Draco
Henry swore the effects of whatever was used against him would wear off, that his own magic had been able to clear it away. It had caused some damage, though, and Sawyer’s too-human body needed time to heal and recover.
“Of course.” He fought for control and stepped to the far side of the room. He couldn’t take his eyes away from Sawyer, though, not even when he sensed another alpha’s presence in the room.
He fought back another growl when the man stepped over to the bed. Henry’s dad gave Pearl a quick ear rub, then placed his medical bag on the side table.
“What happened?”
Henry climbed up onto the opposite side of the bed and settled beside Pearl. “We don’t know. He called Draco and by the time we got there, he was having a seizure. He was in a lot of pain, too. And had trouble breathing.”
“And what did you do?”
Henry shrugged. “I just… touched him, really. I remembered what it felt like when I had my vision and he touched me. How cool and refreshing it felt, and how much better it made me feel. And I don’t know, Dad, it seemed to work.”
“And you think he’s null?”
“Yes, Alpha Jerrick,” Draco managed to say. He walked closer and stood at the foot of the bed. “We believe that he is.”
“Call me Vaughn, please. So, if he’s null, how did something magical affect him?” He continued his careful examination as he spoke, looking into Sawyer’s eyes, listening to his heart and lungs.
“We don’t know.”
“Okay, we’ve got a couple options here. We can bring him to the clinic and I can do more extensive tests, or I can have some oxygen delivered and we can give him another few hours to see if he wakes up.
I’m a little concerned about his lungs. It’s almost as if he has smoke inhalation issues.
His breathing is a bit strained, so I’d like to get him on some oxygen to help him breathe a bit easier. ”
“Whatever he needs,” Draco said. “Whatever you think is best.”
Vaughn glanced at Draco, then back at Sawyer’s still form. “Let’s not move him. Henry’s uncle has agreed to transport him to the clinic should his condition worsen. I can have oxygen brought through now which should make things a bit easier for him.”
It took a second for Vaughn’s words to settle but when he did, he looked up in alarm. “The hellhound is here?”
Henry looked up nervously. “He is. A human was attacked magically, Draco. I had to call him.”
All of their kind followed certain rules, and the hellhounds existed to make sure they did.
One of them was to not reveal themselves to humans outside of emergencies.
Hopefully, the hellhound would understand Draco’s reactions.
When he’d received the call, realized Sawyer was hurt, he’d bellowed in rage.
Eduard had heard his yell and he’d managed to tell the other guardian that Sawyer was hurt before he shifted and flew.
Dragons were known for their speed in the air, and it had been mere minutes for Draco to fly to the university, shift back to his human form, and be at Sawyer’s side.
Under normal circumstances, Draco managed to use his magic to shield himself from human eyes, but he honestly couldn’t remember if he’d done it.
The only thing in his mind had been getting to Sawyer.
He was lucky that his shift was magical in nature, unlike some of the other clans.
He didn’t have to worry about finding clothes.
His shift was more of a step between worlds.
In one, he was human. In the other, a dragon.
And he could move seamlessly back and forth between the two worlds.
Not that it would have mattered. He would have shown up stark naked if it meant helping Sawyer.
“Draco?” Henry asked quietly.
“I understand. I’m sure he needs to speak to me.”
“He’d like to, yes. You were the first one of us on the scene. We need to find out who did this.”
Draco couldn’t agree more. And when he did, he’d roast them alive.
Vaughn closed his bag and placed a reassuring hand on Henry’s shoulder. “This isn’t your fault, Henry.”
“No, it isn’t,” Draco agreed. “Stay with him while I speak to your uncle. Don’t leave his side. Understood?”
Henry nodded. “Are you s—”
“Yes, I’m sure. Call me if anything changes.”
“I will.”
Draco led Henry’s father back downstairs and found the others waiting in the formal living room. A large man stood beside the fireplace, his long dark hair tied to the back of his head. Sawyer would have laughed. He loved man buns and had tried to convince Draco to grow his hair out.
The memory brought him little comfort. He nodded to the hellhound, recognizing him as another alpha. It made him curious how Henry had become part of a pack where he casually referred to the alpha of the hellhounds as “uncle.”
“You must be Draco.”
“I am. Uncle Meshaq, I presume?”
The hellhound grinned and covered his heart with his fist. “I see Henry has been telling tales.”
“When does he not?” Vaughn asked. “Meshaq, I need to get back to the clinic to get some oxygen for Sawyer. I’d like to get him started on it right away.”
“Of course. Solomon is standing guard outside. Have him open a portal for you.”
Vaughn turned and left, while Draco kept his attention on the other alpha. “I understand you have some questions for me.”
“I do. I would also like to see Sawyer for myself, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind. Anything that will help.”
Draco led Meshaq upstairs. Henry still sat in the center of the bed and he stroked Pearl’s back slowly. “Hey. No change.”
Draco went to the other side of the bed and resumed his position at Sawyer’s head. He hated how helpless he felt. There was nothing or no one to rip apart to make this right.
“What happened?” Meshaq asked quietly.
“He called me. Said he needed help. I could tell… it was bad. I could hear it in his voice. Before I could ask what was wrong, I heard the phone fall and then someone around him said he was having a seizure. I ran outside and called for Eduard, then called my dragon and took to the sky. I was at his side within minutes.”
“Did you see anything?”
“No. He had a bunch of students around him, and he was shaking. It hurt him when I touched him, and he was having trouble breathing.”
Meshaq glanced to Henry. “Then you arrived?”
“Yes. Eduard flew me there. He was shaking and I just touched him. I told you how he helped me after my vision?”
Meshaq nodded.
“Well, my magic told me to touch him. So I did and the pain seemed to ease. Draco picked him up and we got him back here. Andvari had brought the car. He must have broken every speeding law in existence to get there so fast.”
Meshaq turned his attention back to Draco. “May I look closer?”
Although it chafed to allow it, Draco understood it was for the best. He stepped aside as the other alpha took his place. Both of their eyes flared with yellow-orange flames as they traded places.
Meshaq leaned in close to Sawyer then breathed in deeply. A moment later, he choked and pulled away. “What the hell?”
Draco bristled but fought the urge to pull Meshaq away. “What is it?”
“Lean in. Smell. There’s something…”
Draco did the same action, leaning in close and inhaling. His lungs immediately began to heat and his eyes watered. He pulled away with a growl.
“Is it still hurting him?” Draco asked. He couldn’t keep the anger and frustration from his tone, but it didn’t seem to offend the hellhound.
Meshaq bent back down, this time even closer to Sawyer’s face. His body tightened and Draco could only imagine the pain. If he’d only gotten a small breath and felt the amount of pain he had, what would it be like to be that close and breathing deeply? More importantly, what was it doing to Sawyer?
“Henry, you should mo—” Draco began.
Henry shook his head. “No. It’s not hurting me the way it is you. Let me see.”
“Henry, stop,” Draco said. He started to reach for him, but Henry wiggled away and put his face right next to Sawyer’s.
“I’m okay, Draco. I swear. And I think whatever this is isn’t hurting him now. I’m not sure what it is, though. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Uncle Meshaq, do you see that?”
Henry pointed to a spot on Sawyer’s eyebrow, and only when Draco looked through his dragon eyes could he see the slightest glimmer of magical residue.
“It’s familiar. But I don’t remember why. I feel like I’ve seen something similar, but it’s been many, many years.”
Henry slid off the bed and ran into the bathroom. He came back a moment later carrying a small empty cannister with a lid. “Here. Nana gave this to me so in case we had to fly I could bring stuff on the plane. Honestly, she’s the reason why I have three suitcases.”
Draco took the container and unscrewed the lid. He handed it over to Meshaq, who was able to maneuver the small granule into the jar. He closed the lid and slipped it into the pocket of his jeans.
“I need to ask some questions, see what I can find out about this,” Meshaq said to Draco. Then he turned to Henry. “I don’t want to leave you here. You should—”
“Uncle Meshaq, I can’t leave. This is my duty. You know that.”
Meshaq growled, low and deep. “It goes against everything in me to leave you behind. I can send Sol—”
“No, Uncle Meshaq! The guardians will keep me safe. You know they will. You have to trust me, trust us. All this is happening for a reason.”
The hellhound growled again. “But the message was for you and the guardians are for the Chosen One. Not you. My concern will always be you.”
Henry went to his uncle and wrapped his arms around his waist. Meshaq was so tall, Henry’s head hit him mid chest. He actually looked like a child standing next to the giant of a man.
“I know you want to protect me, that you’ve always kept me safe, but you’ve gotta let me do this.
And if I see Solomon or Viceroy around here hovering, I’m going to tell Ben. ”
Meshaq groaned and squeezed Henry tighter. “Why would you threaten me with that? You know your big brother is my weakness.”
“Actually, my little brother is your true weakness. But Ben is my first line of defense. No one can handle his disappointed face. Believe me, you do not want me to sic Ollie on you, but I will pull out the big guns if you don’t listen to me.”
Meshaq grinned and pressed a kiss to the top of Henry’s head. “I really don’t. I’m still convinced you slip that kid something daily to give him so much energy.”
Henry squeezed his uncle one last time then pulled away. He moved to stand beside Draco, then took a deep breath. “Draco and the guardians will keep me safe. You need to help us figure out who hurt Sawyer. That’s the best thing you can do for me, okay?”
Draco wrapped an arm around Henry’s shoulders and pulled him close. “We will keep him safe. We’ll reinforce the wards today as well.”
Meshaq nodded. “I will let you know what I find out.”
The moment Meshaq left the room, Henry turned and pressed his forehead to Draco’s chest. Draco tentatively wrapped his arms around Henry and held him close. “We’ll keep you safe,” he promised. “I wasn’t just saying that for your uncle’s benefit.”
“I know you will,” Henry said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not more scared than I’ve ever been in my life.”
His voice was barely a whisper, so unlike Henry’s normal boisterous tone. Draco pulled him closer. “Don’t tell Sawyer, but I’m a little scared, too.”
Henry coughed out a watery laugh and hugged Draco. “I won’t tell him.”
“Thank you,” Draco said. He wiped a stray tear from Henry’s cheek. “You should head to the bathroom. Someone’s coming up the steps.”
Henry pulled away and took a moment to look into Draco’s eyes. “Okay,” he said. He smiled softly before hurrying into the other room. A moment later, Henry’s father appeared holding an oxygen tank along with another bag of supplies.
“Sorry it took me so long. We had a sick child at the clinic, so I went ahead and did the exam so they could head home. Then I had to clean up so I didn’t bring whatever that was to Sawyer. Better safe than sorry right now.”
“Thank you, Dr. Jerrick.”
“I told you to call me Vaughn. Where is Henry?”
“In the restroom,” Draco said. “His uncle just left.”
“I passed Meshaq going out. He said he’d found something. I hope he finds out who did this sooner rather than later.”
As he spoke, Vaughn sat the oxygen tank beside the bed, then attached a plastic tube. He unrolled it and placed the cannula in Sawyer’s nose. He adjusted the tubing and secured it before beginning the flow of the tank.
Once he was finished, he turned back to Draco.
“Henry knows how to check the tank and adjust things if he needs to. This tank should get you through the day and I’m hoping that’s all we’ll need.
Listen to his heart and breathing carefully.
Have Henry call me if his condition changes.
Otherwise, I’ll be back in the morning.”
Draco placed his fist over his heart and bowed to Vaughn. “Thank you. If there’s anything I can do for you or your pack, name it.”
“You can keep my son safe,” Vaughn said.
“I will,” Draco promised.
“Henry! I’m leaving. Get your butt out here and say goodbye!”
Henry opened the bathroom door and came rushing out. He tripped over his feet and landed against his dad’s chest with an oomph.
“You take care of yourself,” Vaughn said. “And if you need anything—”
“I’ll call.”
“You better.”
“Bye, Dad. Hug Papa for me.”
“I will. Call your Nana so she doesn’t yell at me.”
Henry grinned. “I’ll call her tonight.”
Vaughn left and Henry leaned against the bed with a quiet sigh.
Draco couldn’t resist moving closer, even though he should. He leaned in and wrapped his arm around Henry’s chest, pulling him in so Henry’s back was against Draco. “You okay?”
“It’s weird not being with my pack,” Henry said. “But I guess we’re kind of a pack now, huh?”
It wasn’t exactly the way Draco thought of them, but he could see that it would make sense to Henry to call them a pack.
The more little tidbits were revealed from Henry’s past, the more curious Draco became about him.
How, exactly, had a mage been raised by a pack of shifters?
And he’d referred to multiple siblings in a time when most clans were struggling to have children.
Instead of disagreeing, Draco pulled Henry closer. He leaned in and pressed his cheek to Henry’s. “You’ll have two packs fussing over you now. Just imagine it.”
His teasing had the desired effect. Henry snorted out a laugh and gently elbowed him in the stomach.
“Jerk,” he said with another chuckle. “I can barely manage the one I’ve got.”