I broke every speed limit as I made my way back to Fletcher's place. Isaiah had reluctantly helped us get him in the back of Zeno's car after I reminded him Zeno saved his life back there and he owed him, but wanted nothing more to do with the whole situation.
I pull into the yard, with the windows down screaming, "Help! He's not breathing!"
Cecil was the first out, much to my dismay, "What the hell happened?" He demands, grabbing me and yanking me right of the car, right through the window. "What did you do to him?"
"It wasn't me!" I cry, wincing in pain, "You really think I could do this to him as messed up as I am right now?"
"Stop it!" Fletcher says, shoving an arm between us, a thick cloak somewhat managing to keep the sun mostly off him, but he was still sizzling at parts where his skin happened to be showing. "Our first priority is saving Zeno. Get him inside."
"If he dies, you die, hunter." Cecil spits, shoving me away as if he was disgusted just to be touching me.
Over the next few hours Noah and Cecil work very hard on keeping Zeno alive. They had a whole cabinet of medical supplies and both Cecil and Noah looked like they had done this type of thing before. Fletcher and Ivy were nowhere to be found.
Probably couldn't handle the smell of the blood...
Eventually, everything calms down and Noah comes to me looking extremely tired. "Fletcher should either be upstairs or…" He looks at the windows. The sun had already set, "Maybe be outside. Can you tell him Zeno will pull through, please?"
I let go of a held breath, nearly sobbing, "He's going to be okay?" I ask as tears sting in my eyes, "I thought… For sure…"
Noah sighs and puts a hand on my shoulder, "You should know more than anyone, werewolves are sturdy."
I nod, "Thank you, Noah. I'll go find Fletcher."
"I'm going to go take a nap. Come get me if anything happens, okay?" He says, looking like he's about to pass out right there.
I nod again, feeling like I had no right to sleep until I'd seen Zeno was going to be okay with my own eyes. After I pull myself together, I head upstairs, struggling with the steps. Unfortunately, Fletcher was nowhere to be found inside. Upstairs or otherwise. Much to my dismay, I head outside, "Fletcher!" I call through the darkness, a chill running down my back. It felt so wrong to be outside in the darkness letting a vampire know exactly where I am.
I see his eyes glowing in the dark, through the trees and freeze. "How is he?" Fletcher asks, walking forward and into the light through the windows of the house.
I swallow hard, "Noah says he's going to be okay." I say with a sigh. It felt good to say out loud. "Fletcher, I'm so sorry." I all but sob.
"Zeno almost got himself killed trying to protect me, he-"
Fletcher places a hand on my shoulder, "It's not your fault."
"If I wasn't there-"
"He still would have done it." He says quickly, cutting me off before my mind could fall into that trap, "Whether to protect you, or all the other innocent people there or anyone else, Zeno has always been like that. Cecil knows that too. It's not your fault."
But it wasn't just Zeno I was feeling guilty about. The image of Zeno standing over Isaiah was forever going to be seared into my brain. A werewolf standing over a hunter, that only moments ago wanted him dead. Not a single bit of hate in Zeno as he did everything he could to help Isaiah.
I swallow back tears, forcing a nod. Is this what everyone else feels like when I end up in the hospital for doing stupid shit? I wonder to myself.
A moment later Cecil comes out, "Tell me what did that to Zeno." he demands.
I hesitate, "I… Uhm, a griffin, maybe?" I offer.
"A griffin!?" both Fletcher and Cecil gasp.
I shrug, making a face that said I didn't have a better explanation. "Thats what it looked like. Eagle-lion cross. It was… massive. Twice the size of Zeno. I used both my enchantments left on my sword. I got nothing left now. I need to get re-enchanted. Now more than ever."
"Isn't that why DMHS has pet witches?" Cecil asks bitterly.
I hesitate, he wasn't wrong… I slowly nod. Witches were kept by DMHS to enchant their weapons. But, they kept them under strict rules. They weren't even allowed to take a sip of water without permission. I'd never really thought about it much. You just bring your sword in, pass it off to a Witch Keeper and come back the next day to pick up your sword. I'd never even seen the witch that enchanted my sword. I did know it was extremely expensive, though. Keeping a witch was a round the clock-type job. And many kill the witch if they try to escape even once. It was too dangerous to keep a witch that wasn't submissive and easy to control.
"We need to start finding witches anyway." Fletcher says. "Do you know where to find the ones DMHS keeps?" He asks me.
I take in a deep breath pushing my guilt to the side, now wasn't the time. "I usually would go to DMHS headquarters." I tell them, "But as you said, it's now abandoned… and I… I doubt they would keep a witch alive if they decided to pack up and leave, though…"
Cecil grumbles something under his breath but Fletcher ignores him, "Even in this chaos? They're going to need enchantments now more than ever before."
I hesitate, thinking. But it's Cecil who says, "What about the 'safe houses' the fuckers got set up? You know the ones they're not using to actually help anyone?"
"Like the one Philip got kicked out of…" I say, thoughtfully. "I'm gonna go ask him if he knows if they got a witch kept in the one he was at."
Fletcher nods, "Please."