"Anything to add?"
Dylan glanced down through the list before shaking his head. "Looks like you've everything we need on there."
"I'll be back just after dark. Don't go wandering."
"I won't." That was the rule. Dylan didn't leave the house when Shay wasn't there. And he never stayed out after dark. And if he heard someone else in the forest, he ran the other way. People weren't to be trusted. But then there was Callix…
He waited until he was sure Shay was gone before getting out the first aid kit and taking a closer look at his ankle. The skin was an angry red color that told him he was in more trouble than he'd realized. And if Shay had been angry before, he'd be furious when he realized Dylan had hidden it from him when he'd had the chance to source antibiotics while out in town.
He hobbled over to fill the kettle and put it on to boil, then he took some tea tree oil and fresh bandages from the kit. Taking a large bowl from the cupboard, he filled it with the boiling water, added some cold water to cool it and carried it carefully to the table, sitting down and resting his leg on another chair. He poured a few drops of tea tree oil into the water, then dipped a strip of bandage into it and wrapped it tightly around his ankle, covering every inch of the cut, reddened skin. The pain flared to life again, and he took some shallow breaths until it eased.
He left the tea-tree soaked bandages on for an hour, then liberally applied the antiseptic and wrapped his ankle in a clean bandage. Worn out from the pain, he tidied up.
He was napping on the couch when Shay returned, setting a pile of books on the floor beside him.
"Got some new mysteries. And one of those books you like about how stuff works."
He sat up.
"I'll help unpack."
"Stay where you are. You look pale. That ankle hurting you?"
Shay's dark eyes watched him closely.
"A little," he admitted, sinking back down onto the couch.
"Then stay off it. I can see to the rest. No arguments," he added, though Dylan wasn't inclined to give any.
Picking up the top book from the pile, he flipped open the cover and started to read. If he couldn't have his own adventures, he could get lost in someone else's.
Chapter Three
Thane woke to find the bed beside him empty for the third morning in a row. He was normally the early riser, a sleep-tousled Fionn usually arriving in the kitchen while he was making breakfast.
He swung his legs out of the bed and got up, following Fionn's scent. His mate had been behaving oddly the past few days. Quieter, disappearing randomly, off his food. He'd dodged any questions Thane had asked. But Thane was determined to get to the bottom of it.
When he found him, Fionn was outside, a few feet inside the forest that bordered their home. He was bent double next to a tree, retching. Never one to stand by and watch, Thane strode forward, reaching Fionn's side just as he straightened up. Slipping an arm around him, he pushed sweaty strands of hair from Fionn's face.
"How long has this been going on?"
"It's nothing." Fionn's eyes wouldn't meet his.
"Nothing that has been going on for…"
"A week. It's just morning sickness. It's normal."
Nothing about their situation was what Thane would call normal.
"It's normal in humans. In early pregnancy."
"I'm only four months."
Which wasn't early, in shifter or human terms.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Fionn turned so they were face to face. "Because I knew how you'd react."
Thane shook his head, restraining himself from rolling his eyes.
"We'll pay a visit to Sable Coven, have Leona check you over."
"No!"
The vehemence of his mate's reply surprised him.
"We promised her if anything changed, we'd return to Sable. This is a change."
Fionn pulled away and started walking back toward the house. Thane followed a step behind him.
"I'm not going."
"This isn't a discussion. Shifter magic and Wiccan magic don't play well. You know that. We have to be cautious, for the baby's sake."
"The baby is fine. I'm staying here."
In three steps, Thane had overtaken Fionn, stepping in front of him and forcing him to stop.
"You don't know that."
"I do. You do, too. I can hear the heartbeat, feel him move, feel him grow. So I'm not leaving."
Thane wasn't sure what had gotten into his normally placid mate.
"But Fionn, you love Sable. You said it's the closest thing to a home you've ever had." He cupped his mate's cheek.
"Evenfall is my home now. With you. I need to be here."
There was something in Fionn's voice, in his plea, that told Thane there was more to it than his mate being stubborn. He pulled him into a hug, feeling Fionn's protruding stomach pressed between them.
"I'll send word to Leona. Ask her to come here to see us."
He'd done his best to insist their child be born in Evenfall, but he wouldn't risk the safety of his mate and his heir for the sake of tradition. Now that Fionn was refusing to leave, which was very unlike his mate, they would have to change their plans.
"Do you feel up to some breakfast?"
Fionn shook his head, mouth downturned.
"How about we go lie down for a while?"
Fionn didn't protest as Thane led him back to bed.
They lay side by side, Thane resting his hand on Fionn's stomach, feeling the baby move within. The shifter instinct to stay close to home when pregnant usually only appeared in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Thane hadn't thought they were at that point yet but was beginning to suspect he was wrong.
"The baby and I, we need to be here, where it's safe," Fionn said out of the blue.
"You're safe with me. Wherever we are," Thane insisted.
"No, it needs to be here. Evenfall. Where your power is strongest."
"Are you dreaming again?"
Fionn's dreams had stopped since they'd mated, and Thane had brought him home.
"Just sometimes. About the darkness."
Troubled, Thane tugged him closer, wrapping his arms around him. The last time they'd encountered the darkness, he'd almost lost Fionn. He wouldn't risk that again.
Shay woke him just after dawn the next day.
"Did you sleep?"
"Yeah," he replied, struggling to shake off the tiredness.
He checked his ankle as he dressed. The redness had been all but gone the previous night, but now it was back. Sighing, he rewrapped it. This was one stubborn infection, but he'd give it another day or two.
As he worked, he could feel Shay's eyes on him. He'd need to act normal if he didn't want to arouse suspicion.
"I'm going for a walk," he announced. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the tension ease from Shay's shoulders.
"Be back by lunch. And go easy on that ankle," the older man said, taking the rake from Dylan's hands.
"Off you go," he added, ushering him away with a wave of his hand.
Dylan kept a slow pace as he made his way toward the river. He decided against his usual vantage point, not sure his ankle was up to the climb. Instead, he sat on the bank, dipping his feet into the water.
Two days passed and no one, human or otherwise, came to the area the snare had been set. He kept to the periphery, close enough that he'd hear someone approach but not so close that they'd see him and be scared off. There was no sign of Dylan either, and Cal wondered if the injury had been worse than it looked. Humans were fragile, they got hurt so easily. How would he manage with one as his mate? Their father had, but he and Cal were very different people.
It was mid-morning on the third day when he caught Dylan's scent on the breeze. After two days of nothing but pacing and thinking about the fact that his destined mate wasn't anything like what he expected, he was eager to speak to Dylan again. But when he arrived at the meeting spot, there was no one there. He was about to
backtrack and follow Dylan's scent trail, when a sound caught his attention and he looked down to the river below him.
Dylan's blond hair stood out amongst the green of the riverbank. Cal crouched for a moment and watched as he dipped one foot into the water and leaned back on his arms, turning his head toward the sky. He looked relaxed, peaceful, and a world away from that wary, pained creature Cal had encountered in the woods.
He almost regretted interrupting but not enough to stop him climbing down to greet Dylan. Surefooted, he scaled the cliff, jumping the last few feet to land on the soft grass below. He made enough noise that Dylan turned, wide blue eyes meeting his.
"You came back."
A moment of silence hung between them as Cal found himself caught in Dylan's gaze.
"Like I said I would."
His words transformed Dylan's look of apprehension to a smile that lit up the younger man's face.
"Not up on your rock today?"
Dylan shook his head, looking back toward the river.
"I'm not sure my ankle would thank me for that."
Cal moved closer so they could talk.
"How is it?"
"It's better." He didn't miss the way Dylan's eyes flicked to the side and his heart rate picked up.
Taking a seat on the bank next to him, he mimicked Dylan, turning his gaze to the water.
"It's a beautiful spot."
Dylan nodded readily. "I think so. I mean, I guess I don't have a lot to compare it to, but there can't be many places more perfect than this."
He smiled again, and his innocence was almost painful. How could Cal take that from him and introduce him to the world as gritty and as real as the one shifters lived in?
Dylan stretched his leg out next to him, and Cal didn't miss the wince that crossed his face at the movement.
"Why don't I take a look at that ankle?"
"It's okay, I've taken care of it."
"A second pair of eyes won't hurt."
Dylan's eyes met his again, thoughtful as he considered Cal's offer. He knew he had him when Dylan scooted around so they were face to face, bending his knees and rolling up his pants leg.
He untied the bandage that covered his ankle. One glance told Cal there was a problem.
"It's infected," he said flatly.
"I put antiseptic on it. It seemed to help, but then it came back."
"No antibiotics?" In his experience, humans loved antibiotics.
"We didn't have any to hand. I used hot water to draw out the infection. I thought it was getting better. "
"Well, it doesn't look like it." Pulling his bag towards him, he rummaged through it. "I have something that will help."
He pulled out a container of ointment. "Stretch your leg out," he urged.
Dylan did, watching him intently. "What is that?"
"A poultice."
He held Dylan's foot gently in one hand, while the second dipped into the jar. He smoothly spread the mixture across the reddened skin, feeling Dylan twitch in his grip.
There was something odd about the injury, something that just didn't fit.
"What's wrong?" Dylan asked.
"It feels more like a burn than a cut."
"Maybe the hot water I used…"
"I don't think so. This should work either way. I'll just rewrap the ankle."
Once he'd finished, Dylan moved his ankle cautiously before breaking out into a smile. "It feels better already. Thank you."
"Next time, you need to be more careful. You can't take chances with a wound like that."
"I won't. I just didn't want Shay to be angry."
"Shay is your grandfather?"
Dylan nodded. "He doesn't like me wandering out here. But I think I'd go crazy stuck in our house and our yard all the time."
"Aren't there other places you could go? Visit friends or relatives?"
Dylan dropped his gaze again. "I don't have any."
"Well, I'm not that surprised if you never leave home. But what about school? You must have met people there?"
"Shay taught me, at home. He said it was for the best."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sound of rushing water while Cal wondered how Dylan had grown up so isolated.
"Are you staying in the area long?" Dylan said to him.
"A few more days at least."
Dylan stood abruptly, the expression on his face shifting rapidly. "I should head home now. Will you come back tomorrow?"
Cal stood too, Dylan's hopeful gaze hard to resist. "I'll be here again tomorrow morning. Come on, I'll walk you home."
Dylan was limping slightly as he walked beside him. Cal wrapped an arm around him. "Lean on me, try to keep the pressure off that leg."
Dylan didn't need much encouragement, his warm body pressing firmly against Cal's as they walked. They reached the tree where they had parted the previous day and Dylan pulled away from him slowly, turning so they were face to face. There was a leaf tangled in his hair, and Cal couldn't resist untangling it, his hand brushing Dylan's face as he did. Dylan's hand caught his, and he leaned into Cal's touch.
"Tomorrow?" Those bright blue eyes were inescapable.
"Tomorrow," Cal assured, blinking as he stepped away.
Chapter Four
Thane had never been so glad to see Leona.
"He's locked himself in his bedroom since dawn. He won't let me in, he won't come out. I could break open the door, but I thought that would just make things worse."
Leona took his deluge in her stride.
"Why don't I try talking to him?"
They walked upstairs as Thane filled her in on the previous few days.
"I thought things were settling down. He's still throwing up, but he seemed calmer and less frightened."
"Frightened by what?"
"He's been dreaming about the darkness again. I don't know if it's the memories bleeding through the block you placed or if it's something else."
They reached the door to Fionn's room. Thane knocked.
"Fionn, love, Leona is here."
He stepped back and watched as the grey-haired woman moved closer to the door.
"Fionn, Thane's worried and so am I. I'd really like to see you, make sure you're okay."
"Stay away," came the muffled reply through the door. It sounded like Fionn was crying.
"Fionn, please. We want to help. How can we do that if you won't tell us what's wrong."
She lowered her voice.
"I know things must seem really scary for you right now. You've waited so long to have a child, and now it's happening and there's so much that's not under your control. You want to be where you think you'll be safest, which right now is where Thane is the strongest, and that's Evenfall. But I bet you're having all sorts of dreams, and they're giving you worries. A lot has happened to you in such a short time. Please, Fionn. We can help. Just let us in."
She shared a look with Thane, turning back to the door as footsteps neared it. Thane hung back as the door was unlocked and slid open a crack. The footsteps moved away.
Leona pushed the door in slowly, not moving from her position at the threshold. Thane peered over her shoulder, spying Fionn huddled in a corner on the other side of the room.
Leona went inside, her movements slow and careful. She didn't walk straight to Fionn but veered left, following the wall. Leaving a clear path to the door if he needed it. Wise enough, Thane knew, not to corner a distressed wolf.
He stepped closer too, but stayed outside the room and didn't block the doorway. Leona had the right idea. They needed Fionn calm. Trapped and calm did not go hand in hand.
"Fionn, sweetheart." And Thane had never heard Leona refer to anyone as sweetheart. "Whatever it is, we can work it out."
"I had a dream," Fionn said, his voice hoarse from crying. "About the darkness. It was inside me. Inside the baby. Like it was inside Marcus. I could see the baby's eyes, black just like his."
Thane's heart broke for his m
ate. There was such fear in his expression, his eyes haunted.
"The darkness was so strong there, in Ether. Surrounding me, choking me. Burning me. I couldn't have escaped unscathed."
Fionn's arms hugged himself as he rocked back and forth, pressed into the corner.
"Oh, Fionn."
Leona took another step toward him, holding out her arms. He threw himself at her, rushing into her embrace. The force of it nearly sent them both to the floor, but Leona managed to steady them.
"I saw you, remember? When Thane brought you back to us just after you left Ether Coven. I looked deep inside you, and there was no trace of darkness within you."
"But… but what if that's changed. What if it's gotten into the baby somehow. Things have been different since the pregnancy. I can't feel the power I had before, it's less and less every day. What if the darkness is drawing on it, using it to feed and grow inside our child?"
Thane stepped into the room as they talked, no longer content to stand on the sidelines as Fionn sobbed in Leona's arms.
Leona urged Fionn to sit on the side of the bed, sitting to one side of him as Thane sat on the other side, holding Fionn's hand tightly in his own.
"May I?" Leona asked, holding out a hand toward Fionn's swelled stomach.
He nodded jerkily, using his free hand to wipe his eyes.
Leona lifted his t-shirt and laid a hand on the bare skin of his bump. As she did, she closed her eyes, speaking words in an undertone. The slightest hint of magic scented the air.
Fionn's frightened eyes met his, and Thane tried to give him a reassuring smile. But it was hard. Their dreams weren't always just dreams.
After a long few minutes, Leona's eyes opened.
"Nothing has changed, Fionn. All is as it was. All is well. Would you like me to show you?"
She had done this before, to ease Fionn's fears when he'd first discovered he was pregnant.
"Yes, please, Leona."
She closed her eyes again, new words pouring from her lips. This time Thane could feel the magic rise in the air, much stronger than before, so thick he could almost see it.
Fionn closed his eyes too, a sudden exclamation escaping his lips. Thane knew without having to ask just what he was seeing. A vision of the future, a glimpse into their path. Just enough, he hoped, to reassure his mate that what he feared had not come to pass.
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