Claws by Karolyn Cairns Page A

is not your
concern, Ty. Stay out of my issues with my mate and find one of
your own!”
    The limo arrived. Eli stalked out ahead
of the guards. The guards loaded his bags and he was gone. Ty
looked upwards and wondered if he should look in on her.
    That night, Vivvie still didn’t come
down. He arrived to her room and found she was sleeping. He was
relieved and left. The next morning, he was told she still slept.
By the middle of the day; he demanded she be woken up.
    The maid arrived downstairs to tell him
his house guest couldn’t be woken. Ty crashed into her room and
shook her, staring down at her in dismay, slapping her cheek. She
was in the same strange sleep his sister had once fallen
into.
    Ty stared down at her with an anguished
look, knowing why she retreated into herself. Eli pushed her too
far. He had a doctor brought it immediately. The compound physician
put her on an IV drip and confirmed she was impregnated.
    Ty’s rage knew no outlet until finally
he could take it no longer and called Denver. Jericho
answered.
    “Where’s Eli?” Ty snapped into the
phone.
    Jericho sensed Ty’s rage and paused on
the other end. “What’s going on, Ty? Is Vivvie ok? I haven’t heard
from her in days.”
    “No, she’s not ok! She’s fallen into
that sleep Tania once did,” Ty raged and fought for control. “You
can tell him his children are on the way too. When she delivers;
I’ll have them sent to him.”
    “Calm down, Ty,” Jericho said quietly.
“How long has she been like this?”
    “Three days,” Ty said and sighed. The
other end went silent. “I don’t know what to do.”
    “Eli and Tania left today on a business
trip for the company,” Jericho revealed with a grimace, hearing the
low growl on the other end. “He has a new product line opening in
Vegas. I can call the hotel and track him down.”
    “Forget it! I should have known his
wife is the last thing he cares about,” Ty fumed. “He’s the reason
she’s in this condition! She was fine until he got
here!”
    Jericho sighed on the other end. “I’ll
call him. Calm down, Ty.”
    “Don’t bother. In fact; forget I even
called Jericho. I’ve stayed out of it long enough. He comes down
here and torments her for weeks and there’s nothing I can do. He
better have an army the next time he visits his wife!” Ty nearly
shouted and slammed down the phone, white-faced in his
rage.
    Ty hovered and sat with her for hours.
There was no change in her. By the end of the second week, he
called in the big guns. A human sleep therapist arrived, looking
around in interest until she met Ty’s glowing gaze. The therapist
looked in on Vivvie and couldn’t help to bring her out of it. It
was like Tania all over again.
    Ty tried talking to her, encouraging
her to come back. She remained asleep, unmoving and unhearing.
Weeks passed and he watched her belly grow with disgust, knowing
Eli forced these children on her in his anger. He felt helpless
when she grew bigger each day. She delivered weeks later without
even opening her eyes.
    The two girls and boy lay unnamed in
bassinets, a nurse ordered around the clock to feed them and see to
their needs. Still, she remained unchanged. He heard nothing from
Eli and was relieved. He didn’t quite know what he would say to him
right now.
    Jericho called once a day to check upon
her. The elder was disturbed the delivery didn’t bring her out of
it. Ty refused to speak to Eli. Jericho got the pleasure of
informing Eli he was a Father for the twenty-sixth time and hoped
the news made him suffer.
    ~ ~ ~
    “Two girls and a boy? That should keep
her out of the mall,” Eli remarked and looked back down at his
paperwork with a pleased smile. He poured over accounts, never
looking up. “What are their names? I hope she didn’t name them
something stupid.”
    “They have no names yet,” Jericho
replied tightly. His yellow green gaze was furious. “Their Mother
was in no condition to decide on names this