Page 39 of Color Chameleon
Nik threw a pillow at him.Charma batted it away, and grabbed the remote, tossing it at his cousin.“Watch what you want, maybe it’ll put me to sleep.”
He had to admit that Nik’s silliness had distracted him for a while, and he was feeling a little lighter right now, holding a little more hope than worry.Mom had been right to send Nik.She’d been right that they’d find Darcy, too.He just needed her to be right that they’d have Darcy home soon and that he was okay.
The next time Darcy opened his eyes, dawn was breaking over the sky and his head was pillowed on a thigh, a blanket over him.There was a heck of a noise coming from the person he was using as a pillow, and he was pretty sure it was that snoring that had woken him.He couldn’t remember the guy’s name, but he was a part of Charma’s family.Darcy was safe.
He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and opened his eyes all the way.He didn’t need to pretend he was still asleep this time.
Sitting up, he couldn’t stop his groan.Everything hurt.His muscles were stiff and sore, his head was aching badly, his face sore, and the various scratches and bruises he’d collected were all aching, some worse than others.
The snoring stopped, but the guy didn’t wake up.Darcy knew they’d all introduced themselves when the wolves had handed him over, but he couldn’t remember any of the names, let alone which one belonged to whom.The guy in the passenger seat up front turned around, though and gave him a smile.
“You’re awake.How are you feeling?”
“Glad to be inthistruck.”Oh God, he sounded like a hundred-year-old man, his voice all craggy.
“Sounds like you could use this.”The guy passed him back a bottle of water, and Darcy fell on it eagerly.Because yeah, now that it had been mentioned, he was super thirsty.He had a few big mouthfuls before the guy reached for him, touched his forearm.
“Maybe don’t drink it all at once.You need to pace yourself.”
Darcy put the cap back on the water with reluctance, but the guy was probably right.
“I’m sorry—I don’t remember your name.”
“Hey, no worries, there were like seven of us at the exchange.I’m Mik.”Mik held his hand out toward Darcy, and he reached for it, wincing slightly.His shoulder was sore too.He shook Mik’s hand, though, because this man had dropped everything to come find him, save him.
“Looks like you could use this, too.”Mik handed over a bottle of Tylenol, and Darcy took it gratefully.
He took a couple of tablets, trying not to go overboard on the water to swallow them down.“Thank you.And thank you for rescuing me.”
“It was nothing—you’re family.”
Wow.Darcy sat with that for a few minutes, watching the road out the front window.His family had kidnapped him so they could send him to conversion camp where who knew what horrors he would have gone through.Charma’s family—who really didn’t know him.Sure he’d met people yesterday—was it really only yesterday?—but he didn’t remember these guys being among that group, and even if he had, that was a quick introduction, maybe a bit of a conversation, and yet they’d still dropped everything to come find him and bring him home.
He and Charma had vastly different ideas of what family meant, but he liked Charma’s version way better.He liked to think more people in the world went in for Charma’s version than his.
“We should have you back home in a little over an hour,” Mik told him.
Home.Charma.He couldn’t wait.
“That’s amazing.”He closed his eyes, waiting for the pain pills to ease back the aches.And when they did, he let the motion of the truck lull him back to sleep.
His mom called just after six and Charma jerked awake, having managed at some point to fall asleep.
“I’m sending Luce to come pick you up.The boys are bringing Darcy here.”
He sat up straight.“Why?What’s wrong?”
“Easy, son.He’s got some bumps and bruises, and they want Doc to take a look, make sure there isn’t anything that needs a hospital.”
“He’s hurt?”Charma’s heart clenched and his brain went back into full-on worry mode, just like that.
“Calm down.He’s not hurt so badly that they’re taking him right to a hospital.”
“But he is hurt.”
“Charma—he was kidnapped and he escaped.Is it really any surprise he didn’t come out of that unscathed?Stop panicking and come home with Luce.And then you’ll be able to see him for yourself.You boys can stay in your old room.”
“We have a home, mom.”
