Lucan watched the Breed elder's expression turn wistful as he spoke of his Breedmate. It was one of the first times he'd mentioned her name since the attack on their Darkhaven had killed her and the rest of Archer's household. Eleanor Archer and everyone else in the private residence had been reduced to ash and rubble at Dragos's command. All those lives lost so that Dragos could catch a firmer grasp around the Order's throat.
Lazaro Archer exhaled and shook his head. "I haven't thought of the place - or Ellie's dislike of it - in a very long time. As I told you earlier, if you find the property suitable for the Order, consider it yours."
Lucan nodded in acknowledgment. "We'll make that decision tonight, when we head up to have a look at the place."
From a few seats down the other side of the table, Gideon caught Lucan's eye and piped in with more details. "I've got a laptop loaded with CAD software and communications that we'll bring with us to the site. We can import photos of the place, inside and out, then the software will convert them to blueprints and schematics on the fly. I've also got satellite receivers ready to roll so we can get some comms hooked up as soon as we get there and run the tests I'll need in order to prep for the relocation."
Lucan could barely suppress his grin at hearing Gideon slide into full geek mode. "The technical hocus-pocus is all yours while we're up there."
He noticed that Savannah had grown quiet beside Gideon as they talked about the night's planned trip north. Gideon hadn't missed his mate's reaction either. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze where it rested on the table. "Don't worry, love. It's just a field trip, not a mission. No guns or explosives involved. More's the pity," he added, cracking a cockeyed smile. Even from where Lucan sat, he could see that Savannah's soft brown eyes were sober. More than sober, they were bleak with flat-out terror. Her voice was tender, more wounded than Lucan had ever heard it. "I can't make jokes about this, Gideon. Not anymore. This shit is getting too goddamn real for me."
Abruptly, she got up from the table and started clearing her empty plate and silverware.
Like some unstated demonstration of feminine solidarity, Gabrielle, Elise, and Dylan quickly followed Savannah's lead, picking up what they could, then disappearing right behind her through the swinging door that led into the adjacent kitchen.
Gideon cleared his throat. "Apparently I'll be doing some feather-smoothing before we head out tonight."
Lucan grunted. "Maybe a little groveling too."
"She worries about you," Tess said to Gideon, her hand resting over the large curve of her pregnant belly. "She'll never let on how much, because she knows you need her to be strong. But it's there with her always." At Gideon's acknowledging nod, Tess turned a tender look on her own mate, Dante, beside her. "The worry is there with all of us, every time one of you goes out on a mission. Every time you leave the compound, you're carrying our hearts with you."
"Precious cargo," Dante said, lifting her hand from atop the round swell of their unborn child and pressing his lips to her palm.
Tess's answering smile twisted into a pained grimace. She sucked in air, then blew it out in a slow hiss. "Your son is getting restless again already this morning. I think I'd better ... head back to our quarters and ... lie down ... for a little while."
Dante sprang into action, gingerly helping her up with Renata, Jenna, and Alex acting as spotters on either side of them. Lucan was on his feet before he realized it, as were the rest of the mated Breed males in the room, all of them standing there in wary silence, probably looking as useless as they felt.
"I'm okay," Tess blurted, too breathless for Lucan's liking. She walked slowly, carefully, one arm cradling the underside of her belly, the other clutched tight to Dante as he gently steered her away from the table. Technically she wasn't due for another couple of weeks, and although Lucan was no expert on such things, he had to guess that the Order's pending delivery would be arriving sooner than later.
"Can you make it to the sofa in the other room, babe?" Dante asked, tense and concerned, the devoted, doting father-to-be.
Tess dismissed the question with a curt wave. "I want to walk ... it's better if I move a bit. Once I lie down, I'll be there for a while."
"Okay," Dante said. "We'll take it nice and slow, all right? That's it, babe. Slow steps. You're doing great."
The couple said some quick good-byes, then began an unhurried trek back to their quarters in the compound. Gabrielle came back to the dining room with Savannah and the others, just in time to see that Tess and Dante were gone. After a few moments of awkward silence, Mira turned a concerned look on Renata.
"Is Tess's baby ready to be born?"
Renata's sober glance traveled the anxious faces in the room before lighting back on Mira with a nurturing, patient smile. "Yes, I think so, Mouse. It's not going to be long at all before the baby arrives."
Mira frowned. "Hunter better hurry up and come home, or he won't get to meet the baby when it gets here. Where is he, anyway?"
"Still on a mission," Niko replied, smoothly stepping in like the father figure he'd become to the little girl. "Hunter's got some important things to do down in New Orleans, but he'll be coming back as soon as he can."
"Well, that's good," Mira declared. "Because he needs to be here before Christmas for sure. Do you know he's never had Christmas before? I promised I would make him a decoration for his room."
At the girl's mention of the impending holidays, a further pall fell over the dining room. Lucan felt the weight of so many gazes deliberately avoiding him, everyone waiting for him to go all grinch and announce to an innocent child that there would be no Christmas at the compound. Hell, he wasn't even sure there would be a compound by Christmas, which was - damn, less than two weeks away.