“I've been trained not to think of myself as a father.”

  (Small Fry Chapter 1)

 

            Declan grinned like an idiot – a tearful idiot – but an idiot nonetheless.

            “Since you said ‘daughters’ and not ‘daughter’, it means I’m let out of the doghouse sometime.” He tried to joke.

            “Lucky me.”  I said flatly, as I turned back towards the window.

            Just then he laughed loudly as he leant on the kitchen sink.  He seemed to be laughing in pure relief!  He was guffawing like a man who had just been granted parole, in the face of a death sentence.

            He wiped his eyes on the back of his hands, “I can almost picture her now.  She’s going to be tall and she’s going to make all of the boys work hard, by beating them in school and in sport.”

            "Why do you say that?"

            Declan continued, “She’s going to be half of you and half of me.  I’m gonna teach her how to repair her hover-car if it breaks down.  You’re gonna teach her soccer and help her with her homework.  When she's not studying with you, she’ll be in the kitchen helping me cook.”

            “Maybe we shouldn’t be placing all these expectations on her yet.” I said warily.  “I mean, your last expectation was that she was going to kill her mother!”

            I thought these words would have wounded him, but they did the exact opposite.  Instead, Declan stood closely to smile down as his large hands moved to sit on my hips.  His bright blue eyes fixated on my dark blue ones, before he lowered his face to gently bump foreheads.  His spiky, dark blonde hair mixed in with my long, black layers.

            “B, ever since I was 14 years old, I've been trained not to think of myself as a father.”  He confessed with his eyes closed.  “It was the age when the Lokoti Werewolves told me that I could never take a human woman for a mate, for risk of harming her or turning her.  I thought if they’re scared of me changing her, then they probably wouldn’t want me to have kids that were like me, either."  

            That gave me pause, as his words and the emotion behind them hurt my heart.  I watched him speak with his eyes closed as I felt his hot breath on my face.  Although I was still furious with him, I didn't pull out of our embrace.

            He continued, "I fell in love with you when I was 17 years old but remember, I had to wait until I was nearly 21 until I could have you, when you changed at the age of 18.  Then you were married off to Grant and I had to wait five years before we were reunited.  This only compounded the idea that the pack thought the risk of me breeding with you was far too great.  Then it came out you were so-called barren and you couldn’t give Grant kids?  I thought, 'she was meant to be mine all along!'  Then for 273 years, I got to enjoy the marriage bed, without worrying the world about what the marriage could produce.  Now a baby makes three?  I’m sorry I didn’t run out and buy a bottle of champagne and a cigar.  For nearly 300 years I was taught and self-taught that I wasn’t father material, because I could plant rotten seed.”

            My eyes widened in further alarm, as I never knew his self-hatred was buried so deep, it was thoroughly rooted in his psyche.

 

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“This child will be part Lokoti Werewolf too.”

  (Small Fry Chapter 1)

 

            “Tell me again you don’t have a bad feeling about this?” He rasped out, as if he were having difficulty breathing.  “Tell me how you’re gonna live through this?”

            “As Aunt B said, this child will be part Lokoti Werewolf too.”  Ki reminded.  “Maybe this baby will be exactly half and half?  I’ll keep a close eye on Aunt B, I promise.  You two won’t be alone, no Lokoti Werewolf ever stands alone.  You know this yourself, Uncle.”

            But Declan didn’t seem to hear, he was too busy staring at his mate. 

            “Tell me B, what can you 'see'?  Tell me what you ‘see’ in ours and the baby's future.”  He pleaded. 

            Next, he watched me turn to walk into the shadowy kitchen.  The whole house darkened in fact, as the sun was taken away from the grey clouds which were heavy with snow.  As if I were in a trance, I wandered over to the kitchen sink to stare out the window at my garden. 

            The grass was still short as the cold weather stagnated its growth.  I saw the bare branches of our Jacaranda Tree bend in the strong wind.  Then I stared at my withered garden plots, which were waiting to be buried under the thick snow of a long winter.

            Our small, two bedroom, two story, brown wooden cottage with its stone chimney; sat on top of a hill in the community centre inside the vast Lokoti National Park, in the Alaska Range.  Our home was normally cosy with life, love, cooking and company.  We had family, tribe and pack whom we intermingled or hunted with.  Our life could be called 'quiet' by some, but when you had to hide your supernatural state, where and how we lived was ideal.

            The signs of winter coming, also represented signs of something else to come.  Our home would be changed forever, as would be the people inside it.  As if to confirm this, I saw a snowflake fly past on the icy wind.

            I wasn't experiencing any visions, whilst I stared hypnotically at life outside.  Just as I could have bad feelings which warn of danger, I felt several new sensations.  They didn’t fill me with a sense of dread, instead they filled me with a sense of purpose.

            “Our daughter isn’t going to be a Circulator.” I spoke quietly, almost unsure of my own words.  “She’s going to be the eldest of three sisters and none of them will be 'Light People'.  I am the last Circulator to be born.”

            Suddenly, the window rattled loudly from a gust of wind, as my Jacaranda Tree bent back and forth.  I watched the snowflakes begin to fall thick and fast, but from the gale they fell in a sloping pattern.  I watched the many white dots cover the grass. 

            “The timeline has to make adjustments to Declan’s altered state of being.”  I said softly.  “Because their mother changed their father, our daughters will be born, but not as Circulators.”

            Then I felt my mate come to stand beside at the sink, as his greater body-heat radiated outwards.

            “Daughters?”  He asked hopeful.  “No boys?”

            A tear slipped down my cheek, as his relief didn’t bring me happiness, but disappointment.

            “And what would you have done if it was a son?”  I challenged.

            “If we had a son who was half Lokoti Werewolf but wasn’t a Circulator?  I would do exactly what I’m going to do now.”  He said firmly.

            “And what’s that?”

            “Give his mother a kiss and a cuddle and help her raise the little troublemaker.” He emitted a small smile.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is this why he’s so afraid of creating anymore European Werewolves, even as children?

  (Small Fry Chapter 1)

 

            “Why are you so adamant that you want a girl?”  I wondered aloud.

            “Because they’re not as strong as males!"  He flared.  "Female European Werewolves aren’t as strong as males, just as female Lokoti Werewolves aren’t as strong as their male counterparts!  Besides, I don’t trust other European Werewolves!  A son of mine would no sooner knock his Lokoti Werewolf mother out of the way, to attack the human she was trying to protect!”

            “But you were a young male European Werewolf and you didn’t hurt your mother…” I began to argue back, but his guilty expression stopped me.

            “Once.”

            “What was that?”  I thought I had misheard.

            Declan’s face paled, "Once I did when I was three years old, when the full moon triggered my first change.  Luckily, your Dad, Grandpa and Grandfather were there.  Your Dad caught my Mom before she hit the wall and your Grandfather caught me before I smashed through the locked front door.  I would have made a run at a human, but the male Lokoti Werewolves were able to stop me.”

            At first I was startled into silence, but then I tried to console. 

            “But Declan,” I began, "it was your first change and you were only three years old.  You had to be trained.”

            “I know, but it took years for my training to come into effect."  He reminded.  "Your Dad caught my Mom.  But from the force I used when I threw her out of the way, I could have harmed Derik whom she was pregnant with at the time.  Your Dad never trusted me because of it, which was why he hated the idea of you ending up with me.” 

            At first I found it hard to imagine a three year old boy, throwing his mother against a wall when she tried to restrain him.  But then I could, if the three year old was in his European Werewolf body.  Since they expanded so much with supernatural muscle, he was probably as tall as an adult human, let alone stronger than one.  Is this why he’s so afraid of creating anymore European Werewolves, even as children?

            “Hang on,” I shook my head in disagreement, "don’t forget that our baby will be half Lokoti Werewolf as well, like its mother.”

            “And what if it’s also a Circulator, like its mother?”  He arched a wary eyebrow.  “Then it could have my strength and your speed!  Just imagine if it snuck out of the house by instantaneously phasing, to go snacking on human that way.  A Circulator – slash – European Werewolf; we could be creating an almost unstoppable murderer!”

            “Declan!” I walked up to hold his head in my hands, to force him to look into my eyes.  “I just did create a Circulator – slash – European Werewolf!  And I have faith in YOU!  Just as I have faith that we could train our child to respect life.”

            “B, you’re not listening to me.” He put my hands over his heart.  “When I first turned at the age of three, the bloodlust almost ate me inside out!  Night after night, your Grandfather sat with me.  I tried so hard not to hunt human, for the sake of my Mom and my little brother.  But just as much as I loved my family; sometimes when the pain got so bad, I would even crave THEM!”

            I shook my head again, “I don’t believe you.”

            “That first year that I changed, there was a reason why your Grandfather stayed with me night after night, to train me.  Sometimes I'd stand in Derik’s room and watch him sleep in his cot.  At first I'd look on my little brother with love, but then my stomach would rumble, my mouth would water and the bloodlust would be saying, ‘do it, feed your hunger!  He'd taste so good and he'd take the pain away.’  Then my Mom would come into the room and stroke my hair, thinking that I was acting all brotherly?  Her soft hands smelled like the tenderest steak you've ever tasted in your life.”

            “Declan!” I cried out in alarm, as I pulled my hands back sharply.

            “THIS is why I don’t want to risk a son ever thinking that way about you!”  He grabbed hold of my arms.  “I may have fought the bloodlust to protect my loved ones, but I WILL NOT abide another threat to come along and destroy everything!”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“B…you’re pregnant.”

  (Excerpt of Small Fry Chapter 1)

 3^rd November 2363

 

            We sat at the dining table in a tense manner, nursing our coffees.  Declan sat on one side as I sat on the other.  Our legs jiggled nervously and I think together we stared into our beverages, rather than consumed them.

            A thick silence filled the living room, as I sensed my husband was trying not to look at his wife, whom he inadvertently impregnated. 

            Normally, a married couple may celebrate this sort of thing?  But not when they were a 300 year old European Werewolf, who just had his elderly body reversed to his twenties by his 297 year old wife, who was called the Last Circulator.  Now the said European Werewolf was a Circulator too, it put a new spin on things. 

            Not only was I a Circulator, but I was the tribe's first female Lokoti Werewolf.  We've been mates for 273 years and where he had aged slowly, I did not.  He got to show off a youthful wife however, the drawback was that I couldn't breed.  With my bio-electromagnetic field in temporal flux, it not only stopped me from aging but also reproducing. 

            Now that I've turned my elderly husband into a Circulator too; his sperm matched my eggs bio-electromagnetic frequency and then… ta daa! 

            “B…you’re pregnant.”  Declan uttered in astonishment.

He immediately smelled the change in my hormones the morning after celebrating his transformation.

            I growled in frustration, as I rubbed my face from stress which caused my long, dark hair to flop over my dark blue eyes.  This made my mate look up sharply, with his bright blue eyes, wide with concern.  His previous white hair was back to his youthful, dark blonde colour and it looked particularly spiky this morning.

            How could I have been so stupid?  I knew the reason why I couldn’t breed was because of the whole temporal flux/ bio-electromagnetic frequency thing!  Why didn’t it ‘click’ inside my mind, before my newly-youthful husband, pounced on his always-youthful wife to celebrate his change? 

            I guess Declan decided to take affirmative action, or try to get a grip on our situation. 

            He took a deep breath before he spoke; “OK, so you’re pregnant.” 

            I gave him an unimpressed look for stating the obvious. 

            “Shut up.” He smirked at my expression.  “But let’s come up with a plan of attack, instead of sitting here in shock like a bomb’s gone off.”

            “What plan of attack?”  I said unhappily. “We’re not planning a battle against a coven of European Vampires.”

            “You’re 24 hours pregnant, B.”  He frowned.  “24 hours means it’s still just a bunch of cells inside of you.”  I gave him a peculiar look, wondering what he was trying to say?  He went on, “Remember our first time together?”

            “It may have been 279 years ago Dec, but yeah.  I still remember our first time.”  I said dryly.

            “Right.”  He cleared his throat.  “Then do you remember what happened right after it?  What I did to you?”

            Abruptly I straightened, as if he had thrown a glass of icy water my way.  “No, you don’t mean…?”

            “I’m 300 years old and yesterday I nearly died of old age!  You turned me into a Circulator, so we could evolve to the space time continuum together.  You and me having a baby, would be like an elderly human couple having kids at the age of 70!”

            “But we don’t have bodies of 70 year old humans!"  I objected.  "We’re both physically in our twenties!” 

            “Two days ago, my joints would hurt just from going up the stairs!  Two days ago, I was on pain medication for arthritis! You may have reversed my biological clock B, but I have an old soul.  My mind still feels like it’s an old man!”

            “So what are you saying, Declan?  That you don’t want to have this thing? This child?  This baby?”  I asked offended.

            “B, we’re supposed to be evolving to the space time continuum, the way an elderly human packs up and moves to Florida for retirement!”   He said indignantly.  “I mean, can we take this thing with us to the space time continuum?  We’re supposed to turn into beings of light, so what’s going to happen to the child inside you?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Small Fry Part One

By K.R. Smith

Cover Graphics by Isabel de Sequera

Cover Photo by Nina Ackerman

B has finally achieved her hearts desire in the form of her pregnancy.  Since Declan swore he wouldn’t create any more European Werewolves like himself; at first B’s condition hits him with horror.  Then with his beloved mate’s determination to have the baby, he reluctantly participates in fatherhood.  However, he’s not the only one who’s concerned over what genetic traits will emerge in their child; but the pack of Lokoti Werewolves, look on in consternation.

When B and Declan start their family, they inadvertently start something else… further battles with the separate species of Vampires.  The ‘fang heads’ who prey on humans, relish drinking the regenerative blood of Werewolves.  So when they learn of their reproduction, Alaska’s river system turns red, as natural and supernatural blood is spilt whilst the eons old war of the predators’ rages.

Available June 2013 at

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“I’m aging.” Declan said simply. “My wife isn’t.”

(Excerpt of Sororate Chapter Four)

Just then all of the Tribal Elders stood up, which prompted the bridal couple to stand too, as did everyone else.

“You have the blessing of the Lokoti Wolf over your union. You may leave us to start your new lives together. Go with the blessing of your Tribal Elders.” Chiron announced.

Declan held me close, as we stood back and waited for everyone to finish congratulating the ‘newlyweds’ before we could.  I caught an expression of longing on his face, as we watched from afar the dressed-up couple greet the tribe together.  I started to wonder if it wasn’t just that he missed out on having a Joining Ceremony, but maybe it’s because he still felt like an outsider sometimes?   

My mate stuck out with his blonde hair and blue eyes against the majority of the Lokoti, with their black hair and brown eyes. There were a couple of members of the tribe who had black hair but whose eyes weren’t brown because they weren’t full Lokoti; like I wasn’t either.   

I inherited my dark blue eyes from my maternal grandparents.  My English grandmother had wavy, chestnut brown hair and bright blue eyes.  My grandfather was three-quarter Lokoti, as his grandmother had also been Caucasian; so he had the strong Lokoti Werewolf build and black hair, but he too had blue eyes.   Although there was a multi-cultural element to our tribe, Declan’s blonde hair still stood out.

Smilingly, I turned to my tall, strong, blonde-haired mate. “You look very handsome by the way, in your suit.”

“Really?”  He looked on, pleasantly surprised.

“Yup.”  I grinned. “A fancy black suit, suits you.”

“Yeah well, too bad my wife won’t let me wear a tie with it.”  He jested.

He was referring to the fact that every time he tried to put on this fashion accessory, I was quick to remove it.  With his thick neck thanks to his muscle bulk, it didn’t look right.  I also told him to keep his top button undone because if he didn’t, he could look like he had no neck in a collared shirt.

“You didn’t need a tie baby,” I leaned in to say in a sultry voice.  "You’re all man, so much so that the tie is jealous of you.”

A snicker escaped before he growled playfully, “Keep talking like that and you may find you won’t need clothes anymore, either.”

“Ah here we are, Uncle Declan and Aunt Bianca.”  A male voice interrupted.

The middle-aged but strong appearance of Wade Elm, came to stand before us.   He was a Lokoti Werewolf like his late grandfather, Stuart Elm had been.   I was close to the Elm family, not just because I was once married to one.  But because Grant’s older brother Ian, had been best friends with my father. 

He complained, “Look at you two; your relatives are born, marry and die of old age and you continue to look like you belong in a fitness commercial.”

“Wade.”  My mate greeted curtly, as he didn’t appreciate the Elm family humour.  “Why aren’t you dead yet?”

Hastily, I moved along, "How’s it going, Wade?”

“Oh you know…” he sighed tiredly, “…my wife is elderly and my kids are having kids of their own and turning me into a grandparent.  Just as I think I’ve got one set of childrearing done, my kids hit me up with looking after their own.”

“It’s a hard life.”  I joked along.

“Tell me about it!”  He rolled his eyes. “Meanwhile, look at the two of you. You’re both still strong as the youthful couple everybody envies, as Mr. European Werewolf and Mrs. Circulator.”

“I’m aging.”  Declan said simply. “My wife isn’t.”

“Yes and isn’t it convenient that she just happens to be YOUR wife, Uncle Declan?”   He ribbed. “When we’re on the hunt you don’t like to share your kill.  And it just so happens you've also claimed the forever young female of the tribe.”

“Who said he picked me?”  I joked back.  “Maybe I picked him?”

“Hmm, let’s see...”  Wade pretended to think about it, “…Aunt B has her pick of anything natural or supernatural in the world, let alone the tribe, and who does she choose?  The meanest Werewolf both has to offer.  Admit it Aunt B, he clubbed you over the head and dragged you back to his cave.”

“I’ll frickin’ club you, in a minute.”  My mate snarled, bad-temperedly.

Wade laughed in good humour as he came to stand beside as he too, watched Maia and Forrest thank their well-wishers.

He spoke again, “Tell me, what’s it like seeing that 21 year old girl whom you helped raise with your endless babysitting duties, now embark on one of adulthood’s greatest trials such as marriage?  Do you look on and think that in nine months, she could be enlisting your services to help her raise her kids?”

I watched the 19 year old Brandon, shake Forrest’s hand before he kissed his older sister on the cheek.  He behaved so maturely, it felt surreal to see.  Mind you, with his girlfriend standing nearby, I wondered if it would be his turn next?

“They grow up so fast.”  I sighed sadly.

Declan agreed, "It seems like only yesterday we cooked for them, cleaned up after them and broke up their fights.”

“Maybe that’s where you went wrong?”  The aging Werewolf mocked.  “If you had just stepped back and let them kill each other; you wouldn’t have to worry about them reaching the age of procreation.”

Right at that moment, Wade’s grandkids Stioux and Maxine, ran in front of us and ceremoniously pushed the other onto the grassy ground.

“You see?”  He shrugged.  “I could break them up or I could save myself the grief.  By letting ‘em kill each other before it’s too late, they’ll never grow up and produce litters of their own.”

Next, we saw a tired Julie walk over and pull up her kids by the scruff of their necks.

“Dad, a little bit of help, please?”  She glared, before she chastised her children, "Look at the two of you!  You’re getting dirt all over your good clothes!”

Wade let out a sigh as if this was asking a lot, before he looked our way; “thank fate that you don’t have any kids…really.”

With that, the grandfather tiredly walked after.  He took hold of his grandson, as Julie dragged his granddaughter and all four of them rejoined the Elm clan. 

Declan and I exchanged raised eyebrows as we both thought the same thing.

“OK…” we shifted uncomfortably.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Declan and I did get a Housewarming but he never got his Joining Ceremony.

(Excerpt of Sororate Chapter Four)

 

We were a little late because the bridal couple was already at the front of the gathering, along with their families.  Declan half pushed and half excused our way through the throng of people, until we were standing with the Sabres and the Riverclaws.  They stood before the Tribal Elders, whom were behind a campfire which was burning in front of the Sacred Totems.

I halted as soon as I saw the bridal couple in the traditional ‘skins’ of our ancestral costume.   Made from either caribou or moose hide, Forrest wore suede pants, shirt and a jacket, which was decorated with tassels and beads.  Maia wore something similar, but instead of suede pants it was a long, suede skirt with moccasins on her feet.

I was hit by the strongest sense of déjà vu… I swear I was looking on Grant and I, standing before the Tribal Elders when it was our Joining Ceremony. 

Both Forrest and Maia had their long, black hair either tied back or plaited in the traditional way.  Their faces were painted with the ‘claw mark’ of the Lokoti Wolf, as were our Tribal Elders whom were also wearing the Lokoti clothes of old.  In the background, we could hear the traditional drum beat which was played at many of our tribe’s ceremonies.

The 24 year old groom led the 21 year old bride by the hand, to stand before the Tribal Elders.  The council moved to sit in a half circle around the fire, which prompted the couple to lower themselves to the ground and then so did the rest of the tribe.  Declan sat down first before he helped me because I felt awkward in my high-heels and cocktail dress.  Once I was seated, I repositioned my woollen coat over my legs so not to give anything away.

“You have the council of Tribal Elders convened here for you today.  What do you ask of us?”  Chiron as one of the Elders, asked the couple.

Forrest spoke clearly for all to hear, “I have come to ask for the blessing of the Tribal Elders as the Guides of the way of the Lokoti Wolf, to take this woman as my mate.”

Declan squeezed my hand as we watched what took place.

“And do you have the permission of your family for this union?”  Meadow as another one of the Elders, enquired.

“He does.” Stone Riverclaw answered.

“And do you have the permission of the woman’s family for this union?”  Hazel Elm asked, another Elder.

Suddenly my mate spoke up, “He does.”

Oh that’s right, sometimes I forgot that Declan was the head of the Sabre family.  He had been the older brother of Derik whose progeny lived on, which meant that my mate was the longest living member of the Sabre clan. 

“He does.” Julius Sabre said after him, whom was Maia’s father.

As the ceremony proceeded, I noticed in the corner of my eye Declan’s solemn expression as he watched the ritual.  I sensed inside of him, a touch of envy when he observed Forrest and Maia drink from the sacred Lokoti Tribal Cup, which looked like a small, wooden, painted bowl.  As we observed the ceremony play out with reverence by our people, I felt his fingers fidget with my wedding ring.  I sensed that in a way, he was wishing this could have been us.

I recalled long ago, something he said on the day he moved in; “but don’t you think that I would have liked a Joining Ceremony?  Wouldn’t it be nice if the whole tribe threw us a Housewarming too?  But instead, we have our one-person celebration squad, of only my Mom supporting our relationship.”

In a small way, Declan and I did get a Housewarming but he never got his Joining Ceremony.  

This made me wonder, does he still wish that we had one?  It was such an antiquated notion to me, these days many Lokoti preferred to have just the Housewarming.  I was surprised when Forrest and Maia declared that they wanted a Joining Ceremony as well. 

As I snuck many a glance towards my mate, I began to see that he saw differently. Declan was such an old fashioned romantic, more so than anyone ever suspected; including myself.  The more I thought about this, I could see many similarities between his romanticism when compared to his faith. 

Before World War Three, his parents had followed Catholicism.  Afterwards, Declan was brought here to be raised on tribal lands in much the Lokoti way.  However, his family did celebrate Christmases and Easters with mine, who also followed Christianity.  Maybe there was a Catholic part of him that desired ritual and ceremony and pomp?   There were many aspects about his life which were Catholic, aside from the gold crucifix he wore around his neck which used to be his human mother’s.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“At this rate, the Bride will get there before us!”

(Excerpt of Sororate Chapter Four)

 

31^st August 2231

 

“B…!”  My husband bellowed from downstairs. “It’s10.45 AM, this thing starts in fifteen minutes!”

As usual, Declan was dressed and ready and waiting downstairs; whereas I rushed about our bedroom half dressed and undecided on what shoes or even a coat to wear, with my formal outfit.

“At this rate, the Bride will get there before us!”  I heard him complain.

I tossed aside my black, high-heeled boots then my black, strappy, high-heeled sandals and even my black, high-heeled ‘Mary-Jane’ style shoes.  None of these were right!  Nothing would go with my red silk, cocktail dress I was wearing.  Oh why oh why, do I only have black shoes in my wardrobe? 

“Don’t make me come up there and get you.”  He threatened.

Knowing my domineering, European Werewolf for a mate, he would.  I started to panic as I went through my shoe collection.  From past experience, Declan would grab me whether I was ready or not.  Next, I heard his heavy jog up the stairs… oh oh.

He walked into the bedroom to catch me bent over in my short dress and black stockings, as I was rifling through my wardrobe.  His eyes widened as he looked me over, appreciative of the way my legs were on display.  I thought he looked good in his black suit and light blue, pressed shirt, which brought out his bright blue eyes. 

However, when his mouth opened to berate, I beat him to the punch.

“I can’t find the right shoes to wear with this dress!”  I snapped.  “So don’t start!”

Coolly, Declan walked over and picked up my black, strappy high-heels from the floor which I had discarded earlier.  Then he pulled me over to the side of our bed and sat me down, before sitting beside.  When he proceeded to put the shoes on my feet, I objected.

“Not THESE ones!”

“Yep these ones.”

“But they’re sandals so they don’t go with stockings!”

“They’re strappy so they’ll go with the cocktail dress.”  He put down my left foot and picked up my right to put the second on.

“I don’t think so…” I started to argue, “…I want to change out of this dress.”

“Don’t even think about it!”

“But a dress isn’t practical, especially not a cocktail dress.  Maybe I should wear my black, pin-striped pants suit?”

Declan ignored my fretting and as soon as he finished, he grabbed my black, woollen coat which was lying beside the others.  He raised me to my feet as he simultaneously placed the warm garment about my shoulders.  The next thing I knew, I found myself being traipsed down the stairs by my bossy husband.

“But – but – but what about my purse?”  I halted half way down.

“I’ve got it.”  He held it up in the air.

“But – but – but I didn’t put on any perfume!”  I tried to pull back.

“You don’t need any!”  Declan snapped back.  “Besides, with your pheromones I don’t need anymore trouble.”

“I HAVE to wear perfume if I’m all dressed and made up!”

When I attempted to turn around and go back, Declan bent over picked me up over his left shoulder!

“NOT AGAIN!”  I complained.  “Put me down!  Put me down right now!”

He ignored my shouting as he carried me out the front door. 

Casually, he closed and locked it behind, before he carried his wife down the porch steps to his pick up truck.  He pointed his remote key at the vehicle to release the central locking and didn’t put me down again until he lowered me onto the passenger’s seat.  Angrily, I shot him a glare which he also ignored, whilst he walked around the vehicle and opened the door for the driver’s side.

He saw I was still seething as he sat down and did up his seatbelt.  So as he pressed in the ignition code to start the engine, he barked out; “you’re one of the prettiest girls in the tribe thanks to your youthfulness and pheromones.  So stop acting so insecure every frickin’ time you have to dress up to go out!”

“Bite me!”

“I wish.”  He muttered as he reversed out of the driveway.

We drove down the hill and turned left at the first intersection.  Instead of driving into the community centre, he turned towards the Holy Grounds which were situated in the quiet, glassy glade beside the river which flowed through our tribal lands.  He pulled up into the first available car space he saw, before he turned off the engine. 

My husband was quick to jump out, walk around the truck and open my door to pull me out.  I was reluctant to be seen with how self-conscious I felt.  Walking hand-in-hand, he used his other which was holding the remote to reset the central locking.  We joined the crowd as everyone had come today to witness Maia and Forrest’s Joining Ceremony.

 

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