He opened the top drawer and finding what he needed, pulled out the syringe and vial he knew he’d hidden in there. After a second, he inserted the syringe into the vial and filled it with the liquid he’d created. “Only I can.” Az looked at Cullen and Theo. “Could you guys put him on that table and strap him down for me?”
Tristan sniffed the air looking at the syringe Az held. “I can only detect the metallic taste of medicine, nothing more distinct. What is that?”
“Amobarbital. I mixed it myself, took some time. These days, it’s illegal to use— considered a form of torture. Of course, I’m old enough to remember when it was all but recreational in certain circles.” Az couldn’t help smiling at the memory. Regular humans did the oddest things. “It’s derived from barbiturates. When given from an IV, slowly, and over time, the person has no choice but to tell you things they might otherwise not tell you. Doctors first thought they could use it to help psychologically blocked patients open up about—“
“Az. I don’t want the history of Amobarbital. I’m enough impressed that you made some up. When did you do this?”
When had he done it? Time frequently slipped away from Az. “Um…maybe five years ago.”
“And you put it in the interrogation room?”
“I thought there might come a time when we might use it. I have a whole bunch of it in here actually. Good thing it wasn’t in the lab, huh?”
“Almost like it was predestined for you to do that?”
Az took a deep breath. “Tristan, as happy as I am to be in the land of the magical creatures again, I really don’t want to start talking about fate. I’m grateful beyond belief for Leah. Can we leave it at that?”
Tristan laughed. “Alright, fair enough. You use your drug, get the info I need and I’m sending Leah back in here. Anything you do, she needs to be able to know about it. You’ll have to do it in front of her.”
“Hey Trip, when you were getting those degrees in architecture and engineering all those years ago did you also pick up a doctorate I don’t know about in human psychology?”
“No, but since I became what essentially amounts as the father of the entire pack, I have to concern myself with the well being and emotional health of all of you douche bags. It’s a good thing my mate knows a thing or two about feelings.”
Az laughed. “Tristan, did you just call me a douche bag?”
“What? Ashlee says it’s important that I use the vernacular of ‘now’ and not sound like an old man when I talk since I’m going to look thirty forever, even after all of you start to finally age. Did I say it wrong?”
“No, I believe you said it perfectly.”
Tristan addressed the room. “Let’s go. Az has work to do.”
The crowd that entered started to disperse. Faith grabbed him by the arm on her way out. “Are you really not going to tell him that douche bag is an insult?”
“Nope, I’m going to let him go out in public and say that to someone. I think it’ll be very amusing.”
“Azriel, who knew you had the Kane sense of humor?”
“I did. Well I didn’t know it was Kane-esque but I knew Kendrick’s got a wicked sense of humor.” Leah entered the room around the crowd that exited. Faith let go of his arm immediately. For a second he was confused and then he realized that his sister-in-law was concerned that Leah wouldn’t approve of her touching him.
“Sorry, I know you guys are newly mated. It’s too soon for me to touch him. I think of Az as my little brother.” Faith threw her hands up in the air in a conciliatory gesture.
Az actually had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop from grinning. Had Leah sent out some kind of signal that he missed that made Faith nervous?
Leah smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sure Theo is waiting for you.”
Faith whistled. “Nothing like the hormones of those first months. You’ll both come down from this craziness eventually.”
As Faith exited, Leah exhaled. “I thought I was going to rip off her head.” Leah grabbed Az and pulled him into her arms. “I know its nuts, I just can’t help it.”
“In the past,” Azriel kissed the top of her head losing himself in the scent of home that was pure Leah. “Mates used to go away for a time. Actually, it was odd because you never knew when two people were suddenly going to awaken to the fact that they were mates. One day they were just Jon and Jane wolf-shifter, going about their lives, the next they’d gotten some indication from their wolves that they were supposed to be together and—boom—they’d mate, drop everything, and disappear for several months. When they reemerged, usually the female was pregnant.”
“Are you saying this craziness that we are going through is nature’s way of making sure we procreate?”
“I’m probably the only shifter who would say that but, yes, that’s what I think.”
“And that’s why Ashlee and Summer had babies so quickly? I can do the math; I know she’s had three babies in five years.” Leah squeezed him tighter, her nails digging slightly in his back. His groin, which had already hardened, jumped to attention.
“How good is your nose?”
“I’m picking up more and more senses every hour. At least I think I am. Why?”
“Because Ash is pregnant again. I can smell it. They haven’t told anyone. I always know weeks before the other shifters become aware of the change in scent. I think it comes from all the time I spend sniffing out odors in the labs. I’m very attuned to subtlety.” Az let go of Leah, forcing himself to get to work hooking up the IV in her father’s arm. He needed to start the medicine drip or her father would never be ready for questioning when he woke up. “That’s why I know that Jana and Faith are also in the early stages of pregnancy.”
“Is that what you want? A baby?”
Az looked up into the unfathomable depths of Leah’s sharp gaze. “I want you. Do you want kids?”
“I didn’t.” She swallowed, he could see her neck muscles strain.
“Didn’t or don’t?”
“I do. I want them with you. Is that just the mating talking?”
Leah was so smart. He’d never heard anyone else ever question what happened to him or her during this time. “I have no idea because I’m afraid I’m too under the influence myself to be non-partial. I want babies with you too.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “But not four in six years.” She held up her index and middle fingers. “Two, at most. I’m an only child. Two seems like a lot.”
Having set up the IV, he turned back to her. “Ashlee had been told she couldn’t have kids, couple that with the fact that Tristan is Alpha and wants to add numbers to the pack, and you have two people who think nothing of getting pregnant every year. Plus, we have a lot of extra hands around here. Everyone wants to be called Uncle or Aunt to everyone else’s children. Ashlee sneezes and five people rush over to grab her kids.”
“It takes a village…”
He nodded. “Or in this case, a pack.”
Leah’s father groaned. Az took her hand and pulled her close, gesturing to Senator St. James. “He’s going to be groggy and ticked off. He’s not going to be happy he can’t resist telling me what I want to know. Tristan thought you had to be here. If you want to leave, that’s fine with me.”
She shook her head. “I know you didn’t want me here. I had to come anyway. Whatever you have to do, I want to be with you for it. Even this.”
“I’m only going to question him. I wanted to beat him, to tear out his throat. Tristan objected to that…on your behalf and then I remembered I had this stuff stored up. It was a compromise, of sorts.”