Heavens Aground (Treble and the Lost Boys Book 2)

by G. R. Lyons

  Asher grabbed Ryley's hips when the man's pace stuttered, helping him along as he chased his orgasm. His own hips were aching, but he couldn't take his eyes off his man, Ryley's entire being seeming to light up with pleasure as he crashed over the edge, his cum shooting all over Asher's body.

  But Asher didn't get to enjoy it. The pain doubled, then doubled again, and before he could catch his breath long enough to tell Ryley something was wrong, his entire body seized up in pure, excruciating agony.

  RYLEY WAS torn out of the bliss of his orgasm when he heard Asher cry out in pain.

  “Ash?” He looked down and gasped at the sight of Asher's body going stiff beneath him, the tension morphing into a whole body tremble that turned so violent, Ryley was almost thrown off.

  He climbed off the side of the bed and grabbed Asher's shoulders, trying to hold him still. “Ash?” he pleaded. “Baby? What's wrong?”

  Asher cried out in pain again, tears leaking from his eyes as he continued to tremble.

  Ryley ran for his phone and sprinted back to the bedroom, holding Asher's shoulder with one hand while he dialed with the other.

  “Emergency dispatch,” someone answered.

  “This is Ryley Skye of Sturmwyn Insurance,” Ryley panted. “I need an ambulance immediately. 945 Pine Street.”

  “One moment,” the dispatcher said, and Ryley heard mumbled conversation before the dispatcher came back on the line. “An ambulance is on the way, Mr. Skye. What's the nature of the emergency?”

  “I don't know,” Ryley gasped, looking over Asher, desperate to figure out exactly what was wrong. He tried to remember his training, but reason was leaving him fast. “Um, male, twenty-five. He's been complaining of pain for several weeks, but now he's…Gods, I don't know. He's hurting. I can't get him to speak.”

  “Alright, Mr. Skye,” the dispatcher soothed. “I'll radio the ambulance with that information. They should be there in five minutes.”

  Ryley nodded even though the woman couldn't see it. “Thank you.” He rang off and tossed his phone aside, then scrambled back into his clothes. He struggled to get Asher into a pair of loose-fitting pants, not that the man was in any state to care about modesty, then hovered over him, feeling useless as he watched the man suffer, until he heard the ambulance pull up on the street.

  Ryley ran for the front door, throwing it open before the emergency techs could knock. He led them back to the bedroom and watched, helpless, as they checked Asher and then got him strapped to a board. Ryley grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone, then locked up the house and dove into the back of the ambulance, hanging on as they rushed across town to the hospital.

  The ambulance doors were thrown open as the vehicle lurched to a stop, and they all raced inside. Ryley couldn't take his eyes off Asher, desperate to know that he was going to be alright, until a nurse stepped into his path as Asher was whisked away into another room.

  “I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go in there.”

  Ryley tried to push past her. “Please. I have to–”

  She put a hand on his shoulder, holding him firmly in place, and offered him a sympathetic smile. “Can you tell me his name?”

  “Asher,” Ryley blurted out. “Asher Arden.”

  The woman lifted a tablet she'd been holding in her other hand and quickly typed in Asher's name. “Asher Arden…” She frowned, smacking the tablet on its side. Ryley looked down and saw static on the screen. Oh gods. He counted his breaths, and the screen cleared up. The nurse shook her head and clicked on an icon. “Here we are. Asher Arden, born the eighth of Tarvin, 3569?”

  Ryley nodded rapidly. “Yeah. That's him.”

  “Alright.” The nurse gave him another smile. “Let me get this to the doctor. Why don't you have a seat, and we'll come find you when we have some news?”

  Ryley wanted to argue, but he knew how this worked. They wouldn't let him back there, not until Asher had been scanned, maybe not even until he'd been treated and put into recovery. The thought of having to wait out there was killing him, but he didn't have a choice. He managed a nod, and the nurse disappeared. Ryley headed for a chair, then wound up pacing instead.

  Ryley couldn't hold still. What if something was seriously wrong? Asher had been in pain for weeks, and now this? He hadn't been able to respond to the EMTs at all during the ride to the hospital. Hells, it looked like he could barely breathe, his entire body contorted in pain.

  If he died…

  Ryley choked back a sob. No, he couldn't die. He just couldn't. Not when they'd just found so much happiness together. Ryley couldn't bear it if Asher died.

  But he had no idea what could possibly be wrong with him.

  The overhead lights buzzed, dimmed almost to nothing, then flared back to life. Everyone around him stopped and gasped, looking around, trying to make sense of it, muttering about what could have caused it.

  But Ryley knew. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew.

  Ryley scrambled for his phone and called Vic. “Come on, pick up, pick up,” he whispered. The call cut out, and Ryley bit off a curse, counting his breaths again before redialing.

  “Hello?” Vic answered, his voice just discernible over a layer of static.

  Inhale, one. The static eased a bit. Ryley gasped out one breath, sucked in another, and said, “Vic–” His voice broke, and it was all he could do not to openly sob.

  “Ry? What is it? What's wrong?”

  Ryley gasped out a breath after trying to hold it too long. “It's Asher. He's–”

  “Where are you?”

  “Hospital,” Ryley managed to force out.

  “Shit. Ry, hang on. I'll be right there.”

  “Vic–”

  “Just breathe for me, Ry. Can you do that? Count your breaths for me, and I'll be right there. I promise.”

  Ryley nodded rapidly, feeling tears sting his eyes. “Alright,” he choked out.

  “Hang on, Ry.” Vic rang off, and it was several seconds before Ryley could lower his phone from his ear.

  He went back to pacing, constantly glancing at the door through which Asher had disappeared. How long had he been in there? Minutes? Hours? It felt like days already, yet still no one had come out to talk to him.

  Just how bad was it? What the hells was wrong?

  “Ryley?”

  Ryley whirled around and saw Vic charging toward him. “Vic–”

  Vic pulled him into his arms without a moment's hesitation. “It's alright, Ry. It's gonna be alright.” He pulled back just enough to look down at Ryley's face. “What happened?”

  Ryley choked out a sob, then sniffed and shook his head. “I don't know. He's been in pain for weeks, but– He just…like…seized up, you know? Gods, I can't even explain it. He was just suddenly in so much pain that he couldn't speak. He could barely move. Or breathe…Vic, I don't know what's happening–”

  “Shhh, shhh, shhh,” Vic soothed. “Ryley, I need you to look at me.”

  Ryley sniffed again and looked up, meeting Vic's eyes.

  “I need you to focus and breathe,” Vic ordered, his voice low and soothing. “Can you do that for me?”

  “I'm trying,” Ryley insisted. Counting his breaths had never been so damned hard before.

  “You can do it, Ry. Just focus and–”

  “Mr. Skye?” someone called.

  Ryley whirled around, still clinging to Vic as a doctor strode toward them. “Yes?”

  “I'm Dr. Edrich,” the man introduced himself, offering his hand. After a moment's hesitation, in which Ryley had to remember what the gesture meant, he took it in a quick shake and then grabbed Vic's arm again. The doctor gestured at his tablet. “You're listed here as one of Mr. Arden's agents of record?”

  Ryley nodded rapidly.

  “Ryley's also his boyfriend,” Vic added, then offered the doctor his hand.

  “Ah, Vic, good to see you again,” Dr. Edrich said, shaking Vic's hand. He looked at each of them in turn. “They called me in to assess Mr. Arden's inj
uries. According to his medical history, he suffered extensive damage to his pelvis and legs when he was struck by a car at the age of eleven. Now, at the time, his fractures were repaired with plates and pins that had been developed specifically for children, the material designed to stretch over time to accommodate normal skeletal growth. These devices should never have had cause to move. Yet they have.”

  The doctor paused, and Ryley shook his head. “I don't understand.”

  “To be honest, I don't much understand it myself, either,” the doctor admitted. “By all rights, those pins should have stayed precisely where they were installed. Yet, according to his scans, every single one of them has worked itself free, not only creating new fractures but also causing damage to muscles, organs, and other internal tissue. The surgery to fix this is going to be…extensive.”

  Ryley's knees weakened, and it was only Vic's steady strength beside him that kept him upright.

  “Do you have any theories as to what might have caused it?” Vic asked the doctor.

  Dr. Edrich shook his head. “It's completely beyond me. I can't think of anything natural that could have pulled these pins out of place. Nothing that I've ever come across, at least. I could do some research—later on, of course—but there's nothing I know of in medical history that could account for it. I mean, one working itself free would be one thing, but all of them?” He shook his head again. “It's almost like they were…”

  Ryley swallowed hard, staring at the ground. “Forced out by magic?” he whispered.

  The doctor nodded. “Yeah. Something like that.”

  Ryley's knees buckled, and he hit the floor. “Oh gods. Vic–”

  Vic crouched down and rested a hand on his shoulder. “What happens next?” he asked the doctor.

  Dr. Edrich said, “They're prepping him for surgery now. I'll be leading the procedure. I'm afraid we won't know more until we get into it and scan him along the way. It's going to be delicate…”

  The man trailed off, but Ryley didn't need him to finish that sentence. He was telling Ryley to prepare himself for the worst.

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Vic said.

  “We'll let you know as soon as we have some news,” the doctor said, then Ryley saw his feet turn and walk away.

  Ryley gasped for breath. “Vic–”

  “It's alright, Ry. They'll take care of him. They have excellent doctors here.”

  Ryley shook his head. “It's not that.” He forced his head up and met Vic's eyes. “It was me, wasn't it? I did this to him.”

  Vic took a deep breath, sighed, and gave a small nod. “Yeah,” he said gently. “Yeah, I think you did.”

  Chapter 17

  RYLEY COULDN'T breathe. Oh gods. Vic had been right all along, no matter how badly and how vehemently Ryley had tried to deny it. Ryley was a mage—an untrained, dangerous, out-of-control mage—and now Asher was suffering for it.

  “Vic–”

  “Ryley, look at me,” Vic demanded. Ryley gasped for breath and forced his head up, his eyes wide and wild as he met Vic's steady gaze. “Breathe, Ry. I need you to calm down and breathe.”

  Ryley shook his head, running his hands through his hair. “I can't–”

  “Ryley,” Vic barked. Ryley yelped and jerked back, but Vic still looked frighteningly calm. “Ryley,” he murmured, “look at the lights.”

  Ryley shook his head, trying to make sense of the words through the haze of his panic. He tilted his head up and looked around. That was when he finally realized the persistent buzzing sound wasn't just in his head, but was coming from all the electricity around him. Every light, computer screen, and mobile device was completely wigging out, buzzing and flickering erratically in response to Ryley's uncontrolled magic. The cursed power was exploding out of him thanks to his chaotic emotions.

  “Ryley, listen to me,” Vic said, his voice still low and soothing. “We're gonna go outside so you can calm down–”

  “I can't leave him, Vic,” Ryley begged.

  “Just outside,” Vic promised. “The hospital needs to stay running, right? Think of all the people in here that need those lights and machines working. Think of Asher. They won't be able to save him if the power goes out.”

  Ryley sucked in a breath, his panic doubling. “Oh gods.” He shot to his feet and tried to sprint for the exit, stumbling along the way. Vic caught up and steadied him when Ryley's legs gave out again, and Ryley leaned on Vic as the man helped him get outside.

  Vic steered him to a bench and lowered him onto it, then crouched on the ground between Ryley's feet, holding Ryley by the shoulders.

  “Count your breaths, Ry. You've got this.”

  Ryley shook his head, but tried to do as Vic told him anyway. He had to calm down. Asher's life depended on it. Inhale, one. Exhale, two. Inhale, three. “Fuck, Vic–” he gasped, then tried again. Inhale, one. Exhale, two. Inhale, three…

  He counted his breaths all the way up to ten, then did it again. Then a third time. It wasn't until he got up to six on the fourth round that he finally felt his heartbeat start to come down, along with something easing in his core.

  “That's it, Ry,” Vic murmured. “You've got this.”

  Ryley went through another count of ten, then one more, just to be sure, before he even thought about raising his head and opening his eyes.

  Then the tears came, running silently down his cheeks.

  “Vic–” he whispered.

  Vic hopped up and sat beside him, pulling Ryley into his arms. “It's gonna be alright.”

  Ryley shook his head. “I hurt him.” He covered his face with both hands. “Gods, why didn't I listen to you?”

  Vic didn't say anything. Just kept sitting there, holding him in silence.

  The suns set as they waited, and Ryley kept counting his breaths over and over as the night grew more dark. Silence crept in as the city went to sleep. Ryley happened to catch sight of his watch when he glanced down at his hands, wringing in his lap. Past midnight, and still they hadn't heard anything.

  Finally, shortly after one in the morning, Dr. Edrich came out and found them.

  Ryley tried to stand, but failed, so Vic stood to greet the doctor for him and kept a steady hand on Ryley's shoulder.

  He couldn't read the doctor's face. Oh gods. If it was bad news, he'd completely lose it.

  “He's in recovery,” the doctor said. “It's going to be a long healing period, but it looks like he's going to be fine.”

  Ryley blinked stupidly as the words slowly settled into his brain. Ash was alive. He was going to be fine. Ryley choked out a sob and covered his eyes. “Thank gods,” he cried.

  Vic gave his shoulder a squeeze. “What happens next?”

  Ryley listened to the doctor's voice without looking up since he was pretty sure he lacked the strength to do so. “We were able to remove all the stray pins and plates,” Dr. Edrich explained, “stitched up the various tissues that were damaged by their movement, and set the various fractures. Obviously, we don't want this to happen again, so rather than installing new pins, I've used a temporary bonding agent that was developed a few years ago to support the fractures while they heal, but that will mean Mr. Arden will be confined to a bed for at least the next few weeks. We'll want to keep his movement as limited as possible, so we'll have nurses bathing him and helping him with normal body functions, as well as monitoring him with daily scans to make sure nothing sets back his progress. If something does go wrong, we'll be able to catch it and correct it before it becomes a problem. I'm sure Mr. Arden is familiar with bed rest, since he endured that after the original injury, but it will still be a trying time for him. We'll need to keep his spirits up.”

  The doctor fell silent, and after a brief pause, Vic asked, “Ryley?”

  Ryley lowered his hands to his lap and nodded, acknowledging that he'd heard. It didn't matter, though. Ryley was determined to do whatever it took to never hurt the man again, and that could only mean one thing. He realized he'd made the decisi
on hours ago without really being aware of it. He knew what had to be done.

  Ryley took a deep breath and straightened. “Thank you, Doctor,” he whispered.

  Dr. Edrich gave him a nod. “If you'd like to follow me, I'll show you to his room. He should be awake within the hour.”

  “Ry?” Vic asked.

  Ryley nodded and got to his feet, his legs unnaturally steady. He felt wrung out, almost numb. Even the thing inside him that always seemed to pulse and vibrate when he had any sort of heightened emotion felt still and calm, and the overhead lights didn't so much as flicker once he was inside. He moved on autopilot as they made their way through the hospital until they reached a closed door. Dr. Edrich left them there while Vic took a seat in hallway. Ryley paused at the door, his hand on the handle, and looked down at Vic instead.

  “Why don't you go home and get some rest?” he told Vic.

  Vic frowned. “Are you sure?”

  Ryley managed a nod. “You've already done so much.” He shrugged. “I'm just gonna go sit with him. One of us might as well get some sleep.”

  Vic blinked tiredly, and Ryley couldn't blame him. The man never stayed up this late. He studied Ryley's eyes for a moment, then gave a nod. “Alright.” He stood and pulled Ryley into a hug. “It's gonna be alright, Ry,” he whispered, then pulled back and held Ryley by the shoulders. “I'll be back later to check on you guys.”

  Ryley nodded. “Thanks, Vic.”

  Vic gave his shoulders a squeeze, then nodded goodbye and walked away.

  Ryley watched him go, waiting until Vic was out of sight before he opened the door and quietly stepped into the room. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, before he looked across the room and finally saw Asher in the bed, lying there, unconscious, connected to all sorts of machines. Ryley closed his eyes and took another steadying breath. He couldn't let the magic out. Not in here. Not now. If he could just get through the next few minutes, he could do what was necessary to make sure he never hurt Asher again.