SongWind's Suite

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wolfe Garm

Wind limped into his room and headed straight for the bathroom, dropping his clothes on the way. He headed for the shower and leaned against the wall as the water poured over him, letting the heat wash away the memories.

He knew he should have used the tub to soak away the pain but he wasn't ready to deal with it yet. He wanted to feel the pain. He wanted...

He tried to stand on his bad leg, to feel the pain in the bone and muscle. It didn't last long, of course, and he switched to his good leg. But it was enough to trigger the memory of when it had been shattered...

They'd already tortured him for two days... Then they brought in Desha and tied him to a chair in front of him. They used the hot plates of metal to burn the back of his thighs, the pain was horrible. Desha was struggling to get free and Wind could see the pain in his eyes from not being able to heal him or stop the injuries. When he got his breath back and was trying to tell Desha that it was alright...

Then they shattered his leg... Repeatedly... The pain... Oh, the pain...

Then another priest came in and stood behind Desha. He couldn't see what he was doing but he saw the result of it... The pain on Desha's face... Then...


Wind hit his knees panting, blindly reaching up to turn the water off as he pulled out of the flashback. He sat down and looked at his leg, his hand hovering over the main break.

A little bit later, he was wearing a pair of shorts with his hair braided down his back again. He was sitting in the front room staring at the fire in the fireplace with his good leg tucked under him. He was keeping his mind very blank right now. He didn't want to remember any more....  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wolfe Garm

Wind finally gave a soft sigh as he tied off his braid and dropped it then got to his feet, briefly standing on his bad leg before limping off to change into something else. He finally came out of his closet wearing a pair of tights and a light tunic. The outfit was green and brown but light material. He could move easily and wouldn't overheat. It also covered his scars.

He headed for the door, deliberately not thinking about where he was going or what he was doing. He just had to do it.

He left his rooms.

Then he left the castle.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Wolfe Garm

Red Gypsy

Egan Savage
Egan returned to Wind's rooms a while after the other male had left. He'd left the Garden once Kalani had collapsed and had stopped by the kitchen for a moment to grab something sweet that he thought they could enjoy together. He was surprised to find the room empty, and he found himself getting a bit anxious about that. He knew that Wind was just getting back into a state where he could walk around the castle again with company. He knew that Wind's leg had to be causing him a lot of pain, and he was concerned about the way the other male may be feeling.

He quickly moved back into the hall and found a servant. "Do you know where Wind went?" he asked, somehow managing to keep his tone completely calm despite his feelings. The servant hesitated for a moment and then let him know that they had seen Wind slipping out of the castle and heading towards the forest. That caused Egan's anxiety to escalate into panic. He knew from his conversation with Kalani that she'd been attacked in the forest, meaning that Wind wasn't safe on his own. Especially since he knew that the hunters would probably want to finish the job they had started two years ago.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the servant spoke up again and suggested talking to Cain. He got the directions he would need to find the man and then immediately took off in the direction the servant had indicated. He didn't really know anything about Cain, but he didn't have time to waste. He was already hearing murmuring about Wind being gone as he made his way through the castle, and that was only causing him to worry more.

 

[Dameon Black Alt]

Wolfe Garm

Red Gypsy

Egan Savage
Egan carried Wind into his suite, taking special care with him to make sure that he didn't move him around too much. Ash had healed Wind, but Egan still wasn't taking any chances. Not after what the other male had just gone through.

Egan stopped for a moment in the front room of Wind's suite, allowing the other male a moment to see that he was back in his rooms. He placed a kiss on Wind's forehead and then continued on into the bedroom, gently laying Wind on the bed and then moving to lay with him, holding him protectively.

He offered the male a genuinely loving smile after a few moments. "I do need to do what Ash asked of me in a little while, but I think that it's best if we just stay in here for a while. You've been through so much today, and I got there too late to stop you from suffering. It might not help, but I don't want to let you go for the moment. I just want to hold you and know that you're safe for the moment."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wind wrapped his arms around Egan and kept his head against his chest so that he could hear his heartbeat. He stayed silent for a long time, simply letting the sound of that heartbeat and Egan's scent help him calm down the rest of the way. When he did speak, it was in a whisper that shook with barely restrained emotions.

"Thank you for coming for me... I wasn't sure if anyone would... I wasn't trying to run away or anything like that. I promise. I just wanted to go to the village. I don't really remember why I wanted to go. I just had to go there. Then they started chasing me and I tried to run. My leg gave out," the words just seemed to spill out of him but he never spoke above that whisper. It was still easy to hear his fear, though.

Wind had truly feared that no one would go after him, that he'd be lost...

"I hid in my mind. It was the only thing I could think of to do. I hoped I wouldn't be lost but," he hesitated there, not sure about saying what he'd thought when they'd taken him. But he knew he'd have to tell someone and he felt safe with Egan.

"When I was taken two years ago... I know Dev escaped to get help... But I'm pretty sure that they only came after us all to rescue the others... Dancer is a soul healer, Desha was the island's Healer, and Blade is a phenomenal fighter. I'm still not sure why they rescued me beyond Blade insisting on it. I don't really have a purpose on the island," he voiced his fear still in that soft whisper, not sure how Egan would react.

To be honest, Wind's self-esteem had taken a massive beating from the time he'd hit puberty and the clans had found out that he couldn't react with a female. They'd publicly flogged him until Blade rescued him.

Yes, he was amazing with his magic. He didn't just do parlor tricks like he'd done in the garden for Samirra. He was deadly in combat as well.

He was also very good with children, as Egan had witnessed before in the village. He wasn't a healer, but he had one of the biggest hearts on the island. And Desha had made certain that Egan knew just how big Wind's heart was as well as the fact that the sweet male often felt overshadowed by his sister and friends.

This part of Wind's personality had been hidden, kept from everyone for so very long that it had become a festering wound to his soul. He'd been foundering, almost drowning with it for most of his life.

While Egan had only seen Wind as a confident and slightly sassy man that seemed untouched by anything, what Egan was seeing now was the Wind hidden from everyone. No one had seen this part of him. Not even his twin sister. But he was letting Egan in, letting him see the side of him that had been so carefully hidden for so very long.

And he'd told the truth: he truly had never expected anyone to go after him if he was taken...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Egan Savage
Egan gently stroked Wind's back as the other male stayed against his chest, able to see that listening to his heartbeat and being surrounded by his scent seemed to be helping him to calm down fully after what he had been through. He wasn't sure what else he could do to help, so he was happy that his mere presence like this seemed to be helping Wind.

He gave a small frown when he heard Wind speak and thank him for coming after him. Not because of the thanks, but because of the statement that he wasn't sure that anyone would come to get him. He listened to Wind's words as the other male continued to speak and detail what he'd been thinking and feeling, allowing him to say everything that he felt he needed to.

He remained quiet for a moment as he thought over the things that Wind had revealed, contemplating the best place to start with his response. Truthfully, it wasn't really that hard to figure out what to say first. "I'll always come for you, Wind," he stated simply, forcing the other male to look up at his face so that he could see that he was being honest. "Desha spent years telling me about you, telling me stories about who you were and what you're like. I didn't believe that anyone could possibly be as wonderful as what he was describing. And I was right, but not in the way that I expected. I haven't spent a lot of time with you yet, but I can see that his stories and kind words didn't do you justice."

He offered Wind a loving smile. "I fell in love with you as Desha told me about you, but I tried to tell myself that you couldn't possibly be that great because I didn't think that I would ever get a chance to really know you. But these few days that we've had together showed me that the words Desha used could never be enough to describe you properly. You've been through so much and suffered so much pain. Pain that would've destroyed so many and left them as bitter shells. But even after all of that, you're still such a kind and loving soul. You still have such a big heart. It was so easy to fall in love with you."

He allowed Wind a moment to fully register what he had said and continued. "They didn't just get you because Blade insisted, Wind. They didn't need some big reason to save you. You don't need some grand purpose on the island to justify coming for you. They came for you for the same reason that I did. They came for you last time because they love you, just like I came for you this time because I love you. You think so little of yourself because you don't see what the rest of us do. You're such a beautiful person. You're skilled with magic, you're great with children. And despite all of the pain you've suffered, you just have so much love in your heart to give. You're just wonderful. And even if you can't see that, the rest of us can. That's why I love you. That's why I'll always come for you."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wind shivered from time to time as Egan held him and spoke to him. He wanted to believe everything he said but it sounded too good to be true.

Then he felt Egan's strong arms holding him a bit tighter and he felt something loosen up inside of him and pulled a shaky sigh from him. He felt Egan raising his chin and opened his eyes, seeing only the truth in Egan's earnest gaze. He struggled internally for a moment but simply gave in to his own feelings as well.

"I think I fell for you that day in the village... You were talking to Desha at the village square. I was playing with Dancer and Dev. I remember that I stumbled into you," he paused there and took in another shaky breath, "You laughed and rubbed my head then gave me a playful shove back towards the others. I remember being shocked at your strength and I remember a hint of brimstone to your scent ," he paused again because he blushed this time as he remembered that day and the crush he'd developed that day.

"Then Dev tackled me into the fountain and when I turned back to you, you were gone. Every time I went back to the village, I never saw you, never smelled you. I thought you'd left," he finished as he tucked his arms between them, cuddling into his side like a cat settling in to nap. But his brown eyes weren't closing any time soon. It was simply a mark of how content he became in Egan's presence.

"Today... All I could think of was how much I wanted to see you again, that I didn't want you to disappear again. When my wolf saw you, it just knew that you were there to save me. I know people keep having to save me but I was never more glad to see someone in my life than when you walked into that room," his voice started to shake at the end and he paused so that he wouldn't break down before he continued.

"I know I'm broken right now. But as long as you don't give up on me I'll try to be the person you see in me," he promised in a soft whisper.

He hadn't used the word love, but he'd said it just the same. He'd also said that he wanted to stay with Egan while trying not to beg for the same in return.

Then he probably surprised the larger man...

"I've loved you for years, Egan... But I never thought I was good enough for you... Then I didn't see you and I thought you'd left because of me, because I'd bumped into you that day... I know it's not right, but I still thought that..." he swallowed and closed his eyes to say the rest, not sure if he could get it all out while looking into those beautiful eyes.

"And now they've broken me... Twice... I don't know if I can be whole again... I don't know if I can be what you need... But -" his voice broke there and tears started moving down his face.

He truly thought that he was too broken to be a good enough mate or partner to any man at this point. He was too damaged, too emotionally compromised. And Egan hadn't even noticed the way he had nightmares yet...

He was still in shock from the capture and torture, the physical pain wasn't helping with that. But Egan's presence next to him, his arms around him, and his scent were all keeping Wind grounded. If Egan hadn't been here, Wind would have dropped right back into the state he'd been right after Aten had died: nearly catatonic. He'd only shifted to the bitter and angry person Egan had seen after the first year.

So, while part of him wanted Egan to kiss him senseless and Claim him as Mate, he didn't think that he was worthy of the man, that he was too broken for him. Honestly, he just felt lucky that Egan cared for him. He didn't feel worthy of Egan loving him...