Priest lit the final candle on his private altar. He'd instructed Bright to keep any nonsense as far from him as possible. Stepping back he closed his eyes and held out his paws to the side, claws up.
"I know you reward those who take up the cause themselves. You are lifted up by what we can do ourselves. But I've done enough study to have learned you find joy in aiding us if we strive to answer the call with our own power most of the time."
Having already made the space sacred, the pirate captain felt safe enough to shed his strong veneer. He began to cry. "Father of Hares, He who watches over all of us. I need a sign. And not just any sign, an irrevocable one. I can no longer be a part of Agent's machinations. I only ever wanted the no-furs who serve our Work to find sanctuary and those who will love them the rest of their lives.
"I would never break up a true bond nor torture a bonded no-fur unless I didn't know." Priest got down on one knee and took off
Watching over him, Spitfire saw Doll was finally awake as the smaller no-fur stuck his head out of the blanket. The weak smile was a vast improvement though he could still make out the sores from the pins around Doll’s lips."Hey there, Spitfire. I'm feeling better. More like myself. You did that." Doll moved to snuggle against Spitfire. "You did that." The second time he said it it was more dozy and the taller no-fur thought he was going to lose him again to another round of fitful sleep.Just then, the smaller Hare appeared - the one that never mocked and always had something for them. Like the blanket."You little guys must be hungry. I've got a nice big bowl of broth and some cut-up apples for you." He opened the little slot in the cage and slid them through. "Eat up! There's plenty more where that came from. You need your strength.""Thank you." Spitfire gave the Hare a half smile and reached for the apples. He shifted so he was more between the Hare and Doll. He wanted to get t
What passed for a town around the landing pad they called an airport was just as disappointing as Hades expected. He was able to buy some water and snacks, nothing exciting but better than the nothing they'd been running on for the better part of 48 hours. Something had happened with Jinx while he was gone. The Orangelo wasn't willing to talk about it and was flying in sulky silence. Liam was equally moody and equally unwilling to discuss why. Hades could guess that the mafioso was pissed he wasn't able to get any more information about either his missing husband or the source of the red gems. They were going to have to put in some serious efforts once they got to Sundown Port. Which sounded like a perfectly awful place. Full of water and drama. Hades would put money on it. And to top everything off, the closer they got to the ocean, the worse he felt. His newest discomfort was a ringing in his ears that was becoming hot. He worried it might be a fever. Could a tom get a fever from
Though he tried and tried, Spitfire wasn't finding a way to help Doll. They had been bundled up and moved to the private chambers by the sneering Nickel after he was done abusing Doll. Spitfire had raged and screamed but it was to no avail. He could not help his bondmate. He was useless even after Doll had been shoved back into the cage. Once they were left alone in the small room, Spitfire cleaned Doll up. He was worried about the blood coming from his pocket. He was worried that Doll might have been too traumatized and would miscarry the kits. The effect of a miscarriage on a no-fur’s body and mind could be fatal. Tossing the rags he'd used into a pile by the door, Spitfire tried to convince Doll to crawl into the bed and rest. But Doll was not cooperating with the care he was trying to give him. The tiny no-fur was getting more and more hysterical the longer they were locked in the room. "Please, Doll. Please." Spitfire tried once again to get him to stand up from the floor and
Does he really respond to you calling him skin-sheath?Spitfire's voice inside his head was disorienting for Hades, but then he reached out to Doll and his paws weren't paws at all. Flexing the fingers, Hades tried not to be smug as Doll crawled towards him. There was trepidation on Doll’s face, but he would deal with that quickly. For now, he had to figure out how to ignore the sassy no-fur's voice in his mind.It's my body, dickface. You can't kick me out. You're here by my leave.Hades wasn't sure that he liked having his mind read but it didn't seem like he was going to get any privacy at all in this situation so he tried to focus on Doll. Spitfire didn't seem to be as agreeable to letting him focus.Can you help him? He's so scared. I don't... Our bond is too new.Not sure how to directly communicate with someone while they were connected this way, Hades hoped that thinking what he wanted to say would do the tr
A new game with the love of his life was just what Doll needed right now. Would it keep the shadows at bay? Not forever. But the cunning no-fur knew how to get the most out of a moment. Years of finding ways to escape to his beloved gardens at Gran's had taught him that.And yes, Doll acknowledged he had trauma and nightmarish memories he'd have to face in other moments. The nameless no-fur who had taken on that burden was gone and could finally rest. But right now, he would devote his energy, his thoughts, and his body to what was right in front of him.His Innehavre. His Soot-walker. His Hades. And the joy of driving him mad."Then I will earn my punishment." Doll giggled as he moved from where he was teasing Hades's ear to kissing down his furless chest. "I want to know what you're feeling, my sweet devil."It was a whisper against Hades's thigh before Doll buried his face in the tom's borrowed seeding pocket. He started slow, his lips kissing the oute
From where he was watching what was happening from inside Spitfire's body, Hades could see that Doll was lost in his own mind. There was too much trauma, too many horrible things had happened to his pretty baby lately for him to pinpoint what exactly Doll was trapped in. But that wasn't important. What was important was getting him out of it."Skin-sheath, are you able to hear me? Can you follow my voice?"Hades worried that speaking in Spitfire's voice wouldn't reach Doll in the same way. But he needed his attention. He had to lead him out of the darkness somehow."Rule one, small gods are seen and not heard. Is that right? Please don't hit me again." Doll curled in on himself. He seemed to be answering questions but not the ones Hades was asking."You are not a small god," Hades growled. This was frustrating. He had been able to help Doll before. He'd brought him back from the dead within days of meeting him. Now that their bond was fully made, why couldn't he do anything for him?I
Projecting his spirit into the Underworld to converse with Wound had been necessary. It was also exhausting. Agent desperately needed to rest, but he did not have the time or opportunity for the kind of rest he really needed.He should return to Tricksy's homeland, to the cave where he had once been worshiped. There were deep caverns there where he could go into hibernation to replenish his body and spirit. But that was not an option right now, not with someone out there trying to overthrow him as God of Chaos.Sinking into the soft bed Priest had allotted for his infrequent visits, Agent wished that he wasn't alone. That was a new feeling. He'd relished his independence, his ability to be alone as much as he wanted. Isolation meant safety. And then King had wandered into his lab in Persiana and destroyed everything. He made Agent vulnerable and then he'd sacrificed himself like a fucking idiot.Once he was done here, Agent was going back to Persiana to find out
"I am going to fucking kill you later, Hades, you fucking asshole!"Jinx was screaming as he tilted the helicopter to the side, trying to avoid a huge flying demon that wasn't interested in what it did to the invading toms on its way toward the gaping Hellgate. Jinx couldn’tspare even a glance to see if it got through. He was too busy focusing on what was in front of him.There was a span of aboutseven and a half seconds before the hordes of the Underworld realized a gate opened that was big enough for most of them to get through. Now they were trying to fly through a raging mob, going against the flow and trying not to be swept back out the Hellgate.Hades wasn't much help right now. He was muttering nonsense as his entire focus was on closing the gate behind them before opening a new one in front of them. But the more demons that pressed towards the gate, the harder it would be for him to close it.Jinx wished his friend luck with that