Chapter 24

 

Turning, I hurried to the dining room that doubled as our meeting room. I’d asked Quinton why and he said it was the neutral ground. I wasn’t sure why exactly, but I left it at that.

As soon as I stepped through the door, the dark aura hit me. Something was wrong. The men were all huddling to the one end of the room and too many were talking for me to pick up anything helpful. I looked for Quinton in the group, but as tall as he was a few of the others were taller and I couldn’t see him.

“What’s going on?” I began moving to the end of the table.

Chase spun around, a look on his face I could only describe as pure anger.

“Chase?”

He sighed and stepped back to let me see in the towering group of them, in the middle was Quinton and it looked like he’d had the hell beaten out of him. Rushing over, I stopped right in front of him.

“Quint? What the hell happened?” One eye was swollen with a big gash above it oozing blood down his face. The other side didn’t look much better. When I leaned back and looked a little further, I spotted the blood dripping down his arm and the hand on the other side looked like it was crushed.

Quinton didn’t answer, just stood there his deep brown eyes staring into mine. I could see the shame he felt and somehow pieced it together. If he were any one of his brothers he’d be healing by now.

I turned and looked a Chase. “Is someone going to help him?” Glaring up at them, I growled. “I’d open up a vein myself, but I doubt it’s what he needs.”

Chase looked at Quinton and tucked his hands in his pockets. “I’m afraid our blood on each other isn’t effective.”

“What?” I looked at Troy to confirm, the pained look in his hazel eyes did that. “So what, we just stand here and let him bleed on the floor?” I looked up at Quinton. “Get into the kitchen. Now.” Shaking my head, I pushed my way through them and waited for him to limp along behind me.

Pointing to the stool by the counter I went over to the sink and turned on the tap. Opening a few doors, until I found a bowl and towel, I filled it and went over to him. “What happened?”

He still didn’t answer. As gently as I could, I wiped the blood away to see how deep the gashes were. The one above his eye was the worst so far. I went and got some ice out of the freezer and put it in another towel, thinking only for a second that Mitz would forgive me for ruining her white kitchen linens.

Placing his hand in the towel, I moved to the blood on his arm. “Why doesn’t blood work for you like it did on me?”

“Because I already have it in my veins,” he mumbled with his fat lip.

“Oh, you can speak. Good. Now what will help you?”

He shook his head, so I took that as nothing.

“What happened?”

“Went into the wasteland, for some quiet to think—” he hissed when I moved the towel to look at his hand again. “It’s usually empty at this time of night.” Gritting his teeth, he allowed me to look at his ribs. Bruises were already visible. “Saw a bunch that seemed a little skittish so I went to see what they were doing…”

“How many is a bunch?” I asked peeling the shirt away from a slash on his chest.

“Four.”

“And?” There was no way around getting his shirt off without hurting him, so I pulled it off his arm quickly and waited until he settled back down on the stool before I began dabbing at the cuts on his arm. “Obviously, they had blades...”

“Devices too,” he said breathlessly. “I got two of them off their wrists.”

“Where are they?”

“Victor.”

“And the fucks that did this?” I couldn’t get the bleeding to stop on his arm.

“Two crossed before I could get them, Raf and Michael are bringing the other two in.”

I didn’t like the way he rasped while talking. “Ever hear of calling for back up?”

“No time.”

I couldn’t say too much on that point, I’d been in the same place too many times myself. I’d also come home looking like he did more often than I was comfortable admitting.

Quinton coughed and grabbed his ribs. There were tears in his eyes before he managed to stop, then he wheezed while panting to regain his breath.

I was close to tears myself. Rushing over, I got him some water and brought it back. “Tell me what to do to help.”

“You could donate a little of your essence that has all of my brothers panting.”

Turning, I looked at Chase who now stood in the doorway. “Would that help?” I looked at Quinton to see him glaring at his brother. Tying the towel on his arm, I went over to Chase. “Would that help?” I asked in a louder voice.

His eyes flicked briefly to his injured brother behind me before looking down at me. “Yes. He won’t though. He hasn’t in all these years since…”

“Enough.” Quinton boomed and then started coughing again.

Rushing back over to him, I held him while he coughed so he wouldn’t fall on the floor. “So, you’re taking yourself out of the game? That cough means a few mandatory organs have been damaged, along with I’m guessing three, maybe four ribs. Your hand is now a useless paperweight…”

“I’ll get better,” he gasped, his brown eyes pleading with me to drop it.

Chase was beside me in a few strides. “Quint, we need you now, not in a few months after you recover.”

“I said enough. I won’t do it.” He started to get up and then started coughing again. Doubling over, he lost his balance almost fell to the floor.

Chase grabbed him and got him back up on the stool. I stood there feeling helpless and frustrated. Not a good combination with me. “Help me get him back to my room, where he can at least lay down.”

Chase’s eyes skimmed over my face before he nodded and helped him to his feet. “Raf and Victor found the two that didn’t get a chance to cross.” He paused when Quinton stopped and looked at him through swollen eyes. “They’re in more dire shape than you are.” Quinton gave a satisfied nod and began to move again.

Moving closer, Chase supported most of his weight. “They were one of mine and one from your side.”

I thought he was talking to Quinton until I looked at him and it was me he watched. “What does that mean?”

Quinton grunted and grabbed his ribs with his good hand. “That this is a bigger mess than we thought.”

“Great,” I murmured holding the door open.