Chapter ten

Axel

Ilay my feet in Jeff's lap, smiling to myself as his hand wraps around my ankle and squeezes. This has become a regular occurrence in this household. The gang's all here. Cooper is laying on the floor, a couple of books laid out in front of him. Ronny is on his laptop, typing away. Carlos and Jeff are playing a card game with Martin and I'm just here, taking everything in.

The search for the vampire that turned Jeff is still ongoing. Every time I think about it, my stomach sinks. She's keeping low and I have this sinking feeling that she's planning something.

Whatever it is, I have a feeling this team will be able to take care of it.

"Go fish," Martin says with an annoyed huff and I notice the way Cooper smiles to himself. I wonder if they have something going on. There's definitely something there, though they'd like everyone to believe they're some sort of rivals, but I can see through that. I hope I get to be in the front row to see them get their shit together someday.

I wiggle my toes against Jeff before moving so I can stand up. "Does anyone need refills?"

"Oh, I'll help you," Carlos says, standing up and setting his cards down.

"You're just mad you're losing," Jeff says with a warm chuckle.

"Oh yes," Carlos teases, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'll forever be devastated that I lost this game of go-fish."

I grab everyone's empty bottles on the way to the kitchen, dumping them into my recycling bin before heading to the fridge. "Do you want a soda or something?"

Carlos gives me a small smile, nodding his head. "Yeah, I'll just take whatever you have. I'm not picky."

I get to work pulling out new beers and a soda for Carlos, popping the tops off the beer bottles. I get one more for myself but Carlos clears his throat. I pause, looking over at him.

Carlos looks nervous, biting at his bottom lip and looking all sorts of unsure. I take a deep breath, trying to get a sense of what's going on based on scent, something I've been taught to do as a child. There are so many perks to being a vampire and this happens to be one of them.

He smells nervous. And like wet dog. It's a smell I noticed the very first time I met him but one I haven't brought up. None of the team seem to really know there's anything different about Carlos which isn't surprising since they don't have the heightened senses like I do, and if they do know, they don't care.

"What's up?"

He lets out a long sigh, touching his necklace. "I don't think you should be drinking that."

My stomach flips. I set the beer back into the fridge slowly, feeling embarrassed I'd even grabbed it. "It was more force of habit than anything. To fit in with the humans," I admit with a self-deprecating smile. There's something I've been ignoring for a couple weeks now, something I wasn't quite prepared to admit to myself.

"I wasn't sure if you knew or not," he says, his face bright red. "I umm," Carlos starts to say, cutting himself off with an awkward cough. "I may or may not have been able to hear the heartbeat."

"Do the rest know that you're not human?"

Carlos shrugs, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Honestly? I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes they say things that make me think they know, but I've never come out and said it before."

"Are you planning on telling them?"

"If I ever needed to I wouldn't lie. But I have no plans of renting a plane and putting it up in the sky."

I snort in amusement. "No one's asking you to do that."

"I know. It's just ironic, isn't it? Someone like me being a hunter."

"Isn't it ironic? A baby vampire leading a group of hunters."

Carlos finally cracks a smile. "Apparently Lady Fate knew exactly the type of mate Jeff would need to put up with all of us."

My chest warms at the idea of me fitting in with Jeff's team. To fit into the little family he's created for himself. My hand goes to my stomach.

"How the fuck does a baby fit into a hunter's life?"

Carlos takes a long moment to answer. "I'm not entirely sure. But I know a hunter's hours are flexible, we can live anywhere, and we get to pick and choose which jobs we take. Jeff would never do anything to put you or the baby at risk, if that's what you're worried about."

"Not even a little bit. That never even crossed my mind. I'm more worried that Jeff will think he needs to pick the white picket fence life instead of hunting when that's the last thing I want for him."

"He's stubborn," Carlos says with a smile. "But he's also calculated. Reasonable. If you talk to him, I have no doubt you'll figure things out."

I reach over, squeezing Carlos' shoulder. "Thank you. You're very wise for being the baby of the group."

Carlos groans. "Not you too."

"I have to, Carlos," I say with a chuckle. "It's like a rite of passage. Let me have this."

"Fine," Carlos says, faking the most dramatic sigh and making me giggle a little more. He helps me bring everything into the living room, passing out everyone's drinks.

"Come here, baby," Jeff says when I step over to him. I go to sit next to him but let out a surprised noise when he grabs me around the waist and tugs me into his lap.

Jeff nuzzles the back of my neck and I can feel him breathing me in. I wonder if he can smell the baby, smell that it's not just me anymore. Does he even realize the way he's been more affectionate lately? Are his instincts going crazy, telling him to protect me?

Gods, I really need to talk to him about this. Being a born vampire, I knew this was a possibility but I'd been ignoring it, not wanting to think about it.

The idea of Jeff going back to hunting scares me. Not because I don't trust him, because I do. I know he's strong and I've seen his self-control first hand, but I'm still scared. What if he comes up against something he can't fight his way out of? What if something happens to him and I'm left all alone, left with our baby?

My trust in Jeff is bigger than my fear though, so I'll continue to hold onto that.

He deserves to know the truth.

With my mind made up, I promise to talk to him about it tonight. Joy surges through me and a smile spreads across my lips. I turn my head in order to kiss Jeff on the lips, wanting him to feel the amount of affection I have for him. It doesn't matter it's been a mere few weeks since we've met. We're true mates and I know that means feelings grow quickly. I embrace them, just as much as I embrace Jeff.

"Alright, alright," Ronny calls out with a good natured laugh. "Save it for the bedroom. Sheeesh."

"Don't be such a prude," Cooper says back, looking up from his book. "You act like you've never seen someone kiss before. It hasn't been that long since you've gotten laid, has it, Ronny?"

Ronny's face turns bright red and he looks away. "Shut it, Cooper," he says but even though the words are terse, I know there's nothing but love between all these guys.

I'm struck with emotions as I sit back against Jeff's chest. There's so much love here and somehow, Lady Fate has deemed me worthy to be a part of this family. I lace my fingers with Jeff's over the center of my belly. I can't wait to tell him about the life inside of me. I just hope that conversation goes well and that my anxieties are unwarranted.