Chapter 45 #2
“Yeah,” Dylon added, “when we got back, Kieran and Logan went to see Fionn. We stopped by to tell him to pack for the flight home, but Logan met us at the door and told us he was going to stay…and why.”
“Huh! Well, it saves me the trouble of hunting down that motherfucker and killing him,” Slate said.
Dylon growled, “He had a target on his back as soon as he fucked with the Blackwood Pack.”
“Colton, I owe you my life,” Slate said. “I don’t know what you did, but if there is anything I can do for you and Ian, just let me know.”
“Actually, there is,” Ian said, “Colton and I want to set up a trust fund for my subjects. We want to structure it along the lines of the Dire Wolf Treasure so it can be used for housing, education, jobs and medical care. We’d appreciate it if you could help us with that.”
“Absolutely! I can also help with any construction you plan to do. I have several crews available and I can cut one loose for you any time you need it,” Slate said.
“That would be excellent,” Ian said. “Right now, though, they don’t have medical facilities so, as a stop-gap measure, I want to give them a clinic as soon as possible,”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Dakota cut in. “You all can chat tomorrow, but right now, it’s bedtime for my mate.
Cody, give hugs to the twins from me when you see them.
Colton, take your pregnant mate and get some rest. Now go,” he commanded, pointing to the door.
Within minutes, Dakota was alone with Slate.
~/~/~/~/~
Knocking on Fionn’s bedroom door, Kieran waited, then heard a click as the door opened to reveal the tear-streaked face of Fionn. “Hi, can I come in?”
“O-o-kaay,” Fionn said, his voice hitching as a new round of tears fell.
“Oh, Fi, come here,” Kieran said, opening his arms and hugging Fionn.
Hugging the young dragon, Kieran murmured words of comfort as Fionn’s body shook with sobs.
When the tears finally stopped, Kieran stepped back and, taking Fionn’s hand, said, “C’mon, let’s sit down.
” Sitting next to each other on the love seat, Kiran said, “Fi, tell me what happened.”
Hanging his head, Fionn said nothing at first, but then began.
“I killed my father tonight. Killed him to protect my family because I knew what he was capable of. If he found out about Theo, Norman or you, he would take and use one of you as a weapon to force me to give him my hoard,” he said, looking up at Kieran, tears freely running down his face.
“It would kill me…just fucking kill me…if I was the reason my friends were being tortured. So I did it. I killed my father and my family is safe.” Looking at the floor again, Fionn continued, “All my life, my father hated me. At first, when I was young, it didn’t bother me because I was sick a lot and my mother cared for me and she could always brighten my day, even when I was angry at the Fates for making me so sickly.
My mother prayed a lot to the gods and Fates, asking them to make me healthy and by the time I was 13, the illnesses that plagued me during my childhood had stopped.
That’s when I realized my father didn’t like me…
maybe even hated me, though I never wanted to admit it.
“I had a thousand excuses why he treated me badly but every single one of them was bullshit. Finally, when my mother was dying and my father turned his back on her and me, I had to face it…he really did hate me. Why? I don’t know but each year it grew worse.
When he discovered I inherited everything from my mother, he called me every name in the book and then some.
You know the rest of what he did to me. Then, when I heard what he did to Slate, I knew I had to stop him. ”
“Fi, I agree, so why are you crying?” asked Kieran.
“Because he never loved me!” Fionn sobbed. “Why not? What’s wrong with me? I tried, Ki, I really tried so hard to be perfect for him so he would love me…but it never mattered…he hated me…he tried to kill me…why?”
“Fi, do you remember what I told you when you were unconscious in that cave where your father left you to die? About my life?”
“Yeahhh,” Fionn said, trying to stem his tears.
“My parents sold me into slavery. Sometimes, the family you are born into is not the family you’re supposed to have.
Your father’s decision to hate is on him…
not you. There’s nothing you could do to change his hate to love because his emotions weren’t under your control.
You didn’t do anything wrong…your father did.
He had an obligation to you as soon as you were conceived and he failed.
Parents were created to love and care for their children, to show them right from wrong, to teach them to be kind and generous, to help them grow into good adults.
That’s their job, their duty, their obligation…
whatever you want to call it. And your father failed miserably. ”
“My mother loved me so much. Why did she die and he lived? It’s not fair,” Fionn wailed.
“No, it isn’t, but no one is ever promised their life will be fair. That’s why the gods gave us the right to choose. You said you did it for your family.”
“I did. For you, Theo and Norman…you’re my family now. Theo taught me that.”
“It was a hard decision you made tonight but you did it for the right reason. Logan and Dylon had to kill tonight to rescue Slate, but they also did it to protect you, because you’re a member of the Blackwood Pack family.”
“I know…I guess I’m sad because I wish he was different…that he loved me.”
“Come here, Fi. Let me hug you.” Wrapping his arms around the young dragon’s back, Kieran began to draw out his sadness, replacing it with love.