When Dawn woke up next, she found Daryn propped up on his elbow, his face on his hands, staring at her with his black eyes.

"Daryn!" she squealed.

​​

He smiled.

She cupped his chin in her hand and said, "How are you doing, love?" He looked fine. The fever had subsided and had color on his face. She examined his shoulder and then her gaze traveled to his stomach. "Are you okay?" she asked again. She was amazed at his recovery rate. His cells regenerated so fast. He was a rare specimen. No wonder so many were after him and no wonder his people protected him fiercely.

"Better," he replied as he stared into her green eyes. His shoulder wound had almost recovered but his stomach was still hurting. In all the recoveries he has ever undergone, this was the best. There was so much loneliness every time but today he felt blessed that his mate was with him. "By Skadi! I don't think I can live without you, Dawn. I am addicted to you."

Tears began to well in her eyes. "I want to take you home as soon as possible."

"This is your home baby," he said, as he wrapped his arm around her.

She wanted to see Cole. "Please darling." Her home was the Silver Arcade.

Daryn kissed her lightly on her lips and said, "We are going to stay here now, and I am going to increase the security around Cole." He kissed her again. "I won't let you go out of my sight." He pulled her closer to him and pressed her head against his chest.

His scent engulfed her senses and she felt reassured. She kissed his chest repeatedly. "I hate to see you in this situation," she murmured. "I miss you every moment when you're not with me. You worry me a lot. You shouldn't have come after me."

"That's not something you can decide." Daryn kissed the crown of her head. "How is Cole?" he asked in a low voice.

"Neal informed me yesterday that he is doing fine."

Daryn exhaled and his facial muscles relaxed visibly. He propped his head on the pillow and tilted to look at his wife while he stroked her hair. "Who were those men?" he asked.

"We don't know yet. I think Father is trying to find out."

If they were Lily's men, he was going to make Lily's life a hell on this earth.

Dawn looked up again at his face. She traced his chin and noticed that his bruises were gone. She kissed his lips deeply this time. He opened his mouth for her and let her in. She was his drug and he needed more of her. He grabbed her face and his fingers almost dug in her skin. He wanted her so badly that it hurt. Grasping her hand, he took it to his bulge. "I want to have you right here. Do you want that?"

He was about to strip her off her dress when she pulled herself away. She pressed her finger on his lips and in a dulcet voice said, "No Mr. Daryn, you can't have sex right now."

He growled. Denying sex was not something a werewolf tolerated. He pulled her tightly in his embrace.

Dawn's hair fell on her face. "You aren't well," she reminded him.

He removed her hair and was about to kiss when someone knocked the door continuously.

Daryn growled at this interruption. Immediately Dawn pulled herself away from him. She sat upright on the bed, straightened her clothes and said, "Who's there?"

Cole opened the door and came rushing in. Neal followed them. "Dawn!" he said and went to hug her. He hugged her so tight that Dawn winced. "I hate that vile woman. I hate her from the bottom of my heart. She said so many horrible things about you. I don't want to go back to that house. Dawn let us leave this town. I don't want to do anything with those bastards!" His body quivered when he spoke those words.

There was so much anger and hatred in his voice that Dawn hugged him back affectionately. The siblings stood there in each other's embrace for a long time. She patted him on the back. "We won't go back," she reassured him.

"She spoke so much nonsense about you. She wants me to leave you and stay with her!" Cole removed himself from her. He looked in her eyes and said, "I will never leave you sis! Father has told me to protect you and I am going to do that as long as I live."

"Aww! My baby!" Dawn got up and hugged him.

"I loathe that woman! Let's go back to England." At this point of time, all Cole wanted was to take his sister to a place where no one would be a threat to them. He was fed up with the shenanigans of his own family. Neal had filled him with what happened last night and it scared him. He noticed that Daryn was seeing the two of them warmly. He went to him, held his hand and said, "Thanks Daryn. I don't want this to happen again. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of us." He stopped himself from crying because boys never cried. "I will take Dawn away from here and you can marry someone else."

At first they stared and then Daryn and Neal roared with laughter. Gayle had come by then and even he joined them. Cole looked utterly confused. "I am serious!" he said as his face turned red. "Dawn will not live in Bainsburgh. With us out of the picture, we all will live comfortably. As for the two companies Dawn has acquired, we are going to change their base to a different city. But, enough of Bainsburgh!"

Gayle came around and he patted Cole's back. "You have made a lot of plans and have grown up, young man! But you can't go. Dawn is about to get married to Daryn in three weeks. All preparations are undergoing. We can't let Daryn's bride run away just before the marriage."

Cole slumped his shoulders. He walked to the chair and sat down. "I protest."

"Why?" Gayle asked.

"I am scared for Dawn…"

"Don't be. From now on, you two are staying in the Silver Mansion."

Cole looked up at him with surprise.

"Yes, your room is ready right next to mine and I have also bought a chess board. I am looking forward to defeating you," said Gayle with a raised eyebrow.

Cole scoffed. "As if!" He glanced at his sister and she blinked with a nod. He relaxed, sat back and said, "I need to bring my X-box, PS4, sound system, computer, laptop, iPad and several other gadgets."

"Yes, include your school books too!" said Neal and they all laughed yet again.

In the next few days Dawn and Cole moved to the Silver Mansion. If Daryn's room at Silver Arcade was big and luxurious, then his bedroom in the mansion was palatial. Her favorite place was the portico just outside the room from where she would look at River Lifye. Beyond the river, lining other bank were lush-green rolling hills.

"What is that forest?" she asked as she viewed them one day in the morning, a week later.