Chapter Twelve
The New York Downtown Hospital was unusually busy for a weekday morning. The three Lone Wolves, Meredith, and Daric walked right in without anyone stopping them. They made their way to the elevator and Killian pressed the button for the eleventh floor. “Merlin said he’s in 113A.”
As soon as they reached the floor, they filed out, following the directions posted on the walls to the right room. Quietly, Meredith opened the door, walking in first into the near-empty semi-private room. Two of the sections had their curtains drawn, and after peeking behind the first one and seeing an older woman sleeping, she signaled to the rest that Sven was in the other bed.
They approached the bed at the end, carefully slipping between the drawn curtains. A blonde man, probably in his late twenties, was lying very still on the bed. His face was covered in bruises, and a tube was stuck down his throat.
“Looks like he was nearly beaten to death,” Quinn said as he looked over the chart at the foot of the bed.
“What else do we know?” Meredith asked.
“Not much,” Killian said. “Apparently, Sven had no other relatives or friends in New York. They called Merlin’s because he had the phone number written down on a piece of paper in his wallet.”
Daric’s eyes narrowed at the young man. Something about him seemed familiar, but he couldn’t say where he had met or seen the man before. He surely would have remembered, though with his face in his current state, who knows what Sven really looked like?
“Daric?” Meredith asked, a concerned look on his face. “Are you all right?”
“Something about him…” he trailed off but moved closer to the man. “I need to know.”
“Know what?” Killian asked.
He paid the Lycan no mind, but instead, took a deep breath and placed his hands on Sven’s arm. Instantly, a jolt of energy rushed through him, and the visions filled his head. Tall cliffs. Greenery. Clear water. Wildflowers on a hill. Suddenly the vision changed. An older man in a hat, falling fast. Another man, dark haired, pushing him off the side of a building. And then blood everywhere.
Daric let go of Sven, staggering back.
“Daric!” Meredith cried as she grabbed onto his shirt. Connor gripped his shoulders to steady him.
“What did you see in your vision?” Meredith asked. “Was it Archie?”
He grew quiet but nodded. The first vision was strangely familiar, like a place he had been to before, but it was from a different perspective. That vision felt like it was all Sven’s, rather a memory. The second one, however, was different. That was not the man’s memory. It was one that was shared or sent to him, and the feel and colors of that particular vision were not only familiar but also known to Daric. “Let’s go back to Fenrir,” he declared. “We have much to discuss with the Alpha.”
“Hold on, you can see the future?” Killian asked. “Did you see who killed Archie?”
“Not quite,” he said and explained to the three Lone Wolves about his seer powers.
“The man in the hat,” Quinn frowned.
“That was Archie,” Connor supplied.
“Possibly,” Daric said. “I didn’t see the dark-haired man’s face, but I know someone who might.”
“Who?”
“My mother. It was her vision, which somehow ended up in this man’s head.”
***
As they drove back to Fenrir, Killian called Grant and explained what happened. After getting clearance from Jared, Grant’s admin, they were able to take the private elevators to the penthouse executive level of the Fenrir Corp headquarters. Once there, they headed straight to the Alpha’s office, where Grant, Nick, Alynna, and Alex were already waiting for them.
“So, this Sven,” Grant said after they arrived. “He’s somehow connected to Archie’s killer, and to your mother, Daric?”
The warlock shrugged. “It seems like a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Alynna interjected.
“Neither do I,” Daric agreed. “Which is why I need to talk to Signe, she’s the only one who can shed light on the situation.”
“I’ve spoken with Vivianne Chatraine, the leader of the New York Coven. Unfortunately, she won’t allow three Lone Wolves, especially ones unfamiliar to her, into their compound.”
“Will Signe come here?” Killian asked.
Grant shook his head. “She refuses to leave and wants Daric to come to her.”
“Then how are we supposed to see her?” Meredith asked.
“Daric should go to the compound,” Alynna said.
“Meredith can drive him there,” Alex suggested.
“What?” The blonde Lycan looked from Alex to Alynna to Daric.
“It makes sense,” Grant said. “You’re friends with Vivianne’s daughter, and she already knows you. I’m sure she’d be willing to give you permission to come along. Daric, does that sound good?”
“If I can see my mother, of course, Alpha,” Daric agreed.
“Wait, you’re just going to let us go on a road trip?” Meredith looked at the four Lycans suspiciously.
“I think you’ve proven yourself trustworthy and you’d still be in New York Territory,” Nick said, making Meredith’s jaw drop in shock. “Besides, you know you can’t really get away from us,” the Beta remarked, eyeing the ever-present tracker on her ankle.
“It’s only three hours one way,” Alynna added. “If you leave early in the morning, you can be back by midnight. You’ll even have time for a leisurely lunch and maybe a quick dinner stop.”
“It’s settled, then,” Grant said. “Take one of the cars and drive up to the coven compound. Talk to your mother and find out about the visions. If Archie’s death is connected to Stefan, then this is our best chance of finding out how.”