The doctor waved a hand at Stripper. "I'm fully aware of Steven's predicament. But why does he need a bodyguard?"
Everyone turned toward T-Rex. The doctor had no clue about Steven's parents, and they wanted to keep it that way. Without missing a beat, T-Rex replied, "Colten isn't in the right frame of mind. I want someone there who can relate to us what is going on."
The doctor shook his head. "I can give you daily reports. I'm not sure how my staff will feel about having someone there with a gun."
Stripper winked at the man. "Trust me, no one will know I have it."
The doctor seemed to want to argue further but he let the subject drop. It was a good thing, too. He wasn't going to win this argument. Within an hour, a private ambulance pulled up to the house and Steven was brought downstairs. All the men wished him well before he was placed in the back of the ambulance.
Sam watched as the four men departed. He wasn't sure why, but he was getting a very hanky feeling about all of this. When he turned toward T-Rex, Sam could see the man wore the same expression. Mistrust. Unease.
Sam was going to take the second shift. Nate and Leonardo still hadn't surfaced, and taking Steven away from the protection of their home didn't sit well with Sam at all.
Chapter Twelve.
Colten rubbed at his forehead as he walked down the long, sterile hallway. He'd been at the clinic for weeks now. He was grateful that his friends rotated shifts and helped keep an eye on Steven. Most of Colten's attention was on his mate and he wasn't as vigilant as he should be when it came to his surroundings.
Over the past few weeks, Colten had fallen deeply in love with Steven. The man was a fighter. But Colten had also seen the fragile side of Steven. No matter how hard he tried to convince his mate that this wasn't his fault, Steven seemed adamant that he had let Colten down.
As he passed the receptionist, Colten noticed a few new faces. He only half paid attention as he made his way back to Steven's room. He had to figure out a way to ease Steven's troubled mind.
Colten had promised the man a happy life if Steven gave him a child, and Colten hadn't delivered on his promise yet. Colten smiled as he entered the room. He always smiled whenever he laid eyes on his mate. Steven was sitting up in the bed, the table pulled close and their card game sitting there waiting for Colten to resume.
"You didn't peek at the cards while I was gone, did you?" he asked as he took a seat.
Steven's half-cocked smile said that he had. "I would never do such a thing, Mr. Tselner."
Colten gazed at Steven's crystal-blue eyes and wondered how in the hell he'd gotten so lucky. The man was still as gorgeous as ever, especially since he'd swollen fully with Colten's child. They hadn't had sex since Steven had gone into premature labor, and to be honest, staring at his handsome mate, Colten wanted nothing more than to make slow, passionate love to the man.
He was getting hard as he stood there.
Steven noticed. His cheeks flamed as he shifted in the bed. "Having such naughty thoughts will only get you into trouble."
Colten chuckled as he took a seat. Although he was developing blue balls, he could wait. Steven's health was more important to him. Besides, he and his hand had become intimate friends over the past few weeks.
But that didn't stop him from greedily drinking his mate in.
Steven pushed the tray table aside and crooked his finger. Colten didn't have to be told twice. He scooted onto the slim bed and leaned forward, taking Steven's lips in an enticing kiss.
"I can't take this anymore," Steven said as he panted. "I need relief."
Colten glanced toward the door as he slid his hand under the sheets. Steven was rock hard. He wrapped his fingers around his mate's cock and felt the heated flesh pulse in his hand. "You know I shouldn't be doing this for you."
Steven groaned as he tossed his head to the side. "One orgasm won't hurt. I promise."
Colten had a hard time saying no to his mate. Especially when Steven looked so damn breathtaking. He licked along Steven's jaw, nuzzling the day's growth on the man's skin as he pumped his hand. Steven gripped Colten's shoulders and whimpered. It was a sound that Colten welcomed.
"Faster," Steven begged breathlessly. "I can promise you that this won't take long."
Colten gave a soft laugh. "I'm sure it won't."
He coaxed his mate into laying all the way back as he kissed Steven along his neck, his fingers playing over the pre-cum that was leaking from the head of the man's cock and using it for lubrication.
Steven's muscles bunched and flexed as his breath came out in shallow pants. His fingers tightened over Colten's shoulders. The man was close. Colten's own cock was heavy and aching. He forced himself to ignore it. This was all about Steven.
His mate bowed his back and then bit back a cry as his cock exploded into Colten's fist. Colten's canines descended and he scraped them along Steven's shoulder. He wanted to bite. He wanted to bite badly. But he refrained from doing so. Colten didn't want to add to Steven's stress. But it wasn't easy. Every instinct in him wanted to sink his canines deep.
Steven collapsed against the pillow, a happy little smile crossing his face. Colten placed a kiss on Steven's lips before he got up and went to the small bathroom for a cloth to clean his mate. As he wet the cloth, he heard voices in the other room.
Colten stepped from the bathroom to see two strangers standing in the room. The same strangers he'd seen behind the reception desk. They were wearing white coats, indicating that they were doctors. But what caught Colten's attention was the look of pure panic on Steven's face. Colten could feel how terrified his mate was.
"Is there a problem?" Colten asked as he set the cloth aside and moved quickly toward his mate.
One doctor was female while the other was male. The longer Colten studied them, the more he realized the striking resemblance between them and Steven.
These two were Steven's parents.
The father pulled a gun out of his white lab coat. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. "We're taking our son out of here and if you try to stop us, I'll shoot you."
Colten glanced toward the door. Shott had taken this shift and he wondered where the man was. Even though it had been weeks since they'd arrived here, the men of Executive Bodyguards hadn't become lax in their duty. The men had continued to stay on full alert.
So where was Shott?
The mother moved to the side of the bed, opposite Colten. "We're going to walk out of here quietly," she said to Steven. Her eyes landed on her son and Colten could see the stunned surprise in them. The two hadn't known that Steven was pregnant. How they had found Steven was a mystery, but they'd done it. What they hadn't factored in was that their son would be pregnant or that he would be mated to a bear who would maul them to death if they even thought about taking Steven from him.
"Do you see this?" she asked her husband. "How is this possible?"
"Tests," the father replied. Colten could see the man's mind turning back to its natural, analytical state. He was a scientist and Colten was willing to bet that the father was going over data in his head, trying to come up with a logical explanation.
There wasn't one. No bear had yet figured out how they could get their male mates pregnant. It was still a huge mystery to them. But Colten would fight to the death to protect Steven and his unborn child.
"Tests." The mother repeated the word as she nodded. "Before and after Subject Two is born."
She seemed giddy at the prospect. Subject Two. She hadn't even referred to the baby as her grandchild. Colten growled at the way they were speaking of his cub. He could feel his claws threatening to slide free.
"I'm not going anywhere with you two," Steven said as he scooted closer to the side of the bed where Colten was standing. "I'm not your damn subject. I'm your son!"
The two didn't seem to be paying Steven any attention. They were staring excitedly at his distended abdomen. The father still held the gun in his hand, but it wasn't aimed at Colten. The muzzle was pointed toward the floor.
Colten lurched forward but the father raised the gun in time, his eyes narrowing. "Step back or I'll put a hole in your head."
The threat rolled off the man's tongue so naturally that Colten had a feeling the father had killed before. Which meant he wouldn't hesitate to kill Colten. He might be a powerful bear, but a bullet was a bullet.
A shadow moved past the rectangular glass in the door. Colten's eyes followed for a heartbeat before he looked back at the father. "So what, you plan on putting Steven back in a lab like a rat, and my child as well?"
"Your child," the mother scoffed. "He or she belongs to us. We created Steven and now Steven has created another subject. We'll be famous for our discovery. We've already documented every aspect of Steven's growth from the moment of his creation."
Colten was confused as hell. Who referred to conception as creating someone? Or had they truly created Steven? He would say that was impossible, but so was a man becoming pregnant.
"Oh, shut up," Steven groused. "I was conceived, not created. I'm sick and tired of you two treating me like this. I'm not going back. There is no way in hell you're going to shove me into a gilded cage so you can make me perform like a circus monkey. All in the name of science, right?"
Colten smiled at his mate's irate tone. Steven was standing up for himself. Good for him.
"You'll do as you're told." His father snarled the words. "Or I'll kill your little pet." His gun waved at Colten. "We know what he can do. Our informant told us how he can shift into a bear. We might take him along and dissect him just to see how it all works."
Colten growled.
"Get out of the bed." Steven's mother pulled Steven from the bed. She was pretty damn strong for a slim woman. Steven fought and kicked to no avail. She had him on his feet and was shoving him toward the door before Colten could do anything about it. Colten glared at the father and the gun in his hand.
As soon as the mother opened the door, Shott slammed a fist into her face. The father turned to see what was happening and that was when Colten went for the gun. But the father didn't give it up easily. They struggled for it. Their hands twisted and turned and then the gun went off.
Colten could hear Steven scream. He caught sight of his mate clutching his stomach before Steven went down. Colten blinked and then looked down to see blood spreading across his abdomen. He'd been shot.
Shott didn't hesitate. He pulled his gun free, aimed, and fired. The father hit the floor, his eyes wide as the life bled from them. He was dead. The mother screamed and raced toward her husband. But instead of weeping over the man, she grabbed the gun that had been in his hand.
Shott killed her as well.
Colten dropped to his knees as he pressed his hands into his belly. He saw Steven gasping for air as he held his own stomach. His mate was going into labor. The stress of the situation must have been too much.
"Shift," Shott demanded. "Shift, damn it."
The doctor raced into the room, took one look at the mess, and then yelled at Shott, "Get Steven into bed while I get Colten to the ER."
"I'm not leaving Steven," Colten said as he panted.
"You'll be leaving him permanently if you don't let me get that bullet out and repair the damage," the doctor said.
A few more people entered the room and the doctor ordered one of them to fetch a gurney. Before Colten could stop the doctor, he was laid out on the damn thing and being wheeled down the hallway. Colten hadn't had time to tell Shott that they had a traitor among them. It hadn't been Nate or Leonardo-Colten and the others were always careful not to shift in front of the hands. Even in the Laundromat he'd been careful that the two hadn't seen him turn into a bear or turn back to human.
Steven was still in danger and Colten had to let Shott know. But a clear mask was pulled over his nose and mouth and then Colten was oblivious to everything.
Chapter Thirteen.
Colten woke in a daze. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus. For a second, he couldn't remember what happened. His thoughts were muddled. And then it all came back to him. Colten shot up and then hissed as he grabbed his stomach. "Steven."
"Whoa." T-Rex grabbed Colten's shoulders and eased him back down to the bed. "You can't move like that."
Colten knocked T-Rex's hands away. "Steven." He still wasn't fully focused but he knew he had to get to his mate. There was a traitor in their midst and Colten had to save his mate.
"Settle down," T-Rex demanded. "Steven is right there."
Turning his head, Colten looked to where T-Rex was pointing. In the bed next to his lay his mate. Steven was fast asleep and Colten swallowed hard when he noticed his mate's flat abdomen. He didn't want to ask. He didn't want to know. But by fucking god he would be there for Steven when the man woke.
Colten slid his hands over his eyes and pretended to rub them. In all actuality, he was fighting back the tears. If his mate had given birth to a live cub, the baby would be in a small bed between them. But the space was empty and so was Colten's heart.
All he had ever wanted was a family-a mate he could love unconditionally and a child to raise. He wanted to prove that he could be a better father than his own had been. Colten wanted a family completely different than the one he'd had growing up. He just wanted someone to love and someone to love him back. He had that with Steven. He knew his mate loved him without reservation.
But he would still mourn the loss of his child.
Colten struggled to sit up. He had to get to Steven. He had to touch his mate. All he wanted to do was curl around the man and let Steven know that he was there for him.
"You are one hardheaded-ass man," T-Rex said. Colten was sweating by the time he sat up. The pain in his stomach intensified but he ignored it.
"You really do need to rest," Legend said. Colten glanced at the man and saw that he was holding Sofia in his arms. The sight of the man's child only deepened Colten's pain.
"There's a traitor among us," Colten said as he wiped at his forehead. Although he loved Sofia, he couldn't take the sight of another child right now. He wanted everyone in the room to disappear.
"We figured that out," T-Rex said. "Shott overheard the conversation when Steven's parents were in the room. He called the house and rallied the troops before he took the mother and father out."
Colten had been in shock, but he remembered what had taken place. Shott had killed Steven's parents. He wasn't even sure how Steven felt about that. Although they were detached, selfish sons of bitches, they were still Steven's parents.
He scooted to the edge of the bed and planted his bare feet on the cool floor. For the first time he noticed that an IV was dripping into Steven's arm. His mate looked so pale and helpless as he lay there. Colten wanted to envelop the man in his arms and never let him go.
"It was Sam who figured things out," T-Rex continued. Colten wasn't really listening. He was focused on his mate. He needed to get to him. And then Steven opened his eyes and Colten felt as if his world had realigned. He pushed from the bed and shuffled across the distance before climbing in next to Steven. He wrapped his body around his mate's and held him close.
"I love you, Steven." Colten pressed a kiss to the man's neck as he closed his eyes.
"I think we can finish this conversation later," Sam said. The men left the room as Colten cradled Steven in his arms.
"I love you, too." Steven reached behind him and cupped Colten's face. His fingers played over the day's growth of beard on Colten's jaw. "I didn't realize how much until I stared into our son's eyes."
Colten stiffened. "Come again?" His pulse was beating so fast that he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. Hope blossomed inside of him.
Steven turned in Colten's arms. "Our son."
"Where is he?" Colten's voice was strained as he searched Steven's face. Shouldn't the baby be in the room with them? Colten crushed Steven to him as he whispered in his ear, "Thank you."
Steven chuckled. "Oh, you're going to pay for this one. Giving birth is not easy. I gave you the child you asked for. Now I want to be pampered for the rest of my life."
Colten could tell that Steven was only teasing but he would hand his mate the moon and the stars if he could. That was how much he loved the man. "This wasn't about you giving me a child. Well, somewhat, but not all of it. I've wanted a mate since I was a small boy and realized that relationships weren't supposed to be shitty. I've wanted someone to call my own."
Steven stretched his neck and placed a simple kiss on Colten's lips. "And you have that someone. We both do. Because I've been looking for the same."