Chapter 44

by Michelle M Pillow & Mandy M Roth

A New Beginning…

Michelle shook her head, refusing to get off the couch even as Mandy
waved a tray of brownies in front of her as a temptation. Her rounded
belly protruded, not bringing the happily-ever-after she'd planned
with Dmitri the day she found out she was pregnant only those few months
ago. Tru had been off when she said Michelle was due a month after her
pregnancy had been magically restored. A month and a half later and
Michelle was bigger than ever. Pregnancy brought cramps, sickness,
cravings—the usual human stuff—and a myriad of uncontrollable
hormones that set her newly tapped cat-shifting powers into overdrive.
Thinking of it, she started to cry again.

She looked around the small apartment she shared with Dmitri. After
discovering their shared past, all four of them—Michelle, Mandy,
Armando and Dmitri—decided to move to a new town. Nocturnal City
seemed perfect and since there was a new nightclub opening, Raven II,
Dmitri and Armando automatically had work. Their old boss hired them
instantly to run the supernatural nightclub. Michelle and Mandy
weren't so lucky. They were having a hard time with the job search.
Michelle's portfolio had been erased with the melding of their two
separate pasts and apparently, when the gods sent the two friends to a
new life, they forgot to give notice at their old jobs. The Nocturnal
Journal had them down as fired due to not showing up. It made for a
horrible reference.

Stupid, meddling powers that be!

The apartment was hardly a dream come true, but what could she expect on
only Dmitri's new income? It wasn't like she contributed to the
household—which only added to her emotional state. She hated feeling
useless and knew Mandy was much in the same boat as she. Though, at
least Armando's bank account hadn't been affected by the
changes. He still had all his properties and fortunes and Mandy lived
like a queen—when she allowed him to spoil her. Their home was a
mansion compared to Michelle and Dmitri's tiny apartment.

Dmitri promised her they would find a better place soon. His entire
savings, which hadn't been nearly what Armando had, was wiped clean
when Tru worked her magic. It didn't matter, money wasn't
everything. Armando and Mandy had offered to help them out on many
occasions, even going as far as trying to trick them into accepting a
new home bought by Armando, but Dmitri didn't want charity. And,
feeling it was a matter of pride for him, Michelle didn't argue.

But just because they'd had Armando's money, didn't mean
Mandy had it easy. Her family recipe book, a tomb full of her favorite
treasures, had disappeared completely. Literally thousands of
irreplaceable heirloom recipes lost, not to mention her
grandmother's necklace and brooch. Those were small in Mandy's
eyes but Michelle knew that sometime down the road, Mandy would mourn
their loss. Above and beyond that, Michelle knew the fact that Mandy and
Armando weren't gifted with a coming child was extremely hard on her
friend but Mandy kept a brave face on, always happy for Michelle.

"Still?" Dmitri asked at the doorway, slightly panicked to see
Michelle was still upset. He had claw marks along his neck when
they'd made love the night before. Well, "making love" was
putting it lightly. She'd attacked him—almost literally. It was
a wonder the man could even walk today. "I called you over here to
make it better. Do your magic mojo on her or something? You're a
girl, help—"

"Dmitri, I will stake you if you come in here one more time and tell
me how to do my best friend job," Mandy warned.

"I'm a wolf, not a vamp," Dmitri argued.

Michelle cried harder.

"See what you did!" Mandy yelled taking a brownie and throwing
it at Dmitri's head. She had remarkably good aim.

He snapped his mouth open, catching it and chewing. With a mouthful of
chocolate, he mumbled, "I'm calling the doctor. This can't
be normal." He left them alone.

"Michelle, is that what's got you upset? Are you worried about
Dmitri being a werewolf?" Mandy tried to get closer by sitting on
the couch next to her, but Michelle jerked back.

Finally, unable to keep it in, Michelle wailed, "I have a tail!"

Mandy tried not to choke, as she fought an unhelpful burst of laughter.
"A what?"

"A tail," Michelle sobbed. "A giant kitty tail growing out
of my ass and I can't get it to go away. And don't you dare make
another Dmitri getting pussy joke, `cause I swear I won't
be—"

"Let me see it," Mandy broke in.

"No!"

"You cannot drop a bomb like that on a girl like me and not have me
demanding you whip it out." Mandy laughed. "I can't believe
that's what this is all about. Here I thought you'd found out
something awful about the baby, or found out you were having a whole
litter of dog-cats." At Michelle's horrified look, she added,
"Which I am sure the supernatural doc would have mentioned."

"Why? He didn't mention this!" Michelle turned around,
showing the tail that had been hidden by the couch cushion while she
sat. The long, fluffy white appendage dipped back and forth lazily.

"Wow," Mandy exclaimed, reaching to touch it. "I've been
looking for a coat with that exact fur trim on it for months."

"Mandy!"

Mandy blinked in surprise. "Sorry. I'm not helping, am I?"

"Did you make those brownies or are they store bought?"
Michelle eyed the plate.

"Made fresh this morning." Mandy lifted her arm.

Michelle grabbed the plate and sat back down, fighting her tail as she
adjusted in her seat. "Then, I forgive you for wanting to make me
into a fur coat." She stuffed one into her mouth.

"Okay, you're starting to make me sick. You eat nothing but junk
and you look gorgeous even with the little belly."

"Little? Look at this thing!" Michelle moved the plate off her
big stomach for a brief instant.

"The only thing I see is those horrible pink pajama pants you're
insisting on living in," Mandy said.

"It's all that fits," Michelle protested. "And I am not
going shopping for pregnancy clothes I'm only going to wear for a
few weeks. The doctor said that uncontrollable shifts cause my
metabolism to be out of sorts and makes my blood sugar low." As if
to prove her point, the brownies were starting to make her feel more
emotionally stable. She sighed, stuffing another into her mouth.

"Clearly, it causes uncontrollable hormones, too," Mandy said,
under her breath.

"I heard that."

"I said it out loud." Mandy laughed, before reaching out and
patted Michelle's belly, whispering, "Hey, little one, it's
Aunt Mandy and I'm going to spoil you. Remember, Aunt Mandy is your
favorite person. Aunt Mandy is your favorite person. Aunt—"

"I am a mess, aren't I?" Michelle frowned. "I'm
never going to last the full term without going crazy and jumping off a
cliff."

"I think you should be more worried about pushing Dmitri off a
cliff."

Michelle glanced over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't there.
"I think I'm allergic to him."

Mandy arched a brow, clearly thinking this was another of Michelle's
wild pregnancy outbursts. Michelle felt herself going overboard with
emotion, but still couldn't get a handle on it, no matter how hard
she tried.

"Every time we…" Michelle gave a meaningful look.

"Do the nasty," Mandy supplied.

"I…" Michelle nodded down toward her butt.

"Break out in cat parts."

Michelle nodded. "And I don't know how to make them go
away."

"Have you asked Dmitri?"

Michelle shook her head. "I can't. It's too embarrassing. I
mean, he's a wolf. I'm a cat. And he has enough to handle with
the new club and paying for everything around here and a kid on the way
and what if he…? I mean, it was fine when it was just a little patch
of fur on my hip, or even a clawed toenail, but this?!"

Mandy's pocket began to ring and she sighed heavily. "Give me a
moment, okay? Armando is calling from England. Apparently he owns the
royal palace. I swear, each morning he finds another deed he hadn't
seen since the Renaissance. If the great big deal makers in the sky
decide to screw with our lives again, I'm putting in for a man who
has only lived a normal life span."

Michelle glanced around, trying not to be jealous. Armando owned a
palace and all she and Dmitri had was this crappy apartment. If she
dared to bring it up, Mandy would have movers at the ready and Michelle
being lifted against her will to a new home so she remained silent.

"The man had more property than I have shoes," Mandy said,
offhandedly as she flipped open the phone. "Ciao, darling. I was
just saying incredibly naughty things about you."

~*****~

Armando smiled into the phone, despite his bad day. Hearing Mandy's
voice always brightened him. The lush London accommodations were
specifically made for his kind, built secretly underground and furnished
with all the decadent splendor of a long ago era. Old silks and
elaborate tapestries enclosed him. Too bad Mandy wasn't with him
now.

"I miss you, kitten," he said into the phone. He could sense
something was wrong, but that Mandy wasn't any place where she could
talk about it. Hearing Michelle's voice on the other end, he knew
exactly where his mate was.

"Aw, I miss you, too. How's your business? Do we get to move
into the palace, or what? I've always said I should be made a
queen." Mandy laughed lightly. Her tone was low, as if trying to
keep quiet.

"Sorry, no palace," he lied. In truth, he really did own the
palace. Apparently, the deed he'd won in a card game nearly four
hundred years ago was still valid. His hope was to quickly and quietly
take care of the matter, transferring ownership to the right parties
before going home. "But I did get you a little something,"
Armando continued. He glanced at the corner of the underground hotel
suite. Boxes upon boxes were piled nearly to the low ceiling.

"You don't have to buy me a present—wait, scratch that,
what'd you get me?"

"You'll have to wait until I return, kitten." Armando
smiled, closing his eyes so he could see her beautiful face. Even now,
he had a hard time believing that she was truly and finally his.

"Fine, but come home soon."

"I will, my love," Armando promised, hanging up the phone. He
clutched it to his chest for a moment, as if by feeling it he could feel
his Mandy.

~*****~

Mandy closed the phone and put her hand on Michelle's arm.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but he's been so
busy I've barely been able to talk to him."

"It's fine." Michelle sniffed.

"You were saying," Mandy prompted.

"I said, I don't know how to make these `things' go
away." Michelle glanced down to her tail.

"I still say you should talk to your husband—"

"Mate," Michelle corrected. "We're not married."

"As good as in the supernatural world," Mandy said.

"But I was raised in the human one."

"Talk to him," Mandy insisted. "He'll understand.
Besides, he shifts. I'm sure he can teach you how to control
it."

"What if he's disgusted by me?"

"Please," Mandy rolled her eyes. "Now I know the hormones
are taking over. Have you seen the way that man looks at you? Gawd, he
even looks like he can't get enough of you when you're in those
ratty ol' pink jammie pants. Trust me when I say that means he loves
you."

Michelle didn't answer. It was hard to feel pretty with a furry
appendage sticking out of her backside.

"I know you're going to hate this idea, but what about Conner?
He's a catshifter and Mike said he and Muir were by the bar again
looking to find us. They want to apologize for all that happened. Maybe
you can talk to him?"

"How could you even suggest that? After what they did to us?"
Michelle shook her head. "I will not and do not forgive them."

"Okay, Miss Moody but you have to talk to someone. Do not make me go
and do it. We don't even want to think about all the things I'll
screw up on the way back with the information. This has to be you,
Michelle."

"I know," she moaned.

Mandy put her hand on Michelle's belly. "You need an answer for
your baby too. You're thinking for two now, little mommy."
 

Pleasure Cruise II: Date With Destiny

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