Fleeting: Part 19 - Broken Collar
Author's note: Hallo! Surprise surprise! We managed to finish the first leg of the road trip in time for me to get this out. It's been a really good time. I didn't know if I liked road trips but I have been enjoying it so far. The worst part of the roadtrips are when we have to stop for the night.
Masterlist - Part 18
Content: Vampire whumpee, multiple whumpees, rescue attempt, escape attempt, blood drinking, head injury, mentioned gun violence, mentioned guns
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Muir took deep breaths as the roads passed by under-wheel quickly, sirens and lights going off all around them. He was was in Orville's car, trying to control his heart rate as they rushed toward the warehouse. Soon. His bond mate would be free soon and the Muir could apologize over and over again for leaving him behind. For closing the bond. He could take care of him, make sure Joseph would be alright, and wipe the scum that had done this off of the face of the earth.
He couldn't wait to get his hands on Ashton. (Rationally he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything at all. Ashton would be taken into custody and there was no revenge that Muir would be allowed to deal out.) He would wring the man's neck, leaving him gasping for air before he started pulling teeth.
"Muir!"
Muir's head snapped up. His hands were clenched in his pants, and when he released them, he could see the small tears he had created in the fabric. That's alright. He didn't need his pants whole to rescue Joseph.
He turned to look at Orville, who was glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, mostly keeping an eye on the road. Muir waited a moment, and then realized that he must have missed a question. "Sorry, what?"
Orville frowned. "Are you sure you're okay to come? If-"
"I'm fine. I'm just.... angry."
"Yeah, I guess I would be too. Why didn't you tell me about Harrell?"
Muir shrugged. "I didn't want to get you involved. If you had known, you and yours would have been in danger as well."
"I can handle myself, Muir. You shouldn't have had to deal with that alone."
"It's alright. I only had to deal with it for a short period. He gave himself away handily enough before too long."
"Still-"
"I'm fine, Orville. I promise, I-"
Muir leaned back with a heavy sigh that forced its way up from deep, deep inside of him, a hand running through his curls, catching on all the places they had matted together a little. He hadn't really been taking proper care of his hair, and he was sure it showed. It certainly felt pretty nasty.
"I'm trying to hold it together," Muir said softly, hyper aware of the cameras in the car. "I'm trying really hard. I don't want to snap, but I almost have to. My instincts demand it. The bond demands it. I'm trying really hard not to snap, but if people keep asking if I'm alright or if I'm going to be alright or if I think I can keep it together, I'm going to snap."
Orville nodded. "Gotcha. I can back off, a little. I just want you to know that I'm here for you."
Muir turned his head and smiled. "And I really appreciate it. You've been awesome, man. I'm glad we're friends."
Orville nodded, a grin on his own face. "It will be a pleasure taking down this rat faced creep with you."
Muir nodded, watching out the window again.
The warehouse came up quickly, the lot around it already filled to the brim with police cars. Muir was out of the car almost before it came to a full stop, looking around for the Chief as he made sure his gun was secure in its holster.
She spotted him and waved him over.
"There you are. You're going to be coming in on second wave. First wave is going to drive everyone underground, but with you at the head of a small team it will pull them back up in time for third wave to get them. Alright?"
"Alright," Muir said with a nod. "You-"
"Yes, I trust you to do this even though it's your bond mate involved," she said quickly. "You have held it together better than most human officers would if someone important to them had been taken and they had power like yours. Just don't choke here at the finish line."
"I won't."
"Good. First wave is a go!"
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Joseph slowly got up, the chain connected to his collar clinking as he did so. He tested his weight on his leg, and winced as it shook. His tendon had healed enough to hold him for very a brief moment, enough to just barely limp. He would probably need to hop on his other leg or find something to lean on, but there seemed to be a handy jaguar available for that.
He put his hand on her coarse, filthy coat and heard her chuff happily at him.
"Can you get loose from the collar?" he asked hoarsely. His throat ached where it had healed.
She looked up at him, her big eyes bemused. He was relived he could actually see them now, despite how spooky they were in the low lighting.
He checked her collar and quickly undid the leather. He wondered why she had never taken a more human form to undo it, but, after a glance at Ashton, he shivered as he realized he knew the answer to that.
She shook herself off, almost unbalancing Joseph as she found herself unburdened by her collar.
Joseph's questing fingers explored his own collar, though he knew exactly what he would find. The lock would only heat under his fingers, the silver under the plastic threatening him. There wasn't going to be any breaking that.
He looked around, knowing there was nothing that the room could offer him to get out. He knew he should feel more of a sense of urgency about all this, that he should be desperately looking for a way out of his collar so he and the jaguar could escape before anyone could find out that the two trapped vampires had killed their boss, but he just didn't. It was all very far away and floaty, locked behind a wall. The way Muir was locked behind a wall.
He closed his eyes, searching for any sign of Muir's return to his mind, but there was still nothing there. He was on his own.
He nearly fell over as the jaguar nudged him, and an even stronger shove sent him the rest of the way. He yelped, but she put a paw under his head, cushioning it before putting the other on his chest, sniffing around at his collar and looking over the lock.
"It's silver," he croaked. "You-"
He made a noise of disgust when a dribble of drool slipped across his collarbone as she began gnawing on the lock.
"Wait! Hold on, you're not-" He heard a satisfying crunch and she shook her head, dragging him along by the throat. He coughed, grabbing for her just as the lock came away and the collar fell open.
He lay, gasping for air, rubbing his throat as she stood triumphantly over him, lock still in her mouth. He could see bare silver from where she chewed away the plastic, but it didn't seem to really be burning her.
"Drop it," he croaked, his voice box newly damaged. "We need to get out of here."
The panther spat out the lock and bits of plastic, sniffing at Joseph's collar once as he got to his feet before walking beside him as his living crutch.
He carefully put his hand on the door handle, pushing it open. It was unlocked, since Ashton had been in the room before he died. The hall outside was dark and quiet, but now that the sound proofed door was out of the way, he could hear the retort of guns breaking the silence every so often.
The panther lifted her head, tilting it and sniffing cautiously at the air.
"I don't like that," Joseph whispered.
He looked down the hall one direction, then the other, and then he and the jaguar moved silently across the hall. Joseph couldn't remember the path out, but once he was far enough that the fog of the smell of Ashton's blood and death had faded, he could sense patches of outside air here and there he could try and follow.
The jaguar walked along, as silent as an apparition of death. She slowed, growling deep in her chest.
Joseph came to a stop as voices and shouting started nearby, the sound of gunfire going crazy.
Joseph ducked when he heard something ping off a shelf toward him and he crawled across the cold cement, cursing Ashton's memory for ripping his shirt to pieces so he had to press his bare chest to the freezing floor.
He army crawled around the base of the shelf, peering around to see where they where supposed to go next, the panther's heat radiating over his back as she crouched over him.
There was a scuffle going on between several seedy looking guys and a couple of police officer. Joseph looked just in time to see one of the officers go down with a shout, the other losing his gun.
Joseph flinched back as the gun slid in his direction, but none of the gang members looked to see where it had went thankfully enough. He poked his head back around the corner to see if he recognized either of the officers, hoping they would be alright. He went to enough parties and get togethers that he was pretty certain he would at least know one.
He certainly knew them. Orville lay on the ground, unconscious as blood dripped down his forehead. The other one was-
Joseph didn't even hesitate. He slid forward, ignoring the scraped skin on his chest as he lunged for the gun, grabbing it and leveling it at a thug as he got to his feet.
His hands shook, and he knew there was a chance he might shoot Muir, but that was a chance he was willing to take. Muir was a vampire. He would survive. And Joseph wouldn't feel bad because he was angry about being left on his own in the bond.
That's what he had to keep telling himself at least.
He pulled back the trigger and nothing happened. The gun was empty. He decided to do a very rash thing. He tossed the empty gun aside and rushed across the floor, injuries forgotten. He heard the scrape of claws on cement as the panther raced along behind him.
He jumped the man pulling back his fist to hit Muir again, losing himself to a red haze of anger, only just hearing the scream of a dying man as the panther got him.
He moved like a predator, not a single thought in his mind beside the desire to hurt and rend. To drink.
Something grabbed him around the back of his neck and hauled him off of a man he had been draining. He gasped for air, blood running down his chin. That someone pulled him into their arms, breath brushing across his collar bones and shoulder as someone buried their face in his neck.
He took a deep breath, a familiar scent permeating his nostrils. He buried his own face in familiar curls, a small wail escaping his lips.
"You left me," he breathed, the words leaving him entirely without his permission.
"I know," Muir replied, his voice muffled against Joseph's skin. "I know, I'm so sorry. I had to! I was coming to get you!"
Joseph relaxed, laughing softly through an abused throat. "I can see that. You're a little late, honestly. The jaguar and I were doing just fine on our own."
Muir chuckled, pulling away. "So far, you mean. You still have to get the rest of the way out."
"I'm sure we'll manage..... though Orville may need some help."
Muir turned to look at where Orville lay, and they were both glad to see was beginning to stir. "Right. Let's get to helping him quickly, then."
Part 20
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