**
He simply could not remember what it had been like to be as young as she was.
Lena could not feel the other members of their family like he could. That was clear. Lena looked at Declan curiously because she did not understand what was going on.
Declan was not sure how they snuck past him. Had he been that distracted, that lost in his memories?
Apparently. Because Henry and Mary had somehow evaded his detection.
They did not have that talent, Declan knew. He was certain of it. It should have taken them three times as long to reach the campus because they would have to travel through forest and least populated areas, which is why he had been certain they would wait until the following moon. Annabelle had gotten there quickly only because she could refuse Colin’s orders and walk directly here. But Henry and Mary could not. Yet they were here, and Declan had not realized their arrival until now.
It had been his folly, not their skill that allowed them to pass.
He had not been focusing on them. His attention was on Lena mostly, and Colin. As Declan reached out, searching for Colin’s presence, he hardly felt it. He was already headed back to the mansion. He would make it well before the sunrise.
Henry and Mary were the last two Declan expected to turn up. Perhaps that was why Colin sent them.
Clever, old devil.
How had they gotten ahead of the others? Annabelle was on her way back to Colin. She was quicker than he was, and would make it back to the manor well before the sun rose too.
“What?” Lena asked simply, studying Declan’s face as it fixed onto the apartment building across the park.
“Henry and Mary are with the human.”
Lena did not have to ask which human. She took off running immediately after flashing him an accusatory scowl.
Yes, of course she would blame him. Of course she would suspect him.
Declan followed out of curiosity, out of instinct, but mostly out of a desire to keep Lena safe. Henry and Mary were not fighters, but having nearly one hundred years of practice over Lena, they could inflict a great deal of pain if they wanted. If Colin wanted.
And she had not believed him. Everything he had told her of their life together, she saw as deception. That was clear.
If Lena was destroyed tonight never knowing…
He would not allow himself to think it. Knowing he needed to be stronger than he had been the past few hours, the past twenty years, Declan refused all negativity, and focused on the next step.
That was who he had been, after all, when she was alive. Confident. Zealous. And more than willing to defy the Master of his family in order to protect the woman he adored.
When Colin found them together, he was stricken by Lena’s vivacious nature. Her incredibly innate skill at bringing out the best in those around her did not seem to touch Colin. In fact, Declan often wondered if she had the opposite influence on him, bringing out his more despicable qualities.
Colin’s vile interest in control and order shined that night, as he threatened Lena’s life, forcing the unavoidable decision in one sly, evil gesture.
He slapped her.
Not hard like Declan knew he was capable. Not with a closed fist in order to do maximum damage. Not hard enough to draw blood. But one smack to the jaw. Hard enough to force her to the ground, to break their eye contact. To break her spirit, if only for a moment. To display his dominance. And her weakness.
And to force Declan’s hand.
Her capability of being near vampires was what troubled Colin the most. No other human could have managed it. And Lena was more than happy to show it off since she too disliked Colin from the beginning.
Humans were not allowed to know about vampires, even if they were intended mates. Though Colin did not know the extent of their relationship, he did know Declan and Lena knew each other and spoke to one another. That was enough of an offense for Colin’s strict, rule-abiding ways.
She told him Colin had cruelty in his heart, and one day he would betray anyone who stood in the way of what he thought he deserved. Colin wanted a family of his own, a true family at least ten members deep that had the same qualities as he. A family who would revere and respect him above all else.
Lena had seen this within minutes of meeting Colin. It was something that took Declan most of his vampire existence to figure out.
He still partly questioned it.
But Declan’s rational mind knew Lena had always been right. Colin wanted a family bound to him, unconditionally, unquestioningly. Declan knew he and Lena and Annabelle and Lennox could leave if they so chose. Colin’s true family would not have that option, considering the nature they were sure to inherit from their sire.
Like Henry and Mary.
The term was not loyalty, though they were loyal. They were robots. Trained horses. Colin’s clones more than Colin’s children. If they had their own thoughts, they kept it to themselves and never uttered a word of it. Or so Declan had witnessed since they were brought into the family. If there was anything deeper in Henry and Mary, they were masters at hiding it.
Colin’s feelings were evident. How Henry and Mary had gotten there so quickly did not matter. Their purpose was obvious. They were to retrieve Lena through any means necessary, and return her to Colin. Immediately. So retribution could be administered.
Declan knew he would not stop them. Henry obeyed only one creature in this world, and would do exactly as he was told. Though he was older and stronger, Declan knew he would allow Henry to return Lena to the Castle.
That was where he wanted her, after all, wasn’t it?
Declan was not convinced she belonged there. Yes, he selfishly wanted her there. But she deserved better. She deserved the stars in the sky and the grass at her feet. Not stone and walls and locks.
No. She could not be allowed to roam the world unchecked. Vampires had to be within a family that would remind them of what was expected.
Though Declan knew she was capable of blending in like no other vampire could.
He sighed, and Lena glanced back at him as if she had never heard him sigh before. Perhaps she had not.
Declan did not know how he felt. He was conflicted on every matter.
If nothing else, perhaps it was best that Henry played this role. Made this happen. Did not provide Declan with a chance of an opinion. Because he would not be stopped.
Declan suspected he did not have the strength to defy Colin even if he decided he wanted to. And he knew he did not have the strength to force anything upon Lena. If this were not the case, he would not have waited this long to confront her.
Declan felt like a coward.
Harsh Light of Day Page 24