"Dude, the guy spends most of his days examining corpses. You're telling me he's going to get grossed out by a little poo talk?"
"He's right," Hudson agreed. "Though I have no notion as to why you'd wish to discuss my husband's bowel movements."
"Husband. Aw." Dex put his hand to his heart.
"You're such a softie," Hudson told Dex as he stood. "I'm going to go check on him." He left Dex and Sloane to their debate on how far along in a relationship people had to be before certain bodily functions should be discussed, and headed downstairs. Maybe Seb stopped to chat with Lou and Bradley. When he reached the second floor, his heart plummeted. Seb lay sprawled on his back in the center of the floor, gasping for breath.
"Seb!" Hudson ran over and dropped to his knees, then cupped Seb's reddened face. Seb's lips were turning purple, his eyes wide and filled with fear. "Oh God, Sebastian, please."
Hudson checked Seb's airway, but there was no obstruction. Seb's pupils were blown, and he made horrible wheezing sounds as he tried to breathe. Checking him over, Hudson couldn't find any signs of an abrasion, cut, injection, nothing. Despite the redness in his face, there was no swelling, and Seb didn't have any allergies they knew of. The symptoms were all over the place, and Hudson was having a difficult time figuring out what was causing Seb's rapidly deteriorating condition.
Seb's fingers curled around Hudson's arms, digging into his flesh, his eyes going wider. He was trying to speak, but that was only making things worse. Was it poison? Whatever it was, it was working its way through his system. "Hold on, darling. I'm going to--"
Hudson was jerked to his feet and spun around to face a large lion Therian dressed in a black military uniform, one Hudson was unfamiliar with. He'd opened his mouth to ask the man what the hell he'd done to Seb, when he noticed several other Therians dressed the same enter the room. How did they get into Dekatria? Oh God, Lou, Bradley.... Please let them be okay.
"You're coming with us, Dr. Colbourn."
"The hell I am," Hudson spat. He pulled back a fist, only to be spun around, an arm thrown around his neck in a chokehold. He glanced over at Seb, who had been trying to roll over when one of the men kicked him in the stomach. "No! Please. I'll do whatever you want. Just help him!"
"I'm afraid we can't let your husband live. So sorry about the honeymoon."
"You son of a bitch, what did you do to him?" Hudson's fangs elongated as he clawe
d at the lion Therian's arm. "If he dies, you're going to have to kill me too, because I'm going to tear your throat out!"
"Easy, little wolf. This will be over before you know it. Well, over for him. You're too valuable to our boss. For now," the man sneered. He clamped a hand over Hudson's mouth as one of the other men approached with a syringe. "Nice and quiet now, Doc. Let's not alert your friends, or we're going to have to kill them too."
Hudson bit down on the flesh of the man's gloved hand, earning him a snarl and enough room to thrust his elbow back. With the man's tactical vest, it did little, but Hudson freed his mouth long enough to scream Dex's name. Few knew that Dex's hearing was better than all the Therians in this room. Combined.
"Whatever happens next is on your hands, Doctor. We wanted to do this the easy way."
The door behind the bar slammed open, and a man wearing a black mask and blue suit came out shooting. A bullet hit Hudson's captor in the forehead. The man crumpled, and the uniformed Therians scrambled. Hudson dropped to the floor as bullets tore the room apart. He crawled over to Seb, who lay on his side, his eyes glazing over.
"Please, darling. You can't leave me. Stay with me." Hudson pulled out his phone, but he had no signal. "Bloody wankers!" The bastards surely had something to do with it.
Seb grabbed Hudson's collar and jerked him down just before a uniformed Therian flew over them, smashing through the door leading to the corridor. Bollocks. Looking back, Hudson smiled at Dex beating the pulp out of another one of their attackers, Sloane at his back, claws out, and fangs elongated.
Someone grabbed Hudson's wrist, and he found himself staring into piercing blue eyes.
"Here," the man growled, thrusting something into Hudson's hand and tapping Seb's neck. It was a Therian injector. Dozens of questions vied for Hudson's attention, but he didn't waste time on those. Trusting a masked man who could very well be handing him Seb's death sentence was madness, but Seb was already dying. Going with his gut, Hudson pressed the injector to Seb's neck, said a little prayer, and pulled the trigger. Seb arched his back violently, his body going into spasms before his mouth opened and a fierce cry tore from his lips. Hudson tossed the injector aside and cupped Seb's face. The red was subsiding, and he gasped, breathing in deep, air finally making it into his lungs.
The man in the suit hadn't moved from Hudson's side, skillfully and elegantly beating into submission anyone who drew close. His movements were calculated, precise, as if he were simply swatting a pesky fly. More men must have been waiting downstairs, because they flocked up the stairs in droves. Seb groaned, and Hudson put his arm around Seb's back, getting ready to help him up, when half a dozen Therians headed in their direction, ready to take aim. Seb coughed and wheezed as he pushed at Hudson.
"Go, get... out... of here."
"Are you mad? I'm not leaving you."
The man in the suit unbuttoned his jacket and pulled out the two firearms tucked into the double shoulder holster attached to the harness strapped around him. He fired, one bullet per Therian, never hesitating, never missing.
"Go," the man ordered Hudson.
"I'm not leaving him," Hudson spat back. It would be a cold day in hell before he left Seb behind. Dex and Sloane were busy with four Therians they'd unarmed, and Hudson was surprised by the ferocity and skill with which they fended off the intruders. They'd certainly not learned those moves at the THIRDS. The two worked together, Dex using Sloane's bigger, heavier frame to jump off, leaping in the air and coming down with a fist against a larger Therian's head. The man crumbled to the floor with one blow.
"Always so bloody stubborn," the man grumbled under his breath, but Hudson heard him. He was English.
Oh God, is it possible...? "Wolf?"
The man grunted, and Hudson turned to Seb, who was sitting up. "We need to get you away from here." Seb was still weak, but thankfully he was alive. Wolf had saved Seb's life. How? Why? A boom shook the floor, causing dust to come down from the roof and smoke to spread through the room. Hudson fell onto Seb as the men rained down around them. Coughing, and waving the gray smoke from in front of his face, Hudson glared up at Wolf.