"I always knew Tanner was a Grade A, D-bag." Lilith prowled the Den's living room, weaving between the armchair Randall was sitting in and the doorway where Jack and Alyssa were hovering.
They'd filled in the rest of the group while Hamish had washed away the blood and changed out of Jack's jacket. Now he was sitting watching them from his perch next to Bela on the sofa. She had yet to wake up but thanks to the Pulveris Memoria Alyssa had used on her, when she did, she wouldn't have any recollection of the past few hours.
"No kidding," Randall piped up. "Stupid too - as if he would have been a match for four werewolves, even with that spell. What was he thinking?"
"He's not exactly The Order's best or brightest." Alyssa sighed. She leaned against Jack, slipping her arm around his waist.
Lilith snarled. "I just wish I'd been there. I could've punched the stupid idiot in his stupid face."
"Don't worry Lil," Randall grimaced. "We'll do more than that to him."
"No." Hamish pulled his attention away from Bela. His voice was quiet but it echoed through the room. "I'm going to deal with him."
When Lillith huffed in protest he glared at her. "Did I not make myself clear? Tanner is mine."
An awkward silence fell across the Den as Lillith, Randall, Jack and Alyssa looked at each other. Hamish ignored them, choosing instead to refocus his attention on Bela, watching her carefully for signs of consciousness.
After a beat, Randall leaned forward in his chair. "Look Haim," he said, "I know you're upset but you don't have to do this on your own."
"Upset?" Hamish kept his voice low, conscious of the woman sleeping a few feet away from them. "He kidnapped Bela to get to me. He hurt her, because I left her alone. It was my fault. It's my responsibility." Though his voice was calm, he could feel Tundra's presence under his skin, pressing him to hunt down Tanner, to destroy the person who'd threatened Bela. He took a steadying breath.
"Ok." Randall raised his palms in defeat. "You're the boss."
Hamish glanced up, towards the doorway. "Do we have enough supplies for another tracking spell?"
Alyssa nodded. "Just about. What are you going to do?"
Hamish's eyes were cold as he looked around the group. "I'm going to kill him."
"Finally," Lilith smiled. "A plan I can get on board with."
"Good, because-" Hamish broke off as a soft groan came from the other end of the sofa.
"Bels?" He scanned her face as she shifted slightly, starting to wake.
At the first sign of movement Randall went to get up from his chair, but he froze when a rumbling noise issued from Hamish's chest. He sat back down, quickly, looking into the older man's silver eyes with surprise. "Uh… Haim?"
Randall's voice broke through Hamish's stupor. He was a little shocked and embarrassed - had he really just growled at his friend? He mentally shook himself before shooting the dark haired man an apologetic look. "Sorry. It's been a long night."
"Uh," Lillith glanced between Hamish and Randall and then to Bela. "I'm going to give you some space." She said, heading upstairs.
Jack pulled Alyssa towards the basement door. "Yeah," He mumbled as they disappeared from view. "We'll go work on that thing for you Hamish."
"Subtle, Haim." Randall bit back a smirk.
Bela groaned under her breath, drawing their attention back to the sofa.
"Am I contagious or something?" Her voice cracked as she blinked, clearing her vision.
She looked around the room in surprise. The last thing she remembered was being outside the club - how did she get to the Den? As she took in Hamish and Randall's concerned faces her confusion warped into worry.
"Uh… what's going on guys?"
The two men exchanged a look.
"What do you remember?" Hamish asked, eyes trained on her face.
"We were going to get dinner. I was waiting for you outside and then this guy from my department came over."
Hamish nodded.
"Uh, Tanner. He asked to borrow my phone and …." Bela paused for a moment. Her thoughts were swimming around her head, impossible to pin down or make sense of. Her eyes widened as a memory slotted into place. "He put his hand over my mouth." Bela felt panic fill her. As the fog cleared she was suddenly aware of her aching limbs and the pounding pressure behind her temples.
"What happened?"
Hamish placed his hand on her arm. "Tanner… We think he gave you a sedative. He knocked you out and tried to get you into his car."
Randall glanced at the older man. "But Hamish came out and saw him. He stopped Tanner and brought you back here."
"What?" Bela was confused. "I don't even know him, why would he do that?"
The two men exchanged another glance. They'd already discussed what version of events might explain Bela's injuries without inviting further questions.
"Maybe a frat prank?" Randall suggested "Or maybe he's done this to other women before." The implication of Tanner's actions hung in the air.
Bela felt her stomach drop. Her head pounded as she struggled to wrap her mind around what had happened, what might have happened if Hamish hadn't stepped in.
She scanned his face, finding his blue eyes with her own. "Thank you."
Hamish's cheeks darkened. He placed a hand on her arm, absently running his fingers across her skin. "Uh, Bels." He hesitated. "There was a fight, when I came outside. Tanner wasn't exactly careful - you got pretty banged up."
"That explains my head." Bela groaned. "And my arms…. And my legs. Just everything really."
"Are you in pain?" Hamish frowned.
Bela nodded, and then regretted it immediately as a shooting sensation rocketed through her skull. She winced. "Everything hurts."
"I'm going to get you some pain killers, don't move." He disappeared through the door to the kitchen, leaving Bela with Randall.
"You'll feel better soon," her friend said, offering her a small smile. "You just need to rest. The drugs should wear off soon."
"Yeah," Bela rolled her eyes. "I know the drill, Dr Carpio."
She tried to sit up and then fell back quickly as pain radiated through her legs.
"Wha-?" She hissed in discomfort.
"Don't get up." Randall leapt up from the armchair as Hamish rushed back into the room.
He glared at Randall as if he was personally responsible for causing Bela pain.
"Your legs are bruised, second degree contusions. You need to rest."
Bela stared at Randall. "You examined me?" Her eyebrows inched up. "While I was unconscious?"
Randall's mouth dropped open. He crouched on the floor next to the sofa. "I'm sorry Bels, I had to check if we needed to take you to the hospital. We didn't know what Tanner-" he looked at Hamish, "- how bad your injuries were."
Bela reached down to pat his hand. "If you were anyone else, I'd sock you in the jaw." She smiled as relief flooded his face. "Thank you though, seriously."
Randall grinned up at her, and gave her hand a small squeeze.
Hamish handed her a couple of pills and a glass of water. "Take these, they'll help with the pain."
Bela nodded and swallowed them quickly. When she'd finished he took the glass off her and set it down on the table in front of them.
"You need to rest." He said gently. "You can't be on your own until we're sure the drug is out of your system. You can stay in my room."
"I can't," Bela protested. "You need to sleep too, Hamish."
"Believe me," He insisted "I'm not going to get much rest tonight."
He bent down and placed an arm around Bela's shoulders, the other looped carefully under her knees. When he straightened up he brought Bela with him, tucking her into his chest as if she weighed nothing.
Bela felt her face flush at the sudden sensation of being pressed against Hamish. Though she knew he was carrying her to avoid her walking on injured legs, she couldn't help but take a little pleasure in his act of chivalry.
His room was set at the far end of the house, the very last door leading off the hallway. As he pushed the door open Bela noticed how closely it matched what she'd imagined Hamish's bedroom would be like. Not that she'd thought of it, much.
The furniture was dark, antique like the living room downstairs. Against one side sat a comfy looking double bed, sandwiched between two bedside tables which were decorated with reading lamps. Bookcases lined the rest of the dark blue walls, filled with everything from Psychology texts to books on German folklore. Overlooking the large, south-facing window sat a wooden desk, piled high with neat stacks of papers.
Hamish set her down on the edge of the bed and then walked over to an imposing wooden chest of draws.
"I thought you might like to borrow these." He pulled out a t-shirt and pair of baggy cotton sweatpants. "We keep spare clothes here for emergencies."
Bela looked down at her ruined dress, noticing for the first time the dark splotches across the hem.
"Don't worry," Hamish said, his voice quiet. "It's not your blood." He avoided her eyes and turned to face the wall, giving her some privacy.
As Bela changed she looked around the room again. "Randall mentioned you all have rooms here - kind of like a frat house - but you have an apartment too?"
Hamish nodded, though she couldn't see his face. "My apartment's off-campus." He said, "I spend most of my time here, it's easier for work and it's nice to have the company, but I use my apartment if I need a break."
"If Randall and Lillith annoy you?" Bela smiled.
Hamish laughed. "They can be a little much sometimes."
Bela hummed in agreement. She lay her dress down beside the bed and slipped under the duvet, enjoying the feeling of being enveloped by the cool sheets. Her whole body ached, and though she'd only been awake for a short time, she was completely exhausted.
The bed dipped as Hamish sat on the edge. He reached over to pull the covers snug around her shoulders, ignoring the way his stomach flipped seeing Bela lying in his bed, wearing his clothes.
Bela covered her mouth as she yawned. "You don't need to tuck me into bed Haim, I'm not sick."
He smiled at her and brushed his fingertips softly across her forehead, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Rest." He said, watching her eyes droop closed.
As he made his way to the door Bela called out to him, her voice thick with sleep. "Thanks, Haim. It's nice to be around people - after tonight."
As he hesitated by the door the light from the hallway cast his face in shadow. "You're safe here Bels, we're not going to let anything happen to you." His eyes darkened as they scanned her face. "And you don't need to worry about Tanner - he's going to be dealt with."