Chapter Twenty-Five
IT DIDN’T matter to Dellan that he was home.
The familiar, comfortable surroundings only reminded him that he didn’t want to feel comfortable.
He didn’t want anyone to see him in his present state either, and that included Horvan and Rael.
They’d tried to do whatever they could to make him feel better, but right now he didn’t want to feel better. He wanted the pain, the agony.
I never got the chance to know Alec.
Would things have been different if he had? What could have come of it? Alec was still nothing more than a science experiment, destined to die young.
Gods, this fucking hurt .
He wanted to hit something. Someone. He wanted to go into Horvan’s weapon box and pull out a gun, then force the barrel down Theron’s throat, empty the clip, then reload. Who could do this to a child? What kind of fucking monster was he?
Except Theron was God knew where, and as for Dellan getting within an inch of him? That wasn’t going to happen.
So many questions filled his head.
How many of the Gerans knew what their leaders were up to? Eve had known about their breeding program, but not about the forced mating, so would anyone else?
Would they have a change of heart once they heard about the child they’d mutilated?
He wanted to believe they would. Because the alternative made them as monstrous as Theron.
And speaking of monstrous….
The news that the Gerans had conducted more experiments hadn’t been a surprise.
Since when do scientists conduct only one experiment?
What shocked him was the nature of their research.
Eve had related what she’d learned about Logan, who was the dearest little creature ever.
She’d shown them the photos, and it was hard to marry up the image of an adorable red panda with the knowledge that scientists had tried all kinds of DNA experimentation on him.
Because they could.
Just to see what happened.
He was a goddamn baby , for fuck’s sake.
Like Alec. And probably like countless others.
Dellan doubted they’d ever know the true extent of the Geran’s manipulations, and to be honest, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
It was too hard. Too painful. The memory of his son as he took his last breath, of seeing him die.
Of feeling the pain of a child he never even knew existed until it was too late to save him.
Why couldn’t he get Alec’s face out of his mind?
He didn’t know him, but now he would never forget him.
“Dellan?” Eve’s low voice shattered the quiet of the small living room where he’d holed himself up.
He stifled a groan. “Not now, Eve. Please… leave me alone, all right?”
The next moment, he found himself engulfed in a hug.
Dellan struggled to break free, to keep his cool, but his emotions overwhelmed him, and he broke down, gulping huge breaths in an attempt to get himself under control.
Eve sat beside him on the couch, her arm around him, making soft crooning noises that soothed him, eating away at his anger, lessening it.
Dellan laid his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he choked out.
“It’s okay to let it all out,” she said softly. “And I’m sorry for disturbing you when you wanted to be alone, but I couldn’t stay away.”
He breathed in her warm, comforting scent.
“No, you’re good. I needed to break out of that pity party I’d gotten myself mired in.
” He closed his eyes. “I keep thinking about all those poor kids. Brought into the world to be soldiers in a battle their parents didn’t want any part of.
Abandoned. Rejected.” He sniffed. “I want to do something to help. I just don’t know what. ”
Eve stroked his back. “You have money. Why not get a fund started? A charity that people could donate to or get help from.”
He liked that idea. “I’d thought about setting up a trust for all the shifters who’d been part of the breeding program. You know, providing them with financial support to help them raise their kids.”
Except there were shifters out there who wanted nothing to do with their kids .
As if she’d read his mind, Eve murmured, “But that still leaves a lot of children with nowhere to go. They need families. And a safe space until those families come along.”
There had to be enough people with compassion, enough to take a kid—or two—under their wing and into their hearts.
“You know what?” Eve nuzzled his hair. “I can help.”
He drew back, gazing into her liquid brown eyes. “How?”
She smiled. “You’re looking at the owner of Gawthorpe Hall, Lancashire.
An Elizabethan property with forty acres of land.
I could do a lot with forty acres. But right now I have a house—and several outbuildings and former stables—that are big enough to provide space for a lot of children. The first Dellan Carson orphanage….”
Dellan sat up, his heart hammering. “You’d… you’d do that?”
She chuckled. “What’s the alternative? Leave it to the nation so thousands of tourists can pass through its doors every year, paying to gawk at the architecture, the drapes, the furniture?” Eve locked gazes with him. “Or gift it to a man who I know will use it for good.”
“Gift it? You can’t simply hand it over.”
“Of course I can.”
“But… it could provide you with an income.”
Eve smiled. “I already have that. How else could I afford its upkeep? Grandfather left me enough to maintain the place.” Her eyes sparkled. “He probably never imagined what I’d do with it. And right now he’s listening and throwing the biggest tantrum Heaven—or Hell—has ever seen.”
“But—”
“And I discussed it with the boys last night. We promised to all look out for each other, so we’re good on money.” She grinned. “Besides, Hashtag has a few tech ideas that might prove pretty lucrative, so you really don’t need to worry about us.” She bit her lip. “I do have one proviso.”
“Name it.”
“Part of it will remain mine, for accommodation purposes. Because my mates and I will need a place to live—when I’m leading a Fridan team under Richard Deveraux.”
He stilled. “The guy whose place we all stayed in?”
Eve nodded. “He’s asked me to stay and work with him, and I said yes.”
“Now that is sweet.”
“What is?”
Dellan smiled. “The thought of Hashtag and Roadkill living in an Elizabethan stately home.”
She laughed. “The way their eyes lit up when they saw the master bedroom? I think they’ll take to it like a duck to water.” Eve cocked her head. “Well? Is it a deal?”
Dellan held out his hand. “It is.” They shook. “And thank you. The first orphanage of many. Except this one won’t be named after me.”
The Alec Carson Foundation had a better ring to it.
On the arm of the couch, Dellan’s phone vibrated, and he glanced at the screen. He smiled. “Dad, Seth, and Brick have landed in Chicago. They’ll be here soon.” He typed Great. We’ve missed you. Aric’s been demanding rubbies from all of us. Then he froze.
“What’s wrong?”
“Dad says he has something to tell us. Something that is going to rock our world.”
“A good something or a bad something?”
“No idea.” Dellan’s mind raced.
What did you discover in Rome?
In a very short time, they’d find out.
Gods, please let us get some good news for a change.
AELRYN CLIMBED down from the belly of the helicopter that had landed on the helipad inside the school grounds.
All the way from New York, he’d been on the edge of his seat, unable to sit still, buzzing with anticipation at the thought of seeing Scott again—and meeting Kia.
He’d seen her photo, and the sight of her had been enough to set his heart racing, but the idea of meeting her, holding her… .
Christmas had arrived at the end of August.
He squinted in the afternoon sun, and it took him less than five seconds to locate Scott, who was standing at the edge of the pad, grinning.
Aelryn forgot about decorum and ran toward his mate.
The feel of Scott in his arms again brought him the peace he’d been seeking all the time he’d spent in the UK.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured into Scott’s hair. Their lips met, and something inside Aelryn locked into place. It had been more than merely missing Scott .
Aelryn had felt as though a piece of his soul had been torn from him, and someone had put it back into its rightful place, mending it.
“She’s nervous,” Scott said in a low voice.
“Where is she?”
“In our room. She didn’t want to come with me.”
Aelryn drew back. “Well, we can’t have that.”
“Oh, it isn’t only because she’s scared of meeting her third mate. Part of it is because… well… because you’re you .” Scott’s eyes sparkled. “Aelryn. The name they all know.”
He huffed. “Then let’s go find our mate and she can see I’m just like everyone else.”
Scott walked at his side toward the school building. “What’s happened with Theron?”
“I left him with our team in New York. He’ll be transported to the upstate NY base.” And if Aelryn never saw him again, that would be fine and dandy. “I have so much to tell you.”
“I gathered that much from our call last night. Something about artifacts?” He pushed the door open for Aelryn, and they stepped into the cool interior. “Is Jake Carson still in Rome?”
“No, he left for Chicago this morning. He should be almost there by now.” Aelryn’s conversation with Orsini in the early hours had left him shocked to his core.
He could only imagine what its effect would be on Horvan, Dellan, and Rael.
They climbed the stairs, and Scott paused at the door. “This is ours until it’s time to leave.” He knocked gently, and it opened to reveal a tiny woman with dark, sparkling eyes and short, spiky black hair. She stared at him, her nostrils flared, and then she launched herself at him.
“You smell the same as Scott,” she said breathlessly, clinging to him.
Aelryn laughed. “Well, that’s a great opening line.” He stroked her arms, breathing her in. “Hello there.”
Kia jerked her head upward. “Oh my God, you’re tall. I’m gonna get a crick in my neck every time I look at you.”