Page 27 of Mitchell
Chapter Eleven
Mitchell woke to moaning. At first, he thought it was him because he felt like shit. But when he woke, he didn't make any noise at all except for maybe the rustling of the covers.
He must have passed out and not realized it. The last thing he remembered was laying in the backseat of a sedan with his head in Seryn's lap. He wasn't in a car anymore.
The mattress was soft and would have been more comfortable if not for his pain level.
When the moans turned to whimpers, Mitchell went on alert. Someone was being tortured. There wasn't any other way to describe it.
Mitchell lay as still as he could and cracked his eyes open, wanting to appear as if he were still asleep.
He scanned the room, looking for anything that might tell him what was going on. It was in a hotel room. Another bed appeared as if someone had been sleeping in it because they had pushed the covers down. No one was in the room with him, but the bathroom door was closed, and the shower ran.
He relaxed because no one was there to hurt him.
At least he knew his survival instincts were alive and well. Everything would feel like a threat for a long time.
And then someone groaned again.
Mitchell pushed the covers off himself and sat up in bed. He gritted his teeth the entire time, but he managed. His legs were shaky when he stood, but with each step, he felt stronger. Even with his ribs and back screaming at him, he felt better just moving around. He had a feeling it wouldn't take much to zap his energy, though.
The door was ajar. Upon pushing it open further, he discovered someone had pulled the shower curtain closed.
"Seryn? Sweetheart. Are you alright?" He tried to keep his volume down, whispering, although he wasn't sure why he felt the need.
Seryn cleared his throat and then made a squeaking sound as if he'd lost his voice. "I'll go with you. Just don't hurt Mitchell."
Oh shit. He was having visions again.
Mitchell pulled back the shower curtain. Seryn sat at the back of the tub, hugging his knees. The water cascaded onto him. Seryn shivering prompted Mitchell to test the water temperature. It was icy cold.
Mitchell cursed and shut off the water. He grabbed two folded towels off the rack and laid one over Seryn's shoulders.
Seryn stiffened, but it didn't last long once he saw Mitchell. His chin wobbled and tears fell. His teeth chattered. "I can't…make…them stop."
God, the poor baby.
Mitchell beckoned Seryn to stand up. "Up, sweetie. Let's get you out of there so I can get you warmed up."
His injuries made it impossible to lift Seryn in his arms and carry him back to bed. It was the first time he cursed his limitations.
When Seryn stood, Mitchell wrapped the other towel around him and then helped him as best as he could to step over the tub. The shivering grew worse.
Mitchell pulled Seryn into his arms, rubbing his back and sides to get his blood heated again.
What the movies and television showed about vampires not being alive in the same way as a human was bullshit. If Seryn could get cold then his heart pumped blood through his body the same way Mitchell's did. But Seryn was more fragile than most. His body wasn't the only way he was like a human. It was also clear that Seryn had demons. How else did someone kill with such ease? And the visions…they made him fragile, too.
Seryn needed someone to take care of him. The realization made every instinct in Mitchell kick in.
Seryn shivered in his arms, clutching the towel. He laid his head on Mitchell's chest.
Mitchell held him. "Shh. I've got you."
Seryn tried to speak, but his teeth chattered.
"Your body temperature is too low, baby." Mitchell kept his arms wrapped around Seryn as he guided him into the main room.
"Lay on my bed. In my spot." The sheets should still be warm. Body heat would help the most.
