It's Always Something - 2. Chapter 2

Declan sighed when the last colors of the setting sun turned to the starry, moonlit sky as he exited I95 and effortlessly maneuvered his Twenty-Twenty dark green Chevrolet Tahoe along the two-lane, curvy mountain road he'd memorized during the eight years of traveling between work and home. Autumn and Winter were never his favorite seasons. Even as a youth, the forty-nine-year-old auburn-haired Irishman always felt cheated when the daylight waned early. He loved spending time communing with nature and its beautiful creations.

A heartfelt chuckle rose from his diaphragm as he remembered meeting his beloved soulmate Alvora when the two were on separate camping trips and stopped to admire the same waterfall. Even after twenty-plus years of marriage, his heart swelled with pride, love, and wonderment of the only person he'd ever made love to. He shifted in the tan leather seat, flicked the turn signal on, and turned into their drive as his wife's sparkling green eyes dominated his conscious mind. Tears welled in his eyes when he thought about how strong, loving, protective, creative, self-reliant, and gentle his wife was. For him, there would never be another woman who could come close to capturing his heart and soul.

After opening the front door and announcing he was home, the six-foot-tall, one hundred-and-seventy-five-pound muscular man had to brace himself because after he closed the door and removed his shoes, two happy and excited teen boys tackled him in a double-sided bear hug. He laughed heartily and wrapped his arms around Rhylan and Fabian as the trio giggled, kissed each other's cheeks, and rolled on the floor.

"How are my boys," Declan asked once the giggles subsided.

"We're great, Dad," Fabien responded.

"Yep, I'm a happy wolf now that my second Dad's home," Rhylan exclaimed.

The teens pinned Declan, and even though he wasn't that ticklish, the pair tried to get the older man to laugh by tickling him. The closest they'd ever gotten was making him squirm and grunt a little when they launched a surprise tickle attack on the man's size twelve bare feet while he relaxed on the sofa. After a minute or two of struggling and wrestling with Fabien and Rhylan, the O'Leary patriarch got the upper hand and pinned the younger writhing bodies under him. Declan's strong fingers latched onto random ticklish spots, which caused the younger males' boyish squeals and riotous laughter to echo throughout the home.

Alvora smiled as she stood in the dining room's doorway, watching her three guys at play. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek as she thought about her husband's unwavering devotion to their family. Despite not being a witch or even Wiccan, the matriarch would never deny knowing the father of her children possessed a magic that was all his. Her hand reflexively covered her heart when memories of Declan's fatherly instincts played in her mind's eye. From the minute Cameron and Fabien were conceived, he'd been a mountain of support for her. Then, when they moved to Virginia and their boys introduced them to Taylor and Rhylan, he lovingly embraced the relationship that blossomed between the four kids, no matter what it manifested into.

She closed her eyes and sighed happily at the memory of when they met George Stormcloud, and without batting an eye, Declan hugged the slightly older Shaman, asked permission to claim him as the brother he'd never had but always wanted, and also if he could be another father figure and role model to Taylor and Rhylan since they'd befriended Cameron and Fabien. Alvora softly chuckled when she recalled the look of astonishment on the Shaman's face when he realized the sentiment behind the words was sincere and from Declan's inner soul.

Shaking her head at the treasured remembrance, Alvora guided her mind back to the present. "Okay, boys," she said between giggles, "enough playin' around. Don't forget, your Dad's turnin' fifty next year. We don't need the old man breakin' a hip, now do we," She cackled and winked at her husband when he playfully growled at her. "Rhy, Ian, please go and set the table."

"Sure thing, Mom," the teens replied.

Declan rolled off his sons so they could get up and do what was requested of them. Alvora used her magic and created a gust of wind that lifted her husband off the floor and placed him on his feet. The pair wrapped their arms around each other and shared a lovingly passionate kiss.

Declan ended the display of affection by sweeping his wife off her feet and cradling the woman of his dreams in his arms. He wagged his eyebrows and said, "Old man, am I now," he paused and grinned. "Just yeh wait till tonight, Lass. I'll be showin' yeh what an old man can do to a ravenous beauty such as yourself, Mrs. O'Leary."

"Oh, will yeh, now," Alvora replied. "We'll see who's shown what."

The pair giggled and continued to revel in their feeling of bliss. Suddenly, they saw their breath and felt the warmth rapidly decline. The husband and wife shared a glance before Alvora silently assured her man that it wasn't her causing the now freezing temperature in the home. Rhylan's strange call for help had them running into the dining room.

"Bloody hell! I think Ian's active power just kicked in," Declan exclaimed as he watched a whirlwind of snow blanket the eating area.

"Gee, yeh don't say," Alvora replied while doing what she could to quickly raise the temperature so no one got frostbite.

"I'll get poor Rhylan while you see if you can help Ian," he stated. The concerned father ran to his second youngest boy, who'd shifted into his wolf form and was huddled in the corner closest to the kitchen, shivering. "I'll get yeh warm, son," he said while gathering the wolf into his arms.

Rhylan slowly raised his head and yipped before making tiny licks along his Dad's cheek.

"You're welcome, pup," Declan said as he kissed Rhylan's forehead and carried him into the family room, where he covered himself and the shivering shifter with a couple of heavy blankets from the linen closet behind the recliner.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I can't stop the cold. Rhy's gonna freeze to death. Help him."

"It's okay, Lad. Your Dad's takin' care of Rhy, and there's nothing to be sorry for," Alvora exclaimed as she embraced her emotional son. "This is just like any other gift that's manifested. Remember what I taught you and that you're in control, not the magick. Focus your breathing, close your eyes, and imagine you're looking at a faucet. Can yeh see the faucet in your mind's eye, son?"

Fabien did as he was told and discovered he could see a faucet before him. "Yeah, Mom, I see it," he said excitedly.

"Good boy," Alvora calmly encouraged. "Now, see yourself turning the faucet off, and the blizzard should stop."

Sure enough, once Fabien's mental self turned the handle, he felt the temperature immediately rise, and the swirling blizzard was gone.

Alvora joyfully embraced her youngest birth son and kissed his cheek as he cried on her shoulder. She chuckled and said, "We've got some work to do to get your growing gift under control.

Fabien nodded and giggled just before he was tackled and pinned to the floor by a shaggy grey wolf with silver, white, and black trimming. He squirmed, kicked his legs, and wildly laughed as Rhylan tickled him with his snout and tongue. While the boys were doing that, Alvora used her gift to dry the dampened dining room so nothing would be ruined.

"So, I'm guessing dinner's in the kitchen tonight," Declan observed as his laughter joined with his family's.

Later, in bed, Fabien gently massaged Rhylan's bare feet. He brought his love's plump, twitching toes up to his nose and deeply inhaled the scent specific to his mate. The slightly older teen softly giggled when he felt the warm, moist tip of his boy's tongue slide along his toe pads and then slip between them. When his feet received mirrored treatment, Fabien reacted the same as his mate, but the reaction was more expressive because he was more ticklish on his feet than his mate. The tickle massage led to them making passionate love, with both of them being inside each other. With the physical needs satiated, Rhylan protectively wrapped his arms around Fabien as they shared a soft and loving kiss before the duo closed their eyes and fell into a deep and peaceful slumber.