Marek had fallen to his knees, clutching his head, expression twisted in pain. Emma and Leon were on their knees beside him, holding him up with preternatural strength. Sage crouched in front of him, her hands on Marek’s face, grounding him. Jono had stepped closer, a troubled look in his eerie, bright blue eyes, but he didn’t reach for Marek.
“Ngh, someone dim the lights,” Marek ground out through clenched teeth.
Sage shot to her feet and hurried over to the nearest light switch, plunging the floor into near darkness. Emma and Leon gently coaxed Marek to his feet, guiding him over to the couch. The pair tucked themselves on either side of Marek, watching him worriedly. Sage came back and knelt in front of him again, one hand resting on his knee.
Marek sucked in a breath, then another, sounding like he was trying not to get sick. He still hadn’t opened his eyes. “Patrick? I’m gonna call you Patrick. Special Agent seems too formal after tonight.”
Patrick froze, not liking where this was going. “I was leaving.”
Marek let out a low, pained laugh. “Yeah, you were. But Jono is going with you.”
“What?” Jono said, taking a step closer.
Patrick’s gaze cut to Jono before returning to Marek. “No.”
Marek gingerly leaned back against the couch, as if he didn’t want to jar his head too much. Patrick knew that feeling. “You need to take Jono with you.”
“I’m not the one who needs a bodyguard. That’s you.”
“The wolf stays with you.”
The hairs on the back of Patrick’s neck stood on end, nerves singing at the ethereal, echoing,female-sounding voice that came out of Marek’s mouth. His eyes were open now, a pure, unblemished white, different from the silver earlier that afternoon. They seemed to glow with a soft luminescence that no human eyes should ever hold.
“Fuckinghell,” Jono swore.
Marek pushed himself to his feet with a lithe grace that didn’t belong to him. Emma and Leon remained frozen where they sat, watching their friend with wide, worried eyes. Sage tracked his movements with a pained expression on her face. Patrick had to lock his body in place at Marek’s approach, ignoring the desire torunbecause he refused to retreat from the immortal currently in control of the seer’s body.
The crackle of power pouring off Marek made Patrick fight back a flinch. He didn’t want to think about what it was doing to Marek. He met that otherworldly gaze in a human face without blinking.
“Get out of your vessel before he burns through another shade of color,” Patrick warned in a low voice.
“Then do as you have been told.”
“You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” Patrick bit out, knowing whichever Fate currently hijacking Marek’s body was likely to do the opposite and double down on vagueness instead.
Marek’s body leaned into his personal space, mere millimeters separating them. When he spoke, his breath ghosted over Patrick’s ear in a chilly puff.“The wolf stays with you.”
Patrick glared straight ahead, clenching his teeth so hard his jaw ached. “Fine.”
The amount of vitriol he managed to pour into that one word was more reminiscent of afuck youthan an agreement, but this Fate could take it or leave it for all he cared.
Apparently, she took it.
Marek suddenly slumped against him, and Patrick’s arms automatically came up to catch him, staggering under the other man’s weight. With a grunt, he guided Marek to the floor when it became apparent the seer’s legs would no longer hold him up.
“You all right?” Patrick asked, keeping his voice low.
Marek clenched his hands around the fabric of Patrick’s T-shirt with surprising strength, face buried against Patrick’s chest as he simply breathed.
“So long as you don’t piss off the Norns anymore, then yeah,” Marek rasped.
Leon came over to them, carefully prying Marek out of Patrick’s arms with easy strength. Marek kept his eyes closed, face drawn tight with pain. Patrick shoved himself to his feet and looked over at Jono, who only had eyes for him. For a moment, it felt like they were the only ones in the room. Then Patrick blinked and jerked his attention back to Marek.
“I think this situation is why I asked you to come here, Jono,” Marek muttered.
Jono stiffened, mouth pressed into a hard line. He didn’t say anything, merely stared at Marek before roughly shaking his head. “You look knackered, mate. You should get some rest.”
“Don’t leave him, Jono.”
