Vivica smiled weakly. “I appreciate that.” She dropped her fork.
“Do you mind if I go lay down for a bit?” She’d only gotten up a few hours ago. How could she already be tired again?
“Of course not. Just let me know if you need anything.” She smiled again and went back into the bedroom. With the guys gone and Vivica back in the bedroom, there was nothing left to do but entertain myself with some bad television. Although I used to make fun of reality shows, some of the ones that Ian watched were quite entertaining. The drama was easy to follow, although highly illogical, and the emotions that it stirred up was quite alarming. I already had favorite people on the show that I wanted to check up on. What’s happening to me? After shoveling some more food onto my plate, I made my way to the couch and turned on the latest season of Single and Mingle.
Not long after my second cup of coffee, the doorbell rang. I set my cup down and walked over to answer. Peeking between the crack of the door and the frame, I spotted Arkan and Kara. I wondered what they would want.
“Hey guys! It’s been a long time. How are you?” Didn’t they have things to do in the middle of the day? I opened the door and motioned inside. Their smiles were s
tretched tightly but didn’t appear genuine. Why were they trying to appear so cheerful?
“How’s everything?” Arkan headed for the couch. “We’re just here to check up on you. We’ve been trying to maintain contact with all of the new breeders. You know, make sure that everything is going well. Especially in light of these recent…uh…disappearances.”
“Kidnappings you mean?” Arkan’s face screwed up in confusion. Kara’s forehead crinkled.
“The alleged kidnappings. I think that these women just wandered off. There’s no way that someone could penetrate our security. We’ve got guards and shapeshifters all around the camp. And besides why would anyone kidnap a spoken-for breeder?”
Why indeed. And why was Arkan so convinced that these women disappeared on their own. Didn’t the council share what I saw with everyone? “Yeah it’s really weird. Don’t you think it’s weird that they would all try and run away on the same night?” The warriors rescued all of the women from the other tribe. Didn’t they announce all of this?
“Maybe they all ran away together, somewhere.” Kara cleared her throat.
“Right. Well. We just came to check on you and see how things are going. Have you been successful in breeding yet?” What did they mean successful?
“You mean, am I pregnant?”
Arkan raised his hands up in a gesture I didn’t recognize. I turned towards Kara. She nodded.
“Well. I have no idea.”
“You haven’t told anyone about…uh..our slipup during tryouts have you?” Arkan’s gaze was smoldering. His handsome features were exactly as I remembered them. But for some reason, his look sent a chill through me. Was he this…creepy before?
“No of course not. I told you I wouldn’t. So, I didn’t. I haven’t. I won’t.”
“Whew. What a relief. I was worried a bit when I hadn’t heard from you.”
Was I supposed to contact him again? No one had ever said I was supposed to. My breeders had been keeping me so busy that the thought of contacting another man seemed insane.
“This might sound a little odd to you. But, would you mind taking a pregnancy test? It should be just about that time.” What, were they tracking my cycles now? How long had it been since I’d gone through try outs? With everything going on, time seemed quite fluid. When was the last time I even looked at a calendar? Or the moon for that matter? And why would I take a pregnancy test now. Is that the only reason why they came over here? Don’t let them know you’re onto them.
“Sure, I don’t mind. Actually, I’m super curious. But I don’t have any tests in the house. I guess maybe I’ll get my breeders to go to the store and get some. They should be back any minute.”
Kara and Arkan exchanged glances. “We’ve actually got one right here. It won’t take long. If you go ahead and take it now, we’ll know the results before your breeders get back. We wouldn’t want to have to tell them about our little mistake unless we know we have to, right?” Although her tone was forced pleasant, I could detect a bit of a sinister threat behind it. Were they trying to somehow make me feel guilty about what had happened? I didn’t know the rules and I certainly didn’t know that I was going to end up a breeder to three warriors. And the guys would be dicks if they tried to make me feel bad about my past. Isn’t jealousy something only for the uneducated and less developed tribes anyway?
“Well, if you give me the test. I’ll hurry up and take it before they get back.” I echoed their request. There was something amiss with this visit and it was more than a slipup in self-control. They were trolling for information. I could smell it. But why?
Kara pulled the test out of her jacket pocket and handed it to me. “I’ll be right back.” I didn’t want to leave them alone in the house, but I needed to go take the test so they could leave.
I went to the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack so that I could hear into the living room. If they began to move around, I would go out and investigate. Don’t take the test. What if I am pregnant with Arkan’s baby? They wouldn’t harm me, would they? How could I get around taking the test? Maybe instead of peeing on it, I could run water on it? Would that look the same as a test that was taken? I guess I would have to try. I turned the faucet on to a light trickle. Holding the test stick underneath of the stream of water, I wet the absorbent tip just enough to where it turned colors. Smart ass stick. I put the cap back on and waited. I flushed the toilet. Maybe they were listening. I also ran the water and fiddled with the soap dish to make it sound like I was washing my hands. I carried the test laid flat horizontally on my palm.
When I made it to the living room, I put the test onto the table. I decided to play dumb. “How long do we have to wait until we know?”
“Usually it’s about five minutes.” How many times had they done this?
“I’m a little nervous.” That was the truth. Although it had nothing to do with the test results.
“Don’t be nervous. If it’s positive, we’ll take care of it.” Kara gave a formal smile.
She didn’t say she’d take care of me. It. She’d take care of it. As if it was something you could simply cross off your to do list. I felt a bit nauseated. What did that mean? What were they planning on? My hands began to shake.