Not A Pet story

Chapter Eighteen

The ride home was quiet. I tried to understand whether it was because he was angry or because he was letting me think things through. Without feeling it myself, I slowly stroked my stomach with one hand, although my mother was still mentally in front of my eyes. 

When the car stopped at the house, it was completely dark outside. The street lights were also off, so I waited for Xavier to get out first. He opened my door and reached out to help me out, but I went back into my bubble and refused his hand to get out on my own. I pretended not to hear the impatient sigh and obediently followed him back into the house. 

"Catherine, go to the living room." Xavier ordered as I was about to climb the stairs to the second floor. 

I went where I was told and sat down in the armchair so that he could not sit next to me.The thing is, he didn't follow me, so I just sat in the dark alone for a while. Leaning on the backrest with my elbow, I placed my cheek in my palm, with my other hand I began to tap my knees with  fingers, and waited. The complete darkness surrounded me with fatigue and I even closed my eyes for a while, ready to take a nap. Just then, Xavi entered, tablet in hand. I winced at its brightness, but he ignored it, sat down on the other armrest and turned the screen to me. 

"Here. If you want, you can see her whenever you want, okay?" His voice was patient and impatient at the same time.

"Are you so good to me just to make me change my mind about this?" I tapped my stomach with my finger. 

"Do you prefer when I'm not good?" He raised his eyebrows, grabbing my cheeks and forcing me to turn my face to him. "I'm trying like hell to please you." Now his voice became colder and shivers went down my spine.

"Come on. Glamour me. Tell me to desire this child as if it were your own. And then we can have a good laugh when it comes out as my species." I spat out my words with a bit more panic than I wanted, boldly looking into his eyes. 

I saw Xavier's eyes darken. I bet if it wasn't for my condition, I would have been slapped or at least given a good shake for saying those words long ago.

"What are you waiting for?" I raised an eyebrow as if challenging him. 

He clenched my jaw harder and roughly pushed me back into the armchair, letting go of my cheeks. Standing up, he started pacing around the room, and then he grabbed a vase out of nowhere and threw it right by my head. Shards fell around me on the sofa and I automatically flinched. Okay, I'll admit it, I didn't like making him angry, and I knew I was doing it.

"From now on you can walk around the entire home area, including the backyard." He gritted his teeth and walked out of the living room angrily. The front door opened,closed and I heard the sound of car wheels turning. 

"That's right. Run away from every problem. Dad of the year." I snorted loudly.

<...>

I had to learn how to order takeout because Xavier seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. For the first two weeks of his disappearance I didn't even bother to call because my principles had taken over and I was busy rummaging around the backyard. However, as the third week progressed, I couldn't take it anymore and dialed his number. It beeped for a long time, but I never got an answer. Day by day, the one-way messages kept getting longer, asking where he was and when he was going to return. Nothing. Complete silence. 

"You know, if this continues, I will have to give birth to you myself." I said to my significantly enlarged belly at the end of the fourth week. 

I wasn't sure if my vampire master knew that kitsune's pregnancy period was different from the normal nine month cycle. I reckoned I had about a month left, and every day I woke up feeling more and more anxious about my future. I have to admit that during those four weeks I somewhat came to terms with the idea that a reminder of the terrible night is going to run around this house. I tried to explain to myself that he was innocent, that terrible things had happened in my life. I was wobbling into thebackyard to water a bush of hydrangeas I had planted, which with my improving skills I was able to order online, when I first felt movement on the left side of my stomach.