“I swear every time I turn around you’re in some kind of trouble.”
Dane! That was Dane’s voice.
Coughing and gulping to take in more air, Darius opened his eyes to see Dane tying his uncle up with a phone cord. The man was out cold. Struggling to sit up and crawling on his hands and knees, throat burning, he made his way over to his mother who was curled up in a ball on the floor.
“Mother,” he rasped out, touching her. She jumped. “Mother, it’s alright.”
She looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. Like a child, she went to him, holding him around the waist, shaking.
“Dane!” Blaine’s voice carried up to them from below.
“Up here,” Dane yelled back. “You got the police?”
“Coming up right now.”
“We also need those medic guys.”
Police rushed into the room, heard Dane’s story, and then picked up a slowly coming to Mathew, cuffing him and taking him down stairs. Darius shook off the medic, helped his mother to her feet, then walked with her out of the room and down the stairs. Only when they were outside did he hand her over to be checked over, and allowed a medic to look at him also.
“Darius!” Makayla’s voice broke through his shock. She came pushing her way through the small crowd of people and into his arms, hugging him tight. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
Darius closed his eyes, took in the sweet scent of her hair and the warm feeling of her body pressed against his own. To hold her meant that now his life would finally start to mean something.
“Miss.” One of the medics broke them up and got between them to check Darius’s throat.
“What happened?” Makayla asked.
“His uncle,” Dane answered instead of Darius. “You’ve got some fucked up family.”
“You have no idea,” Darius pushed out.
“I think you have a bruised larynx which means you’re going to be sore and not talking much,” a medic said.
Dane snorted, “Yeah like that’s going to stop him.”
Darius gave Dane a glare, nodded to the medic, got up from behind the ambulance and started towards his mother with Makayla in his arms.
“How is she?” he asked one of the nurses from the hospital where his mother had been before Mathew took her out.
His mother lay on a gurney, a blanket over her, looking like she might be sleeping.
“I gave her a sedative,” the nurse said. “She’s traumatized and there are signs she’s been abused.”
“Sexually?” he asked, and the nurse nodded. “Shit.”
“We’ll know more when we have her back on safe grounds.” The nurse looked up at the house. “I know from talking with your mother when she was coherent that this house holds a lot of bad memories for her. Being brought back will probably set her back, but I think if her son comes and visits often, she’ll eventually come back to us.” She smiled.
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Darius shook her hand, then let go of Makayla to walk up to his mother and kiss her on the forehead. “The bad stuff is over now, Mother. No one else will ever hurt you again. I promise you.”
With a nod, the institution’s staff took his mother and put her into a van. He stood there watching them leave before turning to the officer that was writing up the report. With his hand in Makayla’s, Darius went over to the car.
“Mr. Alistair,” the police offer said. “Want to press charges I believe.”
“Damn straight, I do.” He didn’t look at the cop, but in the window at his uncle who stared straight ahead. “He kidnapped my mother and has been holding her here for a few months for starters. Then tried to extort money from me, oh, and let’s not forget he sexually assaulted my mother as well. And I’ll be there to testify on each charge.” He opened the car door and glared at his uncle. “You’re not getting away with this shit anymore. This time you’re going to pay.”
Mathew turned his head towards Darius. The coldness in his eyes alone should’ve given Darius the chills. At one time it did, not anymore. Now all he saw, instead of a monster that a boy might remember, was a man who was trying to hold onto what he had by a thread.
Darius slammed the door on Mathew’s face and backed up. Makayla wrapped her arms around his waist, settled her head against his back. Comfort. Safe. He felt safe in her arms. Felt like he finally belonged.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go home.”
The police car pulled away, leaving him standing in an overgrown drive, looking at a house he hated more than anything. It held so many bad memories inside the walls. He had half a mind to tear the place down.
“Don’t think about it,” she said behind him.
“Are you reading my mind?”
“No I’m reading your body and you tense up when you look at the house.”
“A lot of people got hurt here in more ways than you know.”
“Then walk away from it.” She turned him away and together they walked towards Blaine and Dane.
“You had to bring her?” he said to Dane.
Dane snickered, “Boy, you have a lot to learn about these sisters here, this one especially.”
“Well, I don’t know about you two, but I need a drink and need to check in on my wife,” Blaine said.
“I’ll second that.”
Instead of going home, they headed to Blaine’s place. Samara and Shyla were at the door waiting for them, and they told them all Devon and Kera would be there soon as well. Samara fixed something to eat and they all sat around the long table in the dining room.
“You’re bruising,” Samara stated to Darius, staring at his neck.
“Hurts like hell,” he told her.
“So what happened?” Devon asked.
“You know, I always knew my father was a bastard, but I never thought he’d take the blame for what Mathew did all these years,” Darius said.
“What do you mean?” Blaine asked.
“My father let me think that he hurt Sara when it was Mathew who did. Apparently, my grandfather told Mathew and my mother that Sara would belong to Mathew.” Saying it made him want to throw up again. “I remembered going to see my grandfather when my mother was pregnant with Sara. He kicked me out of the house, and I don’t even want to think about what he did to my mother. My father knew. I remember when we got home they got into a huge fight over it. He didn’t want her going back there.”
“Not if he knew her father was abusing her,” Samara said. “Any sane man would do the same.”
“Yeah, well I don’t think he knew that her brother was doing the same thing,” Darius added. “He came to our house. I don’t know... he might’ve caught on because I recall that after a while Mathew would only come over when my dad was gone.”
“Got to love family secrets,” Kera mumbled.
“Well, I’m sure there is much, much more,” Darius said. “And I really don’t want to know anymore. Think now I should start to focus on my future and taking care of my mother.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Makayla nodded. “So, where are we all having Christmas at?”
Everyone around the table started laughing. Darius leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, smiling big. Of course, Samara started in about doing the cooking, Shyla offered her house for the event, and all the women began talking about what they’d like to do to celebrate the holidays.
“So where’s Nicolai?” Darius asked Blaine.
“With Zander,” Blaine answered. “His father quickly took off right after the party. That prick reminds me of my own father. He doesn’t give a shit about what that boy does, which is going to get him into some serious trouble.”
Darius grinned. “You mean he might start doing the same shit the four of us did?”
Blaine nodded, “Exactly. Scares the shit right out of me.”
This was how Darius always wanted his family to be. How strange, but wonderful, he thought, that you could have a family that didn’t have anything to do with blood.
* * * *
Three months later
Snow fell outside, thick and blanketed the ground in pure white. Darius stood at a window overlooking the landscape of Blaine’s home, feeling for the first time at peace with his life and happy for the holiday. Christmas! Oh how many of them he’d spent alone dreaming like a little boy of a family he never thought he’d have again.
“The ham is almost ready.” Makayla’s voice broke through his thoughts and brought the other sounds of the house back in real time.
“Oh, I love ham!” Darius smiled and turned around. His mother sat in a chair, a big smile on her face.
It took the whole three months of intense treatment to bring her back to where the doctors informed him was where she had been before her brother took her. He was a bit hesitant about having her over for Christmas, but the others insisted. Besides, he’d set it up that every time she left for an outing she had a personal nurse from the hospital, in case she might have a problem. So far, her outings had been going very well.
“When I was a little girl my grandmother showed me how to do a ham,” Mary Alistair said. Her wrinkled face seemed to light up as she talked about the happy times in her past. She even talked about Sara. “Oh we glazed it in brown sugar and a hint of orange. Could make your mouth water. I showed Sara how to do it once, but she never did do it well.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Not everyone is a cook I guess.”
“Well I’ve done it just like you told me,” Makayla said, smiling back at her. “Just as you remember it.”
“Oh, you’re sweet. Darius, isn’t she sweet?” Mary asked. “Oh, and I just love your sister. She reminds me so much of Sara.” She sighed, her smile quickly dropping.
“Mother, I have something for you.” Darius figured it was time to get her smiling again.
“A present?” Mary asked, eyes lighting up again. “Oh I love presents. Did you know that I sleep every night with my aunt’s quilt you found for me? Such a good boy he is, thinking of me.”
Darius picked up one of the packages from under the huge tree and brought it over to her, kneeling down at her feet. He watched his mother take it and rip into it like a child would. For a few tense moments, he feared that the gift he gave her might upset her and cause a small set back. Even the nurse it seemed feared the same because she slowly started to inch closer.
A tear slipped from Mary’s blue eyes and trailed down her cheek. Her hand shook as she slowly touched the present. A small five by seven photo of Darius and Sara together as children before the darkness of the family had touched them.
“I remember when this picture was taken,” Mary whispered. “You two were so young then, so innocent. Oh how things changed so fast after that.”
“Mother, I didn’t mean to upset you with it,” Darius said. “I can get you something else.” He made to take it away only to have her slap his hand away.
“No you won’t. This is my present.” Her chin went up, quivering with tears filling up again, eyes still looking down at the photo. “I love this picture. It’s before the badness came.” She looked at Darius, raised her hand and touched the side of his face. “It’s how I want to remember you both. You understand? I need to remember that at one time you both were happy and safe.”
Darius turned his head into her hand, kissing her palm. “We were then, and we are now.”
“I know,” she sniffed as she very gently tapped his face and nodded. “So when is that ham ready, girl?”
Makayla quickly brushed tears of her own away. “Right now. Let’s go eat.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Mary said, getting up, holding her photo close to her chest. “Nurse Nancy, you will sit with me, please, and eat. It’s Christmas after all.”
The nurse winked at Darius before taking Mary’s arm and following her into the dining room. “You know I’m not going to miss out on this ham if it’s your recipe.”
Makayla wrapped her arms around Darius, standing with him as he watched his mother head into the dining room. “Thank you,” he said.
“For what?”
“Everything,” he smiled. “I never thought I’d ever have a Christmas with my mother again, or anyone for that matter.”
“Well, it’s really all my pleasure.” She leaned into him, head now on his arm. “We have a very large family, Darius, and they’re all right here with us.”
“Yes they are.”
Together they started for the dining room, only to get detoured by the loud voice of Blaine, who had been gone from his own Christmas dinner way too long.
“Mr. Cedric, I told you I was fine in the penthouse.”
“And I told you bullshit,” Blaine snapped. “And if you call me Mr. Cedric one more time I’m going to knock you on your ass.”
Blaine walked into the drawing room with Zander Vanzant following behind like a lost puppy. The boy clearly felt a bit uncomfortable with being in Blaine’s home.
“His father didn’t come home for the holiday,” Blaine said, a thumb in the direction of Zander. “So he’s staying here for it, and I don’t give a shit if he likes it or not.”
“Blaine!” Shyla came out from the dining room. “We do have company. Zander, welcome and please join us. Dinner is ready.”
The two went into the dining room and Darius along with Makayla held back the laughter as long as they could. They busted out the moment Blaine was gone.
“Oh man, she has him wrapped tight around her finger,” Darius
said.
“Baby, we all have you guys wrapped around our fingers. You just don’t know how tight,” Makayla said.
“Is that so?” Darius pulled her into his arms.
“Without a doubt.” She put her arms around his neck.
Quick peek up and he smiled. “Mistletoe.”
Makayla looked up and smiled also. “Well then you better hurry up and kiss me. I don’t want to miss out on that ham either you know.”
Darius leaned in and right before he kissed her he said, “I love you Makayla Alistair
.”
“And I love you, now shut up and kiss me.”
“With pleasure.”
Author Website
Other works by Author
SHIFTER
Stefan’s Mark
Claiming Skyler
Dedrick’s Taming
The Prowling
Cole’s Awakening
The New Breed
Seducing Sasha