Chapter 16
They made it to the compound after throwing the chili in the crockpot.
Sloan had been exceptionally quiet on the drive, and Duncan followed close behind them.
Now Sloan sat behind his desk, all the Warriors standing around the room, and no one said a word as they waited for Daniel.
It was as if they knew something big was about to go down.
Becky sat near Sloan beside his desk, her eyes continually going to Katrina’s questioning ones. She wanted nothing more than to talk to her, but in private. That definitely wasn’t going to happen in this room.
“Where the fuck is he?” Sloan’s voice boomed, making her jump.
Duncan just shrugged as the door opened and in walked Daniel. His swirling white eyes landed directly on Becky. He smiled, but there was something behind it that made her stomach tighten before he turned his attention to Sloan.
“Sorry, but I was busy tracking down the doctor who I figured you wanted to... talk to.” Daniel cocked his eyebrow at Sloan, then glanced at Duncan with a nod. “Have you filled everyone in on what’s going on?”
“Where the fuck is he?” Sloan’s voice had turned deadly, his eyes black as night.
“Is everyone else in the dark, or am I just a dumbass?” Sid said before Daniel could answer. “I swear, first I was in the dark about Jared being a former Dark Guardian. Then I was the last to know about Daniel being the Demon Slayer. I feel like the redheaded stepchild of the group.”
“Jesus,” Jared chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, Sid. You aren’t alone this time. I have no fucking clue what they’re talking about.”
Becky swallowed hard as Daniel’s eyes met hers, then went to Sloan. “It might be best if they know, and believe me, they need to know because this affects those with human mates.”
That comment had Sid sitting up straighter. “What about my mate?”
“Not just yours.” Daniel stepped back next to Duncan and leaned against the wall looking back at Sloan. “And as for the doctor... well, seems he decided to take an early retirement and is currently hiding out in Florida where King and Amara took Joey for vacation. Small world, huh?”
Becky’s hands twisted together nervously. “You know what happened to me, don’t you?” she asked Daniel, and knew the answer before he confirmed it.
He didn’t answer right away, just continued to stare at her. “I do.”
She wanted to scream at him to tell her right now, but then again, she didn’t know if she really wanted to know.
Sometimes ignorance was bliss. What if it was what she feared most?
What if, while she was under, someone had—.
Her stomach rolled hard, bile rising in her throat before she could even finish the thought.
“What in the actual fuck is going on?” Sid burst out, sounding annoyed to be in the dark once again.
“I’m pregnant,” Becky snapped, then instantly realized what she had done when the room went so silent she could hear the ringing in her ears.
Sloan slammed his hand on the desk as he stood. Becky nearly jumped out of her chair.
“Everybody out! Now!”
“No.” Becky stood, shaking her head, realizing what a total mess this was turning out to be.
All of it was coming too fast. Daniel had found the doctor and knew what had happened to her.
The Warriors were staring at her with Sloan looking seconds away from destroying the room, and God help her, she wanted this over. Over and done.
“Becky,” Sloan warned, but Becky wasn’t having it.
“You promised me, Sloan.” She narrowed her eyes at him, then turned toward the Warriors. “It’s a lot, and honestly, I’d rather rip my tongue out than do this, but if it can save your mates from what I’ve gone through, then I will.”
“Did someone—” Damon’s low growl filled the room as he stared at Becky.
Again, Becky swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. Her nausea was working overtime as her eyes went to Damon and then around the room, meeting the golden questioning eyes staring back at her. “I don’t know,” she whispered, then looked at Daniel.
“No, she wasn’t,” Daniel answered for her, his gaze never leaving hers.
The words hit Becky so hard her knees gave out as she collapsed back into the chair.
Her hands flew to her face, sobs of relief tearing from her before she could stop them.
Sloan was there instantly, pulling her out of the chair and into his arms, holding her tight against him as the room stayed deathly silent around them.
“Guys let’s give them a minute,” Sid said as if making up for joking around and making light of a situation he knew nothing about.
“No,” Becky croaked against Sloan’s chest. “I’m fine.”
Becky pushed away from Sloan, wiping her eyes. Katrina had rushed up with a tissue, then took her in her arms and hugged her tight before letting her go. “You are the bravest woman I’ve ever known,” Katrina whispered, then backed up, but stayed close.
Her words brought fresh tears, but Becky managed a weak smile before looking up at Sloan. “I’m fine, really.” She then turned to Daniel, needing to know before she said anything else. “Then the only other explanation is they used my frozen eggs.”
“They tried,” Daniel said, then sighed. “Do you mind if I explain?”
“Please.” Becky nodded, reaching back to grab Sloan’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m as in the dark as Sid.”
A few chuckles filled the room, then stopped immediately when Sloan growled. He obviously wasn’t finding this funny at all. And it wasn’t funny, but Becky was so confused she didn’t know what else to do except hold on to whatever kept her from falling apart.
“What do you mean they tried?” Becky frowned, not understanding at all.
“If she’s pregnant, then the only explanation is implantation of her frozen eggs,” Slade said, finally breaking his silence.
“I’ll answer that in a few minutes.” Daniel glanced around the room, then looked back at Sloan. “When you sent Kent and me to check out the medical center where Becky had her procedure, I confronted a demon named Nix. I took him back to the Demon Realm to get some answers.”
“And?” Sloan snapped, his patience gone.
Daniel’s eyes went to Pam’s and held. “And it looks like they’re still trying to recreate me.”
“You?” Becky said, glancing first at Pam, then back to Daniel.
“Yes.” He nodded, finally looking away from his mom. “They’re trying to repeat a prophecy, but on their terms. They want to create something like me to defeat me. The demons are relentless when they’re afraid, and right now, I terrify them.”
“And this Nix told you all this?” Charger frowned, not looking confident in that. “I’ve never known a demon to spill his guts unless someone uses a knife.”
“There are certain things I can do in the Demon Realm that I can’t do up here with demons,” Daniel replied. “One of them is see everything they’ve ever done or will ever do. As the prophecy states, I know all when I judge them. That’s not the exact words, but you get my meaning.”
The room went quiet, but it wasn’t a good quiet. It was the kind that settled heavily on everyone standing there.
“There are corrupt doctors out there who will sell their souls for what’s promised to them,” Daniel continued, his voice hardening.
“And demons aren’t stupid. They’re using human technology against humans.
Everyone’s medical records are online now, thanks to the government.
There are people, as Jinx and Lacey can tell you, who can break into those systems and find out everything there is to know about someone’s medical history.
” Daniel turned his attention to Becky, and she hated how much she wanted to look away.
“So since using Amara’s Golden Blood didn’t work out too well for them, they are trying something else?” Jax asked, his eyes narrowed with the news they were hearing.
“They won’t stop.” Daniel said in a way of answering Jax.
Then looked at Becky. “You’re not the only one this has happened to, Becky.
Unfortunately, when this doctor found out who you were and who your husband was, you became a high priority.
So will any of the human mates who go to the doctor, especially for women’s issues. ”
“That is sick,” Katrina spat, Raven and Jill agreeing with their own curses.
“It’s demons,” Daniel said as if that explained everything. “They have no moral code.”
“Neither do the doctors who are doing this,” Pam said, stepping forward.
“When Daniel came to me about this, he knew I would do everything I could to stop it. I’m going to work with Jinx and Lacey to start identifying the doctors who are betraying their patients.
” Her eyes softened when they landed on Becky. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
Becky nodded, then frowned. “Thank you, but honestly, I still don’t know what happened to me.” She was more confused now than she had been before, and that was saying something.
“They did do the implantation, Becky,” Daniel answered gently. “But it failed.”
“But it didn’t fail.” Her frustration broke through because none of this made sense. “I’m pregnant.”
“It failed because you were already pregnant.”
Daniel’s response shook her to the core.
“That’s impossible,” Becky whispered, then heard a gasp and knew it came from Jill.
“I haven’t been with anyone other than Sloan.
” There. She said it out loud. She said the thing she knew others had to be thinking.
She knew that wasn’t fair to them, but how could they not think it?
How could anyone standing in this room not think it when the impossible, which was her pregnant, was sitting right in front of them?
“Daniel, they wouldn’t do the procedure if she were pregnant,” Slade said, shaking his head.
“When Sloan told me about her freezing her eggs, I did the timeline, and it adds up. Plus, the danger of doing something like that isn’t something a doctor would take lightly.
It could cause a miscarriage or even superfetation. ”
“It’s something you wouldn’t do,” Daniel replied, narrowing his eyes. “But it is definitely something a doctor who sold his soul would do.”
Slade’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue.
Daniel walked toward Becky, stopping in front of her. He looked first at her face, then at her stomach as he lifted his hand. “Do you mind?”
Becky frowned, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat. “I don’t mind.”
Daniel then looked at Sloan, waiting.
Sloan’s hand tightened around hers. For a few seconds, he didn’t move, didn’t speak, and Becky could feel the hesitation radiating off him. Finally, he gave a single nod.
Daniel laid his hand gently on her stomach, then closed his eyes. A slight tingling moved low in her stomach, and she wanted to push Daniel’s hand away, but she didn’t. Instead, she trusted him.
Suddenly, Daniel’s head tilted back, his eyes snapping open, solid white and glowing. The room fell into a silence so deep Becky could hear her own uneven breathing.
Then Daniel shut his eyes and stepped back.
“My timeline is right, Doc,” he said, opening his eyes and looking straight at Slade. “She was pregnant before the implantation of her eggs.”
Becky couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Her hand tightened around Sloan’s, but she didn’t look at him because she was afraid that if she did, she would see something in his face she didn’t want to see.
Daniel’s gaze moved from Slade to Sloan, and something in his expression softened.
“Congratulations, Sloan,” Daniel said, his voice quieter now. “Looks like you’re the father.”