by Honor James
“I will, darling.” He smiled at her tone. “Just remember, protect yourself and the rug rats before anyone else. They’ll all heal if you shoot them. They won’t if I get my hands on them.” Especially if they caused any harm to his mate. “I’ll call you when we have more information, love. Stay safe and call me if anything comes up on your end,” Allister said softly.
“Don’t you worry. The boys and I are going to be just fine,” she told him simply as she patted her rather large belly. “You just find their uncle and life will be good. I need to have him back because he promised he would change the first diapers of our boys.” She had conned Aiden into that one. The poor man would fall over dead when he took the first whiff. Of that she was sure.
“Babe,” he snorted. “I hate to tell you, but you were conned on that one. The first diapers, while they might be a little ripe, won’t be as rank as the ones when you start having to give them solids. That’s when it becomes diaper hell,” Allister said, looking up as Quincy opened his door and waved him back inside the office. “Look it up. He did,” he told her, moving into the room. “Quincy has something, darling. I will call you back as soon as I can. I love you, Jackie. Stay safe for me.”
“That dirty rat fink,” Jackie grumbled. “I love you, too, and I will stay safe. Just keep your ass safe, too, or we will have words,” she muttered. “And tell Quincy I said hi and I am grateful for the freaking caseload of Skittles he sent me.” Q seemed to have turned her pregnancy into one where she was constantly seeking sweets, and he had obliged.
“I will, my love, on all counts.” He smiled and hung up. “She says ‘hi’ and thank you for the large case of Skittles you had dropped off. I’m not quite so pleased about you getting her hooked on those damned things.”
“They are good.” Quincy grinned, popping a couple into his mouth with a chuckle.
Rolling his eyes, Allister pointed to the screen. “Show me what you have so I can figure out what the hell is up with Aiden and I can hopefully get home to my mate sometime this year.”
“Right.” Quincy dropped his bag of sweets on the desk and began to go through the footage a little at a time. Some had Aiden in it and something they hadn’t noticed the first time around since they weren’t looking for it. There were two large guys watching him and several others hanging in the shadows taking signals from the two obvious watchers. “They walk him right out of the bar, likely the old ‘you look like you need some air, bro’ routine,” he said to Allister. “Or something similar and led him right into a camera blind spot outside the backdoor. I checked both ends of the alley from this point on with the street cameras and this is what I got. It’s not great. It’s an older camera not yet on the list of ones to switch over, so it’s stationary and of crappy quality but gives me a direction.”
Quincy rolled the footage ahead. “They turn at this set of lights and then…” He looked up at Allister and saw the realization. “They head into the only part of the city without a single camera in it. I’ve got my program running to see if I can pick up anything from some of the cameras on the outlying areas or if they come out and go elsewhere. But as it stands right now, I don’t know where Aiden is,” he finished, slumping back in his chair.
“Fuck me,” Allister breathed out. “Jackie is not going to be happy about this.”
“Not my problem. Mine is everything else for the moment,” Quincy said, looking up at the big Dragon.
“No, it’s mine,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. Four hours later, he went home, calling first so his mate didn’t kill him on sight, and knew he’d have to tell her the bad news.
“Jackie, it’s me darling,” he called out, toeing off his boots. Shrugging out of his jacket, he hung it up and padded through the lower floor. “Babe, you still awake?” he asked loudly, having a clue she was actually dead to the world asleep.
“Awake,” Jackie called after shaking herself out of the sleep she was in sitting in the recliner. Yawning, she looked up at Allister. “Hey, honey. Did you find him?” she asked and put the foot of the recliner down, pulled the hidden pistols from the sides and placed them back into the case but left the shotgun out. “Please tell me you found him?”
Eyeing the weapon she had within reach, Allister shook his head. “Quincy lost them in a section of town where the drug runners and less-than-honest folk take out cameras the city puts in. He’s still searching everything he does have for more clues, but for the moment…” He couldn’t say it, so he just shut his mouth and stared at her, feeling an agony tearing through him at the thought he might never see his brother again.
“Oh Gods,” Jackie breathed and went to Allister. Wrapping him up in her arms as best she could with her protruding belly, she tried to give him as much comfort as she could. “We will find him,” she whispered. “Somehow and someway, we will find him. We have really great people who are amazing at their jobs. We will find him.” She was assuring him, as well as herself.
“I know we will,” he said, quietly holding her to him. Stroking her hair, Allister buried his face in her neck and breathed her in. “I can feel the link between us. He’s alive and well, but that’s it. Gods, of all the times I wanted GPS included with the bond we have, this is the one most necessary.”
Jackie frowned. “Why aren’t you guys chipped with trackers?” When she went on her mission, they had chipped her. Granted, that hadn’t done her one hell of a lot of good with the fucking shield that the people had over the place she was held, but still. “I think that’s something you should talk to Talon about implementing. Subdermal trackers for all of his men and women.”
“If we shift to our Dragon form it’s crushed. We’d have to be tagged every single time we go out,” he told her honestly. “Plus, because there is a degree of magic in our changes they don’t exactly work well. There isn’t one yet developed that can fully survive the magic in our bodies without us appearing to be somewhere in a four hundred mile radius, give or take, on GPS.”
“Ah, that actually makes sense,” she said and sighed. “Goodness, that would have been really good to have,” she told him softly. “So we will just have to figure out how else to find him. We will find him.” She had to think that way. She refused to believe anything other than they would find him.
“I know we will,” he murmured, lifting his head slowly. “Q’s working on it, and you know him. He won’t stop until he has something to give us. We will find him. Unfortunately we’re now working on the kidnappers’ time schedule.”
“Yeah, he’s tenacious like that,” Jackie murmured with a sigh. “All right, let’s head up, and while I get into bed you can get your shower so that we can try to get a couple hours of sleep before we are up and trying to find him again. Come on, love. You need sleep.”
“I know.” Even though Allister was sure he wouldn’t get much. “I can feel him,” he said again as they headed up the stairs after he put the shotgun away. No way was he leaving that out for the woman he loved to get her hands on quickly. Gods only knew who she’d shoot. “But every time I try to connect with him it’s like hitting a brick wall. We know he’s been drugged.” Which irritated him. How the hell had they known what to use to drug a Dragon with? “I’ll have to keep trying as often as I can. Maybe he can give me some clues if I can connect with him.”
Jackie frowned. “But Dragons’ metabolisms work so much differently than a human’s.” She stopped on the way to their bedroom. “So that must mean that whoever took him is one of Gaia’s children as well. That narrows the pool of beings that could have taken him down considerably, right?”
“Not necessarily, love.” He nudged her forward again. “Most of the military that we work with, if they have the right clearance level, know exactly what can and can’t be done with all of us. Just in case we need medical attention while in the field and one of our doctors isn’t around.”
“Oh, well hell,” she muttered. “That isn’t good.” And it really wasn’t. Shit, what the hell? “All right, wel
l, we will think on it more tomorrow. Tonight just sleep. I know you will want to stay awake to try to get into your brother’s mind, but right now you need to rest while you can, darling. We should both rest while we can, all right?”
“I know, love, and I will try, but I can’t promise anything,” he murmured. “It’s my brother, my twin. I just can’t shut off my worry. If it was you I’d likely be even worse.” Gods, Allister didn’t want to even think about it.
“I know, darling. I know that you will always worry about him, honey, but for just a couple of hours I need you to try to rest, try to relax, all right? I just need you to relax for a couple of hours for sleep, my love. You know as well as I do that you need it.” Without it he would soon wear down and then he wouldn’t be useful to anyone.
Nodding, he pressed a kiss to her lips, “You want to come have a shower with me?” he asked softly. Her balance wasn’t exactly the best anymore, so they’d agreed she’d take extra care when bathing, preferably with him in the room at the very least, though Allister had put in some safety features since he knew she preferred being independent and loved her for it.
“I would very much like to shower with you, honey, but we both know that if I do we will end up having sex and that will make me all sleepy and you wide awake.” Narrowing her eyes on him, she frowned. “Or is that what you want?”
“I actually meant only a shower, love. I know we both need our sleep. Nice hot water for a few minutes and then we crawl into bed,” he said softly. Heading for the bathroom, he pushed the door open further. “I swear I will behave if you wanted one, too.”
“All right.” She wanted to shower with him. She actually loved being able to shower with him. It made her so very happy to be able to spend time in their lovely shower together. “Just remind me of that when I start to touch you, baby, that we are supposed to shower.”
“I will,” he said, turning on the lights and adjusting them to a lower setting. Stripping down, he turned on the water and turned to help her so she didn’t take a tumble. “How are the little fire breathers doing today? They behaving for you like they are supposed to?”
“Other than having me craving the sweet treats and freaking habanero peppers together, we are good.” She wouldn’t have damn taste buds by the time her babies came into the world, not with the way that she craved the hottest of the hot of things. “Do you think that when you find Aiden we can make him batter and deep fry me some more of those pepper things?”
“Uh, sure,” he said, shaking his head. “I didn’t know you were craving hot and spicy things, love,” he murmured. “I know they don’t affect us as they do humans, but I would have thought it too early for the little ones to crave such external heat.”
“Oh lord, are you kidding? I’m craving spicy things like crazy. I swear your sons are constantly wanting either spicy or sweet. They are weird, or I’m weird. However you want to put it,” Jackie told him and then turned. “Will you wash my back, please?”
Taking the soap and cloth she passed to him, Allister lathered up the cloth before moving it over her back. “You are not weird, my love. You are amazing, strong, and perfect. Our children may be weird, but it’s too early to tell. Besides, all Dragons eat hot and spicy things. We don’t feel heat the way you humans do with items like peppers. Hell, for me, an habanero is like candy. I can pop it in and chew on it without even noticing the heat. Ice cream though makes my entire soul shudder.”
“So I have you to thank for the indigestion caused because I am craving spicy things?” Jackie normally did not care for spice at all, but now it was something she craved like water.
“More than likely,” he told her honestly, crouching to wash her legs and feet. Straightening up, he handed her the cloth and soap. “Wash your front, darling, and then I can wash and we can go to bed,” he murmured. Watching her closely, Allister smiled as she rubbed the cloth over her belly. “I will talk to the lads later and see if I can get them to lay off the heartburn foods.”
Jackie grinned at him and shrugged. “Honestly I really don’t mind too much. If it’s what they need I will give it to them.” She caressed her belly lovingly. “I never thought I would want to be a mom,” she admitted to him softly. “But now that I have our boys growing inside of me there is nothing more that I would rather be than a mom.” Sure, she had been the one to all but attack Allister and demand he knock her up, but she had honestly believed it would take a great deal longer than it had, if she was even able to conceive that was.
“You look gorgeous, baby.” He smiled at her. “I know this will sound sexist, but bear with me. You are one sexy female when you’re pregnant. You’re going to be a great mom, Jackie. I can’t wait to watch you with them.” He’d keep her pregnant if he could but knew that it would only get harder from that point on for her to get pregnant, something to do with keeping the Dragon population low so as not to attract attention.
Jackie winked at him. “You are only saying that because most of my clothes are way too small to wear and I have resorted to wearing your shirts, when I do get dressed.” Honestly most of the time though she was naked. “Clothes and a Dragon pregnancy don’t mix. Lordy, if not for AC and being able to be naked I think that I would have to kill you.” She was hot all the time. She ran a fever constantly because of the pregnancy but had been told it was perfectly normal in a Dragon pregnancy.
“Be glad we’re not back in the ages before AC or even ice, darling,” he said with a grin. “Just imagine a hot summer, forty layers of clothing for a proper lady, and not even a breeze to cool you off. Makes you appreciate all the nifty toys of our world.” He took the soap from her and began to wash, stepping under the spray for a quick rinse before turning the water off.
“I think that if I were in that time I would have committed bloody murder, often.” Jackie watched him washing himself and grinned when he turned off the water. “Have I mentioned to you, Allister, just how sexy I think you are?” She knew that he was worried for his twin, knew that it was eating at him, but she wanted, needed him to recall that he wasn’t in this alone, not now and not ever.
“Not this week,” he told her, stepping out onto the mat. Grabbing a towel, he held it up for her to wrap herself up in. Taking a second one, he dried his hair and worked his way down before hanging the damp towel on the rack to dry. “I think you mentioned how hot Aiden was, but I really don’t recall any such compliment for your mate.”
“Well, I think that you are smokin’ hot, Allister. I’m happy that you’re mine,” Jackie told him as she began to dry off, using the wall to help her keep her balance. “I will be happy when I’m able to see my feet again,” she muttered. “It’s been months since I could see them and that’s just not right.”
“Well they are still there and your toes are still as cute as always,” he said with a smile. “A little rounder than normal, but that’s about it.” He took the towel and dried her legs and back for her before handing it back to her.
“I think that I need a pedicure and manicure.” Not until Aiden was home, though. “I think that one day, after we bring Aiden home, we should go in and do that. We will make Aiden come along with us. How does that sound, love?” she asked and waddled toward their bed with him.
“When he’s home and after the babies are born,” he said and shook his head at her. “You know you need to be careful of the chemicals and of any wounds that could hurt you or the fire breathers. Plus I’m sure you’d like to be able to see your toes and enjoy the look of them all pretty again. So it’s likely best to wait until after they are born, one of those days of relaxation where I look after them and you have a girls’ day out.”
Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head. “I don’t think that I like that at all. I really and truly want you with me, darling. I love having you with me,” she admitted. “I think that I really would like to be able to do that with you. We will leave the little fire breathers with Aiden for the day and you and I will go and do our manis and pedis, darling.”
Wrinkling his nose at that, he shook his head. “I’m not into that sort of thing. I’ll sit with you while you get it done of course, but I really hate people touching my feet. And I don’t think I have the patience to deal with someone messing with my hands either.”
“All right, well you don’t have to let them touch your feet, but I want them to touch mine and I need you to be there with me,” she told him with a grin. “So that’s all that there is to that. I need you with me, so we will wait till our babies are here and we will go and get me pampered.”
“Sounds good,” he told her. “I’ll ask Trey where he goes for his mani and pedis,” he murmured. “Apparently he’s got an in with the best place in town. He and Kat go there every weekend or something. Mac was telling me about it. He and Sully tried it but found they didn’t like it nearly as much as the wolf.”
That had her laughing. “I can totally see that. He does seem to be comfortable enough in his skin to not give a rat’s rear end who knows that he goes and gets manis and pedis.” She smirked and added, “Then again it could be he loves them so much, too, because that’s just that much more time that he gets with Kat without the others around.”
“That is why he drags her along with him,” he said quietly. Pulling the blankets back, he took her hand and helped her to settle on the bed then let her go so she could scoot further onto the bed. Once she was in he climbed in beside her and hauled up the blankets.
She snuggled into the blankets and sighed. “I hope you are able to get some rest,” she whispered honestly to him. “I need you to stay healthy for me. I know that I can’t force you to sleep, but I would like it very much if you were to sleep a bit for me, Al.” She knew that he would worry about his brother, keep worrying and make himself ill until Aiden was returned to them.