These Are the Dark Days

Frank watched Henry pace around the room in front of him. Gavin had locked the two in a small office room just off the main room. Frank’s arms had been tied behind him while he was unconscious; he had only just woken up.

He had been awoken by a strange feeling he had forgotten about. It was the same heat inside of him that he had felt that day on the bus, when he had first seen Gerard. If Frank closed his eyes tight enough, it felt as if his mate was right next to him. He did his best to lean into that feeling.

He could tell, however, that Gerard was searching for information, trying to understand the situation as best as he could before charging in. Opening his eyes, Frank looked to his brother.

“Where are we, Henry?” If he could get Gerard a location, he knew he would not be here much longer.

Henry stopped his pacing and turned to Frank. He looked as if he wanted to say something, explain everything to his brother but something was holding him back. He quickly went back to pacing and ignored Frank.

“Why did you do this to me? I thought you were my brother, you are supposed to protect me, not lead me into the lion’s den.” With this, Henry stopped pacing once again but this time he leaned against the wall and slid down so that he was facing Frank.

“I had no choice.” It was just a whisper, Frank almost did not hear it and he waited for his brother to continue.

“I was contacted by Gavin about a month ago, around the time you found Gerard. He started out by telling me that he would get me out of that god forsaken hick town back in Minnesota, that I could come home to Italy and live the life of a prince, the life you and I were meant to have. But I would not betray my family, my baby brother, simply for a better life. I did not like Minnesota but I could never to that to you.

Then Gavin tried a different tactic. Before you disappeared and we left Italy, I met a girl, I know we were only children but even then I knew this girl was my mate. Her name was Elizabeth and no one besides the two of us knew we had been matched. Or so I thought. Next Gavin began to threaten her. He said if I did not bring you to him he would kill her but if I cooperated, he would bring her to America and I could leave with her.

You have mated with the strongest, most feared dom in decades, I assumed that I would leave you here after I left with Elizabeth and it would not be long until Gerard showed up and killed Gavin. Then father could have the crown back!”

“So you convinced yourself that this was a good idea?” Frank tried hard to keep the anger from his voice. “You think Elizabeth is really here? That our uncle is a man of his word and would let you go?”

“I had no choice.” Henry repeated, coiling away at his brother’s harsh words.

“You could have told us what was going on! You have put Gerard and his whole family at risk so you could be with a girl you have not seen since childhood! You’ve had this planned out since Gerard and I came to Minnesota? You knew who we were when we came to the door?”

Henry nodded solemnly. The anger in Frank was unlike anything he had ever felt before, his heart was beating to loud, he was sure Henry could hear it across the small room. He could not even look at his brother anymore.

Instead, he closed his eyes and attempted to once again find Gerard. Not even to tell him the reasoning behind Henry’s actions but more so to calm himself, to feel as if he were home, safe and warm in bed.

It did not take long to feel the warmth in the pit of his stomach, this time, however, it was stronger. It felt closer, like Gerard was closer. Frank assumed he could not be more that a few blocks away, he could feel the rage coming off Gerard after he learned the reasoning behind Henry’s actions.

The two men put all their might into holding onto each other, waiting until Gerard and the small army he had assembled walked down the right alley way to find the small room Frank was prisoner in.