Page 18 of Carver

But at the same time, the young man was not a pet to be held close like Mordecai had done. He wasn't going to stick him in another cage. If he wanted to leave, then he should be able to. Even if it went against everything Carver felt was right.

Eventually, he answered Hex by saying, "I'm not sure what we should do. I think we have to wait on Doc's findings, but I would like a room near mine emptied out just in case."

"Understood," Hex replied.

"I want you to speak to everyone. I think you're the best suited to explain the situation at hand. I'm not going to make the boy stay in his room. He will have free reign of the compound, which means everyone should know who he is and respect him. There's not going to be any walking on eggshells, but they also shouldn't be abrasive towards him either."

Hex nodded. "Makes total sense. You won't see me complaining one bit. I'll be his best friend if you want, since he already has a protector," Hex said, winking at Carver. Standing, he clapped his hands together. "If that's all, I'm going to go get things ready. I know Doc won't have him sorted tonight, but I'll feel better knowing that this task is done. Then we can move on to whatever other pressing matters are next."

"Hopefully it's nothing," Carver said as seriously as could be. "We might need a break after this one."

Or at least he would,he thought to himself.

Carver had always been the first one to run into the room, the first one to pull his gun and be ready to fight the enemy that they faced. Something about this mission, something about this young man, made Carver want to stop and sit down. It made him want to look and listen to what was happening. He needed time to process everything. The questions he had couldn't go unanswered. He would figure out who the young man was, along with discovering what had happened to him.

He just hoped it didn't mean he would regret the way he handled Mordecai any more than he already did. It’s not like he could bring the bitch back from the dead to torture all over again.

Eight

The room was all white.

And it was cold.

It reminded him of the dark tunnel from before, yet it was the complete opposite too.

He couldn’t recall how he’d gotten there. It was all blank.

Looking around the room, he tried to figure out where he’d been taken. This wasn’t like any room in the home he’d ever been in. He would have remembered a place like this.

It reminded him of one of those tv shows she’d sometimes watch, the ones with doctors and nurses who helped people when they were sick. He never understood how the people on the tv were so nice, yet everyone around him was mean.

Footsteps echoed around him. His eyes sought out their origin as panic rose within him.

Was he going to get another beating? Was she here and ready to take him to where she’d planned? Was he going to be forced to watch more people get hurt?

His stomach lurched at the last one. Somehow, it was worse than the physical attacks. Even the roughest marks could heal with time. He could never erase the memory of the things he’d been forced to witness.

“Ah, you’re awake. That’s good,” a deep voice said.

Turning toward the noise, he found an older man in jeans, a white button down, and a large apron. There was blood on the apron, and he held some type of device in his hand.

He didn’t wait to see what would happen next.

Not wanting to be an experiment ever again, he did the one thing he’d always said he would if they ever tried to use him like that again.

Nine

The soundof shouting woke Carver with a jolt. At first, he thought there might have been an attack on his men. Anger surged through him at the thought as his body tightened for the fight ahead.

But then the knock on his door came. Slash stood on the other side, his face contorted though not as if facing down an enemy. He was more resigned than angry.

“We need you. The boy woke up.”

Those words were enough to have Carver rushing from his room towards the med bay. He needed to see the young man in their care. He needed answers on what happened. He needed to figure out what came next.

Carver also wanted to know other things. Like if the pull he felt to take care of the boy would be there still. He was curious as to the color of his eyes as well. Would they shine like he hoped, or had his time in captivity stolen the light he suspected was once there?

He shouldn’t have such notions. It was strange to want to care so deeply for someone he didn’t know. In fact, it made absolutely zero sense. Still, Carver couldn’t deny the wayhe wanted to provide everything for the boy now under his protection.