His own thoughts made him crazy, so it was a relief to mix the formula while Bruce diapered and clothed the child with deft fingers. Apparently paramedics practiced for this sort of thing. But when Laddin was about to hand Bruce the bottle, Bruce shook his head.
“You do it. I want to be able to shift if I need to.”
“We’re not going to be in any danger from the director.”
Bruce arched a brow. “Are you sure?”
Laddin started to say, “Of course. He’s on our side.” But sides could change. And Laddin needed to be with Aaron in case things took a bad turn. “I hope I’m sure,” Laddin finally said as he adjusted the baby in his arms and started feeding him.
Aaron took to the bottle immediately, growing less fussy now that he was eating. Then Bruce grabbed a few protein bars from the van, and together they walked to the director’s limo, feeling as if they were heading for a firing squad.
Oh goody.
They climbed in without saying a word. The director was already seated where he could look straight at them. He spoke in a whisper—always—because he’d lost his voice in a battle with a vamp back when the bloodsuckers were the bad guys. Maybe that was why they were in a limo—for the quiet ride—because even though the guy whispered, Laddin heard every word.
“Start with what happened,” the director whispered. He pointed at Laddin. “Go.”
Laddin explained everything in detail—everything he remembered, felt, and believed. And most especially, he told the director that Aaron was a baby, not a demon, and anyone who had a problem with that could come talk to him.
The director listened with focused attention. He didn’t question, didn’t interrupt, and he sure as hell didn’t give anything away.
After Laddin was finished, the director pointed at Bruce. “Your turn. Go.”
Bruce pointed at Laddin. “What he said. One hundred percent.”
The director’s lips curved. “Nice try. Report.”
Bruce blew out a breath, but he started talking. It was gratifying to hear Bruce echo Laddin’s thoughts that Aaron had been created out of their love and fairy magic.
When Bruce was done, he fell silent. They all did. Then they watched as Aaron finished eating and Laddin had to adjust to burp him. Pat, pat, pat.
Nothing.
Shit. Wasn’t the kid supposed to burp?
Pat, pat, pat.
Nothing.
Maybe he didn’t need to burp. Laddin looked to Bruce, who shrugged in response.
Then the director sighed. “Give him here. You can’t just pat. You have to rub his back too.”
Come again?
The director huffed out a breath. “I’m going to show you two bachelors how to burp a baby. Come on. I’ve got three kids, and I always did the 2:00 a.m. feeding. I know how to do this.”
Neither Laddin nor Bruce knew what to say to that, so Laddin passed over the baby, and they were suddenly getting a lesson in burping. Pat twice then rub. Pat, pat, rub.
Aaron burped on the second rub.
“There you go,” the director whispered as he cuddled the child in his arms. “You’ll figure it out. He’ll probably let go into his diaper soon. That’s how it was with my kids. Input, burp, output. Then sleep.”
Bruce frowned. “So you believe us? You know—”
“That he’s a real boy?”
Bruce nodded.
“Hell if I know. Magic can do some amazing things. It can also royally fuck you up. You boys up for both sides of that equation?”
Laddin nodded firmly—fiercely—and Bruce seemed to echo it.
“I’ll need regular reports on the boy as he grows. He was created during a Wulf, Inc. operation, so according to the Accords, we’re responsible for him. I’m going to need to keep a close eye on him.”
“How close?” Bruce asked.
“Daily visits while he’s little. Not because I need them but because I like kids. It’s the teenagers who piss me off.” Then he frowned, probably because Bruce was scowling. “Okay, weekly for the first three months. Then we can go to monthly. This is new territory here, boys. We’ve never had a demon turned adorable baby before.” He abruptly stopped speaking and peered at the child’s face. “Why does he have a scar on his chin?”
Bruce groaned as he fingered his own chin. “We did not give him my scar, did we?” he asked Laddin.
Laddin chuckled. “I think we did.”
“You did that,” Bruce accused. “But at least he got your nose.”
He did, and Laddin felt another wave of love for the child.
“What are you going to do about the fairy prince?”
So much for that warm rush of love. All of a sudden, everything inside him clenched tight.
“The fairy prince is not lying,” the director continued. “A human child is treated with reverence in Fairyland. He’d be cherished over there—”
“No.” It took a moment for Laddin to realize that he’d been the one to say the word out loud. Sure, he’d been thinking it, but apparently he’d been thinking it so loudly that it tumbled out of his mouth. “I’m not giving up my baby to that prick.”
“It is the law, though. You made a bargain.” The director was looking at Bruce.
“We’ll make another one.”
“No!” Laddin said loudly. “We’re done making fairy deals!”
The director grimaced. “You weren’t supposed to make the first ones.”
Laddin was about to argue, but Bruce cut him off with a wave of his hand. “Old news,” Bruce said. “Do you know of any way to keep the child?”
Aaron was starting to smack his lips, and the director set his pinkie finger near the child’s mouth. The baby rooted on that, opened his mouth, and started sucking on the director’s fingertip.
“Definite human instincts,” the director whispered.
And an unsanitary finger. But Laddin wasn’t going to say that aloud. Meanwhile, Bruce was pressing for a solution.
“Anything you could do to help—”
“I can’t,” the director said with a sigh. “I can’t break the Accords. It would mean war with Fairy, and nobody
