One Hundred & Eighteen

Blood poured from the wound in his side. The cut looked like it was boiling from the inside out and the blood coming from him was too dark. Nearly black. Izabella fumbled forward. His screams careening through her very soul. She could feel his pain and fear. Tears streamed. A moment later, Tyler was there beside her, pulling at Bram’s shirt trying to get a better look at the cut. Darkness thrummed around them, the lights and sounds flickering on and off all over the building.

“The police are coming. Eudom, we’re going to have to get out of here. Do you know another escape route? Someplace where we can hide safely?” Gavin asked, trying to keep Jen under control now that Tyler had abandoned him.

“Eudom has already brought the children home. I will take Izabella and Bram there too. Jen needs a safe place to go. She is a danger. Too much blood right now. We won’t let her hurt our Izzy.” His eyes were dark, riveted on Bram. Gavin couldn’t help but wonder, what was Eudom thinking of now? The entity rarely looked confused, but his eyes were distant, as if watching all of this for the first time.

Gavin looked down at her. Once Eudom called her a threat, it seemed to sink in that she had lost control and she was starting to look like herself again. Her golden eyes stared up at Gavin, terrified. “Can I go to Gabe? He must be terrified right now. I know I was when I first turned. I still am.”

Eudom whisked away Bram, Izabella, and Tyler. They disintegrated into the shadows with him and Gavin rolled off Jen. When Eudom returned, Gavin looked over at him. “Be candid with me. What happened?”

“Gabe is a monster. Bram’s blood changed him. All those years of torture and hate flow through the boy. Awful memories. Things that have haunted Bram long enough that he finally came to grips with them. The boy didn’t live the horrors of many wars, and never knew what it was like to feel like he was dying a hundred deaths. Bram should never have shared his curse. They were warned. They didn’t listen.” His red eyes burned at Jen, “you didn’t listen.”

“I’m sorry.” She fell to her knees in front of him. “Please, let me go to him.”

“He will kill you. He will kill everyone.” Eudom shook his head.

Gavin frowned, “What can we do to help Bram?”

“Don’t know. The monster is in the shadow room. If there was anything that might help, it will be in there. Or with the church. It was a templar dagger. The magic on it is very old. Very dangerous. Only templar magic can undo it. Lots of guesses. No answers.” Eudom shrugged.

Gavin looked around them, his mind mulling over it all. “So, we need to get into the shadow room, but can’t because of Gabe.” His finger tapped his chin. He had to think. The noise here made it difficult. “The bar. If we can secure the bar and get Gabe inside, we’ll be able to keep him there and get into the shadow room.” His eyes traveled over where Jen cried, looking up at him with those wet golden eyes. “We’ll leave Jen to guard him. She’ll be complacent enough to stay by his side while he’s in pain if he really is her mate.”

One of those too wide, not quite happy smiles broke over Eudom’s visage. He clicked his fingers together, clickety-clickety-click. A faded imagine under his cloak seemed to flicker in and out. Gavin pointed, but Eudom pulled his cloak over the image as it faded away. “Not yet. Don’t ask. Secure the bar. Once you have, we’ll try to relocate him.” Gavin turned to go, but Eudom wrapped his arms around him and Jen and they were both yanked into the nether. Landing in the center of the bar. Bram must have already had someone come through to clean it. It was currently closed. It smelled like lemon cleaning supplies and the tables and chairs were all up and pushed off to the sides. Gavin went to the back room, locking and securing everything. Turning off the lights, he stepped out of the room, engaging the security mechanism like Bram had shown him.

“Eudom, we should be good!” He called out. Turning to Jen. “How do you think you’ll do here? Gabe will be in there, and I need you to just stay put. You can talk to him, but remember what Eudom said. Right now, he’s volatile. We can’t take any risks with him. Not until we get Bram back.” Gavin touched her shoulder. “You can’t try to help him get out, and you can't leave. You will call me if anything happens. Right?”

Jen nodded. Whatever words she had were locked behind her teeth. Her cheeks red. Stepping back, she gasped. Going to the side of the bar where the iron door closed over the window that was usually there. A minute later, Eudom stumbled from the shadows. His features twisted in pain. “Are you okay, Eudom?” Gavin asked, rushing to him. It was always strange to touch the shadow entity. They were squishy like a sponge, but Gavin held him close. Waiting to know what happened.

Eudom’s white hands shook as he held them out. “He cut me too. Eudom will be weak now, but it won’t kill us like Bram. Eudom got the dagger away though. The monster is secured in the room. It won’t last forever, but it gives us time.” Eudom’s head dropped to Gavin’s shoulder, and for a moment, they just stood together. Gavin had never seen him upset, or scared. Considering he was made of mostly shadows, he was surprised he could be hurt.

“Are you alright, Eudom?” He asked, rubbing their shoulders. “You’ve been through a lot, my friend.”

“I wouldn’t have done it if Gavin weren’t here. Every time I’ve tried, I’ve died. Thank you for being here this time.” Eudom rubbed his face in Gavin’s shoulder. His mind working over Eudom’s words as he watched Jen talk and cry at the partition. He could hear Gabe raging in the room, destroying whatever was left unbroken.

After a while, Gavin decided to ask, “Are we in a different timeline than normal?” Eudom nodded. “I’m not usually around?”

“This is the first time Eudom tried to bring the children in so early. Tyler didn’t go back for Gavin in any other timeline. He always clung stubbornly to Bram. Bram never figured out how to beat Mihaela, and she always kills Jen and the monkeys. Scarlet always kills Eudom, as I try to get Gabe out of the shadow room to save Bram. Or Bram kills Gabe instead. We never win. Gavin gives old Eudom hope.” Gavin stood still as the entity’s arms wrapped around his waist. Once again, a little toddler, smaller than Rose was now, but what Gavin imagined had to be her exact doppelgänger.

“You said children. Rose is Bram and Izabella’s? Isn’t she?” Eudom nodded against his shoulder, pulling away.

Eudom’s eyes were their signature burgundy sad. “This was the first time Eudom could bring her. She was the start of the new. We hoped if we could tell Bram what he would lose by turning Gabe, he would understand. But Gabe was turned too soon. Eudom didn’t have time.” His hand pressed his side, and the whisp of a girl placed her hands over Eudom’s.

“We need to get back to them. To see if we can help Bram. We still have a chance, right?” Eudom nodded. Twirling Gavin in his arms. A moment later they were reeling through the shadows and Gavin fell to the wood floor of the attic. Eudom rested in the corner of the room where a little couch was nestled into a dark corner. “Thank you, Eudom. I’ll come back up after I check on the others. You rest. Do you want me to send Tyler up? Do you need anything?”

“Water?” Eudom asked. Gavin nodded, heading down to Bram’s room. He could hear Izabella balling.

As he strolled through the door, Tyler was inspecting the wound. His phone was out and he was talking with someone on the other line. “Gavin?” Izabella perked up, as he entered. She was on the bed, Bram’s head resting in her lap as she pressed the hair off his forehead. “Did you bring Rose home?” She asked, her eyes were wild with panic and fear.

“Rose is something we’re going to have to talk about later. Let’s focus on Bram.” Tyler turned, staring at Gavin. “Let me have a look.” Gavin said, hunkering beside Tyler and getting close. There was an acrid scent coming from the cut. The fringes of his flesh had turned back. It wasn’t oozing black blood anymore. It was definitely not a normal wound.

“Scarlet thinks that it’s shadow magic. Does Eudom have any idea on what to do? She’s been trying to figure out what to do with Dracula. She thinks it’s the same type of magic.”

As Gavin inspected the wound, trying not to breathe through his nose, he poked and prodded Bram’s side. Happy that he was getting uncomfortable groans from Bram as he did. That meant he wasn’t completely unconscious and was still lucid enough to feel pain. “Does she know anything about templar magic?” Gavin asked. He stood, unbuckling Bram’s belt and gently working to get his pants off.

“What are you doing?” Tyler looked up at him.

“I’m going to get his clothes off. I want to be able to see how he’s doing overall. Make sure there aren’t any wounds we’re missing. He’ll be more comfortable in just a pair of boxers. It should help. Tyler, please get Eudom some water and then bring back a sheet and a comforter. Bram’s running a fever now, but if he starts to chill, we want to be able to keep him warm too.” Soon, Gavin had his shoes and socks off. Next went his pants and shirt, and then Gavin was standing over him, lifting his eye lid. “Can I see your phone?” He asked Izabella. When she handed it to him, he flashed the light in his eyes. Bram shied away from the light, and that gave Gavin another tell that he was still stabilizing. They hadn’t lost that battle yet.

“Hey, Scarlet,” Tyler said into his phone. “Tell me what you know of templar magic.” At that request, she started screaming into the phone. Her voice so loud and shrill they couldn’t make out her words. Gavin held out his hand, taking the phone and shooed Tyler from the room to do what he’d been asked.

“That’s enough.” Gavin said sternly. “If you can’t help us, you’re only wasting our time. Either speak and tell me what you know so I can do my best, or hang up and let me figure it out on my own.”

“It’s you. The pretty little traitor.” She hissed into the phone.

Gavin frowned. Clicking it off. And laying it beside Bram on the bed. “Izabella. I’m going to go to the shadow room to see what I can find. You and Tyler keep him comfortable. I need Tyler to run back and forth between you and Eudom. They were hurt by Gabe too and also need to be looked after.”

“Is Eudom okay?” Izabella’s voice shook. She wasn’t prepared for all this. Wrapping his arms around Izabella’s shoulders, he held her close.

“I’m sorry, Izabella. He’s okay. I’m doing everything I can. I will do everything I can. Keep hoping, but know, this is a battle we may not win. But I’m trying. Even when I looked beyond death, he didn’t give up on me. I won’t give up on him. I swear.” Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her forehead.

His phone started to blare a moment later. Clicking the green answer button, he lifted the phone to his ear. “Insult me again.” Was all he said, rubbing Izabella’s hair back soothingly. She leaned into him, clearly needing the comfort.

A too sweet, too sugary voice on the other line. “You get me into that shadow room, and I can save my son. I can fix Vlad too.”