Branded (24 page)

“You don’t have to trust me. If you think you can wait for someone else to come around and offer an escape route to you.”

José grimaced. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that.

“Maybe not today,” Ruigi continued. “Probably not tomorrow either. How long do you think you can stay without going mad? How long do you think Asher can? Even if—”

“Stop. I get it.” He really did. Getting Asher out of here was a top priority. José put his hand on his companion’s arm as if that would stop Ruigi, and the rest of the world, from harming him further.

“So you’ll cooperate?”

“What exactly is it that you need help with?”

“It’s simple. Most of the work has already been done, but if I open your cell and destroy those bracelets, you have to destroy something for me in return.”

“And what’s that?”

“A magical artifact. The source of Ketsu’s power.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself?” José couldn’t keep himself from asking. “Why do you want it destroyed?”

“Let’s say I’m not a huge fan of this war. And I can’t destroy it, to be honest. There’s barriers around it that drain all your magic once you step through.”

“So why should I be able to…” José stopped. “The bond.” If he stepped through the barriers and lost his magic, he could still take Asher’s. His mind flashed back to the day of the bonding, and something the medic had said about obtaining the book with the spell only recently. That couldn’t have been the vampire’s doing, could it? “For how long have you been planning this?”

“A while.” Ruigi sounded so nonchalant about using them like tools that José wanted to punch him.

“What makes you so sure I won’t just run once you open the door?”

“There’s something in it for you.”

José raised his eyebrows at the vampire in an unspoken question.

“The artifact has gotten out of control. It’s growing too strong, focusing too much magic in one place. I believe it’s responsible for the barrier between this world and yours becoming increasingly unstable.”

That was the reason he was here? A power-hungry fox with a god complex? If it was true, though… José swallowed. “Doesn’t that mean there won’t be a way back for us once it’s destroyed?”

“Maybe. But doesn’t it also mean bad things are going to happen if you leave it? Things are already falling from the skies. And who knows what’s going on in your world.”

José didn’t know what to say. What Ruigi said sounded sensible, even when José didn’t want it to be. “Maybe you’re lying.”

“Maybe I’m not. Can you risk that?”

José bit his lip in silence.

“I knew you’d agree with me.” Ruigi’s tone made José grit his teeth and clench his fists. He wanted to tell Ruigi to go die and leave him alone.

“Tell me where it is and how to destroy it and I’ll do it,” he said instead. “On my way out.”

“Of course. Wake him up.”

José didn’t want to wake Asher before he was ready, but time was pressing. He put his right hand on Asher’s shoulder. “You got any painkillers on hand?”

“Certainly,” Ruigi said, “I’m not sure he could walk without some medication.”

José leaned down to speak the order into Asher’s ear. “Wake up.” The muscles under his palm tensed. Good. “C’mon, Ash,” he tightened his grip, “wake up.”

Asher’s breathing changed; he was coming to. José exhaled in relief. He wasn’t going to get trapped in a fairy tale fantasy where he had to kiss Asher awake with Ruigi staring.

“Lemme sleep,” Asher mumbled.

“Sorry. Not possible.”

Asher brushed José’s hand off. “Go ‘way.” He sat up abruptly, maybe realizing he’d somehow ended up sleeping in José’s lap.

“We’re both going away.”

A few seconds passed in silence, and José imagined Asher looking around in confusion. “What’s Fangs want?” Asher asked. “You teaming up?”

“No. Yes. It’s complicated…”

Asher made a noise that almost sounded like laughter. “Too complicated for me?”

“That’s not—”

Ruigi cut him off. “Are you going to take much longer?”

Do you still want that kick?

“Why don’t you make yourself useful and give me the painkillers?” José didn’t bother hiding his irritation as he extended his hand to the vampire, who wordlessly dropped two pills into his palm. “Gracias.”

He turned to Asher. “Here. Take these.”

“What’s that? Tylenol?” Asher sounded hopeful as he grabbed the pills from him.

“Something like that.”

Ruigi spoke up again once Asher had downed the medication. “You should be able to stand now. And before you consider running, let me tell you why that would be stupid.”

Asher slowly got up to his feet and José did the same, his legs on pins and needles after sitting for so long.

“You think I wouldn’t do something stupid?” Asher asked.

“Hear me out,” Ruigi said. “What do you think you just took?”

José felt his mouth run dry at something in the vampire’s tone.
Food poisoning
. Ruigi had killed those penguins with poison. Oh, shit.

Ruigi must have seen the expression on his face. “Correct,” he said, “One of the pills was a painkiller. The other one was the same poison I fed those poor—”

José stopped listening. His body moved on his own, directed by an overwhelming sense of rage at that fucking bloodsucker. That arrogant little bastard who had killed those little creatures and dared talk about it like it was nothing. That stuck-up son-of-a-bitch who was trying to do the same to Asher.

José’s fist connected with the bastards face, who gave a surprised yelp. Music to his ears. José brought his knee up while he still could and the sound that escaped the vampire’s mouth let him know that he’d hit his target. Dios, that felt good.

Until his back connected with the wall. Ruigi didn’t even need to touch him to send him flying. His fists still clenched, José let himself sink to the floor. “What the fuck did you—”

“Touch me again and you’ll never get the antidote.”

“Fuck you,” José said before he could stop himself.

“If you decide to behave, however—”

Asher cut the vampire off. “Thank you.”

“Excuse me?”

“What you gave me wasn’t Tylenol,” Asher said and José imagined him shrugging. “I’m allergic to that shit, so I’d know by now. But I guess this works, too.” Was he just thanking the vampire for poisoning him? José tried digging into their link, but there was no tangible reaction to what was happening. If Asher realized Ruigi was trying to kill him, he didn’t care.

“What are you talking about?” Ruigi asked and the cell door creaked as he unlocked it. Where had he gotten that key? Stolen from one of the guards, maybe? Come to think of it, where were the guards?

“Whatever.” Asher started moving, walked out of the cell and past Ruigi. “Coming?”

The vampire went after him. “You don’t even know where you’re supposed to go.”

Asher laughed. A fake, hollow sound. “Does it matter?”

José shook himself out of his stupor and caught up to the two, grabbed Asher’s arm to stop him from doing anything stupid. And then… he didn’t know. Should he hug Asher? Shake him? Tell him to get a fucking grip? None of it seemed right, and every option would make Asher push him off.

“C’mon,” José tried, “we’ll run a little errand for the asshole and then we can get out of here.”

Asher didn’t reply; he did nothing, which was good for the moment.

“You think you can keep him under control?” Ruigi said.

You think you need to be kicked again?

It was moments like these José regretted not being able to glare. “It’ll be fine,” he said through gritted teeth. And if he kept telling himself that, maybe it would become true.

Chapter 26 - Crashing In

Playing with one of his lighters, Asher leaned back against the wall while Blind Guy and Fangs argued. About what, he didn’t know, didn’t bother listening. The words
poison
and
antidote
were mentioned once or twice. How long would the poison take to kill him? Would it be quick? Bang-boom—and over? Could people still fuck in heaven? Not that he’d get there, but it was nice to think about. Angel-sex. All those feathers might get a little messy, though. Might be just like screwing chickens. Not that he’d ever stooped that low. He laughed.

Why was Fangs looking at him like that? “Mind your own fucking business.” Aw, had he said that out loud? Well, screw you, Mr. Vampire. Not that he wanted to screw Fangs. And he didn’t want to get screwed. Not by Fangs, not by anyone. Not even by Blind Guy. Not even if it didn’t mean anything. Although he didn’t want it to mean anything.

Asher rubbed his forehead. His chunks of thoughts made no sense. And the painkiller did nothing against the headache.

Think of something else. Or better yet, don’t think at all.
He closed his eyes, but clearing his mind wasn’t easy. At least, if he died he wouldn’t have to bother anymore. He wouldn’t have to see Foxy again. Shit, he hadn’t wanted to think of that. A memory, he told himself, think of something nice.
No, don’t think of Blind Guy. Damn it. Further back.
Fuck, why couldn’t he come up with anything that didn’t make him want to punch someone? This was pathetic.

“Asher?”

Whoa.

He almost jumped at the voice. When he snapped his eyes open, Blind Guy stood in front of him. Fangs wasn’t around anymore.

“Hold out your hand so I can take off your bracelet.” Blind Guy held some sort of green pliers in his hands, matching the color of the bracelet on his arm. How nice. Asher chuckled as Blind Guy grabbed his hand.

“Hold still.”

“I think you could cut that arm off and I wouldn’t feel it.” Whatever Fangs had given him, it was strong stuff. He saw Blind Guy’s fingers search their way up and close around his bracelet, but the touch barely registered in his brain. That was, beyond the urge to draw his hand away. He didn’t want anyone touching him. Not even Blind Guy. Or especially not Blind Guy? It was one of the two.

“You might still need it.”

“What?”

“Your arm, you might still need it.”

Asher shrugged. “Maybe.”

“You’re not dying.”

“Funny. I heard something different.”

Clink. Blind Guy cut through the bracelet and it fell to the ground. Asher gave it a kick and watched it roll away. Clunk, clunk, clunk.

“Trust me on this.” Blind Guy’s hand still held on to his wrist. Asher brushed it off.

“I don’t want to.”

“Basta!”

The plies flew to the ground and Asher flinched. Hands landed on his shoulders, fingers digging into his skin. “Snap out of it.” Blind Guy tightened his grip.

Asher narrowed his eyes at him, opened his mouth, but the bastard never let him speak.

“You’re not dead, okay? So stop acting like it.” Blind Guy paused for a moment, frowned. “I don’t know what the fox made you think, but whatever it is, he’s wrong. You’re wrong. You’re not worthless, and I won’t let you die.”

Asher looked at Blind Guy, trying to process the words, find a place for them somewhere among the scattered puzzle pieces of his mind. He trusted Blind Guy. Or didn’t he? No, he didn’t
want
to trust him. That sounded about right. Because Fox-Face had said… But if he was wrong… But he was right about the other things. Asher closed his eyes, inhaled. These were the pieces that exploded when you touched them.
Be careful, now, don’t think about—

“He doesn't want you.”

Asher bit his lower lip, pushing down the twinge of… disappointment? But he’d known that all along, hadn’t he? How could he be disappointed? He was dying anyway. And no one was going to care, so he didn’t have to care about anyone either. He could live, or die, with that.

“I won’t let you die.”

Fuck, he couldn’t think about that now. He couldn’t—

His mind blanked when fingers tilted his chin up and lips brushed his. He opened his mouth for the kiss, knowing without thinking that he wanted it. More than anything. Because it took his mind off things, because it was José—and damn, was he good at this—because it was fire in his veins, it was being alive. Because he surprised himself by asking for more when José stopped.

José stayed close for long enough to say: “We have to save your life first and get out of here, remember?” Then he turned around and started walking. “Coming?”

Asher stared after him for a second before he could get himself to move. No one had ever made him feel like that with a simple kiss. Maybe, just maybe it would be worth it trying to survive all this if it meant that they could fuck again.

Nothing more than that just… he wanted that. Sex. He needed it. Needed to get close. Physically. Everything else he couldn’t think about if he didn’t want to lose it again.

***

They’d been walking through the dungeon for about half an hour now. José had given Asher the directions the bloodsucker had told him and Asher had taken the lead. He didn’t seem to have any difficulties remembering the directions. Weird when he had such trouble with simpler things. Like names.