Theodore: Xavier’s Hatchlings ― Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  “No, you wouldn’t have. Your children wouldn’t have acted that way in the first place.” Grace said none of their kids would have. “It’s not that I’m against talking to your children about things they’re doing wrong. I mean, teaching them the difference between right and wrong is the only way to make sure they grow into good adults. But there are times when talking is not enough.”

  “I’ve spanked Pem here once or twice. That was all it took. And afterwards, I cried more than she did.” Pem took her hand into hers and kissed the back of it. “The first time was when she told me she hated her father. I’ve never condoned the way Patrick treated her, but no one should hate their parent. I’ve since changed my mind in that regard. It is difficult to love someone when they treat you like Patrick did Pem. Or, for that matter, the way he treated his father and I. He was a difficult child and grew into a more difficult adult. I want you all to know I never raised them to be like that.”

  “Of course, you didn’t.” Each of them had a cup of tea in front of them that MaryBeth didn’t remember being given. Taking a sip of the wonderful smelling brew, she was shocked when it filled to the top again. She looked at Cindi. “I’ll leave you that cup. Once you fill it with something warm, not only will it stay at the same temperature, but it will refill when you need another cup. I’ve been drinking that particular brew for decades, and I simply love it.”

  They spoke about this and that for the rest of the hour before everyone was to show up. MaryBeth was called away, having been she had a phone call. As soon as she picked up the old-fashioned phone, she knew that it was Austin. He was terribly upset and sobbing.

  “She’s gone.” MaryBeth asked him what he’d said. “Caroline is gone. She left me. She’s gone, Momma. Gone.”

  ~*~

  Theo moved into the hallway to give MaryBeth some privacy. He went to find Winnie to ask her for her help. He had a feeling that something more than just Caroline being gone was bothering Austin. Even from across the room, he could hear the anguish of the man, his pain.

  “I can get you there. Why are you going? If she’s left him, there is little that we can do to get her back. Grief is like that.” He told Winnie what he thought was going on. “Oh. I never— Let me have a quick look.”

  When she disappeared then returned, he opened his mouth to ask her what was going on. The next second, less he’d bet, he was standing in a house that he didn’t know. He knew where he was. Theo could hear Austin sobbing into the phone just up the stairs.

  Whatever he had expected, it wasn’t Austin sitting on the floor in a very feminine bathroom. The phone was pushed against his ear, and he was holding a large gray bath towel to his face. There in the tub next to him was Caroline. She’d cut her wrist and killed herself. She hadn’t left him. Caroline had left him behind.

  “What are you doing here?” He took the phone away from Austin and told MaryBeth that he was there. After assuring her that he’d call her later, he put the cell phone in his back pocket. “She’s left me, Theo. My wife is dead, and she left me.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. Austin, let’s get you up from here. I’ll call the police.” Austin said he wasn’t ready for them to come yet. “I know. But you’re not going to end your life too. Come on, buddy. Help me get you up.”

  After getting him into his bedroom, Theo called the police. Telling him as best he could where to come, he finally had to find something with their address on it before he could guide them to the correct home.

  “Are you sure she’s dead?” He told them he thought she’d been gone for a few hours. “Don’t touch anything, Mr. Manning. Someone is on their way. We’ll also have the ambulance there. Don’t touch anything.”

  “I haven’t. I don’t know if Austin did or not. He called me to come here when he found her.” The officer asked him if he thought he’d killed her. “No. I believe, from the way he’s talking, that he’d not known she was going to kill herself. He’s upset that she left him behind.”

  “I’ll send someone out there. Mr. Manning, we’ve all been made aware of what happened while they were gone. People in town, they’re coming out of the woodwork to accuse the kids of one thing or another. I heard from one of my deputies just yesterday that the missus had been accosted when she was out in her yard bringing in their luggage. Someone had painted on their car too, some very nasty words.” Theo asked him if they’d had a cruiser in the area since that happened. “We tried, but she ran us off last night. We’d had trouble with the boys too, but the parents have been treated badly since they returned without them. I’ll send out a crew, Mr. Manning. If you could stay with Austin, I’d appreciate that.”

  Theo helped Austin get up again, this time from the bed. He wasn’t helping him at all. Austin kept telling him that Caroline had left him behind. When Theo had enough, he slapped the man hard on the face. That got the desired effect.

  “Are you listening to me now?” He nodded. “Say it, Austin. Tell me that you’re going to listen to me and that you’re going to get up off that lazy ass of yours and cooperate. The police are on their way to ask you some questions. First, I’m going to get you into the shower. All right? You stink.”

  “Yes, all right. I don’t remember how long we’ve been home since we left your place.” He told him it had been four days. “I miss them, Theo. I do, then I don’t. They’re my children, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about them being gone.”

  “Understandable. Come on now. You’re going to get your ass in gear here and go down to the living room so you can talk to the police. No fucking around. I’m going to fix you something to eat. If you’re trying to kill yourself when I return, I’m going to help you along. But my way will be much more painful.” He stared at him. “You think I’m joking with you?”

  “No. I, the people in your town, they told me you were a dragon. Are you?” Theo nodded as he turned the man in the direction of the stairs. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. I’m all alone now, aren’t I?”

  “You’ve never been alone, Austin. You have a mother and a niece that love you. They might not particularly like you, but they do love you. Go on in there and have a seat.” He watched as he went into the living room and took a seat on the couch. “I’m going to make you something lite to eat, and you’re not going to give me any shit about it.”

  As he made a sandwich for the other man, Theo spoke to his aunt. Telling her what he’d seen in the bathroom, she asked him to hold on. Winnie was a good person to contact for matters such as this. She’d be able to tell him if Austin had had anything to do with her death. It was his mom who spoke to him next.

  I’ve summoned Caroline to me. You might want to know she’s upset that Austin didn’t find her before she was dead. I guess this is some sort of game she plays when she wants him to do something for her. She’s also not at all happy that she’s not with her sons on this side. I’m not sure how that was supposed to work with Austin saving her since she’d not told him what her plan was. Anyway, she wants to tell Austin that he’d better be joining her on the other side. Don’t do that. I’ve been here talking to MaryBeth about what Austin told her, and she wants him to be all right. Even Pem wants him to come back here to start again. He asked her what she thought about that. I’m not sure. But then, I’m not the one that would have to be around him all the time. However, I do think it might well be good for him to be away from his wife—dead or alive. She’s a shrew and a big reason that the boys were never disciplined the way they should have been.

  I’ve called the police. I’m going to tell them I was staying here for a few days to make sure they got everything squared away. Not staying here but in a hotel. Can you have someone fix that up for me? Also, that he’d called me when he found Caroline. I’m sure calling his mom might be frowned upon, what with his dead wife no more than a few feet away from him. Mom said she’d have someone do that for him now. Mom, he’s not bathed since he
’s been here. And it looks like if there was any staff here when they returned, they’ve all left now. I’m going to have a few faeries out here to clean up the house and make sure nothing else happens to it while we take care of Austin.

  Good idea. I’ll send a few of them along to get in touch with those that are there. If you can talk to him, see what he has to say about a few things. Carson gave me a list of things she can take care of on this end. After getting the list from her, he told her what he could about some of them. Suicide isn’t really anything that I know a great deal about, but I have to tell you, son, I think that if I lost one of you guys, I’d be hard pressed not to try it myself. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to one of you.

  I’ve been thinking along those lines too. Trying to put myself in his place. I really don’t know what I’d do if something were to happen to any of you. Theo told his mom what he was doing here and to keep an eye on Pem. I didn’t think to even let her know I was leaving. I had a feeling that Austin was calling to tell his mom goodbye, so I had Winnie bring me here.

  She knows where you are. It might be good for Austin to have her there as well. I’ll have Winnie pop her in there. Before he could tell her what a great idea that was, Pem was standing next to the couch like she’d been drinking something from a glass. I think she might be there now.

  She is. I don’t think Winnie even told her what she was doing. I’ll talk to her. Theo laughed when Pem spoke to her uncle. I’d better go. Pem is having it out with her uncle. I don’t think it’s going to end well for him.

  While they were on the couch talking, he let the police in. He asked them if they wanted to see the body first and took them there. Theo told them what he and his wife were doing there, as well as why he’d come over here before calling the police. He’d just not been sure about what Austin had told him about Caroline being gone.

  “We came here to make sure they were all right. I know they’re not, but wanted to make sure the funerals were just the way they wanted. We were set to leave today. I think Caroline might have known that.” It was a lie, all of it, but the police didn’t seem to wonder at his reasons. “Is there anything I can help you with, gentlemen? I don’t want to leave Austin alone with my wife for too long. As you can well imagine, he’s not doing so well.”

  After answering their question about whether he thought Austin might kill himself too, to which Theo said he thought he might, he went to the kitchen. The faeries had arrived with his own and were ready to take care of the home.

  “There are officers here now, so avoid the upper floors until they say it’s okay to clean the room. The kitchen and the refrigerator are in need of some cleaning as well as some food brought in. I don’t know how long we’ll be here, but I’d like to make sure there are at least some sandwich fixings until we leave.” They were all right with that, telling him they’d stay for as long as he was there. “Good. Thank you so much. If you could perhaps keep an eye on the place too so that no vandalism occurs, even after we’re gone. I don’t know what is going to happen to this place, but I’d like to make sure it’s here whenever we decide.”

  “We’ll keep the intruders out, Lord Manning.” He told him he was Theo. “Yes, my lord, we’re aware of which dragon you are. Your lovely wife is all anyone can speak about. We’ll make sure things are done to perfection.”

  When he went back into the living room, one of the officers was sitting on the couch across from Pem and Austin. Austin was crying off and on, but not nearly as badly as he’d been when he arrived. Pem was holding his hand, and Theo was glad for it. The three of them, including MaryBeth, might come out of this a little closer.

  Theo kept an eye on the faeries as they flittered from room to room. The place had been left unattended for a few days, and things were piled up. Dust mostly, but there was mail on the dining room table that had to be dealt with. He found a couple pieces of hate mail that he turned over to the police. Even after they left, he stayed where he was in the dining room, going over what needed to be taken care of. Austin and Pem joined him there a few minutes later.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m making arrangements on these for you. Most of them are past due, but they’re going to allow me to pay them when I return home.” Austin thanked him for that. “We have to talk about this, Austin. Not just about Caroline, but you as well.”

  “Pem said that one of your aunts speaks to ghosts.” He said that was right. “I’m not saying I believe you, but I was wondering if they’ve spoken to Caroline or the boys. I know they’re all gone, and I’m here alone, but I’d like to make sure that— Well, I don’t really know what I’m making sure of, but I guess I wanted to find out why she did this. Or why the boys did what they did.”

  Theo glanced at Pem, and she shook her head a little. “My aunt said that the boys have moved on. They didn’t stick around on the side of death for very long.” He cried a little, and Theo let him before he spoke again. “Has Caroline tried to kill herself before, Austin? The reason I ask is, she had hoped that you’d find her before she was gone. Is that something you’ve done before?”

  “Yes. Several times.” He looked out the back door as he continued. “Whenever she didn’t get her way, she’d do something like this. But last night—or the night before, I can’t remember—I decided to take a few sleeping pills. Killing myself wasn’t in my head then, not like it is now, but I just needed the thoughts in my head to go away, just for a little while. I don’t know how long I was out, but I found Caroline the way she was when I went to find her. I thought we’d go to the grave today and talk to them. I have no idea. There wasn’t any way for us to actually speak to them, but….” Austin looked at him, his face so full of anguish that he ached for the man. “They killed those men and women for no other reason than they could. I know that now. When I think of all the things, all the money that we had to pay out when they’d be up to no good, I wonder why it never occurred to me to get them help.”

  “Because of Caroline.” It wasn’t a question from Pem, but Austin nodded as he cried again. “She would get her way with things by saying she would kill herself. You have any idea how sick that is, Uncle Austin?”

  “I do now.” He looked at her. “So many times, I wanted to talk to you about what she was doing. It didn’t seem to me that you were acting anything like she did when she did these things. I mean, the doctor even told me she was acting out. I didn’t believe him, of course. I just couldn’t understand anyone using such a dangerous thing to get my attention. But she never went too far. Understand?”

  “Yes. I have to tell you both something. Something that I’ve only just recently found out myself. I’ve been…I guess you could say that I’ve been watched over since I was a small child. Not by anyone that I ever saw, but by a faerie. She told me today that she’s so happy I found Theo. That she’d been keeping me safe for him for decades. I had no idea.” Theo was going to have to find the little creature and thank her. He wondered who had sent her to watch over Pem and decided it had to be his mom or dad. They would have been able to see enough of his future to know that his mate was out there but might not make it to see him. “I never understood how someone would keep finding me when I would try to kill myself. It never seemed to matter where I was or how I’d taken care that no one could find me; I was always found. I know the reason why now.”

  “I love you, Pem.” Pem told him that she loved him as well and laid her head on his shoulder. Austin was still staring out the window, and he wondered what the man was thinking. Getting up, he told him what they were going to do. Austin didn’t argue with him when he told him he was going to take a shower. Instead, he got up and followed. Theo was worried about him. And his family. He was going to have to talk to MaryBeth before he made any decision concerning her son. The other one too.

  Patrick was already causing trouble, arguing with the men who were set to work on the hospital. He’d either straighten up, or
he’d find himself buried under the new facility. Theo had had about enough of his shit too.

  Chapter 6

  Pem smiled at her grandma when she came into the kitchen. “You’ve gone viral, Grandma. Look. People are loving you because you dressed down that news reporter.” Grandma eyed the video of her and the reporter. “The Internet and the people on television are saying that you’re the greatest thing that has ever hit the airways.”

  “I shouldn’t have done that to that young man.” Pem asked her why not. “He was only doing his job. I was angry in the first place, and you know it never ends well when you’re upset and take it out on someone else. My goodness. What those people at the funeral must think of me taking away from what we were doing there.”

  “They interviewed Linda this morning.” She backed the news station up until she found the point where they had spoken to Linda on the morning news. “Watch this, Grandma. You’ve made a difference in their lives. Not just Linda’s, but a lot of people.”

  “…Yes. Tonight, we’re going to have a meeting, the families of the fallen and decide what to do with the things that have been donated. One television station donated fifty hams and turkeys for us to give away to others in need.” The news reporter asked if they were going to give everything away. “That’s what we’re deciding on this evening. It’s lovely. All of this for us to help others when we’ve had so many generous people giving when they could. Even being able to go to the grocery store for a few things is much nicer since there isn’t a group of men and women on our lawn all the time shoving microphones and phones in our faces. I’m so happy that they’re giving all of this the time to…well, for us to get used to being without our life partners. To grieve. I have thought of being without my husband. He was an officer, but the reality is so much worse than you think it will be. We have Mrs. Black to thank for us having the time to do what we so sorely need right now. Even though I know her heart is heavy too, she came to mine and the others’ aid when we needed it most.”