Garrett's Choice (21 page)

Relief flooded his chest at the sight. Damon was the only one who would be able to give them answers about Clara and the dark warriors she had working with her.

Something moved just to the left of Damon, and Garrett’s eyes tracked the movement.

Oh no.

Garrett’s eyes went wide. Sitting on the floor next to Damon was Toby, Aaron’s little brother. Toby wasn’t touching Damon, but he sat close to the couch, with his head on his knees, sleeping.

“What do you think this means?” Garrett looked to Ben.

“I’m not sure.” Ben shook his head. “But from what I’ve heard that kid doesn’t go near anyone. I have to wonder why he’d come in here to sleep next to a beaten, blood-soaked witch, if there wasn’t a real good reason.”

“Shit.” Garrett knew exactly what Ben was hinting at. If Damon was Toby’s mate, Garrett didn’t want to be around when Aaron found out. Toby had been through a lot in the past few months and Garrett wasn’t for sure how Aaron, let alone Toby, would react to this.

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Ben patted Garrett’s shoulder. “Let’s not panic yet. We can’t be certain that they’re mates. It could just be that Toby sensed Damon needed someone.”

“Maybe.” Weirder things had happened, but Garrett had a niggling feeling it was more than that. Toby hardly left his room and didn’t talk to anyone. Garrett couldn’t picture Toby making a complete one-eighty now.

“What are you guys doing?” Aaron’s sullen voice asked from behind them. “Is Lachlan okay?”

Garrett and Ben both jumped, bumping heads in the process. Ben and Garrett exchanged a worried look.

“Lachlan is upstairs sleeping. He hasn’t woken up yet, so I’m not sure the extent of his injuries, but he’s breathing and healing, that’s all that matters.”

“That’s good to hear.” Aaron pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “I helped Josh get cleaned up and into bed. He’s shook up pretty bad. He keeps calling out for Victor. I kept reminding him Victor didn’t make it. Poor guy keeps breaking down into tears. They were best friends, it has to be hard to watch something like that and be helpless to do anything about it.”

“Yes it does.” Garrett coughed to clear his throat. “Aaron, we need to show you something, but can you promise not to freak out?”

“Why? What happened? Is Toby all right?” Aaron walked up close to them, worry causing his face to harden.

“He’s fine, Aaron,” Ben answered. “But when we got back we came to check on Damon. To see if he was awake to give us some answers. And well…”

“Toby’s in there with Damon.” Garrett thought it best to get it out there. Like ripping a Band-Aid off.

“What?” Aaron pushed past them and opened the door. “He is.”

Aaron sounded shocked.

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Garrett and the others followed Aaron into the room. Toby had moved his head to rest on Damon’s hand closest to him. They slept peacefully.

“He hasn’t let anyone touch him since—” Aaron stopped speaking and looked up at them. Garrett could tell Aaron wanted to protect Toby’s privacy and didn’t want to give away all that had happened the night Lucian attacked him. “He just recently started to let me touch him. Do you think they’re mates?”

“We’re not sure, Aaron. But I’m just glad to see Toby coming back to the land of the living.” Garrett truly believed in what he said.

He didn’t know for sure if the two were mates, but he was more than thrilled to see Toby out of his room of his own free will. Hopefully he was on the road to recovery.

Aaron knelt down next to Toby. He lightly shook his brother’s shoulder. “Toby, hey wake up, buddy.”

Toby’s eyes opened, and he gave his brother a small smile. His eyes widened when he saw Garrett and the others standing behind Aaron.

“Toby, why don’t you let me take you up to bed?”

Toby looked around to all the men in the room, and Garrett felt bad for intruding. He didn’t want Toby to be upset or scared, but they needed to talk with Damon.

“Okay.” Toby nodded and started to get up.

“Don’t go.” All eyes turned to Damon as he spoke to Toby.

“Please stay.”

Toby looked to Aaron and then to Garrett. Garrett nodded his head yes that it was okay for him to stay in the room.

Damon was still weak from blood loss, and his hand shook as he reached for Toby. Toby looked down at the blood-stained fingers and lightly grasped Damon’s hand. He sunk back down to sit on the floor.

“Damon, do you think you’re up for some questions?” Garrett asked as he moved to sit on the opposite end of the couch Damon sat on.

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Damon looked to Toby then up to Garrett. “I think so. What do you need to know?”

Questions ran rampant in Garrett’s brain. He didn’t know where to begin. Garrett decided it best to go slow. He opened his mouth to speak but another voice spoke first.

“Why didn’t you tell me Clara was your mother?”

Lachlan had woken up in Garrett’s bed. The feeling in his body had started to come back, but he still had the pins-and-needles sensation thrumming through his body. He wasn’t 100 percent healed but enough to move.

He sat up on the bed and dragged his legs to the edge. Taking a deep breath, Lachlan hauled himself up to his feet and toward the dresser. He pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms. It was slow going, but he yanked them on his injured body and made his way down the stairs.

Voices came from the direction of the front seating room where Damon had been left. Lachlan had a few questions for the witch and headed that way. He heard Garrett speaking to Damon and stumbled for the door. He had to ask the one question that had been eating at him. “Why didn’t you tell me Clara was your mother?”

Why didn’t Damon tell me? I could have acted sooner if I’d
known. I could have protected him and saved Victor and kept Josh
safe.

When Damon didn’t respond, Lachlan asked again, “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you.”

“Lachlan.” Garrett jumped to his feet and came to his side. “You shouldn’t be out of bed. You need rest so you can heal.”

Lachlan took Garrett’s hand and let him lead him to the couch.

Damon pulled his feet back and made room for Lachlan.

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“Don’t tell me what I need,” he snapped. The instant the words left his mouth, he regretted them. “I’m sorry, baby, my nerves are just so raw right now.” He paused to steady his breath. Images of Victor kept flashing before his eyes.

“I know, Lachlan, I know.” Garrett helped Lachlan sit down, and then he settled in close to Lachlan’s back, never taking his hands off of him.

Lachlan stared at a wide-eyed Damon. The witch looked scared, and unshed tears glossed over his eyes.

“It’s okay, Damon.” Lachlan was shocked to see Toby pop up from where he sat on the floor and scoot in close to Damon. “They won’t hurt you, but they need answers. They can’t help you if they don’t know where to begin.” Toby’s voice was soft and came out as a whisper.

Damon nodded his head and looked back to Lachlan. “Yes, she’s my mother. I didn’t tell you because”—Damon stared off into space for a moment then looked back to him as a tear fell down his cheek—

“she’s still my mother. For ninety years I’d hoped that one day I’d make her proud of me, and I swore that I’d never tell anyone she was my mother when we moved here. I just…” Damon trailed off as he wept quietly.

“You just hoped she’d love you.” Lachlan finished the witch’s thought. He could understand that, and Damon may be ninety but seemed more like a fresh-faced teenager. The poor witch’s life had hindered his self-esteem. Clara had taken advantage of Damon’s sweet nature and made him do despicable things. And Damon gladly did it in hopes to one day gain his mother’s love and approval.

“Yes, but she never did. I didn’t want to spy on the pack or even talk to that horrible Rhett, but I had no choice. Mother said I had to or else.” Damon didn’t say what the
or else
was, but Lachlan saw the man flinch at the remembrance.

“What did she want from us?” Garrett asked.

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“The coven my mother is part of has a witch who can see small glimpses into the future. She said you held great power as a warrior, and when the coming begins, you’d be dangerous to the Warriors of the Dark.” Damon nibbled on his lip nervously. “She also said you were destined to end my mother’s life. That’s why mother wanted to kill you before you ever got the chance.”

Lachlan looked to Garrett. Damon didn’t know his mother was dead. That he was free of the evil hold she had over him. Lachlan reached for Damon’s trembling hand.

“Damon, she’s dead.” He held tight when Damon tried to jerk away. “We found her in the woods, and she told me that her plan all along was to get us out there tonight. She knew you’d been talking to me and used you to lure us out there. Do you understand what I’m saying? She did this to you on purpose.”

Damon shook his head from side to side in denial. Large tears streaked through the dry blood on his face. “Why?” he cried. “Why was I never good enough?”

To everyone’s surprise, Toby wrapped his arms around Damon and hugged him close. Lachlan watched as Aaron took a step closer and rested a hand on Damon’s shoulder.

“You are good enough, she was just too blind to see it. She tried to make you like her, a monster bent on killing and destruction,”

Lachlan said. “I understand she was your mother, but you deserve so much more than she could ever have given you.”

“I just can’t believe she’s gone.” Damon fidgeted with his hands as his head rested on Toby’s shoulder. “She was all I had.”

“No she’s not,” Toby said softly. “You have us, too, and we’d never hurt you.”

Damon sat up and looked into Toby’s eyes. Lachlan could see it.

He wondered if anyone else could. Toby was still too young, but the blooming of love lay right under the surface. Lachlan wasn’t quite sure if Damon even realized it, but it was there. One perfect connection to another person that couldn’t be broken.

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“Damon,” Ben said as he moved closer. He sat on top of the coffee table in front of him. “Did your mother say anything about a man named Sayer?”

Damon shook his head. “No, my mother never told me anything she considered important. Who is he? Is he in danger, too?”

Ben ran a hand through his hair and dropped his head to rest his chin on his chest. “Yeah, he’s in trouble, but we don’t know how to find him. When Rhett abducted Logan, they used Sayer’s blood and hair to distract us. I was hoping your mother had mentioned him.”

“I’m sorry.” Damon started to cry harder. “I’m useless and no good to anyone.”

“Don’t say that,” Lachlan said louder than he intended. “You can’t control others’ actions. None of this is your fault. Don’t let it destroy your chance for a normal life.” Lachlan tilted Damon’s chin so they could meet eyes. “I’ve got a feeling you have a lot to live for now.” Lachlan darted his eyes to Toby. “You’re free.”

Damon followed his stare and stared at the young wolf beside him. A small smiled tugged on Damon’s upper lip. Hopefully the cruelty Clara had bestowed upon her son hadn’t completely damaged him. Toby was a good person who got dealt a bad hand at luck and paid the price. Damon and Toby were both broken in some aspects, but maybe together they could repair their damaged souls.

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Two hours later Lachlan was lying down in bed once again. They talked to Damon some more, and Damon confirmed what Clara had said. The dark warriors had found a way to take on other paranormals’

abilities if only for a short while. Drinking the blood of whatever paranormal they had captured until the heart stopped beating then killing that person so they couldn’t heal themselves, they took on those shifters’ traits and the older the paranormal, the longer the effect.

Damon also said that his mother was under the effects of shifter blood when she became pregnant with him, causing Damon to be some sort of freak of nature. He was a witch but could do a partial shift into a werewolf like what Lachlan had witnessed. Clara taunted her son, calling him an abomination not worthy of life. She blamed him for his father leaving her. Damon’s father said he couldn’t stand to have a freak for a son and left them.

Lachlan and Damon had more in common than the witch knew.

Both had been abandoned by their fathers and made to believe what they were was unnatural. Granted, Damon being a half-breed was a little different then Lachlan and Lawson being thrown out of their pride for being gay. But in the end it was all the same. The people who were supposed to love them unconditionally failed them.

The door creaked open, and Lachlan rolled over to face Garrett.

“Is he okay?”

Garrett’s face looked weathered. Lines creased his eyes and around his mouth. His strong, handsome mate looked like he aged ten years. Garrett had gone to check on Josh. The wolf kept crying out for
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Victor. The turmoil and pain in his voice stabbed into Lachlan’s heart.

Their young love only just barely flickered to life before it was blown out by evil. Lachlan knew the two men weren’t mates, but when love was involved it didn’t matter. The heart couldn’t always tell the difference.

“He’s sleeping now, but I’m not sure he will ever be okay, completely.” Garrett pulled off his clothes and crawled into bed next to Lachlan.

Lachlan tucked his head under Garrett’s chin and wrapped his left arm and leg over his mate’s body. He breathed in the crisp smell mixed with sweat that made up his mate’s scent. The feel and smell of Garrett’s body would never get old. To think he was mere seconds from dying and never seeing Garrett again. The thought still caused fissures of fear to seep through his body. Lachlan tightened his hold around Garrett.

“They were in love,” Lachlan finally admitted. Garrett needed to know the extent of Josh’s agony. “They weren’t mates, but they were each other’s first.”