Victor sat at the table chatting with Rose while Sam and Tara were attempting to get Vicky to eat. Vicky immediately brought her gaze to Declan the moment he stepped into the kitchen. He'd already been downstairs once, but the girls hadn't been awake yet. "Good Morning, Vicky," he greeted with a soft smile.
She never took her eyes off of him as he stepped to the stove and dished out eggs, bacon, and home fries for Sean. He slathered toast with butter and jam and set it on the plate with the other food. "Would the three of you like to visit with Sean after his breakfast?" Declan asked.
"Yes, please, if that's all right," Sam replied. She studied Declan and he knew she was a very intelligent young shifter. "Sean's your mate, isn't he?" she asked bluntly.
Tara hissed at Sam as the others fell silent. Declan continued to put everything on a tray for Sean and, once finished, he turned and moved to squat beside her, looking at her. "He is," Declan answered quietly. "But he isn't aware of it. I would ask that you not tell him as I don't want to scare him. He has a lot to deal with right now."
Sam gave him a shrewd look, but after a few moments hesitation, nodded. "Don't hurt him."
"Never," Declan promised, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "I'll come back downstairs to get you once he's finished eating."
Tara glanced at Declan. "Is he okay?"
"He's doing much better. He may even be up and around tomorrow."
The girls shared a look, but didn't say anything. Declan knew the reason Sean had healed so quickly was because he'd shared his life force with Sean. They were bound and Declan's strength flowed through Sean's veins now which meant Declan's abilities as an alpha also could be tapped into by Sean, including his body's natural ability to heal faster. Declan couldn't share this with them though. He needed to get that damned collar off of Sean and soon.
After pouring a glass of orange juice and adding it to the tray, he lifted his bundle and carried it upstairs to his bedroom. Sean sat staring at the window, watching the leaves of the tree rustling in the light breeze. Declan cleared his throat to alert Sean to his presence and entered the room to place the tray on Sean's lap. The sheer joy shining from Sean's face at the sight of the food before him almost shattered Declan's heart. For the first time since he'd been a child, Declan actually felt his eyes burn with the possibility of tears. He kept his movements slow and easy as he settled down onto the bed beside Sean.
"While you spend time with the girls, I am going to give my friend a call. I believe he may know how to remove the collar," Declan managed to get out.
Sean shrugged a thin shoulder, his attention solely on the food. "If he can't, it's not like I haven't lived with it my entire life."
Declan scowled. "We'll get it off, Sean. I promise you."
Sean looked at Declan, his brow furrowed. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Declan shook his head. "You didn't upset me, but you have to know it isn't normal to not be able to shift, Sean. Do you even know what kind of shifter you are?"
"No. My father wouldn't tell me and the one time I asked..." Sean didn't finish and Declan could only imagine what Sean's father had done in retaliation of Sean asking.
Blood boiling, Declan struggled to remain calm. "What happened to your mother?"
Sean toyed with his fork. "My father used to talk about her leaving him and me, abandoning us. He would call her awful names and say she left us for another man, a shifter. Carl would say the shifter stole her away from him."
Declan knew it was possible for a human and a shifter to be mated and it was even possible for a human and a shifter to have a child if they weren't mates. He'd seen it happen before within his own streak. But there was no way a mother would have left her child behind even if she had met her intended mate after the fact. Something smelled off about the lies Sean's father had told Sean. He could hear the hurt in Sean's voice and see it in his face. "Listen to me, Sean," Declan said firmly, "No matter what your father told you, your mother never would have left you behind willingly. Understand me?"
Sean tipped his head forward, allowing his crudely cut hair to cover his still bruised features. "If she didn't le-leave then it would me-mean he di-did something to her," Sean whispered, his hold tightening on the fork.
Wincing, Declan realized Sean would rather believe his mother had abandoned them rather than the possibility she could be dead. "It could also mean he wasn't really your father, Sean," Declan offered.
Breath hitching, Sean whipped his head up to stare at Declan, eyes wide. Declan could see the idea had never occurred to Sean, but it had to Declan. With the fact the bastard had apparently kidnapped so many other shifter children over the years and kept them for unknown periods of time, it was entirely possible Sean was the man's first abduction. "What do you remember of your childhood, Sean? What's your first memory of your father?"
He saw Sean struggling to think back. "I remember being in the basement," Sean murmured. "I remember him being mad because I was crying and asking for my mom."
Fury coursed through Declan, but he tamped it down. Right now Sean needed him not his anger. "Do you ever recall him being with your mom?"
"I don't know. I don't remember her." Sean sounded agitated, his voice strained.
Instead of trying to push Sean further, Declan took hold of Sean's hand and held it in his, tracing the back of it with his index finger from his other hand. "Enough dark thoughts for now. Finish your breakfast and then the girls can come to visit."
Sean flexed his hand in Declan's. "I'm sorry if I upset you."
"Stop," Declan chastised softly, bringing Sean's hand to his lips for a brief kiss. "You didn't upset me. I'm the one who should be apologizing for upsetting you. I shouldn't have brought up the subject while you're still healing. I'm an idiot for doing it."
Sean tilted his head curiously. The action set off a niggling thought in the back of Declan's mind and he tried to capture it, but it slipped away before he could. It reminded him of someone yet he couldn't place the person. He released Sean's hand and pointed at the food. "Eat," he instructed.
"Yes, sir," Sean answered.
At first, Declan thought Sean was being serious, but he caught a twinkle of laughter in the sapphire eyes and he reached out to flick the burnished lock hanging closest to him. It made his heart swell to see Sean already teasing him. Declan laughed. "Impertinent cub."
A red hue rose beneath the yellowing bruises and Declan fought the urge of his tiger to lean in and kiss Sean again. The small taste earlier had left him hungering for more. He wanted to devour the sweet, sweet man beside him. He knew Sean was nowhere near ready for Declan to claim him so he would bide his time until then. "I've gone ahead and had Rose order you some clothing. It should be here in the next couple of days. Whatever you don't like or doesn't fit right, we can return," Declan said as Sean resumed eating.
"You didn't have to do that," Sean protested.
"Are you planning on going around without clothes?" Declan asked. "Because the clothes you wore when I brought you here literally disintegrated when I removed them." Dismay covered Sean's face and Declan felt guilty, but he didn't apologize. "Don't worry about it, Sean. I have plenty of money and it is my job as your alpha to take care of you."