Waking up was unnaturally instant...as if Brandon’s body was simply tired of rest and demanded he awaken and give it stimulation outside of sleep.

Unfortunately Brandon awoke to fairly calm and demure surroundings, leaving him feeling like he was floating in his own inertia.

The room was wide, if not terribly long. The spacious cot that Brandon happened to be lying in the middle of gave him an immediate and complete view of the room before him that was only filled with a few coffee tables, rugs, and long counter tops to the far left of the room that held a number of tall jars filled with spices, and tools and cotton balls.

The room had the intense feeling of a hospital or clinic, as the overly sparse surroundings and cool tile floor held a small hint of chemicals.

A pair of doors to the far right seemed to lead into other parts of the unfamiliar building and not a second after his eyes fell on them, then one of the doors to the further left opened and Ezekiel started to step into the room.

He was carrying a basket in his arm and was shoeless, suggesting that he had come from another room in the unfamiliar building. He wore a simple pair of jeans and a loose black shirt that the tips of his hair dusted as he moved into the room with his head down and his eyes trained on something in the basket.

“Ezekiel?” Ezekiel stopped in his tracks and glanced up, with clear surprise etched into his gaze. As if Brandon speaking had been some kind of miracle.

" Umm....Where....Where am I?”

“Hey....your finally awake....” Ezekiel sent him a devastating smile as he softly replied. “We’re...umm, in my Infirmary.” Ezekiel sighed, setting his basket down and walking further into the room. Without an invitation the Guardian sat down on the edge of the bed and looked Brandon over.

Feeing a small pull to scoot closer to the man Brandon choose instead to focus on his words and not Ezekiels proximity. “What?” he asked

“You’re in my infirmary. This is where I handle any sick horses or animals that I come across. You know I’m responsible for the livestock....Anyway thats not important. How are you feeling?

“Like shit.” Brandon sighed and not feeling like elaborating on that Brandon dropped his hand from his forehead glanced around the infirmary that Ezekiel owned and felt the ridiculous urge to laugh. Was there anything that the Leopards didn’t know how to do?

“So you’re a Guardian, a Prince....and an animal doctor all rolled into one....Damn.” Brandon sighed. Then realizing that he was going off on an unimportant tangent Brandon cleared his throat and looked at Ezekiel. “Why are we here?”

Rather than answer Ezekiel pulled back and gave him a long look before he asked him a question of his own. “Who is Jacob?”

That name hit like a punch to the gut....Brandon hid his instant need to blanch and instead gave Ezekiel a sharp glare. “What? Why? How do you know that name?”

Ezekiel blinked at the suspicion in his tone, but calmly relied “You said it while you were dreaming...You screamed it...”

Felling even more uncomfortable Brandon didn’t respond. Ezekiel ignored his silence and hit him with another terrible question.

“What about...someone named Kail? You also said that name while you were sleeping too Brandon. Wanna tell me who that is?”

Brandon sighed. “I told you the first time we meet that I have night terrors Ezekiel. Sometimes I blurt out very random stuff....it not a big deal.” It was easy to see that Ezekiel dint buy his excuse so rather then waste time trying to convince the man Brandon thought to sit up and stretch.

Except the moment he sat up on the bed and rose his hands over his head he realized something that had him snatching at the thin white sheet that had been draped across his body.

“Hold on here!? Why the hell am I naked Ezekiel?” Brandon sent the man a glare as he glanced around for some clothing and came up empty. “And now that I think about it why are we in your infirmary?”

“Calm down....jeez...I didn’t take off your gloves at least. We both know how important those Gloves were right?” Ezekiel hissed at him teasing and yet his gaze seemed devoid of humor.

Brandon tightened his fists in the covers. “That’s not funny...” He cried. “Tell me what happened and how I even got out here!”

Ezekiel cocked his head. “Aren’t you gonna thank me first?”

Brandon let out a cheap laugh and Ezekiel finally sighed and attempted to explain.

“Look when I found you in your room you’re clothing was soiled from vomit and you were so deeply in one of your night terrors that you started screaming again and trying to fight me. I figured you didn’t really want anybody to see you like that, so I brought you out here, cleaned you’re clothes and stuck you in the cot....that was almost three days ago.

“What!? Three days!” Brandon griped at him in surprise at the time he had lost.

“You kinda refused to wake up.” Ezekiel shrugged nonchalantly back at him, but it was obvious from the way that he watched Brandon that there was nothing nonchalant about the last few days

Turning his eyes away from Ezekiel for a moment and trying to get his baring’s Brandon asked. “Where are we....in relation to the mansion I mean? I’ve never been here before....” The air around him felt.....empty of the normal buzz of life that announced the bodies of the other Shifters in the Mansion.

Brandon couldn’t sense anything around him....except Ezekiel and lots and lots of trees and grass. It was instantly obvious to Brandon that he was not only no longer in the mansion, but that he was in a secluded area far from any of the Leopard Villages.

Ezekiel glanced around the tidy four walled cabin then back at Brandon. “We’re in the eastern part of the village, next to a bordering forest, about eight miles from the mansion.”

Brandon shrugged wordlessly and started to struggle up from the pillow. “Well, let’s go back Ezekiel.” He said.

“I feel a lot better now...” He lied. Brandon actually felt as strong as a baby and his head ached.

No...” Ezekiel sighed. He reached out and the slight jolt of his hands on Brandon’s bare shoulder as he pushed him down onto the pillows made Brandon realize that he was missing his shirt. “I think we need to talk....”

“Let me up. There isn’t anything to talk about.” Brandon rebuffed him and pushed his hand off of his shoulder

“Your blood.” Ezekiel hissed over him. “What did you do to me with your blood Brandon...”

There was no way to halt the horrified sound that escaped him or the stricken look on his face that Ezekiels words wretched out of him, halting anything but wordless surprise.

Suddenly Ezekiel chuckled, a dry angry sound, before he reached out and put the fingers of his right hand to Brandon’s chin. “Brandon I want you to listen to me....because I’m only going to say this once...” The controlled strength and anger behind the feather light touch made Brandon want to jump out of the bed and run.

Ezekiel....” He tried to rebuff and speak out, but Brandon’s words died on his lips as faster than Brandon could predict it or stop it Ezekiel had snatched up a heavy hand full of the sheet and with a small jerk he unbarred Brandon’s chest, barely leaving his hips and legs covered.

The threat in his actions and words was easily understood. And a chill of shock....and irrational desire took Brandon’s words from him as he glared into Ezekiel’s glowing eyes.

“Tell me what’s going on...? Tell me the truth....or this time I’ll make you talk somehow.”

“You can’t make me do anything!” Brandon shouted back all but growling into Ezekiels face, perhaps a little too confident seeing as Ezekiel had him at the distinct disadvantage of being completely clothed. “Stop trying to scare me because you dont!”

Still holding the sheet hostage in his grasp Ezekiel leaned in and down beside Brandon’s ear and softly growled. “You should be scared....because I’m tired of these silly games. This dance of lies between us is really starting to piss me off!”

The hot lap of a tongue followed by the snap of teeth against his ear had Brandon flinching away, but not before Ezekiel hissed. “Im not letting you control me anymore with your lies. I’ll tease the answers out of you....I’ll make you scream them to the ceiling if I have to.”

Fast as lightening Ezekiel had wrapped a hand around Brandon’s throat and pushed him back into the pillows. Before he could gasp Ezekiel’s lips collided with his own. His hands snatched up Brandon’s wrists and shackled them into the mattress above his head.

The thin sheet feel away beneath his rough treatment, pooling down around Brandon’s thighs and hips and leaving most of him bare. He struggled not to panic as Ezekiel’s powerful thighs and body layered against him. Hard and hot....and all too wanted. With a hiss Ezekiel claimed him with a merciless kiss.....