Dark and Deadly - Lynn Hagen Page 0,16

just given them.

Fuck. He’d gotten the human pregnant. Now he knew how a lot of human males felt when their girl told them she was pregnant. Only the humans could’ve used protection.

Not vampires. Not any nonhuman. Condoms didn’t prevent pregnancy. At least that was what Ryan had heard.

“He’s back among us,” the assistant said.

Ryan hadn’t appreciated the assistant’s snarky reply earlier. His lineage to Christian had been a shock to Ryan considering he had no idea who his parents even were.

He’d grown up on the streets, fighting for everything he’d needed just to survive. In doing so, he might have done some questionable things to get by, but Ryan didn’t consider himself a bad person.

“Tell me you mixed the tests up and this is all some weird dream,” Warren said. “I can’t be…god, I can’t even say the word.”

“I’m sorry, but the test is right,” Dr. Bjord said.

The longer Warren talked, the more Ryan’s heart sank. There wasn’t going to be a flowery ending where all three lived happily ever after. There was no such thing in Ryan’s life. Happy was as unfamiliar and foreign as the comfort of a loving parent.

He looked away, trying not to take what Warren was saying to heart. This was all new to him, too. His mate had no idea vampires and shifters even existed an hour ago, and now the doctor was telling him that he had a baby growing inside of him.

Warren was taking all of this better than Ryan would have if he’d been the one sitting on that exam table.

“I’ll let you two have a moment,” the doctor said. “This is a lot to digest.”

Wait, the guy was leaving Ryan alone with Warren? Ryan felt like he was going to lose it at any second. The stress. The chasing after Warren for the past few days, of being dumped, of meeting Ash, and now…

A baby. Ryan was not ready for that shit. What did he know about taking care of someone so helpless and tiny?

“Tell me what planet I’m on.”

Warren’s soft, meek voice pulled Ryan’s head out of his ass and drew his attention to his mate. Ryan was sweating bullets, and maybe he was the one who would pass out next.

“Not earth.” Ryan moved closer to the bed, shoving his hands into his pockets, and hoped Warren didn’t start screaming at him. Ryan was never any good with emotional men. This one he couldn’t run from, not like Ash had done. Someone needed to stick around for Warren, and lucky him.

Warren took a deep, cleansing breath. He nodded and looked as though he was steeling his backbone. His raised his chin and looked Ryan right in the eyes. Ryan wasn’t sure what that look was about and was too afraid to ask.

“Okay, I believe you. You’re a vampire, and Ash is a wolf shifter, and you knocked me up. Now what do we do?”

Ryan didn’t trust Warren’s sudden acceptance. The other shoe was going to fall at any second. Some strange tick would start under Warren’s eye and he’d crack and Ryan would be buried deep under his mate’s meltdown.

“I’m not sure.” It was the god’s honest truth. What did he know about mating and babies and making plans? Ryan had lived his life on the fly, never knowing what he was going to do until shit happened to him.

“Where’s Ash?” Warren looked around and then down at the floor, as if Ash was lying down there.

“I’m not sure.”

Warren gave a throaty grunt as he slapped his lap. “You’re not helping me right now.”

“What do you want me to say?” Ryan asked. “I’m just as blown away about this as you are. My brain is stuck on stupid, and I don’t have the first clue what to say or do.”

“Fine.” Warren crossed his arms over his thin chest. “I’ll take charge. First.” He jabbed a finger Ryan’s way. “You’re going to stop going overboard. Got that? No more smothering me with your attention. A guy needs room to breathe. I don’t mind cuddling, but we’re not joined at the hip.”

“I’m working on that,” Ryan admitted.

“Second, and most importantly, I don’t like being in charge, so pull your damn boots straps up, find Ash, and you two figure this insane mess out. Now, I want to go home.” He paused then added, “And I’m starving.”

Ryan could do food. That wasn’t a problem. He could master feeding Warren. All that other shit? They needed Ash. “We can stop at Pump. Other