The Light of Dawn (Second book in His Light series)

Chapter Eleven

Dawn's POV

I hum as I sway to the beat of the song, my hands covered in flour and dough of the biscuits I was making. A shrill bell echoed around the silent house. I smiled, wiping my hands-on a nearby rag and racing to the door. I throw it open, laughing as Emmie races in with John chasing after her.

I smile up at John's mother, gently shaking her cold hand. "Thank you so much for having Emmie over so late notice. Like I said, work came up and no one would be able to watch her at all." I smile warmly as I sign it, she nods silently. She's deaf, but she doesn't let that weigh her down.

'Thank you for letting her come. My John wouldn't stop asking if she could come and see him.' She signed with a silent laughter, I giggled.

'Of course! I love seeing them together and I'm so glad I know he would protect her.' I agree, she smiles warmly.

'I raised him well then.' She winked, I laugh loudly as I nod.

'Yes, you did. Now I guess I'll see you later. We should go out for a coffee or something sometime.' I offer, she grins and nods vigorously.

I smile, giving her a quick hug before gently closing the door and heading back into the kitchen. I hear a shrill scream from upstairs, one full of terror. I immediately jump into action, running up the stairs with Silver on my heels. I hear shouting and screaming, and just as I reach the third floor. I hear sobbing. I race into Emmie's room, seeing a couple of the Mafia guys trying to calm her down as John yells and tries to attack them.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" John yells, pushing them away from Emmie as she whimpers and sobs. She pushes herself into the corner of her room, leaving me confused as to what happened.

"John. Calm her down." I say calmly, John stops and quickly runs over to Emmie. I turn to the men, glaring at them harshly. "What the fuck happened?" I hissed, they look down in fear.

"Sorry, Boss. We were patrolling the house and we heard footsteps in the room. We threw open the doors with our guns out, shouting for the intruder to drop to the ground." Enric apologized quickly, looking nothing like his usual brooding self. He glanced at Emmie with soft eyes, worry and regret in his eyes. Darien sighed, rubbing his face irritated.

"I thought you said the kids would get here around one, not fucking eleven in the morning!" Darien growled, I raised an eyebrow in shock.

"Excuse you? I'm sorry, but if John's mom brings them over earlier than we planned, does not mean it can irritate you! Things like this is normal. Something probably came up and she brought them over early, or the kids were begging to come over early because they wanted to swim in the pool!" I exclaim angrily. Small hands tug at my shirt, gaining my attention. I glance down, seeing Emmie's scared eyes looking up at me and holding her arms up. I gently pick her body up, hugging her close to me. She may be in third grade, but she was tiny for her age. Very small and frail.

"We need to communicate! It's the only way to make sure you're safe!" Darien shouts at me, I flinch. Heart racing, memories of my ex rushed through my mind. I shakily breathe deeply, trying to calm myself down.

"Darien. Stop." Cael storms in with a murderous look in his eyes. Cael stands in front of me protectively, readying his body in case of attack.

"No! Our job here is to protect her, and we can't do that if she doesn't cooperate!" Darien argues, eyes hard with anger. Cael glares at Darien, nodding to John.

"There's kids." Cael harshly speaks, Darien stands down. Cael watches him for a second before turning to me and the kids. "Sorry for him. He hasn't had coffee yet." He winks at John. John just shrugs, calmly standing beside me as if nothing had happened.

"Kids, why don't you go swimming? I'll make you lunch and maybe I'll give you two a special treat." I smile, setting Emmie down. Instantly they have smiles on their faces and are running to get everything they need. I shakily leave, quickly going down the stairs and into the kitchen. I begin making lunch for the kids, calling Jay. I wanted these guys gone. They can't do this.

But just as I think he's going to answer, I cuts to voicemail. I drop the phone onto the counter, gawping at my phone. He just... he just sent me to voicemail! I hear the door get thrown open, and someone running to me. I spin around, my brother crashing into my chest as he holds me close as tears stream down his face. I hold him close, slowly running my fingers through his hair as I stand on my tiptoes.

"Shh, I'm here." I murmur, moving us towards the table and having him sit down. He leans his head on my stomach, his shoulders shaking as he silently cries. "What happened?" I ask softly, rubbing his back.

"They're dead! Why are they dead?" He cries, his voice muffled since he's talking into my shirt.

"Who?" I demand, he looks up at me with watery, red eyes.

"Mom and Dad. Why...why are they d-dead?" He wails, hiding his face back into my shirt. I rub his back, shushing him quietly.

"Because it was god's plan, Kieran. I know it sucks, but we need to learn to move on and accept that they left us early to go see God." I assure him, he shakes his head with a broken sob.

"God isn't real! Why would he take our parents just as we needed them most?" He accuses, looking up at the ceiling as if he thought he could get an answer. I shush him softly, pulling him into a hug.

"Kieran, you don't mean that." I whisper, but it's like he doesn't hear me as he cries and cries into my shirt. All I could offer him was silent comfort, knowing that it was about time he finally confronted their deaths.

The day passes filled with drama, fighting, and some crying. I lay in bed after taking a long relaxing shower. My wet hair is plastered against my neck, soaking my pillow but I could care less.

My phone rings beside me, I answer it without checking to see who it is. "Hello?" I yawn wearily.

"Hey, Sunshine. How has your day been?" I hear Jay over the line. I roll my eyes, turning onto my side as I turn on Netflix on my TV.

"Just peachy." I reply shortly. I could practically see him frown.

"That bad? What happened?" Jay asks softly, I shrug with a sigh.

"A lot, Jayden. A lot happened. By the way, I want those Mafia guys gone as soon as you can get them to go away. Darien scared Emmie and she practically had a panic attack while John was over. I almost had a panic attack because he was yelling at me. Then, Kieran came home early crying. All my guards and the Mafia men were fighting and arguing over how to best protect me. And I'm very irritated at you!" I exclaim in one breath, breathing heavily.

"What? Why?" He asks quickly, worry in his voice.

"You sent me to fucking voicemail!" I shout, getting up to start pacing. I tug the roots of my hair, pacing the room. There's silence on the line as I wait for his answer.

"I'm sorry, Love. I was in a meeting and completely forgot you called." He sighs, I sigh.

"I'm sorry, Jay. I shouldn't have snapped. It's just been a very stressful day." Yawning, I turn back to the large bed and flopping onto it.

"It's okay, Darling. I love you." He murmurs into the phone, I smile softly.

"I love you too." I whisper, leaning my head back tiredly.

"I bet you're tired. Why don't you get comfortable for bed and then we can watch your favorite Netflix show as you fall asleep?" Jay offers, I grin.

"Yes, please!" I agree, nodding vigorously. He laughs, and we count to three before pressing play so no one was left behind or ahead. Soon, I drift into a peaceful slumber.