Sorry for any glaring errors. It's been a long time coming, but here it is. Some things that aren't clear in this chapter may come to light in the next...Let me know what you think. ;)
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Kyan growled under his breath, but he knew both his sister-in-law and his brother heard him.
"Kyan, don't let him get to you," Jasmine urged.
"I'm trying not to, but he's pushing it."
Kyan turned to look at his best friend. Jasmine was currently sitting up in her hospital bed, her hands folded over her large belly, giving him an encouraging smile.
He had come to check on Jasmine, as she had been admitted to the hospital the day he dropped her off. It turned out that Kiran had insisted on Jasmine coming to the hospital for a check-up because he had sensed her pain, the pain Jasmine was trying to both hide and ignore.
Jasmine was put on bed rest almost immediately and no amount of protesting was going to convince Kiran to let her get up, especially since one of the quads was now being monitored. There was some concern about the position of his umbilical cord, but it wasn't enough to induce labor or have an emergency C-section. They were trying to wait as long as they could, but Kiran had already let him know that it was likely he would be an uncle very soon. The stress it was putting on Jasmine's body was also a concern. Four babies was a lot to handle, even with her being a vampire.
Kyan had come in and, after checking on Jasmine, he immediately started to fill them in on the rest of his time with his mate. She was spectacular and he wasn't afraid to tell the world, starting with the two that were closest to him. The problem came when he had mentioned the date that Natalie had asked him on. The moment he had said the word 'beach', Kiran had burst out in raucous laughter.
"I'm sorry, brother, I meant you no disrespect, but the beach? You're a vampire. I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but our kind tend to shy away from prolonged contact with the sun. I know we can handle being outside during the day at our age, but we are still vulnerable to the sun's effects," Kiran explained.
"You think I don't know that, Kody? The words were out of my mouth before I had time to think about it. If I was thinking right, I would have hedged and found a way around it, but I wasn't, so I'm stuck. She reduces my mind to a pile of goo when she smiles at me," Kiran snapped.
Kiran grinned. "I know the feeling. I'm no better when I'm with Jasmine and she gives me that 'I want it bad' look...but enough about me. More about what you're going to do. You can't be out in direct sunlight for more than a few hours before it will start to have a real effect on you. And I'm pretty sure that Natalie won't find you so charming when you start getting cranky. Not to mention what it would do to your body, especially if you're in nothing but swim trunks. "
Kyan blew a deep heavy sigh out and looked down in despair. "I don't want to cancel. I need to be with her. I can't get her out of my head. She's been with me for months. I've been dreaming about her and her sexy little body... She's become something of an obsession now. I can't stop thinking about her and I don't want to."
Kiran grinned. "An obsession? Well, that's not surprising. We Channings do have a tendency to be consumed with our mates and I speak from experience. What about calling and telling her something came up and meet her after their day at the beach? Or meet her later on the beach, after the sun starts setting."
"I don't know..."
"Tell her you want to stay close to home because there's a good chance that the babies will be born soon and you promised to be around for the birth. See if she'd change the location of the date. I mean, if she's as into you as you say, you'd think she'd be willing to do that for you."
"That's not a bad idea, Kody. Thanks. I'll try that and see what happens." Kyan gave his brother half a smile before he turned his attention back to Jasmine.
"Anything you need, Jazzy, before I head home for the evening?"
"No, but thanks, Kyan. Besides, Kiran would just tear anything you gave me apart and go get one himself. He's been damn possessive lately, even more than usual."
Kiran gave her a wolfish grin. "Possessive very, my love."
Kyan chuckled. "That's the protective instinct kicking in. I doubt he'd rip anything I brought apart, but I'll remember not to give you a hug on my way out. I'd hate for Kody to lose a limb. He won't be able to help you with all those babies you're about to pop out if I rip his arm off."
"Ha ha. Whatever. Why don't you go sort out yourself and your woman and leave mine alone?" Kiran asked testily.
"Alright, I will. Take care of Jazzy and let me know when my niece and nephews are going to make their appearance, 'kay?"
Kiran nodded and shook his brother's hand, before grabbing him in a quick embrace. "Sweet dreams, dear brother."
Kyan laughed. "If they're anything like the last few, they will be much more than that."
"Too much information."
"Whatever. See you two later."
Kiran watched his brother leave and turned to his wife. "So what are the chances he's mated by the end of next week?"
"Kiran, I'm not playing this game with you," Jasmine replied.
"Twenty bucks and a backrub says that he won't make a move for another two weeks at least."
"Kiran, seriously. I'm not betting on your brother's ability to make a move on his mate. He'll take his time and do it right and we'll just have to hope that your bitchy sisters don't make an appearance too soon and scare her off."
"Fair enough. I'll put you down for under a month. You think the triplets want to get in on this action? I'll have to call Gideon."
"Kiran. Fuck off. And leave your brothers out of it," Jasmine stated, glaring at her husband.
"Oh, baby, I love it when you get sassy with me." Kiran grinned and halted any other retorts Jasmine might have had with a deep kiss.
********
Kyan looked at his phone and took a deep breath. Just as he scrolled down to Natalie's name, a familiar smell wafted past his nostrils. He turned around quickly and practically ran to the source. Kyan forced himself to slow down before he turned the corner into the hallway where she was standing, talking to another nurse. Kyan waited until the other nurse walked off and Natalie was left alone, looking over a chart. He took a fortifying breath and strolled down the corridor.
"Kyan! What are you doing here?" Natalie asked, her eyebrows shooting up as she saw him.