Chapter Twenty-Five
Shawn
Mixed Emotions
I text Todd I’m on my way to pick up the phones and he’s waiting for me outside the house when I park next to his truck. I don’t even have to get out because he walks over to my car. I roll my window down so he can hand them to me, as well as a paper with information about his passwords.
He leans in. “Mal says he hasn’t turned them on and hasn’t logged into any social media or email.
I feel he’s telling the truth. He bought and used a burner because he was too worried about his father tracking him, dumped it, and then got a new burner.
Shouldn’t be any way to track that phone, and his father has no way of tying the burners to the kid. ”
“Thanks. How’s he doing?”
The big elk shrugs. “Guys all like him. Hell, I like him. Hard worker, and that’s not something a guy can fake for long.
But he’s obviously used to physical labor.
Not afraid to pitch in or get dirty. I could use another few like him anytime.
He’s right up there with my best guys, and it’s rare I can say that about a greenhorn. ”
I can’t help but ask. “Show him the fun room yet?”
He chuckles. “Not yet. Though I tugged one out last night. He’s gonna be one hell of a ride once he’s available.” He drops me a wink. “Still have plenty of energy any time you need a hand.”
I think it says something about my mood when a statement like that from him, delivered in that tone, would usually start winding me up.
But today?
Nothing but dead wood down there.
“I wish I could take you up on that offer,” I tell him, “but not today. I have too many things to do and need my brain.” None of that’s a lie, either.
He smiles. “No worries.” Then he pats the roof of my car. “Take care. I’ll let you guys know if anything changes with the pup.” He straightens, stepping back.
“Thanks.” He walks away and I roll my window up, crank my music and AC, and turn around to make my way to the office.
Yeah, I think Jax and I need this time together to talk and hash things out once and for all about the baby issue.
At least for the next week or so. This emotional mess caught me completely unaware and I don’t like that kind of surprise.
We have a good thing. I don’t want to fuck up our marriage—true mates or not—by not completely working through this issue with him before we move forward.
Being true mates doesn’t mean we can’t feel pissed off at each other from time to time.
Or that resentment can’t slowly brew and poison what we have.
I meant my vows when I said it was for life, and I know Jax did, too. That means we fix this, and we fix it right now.
And… I mean, who’s to say I’ll even catch when we do start trying?
That’s a dire possibility that, unfortunately, logic tells me has pretty good odds—definitely non-zero odds—but emotionally it’ll be another hurdle for me to clear, and I want to make sure Jax and I talk that through, too.
But the fact that Jax is finally willing to seriously have these conversations with me gives me hope, because it’s progress.
It means he’s willing to work on this with me, as mates, and not sit back while letting me do the heavy hauling in that way.
Or burying his head in the sand and hope I let it drop.
When I pull into the parking lot at the office, I see a strange vehicle parked there. The tingle I feel at the base of my tail turns into a full-on scream when I get out and smell it.
Vampire.
What the actual fuck?
I’m about to burst through the front door but I pull up short when Susan, Jax’s AA, opens the door first and meets me.
“Calm down,” she says. “Jax asked me to intercept you.”
“Why?”
“So you don’t bust in here and get in trouble,” Jax calls out from his office. “Come on back, but calmly, please? We’re having a conversation. And if you’re carrying, do not pull it.”
I fight the urge to growl as I cross the lobby and open Jax’s office door. “What the fuck’s going on?”
Jax holds a staying hand to me or his visitor, I’m not sure, but he speaks to the man.
“Please, stay seated,” he says to him, then focuses on me.
“Stay calm,” he says in a tone that brooks zero resistance.
Then he points not to the other chair, where the fucking nightcrawler’s cape is draped, but indicates for me to round the desk as he stands and points at his chair.
I do as ordered because he’s my mate, duh, and glare at the guy who eerily remains preternaturally placid and nonreactive.
“Bruce Marchman, this is my mate, Shawn.” He lays a hand on my shoulder. “And behave yourself, because Father’s listening.” He points at the cell phone on his desk.
“Hi, Shawn,” Mike says. “Why don’t I have grandpups yet?”
I sense what the older man’s trying to do—calm my ass down.
But I’m not ready to play nice. “Blame your son for that. Why is there a vampire sitting in Jax’s office?”
“Glad you asked.” Mike quickly catches me up and I marginally relax. And that’s only because the nightcrawler hasn’t so much as moved.
To his credit, at least he’s trying. And if Mike vouches for the guy it’s my duty—like it or not—to go along and behave myself.
So I swallow back my anger and mistrust and other stuff and try to transition into Mate of the Pack Alpha mode.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I manage through a clenched jaw.
I do mean it, but this will take some time to actually, you know, not be tensed in anticipation of getting my throat ripped out.
Or wanting to rip out his.
The man slowly tips his head to me. “Thank you. Believe me, I understand the…mental strain this meeting creates. I would not be here if it were only my own safety at risk.” He blinks, and the humanity finally bleeds through when I spot unshed tears in his eyes.
“If you heard the anguished wails of my nest members, if our positions were reversed, you would be where I am now and likely just as reluctantly.”
I’m tempted to shoot back probably not, but Jax squeezes my shoulder, his intent clear.
Shut. Up.
I’m torn between my empathy trying to sneak through my mental defenses and my natural, instinctive…revulsion over vampires.
“How soon can you get your people here?” Jax asks him. “And how are you transporting them?”
“We’ve already reached out to a fae band who’s enlisting the help of witches they’re allied with. They will ward and protect the vehicles and accompany them. It will take at least a few days.”
“Are these people from the same groups who were attacked not too long ago?”
Marchman nods. “They are. My people will arrive in stages. I will defer to you regarding arrival logistics. We will, obviously, accept any accommodations, as long as we can black out natural light sources. We don’t even care if it’s a concrete storehouse. My only concern is their safety.”
“Well, Jax?” Mike asks. “You’re the pack Alpha. It’s your call.”
Jax takes a moment to ponder it, then nods.
“We have a community center that’s also our hurricane shelter.
It’ll work, plus it has locker rooms with bathrooms and showers, and there’s a kitchen.
I’ll have our people put up the storm shutters, so don’t bring them for at least two days.
We can supply regular food, but if there are other special ‘dietary considerations,’ you’ll need to arrange that.
And, for their safety, your people need to remain inside the community center until you and I figure out the next step. Will that work?”
He nods. “Absolutely. Whatever you want us to do, we will. Will the fae and witches be allowed to accompany us into your territory?”
“Who are their leaders?” Mike asks.
I have had little contact in my life with fae and witches.
By “witches” I mean real ones, not the granola-and-rainbows humans who pretend they are, or who practice it as a religion or spiritual thing and don’t have actual powers.
“Morning Caldwell is the current fae leader,” Marchman says. “His brother was killed in the Savannah attack.”
“Oh, that’s a shame,” Mike says. “I knew him. He was a good person. I think I’ve met Morning before, but it’s been a while. I’ll handle talking to him for you, Jax, if you want.”
“Yes, please,” Jax says.
Marchman continues. “Currently leading the coven helping us is Dahlia de la Floren, from Des Moines. Her older brother was also killed in a recent attack.”
“Shit,” Mike says. “I know Dahlia, but I hadn’t heard it was her brother who died. Jax, I can call her too, if you want.”
“Go ahead,” Jax says. “Marchman will text us the info. I’ll defer to your judgment after you talk to them, Father.”
“Will do. I’ll call you back once I’ve talked to them both.”
He ends the call on his end and Marchman doesn’t move. “May I text him the info?”
Jax nods, and it takes me a moment to process that the vampire is going through great pains not to trigger either of our canines. When he uses his phone his fingers move slowly, purposefully, with no extra movements.
Okay, so I need to do a hard reset of my brain if we’re taking care of these…people.
Because yes, they are people. While it’s easy for me to say that all non-humans have every right to peacefully coexist, my basic instincts want to rebel when faced with the up-close scent of a vampire.
Ten minutes later, the initial details are hammered out, Marchman departs, and I’m opening every damned window in the place as well as turning on fans despite the sticky Florida heat.
“We’ll never get the stink out of the building,” I grumble to Jax.
He shoots me a sharp glare. “Don’t make me pull pack Alpha rank on you over this. We’ll have a hard enough time wrangling the pack to behave without you adding to the fire.”
I blow out a long breath. “Sorry. I promise I’ll behave.”
“I’m serious, Shawn. I need you to set a good example. Do I like vampires? No. But he’s right that if our situations were flipped, we’d be doing exactly what he is.”
“I’m not perfect,” I remind him. “Oh, and here.” I pull the pup’s phones and the piece of paper out of my laptop bag and smack them into his palm.
“There. You’re right—I need to get my head on straight, but it’s not like this is the only fucking thing on my plate right now.
Even your father wants grandpups. If he didn’t think you’d be a good dad, he never would have said it, even jokingly.
But congrats! Now you have yet another excuse to play out until you don’t have to make a decision. ”
I realize I’ve hit my limit and I head for the front door. “I’m going home. I’ll work from there today.” I snatch up my laptop bag and head for my car, ignoring Jax calling out to me.
Now I wish I had let Todd run me through the fun room.
At least I would have gotten an orgasm or two out of it.