Chapter Sixteen

 

Declan paced outside of the infirmary as Luca, Nalini, Grant, and Isabel attended to the still unconscious Amber. It had been hours since she’d made the last blade and throwing stars and the girl still hadn’t woken up yet. Declan and his brothers had been posted outside the doors since Amber had been carried inside, waiting for word of her condition.

“We keep telling you she’s going to be OK,” Tiernan huffed out for the fifth time. “Amber has to eat a lot of food to maintain the energy she needs to forge.”

“He’s right, we go through it as well. It’s our Achilles Heel if you will,” Tristan admitted with a disgusted shake of his head.

“What are you talking about?” Shane couldn’t believe his brother had any weakness.

“It’s the body,” Tiernan said with a shrug. “The child forms we’re currently relegated to, require massive amounts of energy to grow properly. We also need it to use our power, and when not in a place that provides us unlimited power, we can crash and burn until we eat and rest.”

“She is in a place of unlimited power!” Declan argued as he pointed at the dark pyramid.

All the brothers looked to Tiernan and Tristan to explain that.

“Amber has been horribly abused and hadn’t even come close to recovering before she decided to kill what was left of her energy to prove her worth by forging the new sword for you,” Tristan replied, seemingly unconcerned about the girl. That made Declan suspicious.

“Why don’t you guys seem to give a damn?” Declan demanded, knowing his baby brother could never be so callous.

“Because we know Amber is OK, just exhausted and in need of rest. Even with the medibands and a decent meal, it’s going to take time for her to be well again,” Tristan explained with a patient smile. It warmed his heart to see how serious Declan was taking his new role as a father.

“Amber is also newly awakened and still adjusting to using her power. I can attest to the challenge it presents. The will and knowledge are there, but the path to making it happen seems congested until you learn your way around again,” Morgan admitted to them.

Tristan, Tiernan, and Asha all nodded in sympathy, having been through it themselves. Tristan was still struggling with it but had gotten much stronger since Tiernan had awakened and begun helping him. He smiled when he noted that Declan didn’t seem relieved at the news.

“How much does she need to eat?” Declan asked as he remembered the three huge plates of food Amber had eaten before she’d come out to the forge.

Morgan, Tiernan, and Tristan looked at one another and shrugged.

“Probably twice what she had for breakfast, three to five times a day,” Tiernan replied.

“I’d give her snacks when she’s forging too,” Tristan added.

He knew it would take a lot of food to help Amber channel the energy needed to make the weapons. She also needed it for other reasons that they were soon to find out. Tristan saw no reason to say anything yet. It was all going to blow up soon enough.

Chris whistled and shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s a lot of food! I don’t remember us eating that much when we were kids,” Chris muttered as he thought of how small the girl was and how big the brothers had all been at the same age.

“You weren’t required to use your power as regularly as we have or as Amber will. Until she can center her energy and relearn how to feed on and channel the primal instead of her own, Amber will need to eat. A lot,” Tiernan explained with a casual shrug.

His own eating habits had driven Tiernan’s parents into getting a replicator to sustain his energy levels on the days when he and Tristan would hunt with Dizarion and Asha.

“We need replicators,” Declan breathed out. “Lots of them.”

“We need more than that,” Isabel said sadly as she and Nalini came outside and quietly shut the door behind them.

Declan’s heart and stomach dropped to the ground as his mind spun through the possibilities of what could be wrong with the small girl. His brother’s mate.

“It’s not as bad as you’re going to make it out to be,” Tiernan grumbled under his breath, earning a glare from Isabel.

“Watch your tongue,” Morgan warned.

Tristan whistled loudly to stop any arguing and gain everyone’s attention.

“It’s a complication, but not something we can’t work around,” Tristan offered.

It bothered Declan that everyone knew what was wrong with Amber but him. Her father.

“What the hell is everyone talking about? And if you already knew, why didn’t you tell me?” Declan turned accusing eyes to Tristan.

“It wasn’t confirmed until now. I didn’t want to say anything and be wrong,” Tristan answered, keeping his eyes on Declan’s so his brother would note the truth in them.

“What’s wrong with her?” Chris asked impatiently.

“She’s pregnant,” Nalini choked out, trying to blink back the tears in her eyes.

“What?” Declan roared as his fists clenched in rage at whoever would do something like that to the frail and tiny girl.

“About two months along. The baby girl is a fighter like her mom,” Isabel said sadly as she moved into Morgan’s open arms.

“Where did you find Amber? Take me there now!” Declan roared at Tristan.

Tristan merely shook his head and stood his ground as he faced Declan’s fury, and that of his brothers. Even Morgan, Dizarion and Asha were pissed as hell, and it radiated from them all in fierce waves.

“The person responsible for what happened to her is dead. By my own hand,” Tristan assured Declan. “The father of the baby is unknown.”

Tristan and Tiernan both shot Declan full of calming energy as his chest swelled and he roared in rage.

“How can you not know who did that to her if you killed who was responsible?” Declan demanded, knowing they weren’t telling him everything.

How the fuck am I supposed to tell this to Elias? Declan wondered in horror.

“Her parents were killed five years ago in a car accident. Custody was given to her uncle. When he ran through all the life insurance money on himself a few months ago, he began selling Amber to his friends,” Tristan ground out, not happy to be explaining any of it.

He didn’t let it show, but Tristan was just as angry as everyone else at what had happened to the weaponsmith. He had done all that he could to find her, but by the time he did, it had been too late to save Amber from what happened.

Both he and Tiernan decided that they were no longer going to leave their guardians and warriors at the mercy of the evil running rampant on this planet. They were going to seek them out, and if they were in the kind of danger Amber had been in, they were going to intervene. There was no choice. The guardians couldn’t be killed, abused or compromised before they achieved their power or the entire future of the planet would be in grave danger.

Nalini winced when Declan roared out his fury again, grabbed a nearby crate and hurled it into the rock walls. The wood shattered and splintered as Tristan erected an energy shield to keep anyone from being hurt by the pieces.

“Give us a name, and we’ll find the friends,” Siggy growled out as Dante nodded in agreement.

Tristan had known that the brothers wouldn’t let it go once they found out what had happened to the girl. It was why he’d saved the one thing they would need to exact the justice that was long overdue. He reached into his pocket and handed a beat up leather wallet to Siggy. Declan snatched it out of the air before Siggy could get it.

“Kevin Dacy. Is that her last name? Because I’ll be damned if she’s ever called that again! She’s a T’Alq now,” Declan snapped. His hands were holding the wallet so tightly it was beginning to tear.

“Damn straight it’s T’Alq,” Chris agreed as he pried the wallet from Declan’s hands and dropped it into Siggy’s waiting ones.

“She’s our baby now,” Shane said with a nod. “But what about the actual baby our baby is having?”

The question silenced everyone as they considered what would be the best thing for Amber and the unborn and innocent child she was carrying.

“Elias is coming to get her once she’s born. He’s going to raise her on the Tri-Worlds for the time being. Until . . . I can understand everything,” Amber’s softly whispered words shocked everyone.

“When did you talk to Elias?” Declan choked out.

“We’ve spoken since the moment I met him and bound our energy,” Amber admitted with a blush. “I didn’t know I was doing it until he stopped me but by then it was too late.”

Declan felt like someone had punched him in the chest. His pride in Elias was only eclipsed by the maturity of the child in front of him.

The one going to have a child of her own soon, Declan thought with renewed anger.

Though no one wanted to question the decision made by the mother of the baby or the mate who was literally on another world, Declan knew that he had to be the one to make sure the right thing was going to be done for the baby and his new daughter. He knelt in front of Amber.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do? We can raise her together if you want,” Declan offered.

Nalini put her arm around Amber as the girl looked down and shook her head. Little sniffles escaped, and Declan just wanted to snatch the child up and hide her from the world.

“I’m not ready for this yet. But I don’t want to give her up either. Elias said he’ll raise her and love her as his own until I’m ready for the responsibility. He said one of your brothers can bring her back and forth to visit,” Amber said sadly, her heart breaking over the decision she had to make.

“Elias will be a wonderful dad. And when you’re ready, you’ll be a great mom. I’m proud of the hard decision you’re making, but know that it’s OK to change your mind later too,” Chris gave the girl a quick hug as the other brothers all agreed.

“She needs rest right now and some food.” Nalini tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice as she urged Amber towards the pod they would be sharing.

She couldn’t be more grateful that her parents had decided to vacate her pod and instead take the one Amber had been using. It would give Nalini time to bond with Amber and also keep an eye on the girl’s health if they were bunking together.

Luca and Grant had been specific about the needs and changes that would occur rapidly for the girl as she got the nutrition she desperately needed and the baby grew. Nalini had memorized every word they said. She’d never been a mother before and felt completely unprepared for the task before her but refused to let Amber down.

Declan watched them go, and his anger only increased at the small, trudging steps of Amber and the defeated and humiliated bend of her shoulders.

“Time to try out our new skills at exorcizing evil,” Siggy said with a determined scowl.

“Or just killing the bad guys and saving the world,” Dante added as he cracked his knuckles.

“You got addresses?” Declan demanded.

“Bastards were actually dumb enough to use all types of social media platforms to talk about it,” Siggy growled as he headed towards the exit and the cloaked ship outside of the mountain.

“Weapons!” Declan called out in warning.

“Aren’t gonna need much for these pussies! Real men don’t rape kids,” Dante called out as he followed Siggy outside.

“If they’re daemons I can’t fight them so I better not go. I’ll stay and watch over the girls with Isabel,” Morgan offered as more Dranovians headed to the exit.

“Fuck that! I’m going,” Isabel growled as she stormed off leaving Morgan chuckling at her retreating back.

“Take care of her or I’ll kill you,” Morgan hissed at Declan then grinned as if he hadn’t just threatened him.

Declan only chuckled and slapped a hand on Morgan’s shoulder. He was surprised that the boy didn’t budge an inch and he felt more solid than the first time Declan had met him.

“Ditto on Nalini,” Declan surprised Morgan by saying.

Morgan chuckled as Declan headed towards the exit at a jog to catch up to his brothers before they dared to leave him behind. Tristan manifested his wings at the same time Tiernan disappeared and was gone seconds later. Dizarion and Asha only turned and headed to the dining hall.

“I suppose I should help you make some food while they’re gone,” Morgan muttered as he followed the Night Walker and Light Bringer.

Declan dove into the ship just as it was taking off helped by the hand that Chris held out to him.

“Damn guys, I’m her Dad!” Declan growled as he walked through his brothers.

“We were going to wait for you,” Shane shouted back from the cockpit.

“Besides, she’s ours now too,” Luca argued.

Declan made his way to the front of the craft and sat in the co-pilot chair. With a flip of a few switches, he’d taken control of the ship from Shane and leveled them out well above the flying range of human planes.

“Where are we going?” Declan asked.

“It’s already programmed in. Seems all the bastards live in the same area, so I put in the uncle’s house,” Shane replied.

“You got all the info we need? What about the cell structure of the baby?” Declan called out to his medic brothers.

“We got everything we need to determine which of the bastards is the father,” Luca growled from the back of the ship.

Declan nodded and concentrated on the fastest route to the location. It was going to be dark soon, and he wasn’t leaving his girls at the Talunaha with only Morgan, Asha and Dizarion to protect them.

He trusted Tarona and appreciated Morgan’s skill and title as the Guardian of War, but Declan wasn’t leaving the safety of his mate and new daughter to anyone. They were too important to him. Declan may not have been ready for an instant family but knowing how much Elias trusted him and seeing Amber’s sad eyes were enough to make him change his mind.

The threat of the daemons was all too real and would be made even more dangerous when Mastema realized that the Dranovians were awakened and would be cutting a swath through her legions. He definitely didn’t want to be elsewhere when the next attack came for Nalini.

Declan was startled when Tiernan suddenly appeared between him and Shane.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Shane snapped after jumping back from the Dark Warrior in surprise.

Tiernan gave Shane a sarcastic look and turned his attention to Declan.

“Tristan is signaling you where to go.” Tiernan pointed towards their left.

Declan could barely make out the small column of light that penetrated through the dark and cloudy sky.

“Hang on!” Declan gave them only seconds to comply before he dove towards the light beam.

The closer they got to the ground the easier it was to see the pinpoint column of light that Tristan was shooting upward from his pointer finger. Declan looked at the ground below and noted that Tristan had picked an abandoned warehouse building with plenty of space to land the transport ship.

He maneuvered the ship into position and set it down. Declan had barely landed before he launched himself out of the seat and faced Tiernan. They stared at one another for a moment before Tiernan disappeared from the ship.

“I hate that shit!” Shane growled as he stood and followed Declan out of the now empty transport.

Declan grunted his agreement as he walked over to where his brothers were standing with Tristan and Tiernan.

“The father of the child is in the home a block away,” Tristan began as he pointed in the direction. “The other three men involved live here, here and here.”

Declan noted the areas that Tristan pointed out, keeping the location of the baby’s father foremost in his mind before he stormed off in that direction.

“Wait!” Tristan shouted, halting Declan.

“Why?” Declan growled as he turned to his brother.

“It is not so simple, and you know it. Revenge cannot be exacted, only justice or you become that which you hunt,” Tristan warned as he walked through the Dranovians to stand in front of Declan.

Declan was pissed and not in the mood for life lessons from his baby brother.

“So what do you suggest I do? Invite the bastard to tea?” Declan growled.

“No, we want you to try both exorcize rituals on them before you gut them like pigs,” Tiernan said with a broad grin.

Tristan turned around to glare at Tiernan for a moment before he faced his angry brother.

“Not only do you need the practice, but it also helps to know what we’re dealing with so we can determine justice,” Tristan argued, hoping to break through Declan’s fog of anger.

“I can figure out the justice just fine,” Declan growled as he cracked his knuckles.

As his brothers grumbled their agreement, Declan turned and headed back towards the location of the father of Amber’s baby. He wasn’t surprised by the heavy hand on his shoulder or Tristan moving up to keep step with him.

“I know your anger. I killed Amber’s uncle and didn’t feel a fleeting moment of regret or remorse for it,” Tristan admitted and looked at Declan to judge his reaction.

“Then you know what I’m going to do and you should be OK with it,” Declan grunted out, knowing his brother wasn’t done with him yet.

He’s got half a block to stop me, Declan thought as he checked his comm and verified where they were going.

He finally noticed that he didn’t hear the heavy footsteps of the others behind him and turned around to see they were all gone. Before he could ask where they were, Tristan told him.

“You and I are going to the father. Tiernan has taken everyone else to one of the other homes to exorcize first.” Tristan noted it didn’t seem to affect Declan’s determined energy at all.

Declan stopped in the middle of the darkened street and faced his brother.

“You must know the guy is afflicted for you to be this determined. Tell me, why didn’t you handle the others when you took care of the uncle?” Declan thought he already knew the answer but wanted to make sure.

Tristan sighed heavily and shrugged his shoulders, not looking directly at his brother.

“It was your right to take care of this. I had to remove the uncle to save Amber or I would have left him to you as well. This,” Tristan said as he spread his hands, “is for you to finish. The right way.”

Declan snorted and continued towards the dimly lit house he could see down the street. He was grateful that there appeared to be no neighbors to hear the screams he would be causing from the occupant. The man who fathered a baby on an innocent and disabled 12-year-old girl.

Tristan was silent as he followed Declan to the dilapidated porch and without a word of warning, Declan raised his foot and busted through the worn front door of the home. The drunken fool sitting on the couch only stared at Declan dumbfounded for a moment.

“Why’d you do that man?” the idiot mumbled as he tried to lever himself off the couch.

Declan ignored the man as he looked around the room and tried not to gag from the stench. It was obvious the place hadn’t been cleaned in years from the piles of debris, layers of dust and the overpowering smell of sweat and molding food. Stains and dirt covered the fabric of the couch and chair so much it was hard to determine what the original color had been.

The man finally stood and wavered as he held a beer in one hand and pointed at Declan and Tristan with the other.

“You guys better get the fuck out before I call my buddies over here.” The words were so heavily slurred it took a second for Declan to understand them and he laughed when he did.

“You mean the equally disgusting trash my brothers are killing now? Go ahead, try calling one of them,” Declan snarled as he clenched his fists.

He raised his fist to hit the guy just as the drunken fool fell back onto the couch.