Lir's Children

5. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

DIMITRI AND ADIRA followed behind Lir in Dimitri’s truck, the worry they heard in Lir’s voice still ringing in Dimitri’s ears. They left the others behind, knowing there wasn’t anything any of them could do until they knew more about what Fionna meant when she told her father that her younger brothers were showing signs of shifting.

“Tell me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it awful young for the two of them to be shifting?” Adira asked as they turned onto Crabgrass Road. “I thought it happened later in a child’s life.”

Dimitri nodded. “It does. Puberty triggers a child’s curse, and to the best of my knowledge, Lir’s twins are barely eight years old.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod as she processed what he said. While Adira was from Draven Falls, she hadn’t been around too many shifters until she had dated one, Jensen Harper, and he hadn’t exactly helped her understand shifters. Instead, he had kept hidden the truth of destined mates and played house with her instead while waiting for his true mate to return from college. Jensen even knew who his destined mate was while he dated Adira, making everything that much worse for her. It was a twisted introduction to shifters, to say the least, and then she came to Bull Creek at Agatha Rochester’s request, tossed into the midst of shifters fighting shifters to protect humans.

“So, what would cause them to shift early?” She turned, placing her back on the door so she could see him better. “I mean, is there precedent for this happening?”

He shook his head. “No. At least, I haven’t heard of it happening before. Once we’re done here and know more, I’ll reach out to the Paranormal Council back in Draven Falls and see what I can find out. I’m sure this is way beyond Doc Henderson’s purview. We may need to reach out for help.”

“I can call Agatha and see what she thinks once we see what we’re dealing with.”

Dimitri reached out, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. He wasn’t sure what they would find when they reached the O’Sullivans, but he knew with Adira at his side, he could face anything. He already had, in so many ways, from Bane and his coyote uprising to the attacks by the Order of Wardens and the kidnapping of one of his brother’s mates. Bull Creek had seen its fair share of tragedy, but they always pulled together and made it through. They would this time as well, no matter what it was.

Dimitri turned onto Blue Moon Trail and pulled into the third cabin on the right, glancing over at the cabin just before Lir’s as they passed. Walt Egerton had lived there until roughly six months ago, when Cody Tucker killed him in his quest to find a cure for the illnesses of humans everywhere. All it wound up doing was turning Cody into a monster and killing his sister. Another family ruined because people didn’t understand how the supernatural worked.

He pulled in behind Lir’s car just as young Fionna, Lir’s eleven-year-old daughter, rushed out of the house.

Lir was already out of his vehicle, as was Aoife, and racing toward the front of the cabin before Dimitri could get out of his truck. “Fionna, what happened?” her father asked as he raced to the steps. “How are they?”

“They’re fine, Daddy, but it was scary.” Fionna leaped into her daddy’s arms, wrapping her own around him as she placed her head on his chest. “They started to shift, and when it happened they were screaming and yelling, and I didn’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean they shifted?” Lir sat his daughter back down on the front porch as he took her hand and walked inside the cabin.

“They were playing,” Fionna said, Dimitri hanging close so he could hear what she said. “Then suddenly I heard Cian start screaming as he clutched his stomach and doubled over. Cillian was right behind him. I heard their bones snap, saw the fur slide out from under their skin. I remembered my first time just last year, and it scared me. They shouldn’t be doing this so soon, right? Why didn’t they wait as long as I did?”

Lir stepped into his house, the rest of them right behind him.

Dimitri glanced around the place, saw the family photos, the children’s drawings, the toys everywhere. This was a family home, and Dimitri almost felt as if he was intruding. As he stared around at the place, the trappings of a family, he wondered if perhaps Eve and Arlin had the right idea about getting married. Even Josh and Alanna were talking about starting a family. Dimitri suddenly felt as if he was missing out on the important things in life.

“No, sweetie,” Lir said as he moved through the living room. “They shouldn’t.” And then he called out to his youngest sons.

“Daddy!” two voices screamed just before they saw the twins burst from the first room on the right, their arms outstretched as they raced toward their father. Each one looked just as normal as they had the last time Dimitri saw them.

He stood at the front of the living room, hands in his pockets, as Adira moved around him to examine the boys, Lir already hugging each one before setting them back on their feet. Aoife was already there, a hand on each of the twins as she raked them with her gaze, studying them for some abnormality, just as Adira did.

“We almost did it, Daddy,” Cian squealed with delight. “Aiden said we were too young, but we almost did it. My wolf is going to be light brown.”

Not to be outdone, Cillian chimed in with, “And mine is the darkest black. Our wolves aren’t twins!”

Lir glanced over at Dimitri, and the Alpha of Bull Creek knew the man had the same concerns he did. If the boys were twins, then their wolves should be identical as well. Of course, if they shifted early, as the kids claimed, who knew what other anomalies could exist? Another question for the Council as soon as Dimitri could call them.

Aoife c****d her head to the side as she spun each boy in a circle, stretching their arms out to examine them before dropping them back to their side. Her eyes were narrow slits as she ran her gaze over them one at a time.

Dimitri had no idea what the woman was looking for because shifting left no marks on the body.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” Lir said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Both boys started speaking at once until Lir told them to stop. He pointed to Cian. “You first.”

The boy’s face lit up as if his father had given him a prize. “I thought it was a cramp in my leg at first. It hurt real bad, and then it began to stretch, and I remembered when Aiden and Fee did the same thing, so I knew what was happening.”

“It’s my turn,” Cillian cut in, trying to push his brother out of the way. “It started with my arm and then I doubled over and was on my hands and knees as fur slid out from under my skin.”

Lir glanced over their heads to his eldest son. “Did you see it happen?”

The teenager shook his head as he leaned on the wall, looking bored. “Nope. I was outside when it happened. Fee called me.”

Lir turned his attention to his daughter. “And you were in here when the shift started?”

She nodded, and Dimitri could still see the fear on her face, the memory of her first shift obviously still vivid in her mind. She reached the age of transition just after Christmas, and her older brother’s occurred when they first arrived in Bull Creek, so the twins were the only ones left to have their curse triggered. Dimitri could see where they would want to be just like their older siblings, eager to race off as their wolves. He remembered well when Josh and he first went through the transformation. They spent hours, even days sometimes, as their wolves, hunting the woods around the Everest Paper Mill. But for the twins, it was still too soon. They could get themselves into trouble, and not even their wolves would be able to get them out of it.

With her lips pressed into a thin line, Adira shrugged. “Well, looks like they’re fine now.” She glanced over at Lir. “I’d keep an eye on them, and in the meantime, I’ll reach out to Agatha, back in Draven Falls, while Dimitri calls Talquin to see what we can find out.”

Lir nodded, but Dimitri could see the worry crease the man’s brows. “Thanks. I just don’t understand what would have caused it.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Dimitri assured him, but inwardly, he wasn’t so sure.

They said their goodbyes and then left, the boys giving their father a blow-by-blow of what happened once more as Dimitri and Adira stepped back out onto the front porch. He kept his thoughts to himself as they walked back to his truck, knowing the strength of shifter hearing and not wanting Lir to overhear something Dimitri didn’t intend. The man had enough to worry about as it was. However, once they slid safely into his truck and he had pulled out of his driveway, he shared his worries with Adira.

“If they did shift, they’re four to five years too early.” He slid his hands around the steering wheel in a nervous gesture. “Too young. Way too young.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her turn in her seat so she could see him better. “Do you think they’re making it up? I mean, I guess I could see why the twins would want everyone to think they were like their siblings, but why would Fionna make it up? It makes no sense.”

He shrugged. “I’m not saying she is. The truth is, we’re not sure what happened, but centuries of history are making it seem more like the children are pulling our legs rather than those boys actually shifted.”

“And you’re sure of that? Perhaps someone did shift when they were younger than normal, and we just don’t know about it.” She shook her head. “No, I’m not ruling anything out until I talk to Agatha.”

He nodded, knowing she was right. She was always right. “I’ll give Jed Hawkins a call, see what he might know.”

“Maybe call Farren as well. What if this has happened among wolves but not the other animals? I think we need to broaden our research as much as possible.”

He chuckled softly to himself. As I said, she’s always right. “All right then, I’ll have Ezra ask his Para-Force buddies. They might have some research stored about cases like this. Seems it would be right up their alley.”

“Makes sense to me.” He felt her take his hand and squeeze as she turned her attention back to the windshield and the gravel road ahead of them. “Those boys may seem excited now, but the experience had to have scared the hell out of them when it first started.” She glanced over at him once more. “Do you remember when you first shifted?”

He gave a slow nod. “I was twelve and jealous as hell that Fitz had already had the curse triggered. Josh transitioned a few months before I did, and you know Josh, he made sure to rub it in my face as often as he could. When mine finally occurred, I was alone and following a trail in the mountains. I think my father had pissed me off at the time, if I remember correctly, but to be honest, back then my father pissed me off on a regular basis. It was a constant state almost until the day he died.”

“I remember that day,” she said. “None of your family was too happy with your father, including his wife, not that I blame any of you. What he did was a s**t move, trying to sell Fitz’s mate off like he did.”

“That it was.” He took a deep breath, shoving thoughts of his father out of his mind. “Anyway, back to my story. The shift started when I was alone, and I remember the excruciating pain that hit me. I screamed my lungs out as I fell to the forest floor, clothes ripping in all directions as my body stretched and popped, snapped and twisted. Fur slid out from under my skin, and I remember looking down at my hands and seeing my panther’s paws, wondering where my hands went.” He shook his head, chuckling. “I knew it was coming, but when it hit, it confused the hell out of me as to what was happening to me.” He glanced over at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “And then I ran all the way to Josh, who was fishing in a nearby creek, and tackled his ass.”

She laughed with him, shaking her head. “I can see you doing that, to be honest.”

“He deserved it with the way he teased me.”

“Boys will be boys.”

He nodded, squirming in his seat slightly. “I’m wondering if that’s what’s happening here.”