Page 7 of Back in the Hunt

“Sorry!” Everly said in a hoarse croak, then swore under his breath when he recognized the other man’s bright green eyes. They weren’t glowing with flame and fury, but Everlyknewhim.“It was you, you were there. You saved me.”

“Shhh!” The other man gestured for Everly to relax but craned his neck, staring. “Wow! Your eyes are…” he took a step closer, wary as he studied them.

“Disturbing?” Everly guessed. “Most people say they’re disturbing. Or weird.”

“Are they just pupils? They’re so big and…dark,” the man said, then waved it off. “Now, I’m being weird.” He gave Everly a sheepish wince. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Everly said, even though his bladder was very full. “Where are we?” he asked, making the other man laugh as he offered his hand.

“Welcome to Georgetown, Mr. Wells. I’m Bryn Cadwallader and I’ll be right back with some soup. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

“Just Everly. We?” he asked as he looked around. “Bathroom?”

“Through here,” Bryn said, as he hurried around the bed and opened a door, flipping on the light in the bathroom. “I found you on the road, on the way home from work, in Roanoke. I’m a medic and my twin brother’s a surgeon. His husband’s a medical examiner and we had just about given up and handed you over to Fletcher, but he talked me into bringing you up here to see his friends,” he explained while Everly eased out of the bed and made his way across the room on wobbly legs. Bryn watched him closely, seemingly ready to dive in and catch Everly, from the way he tensed and hissed at each clumsy step.

“What happened to me? That night in Roanoke and after you brought me here?” Everly asked as he leaned into the bathroom, hanging on the door jamb. He spotted the toilet and tripped towards it. Dressed in nothing but a pair of oversized flannel pajama pants, it was easy enough to yank them down and aim at the bowl. That was about all Everly was capable of and he nearly toppled over when he bent to flush.

“Let me give you a hand,” Bryn said, right before Everly was lifted and carried to the sink and deposited on the counter.

“That’s not—” he started and stared in confusion as Bryn washed Everly’s hands and face. He proceeded to brush Everly’s teeth and hair, before carrying him back into the bedroom, where he was gently placed on the bed and tucked under the duvet.

“I’ll be right back with some soup and tea. Is there anything else I can get you while I’m downstairs? I can bring a phone if you’d like to call anyone and let them know you’re okay,” he suggested, but Everly shook his head.

“No, there’s no one. Soup and tea sounds lovely.”

Bryn frowned, nodding slowly. “Alright, I’ll have that right up.”

“You didn’t answer my question. What happened to me that night and after you brought me here?” Everly repeated and Bryn wrinkled his nose.

“It’s a long and complicated story and there’s a weird little man named Merlin downstairs who’s waiting to explain everything and answer all your questions.Afteryou’ve eaten and we’ve checked you out,” he said and gave the center of Everly’s forehead a gentle tap, making him smile.

“I guess that’s alright,” he said with a soft laugh. “I am very hungry. But you’ll come back?” he confirmed and relaxed when Bryn nodded.

“I’m not going anywhere and we’ve got plenty of time.”

Despite Bryn’s reassurance, Everly felt a rush of panic when he found himself alone. He pulled the covers up to his chest, his eyes locked on the door. The whole encounter had beencomfortableand Bryn’s behavior was unusuallynormal.

That wasn’t how it ever went, but was just the sort of encounter Everly had pictured when he dreamed of making friends. He obviously never imagined being attacked and he couldn’t have foreseen that his new friend would wash his hands and brush his teeth like that, but Bryn had been so patient and normal, Everly wondered if he was dreaming.

“What if this is a coma?” he asked himself and patted his chest and lap. Pinching was pointless because things that were supposed to hurt, rarely did. “How would I know?”

There was a knock on the door, making him jump. Everly’s eyes were huge as his hands clutched convulsively at the duvet, not knowing what to expect. “Hello?”

“It’s me, Everly.” Bryn sounded like he was smiling.

Everly stifled an anxious whimper, he wanted toseeBryn again. “Come in, please!”

The door opened and Bryn leaned in, giving Everly a questioning look. “Are you sure you’re ready for company?”

Everly nodded, happier now that Bryn had returned. “I feel fine. Better than before I was attacked.” His neck and limbs didn’t always do what he wanted so his nod was a little late.

“Cool…” Bryn said as he held the door wide, revealing a strange trio of men behind him.

There was a very short, older, bald man in a magenta and purple paisley dinner jacket, an imposing and severely handsome man in a dark gray suit, and a young man with several tattoos—dressed in a black sweatshirt, ripped-up jeans, and combat boots—who waved cheerfully at Everly.

“These are Fletcher’s friends, Nox, Nelson, and Merlin,” Bryn said and Everly noticed that he’d said they wereFletcher’sfriends. And that Bryn hovered between them and the bed when they came in, as if he didn’t completely trust them with Everly’s care.

They all seemed kind, though, and Everly didn’t sense any danger. He smiled at the tiny, elderly man. “Bryn said that you can tell me about what happened that night and what happened after I was brought here.”

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