AN: It's been over a month... I know... I have no good excuse. Thank you all for supporting me and following through my erratic posting schedule. Real life has been happening, but I haven't forgotten any of you, or our poor tortured couple.
Tris POV
Flashback
"He's doing it again." Christina says as she nudges my shoulder with hers. I look at her and she glances over across the Pit where Eric is leaning against the bar drinking his whiskey and scanning his eyes across the crowd.
"Doing what?" I ask as I sip on my own whiskey. Christina rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
"You can't tell me there is nothing going on between the two of you. He's been eye fucking you all night." Christina says.
I look across the Pit and immediately meet his grey eyes. He never breaks eye contact as he brings his glass to his lips and drains its contents. He signals the bartender for another while watching me and a slight nod of his head gestures for me to come over. After what happened a few hours earlier in the tattoo shop, going over to Eric is the last thing I should be doing.
"Go." Christina whispers.
"Wait, why? You hate him." I argue.
"I don't hate him per se; I actually think he may be a better person than we've given him credit for. I've heard some rumors." She offers and I turn my full attention to her.
"What kind of rumors?" I ask.
"I've heard he's not the compliant puppy dog that it's widely believed he is." Christina replies. Her words are slurring and it's obvious by the vacant look on her face that she's drunk. She looks at me and giggles. "Besides, he's so fucking hot; don't you want to at least get a taste?"
"You think Eric's hot?" I look at her and don't make any attempt to hide my shock.
"Yeah, he's hot as hell." Christina nods while licking her lips. "Look, this is girl code here. Four's been sneaking around doing god knows what, you've been apprehensive as hell for weeks in your relationship with him and it's been obvious that you and Captain Scarypants over there have some sort of weird obsession with each other. Go over there. Talk to him, kick his ass, fuck him, do whatever. Get it out of your system, or get it into your system. Just be happy Tris." She holds her glass up and I clink mine against it.
"Will you be ok?" I ask as I glance over at Eric again. As expected, his eyes are already on me.
"Yup, Will's on his way. Go, get you some. Girl code." Chris slurs as she hooks her pinky with mine. I giggle as she pushes me away.
I walk over to where Eric is standing and take in the slight smirk on his face. He pulls out a stool and gestures for me to sit. I arch my eyebrow at him.
"I can stand if you're going to continue to do so." I say evenly. He smiles slightly before pulling another stool out and sitting down.
"Better?" He asks and I nod. He gestures at the bartender and two glasses of whiskey are quickly set down on the bar in front of us. The bartender winks at me, and he quickly gets a glare and growl from Eric that sends him scurrying on his way.
"Why did you want me to come over here? Isn't this entirely too public for you?" I ask.
"Isn't it too public for you? Don't you worry that number boy will see you consorting with the enemy?" He counters.
I roll my eyes at him. "What do you want Eric?"
"You." He answers without skipping a beat.
"Great, another one of your drunken confessions, seriously you're giving me whiplash." I shake my head as I drink the whiskey. He smirks at me as he sips on the whiskey in his glass.
"I'm not drunk. Let's get out of here." He replies.
"I'm not fucking you." I state and he almost chokes on his drink. He coughs a few times as I drain my own glass.
"Jesus Tris, a little warning. I didn't ask you to fuck me, not yet at least." He replies with a smirk. "Let's just go somewhere other than here. We can go wherever you want."
I study his face and narrow my eyes at him. "Teach me to fight."
He stands up and offers me his hand, which I accept. He doesn't drop my hand as he leads me from the bar; instead he laces our fingers together and walks towards the training room. I can't deny the electricity I feel from our entwined hands. I know Four could see us from the control room if he happened to be watching the right cameras but for some reason I no longer care. He's been acting very suspiciously for weeks now and I don't even know if our relationship will survive any further mistrust between us, nor am I sure I even care. Besides, if Four was actually watching me on the cameras he'd have definitely come and found me after the heated kisses Eric and I shared just a few hours ago in the tattoo shop.
Maybe I want him to see me with Eric.
Once we're inside of the leader's training room I watch as Eric pulls his shirt over his head. I've seen him many times without a shirt while working on his tattoo, but his body never ceases to amaze me. He has the perfect muscle tone, his chest is chiseled and his six pack prominent. He's masculine, with hair on his chest and a trail down his stomach that I visually trace each time I see it, allowing my mind to wander to where that trail ends.
"You're overdressed." He purrs. I realize he's caught me staring at his chest and I can feel the blush on my cheeks.
"I have nothing to change into." I argue.
He grabs my hand and laces our fingers together again before he punches a code into another door and he leads me into the room. There are clothes, shoes and various other training materials inside this small room.
"Take your pick." He replies as he gestures around the room with his free hand. He squeezes our entwined hands before stroking his thumb across the back of my hand. "I'll give you some privacy." He murmurs before reluctantly dropping my hand. He ducks out of the room and I change into some tight training shorts and a sports bra. I probably shouldn't be showing so much skin around Eric, especially since he's dropped hints that he's attracted to me, but today I just don't give a shit.
I walk back into the training room and Eric is warming up at a bag. His back is to me, shirt off with a pair of basketball shorts hanging dangerously low on his lean hips. I could watch his back for eternity. I've never thought of that part of someone's body as sexy but Eric's muscle tone, pale skin, the smattering of tattoos across it and the glisten of sweat all does something to me.
"Are you here to stare or are you here to train?" He asks without facing me.
"How'd you even know I was back here?" I ask.
"I'm always aware of you Stiff." He offers simply. "Warm up."
I take my place at the bag next to him and I hear him mutter "Holy fuck" under his breath. I smirk but continue my assault on my bag without acknowledging him. I'm aware that he has stopped working and is just standing there watching me.
"See something you like?" I ask.
"Fuck yes I do. God dammit Tris, how can you come out here looking like that?"
"Like what?" I ask while raising a shoulder in a shrug. I'm quickly turned around and before I can even blink he has me pressed flat against the wall while his chest is pressed into my back.
"You are playing with fire Stiff." He growls.
"I'm not afraid to get burned." I counter while trying to turn my head enough to see him.
I think back to last night and the way he finally started opening up. He told me he wanted me to leave Four and also insinuated he wanted me to be with him. I tried talking to him this morning in his office, but he yelled at me and told me to leave him alone. Typical Eric. It wasn't until our earlier encounter in the tattoo shop that I became more aware of Eric's growing affection for me.
"You are deadly sexy." He purrs. He presses harder against my back and I do everything I can to not react to how much I am enjoying our closeness. "Think you can get away Tris?" He whispers with his lips brushing against my ear.
"I could if I wanted to." I reply without thinking.
"So, you're telling me you don't want to get away from me?" He asks.
The door to the room opens slowly and we break apart. An elder leader who I don't recognize ambles in, shooting a look of disdain towards Eric.
"Why is she here?" He asks.
"She's with me Xander." Eric replies tersely.
"You can't bring your girlfriend in here Eric. This isn't where you bring your dates." The leader I now know as Xander turns towards me. "You need to go."
"Xander, fuck off. I can bring her wherever I want. We're in here training, not fucking." Eric growls.
"Eric, its fine, I can go; besides I don't want to break any rules. I'll just need to grab my clothes." I reply and I move towards the locked room. Eric follows behind me and punches in the code. He walks into the room with me and closes the door behind us.
"I'm sorry about him. He's an asshole, and the older he gets the worse he is." Eric says. I can't hide the shock on my face. "What?" he asks.
"You just apologized to me." I reply.
"He was being a jerk to you." He shrugs before grabbing my hand in his again.
"You're usually a jerk to me and you don't ever apologize for it." I counter. I brace myself for his wrath but instead I get a legitimate laugh from him. God, he is beautiful when he smiles.
"Can we talk about what happened earlier?" He asks.
The kisses – those fucking amazing kisses…..
"What do you mean?" I ask lamely. Eric pushes me against the wall and begins kissing me before I can protest. I feel him pulling my sports bra up and I lift my arms so he can pull it over my head. The heated feel of his skin against mine causes goose bumps to rise on my arms. I can feel the coolness of his nipple rings pressing against my chest and I can guarantee he can feel my hard nipples against his.
He grinds against my heated core and I can finally feel exactly how big he is. All I can think about is having him inside of me and I run my hands down the sides of his body until I reach the waist of the thin basketball shorts he's wearing. I begin to push them down his hips and he growls into our kiss.
"Tris…" He whispers huskily as I run my fingers up and down the smooth hot skin of his freed manhood. "I don't want to do this here."
His statement causes me to pause and he kisses me deeply before pulling his face slightly away from mine. His intense grey eyes never leave mine.
"You don't want me?" I ask in an unsure voice.
He kisses me again before resting his forehead against mine.
"I want everything with you." He whispers. "I want every part of you and I want it forever."
"Eric…"
"Let me finish. I have one shot at this before all hell breaks loose. You already know what's about to happen, you and number boy have been snooping all around it and I know you have figured it out. Please just hear me out. I'm terrible at this…" He stops talking and I lean up and capture his lips with my own, initiating a kiss between us for the first time. He grinds against my hand that's still wrapped around him and moans loudly. We hear the slam of weights hitting the floor in the training room and Eric chuckles against me.
"I'm not part of it." He finally says. "I know you think that I'm part of this war with Jeanine but I'm not and I will do everything in my power to protect you."
"What?" I stutter. "Why?"
"I love you. I love everything about you and we will be happy Tris, once this is done we will be free."
I drop my hands away from Eric and try to move. He presses his body against mine.
"No, don't run baby please. It's taken me months to gather the courage to say anything. Please…."
A loud banging on the door interrupts him and he curses loudly before yelling. "Xander, leave me alone for fucks sake!"
"This isn't Xander. What are you doing in there?" Max's voice booms through the closed door and I briefly catch the fear pass across Eric's features. "Jeanine is in my office waiting. So finish up whatever or whoever you have in there and hurry the fuck up." He adds with a touch of humor in his voice.
"I'll be there shortly." Eric replies gruffly. He drops his face towards mine and captures my lips in a brief kiss while pulling his shorts back into place. He drops kisses down my neck and across my naked breasts before helping me slip his previously discarded t-shirt over my head.
"Eric, I can't deal with the hot and cold from you." I finally say.
"No more of the back and forth Tris, I can promise you that. I want you. I've tried to wait for you but I can't anymore. I need you to be with me. I meant it when I told you I wanted you to leave him. That wasn't the alcohol talking."
"I need to think about this… I just… I can't…"
He presses his lips to mine again and I melt into him. I've wanted this moment for so long and now that it's here I'm terrified. I know Tobias has been doing something behind my back, and even though I've tried to attribute his erratic behavior to the surveillance he's doing for this war I know there is something more going on and that whatever it is he's gone to great lengths to hide it from me.
I know I don't love Tobias. I've known that for a long time.
"Tris, say it whenever you're ready. You'll know." He whispers against my lips. "I have to go. We have less than forty eight hours. No matter what happens during that time I need you to know that I love you."
With that we finish getting dressed and leave the training room quietly. Eric pulls me to him once more for a brief kiss before we go our separate ways down the dark hallways.
I make my way towards the Pit in search of Christina. Even though it's possible that she's too drunk to function, Eric's revelation has me in desperate need of a friend. I quickly spot her sitting at a high top table drinking what appears to be water while she fans herself with a menu. She smiles widely at me when she sees me approaching, but once she sees the look on my face her smile drops.
"What's wrong?" She asks.
"Chris…. He…."
"Hey, it's ok, it's just us. What did he do?" She asks.
"He loves me." I spit out.
"And you love him too." She replies. I'm immediately surprised by her casual acceptance.
"I think I do."
End Flashback
I wake up with a start, realizing that the dream I thought I was having was in fact a flashback. He had told me he loved me before the truth serum and neither of us remembered it.
His breath is warm against my neck and I slowly turn around in his arms so that I can face him.
"Baby." He says in his scratchy, sleep thickened voice. "You…ok?"
"I love you." I quietly reply.
"I love you….too."
I should tell him what I remember but I have no idea if it will help his already precarious mental state with his own memory wipe. I lose track of thought when his warm lips capture mine. We lazily kiss each other before eventually falling back to sleep.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
I recognize the look on Eric's face, and it's the same glare he wore during most of my initiation when he was dealing with Jeanine's bullshit. I nervously watch him through the window of the speech therapy room they've taken him to, where they'd purposely separated him from me. This is not only his first session in Erudite, it's also the first session they've not allowed me in the room with him. The speech therapist that Dr. Merced recommended is an older, no nonsense African American woman named Dr. Bonita Denone and she refuses to be intimidated by my less than pleased husband.
One of Dr. Denone's reasons for separating us was she wanted Eric to speak freely without my help or influence. She expressed her displeasure with Eric's dependence on me during initial meeting with us, which of course set him off from the get go, and when she decided to separate us I had to force him to follow her into the room. I can see his angry and defiant body language through the window I'm watching them through and it worries me to no end.
"Hey." A voice behind me makes me jump and I turn to see the soft smile of Christina. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"What are you doing here?" I ask her.
"I had to come here to work on their main server in the control room. For some reason, David has been concentrating more on the satellite control rooms than the Dauntless one. It's actually quite amusing watching the logs for all of his failed attempts at getting the city cameras working. Each try leaks more and more of the virus into their system." She replies with a grin.
"Chris, I am so proud of you. What you are Mar have done is going to save our city. You're amazing." I reply with a grin of my own. "How long do you think it'll take?"
"They are so far off the trail in their attempts so it's really hard to say, but I don't think it'll be anytime soon."
I nod in acknowledgment and then turn towards the window again. Eric can't see me watching him since the window looks like a mirror from the inside, but he's smart enough to know that I'm out here. He knows I'd never leave him.
"How's he really doing Tris?" Christina asks quietly from beside me.
"Medically, he has continued to defy all odds. The serum he received should have killed him and it's still unknown as to how it didn't. Physically, he's gotten so much stronger. He couldn't walk or talk for weeks Chris. He didn't know who I was." My voice trails off as I fight to compose myself.
"You don't have to wear your mask in front of me Tris." Christina says as she places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes slightly. "How are you really doing?"
"I… I mean…" I try to talk but the tears just began flowing down my cheeks without any warning. "I…"
"You're not fine, so don't even try to tell me you are." Christina says as she ushers us to some chairs and puts her arms around me. My whole body shakes as the sobs rip through me. "Get it out sweetie. It's ok." She soothes as she presses a kiss to my head and wraps her arms tighter around me.
"He… he couldn't breathe on his own….and then he didn't know who I was….but he still loved me Chris." I say through tears.
"Of course he did Tris, you two have fought through so much shit to be together. There's absolutely nothing that will keep you apart." She replies softly.
"I thought he was going to die. I'm still terrified that if he stops drinking that serum that he will." I finally admit.
"Have you asked his doctor about that?" Chris asks.
I nod my head. "All that Dr. Farrar or Dr. Merced, well Scott and Chase as they've asked us to call them have said is that he's not out of the woods yet and it's too soon to say how long he'll be dependent on serums to get by. The serum they injected him with is still present in his bloodstream, although its capacity has greatly diminished. However, it's been almost three months since he was dosed with it and it's yet to completely be dispelled. They have no idea what that means."
"You're afraid they've left something in there that can be activated." She says and I nod against her shoulder. "Tris, of that were the case they'd have done it before now. Think about it, when you were still there David was pressuring the hell out of Scott to allow him to start testing on Eric. If there was a way he could do anything with the amount of serum that was left inside of him he would have acted on it when Scott was putting him off."
I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. What Christina says makes sense, and when I think about it I can't imagine David not exercising control of Eric if he had the chance.
"You're right about that, David wouldn't have hesitated." I sigh.
"What they did to Eric is awful Tris, and I can't imagine what he's gone through to get where he is today. But, you've forgotten to take care of yourself in all of this too. When's the last time you ate a real meal? How about you two come have dinner together in the cafeteria with us? Just something normal." Christina replies.
"I don't know if Eric wants to go out in public yet. He's still having a hard time with the attention he's getting."
"The attention he's getting is because he's a fucking phenomenon who beat a serum designed to torture and kill him. Tris, between you and me Zeke wants him back in leadership, you too but especially Eric. He's been trying to find a way to approach him. He thinks Eric needs to be head leader again." Chris confides.
"Eric wouldn't take head leadership again." I shake my head. "I don't know that he will even take leadership. He's tired, and he's ready to start a family once this is all over."
"Eric? A family? What the hell kind of magic have you worked on him?" Christina says with a giggle. I can't help but laugh back at her.
"None, this was his idea and all his doing." I shrug.
"So you two are trying?" She asks.
"We were, yes. But David gave me prevention serum again while I was in Milwaukee. If I were to become pregnant by a GD it taints my purity or whatever bullshit genetics they believe in over there." I reply.
"But, what if he's not damaged as they call it? Scott talked to us at length about Eric and David's obsession over him beating that serum. It almost seems like David thinks that Eric might be something that even you and Four aren't." Christina says.
I don't immediately answer because I know what she's saying is true. Matthew, Nita and Scott talked to Edgar, Four and I about the unexplained phenomena that Eric beating that serum was. It put him directly in David's crosshairs.
"Tris, you probably should get checked out too. You have no idea what serums David has pumped you full of, plus you've stopped following up on your own issues with that mutated memory serum you were given. I think you should at least get examined while you're in Erudite." She replies with concern.
"I know. I'll make an appointment with Chase if Scott doesn't make it back soon. He's the only person here I trust to be discreet."
I stand up and walk over to the window and watch Eric, I'm alarmed to see that he's sitting with his hands on his head and he looks to be upset about something. Christina soon joins me next to the window and glances over at me once she sees the state Eric is in.
"What's she doing to him?" I whisper.
"I don't know, but I've heard she's the best at what she does. Therapy isn't easy for anyone Tris, opening up and exposing yourself like that." She replies but stops talking as soon as she sees my expression.
"She's his speech therapist Chris. This shouldn't be difficult at all."
"Tris, she's a psychiatrist. What were you told?" Christina asks with her mouth agape.
"Chase told me he was setting Eric up with her for therapy, he made it seem like it was for Eric's continued speech therapy….oh my god Chris what have I done?" I ask as I watch Eric's uncomfortable body language through the window. "I'm going in there."
A hand on my arm stops me and I turn to stare at my best friend.
"Leave him in there. He needs this Tris, and so do you. I know you love him and are terrified to leave him alone, but this entire ordeal has been hell on both of you. Why don't you let him be and you and I can go see if Chase is around. You can get your questions answered and maybe go ahead with that checkup."
"No, if he comes out and I'm not here he'll worry. I can't." I reply as I watch him through the window.
"Ok, I'll compromise, he's got at least half an hour before he comes out. Let's at least find Chase and make an appointment. We can come right back." Christina offers. I sigh and nod my head. "Ok, come on."
I follow Christina through the halls and the apprehension is bubbling inside of me. I don't know why this sudden sense of insecurity is taking over, but I do know that being separated from Eric isn't just an issue for him at this point. It physically bothers me to be too far apart.
"Christina, I can't. I have to go back right now." I say as I turn away from her. I rush down the hallways towards the room Eric is being seen in and I can hear him well before I see him. I take off in a full sprint as I rush into the room he's in, where he is yelling at the older woman who calmly sits in her chair across the table from him.
"Eric!" I admonish as I rush over to him. He stops yelling and turns his steel grey eyes to me. I take in the flush of anger on his face and his labored breathing through flared nostrils.
"She's a fucking shrink!" He yells. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything! Chase set this up as therapy and I assumed that it was part of your speech therapy. Baby I had no idea." I reply as I try to rein my anger at the situation in.
"She's in here asking about how I feel about what happened! How do you think I feel?" He yells again as he begins pacing back and forth like a caged animal. I'm about to yell right back at him and then it dawns on me.
"Eric, you're not hesitating or stuttering." I say softly. He turns his red face towards me and his expression changes minutely.
"What?" He barks.
"Ever since you got angry your hesitancy to speak stopped. Eric, what your wife is trying to point out to you is you've not stuttered or been at a loss for words since you were angered." Dr. Denone replies. "Eric, you are holding in quite a lot of anger at your situation. You have every reason to be angry, and I base that just on the small bit of information about your medical history that was passed to be by doctors Merced and Farrar. I believe that if we could talk about some of the things that have led to where you are today we may be able to help get you to where you have the potential to be again."
"Tris…?" He looks at me for some sort of confirmation. His expression has softened but his apprehension is apparent. I walk over to him and take his hands in my own. "I'm sorry for yelling." He says slowly.
"It's ok, you were upset and caught off guard." I reply. He tries to grip my hands but when he can't his frustration shows. He turns to face Dr. Denone.
"Can you fix..this?" He brings up our entwined hands and demonstrates the way his fingers refuse to move properly.
"Eric that can be fixed in your continued physical therapy and medication as long as you continue to be dedicated to both, but what I can do is help you to deal with the emotional trauma that you've been though." She offers.
"I only do this with her." He gestures towards me. "I won't hear anymore shit...about...being too dependent on...her. She's my...wife and I can only do this...with...her being here."
"That is up to her." The doctor replies.
"Will it be more harmful or helpful if I'm here?" I finally ask.
"Based on what I've just seen I'd say helpful. However, I can't have you here as a mere observer. I need to get to know both of you and through that I will be able to help you repair the damage done to each of you individually and to your relationship as well." She replies.
"Our marriage is not damaged." Eric roars and I squeeze his hands and pull him closer to me.
"Eric, please don't take my words out of context. I don't believe in any of the genetic rhetoric from Milwaukee about damage. I am simply referring to the emotional strain that was placed on you both as individuals and as a couple."
"Yes, I'm willing to do this, together." I say and Eric glances over at me.
"Ok." Eric says.
Dr. Denone gestures for us both to have a seat at the table with her, where she gently prods us to give her the overview of what the two of us have been through together to get us where we are today. She only asks the very basic of questions, more so to clarify things we have said to her. Throughout our session her expression remains neutral, which to me is a feat since some of the things Eric and I are talking about are pretty unbelievable.
"Eric, I think some of your speech issues are a mental block…." Dr. Denone begins but Eric cuts her off in a rage.
"I'm not a fucking mental case!" He shouts. I take his trembling hands in my own and pull him closer to me.
"Baby, you have to calm down. Give her a chance to speak before you react. Think about what she says rather than why you think she's saying it." I say quietly and he brings one of our entwined hands up and presses his lips against my knuckles. He turns towards Dr. Denone and takes a deep breath in.
"I'm sorry for that." He says slowly and she nods.
"It's quite alright. I'd much rather you get that anger and rage out of you than hold it inside. That is what is most damaging to you as a person. When I use the word damaged, it's not to describe your genetic makeup or your relationship with your wife and others Eric, it's to explain what holding the anger inside is doing to you." She explains.
We spend some time talking a little more openly with the doctor and Eric begins to slightly relax. I finally decide to ask the question that's been in the back of my mind since Eric's earlier outburst.
"Why was he able to speak normally when he was upset?"
Dr. Denone looks at Eric briefly before turning her attention to me. "We believe that Eric is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which is why Doctors Farrar and Merced have enlisted my services." She looks over to Eric. "The physical aftermath from the trauma you have suffered was great, and your recovery from it has been nothing short of phenomenal however your emotional trauma runs deep. Dr. Farrar was quite concerned over some of the conversations the two of you had, especially when it came to the emotional trauma and turmoil that spawned from your initial memory losses. Especially since you've recovered a significant memory that your wife hasn't…."
"No… we're not talking….about….that…" Eric replies.
"Talking about what? What did you remember?"
"Eric, I believe discussing the memories that each of you recover is paramount in your healing process. The two of you have found each other time and time again, and managed to fall deeper in love each time. I think you should share what you remember with Tris."
"It was the first…time I told you how I feel… about you…" He begins.
"In the leadership training room two days before the war, after our first kiss in the tattoo shop," Eric's eyes widen and the smile he's been lacking for most of the day creeps onto his face. "I remembered it this morning; in fact that memory woke me up that first time."
"Baby….." He whispers before leaning over to kiss my temple. "I love…you."
"Dr. Denone, my sincerest apologies for the interruption but Dauntless' head leader has sent transportation to pick up Mr. and Mrs. Coulter." A young woman says as she rushes into the room.
"What's the meaning of this Alicia?" The doctor replies.
"I'm sorry, all the said was that it was an emergency and it was imperative that they leave immediately." The woman replies as she ushers us towards the door much to the chagrin of Dr. Denone. We are escorted into the back of a waiting SUV where we are quickly whisked away by the driver.
"Excuse me sir, could you tell us what's going on?" I ask the driver, a greying man whom I don't recognize wearing a beanie and aviator sunglasses.
"Ma'am, I just am under orders to return you." He replies stoically.
Eric reaches for his phone and tries to call Zeke, but is frustrated when it goes to voicemail. I reach for my phone and text Edgar.
T: What's going on?
E: Not a lot, just waiting for Tobias to get home. How's Erudite?
T: Zeke sent a car to come pick us up in the middle of Eric's appointment. What's the emergency?
My phone rings and I quickly answer it.
"Don't react. Do you recognize who picked you up?" He asks quietly but urgently.
"No." I reply.
"Keep your phone on and this call open as long as you can. We're going to trace you. Don't panic, we will find you. Put your phone in your pocket but keep it on. I love you." Edgar replies.
I turn to speak to Eric but he slowly slumps against me and his body goes completely limp. I feel a needle against my neck and an arm across my shoulders from behind.
"Don't even think of moving." A deep voice warns.
"What did you do to him?" I ask in a trembling voice. I'm holding my husband's limp body against my own as tightly as I can.
"You should have cooperated." The man answers.
"I'll do whatever you want, please just don't hurt him."
He chuckles darkly. "You foolish girl, you are nothing to us anymore. So self centered." He tsks. "We wouldn't do anything to hurt him, we want him."