Chapter Twenty Six

Passing the oxygen around, Dhusk coughed a bit as Ahgony took his share of fresh air. Sitting across from the males were Hhavoc and Fhear sharing their own oxygen tank. The four weren't the only ones benched in the infirmary thanks to the lack of air in their lungs. Sitting further down the room were half of the Brothers. Manny shifted around from each bed to check the males and females to hear if they were breathing right. The docs had a little bit of help because Ehlena and Havers came over to the mansion. Rehvenge was somewhere in the mansion while his shellan was helping out.

Dhusk continued to shake his leg like crazy. Here he was, sitting in the infirmary completely covered in soot and sucking in air because his life did depend on it while Paige was somewhere else. When they arrived to the mansion, Dhusk made sure Jane saw her first because she had been in the factory the longest. Jane had yet to return which didn't settle well with the male. He needed to know if Paige was alright and not knowing was killing him.

Apparently the universe wasn't listening because the door to the infirmary swung wide open and smacked into the wall. It was Dhusk's turn for his share of air so he brought the nose piece up as Wrath walked in with Rehv trailing behind. Both him and Ahgony shot looks over at Fhear. Their eyes popped wide open when they only saw Hhavoc sitting by himself. His cousin gladly pointed to the cover behind him.

The king's seeing dog led him to the center of the room. Some of the Brothers who weren't sucking on oxygen greeted Wrath while the others waved even though he couldn't see them. The unlucky three kept quiet in hopes their king wouldn't sense them. There was a shallow cough behind the cover like Fhear was trying to keep it in.

Wrath was talking to V about something Dhusk couldn't hear. Maybe Wrath wanted the Brother to go over the pictures Paige took. Everyone knew about those which wasn't good. Lessers who possessed top of the line guns and money as far as the eye could see was the complete opposite of good. And the way how they went into battle was disturbing on so many levels. The Brotherhood needed to find out what their enemy was up to and fast. When he was done talking to the Brother, Wrath looked around as if he could really see.

"Fhear! I know you're in here."

Unwanted eyes aimed straight to Dhusk and the others. Those eyes then began searching for the missing prince. Dhusk noticed how quickly the cover had moved from its spot and was now halfway to the exit. The prince moved fast when he didn't want to get caught by his father. A lucky bastard if none of the Brothers noticed the cover magically appearing in another spot.

Dhusk, Ahgony, and Hhavoc dropped their heads when a tiny muffled cough came from the cover. Attention was pointed at the cover. Even Wrath heard his son because his head tilted in the direction. What didn't help the male escape was the fact that he stopped behind Sohrrow and the male heard him clear as day. Eyes flickering white for a second, the twin reached behind him without looking and jerked the cover away.

It was sad when Fhear actually attempted to run out of the infirmary. Conner barked at him which gave Wrath a heads-up. The king just raised his arms and caught his son before he could run right past him. Besides, even if Fhear made it past the king, Rehv was leaning against the door leading to freedom. Fhear went off on a suicidal mission and failed miserably.

"You and I need to have a talk," growled the king. "Manny, is my son fine to leave?"

Manny held a clipboard in her hand. Tapping on a sheet of paper clipped to it, he ran his finger over the surface. A second ticked by and Dhusk watched as Wrath managed to drag his son out of the infirmary with Rehv a little too happy following them.

Now that Fhear would have to face the fire on his own, there wasn't really anything keeping Dhusk in the infirmary. If the docs gave him to go or no-go, he needed to get out of the room and fast.

He planned on just doing that as he handed Ahgony his share when Dhusk's father walked up. The male patted Hhavoc and jerked his thumb over to the others. Nightmahre turned his gaze over at Ahgony so he could get the message. Both of the young males looked at one another before glancing over at Dhusk. He gave his friend and cousin a nod so they could leave. Once it was just the two of them, Nightmahre took a seat next to his son.

"Words can't describe what you did tonight," spoke Nightmahre.

"I think 'You fucked up' covers it."

Nightmahre turned his head to look at his son. Both males' faces were covered in soot so the only color standing out were their eyes. "Some of the others might say that." The male gestured to those still in the room. "And I don't think Wrath's going to let you off like last time."

Dhusk didn't need his father to be playing it safe. The male not only endangered his life or the others but the prince of their race. He went into battle without the slightest clue of their situation or care for those watching his back. The only thing on his mind was finding Paige no matter the cost. Now the aftermath to his decision was staring him right in the face.

"So what? Wrath's going to remove me from the Brotherhood? Well, I could give a rat's ass. Paige was in trouble and I wasn't going to sit around here waiting for you and the others to act. I'd do it again."

Now that Dhusk made his peace with his decision, he waited for his father to say something. He knew his latest disobedience would probably lead him to handing over his black dagger. But what he said was true and he would do the same thing over and over again if it meant saving his female.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Nightmahre stood up and rotated his shoulders. "When we came to Caldwell, Wrath had little faith in me. I never cared if the king trusted me or not. The two things that mattered to me was hunting the enemy and making sure I took care of the others. When I look at you, I see a male who knows how to keep everyone together. But when your head gets in the game and you know the mission to the core, it's like I'm looking at a stranger. Tonight I saw that stranger willing to risk lives like they were pawns in a game. That is not the person I'm proud to call my son."

The male placed his hand on Dhusk's shoulder. "I think it's time we've started figuring out how to counter this side of yours. It's true that you're good in a fight when you're relaxed, but you are twice as stronger when you're focused. We just need to find a way to keep you here instead of wherever it is you go."

His father's words played on the male's mind. He had lived with this other side of him for so long that he accepted it. Dhusk was already used to being easy going to counter his cold self. But as he listened to Nightmahre, one thing came to mind and it was Paige. She hadn't seen him when he checked out from this world. She knew he fought with the Brothers since she saw him that night. He just never told her about his other side.

Maybe figuring out this might be a good thing. And now that he had a clear head, he felt disgusted with himself for risking the lives of those closest to him. It was easy in thinking the males like they were pieces to a game he could discard whenever he needed to. That was how he thought of the others when he became serious. Those who were with him when his mind changed were nothing more than pieces on a playing board. He used one to make a move and would sacrifice them if it meant getting closer to finishing the mission.

What if Paige was put on that board?

Dhusk agreed with his father. It was time he stopped shifting between personalities. He already attacked his father and used so many Brothers. Any sooner and someone might get hurt by his hands. Dhusk knew it was time to fix his ways and do what was best. If that meant getting kicked out of the Brotherhood, then so be it. It would give him more time to sort things out. He would do whatever it took so that the cold Dhusk would never resurface ever again.

When the door opened and closed to announce someone had entered, Dhusk took one glance just because before bolting up to his feet. Jane told the male to take a seat before he fell over. Her words were true because the world swam around for a second. In Jane's hand was a clipboard. Those were most likely Paige's results.

"How is she?"

Jane looked at her clipboard before rubbing her eyes. "Honestly, I can't believe that girl is still alive."

Jane's words shocked Dhusk. Out of everything she could've told him, what did she mean by "still alive"?

"Paige has over three hundred and seventy-five milligrams of heroin in her system. Dhusk, that's a full syringe dosage. I know you might not want to hear it, but Paige should've been dead when you got to her."

Heroin. Those lessers tried to kill his female with the same product she used to buy from them. They intended to kill her with that shit when they caught her. Now he wanted to go back in time and do more than just killing.

"I ran the test three times. It seems her body is already cleaning the drugs from her system as we speak. Then there's the matter with her legs. All of her bones are intact without a hint of a fracture. Only signs showing the damage are a couple of bruises. As for her lungs, she might as well not be in a burning building. There was hardly any smoke in her when I checked her."

"How it any of this possible?" Nightmahre asked.

"I honestly don't know. I even went back to her medical report Havers sent two months ago. After comparing these test to the old reports, there's just no medical explanation as to what's happening to Paige. The best I can come up with is a miracle."

By the time Jane finished her speech, Dhusk was already up in his feet. This time the world stayed in focus. A good thing because he was going to go find Paige. The last time she went through a withdrawal, the entire cabin shook with her. He needed to be by her side to help her through it.

"Where is she?"

"I have her sleeping upstairs in east wing. Third room on the left. It'll be some time before she wakes up."

Dhusk didn't wait for Jane to check him. Either he was clear or not, the male was already out of the infirmary and heading down the tunnels. He quickly found the door leading up to the mansion. It took him only a series of fast steps and a determined mind when he found himself in front of the door. Easing it open, he instantly saw Paige sleeping in the bed. There was a pole with an IV bag hanging on it. His eyes traveled the length of the plastic tube and found the end tapped to the back of Paige's hand.

Closing the door behind him, Dhusk sat gently next to her. Someone must've washed her because there was no trace of soot on her and she was wearing fresh clothes. Dhusk raised his hand to find it still covered in the mess. Even his fingernails were lodged with soot. He didn't want to be away from Paige so he went to the bathroom and did a quick shower. It didn't go as fast as he though considering he was half blind throughout the whole thing. By the time the male slipped into a pair of sweats, the shower was splattered with black water.

When Dhusk reentered the room, he noticed how Paige was now curled up on her side. Across from her was a vase floating a few inches from a desk. She shivered the same time the vase did. Soon a chair and a dresser rose from the ground. Three items fell when Paige curled tighter into a ball. The vase broke into a million pieces with the water suspended for a couple of seconds.

Her withdrawals were happening faster than Dhusk anticipated.

Not knowing whether her ability was moving things outside the room, the thought really didn't matter as Dhusk pulled up the covers and climbed into bed. He pulled Paige close but was mindful of the IV in her. Two months without her touch washed away like it never happened when Dhusk felt her against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her in a safe hold, the male took in a steady breath. It was good to smell his female again.

Their conversation came to mind when Dhusk felt Paige's hand reach for him in her sleep. Her unconscious hold over him was a strong one. Even after erasing her memories of him, her body still remembered his touch. The way how she held onto him sent his heart soaring. No matter what, Paige remembered him.

Dhusk returned her grip with his own. In the corner of his vision, the male noticed how more furniture was levitating. A couple of books shot from the floating shelves when a shiver came over Paige. But with every shiver came a constriction over Dhusk's hand. And with each tighter grip, the more items began to float back to the ground. By the time Paige's body went still, there wasn't anything moving.

The male watched the room as he felt Paige shiver against his body. Nothing jumped up or moved around as she rode out her withdrawal. He couldn't feel his hand anymore even though it didn't matter. In a way, he was her anchor in a time of need. With him holding her hand, Paige's ability wasn't as intense as before.

The Scribe Virgin had used him as a way to keep her ability from ever returning. Now with him back, it followed him like a shadow. This strange ability that the naked eye couldn't see was back and it saved Paige's life. And just like this protecting shadow, there was no way Dhusk was ever leaving her side again.