Work had been normal enough at the start of the day. He had woken up, taken Wyatt to daycare, and promptly grabbed his “tools” before heading out to the outskirts of the state where a Bodach Fae had gone insane. From what Grayson had gathered, the Bodach had developed a twisted understanding of what was or wasn’t okay in current times. As an older Fae, it had known what it was like in the old times and refused to let go of those standards, resulting in children everywhere disappearing.
Thus far, ten children had been taken from their homes in the middle of the night. On the morning after the tenth child was taken, Grayson had been called in. Knowing that it could very easily have been Wyatt had he and Amelia chosen to settle further west, Grayson immediately jumped into action, waking up earlier than usual.
Though the daycare center was confused when Grayson showed up at nearly 5 in the morning with Wyatt in tow, they took him without question, offering the father a smile and bidding him good luck on whatever workload it was that had him up so early. Wyatt hadn’t questioned it- had been halfway sleeping when Grayson dropped him off, leaving only with a slurred I love you daddy as Grayson stepped out the door.
Those words settled in Grayson’s heart and he found it in him to go out and find these children. It wasn’t difficult, in the end. Only took him about an hour to realize the flaws in the story he had been given once he began questioning around town. Of course, he stuck to the Fae territories, but that only made the flaws stand out even more. Every missing child was Fae. And none of the parents knew to be worried about their child or to appear it until Grayson mentioned why he was there.
Believing the best in the people though, he continued his search all the way to a cabin in the woods nearby the edge of town. Curiously enough, there was a fire going inside, a calming, steady stream of smoke flowing out from the chimney. At least the kids are comfortable, he thought to himself. No point in them freezing during this cold winter. It wasn’t until he was inside the cabin itself that he realized his mistake. And by then it was too late.
The last light Grayson saw was a group of Fae, one of which looked disturbingly like his eldest brother, standing in the cabin with sneers on their faces. And then everything went dark.
He awoke hours later, stripped of his weapons and overcoat, leaving him in his button up, black jeans and shoes. No one was in the room with him- something that caused great relief to coarse through him. Though that must have changed his scent because moments later, he could smell an alpha coming into the room. Its power was overwhelming, causing Grayson to shirk back in on himself, as though to mask his own odors.
“Who’s there?” he called, voice groggy. How long have I been out? “Hello-” the first blow landed before he could finish his sentence, knocking his head back. The next went to his stomach, sending all air our of his lungs in a single gust, marked only by the huff of air he let out. He tried to minutely break his bonds, hoping it wouldn’t be noticed when he realized something else. They had been at this for hours with him. His shirt was covered in blood and sweat stains, small holes scattering the fabric where they had poked, prodded, shot, and stabbed him. He barely noticed the smell of uncertainty beneath the smell of overwhelming anger. Someone here didn’t want him hurt. “Plea-” he tried again, only to be silenced with a blow that clacked his teeth together painfully. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
His last thoughts were of Amelia, desperately hoping that she would stay away, that the Fae wouldn’t try to punish her for whatever it was he had done wrong. They were speaking in the old tongue. Grayson knew the old tongue, but it had been so long that it took him a moment to remember how to use it. When he did, everything suddenly made sense.
“He married that thing.” “He’s still our brother, you fool. Deserter or not, he is one of us.” “He never even chose a side!” A third voice joined the argument, sending a chill down his spine. When Grayson looked up, his eyes found his father’s, cold and callous as ever. “He has a child with that thing. He is not one of us. He never has been.” Anger flared in Grayson, a low, challenging growl rising in his throat. That was his family, and he would do anything in his power to protect them. Even if it meant giving his own life to ensure that they could live theirs in peace.
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