Nepenthe: something that can make you forget grief or suffering.
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"Ouch." someone whispers and I can feel the bracelet on my wrist being tugged at.
"Let me do it. It won't effect me." another whisper says. "Damn I forgot we need a key. We'll have to take him like this."
I don't have the energy to open my eyes. Instead I attempt to place the voices to faces in my brain. Suddenly I feel the iv being pulled out of my arm and I flinch slightly at the cold hands.
"It's alright Jace, it's just me." one of the voices whispers.
Destrian. He didn't leave me to die. He came back for me. Other arms try to lift me and in the midst I pick up on a sweet floral smell. Lavender.
"I've got you." Acer says, pulling my weak body into his chest. "How much time until Dmitri returns?"
"He'll be back any minute. We need to get out of here now." Destrian responds. "Let me run him to the car. You're faster when you shift."
Acer hesitates momentarily before I feel myself being handed over gently to Destrian. If I wasn't so ill, I would cheer. However, the Darminite bracelet is still clasped around my wrist and the bullet wound remains in my chest.
Destrian and I come to an abrupt stop and I guess we must have made it to the car. Suddenly both of us are thrown to the side. I force my eyes open and light floods my vision.
"You really came back to save him again?" Dmitri asks distastefully.
My vision clears and I can see that Dmitri has pinned Destrian against the red door of his jeep. I lean my back against a large rock situated next to the jeep. A low growl rips through the air and I look away from them to the woods on my right. Sure enough, a gorgeous brown wolf stands at the edge.
Acer carefully steps towards us. Dmitri laughs again, tightening his hold on Destrian's throat. He claws at Dmitri's hand, however, it's no use. I want to yell at him to stop, but I'm too weak to make any noise above a whisper.
"I'll take care of this one and then move on to the dog." Dmitri threatens distastefully.
Acer jumps at him and it's enough to distract Dmitri from Destrian. I weakly attempt to pull the gem out of it's place as Acer is thrown into the woods. The pain in my body increases as my fingers make direct contact with the Darminite. Anger and panic build up in my chest as I see him switch from wolf to human and slide across the gravel.
Dmitri picks Acer up from the ground and throws him against a tree. Acer yelps in pain and it's as if I can feel his pain myself. I desperately tug at the Derminite, which barely seems to move under my weak grasp. Destrian hops into his car and drives full force at Dmitri.
There's a loud bang, but Dmitri remains standing. The front of the red jeep completely demolished. The bumper drags across the ground as Destrian backs away. Dmitri jumps onto the hood and smashes the glass. I look over to Acer who is pulling himself off the ground.
He runs to me, but suddenly Dmitri is there between us. My heart beats wildly in my chest. Acer looks at me with big, terrified eyes and guilt sinks into my bones. A trail of blood trickles down his face and he clutches his side with a pained expression.
"Just face it!" Dmitri yells. "You can not defeat me."
"Acer leave me. Just go. You're hurt." I insist.
"Yes Acer, leave him and take your friend in the jeep with you." Dmitri taunts.
"No." Acer shakes head.
Dmitri sprints forward and places his hands on the sides of Acer's face.
"Then I will have to kill you." Dmitri chuckles darkly.
"No!" I shout and suddenly all around me a blue force field surfaces, encasing Acer in a large glowing bubble.
Dmitri is thrown backwards and Acer looks at me with his mouth gaping. He quickly shakes off his shock and runs to me. As soon as I'm in his arms the blue force field sucks me in as well and lavender finds it's way into my nose. Acer winces as the Darminite bracelet accidentally grazes his chest and I mutter an apology.
I look behind us and to my surprise, Dmitri is still laying on the ground. Motionless. I wonder quietly if I've killed him.
"Destrian?" Acer asks, as he puts me into the backseat of the car.
No answer.
"Des?" I whimper out.
Acer opens the driver side window and wraps Destrian's arm across his shoulders. He wraps another arm around his waist and drags him to the other side of the car. He places him in the passenger seat. The car is already running from Destrian's attempt to take down the wild vamp, so Acer hits the gas immediately upon getting in the car.
"I've always wanted to drive a jeep." Acer jokes weakly. "Just maybe not under these circumstances."
"Hand me his arm." I state, my voice much quieter than usual.
"Jason, you're in a bad enough state. You can't heal him right now. He'll be okay." Acer assures.
I grab a hold of the back of Acer's seat and attempt to pull myself up to get a look at Destrian. Acer reaches back and pushes me to lay down, swerving slightly on the road.
"Acer." I argue, but he shakes his head.
"Please Jason. I can't lose you." he pleads, eyeing me in the rearview mirror.
I hesitate, but eventually nod, slumping back down in my seat. My eyes flutter shut and the humming of the car lolls me into an unwanted slumber. When I awaken again, strong arms are pulling me from the car. Cinnamon coats the air and I know it must be Booker.
I melt in his arms, nearly crying. I am safe.
"What the hell happened? We've visited all of the vampires in the area, none of them knew-" Booker's voice raises up.
"I really don't know everything, but Destrian does." Acer replies and I hear a car door open.
"Destrian?" Booker growls.
"I know he's a vampire, but he helped me. He helped Jason." Acer responds. "And he's really hurt-"
"Jason!" I hear my mother's voice. "Bring him up to the infirmary. Bring them all!"
I doze in and out of consciousness on the journey, attempting to piece fragments of the conversations around me together. However, I only hear words and not sentences. When I finally am conscious again, I hear the beeping of a heart monitor.
I open my eyes and look to my wrist. There's an indent where the Darminite bracelet once was and my body feels lighter. My hand reaches up to my chest and I wince slightly where my bullet wound remains. I look down the front of the hospital gown I'm now sporting. To my relief, the wound is no longer oozing puss and seems to be recovering.
The door swings open and my parents are in the doorway.
"You have to stop coming back here." my mother cries softly, pulling me into her arms.
"It wasn't my fault this time." I laugh quietly.
"Dmitri has been taken care of." my father nods to me.
"Is Destrian okay?" I question hesitantly.
My parents look at each other and then back to me. My mother places her hand reassuringly on mine and then nods her head.
"He's alright, love. Lali said he has a bit of a concussion and some stitches, but he's alright."
"He told us you brought his sister back to life." my father states through gritted teeth.
I nod.
"And in return he saved me." I remind him.
The door bursts open again and Hunter and Rhys smile at me from the doorway. My mother tells them to be gentle as Hunter jumps onto the bed. Rhys sits carefully in the chair next to me.
"Think you can stop doing crazy things for a little while? You're gonna give us all a heart attack." Rhys teases, but I see the stress in his face.
"I thought Booker was gonna murder someone." Hunter chuckles.
My heart flutters at the name.
"Where is Booker?" I ask carefully.
"With your other boyfriend." Hunter replies and wiggles his eyebrows.
I bite my lip and my face floods with a red hue. I glance to my parents and my mother rolls her eyes at Hunter. My father remains standing with his arms crossed.
"Right..." I reply.
"I'll go get them." Rhys says, standing.
"Could you find Ian too?" I ask.
"He won't be hard to find." my mother laughs.
"He's been outside your room like a lost puppy." Hunter rolls his eyes.
"I'm going to talk to Lali." my mother says and kisses my forehead.
Hunter follows behind her so that it is only my father and I left. He sighs heavily and takes Rhys' seat in the chair next to me. He ruffles my hair.
"You've always been my most difficult son." he laughs softly.
"I'm sorry, dad. For everything." I reply honestly.
"No need to apologize." he shakes his head. "You know I always tried to be the hero too when I was your age."
I smile as a nostalgic look takes over his features. As if he's looking through a time machine to his past. His memories seem to be vivid enough. Whenever he tells stories he can remember even the smallest details.
"You're aunt Lucy snuck out one night to see a boy from a different pack." he recalls. "It was pouring rain and your grandmother was baking apple pies for the pack dinner the following night. I wandered up the stairs to Lucy's room and her pillows were under her blankets to make it look like she was sleeping."
He leans back and stares up at the ceiling. As if he can see the scene playing above his head there. I wait patiently for him to continue.
"I thought she was taken." he chuckles, sitting back up and looking at me with bright eyes. "I was only eleven at the time, but eleven was old to me back then. I thought I could be the one to 'save' her."
He shakes his head with a fond smile.
"I snuck out the back door when grandma went downstairs and road my bike to a pack that is no longer around. When I got there I started yelling. Oh I caused quite the ruckus." he assures me. "All for the boy's mother to tell me Lucy had been visiting her son."
"It's the thought that counts." I offer.
He nods.
"Your aunt was pissed though." he laughs.
"I can imagine." I chuckle and he ruffles my hair again.
"You know, I am really proud of you." my father tells me with tear-filled eyes.
"I know dad." I respond, my own eyes beginning to water.
"But your death would be one of the most painful things I'd have to endure." he continues. "I learned that the hard way when you brought Sage back."
I simply nod in response, too afraid that if I attempt to talk the tears threatening my eyes will spill over. He places a strong hand on my shoulder.
"No father wants to see his son go before him. That's not in the job description of being a dad." he divulges. "So I'm asking you to please lay low for awhile. Stay on the pack grounds, don't heal anyone, don't save anyone."
I sigh softly.
"Someone is on their way here. A Salama from Italy I believe. Darius told me about him." my father explains and I look at him with wide eyes. "Until his arrival I want you to stay here."
"I was supposed to finish my exams this week and graduate." I remind him.
My father nods.
"We've talked to the school and your teachers will be sending you your tests through some online thing? I don't know what you kids use nowadays." he shakes his head. "And you'll get to go to graduation."
"That's fine with me." I grin.
"No cheating." he says, rolling his eyes.
I promise not to, knowing secretly I would. He gives me a final hug before moving towards the shut door. He places his hand on the knob and then looks at me with a soft smile.
"Now I think you have some guests that are dying to see you." he says, reaching to open the door. "We'll talk later about the second one."
I wince. I hadn't gotten to explain having two mates to my parents before everything went down. I'd hoped to explain it the day I was taken, but obviously that never happened.
"Dad I-" I begin, but he chuckles and holds up his hand.
"Later." he nods and opens the door swiftly.
Ian steps inside first and my father slips around him. He quickly sits by me on the bed like Hunter had done. Booker sits in the chair on my left and Acer lingers by the door. Uncertainty prominent on his features as he glances between Booker and I.
"God am I glad to see you." Ian says, taking my hand and pulling me into a hug.
"How's Lillian?" I ask and pat his back.
"Great." he promises, pulling away. "Thank you, Jason. I'm sorry dude. God I'm so sorry."
"Stop, Ian." I shake my head. "It was my choice. No more apologies."
"In that case, can you tell Booker to stop hating me?" he pouts and looks over to Booker, blinking at him playfully.
Booker rolls his eyes.
"Booker, it wasn't Ian's fault." I assure him and then look over to where Acer is standing awkwardly by the door. "And dear God, what did you say to Ace?"
Acer looks up at me with bright, honey eyes.
"I'll leave so you three can talk." Ian offers, giving me a final hug. "I'll come back in and bring Lillian a little later."
"Bye Ian." I say as he walks out.
Silence follows his departure as I look at my two mates before me. Acer steps closer into the room. Booker takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles.
"How are you feeling Jay baby?" he asks.
"I'm fine, B." I nod. "Are you okay, Ace?"
I look to the uncomfortable boy, still nearer to the door than me. He winces slightly as he takes steps forward until he's sitting next to me on the bed. I feel Booker staring at him from next to me and turn to glare at him.
"It was his damn pack." Booker growls finally.
"I have nothing to do with the actions of my Alpha." Acer responds heatedly, turning to Booker and then grabbing his side with a pained expression.
Without giving him a warning I place my hand on his side. He grabs my wrist knowingly, but it's too late. The image of his broken ribs flashes in my mind and then, voilà, healed. A sharp pain erupts in my side as I take a breath in and adds to the pain already existing in my chest.
"Jason, no more healing. No more!" Acer says standing and taking a step back from the bed.
I chuckle, but pain erupts from my rib cage and I have to stop. Booker takes my hand angrily. I pissed them both off with that one.
"You're gonna kill yourself! You know that, right?" Booker asks in fury. "And you know what? That's selfish, because then both of us loose you."
I look at him with wide eyes. Guilt seeps into my bones. Heavier than any of the physical pain I am already battling. In my head, healing is a selfless act. However, looking at it from my loved ones' perspective I can see now that it can be quite selfish. My father is right. I need training.
"I'm sorry." I say genuinely, and Booker's hold on my hand loosens. "I don't like when you guys are hurting. Especially when I'm the cause."
Acer sits back down on the bed and takes my other hand. He runs his thumb along my knuckles and looks up at me again.
"I'm sorry too." Acer sighs.
"Acer, you saved me." I interrupt.
"No." he shakes his head. "That doesn't matter. Booker is right, it was my pack."
"What your pack does, doesn't define you." I say and squeeze his hand.
"Your dad hates me already." Acer says and shakes his head.
"I don't hate you and I think that's all that matters." I say, staring into his swirling, brown eyes.
Booker sighs heavily.
"You're not so bad, Acer. Your pack is just shit." he offers.
I shake my head, but Acer laughs. I smile at the sound. Even with the circumstances their presence is reassuring to me that everything will be okay. The mixture of their smells in the same room is enough to calm me and distract me from the pain in my entire body.
I close my eyes and let go of Acer's hand briefly to lean my bed back. He quickly finds it again as I get comfortable.
"We'll talk more later. I'm taking a nap." I murmur and someone kisses my forehead as I fall back into darkness.