Page 10 of Wonder (Wonderfall #3)

SIMON

Reno’s beautiful brown eyes flew wide when I told him how long Nicol had been held captive by the luchd-òl fola. His expression went slack in horror, and he dragged his gaze over Nicol’s wasted-to-nothing body.

I could tell when he made the connection.

“Is he an... Elf?” His voice was pitched low, and only Tucker was close enough for his shifter hearing to catch Reno’s question.

Tucker, whose blond hair matched Shirley’s, took a step toward us, but I put my forefinger to my lips. “Yes, but we need to keep it quiet. He’s the only one left on Earth.”

Reno swallowed. “They... they kept him alive all this time? Is his blood special or something?”

I sighed, taking Nicol’s bony hand in mine again.

“In the Elven dimension, vampires eat regular food but also receive doses of a serum made from the diluted blood of Elves who donate it to maintain us. This allows vampires to avoid feeding on other citizens, the Wonders. It’s considered offensive to even ask to drink someone’s blood, and it’s a crime without consent.

” I gave Reno a crooked smile. “I ran out of the serum within months of the portal closing, so I can say with authority that blood from the source is a thousand times more potent than the serum. And Elves have even more magic than Wonders or magic carriers, so....” I shrugged.

Reno dropped from his knees to sitting on the ground. “Are you saying these vampires stayed behind when the portal closed so they could keep drinking blood from people?”

“Yes. They were Royal Guards, part of a contingent assigned to escort Nicol—Nicky—to the portal. They cut Nicky’s connections and their own so everyone would think they were dead.”

Tucker scowled. “And the other Elves just left Nicky behind without lookin’ for him?” His voice rose, and Reno shushed him. “Sorry,” he muttered.

I grimaced at the memory. “At the time it wasn’t well-known that vampires could manipulate magical connections.

We kept it quiet so other species wouldn’t fear us.

When the King felt his connection with Nicky torn apart, he assumed it could only mean death.

I tried to explain I thought Nicky was still alive, but he didn’t believe me. He did let me stay behind, though.”

“Hold up.” Reno put his hand on my bare arm. Our magics flared, and he jerked it back. “Are you saying Nicky was part of the Elf royal family?”

I looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. “Nicky is—was—the Crown Prince. The King and Queen’s firstborn child.”

Tucker squatted down on Nicky’s other side. “Holy shit. And that’s who they chose to kidnap? Seems risky.”

I shook my head. “They made it seem like an attack. The King believed what he was supposed to believe.”

The mountain goat shifter came over and, barely making eye contact, handed my phone to me.

“Thank you. It was good to talk to my husband again.” He sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I thought he’d have decided I was dead and moved on, but he said your friend Cal let everyone know about the kidnappings.

He’s starting the drive down tonight from Tulsa to pick me up.

” He glanced warily at me before dropping down to kneel next to Tucker. “Sorry, I’m Morris.”

“Simon. I’m glad your husband will be here soon.”

He smiled, then he reached out and touched Nicky’s shoulder. They were connected, and I was glad Nicky had had people who cared. “I don’t feel right leaving Nicky like this though.”

I leaned toward him but quickly retreated when Morris flinched. “I knew Nicky before he was captured. I promise I’ll make sure he’s okay. If you leave your phone number, or your husband’s, with me and Reno, we’ll have him call you when he feels up to it.”

He nodded and swiped at his cheeks. “I need to go home and bond with my husband again.” He rubbed his chest. “I miss him so much.”

“We understand.” Reno’s gaze was soft with sympathy. Damn, he was so pretty. “Don’t feel guilty leaving. You need to get your life back on track, and I’m sure Nicky would tell you the same thing.”

The anaconda shifter walked over, put her hand on Morris’ back, and knelt down beside him.

“Hi, I’m Ophelia,” she said to me. I introduced myself, making sure to remain as still as possible.

She hugged Morris. “Nicky always told us not to worry about him, to take care of ourselves first. You know he meant it.”

Morris snorted. “He was always quoting the scene from that movie A View from the Top where the flight attendants all recite the line about putting the oxygen mask on yourself before helping someone else.”

Ophelia laughed. “And then he’d try to get us all to shout at the vampires that we wanted our warm nuts.” They exchanged grins before looking fondly down at Nicky.

Reno sat forward. “Well, he doesn’t have to take care of himself anymore. He has us to help him get back on his feet. I’m sure he’ll want to stay in touch, so we’ll set up a group chat for all of you so you can check on him and make sure he’s doing okay.”

I beamed at him. My mate was so caring.

Tucker stood up and started walking toward the road just as a silver SUV came into view. It turned into the driveway, and he stopped to wait.

Reno stood as well. “It’s Shane and Ms. Jackson.”

I squeezed Nicky’s hand in relief. Ms. Jackson would make sure Nicky didn’t have any broken bones or a brain bleed.

I hadn’t seen the dèideag dìon in months, so it made sense that they’d Become beyond the animal forms they’d been using back then.

But I was shocked when they exited the car in a human shape.

It was an impressive leap in their evolution.

They also had several strong friend connections they hadn’t had before.

“Um...?” Reno and Tucker both stared at Ms. Jackson as they walked swiftly toward all of us. Shane followed at a much slower pace.

Ophelia and Morris scrambled to their feet. “Is that Misha Collins?”

I blinked and reassessed Ms. Jackson’s appearance. “Hah. No. Ms. Jackson has chosen that form to represent themselves for now. You may see them in a different form later.”

I ignored the muttering as all of the former captives went to stand in a group by the table. Ms. Jackson gave us all a brief wave before sitting down cross-legged on the other side of Nicky’s head from me.

“Thanks for coming, Ms. Jackson. This is Nicol, but he’s going by Nicky now. You were originally his companion when you were both young. Do you remember?” They hadn’t remembered me when we’d met again a few months ago, but they’d had a much closer relationship with Nicky.

“No.” They examined Nicky’s body. “He will require a long convalescence.” They met my eyes. “Is he safe from the other vampires?”

I made a face. “Not yet. Two still live.”

They nodded and looked down at Nicky again.

They reached under their rune-covered trench coat and dug their fingers into their side, pulling out a handful of their essence, which glittered in the sunlight.

Gently lifting Nicky’s head, they smeared the essence over the bloody spot and rubbed the remainder over his chest.

I looked up as Shane told Reno that Ms. Jackson would need to eat soon.

“Shit, they’re not the only one. Hey, Shirley?”

She’d been speaking to Anika by the snack table, but she walked over immediately. “What’s up, hon?”

Reno gestured at Nicky. “Any idea what foods would be easy for Nicky to digest when he wakes up?” He glanced at me. “Shirley used to be a nurse.”

She frowned. “Soup. Broth. Small quantities frequently.” She turned and addressed the former captives. “Is he vegetarian?”

They shook their heads. “No.” Thomas scowled. “And there’s no reason for him to be so thin. Those fuckers never gave Nicky as much food as the rest of us got. And he was always tied up, so it wasn’t like we could toss him some of ours.”

Ms. Jackson’s expression turned sad, and they ran their hand over Nicky’s forehead.

Shirley put her hands on her hips and turned her head to consider the snack table. “We’ve got some puddin’ cups and applesauce we could try him on, but he’ll need protein.”

“On it.” Reno tapped at his phone, then lifted it to his ear. “Hey, Tia? Do you have any of your caldo de pollo already made?” His shoulders relaxed. “Yeah? Would it be too much trouble for you to run some of that by my house? I’ve got a crime victim who’s not in good shape.”

My mouth curled up. I had the best mate anyone could ask for.

As if he felt me watching him, Reno glanced up and met my eyes.

He gave me a puzzled smile but said into the phone, “I’m going to ask if he wants to stay with me, and that’ll probably mean three or four people total.

I can let you know. Your tamales will be much appreciated.

” He dropped his head forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, Tia, sorry to disappoint you.”

Nicky’s fingers flexed in mine, and I whipped my head around to stare at him. His face had a little more color, and his breathing was stronger. His magic even threw off a few sparks, and I could see a faint outline of his core.

I looked over at the former captives. “Can one of you come over here, please?” I jerked my chin toward Nicky. “He’s waking up. He’ll want to see a familiar face.”

“Yes!” Thomas rushed over and sat on the ground next to Ms. Jackson. I kept my hands in plain sight and gave him a nod of thanks.

“The rest of you, please give him space until he gets his bearings, okay?” They all agreed, hanging back but watching intently.

Nicky squeezed my fingers again. Ms. Jackson stroked his head right as his eyes opened. He blinked and squinted up at them. “Castiel? What...? Am I dreaming?”

Thomas patted Nicky’s leg. “Hey, Nicky. You’re okay. We’re free now.”

He frowned. “Thomas?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” He waved a hand around. “Look! We’re outside!”

Nicky blinked again, glanced at the sky, then focused on me. His eyes went wide, and he emitted a high-pitched keening sound. He raised up on his elbows and tried to scoot away from me. “No! No!”

Oh, shit.