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compositions on file, as well. When I realized you re part vampire, I
ran comparisons just in case I could find a match. I had a match, and
no, it s not with Stefan.
Please don t tell us who I think you are going to tell us, Stefan
said, tensing up. No, that s not even fucking funny.
I m sorry, but yeah.
Can someone explain it to me? Patrick asked, sounding pissed.
The vampire you argued with earlier, Isaac? Riley answered.
Isaac Dragos is your half brother. Which makes Abraham Dragos
your father. I m really sorry, Patrick.
I want to go home, Patrick whispered so quietly even Stefan
could barely hear him.
Okay, baby, let s get you home, he said, setting his mate on his
feet. Stefan felt like he d just been slugged in the face. He couldn t
even imagine what Patrick was going through. Thanks, Riley. We ll
see you at home.
Sure, Riley said sadly.
He led Patrick out of the room. Seeing his brother, he just shook
his head. Micah must have understood because he backed off. They
Stefan 65
left the hospital and walked through the warriors main house. As fate
would have it, they ran right into two of the Dragos brothers.
Oh good, you re still here, Isaac sneered.
Just don t, Isaac, Stefan said, his tone ice.
Don t what, Stefan? Isaac taunted. Play with your little
human?
Just stop, Patrick screamed, startling both of them. All my life
I ve wanted a family. To have siblings, to have a father, and you re
what I fucking get?
What the fuck is he talking about? Isaac yelled, his face turning
red with anger.
Riley did some blood tests on Patrick, Stefan calmly said. He s
half vampire. So Riley compared it with all the vampires he has on
record. You matched him. Patrick s your half brother.
What! Isaac roared. How dare you smear the Dragos name by
claiming this human fruit is related to us.
I m not a Dragos, Patrick yelled back. I m a Hawk. I don t
want to be associated with you, or your family. You re an asshole
bigot, and your father abandoned me and my mother!
Liar! Isaac said, taking a step closer.
It s true, Isaac, Riley said, coming up behind them with Micah.
I ran the test three times just to make sure. Patrick is your half
brother.
Forget it, Patrick mumbled. Can we just go?
Yeah, we re out of here, Stefan said, holding Patrick s hand as
they walked out the door. He didn t even bring up the idea of Patrick
driving. He was way too distracted for someone who had only driven
once.
After they pulled out of the warrior compound and headed home,
he reached for Patrick s hand. He turned and looked at his little mate
curled into a ball, his hands wrapped around his knees, crying.
Is there anything I can do to help? Stefan asked. He was at a
total loss on how to help Patrick.
66 Joyee Flynn
No, Patrick answered, not even looking at him. Stefan felt his
heart breaking as he watched his mate crying, in so much pain. He got
them home as quickly as he could, hoping that would help. As they
pulled up to the house and got out of the car, he tried to take Patrick s
hand again, but Patrick pulled away.
They walked into the house, and Stefan heard voices coming from
the sitting room. Shit! They were supposed to meet with his father s
lawyer. This was so not the time for it.
Stefan, Patrick, I m glad you re home, his father said, coming
out of the sitting room. What s wrong, Patrick? Why are you
crying?
Not now, Father, Stefan said, hoping to get his message across.
All right, Son, he replied but obviously not happy. I need you
both to join us in here.
Patrick still didn t say anything. He just followed Stefan s father
into the sitting room. Stefan brought up the rear, closing the door
behind them. His mother and father were in there, along with a man
he knew as the family lawyer and another man Stefan had never seen
before.
This is my son, Stefan, his father said, starting the introductions,
and his husband to be, Patrick. This is Mr. Casey, our attorney, and
Mr. Frost, the district attorney for Virginia.
Nice to see you again, Mr. Casey, Stefan said, shaking his hand.
Nice to meet you, Mr. Frost. If you ll forgive Patrick and me, you
can understand how hard this has been on us.
Of course, Mr. Frost said gently. I ve heard from your father
what you both went through. I m afraid I m going to need firsthand
accounts from both of you.
Okay, Patrick said, quietly sitting down in a chair alone. He
went through the entire horrid tale for the third time in less than 24
hours. Stefan heard his mother gasp a few times, tears running down
her face. Patrick cried as well, crying until he seemed to have no more
tears. Then Stefan told his account of what happened, as well.
Stefan 67
Well, Mr. Frost said slowly as they finished the story, that s,
ah, wow. I m sorry, I m not sure what to say. I ve heard and
prosecuted a lot of heinous crimes in my day, but this is one I ve
never had. I m going to be working with the district attorney of New
York. He ll pull the hospital bills to verify who paid them. Hopefully
with that and you both as witnesses, this can be settled out of court
and you ll never even have to testify.
What do you mean settled out of court? Patrick asked in a panic.
You won t make me go back there, will you? Desmond promised I
wouldn t have to go back!
No, no, Patrick, that s not what I meant at all, Mr. Frost
answered quickly. I meant the charges I ll be filing against Mr.
Pritchard. If all goes as I hope, he ll be spending the rest of his life in
jail, and you won t even have to testify against him.
So, I m really free? Patrick asked quietly.
Absolutely, Mr. Frost replied gently, coming over to kneel in
front of Patrick. He never had the right to do any of that. And I ll
make sure those policemen who helped him will be arrested, as well.
Pritchard paid the medical bills off on his own accord. He didn t have
any written agreement that you had to pay him back. He blackmailed
you with jail, but you could never have really been arrested and gone
to jail, Patrick.
So they tricked me? Patrick yelled, standing up, his eyes
bugging out. I spent three years in hell because I m an idiot? I did
this to myself!
No, you didn t, Patrick, he said, going over to him. You were
seventeen. You didn t know any better. Pritchard had policemen in
his back pocket. They threw you in holding for days. You didn t
know that you weren t really ever going to jail.
I m so stupid, Patrick cried, fleeing from the room.
Thank you for your help, Mr. Frost, Stefan said, shaking the
man s hand. I m sure you ll be in touch with my father?
68 Joyee Flynn
Yes, of course, the man replied. It s not Patrick s fault. He was
alone, scared, and just a kid. Pritchard preyed on that.
I know, he replied, wiping a hand over his face. Now if I can
just get Patrick to see that.
Stefan thanked everyone else in the room and excused himself. He
had to go find his little mate and comfort him. He started in the
kitchen, seeing that was really the only other room Patrick had ever
been in. Stefan searched most of the first floor before he started to
panic.
Have you seen Patrick? he asked his mother when he saw her
about half an hour later.
No, you never found him? she asked, her eyes going wide.
No, I haven t, he answered. I ve checked most of the first
floor, but he s only been in the kitchen and the front room. Where
could he have gone?
Come on, let s go ask everyone else, his mother said. They re
all just sitting down to dinner.
He followed his mother into the dining room, completely
distraught.
Has anyone seen Patrick? she asked, and Stefan watched as
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