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.

"I come in peace," the figure said as it finally became whole.  The person was kneeling down, looking much like an old warrior kneeling before his queen on bended knee.  With no shirt hiding his body, Barron only worried about the weapons that could be hidden in the man's black cargo pants. 

Growling low in his throat, Barron tried to get the man's attention.  It didn't take long for the intruder to turn towards Barron.  "Leave."

The man held his hands up, and his black eyes flashed with amusement.  "You don't look as scary as Sara said you were."

He could feel Ally's gaze on him, and when she chuckled a little, he sent her a glare.  She kept the smile on her face, her claws sharp, and shrugged at him.  "You don't look very fearsome."

"May I rise?" The question was directed towards Ally, and when she nodded towards the man, Barron stared at her in shock.

"What are you doing?"

She looked slightly confused by her actions.  "He won't hurt us."

Barron looked back towards the newcomer.  With the dark hair and the dark eyes, he couldn't be a snow leopard.  He didn't have power over Ally's actions.  So, why was she acting so oddly?  Narrowing his eyes on the man, Barron shot a pulse of power towards him.

The man's eyes widened slightly before he rose to his feet.  Holding his hands out towards Barron, he sent a pulse back.  Before it could hit Barron, Sebastian pounced.  He tackled the man to the ground.  The leopard yowled before closing its teeth around the person's throat.

It didn't keep the man's power from coming towards Barron.  He braced himself, waiting for the pulse that could very well knock him off his feet.  It came closer, and Barron knew that even if he tried to step out of the way, it'd hit him.  In his arm, Noah growled as he opened his eyes.  Blinking at Barron, the kid threw out his own power, creating a small protection bubble around them.  The power that would have slammed into them moments earlier was absorbed by the small bubble.  It flared to life around them, seeming only to become stronger with the attack.

Barron's eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the little boy in his arm.  Noah simply yawned before closing his eyes once more.  The shield around them fell, but Barron couldn't look away from Noah.  "Everyone saw that, right?"

"Yeah," Ally whispered.

Sebastian growled, making Barron look away from the boy and back towards the large leopard.  He still had the intruder pinned to the ground, but the action looked less like a threat than before.  With a sound that sounded like a resigned sigh, Sebastian bounded off the man and sauntered towards Ally.  His tail wrapped around her leg as he sat back on his haunches.

"I'm Namir," the man said with a gasp.  "I apologize for my rude entrance, but planes don't appeal to me."

"What about cars?" Barron growled.

Namir titled his head to look at Barron, but didn't bother with rising off the floor.  "Too slow."  Amusement flashed in the man's eyes again, and Barron felt his growl deepen.

"What's so funny?"

"Maybe," a new voice said as Ned walked into the kitchen.  "It's because you're standing in your boxers with a baby in one hand and a spatula in the other?  For some reason, your growl doesn't seem as fierce as usual."  When Barron sent a glare towards Ned, the man paused.  "Trouble?" he asked, nodding towards Namir lying on the floor.

"Could be," Barron said with a shrug.

Ally cleared her throat, making them all glance towards her.  "He's not trouble.  He's something else."  She stepped towards Namir, almost tripping when Sebastian's tail didn't unwrap from around her leg.  She sent a small glare towards her mate, and the leopard unwound itself from her before raising to its feet to follow her every move.  "Some time it's adorable," she whispered beneath her breath, "and sometimes, I want to throw you through a wall."

 Sebastian purred, bumping into her.  With a grin, Ally reached down and ran finger between the leopard's eyes.  "Love you too."

Together, the two of them walked towards Namir.  The closer they got, the more tension filled the air, and Barron didn't know whether he should call for backup or let the three of them figure this thing out on his own.  Turning towards Ned, Barron motioned towards Noah with the spatula.  "Take him in the safe room with Jesse and Zoë.  Tell Drew and Tony that if there's more danger, I'll let them know."

Ned grabbed Noah, wincing when the boy scratched him and growled.  "Look kid," Ned said in a low tone.  "I'm bringing you to your sisters because they need you to protect them.  Throw up that creepy little shield thing and make sure that they're safe.  Your mom and dad got this, and if they don't, Big Bad Barron will do the trick."

Noah growled once more, but didn't attempt to bite or scratch Ned as the two of them walked from the kitchen.  With a sigh of relief, Barron flipped the pancake in the pan before wincing at the slightly burnt edges.  He narrowed his eyes at Namir.  If for some reason, the man stayed, he'd be getting the burnt one.

Ally held her hand out for the man on the ground to take, and Barron groaned.  One day, the woman would find someone she wouldn't take in.  When that day happened, it may really be the end of the world.  "Come on.  I won't bite."

Namir stared at her hand before sending her a wicked grin.  "You sure?"  Sebastian snapped his teeth at the man, coming close to biting off his leg.  Namir winced before holding his hands up in surrender once more.  "I meant the power that Queens and Kings have.  How do I know that the skin on my body won't melt off when I touch your hand?"

She titled her head to the side, looking intrigued by the man's words.  "Someone can do that?"

"Not anymore." Namir said with a happy shrug.  "What can you do?"

"Help you up?"  When the man still didn't accept her offer, she began to ease her hand away.  "If you don't want my acceptance, you can leave."

His hand slapped into hers before the last word left her mouth.  When it did, Ally let out a gasp as her eyes clouded over.  Beside her, Sebastian leaned against her legs for support.  Namir's eyes shadowed, looking even darker, but neither of them said a word until Ally's eyes cleared, until Namir's eyes lightened.  She pulled him to his feet with ease before taking a step away from him.  She wiped her hand on her jeans.  "That hurt."

Sebastian growled, Namir sighed, and Barron flipped the pancake.  "What did he do?"

She looked towards him, her eyes filled with tears.  Staring at him, the tears slowly disappeared and a smile fell onto her face.  "Next time you cook, maybe you should put some pants on."  He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand to stop his words.  "But, I'm happy that you feel comfortable enough around us to be so defenseless."

He knew she meant the weapons that were usually strapped to his body.  They both knew that he was far from defenseless, even standing there with nothing but his boxers and a spatula.  "What did he do?"

"Showed me what he desired the most, but I had to fight for it."

Namir took a step towards her, and Ally's gaze snapped towards the man.  "Not many people can even fight my shields," he offered with a smile, reminding Barron of his own words earlier.

"What are you?"

The question left Barron's mouth before he could stop it.  The man's dark eyes studied Barron blankly.  "You know what I am, Barron.  The only question is: when are you going to let yourself believe it?"

Barron kept his eyes on the man, even if his words were complete shit, Namir wasn't lying.  Deep down, Barron knew what the man was, who the man was, but no matter how hard he tried to dig down, his brain wouldn't let him see the answer.  Turning his attention back to the pancakes, he slipped the slightly burnt one onto a plate before pouring the batter into the pan for another.  "Hungry?"

"Starving," Namir answered.  "Molecule transfers always make me hungry."  When he walked towards Barron and reached towards the perfectly cooked pancake, Barron narrowed his eyes on him.  With a sheepish smile, Namir grabbed the slightly burnt one without complaint.

"Come on, Seb," Ally said as her stomach growled.  "Shift back and let's go get the triplets before we eat.  Jesse's sending me images of Noah being a brat."

The leopard body snapped, jerked, and finally became Sebastian once more.  Gasping, Sebastian stood to his feet with an energized smile.  "Man that felt good."

"Been a while?" Namir guessed as he rubbed his hand across his throat.

Sebastian sent him a smile that showed teeth.  "Just be lucky it didn't hit them."

"It wouldn't have hurt."

"That's beside the point," Ally answered as her eyes glowed.  "You sent something other than a power pulse towards my son and my friend.  If it would have hit them, you would be in pieces right now."

Namir bowed his head, conceding to Ally's point.  She nodded at him, wrapped her arm around Sebastian, and together, the two of them left the kitchen. 

"You knew what Noah was going to do."

Namir paused with his mouth open and the pancake suspended in air.  The pancake flopped back onto the plate as the man shrugged.  "I was seeing if he had enough Holt blood in him to be like Ally was as a child."

Flipping the pancake, Barron closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  "You're her watcher?"

"Ding, ding, ding," Namir mumbled with a mouth full of food.  "I just got lost along the way."

With another pancake done, Barron turned his attention towards the newcomer.  Anger flashed through him, and by the widening of Namir's eyes, the man felt the emotion.  "She could have used you in the past year."

"I couldn't find her."  The guilt and honesty in Namir's voice diminished Barron's anger.

"You're here now."

Namir nodded.  "But I'm not the only one."

He turned his attention back to the food in front of him and ignored the foreboding tone in Namir's voice.  He listened to the sizzle in the pan, let the calm take over, but even when his mind began to clear and his worries diminished, he remembered something.  "You said Sara?"

"She'll arrive from plane," Namir said with a chuckle. 

Barron threw down the spatula, his peace effectively broken.  "I'm going to put some pants on."

Namir's laughter followed him out of the kitchen, and Barron was beginning to wish that the man was a threat.  Because at that moment, he wanted something to fight with, he wanted something that he could put all of his energy into.  He knew that would be a mistake though, because as soon as Sara showed up on their doorstep, it'd take all of his energy to deal with the woman.  Shaking his head, he curled his hands into fists.  He'd just do like he had the last time, avoid the hell out of her and pray that she did the same.