“I’m afraid of what might happen in the heat of the moment. I don’t know if I trust myself yet.” Rhys sounded so sad.
“There are other things we can do,” Moe said simply, and smiled at the surprised look on his mate’s face. Without any further explanation he held the diner door open and they walked inside. They hadn’t taken a couple steps when a small body launched itself at Rhys. Moe smiled at his bewildered mate as he was strangled by their Alpha Mother. He looked around the diner to see that Rebecca, Sebastian and Ashby had pushed three tables together to hold the car seats with their sons nestled inside, and they sat at the table between the room and their children.
“I’m so happy to see you out of the coven house and with your mate!” Rebecca bounced, jerking Rhys’s head around.
“Becca,” Aleks said cautiously. She whirled around, still partly dangling from around Rhys’s neck.
“What? He’s addicted to shifter blood, I’m the only one safe around him.”
The declaration fell flat in the diner with a giant thud. Moe looked over to Rhys, whose mouth was twitching. Ashby slapped his hand to his forehead, shaking his head, and Sebastian rolled his eyes. It was Liam who broke the silence with his laughter.
Rebecca looked around, confused.
“What?” She looked to Rhys questioningly.
“Nothing, ignore them. I’m happy to see everyone too.” He kissed her cheek. Rebecca glared at Liam, who was still chuckling, and walked back over to where her son gurgled happily in the car seat next to his friends Arthur and Lucian.
Moe walked with Rhys and they sat at the table close to the children. He hadn’t had a chance to see much of the babies. They were absolutely adorable and so big already. Shifter babies grew much faster than human ones. He could see that they were already sitting up, moving their heads about and tracking movement. He smiled at the different parenting styles evident with each child.
Baby Arthur, Ashby and Gabriel’s son, had matching argyle car seat cover and diaper bag. His clothes were immaculate from his baby corduroys to his tiny, plaid, sweater vest. Even the baby’s fine downy hair seemed to be perfectly combed. His demeanor was quiet as he looked out at the diner floor solemnly.
Baby Lucian, Sebastian, Kent and Liam’s baby, had brightly colored mismatched jungle-themed accessories. He had on a sensible Osh Kosh B’Gosh snap-up jumper with a long-sleeve T-shirt. A lion blanket lay draped across a nearby chair in case the baby got cold. He played dutifully with Kent, sticking out his tongue as if on cue.
Rebecca’s baby was giggling and waving his tiny hands about. He had a Dexter’s Laboratory diaper bag, a Pooh Bear car seat and a Toy Story blanket featuring Woody as sheriff. His shoes were off, his shirt was inside out and one sock was missing. He had a smear of what looked like carrots or sweet potatoes on one cheek. But more than the other two babies, baby Aidhan exuded love. Moe couldn’t help but smile when looking at the tiny baby. He stared at Aidhan’s bright purple eyes. He looked over to where Aleks sat comfortably waving a tiny stuffed bear at Aidhan, making his son laugh and growl.
Aleks caught his look and nodded.
“We were surprised too. For thousands of years Arkadions have always had dark brown hair and green eyes. Until Rebecca.” Aleks smiled warmly.
Rebecca rubbed noses with her mate and kissed her son on the top of his head before sitting down next to her mate.
“You have been upgraded,” she said in a robotic tone. Behind the counter Connor laughed.
“I think his eyes are awesome. Personally, I’m hoping any children Madison and I have get her pretty blue eyes.” Connor winked at his mate who blushed.
The diner bells chimed and a dejected-looking Rian and an exasperated-looking Damian filed in and sat down.
“What’s the matter Rian?” Moe asked. Rian turned and glared at him.
“As if you don’t know.” Rian continued to give him the evil eye.
“Ignore him, Moe. Rian has been in a foul mood for weeks. Personally I think he just needs to get laid,” Damian volunteered.
“I would except he broke my gaydar!” Rian pointed in Moe’s direction.
Rhys raised an eyebrow, his eyes shining with laughter.
“You did what now?” his mate asked.
Moe spread his hands in front of him in confusion.
“All those years I thought he was straight. Wasted!” Rian exclaimed.
“Rian I…” Moe started.
“All those years I could have been indulging in my fantasies of rubbing all those luscious muscles!”
“Rian!” Damian looked at his best friend, shocked, and then over to Moe and Rhys.
Moe just stared. He had no idea Rian had felt that way. Quickly, he looked over to his mate to see him chuckling.
“Now I’ll never know what he’s packing!”
“Rian, dammit, his mate is sitting right there.” Damian moved a hand over Rian’s mouth.
Rian looked over to Rhys who waved away Damian’s concern.
Rian batted Damian’s hand down.
“Are you really okay Rhys?” Damian asked, concerned. Rhys just nodded.
“The reason why he’s so upset is because he’s regretting missed opportunities, which just proves to me that he doesn’t poach.”
Moe stunned took a deep breath.
“Rian, buddy, I’m sorry. I had no idea you felt that way.”
“I don’t know if that makes things better or worse.”
“I thought you were like me. I never dated anyone in town, because breakups would have been too awkward in the long run.”
“I am, but I would have made an exception for you. Now I can’t trust my instincts. I’ve known you for years.” Rian pouted.
“If it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t exactly straight. I was bi,” Moe explained
“Me too.” Rhys smiled.
“I still should have been able to detect that.” Rian shook his head.
“Aren’t most vampires bi?” Sebastian asked. Rhys nodded.
“Back before blood banks, we had to use our mental abilities to make feedings a pleasurable and erotic experience for humans. The older you were the better your abilities. Which means if you were really young you often paired with an older member of the coven to feed or you would starve. This led to a more open sexual outlook, which encouraged ménage encounters and a bisexual lifestyle. If you restricted yourself to only feeding off of women, you’ve cut your available feeding possibilities in half,” Rhys explained.
Moe was so proud of his mate. He was now able to discuss feedings and blood without getting upset. He took his hand under the table earning him a bright smile.
“Rian, you should come hang out with David and I at Purgatory then we can test your gaydar,” Daniel offered.
Rian looked over to Damian, who nodded.
“I’d do anything to get this silly notion out of your crazy head that your gaydar is broken.”
“We’re in.” Rian smiled.
“Wicked,” Daniel and David said together. Roman shuddered.
“Moe, hun, you have to be hungry. What can I get for you?” Ma asked, interrupting the conversation.
“I’m starving,” he admitted.
“You’re always starving.” Ma chuckled.
“I’m a growing boy.”
“Yum,” Rhys, Rebecca, Sebastian and Ashby said in unison. Aleks, Kent and Liam growled. Gabriel simply leaned in and nipped Ashby’s neck, causing the small man to turn crimson when he moaned.
Aleks gave his son the toy bear and kissed his mate thoroughly. When the Alpha Mother came up for air she was swaying slightly in her chair.
“Time for me to head back to the station. Aidhan, watch after your mother.” He smiled down at his son. Aidhan growled for a second, which turned into a squeak.
“Good boy!” Aleks turned to the room.
“He’s not growling at me anymore,” he announced proudly, then kissed his mate again and left the diner.
Aleks had no s
ooner walked out of the diner when Jacinda walked in. She licked her lips at David and Daniel, who paled and scooted closer to Gabriel. She sat down at a nearby table and looked over the menu.
Aidhan’s lips began to tremble. Moe could see that he was reacting to the change in the atmosphere in the diner. Aidhan’s eyes filled before his tiny mouth opened, his tongue curled and he started to cry.
“I think he may be wet,” Rebecca said, picking up the diaper bag. As she lifted, the strap caught around one of the chairs and the contents spilled out. Moe watched as Rhys was up in an instant and helping her to pick up her things. Calmly he laid out the changing pad and arranged the items he needed around it clockwise starting at nine o’clock. First was an opened disposable bag for the used diaper, then wipes. To the right of that, a dry cloth, then diaper rash cream. Finally on the right at three o’clock was a fresh diaper.
He picked up baby Aidhan and laid him down on the changing pad. He had the snaps to the pants undone in seconds. Quickly he removed the diaper and placed it in the opened bag. He then wiped the baby down with wipes, and dropped them in the opened disposable bag with the soiled diaper. He patted the smiling baby dry, applied the diaper rash cream, and was fastening the new diaper before most of them could blink. He snapped the pants back together and bounced Aidhan in his arms for a second, getting new giggles before he tucked him into his car seat.
Moe felt himself fall more in love with his mate. Rhys’s soft smile and gentle hands were quick and careful.
Rebecca turned her wide eyes to Rhys.
“You’re like Super Nanny! How did you do that? I always fumble with the darn Velcro and then he pees on me!” she exclaimed.
“You have to be quick with boys. Cold air hits them and they go again.” Rhys handed Ma the dirty diaper bag over the counter and picked up Moe’s lunch to carry back to their table.
“Where did you learn how to do that?” Gabriel asked, looking surprised.
“About ten years after you turned me, my childhood best friend approached me. Her husband had just been killed and she was pregnant. She was terrified about raising her baby alone in the country. So before I joined you, I married her and Roman and I moved to the French countryside to help her with her baby. Roman was older so he helped me feed when we made trips to Paris. We stayed until her son turned six and made then we made decision to join you here in the States. Neither one of us wanted to watch them grow old and die. But for six years I was a father to that baby, which meant diapers and teething and nighttime feedings. Things were much harder then. They have so many time-saving inventions for babies now.” Rhys shrugged.
“Neither of you told me that,” Gabriel said, looking at Roman.
“There wasn’t much to say,” Roman shrugged.
“Before moving here I helped watch my neighbor’s baby. The tiny thing liked to bite on my fingers when she was teething.” Moe laughed. He never realized how much they had in common.
“Henri did the same to Roman, but never to me.” Rhys chuckled and Roman smiled.
“You would have thought that kid was a shifter or a vampire.” Roman leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee.
Jacinda emptied her glass of soda and stood. She sashayed past Rhys and stopped in front of Moe. Behind him he could hear the diner door open and close.
“He may be good with babies, but he’s no woman. Come see me if you miss a woman’s touch.” She leaned forward and ran her finger down his cheek.
He glared up at the woman. “No thank you,” he said, biting off each word. She ran her hands over his upper chest. He heard a chair hit the floor.
“Rhys!” Gabriel exclaimed. Moe stood to his full height to see past Jacinda to find his mate. Across the table Rhys had stood, knocking the chair over. His fingers had shifted to claws and his eyes burned red.
“I knew he was a monster!” A familiar sniveling voice yelled. Jacinda screeched and practically climbed up Moe’s back for safety.
“Bitch, get off me!” Moe reached around and plucked her from his back, putting her on her feet as Gabriel and Roman stood in front of Rhys, talking quickly.
“Get the fuck outta here.” He gave the woman a not-so-gentle shove and she raced out of the door, but not before he caught the smirk she gave the wolf beta standing next to the lawyer.
Moe watched as Alpha Devon’s beta Glenn stood by the door, recording the whole thing on his phone. Moe quickly turned back and went to his mate. He simply grabbed the back of Rhys’s neck and brought his mouth down to his. The second their lips touched electricity arched between them. Rhys’s claws retracted and he stopped struggling to get free. When Moe stepped back to look at his mate, Rhys’s eyes were back to their normal deep green.
“That thing is a danger to every shifter. I’m shocked you would allow him next to your children! Give him to me! The Arkadion needs to be protected!” Salsiby screeched, reaching for Aidhan.
In less than a second Rebecca had scooped up Aidhan and was behind Liam, Kent and Connor, sandwiched between Sebastian and Ashby with their own sons.
“You stay away from my son! That ‘monster’ just changed his diaper and is perfectly fine. I trust Rhys with my son before I would ever trust you!” Rebecca was shaking from what Moe could only guess was anger and fear.
“Get out of my diner!” Ma yelled.
“This is a public building. You can’t kick us out!” Glenn protested.
“The hell I can’t. As that sniveling little weasel pointed out the day he arrived I am the diner’s owner. That means I can kick out whomever I want. Right now I’m kicking you out.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Glenn sneered.
Gabriel snarled silencing the entire diner. He waved his hand and both men were thrown out of the diner’s opened doors. Seconds later everyone heard two distinct booms as they landed.
Eyes turned to stare at Gabriel.
“Damn, Gabriel, how far did you throw them?” Moe asked, rubbing his hand up and down Rhys’s back.
“Not far enough.” The prince hissed before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He made sure his eyes had returned to his normal blue before walking over to Ashby and Arthur.
“I’ll kill him,” Rebecca whispered softly. Connor turned and wrapped an arm around his sister.
“Ma,” he said urgently. She indicated to her cell phone where she was already talking to Aleks.
“I’ll kill him if he ever comes for my baby again. I can do it. There are ways that are undetectable. I—” Connor’s large hand covered her mouth.
“Rebecca what did Aleks and I tell you about the term ‘premeditation’? Plan in your head,” Connor advised. Rebecca’s unfocused eyes cleared and she nodded.
“Rebecca I would never…” Rhys began. Moe could tell he was trying not to cry.
Rebecca stepped forward with Aidhan. Rhys tried to take a step back but Moe wouldn’t let him.
“Rhys, I wasn’t lying. I trust you with Aidhan. I know you would never hurt my son. It’s them I don’t trust.”
The diner doors opened and Aleks came through. He took one look at Rebecca’s distraught expression and his face hardened.
“Who do I have to kill, baby?” he asked, and walked over and pulled her into his arms.
“Salsiby. I have this formula I’ve been working on…”
“Rebecca! Here is another term, ‘Plausible Deniability,’” Connor said. Aleks glared at his brother before looking down at Rebecca.
“Wait, you’ve been working on a formula? Where?” Aleks asked. Rebecca looked from Aleks to Ashby and Sebastian with a panicked expression. She looked back up to Aleks and burst into tears.
“That evil lawyer was going to take my baby!” She buried her face into Aleks’s massive chest. Moe smothered a chuckle. Their Alpha Mother so had a lab here in town.
“What! Where is that son of a bitch?” Aleks’s growl rumbled through the diner.
“Gabriel literally chucked them across town. They are probably in the clini
c at the moment,” Rian explained.
“We better get home and on a video conference with grandfather giving him a heads up. Let’s hope that asshole’s phone broke when they landed, though I don’t think we’re that lucky. That video would be a damning piece of evidence.” Liam started to help Kent and Sebastian, who were already packing up Lucian’s things.
“I wasn’t, it wasn’t about that,” Rhys babbled.
“We know that, we know that is how vampires respond in anger. Unfortunately the council will only get footage of you with red eyes and out of control.” Liam looked up and smiled at Rhys.
“Look, my grandfather and most of the council is on your side. I know that they will be voices of reason. It would be nice to have evidence of our own, though. Rhys, go over there and stand with the babies.” Liam fished out his phone.
Rhys looked up at Moe, scared.
“We trust you, Rhys. You need to believe in yourself.” Moe pushed him forward gently. Rhys walked over and stood behind the car seats. Rebecca walked over and strapped Aidhan in.
“He likes you.” She wiped her eyes and stepped back.
“Actually this is perfect timing. Arthur needs a new diaper,” Ashby said, plopping the baby directly into Rhys’s arms. Moe could see a physical change come over his mate. His back was straighter, his hands no longer trembled. The faint traces of panic were erased and replaced with a soft smile. Moe could tell that Rhys immediately shifted his own issues to one side to handle the baby with love and care.
Rhys quickly arranged the baby changing items and changed Arthur as quickly as he had Aidhan. The baby smiled and cooed at him the entire time.
“He’s ready to go, Prince Ashby,” Rhys said, scooping up the baby and handing him to his prince.
“We couldn’t have asked for better footage. I’ll make sure the council sees this. We’ll reiterate that you have one hundred percent of our trust and support. Don’t worry about those assholes.” Liam smiled then turned with Sebastian and Kent, Lucian in tow and left the diner.