by Lynn Hagen
He held his hands up when Reese’s expression looked somber. “But if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”
“He just doesn’t like to be alone, but Aiden’s story is his to tell.” Reese stepped into the hallway. “Be ready in thirty if you’re going to the tavern.”
Now Jude was curious to know what Aiden’s story was. The guy was tall, thick with muscles, and handsome, although that had nothing to do with his backstory. It was just an observation.
Jude had stepped out of the bathroom, heading toward the bedroom to dress, when he slapped a hand over his mouth and raced back to the toilet.
So much for hanging out with Roy.
Chapter Six
“Are you sure this is the right recipe?” Reese asked Dr. Sheehan over the phone. He lowered his voice for the next part so no one in the tavern heard him. “Do I really need to add a teaspoon of my blood to this?”
“It helped Gabby when he was pregnant. Took the nausea away instantly. No two pregnancies are alike, but it’s worth a try.”
Reese was willing to try anything for his mate. For the past two days, Jude had stayed in the bathroom more than any other room in the house.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll give this a try.”
“Let me know if it works,” Dr. Sheehan said before he hung up.
Reese finished cleaning the kitchen before he clocked out and headed for his car, the recipe the doctor had rattled off to him tucked in his front pocket.
The only thing that kept going through Reese’s head over the past three days was that he would be a father. His child was growing inside Jude’s belly. There was a ton of things they needed to buy to fix up the spare room into a nursery, but Reese was terrified that he was gonna screw this up in some way.
A few customers from the tavern came outside, heading toward their vehicles. A light, cool breeze slid past Reese. He ignored the customers as he hit the fob on his keychain. The car chirped, and the headlights flashed.
He’d reached for the handle when someone behind him said in a low, menacing voice, “Give me your wallet.”
Reese stilled, letting his hand drop away. Without turning around, he looked over his shoulder. The stranger was bathed in shadows. How many times had Reese told Mike, the owner, that he needed to repair the nonworking security lights? The streetlamp was bright but not enough to chase away the darkness in some parts of the parking lot.
“You’re messing with the wrong guy,” Reese said through clenched teeth. “Just walk away while you still have a chance.”
“Shut up and hand it over.” The guy had his hands in the pocket of his light jacket. Reese could tell there was something else in his pocket but couldn’t be certain it was a gun.
Reese spun around and, with one solid punch, knocked the guy on his ass. The man howled in pain as he cradled his jaw.
“If you’re hungry, all you had to do was ask for some money to eat,” Reese snapped. Although the guy had just tried to rob him, he smelled like human, which made Reese feel bad for slugging him. The stranger was kind of small. He had on dirty jeans, and his blond hair looked as though it could use a good wash.
“It’s not for food.” The man stayed on the ground, staring up at Reese with big blue eyes.
“Drugs?” Reese snarled.
The guy swallowed roughly as he shook his head, his eyes wide. “No, I don’t do drugs. I can’t find work and—”
“And you thought robbing someone was the next best thing?” Reese reined in his anger that wanted to explode all over this human. He reached down and grabbed the guy’s hand, pulling him to his feet. Reese hoped he hadn’t broken the man’s jaw.
He knew what hard times felt like, although Reese had never tried to rob anyone.
“Okay, so maybe I’m starving,” he said “And no, trying to rob someone wasn’t my first choice. It was a last resort.”
With a sigh, Reese said, “Come on.”
“You gonna have me arrested?”
Reese stopped walking and looked down at the guy. “First, what’s your name?”
“Rudy.”
“No, Rudy, I’m not having you arrested. I’m the cook for the tavern, and I was gonna get you something to eat.”
Rudy looked suspiciously at Reese. “Why would you do that for someone who just tried to rob you?”
“You got a gun on you?” Reese looked at the jacket pocket.
Rudy pulled out a can of pepper spray and held it in the palm of his hand. “No gun.”
“Let’s go get you something to eat.” Reese led Rudy to the back door and unlocked it. The kitchen lights were still on, but everything had been put away.
Reese didn’t like that it would take him longer to get home, but he couldn’t leave Rudy hungry. He pulled out a bag of frozen vegetables and handed them over. “Put that on your jaw.”
While Rudy sat there with the cold bag resting against his face, Reese whipped up two burgers and a boatload of fries. He stored the food in a to-go container then snagged two cans of soda from the fridge.
He put the container and cans into a plastic bag. “Come back tomorrow night and you can earn your keep by helping me in the kitchen.”
Rudy looked at the bag as if Reese was playing some kind of game. His gaze slowly rose to look Reese in the face. “Why are you doing this for me?”
Because I’m a sucker for hard luck cases. “Because everyone deserves a chance.”
Rudy licked his lips as he eased the bag off the counter. “What time?”
“Seven.”
With a nod, Rudy raced out the back door. Reese hurried to the door and shouted to the human’s retreating form. “Don’t try to rob anyone before then!”
Rudy threw a hand up over his head and waved before he disappeared around the corner.
With a deep sigh, Reese cleaned the kitchen, again, and made it to his car without another incident. He hoped he hadn’t just helped a thug, but there had been too much innocence and desperation in Rudy’s ble eyes. The kid had just been down on his luck, and maybe Reese could help him turn that bad luck around.
But until then, he needed to get back to Jude.
* * * *
Jude made a gagging sound as he looked at the glass in Reese’s hand. Whatever was in there smelled like shit. “I’m not drinking that.”
Reese popped a straw into it. “There. Better?”
He gave his mate a daft look. “A straw doesn’t make it smell better.”
With the way Jude had felt over the past few days, any smell made him dry heave. He was fed up with either throwing up or feeling as though he had to.
Unless Reese was poisoning him, Jude could no longer deny the truth. He truly was pregnant. Of course he’d tried to tell himself that the doctor was off his flipping rocker, that he’d misdiagnosed Jude’s stomach pains.
That could still be true, but Jude highly doubted it because vampires didn’t get sick. Not like this and not that Jade had ever heard of. Why else would he have been in pain? Jude hadn’t the slightest clue, so he had to assume the doctor was right.
Reese set the glass on the coffee table, scooped Jude from the couch, then sat and placed Jude on his lap. He rested his head against Reese’s chest, snuggling against him.
“Nope.” Reese chuckled. “You’re not gonna cuddle with me and think I’m gonna forget about the drink.”
Jude stuck his bottom lip out. “But I don’t wanna. It smells nasty.”
Reese nuzzled Jude’s neck, making Jude moan. “Do you want to stop getting sick?”
More than anything. With a frustrated sigh, Jude reached for the glass.
“Just drink it straight down,” Reese said. He rested his hand on Jude’s hip and used his thumb to trace circles.
“Okay, I can do this.” Jude took a deep breath. He removed the straw and guzzled the drink, gagging but managing to keep it down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “That was the nastiest crap I’ve ever tasted.” He stuck his tongue out and shivered.
To Jude’s relief, the nausea began to subside. “I know you’re still working through issues of me being a vampire, but thank you for looking out for me.”
“You let me worry about my issues. Right now I’m more concerned with you getting better.” Reese ran his hand down Jude’s side. “Are you feeling any better?”
“Much.” Jude snuggled closer while inhaling Reese’s scent. There was no place he’d rather be right now than curled up on his mate’s lap. Reese made him feel safe, something Jude hadn’t felt since before his uncle had kidnapped him.
He just wished Ingmar hadn’t sent someone after him. All Jude wanted was the craziness to stop so he and Reese could figure out this whole parenting thing.
Jude had a feeling it wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought it might be. He’d never been in a situation where he’d seen a newborn, let alone taken care of one.
“Do you think you’re well enough to walk to the bedroom, or would you rather I carry you?”
“I think I can manage.” But Jude loathed uncurling himself from Reese’s lap. He was comfortable and didn’t want to move. His mate’s body had the right amount of muscles to give Jude the softness he needed to stay snuggled up against the guy.
“All right. Let’s try this.” Reese helped Jude to his feet and then got up. “If you feel dizzy or sick, just let me know. I’m gonna stay right behind you.”
Jude had taken three steps before the world spun and he fell toward the floor. He heard Reese curse as he caught Jude before he hit the floor. Jude started shaking, and his stomach tied into painful knots. “Reese!”
“I’m right here.” Reese lifted Jude into his arms and carried him to the bedroom. He laid Jude on the bed before he pulled out his phone and started talking bullet-fast.
Jude curled into a ball, holding his gut, crying out as the pain worsened. He started sweating so badly that the sheet beneath him became soaked.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Jude looked over at Reese to see his mate watching him with panic in his eyes. Then, poof, two men appeared in their bedroom.
“This is Dr. Sheehan,” Reese said as he waved to the guy with hazel eyes. “Let him examine you.”
“What’s going on?” Dr. Sheehan looked over at Reese.
“He drank that recipe you gave me. He said he felt better, and then he almost fell to the floor.”
“Pain,” Jude said through uneven breaths. “Bad pain in my stomach.”
“I have a home clinic at the Den,” Dr. Sheehan said to Reese. “I need to get your mate there so I can better examine him.”
Jude closed his eyes just as he felt the doctor lay a hand on him. The dizziness worsened for a second before Jude felt himself lying on something hard. When he opened his eye, he saw he was on an exam table.
“Reese!”
“I’m right here.” Reese moved in beside Jude and took his hand. “I’m right here, sweetheart.”
Dr. Sheehan squeezed some cold gel onto Jude’s abdomen then used some kind of wand to roll over his stomach.
“Where’s the baby?” Reese asked as he and Jude stared at the monitor.
Dr. Sheehan shook his head. “He or she isn’t big enough to be seen yet.”
Why did that disappoint Jude? He turned his attention to Reese, who was looking down at him. His mate brushed his hand over Jude’s head. “Whatever’s going on, we’ll get through this.”
Jude nodded as he pressed Reese’s hand against his face, drawing strength from his mate as Reese kept brushing his hand over Jude’s hair.
“I thought you said that concoction would help him,” Reese said to the doctor.
“I said it helped Gabby and might help Jude. There’s no exact science when it comes to a pregnant guy. That only occurs in your world, and since there are no medical journals I can turn to, I can only go off my experiences.”
“Is it because he’s a vampire?” Reese asked.
“No, because Gabby is a vampire, too.” Dr. Sheehan was studying the monitor as the wand slid across Jude’s stomach. “And Gabby had another challenge. He was diabetic.”
A diabetic vampire? Seriously? Jude had never heard of that before.
Dr. Sheehan set the wand aside. “I’m gonna run some blood tests. I don’t think that recipe I gave you is the cause of Jude’s pain.”
Hours later, Dr. Sheehan came into the room with an iPad in his hand. He was looking it over as Jude watched him move across the room. Reese was seated in a chair next to Jude’s bed—which the doctor had transferred him to after the blood tests—with his head resting on the thin mattress.
Jude brushed his fingers over Reese’s hair. “Well?” he asked the doctor as Reese stirred.
“Malnourished,” Dr. Sheehan said. “You might’ve just gotten pregnant, but as I told your mate, you’re going to need a lot more feedings. I’m recommending bagged blood in between your regular feedings.”
“So the baby is okay?” Reese grabbed Jude’s hand, and Jude didn’t think Reese even realized he’d done it. “And Jude? He’ll be fine as long as he eats properly?”
“That looks about it,” Dr. Sheehan said. “I want to see him back here in two weeks so I can check him. But if there’s anything wrong before then, call me.”
Jude was glad the news wasn’t bad, but ugh, he was back to bagged blood. Just great. “Thank you, Doctor.”
Dr. Sheehan patted Jude’s leg. God, the guy was handsome. “Not a problem. I’ll send Carter in here to take you two home.”
“I think his game is to confuse us,” Reese said in a conspiratorial whisper. “He keeps throwing names around like we should know the people he’s talking about.”
His mate winked at him, and Jude smiled. “I think this Carter guy is our transport. You know, the poof kind.”
Reese gave Jude a soft smile as he traced his thumb over Jude’s cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry, sweetheart?”
Jude shrugged and looked down at his legs, which were covered with a thin white blanket.
“Hey.” Reese used that same thumb to lift Jude’s chin, forcing Jude to look into his amazing green eyes. “I can’t read minds. You have to actually talk to me.”
The guy was so damn charming and sweet. “I’ve survived for a very long time off bagged blood,” he said. “It’s hard for me to ask if I can drink from someone’s vein.”
Reese gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Okay, so how about you give some kind of signal? Like, I don’t know, tap your lips whenever you need me to feed you.”
Jude’s skin became heated from the blush covering his entire body. “What if I want to kiss you? Won’t you get the signals mixed?”
Reese pulled Jude from the bed and held him in his strong, powerful arms. “I think I know the difference between hungry and horny.”
“And that’s my cue to get you fellas out of here,” a guy said as he walked into the room. “Ready to get home?”
Reese gave Jude a soul-stirring kiss that made him blush in front of the stranger. “More than ready,” Reese said.
As soon as they were home, Jude thought Reese would take things one step further, but he placed Jude in bed like a caregiver, not a lover. “You and the baby need your rest. No fooling around tonight.”
Jude pouted. “Don’t start shit you don’t plan on finishing.”
Reese winked. “Oh, I plan on finishing but not before you’re back on your feet.”
He sat on the side of the bed and offered his wrist. It wasn’t as intimate as the neck, but at the moment, Jude wasn’t going to be picky. He felt famished, and once he was done feeding, he would have to contact the courier to give them a change of address.
Chapter Seven
Reese was starting to wonder if it had been Jude’s ex-coven who’d started the fire. It had been a month, and other than Jude’s home burning d
own, nothing else had happened.
Nothing except for Jude’s belly growing and his appetite. Reese was thankful for the bagged blood. He wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to keep up with his mate’s demands on his own. But other than Jude’s increased thirst, things seemed to be going well with them.
They’d fallen into a nightly routine of taking a walk when Reese didn’t have to work. So far Jude just looked as though he’d gained weight. His round abdomen wasn’t at the point where anyone would think he was pregnant.
He was currently sitting at one of the tables with Roy, laughing and having a good time. Reese love to see his mate so happy. The nausea had all but disappeared, and Jude seemed to glow.
“If you can stop fucking your mate with your eyes, the orders are piling up,” Mike said from behind Reese.
Reese pulled back from the kitchen door and looked over his shoulder. Rudy was cooking burgers and fries, seeming in his own world. “Ain’t nothing piling up. Rudy is taking care of everything.” He looked back toward his boss. “Thanks for hiring him. I needed the help, and the guy was down on his luck.”
Mike was all about business, but the wolf shifter did have a heart. Most of the time. He knew about Jude being pregnant and was cutting Reese a lot of slack. Mike had offered to give Reese time off for his honeymoon period, but Reese had asked the guy to give him the time when the baby was born.
He would need it. Not that Reese was hard-pressed for money. At two hundred and fifty years old, if he hadn’t saved up a nice nest egg by now, he’d have been a fool.
Jude also had a cushy savings, so that was one worry they didn’t have to deal with. But Reese liked working, like getting out of the house and doing something with his time.
“Don’t make me regret my decision,” Mike said. “You better do something around here to justify me paying two wages.”
With one last look at Jude, Reese retreated to the kitchen as Mike walked to his office.