Desert Nightmare (Book 3 to Desert Series)

            {Dorian’s P.O.V.}             It’s been eight months since Heather escaped, and we have no idea where the hell she is. None of the bounty hunters that we know can find her, and even Sinbad and Persephone are at a loss for words. I’ve been working tirelessly in the office trying to figure out some way to track her down, but nothing has worked. Maxine even had Stuart scry her for again using Lacie, but nothing worked. Maxine and Stuart came to the same conclusion that dark magic was masking her location.             After Heather escaped, Allie and I started to have marital problems, and she constantly blamed me for stopping her when she initially wanted to kill Heather right away. A part of me blames myself as well because had I let her kill her right away, we’d be living our lives together with the twins, but now we have to constantly look over our shoulders just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Though things have been better within the last month or so, we’re still not back to the way we were, and it honestly hurts. I’ll never stop loving Allie, and I know she will always love me. Unfortunately, Allie also ended up dropping out of school. We both concluded that school just wasn’t in the cards for her anymore.             Leah and Brandon had their wedding a few months ago, and they kept it low key the way Allie and I did. A small ceremony with close friends and family and pack members. C.J. and Brittany came up along with Leah’s parents, and we were happy to see that Brittany was expecting baby number two. She still had a least another couple of months before her complications would start, but Dr. Quinn and Dr. Boyd assured her that it would be easier this time around. Which, we were all glad for.             A month after Heather escaped, Lacie had Maxine reverse the soul transfer spell and put her pup back inside of her. Lacie ended up giving birth to a little girl named Meredith. She is spoiled rotten by everyone in the pack, but no one spoils her more than Aries does. Cianna had her pup a month after Lacie, and she also ended up with a girl. They ended up naming her Luciana. Yellow Moon has been on edge as well since Deacon is afraid Heather will eventually target Evelyn and their triplets.             Aries and Lacie are currently planning for their wedding in the next month, and we’ve allowed Corinne to come and visit, but we do not allow Bernie on our grounds. He stays in a hotel. Corinne says that things with Bernie have gotten better, and he now knows what he did wrong as a parent and as an Alpha. Especially when we had to tell them Heather was now associated with dark magic. Corinne was upset at first, but that soon turned into anger and hatred. Corinne effectively disowned Heather.             Though Allie and I have had our issues over the last several months, we never stopped trying to get pregnant. Eventually, Allie came clean to everyone about the fertility issues, and the first thing Maxine and Claudia did was perform a healing spell on her. They also gave her a lot of grief for not telling them sooner. Allie got re-checked by Dr. Quinn, and much to everyone’s amazement, the scar tissue in her uterus was completely gone. Dr. Quinn is even more hopeful that Allie can now conceive and carry a pup to term. This good news is what opened the door for me and Allie to fix our problems.             I was currently sitting in my office at the firm going over contracts for the teams per usual. Even though we’re after Heather, I still had a business to run.             “Mr. Shaw?” I looked up to see my office assistant Dana. “You have a visitor,”             “I’m not expecting anyone,”             “He says that he is an old friend,” I lift a brow and signal for her to let him in.             “Dorian Shaw! It’s been a long time hasn’t it,”             “Holy f**k, Jedediah Brinkley, as I live and breathe!” we gave each other a high five and a bro hug. “I haven’t seen your ass since college!”             “Yeah, how’s it going?” he asked.             “Things could be better, but things could be worse,” I answer and have him sit in my guest chair. “You want anything to drink?”             “Coffee, black, please,” I nod my head and hit the call button on my desk.             “Dana, will you bring my guest some fresh coffee, black, and my usual?”             “Of course, Mr. Shaw,” I smile and turn back to Jedidiah.             “So, tell me, why are you saying things could be better?” he asked.             “s**t at home has kind of gone downhill the last several months. My wife and I started having some marital problems after a prisoner we caught escaped with the help of dark magic,”             “What prisoner?”             “I’ll tell you when your coffee gets here. It’s a long story,” After Dana brought our coffees to us. I went into explaining to him what happened with Heather starting from the very beginning with me and Allie going to visit Amber last year. When I got down to the nitty-gritty details about the poisoning and Allie dying and her fertility issues, he actually spits out his coffee all over my desk. His reaction was to be expected. I told him everything else and by the time I was done, his face was blank, and his jaw was on the floor.             “Holy f**k man, are you f*****g serious? All that s**t happened in the span of 18 months!?”             “Just over 18 months, but yeah,” I replied leaning back in my chair.             “Damn man, I’m sorry that happened to you, and I’m even more sorry that if effected your marriage the way it did,”             “Thanks, man. I miss the way things were with me and Allie before Heather came into our lives. That one trip to Florida to visit my sister f****d up so much of our lives, and now I don’t know if my marriage with Allie will ever be the same,”             “I’m sure it will, the way you talk about her, there’s no way you won’t work your ass off to get things back to the way they were, or even better,” he was right. I would do whatever it took to make Allie happy again.             “So, what’s going on with you? Have you found your mate yet?” I asked him.             “I did, but she rejected me,”             “What the f**k!? When? Why?”             “I found her after going home from undergrad like six years ago, but I’m not ranked, and she is, so she rejected me,”             “I’m sorry to hear that man. You never got a second chance?”             “Nah, and I honestly don’t know if I want one. I've had a crush on her since she turned 16, and since I'm five years older than her, I had a feeling that she was my mate which is why I didn’t date much, and then when I confirmed she was my mate, I fell head over heels in love, and she broke my heart. I don’t know if I would want to go through that again,”             “You’re a good person Jedediah, I’m sure that the moon goddess has the perfect mate in mind for you,”             “I’ll take your word for it,” I smirked at his response. I was about to ask him something else when Dana came in again.             “I’m sorry for the disturbance Mr. Shaw, but your wife is here,”             “Let her in,” I stood up just as Allie walked in.             “Hey baby,” I greeted her and kissed her cheek.             “Sorry, I didn’t know you had company,” she said.             “Please, no apologies necessary, my name is Jedediah Brinkley, I’m Dorian’s roommate from college,”             “Oh, it’s very nice to meet you, Jedediah, my name is Allie,” they shook hands.             “Dude, how the hell did you end up with a wife this small?”             “She’s a precious gift from the moon goddess herself,” I answer. “Baby, where are the kids?”             “Being watched by their future in-laws. I couldn’t pry either one of them away from Danica or Keegan, so I just let them be. They have plenty of babysitters, and your parents were coming in just as I was leaving,”             “Ah, so you have pups?”             “Twins to be exact,” I answer and flip around one of the most recent photos of the twins on my desk. “Daisy and Demarco, they’re two and a half.             “Good looking boy and that’s a beautiful girl,” he said and flipped the picture around again. “You guys expecting another?” he asked when he saw the ultrasound on my desk.             “No, that’s actually the ultrasound of the pup we lost almost three years ago,”             “Oh, the bombing, right, I’m sorry,”             “It’s okay,” Allie answered and smiled at him.             “Baby, did you need something?” I asked her.             “Huh? Oh right, I almost forgot why I came. I was going to ask if you could get Garrett to look at my car again,”             “What’s wrong with it?”             “I think it’s the alternator. When I come to a complete stop, it shuts down,”             “Does it start up okay?”             “Yeah, it does,”             “Okay, I’ll give him a call and have him pick it up today,”             “Did you eat yet babe?”             “I haven’t actually. Jed, did you want to get lunch with us?” I asked him.             “Sure, if that’s okay with your wife,”             “Of course it is. Any friend of Dorian’s is a friend of mine,” as we headed out of the office, I relieved Dana for lunch, and we got into the elevator. As we descended towards the garage, Andre came in.             “Dorian, I am glad I caught you,”             “What’s up Andre?”             “My father contacted me and said that he will be visiting,”             “Okay? Your father is always welcome in our home, you don’t need permission,”             “Ah, but he is not coming alone. My mother will also be coming, along with my sister,”             “YOU HAVE A SISTER!?” Allie exclaimed.             “Yes, she is my younger sister, by like 70 years,”             “Whoa, 70 years!? Are you a vampire?” Jedediah asked. I almost forgot he was with us.             “Who are you?” Andre asked curiously.             “Andre, this is my old college roommate Jedediah, Jedediah, this my Delta, Alexandre, but we call him Andre for short. He’s a wolf-vampire hybrid,” I introduce the two of them. They exchange pleasantries.             “Andre, you never did explain how your mom is still alive after all these years. She’s a werewolf, and I know for a fact that we age a lot faster than vampires,” Allie said.             “Ah, it is because of a vampire’s mark. Just like werewolves, the mark binds their souls together to strengthen their bond. My father’s mark allows my mother to age the way he does. So, essentially, my mother is an immortal werewolf,”             “Lucky,” Allie muttered making Andre chuckle.             “Anyway, my sister Vivienne has never been to America and has been dying to come. Since my father was already planning on visiting, my mother and Vivienne decided to tag along,”             “That’s fine. The condo your dad uses has plenty of room, and of course, it’s vampire proofed for him. I’ll make sure we keep the shades down in the packhouse whenever he shimmers in,”             “Perfect, merci mon ami, they will be here in two weeks. Enjoy your lunch break,” he bowed his and went on his way to his office.             “Damn, being a hybrid must be awesome,” Jedediah said.             “Eh, there are some perks for him, but he, unfortunately, didn’t get all the perks that come with being a werewolf. Andre doesn’t have the ability to mind link, he can’t shift, and he still has to feed on blood once a month to keep his vampire side at bay,”             “Does he have a mate?”             “He does, she’s actually a vampire-warlock hybrid,” Allie responded.             “How long do you plan on staying in town?” I asked him.             “Actually, that’s why I came to talk to you,” I just looked at him. “How about we talk over lunch?”   ---------------------------------------               “You want to what!?” I asked in shock.             “I want to join your pack,”             “Jed, you have a pack back in Colorado, why would you want to join mine?”             “Because your pack is powerful, and mine is mediocre. Plus, I need to get away from Michaela,”             “Who’s Michaela?” Allie asked.             “My mate who rejected me,”             “What? Why would she reject you? You’re hot,” I wanted to let out a growl, but I knew Allie’s ability to control her lust made her comment a harmless compliment.             “She’s ranked, and I’m not,” Jedediah replied.             “What a b***h,” Allie snarked while taking a bite of her burger.             “Exactly why I want to leave my pack and come to this one,” he said looking back at me. “Come on man, I know you can always use more fighters in your pack, and you know I can fight and track. My Alpha is willing to release me if you give the okay,” I looked at him and thought a moment. I looked over at Allie and she just shrugged which meant she was indifferent to whatever decision I made. It also meant she already took the time to get a sense of who he is using her soul sensing ability.             “I mean, if your Alpha is good with it, then I have no issues,”             “Sweet! We can have a conference call with him later if you’re good with that,”             “Yeah, I’m good with that,” I looked back at Allie who just smiled. Suddenly, her phone started to ring,             “Hello…Lacie?...Oh my gosh, what now?... Lacie, it’s Wednesday, your dress fitting is tomorrow…Yes, I promise it’s tomorrow…Girl, you’re supposed to be my assistant, why the hell am I keeping your schedule…It’s called mommy brain…It happens to the best of us…Yes…Okay, bye,”             “What happened?” I asked her.             “Oh, Lacie lost track of what day of the week it was, and she thought she missed her dress fitting appointment,”             “Damn, are all of your females taken?” Jedediah asked.             “The ones closer to our age are, yeah,” I answer. He just frowned.             “Oh, speaking of, guess who found their mate today?” Allie asked.             “Who?”             “Leroy,”             “What? Who’s his mate?”             “One of the younger Omega females that just turned 18,”             “Leroy is 27,” I say in shock at the age gap.             “I know, which is why I was shocked. He practically mated with her in the living room,” I just shook my head. “You’re not going to believe who is it is either,” I just looked at her. “It’s Celinda,”             “Celinda!? As in Dr. Quinn’s granddaughter!?” Allie just nodded.             “You know, this whole talk of mates is starting to really depress me,” Jedediah said.             “Damn, I’m sorry man,” I tell him.             “It’s cool. Who knows, maybe joining your pack will give me chance to find a second mate. One that will accept me for who I am,” Allie and I just smile at him.             “I thought you said you didn’t want one,” I replied throwing his own words back at him.             “Eh, we’ll see,” I rolled my eyes.             After lunch, Jedediah went back to his hotel in the city to gather his things and check out. Allie and I went back to the office where I called Garrett at the repair shop to come pick up Allie’s car. Allie stayed in her office at the firm for the rest of the day while I finished paperwork and contract signings.               After I finished work, Allie and I went home together, but in an uncomfortable silence. Even though we were working things out, we still had a long road to go. I hated that we couldn’t rewind time. I gently took Allie’s hand in mine, and she flinched a bit, before relaxing. The sparks were still there, which meant our bond was still strong. I rubbed my thumb across her knuckles, and then played with her rings.             When we pulled up to the garage and parked, Allie immediately unbuckled her seatbelt to get out of the car, but I stopped her,             “Allie,” I said softly. She let out a sigh closing the door and looked back at me. “How long are we going to keep doing this? It’s been eight months baby,”             “I don’t know Dorian,”             “Allie, why can’t we just go back to the way things were?”             “Because if we did, we would be letting our guards down. I can’t risk being happy knowing that the psycho b***h Heather is still out there, plotting who knows what against me, you, Lacie, Deacon, her parents, or anyone else close to us. It was different before because it was just her, but now she has dark magic on her side, and we have no idea who or what is helping her. I’m terrified Dorian, I’m terrified that if we get too comfortable something bad is going to happen to us, the twins, or someone else we love, and I can’t, no, I won’t let that happen,”             “Allie, that doesn’t mean we have to walk on eggshells around each other. You’re my wife, my Luna, my mate, we shouldn’t let Heather dictate our marriage,” I reply and put my hand on her cheek which she instinctively leans into. “I love you, baby, and I’m sorry,”             “There’s nothing to be sorry for Dorian. Yes, I originally blamed you, but honestly, I think whoever or whatever helped her was bound to help her anyway. You and I both know everything happens for a reason, and something tells me that Heather was meant to escape, regardless if you had stopped me from killing her or not,” she looked at me with nothing but love in her eyes. It was a look I hadn’t seen in a while. “I’m sorry for blaming you Dorian, I’m sorry that my anger towards this whole thing almost cost us our marriage,”             “Hey,” I said and picked her up, bringing her onto my lap to where was straddling me. “Don’t apologize. You were angry and scared, and I took the blame because I blamed myself. I won’t deny we’ve had a lot of issues, but it wasn’t going to cost our marriage,”             “But…”             “Allie, couples fight, it just took us longer to get that point than most couples. But I’ll be damned if I let something as stupid as Heather escaping from ruining what we have,” I say and tuck her hair behind her ear. “I love you, Allie, and that will never change,”             “I love you too, Dorian, I’m sorry,”             “I’m sorry too,” Allie cupped my face and kissed me hard. It was filled with passion, desire, and most importantly love. We didn’t even make it inside after that point. Allie and I made love in the car.