Area of Influence

by Mandy M. Roth

  “Unlike using the allergies excuse?” asked Eadan.

  “Captain, permission to kill Eadan,” said Roi with an even look on his face.

  Lukian sighed. “No. I’ve already told you, you can’t kill him.”

  “Please.”

  Wilson laughed. “At least he’s finally stopped begging to kill me.”

  Another man entered the hallway, and everyone grew quiet, backing up, making room for him despite the hall being quite large. The man had close cut sandy blond hair and amber eyes. A wash of emotions covered his handsome face as he locked gazes with Lance.

  Lance teared up. “Jon?”

  Jon rushed him, and the men collided with a thud, hugging and turning in a circle, each hitting the other on the back as the tears flowed. Jon took Lance’s hand in his and then held their joined hands, much like they were about to arm wrestle in midair. “I shouldn’t have let them take you. I should have realized you weren’t dead. I’m so fucking sorry.”

  Emi couldn’t stop herself as she stepped forward. “He did die. And from the sounds of it all, you couldn’t have known what they were planning.”

  Jon glanced at Lance and lifted a brow. “You did die?”

  Lance nodded. “I’m not really clear on what all happened after Parker attacked. I remember waking up with Pierre above me and I could hear Krauss’s voice, though I didn’t know who Krauss was then.”

  Jon gasped. “I’m sorry, brother.”

  Lance hugged him again. “I think it was meant to be.”

  Jon drew back, looking unsure.

  Lance released the man and put his hand out to Emi. She went to him at once and he drew her against his powerful frame. “Had events not unfolded the way they did, I don’t think I’d have found Emi—my mate. I may have lived through hell, but I’m so fucking happy right now, Jon. I found what we always thought was a myth. I found the woman made for me. And I hear you guys all found your special someone’s too.”

  As those words left his lips, Emi couldn’t help but look toward Auberi, Blaise, Malik, Searc, and Daniel. Only Searc was mated out of the men they’d flown in with.

  Auberi caught her watching him and froze. “No. Do not look at me with pity. I am quite happy single.”

  Blaise licked his lips. “I like a different woman nightly. Keeps things interesting.”

  “Och, you say that now, but when you meet yer mate, you cannae imagine ever taking another,” said Searc.

  Daniel remained oddly quiet on the matter.

  Malik glanced away, as if the topic pained him. Maybe it did.

  Jon stared at Lance. “You’re okay then?”

  “What he means to say is, we heard you’ve got vamp in you which totally blows,” said Wilson, pointing to the vampires among them. “Case in point.”

  “Asshole,” said Blaise.

  Auberi flashed fang at Wilson.

  Daniel merely looked at him as if he made him tired.

  Searc paid him no mind.

  Lance laughed. “I’m good. I’ll admit it was touch and go for a bit there. I thought my mind was breaking. Turns out I was breaking Pierre’s hold on me. I think meeting Emi is what finally did it. I love her so much and honestly, we only just found one another.”

  “Works for me.” Jon smiled wide and came for Emi, swooping her out of Lance’s embrace and lifting her high in the air before hugging her.

  The next thing she knew, Lukian had her and was hugging her too. “Thank you for being there for him.”

  She wasn’t able to respond before Wilson had her and was hugging her too. “Welcome to the family. Heads up, we’re totally dysfunctional.”

  “Speak for yourself, rat,” said Roi, snatching Emi out of Wilson’s hold and hugging her. He trembled when he did and she realized he was crying silently. He bent his head, shielding it from the other men.

  Emi turned her face and pretended to sneeze. “Darn ragweed.”

  Roi gathered his composure and winked at her, mouthing the word “thanks”.

  “Stop hogging her,” said another man, this one tall with auburn hair and emerald green eyes. He had on a lab coat and was finishing up hugging Lance. He stepped back, his gaze going to Emi. “Good luck escaping this motley crew.”

  Emi smiled wide, feeling like she was already part of their family.

  Lance glanced around. “Where is Colonel Brooks?”

  Lukian sighed. “He took off out of here three days back, refusing to let any of us go with him. Said he has a lead on a supposed second I-Ops team.”

  “As if,” snorted Wilson. “We’re elite and the only ones.”

  Lance rubbed the back of his head. “Uh, about that.”

  Roi frowned. “Do not tell me the government started up testing again. Didn’t they learn with all of us and the Outcasts?”

  Emi tipped her head. “Outcasts?”

  Wilson sighed. “Men who didn’t come out totally right from the other side of the testing the government did to create us.”

  “Good men that our government turned on,” said Jon sternly.

  Lance’s lips drew into a thin line. “We weren’t the only successful manufactured team of supernatural operatives assembled.”

  “Yes, we were,” argued Roi.

  “Enough with all the downer stuff. Our wives are looking after our little ones because they wanted us to be able to spend time with you. We can talk about all the depressing stuff later.” Wilson licked his lips. “Okay, let’s drink. Then we can grill Lance and find out all the stupid shit Pierre dressed him in. I saw this one guy who was rumored to be linked to the vampire and he was in a dog collar and nothing else. Tell me, did you sport that look while there?”

  “Where is a dart gun when you need it?” asked Lance, making his teammates share a look before they all converged on him, lifting him in the air, laughing.

  Emi laughed as Malik eased up alongside her. He put his arm around her. “He’ll be fine now.”

  “What about the Pierre guy?” she asked.

  Auberi came to a stop on her other side. “We’ll handle him. Lance’s place is near you, not out hunting a madman.”

  Malik gave her a good squeeze. “You’re going to fit in great here. I heard it through the grapevine that Jon’s wife can also see and hear the dead.”

  “Really?” Emi asked, excited to meet someone else like her. Since Yanko had passed she’d been very alone when it came to what she could do. Sure, Lance could do it now too, but he was so new to it that it freaked him out.

  Lance bent as the men took turns playfully punching him in the stomach. Men were very odd and had strange ways of showing affection for one another. Emi watched their antics and found she couldn’t stop smiling.

  Suddenly, she felt something close to her—something no longer of the living.

  Turning, she spotted her uncle there, grinning as he leaned against the wall. “These are good men, Emi. You’ll be happy here. Now, tell your mate it’s time to work on a family. The perfect window of opportunity is upon you both.”

  Emi gasped. “Uncle Yanko, I’m not going to tell Lance that if he wants a baby, he has to jump my bones right now.”

  Everyone turned to stare at her and she realized that she’d just announced her uncle’s idea to the entire group. She blushed.

  Lance moved away from his team fast, his eyes wide and on Yanko. “Seriously?”

  Her uncle nodded.

  “Uh, who is Lance talking to?” asked Roi.

  “Oh, dude, he’s got residual creepy vampire mojo going on,” said Wilson, earning him a slap in the back of the head from Lukian. “What? He didn’t used to talk to thin air.”

  Jon snorted. “He’s talking to a dead person.”

  “Wait?” asked Emi, realizing Jon was staring right at her uncle. “You can see him too?”

  Jon nodded.

  Emi smiled. “I’m really going to love it here.”

  Lance grabbed her and lifted her off her feet. “Captain, permission to use one of the extra sl
eeping quarters here until I can get a home of my own set up. I need to get to work making a baby. From what Malik told me, I’ve got some catching up to do with you guys. You’re like baby making machines.”

  The men smiled.

  Lukian pushed Jon slightly. “Tell him.”

  Jon groaned. “You don’t have to get a new place. We kind of kept your old one. Okay, well, we sold it, but it bothered us so we bought it back. It doesn’t have furniture in it, but then again, you had shit taste in furniture so it’s for the best.”

  Lukian leaned. “And yes, go grab a sleeping quarter and make yourself at home. We’ll see to it your home has everything the two of you need.”

  Blaise waggled his brows. “Can I watch while you guys go start on the family?”

  Lance growled.

  Emi laughed. “Stop. He’s just being him.”

  “Can I kill him?”

  “After you make love to me,” she said, kissing his cheek. “I love you, Lance.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  “Aww, that is so sweet that I have a fang ache from it,” said Blaise, a second before Lance ran after him.

  “Boys,” Emi huffed, shaking her head as her husband tackled Blaise to the floor.

  THE END

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