Page 27 of Adding Fuel To The Flames

"Seriously, Illan? You thought because he and his boyfriend broke up he would want to switch to women? What part ofyour son is gayis it you didn't understand?" Rhys asked in awe.

Illan pursed his lips. "He said he wanted to give up on men. How in the hell was I supposed to know it was just words from a grieving man? I thought I was helping! Instead, I pushed my son right out of my life. When I found out he was looking for a firehouse to call home, I made some calls and got a friend of mine to get him on in Crystal. It was far enough away from me but close enough that I could be there if any trouble fell his way. It wasn't what I may have wanted, but it is what my son felt was going to make him happy, and believe it or not, that is all I have ever wanted for Day."

"So, you watched him from afar?" Ethan asked.

Nodding, Illan replied, "I knew I screwed up. I knew he hated me and I hoped that maybe one day he would forgive me and want to be my son again."

"Dad, I don't hate you and I will always be your son, but you make things hard. You never listen to anyone's side, you do what you want and always have to be the one in charge. Even when it's not your place. Like here, Maddox is Destrain's domain, not yours. Yet you want to take over and bully your way into things. Destrain is the king of the pixies and you and Justice said that anything that happens here, is under his orders. So why are you here?" Day asked in frustration.

Illan turned away, but not before Day saw the hurt in his eyes. "Dad, wait. I'm sorry."

Shaking his head, Illan whispered, "There is nothing to be sorry for. You're right. Maddox is Destrain's place to run. I just wanted to help my son and his mates with a man I know is beyond evil. He's a Power Siphon, Day. This man has raped, murdered, and who knows what else, for centuries."

"Oh, by the Gods!" Rhys and Ethan said at the same time.

Illan sighed, and rubbed his face with his hands. "When Salem came to me requesting to join our clutch, I was hesitant. But then I met Zev. He was so thin and I knew he needed a family. So, against my better judgment, I allowed them to join. Salem wasn't around much, so I figured that maybe I could help. So, I introduced him to Daytona and Finn. Then Zev started coming around when they weren't around. I helped him work out and did some fighter training with him."

Illan sat down, sighed, "One day he showed up and he wasn't moving around so well. I slapped him on the back, asking what was wrong and he dropped to his knees. When I got him to remove his shirt, Zev was filled with bruises and had a broken collar bone. I asked him what happened, but he refused to tell me. I knew it had to have something to do with his father, but it wasn't until you guys were in the firehouse and his father started coming around that I figured shit out. One day, Zev came to me and told me some things. I went looking for Salem everywhere. I was planning to banish him from our clutch, but he and his wife had disappeared. That's when I brought Zev into our home and he told me everything. Salem is beyond dangerous. The man is a lunatic."

Dain stepped forward. "What do you mean that Salem is a power siphon?"

"It means he can pull any powers that a shifter may have from them and render them useless," Illan explained.

"Are we talking forever here, or is this a temporary thing?" Day asked.

"It lasts about an hour. However, in that time you are no more effective than a human," Illan replied.

Dain hissed, "So you're saying that if we try and take him down he might strip us of our powers and kill us where we stand?"

Illan nodded, but Rhys shook his head. "That's not exactly true."

Ethan went to his mate asking, "What do you mean?"

"When my father had me doing all those studies on elves and fairies, there were also books on the dragons and the phoenix. You know that the Dragons all receive their gifts every one hundred years. What you may not know is that a clutch can take those powers and reassign them to another dragon. Well, unless you forcibly take them, then they either go to another dragon or into the air," Rhys stated.

Illan stood up quickly as everyone looked at Rhys in shock. Rhys looked at Illan, saying, "According to the books I read, this ability was designed because dragons can live thousands of years. The idea was that as you age, you pass on a gift to one of the weaker members of your clutch or someone not gifted yet. It allows for the clutch to become strong and therefore harder to kill. As the clutch grows, so does your strength. You were never meant to have ten to twenty powers to try and control. So, if your people can come together, then you can strip him of his powers."

"Holy shit! How did I not know this?" Illan gasped.

Shrugging, Rhys replied, "From what I'm told, your father didn't exactly prepare you to be the leader of your people."

Destrain cleared his throat, asking, "What do we need to do?"

"The clutch must get him into a fire circle and then shift. It's their dragon fire placed directly onto Salem. It will cast out his powers," Rhys explained.

"Wait, what happens to them from there? We don't even know all he can do," Illan quickly stated.

"It doesn't matter. When you use dragon fire to take his powers, where they go is not up to you," Rhys said.

Day watched as his mate bit his lip and started looking around nervously. "Baby, what is it? Is there something you're not telling us?"

Rhys darted his eyes to Day, then Ethan. He began wringing his hands and bouncing from one foot to another. Illan sighed, "Rhys if there's something you aren't telling us, you need to. Otherwise, someone could get hurt or killed."

Rhys shook his head again, softly saying, "It isn't that, Illan. It's another thing I read in the books."

Dain went to his son, whispering, "Just tell us, son."

Rhys sighed, "Once Salem has had his powers stripped, the pixies can come together and take his dragon. We can choose to give it to someone else, or save it for another day."

Day watched Avery walk to the window, and say, "Well, I think that talk needs to be for another day, because we have a problem."

Illan walked towards his mate with everyone close behind. "What is it, sweetheart?"

Avery looked at them and Day could see his fear. "Salem is standing outside Rhys' home."