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Chapter 9: Daddy?

Liam slid off of Faelen's lap and climbed out of the tub.

Faelen tried to follow, but his legs were shaking too much. "Geoff!" he called after his boss.

Liam rushed out the door to see Geoff walking down the hall to the stairs. "McDougal, a word?" He had to steady himself against the door frame for a moment, allowing the Wolf time to storm farther away. "Geoff McDougal! Get back here!"

Geoff spun around, snarling. "Never speak to me in that tone, pup. I don't know who you think you are, but no one talks to me like that!"

"I know who I am. I know who Faelen is. I know who you think you are and who you actually are. You are a spoiled child, so used to having the Cork Clan dance around him because he is a Dark Spirit that he never seems to think of how people around him feel. Why did you attack Faelen instead of talk to him? Do you even know when he found out whatever it is you are mad about? Did you ask why he has not told you yet? Or even if it is something he should tell his boss?"

Geoff manifested and was advancing on Liam. "I don't give a fuck about what you think! Who the hell are you? Some snotty pup who thinks he's so smart and special! How do you think you know so much about Faelen? You just met him yesterday. Or me? He's my best friend; I know him a hell of lot better than you!"

"If this was your reaction to unwelcome news I can not blame him for keeping secrets, if, in fact, he has. Your behaviour is also unbecoming of an acquaintance, let alone a best friend. I know I am smart, and I am special. As are you, as is O'Conall, as is Nathanial-san. That does not mean we have the right to treat anyone with less than perfect courtesy and respect. You owe O'Conall an apology, and if he chooses to answer your respectful questions, you can judge whether or not you know him."

"Stay out of this, Liam," Geoff spat.

Liam's felt his eyes narrow but stilled his body, refusing to let Geoff get to him.

"This is between me and Faelen. I thought he was my friend, but to lie to me and the Clan all these years about what he is..."

Faelen had made his way out of the tub and to the door behind Liam as the two had been arguing.

Geoff turned to the other Wolf, his expression clearly pained. "Faelen, who -- what -- are you?"

"I'm me, Geoff. I haven't changed, any more than you changed when I told you I know you're gay."

"This is nothing like that!"

Geoff didn't see a naked Nathanial climb up the stairs behind him, but Liam did. "So Faelen is not a purebred Spirit. So what? What of Nathanial-san? How do you think he would react to see you bullying Faelen like this?"

"I'm not bullying him! And don't you dare bring Nathanial into this!"

The Akita appeared unusually bedraggled, more so than Liam had last seen him, and his chi was disturbingly chaotic. "Geoff? Why are you yelling at Faelen and Liam-sensei?"

Geoff jumped and spun around. Nathanial had taken him completely by surprise.

Nathanial looked confused and somewhat cross. "What do you mean 'what' Faelen is? Isn't he the one you made eat your vegetables all these years? Isn't he the person who's been with you and tried to protect you your whole life? What does it matter 'what' he is, or do you love me less because I'm not a Spirit? Or do you love me despite the fact I'm not a Spirit? If you can't love me for who I am, all of who I am...I..." Nathanial turned to run down the stairs, but Geoff rushed over and wrapped him in a hug.

Dirk and Conor walked out of Conor's room, drawn out by the noise in the hallway.

Liam continued, "You are bullying him. You are using your authority as his employer to try to force him to comply with your wishes as to what you want him to be. His personal life is none of your concern unless he chooses to bring it up. That is your responsibility as his employer. You may choose to delude yourself into thinking that you are just friends, but employees do not have that luxury. They can never forget that above all, they are in an employer-employee relationship. Everything is seen through that lens; concern over whether or not they will still have a job next week affects everything they tell you." Liam could see that between what Nathanial and he had said, Geoff was thinking more or less clearly again.

Geoff looked at Faelen, his expression reminiscent of a person who'd been stabbed in the heart by a trusted friend. However, when Geoff tried to look him in the eyes, Faelen looked down at the floor, his ears back. Geoff's voice carried a trace of a whimper as he asked, "Is that true? Is that why you haven't told me you're gay, or that -- as Smith said -- you're less than half-Spirit? You were afraid I might fire you?"

Faelen remained silent, looking down, his tail curling up between his legs. Liam could see that Dirk was unable to meet Conor's eyes, either. Geoff let Nathanial go and hugged Faelen, and Liam could see Faelen begin to shake. Geoff's hold was all that kept him from collapsing. He figured it was part emotion and part weakness.

"Now that that is mostly straightened out, O'Conall and I need to get to bed before we pass out again. Where are Marks and Marks-kun?"

Nathanial answered, "Nick's downstairs in the washroom, and I think Micah is helping him shower. I came up to see what was troubling Geoff so much. His pain and anger snapped me out of the shock I was in." Nathanial's eyes lost focus. "I... I can still feel him dying, though. Over and over again."

He didn't seem to notice the reaction his words caused. Faelen slipped out of Geoff's arms and fell onto his rump with a thud, while Conor and Dirk went into full alert. Geoff and Dirk helped Faelen back up, then Geoff went to comfort Nathanial again.

Liam held up the paw that wasn't keeping him braced against the door frame. "Peace. O'Conall needs to get in bed, promptly. Neither of us can make it downstairs on our own. Marks also needs attention, and a bed. Let us get the details downstairs, please, once the immediate concerns are dealt with."

Geoff kept his arm around Nathanial as Dirk and Conor helped get Faelen and Liam downstairs. The young Wolf relayed the events of their trip home as he tried to comfort Nathanial and keep him from slipping back into a state of shock. Once Geoff was finished, the adults and Liam sighed in chorus. Liam saw Geoff's lip twitch in a smile.

Dirk frowned. "Before we continue discussing the latest Hunter trouble, a quick question: Smith, how do you know so much about my family, and what do you mean Faelen is less than half-Spirit? Wouldn't that mean I'm not a full Spirit?"

They stopped at the door to the bathroom. Nicholas was leaning weakly against the wall as Micah washed his legs.

"Yes, yes it would. I am very familiar with the history of a Wolf named Lowell O'Conall. Your great grandfather, I believe. Though I would need the name of your father to confirm."

"Faeden."

"Ah. Indeed. Yes, you are the heir and great grandson of Lowell O'Conall. Remarkable. He was not a Spirit. He married into the family, took the O'Conall name, and successfully built a large business based in Cork and London. He helped set up the financial empire that Mr. McDougal is now running, I believe. He was able to convince the Clan he was a Spirit for fifty-three years."

Conor arched an eyebrow. "Very familiar? That is quite remarkable indeed. Back to present day, if we may. The Hunters had a Priest from the Knights Templar helping? That's very disturbing. We still don't know if they are only targeting Nathanial, or if they're also targeting Geoff. Or all of us, I guess."

"The Grand Inquisitor, who you would know as the head of the Knights, and I are not on good terms. Quite the opposite, in fact. I am...reluctant to discuss such matters, but I do not wish to place others in jeopardy. I do not think he knows I am here, but should he find out, it may be...unpleasant." Everyone was staring at him. "Nathanial-san, you still must phone your father. And I highly recommend you do so, now. You require sleep. Marks-kun, if you would hasten the cleaning, your brother must also get into bed promptly. Would you object to spending the night with him?"

Micah shook his head as he grinned up at his wet brother. "Nope. Nick is back. I kinda want to stay with him to make sure he stays him."

Geoff spoke. "Good. You can stay in my sister Gwen's room. She's still in Ireland. I should warn you, she likes rocks; her room is full of them. She made us drive around Nova Scotia once we got here to collect all sorts of rocks. But at least it isn't all pink and frilly." He saw the confusion on most of his friends' faces. "Earth Elemental." The confusion faded. "What are we going to do about the Hunters, though? It's worse here than it was in Ireland. At least there they never openly attacked."

Conor thought for a moment. "They appear to be primarily targeting Nathanial. Let his father complain to the Society; their dues are very high, and they're supposed to protect the families of members until they move out. It's an internal matter, for now. I don't want to complain myself, if I can help it. There are many members of the Society who hate Spirits and would love to leak Geoff's location to the Hunters. It'd probably make matters worse if they knew they had a chance to get both of them." He sighed, shaking his head. "Especially if they knew the Dark Spirit was gay and dating their Mage target." Geoff and Nathanial jumped guiltily. "Though their first weapon would be to tell the Clan about Geoff." He shook his head. "A large part of the Clan is very conservative and homophobic, and would be horrified that Geoff is gay. And to find out he's dating a Mage, male or female, could very well lead for calls to have him executed or banished. The Hunters would also exert extra pressure, as they would see this as proof that Dark Spirits are a abominations amongst an almost demonic species."

Geoff looked stricken. Liam felt the Wolf's anger fade away. "B-But, what about Grandpa? He couldn't, he wouldn't kill me. Would he?"

Dirk looked away as he muttered, "Welcome to politics, pup."

Conor frowned. "Without popular support behind protecting you, the extra pressure from the Hunters may lead to calls for your removal. The Alpha may be forced to capitulate despite his personal feelings. Hells, he's just as conservative as most, but you're also his grandson, so I don't know how he'd react. But my brother Rolph, he'd force Da to get rid of you, or he may get his chance at unseating Da. He'd also use it as an excuse to get rid of me, or at least destroy any clout I have in the Clan. Then if word of Dirk and Faelen got out..." He put his head in his paws, leaning back against the wall. "...both of our families would be destroyed. Even Avery and Gwen might be punished. What a pickle we're in."

Dirk put his paws on Conor's shoulders. "I'm sorry, boss. I'd never let my personal life hurt you like this. I'd do everything it took to protect you."

"That's the problem, Dirk. I am your boss. I knew about Mary Anne shortly after I found out Faelen was born." Dirk looked shocked. "I'm a hacker, and Avery is an investigative journalist. It wasn't very hard. I just haven't said anything till now because it wasn't important. I could also pretend I didn't know. Just, today... Well, today put a little more pressure on me to act. I'm still going to pretend I don't know, though. But that shower thing... I'm just at a loss. It's a personal matter between you two, but it's going on under my roof. I can't really have you move out; it'd put all of us at risk. Gods. I know nothing, I see nothing, I sure as hells hope I hear nothing. Just tell me, with all the other people here, am I still the only straight Fur around?"

Liam let himself grin. Nathanial just blushed and looked away.

Micah burst out laughing, obviously delighted. "Yup! I can try to help you with that, though!"

Nathanial's jaw dropped, and everyone else looked shocked. "Micah! No seducing my boyfriend's dad!" He got a dopey smile on his face, and hugged Geoff. "My boyfriend. I like that." Geoff leaned in for a kiss.

Conor groaned, "No! Stop! No kissing. I just officially found out my son is gay, he's dating a Mage, and that Mage is the target of the Hunters and Knights. Let my poor mind recover before you start kissing! Some things are just hard for a father to take in." He looked up fiercely. "And no gay jokes about fathers and taking in hard things! None! Gods have mercy." He shook his head and started to walk away.

Micah began to dry off Nicholas as he continued to laugh quietly.

Geoff looked uncertain, as if he wanted to ask something.

Liam jumped in. "Mr. McDougal, regarding school tomorrow: I will be unable to attend, and I will be phoning my father shortly. As Nicholas Marks's and O'Conall's attending healer, I advise against their attending school tomorrow, though Nathanial-san should clear that with his father. I also recommend Nathanial-san stay home, as these last two days have been enough to put anyone in the hospital from stress. Micah and Geoff appear fine, but whether or not they go to school is up to their parents." Nathanial's stomach growled, which reminded him: "That is right. We have not eaten since lunch, have we? I am glad you are well enough to be hungry. There were...oranges and sandwiches in my...bag." His voice was fading at the end, and he could feel his body shutting down; he had exhausted all of his chi. Again.

Dirk grabbed Liam to prevent his collapse. Geoff picked up the bag, but Dirk shook his head and said, "No, you two are guests! Give me a little time and I'll fix something. Just let me know what you guys want and I'll make it."

Liam sagged against him. "I...do not think I will...make..."

---

Geoff watched Liam collapse again and shook his head. He wasn't sure he liked the Rottweiler, but he certainly was a trooper, and didn't seem to stop until he fell unconscious. An obnoxious know-it-all, but one he could respect. It was just really irksome that he was usually right. He fished out the sandwiches and oranges. "Nathanial, do you think you can last until Dirk makes something? We can leave these for Liam, if he wakes up during the night. Or you could eat these now, and we can make something to leave for him once you're in bed."

Nathanial's stomach growled again. "I'll eat an orange to tide me over, and then talk to my dad while waiting."

Geoff tossed him an orange and took Liam from Dirk. "I'll get him."

The orange hung in midair as the peel ripped itself from the flesh. Nathanial grabbed the juicy orange and threw the peel in the garbage.

Geoff smiled and shook his head. He carried Liam into Faelen's room as Conor followed with Faelen. "Um...Da? Football, I mean, soccer tryouts are tomorrow after school. I know I'm grounded and won't be able to go to school without Faelen anyway, but can I still try to make the tryouts?"

He had stripped Liam's clothes off as he talked and saw the bandage on his Liam's arm. He had forgotten Liam had been shot while protecting Nathanial. He felt a little guilty. Liam stirred slightly as he tucked him in on the unused side of the bed. Faelen was very particular about the side of the bed he used. It was closer to the humidifier.

Faelen managed to crawl into bed with minimal help. "I hope to be well enough to join you, sir. But I was thinking an excuse for this mass absence might be a good idea. We're known to be friends of Nathanial, and he was just carjacked and had three people killed in front of him. I think that's reasonable grounds for us to miss a day to be with him. The stress and trauma of that happening to a friend is enough to miss a day on its own, comforting him or not." Geoff saw his eyes fluttering closed as he finished talking.

Geoff walked around the bed and nuzzled Faelen's forehead. "That's a good point. I'm sorry for what I said. Again. What's this, the third time today? I do love you, even if you only think of me as a boss."

"Brother. Baby...brother," Faelen muttered as he drifted into sleep. Geoff wiped a tear from his eye as his father led him from the room.

The light was out in the bathroom, and a dim light was on in Geoff's room. Geoff could hear Nathanial's voice; he was upset.

Conor saw the look. "We'll talk tomorrow. Now that I know why you went out last night, I'm more inclined to be lenient. But after what you did to Faelen..." Conor shook his head. Geoff felt his tail curl up. "Tomorrow. I'll check on the two pups. Go help Dirk and let Nathanial talk to his father. Do you know Smith-sensei's father's number, or name?" He grimaced when Geoff shook his head. Conor sighed. "I guess it should be in the school registry. I'll find it. Oh, one moment."

He went over to Geoff's door and knocked softly before opening it. "Don't tell your father where you are, but make sure your mother knows you're safe." He flicked off the light. Conor led Geoff upstairs, saying as he did, "The pup seems to like the dark almost as much as you. Good match."

Geoff grinned.

---

Nathanial was glad Geoff wasn't so mad anymore. He couldn't understand why Geoff was mad in the first place. So what if Faelen wasn't a full Spirit? He wasn't any Sprit. And why was Liam-sensei so mad? He thought Geoff and Liam were about to starting attacking each other. But now Geoff was carrying Liam into Faelen's room as if nothing happened. 'I'm procrastinating. Liam-sensei was right, I need to tell Dad and delaying is going to make it worse.' He walked into Geoff's room and turned on the one small light. It actually felt comforting in the near-dark, probably because he could sense Geoff in everything around him. He pulled out his phone and stared at it for a moment before dialling.

His father, Garret Marks, picked up on the third ring. "What? This had better be important." Nathanial could hear that he was at a pub or something. His dad sounded angry.

He tried to keep his voice under control. "I-It's an emergency. Did you see the news today, the, um, carjacking?"

There was a long pause. Garret sounded confused and condescending. "Yes? I know you couldn't have killed those two thugs, so...what? You saw it on the news and now you're scared? Grow up." His dad was keeping his voice quiet, but he could still hear the scorn.

"I-I was the second pup in the car. It was Hunters. They were after me. A-And there's more. D-Demons attacked."

"Oh, bloody fucking hells. Wait a minute." His dad moved the phone from his mouth. "I'm sorry gentlemen, ladies. I have to take this. My son was in the car that was attacked today in Halifax. I need to talk to him. I'll let you know if I won't be able to make the meeting tomorrow. I may have to fly home tonight." He heard his father's voice get a little emotional; he also felt a tingle of magic through the phone. His dad was Charming them. Nathanial didn't think it'd be possible to detect magic through a phone like that. He tried to cast his senses out to see if he could see his father. He almost missed the next thing his father said. "Please..." Garret cleared his throat. "Sorry, please excuse me."

His dad was an Akita and was wearing an expensive suit, designed to set off his orange-red markings. He kept himself very fit and well-groomed. Nathanial always thought his dad was handsome, but still a jerk.

A large Rhinoceros patted his shoulder consolingly. "Don't worry, Garret. Take care of your son. We got this. Just let us know if you need to reschedule the meeting." The Rhino had large rings on each finger and wore an equally expensive suit. There were several other rich-looking people sitting around the table of a very posh lounge. They all looked sympathetic and concerned.

Nathanial was getting a headache, so he pulled back to his side of the phone just as Conor poked his head in the room and warned him not to reveal his location, not that he was planning on it. He motioned for Conor to switch the light off. It felt nice in the complete dark.

He heard his father enter a small and quiet room -- probably a room for private phone calls or conversations. "What the hells are you up to, boy? Hunters? Demons? Next you're going to bring the Knights down on me?"

"Y-Yes. There was a Priest that attacked me tonight. Let m-me tell you everything. Please, Father."

His father cursed and swore for a minute before saying, "Talk."

Nathanial told him almost everything, leaving Geoff and Faelen out, along with the sexual parts of what happened. He said Liam was a boy in his class that was an apprentice Monk, leaving his name out, and that he sensed the Demon Taint and got help from a healer.

"You pups are Tainted. Gods. Do you know how expensive three funerals are?"

"Th-The healer cleansed us, we're not T-Tainted anymore."

"And I suppose I'll be getting a bill for that, too."

Nathanial was starting to get annoyed, and responded in the same dry tone his father was using, "Yes. Yes, you will. You can take comfort in that it'll be cheaper than three funerals."

He was not expecting the response he got: his dad started laughing. "Good answer. Nathanial, was it? You both sound the same. Good answer. There's hope for you yet. What else?"

His father wasn't even sure of his name, or his voice?

Nathanial continued on, saying Imps ripped apart the couch and about the acid holes in the floor. Then he said the Fey sent them to a safe house, and that the Hunters and a Priest attacked. He told his dad how the Priest died, but not about his ability to scry -- that is, sense remotely -- without casting spells, or his ability to detect magic. "You? You killed a Priest? You must be pulling my leg. You might have a little potential after all, and a hell of a lot of luck, but you've proven yourself unfit to use the grimoire; both of you have -- at least until you're older. I may just sell the damned thing. It's wasted in this family, and they're worth a bloody fortune."

"You can sell them? Where would you do that?"

"There are markets around. There's a broker in Halifax that has a good reputation. I would just let him know what the book's made from and what's in it, and he'd pass the word around. He'd arrange meetings between me and any interested buyer. Standard protocol."

"What if Micah wants it?"

"Who? Micah? The little monster? I'd cast myself into the pits of Tartarus before I let that thing have it. Now, if you don't have any other bad news to ruin my day with I'll get back to making money."

"Whoa, wait! Aren't you going to complain to the Society for taking your money but not protecting your family and house? That's why you pay your dues!"

"That's two smart things you said. I may actually like you at some point. I'll make some calls. I'll give them your number so you can show them the house."

"Mother. Are you going to call her? She won't want to hear anything from me about Hidden World stuff."

"Damn bitch, she's no longer worth the hassle. Yes, I'll deal with her." Nathanial wasn't sure he liked that phrasing. "Anything else, O Troublesome One?"

"No, Honoured Father. I regret for laying my troubles before you, but my respect for such an august person required me to seek out your aid."

His father snorted. "See you, pup. I was planning on staying a few extra days, but I'll probably come home Thursday. Your call actually helped me; I got my drink tab paid for, and the sympathy will help me get a better deal at the contract signing tomorrow. I better play it up." His dad sounded pleased. Nathanial felt sick.

"See you then, Dad." Nathanial hung up. He actually felt a little bit better_._ He didn't have the dread of this call hanging over him anymore and his father almost sounded friendly at the end. He just didn't know how Garret could act like that, like he cared more about money than the lives of his own pups. Nathanial didn't feel quite as bad about killing someone, as just talking about the last two days from hell -- almost literally from the hells -- seemed to help. Maybe Mr. McDougal would be willing to listen. He closed his phone and cradled it in his paws. Why couldn't Dad be more like Mr. McDougal, Mr. O'Conall, or Mr. Smith? He'd just met them and they all looked like better fathers. Was his dad so unusual, or were his friends just lucky? At least Mr. McDougal looked like he was willing to accept Nathanial; if he couldn't have a dad, maybe he could still get a sort-of father this way.

His stomach growled. 'Check on Nicholas and Micah, then eat. Maybe that'll help, too.'

He got dressed and slipped upstairs, passed by the kitchen, and went up to Gwen's room. He could sense his brothers inside; Nicholas was asleep, but Micah was still awake. He ducked into the room, closing the door behind him. It was dark in the room; he was a little surprised they didn't have a light on. His brothers were on their sides, Micah wrapped up in Nicholas's arms. Nicholas had his muzzle resting on the top of Micah's head between the pup's ears and his tongue hanging out slightly.

Nathanial felt a loving smile spread across his muzzle. He leaned over Micah and licked his muzzle before kneeling by the bed. He whispered so as to not wake Nicholas, "Hey Sprite. You seem to be doing better."

"I'm glad Nick is back. I missed him."

"Me, too. I talked to Dad." Nathanial quickly filled him in, skipping the parts where his father acted like he only had two sons, and the part where he called Micah a monster. "I don't know what we'll do if he takes away the grimoire. It'll take a while through a broker, but still. I love magic. I want to learn more, I just wish we had a different grimoire. That one isn't suited to me, I don't think. I'm not any good at Charms, and even worse at Fire magic. Well, I just came in to check on you two. Night, little brother. I love you." He got up, licked Micah's muzzle, and got a return kiss, and then he gently kissed Nicholas.

Nicholas sighed and squeezed Micah a little. "Love, bro." His breathing became softer again as he drifted back into a deep slumber. Nathanial could feel Micah's happiness, and he vowed again to protect his brothers from anything that threatened them. Even if it was his parents.

He left the room, blinking in the bright light of the hall, before he walked over to a closed door. He knocked softly on it, and heard Conor call out, "Enter." It looked like this was Conor's office, and he was just about to make a call on his cell.

"Mr. McDougal, I wanted to thank you for helping us tonight. For welcoming us into your home, even when you found out I was, um, dating Geoff." He blushed. "I can't tell you how much it means to me that you risked so much and were so kind to my brothers. Thank you, I'm deeply in your debt."

Conor smiled. "I'm glad to help a potential son-in-law. I thought I'd be getting one son-in-law, not two, but the Fates had other plans. Do you know Smith's father's phone number?"

Nathanial was blushing furiously at the thought of marrying Geoff. "No sir, Daddy." He said the last bit teasingly, but he did like the idea of Conor being his dad. "His first name is Walter, but I don't know his number." He thought back and gave Conor the address.

Conor called up the number on the internet. "At least Geoff seems to have decent taste. Gwendolyn will probably fall in love with some punk Spirit who's destined to break her heart, and to make me break his bones. That's hopefully a long time away, though."

Nathanial couldn't stop blushing. "Thank you, Daddy." Conor smiled and shook his head. "How old is she, if I may ask?"

"Eight. Oh, and Geoff's birthday is a week from now. I may have a small party for him this weekend, if he wants. Next weekend we're going back to Ireland so he can celebrate with the Clan. I wasn't planning on doing anything here; he hasn't been anywhere to meet any friends. I never thought he'd start dating someone so soon. I never thought any of this would happen. But as the gods will. Ares and Eris, the goddess of discord, must be loving all of this. Go, eat. Mr. Smith must be worried; I need to phone him."

"Yes, sir. Thanks." Nathanial slipped out of the door and went to the kitchen. Dirk just finished making a large pan of something. Potatoes mashed up with a bunch of stuff. Nathanial's stomach rumbled again. "Smells good. What is it?"

Geoff looked a little surprised. "Hash. Roast beef hash. You've never had?" Nathanial shook his head. Dirk served up three plates and a larger fourth one. "Take that one. We've had afternoon tea, our large meal, so we don't need as much." He led Nathanial into the dining room. "Sit here. That's normally Faelen's seat, but you can sit here tonight." They sat, and Geoff and Dirk waited without eating. Nathanial was puzzled until Geoff said, "Waiting for Da."

Nathanial nodded. "He told me to go eat, but it looked like he was just going to call Mr. Smith, so he shouldn't be long." He noticed Conor heading their way. "He just left his office. He'll be here soon."

A short time later Conor came into the room. "I thought I told you to eat, Son."

Geoff looked confused, but Nathanial piped up with a small grin. "Yes, Daddy. But I felt you leave your office, so we decided to wait."

Geoff blushed and his eyebrows jumped to his ears. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Other Son?"

Geoff realized he was being teased so just shook his head. Conor sat and they ate. Nathanial was ravenous. He finished his plate before anyone else, despite having twice as much as Conor.

Geoff's father looked on approvingly. "I see you are a good match for Geoff in terms of appetite and eating speed, too."

Nathanial just grinned. "That...um...hash was really good, Mr. O'Conall."

"Dirk. And thank you, Mr. Marks."

"Nathanial, please."

"As you wish, sir."

Nathanial smiled and then stifled a yawn and a shiver. In the back of his mind he could hear bone crunching and snapping again, and feel the life he took leaving its body. He shivered again, and struggled to block the memory from his mind.

"Nathanial?" Nathanial gave a start. Geoff slipped an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, pup. You doing all right?"

"Yeah, I just need to sleep. If I may be excused?"

Conor stood, walked over, and gave Nathanial a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Get some sleep, Son. You should sleep too, Geoff."

Geoff whimpered mock-pathetically. "Don't I get a hug?" Conor smiled and hugged him, and licked his ear. Geoff hugged back and gave a small lick on his father's muzzle. "Thanks for everything today, Da. I love you."

"I love you, too. Let him sleep tonight, okay?"

Geoff and Nathanial blushed as they carried their plates into the kitchen.

Nathanial thanked Dirk as he walked by to the stairs. "Thanks for the food, Dirk." Dirk nodded.

---

Faelen woke up sometime during the night. He could feel a warm body pressed into his back. 'Liam. Right. He's still passively transferring my "chi" back into me. I feel better; I wonder if it's because I have more of my chi stuff back, or just because I got some sleep.' Not only could he feel Liam cuddled up to him, he also felt a hard and wet erection pressing on his tail-hole. 'Well, this is a surprise.'

Liam's left leg was twitching and he was making small growls and yips, like he was chasing something in a dream.

'That is so cute!' He rubbed Liam's left arm, which was wrapped around his chest, making Liam sigh softly and rub his muzzle against the side of Faelen's head. Faelen turned slightly and licked the short muzzle. The gentle twist made the tip of Liam's penis poke into Faelen's hole. He gave a small gasp in surprise, and Liam gave a small growl and a tiny buck of his hips. A little more of his penis went inside Faelen and slid back out. Faelen's moan coincided with Liam's whimper. Faelen lay back the way he was initially and the tip of Liam's penis slid out. He felt a little empty and almost sad.

Liam gave a few more small bucks, whimpering in his sleep. Liam's left paw twitched a few times over Faelen's belly, and Liam's muzzle pushed up against the bottom of his ear like a pup searching for a teat. Liam settled after that but his paw drifted down to Faelen's erection, and gently gave a few small tugs.

Faelen moaned slightly and felt himself squirt some precum. He leaned over and grabbed a towel from his nightstand. As he rolled back he went a little too far and pushed a bit farther onto Liam's penis. He tried to stifle another moan, but some noise still escaped his throat.

Liam gave another small growl and bit into Faelen's scruff, making a few more growls and muttering noises. He bucked a few times, driving half of his length into Faelen, and his paw found Faelen's shaft again.

Faelen squirted a large jet of precum; he managed to catch it on the towel so he wouldn't soak his sheets, but his muscles still quivered in pleasure. He felt his intestinal muscles clamp down on Liam, who responded with another thrust of his hips and another whimper. 'Interesting. I'll have to try that again. Gods, he feels so good.' He intentionally squeezed around Liam and was rewarded with a tighter grip on the scruff of his neck and some more powerful thrusts. Faelen growled slightly and moaned, wrapping his paw around Liam's paw, and stroked his penis a few times.

Suddenly, he felt himself being flipped onto his stomach, and Liam pulled his paw from Faelen's. Both of Liam's arms wrapped around Faelen's chest, as Liam began thrusting firmly but slowly into Faelen, a deep growl rumbling steadily in his chest.

Faelen managed to tug the towel underneath him, to try to keep from soaking his bed. He felt extremely embarrassed being caught like that, but happy at the same time.

Liam sniffed and then let his scruff go. "You squirt a lot of precum. I'm going to take some lube here before I make you my bitch." He gently pulled out of Faelen and rolled him on his back. He flipped around and stuck his penis in Faelen's face. "Make yourself useful for a minute while I collect some lube." Liam placed a paw at the tip of Faelen's penis while he began licking inside his sheath and around his knot. Faelen moaned, and Liam suddenly shoved a piece of dog meat into his muzzle. "Suck."

Faelen sucked, licked, and bobbed. 'Wow. I never thought Smith would be such a dom. I'm not sure if I like it, but I can't say I mind right now.' He felt himself shoot several larger jets of precum which were dutifully collected by the dog on top of him, before the penis in his mouth pulled out.

"Good boy. Now lift your legs and get ready for your bone." Liam moved between Faelen's legs, rubbing the copious amounts of lube along his length.

Faelen pulled his knees to his chest and was surprised when Liam began to lick his hole. He stuck a paw in his mouth, stifling a moan.

"You do like having things in your mouth, don't you, boy? Well, sorry, but this is going back where I found it." Liam buried his tongue into Faelen before pulling out and working some of his wet fingers in. Liam must have thought he'd applied enough lube because he lined his penis up to Faelen and gently slid it back in, right up to his knot.

Faelen stifled another moan. 'Gods, is he normally this aggressive when he's having sex? It's so different from the way he normally acts, but sooo good! I was almost expecting his accent to change, like it did the other time he acted strangely, but he still has his Canadian one.'

Liam went slowly, letting Faelen get used to him, before picking up the pace. "Let me know when you're about to cum, boy." Liam leaned forward onto the back of Faelen's thighs and reached down to roughly grab the back of Faelen's neck in his fist. He pulled the shocked Wolf up into a passionate kiss as he maintained a quick and steady tempo with his hips. Liam's knot slid partway in on each thrust, and his belly rubbed against Faelen's length. The floppy tips of Liam's ears swung back and forth on each thrust.

Faelen would normally think it was extremely cute, but he was enjoying the sensations of being impaled too much to pay a lot of attention. He could hear himself making small grunts each time Liam slammed into him, and he could feel his orgasm building. Liam still hadn't relinquished control of his mouth, so Faelen just nodded into the kiss and softly moaned.

Liam pulled away from the kiss and curled his upper body down to take Faelen's shaft into his mouth as he slammed his knot home.

Faelen convulsed as he came; he felt his muscles clamping down on Liam, and could feel a warm liquid filling him up.

Liam was swallowing quickly, trying to keep pace with the large amount of semen shooting into his muzzle. He managed to swallow most of it, though a small amount leaked out of his mouth before the large jets slowed to a drizzle. Liam milked the last of the cream from the Wolf and reached down to pull Faelen back up into a kiss.

Faelen could feel and taste himself inside the Rottweiler's mouth, but he was surprised again by the passion in the kiss.

That odd Celtic accent crept back into Liam's voice. "You did well, boy. I mightn't've forgiven you for rousing me, otherwise." He thrust hard into Faelen, his knot rubbing against Faelen's prostate again. "But my bone is buried well and good." Liam twisted them around so he was curled up against Faelen's back, arm wrapped across Faelen's chest. The accent was gone when Liam said, "Goodnight, Faelen-san. Thank you for helping me this evening." Liam rubbed his head against Faelen's and licked his ear.

Faelen rolled back as well as he could and licked Liam's nose. "Goodnight, Liam. I'm glad I met you. Thanks for trying to stick up for me with Geoff. I think this move has been harder on him than he's letting on. Sweet dreams." He licked Liam's nose again and rubbed the arm around his chest before holding onto the black paw, their fingers interlocked. In response, Liam sighed softly and tried to snuggle in closer. "Oh, there's food here if you're hungry." A soft murmur was his only answer.