The Sunshine in My Veins (Peterick) ➳ Book 1

Twenty One

Ryan couldn't hold back the smirk if he wanted to. Watching his captive lover struggle against the titanium bonds that kept him securely to his chair made him happier than he had been in a long time. Though he couldn't hear it, Ryan was sure a unceasing sting of curses were being directed at him. Or maybe not. Brendon didn't know who had take him, but he had to have some idea as to who was keeping him hostage.

"Ryan."

Looking up, Ryan scrambled to his feet and bowed. "Mr. Wentz."

Pete rolled his eyes. "If you do that again I'll—"

"You'll what?" Ryan asked. He didn't seem at all concerned that Pete was more or less threatening his life. It usually happened once a week for some reason or another.

"Never mind. Patrick has been spotted several miles south of the next major city. Have any ideas as to how we can do this with minimal problems?"

"Several," Ryan replied.

He switched the screen from the live feed of Brendon to a list of well thought out attack methods. Some involved mind control, some involved the Killjoys, some involved sleeping gasses. Any fool proof way of successfully capturing their target had been concocted by Ryan over the past few days. That's why Pete liked him so much. That's why Pete kept him around.

"That could work," Pete muttered as his eyes skimmed over a simpler plan of attack. "It could easily be done."

"All of them could."

"Well, for now we'll go with this one," Pete said, pointing towards the first plan on the list. "And hopefully we won't have to pick a second. You'll be there, correct?"

"Of course."

"Good. All we need to do is get rid of the tall one and this mess will be over."

*

Patrick woke to the smell of eggs. Normally he hated eggs in any form, unless it was in something like cake, but it was different today. Today it meant no overly salty expired canned vegetables or mushy fruit; no stale crackers or cereal; no moldy bread or old cheese. For the first time since the beginning of this hell on earth he'd be eating something fresh. If Dallon let him.

"Morning," Dallon said cheerfully as Patrick shuffled his way towards the table.

"Morning."

The cool air had chilled the floor over night, leaving Patrick to shiver as his bare feet made contact on each step.

"Did you have anyone you were with?" Patrick asked as Dallon handed him a plate.

"Yeah. This girl named Halsey that got killed a few weeks ago and this guy. . . . He just vanished last week."

"Oh. Did they. . . ?"

"No. I think it was a human that got her. No Arkkarredian kills that way. She was shoved down the stairs and had her head smashed in," Dallon added more for Patrick's sake. Not that either of them wanted to talk about it because now the eggs were a bit less appetizing and a bit harder to swallow.

*

There was that chuckle again. The one Josh was slowly beginning to detest. He couldn't remember anything other than his own name at this point, that and the fact that he hated the man towering above him.

"Josh," the voice crooned in an eerily calm manner.

It didn't fool Josh. He knew the man had ways to lure him into a false sense of security, and this time Josh wasn't buying it.

"Josh, I've got something for you."

This didn't surprise Josh. For the few weeks he had been locked in the dark Josh had found himself at the mercy of a madman who had a thing for pills. Every day multiple pills in an array of colours passed through Josh's lips like the words of protest he used to fight off the demanding hands. The man would always win though. Some left him feeling like he was on cloud nine. Others left him in agonising pain for hours on end. He went through spurts of sheer happiness only to crash hard into the darkness of depression. His mood was just as unstable as his captor. If that gave any revelation to his situation at all.

"Open up."

And like any other time, Josh refused. He clamped his mouth shut and waited.

The man tisked and latched his cold fingers to Josh's jaw. "I figured you would've learned what to do by now."

"Well you're wrong," Josh sneered.

"Must it always be the same?"

Josh nodded.

"Pity. I thought you'd have learned by now that I always win."

With unnatural strength, the man painfully wrenched Josh's mouth open and dropped the tiny capsules inside. A decent amount of water was poured inside, leaving Josh no choice but to swallow.

He sputtered and coughed up what he could but the dissolved pills had already been swallowed. "What the hell was that?"

The man smirked. "Something new."

He turned to walk away, but Josh stopped him. "What's your name?"

"Huh?"

"Your name."

"You don't remember?"

"No," Josh whispered.

"My name is Tyler, and I saved you."

*

The ice cold liquid coursing through Brendon's veins was keeping in the relatively calm state of dozing. He could move, but what movements he attempted to do were slow and lethargic. He was a giggling mess half the time, the time he was awake because he always seemed to be conveniently sleeping when Ryan showed up.

Truth be told that while he missed Ryan he didn't want to be back. He didn't want to see the man who had single handedly broken his trust in a blink of an eye. But hadn't he done the same thing? Hadn't he so carelessly gone behind Ryan's back and done something he knew he shouldn't have done? And the he ran away. Ryan should've left him for dead.

The next time Ryan came to visit, Brendon was sure to stay awake. He stumbled out an apology that Ryan brushed off, giving Brendon one of his own. The latter was quick to give into the charm that Ryan possessed and by the time Ryan left things were just how they used to be.