Greykin Valley

| 6 | A Mate's Worry

"Why?"

"Because I want to stay back here and protect you. We've lived long enough to know that shit always finds a way in. No number of walls or guards are gonna be able to stop it. Sooner or later, someone's gonna get infected and bring it into the city. I want to be here when that happens. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Clem."

Clementine smiled as Sebastien pressed his forehead against his. "Sebastien, you know Caedis won't let you stay here. And they need you out there. You've seen first-hand what this virus does." He stroked the side of Sebastien's face. "You're also the only kludde left in the world; they're going to need you if you come across the Diabolus."

Sebastien grunted and closed his eyes. Frustration gripped him tightly as he remembered what Wilson and Jackson talked about. "Yeah...there's a super high chance the Diabolus will be at the lab. We think Lyca Corp. might be creating demon-wolf walker hybrids for them to use against the Nosferatu."

"That would make sense. Wolf walkers can kill a vampire with a single bite...and with the strength of a demon, Caedis' covens wouldn't stand a chance."

"But why the cadejo?" Sebastien mumbled. "That virus can't infect mature demons or vampires. Using them to take out the rest of the wolf walkers makes sense, sure, since they were one of the Nosferatu's most powerful allies, but would the Diabolus really go so far as to create a virus that could potentially wipe out everyone?"

Clementine adorned a look of pondering. And after a few moments, he slowly said, "What if they're trying to draw Greymore out?"

That was a good point. Could the cadejo threat have been created as an attempt to draw Fenrisúlfr out from wherever he was? The Diabolus had been working very hard to take out the Nosferatu's most dangerous allies. They'd used the Holy Grail to hunt down and kill the asmodi demons, they'd killed enough wolf walkers to force the Zenith to send what remained of them out to the secluded tundra of Ascela, and now...could they have their sights set on the strongest wolf walker to walk this world?

It felt like his brain was throbbing. He was tired, overworked, and aching from his fight with that cadejo monster. "Maybe," he said. "I'll bring it to Heir Lucian and Lord Caedis later. See what they have to say about it." He frowned at Clementine. "You know, I really don't get why you don't just come and work with me. You've got the smarts for this kinda stuff, babe."

Clementine shrugged dismissively. "No offence, but after the weird devil-deal Caedis roped you into, I'm gonna stay far, far away from any job remotely close to the Nosferatu."

"I don't blame you. But it's not all bad. The pay's good...I get to boss people around. And every once in a while, I get to meet these crazy hybrids and ancient Caeleste species." He smirked because he knew Clementine was going to enjoy what he said next. "We brought a muto in today."

His mate's face lit up with curiosity. "A muto?"

"Yeah. The little hybrid's friend turned out to be a giant tiger. I never thought I'd see one."

"Did you see him shift?"

"No, but Jackson wants to bring him along when we go to the lab, so I'm sure I will."

"I read that they have this sort of golden shimmer to their fur. It's one of the reasons they were hunted so much."

Sebastien nodded slowly. "I feel like this guy is up to something, though. Jackson's convinced he's in this for the story, but it feels weird."

"Weird how?"

"Like there's something more to all of this. I just...." He exhaled in frustration and rolled onto his back. "I suck at piecing things together, man. There's all these pieces floating around in front of me and I'm just grabbing random ones and trying to force them into place," he exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing the air as he spoke.

Clementine reached up and grabbed one of Sebastien's hands. "That's why you leave the piecing things together to the investigators, Seb. You're the muscle. You go places and kill things."

"I know, I know."

"Just tell Caedis. They're gonna read his mind anyway, right? So they can find out what he's really up to."

"I don't know about that. Lord Caedis seems to want to let Jackson choose what to do. If it were my choice, yeah, I would have just got straight to mind reading, but we went with the personal approach first."

Clementine shuffled closer and rested his head on Sebastien's shoulder. "Shh," he mumbled. "This is supposed to be your time away from work, right? Just stop thinking about all of that for a little while and get some rest."

As much as he might want to lay there and try to figure out all the answers, he knew that wasn't going to happen. There was so much he didn't know, and no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't the best at thinking up possibilities or grasping at straws. Could all of this cadejo business be the Diabolus trying to draw Fenrisúlfr out by mass slaughtering his wolves? Maybe. But it could also be a million other things, and there were a billion things he didn't know about Caedis and the history of the Nosferatu and the Diabolus.

No. Clementine was right. He should wipe this off his mind and leave it up to the investigators. His job was to ensure Jackson did as he was told and found the Lyca Corp. lab.

He sighed away his thoughts and nuzzled Clementine's soft hair. "You're right," he said quietly. "Sorry. I don't mean to bring my work home with me."

"It's okay," Clementine said. "How long do you have left?"

Sebastien looked at the clock. "Thirty-two minutes."

"Good," Clementine said, pulling the blankets over them both. "That's enough time for you to get some sleep."

With a slight laugh, Sebastien made himself comfortable. Then, he closed his eyes and let himself rest. There was a long mission ahead of him, and he wanted to enjoy what time he had left to spend with his mate before going weeks without him.

But then his worry returned. "Clem?"

"Yeah?"

"If...things get bad here while I'm gone—"

"Seb—"

"Just...listen, please."

Clementine waited.

"If things get bad...if the virus does get inside the city, promise me that you'll go to Heir Lucian. I know you don't want to be anywhere near that building, but it'll be the safest place if something were to happen."

Although he didn't sound very happy, Clementine said, "Okay."

Sebastien kissed his mate's head. "Thank you."

"Now let's get some sleep."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around Clementine. "Sounds good."

Sebastien closed his eyes and held Clementine closely. He didn't want to give into his fear and worry, but now that they were resting in silence, his anxiety grew thicker. He knew how dangerous this mission to get to the lab was, but he couldn't help but wonder...what if this was the last time he saw Clementine? What if this was the last time he got to hold and kiss the man he loved?

He scowled in dismay, trying to dismiss the thought of it. But he couldn't. What if he was walking into his death? He had a bad feeling about all of this, and that feeling got worse with each passing moment. What if he left to go and find the lab...and the zombies got into the city? What if he wasn't here to help Clementine get out if the place was overrun?

Sebastien held Clementine a little tighter. No, Clementine was the smartest person he knew other than his superiors. He had to trust that he would get out if something happened. But...what if he didn't? What if leaving to get to the lab was a horrible mistake? There was no way for him to know. But he had to go. The cadejo virus would destroy everyone and everything if he didn't. He had to be brave...for himself and Clementine. And he had to believe that in his absence, the man he loved would be okay.

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