Chapter Nineteen #2
That evening, they gathered in the cottage kitchen - Damon, Redford, Moira, Finn, and Kara. The space felt crowded but warm, and Damon found himself enjoying the chaos of cooking for five instead of two.
“So what does it mean by shift control?” Finn asked, watching Damon dice vegetables. “When I shift it just happens, but Moira said you could help me control when that happens.”
“Hellhounds don’t shift the same way you or Moira might shift.
” Damon set down the knife. “We exist in both forms simultaneously - human and hound are just different expressions of the same being. But the principles of control are universal. Come on, let’s go outside, and I’ll show you before the evening gets too cold. ”
He spent the next hour working with Finn in the cottage’s backyard, teaching him to recognize the moment before a shift triggered and how to redirect that energy. The kid was a fast learner and his fox respond well to steady guidance instead of the fear-based suppression he’d been using.
When they got back inside, Kara was helping Redford prepare a massive pot of stew, her defensive walls gradually lowering as they worked together.
“I’m guessing you were betrayed in some way,” Redford said quietly.
Kara’s hands stilled on the cutting board. “We only had a mom for the longest time, and then one day she just disappeared as well. When Finn was seen…it was so hard to get away.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t have any family to run to.”
“Yeah, well.” Kara resumed chopping carrots aggressively. “Finn’s the only family I need, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe.”
“That’s what Duncarrick is for.” Redford added the carrots to the pot. “You won’t have to do it alone anymore.”
They ate dinner around the cottage table, Moira sharing stories about the Highland Pack while Finn peppered Damon with questions about the Underworld. Kara remained quiet, her gaze occasionally drifting to the window where Duncarrick’s tower was visible in the twilight.
After Moira left and the siblings returned to their rooms, Damon stood at the cottage door, watching lights flicker on in the west wing windows.
“They’re going to be okay,” Redford murmured, wrapping his arms around Damon from behind.
“The castle’s taking care of them.” Damon leaned back into the embrace. “Did you see how the lights followed Finn when he walked down the hall before we came over here? And that tea reappeared in Kara’s room, but only after she asked for it out loud.”
“Learning boundaries.” Redford pressed a kiss to Damon’s neck. “The castle’s as new to this as we are.”
Late that night, unable to sleep, Damon left Redford dozing in bed and headed to the east tower. He told himself he was just checking the wards Simon had reinforced now they had new people around, but his feet carried him down to the undercroft chamber.
The crystals pulsed with gentle light. Damon approached slowly, his hound alert but not alarmed.
He heard the door click shut behind him, not in an aggressive way, but more like a child closing a door to have a private conversation. Damon felt the castle’s attention focus entirely on him.
“Good evening,” he said quietly, putting his hand on the wall much like Redford did. “What do you need?”
Impressions flooded through the stone. The castle showed him fractured memories of the original keeper, a powerful witch named Alastair who’d given his life to strengthen the wards during the worst of the trials, and then of the hundreds of paranormals passing through the halls, finding safety and sanctuary before moving on to new lives.
It had been a rich and full life, but just as suddenly it had stopped. Centuries of silence and loneliness as the magic lay dormant, waiting for worthy protectors to return.
The crystals pulsed brighter, and Damon understood. The castle had tested his and Redford’s bond yesterday. Now it needed to know if Damon himself would protect the residents the way Alastair had.
“I will.” Damon pressed his palm against the largest crystal.
“I’m one of the twelve original hellhounds created by Lord Hades to guard the Underworld itself.
Protecting others isn’t just what I do, it’s why I was created.
Every person who comes through these doors seeking sanctuary will have my protection, my pack’s protection, and my mate’s protection.
This place matters, and I won’t let it fall again. ”
The crystal blazed beneath his hand, heat and light flooding through his veins. For a moment, Damon saw himself through the castle’s awareness – him and his hound both. They were older than the castle, and never made a vow lightly, and somehow the castle understood.
The door unlocked. Pulling his hand back, Damon smiled. The crystals had gone back to their gentle pulse, but he got the definite impression that something was different – more settled somehow.
Did you feel that? he sent through his mate bond.
Every second. Redford’s mental voice was wide awake despite him having been asleep when Damon had left the bedroom. The castle was testing you and making sure you meant what you said.
And?
It believes you. Warmth flooded their connection. We passed, love. Both of us. Separately and together.