Barron's Prey

Barron

Chapter 3

The kitchen burst with whispers and quiet laughter.  Barron just rolled his eyes, even if the two of them couldn't see the action.  He glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see Sebastian rub his cheek against Ally's, scent marking her.  Barron shook his head at the couple before letting out a sigh.  They both turned towards him, not looking the least bit ashamed at being caught doing something so intimate.

"I haven't shifted in a while," Sebastian said with a shrug.  "The longer I wait, the more my leopard comes to surface."

Ally shifted on the barstool and smiled.  "And he's worse than Noah with the protectiveness."  She sent her mate a look with a little bit of heat in it before looking back towards Barron.  "I thought they said that would lessen after a year."

"Hell if I know," Barron said with a laugh as he shifted Noah in his arm more comfortably.  "Mating and everything that goes after it wasn't really a conversation I wanted to have with my mom."

"Your dad?" Sebastian asked, making Ally wince.

She punched him in the arm before shooting Barron an apologetic glance.  "I don't share every secret with him."

"S'okay," he mumbled as he turned back to the stove.  Flipping the pancake in the pan in front of him, Barron kept his thoughts on the present.  "He died before I was old enough to get the talk."

Sebastian cleared his throat.  "I'm not asking how."

"Fire," Barron answered before tossing the cooked pancake onto a plate.

He pushed the plate down the counter, picked up the bowl full of pancake mix, watched as it sizzled in the pan, and grabbed the spatula.  The simple tasks did what they always did; they cleared his mind.  They kept him from thinking too hard about things that he didn't want to remember.  They kept him from living out those memories of the past.

"You want me to take Noah?" Ally asked.

Shooting her a smile over his shoulder, he opened his mouth, ready to put her worry at ease when the air popped around him.  His shields bowed, taking on a weight they weren't ready to hold.  As he watched, they cracked under the pressure.  Barron tensed, knowing they weren't ready for what was coming.  Holding his breath, he prayed that his wards would hold up, but prayer wasn't really his strength and they soon burst apart, letting in whatever power was fighting against them.

Ally growled low in her throat, her claws growing and sharpening for the battle ahead.  Beside her, Sebastian dropped to the ground, coming back up in his leopard form.  The large animal crouched down, ready to pounce on whatever was to come.  Its hackles were raised, and as subtly as it could, the animal placed itself in front of Ally.  Barron would have laughed at Sebastian's antics if it wasn't for the figure that was beginning to materialize in their kitchen.

Run.  Barron glanced towards Ally, and she stared right back.  Run.

He began to shake his head, and when she looked down at Noah in his arms, instant understanding flew through him.  She didn't care if she died, didn't care if Barron was the only one who could fight what was coming.  All she cared about were her children.  He took a step away from the figure, but he couldn't make himself run.  He knew that Drew and Tony would already have the girls.  Soon, Ned would jump into the mess in the kitchen, and as soon as that happened, Barron would hand over Noah. 

He knew Ally would be pissed at him.  She'd probably kick his ass for staying, but it was his job.  As much as he loved the kid in his arms, he couldn't let Ally die.  He couldn't let the leopards diminish, and without Ally, they would.