Chapter 15

Mac felt like he could finally breathe again. When D went back to get Viv, she was gone, fresh drops of blood on the floor. D had dropped Thomas off at the hospital and had ported back to get Viv within minutes, but she had already been taken someplace new. D had been blaming himself for leaving her there, but Mac knew Viv had been right that Thomas needed immediate medical attention. There was talk about surgery for his leg and they were worried about his one eye.

Mac had been working nonstop trying to find new locations and track down informants and leads. It took days but Liam had finally heard whispers among the degenerates of a small invite-only party. The party prize was a human. This had to be it. D was with Thomas who was still in the hospital recovering. They took him to a nonhuman hospital with extra security. It also meant that they had access to better medical care with witches and a shaman on staff. Liam and Gina were coming with him, along with several other Enforcers that Lucifer trusted. Some of them were Lucifer’s own bodyguards.

They ported to the grounds. He took Liam while another Enforcer took Gina. They had also brought a witch healer just in case. There wasn’t much around, only a partial building, and he could hear noises coming from that direction. He could also smell his mate’s blood. A lot of it.

“We need to get to her,” the witch urged in a whisper. “The amount of blood I smell is too much for a human. She’ll die soon if we can’t get her help.”

Mac nodded. Using hand gestures Mac sent the team to surround the building. Gina waved her hand, creating a dome over the structure. She had the ability to create force fields and this one would keep anyone from teleporting out, making sure that they could capture anyone in there.

Mac crept closer, not hearing his mate’s voice but he could hear her heartbeat. It was racing fast in fear. His team tapped their mics, letting him know they were all in position. Mac changed forms, knocking down the door.

“NO!” he roared. His demon took one look at the scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life and lost himself to rage. His mate on the ground, held in place by four nonhumans, one foot pierced to the ground by the scorpion shifter’s barb. The demoness behind her, her tail encased in a barbed sheath, poised to force its way into her body.

Mac ported over before he could even form the thought, his claws out, slicing the throat of the demoness. Gripping her head, he twisted, ripping it from her body. His own tail reached out, firming to the hardness of steel, stabbing the scorpion shifter through the stomach. He grinned at him as he curled his tail and pulled it out, ripping out the man’s intestines. His hand rose, stabbing the shifter through the ear with his claws. Pulling out his gun, he shot the one who was trying to run away. He was a mind fucker and Mac wanted to have a word with him before he killed him. Spinning to grab the one holding her left arm, Mac saw Liam had already ripped out his throat. Nodding at his friend, he turned his attention to the man trying to crab walk away from him. He kept slipping in the demoness’ blood, so he didn’t make it far. This one was a demon. How disappointing.

“Do you see this mark?” he asked, turning his wrist over.

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know we couldn’t have this one.”

“This one? This one’s my mate.” Mac watched as the demon’s face drained of all color. “But regardless, this should never have happened.” Punching his fist through his chest, he grabbed hold of the demon’s heart. “Die. And when I see you next it will be in the deepest pits. Lucifer has a special place just for you,” he told him. Mac let his fire come forth, burning the demon from the inside out. Most demons were immune to hellfire, but his was special, a gift known only to his family line. The body turned to ash in seconds, drifting away on the air.

Mac saw the witch working on Viv and he focused on the mind fucker. “You’re going to die. How painful it is depends on you. I can draw it out for days. Or I can make it quick. You fucked with the wrong mate. Release her mind and any little traps you left, and you die quick. I want nothing of you or your magic remaining in her. We have ways of checking and if you lie, I’ll let Lucifer himself have you.”

“I’m just going to be in punishment anyway. It doesn’t matter to me and it’s amusing to watch her suffer.”

“I don’t think you understand. You touched what is mine. Look at me and see what I have planned for you. You won’t die, but you’ll crave it. I’ll never let you go, and your pain will increase tenfold. Anything you love will die in front of you. There’s no escape for you. I can crush your soul, or you can suffer eternal. I don’t care which. There are ways around your trickery, it’s just faster if you do it. Decide now or I’ll decide for you.”

Mac focused on all the depravity and awfulness he had seen in his many, many years working as an Enforcer. He thought of his teachings from his uncle who had seen much more than him. There were ways to skin a person alive, to keep them alive magically so they felt the painful pulse of nerve endings being exposed to the air. Ways to let the skin grow back only to start all over. He worked at keeping people safe, but he knew thousands of ways to make people suffer. To save his mate he would do whatever it took. Torture, killing. Nothing would stand in his way.

The mind fucker looked at him, trying to find a way to manipulate Mac’s brain. “Not going to work, fucker. I’m immune. I’m just letting you see some of my ideas so you can make an informed decision.”

The man paled. Mac knew he would cave then. They always did when they realized their tricks wouldn’t work. The man looked at his mate, whispering words on the air. Mac grabbed his throat. “Nope. Loud enough we can all hear them. No bullshit.”

The man spoke again, the witch listening intently. She had a mind gift as well, due to her mixed parentage. She placed a hand on Viv’s head, focusing. When she gave a nod, Mac spoke to the man again. “You’re going to see Lucifer. When we confirm her mind is clear of your bullshit, we’ll destroy you. Until then, have fun.” Mac stabbed him in the heart, twisting the knife. As soon as the life left him, Mac rushed over to Viv.

“How is she?” He wanted to touch her but wasn’t sure where.

“Badly dehydrated and malnourished. They tried to rape her but didn’t succeed. There’s some bleeding at her anal entrance, but she wasn’t penetrated. There are traces of scorpion poison in her system, keeping her wounds from healing. She’s lost a lot of blood from bites. She’s almost drained. Her hand is infected, and I’m worried it’s gone into sepsis, but a lot of the symptoms are also associated with blood loss, so the hospital will have to run tests. I can’t tell yet if her ankle is broken or badly sprained. She was also exposed to the elements, so hypothermia could be an issue. Some of her digits are showing signs of early frostbite. We need to get her to a nonhuman hospital. I need more healers if we want to save her. This is beyond my skills. I can keep her alive until we get there, but I’m not strong enough to heal all of this,” she admitted.

Mac grabbed his phone. “Uncle, can you open a portal to the hospital? The witch needs to stay with Viv, and we need more healers when we get there. It’s bad,” he added, his voice breaking.

“It’ll be done. She won’t leave you,” his uncle promised. Mac took solace in the words of his only remaining blood family member.

He heard a buzz and turned to see a large portal open, medical staff waiting on the other side.

“Can I pick her up?” he asked.

“Yes, but be careful of her ribs. There may be fractures,” the witch advised, keeping a hand on Viv at all times. He could see the strain on her face, as her skin took a grayer tone. “We need to go now; I can’t hold on much longer.”

Mac lifted Viv as quickly as he could without moving her ribs and ran toward the portal, the witch keeping pace. As soon as they crossed over, he laid Viv on the stretcher and another witch placed a hand on her. The one that came with them collapsed, Mac catching her and laying her down, resting her head gently on the floor.

“Go, we’ve got her,” a hospital member urged him.

Mac rushed after his mate, following them down hallways, only stopping when a large gargoyle stepped in his way in front of a set of large doors. “I’m sorry, sir. But that’s the surgery. You can’t go back there,” he said, his voice apologetic. “There’s a waiting room. Follow me.”

Mac followed, receiving more than a few stares and people moving to give him space. They entered a waiting room. It looked like a standard hospital waiting room with bland walls, the smell of antiseptic and cleaner. A coffee and snack machine stood in the corner. The chairs here were a little differently shaped than human hospitals; the seats wider, some without backs to accommodate wings and tails. In another corner there was a glass-enclosed room with a heat lamp for the cold-blooded shifters. The opposite corner had a similar enclosure, but this was filled with snow and had blocks of ice to keep it cold. Those areas had their own seats inside of the enclosure, along with call buttons for the waiting room assistants.

It helped to have waiting room assistants; most of them had some sort of calming gift, helping to keep nonhumans as calm as possible and fights and rages to a minimum. They also ran to get food, drinks, anything the people waiting might need.

“Is there anyone we can call to wait with you?” the attendant asked.

Mac shook his head. Uncle would be helping deal with the ones he killed today. D was with Thomas, and he wasn’t going to pull him from his injured mate’s side. Liam was his next closest friend, but he and Gina were still at the site, cleaning up bodies and filing reports.

His phone chimed. It was his uncle.

Got them all. I created a new holding area just for them. I sent Belz to keep an eye on your mate. He’ll make sure she’s safe. Love you, Mac.

Mac found a small smile at that. His uncle didn’t say it much, but Mac knew he loved him. He had helped raise him after his parents died. Belz was a demon, but he was trained in medicine and also had the ability to become invisible. Mac guessed he was in the surgery room. There were so many lights in those rooms, for a good reason, but it didn’t leave any shadows for a demon to hide. Belz wouldn’t have that problem.

He paced the room, wondering what was going on. His phone buzzed again but from a number he didn’t recognize.

It’s Belz. They have her on strong antibiotics. It went to sepsis. Hard to tell if in shock or just blood loss. Have blood transfusion and anti-venom started too. Had to wash her first to avoid additional contaminations. About to start surgery.

Thanks. What’s the surgery for?Mac typed back.

Stitches for head, hand, foot, and some whip marks for sure. Shoulder will have to be reset. I’ll let you know more later. They may find more. They’re worried about ribs and possible skull fracture.

Thanks.Mac responded and closed his messages.

He took another lap around the room before grabbing a coffee. He hadn’t slept in two days as they chased the last few leads that led to finding Viv.

How’s Thomas? Has he woken up?Mac wrote to D. Last time they had spoken, Thomas had had surgery for his ribs, his leg set and casted, burns treated. They had him sedated to allow his lung to heal for a few days before allowing the sedation to wear off and let him wake up naturally.

He did briefly and was asking where Viv was,D replied.

We found her. We’re here. She’s in surgery now. They’re all dead, Mac wrote back.

Do you need me to come down?D asked.

No. Stay with your mate. I’ll keep you updated.

He stared at the white-ish beige walls and wondered why they didn’t have pictures or something enjoyable to look at.

“Mac? Honey? Are you okay?”

He turned around and saw D’s mom standing there. He wanted to give her a hug but his hands were coated in blood.

“I’m not hurt,” he reassured her. “We found her. It’s. It’s bad. They were trying to…” he shook his head, unable to finish the sentence.

“It’ll be a while, sir. There’s a bathroom over there with a shower, if you would like to use it. I have a pair of scrubs that you can change into. I have slipper socks, but not shoes in your size,” the room attendant said when she came over.

“Go,” D’s mom urged. “I’ll wait out here in case there’s news. You need a shower; you’ll scare her looking like that. I sent Bill to grab a pair of D’s shoes, you guys have always been the same size.”

“Thanks, Ma,” he said, giving her a wan smile.

The room assistant brought him over to the bathroom, the clothes already sitting on the bench. Mac looked at himself in the mirror. He was coated in blood, splatter everywhere. Yeah. He needed to get clean.

Mac sped through the shower, scalding himself but he made sure to get all the blood off his skin and under his nails. He quickly dried off and threw on the scrubs and socks. By the time he got out of the bathroom, D’s mom was still sitting in the room, but she had a pair of boots for him. He asked the nurse for a plastic bag for his clothes. They needed to be burned. There was no saving them.

It took hours, but finally an exhausted-looking doctor came over. “Are you with the young woman that was brought in? Vivian?”

“Yes,” Mac confirmed.

“Are you family?” the doctor asked.

“She’s my mate and I’m an Enforcer,” he replied, showing his markings.

“Let’s go talk in a private room,” the doctor said, leading them to a small conference room.

Ma sat with him, holding his hand.

“She had a lot of injuries, but I can at least say she wasn’t raped. They tried and there’s some cuts around her anus, but a few stitches took care of those. Some of the whip marks needed stitches, her shoulder was dislocated and we have that set. We have it immobilized for now to let it heal. She had signs of a concussion, but we did a CAT scan and didn’t see anything too alarming in terms of brain swelling. She had a skull fracture. We had to administer antivenom before we could perform surgery or she would have bled out. It was close enough as it was. We repaired the nerves in her foot that were severed. She had a hairline fracture in her ankle. She also had several bruised ribs and a large burn down her back and on her feet. She’s on antibiotics and pain meds for everything. We’re keeping her lightly sedated so she doesn’t thrash around and cause more injuries. She was dehydrated and malnourished on top of the blood loss and hypothermia.”

“Can’t you use a healing potion? Cost is no problem, whatever she needs,” Mac offered.

“The Lucifer already took care of it. It’s more that her body can’t handle too much more strain. She’s human and not used to rapid healing. We gave her a few small doses to heal the concussion and skull fracture so we could put her under sedation and used healing salves to heal the burns and most of the whip marks on her back. Some were deep enough to scar though, even with the cream. We’re hesitant to use any more on her right now until we see how her body reacts. We had to do the same thing with her friend that was brought in earlier. Treating humans is a little trickier if they haven’t been exposed to our healing before. If she does well, we’ll try additional potions in a few days. She’s going to be kept sedated until then to reduce the risk of further injury.

“Her ankle is in an air cast at the moment to keep it stabilized. She can use a walking boot once she’s awake and feeling up to being mobile. The biggest issue was her hand. The puncture wound went all the way through, severing a nerve. It was also septic. We repaired the nerve as best we could, but the combination of the infection and the severity of the wound might cause long-term issues. We’ll have to wait to see. We applied a few drops of healing potion to help get the infection under control, to boost the antibiotics. The foot was pretty straightforward. I don’t anticipate any long-term problems from that. As a normal human, she may develop aches in the bone as she ages, but nothing from the nerve issue.”

Mac sat back, stunned at how much her small body had endured.

“Is that it, doctor?” Ma asked, gripping his hand tightly.

“You’re mates?” he asked again, hesitantly.

Mac nodded.

“We did a swab and a quick pregnancy test to make sure that none of the ejaculate made its way into her body. She was lucky, nothing entered, and the scan was clean. She won’t become pregnant from them ejaculating on her.”

Mac felt lightheaded. He hadn’t even thought of that as a possibility since they said she wasn’t penetrated. Holy crap.

“Head between your knees,” the doctor said, shoving his head down. “I don’t need to stitch you up too if you hit your head passing out.”

Mac took several deep breaths, calming himself before sitting up.

“When can we see her?”

“Give us a half hour or so. Someone will come get you.”