“Absolutely. Done.”
We hear a scream from our room. I get ready to run but Aidan steadies me.
“That would be the monitor I popped into the bathroom,” he says trying not to laugh too hard. I don’t know if I’m amused or pissed that he startled Hannah.
“Don’t worry, I popped it onto Lilith’s lap. It was her that screamed.” Okay so that is funny.
“How have you been, Aidan?” I ask him, wondering about his search for Manda. He sobers up immediately and his face falls, shoulders slump and he lets out a long breath.
“The same. But I’m not giving up. I know I will find her before it’s too late,” he says. Fire actually flares in his eyes. I decide now is the time to show him his room. Maybe distract him with another project.
“Here you go, buddy. You’re in the blue room. How do you like it?”
Aidan looks around and touches things like the inquisitive Djinn he is. He turns around and looks pleased but still a little down. I imagine that is what he is all the time now. I would be. In fact I wouldn’t be handling it nearly as well as he is. I could probably find Hannah though. I grunt. It’s so strange. With my ability to find things I can’t find Manda. Wherever she is it’s warded well. Too well. It bothers me more than I let on. I want to be able to help my friend. All my hunting senses tell me she is still alive.
“I have a request, if you are up for it,” I say.
“Sure, anything. You know this,” he says.
“Thank you, my friend.” I clap him on the shoulder. “Would you get Hannah’s and my clothes from the house? Hannah only needs her maternity clothes, but you can grab all of mine. I don’t know how long we will be down here.”
“No trouble. Just a second.” He looks off into the distance. “Done. I put them in your closet.” We hear another scream. I start laughing.
“What did you do this time?”
“Nothing special. I think that Lilith must have been in the closet at the time the clothes showed up,” he says and chuckles. I’m glad that he can still find humor in the world. It will make the difference in the man, Djinn, whatever he is, when he finds Manda. If he keeps some of his humor and love around him he won’t turn into an angry, bitter Djinn.
“AIDAN!” Lily yells and we both bust up.
“Come on, we better go talk to her,” I say.
I knock on the door to let them know we are about to come in. I want to make sure that Hannah is dressed.
“Come in,” Hannah yells. Oops, she must have been startled too. She sounds pissed. We walk in and both girls have their hands on their hips.
“Diel, is it really necessary to have a monitor in the bathroom?” she asks with indignation.
“Aidan, must you get a thrill out of scaring me?” Lily asks.
We both start laughing again and Lily huffs and stomps back into the closet.
“I’m sorry, Lilith, my love. The second time was purely accidental,” Aidan says trying to mollify her. He follows her into the closet and I hear a muffled conversation going on. Good luck with that, Aidan.
“Hannah, babe, I need to know if you need me. The bathroom is slippery and if you fall I need you to be able to call for me.” I beg her with my eyes and hers soften in response.
“Okay, but I would rather someone is with me so that the whole world doesn’t have to hear me showering.”
“Deal. I will gladly post myself in front or in the shower.” I grin at her.
“Mmm, that sounds like an excellent idea to me.” She waddles over to me and throws her hands around my neck. I bend down and kiss her deeply. We’re still kissing when I hear someone clear his throat.
“That’s how you got in this situation. You’d think you would control yourselves a little since you’re going to be parents,” Aidan says. Lily is nodding her head emphatically. We must have made quite a scene. Hannah just growls at them, making me laugh again.
“Hannah, love, you can growl all you want. I’ll still love you,” Aidan says, winking at her.
“Thanks, Aidan. I love you, too.”
“Aidan, since you love her so much, can you take me shopping? I’m sure Sebastian will want to go too and maybe Helena. I want to get more maternity clothes for this girl. All she has are jeans and t-shirts. She needs some more comfortable clothes to lounge around in,” Lily explains.
“Your wish is my command, love.” He winks at her and she finally smiles at him. “Go gather everyone downstairs.”
“You know you guys could take the SUV,” I suggest.
“Nah, I might need Aidan to send back bags and stuff or to manifest something that goes with something I find.” Aidan rolls his eyes. Lily catches him at it and smacks his arm.
It’s the most relaxed I’ve seen them. They really have moved on from each other, but in a good way. I’m sure they still have their moments but they are friendly towards each other. Less angst.
This means some alone time with my girl.
CHAPTER 5 . AIDAN
Everyone but Julian is going with us. I’m not surprised. This is his first trip to Hell and he is fascinated. He is out back by the lake with Hades. I’m sure I will be enlisted to take him to all manner of places once he has his fill of here. I’m sure the computers in this house are loaded with search engines for Hell.
Helena and Lilith grab my hands and Sebastian holds Lilith’s so we can transmanifest into town.
“Here we go,” I say in a warning. We land outside a mother and baby boutique called Mommies Rock. It looks innocent enough but I know Lilith and her penchant for shopping. I brace myself.
“Ooh, this looks like fun,” Lilith says and she and Helena are through the door. Sebastian looks at me and chuckles, shaking his head.
Lilith pokes her head out the door.
“Come on, you two.”
We head into the store and are immediately assaulted by a sales woman. She has a little pink tail with a triangular point at the end. She is attractive and is checking me and Sebastian out. She leads us to a “Dads to Be” section. We protest but she has none of it.
“Well I guess we can shop for Diel. It will be a nice present for him,” Sebastian says.
“Hopefully they have something besides pink and blue,” I add.
I hold up a black baby carrier, silently asking Sebastian’s opinion.
“Yeah, I think that is something they could use and it’s not pink,” he says so I throw it in a basket.
“How about this?” he asks. He’s holding up a black t-shirt that says “The Man Behind the Bump.” I start laughing.
“That’s a must have.” I throw it in the basket too.
We start to have fun looking through all the funny t-shirts and laugh loudly, drawing Lilith’s attention.
“What’s going on over here?” Lilith asks, her arms loaded down with stuff. She’s smiling like she’s gone to Heaven. Shopping is her way to relieve stress and I know Han’s situation has her upset. She’s worried about her best friend.
“Just buying some things for Diel, ma petite, that’s all,” Sebastian says.
“Behave, you two. But have fun.” She pats Sebastian on the butt and sashays away. We both watch her walk away.
“I know she’s yours but that’s a fine sight,” I mumble.
Sebastian raises an eyebrow at me and then grins.
“It sure is,” he says proudly. My heart just isn’t in it. I long for another taller, slimmer profile. Our old rivalry has left us a basis for friendship.
We go back to searching the dad to be section and find a new dad survival pack. It has beer, a cigar, burpers in black with “I Can Handle It” printed on them. Various snacks and a Father’s Journal. That’s what sells me.
“The petite enfant will appreciate that for years to come. Good call, Aidan. Come, let’s see what the women are up to. Maybe we can curtail the closing of the store by talking them out of the last of the store’s stock.”
Lilith and Helena have the manager following them around with a bi
g wicker basket that they use in place of plastic ones. I see that there are two bulging baskets at the register. Oh, gods.
“I want anything that says something snarky on it or has skulls. She loves skulls,” Lilith is explaining to the manager.
“We have a whole Goth section over here,” the manager says. Lilith claps her hands. The manager’s eyes spark fire and she grins.
She practically floats over to the section. I see her start throwing t-shirts and long dresses over her shoulder while the manager tries to catch them. Sebastian rolls his eyes this time. Lilith’s feelings feed me and anchor me when I would otherwise be filled with worry. I needed this.
“Lilith, love. Try and leave a few items left in the store,” I say.
“Ha, ha, Aidan. I think you’re right though. I think I’ve got everything we need.”
Lilith steps up to the register and Sebastian whips out his black Amex and also adds the things we selected. Lilith smiles at him like he is a god. Manda looked at me that way. Fuck, this needs to be sorted so I can get back to looking for her. As is, I’ll only be able to leave for short amounts of time. I know better than to turn my cell off. No repeat of the mess I created when Lilith went missing. I can be back in a matter of seconds. I stand next to Lilith, letting Manda down. I can’t do anything for Hannah at the moment and I need to find Manda.
“Aidan, dear, can you send this back to the house and put it in the foyer?” Helena asks.
“Of course,” I answer her. “I need to take leave for a few hours – but I’ll keep my cell phone on.” Sebastian’s eyes meet mine. He knows what I’m going through and he understands how torn I am.
“Let’s go to a baby furniture store. They will need something for when they are here in Hell. Hannah won’t be able to take the baby home right away. Longer if he has some problems from being born early,” Lilith says, frowning. Sebastian wraps her up and kisses her head.
“Easy, ma cherie. It will be okay.”
“Thanks, Bast. I needed to hear that,” she says. I decide to wait a while longer. I’d like to check in with Diel and Julian to see if anything has turned up on their radars.
“I think I know of just the store. Come, everyone, let’s go,” I say taking Helena’s and Lilith’s hands.
We appear outside a furniture store called Demons – R – Us. I know, they made a huge leap in not copying the top side store. But it does have everything we will need.
I know that Lilith would love to have a baby and be a mom. She’d be a terrific one. Maybe there is something I can do. I’ve never tried before. I’ll have to think about it. It would make a great wedding present.
I leave them in capable hands and go to find Diel and Julian. When I transmanifest into the living room I find them scouring over a computer.
“What are you two up to and where’s Hannah?” I ask.
“She’s napping. Where is everyone else?” Diel asks.
“They are shopping for baby furniture so you have something here.”
“Oh, gods. It’s actually a thoughtful gesture. I’m not sure when Hannah and I could get out.”
“Aidan, we think we might have found something. There have been rumors of many humans turned all around the world but the largest concentration is in Italy,” Julian says with a wrinkled forehead as he worries.
“Thanks guys, I’m out of here for a while. I’ll see if I can track these rumors down.”
CHAPTER 6 . SEBASTIAN
Lily and Helena head off to the furniture and I tag along finding a glider to sit in and watch the girls do their magick. Soon another manager is there to attend to them, recognizing a huge sale when they see it.
“I want a white round crib with a little white netting to hang down from the ceiling,” Lilith explains. She has a determined look and her hands on her hips again. This time not in anger or frustration but with a look of “this is a tough job but I’m going to do it.” She has no idea how she looks in her designer dress and Louboutin heels, directing sales staff left and right.
It saddens me how much she is into this. Hannah’s baby will be well loved but Lily’s heart will always long for a child of her own. I never spent much time regretting my human life but I sense the loss not being able to give her my child. I would raise ten children with her just for the chance to see her swollen stomach with my child in it.
“I will also need a changing table and dresser to match. We need a swing, top of the line and a bouncer. I want to see your selections before I buy them please and safety statistics on everything,” she says.
The salespeople scatter to get what she wants and the manager starts rattling off statistics to her as each item is put between Helena and her. They ooh and aww and pick out bright bold colors and patterns that they explain are good for the baby. I notice Lilith also picks the sweetest of the choices. She doesn’t care that it’s a boy and Diel will probably cringe. She’s in full baby mode and I am sad again watching her.
We get everything together and Helena pays this time. We added an extra glider on my insistence. We have all sorts of diapers and baby lotions, shampoos, bath tub, grooming kits and a new diaper bag and something called a breast pump which I don’t want to know anything about but Helena and Lilith assure me it’s necessary if Diel wants to feed the baby.
Aidan shows up looking frustrated but quickly smiles when he sees the huge pile of things that the girls have bought.
He sends everything home unassembled until we know where to put it.
“I think that’s all the damage we can do for today,” Lilith says smiling and satisfied.
“Let’s get them home before we get dragged somewhere else, Aidan,” I say warily.
CHAPTER 7 . HANNAH
I hear a big clatter in the foyer downstairs and know that Aidan must be sending stuff back. I dread seeing what they bought for me. Clothes shouldn’t make a clatter. Anything is possible with Lily and Helena. Hopefully Aidan and Sebastian kept the insanity to a respectable level.
“Diel, what just landed in the foyer?” I ask the baby monitor. He has me under a blanket, ensconced on a huge chair with an ottoman, overlooking the lake. I have a great book to read and I have to admit I have been enjoying myself.
“You don’t want to know, babe,” his disembodied voice answers.
“Yes. Yes, I do. Please tell me it’s just clothes.”
“Well it looks as if they are setting up a nursery here for you. It’s actually considerate since we will have to stay here another week or so after, Beau is born.”
“Too Gone with the Wind for me but I like Holden,” I counter.
“That has possibilities. How about Lucas?”
“Not bad. Do you think we will ever name this baby?” I ask.
“Of course, he just may be six years old by the time we figure it out.” He laughs. I’m not laughing.
“OMG if we wait that long the poor child will have a complex,” I say and my head reels with problems. “We have to figure this out soon, Diel. I refuse to bring the baby home from the hospital without a name.”
“Babe, when we hold him we will know. Keegan will just have to wait until he’s born to know his name.”
“Umm, no on the Keegan. Where do you think we should set up the nursery?”
“I was thinking we could set it up in our bedroom. It’s large enough. We may have to move some furniture around.”
“What all is down there?” I ask, suddenly suspicious.
“Well, everyone just arrived.” I hear their voices. “I’ll let Aidan pop it all up and you can yell at them then.”
“Ugh!”
“Hannah, it’s all good. I got your back, girlfriend,” Lily yells in the back ground.
“Aidan, let’s get this over with,” I growl.
The next thing I know a huge pile of furniture, clothes and everything baby appears next to me. I let out a squeal of surprise. I don’t know why. I told Aidan to pop it up. I hear them laughing as they climb the stairs.
“Not cool,
scaring the pregnant lady,” I yell. Aidan’s laughing as he enters the room.
“You told me to send it up,” he says, holding his hands up in protest.
“I know but not right next to me,” I whine.
“Let me show you everything,” Lily says excitedly. It’s like Christmas to her. “First off the boys bought some stuff for Diel. Boys, do you want to do the honors?” Lily looks at Aidan and Sebastian. Sebastian starts digging through the piles and pulls out some stylish paper bags with a logo of a store called “Mommies Rock.” I already like the name and am excited to see what they bought me from there.
“Diel, we didn’t want you to feel left out,” Sebastian says as he hands him two bags.
Diel opens them up and starts chuckling. He pulls out a t-shirt that says “The Man Behind the Bump” and I burst out laughing.
“That will just feed his ego. But I love it,” I tell the boys.
“The other bag has the best stuff,” Aidan says.
Diel pulls out beer. He looks confused. Then he pulls out snacks and a gift card that informs us it’s a new father’s survival pack. We start laughing then.
“Get to the rest…” Sebastian says anxiously.
Diel retrieves a cigar and a book that is a journal for a father to his children. Lily and Helena get misty.
“Aww, that is so perfect. Thank you, guys,” I say as I sniffle. Damn hormones.
Diel leans over and kisses me. He sits on the ottoman and starts looking through the book. Lily starts clapping to get our attention.
“Now, it’s our turn. Oh, the boys said you needed your own glider, Diel, so that’s why there are two. Where are you two going to set up the nursery?”
“In here. Depending on how much you’ve bought, we might have to move furniture out,” Diel says.
“You’ll definitely have to move furniture,” Lily says, assessing the room. “If we move that chair out of here and the other ottoman we should be fine.
“Done,” Aidan says.
“Where did you put them, Aidan? I need to know so I can put them back,” Diel asks.
Little Suckers Bite Too (San Francisco Vampires #6) (Vampires of San Francisco series) Page 3
