Magus Bloodlines.-Chapter 35. Rage in the Hospital.

Several days had passed since the attack on the academy. Principal Shepard had requested additional security forces from the city government to protect the students in the aftermath. Plenty of the armed men had escaped after Cedrion was killed. Gavin and the other injured were moved to a nearby hospital to undergo treatment.

Gavin lay in a hospital room, hooked up to monitors and equipment. He had wires running from his chest to nearby machines as he breathed peacefully through his sleep.

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Erza entered the main entrance of Allario's premier hospital, which was near the academy grounds. Her clothes were a disheveled mess, and she had bags under her eyes. She had driven the past day and a half non-stop until she returned to the city. She had been calling Gavin's phone non-stop for the first day until someone finally answered and told her what had happened. She was driving down the highway when she felt like her heart stopped beating in her chest. She instantly drove through the field that divided the highway and performed an illegal U-turn. She didn't care about any damage to her old, trusty SUV as she recklessly cut through traffic as far as the vehicle would make it.

All she cared about was getting to the hospital as fast as she could. She felt like she couldn't breathe again until she saw him with her own eyes. Images of the last time he was in the hospital flashed through her eyes as she drove down the highway. It took approximately twenty hours for her to arrive. The only time she stopped the entire way back was when she had to get fuel for the SUV. She would stop to use the bathroom, or grab some caffeine only when she got fuel. Other than that, she drove as fast as the SUV would go to get back to town.

She pulled in front of the lobby and threw the vehicle in park. She jumped out, not even shutting the door behind her as she ran inside to the receptionist at the front desk. "What room is Gavin Johnson in?" she demanded from the old man sitting behind the counter.

"Are you a family member?" he asked calmly as he glanced at her messy appearance.

"I'm his mate, now tell me where he is!" she shouted at the man as her eyes began glowing a vibrant yellow in response to her fear and anger at this man, making her wait even longer.

The man saw the reaction in her eyes and felt a wave of mana that escaped her careful control. "Third floor, room sixteen miss," the man stammered back as he pulled up his information. As soon as she heard the response, she ran for the nearby elevators down the hallway.

Erza slammed the button for the third floor as she kept pushing the close button on the elevator control panel. No matter how many times she pushed it, the doors did not seem to close any faster as she impatiently waited for the doors to shut and the elevator to rise to the third floor. Unfortunately, it stopped on the second floor and the doors opened slowly. When the people waiting to enter the elevator saw the look on Erza's face as she stood there jamming her finger to shut the door of the elevator, they hesitated and did not move as the doors slowly slid shut without them stepping in.

Finally, the elevator arrived at the third floor and the doors seemed to take an eternity to slide open. When Erza finally managed to run to the nurse's station, she ignored them as she tried to go past them towards the room that Gavin was in.

"Ma'am, you can't just go back there," one of the female nurses tried to stand in Erza's way before she just went through searching for Gavin's room.

Erza snarled as she refused to be stopped. She looked around the hallway searching for the particular room number. Meanwhile, other nurses arrived and tried to calm her down.

"Ma'am, we need your name and who you are here to see." The head nurse said as she stood in front of Erza and refused to move. Erza snapped her head to focus on the petite brunette in front of her and snarled, her features twisting as her body shifted into her pure white werecat form.

"Get out of my way, or I swear on all that is holy, I will rip your head off," she snapped angrily as she flashed her fangs at the poor woman in front of her.

The nurses refused to budge. They dealt with this often enough when it came to shifters and had their own ways of subduing someone until they calmed down.

"Enough," a commanding, deep voice called out from down the hall. Everyone turned to see who it was that spoke. An older man with glowing red eyes stepped into the hallway, after hearing the commotion.

"Erza?" he asked softly as he took note of her white fur and werecat appearance.

Erza hesitated, her ears flat against her head as she glanced at the glowing red eyes. "Principal Shepard?" she asked for confirmation of the man's identity.

He nodded as he walked forward and addressed the nurses. "She is with me, and here for young Gavin Johnson in room sixteen." He explained to the nurses, who seemed to relax slightly as they jotted down the information.

The head nurse nodded and stepped aside, and signaled for the others to go back to work. Principal Shepard walked over and took Erza's hand gently into his. "Come with me, child," he said as he gently pulled her towards his room. He understood her panic and anger. The mate bond was intense and unforgiving when things like this arose. No words of comfort or peace would quench the fear and anger in her heart until she laid eyes on Gavin herself.

They walked down the hall and turned into the room as the doors automatically opened for them. Erza sucked in her breath as she saw Gavin lying in that hospital bed, hooked up to machines.

"Gavin!" she cried out as she ran to the hospital bed and grabbed his hand. He was covered in bandages and his monitor was beeping in rhythm with his heart beat. It was a gentle, soothing sound as he breathed in and out.

"He is sleeping. He is past the worst of his injuries and just needs rest now," Principal Shepard informed her as her body shifted back into her human body. Tears of relief fell down her face as she looked down on her mate. He was alive, but she was going to skin him alive herself for being so dumb and reckless again.

"He saved alot of lives this week," Principal Shepard said as he took a seat in one of the chairs in the room. His body was tired and exhausted from dealing with all the aftermath of the attack. He had been attending meetings, reading over damage reports, and ensuring enhanced security measures were in place at the academy.

"You allowed him to take part in the attack?" she asked him. Her voice was eerily quiet as she kept her back to the old man. There was ice and steel in her voice as she questioned him. Her fury was almost at its limit, and she was barely keeping control of her temper. Usually, Gavin was the brash and impulsive one. Today she was taking that role.

Principal Shepard sensed the aggression in her words as she held Gavin's hand. He didn't need to see her face to know her eyes were glowing yellow in her anger and grief. He had to choose his words carefully, otherwise she would most likely turn on him in response. "Gavin told me you have known each other since he was ten years old?" Principal Shepard asked quietly.

Erza jerked back and looked at the old man, her eyes indeed glowed faintly from her power. "Yeah, what of it?" she said defensively as she glared at him.

"Then you know the kind of man he is. He came to me, offered a plan to protect the first year students in the arena and buy some time. He was under explicit orders to stall until I could return and finish off the remainder of the enemy," Principal Shepard said as he watched her carefully.

Erza bit her lip as she listened to the old man's explanation. "That doesn't matter. You are an elder, you should never have allowed a student to be put in that situation. Isn't that what you have trained staff for?" she was all but yelling at the man as she rose to her feet. Her mana was becoming a visual chaotic swirl around her in response to her anger and raging emotions.

"You and I both know, with his exceptional power, he has more strength than half the teachers at the academy. For Christ's sake, he can use all six elemental magics, and shift into a powerful werewolf. On top of that, he has something alot of the adults at the academy don't. He has the experience of taking a life." Principal Shepard quietly and calmly chastised her. It wouldn't do any good to respond angrily to Erza's painful outburst. His goal was to keep her calm while he explained everything.

Tears flowed down Erza's face as she stepped forward, some of her anger seeming to disappear as her eyes returned to their normal amber brown color. "Were you the one that answered the phone?" she asked him softly as she glanced back at the bed to see Gavin sleeping peacefully under the medication.

"I was, indeed, child. I know about your relationship with my grandson. The first chance I had, I reached out to both you and his parents, the Johnsons. "They should be catching a plane here soon enough." Principal Shepard confirmed her question as he walked over to the bed and looked over his vitals that were displayed on the monitors.

"He told me what you two talked about the other night. The first night at the academy. Are you really his grandfather?" she asked him as he studied the way he looked over Gavin's condition.

"Yes, I do believe we are related. During our conversation it became evident we are from the same clan. I have reason to believe his parents were my son and daughter-in-law," Principal Shepard said softly as he glanced back at Erza. He was relieved to see her mana was no longer visible, and her body appeared to have calmed down enough to have this civil conversation.

"Then if you are his grandfather, and the principal of the academy. I have a selfish request to make," Erza said simply as she looked at him dead in the face. Her resolve was set and unwavering.

Principal Shepard raised an eyebrow in surprise and nodded for her to continue and make her request. She had his curiosity piqued. "I wish to stay with him on campus while he attends classes. I don't have to attend the academy itself. But I wish to stay close to him to keep him from doing idiotic crap like this again and frightening off half my lifespan from worry." She said as she walked over to stand in front of Principal Shepard as an equal.

Principal Shepard smiled slightly. He half expected this to be the request, or at least something similar. So it came as no surprise. "I'm sure that something could be arranged for you. Should you decide to attend the academy itself, I think we could make accommodations for you to do so," Principal Shepard said softly as he looked at the beautiful red-headed woman.

Erza's breath caught in her throat as she heard his response. She was not expecting such an easy answer to her selfish demand. She fully expected to fight it out and argue until Gavin woke up about being allowed to at least stay at the academy. "You... you'll really help me like that?" she asked him in utter stupification. She was stunned beyond disbelief as she imagined being able to stay by his side and keep him sane and stable.

Principal Shepard grinned widely as he glanced at the girl he suspected to be his future granddaughter-in-law. "Gavin is my newly reunited grandson. There is a lot in his life I have missed out on due to a twist of bad fate. So, if there is something so simple I can do, that will bring him joy and comfort, of course, I won't hesitate to do so," Principal Shepard said as he glanced at both the kids.

"You two are the only family I have left. So, please forgive me for being willing to do what I have to, to keep you both close and get to know you," Principal Shepard said with a tear in his eye as he responded to Erza's request.

Erza finally broke down in relief as she heard his words. She slumped down to her knees on the cold sterile floor as she cried tears of relief. Gavin was alive. He was recovering, and she would be allowed to stay with him to keep him safe at the academy. She would make sure that he never pushed himself this hard again for the sake of others. Not alone anyway. She would push herself to get stronger, right along with him.

There would be a new power couple at the academy. This was going to be a most entertaining year, Principal Shepard thought to himself.