“Felix! What in the hell was that for?” Claybourne demanded.
“Eww. You mean I ate that old fucker’s blood? Ewwww.” Felix, using his hands, wiped his tongue repeatedly before looking at his mate, giving him the evil eye.
“I hit you for giving up. We’re not dead yet. There is always hope as long as you’re alive.” Felix looked to Claybourne.
“If we are truly meant to die now, I’m going to die with every medicine and treatment we can think of running through my veins, and my mate’s cock in my ass!” Felix yelled.
Claybourne grinned. “My amazing nurse mate with no brain-to-mouth filter. As always you’re right. I won’t give up as long as you draw breath,” Claybourne promised and looked to Liam.
“We’re not giving up. I don’t know about witches, but I know history. As long as good men were willing to fight, they were able to overcome the darkness of men’s hearts and the evil it can bring. I say we listen to my mate and head back to Arkadia to fight this thing with everything we have,” Claybourne said.
“Well said! Liam, son, hold on. Don’t give up hope yet. You have a baby on the way, keep fighting for that little one.” Lachlan turned to Claybourne.
“What medicines will you need?” he asked.
“Epinephrine and steroids. All you have. The High Priestess said it herself. The virus was designed in such a way that if the patient shifted, the virus would be burned off in the process. We just have to figure out the right dosage to induce a shift,” Claybourne explained.
“You tried that with me already. It didn’t work.”
“I only had small amounts to work with, and no steroids. I’m going to give you enough to send an elephant into cardiac arrest.” Claybourne kissed the top of Felix’s head.
“Here you go! Good luck!” Nathaniel said, pushing the box through. Liam picked up the box and turned to Riley.
“Round up your men and head to town. We’ll know in the next couple hours what will happen. If it doesn’t go well, your Alphas will need you,” Liam said. Riley nodded and began shouting orders to the men to pack up.
Felix watched as Liam turned to his grandfather, his jaw clenched in an effort not to cry.
“Call you in the morning,” he said. The older man just nodded. Celeste looked at Liam.
“I swear to you I will find the one who cast this spell. They will pay for what they have done,” she promised. Liam nodded and turned to face Claybourne.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter 10
“How do you feel?” Claybourne asked as he gently started injecting the liquid into his IV. Felix scrunched up his nose. He felt a warm wave travel up his arm and through his body. For a split second he felt his animal before it lay back down again, asleep. He leaned back in the leather chair in the principal’s office.
“I felt my animal for a split second. I’m warm all over and my head is less foggy. I feel almost normal.” Felix sounded excited.
“That’s good. We’ll wait five minutes and try another dose,” Claybourne said, carefully documenting their attempts.
“Doc, you used nearly a quarter of our supplies in that attempt,” Liam said, sounding worried.
“We got a reaction, which is good. Get your grandfather to start scouring for more epinephrine and steroids. If we have to increase the dosage in order to trigger a shift we’re going to need a hell of a lot more,” Claybourne informed the lion Alpha.
“I’ll send him a text with an update. Felix, how do you feel now?” Liam asked.
“It’s wearing off. I’m starting to feel sleepy again.”
“I’m going to double the last dosage. Felix, reach for your animal,” Claybourne said before starting the second injection. Once again a warmth ran through him. He called to his animal, begged it to come forward, telling it they were in danger. His animal looked at him, yawned and lay back down. Felix opened his eyes.
“It’s no good. He’s not budging.” Felix took a deep breath.
“You should give the rest to Ma.” Felix panted.
“This would kill her right now, only a full shift could save her. Anything short of that would stop her heart,” Maddox whispered.
“There’s no cure, is there?” Liam asked softly. Claybourne shook his head.
“I could quadruple the dosage, Felix would run the risk of heart failure and he would only succeed in getting his animal’s attention. If at the first attempt he had said that his animal began to pace or get restless, I would keep trying, but all we’re doing is waking it up,” Claybourne explained.
“I’ll call the others,” Liam said.
“There has to be something,” Felix whispered. Claybourne pulled him into his lap and wrapped his arms around him.
One by one the town’s leaders filed in. Felix saw that the past six days had taken a toll on these men. They weren’t eating or sleeping properly. They were shadows of their former selves. Claybourne stood and settled Felix in the chair before standing at the head of the long table.
“You have news?” Bran asked, sitting next to Caleb. Beside them Aleks sat with Benedict. On Liam’s other side was Kent, then Gabriel and Baptista. Claybourne took a deep breath.
“The High Priestess confirmed that there was magic guiding the virus. It was designed specifically to target shifters, render their animals helpless to prevent shifting and kill us. Into this virus Gilberton poured all of his hate and desires to kill you. He made the virus immune to every known cure and medicine.”
“Dear god, are you telling us there is no cure?” Caleb asked.
Slowly Claybourne nodded. “We have tried high doses of epinephrine and steroid to trigger a shift so that the virus would be burned off in the process, but the virus breaks down the reaction too quickly.” Claybourne pointed to Felix’s IV.
“What about magic? More steroids. Something!” Bran shouted.
“If there were anything else, do you think we would have called you in here?” Liam asked sounding bitter. Bran sat back in his chair, dazed.
“Does Celeste know who the witch was that created the spell?” Gabriel asked, his voice as cold as the artic. Felix shivered.
“No, she said that she would search them out,” Claybourne advised. Gabriel’s eyes had shifted from the black they had been for the past couple days to a deep red, his fangs lengthening.
“Baptista. Call Mikhail. He needs to be waiting at the perimeter to come and kill me. I will not be the man you know when Ashby dies. You will have to restrain me before he takes his last breath and keep me locked up until Mikhail can come into town. I am appointing him my heir, as my mate will leave this world before me.” Gabriel’s voice was cold and lifeless. He looked to his most trusted guard.
“I want you to find the witch who did this. Finding her and making her life a living hell will be this coven’s sole purpose for existing.” Gabriel stared across the room as if not looking at anything. Baptista, weeping, bowed to his prince before straightening.
“I will also follow my mate.” Bran looked at Caleb. “I am so sorry, my brother. You have to stay behind. You have the twins to raise. Riley will help you lead the pack,” Bran turned his face away, unable to look at Caleb.
“No! No! You both cannot leave me. I’m not that strong!” Caleb buried his face in Bran’s neck and both men wept, clinging to each other.
“I will not send Kate and our unborn child into the unknown alone. I will be there with them, and when your time is over on this earth, we will guide you,” Bran said brokenly.
“We just found each other. He’ll be so scared, Liam,” Kent whispered. Liam looked, his face wet.
“I promised we would always be together. We will follow him and our child. Who knows? Maybe the powers that be will be kind and we will get to stay with our crazy, misfit lions as well.” Liam gave a wobbly smile. Kent nodded and simply lay his head on Liam’s shoulder.
“I would like that.”
“Doc, you’re telling me, I have to watch my ma, my mate and unborn child
die?” Aleks asked, his hands shaking. Benedict grabbed his brother’s hand and held on tight.
“I know that you don’t want to hear this right now, there is nothing I can do for Ma. I’m sorry. But there is a slight chance I can save Rebecca, if…” Claybourne faltered as if he couldn’t speak.
“What, Doc?” Aleks asked.
“I would have to abort your son. He’s the one infected, not Rebecca,” Claybourne whispered. Every man turned to stare at Aleks.
“No man should ever have to make a choice like this,” Aleks said, sobbing, pounding the table in impotent rage.
“The end of Arkadia, brought down by one of her own citizens because of his narrow-minded hate. Whoever gets to the hereafter first, get that son of a bitch!” Liam said angrily.
“If you gentlemen will excuse us?” He stepped close to his mate and lifted him out of the chair. Felix buried his face in his chest.
“We’ll call you when something changes.” Bran’s voice was devoid of any emotion. Claybourne nodded and left the room. He found a dark, unused classroom and stepped inside. He sat in the adult sized teacher’s chair and held Fenix close. “They’re serious aren’t they? We’re going to lose them all?” Felix wiped his eyes. Claybourne just nodded and tucked Felix’s head under his chin. Felix reveled in each moment that he passed with his mate, desperately wanting each second last forever. He didn’t want to say goodbye.
“I don’t want to die,” Felix whispered and Claybourne’s arms tightened around him.
“You won’t be alone, I will be right there with you. When I know that the others have passed painlessly and peacefully I will follow.”
I’m scared.”
“Don’t be, my love, it’s just the next step that we will take together.”
“Hold me?”
You never have to ask.”
* * * *
Felix soaked up the warmth from his mate’s body and Claybourne sighed.
“I can’t believe that medicine failed me. All my life science has been an infallible constant, but it deserted me when I needed it most. Felix sniffled. He felt like he didn’t have any tears left.
“It’s too bad there isn’t a drug that speeds up a shifter’s metabolism.” Felix yawned. Claybourne was mid-nod when he froze.
“Baby, what did you say?” Claybourne pulled away and turned Felix to face him.
“Too bad there isn’t a medicine that…” Felix started. Claybourne shook his head.
“You didn’t say medicine, you said drug. Oh god! It may just work. The spell will counterbalance its normal side effects. There wouldn’t be any addiction. Oh my god! Baby, you are a genius!” Claybourne stood, lifted Felix, and raced back to the office where the leaders still sat making final arrangements. He placed Felix in a chair. Felix watched on, confused.
“You lost me,” Felix said.
“It was before you got here.” Claybourne turned to Gabriel.
“There is one thing that will put a shifter into a hyper, almost manic state. One thing,” Claybourne said. Gabriel’s eyes widened.
“I was wrong, you aren’t a sardonic asshole, Doctor. You’re a sardonic, genius asshole, Doctor.” Gabriel stood quickly and reached for his cell phone. Seconds later he was telling Roman to get all the vampires in the school’s small gym.
“To the non-geniuses in the room, please explain!” Caleb yelled.
“Gentlemen, you will have to put your suicide plans on hold. My mate has given me a brilliant idea that may just save us all.” Claybourne turned back to Gabriel who was hanging up his phone.
“Aleks, let’s go and try to save your ma,” Claybourne said. Aleks looked at him with such desperate hope that Felix prayed that his mate was right.
Chapter 11
“Pa, I need your permission to try this treatment on Ma. I don’t know if it will work, if it doesn’t it may be the thing that kills her, but this sir, is our Hail Mary,” Claybourne explained. Pa nodded.
“Do it. She only has minutes left. Her spirit is fading,” he said, wiping his eyes.
Claybourne turned to Gabriel, who stood with the vampires.
“I need a donor,” he said. Around them, the shifter leaders gasped.
“You are a fucking genius, Doc!” Bran exclaimed.
“To give blood is very sacred to a vampire, and for me to donate moreso, as I am the Prince of my people. I am willing to donate to three people and three alone. Roman will organize the others. Please take my blood for Ma, Rebecca, and Felix,” the prince said. Claybourne nodded, acknowledging the honor.
“Thank you, Prince Gabriel,” Pa whispered.
“That woman has made me feel welcome. She sees me as a son and treats me the same as she would any of her boys, despite the fact I am old enough to be her ancestor. I treasure that. Rebecca also looks at me and sees just Gabriel. I could do no less for someone whom both I and my mate love dearly,” Gabriel explained. Aleks simply walked up and caught him in a bear hug.
“Aleks, move to one side. Let me get some blood from our benevolent donor,” Claybourne said. Felix’s brain was still stuck on the fact that the prince of all vampires would be willing to donate to him, a nobody.
“Why me?” he asked. He had to know why. Gabriel simply stared at Felix until he was sure he was going to melt into the floor.
“Because if this works, young hybrid, then you would have saved us all. You never gave up. Not once. I will gladly take on a son such as you,” the prince said gently.
“Y’all gotta stop saying stuff like that, I’m dehydrated enough without crying buckets!” Felix complained, wiping his eyes.
“Okay, I am taking Gabriel’s blood and mixing it with the epinephrine and steroids and see what we get,” said Claybourne. He looked at Pa one last time. The man straightened and nodded.
“She would want to be the one you test on. In case it didn’t work. That’s just how she is,” Pa said.
Taking a deep breath, Claybourne injected the syringe into Ma’s IV and stepped back.
“Please work. If anyone out there is listening, please work.” Felix heard his mate pray. After thirty seconds and no reaction, Felix felt the stirrings of fear, when suddenly Ma’s heart rate monitor started to go wild.
“Gavin, get the tube out of her. Remove the IVs, she’s going to shift!” Claybourne yelled excitedly. Gavin rushed forward from where he had been standing with his brothers. They barely had enough time to remove all of the tubes when Ma’s body shivered and shifted. Seconds later they were staring at a four-hundred-pound brown bear.
“Yes! Yes! Oh god, yes!” Benedict yelled, jumping around and throwing his arms in the air. Soon everyone was yelling for joy.
“Wheel her into the gym so we can keep an eye on her. We have some people to shift,” Claybourne said, his mind going to the other patients they had waiting for him.
Patient after patient shifted until soon the gym was filled with rows and rows of different animals lying on hospital beds. A large portion of them were lions, as Liam’s pride was the hardest hit, but there were also raccoons, wolves, foxes, and some that Felix couldn’t even name.
“It looks like Wild Kingdom in here,” Riley joked. Felix nodded. Claybourne, Gavin, and the medically trained vampires were working the room, from the most critical patient to the least critical.
“Come on, it looks like they are about to treat my Alpha, I want to hear what they’re saying.” Riley helped Felix across the gym.
“The decision is yours, Bran, you as well Liam. I have no idea what the effects will be on your unborn children,” Claybourne explained.
“Do it. But Caleb and I have a request. Can we choose the vampire?” Bran asked. Claybourne shrugged and turned to Gabriel.
“Considering there is a child involved and you are leaders of your groups that can be arranged. Who would you like to donate?” Gabriel asked, sounding curious. Bran looked at Caleb who nodded.
“We’d like Baptista, if he’s willing. He is strong and patient. It is our hop
e that he will also act as guardian to this little one, considering the bond that it may create,” Caleb explained. Gabriel looked to Baptista.
“I am not requiring anyone over one hundred years old to donate, you know that the older we get the more potent our blood is. You’re one of my first children, the choice is yours.” Gabriel stepped back. Baptista looked poleaxed.
“I’d be honored to help look after this little one,” Baptista said, sniffing. Felix grinned. The man was such a softie.
Claybourne wheeled Sebastian and Kate so they were side by side. He turned to Liam and Kent. Liam looked at Kent who nodded, smiling.
“We’d like to request David or Daniel. Between Sebastian, Felix, and my lions, I think my child will need someone who is crazy enough to keep up with them. If they are willing,” Liam said. Daniel and David bounced forward smiling, tears of joy in their eyes.
“We are up for that challenge,” they said, offering their arms to Claybourne. Quickly Claybourne mixed the blood and medicines and filled each syringe.
“Okay, Kate first.” Claybourne injected the wolf Alpha and stepped back as Bran, Caleb, and Riley stepped forward. Kate’s body bowed and thrashed. Seconds later she shuddered and a white wolf lay gasping on the bed.
“Doc, the baby!” Bran exclaimed. Claybourne stepped forward with his stethoscope and listened intently to Kate’s belly. His face broke out in a smile.
“Congratulations, you’re having twins. Again!” He smiled at the stunned fathers. To everyone’s surprise Baptista’s eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he fainted. Roman began to laugh so hard he had to wipe his eyes. Even Gabriel had a faint smile on his lips.
“That poor man cannot seem to get away from twins!” Roman hooted.
“Okay, now time for Sebastian.” Claybourne looked up and met Felix’s eyes. Without wasting another second, he injected the syringe and stepped back again. Liam stood on one side as Kent stood on the other. Sebastian’s head turned from side to side before his body almost shimmered. Felix smiled. He had an idea what was about to happen.