The Darkest Hour Before Dawn

by H M Wolfe

  He spent long hours in front of the computer, barely eating and sleeping, searching for information about the human-faced beasts behind that bloody organization. Daniel kept his husband balanced, taking care of and supporting him, all in a discreet, delicate manner.

  Tarquin decided to show his appreciation that morning by cooking breakfast for the entire family; a task Daniel took upon himself. From time to time, Sebastian Bloom and his partners came and helped around the kitchen, to everyone's delight. Even after eight years, the omelet Vincent prepared was still his older nephews' favorite. Tarquin smiled.

  Sometimes, the Tarquin found it hard to believe that Evan and Aidan were sixteen. He still saw them as the cute, shy, little kids Leon saved from the streets, bringing them into the loving arms of Elliott. Also, he shook his head in disbelief, thinking about his sons: Julien, Emery, and Lochlin, who was going to turn fifteen in about four months.

  Not to mention Gabriel, who, at twenty, was his and Daniel's pride and joy; the best son a father could wish for: generous, intelligent, the most caring and protective older brother, respectful, earnest, always ready to help and a great friend. Tarquin loved the triplets and the girls dearly, but the dark-haired boy from ten years earlier had a special place in his heart.

  "Good morning, Dad." The subject of Tarquin's thoughts stepped into the kitchen, wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt with paw prints; those were his favorite pajamas.

  "G' morning, Gabriel." The man hugged him. "You woke up early this morning. Did you sleep well?"

  "Mmm, muffins for breakfast." The young man stretched lazily, letting out a big yawn. "You spoil me rotten, Dad. And yes, I slept like a log, that's why I woke up at the crack of dawn. What about you?"

  "I slept very well, too." Tarquin flashed a grin. "Your papa is a wonderful man, the greatest husband in the universe. I'm lucky to have him in my life, and I hope, one day, you'll meet a special someone who will make you feel the same."

  "Actually." Gabriel lowered his gaze, blushing. "There is someone, a guy interested not only in me as a person but also in my career as a children's psychologist. He was thrilled when I told him about my intention of working with children in need, said he has a little center...I'll get it." He gestured to Tarquin, who'd jumped at the sound of the doorbell.

  "Hello, is this the Bloom residence?" A woman in her mid-twenties stood in the doorway, holding a little boy by the hand. "I came to bring him to his father." She gently pushed the child in front of Gabriel.

  CHAPTER 3

  "P lease, come in, I—Dad is in the kitchen," Gabriel stuttered, staring in shock at the black-haired, blue-eyed child, who studied him with unmasked interest.

  "Hey, what's going on there?" Tarquin's voice sounded slightly alarmed, as he was heading to the main entrance. "Hello, there." The blond crouched down in front of the little boy, his voice soft and pained.

  "The lady says his father lives here, but I don't...it can't be. Right?" Gabriel was the embodiment of confusion, his voice pleading.

  "Well, this little man is five or six, which means he was conceived during the time Daniel suffered from amnesia and was gone," Tarquin whispered after a moment of silence. "So yes, the probability is high..."

  "Wait a minute," the woman cut him short. "There's a huge misunderstanding here. Bruno's father's name is Quinlan Kane, not Daniel. The last time I had news from him was four years ago, right after our son's first birthday," she continued. "It's not like he's an irresponsible parent or anything; on the contrary, he enrolled in that hellish rehab program to be a good dad for the boy."

  "Did I hear, right? Quinlan has a son?" Daniel whispered-shouted as he came down the stairs. "Hello, I'm his cousin, nice to meet you." He gave a gentle shake of the woman's extended hand.

  "Name's Shirley, and I have to confess I'm baffle. He never mentioned any relatives other than his asshole of a father. Both of us came from well-to-do families with plenty of money but without any friends. Quinlan was gentle and loving but had this fear and rage deep inside him, that only drugs could keep at bay. He changed a lot when I told him I was pregnant."

  "If my cousin knew about the baby, how could he..." Daniel abruptly stopped. "Oh, poor soul, you don't know anything, do you?"

  "Know what?" Shirley asked, glancing at Bruno, who was engaged in a lively conversation with Gabriel, while Tarquin went back into the kitchen to finish breakfast. "Is there something wrong?"

  "Better eat something first. You both need some warm food in your bellies; then, the little one should go to bed for a few hours. He can barely keep his eyes open." Daniel tenderly smiled." The lack of sleep can make them really grumpy."

  Shirley nodded, following the three men into the kitchen, where Tarquin filled her plate with an omelet, sausages, and bacon. Daniel fixed a plate for little Bruno, too, who attacked it like there was no tomorrow, making low sounds of appreciation. At the same time, between bites, he told the woman about what Quinlan endured four years earlier, minus the rape part.

  In a hesitant voice and choosing his words very carefully, Daniel presented the current state of his cousin's health as accurately as he could, trying not to scare Shirley but not wanting to hide too much of the truth. He also told her about Levy Webster and the love he and Quinlan shared, and about how the older man plied on his partner's needs and mood shiftings.

  "Where is he now?" Shirley asked, her voice filled with compassion. "Silly question, that Levy guy and he are probably living together."

  "Most of the time, yes. However, when his boyfriend is abroad, my cousin lives with my fathers and their partners, who take outstanding care of him. Also, he loves to come here and spend the time in the company of our youngest daughters," Daniel explained. "If you left Bruno here, he would have a lot of kids his age to play with, plus the love of all the adults in the family, and we are quite a bunch."

  "That's good," Shirley said in a cheery voice. "I have a much better job, but it involves traveling a lot, for extensive periods, and I don't have anyone willing to take the burden of raising my son onto their shoulders. I wouldn't have come here if I had an alternative."

  "You don't have to apologize, we, and everyone else, will be more than happy to help Quinlan take care of Bruno. A child is the gods' special gift for two people who love each other, not a burden." Daniel looked at his half-asleep nephew, a radiant smile brightening his face.

  "Ask my mother, she'll tell you otherwise," Shirley replied in a bitter voice. "But then again, you people don't sound or act like her at all."

  "Good morning, Papa, Dad. We're starving," a half-asleep blond kid said, yawning as he stepped into the kitchen. "Grandpa Seb called. He said Quinlan and the whole gang of savages are heading over here, so we thought you could use some help with breakfast. "Hello, there." He waved to the young woman, smiling friendly, "I'm Emery."

  "Good morning, son." Daniel wrapped him in a warm embrace. "And thanks for the offer, but we have everything under control here. Where's the rest of the we, by the way?"

  "Well, Julien is a sleepyhead, as always, and Lochlin has a hard time with putting that book aside, despite Lazarus's efforts of...distracting him." Emery winked suggestively.

  "Whatever Emery tries to imply is a lie. My boyfriend treats me respectfully. He's sweet and patient." Another blond kid, the almost identical copy of the first one, appeared out of the blue. "Let's make pancakes for the hungry," he continued, waving a spatula to everyone's amusement.

  Shortly after, said boyfriend, Lazarus, also came downstairs, followed by Julien, the third blond. Julien picked up Bruno, by then almost entirely asleep, and took him upstairs, comfortably settling the little child in one of the spare nurseries. He smiled gently, tucking the five-year-old in and placing a butterfly kiss on his forehead, making him scrunch his adorable button nose.

  The crystalline sound of children's laughter and the pit-pat of their little feet on the hallway's floor made everyone in the kitchen brightly smile while they were carrying the plates and trays
into the dining room to set up the table for breakfast. The noisy, chaotic, but adorable gathering stormed into the dining room, all cute grins, and happy faces, asking to be picked up and kissed on noses, cheeks, and foreheads.

  Surrounded by them, a little confused, but radiant, Quinlan looked around the room, wanting to greet Daniel and Tarquin first. Instead, he spotted Shirley and instinctively knew. Lazarus sensed the storm of emotions raging inside the man's heart and silently pointed to the stairs. The paternal instinct guided him to the right room, and once there, he knelt before his son's bed.

  Taking Bruno's little hands in his, Quinlan started to sob quietly, hot tears streaming from the man's sapphire-blue eyes. He cried for the childhood and innocence so cruelly stripped away from him and for his broken wings and dreams.

  When the last sob died down and his eyes dried, the man gently kissed his son's hand, then scrambled to his feet, leaving the room. No one is going to harm you like they did me; he made the silent promise.

  That was just perfect, Brennan thought, as he examined the little shed from all the angles. As it was located only a few hundred yards from the mansion, it was the ideal hiding spot for when he was snooping around the property, trying to figure out which of the many cars in the impressive collection was the black-haired's favorite.

  It had enough space for Brennan's surveillance equipment and the few books he carried everywhere and even had a small bed in a corner. Right after discovering it, the young man messaged his creepy boss, telling him about the change of plan. Surprisingly enough, the guy didn't protest about not getting his daily fix of the blond and the black-haired man doing the naughty.

  At that point, Brennan shook his head in disbelief. The story about the good friend's son in need of help was paper-thin. He was going to eliminate the target anyway; it was his job, but the blond didn't look or act like he was being abused, on the contrary, the smile on his lips was genuinely happy.

  Lost in thought as he was, Brennan didn't notice anyone until they bumped, and the person was on the ground. Extending his hand to help the other get up, he gasped in shock at the remarkable resemblance between the man and his target.

  "Sorry for being such a mess. I was wiping away some tears clouding my vision, and...that sounds pathetic, doesn't it?" The guy lowered his head. "Sorry, it's just my retarded self. I..."

  "No worries." Brennan waved his hand. "I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, either. Why were you crying?" he continued, intrigued by the man in front of him. Usually, he found the presence of strangers irritating, but in that case, it had a calming effect on him.

  "I remembered how the bad man and the others hurt me." The man blinked innocently. "By the way, the name's Quinlan, please excuse my bad manners."

  "Brennan." He vigorously shook the other one's extended hand. "Who is the bad man? The one who lives over there?" the young man continued, pointing to the mansion.

  "No, the bad man and his followers did terrible things to me, and because of that, my father rejected me. He said I was defective, damaged, a broken sex toy. I fought as hard as I could, but he didn't believe me." Quinlan fell silent, hanging his head low in shame.

  "Of course, it wasn't your fault." Brennan nodded. "Your father is a dick who doesn't deserve you. What about the man who lives in that house," he insisted, "How does he treat you?"

  "That would be my cousin Daniel." The other man smiled shyly. "He's very nice and caring. However, when his family is threatened, he becomes a wild beast who sees red. I have to go now. Nice talking to you." Quinlan waved.

  "Okay, take care and pay attention around you." Brennan waved back. "Next time, you might run into a grizzly bear."

  Something was definitely wrong with this job, he thought, watching as the unexpected visitor disappeared from his sight. His employer was a little too insistent about removing this obstacle out of his way. However, it wasn't his place to judge his boss, Brennan shrugged. He was supposed to take the lives of those who had the misfortune of bothering the bossman. An assassin, that was him, and he had no reason to change.

  CHAPTER 4

  "I s there something wrong?" Tarquin tentatively touched his husband's face, closing the space between them. "You haven't been yourself over the past week or so, and don't tell me it's nothing, I've known you for ten years, and we have been married for nine of those," the blond tried to joke.

  "Keeping things hidden from you would be a fool's game. I don't mess with the best hacker on the planet, who also happens to be my beautiful husband," Daniel answered in the same manner. "The truth is, since Quinlan's former girlfriend appeared on our doorstep, I can't stop thinking about the time I spent in that lab of horrors."

  "What has the lab got to do with your cousin being reunited with his son? Do you think you had another baby during the time you were locked in there?" Tarquin whispered, love and compassion filling his voice.

  "I don't know for sure. A lot of pieces are still missing. Every time I try to remember, it is like I am swimming in the ocean, surrounded by darkness." Daniel frowned, trying to focus on the images flashing before his eyes.

  "Let's start with what you do remember, then maybe the repressed memories will resurface, too," the blond said, continuing to caress his husband's cheek, enjoying the feel of the stubble against his fingertips.

  "From what I could understand of their conversations, Gabriel's birth resulted in serious health complications for me, and they decided not to breed me again. I was moved into another unit, and they started to inject me with drugs that made me dizzy, confused, and aggressive at the same time. Also, from time to time, I had blackouts, and it felt like I was missing days instead of minutes."

  "So, those blackouts, cumulated with the extreme pressure you were subjected every day, could cause the memory loss you experienced shortly after saving Don Giuseppe's life." Tarquin pressed his lips together. "It would make a lot of sense."

  "I became increasingly aggressive, and when Eugene approached me and told me about his plan of escaping together, I beat the crap out of him and had a major blackout soon after. When I woke up, the guards were taking turns raping me, and I think they'd been doing that for quite some time."

  Involuntarily, Daniel started to shiver at the brutal memory, pulling the covers around him. Tarquin noticed and wrapped his arms around his husband, holding him tight. The two stayed like that for a good while, with Tarquin whispering words of comfort and reassurance in his low, soothing voice, trying to ease the pain in his soulmate's heart.

  Gradually, the warmth radiating from the Tarquin's body made Daniel's muscles relax, and he felt ready to continue the story. Going back into that hell, even if it was just a trip down memory lane, was mentally draining, but he had to do it. If the beasts at the lab had impregnated him for a second time, and the pregnancy was carried to full term, another child of his was out there. Most likely without anyone in their corner.

  "One morning, when I woke up from a deep slumber, I heard that beast—the one Julianna was calling the good doctor—that bastard Conroy and a third man speaking in sharp voices. From what I could understand, they were fighting over me," Daniel reprised his story, staring blankly ahead.

  "What do you mean by that? Were you able to follow their argument?" Tarquin tightened his hold on his husband, wanting to transfer him more strength and courage.

  "The third man, whose voice I didn't recognize, was reminding the so-called scientists that he owned them, and they had to obey his orders. He was angry that someone else, and not him, was the one who took me first, and said that from then on, I was going to be his personal, little incubator."

  "How old were you when this discussion took place?" Tarquin asked, trying to put the bits of information together. "The third person must have been that blood-thirsty monster Alexander; he was behind the lab of horrors."

  "I was a little over sixteen," Daniel hesitated for a moment before answering. "And no, I don't think the third voice belonged to Alexander. It was someone I've hea
rd since escaping from the lab, too. Although, I can't put my finger on it. From time to time, the memory of that voice tries to resurface, only to be swallowed by the darkness again."

  "I can't even imagine how frustrating this must be," Tarquin whispered, looking into the eyes of the one he loved above anything. "But I promise you that, together, we can get to the bottom of it, and we will bring home your child if there is one."

  "Thank you, my one, and only." Daniel pressed the blond's hands to his lips. "You make everything easier. Can I ask you something?" he whispered.

  "Anything, my king. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't do for you," Tarquin replied passionately.

  "I need you inside me tonight. I want us to make sweet, innocent love, to be teenagers again. Can you do that for me?"

  Tarquin put a finger delicately on Daniel's lips, the touch barely there, like a flower's petal. He retrieved the lube bottle from the nightstand, popped its cap open, and coated his fingers with plenty of the substance before slowly pushing two of them into the older man's exposed, pink, pulsating hole and properly slicking it.

  Curling his fingers up, Tarquin hit that particular spot inside his lover, making him see stars. Then, after a few more thrusts, he removed them from the hot cavern clenching around them with Daniel whimpering at the loss. Smiling, Tarquin aligned himself at the other's entrance, filling him bit by bit, until he was balls-deep. After giving Daniel enough time to adjust to the intrusion, he started to thrust into the perfectly shaped, tight ass slowly.

  Butterfly kisses, kitty licks, light bites, nips—Tarquin combined them all into an unforgettable experience, a whirlwind of emotions taking over Daniel, setting his body on fire. Each touch of his husband's tongue, lips, or fingers on Daniel's heated skin sent pleasurable shocks to his groin, making his cock rock-hard, little pearls of precum forming at the tip.

  Tarquin continued to thrust into his husband's welcoming ass in the same sweet, slow rhythm, stroking the man's almost fully erect cock at the same time. Daniel couldn't endure the delicious torture, and he started to writhe underneath the blond, begging him to go faster.