Chapter 22 #2
The town wasn't walled but it did have a clear indication when they were in the town proper.
The main thoroughfare suddenly became paved with what Jared was surprised to see was asphalt and decorative sidewalks paved decorative flagstones lined the streets.
The townsfolk were an eclectic mix of the three races and houses sprang higgledy-piggledy between shops.
The shops themselves seemed to be a mixture of types.
Here was an artisan bakery, delicious smells and tempting scents wafting out to temp passersby.
Across the way and a few buildings down, there was a bookshop, its wide glass windows not only displaying what appeared to be hand bound leather volumes and racks containing scrolls, but several recent best selling novels from the human world.
Jared blinked. There was a parking lot next to the bookshop, with a VW camper van parked proudly in one space.
“Is that?”
“Oh, yes. There's not many cars here, but Joe brought his pride and joy over new all the way back in 1968. He's the mayor too and somehow managed to convince everyone else that paving the road benefited everyone. After that, a few more brought cars over.”
“Where do they buy gas?”
Alice laughed, but it was Danilo answered. “Oh, they don't need any gas. They're spelled once they are brought over. Just like the stoves and stuff.”
It was only then that Jared registered that there were street lamps. “Like the street lights?”
“Oh no,” said Alice. “Those are solar. No since wasting even magical energy if you don't have to.”
Jared nodded, dazed. His feet were beginning to hurt once more and he was relieved when a sign proclaiming 'Alisdair's Excellent Teas' came into view and Alice indicated that it was their destination.
It was a charming shop, with small tables covered with crisp white linen tablecloths and old fashioned ladder backed wooden chairs with rush seats.
A chalkboard menu detailing the day's tea special sat just outside the front door, while cheery red gingham cafe curtains hung in the windows.
A smiling young woman met them at the entrance and showed them to an empty table.
Jared noted her pallor and quickly realized it was a vampire ran establishment.
Sinking gratefully into his chair, as the young woman hurried away to assist another set of customers, he remarked to Alice, “Kind of reminds me A Slice of Heaven.”
Alice sat her pocket book under her chair. “It has the same owner.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Laurie's clan is famous for their pastries and excellent teas and coffees. Just one shop would never be enough to meet the demand. His youngest sister manages this one. I hear that depending on how well his New York expansion goes, they may open one across the sea, in Tia-mun.”
“Wow.” Jared picked up the menu from the holder in the middle of the table. He blinked at the sheer number of teas available. After a few moments, he passed the menu over to Alice, who declined it, offering it instead to Tim who shared it with Danilo.
“I always have the same thing,” she said. “Cherry blossom tea.”
“I think I'm going to try their matcha caramel frappe,” Jared said.
Tim and Danilo conferred between themselves quietly, then Tim placed the menu back into the holder. Their waitress must have been waiting for this for as soon as it was done, she appeared by their table, ready to take their order.
“Cherry blossom tea for me,” Alice said.
“I'll take the matcha caramel frappe.”
The waitress turned her gaze towards the other two men.
“I'd like a peach bubble tea,” Tim said.
“Make mine a strawberry one and I'd like a cherry scone with that please,” Danilo said.
“Would anyone else like anything to eat?” she asked.
Jared thought for a moment. “That chocolate fudge cake looks good. I'll take a slice of that.”
“A scone with a side of raspberry jam sounds appealing,” Alice decided.
Tim merely shook his head in refusal, upon which the waitress bustled away.
It was a very short wait for their order.
Tim and Danilo proved to be great conversationalists, helping Alice keep the banter going.
Jared felt more relaxed than he had for weeks.
All too soon though, his bladder became unbearable.
He stood up, reassured Tim and Danilo that he could pee by himself, and waddled towards the counter.
“Is there a restroom?” he inquired.
A waitress working the register paused and pointed the way. As he pushed the door to the restroom open, he suddenly had a realization. Not a single person had stared at his obvious state of pregnancy.
Huh. I wonder why?Man, I'll be glad when I don't have to pee all the time. This kid is really squishing my bladder. Can't take two sips of anything without needing to take a piss.
He quickly did his business and flushed. He had exited the stall and was washing his hands when he caught sight of something that made his blood run cold.
“Why, hi there. Miss me?” the man standing behind him said.
Are you kidding me? How did no one know he's here? Where's the other one? Oh God, please let someone come in. Tim, Danny, where are you?Damn it, I should have let one of them come with me.
“N-no,” he said.
The second stall door opened and his heart sank farther as he saw who came out.
“Hear that? He didn't miss us,”the first one said.
“We'll just have to fix that,” the other man said.
“I'm not here alone,” Jared blurted.
“What the hell? You look like you're pregnant. Don't he?”
Jared crossed his arms protectively over his belly.
The two men met each others gazes in the mirror. “Well, Ray, it sure does look that way, but then this place has been pretty fucked up so far,” the second one said.
“That's the truth, Bob,” the first one agreed.
Bob? Ray? Were those their real names?
Ray lunged forward suddenly, clamping a hand over Jared's mouth and a strong arm around his chest. “There was a back door at the end of the hall, Bob. We can leave that way.”
Jared was seized with blind panic. He jerked himself forward, shaking his head side to side.
“Stop that. Don't make me hurt you,” Ray hissed into his ear. Memories of what the pair had done before assailed Jared's mind. He froze. Surely someone would see the two men dragging him away.
He kept telling himself that as they made their way out of the restroom, then out a service door at the end of the short hallway.
They found themselves in the parking lot, shielded from view by the VW camper van.
Bob jerked his head to one side, urging Ray to follow him along the side and around back.
Panic once more took hold and Jared struggled.
“I told you not to make me hurt you.” Ray spun him around to face the building, suddenly releasing his hand from Jared's mouth and seizing his hair. He gave Jared's head a quick shove so that it connected with the side of the building and Jared saw stars, then nothing.
Back at their table, Danilo and Tim looked at each other uneasily. Danilo stood. “I'll go see if he found the restroom okay,” he said.
Tim gave a curt nod.
“Oh, he's probably okay. I remember when I was pregnant with Steve, it took me forever to finish going,” Alice said. “Pee a bit, think you're done, stand up, then find you have to pee some more.” She sipped her tea absently, the scone long gone.
Danilo hastened in the direction Jared had gone.
Spying the service door, he frowned. It was ajar.
He ducked his head into the restroom. “Jared?” No answer.
He entered quickly, quickly observing no feet showed under the stall doors.
He hurried back out and peered out of the service door.
The gravel showed signs of someone being dragged.
“Oh, fuck.” He mentally cursed himself for allowing Jared to go off alone, even to the restroom.
Now it appeared someone had him and the Alpha Heir's unborn child.
He need to find Jared, and fast, before anything happened to either of him or his child.
Danilo allowed the shift to flow across him, sniffing the ground.
It was Jared all right. Jared and two other male scents, also human.
He growled, and loped off in the direction the scents indicated.
They were going to be very, very sorry they'd ever laid hands on his charge.