Rise to Live, page 6
part #7 of Rise of the Changelings Series
Now it was too late.
Any happiness he had ever hoped for was gone. The only thing left behind was a cold and lonely heart.
“Now, once again, I want you to tell me where Enrique is heading and what he has planned or I’ll kill the other man.”
So Bryson was still alive. As bad as it sounded, that brought very little solace to Remus’s aching heart. He didn’t care at this point. His emotions were shutting down, making him as numb as his jaw seemed to be.
Fuck Jayson. Fuck Bryson. Fuck the war. Fuck everyone. They could go to hell. Remus just did not care anymore. Jayson could take his life right now and Remus would welcome it. That was better than lying here hurting so badly that he thought the pain was going to consume him alive.
“Go see what that noise was,” Jayson snapped at someone in the room. “Hopefully Enrique has shown up for my little surprise party.”
Remus began to crawl inside his own mind. He didn’t want to be here. Without Marco, Remus didn’t want to be anywhere.
“Go, now!” Jayson shouted when gunfire filled the silence.
Too little, too late.
Remus tried to open his eyes. He wanted to see for himself that Marco was dead. He knew it to be true, but he had to see. Struggling to clear the blurry vision that had a tight grip on him, Remus slowly opened his eyes.
All he could see were shadows. No matter how hard he tried, the shadows would not clear away to allow him once last glimpse of the man he loved.
He heard shouts, more gunfire, and then things being knocked around. Remus pulled himself across the floor, going in the direction where the blood scent was the strongest. His fingers touched something solid.
Remus’s throat tightened as he swallowed over and over again, the tears trailing down his face. He knew it was Marco. The man’s scent was fading, but unmistakable. Remus pulled harder until he managed to drape himself over the dead body, curling himself around it as he began to cry harder.
He knew this was a war and that many were going to die, and had died. But he never thought it would hit this close to home. He never thought it would touch him this personally.
“In here,” someone shouted.
Remus held on tighter as heavy footfall could be heard coming closer.
“Are you Remus Douglas?”
Remus didn’t answer.
“Are you Remus Douglas?” the man asked again. “Enrique sent me.” The tone was gentle as it came closer. “I need to know.”
“Bryson is over there,” Remus whispered without moving, knowing the man would know who he was talking about.
“Is he—” The guy swallowed hard. “Is he your mate?”
The tears started falling again as Remus gripped Marco’s body tighter.
“We’ll take good care of him.” Hands grabbed Remus, and as badly wounded as he was, he fought with venomous strength.
“You can’t take him from me!” His fingers dug harder into Marco’s shirt, trying desperately to stay with the man.
“Remus, we have to get out of here. I’m not sure who else is lingering around this place. It isn’t safe.”
“Don’t leave him,” Remus begged.
“We won’t,” the man assured him. “We don’t leave anyone behind. You have my word.”
With a finality that felt as if he were letting go of his very existence, Remus released Marco. The instant his fingers left the body, his brain began to shut down. Remus couldn’t handle reality right now. He couldn’t handle the cold, harsh truth that the man he loved was dead.
“I have you.”
No one had him. It was Marco who had brought such warmth to Remus’s heart.
No one would ever have him again.
Remus lay in the back of the truck, his body feeling as if it had been broken apart and put back the wrong way. Everything on him hurt, but most of all, his heart.
“Hey,” one the men with them said from the back. He had been gently putting Marco’s body in the back, something Remus was trying his best not to pay too much attention to. His emotions were raw enough without the reminder of why he was dying inside.
“What?” Seymour asked. He had found the man’s name out when he was carrying Remus to the truck.
“He’s breathing.”
Remus struggled to sit up. As painful as it was, he fought like crazy to get his hand on the back of the seat so he could peer over into the back. He was thankful as hell his vision had finally cleared, but looking at Marco’s body wasn’t something he wanted to do. He had been adamant about it before, but now, he just couldn’t do it.
“Are you sure?” Because if the man was mistaken, it would only send Remus back into the pit of despair he was now wallowing in.
“Barely, but I have a faint pulse.”
Remus damn near shouted in joy, but he wasn’t going to allow himself false hope. Marco was fighting to stay alive. He was on the slippery slope between life and death. If he ended up dying, Remus didn’t want to plunge back into the abyss.
But he couldn’t help but pray Marco made it.
“How can we save him?” Remus asked quickly, his mind splintering into a thousand different directions. There had to be a way to pull Marco from the edges of death. Remus wasn’t going to accept the fact that Marco was still alive, only to lose him again.
“He needs medical attention,” Seymour said. “The problem is, the medic is unconscious.”
“Take him to a hospital,” Remus shouted.
Seymour gave him a pitying look. “You know we can’t do that. They discover he’s changeling and call the cops.”
“Then hold a fucking gun to a doctor’s head and kidnap him from the parking lot. I don’t care, just save Marco, damn it.”
As Remus watched his best friend, the events came flooding back to him, and that was when he remembered he had been injected. He wasn’t sure if it was the virus or not, but he knew he needed to warn the men around him. Glancing up at Seymour, Remus swallowed hard. “I think I was injected with a virus that could possibly spread like a wildfire.”
Seymour stilled in the middle of climbing into the front seat.
“What kind of virus?”
“Call Enrique. He can better explain it to you. But if I was, you and everyone else that came into contact with me are infected as well.”
Seymour scrambled for his phone, dialing quickly. He spoke rapidly into the phone, his eyes darting toward Remus the entire conversation. Remus listened as Seymour told Rick what they found and what Remus had just disclosed.
“He says you can’t possibly be infected with the virus because the formula was stolen and the original destroyed. You must have been given something different.”
“Tell him I can’t shift into my leopard.” And the realization was hitting Remus hard. He loved his leopard. What if Jayson had been telling the truth and he was never going to shift again?
“Jayson!” Remus shouted as he glanced out the back door. “We have to—”
“Everyone we found was killed, Remus.” Seymour still had the phone to his ear. Remus could hear a loud growl on the other end.
Seymour handed the phone to Remus.
“Hello?”
“Did you say Jayson?” Rick barked out.
“Yes,” Remus replied. “He was the same human who tortured me in the detention center. He has a hard-on for you.”
“Tell Seymour to show you the dead bodies. I want a picture of each one of them. Send them to me. I want to make sure that fucking bastard is dead.”
Remus nodded and then realized Rick couldn’t see him. “Okay.
But what about the injection he gave me? Are you sure I can’t spread a virus?”
“Sasha had the only copy and we had the original formula changed. I highly doubt it’s the virus. I’m guessing he gave you something else.” Rick sighed. “I’m sorry about Marco, Remus. And I’m sorry you may never shift again. If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have let Sasha—”
“No,” Remus said, unable to let Rick carry any guilt over this. “I knew the risks when I agreed.” Although he hadn’t known Marco would come so close to death. “I need to go. I’ll have Seymour take the pictures, but we have to go kidnap a doctor.”
Rick didn’t even ask why. The only thing he had said was good luck.
Remus was going to need it. He had never kidnapped anyone in his life. It seemed he was doing a lot of firsts lately. He handed the phone back to Seymour with Rick’s instructions. Only he didn’t tell the guy that Rick wanted him to tag along. He let Seymour go on his own. Remus couldn’t handle seeing Jayson again…if the man were truly dead.
Somehow he thought someone that evil wasn’t killed so easily.
Evil never fully went away. But Remus was determined not to let it touch him and Marco any further. How he was going to accomplish this, he wasn’t sure. But he was going to die trying. No one was going to hurt Marco again.
Seymour hurried back to the truck and climbed in, quickly pulling away. “I’ve never kidnapped anyone before,” the man confessed.
“Neither have I,” Remus replied. He glanced down at the seat, spotting a gun hidden in a holster. Picking it up, he handed it to Seymour. “Use this.”
Seymour rolled his eyes. “I already have a weapon. How do you think I got you out of there?”
“Hey,” one of the other men said from the back of the Hummer.
“Sorry,” Seymour replied. “We got you out of there. Hang onto it. You just might need to use it.”
Remus stared at the gun like it was an alien from another planet.
He had never used one in his life. Hell, he had never held one. He was more liable to shoot friend than foe. Although Seymour and his men were from a different leap, Remus didn’t want to put a hole in the man just because he mishandled the damn thing.
He set the holster back down, telling himself it just might be wiser if he didn’t use the gun—and healthier for everyone else.
Seymour drove past the hospital twice, Remus continually checking on Marco. He noticed his best friend was still in his human form and cut up pretty damn badly. The only explanation for him not shifting was that Jayson had given Marco the same injection he had received.
A cell phone rang and Seymour answered it. It was Rick, telling them none of the dead bodies were Jayson. Remus could have identified the pictures, but he couldn’t bring himself to look. Now that he knew the scrawny bastard was still alive, he had a goal.
And that goal was to see Jayson dead.
“There,” Remus said as he spotted a man wearing scrubs. The guy looked important enough to be a doctor. Remus just prayed like hell he wasn’t an orderly instead. The way his luck was running, they would nab the janitor.
Seymour pulled over.
“What are you doing?” Remus asked.
“Going to kidnap a doctor.”
Remus rolled his eyes. “You can’t kidnap him from the parking lot. You have to follow him, get him alone.” Even Remus knew that.
This guy sucked worse at kidnapping them Remus did.
Seymour waited until the car pulled from the parking lot and then followed. Remus sat there the entire time worrying that this wasn’t going to work. His ribs were killing him as he sat forward, but Remus pushed the pain down.
He had to do this for Marco. It didn’t matter how much pain he was in, he was going to make sure his best friend survived.
The car pulled into a driveway about fifteen minutes later. They were in a very expensive neighborhood. The guy had to be a doctor to afford this place. Now Remus worried about being spotted. In such a rich neighborhood, there was sure to be a few nosey neighbors.
“Make sure no one sees you,” he said as Seymour pulled the Hummer to the curb. It wasn’t like they could hide themselves. They were in a freaking military vehicle. They were going to stand out like a sore thumb.
The doctor got out of his car, oblivious to the Hummer parked right in front of his house. Remus wasn’t sure how the man didn’t notice them, but he walked inside, never looking their way.
“Now.”
Seymour glared at Remus. “I don’t need step-by-step instructions.”
The leopard got out, along with one of his men, and then they hurried toward the front door. Remus watched it all.
When the doctor answered his door, Seymour shoved a gun into the man’s gut, nodding toward the Hummer.
Instead of looking terrified, the man looked downright pissed.
Some people were just too full of themselves. Remus rolled the window down. “Make sure he has some sort of medical bag with him.”
Seymour redirected the human to the car. Smart thinking. It seemed the leopard was correct in his assumption that the guy would have medical supplies in there because he pulled a bag free before being marched to the truck.
Remus grabbed the gun off the seat and then scooted over.
Seymour shoved the doctor into the backseat and then hurried around front, quickly climbing inside before speeding off.
“I’ll have you all arrested!”
Remus gave a low growl as he sat the holster in his lap. He hoped he looked menacing. “That may be, but you’re going to save someone’s life first.”
Chapter Seven
Rick chuckled as he saw Benito and Miguel jump from the car they had been driving, making a beeline straight for him. He was glad to see them. And it was apparent they were glad to see him.
The two practically fell into his arms, both grinning like loons.
Rick gave each of them a tight hug before releasing them to Dorian, who did the same. Benito almost knocked Dorian over he hugged him so hard.
“How are you guys?” Rick asked as he ruffled each of their heads affectionately.
“Good,” Benito said as he laughed when Dorian tried to take him down.
Miguel rolled his eyes. “Except that Benito tried to eat the gazelles you sent us to help.”
“You too!” Benito shouted and laughed.
Rick was surprised how good it felt to have these two back. It just showed him how attached he had become to the two enforcers. He had gone from an alpha who had kept his pack together, worked, and dealt with life as it came to him, to someone who truly cared about the men and women around him. They actually felt like family.
“Are you sure you didn’t take just a little nibble?” Rick teased.
“Trust me,” Benito said with a wolf’s gleam in his eyes. “I tried.”
Rick grinned and then saw Clyde heading toward him. Now this was a man he was glad he had met. Clyde had been there for Rick on and off since this whole thing started. The werebear was a hell of a fighter to have at his side and a good man to have as a friend. He clasped hands with the burly man, glad to see the guy was still in one piece. He still hated that Clyde was deeply involved in all of this with a cub and a mate waiting for him.
Rick hated to involve anyone with loved ones at home. The risk of them dying was too high. “Good to see you again, Clyde.”
“Same here.” The bear slapped Rick on the shoulder. “I’m still alive, so all is good.”
Wasn’t that the truth? Rick opened his mouth to say something when he saw Selene bend over on the side of the truck, vomiting.
Nate was quickly at her side, Sasha was as well. Rick walked over to where they were standing, concerned.
“Is she okay?” Of course she wasn’t. She was still bent over, but Rick wasn’t sure what to say.
Selene tried to stand but swayed. Nate curled his arms under her and picked her up, holding her close to his chest. Everyone around them turned, staring to see what was going on. Nate nuzzled into Selene’s neck. Rick knew the man was worried. He could scent it.
What he hadn’t expected was for Nate’s head to snap up, his eyes wide. The man had scented something, Rick could tell. “What’s wrong, Nate?”
Instead of answering him, Nate turned toward Sasha, whispering in a hushed tone. Rick wasn’t trying to listen, and he couldn’t hear what was being said, but he was concerned.
“No shit,” Sasha said out loud, a grin stretching across his face.
“Goddamn it,” Rick said. “What’s wrong?” If she was too ill to fight, he needed to know. He could have one of the bears take Selene to the cabin where everyone else was staying. But Rick knew Selene would have a fit. She wanted to fight just as much as the next person.
“It seems our little vixen is pregnant,” Sasha announced, pride clear in his catlike purr. “She’s going to be a mama.”
Congrats rang out from everyone. Rick chuckled as he stared at Selene, who looked green around the gills.
“We need to send her with Isabelle,” Edward said. “She can’t fight.”
“The hell I can’t,” Selene protested, gaining back enough strength to wiggle around in Nate’s arms. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fighting,” Nate argued, refusing to let her go. “It isn’t safe for the baby.”
This stopped Selene in her plight to get free. She glanced up at Nate as if she didn’t believe him. “I’m pregnant.” The words were spoken softly, in a hushed tone.
“That you are, my vixen,” Sasha said. “And Nate’s right. You need to go to the cabin.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but finally nodded. “But don’t think for a minute I wouldn’t have kicked some ass.”
Dorian was the one who snickered this time. “I’m sure you would have.”
Clyde elected one of his bears to escort Selene back to the cabin.
Once she had said her good-byes to everyone, and sucked plenty of face with her mates, she was off. To be honest, Rick was relieved she didn’t put up a bigger fight then just a mere protest. She could be very stubborn at times.
The look on both Sasha’s and Nate’s faces was nothing short of prideful. They were both grinning like mad. A crowbar couldn’t have pried those smiles from their faces.
“Whoop, whoop,” Benito shouted. “Another baby to play with.”
“Okay, we should get going,” Rick announced over the chatter.
