Rowdy shook his head but Steven could see the answer forming in the man's mind. He'd been in the room with that handsome man, unable to help, shouting for the guy to use his buffers. But the man hadn't. Rowdy was racked with guilt. Steven could see it.

"Giving you a chance that I should have given..." Rowdy looked at him, completely unaware that his heart was laid bare in his dark-grey eyes. The guy turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Steven to sit there and wonder what the hell the foreman had been through.

Seconds later, Stripper appeared in the doorway. "You all right?"

Steven used the trick Rowdy had just shown him. It wasn't easy, and he was still tired from the exercise the foreman had just put him through, but he managed to keep Stripper's thoughts at bay. "I felt something...weird," the man said.

Steven had no clue what Stripper had felt. He wasn't even sure what he felt right now. He nodded. "I'm fine."

Stripper took a step back, as if suddenly remembering he shouldn't be near Steven. "I'll be up front if you need me."

In a heartbeat, the man was gone.

Steven sat there for the longest moment, trying to imagine his mind full of doors, and couldn't. It might sound easy enough, but to put it into practice was proving difficult. Just thinking about a door wasn't good enough. It had to become a solid object in his mind and right now, Steven couldn't muster the strength to conjure one up.

A warm blanket began to wrap around Steven. He glanced around the office before he heard a soft murmur in his mind. Colten. Somehow, his mate knew that Steven was feeling taxed and was sending him warm thoughts. Steven sat there in silence, bewildered at how Colten could do something like that from such a distance, puzzled at how Colten could do that at all.

But then again, Colten was a mystery to him. Steven had no clue how his mate could silence things around him. He didn't know how Colten could do half the stuff he did. The guy could touch him and Steven felt no pain. And now, his mate was projecting good thoughts and Steven felt them.

Steven hated feeling confused and uncertain, but he latched onto Colten's images and the fatigue slowly drained from his body. Steven smiled, almost laughed at how bizarre his life was.

He was a man who was pregnant, could read others' thoughts, and see into their very souls. None of that should be possible. Yet, here he sat, living proof that even Mother Nature knew how to fuck shit up.

And the best part of this shitty situation was that his parents had tried to exploit and enhance what he could do. Yeah, his life was a true gem.

Steven rubbed at his eyes with the palms of his hands. He needed to lie down. He'd never taken naps before, but a brief snooze sounded real good right about now.

Pushing away from his desk, he ventured into the hallway. No sooner had Steven closed his office door than he doubled over in pain. But it wasn't his head that was killing him.

Something was wrong with the baby.

Colten was talking with Legend when he felt a sharp pain pierce his side. He stumbled to the side and gripped the wall as his breathing became shallow.

"What's wrong?" Legend asked, concern in his eyes.

Colten tried to shake off the feeling. He shook his head, his eyes watering at the pain. "I'm not sure."

An overwhelming feeling hit him hard, the need to go home, to get to Steven. Luckily, he was only thirty minutes from the house. He glanced up at Legend. "I have to go."

Legend didn't ask any further questions. He just nodded as Colten took off.

Chapter Eleven.

The pain washed over Steven in waves of agony as he rocked back and forth on his hands and knees. He hadn't made it past his office door. He couldn't. What was happening had dropped him to the floor.

Steven tried to call out for Stripper, but his voice caught in his throat. He couldn't seem to pull in enough air. Sharp pains started at his back and wound around to his navel. Steven could feel something heavy pressing against his abdomen and was terrified that something was wrong with the baby.

"Steven?" Taylor moved swiftly down the hallway before dropping down next to him. "Tell me what's wrong."

Steven screamed. He couldn't handle the pain in his stomach and block Taylor out at the same time. The trick that Rowdy had shown him fell to the wayside. Images began to the bombard him. He could see Taylor tied to a cross as he was viciously beaten. There was a bear. There was blood. There was the overwhelming torture of wanting to die. Steven couldn't handle all of it.

He heard heavy footsteps and then Rowdy appeared, Stripper beside him. "What the hell is going on?" Rowdy barked.

Taylor shook his head. "I found him on the floor like this."

Steven licked his dry lips as he panted. "The baby."

"I'll call the doctor," Stripper said as he hurried away.

"It's too soon," Taylor said and Steven could hear panic in the man's tone. He knew how the guy felt. The same thought had crossed his mind. Colten had told him that the pregnancy should last three months. It had only been a month and a half.

The pain had Steven trying to crawl across the floor, to escape. Rowdy's and Taylor's closeness was causing Steven's mind to fracture. He fell onto his back as an ear-piercing scream crawled out of him.

Rowdy placed his fingers at Steven's temples. "I know it feels like it can't be done. But you have to try and block us out." The man spoke softly and soothingly but it didn't help. He was asking for the impossible. Even when not in pain, it had been a hard feat. Right now it was hopeless.

He needed Colten.

"Colten." Steven barely whispered his mate's name.

Taylor nodded. "I'll call him."

Rowdy moved around until he was staring into Steven's eyes. "Concentrate on me. Find that door. Use it."

Steven's body shook viciously at the contact. He wanted Rowdy's hands off of him. He wanted the pain to stop. He wanted his mate. Steven clutched his stomach and rolled to his side, breathing through the next round of sheer pain.

This was worse than anything he'd ever experienced before. And that was saying a lot. It felt as if a knife was slicing through his skin from his spine to his abdomen.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been lying there. The pain caused time to blur together. Labor should be used as a form of torture. It would be very effective-Steven was ready to spill the beans on everything he knew. Hell, he was willing to tell secrets he didn't even know just to stop the agony.

"I want Colten," Steven cried out. "Where's Colten?"

"He's coming," Taylor said as he brushed his hand over Steven's hair. "Just hang in there."

"Ddon't touch me," Steven begged. "It hurts."

Taylor snatched his hand away. "I'm sorry, Steven. I forgot."

Stripper, Rowdy, and Taylor knelt close to him and all seemed lost. Steven felt like a spectacle. He didn't like being the center of attention. He groaned when Gabe came running down the hallway. "The doctor is here!"

"I want Colten," Steven repeated as he shook. He clutched his stomach tighter and felt the tears sting his eyes. He didn't need more people to make him feel worse. He needed Colten's quietness. Steven needed to stop hearing everyone's thoughts and feeling their emotions.

"Get him to his bed," the doctor said as he appeared next to Steven.

"No," Steven cried out. "Don't touch me."

"I can't examine you on the floor," the doctor argued. "I'm sorry, Steven, but we have no choice."

Steven braced himself for the onslaught of pain. But instead of being plunged deeper into agony, calmness settled over him. He felt the air around him stir as it grew cooler, comforting.

"Get away from him." Colten's deep baritone voice resonated off the walls. Tears spilled from Steven's eyes as Colten scooped him up and cradled him in his strong arms. "Tell me what's wrong, sweetheart."

"The baby," Steven whimpered. His arms were still wrapped around his stomach as Colten carried him into their bedroom. He thought of how Colten had begged for a family, how his mate had been looking forward to the birth of their child. Steven's fears took hold and he was terrified that something would go wrong and they would lose the baby.

"If something is wrong"-Colten kissed Steven's temple-"we can always try again. Just as long as I don't lose you."

"Let's see about saving both," the doctor said. "We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves until we know what's going on."

But Steven could feel the heartache inside Colten. The man was already devastated and they hadn't found out what was going on. Steven curled up onto his side as he waited, feeling as if he'd let Colten down. His mate was the only person Steven wanted to make happy. He would give anything to see the man smile and hear his laughter. A part of Steven was crumbling as the doctor cleared the room and began to examine him.

Colten was the only one to stay behind. He held Steven's hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

The doctor shook his head, his expression filled with puzzlement. "You're in labor," he said. "But I'm going to see if I can stop it."

"It's too soon." Steven stated the obvious. "What if you can't stop the labor?"

"Then we deal with it from there," the doctor replied.

He made it sound so simple but Steven knew that it wasn't. A woman having a child was complicated enough. A man? This was not going to turn out well. Steven crushed Colten's hand in his when the pain began again. He tried to breathe through it, but there was only so much breathing he could do.

It wasn't working. If anything, the contractions were growing stronger.

"What did he say?" Renee asked as she walked through the front door, her purse clutched to her bosom. "How is Steven?"

Sam had just come from the kitchen. He had cooked enough to feed an entire army. But that was what Sam did when he was worried. He tossed the tea towel over his shoulder as he shrugged. "No word yet."

"What will happen if the baby is born early?" Taylor asked from the couch. "I don't know anything about giving birth, but in the human world, having a baby early is never a good thing."

"It isn't in our world either," Renee said as she set her purse aside. Sam could tell that she wanted to go upstairs, but the doctor had ordered everyone to stay out. She began to pace before she grabbed Sofia from Gabe's arms and strode toward the kitchen. Sam followed.

"I don't know Steven too well," she said as she placed Sofia in her highchair. "But this has to be devastating to him and Colten."

Sam tore a piece of chicken into tiny bite sized pieces and placed them on a plate. He set the plate on the table for Sofia but knew she wasn't going to eat. No one had much of an appetite. Not even Stripper was in here trying to polish off all the food. Everyone was somber as they waited for any type of news. It had been hours since the doctor arrived.

They both looked up when they heard footsteps coming down the back staircase. Colten appeared haggard as he descended the steps. He seemed to have gained ten years in his appearance. The man took a seat at the table and then rubbed his hands over his face.

"How is Steven?" Renee asked. Sam could hear the hesitation in her voice. None of them wanted to hear bad news. But they would all be there if Colten or Steven needed them.

The chair creaked as Colten shifted his weight. He glanced up at both of them and then shook his head. "The doctor managed to stop the labor. Steven is on bed rest until he gives birth. But bed rest isn't a guarantee that it won't happen again."

Renee moved over to Colten and wrapped her arm around his wide shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "How is the baby?"

"The doctor said that the baby is okay," Colten replied.

Sam had yet to change his mind about having children. This only solidified his resolve that he and Taylor would wait. He couldn't imagine what Colten was going through and wouldn't wish this on Taylor. He didn't wish it on Steven.

"The doctor wants to move Steven to a private facility where he can monitor both Steven and the child," Colten said.

"Which means you'll have to go with him," Sam said. "You know Steven can't be around all those people without you there."

Colten nodded.

Renee frowned. "Am I missing something?"

"Nothing," Sam replied.

It wasn't Sam's place to tell her about Steven's gift. Although he trusted her implicitly, the fewer people who knew the better. From what Shott had told him, Steven's parents were willing to pay a hefty bounty to get him back. Percy Whitmore had managed to hack into the corporation's files and delete everything on Steven, but nobody was foolish enough to believe that would keep Steven safe. Just because the records were gone didn't mean Steven's parents wouldn't attempt to get their project back.

Sam grabbed Sofia from the highchair and led Renee from the kitchen. The rest of the men were sitting in the living room as they waited. Sam relayed the news.

"That's a good thing, right?" Taylor asked.

Sam handed Sofia off to Legend. "For the next month and a half Steven and Colten will be away."

"I don't like it," T-Rex said. "Why can't Steven be monitored here where we can keep an eye on him?"

Sam shrugged. "We don't have the equipment that Steven needs. That's my guess."

"I'm going to go upstairs and check on everyone," Renee said. She appeared frazzled as she headed up the stairs. Sam watched her go before he turned back to everyone.

"Colten is too personally involved in this. I think we should set up a rotation to keep an eye on the two. With Steven's parents gunning for him, we can't take any chances." Sam glanced toward the ceiling and knew their job of keeping Steven safe had just become more complicated.

"I'll take first watch," Stripper volunteered. "When is he supposed to be moved?"

Sam shook his head. "Colten didn't say. But I would assume it will be soon."

No sooner had Sam finished talking than the doctor walked down the steps. He had his medical bag clutched in his hand and appeared fatigued. "Where's Colten?"

Colten appeared from the kitchen. The doctor turned toward him. "I've called for transportation. Steven is stable enough to be moved."

"I'll gather some of his things," Colten replied. The man appeared relieved to have something to do. Sam felt for the guy. He knew about Colten's past and how much the man wanted a family. If it was within his power, Sam would ensure that Steven and the baby would be okay. He hated seeing Colten like this. The guy was normally strong and self-assured, but right now he looked like he might fall apart at any second. Although Colten was putting on a brave front, Sam knew the situation had to be tearing him up on the inside.

"I'll grab my gear," Stripper said. "I'll carry a weapon and my earpiece."

The doctor frowned. "I wasn't aware that Steven needed an entourage."

Stripper paused as he glanced between T-Rex and the doctor. Sam gazed at the doctor as well. "You know about his condition," Sam replied. "Colten has to be there with him."