Page 10 of Baby and the Beast

Seth’s eyebrows rose.

“I have three older brothers, two older sisters, and a younger sister who’s twelve. Aldred, my next brother in age, was the only one I really liked, or that liked me.”

“How old are you?” Seth asked, trying to come off casual but failing miserably.

“Twenty-four,” Jesse said. “Shifters live to be about a hundred and twenty, give or take.”

Seth nodded, but he looked miserable, and Jesse couldn’t work out why.

“What about you? I know you mentioned a sister.”

“Yes, one sister. Mom died twenty years ago when Rachel was four. I was already twenty-one. We’re close.”

“Dad?”

Seth shook his head. “Nope. I have three cousins. Two in Toronto, both teachers, and one in Mexico. He’s an engineer. Like bridges and big stuff.”

“My eldest brother is interested in that.” When Chad wasn’t being an obnoxious bully.

“What do you do?” Seth seemed interested, not just polite.

Jesse flushed. “I was trained to be the family’s midwife, or birth mother. I was supposed to take over when Mom retired, but I guess that won’t happen now.” He supposed his mom would train his little sister instead. “We live in a commune, I suppose you would call it. There are fourteen families, and about ninety people I guess.”

“You said you weren’t allowed to mate with humans?”

Jesse shook his head. “None of the families are, and me even more so because I’m a rarity.” Or an abomination as Chad had called him. “As far as I know, there are no others, and we didn’t find out what I was until I was fourteen because I was having abdominal pains.”

Seth stilled. His face was a picture. “No,” Jesse chuckled. “Not those sorts of pains. My body absorbs what it produces. It was eating raw turnips that did it. My brothers and I stuffed ourselves, and like I said, my stomach is smaller. I have to be careful what I eat.”

“And did anyone else find out?”

Jesse shook his head. “Not outside the family. We have our own ultrasound machine.” Then he yawned.

“Why don’t you get some sleep? You probably have three hours or so before Maddox wakes. We could weigh him tomorrow.”

“I would guess seven pounds three ounces.”

Seth glanced at Maddox. “That’s very specific.”

“It used to be a thing between me and Mom. See who was right.” He swallowed down the memory. How could she? How could she not take his side when Dad had ordered him to get rid of the baby? His mom, who had been around babies all her life. She’d trained with Grandma and knew how much Jesse loved them as well.

Jesse would never disparage anyone for making their own choices whatever they may be, but the point was that they had decided for him, and taken his choices away. That’s what he was so angry about. Give up your baby, or we’ll take it from you forcibly. Jesse clutched Maddox tighter to him. Nothing and no one would hurt Maddox. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but whatever it was, he would make sure they stayed together.

Baby and the Bear

Chapter Five

“You are such a stinky boy,” Seth cooed in a mock disapproving voice as he headed for the changing mat with Maddox, who looked completely innocent and unconcerned about the evil lurking in his diaper. “But we’ll get you all fixed up, won’t we?”

“Are you being a little horror?”

Seth glanced back as Jesse appeared in the doorway. He had rid himself of the snow jacket and the boots Seth had insisted on buying him. Not that Jesse had accepted much at all. In fact, the only thing he had done was take Seth up on his babysitting offer while Jesse drove around to bars every night, and returned home looking more and more worried when he drew a blank.

Five days later and Seth knew Jesse was getting frantic. He didn’t know what would actually happen if Jesse didn’t register Maddox’s birth, but he assumed it had all sorts of legal and medical implications as he grew older. Especially as his family—if they found out—might try and physically hurt Maddox.

And as horrified as Seth was about the thought of any child being killed, he knew he would willingly give his own life to keep Maddox safe. Maddox had Seth firmly wrapped around his teeny tiny finger, but Seth was becoming quite fond of his daddy also. Seth scoffed at himself at the gross understatement. He’d skipped past “quite fond,” skirted around “infatuated,” and was heading for “devoted.” He was a fool.

Not that it would ever go anywhere. Seth knew that. He was what, seventeen, nearly eighteen years older than Jesse? At the most he hoped to stay in their lives. He had understood, but it had nearly killed him when Rachel had taken Carrie to their new place and had gotten a promotion and a transfer six months later. A nine-hour round trip meant popping over to give his niece a hug was pretty much out of the question now. He was happy for Rachel, but he was lonely. Which was probably why he’d turned his back on common sense and asked Matty to move in last year.

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