Wilder Family Halloween by Christina Dodd Read Free Book Online Page B

been a bumpy one.
    Al of his sons’ courtships had been bumpy.
    Not his. Not Konstantine’s, who had been the first male in his family in a thousand years to fall in
    love, and his Zorana had fallen right back in love with him.
    Of course, when he kidnapped Zorana from her clan, she had stabbed him.
    He grinned.
    But only once.
    Now Karen preened, showing off the glimmering scales on her glittery tail, always happy to wear
    something decorated with sequins and pearls. Then she paused, hand pressed against her waist,
    and winced. “This darned costume fit me better when I bought it. Now it’s tight around the middle.”
    Tasya laid her hand on Karen’s stomach. “Are you going to have guppies?”
    “Guppies? No! I’m only going to have one, er, guppy.” Karen put her hand over Tasya's and looked
    at her sister-in-law. “I hope.”
    “You, too?” Tasya exclaimed. Realizing what she had confessed, she looked first pleased, then
    horrified. “I didn’t mean to say that.”
    Konstantine clapped his hand over his mouth.
    How could he possibly keep so many secrets? Secrets from Zorana? The woman possessed a
    frightening ability to sense when he withheld information, and an all-too-pleasing way of worming
    those secrets out of him.
    Yet Zorana also had a way of knowing when another woman was pregnant. Maybe it was because she understood all people and the mysteries surrounding them.
    Maybe it was because she was a gypsy witch.
    Tasya continued, “Rurik and I were going to wait until I was farther along before we told anyone.”
    “I wasn’t supposed to tell, either,” Karen admitted.
    “Both of you are with child?” Konstantine held out his arms to the wives of his sons.
    They hugged him, then hugged each other, and their cheer brought Firebird and Ann from the
    kitchen to make known their secrets and rejoice with the others.
    Konstantine assured them, “Don’t worry. I will never tell, not even under torture.” He was safe in
    saying that; he was almost positive Zorana would never tie him up and torture him.
    “You have a very funny expression on your face, Papa,” Firebird said.
    “I am having happy thoughts,” he answered.
    “We want to name our baby Antai, after my father,” Tasya confessed.
    “Or perhaps Jennica, after your mother,” he suggested.
    The four girls viewed him doubtfully.
    “It is true, in a thousand years, we have had only sons born from my family’s loins. So a daughter
    would be a miracle.” Konstantine stroked his long, bunny whiskers. “But in this family, we are familiar with miracles.”
    The women agreed.
    Miracles had a way of happening to the Wilders. His voice was low and deep with sincerity when he
    said, “Our mere survival is a miracle for which I every day thank the Good God.”
    Ann started to sniff.
    Firebird wiped her sudden tears on her tail.
    Karen and Tasya both held out as long as they could before they both broke down and cried.
    Konstantine sighed. He remembered every one of Zorana’s pregnancies, and the months when
    Firebird grew large with Aleksandr, and those times had been rife with weeping. Now with four
    women shedding tears, he would be wiping wet eyes and making comforting noises all the time.
    But he could buy stock in Kleenex, and he figured that was a small price to pay for four more intelligent, beautiful and mischievous grandchildren.
    Thankfully, he didn’t have to pay that price by himself.
    His sons would take most of the load.
    His sons, who were descending the stairs.
    Jasha wore a lamb costume.
    Rurik was dressed like a mouse.
    Adrik was a puppy.
    And Douglas, like his father, was a bunny — but a pink bunny. They came to their father and lined
    up, looking at each other and nodded approvingly.
    Their wives gazed at them, at the five giant, strong, dangerous men dressed as the meekest animals
    they could find.
    Although Konstantine couldn’t comprehend why, the women fell on each others’ shoulders, now
    almost crying with laughter.