Page 88 of License to Kill

Amelia chuckled. “It’s not a fertility problem. View it as evolutionary population control. If you want to have children, you’ll have to instigate having children. You basically have to bite him repeatedly, and you have to do so in such a way he begins producing fertile sperm. It’s a process that takes about eight hours.” She sniffed at Jake. “He is not currently fertile, so you obviously haven’t been using your teeth excessively.”

As I had no interest in embarrassing myself further, I did not tell her I hadn’t used my teeth on him at all. However, I regarded her with interest. “I have to bite him if we, at any point in the future, want kids?”

She pointed at a spot on Jake’s throat. “There, and you’ll want to use light nips. Bite him too hard, and you won’t get the result you want. We’re taught fairly early on as it’s much easier to prevent the males from becoming fertile when we know what we’re doing. Couples can figure it out on their own, but it’s pretty rough on the male, as he has to be encouraged to show off his stamina.”

“For eight hours?” I blurted.

“If a male wolf wants to become a father, he has to show his mate a really good time.” Amelia smirked, and she explored the room, trotting up the stairs for a look around before returning. “I see yours is pulling out all the stops. Nice place. How long do you have it for?”

“Tonight and tomorrow night,” Jake replied. “I think she’ll have been fed enough by then to go a meal without dropping off right away. Once she’s fed, it’s game over. She goes right to sleep and stays that way for at least five hours. I got her some books she should like while I was out, so my current plan is to just relax in the room, read books, and do whatever she wants until it’s time to check out. She wants to find out about her birth parents.”

“That’s on our list already,” Mellisa said, and she sat on the floor in front of the fire. “Are you up for making some plans, Karma?”

I took my seat, wrapped in the blanket, and stifled a yawn before nodding. “He’s okay with getting his hands dirty. I already asked. Are you?”

“I was born ready. I’ve already gotten the talk from Amelia, and my role is going to be a little tamer than yours, but I’m ready and able to be an accomplice however much is needed. My primary job is to provide therapy. You need it, he needs it, and to a certain degree, Amelia needs it, too.”

“Apparently, killing even bad guys for a living can be psychologically damaging, so I get to undergo some base therapy. Also, being a lone wolf is psychologically damaging.”

“I can bring you both into the pack,” Jake said. “I will ask my father first, but if he’s smart, he won’t complain about it.”

“He won’t,” Mellisa promised. “I will correct him should he attempt to complain. And should he complain, I will tell you how to extract yourself from the pack bonds. Amelia can help me, and it’s possible Karma might be able to as well. I do not anticipate that being an issue. Your father is very receptive, and he will view it as necessary for preserving your status in the pack. As I am a bitch, I have made a recommendation of a psychologist to work with your mother. Your father has already agreed. By the time we return to Baltimore, I think you will find the pack to be far more pleasant and stable for you. I have taken a few steps you may not appreciate, however.”

Jake scowled and sat in his chair while Amelia claimed the floor near my feet.

The woman sniffed me. “That scent is pretty damned nice. I’m going to have to go get some for me, too.”

“Better go before I buy out the rest,” I teased.

She bounced to her feet, grabbed the keys from the stand near the door, and grabbed her wallet. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“Bring hot chocolate, please. Karma is a bottomless pit when it comes to hot chocolate,” Jake said.

“You got it.” Amelia closed the door behind her.

“That was weird,” I said, staring at the door. “Why didn’t she just buy some while we were there?”

Mellisa shrugged. “She’s adapting to having people around. I’ve been working with her for a few weeks already, as she did not readily adapt to pack life. She’s afraid of being part of a pack while having a Fenerec’s base desire to be part of a pack. That she gets along so well with you is part of the reason she’s here, and since you’ve obviously been working to cement your mating bond, she’ll be able to cope. She probably just wanted a few minutes to be alone. She’s having a hard enough time getting used to me being around all of the time. It does change part of our plan, as it means we’re going to need three RVs for this.”

“One for us, one for you, one for her?” I guessed.

“And campgrounds with space for three RVs.” Mellisa heaved a sigh. “I tried her in a house for a week. It was too much space for her to cope with. She’s been living in confined spaces for so long she is really uncomfortable in more open rooms. She’s fine outdoors, but larger rooms really bother her.”

“Huh. I’m not the only one with problems?”

“Frankly, I’m the only one here without problems,” my psychologist replied.

I glanced at Jake.

“She’s not wrong, Karma. She’s probably the only emotionally sound individual here, including Amelia. That’s why she’s here, so she can change that number from one to four. We’re just going to end up going about it in an unconventional fashion. Don’t worry about it.”

Okay. I could try not to worry about it. “We’re a mess, Dr. Sampson.”

“I know. If I need to adjust your husband’s attitude, I can help you with that, too.”

“I don’t mind the current adjustments, although I’m not sure I should be this lazy.”

“Be lazy. There’ll be plenty of time for physical therapy later. Right now, you need to add a few pounds. Once you’ve gained weight, then you’ll have to worry about that. For now, I’m going to work with Amelia to determine what our first course of action is, we’re going to go truck and RV shopping so we can work around Amelia’s current comfort zones, and we’ll take it a day at time.”