walked though to the living room.
Jean-Claude had tied off his braid with a purple ribbon and lost himself in a science fiction paperback. Anita found the taste for military science fiction he’d developed since she’d restricted his movements slightly amusing, but at least it wasn’t vampire books she joked. She’d been the one to introduce him to that sort of book, although indirectly as she’d brought a pile of books for him to read when he’d first been put into seclusion. He’d loved the first military science fiction book that was in there, the fifth book in a series. It was so different from his own life that he found it a welcome break, and he found the political undertones fascinating. He’d been forced to learn how to manoeuvre politically, but he’d grown to love it, and it was fun to just read about political manipulations without worrying about how he’d be affected. When he’d finished that book he’d asked for the rest of the series, and for more in the same vein. Another aspect he found appealing was that the romance was minimal, and far too many of the books his master had first brought for him featured the sort of love he felt himself unworthy of, or relationships between groups of people that he envied and feared.
“Master, there’s a Jessie Taylor here to speak with you.” One of the younger of his kiss announced his visitor, Jessie had said that she was pregnant and due around the middle of April, but she hadn’t said anything about how she got that way, or why she would want to be a wet nurse.
“Then bring her in.” Jean-Claude put his book aside, marking his place, and stood as she came in. “Hello Jessie. Please, sit down.” She had dark brown hair, falling over her shoulders and green eyes, and to Jean-Claude’s eyes she looked as if she was due to give birth in the next week – and he knew she was only seven months along. It made him realise just how little he was showing in comparison. If he’d been pretending to be human no one would have thought his weight gain out of the ordinary in any way.
Once Jessie had settled herself into the armchair Jean-Claude returned to his place on the couch.
“Tell me Jessie, why are you willing to act as a wet nurse? I know that modern women do not think highly of the idea, at least not in America.”
“I know that breast milk is better for babies than any formula, and it will be far easier for you if you get an American woman to do it than to import someone from a less urbanised society. At least this way something good will come from what happened to me. I also hoped that a job would come with the position, one where I’d be able to feed my child and yours as necessary.”
“Why did you leave your last job? Was your employer unwilling to allow for your changed priorities?” Jean-Claude carefully didn’t respond to her hints that she had been raped, he suspected that Jessie would not react well to sympathy.
“His son raped me, I’m carrying his grandchild. He offered to pay for an abortion and transfer me to California with a pay raise if I didn’t press charges. I don’t believe in abortion and I refused his offer so he fired me. I got his son jailed and sued him for wrongful dismissal.”
“To take vengeance?”
“That and to make sure the bastard who raped me wouldn’t be able to do it again for a few years at least. I’d have preferred a more permanent solution, but...” And she shrugged, acknowledging the inadequacies of the modern justice system.
“I see. If anyone actually managed to rape Anita they would die, she’d kill them. That’s what she’s done to everyone who’s tried so far. And she’d do her best to kill anyone who hurt someone under her protection; I’ve seen her do that before.” Jean-Claude didn’t look at Jessie as he spoke, instead playing with the hem of his outermost robe. “Could you be a bit more specific on what sort of job you wanted?”
“Just something to keep me from getting bored, and where I have the freedom to feed my child when he needs it. I don’t need the money, but I have taken child care courses, if you’re worried about leaving your child in my care.”
“Would you be willing to move to the Circus then?” Jean-Claude was trying to work out what sort of jobs would prevent Jessie getting bored that he could offer her – the wet nurse position obviously wouldn’t be enough.
“Would it be safe to bring a child up here?”
“Would I raise my daughter here if I thought otherwise?” Jean-Claude let the shock he felt show on his face and in his voice.
“No, I’m sorry. But is there anything in particular I’ll have to do to keep my son safe?”
“Keep him with you at dusk when the youngest vampires rise and he should be safe. Have you decided on a name for him yet?”
“Isaac, and you? Have you chosen a name for your daughter?”
“Not exactly, I have to get Anita’s approval. And for the name I’ve chosen I really need Asher’s permission as well.” He wanted to call his daughter Julianna, but he was not sure that Anita would welcome a reminder of his previous love or that Asher would be willing to let him use the name.
“I don’t understand.”
“A mate does not name his child, the father of the child, his master, does. So Anita gets the final say, but she asked me to make my own suggestion. The name I’d prefer is that of a woman both I and Asher cared for, but she was closer to him...” Jean-Claude trailed off, shrugging. He’d more or less made up his mind that he wanted Jessie to be his daughter’s wet nurse, but they had to wait for Anita to get in and give her approval.
“Would you mind being more or less a receptionist, someone to take any calls that come into the Circus during the daytime when most of us are asleep? There wouldn’t be any problem with feeding your son and my daughter as they needed it then, but I’m not sure it would alleviate the boredom as much as you’d like.”
“Perhaps I could combine something else with it. I’m trained as a PA, I can certainly type letters up, or anything else if that helps.”
“My master might be convinced that you could handle some of her correspondence for her, the stuff that’s involved with her duties as a Sire. I do not know.”
“Can I take it you want me, but it all depends on Anita’s approval now?” Jessie’s voice was mildly ironic and Jean-Claude just nodded in reply. “You don’t need to try to entertain me while we’re waiting then, I can amuse myself.” She drew a book out of her bag, looking ready to settle down and Jean-Claude picked up his own book.
When Anita arrived she was carrying a huge bunch of tightly curled red and black roses and a jewellery box. Her eyes glanced over Jessie and dismissed her as she knelt in front of her mate.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Anita offered the roses and the box to Jean-Claude.
“But that isn’t until tomorrow, is it?” Jean-Claude took the roses, laying them beside him on the couch as he spoke before taking the box and opening it to find a white gold band set with four square cut sapphires that would fit on his upper arm. His gift and the flowers for Anita wouldn’t be delivered to her house until tomorrow afternoon.
“It’s after midnight.” Anita smiled as she pointed this out. “So, are you happy with Jessie?”
“Yes, but I know that you need to give your approval.”
“I just want to make sure she won’t be a danger to you. I must say I approve of how you dealt with the father of your child Jessie.” The woman responded with a brilliant smile.
“Well I wasn’t going to let him ruin my life, or anyone else’s if I could help it.” Jean-Claude knew just how different his life could have been if he hadn’t reached master level and he didn’t really want to think about the things this interview had stirred up. He also needed comfort and reassurance sex did not have to mean pain.
He leant forward and touched Anita’s shoulder as he whispered to her. “I’ll be waiting for you in my bedroom with your permission.”
“Go ahead my love.” Anita turned to help him to his feet and let him leave the room before she continued with the questions. When he got back to his bedroom Jean-Claude put his roses into a vase and stripped swiftly. Then he slid the band Anita had given him onto his left arm and lay down on his bed waiting for his master.
Anita smiled when she saw him ready for her, but then her smile faltered.
“Does she meet with your approval Anita?” Jean-Claude couldn’t think of anything else that could have displeased Anita, other than having to tell him that he’d have to find someone else.
“Definitely. But what’s this about?”
“I want a reminder that sex is not always pain, please, just be gentle.” It had been more than six weeks since the last time they’d made love, but despite that Anita was as careful with him as she had been at Christmas.
“Roll over onto your side.” Anita spooned behind him after he’d obeyed and began undoing his braid to let his hair fall around his body. She made it into a form of foreplay and then they made slow leisurely love.
~~~000~~~
Anita picked up the boxes containing her most recent order from this jeweller. She hated the fact that these were considered the appropriate gift to her mate on the birth of their first child, but the fact remained that restraints were considered the only suitable gift. From his comments Mr. Roth was not unaccustomed to doing work for the S&M set and he’d taken this commission in stride.
He had asked if she was sure she wouldn’t prefer the chains to be made of titanium steel as after all her mate was a master vampire, but when she’d refused he accepted it. But Anita still wasn’t certain how he’d satisfied her requirements, the ones she’d learned from Severus, for the main pieces.
“Which of these contains the chains?” All five boxes were almost the same size and it was hard to distinguish which contained what without looking inside. Hard, but not impossible, apparently, as Mr. Roth pointed one of the boxes out unhesitatingly.
“That one. I made two chains about a foot long for if you want to limit his motion, one five feet long for his ankles if you want him able to move freely, and four that are three feet long if you want to tether him somewhere using all four bracers.” Anita nodded and set that box to one side, she would give it to Jean-Claude once she got back to the Circus. She then opened one of the other boxes, just to see what the bracers looked like.
It was in the form of two solid bands of metal at the top and the bottom of the piece of jewellery, connected by a large diamond lattice, each band set with three sapphires, set in the same way as those in their rings.
“Very nice, and very discrete.” Anita smiled at the beauty of the pieces, but it faded when she thought of their purpose.
“I’m surprised you would come to me for such a thing, you are not one of my usual customers, and I had not heard that you enjoyed such games.”
“I don’t, but there are some traditions when dealing with my mate that I can’t alter. Actually you might get another set of orders for the same things we’ve got for Jean-Claude later on after I present our child, or if I take another mate.” Anita was beginning to suspect that Damian might be a potential mate – Jean-Claude had never been as jealous of any of her other lovers as he was of Damian, not even of Richard, at least not since she’d first slept with him, and her cross had never glowed just for Damian, any more than it had just for Jean-Claude.
“Well if you want anything else like this I’m more than willing to provide it. And if you want an introduction to these games you have your pomme de sang, Nathaniel, but I’ll be glad to provide you with whatever equipment you wish.”
“Thank you, but I need to go; I have to speak with my mate.” It was seven weeks until he was due and Jean-Claude still hadn’t decided on a name – or if he had he hadn’t told her, so Anita’d scheduled a meeting of her, Jean-Claude, and for some reason Asher, at her mate’s request, to make the decision.
She left the bracers in her car, but she brought the chains through to Jean-Claude’s bedroom where Asher and her mate waited for her. She dropped the box on the dresser as she made her way to join her vampires on the bed where Jean-Claude was resting in Asher’s arms for comfort and reassurance. Jean-Claude looked curiously at the box, but it was Asher who asked about it.
“What’s in that? You do not need to give Jean-Claude any more jewellery surely.”
“No, but I want to make sure that no one can challenge my claim to him, and that means jumping through the hoops. One of those is having restraints for him – not that I intend to use them.” She swiftly moved to reassure her mate.
“Not unless you have to. White gold so I can break them if I have to?”
“Yes. Now, why did you insist that Asher has to be here while we discuss the name of our daughter?”
“Because I want to call her Julianna, but I cannot and will not without Asher’s permission.”
“You want to name your daughter after my human servant?” Asher sounded astonished.
“Unless my master wishes to give her another name, yes I do.”
“If you want to call our daughter Julianna then I don’t mind. She’ll have my surname of course, and I want to make you happy.”
“Then Asher, will you let me call our daughter Julianna?”
“Yes, I think I should like that.”
~~~000~~~
Jean-Claude knelt on his bed shaking in fear, arms wrapped around his belly. It was already three days past his due date, Jessie had given birth to Isaac more than three weeks ago, and he feared that his master would become impatient and simply cut his child out of his body. He knew that Anita wouldn’t hurt him like that, but he couldn’t help but fear the possibility.
Suddenly he felt a strange pain between his legs, as if something was cutting into him, or cutting its way out of him behind his balls, but at the same time it was strangely distant. He slid his fingers between his legs to explore where it hurt, but when he brought them out they weren’t covered in blood, but in the moisture that women secreted when aroused. And the pain had died away.
Jean-Claude stood, pulling a robe on and went to find Anita. Damian had said that this happened with Regulus the night before he gave birth, and that Jean-Claude would go into labour as soon as he woke up from his daylight slumber the next night. Jean-Claude wanted to make sure his master would be there to deaden the pain for him and reassure him as he gave birth.
His master was with Asher, he knew that he couldn’t just walk in and expect them to stop so he could tell Anita his news, but there was no reason he couldn’t wait in the bedroom, provided he was unobtrusive. He opened the door very slightly and slipped in, kneeling and waiting for his master to finish and notice him, eyes cast down so as not to watch what she was doing with her lover.
He shivered slightly as he caught the scent of blood, Asher’s blood that marked Anita’s climax. That tiny movement brought him to their attention, and he knew he was the focus of two pairs of eyes.
“Jean-Claude, what is it?” Anita sounded worried about him, and he hadn’t wanted that. Jean-Claude stood, letting his robe drop to the floor, but still with his head bowed.
“You need to check between my legs master.” Anita blinked and then walked forwards, sliding her hand down between his legs, exploring behind his balls and slipping two fingers into him easily.
“Did you just go into labour? Is there anything you need me to do for you?” His master sounded almost panicked, it was almost amusing to learn that the Executioner was scared of her lover giving birth.
“No, my body’s just getting ready for me to give birth, but from what Damian says I’ll wake up in labour tomorrow. Please, will you be by my side?” Jean-Claude half expected her to refuse, she plainly wasn’t happy at the idea of him giving birth.
“Of course I will Jean-Claude. Why wouldn’t I be?” Jean-Claude didn’t reply, he didn’t want to imply that he doubted her in any way, but she read it in him despite that. “I was worried because your doctor isn’t here. I’ll make sure that she is here when you wake up. Where did you want to give birth?”
“In the bath, ma petite.” They’d learned that Anita could control when Jean-Claude woke to the extent of keeping him unconscious until she let him rise. They’d discussed it earlier and he knew that she’d use it to make sure he woke in a hot bath, in the hope that it would make giving birth as easy as possible for him.
“If that’s what you want. Now go to bed and relax, or do whatever else will help you relax.”
Jean-Claude finally looked up at his master and smiled before obeying.
~~~000~~~
Anita watched as Asher slid Jean-Claude into the steaming hot bath, slipping in behind him to hold his head above water. Dr. Robertson put one finger in the water, then snatched her hand back.
“I can’t do anything in this. It’s too hot for me – and for the baby. You need to add some cold water.”
“No, we don’t. How long will it take for the preparatory stages? You can just tell Asher what to do until the water’s cool enough for you to work in.”
“I don’t know how long it will take for the preparatory stages. I don’t even know how much he’s dilated, or if he is at all.”
“Fine, Asher, I’m sorry to do this to you, but can you lift him out again, so Dr. Robertson can make her measurements.”
“Of course I can Anita.” Asher obeyed, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to explore between his lover’s legs as he did, prompting a disapproving sniff from Dr. Robertson.
After she measured him she said that it would be at least an hour before he could give birth, possibly longer.
“And the water will almost certainly be cool enough for you to work in by then. Asher, when you get him back into the bath I’ll let him wake.”
They suited actions to words, and Jean-Claude looked at Anita for instructions immediately.
“I’ll block your pain, but just do as the doctor tells you, okay?”
“Yes Anita.” The next four hours – apparently a short labour for a human woman, although not for a mate from what Damian had said - passed in a blur for Anita. She had to almost go into a trance to block Jean-Claude’s pain enough, and in the right way. It wasn’t easy, as she had to let all other sensations through so he’d know when to push and how to breathe. Anita noticed when Dr. Robertson stripped down to her swimsuit and climbed into the tub with Jean-Claude for the final portion of the delivery, the part she couldn’t delegate to Asher, not safely in her view. By that time the water had cooled to a point where she was comfortable in it. Anita also noticed when Dr. Robertson asked her to cut the umbilical, which she did automatically, using one of her wrist knives, much to the doctor’s shock, and then she handed the child to Jean-Claude, for him to put to his breast.
It jerked Anita out of her trance when Jean-Claude turned to her. “Anita, might I name her? And give her your name?”
“Of course you can. On both counts.”
“Dr. Robertson, this is my daughter Julianna Blake. You can write out the birth certificate?”
“Yes, of course I can, but it’s going to look strange, having a man as the mother and a woman as the father.” The doctor looked up from where she was overseeing the delivery of the placenta to answer that question.
“I am the mother, I know this is unusual, but it is what I am now.” Jean-Claude spoke quietly but firmly, and then returned his attention to his daughter, who’d fallen asleep in his arms.
“Yes, I know. You said you wanted to keep the afterbirth Anita?”
“Yes.” Anita took the afterbirth from Dr. Robertson’s hands and put it into a jar she’d brought for the purpose. Julianna had fallen asleep by then so she took her daughter from her mate and handed her to their lover, Asher, while she helped him out of the bath and dried him off.
She lifted her mate in her arms and carried him through to his bedroom, nodding to Asher to bring their daughter as well. As soon as she’d laid her mate in his bed he held out his arms for his daughter.
“No, not until you’ve fed.” Anita held out her wrist for her mate to drink from. During her mate’s pregnancy she’d become comfortable with giving her mate her blood, he’d had morning sickness throughout his pregnancy and her blood was the one he could keep most down of at a time, and the one that nourished him and his child best.
“Yes Anita.” Jean-Claude paused several times as he fed, slightly doubtful about taking his fill of her blood, but continued when she nodded permission. Asher dealt with Dr. Robertson for them as Jean-Claude fed, and when he’d finished Anita lifted out the boxes of jewellery she’d got for his gift.
“Here my love, as a gift on the birth of my first child.”
Jean-Claude opened the boxes, and then looked up at her smiling. “Thank you, ma petite. Do they lock on?”
“Yes, I don’t like it, but...” And Anita trailed off regretfully, taking the key from her pocket. “Do you want to try them on now?”
“No. I’d rather hold my daughter. Might I keep her in bed with me rather than in her crib while I am awake?”
“Of course you can.” Anita nodded at Asher to give Julianna to her mother and stayed with her family until her ardeur called her away.
~~~000~~~
Anita had decided who would be the best journalist to give their interview to the instant she learned that it would soon be public knowledge that her mate was pregnant. Irving was a wolf, and so she’d be able to influence him, both as his Bolverk and because she’d given him her protection once. And so would Jean-Claude, so it was almost certain that he’d be amenable to their terms. But she wasn’t going to just override her mate’s opinions, if he could think of a better option then they’d use it.
And even if Jean-Claude couldn’t think of a better idea she wasn’t going to disturb Irving on Christmas day. The next day would be quite soon enough, when it was out in the papers anyway.
She shook her head, dismissing her thoughts and picked up her presents for her mate before driving to the Circus. She found him curled naked on his bed, and she couldn’t help but smile at the picture of total sensuality he presented, his hair covering his entire upper torso, and a portion of his groin. He looked up at her from lowered lashes, smiling gently and seductively, one hand stroking across his hip.
“At least put a robe on before I’m tempted to ravish you!” Anita laughed, making a joke of the lust he aroused in her. Jean-Claude rose silently from the bed and obeyed before taking a large box from his cupboard and moving to kneel on the rug beside the chair. Anita took the hint and sat in it, handing the two boxes she had for him down to him. Her gifts for the other vampires she’d left under the tree Jean-Claude had put up in the living room to indulge the younger members of his kiss, but she wanted to give her mate his gifts personally.
“Open them now, I’ll need to explain about one of them.” Jean-Claude glanced up at Anita and obeyed. The first box he opened contained a belt, made of white gold that matched his necklace, except for the buckle, which matched the front piece of his collar. It was sized for when he gave birth, but Anita could see that he was pleased by the implication of an entire set of similar decorations existed, or would exist to be given to him over the forthcoming months, or years.
Jean-Claude looked directly up into Anita’s face when he’d opened the second gift, a set of seven charms on a bracelet, each in the shape of an ankh, set with a single ruby and engraved with the word 'tonight', and all made of white gold, the bracelet itself matched to Jean-Claude’s necklace.
“I do not understand, master.”
Anita lifted her left arm to show a similar bracelet, but with only three charms on it. “Each of those charms is a promise. Give one to me and we’ll have sex however you want it, including whatever vampire wiles you wish. If you want to arrange something similar feel free to do so, but I don’t expect it.”
“Thank you, master.” The vampire smiled up at Anita and held his gift up for her to unwrap. She found lingerie and a black pants suit in silk, cut to flatter her figure.
“Thank you Jean-Claude. I’m beginning to think I should just let you dress me all the time, you have exquisite taste.”
“I am honoured that you think so master.” He bowed his head, looking uncertain. “I wanted to lie with you tonight, something slow and gentle, it is not so much for sex as for comfort, but sex is in there too. Do I need to offer you one of these?”
“No, not for that. But have you thought of any better way to control what people learn about your pregnancy than I suggested last night?”
“No, but I think Irving Griswold would be the best reporter to approach.”
“I agree. Now to bed with you.” Anita was surprised to see her mate crawl to the bed, keeping his head below hers and imbuing his actions with total sensuality. She kept the sex that night slow and gentle, drawn out to the point where her mate could hardly breathe for arousal, and concentrated on retaining enough control not to shred his back.
Anita rang Irving Griswold the very next day.
“Irving, how would you like an exclusive interview with the Master of the City about his pregnancy?”
“His pregnancy? How can he be pregnant?”
“You’ll find out if you take the interview.”
“What’s it gonna cost me then Anita?”
“We get to look over the article before you send it to print, and if there’s anything we don’t want revealed then you take it out. We’ll let you bring a photographer, but he doesn’t get to listen to the interview itself, you can bring him in to take the pictures afterwards – and we get final say on which pictures are used. And we get to say we’ve given the St. Louis Dispatch an exclusive, so no one else can bother us about the matter.”
“A pre-emptive strike then?”
“Yes. Are the terms acceptable?”
“I’ll need to get approval, but they should be – I’ll get back to you by six.”
“Fine.” When she hung up Anita made sure she had a pen and paper nearby and that it was alright to ring Severus now before dialling his cell phone number.
“Hello. This is Severus. Who are you?”
“Anita Blake. My lover, Jean-Claude became pregnant for the first time at the end of July.”
“With your child? Congratulations.” And the man did sound as if he was pleased for her.
“Thank you. But I actually called to ask how you took Inanna from Rhudan.”
“Why do you want to know? I lost my mate Quintus after I claimed Inanna, he was jealous of her, and thought that I didn’t want him any longer.”
“Hugo kidnapped my mate, and tried to force him to miscarry my child. I want to take Regulus from him in revenge, and also because he freed Jean-Claude. It was his idea for me to force a bond on Regulus and get him with child.”
“So you do not think he will be upset that you have taken a new mate, when your claim on him is so new?”
“No, I only plan to lie with Regulus until he is with his first child by me. If he ends up with a heightened sex drive during his pregnancy then I’ll let him take other lovers. And I’m thinking of just handing him over to the Traveler once I’ve claimed him, if he agrees that is. The Traveler once loved him, and I think that feeling is still there. I won’t tell him to obey the Traveler, just to live with him, except for visits to see his child once a year, unless he chooses to take her with him – in which case it will be visits so I can see my child once a year.”
“You say you will only lie with Regulus to get him with child, I found him most tempting, are you certain that you will not change your mind about that?”
“I need an emotional connection, or to have lost all control of myself as when I first experienced the ardeur, to take someone to my bed. I’ll do it to repay the debt I owe Regulus, to take vengeance on Hugo and to please my mate, but that isn’t enough for anything longer lasting.”
“The emotional connection has to come first for you then?”
“Normally, yes, there have been a couple of exceptions. Will you help me, please?”
“I gave Inanna a potion before I fucked her. It contained my blood, her blood and the liquidised afterbirth from my mate’s most recent child. It also contained some herbs, but I chose them based on the herbs that worked best with my power, you should select whatever fits in with your power best – just no abortifacients. Feed the potion to Regulus and then fuck him focusing on how much you want him to be pregnant. If it works then even someone who Hugo didn’t agree to lend him to will be able to fuck him. That’s the easiest test, but it might be hard on him. And this is a one chance only thing.”
“I see.” Anita had written what she could down, but she wanted to make sure she had it right. “So, let me test my understanding. I keep the afterbirth when Jean-Claude gives birth, and use that mixed with my blood and the stuff I use in my zombie raising ointment to make a potion. Then I add Regulus’ blood before I fuck him, and make sure he drinks the mixture. After that I have sex with him and concentrate on wanting him pregnant. Do I have it all right?”
“Yes. There is one other thing. You need to give your mate a gift when he gives birth to each of your children. And for the first child it has to be something you could use to restrain him with, but still acceptable for him to wear in public.” And with that Severus hung up.
Jean-Claude sat curled at Anita’s feet, head resting in her lap. He didn’t need the sort of pampering Anita thought it took to take care of a pregnant male. Not that he objected exactly, but Anita had said that he could arrange the interview however he wanted to, and he wanted to make it clear that he was submissive to Anita. Lying on the couch with his master fussing over him would hardly have conveyed the right impression.
The other vampires had reacted interestingly. Asher had been sympathetic and made it plain that he still loved Jean-Claude, but he didn’t really treat him as a person in his own right anymore. It wasn’t anything overt, but somehow Asher always made him aware that he only held St. Louis by Anita’s grace. Damian was very sympathetic, and his best source of information on carrying a child, but for some reason Jean-Claude felt uncomfortable about the fact that Anita used the Viking to satisfy her during his pregnancy, even though it was her right. He saw Damian as a rival in a way he’d never seen Jason, Nathaniel, Micah, Asher or even Richard. Hannah had been supportive too, and she’d explained to the confused younger vampires, including her lover Willy McCoy, what his pregnancy meant. Faust’s only concern had been to make sure that he wasn’t likely to get pregnant. Gretchen was still obsessive over him, but she seemed to have given up on getting him into bed, and she didn’t appear to hate Anita anymore. Instead she was totally focused on protecting him, even going so far as to give him orders if she thought he was putting himself in danger.
After the third time he appealed to Anita only to have her support Gretchen and agree that he had been reckless he gave up trying to argue with her and just complied. And Gretchen became his almost permanent bodyguard. It was only Asher and Gretchen who really made him feel like a mate, all the other vampires tended to act as if he were still Master of the City in his own right, rather than holding the position only by Anita’s grace and favour. In some ways it was refreshing, not to have them expecting his protection, but it also scared him and reminded him how vulnerable he was now.
He was roused from his musing when Anita’s hand tightened on his hair and he heard the werewolf come into the room. Jean-Claude smiled up at him, but he didn’t speak, preferring to wait and let Anita or Irving initiate things. They’d signed the agreement two days ago, on New Years Day, so they didn’t need to worry about that.
“Hello Irving. Please sit down. Did you bring a photographer with you?”
“Yes, your vampires insisted that he wait in another room Jean-Claude. I thought I could send for him and he could take pictures after the interview if you don’t mind.” Irving seemed to be putting a lot of effort into staying polite and ignoring the fact that the Master of the City was sitting on the floor while he took a chair.
“Of course not. Now what did you want to ask?”
“I can see that Jean-Claude is pregnant, but how is it possible?”
“The short answer is magic, some vampires have the ability to bear a healthy child. No one knows exactly why, but we do not show that ability until we carry our first children. Vampires who can bear children are called mates. The first child a mate carries is sired by someone alive who he considers dominant to him. Not just dominant as in more powerful, but with specific right to control over him. If we are claimed then only the ‘father’ of our children, the one who makes the claim, can get us pregnant, and we cannot be touched sexually without their permission. If not we can be forced to bear children by anyone alive with even the slightest scrap of magic and knowledge of how to cast the spells. And anyone who’s got us pregnant has the opportunity to claim us. And not one of us can disobey the people who claim us. We have no choice but to be totally submissive. It is very rare for a vampire to be a mate; there are only six of us in the world – and only three Sires, people who have proven capable of giving a mate their first child.”
“So three of these ‘mates’ can carry the children of anyone who knows the right spell?”
“No, we’ve all been claimed. But Regulus was claimed by a lycanthrope who took him from the father of his first child, and Enkil has claimed three mates.”
“Right. What happened to the guy that got this Regulus pregnant in the first place?”
“One side effect of claiming a mate is becoming truly immortal. Because someone else claimed Regulus Leo didn’t become immortal and he died.”
“So you’re immortal now Anita?”
“Pretty much. I didn’t expect it, or want it, but I can’t refuse it.”
“Why not? Couldn’t you have just, not claimed Jean-Claude?”
“I love him, and I will not lose him. If I didn’t claim him I would lose him to someone.” Jean-Claude smiled, glancing up at Anita from beneath lowered eyelids.
“Thank you Anita. Do you have any other questions?”
“How do you feel about being Anita’s slave? That is what you described earlier, isn’t it?”
“I know Anita will not abuse me, and that she will protect me against anyone who threatens me. And I love her. She hasn’t asked me for anything that I wouldn’t do willingly, and she’s guaranteed she won’t do the things that scare me most.”
“Oh?” Irving made an inquiring sound and Jean-Claude reacted to it.
“Now that Anita’s claimed me if she wants me to get pregnant then I will get pregnant, but she’s promised she’ll only do that if I request it. And she won’t make – or let – me sleep with anyone except for her and Asher. Not that I want to sleep with anyone else.”
“I see. Umm...I take it you won’t be able to breastfeed?”
“No, I don’t think so, not as the only supply. I will produce some milk, at least enough that I can give my child the first feed, but even if I do produce enough milk to feed her exclusively I wouldn’t be awake to feed her during the day. Traditionally a mate chooses how to care for his child, unless his master decides to intervene. I’d thought we could find a wet nurse. I know it is not something modern humans would find appropriate, but...” Jean-Claude trailed off, uncertain.
“If you want it, and you can find someone willing then you can have it.” Anita stroked the vampire’s hair gently, reassuring him. “But I want to be involved.”
“Thank you, master.” Jean-Claude smiled up at Anita, trying to show how much he adored her – he knew how lucky he was to belong to such a generous Sire. If he’d met Enkil or Severus earlier they might have seen he was a mate and gotten him pregnant, and in his eyes Anita was being incredibly generous.
“Would you rather I didn’t mention that you’re looking for a wet nurse in the article? Is there anything else you’d rather I didn’t mention?” Irving sounded anxious; it seemed as if he’d just remembered that Jean-Claude could call wolves.
“There isn’t anything so far I want to keep secret. You could ask Damian or Asher if you want a bit more in the way of background. Do you have any other questions?”
Irving leafed through his notes, looking for anything he hadn’t picked up on. Jean-Claude knew that the next question would be about his position as Master of the City.
“You said mates are submissive to whoever claims them, Anita for you. How does that work with you being Master of the City?”
“Anita has been generous, and allowed me to continue to hold St. Louis, albeit effectively in her name. Enkil permitted his mate Wu Fei to continue holding Beijing for 50 years after he claimed him. If my Sire decides to she can take the city and give it to another vampire and any vampire who visits the city can demand to deal with Anita directly, instead of with me.
“Oh. Err...what’s the correct protocol now then?”
“Whatever Anita wishes it to be. In general wait for her to speak to me first and take your cue from that and she might decide to speak for me. I really do not know, my master hasn’t spoken to me of what restrictions she wishes to impose.”
“Anita?”
“I’m not entirely comfortable owning people. I do tend to give my protection to anyone who needs it, and much as I hate to admit it I am dictatorial, but that’s not the same as actually owning someone, even someone who wants to be owned.”
“Then you haven’t considered any restrictions?”
“He can’t make any commitments for me without my knowledge and consent, and I don’t like people flirting with him in my presence, but that’s about it.”
“Right, so you don’t mind if I speak directly to Jean-Claude or anything. Jean-Claude, how are you going to give birth? You aren’t exactly equipped for it.”
“Damian tells me that will change when I go into labour. That is unless Anita decides a C-section is easier and has one done around 36-38 weeks.”
“Jean-Claude, I don’t really care, it is your body, give birth whichever way you prefer.”
“Then naturally. I would rather not be cut open. You are capable of blocking my pain master, if you wish it.”
“Then I’ll do my best to be with you when you give birth.”
“Thank you master.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, when are you due?”
“Late April or early May. Do you want to get the photographs now?”
“Yes please.” Irving went out to get his photographer. He took a few pictures of Jean-Claude curled at Anita’s feet, then paused.
“I’d like some pictures of Jean-Claude by himself if you don’t mind.” The photographer sounded uncertain who to speak to. Anita stood, helping her mate to his feet and settling him on the white couch, his red linen robes and black wool jumpsuit making a dramatic contrast. His robes didn’t quite hide his bare feet and once he’d pulled out his necklace to rest visibly on his chest Jean-Claude laid his hands on his swelling stomach.
“You might want to take a close up of this.” Jean-Claude played with his pendant. “It illustrates my position perfectly.”
“'Property of Anita Blake' – that’s a slave collar!” Still the photographer took a picture of the pendant, close enough to see the engraving.
“It isn’t a collar. Anita didn’t think that was a good idea for anything but formal occasions.”
“Are you saying you actually have a collar – and wear it?” Irving took his notebook back out and held his pencil ready.
“Master?” Jean-Claude looked at Anita, asking permission to answer, not sure whether he hoped to be granted, or denied it. As it happened Anita answered for him.
“Yes, he does have a collar, and a leash. By vampire law he had to wear them when the Traveler came to confirm that he is pregnant, and he’ll have to wear them when I present our first child, and every time we are invited to the presentation of a child. I don’t intend to make him wear it unless I have to, but if I have to I will.”
“The collar was actually something I got. Anita didn’t like the idea at all. Enkil keeps his mates in collars at all times. I’m lucky, Anita doesn’t demand much in the way of displays of submission. When I do make displays of submission it’s always my idea.” That silenced any objections and the reporter and photographer left quickly.
Anita held her mate by the waist as she guided him into the hospital. It had taken them nearly three weeks to decide which of the offers to act as Jean-Claude’s midwife that had flooded in after Irving’s interview had appeared on the 7th of January they should accept. Anita had insisted that any offers which were addressed solely to her be thrown out at the beginning, and Jean-Claude had been equally stubborn about offers that didn’t acknowledge that Anita had the right to make the decisions, not him. In the end they’d gone with Monica’s recommendation, the doctor who’d helped with her pregnancy.
Dr. Robertson had sent her letter to Anita, but she’d made it clear that she would need to be able to work with Jean-Claude to help him, and was perfectly willing to do so. She’d also said that she would hope that Anita would be able to accompany her mate as and when it was necessary. And Jean-Claude was not comfortable going to his first appointment and ultrasound session without his master accompanying him.
There were no other patients waiting for Dr. Robertson, she’d actually set up a special session just for them, although there were other couples that couldn’t go to the hospital in the daytime none of them wanted to be present when the Master of the City was having his check-up done, and it would have made Jean-Claude even less comfortable.
“Hello. Anita, Jean-Claude. If you’ll just get undressed and put this on.” She held out a hospital gown and nodded towards a door. “You can change in there.”
Jean-Claude looked at Anita and she read the uncertainty in his eyes. “Do you want me to come with you Jean-Claude?”
“Yes, please.” Anita took the gown from Dr. Robertson and led her mate away.
Jean-Claude had dressed down for the appointment. He wore black jeans, just in a larger size than usual for him, a large black sweater and black loafers, a size larger than usual to accommodate his swelling feet. He kept his head bowed the entire time he undressed; holding out his hand blindly for the gown, but with an air of desperation, and it worried Anita a little. She didn’t give him the gown, instead she stepped up to him and lifted his chin with her hand so he had to look at her.
“What’s bothering you Jean-Claude?”
“I’m huge. And you’ve been so good about not demanding your rights to my body, but...I can’t help wondering if that means you don’t want me at all.”
Anita pulled Jean-Claude into her arms and ran her hands over his body sensually. “Yes, of course I want you, but only if you’re willing, I refuse to be another Belle Morte, or another Musette, and force you to my bed. You aren’t normally this insecure, what brought it up?”
“I’m going to have to show my body to a stranger. And just because I don’t show that I’m scared you’ll decide I’m not worthy of you doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.” For all that his words sounded almost assertive Jean-Claude’s tone of voice was one of total submission. And it disturbed Anita that he felt unworthy of her, especially when she realised how much the way she’d treated him probably had to do with that.
“You are certainly worthy of me, never doubt that. I am not ashamed of you and I intend to show you off as much as I can. If you don’t want to do this you don’t have to. Damian said that Regulus goes through all of his pregnancies without a doctor, so you don’t really need one if you don’t want one.”
“You’d feel better if I had a doctor though wouldn’t you?” Anita blinked at the question, she hadn’t quite realised just how dependent Jean-Claude had become on her approval until now.
“Yes, but what matters is that you feel comfortable.”
“Just...please stay with me.” Her mate pulled the gown on as they were talking, still keeping his eyes cast down.
“Whatever you need my mate.” Anita was not going to abandon her mate, or upset him if she could avoid it. She guided him through to the doctor’s office and watched him throughout the tests, holding his hand when he needed it.
Finally it was time for the ultrasound; Dr. Robertson looked at them both before she started it. “If I can tell do you want to know if you’ve got a daughter or a son?”
“Whatever Jean-Claude wants.” Anita didn’t really care whether they found out now, or when her mate gave birth.
“Please. I would like to know.”
“All right. This gel is going to be cold Jean-Claude.” She squeezed the gel out directly onto his stomach and smoothed it over his stomach before beginning the scan.
“You’re going to have a daughter. Do you want me to print out a picture?”
“Yes, please.” Anita finally answered when she realised that Jean-Claude wouldn’t, even though he plainly wanted the doctor to give them a picture.
Jean-Claude curled around his belly, brushing his hair out, since he’d started showing his world had narrowed to the point where his major concern was looking good for Anita. At first he’d had to hide from the humans because they couldn’t know about his pregnancy. And when that became irrelevant he’d been far enough along that Anita had insisted on restricting him to light work – paperwork or interviewing people.
He just hoped that Anita would permit him to resume a more active role as Master of the City after he gave birth. She would be perfectly justified in commanding him to do nothing more than raise her child if she wished it. Functionally she was Master of the City now, with some help from her vampire servant and from Asher, what if she wanted to continue like that, keeping Jean-Claude as a figurehead?
Jean-Claude trembled and dismissed the thought, putting his hairbrush aside and rising to dress for the interview he had scheduled in an hour. He hadn’t expected to get a letter applying for the position of wet nurse when he mentioned it in his interview with Irving, but he had, and so he’d arranged to give Jessie an interview. He’d have to clear it with Anita if he decided to give her the job, but his master had granted provisional approval and would be coming to check Jessie over once the interview was finished.
Jean-Claude pulled on a wool jumpsuit, with purple linen robes and made sure that his necklace was plainly visible. He hesitated over the make-up; he wanted to be a credit to his master by looking good, but he hated wearing it. And although Anita had appeared to like it on him well enough she hadn’t been particularly aroused or excited by it. He made a decision and left his face bare, and began braiding his hair as he walked though to the living room.
Jean-Claude had tied off his braid with a purple ribbon and lost himself in a science fiction paperback. Anita found the taste for military science fiction he’d developed since she’d restricted his movements slightly amusing, but at least it wasn’t vampire books she joked. She’d been the one to introduce him to that sort of book, although indirectly as she’d brought a pile of books for him to read when he’d first been put into seclusion. He’d loved the first military science fiction book that was in there, the fifth book in a series. It was so different from his own life that he found it a welcome break, and he found the political undertones fascinating. He’d been forced to learn how to manoeuvre politically, but he’d grown to love it, and it was fun to just read about political manipulations without worrying about how he’d be affected. When he’d finished that book he’d asked for the rest of the series, and for more in the same vein. Another aspect he found appealing was that the romance was minimal, and far too many of the books his master had first brought for him featured the sort of love he felt himself unworthy of, or relationships between groups of people that he envied and feared.
“Master, there’s a Jessie Taylor here to speak with you.” One of the younger of his kiss announced his visitor, Jessie had said that she was pregnant and due around the middle of April, but she hadn’t said anything about how she got that way, or why she would want to be a wet nurse.
“Then bring her in.” Jean-Claude put his book aside, marking his place, and stood as she came in. “Hello Jessie. Please, sit down.” She had dark brown hair, falling over her shoulders and green eyes, and to Jean-Claude’s eyes she looked as if she was due to give birth in the next week – and he knew she was only seven months along. It made him realise just how little he was showing in comparison. If he’d been pretending to be human no one would have thought his weight gain out of the ordinary in any way.
Once Jessie had settled herself into the armchair Jean-Claude returned to his place on the couch.
“Tell me Jessie, why are you willing to act as a wet nurse? I know that modern women do not think highly of the idea, at least not in America.”
“I know that breast milk is better for babies than any formula, and it will be far easier for you if you get an American woman to do it than to import someone from a less urbanised society. At least this way something good will come from what happened to me. I also hoped that a job would come with the position, one where I’d be able to feed my child and yours as necessary.”
“Why did you leave your last job? Was your employer unwilling to allow for your changed priorities?” Jean-Claude carefully didn’t respond to her hints that she had been raped, he suspected that Jessie would not react well to sympathy.
“His son raped me, I’m carrying his grandchild. He offered to pay for an abortion and transfer me to California with a pay raise if I didn’t press charges. I don’t believe in abortion and I refused his offer so he fired me. I got his son jailed and sued him for wrongful dismissal.”
“To take vengeance?”
“That and to make sure the bastard who raped me wouldn’t be able to do it again for a few years at least. I’d have preferred a more permanent solution, but...” And she shrugged, acknowledging the inadequacies of the modern justice system.
“I see. If anyone actually managed to rape Anita they would die, she’d kill them. That’s what she’s done to everyone who’s tried so far. And she’d do her best to kill anyone who hurt someone under her protection; I’ve seen her do that before.” Jean-Claude didn’t look at Jessie as he spoke, instead playing with the hem of his outermost robe. “Could you be a bit more specific on what sort of job you wanted?”
“Just something to keep me from getting bored, and where I have the freedom to feed my child when he needs it. I don’t need the money, but I have taken child care courses, if you’re worried about leaving your child in my care.”
“Would you be willing to move to the Circus then?” Jean-Claude was trying to work out what sort of jobs would prevent Jessie getting bored that he could offer her – the wet nurse position obviously wouldn’t be enough.
“Would it be safe to bring a child up here?”
“Would I raise my daughter here if I thought otherwise?” Jean-Claude let the shock he felt show on his face and in his voice.
“No, I’m sorry. But is there anything in particular I’ll have to do to keep my son safe?”
“Keep him with you at dusk when the youngest vampires rise and he should be safe. Have you decided on a name for him yet?”
“Isaac, and you? Have you chosen a name for your daughter?”
“Not exactly, I have to get Anita’s approval. And for the name I’ve chosen I really need Asher’s permission as well.” He wanted to call his daughter Julianna, but he was not sure that Anita would welcome a reminder of his previous love or that Asher would be willing to let him use the name.
“I don’t understand.”
“A mate does not name his child, the father of the child, his master, does. So Anita gets the final say, but she asked me to make my own suggestion. The name I’d prefer is that of a woman both I and Asher cared for, but she was closer to him...” Jean-Claude trailed off, shrugging. He’d more or less made up his mind that he wanted Jessie to be his daughter’s wet nurse, but they had to wait for Anita to get in and give her approval.
“Would you mind being more or less a receptionist, someone to take any calls that come into the Circus during the daytime when most of us are asleep? There wouldn’t be any problem with feeding your son and my daughter as they needed it then, but I’m not sure it would alleviate the boredom as much as you’d like.”
“Perhaps I could combine something else with it. I’m trained as a PA, I can certainly type letters up, or anything else if that helps.”
“My master might be convinced that you could handle some of her correspondence for her, the stuff that’s involved with her duties as a Sire. I do not know.”
“Can I take it you want me, but it all depends on Anita’s approval now?” Jessie’s voice was mildly ironic and Jean-Claude just nodded in reply. “You don’t need to try to entertain me while we’re waiting then, I can amuse myself.” She drew a book out of her bag, looking ready to settle down and Jean-Claude picked up his own book.
When Anita arrived she was carrying a huge bunch of tightly curled red and black roses and a jewellery box. Her eyes glanced over Jessie and dismissed her as she knelt in front of her mate.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Anita offered the roses and the box to Jean-Claude.
“But that isn’t until tomorrow, is it?” Jean-Claude took the roses, laying them beside him on the couch as he spoke before taking the box and opening it to find a white gold band set with four square cut sapphires that would fit on his upper arm. His gift and the flowers for Anita wouldn’t be delivered to her house until tomorrow afternoon.
“It’s after midnight.” Anita smiled as she pointed this out. “So, are you happy with Jessie?”
“Yes, but I know that you need to give your approval.”
“I just want to make sure she won’t be a danger to you. I must say I approve of how you dealt with the father of your child Jessie.” The woman responded with a brilliant smile.
“Well I wasn’t going to let him ruin my life, or anyone else’s if I could help it.” Jean-Claude knew just how different his life could have been if he hadn’t reached master level and he didn’t really want to think about the things this interview had stirred up. He also needed comfort and reassurance sex did not have to mean pain.
He leant forward and touched Anita’s shoulder as he whispered to her. “I’ll be waiting for you in my bedroom with your permission.”
“Go ahead my love.” Anita turned to help him to his feet and let him leave the room before she continued with the questions. When he got back to his bedroom Jean-Claude put his roses into a vase and stripped swiftly. Then he slid the band Anita had given him onto his left arm and lay down on his bed waiting for his master.
Anita smiled when she saw him ready for her, but then her smile faltered.
“Does she meet with your approval Anita?” Jean-Claude couldn’t think of anything else that could have displeased Anita, other than having to tell him that he’d have to find someone else.
“Definitely. But what’s this about?”
“I want a reminder that sex is not always pain, please, just be gentle.” It had been more than six weeks since the last time they’d made love, but despite that Anita was as careful with him as she had been at Christmas.
“Roll over onto your side.” Anita spooned behind him after he’d obeyed and began undoing his braid to let his hair fall around his body. She made it into a form of foreplay and then they made slow leisurely love.
Anita picked up the boxes containing her most recent order from this jeweller. She hated the fact that these were considered the appropriate gift to her mate on the birth of their first child, but the fact remained that restraints were considered the only suitable gift. From his comments Mr. Roth was not unaccustomed to doing work for the S&M set and he’d taken this commission in stride.
He had asked if she was sure she wouldn’t prefer the chains to be made of titanium steel as after all her mate was a master vampire, but when she’d refused he accepted it. But Anita still wasn’t certain how he’d satisfied her requirements, the ones she’d learned from Severus, for the main pieces.
“Which of these contains the chains?” All five boxes were almost the same size and it was hard to distinguish which contained what without looking inside. Hard, but not impossible, apparently, as Mr. Roth pointed one of the boxes out unhesitatingly.
“That one. I made two chains about a foot long for if you want to limit his motion, one five feet long for his ankles if you want him able to move freely, and four that are three feet long if you want to tether him somewhere using all four bracers.” Anita nodded and set that box to one side, she would give it to Jean-Claude once she got back to the Circus. She then opened one of the other boxes, just to see what the bracers looked like.
It was in the form of two solid bands of metal at the top and the bottom of the piece of jewellery, connected by a large diamond lattice, each band set with three sapphires, set in the same way as those in their rings.
“Very nice, and very discrete.” Anita smiled at the beauty of the pieces, but it faded when she thought of their purpose.
“I’m surprised you would come to me for such a thing, you are not one of my usual customers, and I had not heard that you enjoyed such games.”
“I don’t, but there are some traditions when dealing with my mate that I can’t alter. Actually you might get another set of orders for the same things we’ve got for Jean-Claude later on after I present our child, or if I take another mate.” Anita was beginning to suspect that Damian might be a potential mate – Jean-Claude had never been as jealous of any of her other lovers as he was of Damian, not even of Richard, at least not since she’d first slept with him, and her cross had never glowed just for Damian, any more than it had just for Jean-Claude.
“Well if you want anything else like this I’m more than willing to provide it. And if you want an introduction to these games you have your pomme de sang, Nathaniel, but I’ll be glad to provide you with whatever equipment you wish.”
“Thank you, but I need to go; I have to speak with my mate.” It was seven weeks until he was due and Jean-Claude still hadn’t decided on a name – or if he had he hadn’t told her, so Anita’d scheduled a meeting of her, Jean-Claude, and for some reason Asher, at her mate’s request, to make the decision.
She left the bracers in her car, but she brought the chains through to Jean-Claude’s bedroom where Asher and her mate waited for her. She dropped the box on the dresser as she made her way to join her vampires on the bed where Jean-Claude was resting in Asher’s arms for comfort and reassurance. Jean-Claude looked curiously at the box, but it was Asher who asked about it.
“What’s in that? You do not need to give Jean-Claude any more jewellery surely.”
“No, but I want to make sure that no one can challenge my claim to him, and that means jumping through the hoops. One of those is having restraints for him – not that I intend to use them.” She swiftly moved to reassure her mate.
“Not unless you have to. White gold so I can break them if I have to?”
“Yes. Now, why did you insist that Asher has to be here while we discuss the name of our daughter?”
“Because I want to call her Julianna, but I cannot and will not without Asher’s permission.”
“You want to name your daughter after my human servant?” Asher sounded astonished.
“Unless my master wishes to give her another name, yes I do.”
“If you want to call our daughter Julianna then I don’t mind. She’ll have my surname of course, and I want to make you happy.”
“Then Asher, will you let me call our daughter Julianna?”
“Yes, I think I should like that.”
Jean-Claude knelt on his bed shaking in fear, arms wrapped around his belly. It was already three days past his due date, Jessie had given birth to Isaac more than three weeks ago, and he feared that his master would become impatient and simply cut his child out of his body. He knew that Anita wouldn’t hurt him like that, but he couldn’t help but fear the possibility.
Suddenly he felt a strange pain between his legs, as if something was cutting into him, or cutting its way out of him behind his balls, but at the same time it was strangely distant. He slid his fingers between his legs to explore where it hurt, but when he brought them out they weren’t covered in blood, but in the moisture that women secreted when aroused. And the pain had died away.
Jean-Claude stood, pulling a robe on and went to find Anita. Damian had said that this happened with Regulus the night before he gave birth, and that Jean-Claude would go into labour as soon as he woke up from his daylight slumber the next night. Jean-Claude wanted to make sure his master would be there to deaden the pain for him and reassure him as he gave birth.
His master was with Asher, he knew that he couldn’t just walk in and expect them to stop so he could tell Anita his news, but there was no reason he couldn’t wait in the bedroom, provided he was unobtrusive. He opened the door very slightly and slipped in, kneeling and waiting for his master to finish and notice him, eyes cast down so as not to watch what she was doing with her lover.
He shivered slightly as he caught the scent of blood, Asher’s blood that marked Anita’s climax. That tiny movement brought him to their attention, and he knew he was the focus of two pairs of eyes.
“Jean-Claude, what is it?” Anita sounded worried about him, and he hadn’t wanted that. Jean-Claude stood, letting his robe drop to the floor, but still with his head bowed.
“You need to check between my legs master.” Anita blinked and then walked forwards, sliding her hand down between his legs, exploring behind his balls and slipping two fingers into him easily.
“Did you just go into labour? Is there anything you need me to do for you?” His master sounded almost panicked, it was almost amusing to learn that the Executioner was scared of her lover giving birth.
“No, my body’s just getting ready for me to give birth, but from what Damian says I’ll wake up in labour tomorrow. Please, will you be by my side?” Jean-Claude half expected her to refuse, she plainly wasn’t happy at the idea of him giving birth.
“Of course I will Jean-Claude. Why wouldn’t I be?” Jean-Claude didn’t reply, he didn’t want to imply that he doubted her in any way, but she read it in him despite that. “I was worried because your doctor isn’t here. I’ll make sure that she is here when you wake up. Where did you want to give birth?”
“In the bath, ma petite.” They’d learned that Anita could control when Jean-Claude woke to the extent of keeping him unconscious until she let him rise. They’d discussed it earlier and he knew that she’d use it to make sure he woke in a hot bath, in the hope that it would make giving birth as easy as possible for him.
“If that’s what you want. Now go to bed and relax, or do whatever else will help you relax.”
Jean-Claude finally looked up at his master and smiled before obeying.
Anita watched as Asher slid Jean-Claude into the steaming hot bath, slipping in behind him to hold his head above water. Dr. Robertson put one finger in the water, then snatched her hand back.
“I can’t do anything in this. It’s too hot for me – and for the baby. You need to add some cold water.”
“No, we don’t. How long will it take for the preparatory stages? You can just tell Asher what to do until the water’s cool enough for you to work in.”
“I don’t know how long it will take for the preparatory stages. I don’t even know how much he’s dilated, or if he is at all.”
“Fine, Asher, I’m sorry to do this to you, but can you lift him out again, so Dr. Robertson can make her measurements.”
“Of course I can Anita.” Asher obeyed, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to explore between his lover’s legs as he did, prompting a disapproving sniff from Dr. Robertson.
After she measured him she said that it would be at least an hour before he could give birth, possibly longer.
“And the water will almost certainly be cool enough for you to work in by then. Asher, when you get him back into the bath I’ll let him wake.”
They suited actions to words, and Jean-Claude looked at Anita for instructions immediately.
“I’ll block your pain, but just do as the doctor tells you, okay?”
“Yes Anita.” The next four hours – apparently a short labour for a human woman, although not for a mate from what Damian had said - passed in a blur for Anita. She had to almost go into a trance to block Jean-Claude’s pain enough, and in the right way. It wasn’t easy, as she had to let all other sensations through so he’d know when to push and how to breathe. Anita noticed when Dr. Robertson stripped down to her swimsuit and climbed into the tub with Jean-Claude for the final portion of the delivery, the part she couldn’t delegate to Asher, not safely in her view. By that time the water had cooled to a point where she was comfortable in it. Anita also noticed when Dr. Robertson asked her to cut the umbilical, which she did automatically, using one of her wrist knives, much to the doctor’s shock, and then she handed the child to Jean-Claude, for him to put to his breast.
It jerked Anita out of her trance when Jean-Claude turned to her. “Anita, might I name her? And give her your name?”
“Of course you can. On both counts.”
“Dr. Robertson, this is my daughter Julianna Blake. You can write out the birth certificate?”
“Yes, of course I can, but it’s going to look strange, having a man as the mother and a woman as the father.” The doctor looked up from where she was overseeing the delivery of the placenta to answer that question.
“I am the mother, I know this is unusual, but it is what I am now.” Jean-Claude spoke quietly but firmly, and then returned his attention to his daughter, who’d fallen asleep in his arms.
“Yes, I know. You said you wanted to keep the afterbirth Anita?”
“Yes.” Anita took the afterbirth from Dr. Robertson’s hands and put it into a jar she’d brought for the purpose. Julianna had fallen asleep by then so she took her daughter from her mate and handed her to their lover, Asher, while she helped him out of the bath and dried him off.
She lifted her mate in her arms and carried him through to his bedroom, nodding to Asher to bring their daughter as well. As soon as she’d laid her mate in his bed he held out his arms for his daughter.
“No, not until you’ve fed.” Anita held out her wrist for her mate to drink from. During her mate’s pregnancy she’d become comfortable with giving her mate her blood, he’d had morning sickness throughout his pregnancy and her blood was the one he could keep most down of at a time, and the one that nourished him and his child best.
“Yes Anita.” Jean-Claude paused several times as he fed, slightly doubtful about taking his fill of her blood, but continued when she nodded permission. Asher dealt with Dr. Robertson for them as Jean-Claude fed, and when he’d finished Anita lifted out the boxes of jewellery she’d got for his gift.
“Here my love, as a gift on the birth of my first child.”
Jean-Claude opened the boxes, and then looked up at her smiling. “Thank you, ma petite. Do they lock on?”
“Yes, I don’t like it, but...” And Anita trailed off regretfully, taking the key from her pocket. “Do you want to try them on now?”
“No. I’d rather hold my daughter. Might I keep her in bed with me rather than in her crib while I am awake?”
“Of course you can.” Anita nodded at Asher to give Julianna to her mother and stayed with her family until her ardeur called her away.
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Date: 2006-07-04 06:09 pm (UTC)