Phoenix Found (Brothers of Fire #5)

Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Kaine arrived first, swooping up to the house in a shower of sparks. He shifted on the doorstep and let himself in. There was blood fucking everywhere. A ghoul, who must be Perrin, was on a stretcher, his face half ripped off, apparently unconscious. Oliver sat next to him on the floor, knees drawn up tight to his chest, with a blanket around his shoulders.

“What happened?” he asked in French because, clearly, he’d missed a lot while he was flying.

“The chick did not leave as ordered and was captured. Perrin went out to reason with his father. And when his father attacked, the chick decided that was the time to shift, killing the ghoul who was holding him. He’s not dealing with it very well,” the guard said.

That was an understatement.

Allard handed him a pair of track pants, which he pulled on. “And Perrin’s injuries?”

“Caused by ghouls. The two guards on patrol outside are dead, as are three ghouls. I don’t know if that was all of them or not. They hid in the shadows to avoid us getting a clean shot. ”

Kaine raked his fingers through his hair and swore. “Medical assistance is about twenty minutes out.”

“I’ve bandaged his foot. He’s lost two toes, and his ankle is broken. I don’t think he realized. There wasn’t much I could do for his face aside from a bandage and ice. And I wasn’t sure if I could give him pain relief.”

Kaine shook his head. Ghouls weren’t quite human enough for a lot of pain medication, so unless the guard knew about ghoul physiology, it was safer not to do anything.

He walked over and kneeled next to Oliver. “Are you hurt?” he asked in English.

Oliver shook his head. “I waited too long. I should have shifted when he caught me, then I wouldn’t have been a distraction.”

He should have followed orders and flown to the castle. But now wasn’t the time.

“Is he going to live?” Oliver looked up at him. “I don’t want him to die. We’d just picked where we were going to go. He wanted to travel.”

“He’ll be fine after a few stitches. It takes a lot to kill a ghoul.” As long as Perrin could eat, he’d recover. He was lucky it was his face, not his throat, that was slashed.

“I didn’t want to kill him…but there was nothing else I could do. Perrin’s father was going to kill him.” Oliver shook his head.

Kaine glanced at Perrin. His father would’ve succeeded if Oliver hadn’t acted. If Oliver hadn’t been there, Perrin might be dead. “You’re not in trouble for killing. It was self-defense. That you didn’t freak out and shift immediately means you are gaining control.” Or fear had frozen him, and he’d been unable to do anything. Which was more likely, but, again, something he’d deal with later.

Olive’s teeth worried at his lower lip. “I don’t understand why Perrin’s father didn’t let him go. He spoke to Rachel, and she was upset. She wanted Perrin to marry her and be miserable.”

Kaine placed his fingers on Perrin’s neck, checking his pulse. For all the blood, his heartbeat was still strong. “Pride. It meant he’d failed as a parent that his son didn’t obey. He was annoyed that he lost his job at the castle because he assaulted Perrin, another staff member.”

He wanted to ask who the other ghouls were but needed to wait until Perrin woke up. He would heal while he slept, but they needed to put some stitches in his face so it healed neatly.

“Do you need to eat something?” Kaine’s stomach grumbled.

Oliver shook his head. “I’ll wait with Perrin.”

Kaine jerked his head at Allard, who didn’t need to be told what to do. He’d return with some food and water for both of them. Kaine didn’t enjoy emergency dashes on wing as they were exhausting.

Allard returned with two bowls of hot apple crumble, a jug of custard, and two bottles of water, all balanced on a tray, which he neatly sat down on the floor next to Kaine as if he always served snacks on the entrance floor. “Madam was already in the kitchen heating the food for you, sir. She is making coffee.”

“Mille mercis.”

“He has not eaten.” Allard nodded at Oliver.

“I will sort it out.” Dessert wasn’t normally what he reached for after a shift, but it was hot and sugary and good enough for an immediate energy boost. He turned to Oliver and spoke in English. “Did you have the chef make this?”

Oliver nodded. “I did…I’ve always liked dessert.”

Kaine passed him a bowl. “Good. Then you will have no trouble eating it. Every time you shift, you eat. No exceptions. We cannot eat when shifted, which means we can get stuck. And then there is no return.”

Oliver pushed the bowl away. “I’m not hungry.”

Kaine stared at him. “I don’t care. You shifted, and you are in shock. Eat.” He sighed and softened his tone, trying a different route to Oliver’s stomach. “You will be no good to him if you faint from hunger.”

That made Oliver pick up the spoon.

By the time Oliver had finished eating, the three four-wheel-drives were pulling up. Kaine met the staff at the door, directing the doctor to Perrin, who took one glance at the ghoul and ordered the stretcher be carried into the dining room.

Kaine stopped Oliver from following. “He’s going to stitch the wounds. You will be in the way, or worse, a hazard if you faint.”

“I’m not going to faint.” Oliver pulled the blanket tighter around himself.

“You’re not going.”

Oliver tried to pull his arm away.

“Listen to me. I’m not doing this to be cruel. But it’s better to allow the doctor to do his work. You’re going to go upstairs, and you’re going to pack. Your clothes and his and anything else you might need because Perrin will need to return to the castle while he heals.”

And the rest of this ghoulish mess was cleaned up.

Kaine beckoned the guard over. “Please assist Oliver with packing to return to the castle.”

Oliver glanced at the guard and then at Kaine. “What will happen to my house?”

“It will be cleaned. And I will do some security upgrades, both magical and physical. We are very lucky there are no humans on site.”

“So I can return? ”

“Yes…perhaps after your trip? You can tell me your plans on the drive back.” Kaine smiled. This hadn’t been a direct threat to Oliver, which was a relief. But no one had expected Perrin’s father to maim his son. Dalmon would involve the Coven to keep it quiet.

This was the kind of bullshit that might lead to paranormals accidentally being revealed, and it didn’t make them look good. They couldn’t slink out of the shadows, acting like the monsters humans feared.

He gave a few more orders about securing the site and cleaning the hallway and any bodies and blood from the front yard, then he reclaimed his clothes from the vehicle and pulled out his phone to call Dalmon, who would no doubt be waiting with Gerrit for news.