“Nope,” Iz agreed.
“Let’s check the basement for Laz. If he’s not here, we—”
“He’s got to be here,” Izzy said as we made our way to the basement door. “There was a heat signature down there, so he’s gotta be there.” His voice cracked.
With a nod, I yanked the door open, and Iz rushed down the steps first. No one met us there, but there was another door in the back of the basement. When I looked at it, my chest tightened uncomfortably and pain shot through my entire body. Not my pain, an echo of Laz’s.
I gasped out, “I feel him. Iz, he’s here.”
Without waiting for a response, I ran over to the door and yanked it open. A strangled noise came out of my mouth when I stepped into the room.
Oh gods. Laz.
I rushed across the room, falling to my knees in front of my sweet destined. He was covered head to toe in vines with only his face uncovered.
“Laz?” I whispered, my voice shaky. “Baby?”
Other enforcers came in, checking the room—something I should’ve done—but I didn’t pay attention to them. I only had eyes for my human.
Izzy was only a second behind me, dropping to his knees and reaching toward Laz hesitantly. Anyone else, I would’ve snapped at them, but not Iz. He was fine—he could touch Laz—he could help. No one else offered their assistance because they knew better than to try touching another warlock’s destined.
“Lazarus?”
His eyes slowly began blinking, and his brow furrowed as he whispered, “Raph?” Oh gods, his voice. He was hoarse. So hoarse, like he’d lost his voice. From screaming, my brain provided.
“Oh gods. Baby, I’m right here. I’m right here.” I pushed down the well of emotions bubbling up, pulled out a blade, and began cutting the vines as gently as I could.
The first time I saw Laz’s skin, I gasped before I could stop myself. He was caked in dried blood and covered in bruises. The vines… I had to pull some of the thorns out of his skin. Every little movement was making my poor Lazarus whimper.
My hands were shaking as I continued cutting away with Iz helping beside me, and Laz seemed to have passed out, probably from pain.
Izzy pulled a long vine off and gasped when he noticed that Laz was naked underneath. “Raph.”
“I know,” I said to him, then yelled loudly, “I need some blankets!”
Iz and I kept going, and a pile of blankets were set beside me. I didn’t hesitate to cover Laz’s lap once we’d cleared him of the vines there.
“Iz, start healing him. You know it’ll hurt him too badly if I try.” Damn fire magic. My voice cracked. “I’ll get the rest off him.”
Iz grunted in acknowledgment, then set his hand on Laz’s belly, closed his eyes, and pushed his green magic into him. The scent of his earth magic filled my nostrils and helped me be able to keep going. The more of Laz’s body that I uncovered, the harder time I had keeping my emotions at bay. I wanted to rage, attack, punch things, but I also wanted to curl up in a ball and sob.
My poor Lazarus had been suffering for days. Days.
Izzy’s earth magic was so far from the earth magic that had been used on our Laz. Izzy had a calm, soothing quality that made you want to get lost in it, but these vines we were pulling off felt slimy, oily, and filled with hate.
He’s been trapped in this for days. Some of that hate could’ve seeped through and made him…
No. Don’t worry about that right now.
Izzy sounded like he was about to lose it himself when he spoke. “There’s so many injuries, Raph. So deep. And there’s a poison running through his veins. Magic won’t be able to heal him entirely.”
“I know. Do your best. Just try to take away his pain.”
“I’m trying,” he croaked, and I didn’t dare look at him because I knew I’d see tears in his eyes. I couldn’t handle that, not yet.
I could see some of Laz’s skin knitting back together as Izzy worked, but I could also feel that there were many internal injuries that were simply too deep to heal in their entirety.
Laz’s eyes blinked open again, confusion and pain marring on his face. “R-Raph?”
“Yes, baby,” I soothed, brushing my finger over his cheek. “I’m right here.”
His eyes filled with tears. “You came? You really came?”
“Of course I did, baby.”
As he took a shaky, wheezing breath, his eyes darted around, and I could feel his panic. “You’re not really here, are you?” His words were broken, barely audible, but I made them out. “This is a trick.”
“No trick, Laz. I’m here. I’m here to take you home.”
His chin quivered. “I can’t tell if you’re real.”
My heart was breaking as I cupped his cheek. “I’m real, baby.” I cringed as I pulled more vines off of him, but he hardly seemed to notice, caught staring at me in confusion and wonder.
He sucked in a breath. “Izzy? I… do I feel Iz?”
“I’m right here, treasure,” Izzy said quietly.
Laz’s eyes flicked to him, more tears spilling over. “Are you fake, too?”
“No, treasure, I’m real. We’re both real. We’re here to take you home.”
I pulled a vine off his neck, and he hissed in pain from the long thorn I removed. “Hurts.”
“I know, baby. I’m so sorry. I’m almost done.”
Iz asked, “Where does it hurt the most?”
Laz licked his dry lips. “Everywhere.”
Gods.
Clearing my throat, I said to the room, “Can we get some water and healing tonic? And a straw?”
Laz’s eyelids seemed to be getting heavier because he was blinking longer and longer.
When someone handed me a healing tonic with a straw, I made Laz take a couple of small sips, then I pulled the last few vines away, untied him from the chair, and wrapped him in another blanket, all the while, Iz was healing him.
Gingerly, I pulled Laz off the chair and into my lap. He cried out a little, but tucked himself into my chest once I had him settled.
Izzy’s tear-filled eyes met mine as he gently ran his fingers through Laz’s hair with one hand, his other still on Laz’s stomach beneath the blanket. He was draining himself.
“Iz, you gotta pull back,” I said.
He shook his head. “Not yet. Let me get everything closed, at least. Almost there.”
I nodded. “We’re taking him home as soon as you finish.”
“Yeah.”
Laz whispered, “My home’s not s-safe.”
My heart lurched and anger brewed in my chest, though I tried to tamp it down. “Laz. Baby…”
With a shaky hand, he grabbed my shirt. “C-can I stay with you? I-if this is r-real, I wanna stay with you.”
“You want to come to my house?” I asked to be clear. Of course, I was staying with him, no matter where that happened to be.
“Y-yeah.”
“Of course, you can, baby.”
He sighed, and only a moment later, he fell asleep.
Iz’s tired gaze met mine, and he said, “Let’s go home.”
I nodded and stood. Even though I was being as careful as possible, Laz still whimpered in my arms, and the anger I’d felt brewing ratcheted up a few notches. My destined had been tortured and nearly killed by some maniac, and we hadn’t even caught him. Dallan Addington had hurt my destined. Over and over again, by the looks of it.