Chapter Fourteen

Despite getting a later start than planned, Damon was thoroughly enjoying his time with his family. They just cruised along, Damon and Jaytee sometimes playfully trying to get ahead of one another while Jax and their dad chuckled at their rivalry.

It felt like old times, nostalgic, like it had before mates started showing up. Not that Damon would ever give up Casimir, but it felt good to strengthen his bond with his family. Now they were at Wild Tiger Barbeque, a restaurant Damon thoroughly loved.

"That's all you're ordering?" Jaytee smirked then whispered, "You're eating for two now. You should have ordered the entire menu."

Damon elbowed his twin as he drew in the delicious aromas wafting through the restaurant. "You're having too much fun with this."

It still didn't seem real to him. Maybe it would once his stomach started poking out. But right now he still had his six-pack of muscles. If Damon were being completely honest, he was looking forward to watching his belly grow bigger. In his opinion, he was going to make being pregnant look sexy as hell. For a guy.

Jaytee squeezed his shoulder. "I'm really happy for you and Casimir." His eyes sparkled as he smiled. "I'm gonna be an uncle. How cool is that?"

But Jaytee's smile conveyed more than just joy. His twin was glad to have Damon back, relieved he was no longer suffering, and that touched him on a deep level.

"You're not about to make me order more food." Damon pointed at his rigid abs. "I have to watch my waistline. Casimir might not find me sexy anymore if I look like a beachball."

So not true. The guy couldn't keep his hand off of Damon's stomach. It was as if his pregnancy had triggered his mate's hormones, because he wanted to fuck Damon all the time now.

Jaytee cracked up at the counter. "I hate to break it to you, but your waistline is about to expand whether you watch what you eat or not."

Jax threw an arm around Damon's shoulders. "And your feet are going to swell, bro. Already plan to stock the freezer with ice cream for you."

"You guys are jerks." Damon chuckled.

"Have you two started baby shopping yet?" Kalen asked as he looked over the menu, purposely avoiding eye contact with Damon. It was extremely rare to see his dad look nervous.

"I can lend a hand if you need me to. Though the last crib I had to build by hand was for a set of twins." He finally looked at Damon and winked.

"Are you offering to build this one?" He saw how much Kalen wanted to be a part of this in any capacity, and Damon would be honored for his pup to sleep in a crib his grandfather had crafted with his bare hands.

"If you don't mind," Kalen answered as their trays of food were placed on the counter. "Thanks." He nodded to Mason.

"Couldn't help but overhear," Mason said in a low tone to Damon. "Congratulations." He looked at Kalen. "Same to you, grandpa."

Damon wasn't sure if Mason thought they were adopting or if he was aware of the fact men could get pregnant. He was a Bengal Tiger shifter, so his hearing was heightened.

Kalen swelled with pride. "Thanks. It's gonna be my first grandchild."

Damon saw now that his dad would boast like crazy over the pup. "Thanks, Mason."

The guy nodded and walked back to the kitchen as Damon turned to his dad. "No, we haven't started shopping yet." He gave his dad a hug, uncaring who was watching. "I would love for you to build the pup's crib, grandpa."

Kalen patted his back. "Stop before you have me blubbering in the middle of a barbeque joint."

Wow. Damon had been raised by a caring, but firm hand, but the last time he'd seen his dad cry was when their mom had been killed. His dad might have cried since then, but Damon hadn't witnessed it.

They carried their trays to a booth and sat down to eat. Damon glanced out of the large glass window and noticed that the sun was already setting. Even though they'd only been riding for an hour, he was anxious to get home to his mate. He missed Casimir like crazy and saw the same expression in Jaytee's eyes. His twin missed Raidh.

But Damon didn't want to cut his time short with his family. Some might not consider simply riding on the open road as bonding, but for Damon and his family, riding side by side, the loud rumble of their engines, just cruising along, was everything to them. Especially when they stopped as a family to sit down and enjoy a meal together like they were doing now.

"I've been dreaming about Mason's barbeque." Damon bit into a rib bone and moaned at the taste, loving how the meat just fell off the ribs.

"Is it a craving?" Jaytee bounced his brows. "Should I go back up there and order you an entire tray of desserts?"

"You've had your fun, boy," Kalen said sternly to Jaytee. "Let your brother eat in peace."

Jaytee scrunched his face at Damon. "Fine, but I was only offering to get him some dessert. I hear pregos crave sweets."

"You're gonna crave my hand on the back of your head if you don't quit it," their dad warned.

His twin smirked before he focused on his food.

After Damon had taken three bites, his nausea returned. "You've got to be kidding me." He didn't care if his nausea hit him full-on. He'd been looking forward to ribs and macaroni and cheese. Nothing was going to stop him from eating it.

"What?" Jaytee furrowed his brows. Then they shot up as he scrambled from beside Damon. "Don't you dare get sick! You're just trying to get back at me."

Damon breathed in a few times and finally settled his stomach. "Like I can help it," he grumbled. He glanced at his dad and Jax then smirked when he saw they had their trays lifted off the table. "Very funny."

"Who's being funny?" Jax asked. "Love you, bro, but not that much. I paid good money for this food."

Damon winced when his stomach slightly cramped. He rubbed his abdomen, wondering if he really was going to be sick, until he felt a hunger starting to grow inside of him, only… He focused on the sensation, but noticed it wasn't gripping his throat. It was more like a gentle gnawing at his gut.

"What's wrong?" Kalen asked as Jaytee slowly sat back down. "Get to the bathroom if you're going to be sick, son."

"It's not that." Damon shook his head then lowered his voice. "I got a different kind of hunger going on."

"Do you need to feed?" Jaytee whispered, running his hand over his beard. "Why didn't you take care of that before we left the house?"

"Should we take you home to Casimir?" Kalen asked in a low tone. "Sorry to say this, but Jaytee is right. Why didn't you feed before we left?"

Damon didn't want to discuss his feedings with his family. The subject felt too intimate, considering it was always followed by sex...or during sex…or triggered sex. But he wasn't going to sit there and be chastised. "I did."

It had been early this morning, but he shouldn't need to feed for another week.

"Is it the baby?" Jax looked around, clearly making sure no one was sitting close by. The restaurant was lightweight packed, but the booth behind theirs was empty.

"We seriously need to get a baby doctor who specializes in male pregnancies and a shifter with all those different traits inside of him."

Damon stared daftly at his twin. "Since that spell hasn't been performed in a few thousand years, let me know how your search goes."

He could call Christian and ask about male pregnancy in vampires, but after what almost happened, Damon wanted to steer clear of the prince. He didn't think Christian would remember the incident, but Damon was not going to tempt fate.

"You don't have to get hormonal with me," Jaytee murmured, seeming genuinely offended. "I was only trying to help."

"Thanks." Damon squeezed his twin's shoulder. After the hell he'd put his family through, Damon didn't want any of them to think he was ungrateful. He appreciated his family more now than he ever had before. Besides Casimir, they were his solid rocks to lean on.

"Just tell us what you want us to do," Kalen said. "We can always grab some to-go containers. Your health and the pup's are more important."

"But I was looking forward to this ride." Damon grunted when another small wave of hunger constricted his stomach. He had no clue what was going on. He'd fed, and there weren't any fae around, nothing to warrant what was happening to him. Damon was completely clueless.

"Rides aren't going anywhere." His dad nodded at Jaytee. "Besides, I can tell he wants to get back to Raidh."

Jaytee rolled his eyes. "I can spend a few hours away from my mate, Dad."

"Tell that to someone who'll believe you," Jax countered. "I can see the weepiness in your eyes. You're mooning over your Moonbeam." He snickered, as if he found himself funny.

Damon smirked. "Good one, bro." They tapped knuckles across the table.

Even Kalen was grinning.

Jaytee exhaled and shook his head like they were a pain in his ass.

Damon poked him in his arm. "Admit it. You miss your little boo."

The hunger grew a little more, and now Damon was zeroed in on Jaytee's neck. The sound of blood rushing through the veins of every person in the restaurant filled his ears, along with their loud heartbeats.

Yet, the hunger still wasn't coming from the dark need inside of him. It was more like a hunger in his stomach, but not for food. "We have a problem," Damon whispered urgently.

All three turned to him, concern in their eyes.

"I'm a little too preoccupied with Jaytee's neck, and I can hear the pulse of every person in this place." He lifted his hand slightly to gesture toward everyone sitting around them.

"You can hear all that?" Jax tilted his head in fascination at Damon. "That's pretty cool."

"Now is not the time to be impressed," Damon growled. He quickly covered his mouth when his fangs involuntarily lengthened. This was not good.

"Let's roll, boys." His dad stood up just as Mason arrived at their table carrying takeout boxes. He quickly packed their food as Jaytee got up and let Damon scoot out of the booth.

"Thanks." Kalen shook Mason's hand.

"Just take care of him," Mason said to Kalen before he glanced at Damon. "No offense if I don't shake your hand. Hope you figure this out."

Whatever hunger was gnawing at him was triggering Damon's own thirst now. His gaze scanned hungrily over the customers, searching for the strongest heartbeat.

"Get moving." Kalen grabbed Damon's arm and pulled him toward the door. "We can't have you feeding on an innocent person, son. If it's that desperate, you can feed on one of us."

"I can't," Damon whispered.

"Why not?" Kalen pushed open the door as they exited.

"It's an intimate thing," Jaytee chimed in from behind them. "I can pour some blood into a cup if you need it that badly."

Damon nodded quickly, his hand still covering his mouth, his mind becoming hazy, the desire for blood overpowering his thoughts. He didn't want to drink blood from a cup. That sounded disgusting, but the hunger was growing too strong to be picky.

"I'll go grab a cup," Jax offered. "I'll meet you guys behind the building."

"Call Casimir," Damon said from behind his hand. He had also gotten his mate a cell phone with his delivery of clothing and had programmed Casimir's number into his family's phones and vice versa.

"On it." Jaytee pulled out his phone as Kalen helped Damon walk toward the back of the building. Now that they were outside and away from the crowd, his father's pulse was the most prominent sound he could hear.

"Sink them into me and we're going to have real problems," Kalen warned without looking at Damon. His father was much taller than him, an inch shorter than Casimir, with large muscles and quiet authority.

"Casimir is on his way with Raidh and Elvine," Jaytee said, sliding his phone into his back pocket.

"Why is he bringing them?" Kalen asked.

Jaytee shot Damon a glare. "Because my twin told his mate to keep a close eye on the brats . Now Casimir refuses to take his eyes off of them."

Damon dropped his hand but tried his best not to breathe in their scents. His fangs were fully exposed now.

"Those are kind of cool," Jaytee commented with a small smile. "Pointy too."

"Do you want to find out just how sharp they are?" Damon growled.

"Not really," Jaytee replied with a frown just as Jax joined them, holding a comically large cup in his hand. It was one of those super-sized ones.

"Son, are you trying to drain us?" Kalen looked incredulously at the cup then at Jax. "I'm sure a smaller one would have done just fine."

"How was I supposed to know what size we needed?" Jax thrust the cup at Jaytee. "You go first. That way, if Damon attacks when he smells your blood, we can pin him against the building."

Damon could not believe he was going through this. He'd started taking precautions ever since the day he'd tried to attack that hiker. Casimir also made sure Damon fed when he was supposed to.

He needed his mate, not a freaking cup of blood. But it would have to do in a pinch.

Jaytee extended a claw and sliced his arm, causing blood to instantly surface. As soon as the mouthwatering scent filled the air, Damon hissed.

Jax and Kalen pinned Damon against the building, preventing him from reaching Jaytee's wound. Damon struggled to break free and get to the source of the blood.

Jaytee shoved the rim of the cup against Damon's lips. "Drink or I'll make you drink it."

Panting, Damon sucked down the small amount but was still thirsty.

"Give me the cup." Kalen snatched it from Jaytee.

Damon breathed heavily as his dad used his claw to slice his arm open. He held it over the cup longer than he should have, but Damon was too thirsty to yell at him to close his damn wound.

"That's enough," Jax argued as he and Jaytee held Damon in place. "Are you trying to go into hypovolemic shock?"

Kalen blinked his eyes a few times while handing the cup to Jax. "I'm okay."

"The hell you are," Jaytee snarled. "Sit down, Dad. I don't need you falling and cracking your skull. You've already lost too much blood."

There was worry in his twin's voice, but when it came to their father being hurt, they were all concerned.

Jax shoved the cup at Damon's lips, and he drank greedily until his thirst was finally quenched. His breathing slowed as his fangs receded.

"You good?" Jaytee asked, still holding on to Damon.

"Yes." Damon closed his eyes. "Check on Dad."

"I got Damon," Jax said to Jaytee as he jerked his chin at Kalen. "Help Dad." He looked Damon in his eyes. "Are you sure you're good, bro? If you need more, I can give you some."

He cupped Jax around his neck and rested his forehead against his brother's. "I'm good. I just don't know what happened. I swear I fed this morning."

"I believe you, Damon." Jax rested his hands on Damon's shoulders. "I'm willing to bet this has something to do with my niece or nephew."

Damon closed his eyes when Jax used the term, making his pregnancy feel more real. "How's Dad? Please don't tell me he donated too much. I already feel shitty for cutting our time short."

As badly as Damon wanted to go to Kalen, he was dizzy and hung on to Jax just to stay upright. He felt horrible about needing his family's blood but even worse that his dad had given more than he should have.

"He just needs to shift to replace the blood," Jaytee said from where he knelt next to Kalen. He gripped their dad's shoulder. "Don't you dare do anything like that again."

"My boy needed to feed." Kalen rubbed the heel of his hand against his eye. "Don't ever stop me from taking care of any of you."

Jax cursed under his breath, his frustration evident in the way he clenched his jaw. "I swear he's the most stubborn man I have ever met."

Damon gave a weak smile. "We'll take him in the backyard if he does it again." He took a deep inhale and released it slowly, trying to steady himself.

"Dude, no offense, but your breath stinks like blood." Jax lifted his forehead away from Damon's, wrinkling his nose. "You might want to start carrying some gum or breath mints in your pocket."

As soon as Jax released him, Damon collapsed to the ground. His head was spinning uncontrollably, and he could no longer focus on anything else.

"Damon!" Jax knelt next to him. "What's going on, hon?"

"I-I don't know." Damon clenched his eyes shut, trying to regain control of his senses. "I feel like I took one too many shots of Red Spanking." A potent preternatural drink that knocked them on their asses.

"What do we do?" Jax asked Jaytee. "We need Dad to shift, but I don't know what's going on with Damon."

"T-Threat," Damon gasped out, struggling to form coherent words.

"Excuse me," an unfamiliar voice interrupted, causing Jax to snarl in response as Jaytee moved protectively over their dad.

Forcing his head to turn despite the dizziness and disorientation, Damon caught sight of the looming threat at their back.