0142
Damien
Raven isn't in bed when I return. The hours of sleep she needed once again evaded her and I already knew she would be back at Jenson's bedside. Praying for a miracle.
I don't stop when I hear Dane and Abraxas in the kitchen. He was spewing some bullshit about seeing souls like he was some fucking God or maybe that was it, he just had a God complex. Bringing him here was a mistake and I would prove it.
In the hospital, I find Raven exactly where I expected her to be. Hunched over Jenson, fighting sleep, gripping his hand.
"You are supposed to be in bed."
"Can't sleep." She whispers
"Klaus was watching him." I remind her
"I know."
She's clinging to his hand again. Her thumb circled the back of his hand as though that would wake him up.
"Did something happen? Did Klaus link you?"
She shakes her head, a large tear rolls down her cheek.
I stand there, watching her, trying to think of something to say when I hear his voice. Why the fuck was he here?
I pull the door open to face Dane and Abraxas.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"
"Nice to see you too, Rogue!" He grins at me and Dane rolls his eyes.
"Why are you here, asshole?" I snap back. If he was going to continue to call me Rogue, then I had a few choice names for him too.
"I asked him to come here." Dane interrupts us
"So he can look at Jenson's soul?" I mutter sarcastically.
"Exactly."
I stare at Dane, surely he didn't believe the crap this asshole is sprouting.
"His soul?" Raven whispers behind me.
"Raven, this is Abraxas. Abraxas, this is my sister Raven and the guy in the bed is my brother, Jenson."
The asshole stares at me, waiting for me to move.
I position myself next to Raven and the idiot smirks at me.
As soon as we are alone, I'm going to stitch his lips shut so he can never smirk again. He settles into a chair on the other side of Jenson, propping an ankle on his knee as he stares at my mate's brother.
"He's a Wolf?"
"Thought you could tell the difference?" I sneer
"That's not why I was questioning it, Rogue. I'm questioning how he can be a Wolf."
"I don't understand." Dane frowns
"You told me what he did to himself. That he practically killed himself to get rid of his Wolf so that he didn't have a connection to Blair." "Yes."
"Hmm" He's staring at my mate in that strange way he looked at Neah.
"What?" Raven mutters. "What is it?"
The asshole frowns as his eyes move down to my mate holding Jenson's hand. "Humour me, let go." "Why?" She mutters.
"Curiosity."
He said that quite a lot. It was annoying that he never explained himself. Not unless he wanted to.
"I can't." Raven whispers. "I'm not ready."
"He's not going anywhere," The asshole tells her
She nods her head and her hand slowly retreats. Why did they listen to everything he said like it was law? How could I be the only one not to trust him?
A smile appears on his face after several minutes of silence. "Okay, you can hold him again." He mutters and leaves.
"I will be right back." I tell my mate and follow Daneand Abraxas from the room. "What the fuck was that about?"
"He's not dead." The asshole mutters.
"The machines......" Dane starts
"The machines are letting him heal, very very slowly." He runs his hand through the stubble on his cheeks. "Twin Wolves both in essence and spirit. Much like mates, they can connect on more levels. Surely you know this." "I know their bond is different." Dane replies.
"You should prepare yourself, your sons have the same bond."
"Really? Do you really get off on spewing this crap? Those machines are what are keeping him alive."
"Nah."
I square up to him and he laughs. "You should never have come here, asshole."
"Neither should you, Rogue."
His movement is quick and I feel a gun pressed to the side of my head.
"Abraxas!" Dane growls.
"I promised not to hurt your mate." He smiles at me as he stares me dead in the eye. "I didn't promise I wouldn't kill the Rogue." His eyes narrow. "Your brain will make a lovely piece of art, smeared against the wall to our left. I might even put a frame around it." "Son of a bitch."
"You shouldn't talk about someone else's mother like that. Not when you have your own family problems." He pushes the end of the gun firmly against my temple.
"You two are worse than squabbling children!" Dane snaps. "Abraxas put the gun down. Damien go to Raven."
"Looks like it's your lucky day." The asshole grins at me. "I was quite looking forward to hanging a frame. I was going to add a little information. 'Here lies the remnants of a Rogue. He thought he knew what he was doing, but the darkness took him instead.' Has a nice sound to it, doesn't it?"
A low growl rumbles from my chest and he laughs. He taps the gun against my temple twice. "Remember, I'm always prepared, Rogue." He winks at me and turns away, acting like it was his decision not to shoot me.
"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Raven asks quietly as I slam the door. She doesn't look at me, her eyes are only on her brother.
"That asshole claims to be a Hunter."
"Isn't he a Wolf?"
"A Hunter of Rogues and Lycans."
She puffs out her cheeks and drags her dark orbs away from her brother to look at me. "Why would my brother bring him here? With you and Neah, Mallory and the boys"
"The guy has issues with Blair too." I groan "And Mallory roped him into helping Neah."
****
"He's Dorothy's father?" She is staring at me as I break the news. It's the most she had looked at me since Jenson had landed himself in here. It was a good thing, to get her tired mind focussed on something else even if it's just for a few minutes. "Apparently."
"Are you sure?"
"I saw the way he looked at her. It's the same look Neah and Dane have when they look at their boys."
"How is Dorothy taking it?"
"Surprisingly well. She seemed to know who she was." I frown, thinking about the way she hugged me. I thought she had been scared but now I wonder if she had been overwhelmed with her feelings. "She ran into his arms." "She won't stop loving you." Raven gives me a small smile.
"I'm not her father though, am I?!" It felt like my heart was being torn apart when I thought about it.
"Don't give up on it just yet. Dorothy adores you. You are the only one allowed to call her Dottie. She won't just fade from your life."
"She will if he takes her. This is her home Raven. She loves everyone here. She's a pack Wolf."
f he is helping Neah, he will be here for a while yet. Blair hasn't shown herself since you last saw her. Dorothy isn't leaving your life that easily." She scowls at me "And you can't kill him. That will destroy her."
Her gaze lowers to her brother and I knew I had lost her again. As she falls into silence, I mull over what the asshole said. 'Twins in essence and spirit.' And the machines weren't what was keeping him alive.
I knew Raven said that their Wolves were twins too. Surely he couldn't mean it was Midnight keeping Jenson alive?
As much as I couldn't stand the bastard, I needed to know if that was what he meant.
Dane and the asshole hadn't gone far. They were still outside the hospital.
"What did you mean the machines are not keeping him alive?" I demand
He smirks at me. I really wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and crush his windpipe.
"He was just saying that it's Raven." Dane tells me
"Come on then, let's hear your amazing theory behind this."
"Do you actually want to hear it, or are you just being an idiot?"
Dane's crimson eyes lock on mine. He doesn't say anything and I don't need to ask to know he wants me to choose my words carefully.
"I want to hear!" I mutter through a clenched jaw
"He lives because of her. Twins who share twin Wolves are as rare as Neah is. But you know that, right?"
"I'm aware."
"Their souls are intertwined." He slots his fingers together.
"And how is that supposed to work? He left the pack."
"They leave a part of themselves with the other one. When I say she is keeping him alive it's because...."
"Part of her soul lives in him" Dane finishes for him. "She's not dead, so he can't move on."
"Nailed it!" The asshole claps his hands together and winks at Dane. "And that is why you, Dane, were able to feel his death and carry on. She can't, she's stuck."
"Does he have a soul?" Dane asks with a creased brow
"I think you already know the answer to that."
"Okay then, wise one." I mutter in my most sarcastic tone. "What do we do with him if my mate is the one keeping him alive?"
"There is nothing you can do. You have to leave it to the higher powers. The machines are allowing him to heal. But no one can survive without a soul. Maybe if they think he deserves it, they will give him a new one. But you better pray for it." "Fucking nutjob." I mutter, turning away.
Never have I heard so much crap.
"You love my baby girl." He shouts after me. "She will grow up to be just like me and if somehow, I decide to let you live, are you going to make her believe she is losing the plot?"
"You can't guarantee that she will be just like you."
"It's genetics and I have already seen it."
I was about to answer when Neah's voice echoed in my head. 'This is your Alpha. Your presence is required in Black Shadow.'
I look up, confused, I was already in Black Shadow. I was about to ask Dane what was going on when I see Mallory running towards us with a massive grin.
"She did it! She sent out a link to everyone."