Right Kind of Wrong
By: Delilah deSora

Chapter 11

Shido had left him again.

It had been the first thought to cross his mind when he had returned from the hunt to find the manor silent. So great was his anger that he had torn through the rooms, ripping paintings from the walls and smashing all that caught his eye. In his rage he almost missed the scent that lingered in the bedroom, one that belonged to neither he nor his mate.

His relief that he had not been run from once again had been overshadowed by the new anger that had welled up within him. Gathering what little he’d needed he had returned to his court to demand answers from his father. Before he’d chosen the manor he’d been assured that Miron had not known of the place but, upon his return, he’d discovered that his uncle had been busier than he’d expected. It had only been a few hastily scribbled notes left while Miron hunted that had led him to the home in the French countryside. But he’d been too late to retrieve his mate and his father had been too weak to be any help against Miron.

Faced with another who was stronger than he, Miron had fled. Naturally he had given chase but his uncle was adept at covering his presence when his life was in danger and he’d soon lost Miron’s trail. Upon returning to his father’s side he’d discovered the true depth of Miron’s betrayal of their race. Fear had set in then and it had only been the unexpected arrival of the human woman who had given them the location of the laboratory that had set them on the right track.

With Miron still free and the unexpected burden of his sire he did not wish to return to the estate he had chosen to raise his son in. Adrian had been unable to give him an explanation on how Miron had known of the place and Cain feared what else he might know about that was supposed to have been kept secret. Someone had betrayed them and it was becoming increasingly clear that Miron had eyes in unexpected places and darker plans than any of them had originally thought.

Though he now had his mate at his side his mind was still tortured by the dreams that plagued him when he’d discovered Shido gone. Dreams that he knew had not come to pass but ones that refused to relent coupled with new nightmares of what could have been. Dreams of his mate dying among the squalid trash of some dark alleyway. Dreams of his son’s first contact with life being gloved hands tearing him from his birthright and turning him into the blank eyed creature they’d made of his sire.

Dreams of a child’s cry being silenced by cold metal . . .

Cain forced himself back to the waking world with a curse. He pushed himself up onto his arms, gritting his teeth as he willed his body to stop shaking. The suddenly movement jarred the bed and his attention was demanded by an inquisitive growl. His son peered at him over the protective curve of Shido’s arm, small hands reaching for him in a blatant demand to be lifted up.

Smiling he gathered the child to his chest, careful to keep from waking his sleeping mate. The next night would be another long trek and Shido would need all the energy he could muster before they arrived at what he hoped would be their final destination. He feared Shido would not be able to go much farther. He had not been able to feed properly in the final days of his pregnancy and his body had been forced to compensate for the lack of velassi blood it had needed by using his own life’s blood. That he’d made it this far amazed Cain and left him with no small amount of satisfaction that his mate was as strong as he was desirable.

The air was heavy with the impending sunrise as he stepped out onto the balcony of the estate. Its true owners were unconscious somewhere on the floors below, their blood having been split between their four unexpected visitors. The cool spring air caught his father’s long hair, twisting it into hopeless knots as he stared out across the lake.

“There is still no change?” Cain asked as he sat, shifting his son in his arms as the child struggled to get closer to the black strands that danced just beyond his reach.

Adrian sighed and shook his head. “No. It is as though he does not see me, as though I do not exist in whatever world he now lives in.”

“I do not understand how he could still be alive. How could he have survived the attack?”

“I do not know,” Adrian admitted, “Reiner was the one who brought me the news and I went out immediately. I saw the bodies of the humans they had slain and I saw the bolt that was coated in his blood. Reiner told me of the ambush, of how he fell before those that were left lost their courage and fled.” Adrian paused, shaking his head sadly. “Yet Miron knew. He knew that his brother still lived and was in the hands of those humans. He spoke as though it had been he who had given Alexandru to them. Somehow . . . somehow he was behind it.”

Cain was silent, letting his anger burn at the betrayal. A sharp pain in his arm made him start and he growled, pulling his arm away as his son stared up at him with wide green eyes, taking his reaction. He rubbed the small marks on his forearm left by his son’s fangs.

Adrian laughed softly, reaching out to take the child from him. “How precious, he’s a little biter, just like you were.”

Cain scowled. “I was not a ‘little biter’.”

His father smiled as he stroked his son’s golden hair. “Of course you were. You bit everyone and anyone, and then had the gall to kick and scream because you couldn’t stomach anyone’s blood but mine.”

Making a noncommittal sound Cain couldn’t help the small smile that crossed his face when his son reached for him, demanding to be returned to his sire’s arms.

“Are you keeping the name?”

Cain nodded, turning his hand over as his son studied the lines on his palm. “Yes. Shido doesn’t remember why the name is important but eventually he will. Besides, his father was a strong man. Cayle survived so that Shido would survive as well, even though every day must have been a struggle. I do not mind my son carrying his name.”

Adrian reached out to brush his hand across Cayle’s cheek, earning an instinctive snap of fangs from the child that made him laugh.

“Do you think they will allow us to stay?” Cain asked suddenly, shifting as he felt the sun’s presence just beyond the horizon.

His father shrugged. “I do not know for sure but they will harbor us for at least a few days. My sire is old and, though his trust in our elders has waned, he will carry the news of Miron’s actions to them. He always closes the island when he is not there because he doesn’t like to leave my father alone among so many vampires and breed. He will be grateful to have us there to keep Este company while he is gone. That will buy us some time to find a new place to go if he refuses to let us stay.”

Cain shook his head. “I wish that this was the end of our journey. Shido’s strength will not last much longer. He puts up a good front but his body is failing, I can feel it. Alexandru did well in delivering my son but he was weak to begin with and even someone who has had a perfect birth must rest to let his body heal. Shido has not had that rest and I worry it will harm him permanently. If he continues to push himself he may damage himself inside and compromise his ability to have another child. I am grateful for being given this one but I would like to have another in future.”

Adrian was silent for a long moment before speaking again. “They will let us stay.” He said softly.

“We cannot know that for sure.” Cain persisted, “Besides, Renzo is protective of his mate and his island. By letting us stay he puts both in danger. What does he gain by giving us sanctuary? He has no loyalty to me or my child.”

“He has a loyalty to me.”

“You are no longer in danger. We have proven that Alexandru still lives, Miron has no claim on you anymore.” Cain replied, standing.

“He has one. A very good claim.”

Cain paused, staring down at his father. “I don’t understand.”

Adrian sighed, placing a hand over his stomach. “A child grows within me. One that I will never allow to be called his but one that he could argue belongs to him.”

Cain stiffened. “Are you sure?”

His father nodded. “The time between Alexandru’s rescue and the child’s conception is very close, close enough that I could claim the child came from my reunion with Alexandru rather than from Miron’s rape. However, at this critical time, Miron could argue that Alexandru is not fit to protect the child and me. He could argue that he is the child’s true sire and that he is the only one fit to raise it. Despite my attempts to put doubt in their minds the elders may honor his claim. Especially with Alexandru as he is.”

Cayle buried his face in his sire’s shoulder, making soft noises of contentment. Cain stroked his son’s back, staring down at his father’s dark profile. “Miron must not know about the child.”

Again his father nodded. “Renzo and Este will help. I will tell them what happened, how Miron forced this upon me. I will beg them to let me raise my son on the island in secret so that Miron will never know that he succeeded. I . . . I don’t know if I can actually carry the child to term. I have always had trouble in the final months and his conception was aided with drugs that human did not know all of the consequences of. I may lose the child altogether but . . . I have decided to give the child a chance.”

Adrian paused and glanced back at the tiny being held in his son’s arms. “I originally thought the best course would be to end this pregnancy. It disgusts me to think that something that came from Miron now grows inside of me. However, I have realized that the life that is forming within me knows nothing of its origin. It does not know the circumstances of its creation; it does not know the perversion of the man that helped form it. This child knows only survival right now. What it learns when it comes into the world will come from those it is raised among. I want to have this child. I want to hold it in my arms and I want it to grow up in a world where it knows only that I am its father and Alexandru is its sire. It need never know that Alexandru did not actually create it with me.”

With his own child now sleeping his arms Cain could not find it in his heart to disagree. With a slight nod he took his leave, content to let his father make his own decisions concerning the child within him.

Shido clutched his son to his chest as Adrian spoke to a man across the room. He wasn’t sure where they were but Cain seemed at ease as the two spoke and it helped to relax him somewhat. His body ached for sleep but he forced himself to remain vigilant. Beside him Alexandru sat silently, staring blankly at nothing as he had done in the cell.

There was a soft click of a heel striking the marble floor and he turned, smiling softly as Cain came to stand beside him. Golden eyes were soft as they alighted upon the squirming child in his arms. Shido shifted, making enough room for his mate to seat himself next to him. Blushing slightly he leaned back into Cain’s arms. There was a moment of hesitation but, as he knew he would, Cain relaxed and enfolded him in arms.

It was hard to relax into the hold but sheer exhaustion helped and his resolve took him the rest of the way. Part of him wanted to run from all of this, still screamed within him that he would lose himself this way but it not longer was the only voice he heard. In the end, even when he ran, he hadn’t really known who he was, and now there was another to think of.

Their son stared up at his sire; wide eyes blinking slowly as he studied the other face. A chubby hand reached up, fingers clutching at the air. Cain’s long fingers brushed his son’s face. Cayle instinctively turned towards the touch, sniffing at his sire’s palm before scrunching his nose and turning to bury his face in the lace that spilled from his father’s neck.

“Why are we here?” Shido asked, glancing up as a large man entered, moving behind the man Adrian’s spoke to and drawing him towards him. “I want to go home.”

Cain dipped his head, nuzzling the soft cloth that covered his mate’s shoulder. “We can’t go back there. Somehow Miron knew of it. It isn’t safe any longer.”

Shido stiffened. “He is still alive?”

Cain growled in frustration, earning a curious stare from his son. “Yes. He was badly injured but the coward is quick to flee when his life is in danger and Adrian was bleeding heavily. I dared not leave him like that for too long.”

Frowning in worry Shido stroked Cayle’s hair. “Where will we go then?”

“Hopefully we will stay here, assuming Adrian can convince them to lend us the island.”

“Who are they?”

“My father’s parents; my grandparents, as humans recon it though our own people recognize no relations outside of an immediate family group. Adrian was raised here and it was here that Alexandru met him. My father’s father is Este and the sire beside him is Renzo. People know to fear Renzo and know not to cross him when he closes the island to the world.” Cain explained.

Shido frowned. “I do not know that I want him here.” His arms tightened about Cayle’s small body.

Cain sighed and brushed kisses over his mate’s jaw and cheek. “I know but we may need him. Miron never gives up and he’s shown how dangerous he can be. The things that are sacred to our people are not sacred to him. He’s shown that he will willingly put them in danger to serve his own needs. I cannot protect the three of you alone and Alexandru . . .” He fell silent, glancing at his sire, “. . . he cannot help as he is. Renzo is a good man, they both are. They have lived here for longer than most civilizations have been in existence. They know this place better than any and there is no one who would challenge a creature of Renzo’s years. It is the best place for us.”

Shido remained silent, watching the three argue. Finally Renzo nodded tersely. Adrian’s shoulders sagged but when turned and approached them his face was relieved.

“They will let us stay?” Cain inquired.

Adrian nodded, his eyes flickering to his mate’s still form. “Yes. My sire is leaving tomorrow night to speak with the elders about what Miron has done. Este will stay with us.”

Shido frowned. “I think it would be best for the stronger of the two to stay. I mean no offense to your father but if Miron wishes to catch us off guard this is the best time.”

“Ah, but you are not comfortable with having another sire lurking about.”

Shido shrank back into Cain’s arms as the other man approached. Este smiled and obligingly stopped a few steps from him. “By the time Renzo comes back the paranoia that comes with a new child should have worn off enough to allow you to at least be in the same room with him without being ready to bolt at his slightest movement.”

Shido flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. We’re taking over your home and all I can seem to be is rude.”

Este shrugged. “It is all right. We’ve all had children here and we know how it affects us. Ah but I see that you are tired. You should rest, your body needs time to heal fully.”

Cain urged him to his feet and he murmured apology as he allowed Cain to herd him from the room. To his surprise Adrian hurried to their side and held out his arms. “A child is never conductive to rest,” he said with a secretive smile, “I promise to take good care of him and return him before day break.”

Shido was hesitant but Cain took Cayle from him before he could protest and deposited the laughing child in his father’s arms. Cayle immediately clutched handfuls of black hair, tugging happily on his prize. Forcing his mouth shut on his protests Shido allowed Cain to lead him away as his son’s cheerful coos followed him down the hall.

“Relax.” Came this annoyed hiss in his ear.

Shido shifted, half pulling away from the hands that explored his body. “I just think we should get Cayle back. He must be afraid . . .”

“He’s fine.” Cain snapped, “Adrian knows how to handle a baby. Besides, it’ll be good practice for him for later.”

Shido froze. “Later?”

His mate made an affirmative sound as he nuzzled the back of his neck.

“But . . . I thought that Alexandru wasn’t responsive to anything.”

He felt Cain cold breath on his skin as he exhaled angrily. “It’s not Alexandru’s.”

A snarl escaped him as his lips pulled back in anger. “That bastard . . .”

Behind him Cain laughed, his fingers teasing a pale nipple. “Yes. However, we’re all going to pretend it is Alexandru’s and hope Miron never figures out the truth.”

Shido sighed, leaning back into Cain’s arms and resting his head against his mate’s chest. His eyes closed as fingers traced the fading scars on his stomach. “Do you think Miron will come here?”

Cain licked at the base of his neck, making him shiver in pleasure. “No. He values his life above all else. There is no one here that will help him and when he realizes that my sire has been freed he will be wary about coming too close and even I would be hard pressed to defeat Renzo. We will be safe here, my love. Cayle will grow into a strong fighter and when my sire returns to this world he will raise Adrian’s child into a fine man as well.”

“Our son will be a strong fighter, eh?” Shido asked, peering at his mate from the corner of his eye.

“Of course. With me as his sire and such a stubborn creature as yourself for a father how could he not?”

Shido growled. “Stubborn am I?”

Cain laughed and slid his hand between his mate’s legs, earning a soft gasp. “Yes. Now enough talk. It is not words I want from you.”

Rolling onto his stomach Shido rose up over him. “What is it that you want, then?” He asked.

Golden eyes narrowed with desire. “What I have always wanted.” He reached up to draw his mate’s mouth to his own.

“And what is that?” Shido whispered against his mouth.

Cain smiled. “You, my love. Always you.”

With a happy murmur Shido sank into his mate’s arms, content to let Cain chase the fears from his mind and paint a new future with every soft touch and urgent kiss.

He knew that the road to rebuilding his broken mind would be long but together they would find all the pieces and he would remember what he had forgotten. He would work through the pain of his childhood and heal his wounded spirit. Cayle would grow and he knew that through his son’s bright laughter and his mate’s unwavering love he would find the man he had been born to be.

Hundreds of nights lay behind them, nights bereft of hope and full of confused emotions but in that moment he realized that none of those nights mattered. There was an eternity of nights waiting for them and they would find their place among them.

For the first time he could see the future that lay before him.

He clung to his mate as the brilliance overwhelmed him.

And . . . I’m spent! *grins* 70 pages and not one sex scene between Cain and Shido? Ahhh! Bad yaoi writer! Bad! Oh well, I promise lots of Cain/Shido goodness in the future!

Anyway, this fic is for J.C. who came up with the idea in the first place. The poor thing had to wait for nearly a year before I got to it, though, but here it is! I hope you liked it!

This was my first mpreg and I must say it was kind of an eye opener. I’d actually been kind of wary of mpregs in general because boys having babies is kind of a strange thought in the beginning but as I worked on it I gradually got used to the idea. I hope no one is too angry with me getting Shido knocked up! 

Well, that’s the end of “Right Kind of Wrong”! Be sure to read the sequel "Progeny"!

-Delilah deSora-