Before Dawn

by Olivia Hutchinson

  He kissed her shoulder, his chest vibrating against her back. “We have dinner with my parents soon.”

  “Ugh. Don’t ruin this moment,” she said, closing her eyes. She liked his parents – most of the time – but she didn’t want to think about them when she was still naked and in his arms.

  He chuckled against her skin. “That was just your friendly reminder to not fall asleep. I know how you are.”

  “No sleeping,” she said with a yawn. “Check.”

  “I’m serious.”

  Her eyes were heavy, so she closed them. Damn, the man was all kinds of snuggly. “You’re always serious.”

  He slid his hand over her ass and she couldn’t help but feel the lull. Declan was warm, he was comfortable, and he made her feel safe. All the things she needed to fall into a fitful sleep. She would have too, if he didn’t poke her butthole with his index finger. “Whoa there!” she cried, scampering away from him. “Nope! Not open for business, sir!”

  He laughed and pushed himself up from the bed. “Woke you up, didn’t it?”

  “Not cool.”

  “Get dressed, woman,” he said, unable to stop laughing.

  Jerk. She picked up the pillow and threw it at him, hitting him squarely in the chest, which only made him laugh harder. It was impossible to be mad at him when he looked so damn handsome and ridiculously happy, but she could make a good show of it.

  She did that. She put that devastating smile on his face. She already knew she'd fallen, but up until that moment, she hadn't realized just how far.

  “How are you feeling?” Paula asked Natalie as they came in the back door.

  The smell of his mother’s pot roast was making his mouth water, but he kept his hand firmly against Nat’s lower back.

  “I’m fine.”

  "I heard about what happened at the Council House. I always knew Franklin had anger issues." His mother looked pointedly at Hannah, who was sitting at the counter and looked up from her cellphone for the first time since they walked in the door. Hannah rolled her eyes, and much to Declan’s surprise didn't have anything to say to their mother. Perhaps taking her out last night was what she needed after all.

  At his suggestion, Natalie wore long sleeves to cover the fact that she still had an open wound on her arm. The redness worried him, but she assured him it looked normal. What did he know about human healing, anyway? It was infuriatingly slow, that much he was sure about.

  "I'd be happy to never see him again," Natalie confessed. "He's not my favorite person." The way she looked up at him at that moment, all relaxed smiles, made him dare to believe that perhaps he was her favorite person. Damn, that woman knew how to rile up the beast inside him.

  The only reason why it was possible for him to stop the rumbling starting in his chest was that his father chose that moment to step into the kitchen and shoot a glare in his direction.

  “Son,” he said with a nod. Natalie glanced at Malcolm before stepping away and going to stand near Hannah. Paula glanced between her mate and her eldest child before bustling back to check the oven.

  No one wanted to be between father and son. Not that he could blame any of them. Malcolm hadn’t given them the warmest reception since they arrived several days earlier. Declan didn’t expect anything different from him now.

  “Dad.” His phone rang in his pocket. Perfect timing. “Excuse me,” he said, leaving the room and going down the hall to where he could have some privacy.

  He glanced at the screen. Ben. He connected the call and held it to his ear. “Find anything?”

  "There were three males on your property all right, but I scented a female as well. The female isn't quite human. The smell is strange but familiar. I can't place it though." Ben sighed in frustration. Declan knew who he scented, but he didn't reveal the information. Ben would figure it out soon enough. "I found the blood from one of the males though. My guess is Kaleb fucked him up pretty good, but he's still alive. Or was, anyway."

  “No idea who they are?”

  “Not yet. Looks like they tried to get into your house.”

  Territorial didn’t even begin to describe the rage he was feeling now. “Were they successful?”

  "No. I guess they were interrupted. Probably by Kaleb. And I'm pretty sure your canoe is at the bottom of the lake."

  "Of course, it is." Declan shook his head. At least Kaleb and Beth escaped the nightmare in one piece, although he didn't really know how they managed if they were sabotaged in the middle of the lake – which is what it sounded like. "Have you spoken to Kaleb yet?"

  “No, not yet. I’m going to head over there tomorrow, probably. I’ll watch the bar tonight to see if anyone comes sniffing.”

  “Keep me updated.”

  “Will do,” Ben said before disconnecting the call.

  Declan stood at the base of the stairs, one hand resting on the banister. At least they hadn't gotten inside. He thought about his office and about the names he had written down. If slayers had gotten in…if they noted the names…

  He couldn't allow himself to think about the implications. He had allowed himself to become complacent. He was careless to believe he was safe in his own home. It fell on his shoulders to ensure the safety of those residing within his territory. One look in his office would've been all it took for the slayers to eradicate most, if not all, of the werewolves in his territory.

  His office and its contents would be one of the first things he dealt with when he got back home.

  “You’re deep in thought,” Malcolm said from the doorway of the living room. Declan hadn’t even heard his father approach. “Something wrong?”

  “No.”

  His father's thick brow lifted, clearly not believing what he'd just been told. "With everything that happened earlier today, I didn't get a chance to mention something to you."

  “What is it?”

  “Curtis’s mate came into my office. Do you remember her?”

  Curtis was one of the men who sat on the Council with his father. Declan knew him but had a hard time remembering his mate. He could picture her face, but he only met her once or twice, and her name escaped him. "Maybe?"

  “Diana. Diana Novak.”

  Novak. His stomach dropped. They were a family from Cantor. Ones who didn’t believe in the mixing of the factions. “What did she want?”

  "She told me my nephew was entertaining a witch. I laughed and asked her if she'd been in the Council room earlier because if she had, she'd have heard Gabriel mated a witch. Then she tells me that she wasn't talking about Gabriel. She was talking about Kaleb." Malcolm watched him closely, his eyes not missing a thing. Declan didn't give anything away, however. "Imagine my surprise when she told me this. Accused me even, of attempting to ally the werewolves with the witches in an attempt to take over the Council."

  “Take over the Council? That’s what she thinks?”

  Malcolm snorted. “Apparently. Somehow, over the past several months Dis’s push for further separation between factions has taken root, especially with Roarke’s backing. It’s made everyone paranoid.”

  “Which is why you should’ve told me about the bainise bracelet.”

  “Maybe I should’ve. I’ll concede that much,” he said with a small shake of his head. “But maybe you should tell me what’s really going on here? Who is this witch you’re with? Really. Who the hell is she and what’s going on?”

  Perhaps he should trust his father, but he couldn’t. Not yet. There was too much at stake. “There’s nothing to tell. She and I have been dating on and off for a few weeks now.”

  “Keep lying to me, Declan.” Malcolm folded his arms across his chest. “Are you or your cousins in some sort of trouble?”

  Taken aback by the question, Declan scrunched his brows and shook his head. “No.”

  “Then be honest with me for once, please, and tell me what’s going on. I know you’re not with her solely because you like her. That’s not you. That’s never been you.”

&nb
sp; Declan sacrificed a lot of his own wants when he took the territory from his father. He continued to sacrifice every day to ensure the safety of his people. There was a reason he never tried to find a mate. It had taken one witch – no, not a witch, he reminded himself – one human to change that. Now he wanted nothing more than to be selfish, if only a little bit. "Why isn't that me?"

  “You put your family and your people first!”

  “Natalie is my people. She lives in Azarov territory—”

  “This is Ruby Tremblay’s doing, isn’t it?” Malcolm demanded. “She cast some spell on you.”

  “The old witch didn’t cast any spell on me and, before you say anything else, neither did Nat.” He didn’t know if he could prevent a change right there in the foyer of his parent’s house if his father continued to spew more accusatory bullshit in his direction, especially regarding Natalie.

  As if sensing how Declan was getting close to a change, Malcolm took half a step back. "I see," he whispered after a minute. "I see."

  They stood there like that for what seemed like an eternity, each man staring at the other while Declan tried to control himself, realizing Malcolm knew more than Declan wanted him to.

  “If you go down this path, Declan, I won’t stop you,” Malcolm said finally, breaking the strained silence, “but I won’t support you either. You’ve known your entire life what was expected of you. You accepted it the day you stepped into the leadership position. I know it’s not fair and if it could be any other way, I’d be happy to accept Natalie into our family, but with the way everything is right now, I can’t. You can’t.”

  There was nothing else to say. Declan could stand there and argue with his father until the end of time, but ultimately, he was right. As much as it pained him, he couldn't mate Natalie. Not now, not ever. Not unless he wanted to give everything up and hand the territory over to…who? Hannah, probably. And Hannah wasn't ready for that. She'd be challenged on day one just for being female. Eventually, she would be able to hold her own if necessary, but she was young. Too young and inexperienced for that much responsibility.

  When the time came, when they went back to Cantor, and the magic faded from her, he'd have to let Natalie go.

  12

  “You’ve been quiet all night,” Natalie commented when they got back to the apartment after dinner. “Want to talk about it?”

  Declan shook his head.

  Quiet didn't even really describe it. Hopeless was the word that sprang to her mind whenever she looked at him. It was such a shift from how he was when they were together earlier. He'd been happy, but now? Now he looked as if he just buried his best friend.

  She heard the raised voices coming from the hallway, but she hadn't been able to discern what was said. Hannah and Paula on the other hand, had the saddest expressions on their faces as they put the finishing touches on dinner. It wasn't until they sat down at the table that Paula forced a smile and began to ask about Natalie's family.

  She gave little details but talked about her parents and her sister. She talked about going to school and about working at both the hospital and the retirement home. Paula and Hannah listened with interest, laughed at some of the ridiculous stories she had, but even that couldn't ease the tension in the room. Declan pushed the food around on his plate, and Malcolm watched his son out of the corner of his eye, barely eating anything himself.

  Now his shift in mood was slowly killing her. She sat quietly in the living room and watched TV while he made his phone calls. Not wanting to get in his way, she kept to herself. He had work to do after all. Being in Boston wasn’t just a pleasure trip for her. They were here for a purpose.

  After several hours, she went to bed while he remained in the kitchen speaking softly to someone on the other line. Ben? Not that his name mattered. There'd been a multitude of phone conversations. And if he kept it up for much longer, his battery would die.

  She fell asleep after a while, only waking a few hours later when the weight of his body dipped the mattress.

  “Now do you want to talk about it?” she asked him after he pulled her against his bare chest.

  His voice was a little more than a murmur. “No.”

  "Okay, Declan. Okay." She looked up at him, trying to see his eyes in the darkness but only making out some of the shapes that made up his face. "I'm not going to ask you again, but I want you to know something."

  “What’s that?”

  "If you ruin this, whatever this is between us, because you got a stick up your ass, I'm gonna be pissed."

  "Oh yeah?" She could hear the smile in his voice, and it did wonders for her. And for him.

  “That’s right.”

  He sighed and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, Nat.”

  “Declan, only apologize for the wrongs you do, not for the ones that have the potential to hurt. You haven’t fucked up yet.”

  “Yet.”

  "Silly man. Go to sleep and rest up. Tomorrow is another day, and I intend to spend it naked with this werewolf I know. Unless you have other plans?"

  She hoped his answer was no. She had no desire to return to the Council House after the chaos earlier in the day, and after dinner with his parents, she was tired of social interaction in general. "No," he said, his voice soft, "whatever you want to do tomorrow, we'll do."

  With her face tucked against his chest, she fell asleep.

  The next morning, she was up bright and early to Declan’s face between her legs and his tongue lapping her to orgasm. He didn’t stop there either. It was as if something had come over him. Possessed him. He made her come three times before lunch and again twice more before dinner.

  No one showed up at the door. They didn't go anywhere. He answered and made a few calls but for the majority of the day, his cellphone laid on the kitchen counter and they didn't talk to anyone except each other. Later that night, when not just her legs but her whole body was nothing but jelly, she fell asleep as content and happy as she'd ever been.

  Thursday morning was much of the same, not that anyone would ever hear her complain. Finally, just before their growling stomachs pushed them from the bed, there was a knock on the door.

  “They’ll go away if we don’t answer,” she stated, reaching for Declan just as he laughed and jumped back to keep her from pulling him back into the bed.

  “I’ve been avoiding all non-emergency phone calls. As much as I’d like to, I can’t ignore everything.” He thrust his legs into a pair of shorts that had ended up in a pile on the floor with her pajamas from that one time they actually attempted to dress. It hadn’t lasted for longer than an hour before they were both naked again.

  Her body was sore, thoroughly used, but even so, she wanted more of him. And judging by the awkward tent in his shorts, she wasn't alone.

  “Stop,” he said, dancing back when she tried to grab for him again. “I don’t want to answer the door with my dick sticking straight out. Especially because it’s most likely either my parents or my sister.”

  She pouted as he chuckled, shaking his head, and strode from the room.

  “Coming!” she heard him say as she pulled on her pajamas to go with him.

  Hannah was standing in the kitchen when Natalie stepped into the other room. “It reeks of sex in here,” she said. “Is that all you two have been doing for the past day and a half?”

  “Would you judge me if I said yes?” Natalie asked, a cheeky grin on her face.

  Hannah shook her head, unable to hide the look of disgust. “He’s my brother! I don’t want to think about that. Blech!”

  “Hey, you’re the one who came here,” Declan said defensively. “Don’t wanna smell it? Stay away.”

  “It’s hard to avoid it when it’s permeating the entire garage. Dad’s ticked.”

  His demeanor changed in an instant. Two seconds before he was relaxed and joking, and now he was standing with his back rigid and his arms folded over his chest. “No surprise there.”

  Natalie glanced betwe
en brother and sister. “Why would he care?”

  They both ignored her. “Why are you here, Hannah?”

  "I wanted to know if you guys wanted to grab lunch. Maybe open the windows for a little while and let the place air out so Dad chills out."

  Declan looked at her. “Do you want to go out?”

  It took her a full minute to think about it, but when her stomach growled again, her mind was made up. "I guess. I'm hungry."

  “I think all of Boston just heard how hungry you are,” Hannah commented.

  “Let me get dressed.”

  "Maybe take a shower?" Hannah suggested as Natalie went toward the bedroom. "You too, Declan. I don't need to smell her cooch on you the entire time we're eating. You know what, I'm going to go ahead and open those windows…" Gagging noises filled the apartment behind her. Natalie snorted in amusement, grabbed a fresh change of clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

  It didn't take her long to clean herself, brush her teeth, and dress. Her hair was still wet when she went into the living room to wait for Declan to clean up and get ready. Hannah was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone.

  “Did he talk to you?” Hannah asked once the shower turned on, dropping her phone to her lap.

  “Talk to me about what?”

  “About what happened between him and Dad the other night.”

  Natalie shook her head. “Not a word.” Even though she was dying of curiosity, she wasn’t going to ask Hannah for the information Declan had been so unwilling to give her. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her himself.

  Hannah blew out a breath, glanced once toward the bathroom door, and said, “He wants to mate you, you know.”

  Judging from Hannah’s wide eyes, she certainly hadn’t expected Natalie to shrug and say, “Yeah, I know.”

  “You don’t see the issue?”

  "Of course, I see the issue. I'm not blind, and I'm not stupid."

  Hannah pursed her lips and studied her. “So, you have no intentions of allowing it to happen?”