Page 6

Let me help.

A shriek of agony made me jolt up straight in bed, sheet tangling around my waist. I was on my feet, wings sprawling and tail lashing, before I even had a chance to think.

My quarters were empty. The cry had to have been a mental one.

The only people who I could sense this closely were my brothers and cousin; I was tied to them.

Another mental cry pierced my thoughts and made me wince. A snap followed by yelling raced through my thoughts. Fire. The stench of death. Desperate screams. Bartholomew sliding a bolt home on an incinerator.

I shook my head. It was a jumble.

Vince. His name hit me squarely. He called to my inner fire in a way I did not understand.

I moved toward the door and froze. Vince wouldn’t want my help. I could help him, though. I swallowed as his screams echoed in my mind. His pain and fear reached through the halls and clawed me open.

Jaw tight, I strode out of my quarters.

“You are safe,” a deep voice said.

My eyes shot open. Sweat drenched the sheets surrounding me, and a hulking form hovered over me. I screamed, sliding away from the hand stretching toward me.

No more. Please, god. No more.

“Vince. Vince, it’s me,” the shape said. “It’s Dontilvynsan.”

“Donny?” I asked, panting. I finally looked at him in the bright light of the bedroom. “What the fuck?”

“I can help you. Please let me help you.” His hand moved in my direction.

I jerked away. I didn’t want to be touched. Why couldn’t people stop touching me?

His hand fell, and he crouched right beside the bed.

His hair was falling over his bare shoulders.

Wings were behind him. He had wings. No, I knew that.

I’d seen that fucker Kal’s wings. Why was I seeing Don’s?

Don was half-naked in my room. Why was he here?

I couldn’t think. The dreams had come and flayed me raw.

“I am not going to hurt you. I heard you crying,” he said, tapping a clawed finger to his temple. “I can help. If you let me.”

“How?”

“I would have to touch your face.”

I jerked back and smacked into the headboard.

“I won’t if you don’t want me to,” Dontilvynsan said, “but I can help you sleep.”

“Just my face? Nothing else? You won’t hurt me?”

“I promise.”

That meant literally nothing.

“I will never touch you without permission, except for if you are in danger. I swear it.”

That still meant nothing, but I nodded.

“Lie down.”

Shaking, I stretched out, my eyes never leaving his face as my muscles tensed. My mind was already starting to slip into that safe space that no one could touch.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Vince. I’ll never hurt you.”

I didn’t believe him. I only trusted Seth and Teddy. Everyone else could take their promises and shove them up their asses.

Don’s lips quirked. “I shall keep my promises to myself, then.”

God. It was so convenient I didn’t have to speak. He heard my silent threats.

His hand slowly stretched toward me, and I tensed, containing a whimper. I fisted my hands around the sheets. I was a fucking coward. Scared of a damn hand. Pathetic. Still, I trembled when memories began to surface. I tried to shove them down, but they kept rising like the tide.

A low hum reverberated in the back of Don’s throat. I didn’t recognize the melody, but it was soothing. My fingers released their stranglehold, and my shoulders loosened. His voice deepened pleasingly as he started to sing without words, following the tune.

He cupped my cheek, the smooth scales of his palm warm against me. I whimpered, wanting to pull away, though hating myself for it.

“I have you, Vince. You are safe,” he said, his luminous green eyes on mine. “No one will ever hurt you again. You will never be touched against your will ever again.”

Don couldn’t promise that.

He smiled; it was the slightest quirk of his lips, but I liked it. He said, “I can and will.”

Gentle, warm waves crashed over me like the sea. I groaned. Calm. I felt inexplicably peaceful. Don continued to hold my face as he stared into my eyes. A weight started to pull me away.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice slurring.

“Giving you my peace.” His scales had an unusual sheen to them, and his breath had turned harsh.

“I’m hurting you.”

“No, Vince. Sleep,” he said; his voice had taken on a cadence that was oddly soothing. “Just sleep like you want. I have you. I will keep you safe.”

A gentle roll of sincerity washed over me. He meant it. I closed my eyes as my fingers found his. “Thank you.”

“Just sleep.”

Warmth laced with music drew me away.

I kept my hand on Vince’s cheek and pushed peace into him.

In exchange, I took his fear, his pain, his nightmares, and his worry.

I swallowed, fighting the unease. Sweat gathered on my scales as I struggled to remain in control.

I’d never done this with someone I was so strongly connected to, except for my brothers, and even then, it had hurt. Badly.

Pulling my hand away, I continued to breathe through the unease while I monitored his sleep.

Part of me wanted to curl up beside him and guard his sleep the rest of the night, but that wasn’t acceptable.

Vince didn’t want me to touch him aside from helping him, and I wouldn’t betray his trust. Enough people had done that—I was fairly certain.

But he might wake up again from another nightmare. I couldn’t keep them away indefinitely, even if I did take up residence in his room, which wasn’t an option. This was a bandage, not a cure. I wished I possessed the ability to remove the nightmares permanently, but they stemmed from his trauma.

I brushed his short black hair away from his forehead, then jerked back. No. Vince hadn’t consented to that. My misstep had gone unnoticed, though. He lay on his stomach, mouth open and light snores escaping his lips.

“Sleep well, Vince,” I whispered.

I hoped his sleep would remain undisturbed, and that he wouldn’t wake again, but only time would tell.

I slipped out of his quarters and stopped.

Zoltilvoxfyn leaned against the opposite wall.

His scales were the same pure black as mine, though his mottled skin was silver and white, and while we had the same green eyes, straight noses, and strong jaws, my features were far rougher than his and I was far taller and broader.

“Bloom,” I said.

“Have you taken the human as a lover? Already?”

“No. You know as well as I do where his affections lie. Why are you here?”

“I felt your terror. It woke me up. NAID said you were here.”

I paused. “I won’t say what happened besides the fact it wasn’t my terror and I was assisting him.”

“I see.” Zoltilvoxfyn flicked his white hair over his shoulder and moved in step with me, his tail grabbing mine for a second before flicking away. “Are you well?”

I ran a hand through my hair. It was easier to speak to Hallonnixmin, my elder brother, and Monqilcolnen, my sole cousin, than my younger brothers.

They were both only a cycle older than I was and we shared a tight friendship that transcended our blood relationship, but I loved and was close with all of my siblings.

“People’s emotions can be hard,” I said.

He grabbed my tail with his own again. “I know.”

I closed my eyes.

Zoltilvoxfyn stayed by my side, silent, as he followed me to my quarters. “Do you want me to stay? Caleb won’t mind. I can even rouse our other brothers and we can make a night of it.”

Part of me wanted to accept. I liked the idea of all of them being curled around me, safe, but I said, “I’m fine. Go back to your mate.”

I watched him disappear to his own quarters down the hall from mine. I stepped inside and ran a hand through my hair yet again. I’d been so out of it, I hadn’t put on a shirt or shoes. I was lucky none of my crew had caught me wandering around in my state of undress.

That would hardly bestow confidence in my crew.

I plopped down on the couch and blankly stared at the wall in front of me.

What was it about this human? It made no sense.

He shouldn’t affect me so. Seth’s trauma didn’t.

Caleb’s readjustment to living flesh hadn’t.

Bartholomew barely registered on my senses.

I assumed as I grew to care about him that would change, but still, he didn’t bother me.

Vince did.

I wouldn’t find any answers here, and there were possibly none to be had.

I needed sleep. I was due on Command first thing in the morning.

I sprawled on my bed, but my thoughts returned to Vince.

I couldn’t perceive him now, which was a good thing.

I took a deep breath and thickened my static shield so as not to disturb him or my brothers, then tried to sleep.