Chapter 35
Chapter
Thirty-Five
MALCOLM
T he sedative Syrena gave to Declan has him sleeping, but I don’t think it’s restful. He’s tossing and turning, making the hospital bed creak and groan under his weight. He’s already bent the metal rails on one side.
We need to get him out of this hospital if we’re going to have any chance of keeping his dragon a secret from the non-shifters in the ward or the city. We’re not any closer to finding Brianna and his condition is only going to worsen until she’s back in his arms.
Of course, Ash isn’t answering his phone, and Pru went home for the night to be with her dragon mate and get much needed rest.
Leaving the last unmated brother of the Wystan clan to watch over the patient. It’s not that I’m not happy to help my brother, but if something goes wrong, I’m not the best brother to help. Declan and I aren’t close. I have no idea what it’s like to have a mate, except for all consuming if my brothers are anything to go off. They’re constantly worried about their mates. The current situation probably doesn’t help anything. Once the war is over, maybe they’ll calm down a little.
I can’t say I’m too bothered by not having a mate on my arm, or a crying, pooping, screaming machine in the form of a youngling.
They can keep all that, for all I care.
Of course, the unmated brother without much in the way or responsibilities is saddled with babysitting. Not to sound like a petulant child, but I do have things to do too. I have a life. Not much of one since this fucking war started. Since our parents were murdered. Since our brother revealed dragons to all with irrefutable evidence. Since vampires and humans alike decided it was time for shifters to become extinct.
At the very least, I deserve some fucking coffee.
I check to make sure the tossing and turning has stopped, at least for the time being, before I get up. I’m tempted to take that broken metal bar, add just a little heat, and turn his bed into a shackle to keep him here, but again, I’m trying to not draw attention to the fact that there are dragons here.
“Just keep fucking sleeping, Dec, and I’ll be right back.”
I close the door to his room and stride down the hospital hallways to find the cafeteria. I’m not really in a hurry to find it and get back. I need a break. Seeing my brother like this is harder than I’d like to admit.
I hope the cafeteria is open and there is some coffee, even if it’s burnt, even if it’s been sitting for hours.
The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, and with the chirping of monitors in various rooms, an occasional crackling of an intercom, but not much else, it feels like I’m in some kind of technological jungle, nothing alive, but so many computers, so much tech, calling and responding to each other.
No nurses, no doctors, no one seems to be alive here.
At first, the cafeteria appears to be the same, but at least there’s a coffee vending machine in the corner, so I might be alone, but at least I’ll be caffeinated.
As I pull out my wallet and look over my options, I hear a wistful sigh behind me.
“Oh, thank God I’m not the only caffeine addict still up.”
I turn around, blinking in surprise at the tall, curvy redhead standing there.
“Now, how did I miss you, wandering the halls alone? Can I get you a cup?” I lick my lips, thinking my night just got a hell of a lot more interesting.
“Oh, no, I better not. But I wouldn’t mind chatting for a while, if you’ve got the time.” She smiles, gesturing at a nearby table.
“Sure. I’ve got to get back to my brother soon, but I can at least spare a cup of coffee worth of time.” I grin, punching in my order and feeding in dollar bills.
As the cup drops and starts to fill, I lean against the wall and look at her curiously. “What’s got you wandering around these halls tonight?”
“What’s got anyone wandering around a hospital at night? Aren’t we all just ghosts, haunting this place like a purgatory, waiting to see if life or death awaits?” She tilts her head at me, and then closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath like she’s getting a high off the smell of the coffee.
I don’t blame her. “I’m Malcolm.” I smile warmly with a hint of charm as I take the seat across from her before taking a long pull of my hot drink.
“Calliope.” She smiles, but she doesn’t extend her hand to shake mine.
I don’t extend mine either. Humans are weird about their germs, and especially in a place like this I’m not going to push it.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re really here?”
“And ruin this air of mystery and intrigue?” She winks and her beautiful smile grows a little more. “Does it matter? I’m here, you’re here, and I’m guessing neither one of us are leaving any time soon, so surely there are more fun questions on your mind beyond why I’m in the hospital tonight.”
I grin, taking another drink of my coffee enjoying the hot liquid. “Touché. In that case, tell me something you wouldn’t share with anyone else.”
Calliope studies me for a minute, looking at me like she’s trying to figure out something, but I have no idea what that might be.
Finally, she says, “I don’t think the press, the websites, the hysteria going on right now with shifters, is warranted. I guess, if I were to meet one, especially a dragon… I don’t know, I think it would be fascinating. I’d want to know everything.”
“You don’t say.” My smile falters a little as I continue to play it cool, using my coffee as a distraction from my no doubt small hint of surprise at her words. Does she somehow know I’m a dragon already? “Why dragons in particular? Wouldn’t wolves, bears, some other animal be just as fascinating?”
She shakes her head. “No offense to any of those animals, and don’t get me wrong, the mere fact they can shift from a human into an animal is beyond amazing, but dragons…it’s not like I can see one of those at the zoo. They’re the stuff of legends, of myths. Are you telling me that, if you had the chance, you wouldn’t at least consider flying with one of them?” Her eyes sparkle, and her body amps up with excitement.
Instead, I say, “Dragons, wolves, vampires… I’m not sure I believe any of them exist. I know there was that footage or whatever, but have you ever seen one?”
She purses her lips. “Not in person, but wouldn’t you want to see one?”
I shrug passively and take another drink of my coffee, a little perturbed it’s almost gone. “If you ever find yourself in the company of one, you might just have to call me and let me know.”
Calliope chortles. “Is that just a not so clever way to get my phone number? Because I’m not entirely sure you’ve earned it yet.”
“Oh, I have to earn it?”
“Yep. Meet me here tomorrow night, same time, and we’ll see if you can’t get there.” She stands, leaning down to wink at me before she turns on her heel and strides away.
I don’t know if it’s intentional on her part, but as she leaves, my eyes stay on her sashaying ass and hips until she disappears from view.
No matter what Ash or Declan need from me, I’m sure as shit going to be in this cafeteria again tomorrow night, same time.
As soon as I have a fresh cup of coffee in hand, I wander my way back to Declan’s room, hoping he’s still passed out on the bed.
Better that, than the alternative.
Even before I get to the room, I know something’s wrong.
Sounds of crashing, banging, echo through the empty halls, and there’s no way any human’s making such noise.
I quickly reach out to him through my mind, hoping I can calm him down before I even get in there. Declan! Calm down. I’m coming in.
It’s easier to shout at him in his head, rather than risking waking other patients. If they haven’t already been awakened because of all the racket he’s making.
My mate! Now!
Great. Just what I need. A riled up, horny dragon who’s not even trying to be under control.
I throw open the door, letting my talons and fangs out. I’m sure my eyes have taken on a reptilian look too, as I let my dragon play close to the surface. “DECLAN! Stop. Now.”
My brother snarls at me, his own eyes looking wild, like dark swirling clouds over a black backdrop. He’s crouching on the bed, but everything else in the room is a mess. Furniture overturned, sheets shredded, monitors smashed.
I really don’t want to have to put my brother out the hard way.
“Declan. Stop. I know you want your mate. We’re working on getting her back. But you shifting in this hospital isn’t going to be good for anyone. You need to let your dragon out, we’ll head to the roof again.” I move into his space, fully prepared for him to attack, and I shove him back against the bed. “You’re going to be a father, gods help us all, and you need to keep yourself under control so that you get to meet that kid. If you let your dragon take control, Ash is going to have to do what every king dreads they might have to. Don’t make your brother kill you.”
His lip curls again, smoke starting to coil out of his nostrils, but he sags into the mattress and sighs. “I need her.”
“I get it, Dec, but you have to keep your dragon under control, or I’m going to have to get Syrena to bring in more sedatives.” I shake my head. “Don’t make me have to haul your ass to a safe house somewhere and keep you far from the last place Brianna was seen. That’s only going to piss off your dragon even more, and I really don’t want to have to keep threatening you.”
He blinks a few times, his eyes looking clearer and clearer each time, until I can see my brother again. “I need to get her back, Mal.”
“And we’re working on it.” I pick up the chair and flip it back upright before I flop in. “What happened?”
Declan grabs a pillow and curls around it, cuddling it to his chest like it’s his lifeline, the only thing keeping him tethered to sanity. “I dreamed about her. She was radiant, her belly round with my baby, and I was trying to push her to fly with me.” He shakes his head. “I scared her. What’s wrong with my dragon? What’s wrong with me?”
“You were held captive. Bound by spells and gods only know what else. You’re not broken. You need time to heal. And you need…” I sigh. “We all need this bullshit to end. But it’s not going to happen if you lash out like this. Being destructive is just going to hurt your family. Both the one you’re starting and the one I’m a part of.”
I watch him shift like he’s uncomfortable, like the mattress, with as many rips as are covering it, is too soft. I can only imagine what torments he dealt with in his captivity, but it’s obvious we don’t know the half of it.
“Look, it was a dream. And by the time your mate is ready to have your kid, by the time you’re able to fly with her, your dragon’s going to be just fine. You just need to focus on healing, and you need to let the rest of our brothers find the monster who took your mate.” I reach out and pat him on the back of the hand. “We’re going to fix this, and we’re going to fix everything else that fucking vampire has done to our family. To the world. But we need you, Dec. We need you in fighting form, and we can’t get you there if you let your dragon’s fears win.”
“It felt real, Mal. I could smell her, feel her touch. Taste her fucking lips. I need her back. My dragon needs her.”
I wish I had better news to tell him, a way to make him feel better about the fact that we don’t have any idea yet where his mate is. The fact that we don’t know how to find her, how to track down Grey, his henchmen, or anything else.
I wish I could just make her walk through that door right now, so that she can crawl into bed with her mate, with my brother, and help him heal.
Instead, I say softly, “You and your dragon both need to fight. You both need to keep focusing on healing, on getting back to a place where you can actually win in a battle against Grey.”
“I could go to him. I could give in to his offer and have her back.”
I narrow my eyes at him and glare. “Don’t even fucking joke about that. You’re not siding with Grey, not even pretending to do something so stupid. We’re going to get her back, and we’re going to take down Grey. So, just lay there, go back to sleep, and let us figure it out.”
Declan nods, letting his eyes droop shut again.
I’m going to need more coffee. There’s no way I’m getting any sleep tonight.
Not when my brother is suffering, looking close to falling to the craze, without any access to the one person we’ve always been told would save him from a fate worse than death.
I can keep promising things until my face turns blue, but unless we can find where Brianna’s being held, unless we can find a way to bring her home, I think we’re going to lose them both.