Declan - Heart of a Tiger (Royal Taiga Streak #1) - J.R. Loveless Page 0,42

to five years after to see if there were any reports of a missing child around the same time. Maybe they could locate Sean’s parents. He figured they belonged to one of the surrounding packs. McNeely hadn’t exactly been consistent. Some kidnappings seemed to be several months apart while others were years apart. If the number of graves Victor had found plus the six they’d rescued along with Ronnie were any indication, he snatched an average of one per year.

Declan clenched his jaw and nuzzled Sean’s temple. This entire time this shit had been going on at the end of his lands and he hadn’t known. Guilt, fury, and sadness all enveloped him in a hard cloud of regret. If only he’d pushed the patrols out further instead of just letting the status quo go on after his father’s passing. He could have saved Sean so much sooner than he had, saved him from the countless beatings and broken bones. The idea of Sean suffering even further if they removed the collar broke his heart even more. He didn’t want to lose Sean, not when he’d just found him, but the risk to himself was also significant now with their souls tied as one. If Sean died, so would he.

Sean didn’t stir, even for dinner, and Declan just let him sleep through, knowing he needed the rest. He kept watch over Sean the entire night, unable to sleep with the number of thoughts roiling around in his head, and the fingers of sunlight filtering through the curtains alerted him to the dawn of a new day. A day when Kyle would be arriving to tell them if it would be possible to remove the offending piece of leather around Sean’s throat. Declan pressed a kiss to Sean’s temple and slid from the bed. He grabbed a quick shower and dressed in a pair of worn blue jeans which hugged his legs in all the right places, a white t-shirt, and an emerald green sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Sean still slept when Declan exited the bedroom and he headed downstairs to get a cup of coffee and prepare a tray for the two of them. Rose sat at the kitchen table with Ronnie, Sam and Tara. “Good morning, Uncle Dec,” Ronnie said.

Declan smiled tiredly. “Good morning, Ronnie.”

Rose gave him a concerned look and followed him to the counter. “You sleep at all?”

Shaking his head, Declan grabbed a mug and poured a cup of steaming coffee. “Too much to worry about.”

“What did Cam tell you?” Rose asked.

Declan gave a grim look her way. Her eyes rounded. “Is it bad?”

He lowered his voice to the slightest sound, not wanting the others to hear him. “If the collar is removed and he shifts it could kill him.”

Rose gasped, drawing the attention of the others for a split second. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m still going to talk to Kyle.”

She scowled. “Why’d you call him?”

Rose had a love/hate relationship with Kyle. Ever since they were cubs they’d been at each other’s throats. She didn’t approve of the job he held and made sure he knew it. “You know he’s the only one who can help, Rose,” Declan replied, grabbing a couple of plates to load up with eggs, bacon, and toast. “He’s the only one who is going to know how to remove it, if it can be removed that is.”

“Is Sean going to be able to shift?” Tara asked from the nearby table.

Declan didn’t really want to answer, but after everything they’d all been through he didn’t feel right ignoring her. So he told her what he could. “Maybe. It’s hard to know if the collar can be removed or not.”

A troubled look came over Tara’s features. Declan asked, “What’s wrong?”

She bit her lip, but eventually answered. “Sean’s father tried putting collars on a couple of the others. At least from what Sean has told us. They didn’t survive. Within a matter of weeks, they died.”

Shock and horror came over Declan. “Other cubs were subjected to the same collar?”

Rose gave a quiet sob beside him as Tara nodded. “There were a couple of the others who shifted to try and escape. That’s really all I know though. It happened before we were there and Sean didn’t want to talk about it.”

Declan couldn’t believe just how much Sean had suffered over the years at the hands of Carl McNeely. How Sean survived… Declan could barely stomach the idea of Sean