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“It's about time you showed up.” She calmly told me.

Crap.

Hit me with a load of bricks, then drag me over broken glass to add insult to things.

“We've been watching you watching us, you know.” The woman told me with a small smile. “You are very resourceful and watching you has been entertaining.”

“How much did you see?” I had to ask. I just had to ask that one.

“Everything.” The woman shrugged. “From you transformation to now. The way you got out of the house and compound was very good, by the way. Both times.”

“Oh lord. If she ever talked with Au... Mom and Dad about that I was sooo busted. They still weren't all that sure about just how I managed that.

“Relax, Coyote.” She grinned and led me to nicely plush easy chair. “Sit down for a bit and you'll feel better. And no, we won't give your secrets away.”

I did, and it didn't help at all. “What did you just call me?”

“I simply addressed you by the name that is yours.” She shrugged. “Not what you are, but who you are.”

“Huh?” That really intelligent response really kind of embarrassed me.

“You are Mischief, the Trickster, the one who always hides what you do behind other things.” She told me. “Though you have a good heart and good intentions. You don't harm people on purpose, but their choices will drive you to do things. Things you may not like but will make sure that you will be compelled to follow up on and do.”

“But...”

“Enough of that.” She smiled at me and gently pulled me out of the chair. “It is time for you to meet the child.”

“I'm not the baby sitter.” I tried.

“No.” She smiled at me and kept pulling me deeper into the house. “You are the Mother.”

“What?”

“In time, you will understand, dear.” She answered as she led me into a nursery and led me to stand in front of a very conventional looking crib. “For now, you should meet the child.”

I didn't want to do that. Trust me.

But the girl in me just couldn't resist looking at the baby.

She was beautiful. So small, so helpless, such a pretty baby.

Hey! Wait a minute here! Since when was I so interested in babies?

But I was.

I just stood there and looked at her for awhile. I had no idea how long that was. But I thought she was just perfect. So fragile, so... pretty, so — needing someone.

“My husband and I are her caretakers.” The woman told me. “She is waiting for her mother to come. Touch her, pick her up. Get to know her.”

Okay, my brain short circuited there. I didn't worry at all about the 'mother' thing, or that I sooo wanted to hold that baby.

I just tentatively reached out and lightly stroked her little cheek.

And before I knew it, I was holding her, rocking her and cooing in ways that I never thought I'd do.

She was so beautiful, so helpless, so in need of someone to love her.

I was cradling her in my arms, rocking her, and singing nonsense songs to her before I even realized I'd done anything at all.

“The bond has been forged.” The woman said in the background of my almost total attention on the baby. “Now we must see that it is a worthy one.”

“What?

“There are many hunting this child, none of them with good intent.” She told me. “Will you be able to protect her? Defend her from that?”

“I don't know.” I answered but at the same time feeling a very fierce determination that no one was going to harm this child if I could do anything about it. “But I'll do my best.”

“That is proper.” She answered, then left the room.

Dammit! I hadn't been a girl for a month yet. But now I had a guy I thought I was in love with...

And a baby I was already attached to.

Why, why, do these things happen to me?

What did I do?

I cuddled the child and sang to her.

Oh my gawd, what next?

Now what do I do?

I was still holding the baby, cooing and singing to her, and completely gobsmacked. Again.

My breasts (which I'm still not used to having, by the way) ache, my middle is all swirly and stuff, and my nether regions are getting wet again.

How embarrassing is that when you're in a house with people you don't know?

Worse, I don't even have a clue about WHAT they are.

Worse than that? I now know what I feel about this baby. I knew I had to defend her, protect her, but now...

I would die to keep her safe.

Why, why, am I never close to a nice solid wall when I need something to beat my head against?

I am soo NOT ready to be a mother.

I'm only sixteen years old for crying out loud. And have only been female since Labor day!

A mother. Me?

No frigging way.

But...

“Have a seat dear.” The still unnamed woman invited as I numbly walked back to living room. With the baby still cradled in my arms, by the way.

She cooed back at me, smiled that gaping, toothless smile babies do, and just made me feel really good. Sheesh.

The woman's husband, or whatever he might be was there, too, seated on the couch next to her, and was watching me very carefully.

I settled into the easy chair that was open and gave me a view of them, tickled the baby and kissed her cheek, then looked up.

“What's going on here?”

“The bonding.” The man answered with something like satisfaction in his voice. “You and the child have started that now.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know.” The woman smiled at me then looked at the child in my arms. “You need no explanations for what you're feeling at the moment.”

Oddly, I did, though my mind wasn't quite ready to grasp that particular point of things just then.

“What are you two?” I asked point blank, then looked down and tickled the baby's cheek again.

“Guardians.” The man answered then actually smiled at me. “But I do think proper introductions are in order now. I am Sigleah and my mate is Amaranth.”

The names actually sounded nothing like that when spoken, but that was idea, the sense of the person who had them, came across.

“We are what your kind would call dragons.” The woman, Amaranth joined in.

Uh oh. Major mind fuck there.

“We owed some people a favor.” Sighleah continued. “Protecting this child was the way we are paying that back. But we cannot actively do anything against those who threaten her. It is not our way to interfere in normal affairs unless we are attacked.”

“Which we haven't been.” Amaranth continued. “Artemis told us to wait for you, that you would come, and relieve us of this responsibility.”

“Artemis?” I questioned.

“You know Her as Lady Moon.” Sighleah informed me. “She is the Huntress, the protector, and you are Her newest daughter.”

“She has some rather great expectations of you.” Amaranth told me. “And has charged you with caring for this child. We waited, watched you watching us, and as is proper it was ours to judge whether you were deserving or not.”

“What?” I looked at both of them as if they were insane. “But..”

“Never argue with a dragon.” He grinned wickedly. “For you are crunchy and really good with Ketchup.”

“Uhhh.”

Amaranth laughed and reached over to give my shoulder a comforting touch, though she was way to far away to actually do that. “Do not take my mate's humor as the truth, little one. He loves human fiction and tends to use things he reads in conversation. It is not our way to harm. We teach.”

“Teach?”

“Oh yes, child of a goddess.” Sighleah calmly informed me. “Part of our debt was to teach you what you should know at just this point in time.”

Okay, that was just about enough right there.

I admit it, I just kind of zoned out and went away for a bit after that one.

Come on now. After the day I'd had, do you blame me?

The Cheerleaders, or at least one of them really wanted me to tryout. Huh, uh, no way, no how, and all that stuff. Not going to happen.

On the other hand, I had kind of extorted money from people with my recently found feminine charms by telling a lot of them that I was going to try out for the squad. So, much as I hated to admit it, did feel kind of obligated there. Crap.

I'd already discovered that for some reason now, if I said I was going to do something, I usually ended up doing it. I hadn't quite figured out why that was yet, but was sure I'd figure it out in time. If I didn't die of embarrassment or actually get myself killed before that happened.

Then there was the small matter of a baby girl who had Dragons for babysitters. With said babysitters waiting for yours truly to wander up and say hi.

I knew, just knew, that I wasn't going to get out of anything my actions had set in motion today.

“You should be careful of the promises you make, child.” Amaranth gave me an amused look as I more or less swam back up to whatever it was that reality had become for me lately.

“Promises?” I looked at her and just had to tickle the baby's chin again. It distracted me a bit, but also made me feel lots better. Yet another thing I was trying to wrap my poor brain around at the moment.

“What you told that girl at school earlier today.” Sighleah chuckled. “Or the things you told all those people you were collecting money from on your way here.”

“A promise can be almost anything you say that agrees to do something, dear.” Amaranth continued. “Being who and what you are, those promises could bind you to honor your word.”

“Does that mean I really have to be cheerleader?” I questioned while trying to avoid the ideas about what they were really telling me.

“You're a very lovely girl, Cindy.” Sighleah grinned at me. “With physical skills that would be an asset in that endeavor.”

I winced, I admit it, I winced.

“But, you pledged only to try.” Amaranth added with her own smirk. “I'm sure you could find a way to fail that test.”

“No.” I said with kind of disgusted tone in my voice. “If you know me as well as you seem to already then you know I don't fail on purpose with something I've said I'll do.”

“Yet you only pledged to try.” She chuckled. “Not make the squad.”

“I don't things halfway.” I grumbled, already having visions of cute little me shaking cute little butt in those short skirts and tight tops letting people see other things shake.

“That's good.” Sighleah nodded. “You hold to what you have said you will do whether you find it a pleasant prospect or not.”

“Yes.” I nodded then had to ask. “Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the lesson about promises here?

“Oh shit.” I breathed as I realized what that was about.

I looked at them, then at the baby I was still holding, and rocking gently, back up at them then back at the baby. “Oh shit.”

“Yes.” Amaranth gently answered. “Not long ago you made a far more important promise than trying out to be a cheerleader.”

“Oh, holy shit!” I breathed out. And yeah I know good girls don't talk like that in front of complete strangers. Forgive the language there and at least I added a word in the middle.

I had just, literally, pledged my life to defend the baby in my arms.

How? How, Lady Luna, do I get myself into these things?

More importantly, how do get out of them?

Or do I even wish to do that?

And she was sooo darling. And vulnerable, and...

I was in so much trouble.

Worse? That didn't bother me at all.