Predator in disguise

If at first you don't succeed

"You," JC snapped, pointing at Alec. "Sit your ass down over there."

Alec plopped himself down on JC's bed with a huff, cradling his left wrist in his lap. Blood soaked into the front of his jeans and the bottom of his black t-shirt. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead, but judging by the woozy look on his face I guessed it wasn't from the run back to the penthouse. His milky pallor was tinged with green, and the black eyeliner around his eyes drowned out the fading brightness of his blue irises.

Too anxious to sit, I stood with my back leaned against JC's closed bedroom door. My eyes scanned the walls as I chewed on my fingernail. JC's room was oddly bland, I noticed. There were no pictures or posters on the black walls, not even a single mounted weapon. Aside from the bed, the only piece of furniture in the room was a small dark-stained desk with a closed laptop sitting on the polished surface. Black seemed to be the main theme of the room, though I did see splashes of color on clothing as JC rummaged through his giant walk-in closet.

When he finally re-emerged, he was clutching a small vial in his hand. JC crossed the bedroom and crouched in front of Alec. He grabbed his partner's wrist and inspected the wounds.

"It looks infected," JC grumbled.

Alec tried to pull his wrist away. "It's not."

"You look like you're about to puke," JC argued. "Your skin is burning up, you're sweating and, if I'm not mistaken, you're getting the shakes. It's infected."

"That demon wasn't venomous."

"How do you know that?"

Alec's eyes darted over to me and the unspoken words hung between us, Because that wasn't the first time he's bitten me.

"You don't know where his mouth has been," JC went on angrily. "Not only was letting him bite you dangerous, but it was stupid, disgusting and unsanitary."

"Yes, mother," Alec muttered.

JC's lips pressed into a thin line. Cursing under his breath he pulled the cork out of the vial and handed it to Alec. Alec held the clear vial in front of his eyes and gaped at the neon green liquid sloshing around inside.

"What is this? Toxic waste?"

"I asked Magnus to make it, in case of an emergency," JC said. "Drink up, sweet cheeks. It'll make you feel better."

Alec looked at me dubiously. "I'll give you twenty bucks to drink this for me."

I held up my hands. "No way, man. Choke down your own cough syrup."

Alec looked at the liquid again, his lip curled. "It has chunks in it. Why does it have chunks in it?"

"The fever is making you delirious," JC said sarcastically. "It's actually a milkshake."

"It looks like vomit."

"Oh, for crying out loud." JC rubbed his temple. "Drink it now, or so help me, Alexander, I will pour it down your throat myself."

Alec's lips tugged into a smile, pleased that he had managed to piss JC off. With an exaggerated sigh he put the vial to his lips and tilted his head back. The thick green liquid oozed from the vial and plopped into his mouth. Alec's face twisted into an expression somewhere between pain and nausea. He swallowed and wrapped both his arms around his middle.

I stepped forward. "What's wrong with him?"

"Give it a minute," JC answered.

Almost immediately after JC had spoken, the green color faded from Alec's face and he visibly relaxed. The brightness returned to his eyes as he sat up straight and sucked in a deep breath.