expressive face went totally still and he stood. “Reuben, where are my things?”
“They’re here, babe. Can you all excuse us?” Reuben stood and put a hand under Yves’ elbow. He could feel how done Yves was. How close he was to losing his shit.
“I just need the last pieces.” Yves met his eyes, sure. “I don’t think I can stop now. It’s all coming together.”
Why did that sound so ominous?
And why in the hell did Reuben want to go against all good sense and give Yves all those parchment pieces?
It didn’t make any sense.
None of this made sense.
His head hurt, his body beginning to ache as if he was coming down with something. “Let’s go sit and see what we have, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.” Yves leaned against him, resting a little, body warm where it pressed to his.
“Cool. Sorry about the inquisition. They’re just trying to help. Seriously.”
“They don’t understand. I have to do this. I don’t have a choice.”
“Why not?” The urgency vibrating through Yves thrummed in Reuben’s body too.
Yves held his hands out. “I have to.”
“I don’t understand.” Reuben was up and moving, though, grabbing bags and boxes.
“I have to.”
God. Stop this. Stop. Stop.
He couldn’t though. Before he could even count to ten, he had all the pieces of parchment together, laying them out on the bed in the room they’d taken over. He felt as if his hands didn’t belong to him.
“Good man.” The voice that came out of Yves wasn’t his kit’s. “Stand by the door, now. Bar it.”
“Yes.” Okay. He could do that. Reuben’s feet took him to the door.
“Excellent. Stay there and you’ll be rewarded. Now, we’ve waited long enough, haven’t we?”
Cold chills racked him, and Yves began reading aloud, putting pieces of parchment in order with jerky, automatic movements. Reuben kinda thought he would lose his lunch.
Something was wrong. Really. Really.
He heard Deke calling his name, the sound worried.
Yes. Yes, come on. Help me . They were pack. Surely Deke would understand. Reuben couldn’t make his mouth move, his voice frozen.
Then Deke was hollering for Jonny and Reuben felt the jibbering in his brain easing.
Soon, he thought as hard as he could at Deke. Before it’s too late.
From the deep laugh echoing from Yves, he thought it was too late.
Chapter Five
Yves burned.
His eyes were flames, his hands nothing but blistered, rotting things. He stumbled through the weirdness of his brain, trying to escape it. Trapped. He was trapped and if he didn’t figure this out he would die and he would never get Girard back.
Keep working.
“I’m trying! You’re hurting me!”
Keep going. Don’t stop.
“Leave me alone.”
He swatted at the voice as if it were a fly or a bee. Buzz.
The words seemed to glow, to move across the parchment like fireflies in the night. He transcribed as quickly as he could, but some of the words escaped him. Gibberish.
Pay attention, then.
“I am!” he screamed. “Leave me alone!”
His head was going to split.
“Reuben! Someone help me!”
“Yves!” Reuben seemed so far away, separated from him by a fence of steel wool or something.
“Reuben! Help me!” Please.
Keep working .
“I can’t.”
Burning claws dug into his temples. Keep. Working.
“Yves! Come back to me!” Reuben’s barking growl almost snapped him out of the clutches of the -- spell? Whatever it was.
Then those claws pushed even deeper and he couldn’t bear it, could do nothing but scream and sink into darkness.
***
The door burst open, slamming Reuben in the back. He staggered forward, his paralysis broken. Oh, God. Yves.
“Yves!” He stumbled forward, stopping short at the white fire in his mate’s eyes. “Help me!”
“He’s bloody possessed or something.” Jonny pushed at him from behind, and Reuben was glad it wasn’t an attacker.
“What do I do?” Reuben shouted, sprinting for Yves.
Jonny grabbed a blanket, threw it over Yves and
“They’re here, babe. Can you all excuse us?” Reuben stood and put a hand under Yves’ elbow. He could feel how done Yves was. How close he was to losing his shit.
“I just need the last pieces.” Yves met his eyes, sure. “I don’t think I can stop now. It’s all coming together.”
Why did that sound so ominous?
And why in the hell did Reuben want to go against all good sense and give Yves all those parchment pieces?
It didn’t make any sense.
None of this made sense.
His head hurt, his body beginning to ache as if he was coming down with something. “Let’s go sit and see what we have, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.” Yves leaned against him, resting a little, body warm where it pressed to his.
“Cool. Sorry about the inquisition. They’re just trying to help. Seriously.”
“They don’t understand. I have to do this. I don’t have a choice.”
“Why not?” The urgency vibrating through Yves thrummed in Reuben’s body too.
Yves held his hands out. “I have to.”
“I don’t understand.” Reuben was up and moving, though, grabbing bags and boxes.
“I have to.”
God. Stop this. Stop. Stop.
He couldn’t though. Before he could even count to ten, he had all the pieces of parchment together, laying them out on the bed in the room they’d taken over. He felt as if his hands didn’t belong to him.
“Good man.” The voice that came out of Yves wasn’t his kit’s. “Stand by the door, now. Bar it.”
“Yes.” Okay. He could do that. Reuben’s feet took him to the door.
“Excellent. Stay there and you’ll be rewarded. Now, we’ve waited long enough, haven’t we?”
Cold chills racked him, and Yves began reading aloud, putting pieces of parchment in order with jerky, automatic movements. Reuben kinda thought he would lose his lunch.
Something was wrong. Really. Really.
He heard Deke calling his name, the sound worried.
Yes. Yes, come on. Help me . They were pack. Surely Deke would understand. Reuben couldn’t make his mouth move, his voice frozen.
Then Deke was hollering for Jonny and Reuben felt the jibbering in his brain easing.
Soon, he thought as hard as he could at Deke. Before it’s too late.
From the deep laugh echoing from Yves, he thought it was too late.
Chapter Five
Yves burned.
His eyes were flames, his hands nothing but blistered, rotting things. He stumbled through the weirdness of his brain, trying to escape it. Trapped. He was trapped and if he didn’t figure this out he would die and he would never get Girard back.
Keep working.
“I’m trying! You’re hurting me!”
Keep going. Don’t stop.
“Leave me alone.”
He swatted at the voice as if it were a fly or a bee. Buzz.
The words seemed to glow, to move across the parchment like fireflies in the night. He transcribed as quickly as he could, but some of the words escaped him. Gibberish.
Pay attention, then.
“I am!” he screamed. “Leave me alone!”
His head was going to split.
“Reuben! Someone help me!”
“Yves!” Reuben seemed so far away, separated from him by a fence of steel wool or something.
“Reuben! Help me!” Please.
Keep working .
“I can’t.”
Burning claws dug into his temples. Keep. Working.
“Yves! Come back to me!” Reuben’s barking growl almost snapped him out of the clutches of the -- spell? Whatever it was.
Then those claws pushed even deeper and he couldn’t bear it, could do nothing but scream and sink into darkness.
***
The door burst open, slamming Reuben in the back. He staggered forward, his paralysis broken. Oh, God. Yves.
“Yves!” He stumbled forward, stopping short at the white fire in his mate’s eyes. “Help me!”
“He’s bloody possessed or something.” Jonny pushed at him from behind, and Reuben was glad it wasn’t an attacker.
“What do I do?” Reuben shouted, sprinting for Yves.
Jonny grabbed a blanket, threw it over Yves and
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