by Toni Griffin
Archie was brought back to the here and now as sudden pain crashed through his body, bright and sickening as two of his fingers were wrenched back, the pop of the bones loud in the silence of the room.
"Adze!" Archie cried, wishing the man was there, wanting to see the hound just one more time before he died.
* * * * *
Adze's steps faltered as he ran. Bile rose inside him, and Adze had trouble keeping it down. He had no idea what Bates was doing to his mate, but whatever it was, Archie was in serious trouble. Adze didn't know how much longer his mate would last.
The nephilim scent had long ago disappeared, meaning it was down to Adze and his ability to pick up any lingering scents from Archie. That had slowed them down. More than he would have liked.
But he needed to be methodical, make sure he actually had a trail to trace rather than just racing ahead and risk losing the small link he had to his mate.
The sharp sting of the nephilim's scent hit Adze again, and he almost howled in relief. He managed to stop himself from giving them away by the skin of his teeth.
They'd followed the trail out of the city, through North Melbourne, Carlton, Princes Hill and finally to Brunswick where it seemed Bates set up operations.
The acrid scent of the nephilim grew stronger and stronger as they closed in on the location. Then the familiar tug in his head told Adze they were going in the right direction.
Do we know how Archie's doing? Nicor asked.
Not well. We need to get him out of there and fast.
I'll let Oriax know our exact location, Pyro said.
Oriax had broken off from the group and headed back to the penthouse to pick up their clothes and grab the car. Adze had a bad feeling they'd be needing both.
He could hear Pyro communicating with Oriax, relaying directions and locations, he tuned them out and concentrated on the building in front of them.
It wasn't large, just a single-story building at the end of a cul-de-sac. Tram lines sat behind the cul-de-sac and behind that was a university campus that was all closed up for the night. The businesses that were housed in the building were long since closed. A photo shop sat on the opposite side of the road. The area dark and almost foreboding as the street light overhead had blown at some point in the past and no one had bothered to get it changed out.
The car Adze had chased through the city sat at an odd angle out the front, almost like the driver had been in a rush to park and get out.
Nicor, Pyro head around the back and come in from there, we'll go through the front. If you locate Bates take the fucker down.
You got it, Nicor and Pyro replied as they took off round the back of the building.
Adze nearly whimpered as pain flooded his system. At least they knew Bates was still inside. He had no idea what condition Archie would be in, so Adze had to steel himself for whatever he'd find.
No matter, Bates had seen his last sunrise. Hell, he'd be lucky to still be breathing in ten minutes.
You in place? Adze asked.
Ready to go.
Let's put this son of a bitch out of his misery, Adze said.
He shifted quickly, and kicked the door in with one solid kick, then shifted back to his hound form as the door swung open.
Adze led his pack mates through the front, he could hear the others entering at the back. The store front was empty, just a few glass cabinets that had sat empty for a time and were now covered in dust. The scent of the nephilim was overpowering. Adze guessed this was where Bates had been hiding out since the cops had raided his house.
The muffled sounds of a scream had Adze racing through the building until he found a closed door. The other four members of his team were right behind him.
The rest of the place is clear, Pyro reported.
Adze shifted once again and kicked the door in. The wood splintered under the strength of his kick. The sight before him had Adze almost turning and losing his stomach contents.
Archie lay strapped to a bed, his body covered in so much blood Adze didn't know if his mate was still alive.
Adze was frozen in place, too scared to move. His pack charged from behind him, all four of them doing what they were trained for and attacking the nephilim.
Bates turned to face them, a scowl marring his features as he swung out holding a scalpel at anyone who got close.
Adze ignored the fight. As much as he wanted to rip Bate's head from his body he had to check on Archie. He didn't know what he'd do if Archie were dead. His legs felt like jelly, but somehow Adze managed to stagger forward to the bed.
He leaned over and cupped Archie's cheek. "Archie, honey, can you hear me? We're gonna get you outta here."
Archie didn't respond, his eyes were closed, his skin was far too pale and clammy, but Adze could make out the faintest of heartbeats.
"Oriax you better be fucking close," Adze muttered to himself as he set about unbuckling Archie from the bed. His entire body looked like it had been sliced and diced, blood seeped from more wounds than Adze dared to count. Several of his fingers on his right hand were bent at odd angles.
It took everything in Adze to ignore the fight taking place in the back of the room. Adze had faith in his team that they could and would get the job done without him and rid the earth of yet another undeserving creature.
The skin under the leather straps had been rubbed red-raw from Archie obviously struggling to get out of his restraints.
Oriax ran into the room, his arms full of clothes and blankets. Adze had never been happier to see him.
"We need to call this in," he said quickly as Adze grabbed some pants and a top and hurriedly dressed.
"I'll call Matti, she'll let Sergeant Carter know."
"Let her know we're taking Archie to the hospital and the cops can meet us there if they need to," Adze said as he finished dressing and grabbed a blanket.
He carefully and tenderly wrapped Archie up as Oriax made the call. He then picked Archie up and carried him to the waiting car outside, Oriax on his heels.
The last thing Adze saw before he left that awful room was a spark of green hellfire. Archie was safe, Bates was dead. Now his mate just had to survive his injuries.
Oriax held the door, so Adze could climb in the back seat with Archie, then raced to the driver's seat. Oriax took off like a bat outta hell as he drove them through the suburbs to Royal Melbourne hospital. He ignored all lights and stop signs on his way, refusing to stop for anyone. Thankfully at that time of night, the streets weren't too crowded with cars.
Oriax pulled up in the ambulance bay and Adze climbed out of the car clutching Archie to his chest, the blanket now showing signs of the blood soaking through all over. Adze raced inside.
"Please, you have to help him," he begged of the first nurse he saw.
He eyed Adze for a moment before his gaze landed on Archie and the man's eyes widened.
"Follow me," he said as he led Adze to a gurney where he placed Archie. "What's his name?"
The nurse wheeled Archie through the doors, calling out all kinds of things Adze didn't understand.
"Archibald Hennings," Adze replied.
"Can you tell me what happened to him?" the nurse asked as he started unwrapping the blanket around Archie, more and more people in scrubs and coats were surrounding them now.
"I don't know. Michael Bates kidnapped him tonight." Adze was never going to forgive himself for letting Bates get his hands on Archie.
"The serial killer?" one of the doctors asked in astonishment.
"He's lucky to be alive then," another nurse said. Adze nodded.
"Bates is dead." His tone flat as he conveyed the news.
"Good."
Adze watched in awe as people ran around in a kind of organised chaos. Saline bags were hung next to blood bags, a large needle was inserted into Archie's hand, blood pressure and pulse rates were read out constantly as the doctors worked to stem the bleeding from Archie's numerous wounds.
"Sir."
"Sir."
"Sir."
Adze had to fight hard to take his attention away from Archie laying, ghost white on a hospital bed, to the man standing in front of him trying to get his attention.
"We're doing everything we can for him. If you could please wait in the waiting room, one of the doctors will come see you when they know more about your friend's condition."
Adze didn't want to leave Archie, the last time he had his mate had been taken and almost killed. He had to trust the professionals, though, to do their jobs.
Reluctantly he allowed the nurse to lead him to a small waiting room that was reserved for the friends and families of the patients. Adze's vision blurred as tears filled his eyes, then dripped down his cheeks. Adze had never cried before. Didn't think he was even capable of such emotion. But seeing his mate restrained to that bed, his body used as a carving block for some psychopath had the tears overflowing.
Adze wiped at his cheeks and eyes as he sniffed. Archie had to be all right. Adze refused to allow any other outcome. He couldn't imagine a world where his mate didn't exist, especially now that he'd met Archie and had started to get to know him. He wanted a lifetime with the other man by his side.
It took everything Adze had to take a seat in that small waiting room and not fight his way back to his mate's bedside.
There was another couple in the waiting room with Adze. A father and daughter by the looks of it. They both looked like they'd been crying as well.
Adze sat, the chairs hard and uncomfortable. The events of the night running over and over in his head. He should have gotten there faster. He never should have let Bates get his hands on Archie in the first place. What kind of mate was he that he couldn't even protect his own Cor Coeunt?
Adze's sight grew blurry again, and he wiped his eyes. He was unused to feeling so vulnerable and wasn't sure if the changes in him since he'd met Archie were a good thing or not.
Adze had no idea how long he sat in that room for. He didn't know where the rest of his pack was as he didn't have a phone, his wallet or anything.
An older couple was shown into the room sometime later, and they took a seat, they both looked pale and drawn. The room was quiet, save the occasional sniffle from the young woman to Adze's left. Finally, a doctor came into the room, his scrubs speckled with blood.
"The family of Archibald Hennings?" he asked.
Adze stood immediately, as did the older couple who'd arrived earlier. Adze glanced at them and could now see the resemblance to his mate. These must be his parents.
The thought to call Archie's folks and let them know what had happened to their son hadn't even crossed Adze's mind. He was grateful the hospital had called them. They must have been listed as his emergency contact in the hospital database. Adze was thankful they'd managed to take Archie to a hospital the man had obviously been to before.
"I'm Doctor Hope, and I was one of the people who worked on Archibald when he came in." The doctor eyed Adze as did Archie's parents. "Are you the man who brought Archibald in?"
"Archie," Adze automatically corrected. Archie had told him on their picnic just how much he detested his full name. "And, yes, I am."
"Who are you?" Archie's father asked.
"Adze Smith," Adze said. "I'm Archie's boyfriend."
Archie's father nodded, and Adze wondered if Archie had told his parents about Adze, and just what exactly he might have said.
"Name's Bob, this is my wife, Noreen. Nice to meet you, son." Archie's father held his hand out, and Adze shook it, a little shell-shocked.
"How's Archie?" Adze asked the doctor, needing to know his mate was all right. Adze would have felt it if Archie had died, he was sure of it.
"He's in a serious but stable condition." The doctor paused for a second before he continued. "He's got several broken fingers on his right hand. We've managed to reset the bones, but have to wait for the swelling to go down before we can cast the arm. He also lost a great deal of blood. The wounds on his body are extensive, and it's going to take some time to fully recover, both mentally and physically from this ordeal."
Adze nodded. He already knew this. Archie was going to have to take it easy for quite some time. He didn't know if his mate actually knew how to do that. Adze would be there to make sure the stubborn man didn't overdo it though.
"When can we see him?" Noreen asked.
Adze nodded, wanting to know the same thing.
"We've given him something for the pain, and it's knocked him out. He's being transferred to ICU at the moment. Once he's settled, you can go and see him, although I doubt he'll be awake at all tonight."
"Thank you, Doctor," Noreen said.
The doctor turned to face Adze. "There's some police outside who would like to talk to you."
Adze nodded. He knew it was coming, now that he knew Archie was relatively okay Adze would go and tell the police whatever they needed to know.
"The police?" Archie's father asked in astonishment.
"You may want to sit down for this." Adze nodded then pointed to the chairs they'd occupied not five minutes before.
Bob glanced at Noreen then they both sat.
Adze took a deep breath. "Archie was taken by Michael Bates. The police just want a statement from me. I'm sure they'll be wanting one from Archie just as soon as he's awake and strong enough."
The doctor nodded. Noreen gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Bob wrapped his arm around his wife and tried to comfort her.
"Doc do you happen to know if my brothers are here?" Adze asked.
"I'm not sure, but I'll have one of the orderlies or nurses find out."
"Thanks, I would appreciate that," Adze said.
"If you would like to head up to the fourth floor the nurses on the desk will be able to show you where you can wait until you can see your son," the doctor told the Hennings'.
"Thank you." Bob held out his hand for the doc to shake, before turning back to face Adze. "Don't you run away, son. I'd like to get to know you a little better if you plan on being in my son's life."
"I'm not going anywhere, sir," Adze tried to smile, but he wasn't sure he pulled it off.
Bob clapped him on the shoulder twice before he led his wife out of the room.
"This way, I'll take you to the police," the doc said as he motioned for Adze to follow him.
"Thanks." Adze glanced back, the father and daughter were watching him with wide eyes as he left the room. Adze hoped their little talk had been able to take their minds off their own problems, even if it was just for a couple of minutes.
Adze followed the doctor through to a small room, where a couple of police officers sat. They wore the dark blue of the Victorian police uniform, the woman's hair was cut short and neat, while the man's hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and had wispy strands escaping all over. At this time of the morning, he couldn't blame them for looking tired and worn from their day.
"Once you've finished here, you can head up to the fourth floor. I'll call ahead and let them know to expect you."
"Thank you, doc," Adze said. "For everything."
"You're very welcome."
The doctor turned and left the room, and left Adze with the cops.
"Coffee?" The guy asked, and Adze could have kissed the man. They were going to get along just fine.
Chapter Fourteen
Archie's entire body ached. Like he'd been hit by a car, but that couldn't be right, surely? The last thing he remembered was walking out of the restaurant after finishing his shift.
He groaned in pain as he tried to move and his body protested the slight change.
Light streamed into the room, and Archie couldn't understand why. The curtains in his room were always kept fully closed, not a single gap to be had. So why was he now being blinded by light?
His eyelids felt grainy and heavy as he tried to open them. It took several attempts before he could get enough moisture in his eyes, so they didn't feel like they were burning.
&n
bsp; The first thing Archie noticed was the white walls and a crinkle of plastic on the mattress under him. He flashed back to another white-walled room and screamed as he tried to get loose. His arms flailed, and his legs kicked up under the blankets, causing him immense pain, which just made him scream even more.
All of a sudden, a large figure loomed over him. Archie renewed his struggles.
"Archie, honey, it's me, it's Adze, you're safe, you're in the hospital, please calm down. I don't want you hurting yourself anymore."
It took Archie a moment to understand what was being said to him. When he finally did and allowed his eyes to see the person in front of him, he calmed his actions, but he couldn't help the tears that escaped.
"Shhh. It's okay, I've got you," Adze whispered as he sat on the edge of Archie's bed and wiped his tears away with his thumbs.
Just the touch of Adze's skin against Archie's had him calming down considerably.
Adze glanced over at a monitor that had been beeping and grinned when he realised Archie's heart beat was calming down.
"Water?" Archie asked, his throat felt like he'd been gargling rocks. Adze picked up a brown plastic cup filled with ice chips.
"No water, I'm afraid, but you can have some ice."
Adze picked up an ice chip and placed it against Archie's lips, painting first his bottom lip, then his top with the ice. Archie parted his lips slightly, and Adze placed the already melting chip on his tongue.
Archie wanted to moan with relief as the cold chip slowly melted, soothing his sore throat.
"Another?" he rasped.
"One more, I don't want you making yourself sick," Adze said, placing another chip against his lips. Adze then placed the cup back on the rolling tray.
"How long?" his throat still felt raw, unused.
"You've been unconscious for nearly three days," Adze said quietly.
Three days? It felt like just last night. Archie took a closer look at Adze and realised the man looked like shit. He hadn't shaved, so his usual five o'clock shadow was now longer and looking unkempt, his eyes were bloodshot and tired looking, and his hair looked like he'd run his fingers through it a million times.