8. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

T he visions were getting more frequent. The only relief he'd gotten was Mitchell flirting with him and when he had taken charge. All Seryn could do was breathe through them.

Seryn pulled a handgun out of his coat when it was apparent the guards wouldn't stop hunting them. How many more guards were there? Surely Davorion didn't have that many on his payroll.

Seryn hadn't killed Davorion when he had the chance. It would prove to be a big mistake. He already knew that. But between his visions and Mitchell's injuries, He'd overlooked the fact Davorion was still breathing.

With Mitchell not able to move quickly they couldn't make a run for it. But Seryn had planned for that.

Seryn turned to Todd, who was stupid enough to stick with them. He would have been better off running along with the rest. At least, in the short term. After Seryn got them far enough away from the tunnels, they would be in less danger. But not out of the woods completely.

Seryn wasn't sure what to do after. All he knew was Davorion's reach was pretty long and that would be a continuous problem until Seryn killed him.

"My one regret is that I didn't make sure Davorion was dead." Seryn hadn't meant to say that aloud.

Todd sucked in a breath. "He's not?"

Seryn sighed and changed the subject. He'd never been good at sugar coating things, mostly because he wasn't sure why people needed it. Seryn had lost his fear during his childhood, and it hadn't returned until the vision of Mitchell dying popped into his head. He had forgotten how fear felt. But feeling it again had allowed him to recognize it in Todd. "Do you know how to use a handgun?"

Todd shook his head.

Mitchell held out his hand. "Give it here, sweetheart."

Seryn handed it over and then pulled out a knife, handing it to Todd. "Don't throw it, as I did. It takes a bit of skill to hit a target with accuracy."

Todd frowned at the knife as if it offended him. He didn't reach for it, though. "I can't kill anyone."

"That guard who followed us out isn't the only one." Seryn listened for a moment, counting heartbeats. "There are six of them."

Mitchell cursed and pulled Seryn closer. "I'm slowing us down."

"Yes. And as you can see, there isn't a place to hide." They were in an open field surrounded by warehouses. The buildings were in the distance, closer to the edge of the Duchester River. The tunnel exit had them landing in the middle of what used to be a park. Industry took over the area and with it came contamination. It wasn't long before the city closed off the tunnel.

As exits went, the one Seryn had picked wasn't ideal because of the openness, but it was the easiest way to get Mitchell out. With his injuries, Seryn couldn't take the chance of dragging him around the tunnels, searching for a better exit.

No matter what, they'd leave bodies, which meant someone was bound to call the cops. Seryn would have a simpler time getting out of any charges because he saved a bunch of trafficked people, but Mitchell's name would come up. It would draw attention to the guns he had stolen, which was why he was in Davorion's clutches to begin with. Everyone knew Mitchell had stolen them and why. No one wanted to snitch. Not only that, but Mitchell was good enough at stealing that it was all just gossip. No one had any actual proof. Except no one knew where the guns were, probably not even Mitchell.

"We'll have to kill more people?" What did Todd think it was going to take to get out from under a guy like Davorion?

Seryn smiled. "The next time you make a deal with someone like Davorion, make sure you're prepared to do what it takes to get out of it."

"That's the best advice you're ever gonna get, kid," Mitchell said. He nodded, drawing Seryn's attention to something behind him.

Seryn turned in time to see six guards. Two led. They had their guns raised. Seryn could see they were prepared to kill, which meant he had to act quickly.

He pulled up a shield, putting it in front of them. "Get behind us, Todd."

Todd screamed when bullets started flying.

"Can I shoot into this thing?" Mitchell was cool under pressure. Even through the pain, he reached around the shield and fired, taking out a guard.

"No." Seryn threw a ball of fire at the other before reaching into his coat and pulling out a knife. "Are you stable?"

Mitchell nodded. "Be careful."

Seryn ran around the shield. His vampire speed benefited him as he sliced the throat of one guard before switching hands and going after the other. The last two Mitchell took out with a bullet through the head of one and the other one fell, but he was still alive.

Seryn plunged his knife through the guy's heart before walking back to Mitchell.

The shield seemed as if it were a black void. He liked using it because it tricked the eye. Usually, his enemy thought he had somehow disappeared into it. They'd shoot directly into the shield, which made it a target instead of him. It had always been an effective tool.

He waved his hand, and the shield came down, exposing Mitchell and Todd. Todd lay on the ground in a fetal position, covering his head. But it was Mitchell who Seryn was concerned about. Mitchell swayed on his feet with one arm around his middle as if he were holding his guts in and the other holding Seryn's gun. He wouldn't be able to stand much longer.

Walking was a problem. Seryn's car wasn't close by, but Seryn wasn't sure if he could carry Mitchell. Even with his vampire strength, Mitchell was too heavy. He was a big guy for a human. Solid muscle was underneath all those bruises and blood.

Seryn wrapped his arms around him, making sure he had support.

"I think I might pass out." Mitchell's words slurred right before his body went limp.

Seryn helped him to the ground.

He cast a dome around them, blocking them from view.

Todd sat up, scooting closer to Mitchell's other side. He met Seryn's gaze. "I know a doctor. He might help."

"The immediate concern is moving him."

"We can call an ambulance."

"How do we explain his injuries?" Not only did Seryn want an opportunity to kill Davorion, which wouldn't happen if the cops got involved, but he also didn't want to draw any attention to Mitchell.

"With the truth."

Seryn shook his head.

"Can't you conjure up a gurney or something?"

Seryn smiled. "You're a genius."

Todd rolled his eyes. "If you honestly thought that you would have taken my suggestion of calling an ambulance."

Seryn chuckled. "If it were anyone other than Mitchell Burke, it would have been a good idea."

"Everyone deserves healthcare, Seryn."

"There are things about Mitchell that you don't know." When Todd tried to speak, Seryn held up his hand. "I won't tell you, and I'll kill you if you try to find out."

Todd's eyes widened. "You're not joking."

"I never joke." Seryn didn't know how. He didn't have a sense of humor anymore. At least not one anyone understood.

Todd sighed. "I wish someone was protective of me like you are of him."

"You're under my protection as long as you aren't a threat to Mitchell." Seryn smiled as he cast a spell. He waved his hands over Mitchell as the spell took hold.

Todd sucked in a breath. "It's so cool that you glow and shit."

Seryn didn't realize he glowed when he was spell casting. No one had ever told him. Maybe he'd only just started glowing. Meeting Mitchell did wonky things to his magic. Not only that, but Seryn had always been unexplainable. He shouldn't be a warlock and a vampire at the same time. That alone set him apart from others.

Seryn stood, keeping his hand over Mitchell. Mitchell, prone and unconscious, levitated. As long as he stayed unconscious, Seryn could keep the spell going. But Seryn kept Mitchell low to the ground just in case he woke up.

Todd grabbed the gun Mitchell had dropped and handed it to Seryn.

Seryn took it with his free hand and then let the dome fall away. Getting Mitchell away from the area was the priority. That had to come first.

It took them ten minutes to get to his car. They weren't in a populated part of town. No one was around when he loaded Mitchell into the backseat and got in behind him. He kept Mitchell's head in his lap.

He handed his keys to Todd. "Drive."

Todd nodded. "Where?"

"To your friend." It was the best option. "But only if you think they can keep their mouth shut."

"He will. He owes me." Todd mumbled under his breath, but Seryn heard him. "Fucking cheater."

"He's your boyfriend?"

"Ex. He works a thousand hours a week at Bennington Hospital."

Seryn handed Todd his phone. "Call him."

Todd dialed before getting the car moving. He put the phone on speaker and then put it between them.

The person on the other end seemed hesitant when he answered. He also sounded tired. Either that or he was drunk.

"I need your help."

"Todd?"

"Yes, you idiot. Are you so busy fucking the interns that you forgot the sound of my voice?" Todd was a little spitfire.

The guy sighed. "I'm working on two hours of sleep in the last forty-eight hours, Todd. I don't have enough brainpower to argue with you."

"Good, because I have an emergency and I need you."

Something about what Todd said perked the guy up, putting him on alert. "Are you okay?"

"Not me. A friend of mine."

"How bad?"

"Bad. I think he might have a couple of broken bones."

"Bring him to the hospital."

"I need him to stay off the grid."

"What the fuck are you involved in, baby?"

Seryn watched as Todd's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. "You don't get to call me that. And it's none of your fucking business. You made sure of that the day you stuck your dick in someone else. And you fucking owe me, so make sure my friend stays out of the hospital system."

"I still love you. That will never change."

"Where at the hospital should I meet you?"

"The ER. I'll put him under an alias in our system."

Todd ended the call. "God, I want to hate him."

"But you don't." A vision, the first one in a long while, hit him. It was just snapshots. Mitchell was in a blue suit that showed off his muscular form. Mitchell's smile was loving when their gazes met.

"No." Todd sighed. He said nothing for a long time, but Seryn could smell his tears. He sniffled and wiped the back of his hand across his cheeks. "No, I definitely don't hate him."

"But he cheated? And that ended the relationship?" Seryn wanted to understand. He ran fingers through Mitchell's hair, trying to comb it with his fingers. The tangles were out of control.

"With an intern at the hospital."

"Do you want me to kill him? And/or the intern?" It would have to be after they helped Mitchell.

Todd sucked in a breath. "No," Todd said after sucking in a breath. But then he seemed to think about it. His eyebrows raised. "You're serious? Would you actually do it?"

"It's what I do for a living, Todd. But I wouldn't charge you. Since we're friends."

Something about what Seryn said amused Todd. "Says the guy who threatened to kill me."

"I'll kill anyone who threatens Mitchell." It was a simple fact. He didn't care who they were. "Even my family."

"He's important, huh?"

Seryn wouldn't get another mate. That alone made him the most important person in Seryn's life. But Mitchell also needed him. He'd needed Seryn long before Seryn had sensed him, long before the visions had started.