Chapter 8

"Damn it! I’m getting too old for this," grunted AJ as he hoisted himself over the last ledge that led directly to Nick’s balcony.

When he was younger, he would sneak into the palace using this very same route. Nick, Brian and himself would then spend the whole night devising tricks to play on their two older and in their opinions more uptight friends.

‘Almost there, Nicky.’

AJ berated himself once again for not realizing sooner what was really going on and prayed that he wasn’t too late. As he found himself on Nick’s balcony, Nick’s scream of pain tore through his mind and left him reeling on his knees.

‘By Khira, NICK!!!’

Unbeknown to him, his same cry was echoed by four others throughout the palace. AJ looked up to find his friend unconscious on the bed, the sheets now almost completely stained red with blood while the engrossed wizard continued his mutilation.

The dagger was launched before he even realized it and AJ watched with cold satisfaction as it struck. But still reeling from Nick’s pain, AJ’s aim was off and what had been meant as a killing blow, only managed to injure the wizard’s shoulder. Fortunately, it had been enough disrupt Luke’s concentration and the spell he was weaving faltered.

Nick felt like he was floating in a suffocating darkness that only seemed to get thicker but just when he felt he could take no more, the pressure eased slightly and in that moment he reached out for his mate.

‘Kevin.’

And felt himself being surrounded by love and warmth. He clung to the sensation desperate to get away from the pain and darkness even as he felt Luke’s pull once again.

‘No, please, no more,’ Nick pleaded but it was useless as he felt once again the dagger marking his flesh.

In a last desperate bid, Nick looked deep to the pool of power within him and used it to bond himself to Kevin. He felt Kevin’s surprise then joy as he somehow understood. Nick was using his power to intertwine their life-forces forever sealing them as one.

Luke could feel his hold over Nick slipping. There was another presence in Nick’s mind, fiercely fighting Luke at every turn, guarding what was his. But Luke was not beaten yet. Cruelly, he stabbed Nick’s right shoulder, the shock of pain forcing Nick back to awareness. Pain filled blue eyes found his own and for a moment Luke thought he saw a flash of vivid green but then it was gone.

His own shoulder beginning to throb mercilessly, Luke found himself twisting the dagger deeper into Nick eliciting another cry of pain.

"Stop it!!!"

Luke heard the man on the balcony cry out as he got to his feet charging towards the wizard.

"Midal!"

Luke ordered the huge man who had been standing by the door. Silently, the man moved towards AJ.

"Say goodbye to your friend, Nick."

Nick looked towards AJ and saw that Midal was choking the life out of him. For a split second, their eyes met and AJ understood. With all the strength he had left, Nick wrenched AJ’s dagger out of Luke and threw it to his friend who deftly caught it and thrust it into Midal’s heart.

AJ took in deep gulps of air as he pushed himself away from Midal’s body. With the dagger in his hand, he made his way to the bed, murder in his eyes. But stopped at the dagger placed across Nick’s throat as the barely conscious younger man was dragged out of bed. Luke was using Nick as a shield.

"You meddling fool! Do you realize what you have done?"

"Yeah, rained on your parade," AJ replied with the nastiest smirk he could muster, painfully aware that he was no closer to saving Nick.

Suffering from blood loss himself, Luke could feel the spells he put around the room faltering and knew that soon enough, the door to the room would no longer keep others out.

‘Dam it!’

He had planned on using the last transportation globe he had to take him and Nick from the edge of the border straight to Marduk’s palace since the priestess’s magic was almost non-existent there. Here, in the heart of Khiranirn, the priestess’s influence was strong and his abilities of powering the globe were dampened. As it was, using the globe now would only transport Nick and himself as far as the inn they were staying at in town but for now it would have to do.

AJ watched in horror as the wizard removed a transportation globe from his robe. He knew what they were capable off and made a desperate attempt to stop the teleportation but was too late. As the wizard smashed the globe, both Nick and himself were enveloped in a blue haze and then they were gone.

"NO!" AJ cried as he fell to his knees where Nick once stood, his heart breaking as he realized what he had just lost.

‘By Khira, how am I ever going to be able to face Kevin?’

And that’s how Brian found him as he, Cole and General Liam finally got Nick’s door open.

"By Khira!"

General Liam couldn’t believe his eyes. There was blood everywhere. The bed was saturated in it and he could make out a trail leading directly to where AJ was. On the opposite end was a huge man laying face down, a puddle of blood beneath him. As Liam moved to the body, Brian walked to his friend, Nick’s pain still so vibrant in his mind, there were tears in his eyes.

He felt a hand on his shoulder as someone kneeled by him.

"AJ?"

Brian.

"I couldn’t save him, Brian. I tried, I really did."

Suddenly, it was important that Brian understood. He did everything that he could. Looking into his friend’s eyes, he saw the tears and felt his own fall.

Brian took AJ into his arms as the tears began to fall, trying to sooth his pain even as he felt his own soar.

‘I was supposed to keep you safe, Nicky.’

Suddenly, he felt AJ stiffen and pull away.

"AJ? What…"

He tried to get AJ’s attention but AJ was focused on something else.

Turning, Brian corrected himself.

‘No, not something…someone.’

‘Kevin.’

AJ couldn’t take his eyes off the older man as he watched him approach the bed. He looked like he had aged a hundred years since the last time he had seen him.

‘Khira, was it only a few hours ago that we were all enjoying a meal together?’

AJ watched, his heart clenching as Kevin knelt by the bed, hands running over where Nick once lay, his fingers coming away stained with blood.

‘Nezadi, forgive me.’

Kevin could still feel Nick’s essence coursing through him. They were so much a part of each other now but to not have him in his arms, it was unimaginable torture. The wizard had tried to block Kevin out, but he had been too late to permanently sever their link.

Deep, deep within, he could sense Nick and somehow could also feel himself changing. Looking up, he caught sight of AJ’s eyes on him, and read the pain and regret there.

Shaking his head, he growled out.

"There’s only one person to blame for all of this and when I find the wizard, I will tear him limb from limb with my bare hands."

AJ relieved, forced himself to his feet with Brian’s help.

"I’ll be holding him down for you, Kevin. Count on it."

‘I just found you.’

Cole was lost. Would everyone he cared about be taken away. He had never met anyone like Nick before. In such a short time, he had become everything to Cole and hearing Kevin, Cole found his own resolve strengthening. Hearing his name being called, he turned to find Howie by him, the shadows of pain in their eyes identical.

Howie had already known without a doubt they would all be going after Nick but hadn’t planned on Cole tagging along. But seeing the conviction in the boy’s eyes, he realized that for all his youthfulness, this boy had started out pretty much the same way AJ had and there was no way he was going to be left behind.

‘Don’t worry, Nicky. We’re coming.’