Author's Note:
Sorry for the late update, but I did warn you guys. I'm in the process of moving and while I'm finally at the new place, I'm not quiet completely done yet. So much to do and so little time, it seems. But thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I've been working at this late at night when it's quiet and I have time, if I'm not too tired. Don't forget to review!
Chapter Fifteen
I had her first was a brutal statement from Kouga's Wolf Demon.
He'd claimed her as his woman from the beginning, regardless of the fact that she'd chosen another male over him.
He couldn't have stopped the animalistic words no more than he could stop breathing. The threat he saw in Inuyasha brought his inner demon to the surface, demanding retribution. The fact that Kouga had been the one to garner Kagome's virgin blood was of no consequence.
The words were brought out in anger and challenge, nothing more.
"I. Had. Her. First." Kouga punctuated each word, standing nose to nose with Inuyasha, daring him to call him out. He didn't even try to hide the truth. Kagome's virginal blood would stain his soul and heart for eternity.
Kagome stood in the background, her expression torn as she stared at the two opposing demons before Inuyasha's brazen eyes moved to her over Kouga's shoulder.
Kouga moved instantly, blocking Kagome from his view and Inuyasha bared his teeth in a snarl loud enough to equal Kouga's.
Kagome struggled to breath, waiting for the moment when Inuyasha was going to lash out at Kouga. Or worse, her. To make matters worse, she knew Inuyasha wouldn't have had the chance. Kouga would have layed him out flat before he could have even taken a step.
She had known a confrontation was inevitable, given the circumstances. But seeing it with her own eyes left her shaking.
"Move." Inuyasha muttered, his shoulders tense.
"No." Kouga didn't hesitate to respond. If Inuyasha thought he was going anywhere near his pup... "You had every chance, every chance Inuyasha." Kouga forced his voice to calm as he spoke, his words vibrating with anger. "Even when I was giving it my all, you had every chance and you blew it."
"I deserve to talk to her." Inuyasha spat out in something skin to disgust, the warning in his tone clear. He would boulder through Kouga to get to Kagome if need be.
"Talk." Kouga's fist clenched and he could smell blood. "She's listening."
Kagome knew the moment Inuyasha snapped. He drew back his fist and punched Kouga. Her hands lifted, covering the lower half of her face in shock when Kouga's head snapped back. One moment she saw them and then she didn't. They were moving in a flash of fists, claws and ruptured growls.
"No!" Kagome gasped, her voice rising. She watched in utter horror as Kouga landed a well aimed blow to Inuyasha's midsection before Inuyasha was rolling and wrapping his forearm around Kouga's neck from behind.
Her breath lodged in her throat and Kagome lifted her hands, drawing one back and mimicking an arrow and bow. Energy sparked at her finger tips before she let the energy fly towards the two demons. They both sensed the flare up of spiritual energy and jumped apart as the spiritual energy landed between them, knocking them even further apart.
"Stop it." Kagome breathed. "Now."
Kouga's lips thinned. "Tell him, Kagome."
Her mouth dried. Tell Inuyasha what? What a stupid, naive question.
"When?" Inuyasha spoke and Kagome could hear the reigned in anger in his voice.
"It was after I left, Inuyasha." Kagome said softly. She didn't mention the before or even the after. The after was all the talks she'd had with Kouga. All the shared kisses that she had indulged in. "I didn't plan it. Kouga was just..." He hadn't just been there. He'd made her weak in the knees. He made her smile without doubt. "...I don't know when it happened, but it did somewhere." She wasn't talking about the baby. She wasn't even talking about the sex.
She was talking about Kouga. He'd happened.
"Tell him, Kagome. Tell him what you told me." Kouga repeated thinly, demanding.
"He knows, Kouga." Kagome finally looked at Kouga, her words on the verge of hysteria. "I want to be with you, but not like this. I'm not ready to be a Mom. I don't even know how to be a mom." Being pregnant wasn't going to force her into a lifelong commitment with him. She'd meant what she said, she wanted him. But she needed time. Time to breath. Time to come to grips...time to heal.
She was going to be a mother.
She felt sick.
Kouga tensed. "You—" Her, of all people. Kagome. "—will not keep my from my pup, Kagome..." He had that right. Every single fucking right.
Her stomach dropped. "That's not what I meant, Kouga. I would never keep you from your baby."
She just wanted to go home. Sleep. Cry all night and probably all day. She stared at the two men, the betrayal and accusation on Inuyasha's face, the acceptance that she could see there warring with the two. And the cold hard reality of Kouga's.
She wanted to be with him, just like she'd said. But not like this. She wasn't going to just give everything to him because she was pregnant. By God, this just complicated things further. She needed time to think, to heal from the pain.
The feeling from earlier came back. She was going to be sick. She was sick. She turned and hurled the empty contents of her stomach.
Kouga cursed and ran forward.
Inuyasha reached her first and out of the corner of her eye, Kagome could see the fall of his silver hair as he reached out to pull the hair back from her face. He didn't touch her but she cringed none the less and Kouga reached out, locking onto Inuyasha's wrist.
"If you touch her, you'll hurt her." Kouga warned darkly, though his eyes softened when he looked down at her.
Kagome didn't know how Kouga knew. The thought of anyone touching her made even more ill. Her expression soured. Inuyasha's touched had hurt her before and all he'd done was touch her back. She remembered the sensation of her skin crawling, aching and then just aching.
But Kouga, he knew.
"How do you know?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.
Kagome lifted her head at his question and her eyes moved to Kouga. His blue eyes met hers.
"Because—" Kouga said as he took a stance on one knee beside Kagome, one hand spreading against the small of her back. "That's my pup. He knows who I am. He knows who his mother is." It wasn't just the pup. There was more to it than that. Much more. Kagome was experiencing what newly Mated pairs went through in their first cycle.
His lips thinned.
Really, he was in the same position Inuyasha had been in, wasn't he?
Not likely. Kagome had made her decision, even if he'd had to force the admission from her. Wolf Demons didn't have cubs outside of a Mating. They just didn't. It was frowned upon. It was disrespectful. Disgraceful.
He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He had more important things to deal with.
He didn't know why Kagome was experiencing a Mated cycle. Maybe it was the pup. Maybe it was her internal acceptance of him—whatever it was, he was fine with the thought of no one else touching her.
"Now, you mind if I have a word with Kagome?" Kouga said. "Alone?" He got back to the matter at hand, the first thing he'd asked her. This should have been discussed in private and then made public later. But knowing their circumstances, he wasn't so sure public was any better.
Kouga grimaced.
That same look crossed Inuyasha's face. Acceptance. But also caution. "You want me to go, Kagome?"
Kouga looked up. Was Inuyasha not getting the hint? He wasn't just wanting alone time with Kagome, he was demanding it. He opened his mouth but Kagome stopped him.
"Yes, Inuyasha. I'm...fine." There was nothing fine about her current situation, what with the two rival demons on the edge of ripping each others throats out. Her and Kouga needed to talk. She knew that. And like he had said—alone. Not to mention the look of anger that had crossed Kouga's face when Inuyasha had questioned HIM without even having directed the question at him.
She nodded again and Inuyasha sighed, rolling his shoulders stiffly before he was jumping up into the trees. She could feel his demonic aura on the rise—he was holding back his anger. He probably was mad at her. What they'd had was gone.
What she had with Kouga was just beginning.