LUKE
I opened my eyes only to realize that I was in the hexagon HQ. I was strapped to a chair, iron cuffs binding my wrists to the arm rest with a gag around my mouth. Awesome.
I tried to move but let out a hiss of pain as the iron around my wrist burned me.
"You're awake, I see"
I looked up to see Dwain smirking at me, he looked very pleased with himself.
I glared at him wanting nothing but to rip off his head. "Great, let's begin" he said, still smirking at me.
"Remove the gag, Aron" he said to someone who was standing behind me. Just as Aron took off the gag, I increased my heat and he dropped to the ground, unconscious.
"How can you even do that with iron cuffs around your wrists? I knew my assumption was correct. You are related to Theo, aren't you?" Dwain said.
I rolled my eyes.
"Of course, he's my husband" I sassed and his eyes darkened.
"There's no need to be sassy or sarcastic, Luke. I just need a honest reply"
"So, what? You brought me here to question me about my husband, I assure you that you've come to the right person. I can also tell you how good he is in-"
"I shouldn't have asked anyone to take off your gag. You're infuriating"
I chuckled, ignoring the searing pain in my wrists.
"Now, where's the fun in that? Who's going to answer your questions, then?" I said, smiling sweetly at him.
"Time for fun and games is over. I actually mean business, Lucian" Dwain said and three day walkers stepped in.
My beautiful shirt was ripped off my body, my runes in full display.
"Tell me, who exactly is Theo?" He asked.
"My husband" I replied with a serious look on my face.
Dwain stared at me, confused.
"Are you serious about that?" Dwain asked carefully.
"Wanna see a ring to prove it?" I asked, wiggling my fingers where a couple of rings shimmered brightly.
One of them was a promise ring from Theo when we were kids. We'd promised to always protect each other and fight for each other.
"If you say he's your husband.... do you know about his human mate?" Dwain asked and my heart sank. They knew.
The idiots knew about Devon.
"What human mate?"
"We were hoping you could tell us"
"I don't know-"
Dwain drove his knife into my side and I gritted my teeth to prevent myself from screaming.
"What's her name? Where does she live?"
"I told you, I don't know if-"
A whip came crashing down on my back sending electric shocks through my body.
I kept smiling, despite how much it actually hurt.
That was how stubborn I was.
"What exactly is Theo?"
"Why are you asking me that? He's just a nightwalker who's super hot and-"
Dwain grabbed another knife and ran it across my torso, leaving behind, a nasty cut.
"Stop interrupting me for goodness sake!" I growled, glaring at Dwain.
"He's not saying anything, Dwain. We can get him to talk by using mind control on him. We can easily assess his mind that way" one of the daywalkers said.
My heart sank.
"That's a good idea"
Oh, no.
***
THEO
Letting out a tired groan, I ambled into the kitchen. Rachel was making breakfast with a smile on her face.
"Good morning, Honey" she said, giving me a kiss on my cheek. I gave her a smile.
"Morning, mum"
Her eyes lit up.
"Eat up, I know you're starving. Where's Luke?" She asked. I sighed, bringing my glass of orange juice to my lips. "I honestly have no idea" I said.
She frowned.
"He didn't go on patrol with you last night?"
I shook my head.
"After I slept off, he disappeared. Devon told me she saw him leaving yesterday" I shrugged.
"That boy is just getting more restless. I do hope he'll find his mate soon. He's a handful" She said, chuckling.
"Are you feeling better now, Theo?" She asked me.
Something was just not right. Something was terribly wrong and I could feel it. "Theo, your hands are trembling"
I blinked.
"I didn't realize-"
"You still look awfully tired, Theo. Are you sure you're okay?"
I hadn't exactly gotten the sleep I'd craved for the previous day. An hour after I'd fallen asleep, I'd awoken because of the horrible dream I'd had. I also had to go on patrol without Luke.
I might be pissed off at Dwain but I couldn't risk not going on patrol. It would just worsen everything.
I felt my heart clench, a feeling of unease resting on me, heavily. I'd sudden lost my appetite. What if something had happened to Luke? I rose to my feet, shakily. There was a knock on the door. Rachel opened the door and Devon stepped in looking as beautiful as always.
"You didn't get enough sleep, did you?" She asked as she approached me.
"Yeah" I mumbled.
"Now that I'm here, you're going to rest. I'm going to force you if I have to" she said and I smiled.
She's such a mum sometimes. She grabbed my hand and led me upstairs.
"Luke isn't back yet?" She asked and my heart gave a painful jolt. I froze.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Something is wrong. Something is wrong with Luke" I said as one of my rings started to glow.
The promise ring.
Luke was in trouble.
....
LUKE
I closed my eyes, panting hard as blood poured out of my nose and ears. Every part of me ached and I was bleeding buckets.
I opened my eyes, trying not to show how much pain I was in. Dwain looked exhausted.
"I underestimated you just like that bastard. How on earth are you still blocking your mind?" Dwain asked and I rolled my eyes even though it hurt to do it.
"There's no way I'm letting a bunch of crazies inside my head" I said, my head still spinning.
"Do it again" Dwain said to the daywalkers.
Their eyes began to glow. For the hundredth time, their voices invaded my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing through the pain. More blood gushed out of my ears and nose.
"He's too strong. We can't break through"
Dwain cursed under his breath and grabbed a scalpel. He brushed my hair to the side, exposing the curve of my neck.
"You leave me with no choice, Lucian" he said, taking out a small chip from his pocket.
"What are you doing?" I said, trying to free my hands.
He smirked, making an incision on my neck.
"It's our new invention. It's called a pain pill" he said and inserted the chip into the incision. It hurt so bad, I screamed. He grinned and slowly healed the cut, leaving the chip trapped in my skin.
"What do you want?" I gasped as waves of pain engulfed me.
"You know what happens when the tie between a nightwalker and his mate is severed? He dies. That's what I want you to do to Theo just for me. Do it or die from the pain" He said, smirking at me. I bit my lower lip, resisting the urge to scream again. "Not even Theo can save you this time. The chip can't be taken out by anyone but me. If you try to take it out, you die. It's as simple as that-"
I coughed up blood, pain searing against my insides.
Two men rushed in.
"He's here, Sir. You have to leave right away" they said.
Confused, I tilted my head sideways.
Dwain opened a portal and glanced at me.
"I'll be seeing you" he said and vanished from sight.
The door collapsed and there stood a very pissed off Theo. Three men tried to stop him but all he had to do was glare at them with his golden eyes. They sank to the ground, a dead heap.
With his jaw clenched, he unchained me.
"My hero" I rasped.
He rolled his eyes, still looking very pissed off.
"What the hell have they done to you?" He said, pain in his eyes.
My knees buckled and he steadied me.
"Hello, husband" I said, my vision blurring at the edges. He furrowed his brows, golden wings spread wide.
"I'll kill that bastard when I find him. He'll pay for this" he said. My vision slowly faded to black as he lifted me into the air.
...
THEO
"Oh my God. What the hell did they to him?" Rachel cried as she wiped off the blood from Lucian's skin.
I watched him sleep, his breathing was strained. He was a mess. They probably tried to get him to talk. Luke was stronger than they thought and I'm glad he's my bestfriend. No doubt he was in so much pain and it was all because of me. He stirred, moving his head a bit.
"Theo?" He croaked and my heart shattered.
"I know... I know what you're thinking.... but... this... isn't your fault" he rasped, wincing a bit.
Rachel whimpered, tears filling her eyes over again.
"No, mum. Please don't cry" he rasped, heaving a sigh.
"How're you feeling, Luke?" Rachel asked, stroking his hair. "Everything fucking hurts. Dwain is a bitch" he groaned.
Devon squeezed his other hand gently. "Hey, princess. Didn't see you there. Why are you so shiny?" He asked and she smiled.
"He's probably delirious" I said and Luke laughed even though he ended up grimacing.
"I'm not delirious. It's like she took a bath in shiny crystals"
"You're probably seeing Theo's aura, Luke" Devon said, smiling.
"Oh... right"
I started to heal the cut on his torso.
"Theo don't.... you're already exhausted... you don't have to drain yourself further" Luke mumbled with his eyes closed. "I'm fine, I'm not the one who just got tortured" I said. "Well, I'm not the one who hasn't gotten any sleep for seven days straight and had to bear the strain of the Tryx. I'm also not the one who had to fight the truth serum" he said and I stared at him. "The bastard told me. That idiot knows that you have a human mate" he said and Devon paled.
He shut his eyes, gasping.
"He just doesn't know who she is exactly and he tried to get me to tell him. Oh, I also told him that you're my husband"
I laughed.
"No freaking way. I'm sure he didn't believe it"
"Well, he did"
Rachel smiled, wiping away her tears.
"You're so strong, Luka" she said and he smiled.
"I had to be. Theo is my brother and I would do anything to protect him"
Including die for you.
I could hear his voice in my head. I wouldn't let him do that. I would never forgive myself.
"Are those tears in your eyes, Theo?" Luke said, smiling at me.
"Shut up" I scoffed, rubbing my eyes to avoid shedding a tear.
"It's okay, Theo. I know you're indirectly telling me you really care. Even though you're hiding it" Luke said and I smiled, shaking my head weakly.
I couldn't help but think that this would change a lot of things. Luke groaned, pain etched on his face as he curled up on his side. He wasn't supposed to still be in that much pain, every single one of his injuries was gone.
"I'm okay" he breathed, sounding like he was trying to convince himself.
Something was definitely not right.
Luke wasn't telling me everything and I knew it.
He moaned again and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Oh shit" he cursed, his grip on my hand tightening.
"Luke" I warned.
He inhaled shakily, biting his bottom lip until it bled.
He cried out in pain and I knew I was right.
"Luke... Do you need painkillers?" Rachel asked.
"No, I think I'll pass" he groaned.
"Luke, but you're in pain"
"A painkiller is not going to help. I'm fine" he said.
He was such a terrible liar. I stared at the curve of his neck. Something was there, I could feel it pulsing. My eyes brightened and while he spoke to Rachel, I used it to my advantage. I could see right through his skin. I immediately recognized what I was seeing.
A pain pill.
Dwain was so clever but stupid.
And, Luke?
The idiot believed he could hide the pain pill from me.
Dwain was as good as dead. I was going to make sure to repay him for what he had done.