"That crazy bastard's going to be gunning for you," Axel says with a laugh, and he approaches them with soft squelches of his boots against wet earth. He stops behind Reid. "Up, kid."

"Fuc—" Reid would fight the arm snaking around his middle and hauling him to stand, but he's too busy choking back his shouts of agony as he's forced to put weight on his leg, and his entire left side screams at him to find a hole to lay down and sleep awhile. He struggles pitifully and ends up slumped against Axel, the meaty arm draped around his stomach the only thing keeping him upright.

Reid can only imagine what profanities are being spewed on the other end of the phone to cause Kiernan to pull the device away from his ear a few inches with a smile that has his fangs peeking from his lips.

Kiernan places the phone back to his ear and purrs, "Oh? You do remember me. I'm flattered, but that's not how you ask nicely." He pauses. "Very creative. Unfortunately, I'll have to decline; I quite like my prick where it is." Kiernan nudges his head towards Axel in a silent order and begins walking towards the side of the house.

Axel tries to pull Reid along; he's clearly hoping that Reid takes a few steps on his own with Axel's assistance, but it's not possible; the pain is too much. "Come on, kid. Walk."

"I can't," Reid says with a dry sob; he doesn't care that he sounds pathetic. "Let me sit down. Moron. You're making it worse." He can feel it; sweating like he has a fever and feeling nauseous from the way the pain settles deeper in his leg with even the subtlest pressure.

Axel must lose his patience because his arm tightens its hold. "If I have to, I'll throw you over my shoulder."

Reid tries to bite back his shout of pain, Axel's arm suddenly applying too much pressure to his kicked side, but it escapes, garbled but audible enough for Kiernan to stop and look over his shoulder.

Kiernan purrs into the phone against his ear, "Well, see, you just heard, Reid's not doing so well." The vampire's smile widens. "Oh? Now you're listening. Good, because I have a proposal. One that will make this entire nightmare of an evening disappear for all of us."

"Help me with him," Axel says with obvious irritation.

Reid grits past the pain, saying, "I was fine crawling to my car. I never asked for your help. Let go of me."

He's no stranger to pain. Likes to think he can handle anything above the threshold of a sane man.

Reid's been beaten up plenty.

It's been a prerequisite to his place in Kenneth's life; he had to earn that friendship by facing down the raw violence of a feral child that didn't want anything to do with him, quelling hate with a split lip and bloody smile.

As a teen, Reid couldn't keep his mouth shut, even when vastly outnumbered by groups of boys his age, so he often strutted about with bruises on his face.

And, to this day, on his skin, he wears the wake of every transgression he's caused that warranted Gabriel's intervention.

But this hurts. Badly. It's hard to think. It's not just the pain. He's hot and feverish, and he's slipping.

Kiernan inhales and walks a few paces over to them. "Kane. Stay quiet and listen." He places the phone in the junction of his shoulder and tilts his head to press the device against his ear, effectively freeing his hands. "Tonight, we had an unfortunate case of mistaken identity, and before we could rectify this mistake, some not-so-savoury situations presented themselves."

Thunder booms in the distance.

Kiernan bends down and grabs Reid's legs behind his knees, his grip never getting a chance to tighten, forcing him to jerk back when Reid comes close to kneeing the vampire's face with his panicked flailing.

"Don't you dare," Reid growls, his voice dark even to his ears, "My leg. It's—"

He blanches at Kiernan's widening grin and tries to steady his breathing, knowing what's coming as the fingers dig against his knees. Axel's steadying arm and his other quickly slide underneath Reid's shoulders. The vampires move fluidly, as if the pair has done this a million times before.

Reid's lifted, and Kiernan begins backing up, their shoes squelching as they walk in tandem. The pressure and jolting movement are pure agony.

He hadn't expected this much pain, and from his aching lips, a wail escapes. Reid thrashes with erratic inhales.

Kiernan curses under his breath and regrips Reid's leg for better leverage. It applies more pressure to Reid's injured knee, and after another choked scream, Reid shouts, "I'll kill you both! Kill you!"

Axel's low laugh rumbles against Reid's back. "Calm down. No one is going to die."

Reid chokes, "Not anyone..you are."

Kiernan remains silent, walking backwards, the fingers digging into Reid's knees tightening with the vampire's rising anger as the other line is probably filled with Kenneth laying absurdly intricate threats.

"I have so much on both of you," Reid slurs, delirious, tipping his head back to glare at Axel. He's surprised he hadn't lost consciousness, vision blurring, but he's always been stubborn, so it makes sense his body won't give up either.

"Hm, you might," Axel drawls, giving Reid a glance. The vampire smiles—no fangs, only fondness. "I guarantee I have more on you than you'll ever have on me, kid."

It's probably true. Reid lulls his head to the side and clicks his tongue. Axel's always had an inexplicable way of always being anywhere he's not supposed to be. Throughout the years, he's caught Reid red-handed doing many things that he'd rather not relive—he was a teenager once—even some things that could, at the time, maybe even now, leave him with some nasty punishments. Axel's a lot of things, but he's no snitch, so the vampire would turn tail and pretend that he didn't see whatever he'd walked in on for the one-hundredth time, and they'd never speak of it again.

Albeit, Reid does have secrets on the other man and Kiernan, but none of them are very damning, simply embarrassing, and might ruin their reputations somewhat. He slurs up at Axel, "You let him tell you what to do. I heard you calling him, sir, all sweet-like."

Axel laughs warily. "Shut up, kid."

Reid tries to laugh, but the sound escapes as a sputtering cough from the blood that's pooling in his mouth and threatening to choke him. He's heard it's a complicated relationship one has with their maker, and Axel's married to a nice woman with warm brown eyes, but he's also devoted to Kiernan on a deeper level than simple intimacy. So, it wouldn't be unheard of. The situation Reid overheard might not have even been intimate like it appeared in his teenage brain, but if it's revealed that such a giant bruiser like Axel submits to anyone, it would ruin the entire scary persona he has going on.

Kiernan's suddenly loud voice is startling: "Here's what's going to happen." He growls, "Shut your mouth; don't forget who you're talking to."

Reid must be suffering immense blood loss because Kiernan's growl has settled deep in his stomach, knotting and churning his guts into a scrambled mess.

The vampire goes silent, and after a few seconds, Kiernan's voice lowers to its normal tone: "Good, listen, you're going to forget this mistaken identity ever happened. No, ah, see, I don't trust you. You'll have to promise not to come after us."

Reid begins to shout, "Don—"

Kiernan gives Reid a look to shut him up; it's dark.

Reid bites his tongue with a shiver.

Kiernan hums. "Well, that's the million-dollar question. Isn't it Kane? What are we going to do for you? Well, simply put, I feel guilty about what happened tonight." Kiernan doesn't sound guilty at all; he's still smiling. "I'd like to take Reid here to the hospital and get him the medical attention he so rightfully deserves. So, if you'd let me do that and forget this ever happened, then in return, I'll wait to tell Gabriel face-to-face that Reid's in the process of turning."

Reid thrashes, trying to dislodge the hands on his legs to no avail. "He's a liar! Just kill them, Kenneth!"

He yearns to stomp his feet like a child and refuses to acknowledge the glaring truth since he's seen Axel in that bedroom. Reid's body is ablaze. Feverish from more than just pain, he has the insane urge to bare his neck for the chance that he'll be answered with the pricks of fangs. It's twisted.

"No, kid," Axel says with an apologetic smile down at Reid. He subdues his deep voice to something close to comforting: "Any vampire worth their salt is going to be able to smell it on you."

Reid grumbles, "Disgusting."

"You smell good," Axel says, and he winces at Reid's glare.

Kiernan laughs low. "You're so quiet, Kane." His smile widens, and the sight of his fangs does something to Reid that he's not proud of, dizzying him further. "Alright. It's a deal. Yes, yes...fine. Hold on a minute."

The sound of asphalt beneath scuffling shoes and pattered by rain brings Reid to deliriously look at his changed surroundings. They'd made it around the side of the house, and now they pass pruned hedges and the shadowed front stoop of the house.

Kiernan let go of Reid's legs abruptly, and Reid's feet hit the slick asphalt with a thud.

It hurts, and the vampire's smirk widens at the dry sob his cruelty garners. Kiernan presses the phone against his chest and whispers, "Sorry."

"Screw you." Reid grits his teeth, trying to remain upright and also lay all his weight against Axel to take pressure off his knee and ribs. He's concerned that he's going to mess up his leg forever if he doesn't stop putting weight on it.

Kiernan gives Reid's bruised cheek a gentle tap, and the touch lingers just long enough to be unnerving. It's not the touch itself that has Reid's heart jackrabbiting against his chest; it's the way Kiernan's dark eyes slowly drift over Reid's face, unmistakable predation in the act.

And then, the vampire simply turns away and opens the door to a shiny grey car that Reid has no idea of the make or model of, but to his untrained eye, he can tell it's stupidly expensive. Axel all but drags Reid towards the backseat at Keirnan's beckoning, despite Reid's very vocal protests about being moved so roughly.

It's a breath of fresh air to no longer be held, and the cold rain no longer patters against his skin, but he can't enjoy it, slumping against the leather interior with quick inhales, riding out each new wave of pain that's begun to settle in his upper thigh as well as his shin.

A phone is thrust into his face. Reid blinks past the blur in his eyes, recognising it as his, and takes the device, shakily placing it against his ear. He swallows thickly. "Kenneth."

The car door he'd been tossed through clicks shut, muffling the sound of the falling rain.

"Reid," Kenneth whispers, his voice breathless and a bit hoarse. He must have been yelling for awhile. "Where are you? You were—why aren't you—what'd those fucks do? I'll kill them."

Kiernan slides into the driver's seat. He raises his voice so it can be heard from the phone: "I can hear you making death threats, Kane." The vampire slams the car door to emphasise his displeasure at having his murder planned.

Axel follows close behind, sliding into the passenger seat and clicking his door shut softly while running a hand through his dripping black hair.

"Was that Kiernan?" Kenneth growls on the other end of the phone. His voice is definitely hoarse. "Tell him to go fuck himself."

Kiernan must have heard, because he turns in his seat to give Reid a slow-rising smile, fangs still out, which isn't a good sign, and the sardonic grin rises as Reid leans back against the leather and his shoulders raise instinctively as if to shield himself from the way the constant vampiric eye contact is giving him genuine delirium.

After a tense moment, Kiernan looks away, much to Reid's relief. Kiernan leans an arm atop the centre console and whispers to Axel, "Text Philip; tell him he has to take over earlier than expected."

"I can stay," Axel offers quietly, shifting and fishing in the pocket of his soaked pants. He gives Kiernan his ear as the other vampire leans closer, and they begin whispering hushedly to each other.

Reid tries to focus his hearing, but it's in vain; he can't pick up anything they're saying. He's on high alert, still not convinced they aren't taking to Fawnhill, and he'll take his chances jumping from this moving vehicle onto asphalt before he submits to seeing those iron gates willingly.

Fawnhill is a remote community, miles away from the edge of the city.

From the outside, it's beautiful, surrounded by trees and old architecture, and holds a mysterious allure. It's walled and gated, not open to outsiders.

From the inside, it's home to most of the Kimberk coven of vampires and their families. When he lived there, the population of vampires alone exceeded two hundred and fifty. The biggest coven on this side of the coast. With Gabriel at its head, ruling as its pseudo-king with a charming smile and a cruel hand.

It's a nightmare.

Kenneth's worried voice echoes into Reid's ear, dragging him from his dismal thoughts: "Are you there?"

"I'm here," Reid says. He looks down and rubs a palm over his thigh, cleaning off the drying blood and staining his wet jeans crimson. "I, ah, I might have gone to Francine Teller's house tonight."

Kenneth laughs; the sound is sharp and humourless. "Oh, sorry, I must have fucking misheard you." He's definitely pacing and waving his hand around angrily. "It sounded like you just told me you went to a crime scene by yourself, without any backup, and got caught by a pair of idiots." He laughs again, throaty, and even through the phone, it's a tad terrifying. "No. That can't be true, because not even you would be that stupid. Right?"

Reid laughs nervously. "I'd surprise you. I can be very stupid."

"Kid," Axel says, drawing Reid's gaze. The vampire's turned in his seat and leans over the console, Reid's forgotten face covering outstretched, dripping with rain. "Put some pressure on your face. You're bleeding all over the backseat."

Reid shifts with a very real shudder caused by Kiernan's dark eyes scrutinizing him from the rearview mirror. He clutches the phone tighter, palms sweaty, and takes the outstretched cloth with shaking fingers.

"Or don't," Kiernan says, his voice dark. He smiles, fanged, and it reflects wickedly in the hanging mirror above the dashboard. "It's not bothering me. You have permission to bleed all over my car." It's not sarcastic; it's said in a purr, and the dark undertones of his implication are heavy in the air.

"I heard that. Tell that creep to stay away from you," Kenneth growls on the other side of the phone.

Kiernan says loudly, "I'll think about it."

"Bastard. He'll do more than think about it," Kenneth says angrily into Reid's ear. He inhales. "You're bleeding? From where?"

"My face," Reid says raspily, and he presses the cloth to his mouth for about two seconds before he decides it's not worth the ache the pressure's causing his lips.

He gingerly tongues his inner cheek, finding the culprit causing the blood to fill his mouth—a deep gash from when he'd been kicked in the face and his teeth cut into the delicate skin.

"Fucking..." Kenneth inhales again, the silence stretching, and Reid knows the other man is counting down from twenty while categorising the furniture in the room in a bid to quell his magic. When Kenneth returns, he's calmer: "Text me the address of the hospital. I'll come for you."

The hospital is one of the last places Reid wishes to go, but he doesn't want to complain and risk having the destination become less savoury.

Reid wipes at his bloody mouth with the wet cloth and slurs, "Yes, Sir."

Axel swivels in his seat and looks back with a deepening glare, only to lose his resolve when he catches Kiernan staring at his peripheral with an eyebrow cocked and an amused smile that says he's reminiscing. Axel suddenly finds staring out the rain-droplet-covered passenger's window so much more interesting than strangling Reid's poor neck like his fingers had been surely twitching to do.

Reid says, as an afterthought, "We'll have to get my car. I left it parked under some trees."

"We'll get it," Kenneth says, and then his voice darkens: "Tell those idiots. If I don't have an address in five minutes. The deals off."

Reid raises his hand on instinct to catch whatever Kiernan's just tossed to him from the front seat, but he's sluggish, missing it completely, and the familiar black blur hits his chest, falls, and bounces against the leather of the backseat.

"Alright," Reid says, shakily picking up his knife with its blade turned inward. He stuffs it in the back pocket of his wet jeans. "Five minutes, or you get free range to kill both of them. Works for me." Reid hums thoughtfully at Kiernan's amused expression and Axel's faint laugh. "Well, if I get a choice in the matter, and I should, It would be preferably through decapitation."

Kenneth snorts, and it sounds suspiciously like a held-back laugh. "I'll keep it in mind."

"I think—"

Reid never gets to finish because the phone's ripped from his hand. He glares hatefully as Kiernan hangs up the call with a tap of his thumb and slowly hands the device back with another shiver-inducing fanged smile.

Their fingers brush. It's deliberate.

Kiernan's smile widens.

Reid clutches his phone against his chest and shrinks into the dark corner of the backseat.

"Stop it," Axel whispers under his breath to his partner, and Kiernan laughs softly. "The kid's going to have a heart attack if you don't let him relax."

"Not a kid," Reid grumbles.

Kiernan sits back with a smile and looks into the rearview mirror. He jingles the set of car keys in his hand. "Do you need help relaxing? I can help you. If you only ask for it."

Reid's glare deepens, and his heart thuds faster. He knows that neither of Gabriel's loyal dogs would dare give him their blood or do worse, but Reid's mind has been nurturing the intrusive thought that perhaps Kiernan would. He's old—over two centuries—and he turned Axel from a human to a vampire, and maybe others. Reid's might not be the exact same process, but it's similar and needs vampiric blood all the same.

Axel throws his head back against his seat and groans, "Kiernan."

In truth, Reid's scared of what he'll say if he's offered while delirious like this. He slumps further against the leather of the backseat, averting his gaze to the far, raindrop-covered window but keeping his peripheral on the vampires.

"What?" Kiernan says it with a low chuckle. He sticks the key in the ignition, and the car quietly hums to life. "He's shivering. I was going to ask if he wanted the heat on."

Axel shakes his head in exasperation.

Reid scrunches his nose. He dabs his mouth with the wet cloth. It's warm with his blood. "Take me to the hospital on Centre Avenue."

"We'll go when you put your seatbelt on," Kiernan says, gazing into the rearview mirror. He raises his eyebrows at the sight of Reid's middle finger. "You should be taking precautions; your body is so fragile and breakable."

Reid needs to remember how to breathe. This vehicle is suddenly suffocating. "I'm fine. Just drive."

Kiernan shifts his body to face Reid over the centre console. His gaze is dark. "I said, put on the seatbelt."

"No," Reid says shakily.

Axel's body tenses, and he stares at Kiernan with a deep furrow in his brows. "Kiernan, don't..."

Kiernan growls, "Now, Reid. Put it on."

It's not entrancment that has Reid jerking at the tone and sitting up straighter instinctually. It's the simple fact that his body, contending with his mind, yearns to obey. His fingers twitch to life, and without thinking it through, he's sliding the seatbelt over his chest, and Kiernan's smile becomes darker than the shadows outside the vehicle.

Reid hesitates before clicking the belt into place with a trembling shake of his hands. He's left gawking at his humiliating behaviour. What just happened?

Axel carefully glances back at Reid from the passenger seat. It's subtle and gone quickly, but Reid doesn't miss the worry that fits behind the giant of a vampire's grey eyes.

"Good," Kiernan praises, his smile widening at Reid's full-body shiver that's definitely from revulsion. "Do you want the heat on?"

At Reid's tentative nod, the vampire turns, flips a switch on the dashboard, and warm air blows through the many vents.

Kiernan says, "Text Kane."

Reid sends the address.