BLOOD DREAM (Ongoing)

7.2: All Dogs Are Boys And All Cats Are Girls

Theron shut his eyes against the glaring light. His head throbbed, brain still swimming; you'd think being caught unawares with a couple guns in your face would be sobering, but it was less like cold water and more like waking up groggy from a dream. He slouched on the sofa with his hands tied behind his back, legs open and zipper still undone.

Nora returned downstairs in a change of clothes: dark pants, black long-sleeved shirt, handgun. "You guys couldn't wait a few more minutes, huh?" she scoffed, standing between the two men.

"You weren't seriously going to have sex with him," the military-looking guy said.

"I'm a little drunk and it's been a while. Let me live," said Nora, yawning.

"Enough," said the other, older man. "Zip up his pants, Nettle."

Nora scowled. "Send nudes but be classy about it, Nettle. Seduce the Dire but don't have sex with them, Nettle. You guys are seriously repressing something," she said, approaching Theron to do as she was told. Her touch was exciting. He looked up at her and thrust his groin into her hand, snickering drunkenly. Nora laughed and cupped his jaw. "That's cute, dog boy. But don't take our natural sexual chemistry for granted. I'll shoot you if I have to."

She was a lot less sweet than she was an hour ago. He liked her a lot more. But only because he was still drunk and the gravity of the situation had yet to sink in.

"So the rumors are true," purred Theron.

"What rumors?" asked the older man.

Theron shone his teeth. "You're hunters."

"You think so?" said Nora. "Well, allow us to properly introduce ourselves. I'm not Nora. I'm Nettle. This is Bard," she gestured to the military man, "and this is Hector," to the older man. "We're here because somebody told us you've been causing trouble."

"Wh—?" Theron furrowed his brow. "What trouble?"

"The kind of trouble that makes Castor & Holloway operatives come collect," said Bard.

"You mean the goats?" he asked, lacking discretion.

"Among other incidents," said Hector.

Theron growled, tilting his head back. "So that's what you do? Keep tabs on us 'til somebody starts acting out?"

"We do what we need to do," said Nora. No, Nettle. Theron lifted his head and looked at her again. She looked like more of a Nora than a Nettle.

"Who told you?"

"That's confidential," said Nora.

It was probably Frank, that fucking jag. Trying to get rid of him since the police couldn't. Motherfucker. He wondered if Liam was in on it too, or if they really would've had a super sexy threesome if Liam hadn't left, or—well, no, the hunters would probably just have two Dire on their hands instead of one. Actually, that was probably why Liam had abandoned him. Theron mentally upgraded Liam's title to Bastard Supreme. "Okay. So what are you gonna do to me?" he asked, smirking still, like it was a game. It wasn't, but there was no way he'd reveal the devastation burning up inside him.

"We're sending you back to an Agency facility. They'll decide what to do with you there," said Hector.

"Agency?"

"The branch of Castor & Holloway we work for," said Bard.

"Oh. The branch that kills Dire."

"Yeah," said Nora.

Great. Fun. That was just what he needed. His pulse quickened, but his inebriation made his fear feel hysterical and unreal. Theron laughed. "Does my mom know about this?"

The hunters exchanged looks.

"Imogen Daveau?" he added.

Hector looked at him unsympathetically. "Dr. Daveau is not currently on cooperative terms with the Agency. Unfortunately, she won't be involved in the Agency's processing of you."

His fear worsened. "What the fuck do you mean? She was working with Castor & Holloway, wasn't she? Where is she?"

"Also confidential," said Nora.

So any chance he had of an ally within this Agency was gone. That didn't explain how she was still sending lupokitene shipments. Not that it mattered; Theron didn't have time to poke holes in Kitra's conspiracy theories right now. Even if her theories thus far had proven true.

Fuck. What if she was in on this too?

Would she really do that to him?

His betrayal deepened. "Hold on. Hold on, I'm not the one you should be hunting," said Theron. "There are way more dangerous Dire here. Sadie Nieves. She and her buddies killed someone. They killed a human. Why aren't you going after them?"

"Oh, we are," said Bard. "She's racked up even more offenses than you."

"That's why we're going to offer you a deal," said Hector.

Theron swallowed.

"Take us to Sadie and we'll recommend a collared relocation program to the Agency. Just because you're in our custody now, it doesn't mean you have to die."

He laughed, desperation choking the sound out of him. "I don't know where she is."

"This is our one and only offer, Theron," said Hector, his voice hardening. "You can either cooperate with us for a chance to live, or let the Agency determine your fate."

He couldn't believe this. His loss of freedom felt so real while he was out on Monday, and then he came home to it being just a distant nightmare, and now it was happening before his very eyes. Theron had his hands tied behind his back while three Castor & Holloway operatives loomed above, pointing guns at him, telling him that his entire life was going to be uprooted. Telling him that he could survive if he sold out his object of obsession, the one that threw his life into disarray in the first place. Some part of him wanted to fuck over Sadie in fury of all she was taking from him. But most of him wanted to turn around and fuck over everybody else.

"I don't care about relocating," Theron decided. "If I help you find Sadie, I want to be put in contact with Dr. Daveau."

The hunters exchanged looks again. "There's no guarantee we can do that," said Hector.

"But you'll try." Theron locked his stare on Hector. "If I try."

"We'll put it forward to Holloway," said Hector.

"I can find her. I know her scent, she's looking for me. I can find her for you. But only if I can talk to Dr. Daveau first," said Theron.

"And what do you intend to communicate to Dr. Daveau?" asked Hector.

Theron's expression tightened into disdain. "I'd like to thank her for selling her family out to an Agency of Dire hunters, you fucking moron!" He couldn't hold it in anymore. He was angry. Nobody was on his side. At the very least, he wanted somebody to blame for his life going down in fucking flames. After twelve years, he doubted Imogen would care about the son she abandoned with empty promises, but maybe there was a chance hearing from Theron before her colleagues exterminated him would remind Imogen of the life she left behind.

He doubted she would help him.

He just wanted her to remember he existed.