Fated Redemption [Kindred of Arkadia 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

“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 sooner 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 clinic 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.

“We’re heading out too. I have a feeling they will need someone to watch Lucian while they are in the

meeting, and who better than his favorite uncles?” Rian said, standing with Damian.

“Chin up, Rhys, everything will work itself out.” Damian smiled warmly.

“We need to hurry, I want time to stop at Nic’s and grab some coffee before heading home,” Rian said.

“Good idea.” Damian nodded and they left the diner talking about their next caffeine fix.

Moe walked over to Rhys and pulled him into his arms. Rhys sagged against him leaning on him just to

stay upright.

“How about we grab some extra meals, Peyton’s lunch, and head back to the bar? We have all afternoon

to relax before the bar opens this evening.” Moe easily supported his mate. Rhys never looked up, just

nodded as he kept his face buried in Moe’s chest.

“Ma, can I get a meatloaf lunch with extra gravy, pie and coffee for Peyton, and a couple of boxed