The Minx

I woke feeling groggy, but the chaotic energy I lost consciousness with, was gone. I tried to sit up and felt a calming hand assist me. I knew who it was without even looking.

Kieran.

The events that happened from before came rushing back to me. I was home and safe. Aspen was going to leave us alone. Caitlyn was dead. Nabi was safe. I teleported.

"Careful. You sent your body into disorder when you teleported. You've been asleep for a few days," Kieran explained.

"Nabi," I started. Kieran smiled lightly as his hand covered mine.

"She's fine. She's taking a nap right now. I had to feed you a lot of venom and energy, but you're stable again. How did you teleport?" He asked. I sighed.

"I just... really wanted to be home, and then I was," I shrugged. Kieran smiled slightly before moving a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Alright. You're home now. You're stable. You're safe. Nabi is safe, too. She's been looking for you. I kept her away while you were recovering so she's been fussy. She misses her mom," he said softly. I smiled lightly and held his hand in mine. I sighed in relief as the calming energy flowed through me.

"Kieran... I love you," I said sincerely. Kieran leaned over and held my cheek gently as he brought his lips to mine in a kiss. My eyes closed on their own as my hands went to his neck and pulled him down. I didn't feel any restraints or restrictions against me when it came to Kieran. I was finally free to fully be with and love Kieran to my heart's content. I didn't owe anyone anything anymore. I didn't have to hide my heart anymore. Kieran lost his balance temporarily and fell onto the bed. He barely managed to catch himself and hover over me as he broke the kiss. He looked surprised as he tried to gauge my emotions.

"Cami, what changed?" He asked, happily confused. I smiled as I readjusted my arms around his neck.

"Before, I held back because I still owed a debt to Aspen. Now, I don't owe anyone anything. I don't have to hold back anymore, and I don't want to," I explained. I brought my lips back to his hungrily. It didn't take long for Kieran to give in fully. We had to be careful not to wake Nabi, but I finally got to have my way with Kieran.

Kieran held me gently as we cuddled together after our romp in the bed. I finally got to have my way with him and it was more euphoric than I could have ever imagined. He kissed my head gently as his thumb brushed over my cheek gently.

"I love you," he said sweetly. I smiled lazily as I placed my head on his chest. Our little peaceful moment was broken when I heard Nabi's cries start up. I didn't feel annoyed or interrupted at all. I felt happy. I sat up and went to put my pajamas on.

"I can go get her," Kieran offered. I shook my head as the smile never left my face.

"I'll take care of it. You've been working hard to take care of both of us over the last few days. Plus, she hasn't seen me in a while anyway," I said before going to Nabi's room. She was almost one year's old now and that fact was starting to hit home for me. When I walked into her room, she was holding herself up in a standing position on the side of her crib. She whined when she saw me.

"Mama," she whined as she held her arms out for me. I picked her up and hugged her to me firmly.

"Hi baby," I said softly. I kissed her cheek gently before bringing her back to our room. Kieran sat up and looked at me curiously.

"Let her lay with us for a while," I said. Kieran chuckled before putting his boxers back on quickly and getting back in the bed. I put Nabi in the bed between us as I laid back down. As soon as she was in the bed, she cuddled into me and closed her eyes back again. I pat her back gently and smiled. Kieran touched my head gently before going to turn off the lights.

***

Our life got to a range of normalcy fairly quickly. With the threat of the lab finally eliminated, Kieran and I were able to hire a regular nanny and return to our jobs at Rom Deck Publishing. Returning was like a breath of fresh air. I was happy to see everyone again. It was weird coming back knowing that to everyone else, we just went on vacation. So much had happened, but not much time had passed. It was easy to get catch up with what we missed.

Months passed with me being allowed to live as a normal human. At first, I was still anxious for a while and it took Kieran a while to get me to relax. Kieran and I were like a real married couple. We even started making plans for a fake vow renewal and a honeymoon that would serve as a real wedding ceremony for us. Nabi's first birthday came and went. We had pictures done with a smash cake and a birthday party that everyone was invited to. I actually started to feel like a normal person. After a few more months, my fox bead finally turned blue. My body had completely stabilized. I wouldn't need Kieran's venom regularly anymore and I could continue living as a fox. We still had no idea if my lifespan would follow that of a wolf's or a fox's yet but at least I could survive off of human energy alone now.

My fake vow renewals to Kieran, that actually served as a real first wedding, was a grand occasion. Kieran pulled out all of the stops. He rented out an extravagant Princess-like ballroom, my dress fit my body like a glove and was adorned with jewels, everything looked like it came straight out of a fairytale. Even Nabi had a part in the wedding as the flower girl. Amanda helped her down the aisle before it was my turn. I couldn't be happier as I slowly began to make my way to where Kieran was waiting for me. Surrounded by all of our friends, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. This was the man who protected me with everything he had. This was the man I loved. Even though we had been pretending to be married this whole time, it finally felt real now.

After a short ceremony, we had a reception dinner for everyone to enjoy themselves. The entire time, I just felt nauseous. Kieran, of course, was quick to notice. With a lame excuse, he pulled me into a dressing room for some privacy before doing a quick scan of my body. When he reached my stomach, he hesitated before sighing with a small smile.

"What is it?" I asked impatiently when he didn't say anything. I was worried that my fox bead might have gone red again. If I destabilized again, it would be a while before getting the bead to turn blue again. I didn't want to create more work for Kieran. He'd already worked so hard since my birth to keep me alive. I didn't want to add to his worries. I wanted to finally be able to confidently stand beside him. Kieran simply kissed my head before pulling me into a hug. Even though I felt myself growing more impatient by the second, I wrapped my arms around him anyway.

"Nabi will have a little brother or sister soon. You're pregnant, Cami," Kieran said happily. I felt my body relax as a soft laugh left my lips. It was funny to think that fertility was the reason I ran to him in the first place. Now, so much had changed, but in the end, somehow, I still ended up pregnant.

"Do you think we'd have another little hybrid?" I asked as I lifted my head to look at him. He lifted my chin to place a fleeting kiss on my lips.

"Who knows? But if it is, we'll be prepared," he promised. I didn't feel anxious at all. With Kieran by my side, I was willing to take on anything.

THE END.