Chapter 23
Sloan walked out of the small room and into his office.
After the shower, Becky had started to feel nauseous which made him feel like fucking shit.
He shouldn’t have taken her again in the shower, but fuck feeling her wet soapy body under his hands was his kryptonite.
Hell, she was his kryptonite. He actually grinned at that thought.
She had made him watch all the Superman movies and now here he was using movie slang.
Walking toward the door to his office he unlocked it, then walked to his desk.
While Becky was laying down he had work to catch up on.
When he came in last night, or actually a little after midnight Slade had been passing.
Sloan filled him in on what he found out, which wasn’t much and that’s when Slade had talked to him about Becky.
It seemed his mate had gone to the doctor for help asking him for a favor.
That favor was pretty much for Slade to tell him it was fine to fuck his mate.
A smile curved his lips at the thought. Slade had chuckled, but reassured Sloan he could not hurt the baby by having sex.
He also informed Slone that a lot of women, if the husband is lucky, will have an overwhelming increased libido...
in Becky’s term...horny. Sloan was very okay with that information.
He and Becky had a very open and honest sex life.
He had fucked his woman in every way there was to fuck her.
She welcomed it all and wanted more, actually suggested a few things that shocked him and yet, turned him on so fucking much he actually had to control himself with her. She was human, he was not.
His cock hardened just thinking about their sex life and he wished he hadn’t unlocked his office door. Not that he would wake Becky to have sex with her again while she was resting, but he could relieve the ache in his cock from the images swimming in his head.
Sloan cursed as he started checking messages on his phone hoping if he focused on work his hard-on would disappear.
Keeping his mind off Becky was near impossible, but he knew any minute his door was going to open.
As if he manifested it, the door opened and in walked Adam with Steve following close behind.
“Hey boss,” Steve said with his normal smile. “How’s Becky feeling?”
Sloan stared at Steve for a long minute. This kid was one of a kind that was for sure, and a damn good Warrior. He was fucked up in the head, goofy as fuck, but he had a good heart. Jesus, he was getting soft. What the actual fuck was wrong with him?
“She’s good, thanks.” Sloan grumbled, but then found himself asking. “How’d your trip go?”
Steve looked a little shocked as he stopped mid stride, his eyes wide as he looked around then back to Sloan. “It, ah, was great.” Steve replied slowly. “Drew had a blast.”
Sloan didn’t say anything, just nodded. “Did Duncan give you orders for today?”
“Not yet,” Adam answered, also looking at Sloan with a weird expression. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Okay, good.” Sloan looked at Adam. “I need you to stick close. I have someone coming later today for you to read.”
“No problem.” Adam nodded just as the door opened.
“Be prepared,” Sid said as he walked in, taking a seat in front of Sloan’s desk with Jared following and taking the seat next to him.
“For what?” Sloan’s eyes narrowed, as if he needed any more fucking surprises.
“All the women know,” Jared supplied.
Sloan didn’t think he was going to like where this was going. “I figured they would sooner rather than later,” Sloan said, looking from Jared to Sid.
“And did you figure that sooner or later they would want to have babies of their own?” Sid frowned, then glanced at the door as if Lana was going to walk in and slap him upside the head.
Glancing that way also, Sloan smirked, but then it turned into a deep scowl. Damn, he hadn’t really thought of that. Or maybe he had and just shoved it behind all the other shit he was dealing with.
“Angelina was super excited that this could be a way we could start a family,” Adam said, not looking as distraught as Sid.
“We are Warriors.” Sid threw his arms out as if that proved the point he was trying to make.
“We are not running a nursery. I mean, after talking to Slade, who isn’t sure what the fuck is happening, we don’t know if it’s just the human mates.
If Golden Blood can make us fertile, or whatever in the fuck it’s doing to our bodies, it could also do that to the women vampires. ”
“Let’s not forget how the human government wanted to round up all the half-breeds,” Jared added. “Afraid they were going to breed like rabbits.”
Sloan’s eyes shot to Jared, who actually had the sense to look away.
“Listen,” Sid continued, then sighed, rubbing his hand down his face. “I love Lana and would burn the world down for her, but having a kid?”
Sloan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he listened to Sid have a freakout. Which honestly Sloan understood. He was having a freakout of his own, but he was keeping it private.
“Seriously, bringing a child into the fucking mess we deal with day in and day out?” Sid looked at Sloan. “You can’t sit there and tell me you haven’t thought of this. I’m sorry, but out of any of us, you are the last person I would see ever being excited about having a kid.”
No one said a word as what Sid said hung in the room.
Sloan couldn’t deny what Sid was saying.
He didn’t even try. Yeah, he definitely had reservations.
He would be a damn liar if he said otherwise.
This had hit him from every side, and he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Becky was pregnant.
That he was the father. That there was a child growing inside his mate that should have been impossible. He was a fucking vampire for fuck sake.
“Listen,” Sloan said, his voice low, “we will deal with this however we need to deal with it.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” Sid leaned forward, frustration clear on his face. “I’m saying this changes everything.”
“No shit,” Sloan snapped, his eyes cutting to Sid. “You think I don’t fucking know that? You think I haven’t wondered what kind of man brings a child into this world? Into my world?”
Sloan tried to keep his voice low not wanting to wake Becky up.
“I never would have chosen this.” Sloan’s voice was low, but every man in the room heard him.
“Every single one of us has enemies coming at us from every fucking corner, looking for a weakness. Our mates are always going to be targets, but once the enemy finds out we can have children, they’re going to come hard for our offspring. ”
He cursed, then frowned. “Adam. Steve. Give me a second with Jared and Sid.”
Neither said a word, which was a damn miracle from Steve, who always had something to say. Sloan could tell by the looks on their faces they realized how serious this was. They walked out, shutting the door behind them.
Sloan waited a minute before speaking. “I’ve already talked to Duncan about this.”
“Don’t fucking say it,” Sid hissed, shaking his head before he stood and started pacing.
“I’m thinking of resigning,” Sloan said, ignoring Sid.
“No.” Jared shook his head. “You resign and it all falls the fuck apart. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the hell out of Duncan, but he’s not you. You’re Sloan Fucking Murphy.”
“I appreciate that, Jared.” Sloan sighed, rubbing his forehead. He had given this a lot of thought. Too much damn thought. He had already put Becky in danger by just being mated to her. There was no way in hell he could do that to their child. “But I’ve looked at this from every angle, and—”
“We’ll get more Warriors,” Jared cut him off, his voice sharp. “I’ll start recruiting myself. We’ll make sure our families are protected, always. Dammit, Sloan, don’t do this.”
“Warriors should not have human mates,” Sid said, then immediately cursed. “And if you ever tell Lana I said that, I will kill you.” He glared at Jared.
Sloan’s eyes narrowed. That statement concerned him more than Sid probably realized.
For Sid to say something like that, being mated to a human himself, told Sloan just how badly this had shaken his men.
They were thinking out of fear, and fear made even the strongest Warrior say shit he didn’t mean.
Before Sloan could respond, the door opened.
Duncan walked in with Daniel right behind him. Duncan was looking at his phone, but Daniel’s eyes were already on Sloan.
“King said they’ll be landing in half an hour.” Duncan looked up, his gaze going from Jared and Sid to Sloan. “What’s going on?”
“You can’t let him resign,” Sid snapped, his eyes narrowing on Duncan.
Duncan glanced at Sloan with a cocked eyebrow. “You told them?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” Sloan replied with a curse, then stood and stretched his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had become a permanent fixture in his body.
“I don’t control what Sloan does or doesn’t do,” Duncan replied, looking back at Sid.
“Then don’t accept the position when he does.” Jared stood, looking pissed as hell. “He isn’t going to leave us to just anyone. So don’t take the fucking position.”
“You think I fucking want it?” Duncan’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes hardened. “Who in the hell would want to put up with you assholes twenty-four-seven?”
“Fuck you,” Jared and Sid said at the same time.
Daniel stepped farther into the room, his gaze never leaving Sloan. “You resigning won’t make them safer.”
Sloan’s eyes cut to Daniel, his jaw tightened. “Daniel I’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“Years of thought still wouldn’t make it right.
” Daniel’s voice stayed calm, but there was something in it that made the room go quiet.
“You can step away from that desk, hand the title to my dad, hide your family in the middle of nowhere, but it won’t change who or what you are.
You can never walk away from being a Warrior and deep down you know this. ”
“See even Daniel knows.” Sid pointed at Daniel. “You can’t walk away, boss.”
Daniel ignored Sid as he glanced toward the private suite door, then back to Sloan. “This isn’t just about your position.”
Sloan went still.
“You think walking away takes the target off her back,” Daniel continued. “It doesn’t. It only takes you out of the strongest position you have to protect her and the child as well as fight what’s coming.”
Duncan crossed his arms, his face grim, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. Daniel was saying enough.
Sloan’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Everything tied to me keeps finding its way to her.”
“You’re giving yourself too much credit,” Daniel replied, his voice calm but sharp enough to cut through the room.
“Evil doesn’t need you to open the door, Sloan.
It looks for one. What happened to Becky wasn’t because you failed to protect her.
It was because someone knew how to hide in a place none of us thought to guard. ”
“Medical records.” Steve whispered, but Daniel heard him.
“Medical records,” Daniel nodded, not taking his gaze of Sloan. “They picked her because at a young age she had her eggs frozen. Your name didn’t even come up until they saw who her emergency contact was. That is when she became high priority, but you are not the reason she was picked.”
Sloan listened, his mind swirling.
“And whoever they are, they already crossed a line they can’t uncross.
” Daniel’s eyes darkened, and for a second the Demon Slayer stood there instead of the young man most of them still tried to see.
“They know enough to find her. They know enough to use doctors, records, and procedures to get close. That doesn’t disappear because you resign.
It doesn’t make anyone safer because you resign.
It only weakens the only force on earth that can stop this. ”
Sloan hated every damn word Daniel was saying because every damn word was true.
“You are not protecting Becky by stepping down,” Daniel said, his voice lowering. “You are protecting your guilt.”
That hit real fucking hard. Sid’s eyes widened as his head snapped toward Daniel. Jared actually gulped loudly, then whispered, “Ah, shit.”
Sloan took one slow step toward Daniel. “Careful, boy.”
“No.” Daniel didn’t back down, his eyes locked with Sloan’s. “You need to hear it. You are the man she trusts to stand between her and them. You can’t do that hiding. Nor can you lead the Warriors, who trust you, into a battle that will be fought with or without you.”
“Enough,” Sloan growled, knowing what Daniel said was the truth, but it still pissed him off. Fuck.
Daniel’s voice softened, but not by much. “Don’t walk away from the very thing that gives you the power to keep not only Becky safe, but your child.”
“I said enough.” Sloan’s voice cracked through the room.
He needed to get his thoughts together, and needed to focus on one thing at a time.
“Phillips will be here soon. Adam reads him the second he arrives. Until we know exactly what Golden Blood has done, every mate is protected. Human. Vampire. Witch. I don’t give a shit. No one goes anywhere alone.”
No one argued which was smart on their part.
A knock sounded on the door before it opened. Steve stuck his head in, his usual smirk nowhere to be found. “He’s here.”
Every set of eyes went to Sloan. For a second, no one moved. Then Sloan’s gaze shifted toward the private suite.
“I need a minute,” he said, his voice low.
No one questioned him. Sid and Jared walked out first, followed by Duncan. Daniel stayed where he was for a heartbeat, his eyes flicking toward the suite door before coming back to Sloan.
“Words said out of fear still cut,” Daniel said quietly as he glanced at the door Sloan had glanced at, then back to Sloan.
Sloan’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Daniel didn’t answer. He walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Sloan stood there for a second, staring at the closed door. His anger was still riding him hard, but Daniel’s words had crawled under his skin and stayed there. With a curse under his breath, he turned and walked to the private suite.
Quietly he opened the door and looked inside. Becky lay on the bed, her back to him, one hand tucked beneath her cheek. She didn’t move, and for a moment, Sloan just stood there watching her breathe, letting the sight of her pull him back from the edge.
Sloan forced himself to turn away, when all he wanted to do was walk and pull her into his arms. Phillips was here, and this time Adam would know if the bastard was lying. He needed the truth. But as Sloan closed the suite door behind him, Daniel’s words followed him out.
‘Words said out of fear still cut.’