by Honor James
“I’ll try, sweetheart,” he murmured softly to her. Pressing his face into her neck, Allister breathed her in as he cradled her in close to him. Stroking her back gently with one hand, he rested the other on her belly, spreading his fingers wide. “Sleep, my love,” he breathed against her skin.
Chapter Sixteen
It had been a long month, but Aiden was home and safe. Relatively, anyway. Finding him had taken a lot of luck and even more skill. They mainly had Quincy and his gift with computers to thank. The rescue had been hard and fast when it had gone down but there had been no injuries on their side. But thanks to the doctor that Aiden’s captors had brought in, they’d been able to find the hideout and hit it. Aiden was in rough shape, had gone through surgery well and would recover from the torture his captors had inflicted. He had a hell of a lot of healing to do, but he’d found himself a mate in the process, the good doctor that had helped them find him. All because of how badly they had beaten him and their desires to keep him alive just a bit longer.
After leaving the two alone in the warehouse so Aiden could shift and heal, Allister had gone home to find his own mate sound asleep in a chair. Staring down at her, he grinned. It was cute, the little snore she had every fourth or so breath, tiny, barely there, but his ears easily picked it up. Sitting down on the coffee table, he just watched her sleeping, her hands on her belly as she unconsciously rubbed at their children, who were moving from what he could see.
Without opening her eyes, an exhausted Jackie murmured, “You found him.” There was happiness and joy in those words. “Thank you for bringing him home,” she murmured. “When can I see him?” She had known that Aiden had been found, but nothing more than that. “So I can give him a hug.”
“It’ll be a couple weeks before you can hug him,” he told her honestly. “He’s in Dragon form right now and healing. Plus you’ll have to get past his bond-mate to do it.” He grinned slightly. The fact that Aiden had a bond-mate tickled him on a sadistic level he really didn’t think he had.
Her eyes opened at that. “He found a bond-mate? Wait, why is he in Dragon form?” Her heart began to beat faster, and she struggled to sit up and failed. “He’s hurt? How bad? Bond-mate? How the hell did he find one of those if he’s hurt? Get me up and out of bed, honey. I want to go and see him,” she muttered.
“You’re in a chair, love. Flip the footrest down and you can get up yourself. We are not driving all the way to the base so you can see him, not tonight. Tomorrow we can go and you can peek in,” he said, shaking his head at her. “He was abducted, beaten. A doctor was abducted and told to keep him alive. We found them, broke them out, and he claimed the doctor as his bond-mate. She’s with him for the explanations of what he is, what we are, while he finishes healing what the surgeons couldn’t do in surgery. He’ll be in Dragon form for at least a week, likely closer to two, and she’s sticking it out with him, so hopefully he heals fast and ties her to him. She’s actually a great person.” And she was Talon’s daughter to boot. That was going to be a shocker for everyone when they found out the Dragon King actually did have a child.
Putting the footrest down, she grumbled, “So I forget where I fall asleep.” Putting her hands on the arms of the chair, she pushed herself up and out of the chair, nearly falling forward as she did so. “But I’m sleeping so freaking much that it’s not a wonder that I forget.” She looked to him and put her hand to her back. “I’m glad that she’s a good person. I would hate to have to beat the snot out of my new sister-in-law because she was a bitch,” she grumbled. “And why can’t I see him? I’ve seen him in Dragon form often. You, too,” she said and reached up to touch her mate’s cheek and then leaned in to press her forehead to his. “Thank you for bringing him home. I’m sure that you are happier now as well, right?”
“Much,” he told her honestly. “But he’s not going to be in a good mood when he wakes up in Dragon form and can’t move around. He was beaten fairly badly,” Allister said, pulling her to sit on his knee so he could rub her back for her. “I’m worried that he may actually end up with scars at the end of it even with how well we heal.”
Jackie paused at that. “I didn’t think Dragons could scar,” she whispered softly. “Oh, honey.” Wrapping her arms around Allister, it hit her just how bad his brother must have been. “And you are sure that he’s going to be all right? That in his Dragon form he will heal and he won’t hurt the woman that he’s claimed as his?”
“We don’t normally, but he’s been tortured for a month straight and they were rubbing some sort of salt and lye compound into the wounds. It’s not good,” he murmured. “His mate was helping, though, as best she could given her own precarious situation and actually tried to protect him when we went in. She was all wrapped around him, protecting his head and face from the flashbang charges, charges that would explode loud and with bright lights, leaving herself exposed.” And everyone that worked with the devices knew the effects. They all got trained to deal with it by having one set off in the same room they were in, a very effective teaching tool. “There’s more, but I don’t want to say anything since it’s not my secret to share,” he told her honestly. “I only found out because of the bond Aiden and I share. It leaked through, or he gave it to me. I don’t know. I will tell you as soon as I can,” he promised, but he had a feeling as soon as his Jackie got a good look at Talina she’d know just what it was.
“I trust you, Allister. If you believe that this is something that can wait, I will believe in you and the truth that you know. All I care about is that he is home and he is healing. That is all that matters, right?”
“Damn straight it is,” he muttered, hugging her to him. “Come on, darling, I’m hungry, and since I know the fire breathers so well, I’m sure you will be or are as well.” Standing with her in his arms, Allister carried her to the kitchen and settled her on the counter where they were closer to being eye to eye. “Did you want something, my love?”
“Yes please. You know me. I always seem to be hungry.” She rubbed her belly with a grin. “Don’t eat much because there isn’t a whole lot of room in my belly for food, but I’m always hungry.” Which was likely because she couldn’t eat much.
Grinning at her, he dug out a few things to make a sandwich. Slapping it all together, he gave her a portion and some chips. “Milk?” he asked, not sure what she’d want with the snack. Putting everything away, he pulled out a water and shot her a look.
“Yes, please.” When she wasn’t eating spicy foods, she was drinking milk or eating candy. Yep, her pregnancy was one great big walk in the weirdo park. Yawning, she took the sandwich that he gave her and took a bite. “I love it when you feed me. Makes me grin.” Because he made these massive sandwiches that he knew she wouldn’t eat, and always ended up “grumbling” and saying he “guessed” he could eat her portion, too. It was rather comical really.
Grabbing a glass from the freezer, one of the many there, he poured her milk and set it beside her hip on the counter. Sitting on a stool to her side, he picked up his half of the sandwich and began to eat. Chewing happily, he eyed her as she nibbled daintily on her half. It was so cute how she would eat some things tentatively and with others you were lucky if you didn’t lose a limb.
She grinned at him and shook her head. “You know me so well, don’t you?” He had been the one to insist upon buying a whole new set of glasses for their home, just for her to put into the freezer. “But I’m glad that you do. I’m getting to know you, too, and that’s happiness and joy all of its own.” She nibbled a bit more on her sandwich and then pushed it his way. “I’m all done, darling.”
“Are you kidding me?” he asked, shaking his head. “You sure you’re all right, love? You barely even touched this one. I know you’re not eating a lot these days, but you only took a few bites, love.” He pulled the dish closer to him. Looking up at her, he rubbed his hand up and down her leg. “Talk to me, love.”
“I’m fine, just not that hungry.” She shrugg
ed. “Thirsty as all get-out but really not that hungry.” She wiggled. “And I have to pee. Be right back.” She patted his cheek and grinned. “Don’t worry, the babies and I are perfectly fine, darling. I had my last exam and the little Dragons are doing just fine, and I am as well. Just eating often, if not a lot.”
Nodding, he shifted and helped her off the counter. “Go slow,” he warned her. Every now and again she forgot she didn’t have the same center of balance any longer and would move too fast. Usually he or Aiden were around to catch her, occasionally another of the Teams, too, but one day no one would be there, and that scared Allister to the very bottom of his soul.
“Right, slow. When I’m about to pee myself, you tell me slow,” she grumbled but did as he had asked her. She walked slowly toward the bathroom, making it just in time. Washing her hands, she headed back toward the kitchen, where Allister was eating, and held onto the wall as she walked to help her keep her balance. “All right, now I’m hungry again.” She just couldn’t seem to be happy right now. Food and drink. No, she knew she was missing Aiden as well. Aiden was the brother of her heart and she knew she wouldn’t be able to settle until she saw him.
Sliding her sandwich back toward her, he finished his off. “I kind of figured you would be again once you cleaned out some space.” Allister grinned at her. “Eat some more and then we will go to bed. Tomorrow I’ll take you so you can see Aiden. You won’t be able to get close likely, but you can at least see him, love.”
“Thank you, honey. I know how silly it is, but he’s like my brother as well. It would be like me telling you that you couldn’t see him,” she murmured. “I’m sure that’s why I’m just so disjointed at the moment,” she said with a sigh. “Tomorrow we will go and see him,” she agreed softly.
“Just don’t expect much. He tends to be pissy when he’s hurt and stuck in his Dragon form.” Of course that could be said about any of the changers. They loved the added benefits of their animals, but sometimes the injuries sucked, especially if your other form didn’t have thumbs. Thumbs were incredibly important, and when you didn’t have them, you truly figured that out.
“I just need to see him.” She knew Aiden’s Dragon and he knew her. She just needed to know he was all right. “I need to give him just a smidge of hell because he has missed me trying to learn how to cook those goddamn peppers that he got me hooked on.” She knew that it wasn’t Aiden’s choice, but she teased the big lug, and he her. It just was the way they worked.
“If you burst into tears at any point, I may leave you there,” Allister told her softly. “I mean it, darling. Anything else I can deal with, but your tears, those are a serious deal breaker.” Anger, fear, attitude he was good with. Tears totally wrecked his day.
“I will try,” Jackie admitted with a grin. “But I refuse to make that a promise because we both know that I’m emotional as crazy right now, and any little thing could and does make me cry, so I make you no guarantees, at all.”
“I can accept that condition,” Allister said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “Finish your sandwich,” he told her as he got up. Taking his dishes to the sink, he gave them a rinse and set them aside to add to the dishwasher after he emptied it in the morning. He was too tired to be bothered with it right then.
Jackie took her time and eventually just began to pull the meat off of the sandwich to eat it. When all of the meat was gone, she pushed the plate toward Allister and stood. “All right, I have to pee again. I will wander up to the bedroom while you finish down here and do your checks of the doors and stuff,” she said with a smile. “And then I will meet you in bed so that we can snuggle before sleep comes for us.”
“Yes, darling, we can cuddle up.” He grinned at her, shaking his head. “Go and do your business. I will meet you on the stairs.” Because they both knew she’d never make it all the way up without a little nudge. The boys were getting bigger and she still had a ways to go in her pregnancy. That and her balance wasn’t terrific, so she had to go slow, and, really, going slow up a set of stairs with a pair of babies kicking her innards all around didn’t bode well.
“Sounds good.” She would just use the downstairs bathroom and then head to the stairs because he was right. She and stairs didn’t get along so well right now. She was a very petite woman, and with the babies as big as they were it was as if she were constantly having to lean back to keep from toppling over.
Chuckling, he cleaned up the kitchen as he listened to her moving around the main floor. Checking the windows and doors, he set the alarm and headed up the stairs, putting a hand on her lower back to support her. “I got you, babe. Keep trundling along, darling.” He grinned up at her.
“Trundling along. Lord, if I get any bigger you are going to have to hire a van to move me from point A to point B.” She chuckled and petted her burgeoning belly. “But as long as the lads are safe and growing like they should I will survive.”
“You are not as big as you seem to believe, darling,” he said softly. “You are right on schedule for carrying twins, even Dragon babies. Besides, you’re nearing the end. A few more pounds for the boys and then it will be delivery time.”
“Oh lord love a duck, I’m going to be so big that I’m not even going to be able to walk around without you helping me,” Jackie shot back. “Goodness gravy, I’m huge and we both know it.” She rubbed her belly though and smiled. “They are all right, aren’t they? They will be okay, right?”
“They are fine, babe,” he said as they reached the top. “Besides, women have been popping out Dragon babies for centuries. In my line, dragon births are twins each time except for twice, I think.” He’d have to double check that to be absolutely sure. “And some of them a lot smaller than you, sugar. My mother is one of those. She’s bloody petite in comparison to you, my little Amazon.”
Jackie snorted at that and laughed. “Well at least I have boobs now.” Her almost B-cup size had grown to a generous D cup, and her Dragon loved it. “Your mom must be very, very petite.” She would likely be under five feet tall if she were smaller than Jackie, or something like that.
“She’s scary small, but she had me and my brother as well as being daring enough for a second go around when she had our baby sister. Though she did admit that having a girl was so much easier than two large boys who had the audacity to use her bladder, liver, and anything else nearby as a trampoline in the dead of the night. Personally”—Allister grinned—“I think it was Aiden. He always has been the troublemaker in the family.”
Jackie couldn’t help but laugh at that and shook her head. “Well, I happen to be rather adoring of him, so I can’t say yes or no. I rather adore that man because it was only because of him that you and I got together. If not for him…” She sighed. “I don’t want to think about that.”
“Don’t think about it,” he advised her as he walked behind her into their room. Shutting the door, he moved to turn on the bedside lamps. “Come on, darling, time to get to bed. We both need some sleep. It’s been a horrifyingly rough month and we still have a ways to go before things get back to normal.”
“Our brother is home now. That’s all that matters. Our family will heal. Somehow and someway we will heal now.” In Jackie’s mind, Aiden was as much her brother as he was Allister’s. “And I’m trying not to think about it. I really am.”
“That’s what you say,” he said with a grin at her. “But we both know you will fret and worry even after you get to see him. You are going to mutter and grumble, bitch and moan, all the usual stuff you do when it’s not a situation you can take over and handle.”
“Yes, I will,” she told him without hesitation. “I will worry about him until he’s back in human form and can tell me to back the hell off. That and I can’t wait to meet his bond-mate.” Jackie grinned. “What’s she like? You said that she actually took the full force of a flashbang to protect him?” She was still stunned at that fact. A human was willing to allow herself to be hurt to protect another. That was amazing.
“She’s quiet, gentle, soft-spoken, but firm, a doctor,” he told her as he stripped down and pulled the blankets back on the bed. Holding out a hand to her, he took hers with a smile when she moved closer. “I think she will have him marching to her tune before the week is out.”
“Oh, I’m sure of that. I’m glad he found her,” Jackie admitted and climbed up into bed. “But I still will demand my weekly gaming day,” she muttered. “No one else will game with me. Lord, you beat one or two of them in games and no one will play with you anymore,” she muttered.
“Well, you also do tend to crow a little,” he murmured, climbing in next to her. “But that’s fine,” he added when she shot him a sharp, dangerous look. “Because you are allowed to crow, darling. You do it so well, too.” Allister smiled in what he prayed was a soothing manner.
Jackie snorted and shook her head. “Goodness gracious, it’s a good thing that you love me or you wouldn’t have been able to say that with a straight face,” she teased him with another snicker. “I know that I crow about it, but come on, sometimes it’s just too good to pass up.”
“That is true, darling,” he said with a nod. “I do love you,” Allister teased and chuckled at the look he got. “I do get your point, sweetheart. Sometimes it’s too good an opportunity to pass up. Especially when it’s a grown man doing idiotic things like blaming the glare off the TV.”
“I know. Lord, and I even changed places with him several times because of said ‘glare.’” She snorted and paused, taking in deep breaths as she did so. “Lord, it’s getting hard to breathe with these boys. Good thing that no one is challenging me right now to games or they would win easily.”
“The boys would let you kick their asses, love, you know that.” He smiled, shifting her body until she was in a better position. “Can you breathe better now?” he asked, quietly slipping another pillow under her head.