Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
D aniel, walking into the hospital triage, wasn’t even remotely on King’s bingo card. He had vanished months ago, chasing truths only he seemed to understand. If Daniel was here, it wasn’t a casual visit. This meant something serious was brewing. Trouble had its claws in Joey, and whatever had drawn Daniel from the shadows was big. Bigger than King wanted to admit.
His gaze flicked from Daniel’s intense, swirling white eyes to Slade, who was ushering Amara out of the room with purposeful urgency. She glanced over her shoulder. Her expression of fear made him want to protect her. King watched as her retreating form disappeared through the doorway. Shaking those feelings aside, he turned his focus back to the still, too-pale figure of Joey lying on the hospital bed. The kid didn’t stir; his breathing was shallow, and his skin looked like ice. A sick knot twisted in King’s gut. Joey wasn’t just hurt. He was hanging to life by a fragile thread.
King turned back to Daniel, who stood silently, watching him with those eyes that always seemed to see too much. The weight of unspoken truths hung between them, heavy and sharp. King stepped forward, extending his hand, his grip firm and resolute.
“Good to see you, Daniel,” he said, his tone genuine.
Daniel grasped his hand with a strength that matched King’s. A flicker of respect resonated between them.
“Good to be seen,” Daniel replied with a grin.
They let go, and King’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. “I doubt this is going to be a happy reunion.” He glanced back at Joey, pale and unmoving, then fixed his gaze on Daniel again. “What’s going on here, Daniel?”
Daniel’s lips thinned, and he exhaled slowly, his weariness apparent. “In our world today, there isn’t much to be happy about.” He gestured toward the door where Amara had vanished with Slade. “Let’s wait for Amara to fill in the blanks. She’s the key to understanding all of this.”
Jake had moved to lean against the wall, arms crossed, his expression guarded. “So, you know what’s going on?”
“For the most part,” Daniel replied, his frown deepening. “Unfortunately.”
King didn’t like the direction the conversation was heading. His patience wore thin as tension mounted. “Who’s after them?”
Daniel’s gaze darkened as it flicked between Joey and King. His voice lowered, almost a growl. “Vampires. Half-breeds. Demons. Humans with the wrong allegiances.”
Jake let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. “Great. It would be easier to tell us who they’re not in danger from. Seriously, what the hell is going on, Daniel?”
King felt the pieces slowly locking into place, but the picture was still unclear. “Does this have anything to do with their blood?”
Daniel’s eyes met his, grim with certainty. “It has everything to do with their blood.”
The words hit like a hammer, heavy with implications.
Daniel continued his voice a mix of frustration and urgency. “RH null blood isn’t just rare—it’s almost mythical. It’s power in its purest form, coursing through human veins. For half-breeds and demons, it offers immortality. To a vampire, it can amplify their strength a hundredfold. And in the wrong hands...” He trailed off, his eyes growing darker as if recalling horrors best left buried.
Jake, still leaning against the wall, snorted in disbelief. “So, they wanted to drain the kid dry and use him like some kind of supernatural energy drink?”
Daniel nodded grimly. “And it gets worse.”
King’s eyes narrowed. “Worse?”
“Joey and Amara’s blood isn’t just pure,” Daniel said. “It’s connected to ancient lines, to a power that is rooted in bonds meant to be forgotten. If the right...or wrong people trace it to its origins, they won’t stop at just draining them. Amara is obviously a newly turned half-breed. Someone already has suspicions of the secrets Joey and Amara’s blood holds.”
“Please tell me that’s the worst.” Jake sighed and then cursed when Daniel shook his head.
“Nope. It’s not. They’ll use them. Harness them. And others with the same blood type. Imagine armies of beings more powerful than anything you’ve ever fought, all fueled by bloodlines awakened from the past.” Daniel informed them with no hesitation in his voice.
King took a step closer, his anger simmering dangerously. “What the hell do you mean, harness them ?”
Daniel’s expression didn’t waver. “Turn them into conduits. Weapons for forces older and darker than anything the Warriors have ever faced. Forces that don’t just want control...they want annihilation.”
A heavy silence filled the room, the weight of Daniel’s words pressing on them like a suffocating fog.
King clenched his fists, his mind racing as he stared at Joey’s frail form. “I won’t let that happen,” he said, his voice sharp as a blade, his resolve unbreakable.
Daniel’s eyes never left him. “You’ll need more than resolve. More than muscle and loyalty. This... this isn’t a fight you’ve seen before. The Warriors thought they knew their enemies. This is bigger. Blood, this powerful, has painted a target on every person connected to it. Monsters you can’t even imagine are coming, and they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want.”
Jake pushed off the wall, his usual smirk replaced with something far graver. “I’m going to call Sloan.”
“Call my dad, too.” Daniel’s expression hardened. “We are already behind the curve here. We don’t know how many of the few with this blood type have already been taken.”
Slade rushed in with a nurse trailing close behind, a determined look etched into his face as they moved swiftly to Joey’s side. Amara followed, her steps faltering only slightly as she clenched her bent arm where the blood had been drawn. King watched her, noting how pale she looked, her golden and green eyes darkened with fear. The worry poured off her in waves so strong he could almost taste it. Jessie approached quietly, wrapping a comforting arm around Amara’s shoulders as they both stood helplessly by. On her other side, Jill whispered something too low for King to hear, her hand resting lightly on Amara’s arm.
King’s focus sharpened as he glanced toward Joey. His friend looked too small, too fragile. Every beep of the monitors ratcheted up the tension twisting in his gut.
“How well do you know her?” Daniel’s voice pulled his attention away, calm but edged with a quiet, dangerous curiosity.
King met his gaze, the truth slipping easily from his lips. “I don’t.”
Daniel tilted his head, his eyes glinting with something unreadable. “You will.”
Before King could demand clarification, Daniel’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, his expression hardening before he turned sharply on his heel, stepping out of the room as he answered the call.
“Damn it,” King muttered, glaring at the space where Daniel had stood. “Fucking cryptic as ever.” His jaw clenched as he fought the urge to punch a wall to clear his head. Daniel had a gift for dropping vague, ominous statements that begged more questions than answers, always leaving everyone chasing his meaning like a dog after a phantom scent.
“He has a way about him,” Jake smirked, seeing King’s confused expression.
King growled. “If I ever figure out what the hell he’s talking about before it’s too late, it’ll be a damn miracle.”
“Yeah, well, with the way shit is going, we’ll need every miracle we can get.” Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Sloan’s on his way.”
“Good,” King replied, his mind racing with what Daniel had said.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking of early retirement,” Jake smirked, shaking his head. “What the actual fuck. Here, I thought demons were the worst things we had to fight. Every fucking day we are fighting against new threats.”
“It’s definitely becoming our normal.” King agreed as they both turned toward Joey. Slade gave orders to the nurse, and his movements were precise and focused. Amara stood motionless, her fingers trembling ever so slightly as she watched them work. Her lips were pressed into a thin, bloodless line.
King felt a strange twist in his chest as he looked at her. It was part anger, part protectiveness, and something else he wasn’t ready to name.
“You didn’t answer her about Lee,” King said, shifting his gaze from Amara to Jake. His tone was calm, but his eyes held an edge. Across the room, Daniel had returned and was speaking quietly with Jill, who smiled faintly before leaning in to hug him.
Jake exhaled sharply, lowering his voice even more as he met King’s intense gaze. “I called in Kane to help track down Joey. He’s got his ear to the ground in places we can’t reach. He found out an unidentified body had been discovered near the river. A fisherman stumbled on Lee’s body.” Jake’s jaw clenched, the muscles working beneath his skin. “He was beaten pretty bad with a gunshot wound to the head.”
King’s eyes darkened, the familiar burn of anger simmering beneath the surface. He didn’t like Lee much, never had, but the man was Joey’s father. He’d seen glimpses of change in him, moments that hinted at a better man trying to surface. But in King’s eyes, if he had a kid like Joey, he wouldn’t just try. He’d move heaven and earth to be the father Joey deserved. “Are we sure it’s him?” His tone was sharp, the question slicing through the heavy air.
Jake glanced down briefly before meeting his gaze again. “He still had his wallet, cash, ID, the whole thing. Over two hundred bucks.” He arched a brow, his expression hard with meaning. “This wasn’t a robbery. They still need someone to do a positive ID.”
They both looked at Amara.
King’s lips pressed into a thin line. His mind raced as he pieced it together, and he then cast a glance toward Joey’s still form. “Where exactly did they find Joey?”
Jake shook his head. “Not with Lee.” He sighed heavily, frustration etching deep lines on his face. “Jessie started working the phones, calling every hospital within a hundred-mile radius. Only one John Doe matched Joey’s description, and it was here.”
King’s expression darkened even further, a scowl settling deep. “How the fuck did he get here?”
Jake’s gaze flicked toward the door and back to King. “Kane asked the ER staff. A woman brought Joey in. Nobody knows who she is. She disappeared before anyone could get any real answers.” He raised a hand to stop the barrage of questions already forming on King’s lips. “The head nurse said they were too busy stabilizing Joey. By the time she tried to get information, the woman was gone. But the nurse gave Kane a solid description of her.”
King’s eyes sharpened with deadly intent. “You think Jill could draw her?” He nodded toward where Jill stood, her arms crossed, her eyes filled with concern.
Jake glanced over, then back. “I’m sure she will. We need to find this woman.”
King’s hands curled into tight fists at his side. He could already feel the rage building, the storm inside him growing with every unanswered question. His voice was low, almost a growl. “We’re going to get answers. And when we find the bastard who did this not even God will be able to save them.”