Thorne Ch. 09

"Who are you?" Barb asked. "Are you the baby talking to me?"

"Don't be silly," the voice replied and went silent.

***

"Well, we tried," Juliette said as they walked away.

"I for one am tired of trying," Kevyn said. "I mean how many ways can we tell her that we care? I'm here for her and the baby, but I'm tired of being figuratively bitch slapped."

"What are you saying?" Juliette asked.

"She's saying that it's Barb's turn to make the next move," Louise said. "I happen to agree with her. We've made every attempt to let her know that we love her; the ball is in her court. I'm going back to the room, I'm sure that the meeting is over by now."

The sisters parted ways with hugs and agreed to get together with Katrina and Rachel once the men left.

***

"How is she?" Nathan asked when Louise got back to the room.

"Alright I guess; we didn't get to talk to her."

Nathan didn't say anything. There was nothing to say and he didn't want to spend the day talking about his stubborn sister in law.

"I brought a little of everything," he said holding a chair out for her.

"I see, but I'm not hungry," Louise replied. "I'm too nervous to eat."

"Sweetheart, you have to eat," Nathan said kissing the top of her head and then fixing her plate.

"I know, but..."

"No buts," Nathan interrupted. "Eat at least half of it and then we'll take our vitamins."

Louise grimaced. That was the only part of being pregnant that she wasn't going to miss. She ate half of the food on the plate and then took the prenatal vitamin.

"God that's horrible!" she exclaimed.

"Yes I know," Nathan replied with a chuckle, "but in a few months we won't be taking them. Are you sure that you can't eat any more?"

"I'm sure... let's go to bed," Louise said as she stood up.

Nathan stood up and took her hand noticing how cold it was. She was scared and there was nothing that he could say that would change that. With a thought they were naked and his hands were on her belly.

"I will be back," he said rubbing it. "I have two ladies to spoil."

"Nathan... just be careful. We need you."

Nathan picked Louise up, carried her to the bed and sat down with her in his lap. He nuzzled her neck with his nose and then kissed it smiling when she shivered. He held her securely in his lap with one arm around her while the other hand cupped her cheek and then moved down her body. He stopped at her breasts which were larger and more sensitive since the pregnancy. He tweaked a nipple between his thumb and forefinger as he kissed and then sucked on her neck.

"You smell good," he murmured against her neck when the scent of her arousal hit his nose and the moisture covered his erect member. He let his hand drift further down to rest on her stomach for just a moment and then continued down to her mound. Louise opened her legs in invitation moaning when Nathan pressed against her clit and slipped two long fingers inside of her. "I think that I'm ready for dessert," he said and nipped her hard enough to draw blood that he lapped up like a cat as it trickled down her neck. Nathan turned so that Louise was lying on the bed and he was stretched out beside her.

"I am coming back to you and our baby," he said kissing her gently then with more insistence. "We have a menu to plan for our restaurant and nurseries to decorate." He murmured against her lips. He kissed her again and moved to a breast taking a hard nipple into his mouth and gently chewed on it.

Louise cried out and held Nathan's head tight against her breast urging him to suck harder and faster. She let out a small scream when Nathan began to circle her clit before actually touching it. She knew that he was going to make her come so that she would be soaked. After the orgasm, he would lick and suck at her nub until no more of the thick, clear fluid ran from her and she had come at least twice more. Then and only then would be pull her on top of him and slide into her.

Nathan didn't disappoint her. He teased and nibbled at her until she begged him to end it. At the end of the second orgasm, Louise climbed on top of him and eased down onto his erection. Both of them moaned and cried out and began to move against each other. Nathan pulled Louise down to him and kissed her, exchanging breaths with her as he slid in and out of her. He held her in place and did all of the work. He ground against her making sure to make contact with her clit. Louise began to cry as her orgasm began ending just as Nathan's started.

Afterwards, Nathan held her tighter than he normally did. He wasn't afraid that he wasn't going to return, he knew that he would. Louise knew it too, but she was still afraid. His holding her so tightly seemed to help allay those fears. He knew that she had fallen asleep when he felt her breathing deepen and then slow. As he lay there, he wondered where to begin looking for Harry. Suddenly, Louise was wide awake and sitting up.

"Nathan, he's somewhere in the city."

***

Nadine and Leon had just finished making love for the fourth time. She had made Leon promise several times not to do anything that would get him, Hans or Nathan killed.

"Dina, I promise!" Leon said exasperated. After that promise every time she started to bring it up he silenced her with a kiss. Finally, she got it and stopped saying anything about it. Instead, she started talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Leon, recognizing it as nerves let her ramble. The closer the time came before he had to go, the more nervous Nadine became.

"Baby make sure that you don't sit here alone," he said.

"I won't," she replied. "All of the women and children are going to wait together. I hope that Barb comes too."

"Me too," Leon agreed. "Dina, do you understand why I have to do this?"

"Yes, I do," Dina replied. "This is who you are, but you can't expect me not to be afraid."

She started to say something else, but no sound came out. Her eyes widened in fear and her hold on Leon tightened.

"Dina? What's the matter?" Leon asked. "Come on baby talk to me," he insisted.

"Harry..." was all that she managed to get out.

One thing became clear to Leon. Nadine, while having done well in her life had never dealt with the rape and its aftermath. He cursed himself for not seeing it sooner. After everything was over with, he would bring up the subject of her talking to either Katrina or Rachel.

"It's alright," he soothed. "I won't let him anywhere near you."

He felt Nadine gain control of herself and settle.

"I'm alright, I promise," she said even as she snuggled closer absorbing his warmth.

Leon however, wasn't entirely convinced and decided to bring up the idea of her talking to Katrina or Rachel sooner rather than later.

"Dina, have you ever talked to anyone about what happened to you?"

"No and I don't need to," Nadine replied.

"I think that you're wrong about that," Leon replied. "I think that maybe you need to talk to either Katrina or Rachel. They know and understand what you've been through. They can help you."

"I don't..."

"Just think about it okay?"

Nadine finally agreed to think about it, but she had no intentions of talking to anyone about what happened to her.

"Thank you," Leon said hoping that she would talk to one or both of the other women.

****

Ethan, Katrina and Victoria quietly ate their dinner. Victoria was full of questions but wasn't sure that she should ask. She and Wanda had already agreed to stick together and to keep Celeste close. She also planned to go to the kitchen early while everyone was still there and make snacks for them. She was bound and determined that no one was going into the kitchen once the search teams left. She still had nightmares about the night that Veronica was taken. Whenever she thought about that night, she felt sick and nothing anyone said convinced her that it wasn't her fault. Even sessions with Mason had failed to relieve her of her guilt.

"What is it pumpkin?" Katrina asked.

"Will people die?"

"Victoria, come here," Ethan said. He understood what she was asking.

When she reached him, he lifted her into his lap and kissed her cheek. He waited until she was settled with her head on his shoulder and hugged her.

"I won't lie to you and tell you that none of us will die or get hurt," he said. "You're much too smart for that. What I will tell you is that all of us will do our best to comeback alive and unhurt."

"But papa, what if you don't come back? What will we do?"

Ethan looked at Katrina who was wiping away tears.

"Sweetheart, I plan on coming back even if I have to crawl. If I don't come back, you and your mom will still be cared for. I will always be watching over you from wherever I am."

Victoria sat trembling in Ethan's lap wishing that there was some way that she could help.

"You can help me by helping your mom," Ethan said answering her unspoken question. "And when I come back, I'm going to be hungry. Maybe you and mom and make one of those breakfast casseroles while we're gone."

Victoria didn't reply. She wasn't going to make anything until she saw him and the others were all in the house safe.

****

Various versions of the same conversation were taking place throughout the house. Of the children, Celeste seemed to be the most affected. She clung to Hans not letting him out of her sight. It was then that Hans realized that Celeste knew exactly what he and the others were. Why the other two hadn't figured it out or asked questions, he didn't know.

"How long have you known?" he asked her when they had a moment alone.

Celeste cocked her head to the side and thought about her answer.

"Always," she finally said.

Her answer surprised Hans, and he wanted to know why she didn't say anything.

"I'm not supposed to, it's a secret."

"What else do you know?" Hans asked.

"That almost everyone is like you... Aunt Louise is too."

"Celeste, can you continue to keep your secret?" Hans asked. "Your mom and I plan to tell Victor and Wanda soon."

"Okay papa-too," Celeste replied without hesitation as she kissed his cheek.

Hans remembered Thorne calling Celeste a power house. He had no idea of how right he was.

****

Thorne sat in his office waiting for Ethan. If things went as planned, they had a long hard road ahead of them. Things were going to get much worse before they got better. He knew that Benita and her mate Kenneth were going to offer their services to Olivia and he hoped that she accepted. The couple was amongst the best he had. Ethan would supply the second team of vampires as well as the second team of wolves. Once again he thought about the split between their families. Figuring out what really happened was on the list of his things to do as well as dealing with his own issues regarding his mother.

He hadn't spoken to her since he took Noel in although he knew that Noel spoke to her on a weekly basis. All he was concerned about was that she was safe and apparently she was. Noel had warned her to stay out of California and to make sure that she didn't go anywhere alone. As of yet, she didn't know that he was going to be a father. Noel couldn't have told her, if he had; she would have called by now and her and Barb would be like two peas in a pod. At some point, he was going to have to tell her, but not now. Like so many other things, it would have to wait. The other issue was Barb who he felt nothing for. He sincerely hoped that she didn't choose the mate option. Sex or no sex, he didn't want her.

"Fate is a bitch," he muttered to himself.

Even though he didn't want Barb, he was excited about their son. Another thought hit him- what was he going to teach his son about women? That thought alone made him realize that he really did need to work on his issues. Thankfully the baby's aunts were what he considered to be good women. It was obvious that they loved their mates and really didn't care about money. Then the question was what he would tell the baby about his mother if Barb should decide to sign off on her parental rights. Of the options, that seemed to be the most likely choice. The baby, through Celeste had indicated that he knew that his mother neither loved nor wanted him. So maybe what he told him was a moot point. But still it hurt... he knew from firsthand experience.

Thorne fully expected to come back alive. Maybe injured, but alive. But if anything happened and he died, he hoped that she chose Leon and Nadine to raise the baby if anything did happen. He had tremendous respect for Leon and decided that he liked him. The baby would be loved by any and all of the Sinclaires and their mates, but there was something about Leon that drew him.

"Shit..." he muttered. 'I'm going to have to make some changes."

He wasn't even sure of where to begin and realized that he might have to do the one thing that his father had always preached against- going to get professional help. In retrospect, that was exactly what Noel had needed and probably still did. No one could survive what he did and not be fucked up or at the very least have some residual effects. He could almost hear his father's voice.

"All that psychobabble shit is for the weak and the Blackwell's are not weak! We take care of our own problems without the help of strangers."

"Shit," he cursed again, but then told himself that it was for the baby. The idea of going to someone seemed to sit with him better when he thought of it in those terms. He didn't like it, but it had to be done.Eustace Matthew's name came to mind as did Mason Donahue's. "I can't believe that I'm actually thinking about this," he said out loud.

"Thinking about what?" Ethan asked as he walked into the office.

"Nothing," Thorne replied. "Olivia is on board," he said changing the subject.

"Is she aware that her father will more than likely die?" Ethan asked.

"She knows," Thorne replied. "She made a last ditch effort to get him to walk away and as we expected, he refused."

"So he dies on sight," Ethan commented.

"Yes and in my opinion that's what needs to happen." Thorne replied.

"Any word from William?"

"No and I don't expect to hear anything unless it's to tell us that he's killed Rufus," Thorne replied. "Olivia mentioned him though. She wants his life spared."

"They're mates," Ethan said. "She just hasn't accepted it yet."

"True, have you talked to Leon yet?" Thorne asked.

"Not yet, but I don't think that it's going to be a problem as long as he gets Harry."

"Alright, let's go over the check list," Thorne said. "All vampires have been warned away from humans. All teams have been warned that William is not to be touched and to call if Harry is spotted. Caleb and Rufus die on sight."

"Good, I've been going over my list of guards and have several mated pairs for Olivia to choose from. The same goes for the wolves."

"Grant and his mate have consented to be guards for her during the day," Thorne said. "After this is over, I'll have them meet with her and she can decide for herself. Now about tonight..."

*****

"Rufus, why don't you wait here?" Caleb asked. "I can handle things..."

"Do you think that I'm afraid?" Rufus roared interrupting him.

"No, but ..."

"Do you think that I'm afraid of my daughter?"

"No, but Rufus," Caleb said, "Going out there is a suicide mission. We need you alive and in one piece."

"Do you know what that ungrateful little bitch said to me?" Rufus said angrily. "She told me to walk away or stay and die..."

"Maybe walking away isn't such a bad thing, we could regroup and..."

"Are you working for them too?" Rufus interrupted. His eyes blazed with anger and distrust as he stared at Caleb. His hand went to the small pistol that he kept on him in case of emergency. What constituted an emergency was getting cornered by vampires. The pistol was always with him even while he slept.

"Hold on," Caleb said seeing the hand move to the sidearm. "You know better than that."

"Do I?" Rufus asked.

"Yes you do," Caleb replied. "I was just looking out for you. I need you around for questions and advice. If you want to come then fine..."

"So now you're giving me permission?" Rufus retorted hotly.

Caleb belatedly saw that he was in a lose-lose position. No matter what he said, Rufus would turn it around. For the first time, he understood what the murmurings were about. Murmurings that he said nothing about because many of those doing the murmuring were his friends. One of them took his life in his hands and approached him.

*

"Caleb, Rufus is off his ass crazy."

"Watch it Dave," Caleb warned.

Dave looked at him and shook his head.

"Is your head so far up his ass that you don't see what's happening here? He likes the war. It's become his life and he doesn't care about our lives or the lives of our families. It's why he pushes procreation."

"You're wrong," Caleb insisted. "We need to rid the world of the..."

"Bullshit!" Dave cut in. "You sound like a fucking groupie repeating what you're told! Open your eyes before it's too late! Rufus is paranoid and he won't think twice about using his weapons on any of us. And let me tell you something else, if you think that he's really going to hand over the reins to you, you're crazier than he is. He's still going to run things through you."

*

Now Caleb understood. Rufus was using him just as he had used Olivia. He also realized that Dave had been right. He looked at Rufus and for the first time, saw him as he really was- a maniac with his own agenda. He stepped back when he saw the pistol in Rufus's hand.

"Rufus listen to me," Caleb said his voice low. "I am not one of the enemy. I am on your side. I would never do anything to hurt you or the organization. Now put the gun away and let's go kill some vamps."

***

William stood back watching the exchange between Rufus and Caleb. Part of him wished that they would kill each other, but part of him wanted to be the one to kill them. He could see the tremor in Rufus's hand and heard the tremble in Caleb's voice.

"Do it," he thought to himself. If Rufus and Caleb killed each other it would simplify things in more ways than one. Not only would it send the hunters in disarray, he wouldn't have to tell Olivia that he killed her father.

He wondered if she was realizing what he had only begun to admit to himself-he and Olivia were mates. The next question was if she could and would accept it. He reminded himself that there were other issues at hand that took precedence over his and Olivia's possible future together.

His attention was drawn back to the two men, when he heard the soft click of the pistol's hammer being pulled back. Caleb was still trying to get Rufus to see reason when the gun either went off because of Rufus's shaking hands or because he deliberately pulled the trigger. There was a startled cry and then the sound of the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor. It would have been the perfect time to kill Rufus, but the room was immediately filled with hunters.

"What in the fuck happened?" one of the guards asked obviously shocked.

William half expected Rufus to lie and was surprised when he didn't.

"He was a traitor!" Rufus exclaimed. "He was working with the other side..."

"Bull shit!" someone shouted." He wouldn't do that!"

"Take note!" Rufus said. "This is what happens to traitors! Caleb was to be my son in law and successor and he betrayed not only me, but the organization. I will not be stepping down."

This announcement didn't surprise William. He wondered if Rufus ever really planned to let Caleb take over. He doubted it, but then anything was possible. He could feel the tension and anger in the air from the other hunters. For just a moment, he thought that they would take out their weapons and as one fire them. But they simply walked out of the room giving up the chance to be rid of a maniac. He watched as Rufus put his pistol away, looked at Caleb's body and then finished getting ready for the fight.