Desert Nightmare (Book 3 to Desert Series)

Chapter 4

            {Dorian’s P.O.V.}

            After Jedediah was released from the hospital, I let him go home and rest for the day. Amos needed him in one piece before he could test his tracking skills. Allie and the girls were already gone for Lacie’s final dress fitting, so I showered and decided to spend the day with the twins. I didn’t have paperwork for the firm, and most of the teams had their assignments for the next two weeks.

            “Dada!” Daisy squeals as I come into the nursery.

            “Hello, Princess, where’s your brother?”

            “I dun o,”

            “Alpha, Sylvia took the young Alpha and Danica on a walk outside around the packhouse, they should be back soon,” Raquel answered.

            “Allie told me that Keegan was in here,”

            “He was, but Lucas decided to take him and have father-son time, so, it’s just me and Daisy right now,”

            “I’m surprised she didn’t scream when Lucas took him,” I say and put Daisy down so she could play with her dollhouse.

            “Oh, she did, but she calmed down when I pulled out the dollhouse,” I couldn’t help but laugh at that.

            “Dada, rook,” I looked down and Daisy was showing me her doll that came with the dollhouse.

            “I see, princess,”

            “She pudy,”

            “Yes, she is pretty, but daddy thinks you’re prettier,” I say and kiss her cheek making her squeal with excitement. I played with Daisy and a few minutes later Sylvia came back with Demarco and Danica.

            “Dada!” Demarco shouted and ran to me.

            “Hey there, my big man, did you enjoy your walk?”

            “Yes,” he smiled and looked back. Sylvia was helping Danica walk. Danica took her first steps a few weeks ago, and Brandon and Leah both missed it because they were too busy working on baby number three. Luckily, Joe got it on video, but they were both still kicking themselves for having their blocks up and their phones turned off. As I was playing with the pups, Brandon came in with Sawyer.

            “Okay, so I’m not the only one on pup duty,” he says and lets Sawyer walk over to play with the twins and his sister.

            “Not pup duty when you want to watch them,” I respond and take a sip of the fake tea Daisy poured me.

            “Ooncle Bandin!” Daisy squealed and ran over to him.

            “Oh!” Brandon pretended to get knocked over and started to tickle Daisy making her laugh hysterically. “Daisy, you’re getting too big now!”

            “Noooo…” Daisy said and shook her head as fast as she could, making both me and Brandon laugh. He sat back up and had her on his lap while she played with his hands.

            “So, you and Leah really want another?” I asked him.

            “Heck yeah, we’re both an only child, so we want as many pups as we can handle. I know Mikey and Sin are also trying to get pregnant again,”

            “Allie and I have been trying too, but she’s still apprehensive after everything happened,”

            “Look, I get that you and Gizmo had some rough moments the last several months with Heather escaping, but you guys are meant for each other, the moon goddess said so herself,”

            “I know that, and I would never let our shortcomings be the end of our marriage or our bond, but I can’t help but wonder if Allie doesn’t love me the way she used to,”

            “Dude, you need to get that crap out of your head, Gizmo loves you now more than ever, and you need to believe that. Giz has more to lose with Heather on the loose, along with Deacon and Evelyn, they’re her primary targets, and who knows when she’s going to take her revenge? But what we can’t afford is either one of you doubting your bond or your love for each other, you guys are what keeps this pack together,”

            “Since when did you become so sentimental?”

            “Since I had a daughter that is destined to be the future Luna. I need you and your wife to get your stuff together so my daughter and your son can see that no matter what problems they face as future leaders of this pack, as mates, and potentially husband and wife, they can make it work and get through it…Together,” I look at Demarco and Danica, and realize that Brandon is right. My son and his daughter are the future of this pack, and I need to show my son that he needs to be there for his mate, and always make sure they can work through their problems, no matter the cause of them. I smirk at Brandon who just smiles with pride.

            “Who would have thought that you and I would become in-laws?” I ask.

            “I know right,”

            “Daddy, I’m hungry,” Sawyer says to Brandon with clear pronunciation.

            “Dang, his pronunciation is spot on,” I say to Brandon.

            “Only with some words. He still has trouble with bigger words, but he’s getting better with time. It helps that he and Monique actually have conversations with each other,”

            “Monique is the same age as the twins, how can they be having conversations with each other?”

            “Well, Sawyer just turned three two months ago, so it’s still baby talk on Monique’s part, but Sawyer does most of the clear talking, and Monique is definitely responsive,” I just nod my head.

            “Daddy,” Sawyer pulls on Brandon.

            “Okay buddy, let’s get you a snack,” Brandon replies standing up. I get up as well and scoop up the twins while he gets Danica and takes Sawyer's hand. I walked down the stairs first while he helps Sawyer walk down. It’s crazy seeing Sawyer walk down three flights of stairs, but with Brandon’s help, he gets down with no issues.

            “Yo, can the twins go down the stairs yet?” He asks me as we walk to the kitchen.

            “They can go up, but they’re a little wobbly going down. Allie tries more with Demarco since he’s getting too big for her carry,” I respond. When we get to the kitchen, we put the pups in the giant playpen, and we go prepare their snacks. Thankfully, Allie already had their snacks packaged for the week, so I just needed to put them onto plates.

            “Hey buddy, do you want cheese and crackers, or fruit?” Brandon asks Sawyer.

            “Fuit please,”

            “Did he say foot?”

            “He said fruit. He can’t get the “R” yet,” Brandon replies, and I just laugh. “What are the twins having?”

            “Allie packaged up some cucumbers, carrot slices, and apples,” I say and get their plates together.

            “Sweet, I guess we’re not the only ones who need to feed their kids,” Mikey says coming with Allen next to him and Lucas and Keegan right behind. They go and drop off the boys in the playpen.

            “Where’s Andre and Monique?” Brandon asks cutting up some strawberries and putting them into a bowl.

            “Monique needed to feed on blood today, so he’s giving her a bottle in his room,” Lucas responds grabbing Keegan’s prepackaged snack from the fridge.

            “Does anyone else find it a little freaky that a toddler feeds on blood?” Mikey asked.

            “It’s a little freaky,” we all reply. With Monique having primarily vampire genes, she had to start feeding on blood when she was an infant, and at first, we all freaked out, but Dani and Andre weren’t freaked out at all, and they both said it’s normal for infant vampires to feed on blood since they were already feeding on it from the womb.

            “What’s going to happen when Monique gets older? Will she be able to control her thirst?” Mikey asked.

            “Andre said that they can keep it under control with monthly feedings when she’s young, and as she gets into pre-teens, they’ll mix human blood with animal blood to curb her blood lust for humans. Then when she’s old enough, she can start asking for blood from Dr. Quinn the way Dani and Andre do now,” I answer and put the twin's plates on the island and go get their high chairs.

            As I bring their high chairs to the island, the guys get snacks ready for their kids and we all sit around watching them eat. Brandon has to feed Danica, but she’s eating homemade apple sauce that Mrs. Johnson made for the pups. As the pups were eating, my parents came in with Meredith.

            “Hey mom, hey dad. Shouldn't you guys be getting packed up?” I said

            “Hi, sweetheart. We're already packed, just waiting for the girls to get home,” my mother replied and kissed my cheek. Just then, the garage door opened, and all of the girls came piling in.

            “Hey! We’re back!” Allie shouted as she led the way. All the girls went to their respective mates and pups. “Oh, I’m glad you found their snacks,” she said and kissed me.

            “What are you feeding Danica?” Leah asked Brandon.

            “Mrs. Johnson’s apple sauce,” Brandon answered and kissed her too.

            “Where’s my baby?” Dani asked.

            “Blood,” we all answered.

            “Ah,” she waved and went up to her room.

            “Half-pint, how was the dress fitting?” Mikey asked her as she was holding her dress.

            “Great! All the alterations were perfect,” she replied with a smile. “Eleanor, let me go put my dress away and I’ll take Meredith off your hands,”

            “Nonsense child, I’m enjoying having her in my arms. You take your time,” my mother responds. Lacie nods and goes to put her dress away. My mother turns to Allie and me and glares at us.

            “What?” we both ask.

            “When are you two going to give us more grandbabies?” she asks without a stutter.

            “We’re working on it mom, you know it’s up to the moon goddess,” I reply.

            “Uh-huh, well work harder. This little angel right here makes me want more, a lot more,” she says and walks out. I just look at my dad who shrugs his shoulders and walks after her. I look down at Allie who is trying to contain her laugher.

            “I guess we’re going to have to work harder, baby. You know Amber isn’t going to pop out another,”

            “Not with Ronnie having gotten a vasectomy, she won’t,” Allie replied.

            “RONNIE WHAT!?” all the guys shouted startling the pups, thankfully, none of them started to cry.

            “Ronnie got snipped,” Allie says making scissor motions with her fingers. All of the guys shuddered, and we all laughed. Once the pups were finished with their snacks, we took them back to their respective nurseries to put them down for their afternoon naps, and Allie and I went back to our room to take a nap of our own.

            {Jedediah’s P.O.V.}

            After resting for the majority of the day, I got up and showered and felt my ribs and shoulders almost fully healed. I decided to head out into the city to do some shopping for clothes and toiletries to stock up in the house. I decided to go to the Fashion Show Mall on the strip since I knew there were a lot of name brand shops there, and then I would go to Target on the way home to pick up toiletries and other home essentials.

            I went to Express and Guess Men to pick out some new polos and dress shirts since both stores were having a sale. I was even more surprised to see Express having a sale on their jeans, so I picked up several of those as well. Next, I went to Finish Line to get some more shorts for morning training, new running shoes, and sweat pants to wear around the house. I stopped by Dillard’s on the way out and grabbed several packs of socks, boxers, and plain t-shirts in a variety of colors.

            I had only packed so much leaving Red Mountain and told Zachary that once I found a new pack, he could have most of my stuff thrown away or donated. I didn’t plan on returning when I first had decided to leave, and after the warm hospitality, and even the ass-kicking I got this morning, Desert Moon was my new official pack, and I planned on staying here until the end of my days. Even if I found a mate or not.

            After finishing up at the mall, I went to the nearest Target and stocked up on laundry detergent, dryer sheets, kitchen supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, bath towels, hand towels, I got a few different shower curtains and shower liners, three lamps, one for each room in the townhouse, and I even got a rug for the living room. I picked up my favorite bath products, shaving cream, razors, hand soaps, bath sponge, toothpaste, and a few toothbrushes so I could stock up. I remembered to get my own blowup mattress so I could return Dorian’s.

            Looking at my basket and checking off my shopping list, I already knew I was going to be spending close to two thousand dollars if not more before I left the store. Thank goodness I have plenty of money saved up for situations like this, and the kitchen supplies would be reimbursed by Dorian. I kept going through my list and getting everything that I needed.

            Before checking out, I decided to stop by the grocery aisles and pick up snacks, some frozen meals to sustain me, and beer. What surprised me was when I saw that Target sold hard liquor. I grabbed a bottle of scotch and whiskey of my favorite brands and figured that I got everything I needed for the time being. I went to the checkout stand, and people were eyeing me like I was insane.

            “Hello, did you find everything you needed?” the cashier asked as I was loading the conveyor belt.

            “I think so,” I reply with a smile.

            “I’m guessing you just moved into a new house,” she said as she was scanning everything and bagging them at the same time.

            “That obvious huh?” I asked with a light chuckle.

            “Don’t worry, I see this a lot,” she says and keeps scanning. A bagger had to come help because I had so much stuff, and she ran out of space on the counter before I could even load everything onto the belt. So, they had to bring a second cart.

            “Sorry for the inconvenience,” I said while loading up the last bit of stuff.

            “No worries, as I said, it happens all the time,” she smiled. “Let me go ahead and scan the rug,” she said and pulled out the scanning gun. “Did you want to sign up for the Target REDcard and save an additional 15% today?”

            “I’m good, thank you, though,”

            “Okay, your total today comes out to $1,684.59,”

            “Hmmm…That’s less than I expected,” I said and inserted my card into the machine.

            “Here’s your receipt, have a great day,”

            “Thanks, you too,” the bagger took the empty basket and gave me the one that he loaded my stuff in. I made it to my car and loaded everything up. Thankfully, I drove an SUV and was able to lower the third seat to make room for the rug and the three dozen shopping bags. I was even more thankful knowing the townhouse had a garage, so I would just need to reverse park and unload.

            The drive back to the packhouse would take a little over an hour, and but thankfully, it was the start of the spring season and it wasn’t super-hot out. I wasn’t too worried about the groceries and frozen food items. As I was driving back, I got a call from Dorian,

            “Hello?”

            “Jed, where are you? I couldn’t reach you via mind link,”

            “Sorry man, I was in the city buying stuff for the townhouse, what’s up?”

            “Oh, Allie was wondering if you needed help decorating the townhouse,”

            “Actually, I bought a bunch of kitchen stuff and bathroom things, I could really use a lady's touch,”

            “Sure, I’ll tell Allie. I’m sure she and a few of the others would be happy to help you get things unloaded,”

            “Great man, I’d really appreciate that,”

            “Let me know when you plan on going furniture shopping. Mikey has a large truck so a few of us guys can go with you and just bring everything back that same day,”

            “Oh man, that’d be great. I’ll be sure to let you know; though, I’m sure it will be this weekend. I’ve already placed an order for one of those box mattresses,”

            “Sure, we’re all free this weekend except for Andre, so we ranked fellas can help you out,”

            “Awesome, I’m about twenty minutes from the packhouse now,”

            “Okay, I’ll tell Allie, and a few of us will head over to help you,”

            “Sweet, see you in a few,” I hang up and smile. Those twenty minutes didn’t take long to go by as I went through the gate of the territory. I drove into my cul-de-sac and I was surprised to see Dorian, Allie, Brandon, Leah, Sam, and Lucas. I opened the garage from the car and reversed in.

            “Holy shit! How much stuff did you buy?” Allie asked.

            “I bought as much I could for right now, I’m hoping that I didn’t forget anything,” I reply.

            “Well, in case you did, let me know and I can see if we have any extras in storage, and if not, we can always order using the pack Amazon prime account and do a payroll deduction,”

            “Awesome,” we unload everything and placed it all on the living room floor. Once the car was fully unloaded, we started to put things away in their respective areas. The guys helped with the rug, and we rolled it out and put it in the middle of the living room. The girls separated all of the bags into bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen.

            “Jed, did you want to wash your new clothes first or your towels first?” Allie asked.

            “Can we wash the towels first? I only brought one with me, and I used it earlier,”

            “Did you buy detergent and fabric softener?”

            “I did, they’re somewhere in the Target bags,”

            “Found it. Oh! You bought the scent boosters too. Good for you!” she exclaimed all happy and cut off the tags on the towels and threw them into the washing machine. “Good thing you only got white and grey towels,” she said as she came out of the laundry room.

            “I’m just glad this place came with appliances,” I answer as I unbox my new dishes.

            “Jed, which shower curtain do you want in your bathroom?” Leah asked.

            “Ummm, can you show me which ones I bought? I honestly forgot already,” she holds up the four different ones I got. “Ummm…Let’s go with the white and gold in my bathroom, and the blue and silver for the guest bathroom,”

            “Leah, toss me the other one, and one of the shower liners,” Sam said, and Leah tossed it her way. The guys were helping me unbox all of the new dishes and we were about to put them away in the cabinets when Allie stopped us.

            “Hey, you have to wash those before you use them. Do you know how much dust and dirt are on new dishes?” she lectures. All of us guys just look at her at loss for words. “Oh my god, give me those,” she says and puts them in the sink. She turns on the hot water and lets it warm up as she digs for the dish soap and sponge. She starts to wash all of the new dishes for me and places them in the dishwasher to dry. “Jed, you didn’t buy a dish rack!?”

            “Nah, I was just going to use the dishwasher as the dish rack,” I answer. She just rolls her eyes and keeps washing. Thankfully, I only bought packs of four of everything, so there wasn’t a lot to wash. I grabbed all of the frozen meals I bought and placed them into the freezer and placed all the dry snacks into the pantry. After washing all of the new dishes, Allie started to arrange my kitchen appliances like the Keurig, the k-cup rack, my blender, and toaster.

            The washer timer went off, and Allie went to move the towels into the dryer. And promptly threw my new underwear and white shirts with a little bit of bleach. I seriously need a woman in this house. I didn’t realize that there was an art to do doing laundry but apparently there was. Allie wrote it all down for me, so my white shirts didn’t turn pink by me throwing in a red shirt, or accidentally throwing in bleach with color garments and destroying them.

            “Hey, where do you want your liquor?” Lucas asked.

            “On top of the fridge, please,”

            “I hope you plan on having us guys over one night so we can all enjoy these together,” he said as he rotated the bottles to show the logo in the front.

            “When I get the furniture I will,” I smile and go back to putting the now clean dishes away.

            “Ugh, Jed, you’re just like Dorian,” Allie said.

            “What?” I turn around and see her holding five black button-downs that I bought. Dorian sees too and just laughs.

            “They’re all different,” I tell her.

            “They’re all black, what’s the difference?!”

            “Everything!” Dorian and I shout at the same time making her look at us funny. Dorian and I couldn’t help but laugh and high five each other.

            “Baby, you have no room to say anything. You have ten different pairs of black heels, and they look the same,” she scowled at him and stuck her tongue and went to my room to hang up my shirts.

            “JED!!! You didn’t buy hangers!” she shouted from my room.

            “Ah shit,” I reply when I hear that.

            “Do you care what color they are?” she asks coming out of my room.

            “Not really,”

            “Okay, we have a box of hangers from the Container Store in storage at the packhouse, I’ll have Simba bring it over right now,” I see her eyes cloud over as she contacts the guy Simba.

            “Who’s Simba?” I ask.

            “He’s my personal guard, and one of my best friends,” she replies and smiles. A few minutes later, there is a knock at the door, and I go to open it.

            “Delivery for Jedediah,” a guy with spikey hair says.

            “You must be Simba, come on in,” I open the door for him.

            “Thanks, friend!” Allie squeals and takes the box disappearing into my room.

            “Ah, the infamous moving in day,” Simba says. “Do you guys need a hand?”

            “I think we’re good, I appreciate the offer though,” I say and shake his hand.

            “Simba, take the empty boxes,” Dorian says to him.

            “Sure,” The guys stack up the boxes onto Simba’s arms, which thankfully wasn’t very many, and he leaves to throw them away for us. After what felt like a few hours, everything is put away. Allie ties up all of the grocery bags and puts them in one of the larger empty shopping bags from Express and put it on the floor in the corner of the pantry.

            “What are you doing?” I ask her

            “Cheap trash bags for the bathroom, and bedrooms,” she says. I just nod my head. “Alright, all there’s left to do is fold up the towels and put your underwear in the dryer and hang up the t-shirts to air dry,”

            “Why can’t just throw the shirts into the dryer?”

            “Because these weren’t pre-shrunk. If you throw them into the dryer, you’re going to end up with baby size t-shirts, and you’re going to have to give them to my son,” she answered.

            “Ah, okay, I got it, thanks a lot for your help guys,”

            “No problem, Jed. Glad to help,” Brandon says and slaps my back.

            “Get some rest, you’re doing to need it for what I have planned for you tomorrow,” Lucas says and hits back as well.

            “Ah fuck,”