Blazen! Wake up!
I shot out of the hospital bed, dripping with sweat and in searing pain. Xander was calling me through our mindlink, trying to wake me up.
I was hooked up to an IV and was thankfully still in my clothes, which were drenched in sweat now.
"Sit back down, Blaze," I heard a soft voice speak. The doctor, who I still didn't know the name of, was standing at the door, holding her usual papers. I did as I was told because in all honesty, I didn't have the strength to move. "Good. So that bond we discussed has gotten a lot stronger. It's clear it isn't a mating bond, so you obviously weren't lying about that. It's killing you to be away from this person. So I suggest you go find them. The IV should've given you enough energy to do so." She sounded very casual about it, as if she was reading off any other diagnosis.
She didn't have to tell me twice. I stood up and took my IV out. After gathering my things, I rushed to my car. I wasn't expecting to see Lyle in the parking lot looking frantic.
His eyes lit up when he saw me, but I kept walking straight to my car, ignoring him. "Hey! What the fuck happened to you?!" Lyle yelled at me. He grabbed my arm which caused me to hiss in pain, but he didn't loosen his grip. He turned my arm over to examine my hives. "What's this?" He asked a little less aggressive.
I ripped my arm from his grip and gave a low growl to get him to back away. "Lyle, for the millionth time, it's none of your business." I rolled my eyes, attempting to get into my car. Key word: attempt.
"You look sick Blaze! Did they treat you? I think you should stay here," he practically pleaded, blocking my car door with his body. I squinted at him, taking a moment to try and understand his various mood changes these past few weeks.
"I had a run in with wolfsbane. They gave me an IV and sent me on my way. So let me go on my way, Lyle," I spit out his name as if it was poison on my tongue. He didn't flinch at my tone, just stared at me more intensely.
Without a word, he stepped away from my car and allowed me entrance. I hopped in, feeling weaker and weaker by the second.
Blaze, hurry!
Pain swelled in my heart before driving away. It didn't take a genius to see that Lyle was a few cars behind me, trying to follow me. I noticed a yellow stop light ahead, so I sped up to make it so he was stuck behind. In reality, I needed to make a left there, but I knew I could correct that using side streets. I quickly made one of the first lefts and then a right, now on the road I wanted. Once I hit Black Hearts territory, my claws began to poke out. I turned into the first dirt road I saw because before I knew it, I was shifting. I barely made it out of the car before I fully shifted.
I let my wolf take over, who led us right to what appeared to be the pack house. There were other wolves around, looking confused at me. Whether they knew I wasn't their Alpha yet my wolf looked like him, or if my scent was confusing, I didn't know.
My wolf whined as we felt Xander's pain more intensely. He scratched at the pack door, trying to get to Xander.
"Blaze, what are you doing here?!" Lilith rushed to me, trying to keep her voice low, but the wolves around us came to a stop at hearing my name. Lilith noticed and quickly turned to them. "You didn't hear or see anything. This information will come out when it is deemed safe," she ordered, causing the wolves to walk away. Now she turned to me. "Shift." That's all it took for me to shift.
Her eyes widened as she saw what shape I was in. I was sweaty and my extremities were covered in hives. "Shit! Let's get you inside." She ushered me in, and I didn't even need her to lead the way. I weaved through the halls as if it was my own home. I barged through a bedroom door that smelled heavily like Xander. And I was right. Xander was there with Uncle Zach and who I presume is his wife, a witch doctor.
I collapsed onto the bed with Xander, now out of breath. Xander hugged me, and the pain instantly disappeared. My clouded mind cleared up as I stared into my brother's eyes.
"Well I guess that answers that question," the woman chuckled, but I could see Uncle Zach was still not at ease.
"They've been seeing each other for weeks! Why is this happening now?" Uncle Zach paced the room.
Lilith nervously chuckled, causing everyone to look at her. "I might of fully bonded them again..." she scratched the back of her neck, not willing to make eye contact with her father.
"Ah so the bond that was disconnected when Blaze was tortured to the brink of death has now been reconnected. They can combine into one wolf, they have a mindlink, and can feel each other's emotions," the woman chirped, jotting down this information in her notes. Uncle Zach's attention switched to her instead of Lilith.
"What do you mean combine into one wolf?" He asked skeptically.
"It was soooooo cool, Dad! They became this massive wolf! Like the size of a bus!" Lilith now seemed unbothered by her father's emotions.
"It's in the witch chronicles. Twin werewolves are usually inhabited by one wolf that was too large for a single person. So they can combine into one. They'll have their own mates and can live in separate packs, but they will always be linked. It was so chaotic this time because it's a rekindled bond," the women explained thoroughly, still jotting in her notes. Uncle Zach released a heavy sigh before leaving the room, looking frustrated.
"Lilith, we should leave too. They need to rest," her mother ordered, which she reluctantly followed.
It was at this moment when I fully realized I was naked from shifting. I had tore my other clothes when I spontaneously shifted in my car. Xander was snuggled into my arms, sending a wave of older brother protectiveness through me. Xander was strong. Xander was a powerful Alpha, but he also was forced to grow up too soon. He was forced to grieve the loss of his family as a child. And I felt guilty for that.
Hugging him tighter, I fell asleep knowing I was protecting him.
...
The concrete ground felt like ice on my fragile body. Curled up in fetal position, it tried to preserve my body's heat. I felt Xander calling for me through our link constantly, but I tried to distance myself as much as possible. They were going to kill me, and I didn't want him feeling that pain.
"Want a sweater?" A small voice offered. I looked up to see a young boy, only a few years older than me. His smile was kind, but I could tell he was dying on the inside like me.
I nodded, slowly walking closer to the cell bars that separated us. He pushed the sweater through the bars, leaving me to quickly throw it over my head. I instantly felt warmer.
Glancing at the door, I wondered when my torturers would come down to this basement cell again. "Don't worry! They only come down every two days. Sometimes they call for me in between though, and I have to go up." A small, sad smile was plastered on his face.
"What's your name?" I asked, glad I had someone to talk to and keep me company on my final days.
"Oh, they never gave me a name. They just call me incubus boy because I'm a incubus and I'm a boy," he chirped, seemingly unbothered by this fact.
"We should come up with one for you. One that fits your personality," I suggested, relieved that my boredom was being satisfied. I paused as I heard Xander yell some more through our link. The pain of pushing him away was overwhelming.
The boy studied me, a wave of realization crossing his face. "You're bonded with someone, and you don't want them feeling the torture, right?" I stared at him skeptically. "I can see bonds. And I can see you have a very strong bond to someone." I hesitated to answer him, but reluctantly nodded. "I can break your bond if you want. If the bond isn't broken before death, sometimes it can kill the other person too. And you don't seem very optimistic about leaving here." His voice was almost angelic as he explained this to me. It was as if he was offering me the only thing I would ever ask the goddess for: a chance for my brother to live.
"Will it hurt him?" I hugged myself with the sweater, not wanting to hear the answer.
The boys placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked up into his golden brown eyes that held nothing but kindness. "He will feel your loss. He will think you died. But it won't be painful, only lonely." This decision weighed heavy on me. But it was so clear. I glanced at the door that the rouge men came through before torturing me. I couldn't have Xander share that pain with me again.
"Okay..."
Not a second later the boy had his hand on my head and then sudden loneliness. Xander was no longer with me. As the tears rolled down my face, the boy held me through the bars, like he would for several weeks to come after I would be tortured.
"You're my savior," I sighed into his chest as he clutched me tight.
He chucked a bit at my comment. "Like Jesus or something?"
"Yeah, that's your new name. Jesus!"
"Okay, I guess I'm Jesus now," he laughed, smiling as my mood switched.
...
I woke up in a sweat. The room was pitch dark besides the light from the moon. I peeled myself out of the bed, leaving Xander alone in the bed. He looked so peaceful, and in that moment I knew I had to move to this pack. I wasn't going to abandon him ever again.
Rummaging through some of the dressers, I finally found a pair of basketball shorts to cover myself. Quietly, I managed to tip toe into the kitchen to look for food.
"Bonds can be exhausting," a voice spoke from behind me, causing me to jump slightly. It was the woman from before. "I'm Jocelyn. I don't think we've met properly since you've been back." She stretched out her hand, which I gladly shook.
"Blaze," I stated, as if she didn't know. She opened the fridge and handed me a container that had some lemon chicken in it along with some rice.
"Zach called your father before. Told him you had a really bad case of wolfsbane, but I fixed you up," she explained as she grabbed a plate for me.
"Oh, okay thanks. I told my brother I had wolfsbane when he questioned my hives, so I guess the story collaborates." She nodded while fixing me a plate of chicken to heat up. She glanced at me a few times before opening her mouth to question me.
"So you broke your bond with Xander? How?" She asked curiously.
I sat patiently at the table. "An incubus was also being used by the rogues. He could see the bond and offered to break it before they killed me." I thought about Jesus a lot. I was surprised I forgot about Xander and my's strong bond. I thought about how they held Jesus back as their leader, Vance, ripped my throat out and left me to die.
"How long?" This question broke me out of my thoughts. I looked at her confused before she elaborated. "How long were you tortured before they tried to kill you?" Her voice was soft, but the question was harsh.
"Months. Maybe 7 or 8. Then when they were moving to Canada, they decided to claw my throat. They thought I was dead when they left," I answered, feeling dirty talking about that goddess awful time. She placed the food in front of me, and I suddenly felt hungrier than ever before.
"Get some sleep. You and Xander should be able to go longer without seeing each other now." And with that, she disappeared upstairs.