The next few are between The Dream and What Happened.

Oh Hell No (Alex)

Everything happened so quickly once we got to the Garrett’s apartment. Nox was nervous, and defiant and the supplicant and it was all so very fast and I swore I saw the fucking thing form before it flew at me. Nox was struggling but I felt the bastard trying to manipulate him, It’s all in your head. I told Nox. But, I didn’t have time to worry about anything other than getting away from the fucking fireball. But we were close range and when it smashed into my chest and threw me against the wall I screamed. I felt the heat, it licked my skin like a lover and I screamed again and tried to put the fire out.

I didn’t know what was going on, I wasn’t burning. I wasn’t hurt. What the fuck? But I was burning clearly. Nox’s mind was fragmenting. I’m fine. I told him again I couldn’t breathe right, it hurt to inhale.

“You are not fine,” Nox shouted I could see myself through his eyes. He was panicking but that bastard was getting away. And the prince of darkness lay limp against the wall dead it looked.

I am. I promise. I got this. It just looks bad. I don’t know what the fuck it is but go.

He looked at me still struggling. With a deep breath he said, “Fuck! I’ll be back. Ant should wake up soon.” And then was gone.

I didn’t really have this. I didn’t know what the fuck to do, nothing you learned from your childhood fire classes worked. Stop, Drop, Roll. Yeah I did that.

I don’t know how long I tried not to panic. Panic made it hard to breathe. And I needed to breathe. The fire wasn’t hurting me. Anthony Giovanni stood over me and the fire vanished, he was crooking his head to the side like he was fixing a broken neck or simply cracking.

“Ouch,” he said. “Where’s Nox?” He didn’t look frantic. “You okay?”

“He went this way.” I ran after my pretty boy with the fucking vampire prince following me.

---

I pushed open the door to the roof and Ant took jumped three steps back when the sunlight streamed into the door. “I’m no good out there.” But it was too late as I watched Nox dive over the fucking edge of the building.

“Nox,” I shouted but it didn’t matter he was over the edge. I race to the edge to see the aftermath. “Fuck! Fuck!” I kept muttering as I watched my pretty boy nose dive into the man and slow the fuck down. He flipped the asshole over so his back was to the ground instead of the bastard who had hurt him. Fucking idiot. But it took longer to hit the ground than I thought it would, I couldn’t watch. I stepped away and walked to the door where a smoking vampire stood.

He stepped back once I had the door and he said something but I didn’t hear him. I was lost in my head. Once we were at the next landing the vampire grabbed my shoulder and shouted, “He’s not dead.” And he stepped into the shadows and we were in the shadows looking at the mass of people who had gathered.

The crowd parted just as I hurled my guts out in the alley. And Nox travelled like this. No fucking way, I thought to myself. Ant put his hand on my shoulder, “I’ll tell you how to make it better but go check on him. He’s not dead. I’d know it if he were. Please hurry he needs a life line Alex.”

That was all I needed to push past the crowd and roll the asshole off the top of Nox. Everyone was looking at me like I was crazy but the fucking Venatori was groaning as he lay on his back. Nox was left in the ground. It felt like mud but it hadn’t rained in weeks. I put my hand on his throat and there was still a pulse. “You better not die on me now you bastard. You fucking fucking idiot.”

I was pushed out of the way as the paramedics from inside the building pushed into the crowd. They hurriedly took him into the building and I followed afterwards but they wouldn’t let me inside the building. “Fuck you!” I shouted after them. Ant stood in the shadows and I could have sword I saw blood sliding from his eye before he wiped it away.

“Can you get us inside?” I asked the vampire.

“Yeah. Trust me Alex. Close your eyes, and fucking trust me.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“I liked to see Nox weak. It made me feel good to see him hurling after a shadow walk. You have to trust me Alex.”

I growled, “I fucking trust you.”

And we stepped into the shadows and we were in Nox’s old bedroom. It was still the same just not furnished. No one had moved in yet.

Ant lead the way and we hurried to what he said was the Infirmary.

---

We didn’t get past the Infirmary front entrance. We’d been trying for hours. I couldn’t reach Nox by dream and and powers were useless in this building except in a few places and none of them worked to get us inside. No one was letting us in; that was until Dorian Vega strolled through in a hurry. “Alex!” He looked at the vampire standing with me, “Anthony.”

“It’s Ant.” He frowned. “How is he?”

“Alive. Barely.” Dorian nodded quickly. “My mother is at the apartment to sit with the kids. Matt and the twins are in the waiting room. Let me take you to them. It’s as far as I can get you.” Dorian didn’t even look at the receptionist who was glaring at us. “I will see that you two have eternal passes into the building, never really thought it would be needed. But there we have it.”

Ant asked, “Why didn’t you think we’d need it?”

Dorian frowned, “Mostly because if he ever did anything like this again, he’d be dead. His luck has to run out sometime.”

“I don’t think it’s luck. Just like I don’t think it’s luck Alex had that book.”

“What book?” Dorian and I both said at the same time.

Ant patted the backpack. “This one.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow and Ant added, “I’ll let the wonder boy tell you about it when he’s better.”

“What about me?” I asked.

“We’ll chat. But I think you need to hold on to this.” He handed me the bag. “Your boyfriend will kill me if you die on my watch.”

“I’ll kill you if he dies on your watch,” I threatened.

“You can try,” Ant said. “I might beat you to it.”

“You’d kill yourself?”

Ant shook his head as we were ushered into a room where Matt, Rider and Laker sat. The twins were up and wrapping their arms around me like I was their brother. They weren’t crying but it was sombre. He sat down and I followed suit, the boys sat back down.

Ant spoke in my head, If he dies, I might die with him. It’s always a fear with these bonds – we know nothing of it.

Why would anyone do that? I asked

It’s more about the power, and trust, and really believing in that bond. Ryan and Mia truly are dedicated to my mother. They both live because of her, and they’d die if she ever died and they lived. It made sense for them. And my dad, well he loves her and she loves him. Even though they don’t exactly agree on things. Mother is hard to love. I trust Nox with my life, he knew what he was doing jumping off that building. He knew he might die, but he knew he had to save him, even if he was the bastard who tormented him. That’s just Nox. You can’t get mad at him. He can’t change who he is anymore than you can.

I sighed. I know.