Page 156 of Allegiance

Then, over at the man.

“Pardon?” he asked. “How did beads do that? It’s only a bracelet,” he said, thinking about how it got warm in his dreams, and how he’d missed knowing that Eve was pregnant.

Maybe he was oblivious.

From not far away, Boone was glaring at him.

“Snitches get stitches, bitches. I’m not helping you again!” he said. “Your ass is on your own.”

Zayn knew the man would figure it out eventually. Dakota wasn’t dumb.

Someone would tell him, and honestly, now was the time to do it. While stirred up, Dakota was worried about Eve, not being angry.

So, he explained.

“Remember when he gave you a bracelet when we were out checking out El Gato’s warehouse?”

Of course, he did.

He wasn’t an idiot either. His short-term memory was just fine.

“Uh, yeah. When we got back from the surveillance mission, he said it would calm me down.”

He laughed.

“Not the Voodoo spell he used. You accidentally got the fertility spell beads. He hexed you accidentally. He’s wearing the calm beads. He was trying to knock his wife up, and you got in the crossfire.”

Oh, boy.

Boone’s wife was curious now.

Merry was staring at her husband.

“Oh, no. Boone. Are you still trying to get me pregnant and slip that nightmare onto my wrist?” she asked. “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s all kinds of wrong to use the Voudon to get your wife pregnant?”

“More than once?” he asked, keeping his one eye on his woman. She was fast and could get mean if he used Voodoo on her—unless it was to amp up their sex.

That was always welcome.

“Pretty much,” she said. “Only, I’ll let Dakota handle you. I’m sure he’s not going to be nice about it.”

Dakota stared at him.

“So you used Voodoo on me to amp up the mojo so I’d knock up Adder?” he asked. “Against my will?”

He tried to explain.

“In my defense, like they said, it was to put you on a calming path. It really was an accident. The beads are the same color, just in a different pattern,” he said, holding up his wrist. “It’s not like I used the hair Zayn stole from you. That would be wrong, and crossing a line.”

Dakota moved closer.

Honestly, Boone was expecting a punch to the face, and then, he was going to kick Zayn in the balls.

Misery, and pain, liked company.

What he got, instead, was a kiss to the middle of the forehead.

“Do you have one for protection? Like for a certain snake as she’s out there carrying precious cargo? Is that possible?” he asked.