Page 12 of Blood and Embers
There was no response. He continued to search, and then once again someone ran at him, but this time they grabbed him and wrestled him to the floor. "You're coming with us, Jones.” The person’s voice was raspy and deep, and their strength was considerable. They pulled Scott from the floor and stood him up, as if he were a rag doll.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Scott demanded.
"We're here to collect you. You're coming with us, Jones."
“My engine company is outside. You're not getting away with this." Scott stated and pushed back from the man's grip.
“I don’t have fucking time for this.” The man took Scott by the throat and started to squeeze. He glanced over his shoulder at someone to his left. “They said it was fine if he was dear, right? We can kill him, right?” Scott started to kick out at the man and claw at his grip.
They pulled up close enough to watch the action but far enough not to be noticed. Pike and Hugh jumped from the vehicle and ran to the back of the building. The firemen and other first responders were out front dealing with the fire. The back was their way inside.
They scaled the back of the building up to the roof. Pike sensed his beloved in crisis on the top floor, and his vampire became enraged. When they reached the roof, they smelled jackal, and their rage exploded at the thought of a jackal attacking a beloved of the Rose Coven.
Scott’s panic and struggle hit Pike hard, and he found the opening in the roof that had been vented and dropped through. He was followed by Hugh, and they hit the floor hard and with purpose. Before them stood two jackals, and one had Scott by the throat.
Pike turned wild and vicious, running at the jackal who held Scott and tore him away from his beloved, removing his hand by snatching and breaking the wrist. Scott fell to the floor, clutching his throat and gasping for air.
Pike grabbed the jackal, who was prime for a fight, even with a broken wrist, and wailed on him. The jackal tried to get his footing and respond, but he was too slow, and Pike was fueled by a rage that would not be quelled by anything except the jackal’s death. They fought hard and bloody until Pike took him to the floor and, with a slice of his elongated nails, opened the jackal's throat.
He then plunged his fist into his chest and pulled out his heart, finishing the beast once and for all. He stayed there staring down at the infernal creature that had dared to lay a hand on his beloved and wiped his hands on the man’s shirt. Slowly Piked turned his head to look over at Scott, who was now sitting up and had removed his helmet. The air had started to clear, but it was still smoky.
Pike moved to his beloved’s side but did not immediately reach out. Scott looked stunned, and he needed just a moment. Scott's eyes met his, and instantly, he was in Pike's arms. Heheld him like his life depended on it. "How did you know?” He whispered.
"I felt your pain, my love. I sensed your need.”
“This is the bond?”
"This is the bond." Pike smiled so happily that his beloved was not traumatized and was not pulling away. He held him and channeled the love and peace that he was feeling. “I will always know when you need me and I will always be there for you.”
"I can usually handle myself, but that thing... that thing was immovable. I was sure I was going to die, and then there you were.” He buried his face in Pike’s shoulder, and he held him, drinking in the very essence of the man. After a few seconds, Pike helped him to his feet. Hugh walked over after finishing the other jackal.
“How will we explain these dead bodies to the police?” Scott asked as he straightened and tried to take a step back, but Pike continued to hold him.
Pike gestured to where the two jackals now lay. “They shifted back to their animal form at death. Just two dogs caught in this terrible fire.” He offered and placed a sweet, possessive kiss on Scott's cheek.
"Are you alright, my love? Are you hurt?" He asked Scott and ran his eyes over his body, checking that he was indeed well.
"I'm okay, really I am." He pressed, and Pike was confident that he was physically okay.
“Hugh and I will go out the way we came. We can’t be seen here." Pike told him, and Scott nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I understand. The crew is downstairs." He said absently. Pike was a little concerned about leaving, but then Scott stepped back and got a hold of himself.
"I'm alright, Pike. Go, I'll finish my shift and meet you at your place when I get off. You can explain what happened here.” Scott liked order, and it would see him through the terror.
"I love you, Scott." He said, and then, not waiting for an answer because he wasn't sure what Scott would say, he and Hugh disappeared through the hole in the ceiling. Scott and his crew put out the fire and cleaned up the area before leaving it to the police and heading back to their station.
"Another arson," Andrew commented on the ride back to the station. "I hope they catch whoever is doing this and catch him soon. It’s too bad about those dogs on the top floor.” He made mention of the dogs, and it caused Scott to look up at him sharply.
“Yeah, that was too bad. I think the smoke got them pretty quickly.”
"Must have been a couple of strays looking for shelter." He theorized.
"They were looking for something." Scott turned away, not wanting to elaborate further. The dogs were evil beasts, and if it hadn't been for Pike, they would have killed him. He was suddenly awash with the need to be near Pike. Every part of him ached to be held in his arms. Waiting for eight was going to be brutal.
Pike and Hugh headed back to the Coven House and reported to Victor. He’d been notified of the plot and had put a team in pursuit of those involved. The day of purging the Bagwell Pack had been successful, as all his properties and businesses were destroyed, along with his paid soldiers.
The short life span of anyone working for Bagwell was starting to get around, and his ability to entice more recruits was diminishing. No one wanted to die for a man who promised payment but only delivered impossible missions against an impossible opponent. They were soldiers, not martyrs.
