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Whilst my intention was to dive beneath the soft covers of Makeysha’s bed and shower her in my undivided attention, unfortunately all that happened was both of us crashing out into a deep sleep the second our heads hit the pillows.
I woke up to blinding sunlight piercing through my darkened eyelids. As I forced my eyes open and revelled in waking up to a beautiful day, I sighed in contentment. I turned my head to see Makeysha still fast asleep, her long dark eyelashes resting against her smooth pale skin.
After a decent night’s sleep in the world’s most comfortable bed, I felt able to tackle anything; including my family. I knew Makeysha was nervous about meeting them, despite what she said. In all fairness, I understood where she was coming from. She’d been on her own for two thousand years, then all of a sudden within the space of a few days, she’d gained a soulmate, been thrust into the middle of an apocalyptic event, gotten pregnant, and now faced meeting even more new people who would love and cherish her just as much as I did. I could see how claustrophobic it must be making her feel.
I debated whether we would drive back to my parents or whether Makeysha would want to teleport, so we had a quick way out if needed. Driving would give us an opportunity to relax and at least attempt to be normal whilst enjoying some gorgeous scenery.
The rhythmic thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud of our baby’s heartbeat was growing stronger every second. In some ways it was an ominous reminder of how our lives would be turned upside down very soon, but in other ways, it was a privilege to have a direct link to our child’s life force and was a comforting reassurance that it was growing well.
Makeysha stirred in her sleep and let out a gentle moan. Desire tugged at me instantly as my mind filled with memories from our first time together. The feel of her silky soft skin, her sweet kisses, the way she twizzled her tongue around me when she took me in her mouth...
I shook my head, trying to dispel the thoughts away. Now was not the time to be getting horny. I let my mind wander to thoughts of Heaven and what exactly it would be like up there. After meeting Apnastin, I couldn’t help but feel dread when I thought of what must be the current state of affairs in Heaven.
“Morning, Handsome,” Makeysha said, breaking through my thoughts.
I turned to her and smiled. “Good morning, Beautiful.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I saved the world.”
She grinned at me. “You mean ‘we’.”
I reached out and slipped an arm around her waist, loving how warm and silky she felt. “Of course I mean ‘we’.” I took a deep breath and then said, “I thought we should go see my family today, get it out of the way so we can go and save Heaven.”
She immediately tensed up. She dropped her eye contact and said, “Oh, I err...I figured saving Heaven would be higher up on the agenda...”
“Well we don’t know how long we’re going to be up there. And it would be nice for my parents to meet you before we throw a grandchild into the mix.”
Several seconds ticked by, then she said, “Ok. But we can’t stay too long. We’ve still got angels to save.”
I gave her a gentle kiss and brushed her dark curls from her cheek. “If it helps, we can teleport there. That way when you’ve had enough, we can just leave instantly. Plus, I was thinking the dramatic entrance might help me persuade my mom that all of this is true and I’m not lying.”
Makeysha laughed. “Ok, smooth dude. You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Several minutes later, after a fresh change of clothes and some croissants and orange juice, I felt ready to tackle the world.
“Ready?” I said, holding my hand out to my soulmate.
She grasped my hand and nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
We’d decided teleporting was the best way. I wanted the drama factor to shock my mom more than anything. How else would she believe that her son has found his soulmate, who happens to be a legendary angel, and has a child on the way with said legendary angel?
I closed my eyes and filled my mind with thoughts of home. Makeysha took the driving seat with the magic side of things. Whilst I could feel her power bubbling through my veins, magic was more her domain than mine. I didn’t feel comfortable even turning a light on with the click of my fingers for fear of setting something on fire. It was just safer for the world if I left that part of me alone for now.
The ground started shaking. I squeezed Makeysha’s hand for comfort. This was still bizarre for me despite everything we’d been through.
“We’ll be fine,” she said, her sweet voice echoing around my mind.
No sooner had she said that than my world became still again. I didn’t even get time to open my eyes before dishes clattered to the floor and my mom screamed, “Ronin?”
I opened my eyes to see we’d landed right in the middle of my kitchen, whilst Mom was cooking breakfast. Bacon and eggs lay splattered against the wooden flooring, the frying pan a little way away, turned upside down. My mom stood in front of us, her hands over her mouth and her big brown eyes wide open in shock.
“Honey?” Dad said, rushing into the kitchen. He stopped and stumbled back when he saw us. “Oh my! Ronin?”
“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad.” I lifted mine and Makeysha’s clasped hands and gave them my best smile. “This is Makeysha.”
Mom’s knees wobbled and she fell forwards onto the kitchen table, clutching at it for support. “She’s a...she’s the...the angel...” Her voice trailed off into a whisper.
I nodded. “Shall we go sit down?”
Dad, clutching onto the kitchen doorway, nodded, the colour rapidly draining from his face. “I think that would be a good idea.”
I took the lead into the cosy living room. Seeing the aged red sofas, the coal-burned wooden floor in front of the open fire, and the spread of family pictures on the wall made me realise how much I missed home. It had only been a few days, but the familiar smell of recently washed clothes in Mom’s special citrus laundry powder, cooking breakfast, and the fresh outdoors blowing in through the open windows made me so grateful for my upbringing. And at the same time, it made me sad for Makeysha. She had missed out on her home comforts for much longer than a few days and yet here I was, appreciating the small things after a mere few days.
Makeysha’s lips were pulled into a thin line and her golden eyes were full of uncertainty.
“We’re going to be just fine,” I said to her.
“I know. I trust you.”
I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed the back of it. Dad took his seat in his favourite armchair. Its well-worn red fabric was close to being threadbare, but he refused to throw it out.
“That’s what makes it so comfortable,” he’d say. “It takes years to mould furniture to you.”
Mom perched herself on the arm, holding onto Dad’s shoulder for all she was worth. Her hands were white from where she gripped Dad so hard.
“It’s been an interesting few days,” I said, looking at my life givers with a renewed sense of love.
Dad, with his cart-horse build, bald head, and stern features, looked surprised. I felt like I’d managed to achieve at least something by wiping the angry look off his face he usually had.
“It turns out,” I continued. “That the angel from all our stories is true. And this is her. She happens to be my soulmate, she’s pregnant with my child, and we also kind of saved the world.”
Mom raised an eyebrow. Dad narrowed his eyes, his eyes glassing over with his normal hard stare. Seconds ticked by. I hadn’t really known how else to deliver the news other than to just come right out with it and lay it all bare on the table.
All of a sudden, Mom burst out laughing. She clutched a hand to her chest and doubled over in laughter, nearly falling off the chair in the process. Dad took hold of her forearm, keeping her from tumbling to the floor.
“That’s not funny, son,” Dad said.
“It wasn’t meant to be funny,” I said. “I’m being serious. Did you miss the part where we teleported into your kitchen?”
Mom’s laughter died down, gradually coming to a stop, at last. “You’re...you’re actually serious?” she said.
“Do you see me laughing?”
Makeysha squeezed my hand and then cleared her throat. “I understand this must be a bit of a shock for you, but I can assure you, what Ronin just said is one hundred percent true.” She outstretched her hand towards my mom. “I can let you hear the baby’s heartbeat if you like.”
Mom’s eyes fluttered. Then she fainted, falling off the chair and landing in a crumpled heap on the floor.
Dad looked at me and lifted his eyebrows. “Well done, son. You’ve managed to shock your mother more than your brother.”
***
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Mom came around on her own. Makeysha offered to bring her back around sooner but I told her Mom had had enough shocks already, let alone being magically brought back to consciousness. Besides, the time might help her soak in all this crazy.
Laid out on the sofa, Mom looked up and saw Makeysha and I stood over her, concerned. “You’re really here?” she said.
I chuckled. “Yes, Mom.”
She sighed and slowly sat up. “I’m so sorry. That was just a bit too much to take in.” She pressed her hands to her mouth and smiled, the corners of her eyes creasing up. Tears filmed over her eyes. “Are you really pregnant? With my boy’s baby?”
Makeysha gave her a dazzling smile and nodded. “It’s complicated, how it’s all happened, but yes. And we are soulmates.”
Mom dropped her hands and reached for Makeysha. “And the whole saving the world thing?”
“Yes. Lucifer up to his usual tricks. But he’s safely locked away in Tartarus for now.”
Mom gripped Makeysha’s hands and dropped her gaze to Makeysha’s stomach. “And you can really let me hear the heartbeat?”
“Sure,” Makeysha replied, grinning wildly. “Here.” She put my mom’s hand on her stomach and then pressed two fingers to her temple. She closed her eyes and said, “And there. You should be able to hear it.”
Mom gasped and then burst into tears whilst grinning like a kid a candy shop. “Oh my goodness. This is amazing. Mary Whittaker is going to wipe that smug grin off her face now.”
Dad rolled his eyes.
Makeysha looked at me with a questioning glance.
“Don’t ask,” I said.
“What about Leyani?” Dad said. “She’s going to be extremely upset.”
“Leyani?” Makeysha asked.
“Long story. I’ll tell you later.”
“A hunter?”
“Yes. It was a marriage that our parents wanted, and Leyani, but I never did. I’ve never spoken more than a few words with her.”
Makeysha smiled at me. I presumed what I said scored me some brownie points.
“I can’t go against the will of the Universe, Dad,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Things happen for a reason. For whatever reason, Makeysha is my soulmate and this is my life. I’m not going to apologise for that.”
“What am I supposed to tell Brian Shipton?” Dad said, frowning at me. “We presumed your absence and lack of communication was because you were finalising things with Wanda. Now you turn up and tell us this?”
“Bert,” Mom said, her tone harsh. “Their life path has nothing to do with anyone else. The Shipton’s will just have to deal with it.”
“They’ve refused offers from other families, even the Greenacres, because they wanted this union. Now I’ve got to tell them that their daughter isn’t good enough. Do you have any idea what kind of a position that puts me in?”
Makeysha’s eyes darkened and the buzz of her energy in my mind told me she was feeling something very strong about my dad’s appalling reaction.
“I’ll go and smooth things over with them,” I said, hoping my offer would help diffuse the situation. “It’ll look better if I do it anyway. It’s more respectful.”
Dad stood up and folded his arms over his chest. “Too damn right you will. I don’t care if your soulmate has turned up, all angelic wings and all, you’re making me break my word, Ronin. If there’s one thing I’ve ever been in my life, it’s a man of my word.”
“I think you’re being extremely cruel and unfair, Bert,” Mom said.
“Where’s Brandon?” I asked.
“He’s out on a werewolf hunt in Washington.”
I nodded. “Ok. Well, we can’t stay long. We’ve still got things to tie up and sort out.”
“Just make sure you go and see the Shipton’s before you disappear to wherever it is you’re going,” Dad said.
“I’ll go now,” I said, narrowing my eyes at my father. “Ok?”
He scowled at me before storming outside, no doubt to go and play with his guns and knives, which is what he normally did whenever he was in a bad mood.
“Don’t pay any attention to him, honey,” Mom said. “You know he doesn’t like change. He had this whole idea in his head of how things were going to be once we were coupled with the Shipton’s. He’s just a bit shocked, that’s all. Give him a couple of hours and he’ll be fine.”
I sighed. “But still, he’s being really rude and very unwelcoming to Makeysha. Hardly a great first impression for her is it?”
“It’s ok,” Makeysha said. “I know males can be like children at the best of times. I can imagine this is all a bit of a shock for him and he doesn’t really know how to react.”
“Oh really?” I said, raising my eyebrows. “We act like children, do we?”
Makeysha grinned at me. “Yes, you do.”
“I’m going to do the manly thing and go over to the Shipton’s. Then we’ll get on our way. Ok?” I gave her a cheeky grin.
“Let her down gently, Ronin,” Makeysha said. “Poor girl will be devastated.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I gave her a parting kiss then headed out to the Shipton’s cabin. I was determined to smooth things over with them so I could patch things up with my dad more than anything.