Page 22 of Adding Fuel To The Flames

“Uncle Destrain is the king of our people, father, and yet he always found time for Twix. Why in the hell did you even have me in the first place? All I ever was, was a bother to you,” Rhys choked out on a sob. Ethan immediately came to his side, sat down next to him, and pulled him into a warm, comforting embrace.

“We’re not getting anywhere with everyone yelling. I know this is important, but we need to focus on keeping you all safe now, because I have no doubt that once Salem finds out that Rhys is mated, especially to you two, he’s not going to just walk away. He’s going to double his efforts to try to get to Rhys, Jett, and now both of you,” Illan interjected.

“Of course, let’s forget what’s going on here now and push it aside. It has no bearing on Illan’s grand plan and only gets in the way,” Day huffed and walked away, going across the room to the window.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Illan asked gruffly.

Day looked back over his shoulder giving his father a pointed look. “You know exactly what it means,” he stated bitterly, then turned back to look out the window. “What I think, or what is important to me, doesn’t matter.”

“Daytona?” Illan began as he took a step toward his son, but Justice grabbed his arm stopping him.

“Illan, no. Day, I know you and your father have some things to discuss and work on, and I agree with him that we need to figure out what to do about Salem, but right now, I agree with you. I think we need to stay focused on what is happening right now. Dain, I have known you for a very long time. I was there when Rhys was young and I remember that man. But this man you have become I don’t know. And I have to agree with my son and his mates. The way I have seen you treating Rhys and speaking to him shocks me. When Illan told me that you all weren’t taking Rhys’ concern over Salem seriously, I was not only shocked, but livid. Now, Rhys may not remember the man I knew you to be back then because it was so long ago, but I remember. I am confused at the way you and Destrain treat him now,” Justice said.

“What do you mean the way he used to be, Dad?” Ethan asked.

“The Dain I used to know stressed all the time about Rhys and his safety. He always thought of Rhys first.”

“I was already a grown man by the time you met him, Justice, and I remember him back then as well, and it was nothing like you are saying. Maybe to keep appearances to everyone else he was one person, but in private, with me, he was someone else,” Rhys replied, his voice full of disdain.

“Well, I was there when you were born, Rhys, and I can tell you that no other man was happier to have a child than your father,” Destrain stated. Everyone turned in surprise from his sudden appearance.

Destrain walked across the room and sat next to Rhys. “My brother was overjoyed the day you were born and he doted on you. Clove used to laugh at how gentle Dain was with you. He shook when he held you, afraid that he would break you if he held you too tight, but he was also too afraid to let you go,” Destrain explained with a soft smile.

“For the first five or six years of your life, no one else was good enough to do anything for you. Dain did everything. Fed you, bathed you, held you, played with you, taught you. He never left you alone for a moment. He even carried you in a papoose when you were small, so that he could bring you to work with him. Then when you got older, he set up a small area for you in his lab and in his office so that he could keep an eye on you. You and your safety was the main reason he created the Griffions to begin with. Dain wanted to make sure that warriors watched over what he held most dear. And when he realized he couldn’t keep you with him all the time anymore and he needed to get nannies, Dain put those poor men through a year of tests before he chose which ones were good enough for his son.”

Rhys was totally blown away from this information. He felt like his head was going to explode. But then all the hurt pushed through again. “If what you say is true, uncle, then what changed? Because every memory I have of my father is nothing like that,” Rhys declared, pain evident in his voice.

“All I remember is the loneliness and isolation. The nannies and guards being there, while my father was always away working. And when he was there, he was yelling at me and making me sit for days on end reading all those damn tomes, and studying them. I was never good enough for him. I never did anything right. He was ashamed of me because of the way I look. He even said to me a few times how much I looked liked my other father and his eyes would fill with hatred. He hates my other father and I look just like him, so he hates me, too,” Rhys cried, the tears rolling down his cheeks. Rhys turned and buried his face in Ethan’s chest.