Chapter 21 #3
“So, what’s our plan here?”
He whipped around to see Ash walking right next to him, raindrops splattering on his buzzed head.
Black was right behind him, Midas and Avery just off to the side. And behind them, the two teams blended seamlessly, equal looks of determined rage on their faces.
Trace looked ready to murder anyone who breathed in his general direction, Saint was tired and nursing a severe bump on his head, but he was there, leaning on Echo, who was in a full hazmat suit, eyes wide and terrified but lips pinched bravely as they stood among everyone else.
Heir was there with a duffel bag in hand, and Wren didn’t even want to know what that was about.
Hart took up the rear of the group, blazer shrugged off and tie shoved into his pocket, a small bag over his shoulder.
“Guys—” Wren said, but before he could say anything else Trace interrupted.
“I think I speak for everyone when I say there is zero fucking chance in hell we aren’t a part of taking this jackass down.”
“Hear, hear,” Ash said, flicking a lighter open and running a finger through the flame.
“I wanna see the goo machine,” Black said, bouncing on his toes like a manic pixie, but Wren saw the look in his eyes. He wasn’t there for the ick. He was there to mess shit up the way only he could.
“I don’t want anyone getting hurt,” Wren said.
Hart shook his head. “Hurting one of us is hurting all of us.”
“I second the Live, Laugh, Love sign with legs,” Heir said, pointing a thumb at him.
“We just want to help, Wren,” Saint said softly. “We know… I think it’s out in the open now that Da…Teddy is your person. But he…he’s also ours. So please, let us help.”
Wren felt his eyes burn and he looked away for a second. He wanted to be the hero for Teddy, but he also wanted him safe, and there was strength in numbers. Packs were always stronger than lone wolves.
“Okay.” He nodded. “Fix and Eerie?”
“Stayed behind to try and get as much information as they can,” Saint said.
“Good cursebreaker, bad cursebreaker game,” Wren said. It wasn’t a bad combination.
“More like good cursebreaker, absolute lunatic who would probably just torture information out of people if left unsupervised,” Trace said.
“That’s why we left him supervised,” Saint said with a grin. “Fix seems like he can handle himself and Eerie at the same time.”
“So what’s the play, pipsqueak?” Ash asked him.
“I’m going back to the warehouse to try and retrace their steps,” Wren said.
“Good plan. I’ll drive.” Trace nodded and charged forward, the rest of their teams falling in line and slowly making their way to their cars, piling into whichever one they got to first.
Wren ended up squished next to Echo in Hart’s pristine sedan.
“I like the name Teddy,” they whispered through their suit, gloved fingers twined together in their lap.
Wren looked at them and felt warmth settle in the pit of his stomach.
“I do too,” he whispered back, and Echo offered a scared smile.
“I also, um…I fed Sable,” they said. “I asked Saint and he said to give him red meat and such. I had to put on gloves and then shower and disinfect after, but he seemed to like it. He slept in my room. He sheds a lot so I vacuumed and all, but I don’t mind!
He butts his nose into my stomach when I start panicking. It helps. I think.”
Wren watched them struggle to get the words out but manage anyway and he felt a rush of affection bloom in his chest. Echo was one of the good ones in the world. Wren could sense it. And clearly so could Sable.
“Thank you,” Wren said, and Echo looked up, their eyes wide. “For taking care of Sable. And for being here. Being so brave.”
“I’m terrified,” they said softly.
“Me too,” Wren said, omitting that he wasn’t scared for himself. But he was scared that he might be too late to help. Scared that he might not be too late but would be helpless and have to watch Teddy disappear.
Scared that he wouldn’t be getting him back this time around.
“But for Teddy…” he said, and Echo nodded.
“For Teddy,” they agreed, just as Hart parked his car behind Trace’s and they all piled out.
“What are we looking for?” Ash asked.
Wren looked around at the wreckage of what they’d left.
“Anything,” he said. “Anything that feels out of place.”
“Like a gigantic cat with a bird on its head?” Heir called out, and they all snapped their heads toward him, only to find him looking at Sable standing just a bit away, Blu perched on top of his head.
“BLU!” Wren called, rushing toward him.
He dropped to his knees in front of them both, resting his forehead against Sable’s and letting Blu peck through his hair. Wren gave him the signal to talk and Blu seemed confused only for a moment.
“Wren!” Blu screeched, hopping up onto his head and finding his way to his ear. “No more!”
“No more what, Blu?” Wren asked.
“When did he talk?” Ash exclaimed. “Did I miss the memo?”
“Bad man!” Blu said, jumping up and down on Wren’s shoulder. “No more!”
The image came back clearly to him, of Blu sitting on Kellan’s shoulder as Wren was going under. Of him desperately trying to call him back and stop him from taking Blu.
“No more, Blu,” Wren said, seething inside. “I will make sure to find him and end him.”
Blu nipped at his shoulder before fluttering away and landing just behind Sable, looking back at Wren expectantly.
“Here!” he said, stomping on the ground until Wren got up and joined him.
He found Blu standing on a pile of seeds, dark and absolutely out of place on the busted concrete in front of the warehouse. Seeds Wren knew better than anyone. His favorite snack. Something he always had on him. And something Teddy used to carry around in case Wren ran out.
Had he been…had he been carrying them around again? For him?
All the strength and determination flooded out of him and he finally broke. He dropped to his knees, palms on the ground and head hanging down between his shoulders as he cried.
“I love you,” he said into the dirty ground, scrambling to pick all the seeds up as if leaving a single one meant leaving parts of Teddy there to be stomped under cruel feet. “I love you so much. I promise I’ll find you.”
“Wren!” Blu called again and Wren lifted his head to see Saint walking a distance away.
“Seeds,” Saint said, picking one up.
Wren gathered the ones in his hands and shoved them into his pockets as he walked over. Another little pile.
“HERE!” Blu screeched, sending them all scurrying after him.
Another pile of seeds next to a set of tire tracks.
“He left us a trail,” Wren said, chest seizing with how much he missed Teddy.
“Smart man,” Ash said.
“He is the best of us,” Wren said, leading their little ragtag group forward, following a trail that got smaller and smaller, hoping against hope that Teddy had enough to lead them to where he was.