Page 50 of The Devil's Bargain
The forensic scientist dropped the gun mindlessly and then turned at a sharp angle, staring blankly at the doorway for a long moment.
Then he started smashing his head against the metal. Repeatedly. Hard enough the sound echoed.
“What is he doing?” Nero asked incredulously, mouth hanging open as he watched.
“Get help,” Titus sneered. This soon after healing Aodhan, he could feel his control slipping.
Nero stood, but Aodan and Zane entered before he could so much as cross the room.
As soon as Titus saw them, he dropped his defenses against Mitri. “Hurry and secure him.”
Zane followed the order while Aodhan dropped to down to his side.
“Is he…?” Aodhan couldn’t even finish the sentence.
“He’ll be fine,” Titus promised. “Don’t let them separate us. My hand has to stay over his heart. Do you understand?”
“What?’
“Tell me you understand, Second?”
“Yes,” Aodhan nodded. “Okay. Okay, I got it.”
“Good.” Titus waited long enough to see Zane had Mitri on his stomach with his arms pulled behind his back before he gave into the wild energy threatening to pull him under.
The last thing he heard was Aodhan scream his name, but he tucked himself more securely around Calix and allowed the darkness to take them both.
Chapter 22:
“I’ll take care of the sale,” Nyxian said. He stood next to Aodhan outside the hospital room, watching through the large glass observation window.
Inside, Mercy and Calix were sharing a bed, the detective lying on his back with the director on his side, his hand carefully kept directly over his heart. They were both unconscious.
Still.
“What’s going on in there?” Nyxian asked, and it was clear by his tone he’d been trying not to all this time and had finally given in.
“It was too soon after he healed me,” Aodhan explained quietly. “He lost control of the energy and his body went into stasis to sustain his lifeforce while it balances out.” He’d already gotten a confession out of Mitri about what had been done to Calix. “As our First, he’ll instinctively put Cal’s wellbeing over his own, which is why it’s so important they remain connected and no one disturbs them.”
Even unconscious, Mercy was forcing the flow of energy into Cal.
“He’s cycling energy between the two of them, clearing out the poison and repairing the damage.” If not for the facthe had to keep his hand right where it was, Aodhan could help with the process through sexual means, but that was out of the question as things were.
So he was trapped standing outside looking in.
Like a fucking stranger.
Powerless.
Useless.
“Make sure he hurts,” he growled, and Nyxian didn’t need him to elaborate to know exactly who he was referring to now.
“I’ve got a buyer lined up already. You’ll like him.”
“So long as he’s deranged.”
Xian clicked his tongue. “He’ll make what I did to my Harbor look like child's play.”
