Blood Bourbon

The Storm

The scents around him woke him up slowly and then the fact that he had been sleeping, unconscious, unaware, brought him back into himself like a freight train. Every inch of his body hurt in ways he hadn't experienced in over a century. Since he was human. His jaw was a dull, throbbing pain that felt like a nail being driven through his skull, and even opening his mouth enough to groan made his head swim.

He wasn't at home, he didn't smell anything familiar around him and as Ryker finally managed to pull his eyes open, he found himself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. His body was drained and he hadn't felt this thirst, this near maddening desire for blood in a long time. Not since he had spent those first few decades of forced depravation with the half-crazy vampire who had changed him.

But he wasn't with her anymore and as he struggled to sit up on the luxurious leather couch, he was able to focus blearily on the room around him. He recognized the place, though he was having a hell of a time trying to remember where exactly it was, or why he was there.

With a wince, he lifted his hand to his jaw, his cry muffled through his closed mouth as his fingers brushed against the barely repaired flesh and damaged bone. Ryker turned when he heard footsteps approaching, relaxing when he saw Alesky step through the door and pause to regard him while talking on the phone. "He's awake. We'll be in touch."

Alesky hung up the phone and held up a hand, giving him a hard look. "Don't try to talk, your jaw is barely attached. Happens when a bullet goes through it."

Ryker offered a confused look, lowering his head to his hands and closing his eyes. He made a low noise. "I'm fucking starving."

"Did I not tell you to stay quiet?" Alesky was perturbed at him for some reason, though he brought around a bottle of blood and shoved it under Ryker's nose. "It's been incredibly difficult trying to get you to feed like this, you try it now."

Ryker grabbed the bottle and didn't know whether to be grateful or mortified when Alesky, despite his words otherwise, sat down and helped him tip back his head, guiding him to drink slowly. It was incredibly difficult when he was only able to open his mouth a small bit. He was certain he would barely have managed to get anything in his mouth, or would have cracked his mouth open wider and caused more pain than he could fathom, if it wasn't for the other man's careful, soothing ministrations.

He closed his eyes, growling in frustration. Despite managing to let the blood trickle down his throat, he needed more, and he needed it faster. His body tensed, and he found Alesky half pinning him to the couch, murmuring soothingly to him in gaelic.

It was probably the most painful and possibly the most humbling moment of his life, and it lasted for an eternity. Finally, the bottle was done, and he felt Carbry pull it firmly from his grasp and push him to sit back on the couch once more.

"It'll get easier." Alesky murmured as he stood and strode back out of the room.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" Ryker choked back tears of pains he talked through his gritted teeth.

The memory was coming back to him but only in small bits, just pain and Carbry's blood splattered face looming above him.

"Yes." Carbry was sitting beside him again, watching him with a dark expression when Ryker opened his eyes to look at him. The answer was snarled out, viciously "You put value in my life over yours. How... dare... you."

It took Ryker a moment to realize his boss was being serious, narrowing his eyes and scowling back. "You are angry at me for saving your life."

Alesky smirked at him. "I am stronger, faster, quicker, than all of you. Why would it be your job to try and keep me safe?"

"You're the only one capable of keeping everything together." Ryker shrugged, closing his eyes against the pain of asking. Then he jerked upright, stumbling to his feet. "Where's Daryl? You told him I was here, right? He's going to be so pissed...I promised him I'd see him tonight... how long have I been out?"

He glanced around the room, looking around desperately for his phone, patting his pockets and only then realizing he was dressed in clothing that was definitely not his. He scowled down at himself then tried to turn, finding himself held fast by Alesky, who was gripping his shoulders. "Ryker. I need you to sit down."

"I'll be fine. Just give me your phone. Please... I ... he didn't even want to come and see me? You told him, right?" Ryker needed to talk to Daryl, he needed to hear the man's voice, to stumble through an explanation. He was in pain and needed him here. Ryker snarled,regretting it when iit made his head swim with pain and he found himself sitting on the couch again, held there by Alesky.

"You've been out for about thirteen hours, Ryker." Alesky murmured, glancing up and away from him, frowning at whomever was walking into the room. A moment later Tim sat on the coffee table in front of him, giving their boss a shake of his head. "Ryker, you have to stay calm. You're in no condition to do anything right now... Daryl was hit by a car shortly after we were attacked."

The world screeched to a halt and his ears starting ringing in a high pitched, squealing manner that drew his breath away. Ryker tensed at their words, only to find his aching and far too weak, body restrained now by both of them, pinning him down to the couch. "The friend of his brothers that was with him, is missing too, though we found a fair bit of Hunter blood in an alley not far away and were able to track the guy for several blocks." 

It was Tim talking now, his voice a low growl in his ear. "Witnesses say that Daryl saved some girl's life, threw her out of the path of a moving car, was hit, and an ambulance that was just conveniently on scene grabbed him and carted him off. Charlie's called the hospitals. They're telling him Daryl is dead."

Ryker shook his head, letting out a yell of pain and pushing back against the two of them. He could hear the couch groan with the force they were exerting holding him in place, the legs of it screeching across the hardwood floor inch by inch as he struggled to stand.

"They're not releasing a body. He was conscious when he was carted off. We think they're lying... but that means that they have him, Ryker. They've had him for thirteen hours, he could be anywhere right now." Tim plowed on, grunting softly as Ryker continued to battle them.

"Ryker, you're going to have to calm down, or we're going to tranq you." Carbry growled, putting every ounce of command into his voice.

Ryker didn't hear it though, he needed to leave, he needed to find Daryl. His cowboy was fine, he had promised the man that he would keep him safe. Just as he planted his feet into the ground and snarled viciously, he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck, causing him to jerk in surprise. He narrowed his eyes and growled low, only to find the world darkening rapidly, sending him spinning into unconsciousness.