Declan - Heart of a Tiger (Royal Taiga Streak #1) - J.R. Loveless Page 0,41

shrug met his question. Declan felt a flash of fear from Sean, but it slithered away quickly. It seemed Sean was learning how to hide things from him already. Reaching out, he cupped Sean’s chin and tilted Sean’s head enough to meet his gaze. Sadness dampened the beautiful sapphires. “Why, Sean?”

“It’s wrong,” Sean whimpered, closing his eyes.

“What is?”

“Shifting.”

Declan made a sound of shock. “Shifting is a beautiful thing, baby. It’s a part of who you are.”

“No,” Sean denied, shaking his head.

“Open your eyes, Sean.” At first, Sean refused, but Declan demanded again, “Open your eyes.”

Sean’s eyelids fluttered upward, revealing turbulent blue orbs.

“You are a shifter, baby. It’s an integral part of your being. There is nothing wrong with it. That… human didn’t understand what you are and made you fear it. I will teach you to love yourself, to love being a shifter. There’s nothing more freeing than changing into your animal half and becoming one with the forest.”

Sean’s lips trembled and Declan ran his thumb over the lower one. “I want to run with you in our animal forms, mate. I need to feel the earth beneath my paws and know you are beside me with every stride. I know there’s a beautiful creature just waiting to be set free inside you.”

“Does it hurt?” Sean asked.

“Maybe a little at first, but eventually it becomes a change your body welcomes.”

Declan could see the curiosity growing in Sean. “What kind do you think I am?”

Smiling, Declan ran his fingers through Sean’s hair. They hadn’t gotten it trimmed as he’d been meaning to. “Some kind of cat. Maybe even a tiger like me, Rose, and Ronnie.”

“Really?’ Sean asked, eagerness echoing in his voice.

He hummed. “We won’t know until we can remove the collar. Tomorrow my friend Kyle should be here and he can hopefully tell us how to take it off.”

“Maybe I can shift tomorrow?”

Declan stifled a wince. “Maybe. We’ll see what happens. Why don’t you get some rest and we’ll talk some more later?”

Sean wrinkled his nose at Declan. “I’m not tired now.”

The act reminded him of Ronnie and Declan chuckled. “You will be once you lay down. Come on, get under the covers and relax.”

“Will you… lay with me?” Sean asked shyly.

“Of course.” Declan toed off his shoes before standing and helping Sean onto the bed. He tapped Sean’s hip gently. “Over, gorgeous.”

The moment Declan settled his large frame beside him, Sean snuggled up close to Declan, sliding a slender arm across Declan’s chest. Declan didn’t know if it was the mating bond or the innocence Sean still had despite everything that made Sean accept him and their connection so quickly. He knew there were still quite a number of things to work out, but they would do it together.

“Declan?”

He grunted.

“Is it… do you think my mom’s still alive?”

The words hit Declan square in the sternum. “I don’t know, baby, but something tells me she just might be.”

Sean didn’t say anything for a long moment then, “He wasn’t my father, was he?”

Declan breathed out a deep breath before replying. “I don’t think so.”

Sean went silent and for a while Declan thought he’d fallen asleep, but a wet heat spread over his chest and salt stung Declan’s nostrils. “Hey, now,” Declan murmured, stroking his hand down Sean’s back.

“Why? Why would he lie?” Sean choked. “Why did he tell me my mother was dead? Why did he hurt all those kids?”

“He was a sick man, Sean. Sick people do things we’ll never understand.” Declan continued to caress Sean, touching Sean wherever he could to try and soothe him. He just let Sean cry himself out until Sean lay atop his chest, trembling from time to time. If Declan could have, he would take away every ounce of pain Sean had suffered through, but all he could do was be there for Sean whenever he needed him. He rubbed his chin over the top of Sean’s head. “Sleep now, baby.”

Eventually Sean calmed down enough to drift off to sleep. Knowing the things Sean had endured over the years caused pain to endlessly dig into his heart. How Sean could possibly have survived so much seemed beyond fathomable yet Declan couldn’t be prouder of him. Despite everything, he’d tried his best to protect the other cubs.

Declan didn’t know who Sean’s parents were, but he’d bet both their lives the son of bitch he’d already killed wasn’t one of them. Tomorrow he’d start having Victor search through the news stories from around Sean’s birth up