System of a Wolf - 30. Chapter 30

The sound of beeping roused him from a nightmare. Erith kept his eyes closed, fighting a light that seemed almost insidious in its attempts to disturb him. He was certainly disturbed.

Slowly, the world came back to him, and with it the throbbing agony of a thousand cuts. He let out a pained whimper, and someone gasped nearby.

“Erith? Fuck, you’re awake…”

The elf’s eye peeked open, Blake’s worried face bent over him. He could tell he was in the hospital again, and Erith’s heart rate spiked, fear overcoming him. He couldn’t be back in the hospital. Blake couldn’t be in the hospital with him. They would both be killed.

“Calm down Erith-”

A door opened, and an elf hurried toward them.

“You need to relax, Erith. Everything is okay. You’re safe here,” she said

“Yeah, this place has nothing to do with Lumara,” Blake added. “Don’t worry, Adam should be on his way back soon. We aren’t leaving you alone.”

“The aconite is gone from your system, so you should be okay once you’ve recovered your strength. Our healer was able to pull it out of you within an estimated two hours of contact. The lacerations were not as easy to fix, but we got all the glass out of you eventually.”

“I’m… okay?”

“As okay as can be suspected. None of your organs were damaged. You were extremely lucky,” the nurse said.

His eyes flickered closed again, Erith trying to find Gara within himself. The wolf felt weak, still recovering from the trauma as he licked his wounds, but he was still there, guarding Lynn from the dangers of the world.

Tears slipped from Erith’s eyes, and the elf drew in a ragged breath, trying not to cry in front of Blake. He didn’t know how he was still alive.

“Adam… Adam’s here?” he breathed, frowning at Blake.

“He saved you,” the mage said sternly. “Be nice to him.”

Erith felt a nudge at his arm, cold amber liquid sliding into his veins as the nurse pushed medicine into a catheter. He shuddered at the feeling, his body relaxing as the pain slowly faded.

“The healer wasn’t able to do much for the cuts. She’s more of a toxicologist,” the nurse said apologetically.

Erith shrugged, taking a series of deep breaths. He was starting to feel a little dizzy, almost like he was on a rollercoaster. Head spinning slightly, the elf startled as the door opened again.

“You’re awake.”

The elf wasn’t sure if he was imagining the coldness in the man’s voice. Adam’s face showed cautious relief, and there was a good chance the drugs he had been given were dulling Erith’s mind.

His hand closed around Blake’s wrist protectively. The mage frowned down at the elf, letting his thumb trace over Erith’s wrist.

“It’s okay, we’re not going anywhere,” he said gently.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere. Blake needs to go home tonight,” Adam corrected. “But I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

“Why?” Erith croaked suspiciously.

“Because you are important to Blake. And I will do whatever I can to keep him happy,” the man said.

“Your cichlids are doing good,” Blake added. “I made sure the plecos weren’t being bullied.”

“Thanks,” Erith chuckled weakly. “I was really worried about them.”

“I’m just happy you’re okay.”

Adam murmured something to the nurse, and the elf stepped out of the room a moment later, closing the door behind her.

“You saved me?” Erith asked.

“Even a stalker doesn’t deserve to be tortured by religious fanatics,” the man shrugged.

“I never stalked you… We only saw you that one time at Elias Park. Well… I only saw you then. I guess Blake’s been seeing you more...”

“I distinctly remember taking you to the aquarium three weeks ago because you kept telling me you were going to tell Blake what I was doing,” Adam frowned. “Or was that Varen? I might be getting you two confused.”

“It must have been Varen,” Erith scowled at Blake.

The mage looked back, bewildered by the heat in the elf’s eyes.

“I didn’t say anything,” he protested.

“He didn’t have to. I swear you said your name was Varen when you were creeping around my house.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something he would do,” Erith sighed. “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t do that myself. I don’t like you being with Blake, but like I told him, I trust his judgement. If he thinks you’re okay, then you must be okay for him.”

“I’m honoured by your faith in our relationship,” Adam snorted. “I’m also guessing he never mentioned his suggestion to you?”

Erith locked eyes with the mage, frowning again.

“Blake?”

The man glanced away, fiddling with the side of the hospital bed.

“I… suggested that I could live with both you and Adam. I know you don’t want to have sex, and I’m okay with that. But I don’t want to lose either you or Adam, and I thought you could both cuddle with me sometimes.”

Erith’s head turned to the older man, a grimace on his face.

“There is no way I’m touching you,” he said.

“Of course not. You’re not my mate. If it weren’t for your importance to Blake, I would have nothing to do with you,” Adam scoffed.

“I’m going to say this only once. I don’t care how much you helped me. If you ever hurt Blake, I will find a way to make your life a waking nightmare,” Erith added sharply.

“Right back at you,” Adam replied. “As long as we are in agreement.”

“Does that mean you two are going to be nice to each other?” Blake asked.

“Do I have to?” Erith and Adam asked together, and Blake snickered.

The mage chased after Val with a groan. His net passed the fish, and Blake scowled at the fish. He couldn’t use his magic to push Val into the net; that might hurt the fish.

“Get in the fucking net Val! We’re leaving!” he snapped, as the fish darted through the half empty tank.

Swinging his net around, Blake finally cornered the oscar, grinning like a madman as he pinned Val in his net. He scooped the fish out of the water, setting him carefully into a five gallon bucket filled with water from the tank. Blake pushed a lid down on the top, leaving a hole in the top so Val could get enough air during the drive.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

Blake glanced out the open window, one of Adam’s friends leaning on the ledge. Adam wasn’t allowed on pack grounds because of his past. Not only that, but the man was still watching Erith at the hospital. The elf was supposed to be out in another day or two, but for now, Blake was moving on his own. Adam had already suggested letting Val live at his house, since Erith already had plenty of fish for Blake to watch. His friend was going to take Blake to Adam’s house and help him set up the tank, but Blake wasn’t officially moving for another week.

“Yeah, I’m good, just get out of the way,” the mage said, turning back to the tank filled with water.

Taking a deep breath, Blake gathered his energy, and carefully lifted the tank into the air. It floated toward the window slowly, sliding through the opening with barely an inch to spare on either side.

The tank tipped suddenly, dirty fish water flooding out over a lawn. The man outside let out a sudden yelp, darting forward to catch the tank.

“Move!”

It fell heavily, Blake just saving it from crashing into the ground as his concentration was broken. Doubling over as the tank settled gently onto the ground, he gasped for breath, shaking his head. Why did people always try to help? It only made things worse when they interrupted his magic.

“Are you okay?” he panted, looking out the window.

“Yeah… how are you doing?” the man asked.

“Fine,” Blake muttered, hoisting Val carefully through the window.

He followed the tub out, staring at the tank thoughtfully.

“It’s empty now. I think we should be able to carry it together now.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Blake shrugged. “Where’s the car?”

The mage bit his lip, realizing he sounded rather rude at the moment. His arms shook out, Blake setting Val down quickly so he didn’t shake the fish.

“I’m sorry. The tank was heavy, and I didn’t want to hurt you,” he apologized.

“It’s all good. I thought it was falling.”

“No, I was just emptying the last of the water,” Blake explained. “I probably should have told you before I did it.”

“Yeah, it’s a little unnerving to see things floating around. But we can carry it the rest of the way.”

“What about Val?”

The two men glanced at the bucket, listening to the fish banging around inside.

“He’s not a very happy fish, is he?”

“Well, you try getting chased around with a net, thrown into a suffocating environment, and then tossed into darkness,” Blake said.

“That’s a fair point. I could put him in the car. If we keep the air conditioner on, he should be fine.”

Nodding, Blake lifted the bucket up. He followed the man out to his truck, carefully setting Val into the front seat. A buzz in his pocket alerted the mage to a call, and he pulled out his phone, his heart beating fast at the sight of Adam’s picture.

“Is everyone okay?” Blake demanded, answering the phone.

“Yes, everyone is fine,” Adam chuckled through the phone. “Erith just got a clean bill of health. He’ll be in a bit of pain for about a week, but he should be good to go home. I’m going to take him to get his car, and then I’ll meet you at my place to make sure Val gets settled properly.”

“Can I go with you two?” Blake asked.

“You have to set up Val’s tank though,” Adam pointed out. “Don’t worry, if it’s okay with Erith, I might make us all a nice big dinner at my place tonight. Or maybe we can go out tomorrow. Of course, if he lets that girl out again, I might have to figure out how to get his car home for him.”

“Wait, Lynn came out? How is she doing?”

“Uh… good? I think? It’s honestly really weird. I understand when you get all cuddly and little, but having an elf do it is a little strange when you’re not expecting it.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Blake frowned. “I’m surprised he let you meet her.”

“Yeah. So… that Varen character… he was Erith too?”

“I don’t really know how it works. But I’m sure Erith would explain it if you asked nicely.”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll play nice with him,” Adam sighed through the phone. “Anyway, we need to get going. I don’t want to be near the temple at night. I’ll call you in two hours to let you know how we’re doing.”

“Okay. I’ll see you when you get home.”

“Give Val my best,” Adam said.

The phone went dead, and Blake slipped it back into his pocket. He turned back to the man.

“So… I guess I’m staying at Adam’s tonight. Let’s get the tank loaded, and I should be able to get it into his house just fine on my own.”

“No arguments here,” the man shrugged. “That thing has to weigh, what, three hundred pounds?”

“Three forty,” Blake replied, heading back to the tank. “If you don’t want to help, I can probably get it on my own.”

“No, Adam would have my head if I didn’t help. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

“I’m ready. What I’m going to do is lift the tank into our hands,” Blake said, staring at the tank.

He took a deep breath, and focused, straining slightly as the weight of the tank hit him again. Slowly, the tank raised into the air, and the mage pushed his hands under the near edge. He waited for the man to copy his motions before easing up on the magic. Keeping just enough energy on the tank, Blake slowly pushed the tank back as they shuffled back toward the truck.

The aquarium went into the back of the truck, and Blake slumped against the tailgate, breathing heavily.

“Fuck it, I’m going to help you carry it inside. You can’t do this on your own,” the man scowled at him. “Go ahead and lock everything up, and we’ll get going.”

“Okay,” Blake panted, pushing off of the truck.

He hurried toward the apartment. Closing the window, the mage locked the front door before making his way back to the car.

“Ready.”