Page 81 of The Bull's Head

He flickered again, this time looking like a washed-out copy of a copy. The memories of ball games that still resided in Byk’s mind faded, until they were fragments, and then even those were gone. Cooper was dying again, it seemed, and it was breaking Byk’s heart.

“I love you, Coop.”

He smiled and mouthed, “Love you, bro,” before he was gone for good, leaving behind only a vague remembrance of past thoughts. Byk closed his eyes, then felt warmth surround him. He lay quietly, trying to process what he’d seen. Mal and Damon needed to know this. Had to hear the truth.

Byk sat up and opened his eyes. Soft snuffling had him turning to find Teddy asleep, his fingers curled around Byk’s wrist. He wanted to sink into the feeling, but there was so much pain inside him. The things he knew, the stuff he saw.

“Teddy, wake up,” he called softly.

A quick jerk of the head, and Teddy was alert. “Byk!” He threw his arms around Byk’s shoulders, squeezing him close. “Are you okay?”

How could he answer that? “No, not remotely. I know what they did to me and… and….” He sniffled.

“What’s wrong?” Teddy murmured, pulling Byk closer.

“I need to see Mal and Damon. We’re… in trouble.”

In a heartbeat, the warmth was gone and icy tendrils pushed inside Byk once more. Teddy reached for his phone. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”

The words came haltingly, as Byk had to stop several times to receive comfort from Teddy. Each time he broke down, Teddy pulled him into an embrace and whispered how much he loved him in Byk’s ear. That, more than anything, gave him the strength to go on. When he finished speaking, Byk allowed Teddy to cradle him close.

“I’m sorry doesn’t sound strong enough. I wish I could do something—anything—to make this better for you.” He kissed Byk’s temple. “I love you so much.”

And Byk needed that right now. “I love you too.”

Teddy held 66his phone up. “Let me call Mal. I’ll tell him he needs to get Damon and they have to come here right away.”

“I’m sorry,” Byk whispered, even if he wasn’t sure why.

“Nothing to be sorry for. You’re giving us information we never would have had otherwise. Thanks to you, we might be able to save some lives.”

“Or end them. What he said…. I mean, what I remember….” Byk groaned. “I’m not even sure how to say it.”

“There is no right way. Say it, and we’ll hash it out later if necessary.”

“This thing about there being a rot in the packs. Do you think it’s true?”

Teddy tensed. “I know it is. Hiram sold us out, so how many other people did he talk to? And you said the government is involved, so that puts us in a scary position.”

Teddy pressed the screen on his phone, then tapped the Speaker button.

“Hey, Teddy! How’s it going? Is Byk awake?”

A glow filled Byk that Teddy’s family was calling him by the name he already thought of as his.

“I’m sorry, Wiley, but I really need to talk to your dad right away. It’s urgent.”

“Sure, one minute.”

A few seconds later, Cece came on the phone. “What’s going on?”

“I need to talk to?—”

“Damon, I know. Wiley told me that much. Talk to me. You never say it’s urgent.”

“I’m here with Byk—Callum—and he had… I don’t know. A vision?”

“I’m here, Teddy. Tell us what’s going on,” Damon said, his voice scratchy like he’d just woken up.

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