5. Our Handicaps #2
“What do you mean, Emer gave you?” A deep worry line appears between Dean Caldron’s eyes as he kneels before Levi.
Right as Dr. Steinbeck moves to approach his new patient, a portal opens into the crowded room, and my father leaps forward, his hands brightly lit and ready to attack.
“Easy, Delvin. It’s just Jessup and Daniel using my portal stone,” Dean Caldron says, waving off his stance but not leaving Levi’s side.
Sure enough, Chief Cloak and Mayor Abernathy stroll through, looking worse for wear, with their clothes somewhat scuffed up, and Chief Cloak has blood on one side of his face, but they don’t look severely hurt.
Dad relaxes back down on the sofa as the others take in the room.
Mayor Abernathy looks like a hawk searching out its prey until his eyes land on Zeke, the younger doppelg?nger of him in a suit, sans slicked-back hair.
Chief Cloak doesn’t share anything with his son except maybe their height. Whereas Knox is sweet, gentle, and has that brewing anger at the core, Chief is all bite with a vicious bark.
“What’s the status report?” Chief Cloak barks out, like we’re his special troops. I turn away, throwing my head back into the sofa’s soft cushion, and take in a deep breath to keep me from saying something I shouldn’t, like challenging the Alpha.
I hate how he just barks out orders instead of treating people like… well, people with feelings that could possibly be traumatized.
‘Don’t worry, Rezzi-bear, Knox is taking one for the team.’ Lynx chuckles and squeezes my calf as Knox stands up in parade rest.
‘Thank the Fates, because I don’t think I can deal with a worked-up Chief Cloak right now.’ I sigh before sipping more of my minty drink as Ryker looks over my abdomen for himself to make sure I’m okay.
“We’re all accounted for, though Rez is sick and Dr. Steinbeck was just doing an assessment when we found that Levi was compromised before Knots and Lynx could extract him.
He took something while he was detained with Emer and her harpies.
And if you didn’t notice, you have a huge red door, named Dragon, located above you,” Knox catches everyone up, and a combined “Shit” echoes around the room when our newcomers look up.
Perturbed, Chief Cloak turns to Lynx, his eyes penetrating, “Who are you?”
“Lynx.”
“The cat?” Chief Cloak arches an eyebrow, darting a glance in my direction.
“The cat.” Lynx nods. “The familiar, the mate, the man. Take your pick.”
“Weren’t you dead?” Chief Cloak fires back, furrowing his brows, and the other leader nods along with his assessment.
Oh yeah, the last thing they knew of Lynx was that he was dead and taken by the Rebels.
“Drop dead gorgeous.” He winks and blows a kiss to our stocky Chief Cloak, whose eyebrows disappear suddenly.
“Obviously, he’s not dead,” Dr. Steinbeck assesses, quickly glancing at Lynx before going back to his tablet.
“Glad to see you’re okay, Lynx.” Mayor Abernathy smiles and nods his hello before turning to Chief Cloak. “Why don’t you give your report, Jessup?” he suggests as he gets more comfortable in his seat.
Grabbing a chair from the table, Chief Cloak turns it around so he’s straddling the back of it and faces the group.
“All demons are gone from the premises. It seems they were here for one thing, and once they couldn’t find it, they left.” His gaze settles on me. “Have any idea what that could be, Miss Taylor?”
I feel the need to hold his gaze, but Knox and Lynx both let out a deep, menacing growl, and Chief Cloak arches an eyebrow at the warning. “Understood, boys. It was just a question,” he relents.
“Not all the demons were going after Rez. One in particular was going after Levi,” Knots interjects, breaking the slight tension in the room.
“What?” Moni asks, zipping around, leaving white streaks in the air.
“Yeah, can we get back to the whole Emer taking Levi as a hostage part?” Chester interjects, pushing up his glasses, and when Chief Cloak glares his way, he mumbles, “Please,” dropping his eyes to the floor.
It irks something inside of me that Chester feels like he has to submit to Chief Cloak when he’s part of my family, but I’m not in any condition to do anything about it.
“Can you tell us what happened, Leviathan?” Chief Cloak turns his gaze on Levi.
“When the portals opened up, the harpies put a knife to my neck and told me to cooperate, and they would tell me what they did to Rez.” Levi moans and doubles over, falling off the chair and into Dean Caldron’s arms.
“Oh, my God. What’s wrong with Levi? Is he dying?
Why does he look so pale? Is he turning into a ghost?
Is that possible? Can we all turn into ghosts without dying?
Is that in our studies that we missed because we were in Hell?
Are you sure we’re ready for The Gauntlet?
I feel like we don’t know anything!” Moni turns to look at everyone right as her eyes roll back into her skull, but Chester’s there to catch her when she drops out of the air.
He quickly pulls her against him and sits down to gently wake her up with a kiss.
She pops back up, her bark a bright pink.
“I did it again, didn’t I?” she hedges, looking into Chester’s bright eyes.
“Yeah, but I love waking you up,” he flirts, pushing a vine back over her shoulder. I feel like a Peeping Tom the longer I watch them, so I focus back on Levi’s situation.
Dad and Dean Caldron help settle Levi on the other sofa and gasp when they remove his corset to look at his chest.
“Is the pain only coming from your chest?” Dr. Steinbeck asks, jotting down his notes.
“She said there would be pain until Rez is out of my system and I’m truly hers, but until then, any memory, talk, or thoughts of Rez will trigger pain,” he manages to get out between his gasps of shallow breathing.