Chapter 17
Sloan had been hit, stabbed, shot, and blown through enough walls to last ten lifetimes, but none of that compared to the absolute pain and, yeah, horror of what Daniel had just said.
He had no words. None. He was shocked to his core, and nothing shocked Sloan.
He had seen it all, done it all, survived it all, and for the first time in a damn long time, he felt a little lightheaded.
What the fuck.
Ignoring the chaos that erupted around the room after Daniel’s announcement that he was the father, Sloan continued to stare at him.
He waited for Daniel to take it back. To say he was just fucking with him.
To say anything that would make sense, because this didn’t.
Vampires didn’t have children. They didn’t get their mates pregnant.
Their bodies didn’t work that way, and every Warrior in that room knew it.
“Daniel, what in the hell are you talking about?” Jared stood quickly, glaring at him. “Even I wouldn’t fuck with the bossman like that.”
“Yeah,” Sid growled, leaning forward in his chair, also glaring at Daniel. “And that’s saying something because the man’s survival instinct is questionable on a good day.”
Jared shot him a look. “Fuck you, Sid.”
“So my little swimmers are swimming again?” Steve, who had been unusually quiet up to that point, spoke up, his eyes round with shock.
“Mine don’t swim. They invade.” Sid snorted, his head tilting with pride.
“Mine conquer,” Jared responded just as proudly, then glared at Steve. “And they aren’t little. They’re Olympic athletes who brought home the gold.”
“Are you guys seriously talking about your sperm right now?” Jill gaped at them as if they’d lost their damn minds. “What the hell is wrong with you guys? Sloan is about to have a stroke, and you’re over here making sperm jokes.”
“No jokes here.” Jared smirked at her. “Raven is my gold medal in the flesh.”
“Um, gross.” Raven glared at Jared.
Sloan’s black eyes cut across the room. “One more word, and I will kill every last one of you.” His threat rolled through the room, finally shutting everyone up.
Jesus, could this be real? Had he fathered a child?
Sloan glanced down at Becky, who was staring wide-eyed up at him, her mouth slightly open in shock.
But what he saw in her eyes almost floored him as much as Daniel’s reveal.
Hope. Fragile, terrified hope. The kind that, if dashed, would break something inside her, and that pissed him off more than anything.
His angry eyes swung back to Daniel. “I respect the hell out of your father and mother, Daniel, as I respect you. But if this is some kind of joke, I will not hesitate to take you out. Do you understand me?”
“I would never be that cruel,” Daniel answered without hesitation.
“It’s impossible, Daniel.” Slade finally spoke, his sharp eyes narrowed in thought.
Daniel sighed as he glanced around the room. “Who has received infusions from Amara?”
“They all have had at least four,” Slade answered for everyone, who remained silent. “What does that—” He stopped as his eyes widened slightly.
“Have to do with anything?” Daniel finished for him, then looked at Becky before his gaze landed back on Sloan. “Everything.”
The room went silent as everyone digested what Daniel had just exposed. Sloan didn’t know what in the hell to think. He was stunned stupid, if he was being completely honest.
“Well, call me Fertile Myrtle and pass the birth control.” Steve’s voice broke the silence. “Are you saying Golden Blood jump-started our little swimmers?”
“I swear, if you don’t shut the fuck up and stop calling them little swimmers, I’m going to shut you up myself.” Sid growled, then glared at Steve. “Never call anything attached to me little again.”
“I’m actually more concerned that Steve just called himself Myrtle,” Jared said, snorting out a chuckle as if the whole damn world hadn’t just shifted under their feet.
“I know jokes are how you guys deal with the shit you deal with on a day-to-day basis,” Daniel said, his eyes moving around the room, “but I warned you after we got Amara out of the Demon Realm that it was only going to get worse. I wondered if Golden Blood would only help the Warriors survive silver, but it seems there is more to it than that. Looks like you have some major research to do, Doc.”
“So, you had a feeling this could happen?” Slade asked, still looking a little shell-shocked.
“I had a feeling there could be more, but this? No. I didn’t even come close to thinking vampires could start reproducing.
” Daniel’s gaze shifted to Becky, the hard edge in his expression softening.
“I’m sorry this happened to you. Having your eggs stolen and implanted inside you without your consent is horrifying.
No one should have that choice taken from them.
Unfortunately, this is how they’re trying to recreate someone like me, and adding Warrior blood into it makes it a hell of a lot more possible. ”
“But Becky isn’t a Warrior,” Adam said, sounding as confused as he looked. “Angelina isn’t a Warrior, so why would they come after her?”
“If she has taken your blood, which I’m sure she has, then she would be a prime candidate because she has a Warrior’s blood running through her veins,” Daniel answered, then sighed.
“But even if she hadn’t, that still wouldn’t stop them from using her if her circumstances were similar to Becky’s.
” His eyes went briefly to Becky. “But that’s Becky’s story to tell. Not mine.”
Sloan watched Daniel closely and saw the guilt on his face as he talked. He was blaming himself, and that didn’t fly with Sloan. “Daniel, this isn’t on you.” Sloan pulled Becky closer against him. “We’ll find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice. Our justice.”
“If only it were that easy.” Daniel’s sad smile held nothing weak.
“There isn’t just one. There are many. You find one, there are hundreds more with the same agenda.
Demons outnumber us at least fifty to one.
I am the prophecy meant to level the playing field, and they don’t like it.
I tried to walk away so I wouldn’t bring any of this down on you or your loved ones, but it doesn’t matter.
They will go to any lengths to defeat me, and they will use anyone to see it done. ”
Sloan felt Becky shift, her eyes on the floor. Leaning down he saw the serious look on her face. “What is it?” He whispered making her jump then look at him.
She stared at him for a long minute, then glanced at Daniel. “How long have you known about me?” She asked, her voice slightly shaking.
Daniel nodded as if he expected the question.
“I have tried to explain to everyone how things work for me, but I’ve failed every time because honestly, I’m still learning and understanding how I know what I know and when I know it.
Usually, it’s after it’s happened when the pieces start falling into place for me.
And my thoughts are more cluttered up here in the Human Realm.
When I took Nix to the Demon Realm to question him everything started to fall into place.
I wish I could explain it better, but I can’t.
You either have to trust me, or you don’t. ”
Becky let go of Sloan’s hand and walked up to Daniel. Reaching out she hugged him tightly. “I trust you,” She whispered, but Sloan heard her words. “Thank you for giving me the information I needed because I really didn’t know what happened to me. I can never repay you for that, Daniel.”
Daniel hugged her back. “No payment necessary.” He let her go and looked around the room at everyone. “You all are my family. I know this is some messed-up stuff, but that’s pretty much what we deal with on the daily. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to talk to Slade, Sloan, and Becky.”
Everyone nodded, still looking a little shell-shocked at the information they had just been given. As they filed out, they shook Sloan’s hand and hugged Becky, who had tears in her eyes.
Sloan watched Steve approach, staring at him with a weird look on his face. “Shit,” Sloan cursed, knowing something crazy was about to come out of his mouth. “I thought you were supposed to be leaving with Mira and Drew.”
“Oh, I am,” Steve said, still giving Sloan that strange look. “But Duncan sent the message for everyone to be here with a threat added, and I figured I wanted to live, so we postponed leaving.”
Nodding, Sloan looked away, hoping Steve would continue on his way out the door with the rest of the Warriors, but he remained there, staring at Sloan.
“What, Steve?” Sloan sighed, turning back to him.
“I just want to say I think you’ll make a great father.” Steve reached out his hand. “Wish I could’ve had a dad like you. The kid is lucky.”
Sloan glanced at Steve’s hand, then took it in a firm shake. “Thanks, Steve.”
Steve nodded, then hugged Becky before disappearing out the door.
Once everyone was gone, Becky sat back down, but Sloan remained standing next to her, needing to be close.
He didn’t know what else Daniel had to say, and honestly, he still hadn’t processed what he had just learned.
Never in a million fucking years would he have thought he would be a father.
He didn’t know how he felt about that. Not fully. Not yet.
His eyes moved to Daniel, who was watching him closely.
Could he be wrong?
“I’m not wrong,” Daniel answered his unspoken question. “And no, I’m not reading you. I see it on your face.”
Pam bent down and hugged Becky, then straightened to leave, but Daniel stopped her. “I want you and Dad to stay.”
Duncan, who had been waiting by the door for Pam, walked toward her and wrapped his massive arm around her shoulders.
“We need to find a doctor who can be trusted for the women,” Daniel said, looking at Slade. “And until further notice, I think she should do all the examinations or whatever needs done here. Do you have someone in mind?”
“I do,” Slade replied, then looked at Sloan. “But my office isn’t set up for a gynecologist. There’s an empty room across the hallway. I can get it ready.”
“Do it,” Sloan ordered without hesitation. “Whatever the doctor needs, make it happen.”
“Good.” Daniel glanced at his mom. “Can you talk to all the women, then make sure Lacey or Jinx locks down their medical histories? Pull them off anything searchable. No outside access.”
“Yes, but isn’t that against the law?” Pam asked with a frown, looking toward Slade.
“Very,” Slade said, not looking at all concerned. “But we are the law.”
“Jinx is upstairs with Lacey now.” Duncan already had his phone out. “I’ll get them down here.”
“Becky needs to see a doctor right away,” Daniel said, then looked quickly at Becky’s concerned face. “Not because anything is wrong. But the procedure they did on you shouldn’t have been done. You need a good doctor to check you over, not just for the baby’s sake, but for yours.”
Nodding, Becky looked up at Sloan, who placed his hand on her shoulder.
“And then I want all the Warriors to have physicals,” Daniel added, glancing at Sloan. “That includes you. I don’t think there’s a chance any vampire can become human from Golden Blood, but during a battle is a shitty place to find out I’m wrong about that.”
“I’ve already thought of that.” Slade smirked as he looked at Daniel. “You want my job, Daniel? Because you seem to know a hell of a lot more than me on this subject. Honestly, I’m struggling a little bit with all of this.”
“I was going to ask him if he wanted my job.” Sloan actually smiled, shaking his head. “He gives orders better than I do.”
“Hell no on both counts.” Daniel grinned, but then his grin faded. “I have enough on my plate, and Sloan, I don’t want your job. Ever. I think you’re the only person who can handle those guys. And Slade, my bedside manner would suck. I’ll stick with demons.”
“Well, if you ever change your mind—” Sloan let his words fade away.
Daniel chuckled. “Yeah, that will always be a no. Your job is safe.” He turned serious again. “Listen, I have to go. The guys are going to have a ton of questions. If you can’t answer them, Slade, have them reach out.”
“Will do.” Slade cleared his throat. “Does that go for me too?”
Daniel nodded before bending down and hugging Becky. “You’re going to be fine. Just breathe and give the big guy a minute to get used to the idea he’s going to be a legit father.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Daniel straightened, then headed for the door.
He paused with his hand on the knob and looked over his shoulder at Sloan.
“Call King,” Daniel said, his voice going hard.
“He knows exactly where to find the doctor who betrayed your mate. The information I got is from Nix. You can’t trust a demon, but they can’t lie to me.
I still think you need to talk to this doctor before you kill him to make sure his story matches the one I just told you. ”
“Definitely,” Sloan nodded his eyes narrowed, but then reached out his hand and shook Daniel’s. “Thank you, Daniel.”
Daniel didn’t say anything, just nodded then he walked out the door, leaving Sloan staring after him as Daniel’s words settled deep.
King knew where the doctor was. The man who had used Becky, who had violated her trust and her body in a way no one had the right to, was within reach.
Sloan felt Becky’s hand cover his where it rested on her shoulder, and that small touch pulled him back from the edge.
For now. Because making that call would be easy.
Waiting to get his hands on the son of a bitch would be the hard part.