by Celeste Raye
Donovan looked down at the tea that had been offered and that he was now sipping on. It tasted strange, but that was to be expected when someone was dining at a witch’s house. They always had some concoction to try, and it never really tasted quite right.
He set it down and backed away from the table.
“Don’t worry; you’ll remember this. If not, you’d just come back here over and over again until you get what you want. I know you; dog with a bone.”
Donovan could feel Claire’s eyes on him, and he could imagine what she thought. The witch was flirting with him, but he didn’t want to get into it with her. He just wanted answers and a way out of the mess he was in, if it were even possible.
“So, how do I find them?”
Evelyn smiled, flirting with Donovan, suggesting things to him, clear with just a look.
“All you have to do is ask. It’s just one little spell.”
He agreed and started to relax. All Donovan was worried about was finding his brothers, and now that it was going to happen, he was going to be able to breathe once more.
“If you would find my brothers, Evelyn, I would be forever in your debt. I don't think Jake is ever going to forgive me for this.”
Donovan wasn't really talking to the witch; he was more talking to himself. Once again, Donovan had made the wrong decision, and again, people were paying for it. He had to find a way to make this right. He had a fleeting thought of taking on his father right there in the clubhouse, but that was a fool’s idea. He needed to think it through and take the right steps. He also needed to get his Alpha back.
The witch took no time in helping him locate his brothers. They were a few a hundred miles away, and he couldn't even imagine what they were doing. The only good that came out of it was that at least his father had not killed them. Donovan was not so naive as to think that his father would not have done that very thing. He was a little surprised that he hadn't.
Then again, Donovan realized that if he wasn't going to kill Jake and Fred and Charlie, he was probably saving his revenge for Donovan. Donovan was the good son; he was the one that had done the betraying. Dean had always known that Jake and the others were not one hundred percent with him. They didn't have that blind loyalty that Donovan had.
He asked the witch a few more questions and they were about to leave when she went back to mentioning Claire. Obviously, she knew that she was human. Evelyn also knew the rules that he had to abide by, and he wondered what she thought of it. She didn't seem all that surprised.
“How can you possibly know that she is carrying my child?”
Donovan couldn't even look at Claire as he was getting the answer. Even though he came to the conclusion that he cared about her, maybe even loved her, it was a whole other ball game to talk about children.
“Do you really want to waste your time asking me that kind of question?”
Donovan shook his head and relented. As much as he did question the validity at the moment, she was right. Evelyn was always right.
“So, do you want me to tell you what you really want to know, Donovan?”
He looked at her a little confused.
“Well, you want to know if it's going to be human or a shifter, right?”
Again, Donovan was amazed by how much she could see into his soul. As soon as she said it, his mind knew that she was right. If they were going to have a child together, Donovan wanted to know if it would be accepted into his clan. If it was a shifter, there was a good chance of it; if not…
“I guess you're right. I am curious about that.”
He was trying hard not to look at Claire now. It wasn't that he would hate the idea of the child being human, but it would certainly make some differences in the decisions he would make for their future. It would be a lot harder to have Claire accepted into his gang if she were carrying a human. But if she were carrying one of the next generation, lines would be changed. All that balanced on what the witch said next.
“And you, girl, do you have a preference either way?”
Claire shrugged her shoulders. He could see her out of the corner of his eye, and Donovan could tell that she was on edge.
“I would like to know. I don't have a preference either way. I can't believe that I’m pregnant, but I will love the child no matter what.”
Evelyn chuckled, and he was trying his best not to be frustrated as she was being so lighthearted about it, not realizing that it was going to change his whole life. Or maybe she did know, and that's what she found so comedic.
“Well, you have a little beastie in you. There will be no mixing of the blood. The baby will be full shifter. It will be quite a feat, and that baby inside of you will change everything when it comes to the shifter clans. They will start to accept your kind, something that is very important to you.”
Her words made him cold inside; that was probably the last thing that he wanted to think about. He didn't want to think about any great thing coming from his child. He was done with witches and premonitions. There was a small sense of relief, but he was certainly not going to let her know that he cared one way or another. She just wouldn't understand how much easier it would be now.
“We have to go now, witch. I am forever in your debt.”
“Then you know that I will someday hold you to that. You and your brothers.”
He agreed and tried not to think about what she would want out of him. He hated owing anybody, especially someone like her. He knew better than to take the debt lightly.
As they were leaving, Claire was quiet, and he asked her if she was alright.
“Yeah, I just don’t know how much of that should I believe. I mean, is she for real?”
He smiled and knew what she was worried about. “How much of it do you want to be true?”
Claire told him that she was unsure. “I mean, we just met, and though I have fallen for you, that doesn't mean that I’m not freaking out right now about all this.”
Donovan smiled and pulled her close.
“Don't worry. I am nervous about it too, but also really excited. Doesn't make any sense, does it? None of this, me, you.”
Another sweet smile, and she disagreed. “It's not wrong; I feel the same way about it. I am just scared. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life, and you’re in danger. I don’t like it.”
He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay, but until he found his brothers and figured it out, there was no way to get his father out of the clubhouse for good. Donovan wasn't quite sure of that inevitability. At the moment, it felt like it was a toss-up.
“Do we have to leave so quickly?”
They were right outside the cemetery, and Donovan stopped. Surely, she wasn't talking about what he thought she was, right?
“What do you mean?”
“You know darn well what I mean. Do we have time?”
“What part of that got you going? I have to know.”
She shrugged. “I really couldn't tell you honestly. I just think there with everything going on, maybe we should have a little fun, while we still have a chance. You know, uncertain tomorrows and all.”
Donovan wasn't sure what brought about the change in her, but he wasn’t going to question how she worked things out. He moved closer and yanked her hard enough towards him that she lost her balance and fell into his arms.
“I think there will always be time for that, Claire, no matter what is going on.”
She giggled and let him kiss her, submitting to his desires immediately. While he had to question the timing in his mind, it did not mean that he was ever going to say it out loud again. Donovan wasn't that stupid. He knew when to shut up and just go with it.
Chapter Nineteen
Donovan had not been expecting to take the little distraction that they had. Naturally, he didn't regret it, but they were in the wrong place at a very late time at night. He did not trust his father to leave his brothers in a good way. Even though Evelyn had told him that they were ha
ppy, he had to question that. Unless he saw it with his own eyes, there was no way that he could take anyone else's word for it.
What was the real shocker, after he arrived at the place Evelyn said, was that she was actually right. At least about the fact that they were happy.
His brothers were at least together, and when they finally settled into where they were, he could see that they were all in a bar drinking together. The witch had given him a general direction where to find them, but it was his connection with his brothers that brought him quickly to where they were. Once he got there, though, Donovan was hard-pressed not to want to stop and see what was going on.
They were laughing and discussing something that seemed rather important. He didn't know how it was possible the state they were in, but maybe it wasn't for him to question. They really did look happy. Should he leave them there, ignorant to all of the hurt, pain, and betrayal that would quickly be upon them?
He stopped and shook his head, trying to get thoughts like that out of his mind. Of course, he couldn't leave them. Donovan didn't have a plan for how he was going to tell them such incredulous things, but there was a certain comfort in having Claire with him. She was a calming force that he needed.
“Why don't you stay here and I will be back in a minute?”
She disagreed, and he tried his best not to let it bother him. There would be time to overanalyze it later.
“You know I can't do that. We're in this together. I am not letting you go in there by yourself.”
“Are you worried that I will have fun without you?”
She insisted that wasn’t the case. Did she feel some kind of duty towards him now, knowing that he was the father of her child? The beastie, as the witch called it.
“Not at all. I just think it would help if you have someone there to back up your claims. Have you thought about how you’re going to break such news to your family?”
Donovan shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t going to believe it fully until I saw it with my own eyes. Now I am not sure what I am supposed to say or do.”
She held his hand a little tighter. “That’s why I am going to be there with you. Let’s just march over there and tell them everything. How strong is the magic that took their memory? Like, can we jog it to get it working again?”
Donovan didn’t have a clue about that either. He was sick of saying as much, and again, all he could do was shrug. He had no idea what was going to happen next. All he knew was that he had to go over there and blow their minds.
He’d been gone for a while, and a lot of that he’d been traveling with Claire. Now, he was going to have to figure out how to bring them back to reality.
Instead of second-guessing himself anymore, Donovan started to walk towards the group of men. They were the same ones that he’d spent his life with, however, was it really the same if they didn’t remember any of it? He missed a step but fixed himself quickly. It was hard for Donovan even to imagine that they wouldn’t miss him. He had missed them all so much.
There was a brief moment of relief, because at least for a few minutes, he was going to be faced with something besides suspicions. He had been tired of the way he had looked at him before he left, but as he walked up, Donovan knew that it could be worse. They looked at him like a stranger. He knew that they wouldn’t recognize him, but being faced with it, was altogether different.
“Hey, Jake.”
His older brother turned around, having been looking at his wife, Alexis. At least that hadn’t changed.
“Sorry, but I think you have the wrong guy. My name is Aaron, not Jake.”
Donovan looked the man up and down, noticing the scar on his forehead and the one on his hand. Yeah, that was his brother, even if he didn’t know any better.
“No, your name is Jake, and we know each other very well. We are actually brothers, we all are, and I am ready to take you guys back home.”
It just fell from his lips. They looked at him like he was crazy, and he felt the reassuring squeeze on his arm from Claire. He was really mucking it up, but no other words came to him. Which ones would have been right?
Jake shook his head like he was trying to refuse the words coming from Donovan’s mouth. Donovan wanted to insist, to explain that he was for real. He just knew that it couldn’t happen there. There were too many people, and Donovan was already thinking he was going to have to show off something for his brothers to believe him. It wouldn’t be the first time, but it was going to be the first time that he would have to convince shifters that they were shifters. He knew how to make them change, whether they wanted to or not.
He was not looking forward to the new idea of how to convince them. Anything would have been better than that.
Donovan and Claire tried to convince them to go out to the parking lot with them, but they were looked at with suspicion. Donovan imagined that he would feel the same way if some stranger walked up to him spouting off what he was about to.
“There is nothing to talk about. Sorry, you have me mistaken. We’re going to get back to our drinks.”
That wasn’t going to be enough. He had to resist the urge to back down. It was the only way that he was going to be able to get them to figure out what they were. He was focused on Jake, hoping that he would figure it out sooner. He knew that Jake had the biggest temper and it would be easier to force a change from him.
He looked around the bar. There were a lot of people there, and it wasn’t the time or the place for him to deal with such things. He had to make a decision, and he looked at Claire. “Don’t get mad, okay?”
She didn’t know what he was talking about and he didn’t give her much to go off of. Claire would know soon enough, he figured. Donovan walked over to Alexis and kissed her passionately. Whatever was going on in Jake’s brain, Donovan didn’t figure that he would be so quick to get rid of her in his mind.
He looked over at Jake and saw the man getting livid. He pulled on Alexis, apologizing as he started to pull her towards the door. As soon as she started to really resist, he let go, telling Jake that he would meet him outside to call dibs on his girl.
Jake’s eyes were glowing, and Donovan went out the door before his brother could hulk out in front of the rest of the place. He knew that Jake would kick his ass quickly if he were able to get ahold of him. Donovan didn’t want that to happen. He was going to try his best to stay out of his clutches. It just seemed like a good idea, though Donovan saw Jake barrel out and he questioned that last sentiment.
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
Jake was coming closer, the ring getting brighter. It was about to happen. His brother was going to turn from his emotions. It happened a lot when a shifter was new to changing, and since his memory was gone, it was like Jake was just starting out again. It was another thing that Donovan hoped he would get back. It would help things go a lot smoother.
“I am your brother. You’re about to change, and then you will know what you really are. I hope that the magic of your shifting will make you see, heal you in some way. I don’t know, Jake, but you need to do it. See what you are.”
“I am not Jake! My name is Aaron!”
Jake got ahold of Donovan, hitting him square across the face. Donovan fell, and he looked up at the man, trying to figure out the angle that would push him over the edge. Whatever it was, he needed it.
“I will be back in there kissing on Alexis soon enough. She had such a sweet taste.”
His older brother tried to stomp him, but Donovan grabbed his leg, yanking on it to pull it out from under him as his brother breathed heavily. He hit the ground hard, and Donovan kicked him once to get the anger really seething. If it didn’t work itself out soon, Donovan was going to have to retreat. They were going to get to the stage where they were really going to hurt themselves.
“See who you are, Jake!”
The man on the ground growled, and it sent a shiver down Donovan’s spine. It had been a while since he’d heard such a
guttural sound from Jake. It was hard to ignore, and his brother was shifting right in front of him.
“Bout damn time. Now tell me you know what the hell is going on?”
Donovan waited for a mental answer, but all he could see at the moment was a big-ass bear coming towards him. Jake looked intent on ripping his head off, and Donovan was worried that he would.
“Come on, Jake, you have to remember me.”
The bear got to the point where Donovan was going to get it. He would have to turn into his shifter bear himself just to fight off his brother, which still might not work to keep him safe.
Jake turned back to his human form, but the anger was still in his eyes. It wasn’t hard to see what he was mad about. He was immediately ranting about it, and Donovan didn’t know what to say.
“What the hell are you doing kissing her, Donovan! That’s my wife!”
Jake came towards him, and it wasn’t because he didn’t know who Donovan was, but because he did. Jake stopped after a moment and shook his head. It must have just hit him that he had been messed with in some way. There was no other explanation.
“I know, I had to get you to get mad. So mad that you would shift. I hoped it could heal the magic on your brain.”
“What magic? What the hell happened, Donovan? Where the hell are we, and what the hell am I wearing?”
Jake had a million questions, but it wouldn’t be any that Donovan could answer now. He was ready to get his other two brothers out of there, as well as Claire. He wanted them all away from the scene they’d made and somewhere where they could all talk. They still had to convince the other two.
“Shit, we need to get out of here.”
Donovan agreed and then almost ran into Jake, then he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“This is all on you, Donovan. You didn’t kill Dad like we thought.”
Donovan groaned inwardly. He knew that it would come back to haunt him one day, and this was to be his day of reckoning.
“I know, Jake. Let’s get out of here, and you can yell at me then.”
