HIDDEN (FIGHT OR FLIGHT)

Chapter 3

DAMON'S P. O. V.

I wiped the man's forehead again, the cloth warm in my hands, trying to ignore the knot of tension twisting in my gut. He was still out cold, feverish but breathing steadily. I had stitched him up the best I could. Now, I just had to wait. My mind kept fighting itself—on one side, the instinct to throw him back out, to keep our lives safe and hidden. On the other...I couldn’t explain it. There was something about him, a very strong pull I couldn’t ignore, like leaving him to die wasn’t an option. I could already hear Felix’s voice in my head, teasing me for this.

Speak of the devil. The door creaked open, and I heard the familiar light footsteps. "Dame, I’m back with your favorite fried chicken and I even bought—" Felix’s words trailed off, and I didn’t even have to look at him to feel the shock radiating from behind me.

"Damon." His voice went up an octave. "Who the hell is this?" His hand flailed toward the unconscious man like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. "You brought someone home? Did I hit my head on the way back or something?"

I didn’t respond at first, still focused on the task at hand, making sure the man’s temperature was stable. Felix moved closer, staring between me and the man like it was the most absurd thing he had ever seen. I could feel his eyes boring into me, waiting for an explanation.

"Dame," he said, his tone lighter now, "are you going soft on me? Since when do we do the whole ‘save random people and bring them home’ thing?"

"I just want to make sure he’s safe." I glanced at Felix, giving him a look that I hoped would shut down the conversation. "Once I know he’s fine, I’ll send him away."

Felix blinked, then broke into a wide grin, his eyes dancing with amusement. "Dame," he drawled, "are you getting feelings? For a person that’s not me? Wow, this is progress!"

I rolled my eyes. "Don’t push it, Felix."

He laughed, dropping his bag on the floor with a thud. "No, no, I’m serious! I didn’t think you had it in you! Look at you, all caretaker mode and stuff. I’m proud of you, man."

I kept my face neutral, but I couldn’t deny the irony. Felix, who had always been the social, outgoing one, was now teasing me for showing basic human decency. He knelt beside me, his eyes fixed on the man. "What’s his deal? Who is he?"

"Don’t know." I wrung out the cloth again, placing it on the man’s forehead. "Found him in a body bag. Left for dead."

Felix’s expression faltered for a moment. "A body bag? Seriously?"

"Yeah. Stitched him up. Bad stomach wound. Fever’s been going down, but I’m keeping an eye on it."

Felix watched me for a beat, then sighed, shaking his head with a soft chuckle. "You really are a mystery, little bro." He glanced back at the man and then at me. "So...if this brings us trouble, are we moving again?"

"Yeah," I muttered, brushing a hand through my hair, "but I’m not letting my decision hurt you. I’ll protect you, Felix. Always."

Felix gave me a look, half exasperation, half affection. "Dame, you don’t have to keep doing this. We are not those scared little kids anymore. I can handle myself." He tilted his head, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Remember when we were kids? You kept eating veggies because you wanted to grow up to be as strong as me. Whatever happened to that? Don't you see me as strong anymore?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "I still see you the same way, Felix. But I'm 22 now. I just want to protect my family."

Felix snickered. "Aw, look at you, getting all mushy on me." He waggled his eyebrows as I spoon-fed the man some broth. "Now you’re even spoon-feeding him. This is a whole new level for you."