Drugged

[Hyeon]

There was talking in the other room. The muffled speech woke Hyeon up from his nightmare-filled slumber. He vaguely remembered feeling safe when he fell asleep, but that changed when the warmth disappeared.

*I can hear.*

His eyes were groggy and it was difficult to see things at first. The light on the table next to him was a blurry ball of yellow. Within a few minutes, the lamp came into focus. He saw a glass of water and a wad of bloodied gauze.

Hyeon sat up slowly to prevent his pounding headache from getting worse. His stomach was nauseous.

*Thirsty…*

He grabbed the glass and chugged the liquid inside.

*More...*

Instead of leaving the bedroom to fetch the water pitcher, Hyeon zombie-walked to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and drank straight from the tap. Despite drinking until his stomach was going to burst, the thirst didn't go away.

Hyeon looked at himself in the mirror with water dripping down his chin. He was a mess. His eyes were bloodshot. There were a few blood crusties on his earlobes.

"You should appreciate how we got you out of the foster care system, you ungrateful kid."

Hyeon flinched and looked around the bathroom wildly. That was a voice he hasn't heard in a while. It was his adoptive father. What an asshole.

"We don't want to play with Hyeon," a little boy said out of thin air. That was his younger brother's voice; not related by blood, though.

"Where are your parents?" an old classmate teased.

The following were voices from his bo-staff troupe; the family he never had.

"Hyeon! Jump higher!"

"Wanna sneak into the club tonight?"

"Did you know Hyeon is gonna be a professional? The Olympic try-outs are in a few years!"

The next voice set him over the edge. It was his. "Alright, I'll drive. You guys sleep." That was before he crashed the company vehicle which killed six people from the team.

Where is this coming from?!

When he looked back at the mirror, he gasped in fright. His face was scary, like when someone was possessed in a horror movie. There was something disturbingly evil with his eyes. His skin was pale. He was so ugly.

Then, the items in the room moved and swirled. He wanted to puke from motion sickness. His brain went static.

*Go to Fenrir,* his mind said.

"I know you," Hyeon told himself. That bastard phoenix.

*Go to Fenrir!*

"Damn, chill bro." Hyeon stumbled out of the bathroom. He felt sick. He felt giddy. He felt on top of the world. He felt like dirt. So many emotions at once.

The mumbling in the other room caught his attention. It was loud, quiet, loud, quiet…

I'm still thirsty.

He carried the empty glass. Who was he supposed to find again?

Hyeon opened the door. Two sexy men were talking next to a desk. One was barely wearing anything except for a loincloth. The other guy was breathtaking with his black wolf ears and amber eyes. There was an aura of danger surrounding him but seemed vulnerable at the same time.

*That's Fenrir.* He couldn't stop staring. *I want a piece of that a—*

"The demon mentioned Erik and Jiyoung Falken," the Native man said.

"Falken? Hyeon's parents?" asked the other.

When he heard those names, Hyeon dropped the cup. Glass shattered everywhere.

_______________

[Fenrir]

There was a sound of breaking glass on the floor. Sani and Fenrir saw Hyeon standing there with wide eyes. "What-what did you say?" Hyeon was freaking out. "How would a demon here know my parent's names?"

Fenrir was going to explain, but Sani beat him to it.

"The demon I caught is a church grim. They watch over a church's property. It most likely consumed another grim that guarded the church cemetery where your parents are buried. I'm assuming it smelled your unique energy on me and remembered the scent from your parent's grave."

"Did it kill them? Where are they buried?"

Sani was confused. "No, I just said the demon ate a grim who—"

Fenrir held up his hand to stop him from talking. He went over to Hyeon and grabbed his chin to inspect his face. Hyeon's glazed pupils were dilated as far as they could go. The hazel iris was barely visible. His body was also jittery. "Tell me what's wrong."

"T-there are too many people talking," Hyeon stammered. "Why do I look so hideous?" He then doubled over and threw up on Fenrir's shoes. The color of the vomit was dark green. It was thick, too.

"I'm no doctor, but I don't think that's normal," Sani observed. "Is he ill?"

Fenrir pulled Hyeon close to hug him, not caring about his shoes or the sick smell.

*Wait, his smell…*

Still embracing him, he nestled his face into Hyeon's neck and inhaled deeply. The aroma of his blood was off. There was a tint of something familiar.

Fenrir turned to Sani. "Smell him."

The Navajo god looked amused. "What? Is this a new kink?"

"Just do it!"

Sani was skeptical but sniffed Hyeon's neck anyway. He quickly backed off and coughed. "That's angel's trumpet."

Of course. It's been countless years since Fenrir has seen this plant, so he didn't recognize it right away. Angel's trumpets are bellflowers that grow on shrubs and cascade towards the ground. It was one of the few plants that the human realm and southern lights share.

There was nothing angelic about them. They're poisonous for humans and cause hallucinations, agitation, and can mess with memory. While the poison doesn't affect demons and deities, the psychedelic aspect of the flower is more strong for them. It's a common recreational drug for gods. Fenrir doesn't allow this plant on his property to prevent anyone from getting addicted.

The only one with permission to grow this is Festr Castle's doctor. It can be used to subdue a raging spirit.

…And Hyeon just saw Coty. Fenrir should've pushed that guy to expose the needle's contents.

He cursed. "Coty used angel's trumpet." That meant Hyeon's human blood was poisoned and the insignia that bound them together amplified those effects like it would for a deity. The sedative was effective to when first administered to calm him, but that was obviously long gone.

Fenrir held Hyeon firmly to soothe the shaking person.

"What a bastard. Coty knew what would happen. The only thing you can do is wait it out and hope he won't die from the poison," said Sani.

"Coty er dauðr." (Coty is dead.)

"You should make him sleep until it passes."

Fenrir agreed. "Until then, let's—"

He froze. Fenrir's body trembled. His wolf fangs and claws grew longer. He could tell his eyes were glowing yellow. The wolf inside him snarled. It was extremely agitated. Lightning lit up the room. Booming thunder followed.

Sani moved into a defensive stance. The Norse god was losing control. "Why are you changing now?!"

"EK GEREIGIR VEIT!" (I DON'T KNOW!) Another round of lightning and thunder shook the place.

Fenrir realized he was squeezing the half-human too tight. He was going to let go to avoid inflicting injury until he saw him doing an unthinkable taboo.

Hyeon's hands were touching the exposed skin on Fenrir's arms. He was staring intently into the wolf's chest, aiming for something.

"Thirsty…" Hyeon said in an unnatural voice. He was absorbing Fenrir's soul energy. And not just a little, but A LOT. It couldn't be replenished fast enough, so it was causing Fenrir to become weak. For once, Fenrir was absolutely shocked to the point where he couldn't move. After all, who would dare to steal a god's soul?

Suddenly, Hyeon was yanked away.

Sani had him by the hair. "WHAT THE FUCK?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING?!"

"Thirsty…" he said again, still eyeing Fenrir's chest.

"Like hell you are!"

Before anyone could act, Hyeon clenched Sani's throat. He was choking him.

"Christ!" Sani rasped and clawed at the extended arm holding him in place. "A little help, ya? Oi!"

Fenrir was still frozen. He's never had his soul energy taken, nor has he ever seen Coyote being strangled. It was a bizarre yet stunning situation. He was pissed because he was on the verge of becoming the giant wolf, but he felt sympathy knowing it wasn't truly Hyeon's fault.

Just months ago, he would've killed Hyeon on the spot. Fenrir wasn't the same person anymore. Was this a bad thing?

"HEY! Don't make me hurt him! He'll be invincible if he takes my energy, too!" Sani wheezed.

There was movement at the hallway door. On the outside, Fenrir remained his usual, sulky self but on the inside, he was panicking. He didn't want any outsiders finding out about Hyeon yet. It was bad enough that some big gods knew about him already. There was a plan to hide him away for this upcoming visit.

This was worrying. Since Fenrir wasn't absorbing soul energy as much as he should, he failed to detect the visitor entering through the border.

"Well, well. What a sight for sore eyes."

Damn.

Anyone but his brother.

He glared at the figure watching them with interest. The man was in his human form. All of his horse features were hidden. This is who was supposed to inspect him and the castle?

"I wasn't expecting you, Sleipnir."