“Holy shit.” Had Wolf given him fucking steroids or something? Whatever it was, Dex was glad for it, though he feared what the repercussions would be. Pushing that aside for now, Dex hurried down the corridors. Up ahead he saw the Exit sign. He could have cried he was so happy. Not waiting for any more goons to show up, he pushed through the door and ran down the dark corridor, not questioning how it was he could see through the darkness. He rushed up the stairs, ignoring his burning lungs.
Bursting out into the night air would have brought him to his knees if he hadn’t kept pushing. He had to get away from this place. Phone. He needed a phone. Trees surrounded him on all sides, and he glanced back to find the door he’d come from was set in a brick wall hidden by grime, moss, shrubbery, and foliage. In the distance he heard the faint sounds of city traffic. Was he still in the city? He was certainly in a city. As he moved quickly through the trees, he spotted a small road with a narrow sidewalk at the bottom of an incline and beyond that, homes. He’d never make it to any of those houses. Voices carried through the air, and Dex hurried down the incline to the sidewalk, trying his best not to fall, because if he did, he wouldn’t be getting back up.
Hunching himself over, he stumbled by the two Humans walking by, bumping into one of them.
“Watch it, asshole,” one guy grumbled as he kept moving. Yep, definitely still in New York City.
“Sorry, man.” Dex staggered toward the small hill he came from and climbed back up, his legs growing shaky. Normally the darkness would make him nervous, but now it was his sanctuary. There was plenty of light for him to see movement, in case someone tried to get the drop on him. The expanse of trees stretched on for miles, and he kept going as long as he could. When his knees gave out from under him, he dragged himself over to a tree and sat up against it. He pulled out the phone he’d swiped from the guy he’d bumped into. After one ring, Sloane picked up.
“Who is this?”
“It’s me,” Dex choked out, tears filling his eyes. It was so damned good to hear Sloane’s voice.
“Oh thank God. Dex, where are you?”
“I… I have no idea. There’s lots of trees. I don’t see any signs. There was a road, but I don’t know what it was. Can you get Cael to find my location using the phone’s GPS?”
There was some faint murmuring before Sloane’s voice returned.
“He’s on it. Are you okay? Talk to me. What happened?”
“It’s a really, really long story. I just… I need you.” He let his head fall back, and a tremor went through him. His need for the man he loved was crushing, and he blinked back his tears.
“I’m on my way, sweetheart. Are you somewhere safe?”
“Home was safe.”
There was a long pause. “We’ll sort that out. Right now, let’s get you to me, okay? I’m your home.”
Dex smiled despite his split lip. That’s right. Sloane was home. It didn’t matter where they were. As long as Sloane was with him, he was home. “Thank you. I really needed to hear that right now.”
“We have your location. I’ll be there soon. Stay on the line with me.”
“I’m tired.”
“Stay awake, sweetheart. Please.”
“I don’t think I can. I’m kinda in bad shape here.” His adrenaline was crashing and with that his strength, causing his whole body to shake violently. He’d be lucky if he didn’t go into shock. It was so cold all of a sudden.
“Sing with me.”
“What?”
“Come on. Listen.”
Sloane turned up the radio, and Dex smiled at the familiar sounds of strumming guitar followed by clapping. It was the Romantics’ “What I Like About You.” Sloane sang and urged Dex to sing with him. Dex did his best to keep up with the lyrics. He loved this song. He’d danced to it around the kitchen last week while making dinner. Sloane had even joined in after Dex grabbed him and begged him to dance with him. It was the most fun Dex had ever had making baked potatoes.
“Keep singing, sweetheart,” Sloane pleaded.
Dex tried. His voice was rough, his words barely audible, but he tried to keep from slipping into the darkness threatening to drag him under. He wanted to be awake for Sloane, wanted to see his beautiful smile and glowing amber eyes. The light around him seemed to dim, and he couldn’t tell if it was the last of whatever Wolf had given him leaving his system or if he was beginning to lose consciousness. It was all so quiet, or at least it appeared that way, as if time had stilled. His sharpened senses dulled, and he tried to push himself up, but his body refused to cooperate. He had no idea how much time had passed or at what point the phone had slipped from his blood-caked fingers.
“Dex! Dex, where are you?”
“Sloane,” Dex croaked.
Was Sloane really there, or had he simply heard what he was desperate to hear? One moment there was quiet, nothing but shadows, and the next dozens of lights burst through the trees. Sloane emerged alongside three figures in black suits, and when he spotted Dex, he sped over. He dropped to his knees and cradled Dex in his arms. Dex was aware of more people calling his name. Cael? Ash? Thank God they were safe.
“Dex, I’m here, sweetheart. I’m here.” Sloane gently hugged him close, one hand around Dex’s back, the other cradling Dex’s head to him, enveloping Dex in warmth. Sloane was always so warm.