Vampire Mine

Chapter Thirteen

Diskant Black had seen a lot of serious shit in his life, from battles to blood feuds. As an Omega—with the ability to sense other beasts and control most shifters—not much surprised him. Then his mate had come along, flipped him on his head and pretty much caused the world to start spinning in the opposite fucking direction. Like dominos, things had tumbled and fallen one by one. He’d thought he’d finally gotten things worked out when Sadie’d showed up with her friend in tow.

Trey and Nathan. Mated to fucking vampires.

He raked his fingers through his hair, glaring at the phone.

Craig Newlander had agreed to help, but as always the bastard was asking questions. It was the truce Diskant had made with the head of the Villati—a group of humans who researched and chronicled information on all things supernatural. Each and every time he’d had to reach out to Craig, Diskant’s skin had crawled. He didn’t like the man, not one fucking bit.

Heaviness weighed on his shoulders.

Nathan would want to know what was going on, and he’d given his word to give the male a say in things. Diskant wasn’t sure how Nathan would take the news. In a few hours he’d have to depart with Leigh. Craig had played phone tag with the enclave but eventually the fucker had come through. The enclave said they could protect Leigh. Craig even indicated they were curious about the woman when they’d learned of her circumstances. Of course Diskant had kept her ability a secret, saying only that she’d been changed against her will and needed a safe place from others like her.

His eyes closed, the images that Sadie’d shown him flashing through his head.

Fear. Horror. Devastation. Loss.

Leigh had suffered in ways he didn’t want to ponder too heavily. He only wished he could convey it to Nathan in a way that wouldn’t destroy the man. The Beta was unstable enough. Much more and he’d lose control over his wolf. If and when that happened, Nathan would likely destroy any chance he had with his female.

Opening his lids, Diskant reclined in his chair.

The office usually calmed him. It was a quiet place where he could think things through. Now the space seemed almost constrictive, the walls closing in on him while he waited for the pack to arrive. He had no idea how they’d react to Sadie. After what had happened with Mary they’d probably get the fuck out of town. Without the numbers he needed to form a proper guard, he couldn’t give his mate or child safety.

That didn’t work for him. At all.

Take Pinkie to Alaska. Wish everyone your best and get the fuck out.

“Nothing’s going to happen to me, you know.”

He turned toward his female’s voice, smiling when he saw her form in the doorway. She still managed to get under his skin. Rounding and pregnant with his child, she was even more radiant. He blonde hair had grown slightly, the pink strands a lighter shade since she’d stopped worrying about the color as often. Her enormous midnight-blue eyes took him in, seeing everything.

“Come here.” He spun the chair around and sat up, making room for her on his lap. “Let me hold you, baby.”

“If anyone gets too riled, I’ll calm them down,” she told him, resting her weight against his chest, tucking her head to her chin. “The world is changing. The pack’s going to have to accept that. In order to survive you have to adapt.”

Ava meant well. Due to the fact she raided his mind whenever she felt like it she knew everything about the pack. But she hadn’t been born a shifter. She might see the pack and be a part of them but in a way she’d never fully understand them.

“That’ll be easier said than done. There’s a chance they’re going to leave, Pinkie. If they do you’re going to have to accept we can’t stay here. It’s not safe. We’ll have to go.”

“I don’t want to move to Alaska,” she grumbled and he felt the anger stirring inside her. “I like it here. This is home.”

“You can finally meet my family.” Optimism was a right good thing, especially if it could soothe his female’s violate temper. “They can’t wait to see you.”

“If they want to see me they can come here,” she countered. Even cuddled up in an innocent-looking ball the woman was all fire. “I didn’t threaten a woman today only to back down when the fire gets hot.”

He caught the catch in her voice. She was still upset.

Goddamn it.

He held her close, trying to alleviate her guilt. Although Ava was a formidable woman, she wasn’t without compassion. She’d felt horrible about what she’d done to Leigh. When she’d faced the woman she’d pretended to be calm. Diskant knew she hadn’t been. He’d sensed how upset she was the instant she left the bedroom, rushing from Leigh and Sadie. He’d reacted, going in search of her. When he’d found her in the kitchen she’d been shaking like a leaf and wringing her hands.

“You probably saved her life.” He’d already told her that but it bore repeating. “She couldn’t have left here alone. She wouldn’t have made it very far.” Skimming his fingers over her arm, he consoled, “And then there’s Nathan. Imagine what it would have done to him if his mate had vanished. At least now they have a chance.”

“Maybe you’re right.” His gaze went to her hand. She stroked her growing belly, talking quietly. “I just wish I didn’t have to do it. You know, I thought carrying this baby would be the hardest thing I’d have to do this year.” She snorted, shaking her blonde head. “I guess I was wrong.”

“Ava mine,” he whispered, resting his hand over hers. Taking her fury was one thing. He couldn’t stand her sadness. “Don’t make me bend your sexy little ass over this desk and take off my belt. I don’t like it when you throw pity parties.”

“As I recall, you were throwing the party. Not me. I was an unexpected guest.”

Minx.

Lifting his hand from her stomach, he cupped her face. He drew her chin upward until their eyes locked. She was so tiny—so fucking fragile. He studied her, his gaze drinking her in. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.

And she was his.

He knew he’d been given a gift beyond measure. That’s what made their current predicament so goddamn shitty. He couldn’t let her go to Alaska without him but he didn’t want her to stay either.

Those expressive blue eyes flashed in a silent warning. “I’m not going anywhere.”

There she went, reading his mind again.

“Will you never do what you’re told?” he asked her telepathically, without realizing he’d done so. By now it was second nature. “Do you always have to be so damn obstinate?”

“Obstinate my ass.” Despite the rebuke her voice tendered, her brows unfurling. “You know how I am. You might as well give up the idea of keeping me barefoot and pregnant.”

A cough drew Diskant and Ava’s attention to the door.

Nathan stood just inside the frame, studying them. Ava sat a little straighter, allowing Diskant to assist her. A pang of remorse slithered through Diskant, working its way through his gut. Seeing them together—close and intimate—had to break something inside Nathan. It wasn’t fair but when it came to mating, things rarely were.

“Come in.” Diskant motioned to the chair situated on the other side of the desk.

Nathan’s eyes darted to Ava. Hatred tainted the Beta’s glare.

Diskant had to tamp down his inclination to put the man in his place, reminding himself that Nathan had been through hell. In any other situation he’d have taken anyone who showed Ava disrespect to the ground and offered their balls to her on a stick.

“Easy, big boy,” Ava thought to him, patting his arm. “I’m not offended.”

“You’ll have to leave with Cade tonight,” Diskant informed Nathan as the Beta took a seat. “But instead of heading to North Carolina you’ll be meeting someone in Virginia.” With a little shift, Diskant managed to ease his arm from Ava and retrieve a piece of paper. He tossed it toward Nathan and said, “That’s the number for your contact. Don’t call it until you’re well out of town. We don’t need to take a chance anyone will be able to track you.”

Nathan reached for the paper. “Do we leave before or after the pack arrives?”

“Actually, I need you to get everything together and go as soon as possible.” As soon as the sun set the pack would gather. It was best if Leigh had gone by then as an added precaution. The wolves might be eager for blood and two vampires would raise their hackles more than one. “You need to tell Cade to suit up.”

Nathan’s hazel eyes drifted to Ava again, only this time they were pained. “Tell me. I know you can hear her thoughts. What’s going on in her head? I need to know what to do.”

“Let Cade take the lead,” Ava answered softly, the sympathy in her voice melting Diskant’s heart. “He’s human and she’ll gravitate toward that. She needs time to move on with her life. She’s been through a lot but she’s stronger than she thinks. Give her space and she’ll come to you.”

“What about the human she mentioned?” There was misery in Nathan’s question, as well as a desperate need to hear something positive. “She loves him.”

“She does, but that doesn’t change anything. He’s human. She’s not. She’s accepted she can’t go back. She just has to find a way to move forward.”

Diskant’s wolf reached out to the Beta, attempting to ease the man’s beast. At first Nathan fought it. Then he relaxed. The surrender bothered Diskant more than he wanted to admit. Like this, Nathan wasn’t much good to anyone. He was already looking for ways to ease his anguish. Not good when a person relied on the animal inside of them for protection, needing survival instincts to stay alive.

“Give him time.” Ava’s thought penetrated his mind. “He thought Leigh would come back and they’d finish what they’d started. He needs time to sort through everything. He’s still in shock.”

“I’ll tell Cade.” Nathan looked and seemed calmer as he rose from his seat. “What do you want us to drive?”

“Take the van out back,” Diskant replied, opening one of the drawers on the desk. He found what he was looking for and tossed the keys over. “It’ll draw less attention.”

Nathan left without another word but Diskant knew the male’s thoughts. Ava had entered the man’s mind, taking the information she wanted. She relayed everything to Diskant, letting him ease into Nathan’s head as well. The Beta was upset and terrified he’d fuck things up but with Diskant’s assistance he’d finally put a handle on things.

“The issue’s going to be Cade,” Ava whispered, speaking softly so no one else would hear. She did that sometimes, talking aloud when she didn’t have to. Diskant figured it stemmed from years of doing so. “He’s got a lot going on in that head of his.”

“Like the woman you told me about?” From what Ava had said she’d told him the human member of the pack thought about a female from time to time. “What was her name again?”

“Destiny,” Ava responded absentmindedly.

He tried to relax but it wasn’t possible.

The woman who’d snared Cade’s attention wasn’t just a woman.

She was a fucking conjurer.

Diskant had asked Cade to accompany the witch to New Orleans as a favor to Craig Newlander. She’d had guards but needed extra help to travel to the enclave that wanted to protect her. Considering most supernatural creatures wanted her dead, only human protection would do. That was why Diskant had sent Cade—the king of all assholes—to do the job. He’d never thought anything more would come of it.

Add another fucking problem to the list.

Having two vampires in the pack would be tough but it was possible. None of them would accept a conjurer. If vampires were considered dangerous then conjurers—with the ability to manipulate so many different things—were a fucking catastrophe.

“You won’t have to worry about that for a while.” Ava’s energy washed over him, her mind warm as she dove into his head, pulling him away from darkness. “As soon as you give Caden the information he needs he’s going to go. I’m not sure if he’ll ever be back. Even he doesn’t know for certain. He’s confused and can’t focus on the future.”

“I guess we’ll deal with it when we have to.” God knew he wasn’t up for anything else. They had enough shit to clean up. Again Diskant remembered how fortunate he was to have Ava as a mate. She brought so much to the pack. They had no idea how lucky they were. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“There is one thing.” She turned in his lap so she could see him. Placing his hand on her stomach, she gazed into his eyes. Love shone in the shimmering blue orbs—love directed right at him. “I heard the baby today.”

He stopped breathing, becoming completely still.

The world suddenly seemed too big and dangerous.

Ava had been hoping this might happen. She’d started eavesdropping on pregnant women as soon she found out she was expecting. After the first trimester—and especially into the second—she’d found she could detect an unborn baby’s thoughts. A fetus’s impressions were muddled and unclear, more like feelings than words. But she’d found them. She’d hoped like hell she could do the same with the child growing under her heart but she hadn’t been certain.

Forcing his shoulders to relax, he asked anxiously, “What did you hear?”

“It wasn’t so much what I heard, it’s what I felt.”

He waited, his heart thudding in his chest.

What had she felt? Was something wrong?

“Nothing’s wrong. At least not in the way you think.” She leaned close, feathering her lips over his. Then—just when he thought he’d have to strangle the rest from her—she said, “It’s a girl.”