Adding Fuel to the Flames

by Cree Storm

  Rhys sat on the sofa wrapped in Ethan’s loving embrace as the two of them watched his father and Day argue. As much as he wanted to stop Day and tell him he shouldn’t talk to Dain that way, he wouldn’t do it. Not only was Day his mate and he and Ethan would come first always in Rhys’ life from now on, but he actually took some joy out of seeing his father being called out on his shit.

  “And for that alone you should show me respect,” Dain seethed, moving closer to Day.

  Day was not intimidated and stood his ground as he puffed out his chest, his gaze glaring at Dain. “I show respect to those that deserve it. I respect that you are my mate’s father. I respect your position as Regent to King Destrain, but I do not respect the man actually standing before me. And I will not show you that respect until you have earned it. And so far, Sir, you suck at it.”

  Illan stepped forward and gripped Day’s arm. “Day, that’s enough.”

  “No. It’s not nearly enough,” Day growled and wrenched his arm free, his face twisted in anger as he glared at his father.

  Dain was visibly flustered by Day’s words as his eyes went wide and he began to sputter. “H-how dare you?”

  “We’re not getting anywhere with this, love,” Ethan said, interrupting them and Rhys loved his calm demeanor.

  “I don’t need to get anywhere with him, Ethan. The only good thing I see that has come out of his decision to become a father is the fact that he had an amazing man as his son. The way he treats our mate and talks to him will stop now. I won’t stand for it,” Day demanded.

  Rhys’ heart filled with more love for his dragon mate as he listened to Day defend him to his father. And in that moment, Rhys fell in love with Day. His insistence of not letting anyone treat him poorly made Rhys feel loved for the first time in his life. Yes, he knew his uncle and cousin loved him, but this was different. This was the love he had always craved.

  “I agree, love―” Ethan started, but Dain cut him off as if Ethan hadn’t even spoken.

  “The way I treat my son? I have only ever done everything to protect him. Everything I do, I do it for him,” Dain yelled back, his face turning red.

  “How about showing him love and respect? How about not treating him like he doesn’t have a mind of his own? How about treating him like a man?” Day fought back.

  “We need to calm down and talk about this ratio―” Ethan began again, but again Dain ignored him.

  “I do treat him like a man! When he acts like it.”

  Ethan released Rhys and stood up, then moved to stand in front of Dain, then raised his arm, cocked it back, and punched Dain right in the face. Rhys gasped as his eyes went wide.

  “Ethan!” Justice cried and went to his son, gently touching his arm.

  “Shut up,” Ethan seethed in Dain’s face. “You are so busy trying to defend yourself and your actions that you don’t listen to what anyone else has to say. And if you interrupt me one more time and don’t even acknowledge that I am speaking, I will kick you in the balls next.”

  Rhys knew he shouldn’t be thinking of jumping Ethan’s bones in this serious moment, but he was so turned on all he wanted to do was jump on Ethan, strip him down, and let Ethan fuck him into the floor. And in that moment, he knew he was also in love with his other mate.

  Ethan took a step away from Dain, but kept his angry gaze on him. “Now, as Day said, I don’t give a flying fuck if you are Rhys’ father, you will never speak to him disrespectfully again. He is our mate and that trumps your bond. That is if you even have one. We haven’t known you long, but so far what we have seen, the way you interact with Rhys, is deplorable. You don’t talk to him. You order him around and insist he do as you say, without argument. And if he does fight back, you ignore what he says. And for a parent to not listen to their child tell them about someone threatening them and not take it seriously is one of the worst things I have ever witnessed. For that alone you should lose your parent card. Now, whatever interaction or relationship Rhys wants to have with you is his choice. He is a grown man and can make his own decisions, but Day and I will not stand for you treating him like a child anymore. We will not sit by and allow you to talk to him, or take what he says, with disrespect,” Ethan said calmly, but forcefully.

  “I have only ever had my son’s best interest at heart,” Dain replied evenly.

  Rhys chuffed at that as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “When was that, father? When you showed me no love? Ever. My whole life.”

  Dain turned to look at him his eyes opened wide in shock. “I have always shown you my love,” he insisted.

  Rhys looked at him in disbelief and replied, “You are so full of shit. Never once did you just sit and cuddle with me, or come to my room to read to me or just talk to me about my day. You never played with me or made special moments for us like Uncle Clove and Uncle Destrain did with Twix. It was always the nannies who took care of me, or tucked me in at night, or came into my room to sooth me when I had a nightmare.”

  “Do you think it was easy for me? Taking care of our people, being the Regent, and working on my experiments was a big responsibility and took its toll on me as well. But there are sacrifices we all need to make so our people could be safe.”

  “Uncle Destrain is the king of our people, father, and yet he always found time for Twix. Why in the hell did you even have me in the first place? All I ever was, was a bother to you,” Rhys choked out on a sob. Ethan immediately came to his side, sat down next to him, and pulled him into a warm, comforting embrace.

  “We’re not getting anywhere with everyone yelling. I know this is important, but we need to focus on keeping you all safe now, because I have no doubt that once Salem finds out that Rhys is mated, especially to you two, he’s not going to just walk away. He’s going to double his efforts to try to get to Rhys, Jett, and now both of you,” Illan interjected.

  “Of course, let’s forget what’s going on here now and push it aside. It has no bearing on Illan’s grand plan and only gets in the way,” Day huffed and walked away, going across the room to the window.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Illan asked gruffly.

  Day looked back over his shoulder giving his father a pointed look. “You know exactly what it means,” he stated bitterly, then turned back to look out the window. “What I think, or what is important to me, doesn’t matter.”

  “Daytona―” Illan began as he took a step toward his son, but Justice grabbed his arm stopping him.

  “Illan, no. Day, I know you and your father have some things to discuss and work on, and I agree with him that we need to figure out what to do about Salem, but right now, I agree with you. I think we need to stay focused on what is happening right now. Dain, I have known you for a very long time. I was there when Rhys was young and I remember that man. But this man you have become I don’t know. And I have to agree with my son and his mates. The way I have seen you treating Rhys and speaking to him shocks me. When Illan told me that you all weren’t taking Rhys’ concern over Salem seriously, I was not only shocked, but livid. Now, Rhys may not remember the man I knew you to be back then because it was so long ago, but I remember. I am confused at the way you and Destrain treat him now,” Justice said.

  “What do you mean the way he used to be, Dad?” Ethan asked.

  “The Dain I used to know stressed all the time about Rhys and his safety. He always thought of Rhys first.”

  “I was already a grown man by the time you met him, Justice, and I remember him back then as well, and it was nothing like you are saying. Maybe to keep appearances to everyone else he was one person, but in private, with me, he was someone else,” Rhys replied, his voice full of disdain.

  “Well, I was there when you were born, Rhys, and I can tell you that no other man was happier to have a child than your father,” Destrain stated. Everyone turned in surprise from his sudden appearance.

  Destrain walked across the room and sat next to Rhys. “My brother was overjo
yed the day you were born and he doted on you. Clove used to laugh at how gentle Dain was with you. He shook when he held you, afraid that he would break you if he held you too tight, but he was also too afraid to let you go,” Destrain explained with a soft smile.

  “For the first five or six years of your life, no one else was good enough to do anything for you. Dain did everything. Fed you, bathed you, held you, played with you, taught you. He never left you alone for a moment. He even carried you in a papoose when you were small, so that he could bring you to work with him. Then when you got older, he set up a small area for you in his lab and in his office so that he could keep an eye on you. You and your safety was the main reason he created the Griffions to begin with. Dain wanted to make sure that warriors watched over what he held most dear. And when he realized he couldn’t keep you with him all the time anymore and he needed to get nannies, Dain put those poor men through a year of tests before he chose which ones were good enough for his son.”

  Rhys was totally blown away from this information. He felt like his head was going to explode. But then all the hurt pushed through again. “If what you say is true, uncle, then what changed? Because every memory I have of my father is nothing like that,” Rhys declared, pain evident in his voice.

  “All I remember is the loneliness and isolation. The nannies and guards being there, while my father was always away working. And when he was there, he was yelling at me and making me sit for days on end reading all those damn tomes, and studying them. I was never good enough for him. I never did anything right. He was ashamed of me because of the way I look. He even said to me a few times how much I looked liked my other father and his eyes would fill with hatred. He hates my other father and I look just like him, so he hates me, too,” Rhys cried, the tears rolling down his cheeks. Rhys turned and buried his face in Ethan’s chest.

  CHAPTER 10

  Ethan held his mate closely, trying his best to absorb some of Rhys' pain. The tears that dampened his shirt were like acid burning into his very soul.

  "Dain, it's enough. You have to tell him." Justice whispered as he held Avery close.

  Turning to his father, Ethan asked, "Tell him what?"

  Dain looked at Rhys and Ethan could see the pain in the man's eyes. It was confusing as hell. His actions spoke louder than words. Hell, anyone can say they love someone, but when you abuse that person whether it be physically, verbally, or mentally, then it is clear the words are just a puff of air with no meaning.

  Destrain placed a soothing hand on the back of his nephew's head, turned to look at Dain saying, "Either you tell him or I will. How many times do I have to tell you, your son has a right to know?" Destrain turned back to Rhys, stood up, then bent to kiss the top of his head, whispering, "I am so sorry, Rhys. Had I known how much pain you were in, I would have told you everything years ago. I swear to you on my kingdom, you are a loved man and no one, not even your father, intended for things to get this far."

  "Destrain, what the fuck are you talking about? How could he feel any other way? For fuck’s sake, you all left him in this realm for a year──A fucking year, alone and having to fend for himself. How the hell is that not supposed to make someone feel unloved and cast aside?" Day snarled.

  Illan stepped forward. "If there is something that needs to be said, then let's get on with it. We have issues that need to be taken care of in the present."

  Day turned to his father. "One day, Dad, you are going to realize that the world does not revolve around the great and powerful, Illan. This is about my mate! I'm sure if it meant anything to do with yours then you wouldn't be shoving the issue aside, now would you?"

  "Day, if I recall I had to swallow a shit tone of stuff when it came to Avery and people constantly hurting him or trying to hurt him. So back off me!" Illan bellowed.

  Avery stood up, snapping, "Everyone, please stop yelling. If there is something I learned with everything that happened to me, it's that communication and honesty is the key to the success of every relationship, whether it's with your mates, friends, or family. Just talk to each other and really listen to what that person is saying. Rhys, if you truly want your father in your life, you'll listen. Dain, if you want to continue a relationship with your son, you will tell him whatever it is that he needs to hear."

  Ethan practically begged, "Please, Dain. Look at your son. You don't have to be his mate to feel how badly he is hurting inside."

  Dain stepped forward, with tears in his eyes. Getting down on his knee where Rhys sat with his head buried into Ethan's chest, the Regent spoke softly, "The moment Clove delivered Desdain, I knew I wanted a child. Seeing my brother and his husband so happy and hearing their laughter, I knew I wanted that. I got word that the pixies might have a traitor in our shimmer. I went to meet with an informant. I remember the second I saw Garlin. He had the most beautiful silver eyes and long black hair with blue streaks. He was small and dainty." Brushing Rhys' hair back, Dain whispered, "You really do look so much like him, Rhys. He gave me the information and my men and I were able to stop an attack against our people. Soon after this, Garlin and I became a couple. Not too long after that, I became pregnant with you. Discovering this news was the happiest day of my life."

  Rhys sat up wiping his eyes, but said nothing as Dain spoke. "I loved you from the moment I knew I was pregnant." Swallowing hard, Dain said, "However, it was also then that I noticed Garlin beginning to change. He became more distant, not wanting to share in the pregnancy, and not wanting to be intimate with me anymore. I thought he was just nervous about becoming a father."

  Dain stood up but never stopped looking at Rhys. "That is until I saw him speaking to someone I recognized. His name was Corag and he was bad news. I never could get anything on him, but always felt he was a betrayer to our kind. He was arrested a few times for petty theft and assault. I got a sick feeling from that moment on. I didn't want to believe that the father to my child would be a traitor, but I have never, in my entire existence, ignored my gut feeling. I started following Garlin. I had men on him twenty-four hours a day and finally Garlin made a mistake. One of my men was able to get close enough to hear that he was working with a group of people preparing to attack Destrain's castle. I was devastated, but our shimmer came before everyone, including myself. I didn't try talking to him and I didn't let him know what I had discovered. Instead, I planned our next move and we caught the group before they could follow through with their attack. Corag was killed in the skirmish with some of his men and Garlin was taken into custody with the others there and..."

  "And I gave the order to have them all put to death for treason against the crown," Destrain whispered.

  Rhys gasped, "You ordered my other father to be put to death?"

  Destrain looked at Rhys imploringly. "He was ready to kill and destroy our people. It was my duty to protect my shimmer. Remember Rhys, before you were born, we had already been held by the elves for years in captivity. I swore to my people that it would never happen again. I ordered it and I should have kept that order in place."

  "What do you mean?" Ethan asked.

  Dain sighed, "I went to Destrain and begged for him not to kill Garlin. I used the fact that he was the seed father to my child and guilted Destrain until he relented and instead banished Garlin from our shimmer."

  "That's it? Banishment? What in the hell, Destrain, he tried to take out your shimmer?" Illan said in astonishment.

  "Stay out of this father!" Day snarled.

  Dain looked to Day, and Ethan saw the regret written all over the man. "I didn't want the seed father to my child dead, Illan. I didn't want to have to tell Rhys that the man that helped create him was put to death because of treason to the crown."

  "What changed?" Ethan asked.

  Justice looked at Rhys, softly saying, "We got the word that the elves and fairies were coming for the pixies. I told Destrain you had to get out of this realm. The war was in full swing and the dragons and phoenix were not thinking about the pixies at t
his point. It was every race for themselves."

  "You knew about this?" Illan asked in shock.

  With a small nod, Justice replied, "I was the one that had taken Garlin out of the pixie compound. It seems I didn't take him far enough. I was supposed to take him far away, but then my father needed me and Garlin started to ramble about how he was going to miss the newest attack on Destrain and the others. So, I left him miles away and quickly made my way back to the pixies to warn the king."

  Dain quickly spoke, "Justice told us that we were hours if not minutes away from being attacked. Then he got the news about his mother and had to leave."

  "I never knew if they got away or not. I hoped that it was the latter, thankfully it was," Justice whispered softly.

  Dain sighed. "Destrain created the other realm and we fled. I was terrified that the enemy would follow and I began to search for a protector. One phoenix and one dragon were not going to be enough to save us if they breached our new home. It seems my fears were justified."

  Wiping a lone tear away, Dain rasped, "It was soon after that, small things started to happen. First it was a fire in our dwelling. I thought it was a spark that hit the rug on the floor. One time you were sick and I had decided to have you stay in my room, and the roof fell in over your bed. Then there was a rock slide; and had we not stopped so I could fix your shoe, we would have been killed. That's when I started really getting suspicious. I went into full swing on creating a new guardian."

  "Is this when you put together the Griffions?" Ethan asked.

  Dain rasped, "Yes. When I was out, looking for some herbs I needed for the mixture, I noticed a smell. I knew that scent well. I mean, I had slept next to and with the man who carried it."

  "My seed father?" Rhys asked softly.

  Nodding, Dain replied, "I gathered some of my men and we searched until we came across a small group of pixies. It seems Garlin had sympathizers. They hid him away and now Garlin was in our new home area and he had begun to gather an army. Again, the plan was to take out Destrain and our kingdom. I knew then, that I only had one choice left."