Rise to Embrace [Rise of the Changelings, Book 3] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (16 page)

Deluca stood in the aisle of the convenience store and felt absolutely and utterly lost. He glanced at the different packages of diapers and hadn’t a clue which one to get. He picked up the size one and knew they wouldn’t fit Kell. The boy was way too big for those little things. Maybe one butt cheek would fit in the diaper.

He put the bag back and picked up the packaged marked size two. Trying to figure out which diaper he needed to buy was worse than when Deluca took two weeks to decide what truck he wanted to purchase. It seemed that decision was easier than picking out diapers. He shuddered at the thought of having to pick out formula.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the clerk was watching something on the small television he had on the back counter. Deluca poked the bag open with his finger and then pulled a diaper out.

He just stared at it.

What in the hell was he supposed to do with this? It was one big Band-Aid. He would be the first to admit that he had never been around babies and had never changed a diaper. But it looked like it would fit between Kell’s legs.

Deluca grabbed the bag he had opened and then looked around for the formula. He didn’t see it anywhere. Maybe he could get the kid a six-pack of juice boxes. How old did an infant have to be to drink one of those things? Kell was sitting up in Willow’s lap on his own. Shouldn’t he be drinking from a cup?

His eyes slid over to the cooler where the drink boxes were sitting on the cooler shelf.

Grape or cherry?

Apple.
Deluca liked apple. Maybe Kell would share with him.

He grabbed a six-pack of all three flavors and then headed toward the counter. It was only a convenience store, but Deluca looked around to see if he could find anything else for Kell. He spotted the beef jerky and grabbed a few packs.

Those were for him, but if Kell wanted some, Deluca would share.

“I’m really hoping the jerky and juices are for you,” Brooke said as he walked in. “Kell is only six months. He needs milk.”

Deluca stared down at the counter and felt embarrassed that he had grabbed the juice. Hadn’t Willow said milk? But he thought…never mind. “They’re for me.”

Brooke walked down the aisle with the diapers and grabbed a size three, setting them on the counter. “Since you opened the bag, we have to get the size two as well.”

“Will that be all?” the clerk asked.

“I need some baby formula,” Brooke said as he pulled out his wallet. “I need it to be soy and easy to digest.”

Deluca grabbed the juice and jerky and walked from the store.

“Hey,” Brooke called as he caught up to Deluca. “What’s your problem?”

“You!” Deluca said as he spun around. “Could you have made me feel any more inadequate in there?”

Brooke shifted the bag in his hand, his amethyst eyes searching Deluca’s face. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you, but I don’t need your shit right now.”

“Of course you don’t,” Deluca said as he pointed a jerky-filled hand at Brooke. “Brooke, the man who always has it together. Brooke, the man who always knows what to say to the ladies. Brooke, the man with the perfect fucking family. Why would he care if he just made Deluca feel like he was a fucking idiot? You know, just because I’m clueless when it comes to kids doesn’t mean you can make me feel like a total moron.”

“No,” Brooke said as he narrowed his eyes. “You’ve always managed to do that so well on your own. And for your goddamn information, Willow told me what diaper size to get and which formula to pick out. How in the hell would I know? I’ve never had to take care of a kid.” Brooke dropped the bag on the ground and shoved his finger into Deluca’s chest. “And you have some nerve, Deluca. It’s you who always gets the ladies. I’m always the one stuck with their friends or relatives.”

“Name one woman you were stuck with.” Deluca growled out the words. He was sick of feeling like the reject of the pair. He loved Brooke like a brother, but living in the man’s shadow was daunting at times. Yeah, Deluca was fucking fabulous at sex, but that didn’t amount to a hill of beans when it came to taking care of a family.

“Thelma.”

Deluca stopped ranting inside his head and just blinked at Brooke. His friend had caught him from left field on that one. “Suzie’s friend from high school?”

“Come on, Deluca. Tell me you would have dated her.”

Deluca shook his head as he thought back to the girl who had become obsessed with Brooke. “No, but I thought maybe you were going through a phase.”

“God hasn’t invented a phase like that. The only reason I went out with Thelma was because she was Suzie’s friend. Did you know she was a psychopathic stalker when you stuck me with her? I had Pappy tell her I had left for the service three months before I actually went.”

Deluca thought back to the time he was dating Suzie. She was a sweet gal, but not someone he would have taken home to Brooke’s mom. Suzie was a little too giving when it came to the charms of guys. Half the football team knew her intimately. “Is that why you refused to go anywhere with me that summer?”

“Duh,” Brooke replied. “I think Thelma was lying in wait for me to come out of the front door. I know she didn’t believe Pappy. She swore she was going to be Mrs. Kenneth Brooke. What woman thinks that after only one date?”

“But you’re smooth as hell with Willow.” That was something that bothered the shit out of Deluca. Anytime he was around Willow, Deluca became a sex-craved jerk. He wasn’t sure what to say to her or how to act. She had him feeling like his insides were turned all around. It was different with Kell. Deluca could talk about a baby. But if Willow wanted to discuss something deep, Deluca was screwed.

Brooke snorted. “Dude, I wing it and hope like hell I get it right. I’ve never been smooth with any woman. I always went out with your date’s sister or cousin or friend. Tell me you are that thickheaded that you didn’t notice that little detail?”

Deluca had, but he just thought Brooke was moody at the time. They were teenagers after all. He never knew his best friend was that damn shy around women. Brooke was a looker. It shocked Deluca that he wouldn’t have all the self-confidence in the world. The man had that dark and mysterious look that women craved. “Maybe,” he finally admitted.

“And if you bad-mouth Mom, Dad, and Pappy again, I’ll slug you. I got real damn lucky with them. I thank god every day that I have them.” Brooke leaned against the Humvee, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Besides, you know they wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

Deluca ran a hand over his head, feeling the insecurities rising up in him once more. Never before had he been in love, and he felt like he was running in a thousand different directions when it came to telling Willow just how he felt. “I don’t have a damn clue what I’m doing when it comes to Willow. She’s like this,”—Deluca waved his hands toward the sky—“and I’m like this…” He waved his hands toward his head. “God, I can’t even get my thoughts together when it comes to her.”

“She’s beautiful, feisty, has a killer-ass body, and is the sweetest gal I’ve ever met. Don’t you think I wonder why she picked us? Trust me, Deluca, I’m just as clueless as you are.”

“But what if I screw this up? We have a family now, a woman and kids who are depending on us. Hell, a week ago I was a damn bachelor. Don’t get me wrong, I want them. I just don’t know if I’m going to get this right. Look at my family. My mom and dad are as loving as ice cubes. If it wasn’t for your family, I probably would have been the same way.”

“Yeah,” Brooke said. “But honestly, sometimes my family can be a bit stifling. They are always touching or hugging, always in my business, always around when I’m home.”

“And I envy that of you.”

“Why?” Brooke asked. “They’re your family, too.”

“I hear ya, Brooke, but from someone who wasn’t born into your family, trust me, you have it made.”

Brooke pushed away from the Humvee and grabbed the bag from the ground. He glanced at Deluca. “Family isn’t always blood, Deluca. Sometimes family is the people you care about the most. If I didn’t love you so much, you wouldn’t be a part of my family.”

“All right, enough with the emotional shit. Let’s get Willow and Kell someplace safe. I think he dirtied his diaper.”

Brooke laughed and Deluca smiled. That was the Brooke he loved to see.

“Why do you think I ran into the store?” He tossed the diapers at Deluca. “I’m driving!”

Deluca ran, but Brooke beat him to the driver’s door. He shook his head as he crawled into the backseat. Willow was sitting there smiling at him, and Deluca felt like the air was knocked from his lungs. How could anyone be that beautiful? “What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she replied as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “No worries, I’ll change Kell.”

Deluca glanced up at the rearview mirror and grimaced. He had totally forgotten about changeling hearing. It seemed like today was the day for total embarrassment.

“Here.” Brooke handed back a small container that had
Wipes
marked on the side. Deluca grabbed them and handed them to Willow.

“I have beef jerky.” He shook them in his hand as Willow laughed. Deluca sat back, grabbed a juice box, and watched the woman he had fallen in love with change his son’s diaper.

His son.

Fuck Garrett.

Deluca smiled. Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.

* * * *

Rick sat in his truck that was well-hidden behind a copse of trees as he watched in stunned disbelief. His mind was reeling as the tank, and an entire convoy of military vehicles drove by on the main road.

Nobody with him said a word.

Rick was holding his breath.

The surreal sight in front of him was like nothing he had ever seen before. Military personnel sat in the back of the trucks, rifles tucked between their legs, somber looks on their young faces. Those men were going to kill any changeling they found. Rick knew in his heart that many lives were going to be lost—had already been lost.

But he knew he was just as determined to keep his species alive as the humans were to wipe them out. He couldn’t allow himself the luxury of feeling for those soldiers. They were there to kill. He had to remember that.

“They look so organized,” Mason whispered from the backseat.

“And we are working on it,” Freedman reminded everyone. “Don’t let their presence intimidate you. That’s what they want.”

“It’s working,” Omar admitted, “because I’m scared shitless.”

Rick felt Dorian reach over and slide his hand into his. There was a slight tremor in Dorian’s hand, and Rick gave it a light squeeze.

“We can’t go that way now,” Mason said. “We’ll have to turn around.”

As much as Rick hated the idea of backtracking, he knew Mason was right. There was no way they were going to go unnoticed through that force. He waited until the last vehicle passed them by before reaching to start the truck.

“Wait,” Freedman said from the backseat. “Always wait for stragglers.”

No sooner did the words come out of Freedman’s mouth than a camouflaged Humvee drove by. This vehicle moved slower than the rest, giving Rick the impression that they were searching for something or someone. His truck was well hidden, but that didn’t stop Rick’s heart from racing.

Rick reached for the key again when the Humvee came to a stop, but Freedman grabbed his arm. “Just wait.”

He glanced at Freedman in the rearview mirror knowing he had the look of fear in his eyes. Freedman gave him a tight-lipped nod. Rick moved his hand back. “I sure as hell hope you know what you are doing.”

“I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you. Trust me when it comes to tactical maneuvers. I’m not the best for nothing.”

“But you never caught Rick,” Mason pointed out.

“I wasn’t trying to. Believe me, if I had wanted him, Rick would be dead.”

Rick felt his ego being battered, but he had a feeling Freedman was telling the truth. The man knew what he was doing when it came to this war. Rick didn’t. He knew that if it hadn’t been for the help he had received along the way, he would be dead by now.

And that fucked with his ego big-time. He was an alpha and wasn’t supposed to show any signs of weakness. It wasn’t in his genetic makeup to let someone else say they could kill him. But Rick knew the man was right. Freedman was a force to be reckoned with, and Rick was damn glad the man was on his side.

They were on their way to meet Deluca and Brooke in Indiana. Along the way Freedman had been giving Rick crash courses in military tactical ops. He had learned a lot, but was nowhere near as good as the man sitting behind him. It bruised his pride to admit that to himself, but Rick was no fool. He knew when to shut up and listen, learn, and use that knowledge to his advantage.

The five of them waited in the dense coverage of the forest.

The Humvee finally passed them.

“Wait ten more minutes and then go. I wouldn’t put it past them to circle back,” Freedman said as he finally let go of Rick’s arm.

“Why?” Omar asked. “Do they know someone is out here?”

Omar had been quiet since coming to Rick with Silvia. This was the most he had heard the man talking. Normally the werewolf was a little obsessed when it came to conspiracy theories and the government storing DNA. It seemed the scholar had been right. Rick was just a little surprised Omar wasn’t talking their ear off about the fact that his ramblings had been accurate. The blond werewolf was anything but chatty though. Rick knew Omar was still brooding about being knocked down to juvenile status, but something told him it was about more than just having his title revoked.

Maybe it was the fact that he had been forced to sleep with the detective in order to get the information to save the pack. Rick knew Omar didn’t much care for humans, which made him talking to Freedman a bit odd.

“No,” Freedman answered. “But if it were me going into battle, I would check the area out thoroughly.”

“Then we are sitting ducks,” Rick said. “We need to get the hell out of here.”

The Humvee drove past them again.

“Shit.” Rick wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but he would keep Dorian safe if it was the last thing he did. He didn’t like sitting here waiting until they were caught.

“Go, and take the road we saw a quarter mile back,” Freedman said as Rick started the truck. He pulled out onto the main road and drove as quickly as he could, making a right. He wouldn’t breathe easy until they were away from this town and its invading forces.

He grabbed his phone and texted Nate, telling his top enforcer to use extreme caution. Rick, Nate, and Edward were still wanted men for the killing of Dean Chad Winthrop.

Rick was going to have to make sure he thanked Kraven for that one.

Personally.