He scooped a bite of the potatoes and stuck it in his mouth. The explosion of flavor surprised him. He’d only ever had potatoes from a can before or left over cold French fries that his father had thrown away. A quiet moan escaped his lips and he stuffed in another forkful. The cheese tasted creamy and amazing. It wasn’t until he’d finished all of them that he saw a number of eyes trained on him. He flushed and dropped his fork on the plate.
A low growl came from his left and Sean startled, whipping his head toward Declan to find the man glaring at the others. Fascination kept Sean’s gaze on Declan for several heartbeats as Declan’s eyes and teeth had partially shifted. Fangs had dropped down from Declan’s gums appearing large and fearsome. Yet they didn’t scare Sean. If anything he felt the same heat building in his lower belly he had earlier when Declan had kissed him. Declan’s nostrils flared suddenly and the green eyes which had become rounder and more cat-like in his partial shift pinned Sean in place. Sean twitched in his chair for some unknown reason and he could feel his face and throat growing warm again.
The others in the room faded away and Sean leaned forward in his chair, his lips parting on a swift intake of air. He almost fell out of his seat in the desire to be closer to Declan. A cough brought both of them out of the stupor they seemed to have become lost in because Sean blinked and shook his head, grasping the table to keep from tumbling to the floor as he realized just how on the edge he was. Embarrassment flashed through him and he tipped his head forward, allowing his hair to hide his face.
Declan’s strong hand slid over the back of his neck, surprising him yet again, and Sean jumped. “Let’s eat, everyone,” Declan said, squeezing Sean’s nape reassuringly before releasing him.
Sean didn’t resume eating right away. Instead he waited and watched the others from beneath his hair. They seemed to be ignoring him now. So he resumed eating, this time slower and less eagerly, sensing it wasn’t normal for someone to enjoy it as much as he did. The conversation flowed around him for a while, but Sean concentrated on keeping his movements on par with everyone else’s. He didn’t want to cause Declan to be ashamed of him. The idea gave him pause. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much. Maybe because the man had done more for him than anyone else in his life. Declan had saved his life after all and taken him into his home.
“Sean?”
Looking up, he realized Sam must have asked him something because she looked at him with an expectant expression. “What?”
“I asked how you were feeling.”
“Oh. I’m much better.”
Sam smiled in relief. “That’s great. Declan is taking good care of you, huh?”
For some reason the question seemed rather leading and Sean tilted his head at the odd gleam in her eye. “Yes, he is.” He didn’t understand subtlety or innuendos. “Why?”
“No reason. Tara and I are going to tour the streak’s compound tomorrow. Rose said we can go pick out some clothes in town too. Is there anything you want us to get for you?”
Sean shook his head. “I’m okay.”
Sam frowned. “Are you sure? You can’t stay in the same clothes forever.”
Declan chose then to interject. “I’ve already taken the liberty of ordering him some items online. They should be here in the next day or so.”
“Oh! That’s great. You want us to get you anything to do?”
“I never thought of that,” Declan admitted. “I have a library full of books. Would you like to have something to read?”
Sean tensed and looked away, shame flooding him. He almost didn’t see the quick shake of Sam’s head at Declan. His stomach twisted and he set his fork down beside his plate, the remainder of his food no longer tempting. “I need to use the bathroom if that’s okay?”
“Of course. You don’t need to ask,” Declan replied. “Do you need help getting there?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“It’s just down the hall on the right.”
Sean stood and walked out of the room, careful not to jar his still healing ribs. He located the bathroom easily enough and entered, closing the door behind him. His father had never taught him to read and there hadn’t really been a chance to learn while taking care of the other cubs. In fact, most of the things he did know were things he’d taught himself or he’d learned from the other cubs and they weren’t much. He knew how to make basic meals, simple fair really, and he knew how to do laundry, how to sew, another skill he’d gained through trial and error. But real-world things like reading, math, and other things most children were taught in school he didn’t have a clue about. Sam and Tara had done their best to try and help him, but there hadn’t exactly been a whole lot of material for them to practice with. They’d taught him what they could.
Pushing away from the door, he looked in the mirror at himself. The bruises had faded even further and were just patches of yellow mottled with tiny blotches of pale purple. He touched his eye, the one which had been most damaged, and wondered at how fast he’d healed. He leaned in closer to peer at the skin. His father had always hated how long it took him to get better after a particularly bad beating so for him to be up and around in a matter of days meant something had changed, Sean just didn’t know what.
Are you all right, baby?
The sound of Declan’s voice in his head caused Sean to jerk backward from the counter and he banged his elbow on a towel rod which in turn caused a pang in his ribs. He hissed and wrapped an arm around his midsection. How the hell could he hear Declan inside his mind?
Sean?
Sean wasn’t sure how to answer Declan. He closed his eyes and figured if he thought the reply Declan could “hear” it. I’m fine.
Do you need me?
No.
The idea of Declan being able to talk to him mentally seemed invasive and Sean wondered if Declan could see his thoughts too.
I can only hear your thoughts, Sean, and only when you’re upset or let me in.
How? A soft sigh drifted through Sean’s mind and Sean frowned. Declan seemed hesitant to answer him. Why? Declan?
I’ll explain it to you eventually, baby, but for now, please just understand it’s not a bad thing. Are you certain you don’t need my assistance returning to the table?
For the first time in a long time, Sean actually started to feel angry. He didn’t like having things hidden from him and he was beginning to think Declan saw him as a child, especially considering how often Declan called him baby. He may not have had a childhood like other normal people, but he had been through a whole hell of a lot more than most and didn’t deserve to be treated like he’d break. I’m fine, he snapped back.
Silence met his reply and Sean sensed Declan wasn’t happy with his response, but he couldn’t have cared less right then. The whole evening had become overwhelming very quickly. Aside from everyone looking at him like he was a bug underneath a microscope when he’d been eating, the idea Declan could see inside his mind scared the hell out of him. He wouldn’t be able to hide the things he’d gone through or the way Declan made him feel and it seemed somehow more terrifying than when he used to wait for the times his father would go into a rage and use him as a punching bag.