Unexpected Mate(17)
With Nicholas in his current state, Damon was catapulted back in time to a place he never wanted to revisit, their childhood.
“Are you okay?” Rory asked.
“I’m just…” Damon shook his head.
“What? You can tell me anything.”
“I never wanted to share my past with you.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not something I wanted you to know. You’re so innocent and sweet. I didn’t want that darkness to touch you.”
“You and Nicholas share a close bond. What happened?”
“We survived. Without him, I’d probably be dead. I think that’s the real reason he didn’t want to leave. He can’t stand being away from me for long periods of time. And I feel the same way. We’ve depended on one another for so long that it’s hard to let go.”
“What happened?” Rory asked again.
“Our dad used to beat us. Nicky…” Damon’s eyes filled with moisture. “He pretended like it didn’t bother him. He would laugh at my father while standing in front of me. It pissed the old man off and made things worse, but it was Nicky’s way of coping. We were the same age, and he protected me, taking the brunt of the beatings. When we were eleven, that bastard started putting us in dog fights. We couldn’t even shift to protect ourselves. People used to come and watch. They’d get drunk and place bets. It was bad.” His voice broke. “Worse than anything you can imagine.”
Rory wrapped his arms around Damon’s waist, squeezing him tight. “Oh God, I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t want Nicky to go to Virginia,” he confessed. “I didn’t want him to be with his mate. I wanted him to stay with me. I was afraid I would lose him.” Tears ran down Damon’s cheeks. “How horrible is that? Gods above, I’m selfish.”
“No.” Rory shook his head. “You love him, and he loves you.”
“And I almost lost him.”
“But you didn’t,” Rory insisted. “He’s here. He’s safe.”
“He would’ve been safer in Virginia with your brother. I don’t think Nicky realizes how much he needs an Alpha. He deserves to have someone take care of him for a change.”
“Do you think we should call Adam?”
Damon glanced at the cat curled up on Nicholas’s bed. “Yeah. We should call him before he wakes up and hears about the bombing on the news.”
“He’s been calling my cell phone, but I’ve been ignoring his calls.”
“Well then”—Damon sighed—”let’s call him.”
Rory stepped back. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Unlocking the front screen, he pressed the telephone icon and dialed his brother’s number.
The phone rang only once before Adam answered. “Rory? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Oh, thank God,” Adam muttered. “I was watching the news and heard about the explosion at the Silver Bullet. I’ve been worried sick. Thanks for calling me back.”
“Since you’ve been gone, Nicholas has been really depressed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. The separation hasn’t been easy for me either. I miss him terribly, but it’s his choice. He needs to come to me willingly.”
“Damon and I took him to the club tonight hoping it might take his mind off things. We were leaving when the bomb went off. Nicholas was injured in the explosion.”
“Oh my God…” His words were barely a whisper.
“Adam, this is Damon,” he said, taking the phone from Rory. “Listen, we didn’t want to call you until we could give you an update on Nicholas’s condition. He had to go into surgery to have silver projectiles removed from his chest and abdomen. As soon as the doctors removed them, he shifted. He’s still unconscious, but he’s home, resting comfortably. He’s going to be okay.”
“I was going to call him. I wanted to call him, but I didn’t…” Damon could hear the pain and regret in Adam’s voice. “I’m going to pack a bag right now. I’ll catch the first flight out.”
“No, don’t do that.”
“What? Why? He’s my mate.”
“Nicholas told us that he was ready to leave New Orleans. He said he wanted to be with you. He was planning on packing up when we got home from the club. Let him follow through with his plan. You wanted this to be his decision.”
“What do you expect me to do? Am I just supposed to sit here and twiddle my thumbs while my mate’s unconscious?”
“Right now, Nicky needs to rest and heal. I’m sure he’ll wake up in a few hours.”