Chapter 1
Noah had decided to stop at the usual bar on his way to have a drink. It helped him loosen up a little, and sleep would come easier.
Pa.s.sing by the central park, he heard a loud noise of something huge hitting the ground with a groan. Something human but also non-human, which didn't make any sense at all. How can something be human and non-human at the same time? It was probably the alcohol in his system. He shook his head to clear things up. The voice came again.
Definitely human.
Curious. He looked around and saw no one. It was late. He was a bit drunk. And he had watched enough crime series to know that, even the thought of going in search of the sound, was insane. Not to mention dangerous. But he was curious. Besides, what if someone really needed help? Whoever it was, would most definitely freeze to death in this weather, and he could not have that on his conscience.
The park was technically a jungle, with towering and ancient trees all over it. If it weren't for the silver rays of moonlight, he couldn't even have seen what was in front of him, let alone walk through the trees. Minding his steps and the branches, he stepped in the circle of the old trees. Under the moonlight, Noah's silky raven hair shone beautifully. "h.e.l.lo?" he called hesitantly, looking around. "Anybody the-" but in the middle of his sentence, he froze. There, lying on the sodden and muddy ground, was a young man. His clothes, torn into pieces, barely covered his bruised and bleeding body. Noah ran to the poor guy on the ground and kneeled beside him; "Hey, are you okay?" he shook the man's shoulder gently and could not help but notice how soft and warm the skin under his fingertips was.
There came a very faint noise from the man. That was it. No words. No movement. Worried, Noah grabbed his phone and dialed his
"Ash, I'm terribly sorry. I know it's late. But I need your help," he said, voice shaking.
"What? Where are you? Are you alright?" the man asked, trying to wake up more. "Noah, what the f.u.c.k's happened? Where are you?"
"The central park. And don't worry, I'm okay," Noah said before hanging up. Looking back down at the redhead, he took off his raincoat and covered the man with it. All the while murmuring, "You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine. It's alright. I'm here."
The city was quiet and peaceful. People were resting in their warm and cozy houses, most likely having pleasant dreams. It was very likely to snow soon. The weather was so much colder, and the clouds were gradually obscuring the sky, hiding the silver moon beneath them.
Out there somewhere, some very tired wolves were crying now and then, disturbing the silence of the city.
The man moaned once more.
The wind blew through the naked branches of the ancient trees, producing a scary and ominous sound. Noah knelt beside the man, a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's gonna be fine," he murmured. But he wasn't sure whether he was trying to soothe the unconscious man or his own nerves.
****
It was four in the morning. They were in Noah's cozy little apartment; Angel soundly sleeping on the couch while Asher was in the other room attending to the redhead's injuries.
The unknown, strange man.
The gorgeous man.
Noah stepped out of the bathroom topless, drying his black hair with a white towel. By the time Asher and his boyfriend had gotten there, it had started snowing. Moving the redhead's body proved to be a messy and challenging task. Between the three of them, in that whether, they dropped the guy more than they could admit. Noah was grateful, shamefully, that the man was out cold when they were hara.s.sing him. Unintentional hara.s.sment. Was that a thing? Noah had no idea.
Throwing the wet towel into Angel's face with a devious smirk, he went into the kitchen to drink some water.
What a night!
As soon as the wet towel touched his face, the poor sleeping Angel jumped out of his skin in fear and sat up straight. However, when he saw his older friend's smirk, he whined loudly and drowsily. "As.h.!.+ Let's just go home and leave this wicked friend of yours on his own."
"Noah, could you please stop tormenting my boyfriend?" Asher called from the bedroom, nearly finished with his job. "He's had a hard day thanks to his brother, and you calling in the middle of the night didn't help matters." He came out of the room, wiping his hands with a towel.
Sticking his tongue out at the sleepy whining man, Noah turned to his best friend. "Sorry to disturb your night, but it was necessary. You saw it. I couldn't abandon the man there. You would have done the same thing." He said. "How is he?" he motioned for the room where the redhead was in. Still unconscious.
"I would have called an ambulance, Noah." Asher clarified.
"No, you wouldn't. You're a doctor." Noah pointed out. Asher rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He's been beaten, really bad. That much is obvious. There are a few scars on his chest made by a knife, which are quite deep. You need to watch out for any infection. Other than those… the other wounds are nothing to worry about." Then he walked to his boyfriend who was now rubbing at his eyes to get them to stay open for more than just a few seconds and bent down, whispering something into his ear.
Angel's eyes were now wide open and he was blus.h.i.+ng hard. With a squeal, he just left the apartment without saying anything. Causing the older men to laugh after him.
"And you call me a devil?" Noah said, still chuckling.
Heading for the door, the doctor shrugged, smiling innocently. "I didn't say anything."
"Why don't I believe that?" said the s.h.i.+rtless man.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" the younger man turned to his friend, a bit worried about leaving him with a wounded stranger in the house. "Noah, you know he might be dangerous, he's not-"
But he was cut short.
"Yep. I'll be fine, don't worry about me Ash. Go. Your boyfriend is waiting for you in the car, don't keep him waiting or he might fall asleep again." He said with a smile. A smile that said, 'Thanks for helping me out, and for worrying, but I'm gonna be fine.'
Chuckling, Asher shook his head. "Nah, he won't fall asleep just yet. Not so soon, anyway. And even if he does, I know how to wake him up." He put on his boots and stepped out of the door. "Call me if you need anything, Noah."
Smiling gently, Noah replied, "I will. Thanks for everything, Ash."
"Anything for you, buddy. Anything." Then he left his friend to go and find his lovely Angel, who was probably still blus.h.i.+ng.