Page 83 of Fight
"I brought my personal physician.I thought he might be useful."Replied the cultured voice of the local leader.
Caden looked at Alexis who nodded acceptance and stepped behind Caden before he opened the door.
The man that stepped in the door first, was nearly as tall as Caden, but he was broader.He had well-tanned skin and wore a carefully neutral expression on his face.I recognized him as Bennett, Mr.Ridges’ personal enforcer.He stepped inside and looked around the room, stiffening slightly as his eyes rested on Caden.
"You four are the only ones here?"he asked.
"We are."Alexis said, from behind Caden.
The Anikitos stepped into the room next, followed by a smaller man.The newcomer was almost tiny when compared to the three men standing near him but he was likely no shorter than 5'10".He carried a black leather messenger bag slung across his body so his hands were free.
"This is Morgan, he's our pack's healer.From what your Harmonia said when she called, I thought he might be able to help."The Anikitos started to step into the room, only to be stopped by Bennett, who's eyes were still on Caden.The pack leader glanced at his enforcer and followed his gaze to Caden.
"We didn't meet you."He said, the implication that he should have was clear.
Alexis stepped closer."This is Caden, he's my enforcer.Considering my position and that I'm our pack's only healer, I rarely do much without him.He travels with me and goes with me when I have to treat someone.We didn't bring him in to meet you because I thought it would be disrespectful for us to bring two of our pack's enforcers into your office."She didn't lie while trying to pacify him."We could have brought him instead of Devon when I met you, but I thought you might want to talk to Devon about his circumstances."
The Anikitos was silent for a few seconds, considering her words before nodding once."Logical."
"We weren't hiding him, he was in the building, he just stayed in the waiting area while we met with you."
He seemed to be weighing the truth of the words, whether it was one of his talents or he was considering what his other senses told him, I don't know.He looked back to Bennett."It's all right."He told his guard before moving around him into the middle of the room.
Alexis stepped forward."Please, have a seat."She invited."Can I get you anything to drink?"She played the hostess perfectly.
"I'm good."Ridges replied while the other men simply shook their heads.
"Does someone have a key for these?"I lifted my hands up to show off the cuffs.
Bennett came forward, a small key appearing in his hand.
"Give the key to Devon," Alexis said."don't touch her, please."
Bennett's hand changed direction, dropping the key into Devon's upturned hand.I twisted my arms so Devon could reach the locks.
"Why couldn't he just unlock them?"Morgan asked, a crease forming on his brow.
Devon deftly unlocked the cuffs, and dropped both the cuffs and the key onto the table in front of the sofa.I fought the urge to rub the abused and purpled skin where the cuffs had been, knowing that touching it would only make them hurt more.
"It seems she's in an advanced state of separation anxiety and skin contact with anyone but Devon is very painful for her."Alexis sat on the edge of the couch beside me."Give me your arms."She said softly.
I held my arms out toward her and she carefully wrapped a cool, damp wash cloth around the marks on each wrist, careful not to touch my skin as she worked.The cool cloth helped the burning sensation in my skin.I lowered my hands back to my lap and shifted slightly burrowing myself closer to Devon.
"What happened exactly?"The Anikitos asked.
Alexis spoke first."Nickie and I were going for coffee."
"Alone?"
"We were together but we didn't have either of the guys with us, if that's what you mean."She answered."It never occurred to us that anyone would be after us, we weren't meeting with anyone or interacting with any Kitsune.We didn't see a reason to wait when we could go get it and be back in just a few minutes.We're use to a lot more freedom than this."She explained.
The Anikitos nodded.
"We were about half way down the block when everything went black.I woke up with Caden carrying me. Nickie was gone.We came back to the hotel to get the car, we followed some sense of Devon's on what direction to go.We found her several miles away, she'd already escaped.That's when I called you."She turned to Devon."That sense of where to find her is another thing I've never heard of in unsealed matings."She said, as if it had just occurred to her and she didn't want to forget it.
The Anikitos turned to me."What can you tell me?"
I gave him a short version of the events of the morning, adding."They were human.As far as I could tell from the way they treated me and what they used to tie me down, they had no clue I was anything but human.But someone was paying them."
