BELLA
It started two days after I had sex with them for the first time since that bastard took me captive. First, I had constant nightmares. I always woke up drenched in sweat, with the dream forgotten before it gradually escalated to trances. Most times, I slip off whenever I am conversing with them. Each time it happened, they would tell me I was saying words that made no sense, ones they couldn’t keep up with.
The oddity about it all was how I forgot everything whenever I awakened, like it didn’t happen. Had it not been for Blue, who was constantly on my case, to know what was wrong with me, I wouldn’t have realized anything odd. I would have thought I blacked out because of the pregnancy, and nothing else..
However, a day ago, something strange happened. I woke up with bruises all over my body and red eyes. My eyes were so red, it was almost like blood.
That scared my mates shitless, so they had me bundled back to their kingdom, to the house of the oldest man in the entire kingdom, someone, according to them, they held dear. It was my first time meeting someone they admired and respected. Half of the time, I only met those they wanted to either get rid of or didn’t like. It was either of those.
Meeting Da Ankora was like a breath of fresh air. He welcomed us with open arms while admonishing my mates for not visiting. I even felt bad for them.
“Do you want anything?” He asked, smiling down at me with kind eyes. Da Ankora didn’t look as old as my companions made him seem when they told me about him. He looked like he was in his early fifties, with a few streaks of grey hair on his red hair. His green eyes held so much kindness in them that it made it seem like he was born of it.
“Bella? Are you okay?” Blue asked, calling my attention back to them.
“Yeah. I’m great.” I shook my head at him, flushing a deep red. Getting caught staring at him wasn’t a good look for me at all.
“Do you need anything?” Da Ankora asked once more.
“No, I’m good.” Smiling sheepishly, I lowered my head and tucked a strand of stray hair behind my right ear as I peeked up at him. My cheeks were hot from embarrassment, and I knew they could tell.
“Oh. I see.” Da Ankora sat back in his chair – an old-looking rocking chair that seemed to have seen better days. “I know you guys didn’t come over because you miss me. Right?” He lifted his eyebrows.
“Guilty as charged,” Fred mumbled, his cheeks flushing red.
“I know.” Da Ankora relaxed back. “What’s it?” This time, he kept his focus on me. His gaze was unsettling. Almost like he was staring into my soul.
“There’s something we need your help with,” Fred Stated, clearing his throat as he sat straighter.
“And it’s about her?” He mouth-gestured to me, and my mates nodded. “I see. She’s your mate, no?” It wasn’t a question, though he made it sound like one.
“How did you know?” Fred and Blue gasped at once.
“It’s not difficult.” He sat up. “I brought you guys up and watched you grow. Of course, any woman you bring to meet me must be someone special to you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have brought her to meet your old man.”
“You know us too well.” Blushing, Fred peered down, acting like a kid in front of his dad.
“What’s wrong with her?” He frowned as he gave me an appraisal. “She’s pregnant.”
I was stunned. How did he perceive I was pregnant? I placed my hand on my tummy, frowning. My stomach was still as flat as ever.
“Your smell,” he replied, smiling when I gaped at him. “I can’t read minds like your mates, but I can tell what you are thinking from your expression,” he explained, focusing his gaze on my belly.
“That’s not why we are here,” Blue said, bringing Da Ankora’s focus back to them.
“I know.” Da Ankora nodded his head, placing his hand thoughtfully under his chin. “What’s wrong with her?”
“We can’t tell.” Fred shook his head as he glanced towards me. “Something odd has been going on for a week now, which is why we brought her so you can check on her.”
“I see.” Da Ankora got up from his rocking chair and approached me. Fred got up from his position next to me, so he could sit on it, but he didn’t. Instead, he squatted in front of me and took my hand in his. He closed his eyes, muttering unintelligible words under his breath.
I watched him with a puzzled frown, wondering what he was doing. Wasn’t he supposed to use something to check on me?
“Relax. He’s checking your internal organs,” Blue whispered, placing his hand on my back, as a sort of support.
Nodding, I focused back on Da Ankora, who still had his eyes closed, and his face in a deep frown. The lines on his forehead were defined.
“What have you been experiencing?” He asked, opening his eyes to look at me. There was a strangeness in his gaze as he did that, almost like he was trying to figure me out.
“Bunny?” Fred nudged me gently. “He asked you a question.”
“Oh.” Blinking, I focused on the older man, smiling nervously as I narrated everything to him. My mate would have done better at narrating it, but he seemed to want me to do that.
“I see.” He placed his hand under his jaw and stayed silent for a while before he asked a strange question. “What species do you belong to?”
“Human?”
“Not that.” He sighed, placing his gaze on my right wrist, which he was still holding.
“Not that?” This time, Blue beat me to it. “What do you mean?”
“She’s not human,” Da Ankora deadpanned, getting to his feet.