Chapter Twenty-Two
Viktor pulled into the driveway and cut the engine, relief flooding through him as their home came into view.
Three hours of driving with Ant dozing against the passenger window, Able’s anxious panting from the back seat, and Viktor’s own exhaustion pressing down on his shoulders had made the journey feel twice as long.
But now they were home, and more importantly, they were safe.
Ant stirred as Viktor opened his door, blinking slowly. “We’re back?”
“Yeah, babe. Come on.”
But when Viktor moved to help him out, Ant shook his head and pushed himself upright with visible effort. “I need to take care of Able first.”
Of course you do. Viktor bit back the automatic protest. Able had been through hell as well. The loyal dog had never faltered, even when Ant was in the midst of his magical nightmare. The least they could do was give him dinner and let him decompress.
“Let me help,” Viktor said instead.
They managed to get into the house, Viktor turned the deadbolt, and leaned his forehead against the door, his hands still on the lock. They were home. More importantly, they were safe. Claudius was in custody, and Finch would have his justice.
We made it.
Warm arms wrapped around him from behind. Ant pressed his face between Viktor’s shoulder blades, his slight weight resting fully against Viktor’s back.
“It’s good to be home,” Ant said softly.
Viktor turned in his mate’s embrace and pulled him close, one hand cradling the back of Ant’s head. They stood like that for a long moment - just breathing together, appreciating the quiet and Ant’s warm and inviting wards.
Able whined and pressed against both their legs, his tail wagging uncertainly.
“Hey, boy,” Viktor said roughly, reaching down to scratch the dog’s ears without releasing Ant. “You did good. You did so good.”
Ant’s fingers curled into Viktor’s ruined shirt. “Poor Able probably needs food and a good run outside.”
“I know.” Viktor pressed a kiss to Ant’s temple. “Come on. Let’s get into the kitchen and see if there’s anything there worth eating.”
In the kitchen, Ant filled Able’s water bowl while Viktor opened a fresh can of premium wet food and mixed it with kibble. Able watched from the kitchen doorway, his tail wagging uncertainly until Ant set the bowl down.
“Good boy,” Ant murmured, scratching behind Able’s ears. “You did such a good job protecting us.”
Able wolfed down half the bowl of food before pausing to drink deeply from the water. Viktor refilled it while Ant slumped against the counter, eyes half-closed.
“He needs to go outside,” Ant said softly.
“I’ve got it.” Viktor opened the back door, and Able trotted out into their fully fenced yard, immediately putting his nose to the ground. It would be familiar territory for him, which had to have been a relief in its own way. Viktor certainly felt that way.
Viktor turned back to find Ant swaying slightly, one hand braced on the counter.
“Sit down before you fall down,” Viktor ordered, pulling out a kitchen chair.
“I’m fine…”
“You’re dead on your feet.” Viktor guided Ant into the chair and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. “You need to have a drink.”
He filled both with water and handed one to Ant, who took it obediently and drained half in one go, which Viktor was pleased about.
The mage had been bleeding magic for hours, and Robert had already warned him that dehydration was a genuine risk.
Viktor was tempted to put on the coffee machine, but he knew if he did that, Ant wouldn’t go to bed, and that’s what he actually needed to do.
Viktor drank his own glass more slowly, watching Ant through the kitchen window’s reflection. His mate’s face was pale, shadows bruising the skin beneath his gray eyes. There were still a few specks of blood on his face, around his nose in particular, and his skin looked washed out.
He looks like he went ten rounds with a heavyweight, and in a way, he had. Claudius’s ward-trap had been designed to break a mage’s mind, to drown them in repeated trauma until they fractured. If Viktor hadn’t been able to reach through their bond...
He cut off that line of thinking and focused on practical matters. Food. Ant needed food, and so did he.
Viktor pulled out bread, deli meat, cheese, and mustard.
It wasn’t anything close to the steak he’d rather be eating, but Ant didn’t need anything fancy.
The protein and calories would help Ant’s body recover, and sandwiches were quick to make and easy to eat.
He assembled a stack of sandwiches within minutes, divided them onto two plates, added some chips to each plate because Ant liked them, and set one in front of his mate.
“Eat, babe.”
Ant picked up the sandwich and bit into it, chewing slowly.
Viktor sat across from him and started on his own food, keeping half his attention on the yard where Able was thoroughly investigating every corner, and half on Ant.
They ate in silence. Ant managed half his sandwich and a handful of chips before pushing the plate away, his eyelids already half-closed.
“More water,” Viktor prompted, refilling Ant’s glass.
Ant drank again, then set the glass down carefully. “Thank you.”
It’s just a glass of water and a few sandwiches. But something in Ant’s tone had Viktor asking, “For what?”
“For reaching me. In the vision.” Ant’s voice was quiet. “I didn’t get the chance to say anything before, but I genuinely couldn’t find my way out on my own. That’s never happened to me before.”
Viktor’s chest tightened. “I wasn’t going to let that bastard trap you.”
“I know.” Ant’s lips curved in a faint smile. “That’s why I called out for you.”
Because you trusted I’d come. Viktor reached across the table and squeezed Ant’s hand. “Always, babe. Always.”
Able came running in, already seeming a lot happier now that they were home. The German shepherd immediately went to Ant, resting his head on Ant’s thigh.
“Hey there,” Ant murmured, stroking Able’s ears. “I bet you feel so much better now, too.”
The dog’s tail wagged slowly, and Viktor watched them both - his exhausted mate and the loyal animal who’d stood guard despite likely being terrified himself.
The pressure from the magic itself was enough to have Able’s nerves on edge before they’d even gone through the front gates, yet he stuck to his training and did all that was expected of him.
Because he sees us as his family. Viktor could understand the feeling.
Ant, and Able, and to a lesser degree Bridget and even Robert, had all pulled together, and they’d all survived.
After so many years of only caring for himself and living in the shadows, Viktor had found something worth protecting. And he’d almost lost it today.
“Come on.” Viktor stood and held out his hand. “Bed.”
“I should shower…”
“Tomorrow.” Viktor pulled Ant gently to his feet. “Right now you need to sleep.”
Ant didn’t argue, which told Viktor exactly how depleted his mate was. Able followed them through the house as Viktor guided Ant toward the stairs.
Halfway up, Ant’s legs buckled slightly.
“Fuck this.” Viktor scooped Ant into his arms, ignoring his weak protest. “You weigh nothing, precious. Stop squirming.”
Ant relaxed against Viktor’s chest with a tired sigh. “I can walk.”
“Sure you can. Humor me anyway.”
Viktor carried his mate up the remaining stairs and into their bedroom. Setting Ant carefully on the edge of the bed, he knelt to untie Ant’s shoes.
“I can do that…”
“I know that, too.” Viktor pulled off one shoe, then the other, setting them neatly aside. “Let me take care of you.”
He helped Ant stand long enough to remove his blood-stained shirt and pants, replacing them with soft cotton pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt - yes, it was one of Viktor’s, but Ant didn’t seem to mind. Ant swayed through the process, barely keeping his eyes open.
Viktor guided him to sit again and disappeared into the bathroom, returning with a warm, damp washcloth. He tilted Ant’s face up gently.
“Hold still.”
He wiped away the dried blood below Ant’s nose, cleaned the dirt and some dust residue from his cheeks, and carefully removed the grime from around his eyes. Ant’s eyelids fluttered closed as Viktor worked, his breathing slowing.
“That’ll do,” Viktor murmured, tossing the washcloth toward the bathroom.
He pulled back the covers and arranged the pillows so Ant would be comfortable. Not that he thought Ant would even notice. His mate was almost asleep, sitting up.
“In you go.”
Ant crawled under the blankets and immediately curled onto his side, his eyes already closed. Able jumped up to claim his usual spot at the foot of the bed, circling twice before settling with a heavy sigh.
Viktor stripped down to his boxers and slid in behind Ant, carefully wrapping one arm around his mate’s waist.
“Viktor?”
“Right here, babe.”
“Don’t let go.”
Viktor’s heart gave an extra thump. Ant never asked for things.
In all their time together, he never admitted weakness and hated it when Viktor assumed he needed help.
Ant had always been the type of person who kept his emotions to himself and took everything in his stride as a logical puzzle to be solved.
Viktor realized in that moment how badly Ant was feeling if he was asking for comfort.
“Never,” Viktor promised, tightening his hold. “I’ve got you.”
Ant’s breathing evened out almost immediately, his body going lax against Viktor’s chest. But Viktor could feel the lingering tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers twitched against the sheets.
“What is it?” Viktor asked softly.
Silence. Then, so quiet Viktor almost missed it.
“I was frightened.”
Viktor froze - his vampiric side immediately on the alert. “Of Claudius? You saw the Justiciary take him away.”