Blood of the Neko - 12. Chapter 12

'Mine.'

'All yours,' the voice purred in his ear. The haunting memory of truth, a conviction he couldn't deny.

Fuck. Damien awoke with a start. A sudden realization of what he should have held on to before--he could tell when Kayden was lying, and he hadn't been when he'd said that: All yours. Kayden had meant it, with all his soul, and Damien had doubted him.

He rubbed briskly at his face, the abrasive stubble forming on his chin scraping his hands. Shit, he'd fallen asleep. A quick glance told him that no one else was stirring. Kayden, his kitten, hadn't returned. He rose to his feet.

"Let's go," Damien demanded, kicking Geoff Brenner's leg.

He had listened to Oliver and Brenner about giving his kitten time to calm down. He had waited, anxiously, for Joseph Nash to bring his boy back. Now, he was done waiting.

Dawn would be creeping over the mountain ridge soon, and his uneasiness just kept growing with every minute he waited.

Geoff shot to alert, always quick to wake. It took him only a minute to shake away the fog of sleep and rise to his feet. He made a quick assessment of his surroundings: sleeping and dozing men lay in peace, with the exception of the three watchful guards that idly paced the area. His lord was glaring at him.

"Let's go," Damien repeated, now that Geoff was up.

For a second, Geoff was about to ask where, but it only took a hard look into the shadowed features of the duke's face to realize that Kayden had not returned yet.

"Yes," Geoff agreed and quickly took to waking the other men. "Rafe, get Hatcher. He's the one who followed Kayden, Nash and Palick yesterday. He can give us an idea of where they headed."

The large brown and white hybrid gave a curt nod and turned to find the young guard who'd brought back news of the runaway neko. The two men stepped into their lord's presence.

By then, Oliver Druet was also standing next to the duke as plans were being hashed out.

"I'm going after Kayden," Damien announce unnecessarily. "Oliver, I want you and Brenner to start the rest of the men heading up the pass--"

"But, sir, I should--" Brenner protested.

"Damien--" Oliver cut in as well.

The duke held up his hand, staying their protests. "We need to get to the mines quickly, before they know we are coming. The path loops around here," he dropped into a squat and drew with a stick in the dirt. "Lord Druet and Captain Brenner will continue leading the men around this way. Saladin, Hatcher, and I will head into the forest and find the others," he continued, drawing a straight line through the woods. "We will then continue north and meet up with you farther up the pass here. It will save time so we don't have to back track."

Brenner nodded, accepting the order grudgingly. "Fine, but take at least two more men. Are you taking the horses with you?"

Damien looked back at Hatcher. He'd been in the depths of the forest already. He'd know whether or not their horses would be advisable.

"Oh, uh," the young guard started, obviously not expecting to have to contribute to the conversation of his superiors, "It's pretty dense and uneven terrain for a horse to maneuver. It would probably be slower going, but a horse could carry some of our supplies too."

"Prep Gemini with water and supplies. The others will probably be hungry, maybe cold, too," he snapped to Hatcher, who darted away with a quick nod. "We'll walk him with us. He's the most sure-footed horse of them all, except maybe Arabella. Brenner, you'll lead the rest of them with you."

It was only minutes before Finn was leading Gemini toward the duke, with Hatcher still strapping on saddle bags with the supplies--food, water, a blanket, a rifle. Finn ducked his head as he approached, unsure of his lord's feelings toward him.

Damien felt a stab of regret at how he'd so easily abraded the man's honor with his jealousy. He'd spent the last few hours before drifting off berating himself for his stupidity. Having to face the betrayal of his brother had left him too open to suspicion. Kayden had never lied to him before, and that he had now cut deep. But he'd never seen anything but innocence and adoration for him in the boy's eyes. How could he have jumped to the conclusion that Kayden might want someone else?

Because you're an idiot, he told himself. He had good people around him, with him. He should never have accused Kayden like that without checking his facts. He only prayed that his callous actions hadn't caused him to lose Kayden forever.

"Thanks, Finn," the duke stated. "And I want to apologize again for my accusation. I let my fears of losing Kayden rule my mind, and I was wrong. Please forgive me."

Finn smiled, ducking his head in reverence. "Of course, my lord. Master Kayden is a good friend, and I am forever loyal to you. I would never betray you or him in anyway."

"I see that now," Damien admitted. "And again, I am sorry. I wish you and Lizzy the best."

"Thank you, sir," Finn said, as he handed the reins over to the duke.

Damien straightened as he cleared his throat. He noticed Oliver smiling at him as well as Geoff Brenner. Both men, well, actually, all of his men gathered around him, seemed to appreciate his ability to admit that he'd been wrong. It was obvious that they felt pride in standing with a noble who could admit to making a mistake.

He nodded to Hatcher, who took the lead. Saladin took over the reins of Gemini for his lord, leaving Damien free to keep pace with the younger guard. Behind them, they heard Captain Brenner calling orders to prepare the larger group for departure.

As he stepped deeper into the woods, deviating from the main pass, Damien felt his apprehension grow. He had felt sure that Nash would have brought Kayden back earlier. When they hadn't, Damien worried about just how angry Kayden might be. Would he not even give Damien a chance to talk to him?

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They had traversed only about two miles before Rafe Saladin suddenly shoved the Gemini's reins into one of the other guard's hands and ran up next to the duke.

"Sir!" the hybrid grabbed his lord's arm to stop him.

Damien halted, as did Hatcher who was just in front of him. The frown and the flicking of the neko guard's ears had Damien tensing in concern. The man's thick brown tail was curled up in worry as well.

"What is it?" Damien snapped, harsher than he'd intended.

The hybrid seemed to be scenting the air, turning toward something that was off. "Blood, sir. I smell a lot of blood."

Damien suddenly paled. Oh God, was that why they hadn't returned? They had been hurt, attacked maybe by some predator?

"Where?" he demanded, his fists clenching.

Saladin took another test of the air, then took the lead. "This way."

The tall hybrid was darting through the woods with the ease that his feline side afforded him. Damien crashed through the brush after him with much less grace. He could hear the other two guards close behind him, while the final guard led Gemini along as quickly as he could manage.

Saladin stopped suddenly.

The body of Palick lay a few feet from him, gray and lifeless.

"Oh, shit." Damien came up next to him, bile rising in his throat at the sight of the guard's sanguine body. His heart jumped into his throat as his eyes darted around for signs of Nash and Kayden. "Where's Kayden?"

Saladin quickly recovered his professional demeanor and stepped with his lord past the poor guard's body. A second later, they spotted the body of Joseph Nash.

"Fuck," Damien cried, causing Saladin to cringe. "Kayden!"

Saladin knelt down next to the other guard, as his lord looked frantically around for the young missing neko. He noticed that Nash was pale, but not deathly so. There was a small blade sticking out of the man's shoulder; it was a small wound, nowhere near lethal. His fingers reached for the man's neck. He jumped when the guard jerked under his hand.

"Sir!" Saladin called. "Nash is still alive."

"Kayden!" Damien yelled, his heart beating wildly. These men had not been attacked by a wild animal, that much was obvious from Palick's wound and Nash's tied hands. Some ONE had attacked them, and Kayden was nowhere to be seen.

"He's alive?" Damien dropped to his knees next to Saladin, fighting back the tears that wanted to escape. "Is he conscious?"

"Hatcher! Bring me some water!" Saladin called, as he leaned over Nash and quickly cut the ties binding his wrists.

Saladin yanked the small blade from the guard's shoulder, causing the man to gasp in pain, but they didn't want to roll him over with the knife still in his back. Damien helped the hybrid guard roll Nash over. His heart stopped at the sight of the bloody white shirt that Nash had been curled over. "Oh, god," he breathed, as he realized exactly what it was. As he gingerly picked up the torn shirt of his young lover, a silver chain fell free.

He fell back as the sight of Kayden's chain stained with blood knocked the breath out of him. He couldn't contain the ragged gasp that wrenched out of him. "Oh, God, no. No, no, no. Please, no..."

Hatcher and the other guards froze at the sight of their distraught lord, realization of what had happened dawning on their faces. Hatcher almost dropped the bota of water he'd been carrying. Saladin had to look away from his master, unable to watch the man falling apart.

"My lord," came a croaking voice. Damien and Rafe started at the sound. They looked down to see Nash blinking up at them with bleary red eyes.

"Shh, Joseph," Saladin said, patting at his shirt and body where blood stained it. "Where else are you hurt?"

"It's my ankle. Broken, I think." Nash looked down at the front of his shirt. "The blood's not mine. It's... it's Kayden's."

When Nash saw the distraught look on the duke's face, he fell apart himself. Again. Tears followed paths that had been laid on his cheeks by their predecessors. "I'm... I'm so s-sorry, my lord..." he wept, feeling the loss of his charge deep in his soul. "I tried... I couldn't--"

The duke choked back his pain. Clutching Kayden's shirt and chain in his hand, he leaned over the fallen guard, placing a gentle hand on his head. "I know you did," he assured the distressed young guard. "I know you did."

"He fought so hard," Nash gasped, his voice harsh and dry. Saladin quickly offered him a sip of water, failing to keep his own tear from falling. Seeing his master and his fellow guard in such agony over failing to protect the young neko left him grief-stricken and somber.

"He really did," Nash said. "You'd have been so proud--"

Damien couldn't stand to listen to any more talk of Kayden as if he were gone. He wasn't here so there was still the possibility that he was alive, right? "What happened, Nash? Tell me what happened. Was Kayden still alive?"

"Yes, he was, when they took him," Nash nodded quickly, latching onto the one hope they still had. "There were three of them. They had killed Palick--" He looked anxiously in the dead guard's direction, but the others nodded their understanding. "They hit my shoulder with something, and I fell out of the tree. My ankle snapped, I couldn't--" His breathing came faster as the memories assailed him, and thoughts of his failure began to crush him. "I told Kayden to stay in the tree, but when they threatened me, Kayden... he jumped on the leader," Nash's eyes were misty as he looked up at his lord, his heart breaking at having to tell the man how Kayden had been caught. "He fought so hard, sir. He--" he broke off, having to look away. "But there were two of them, and I tried to fight the third. But... but they were too much, sir. I swear, I tried--"

"I know," Damien reassured as calmly as he could. And he did. He knew this man would defend and fight for Kayden with his life. Apparently, Kayden would also fight for his as well. "Just--just tell me what else happened."

"They--they cut him," Nash choked at the memory of the hunter's knife ripping Kayden's flesh. "His shirt, his chain. They know what he means to you. They--they w-wrote on me...with his..." He stammered as he pulled at his shirt, revealing the bloody message.

"Turn back," Damien read. Damien fought the rage building in him at the thought of his lover being stabbed, bleeding, and these--these--men using Kayden's blood to leave a message for him. "What--?"

Saladin offered another sip of water, as Nash hastened on. "They know we're going to the mine."

"Who? Laos? He did this?!" Damien raged.

But Nash was already shaking his head. "No, it--it was the hunters. The ones who'd held Kayden before. They knew him, they recognized him."

"Oh, fuck," Damien breathed, wondering just how Kayden could possibly be coping--if he was even still alive.

"They took Kayden with them. I think they meant to--to k-keep him. You've got to go after him," Nash insisted, pleading.

Damien was already standing, determination wiping away the guilt and bleakness at the thought of losing his lover. As far as they knew, Kayden was still alive.

"We will," Saladin assured Nash quickly as his lord narrowed his eyes, staring around the forest for signs of which way they might have gone.

"You," Damien pointed at one of the other guards. The sudden fierce look in the duke's face causing him to start. "Get Gemini over here. Unpack some water and food for us to carry. You two will be taking Nash back to the main pass on Gemini and catching up with the others. That direction," he said pointing. "Check the ground for hoof prints, you'll know whether they've passed, or whether to wait for them."

"Yes, sir." The man dropped to his knees, quickly helping Saladin make a temporary brace for Joseph's ankle.

Damien pointed at Hatcher and the other guard who would be accompanying Nash. "You two, do what you can quickly to take care of Palick. You may have to use stones."

They nodded grimly, taking their task seriously as they gathered rocks as quickly as possible while the others tended to Nash's wounds.

"Sir, Kayden told me--before they took him--that they'll attack at the crag, some sort of cliff, by the mountain pass," Nash rushed on to say.

"Be sure to tell Brenner that," Damien stated with a nod.

"And... and I heard splashing when they left. Like maybe they were following the river."

Saladin cursed under his breath.

Within minutes, they had lifted the battered guard onto Gemini's back. Damien stood momentarily over Palick's makeshift grave, offering a silent prayer of peace. He turned and briefly watched his horse disappearing through the woods. He brushed a hand across his face, wiping away the evidence of his fears and worries--he could be saying this prayer over Kayden's grave. He sighed deeply. He couldn't let himself think that way right now. Or it would paralyze him.

"What do you think?" he asked Saladin, throwing the rifle over his shoulder and tucking the powder pouch and bullets in his pocket.

"Head to the river first," the large neko said. "With any luck we'll see some evidence of which way they passed."

Damien nodded curtly, stepping forward, keeping his steps sure and steady, even as his heart pounded wildly in his chest. Saladin and Hatcher followed him closely, each of them looking for signs of recent passage.

At the river's edge, they could see boot prints. Damien sucked in a breath at the sight of a small bare footprint. Kayden.

"Sir," Saladin drew his attention, and Damien turned to see the neko crouched next to some rocks by the river. There was a red smear on one of them.

He frowned, his jaw tightening. "Is that...?"

Saladin was nodding, having scented the coppery smell. "Blood, yes, sir."

"And that's his foot print," Damien announced. "They crossed here. There's enough rocks to make it across here."

He started jumping across to each rock in the flowing river. It wasn't terribly deep, but it was cold and they didn't need to be soaking their boots and feet if they could avoid it. Damien frowned as he landed on the other side. Saladin immediately knew what was causing his lord concern.

"There are no prints on this side," he surmised. "They must have followed the river. Upstream leads toward the mountain pass. If they were planning on lying in wait, they'd head that way."

Damien agreed with a nod, and they carefully began picking their way along the edge of the river, watching for signs that the hunters may have changed direction. Damien tried to keep his focus on the ground, on finding signs that his boy was still alive.

But he couldn't help but imagine what Kayden must have felt when the men who had enslaved him for years suddenly appeared from nowhere. Scared would barely cover it. Terrified maybe. Hopeless, even.

God, if only he hadn't said--

Damn it, Damien cut off his thoughts. Berating himself like this wouldn't help find Kayden. It would only distract him. He stumbled, and Saladin grabbed his arm before he could lose his balance completely.

A few yards later, the neko grabbed him again. Damien had almost continued up the river, but Saladin stopped him to inspect some rocks.

"They went out here," Saladin stated, as his hand brushed over the rocks, his fingers coming back stained brown.

Damien stared at the guard oddly, wondering how the man could tell. There were no foot prints here, it was too rocky for that.

"How do you know?" he finally asked.

Damien watched Saladin sniff at the dirt smear on his fingers. "Blood."

Damien's eyes widened before he looked more closely at the ground. Mixed with the dark of some dried mud on the stones was the darker reddish stain of dried blood. He set his jaw as he stepped away from the river.

"They've got to be heading up the mountain. Probably to the cliff Nash mentioned."

Saladin nodded his agreement as he followed the duke. Hatcher had been very silent, and he wondered if the man felt a little guilty for having returned to the camp when his fellow guards had been left to be attacked in the woods.

"It's not your fault," Saladin said softly, startling the younger guard.

"I--" the young man looked pained. "I should have stayed. I could have helped--"

"Or you could be dead too, and we would never have found Nash," Rafe Saladin reasoned. "You were given an order by Nash. You obeyed. And because of that, you were able to take us back to them."

Hatcher nodded, obviously not quite believing his superior yet, but maybe he would after they found the boy, safe and sound. That was all Saladin could focus on right now, that they would find the boy.