Nimo’s eyes slid closed and a grimace of pain crossed his features. “I don’t know what to tell you, Luc. I have no idea.”
Lucas shook his head. This whole thing was a major cluster-fuck and he was at the center of it. All he’d wanted was to be loved. To have a family. To possibly have what Nimo had with Dakota, and what did he get instead? He got screwed. Furious voices out in the hallway grabbed his attention and he turned to see Arizona gesturing furiously as he spoke to his other brothers. Lucas heard his name as well as Michigan’s, “starve” and “death.” The words caused fear to assault him all over again, but instead of being afraid for himself, he was suddenly scared for Michigan.
Turning to glare at Michigan’s brothers who still stood in the room, looking as if they wanted to be anywhere other than where they were, he pointed at Washington.
“What happens if Michigan and I don’t bond?” he asked, his voice wobbly.
Washington rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, refusing to answer. Lucas looked at Colorado and quirked an eyebrow. A memory of Dakota being carried into Nimo’s home, looking like death warmed over flashed across his mind, and Lucas swallowed the bile that rose in his throat.
“What happens?” he asked again.
Nimo sighed sadly. “He’ll starve to death, Luc.” Lucas gasped and turned to stare at Nimo, twisting his head side to side in a gesture of denial. “Yes. No doubt the thirst is already plaguing his body and slowly driving him insane. If he doesn’t complete the bond with you then Michigan will die. He had a fortnight, fourteen days from the day he met you to complete the mating. You’ll feel the effects as well. You probably already have been and just haven’t realized it. And while you’ll survive it, he won’t.” Lucas shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.
“Lucas,” Nimo grabbed his shoulders and forced him to meet his eyes. “Don’t think that you have to complete your bond with Michigan just so that you can keep him alive. You don’t have to do that. As much as I don’t want him to die, I don’t want you to be forced into a mating that you’re not ready for either.”
Lucas bobbed his head at Nimo’s words but his decision had already been made. He knew that he would do whatever he had to do to keep Michigan alive, even if it destroyed his soul in the process.
Washington made a noise and Lucas looked over at him just as Arizona, Tennessee, Dakota and Jersey stepped into the room. “What?” he asked.
“I think that there may be another way to save Michigan’s life and give Michigan some more time,” he said.
Lucas brushed off Nimo’s arms and sat up. “Really? What?”
“No! No, Unca Wash!” Zay cried out, speaking for the first time since entering the room.
Lucas looked over at the little boy and felt icy tendrils of fear caress his spine. He swung his gaze back to Washington. “What is it?”
“Well, it’s not guaranteed to work, but our parents talked about it. It’s something they did with Razvan’s sufletul pereche…” Washington said and paused.
Arizona hummed. “It’s a risk but it might just work.”
“You can’t be serious!” Dakota growled. “Mich will kill all of us if he knew we were even thinking about this!”
Lucas looked back and forth between the brothers completely confused. “What? What are we thinking about?”
Nimo muttered beneath his breath and then gasped, leaping to his feet. “Absolutely not,” he yelled. “No!” He stomped his foot. He pointed at Lucas. “I’m not going to let you guys do that. He’s my best friend. He’s my family. No.”
Arizona growled and stepped forward, his fangs lowering as he advanced on Nimo. Lucas trembled in fear, grabbing Nimo and Zay, trying to pull them back to him, toward safety and away from the hulking, angry vampire.
“And Michigan is our family and if you think that we’re not going to do everything we possibly can to save his life, human, then you’re not as smart as I thought you were,” he said.
Lucas inhaled sharply when Nimo jerked out of his grip and reached up to slap Arizona. The room grew deathly quiet. No one moving as they all watched Arizona and Nimo.
“I am a fucking genius, you blood-sucking Neanderthal and your brother’s life is not more important than my friend’s, do you understand me? I don’t care who you think you are, but I can’t wait for you to meet your sufletul pereche so you can understand why Dakota and I are against this. You are asking us to sit back and let you kill Lucas for a few minutes to break his mating with Michigan just to keep your brother alive. A mate is precious. Dakota and I know that and if Michigan were here I am sure he would tell you that he’d rather die than know that his own brothers had a hand in severing his bond with his mate.”
Nimo’s voice was trembling with rage and Lucas’s eyes widened at his friend’s display of anger and confidence. He’d never seen Nimo react in such a way. Nimo, Lucas and their friends were a band of nerds. Much like the group from The Big Bang Theory. While Lucas and Dietrick weren’t as geeky as the others, they were still proud members of the N.S.—Nerd Society. To look at Nimo in that moment, however, Lucas would be hard-pressed to place the man in the same category with the rest of them.
Regardless of all of that, however, Lucas knew that he would do anything to save Michigan. Even if it meant losing him forever.
Reaching out a hand, he touched Nimo and smiled sadly at his friend before looking at Arizona. “I’ll do it.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Michigan raced down Lee Boulevard, rage and pain clashing within his body. He hissed as a car pulled out in front of him and narrowly avoided crashing into the back of the vehicle.
“Fucker,” he growled as he twisted the throttle and continued down the road. He’d gone back to the restaurant and yelled Razvan’s name but the bastard hadn’t shown up. Now Michigan rode the streets of Loweston, trying to figure out where a monster would hang out. When the car in front of him came to a sudden stop, Michigan twisted the handle of his bike and slid on the road, squeezing the brake, until he came to a stop an inch away from the car.
Pushing down the kickstand with the heel of his boot, Michigan jerked off his helmet and marched up towards the car where the driver was getting out of the car.
“What the fuck is your problem, man?” he growled. He reached out to grab the man but noticed that the short, black haired man wasn’t even looking at him, instead he was staring at something in the middle of the road as if transfixed. Michigan turned to look and saw Razvan standing in the center of the street, holding up two halves of dead, bleeding body, a sick smile on his face. Michigan covered his mouth trying not to vomit all over the road, his life as a vampire and a doctor hadn’t prepared him for this, before lowering his arm and growling at the twisted bastard who tossed the dead human to the side of the road and strode forward.
“Hello nephew. I hear you have been looking for me?”
“Of course I have, you asshole. I’m going to fucking kill you,” Michigan said angrily, his stride eating up the distance between the two of them.
“This should be fun. You, here fighting me, while your brothers are in the hospital, killing your precious mate.”
Michigan’s body froze at Razvan’s words. He shook his head, knowing that the evil man was just fucking with him.
“You lie. My brothers would never do something like that.”
Razvan’s lips spread into an even bigger smile one that twisted Michigan’s stomach into knots. “They would if they were trying to save your life.” He shrugged. “I don’t understand their selfless, all-consuming love for family.” He narrowed his eyes at Michigan. “Or yours for that human.” He waved his hand around. “But it makes no difference to me. You will never get to him on time. Your brothers will stop his heart for ten minutes to sever your bond with him and during that time I will torture you as you suffer the agony and the pain of losing your mate. And then, once you know that the bond has been severed, at that very moment when the thirst leaves your body? I will kill y
ou and it will all have been for nothing.”
Michigan hesitated for only a second, wanting to call his brothers and tell them not to kill Lucas, to warn them of Razvan’s plan, but that second was all that Razvan needed. The human who had been in the car in front of Michigan, turned and headed straight toward him, his eyes glassy and unseeing. Michigan stared at him, wondering what he was doing, wondering if he was a zombie, sniffing the air but catching no distinct scent.
“He’s not a zombie, nephew, he’s just hypnotized. I believe the human movies and books call it a vampire’s thrall.” Razvan laughed as he began to shift into his monstrous form. Michigan let the human walk past him, his eyes on Razvan, something he regretted almost instantly when pain exploded in his right shoulder. Looking down he stared at the knife protruding from his flesh. Turning his head he glared at the human who blinked at him.
Razvan chuckled and advanced flicking out his claws one after another. “Never underestimate me, nephew,” he said, his words sounding slurred and deep because of his shift. Michigan lifted his left hand to pull out the knife when unspeakable pain radiated through his heart.
He gasped and fell to his knees. Clutching his chest, he blinked as his vision went blurry. No. No. They couldn’t be doing it. No. No.
“It hurts doesn’t it, Michigan? When your family betrays you? When they take your sufletul pereche from you?” Razvan stepped close to him and wrapped his clawed hand around Michigan’s throat squeezing tightly, cutting off Michigan’s air. “That’s what your fucking Tată, my own frate did to me.” He tossed Michigan to the side of road, where he landed face first. He let out a pained cry as the knife was shoved out of his shoulder and his nose was broken.
His body trembled as the tenuous threads of his bond with Lucas began to unravel. Michigan pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, tears streaking down his cheeks as he struggled to make contact with Jersey through their twin mind link, but pain flared within him, making it difficult for him to feel anything but anguish.
He tried to push through it but when Razvan grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, then sliced his claws down Michigan’s chest, Michigan let out a howl of extreme agony. Razvan laughed with glee and tossed Michigan into the road again. Finally Michigan was able to wade through his own grief to call out to Jersey.
Jers? I need you.
Mich? Where are you man?
I’m on Lee Boulevard. With Razvan.
Holy fuck. We’re on our way.
Don’t kill Lucas. Stop. Please. You’re killing me. I’d rather die than lose him, Jers. Please.
But, Mich…
No. Jers. You don’t understand. He’s mine and I’m his. I don’t want to lose that. I never want to lose that.
The conversation stopped as Razvan jerked Michigan up again growling angrily.
“Who the fuck where you talking to?” he asked, his red eyes flashing, his body returning to its normal size. Michigan stared at him in fascination.
“Does it matter?” he asked.
“Answer me!”
Jers, when we use our mind link, it makes him lose his shift. Michigan was practically giddy with the knowledge that maybe they would be able to defeat this monster that had haunted the vampire community for so long.
Well we’ll keep talking then.
“You’re a fucking twin?” Razvan said though it sounded more like a question, then he grinned. “Of course you are. Your mother was a twin. My mate.” His eyes took on an unholy glow. “Twins are abominations. Just like forziqs. In the old country they were to be killed. Did you know that?”
Dread filled Michigan’s body, a buzz filled his head drowning out Jersey’s voice. Suddenly pressure, like a vise being wrapped around his brain consumed him. It was as if Razvan had found a way inside his mind. But how was that possible?
“Because we share blood, did you know I have a connection to you? It’s not as powerful as I would like but it’s enough. Enough for me to do what I need to do.” He laughed as the pressure increased on Michigan’s skull but the sound of vehicles racing up the road caused Razvan to drop him in the middle of the street. He let out a disappointed sigh.
“Aaww. I was so going to enjoy crushing your brain, nephew, but next time, hmm?” He winked at Michigan lying on the road. Michigan clutched his head, moaning at the pain that vibrated through his body, mixing with the agony in his chest. Had his brothers gone through with killing Lucas? Why hadn’t the pain eased up?
Razvan disappeared in a cloud of smoke and moments later Michigan heard the sound of tires squealing to a stop inches away from him and his brothers shouting his name. He wanted to tell them to shut the fuck up. His head was pounding as if he had the world’s worst hangover and yet, as Jersey’s face came into view, all he could think of was one thing.
“Is Lucas dead?”
The guilt and sadness on Jersey’s face said it all and Michigan let out an anguished wail.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Dying really wasn’t that bad. Lucas didn’t see fluffy white clouds. There were no pearly gates or streets paved of gold. There was no bearded white man telling him he’d done good or sending him to hell for being gay. And there most definitely was not a bunch of muscled men wearing togas with wings flying around with harps or trumpets. So the Bible got it wrong.
But there wasn’t anything moving in the dark either, so Torchwood got it wrong too.
All in all there was just… nothing.
It was really quite disappointing.
Lucas sort of felt like he’d gotten ripped off, so when he opened his eyes and did the whole Captain Jack, gasping for breath thing, just like he’d always wanted to do—score one for him—he almost wanted to ask for a goddamn refund from life. But when he turned his head and saw Michigan sitting by his bed, sobbing harshly, pleading for him to come back to him. Well, Lucas felt as if the whole thing was worth it.
Death wasn’t so bad because life wasn’t so bad either.
At least not until Michigan looked up at him. Michigan stood quickly and Lucas got scared. It was stupid. He knew it was stupid. But he couldn’t help the fact that his body jerked away from Michigan as he waited for him to change into Razvan.
“I’m not Razvan,” he said sadly.
“I know,” Lucas said.
“No.” Michigan corrected him. “You don’t know.”
Lucas shook his head. “No, I don’t know, but I want to believe you.”
Michigan sighed. “You were dead, my little chef. Our bond has been broken.” He sounded heartbroken by that.
Lucas looked down, feeling ashamed. “It was the only way I could think of to save your life.”
“Why would you do that?” Michigan asked.
“B-because… I’m not sure when… if ever, I’ll be able to let you touch me, much less make love to me and I want… no, I need you to be alive, Michigan.” He looked at the man. “I’d rather you’re alive and we not have our bond than have our bond and you die because of it.”
Michigan nodded and took Lucas’s hand to kiss the backs of his fingers. “Thank you for coming back to me, then. Because no matter what, you are still my sufletul pereche. Forever and always.”
Lucas smiled at Michigan as a warmth filled him. “I’m very glad to hear that. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
§ § §
Days later Michigan arrived at Lucas’s apartment to take him out on their date feeling nervous and on edge. Though he was no longer suffering from the thirst and was in fact just dating Lucas, for some reason the pressure was more intense than it had been before. When the door opened and Michigan looked down into Lucas’s shy gaze, his heart gave a painful squeeze even as his mouth went dry.
“Hi,” he said huskily.
“Hi,” Lucas responded smiling up at him.
“You ready?”
Lucas assented and stepped over the threshold, turning to lock the door. Michigan stepped back to give him room, though he inhaled deeply the scent of Lucas’s bloo
d pulsing beneath the layer of his skin, calling to something within Michigan. He lifted his hand and lightly brushed the side of Lucas’s neck. He grinned at the way Lucas shivered, and his groin tightened in response.
“Mich,” Lucas protested.
Michigan pulled his hand back quickly, not sure if his touch was causing arousal or if Lucas’s panting had been from fear. “I’m sorry.”
Lucas shifted and stared up at him. He shook his head. “No. Don’t apologize. I-I liked it.”
Michigan sighed in relief. “O-okay then.” He held out his arm. “Shall we?”
Lucas nodded and slid his hand through Michigan’s elbow. “Yes we shall.” Michigan bowed and led Lucas down the apartment stairs towards his truck before driving them to the tiny French bistro for dinner.
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