Breathing Pal Novels & Stories

“Breathe with me. Come on, you can do it.” He inhaled deeply and slowly, and all I could focus myself was the rising and falling motion of his chest. I tried to follow it, sucking as much air as possible, yet, my lungs seemed to have been clogged by something, and instead of breathing, I was choking. “Fuck! Come on, breathe, Cara. Breathe with me.” He shifted me in one arm. His huge palm rubbed circles on my back while his other hand held mine against his chest, wanting me to feel him and mimic how he was breathing.

"Listen to me. You’re not in that basement. You’re here, in this elevator. It’s just you and me, alright? There’s no fire, no smoke. Just focus on breathing." I took a deep breath, making it loud and slow so he could hear. "In... and out," I coached. "Come on, follow me. In... and out." For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to do it. His breaths were shallow, panicked. But then, slowly, he started to mimic my breathing. It was uneven at first, shaky. But gradually, it began to steady. "That’s it," I said quietly. "Keep going. We’re okay."

I close my eyes as I breathe her in, filling my lungs with her heavenly scent. I’m about to pull away when I feel her small hands on my chest, and I freeze with my lips still against her forehead. She hesitantly runs her hands up my chest to connect behind my neck, and my lungs start to burn as I realize that I had been holding my breath.

"Sena. Shhhh. Calm down. Take deep breaths." I tried to obey, tried to slow my breathing, but the sobs kept coming. "Deep breaths," he repeated, his hand moving to my chest, feeling my racing heart. "In and out. Slowly. You're going to make yourself sick." I focused on his voice, on the steady rhythm of his breathing behind me, trying to match it. Slowly, painfully, the sobs began to subside into hiccups and shaky breaths. "Better," Kael said quietly. "Keep breathing. Just like that."

His breathing turned uneven, low and strained beneath me. Faster. Less controlled.

Hearing him I even tried to control my breathing but the pain in my chest and head took over making it difficult for me. “Take deep breaths, Devika, deep. Breathe in, and breathe out.” Breathing along with me, the alpha tried helping me. Only if Brent would have been here, he would have helped me to overcome this situation. He would have taken my hand in his providing me the support I want right now. “Devika… Devika, look at me. Look at me, take a long breath…” he said doing it along with me, “now, breath out, slowly breath in and breath out.”

But he made sure it made me comfortable and it worked. I slightly nodded my head in response. “Before you sing, you must learn how to breathe. Most of you come in here already doing it wrong.” I almost laughed. Breathing wrong? But the look on his face stopped me. “Hand here.” He tapped just below his ribs. “And here.” He gestured to my chest. I placed my hands where he pointed. “Now inhale.” I did. He shook his head almost immediately. “No. You’re lifting your chest. That’s panic breathing. We don’t want that.”

Breathing, safe and alive. His. All his.

"In for four counts. Watch. One, two, three, four." I tried to follow but my breath stuttered and caught. Tears streamed down my face, hot against my cold skin. I couldn't do it. I couldn't breathe right, couldn't calm down, couldn't be strong enough for what was coming. "That's okay. Try again. Just watch me." He breathed in again, slow and controlled. "One, two, three, four. Now hold. One, two. Now out. One, two, three, four, five, six." He repeated the pattern, his hands still cradling my face. "You don't have to match me perfectly. Just try. Even one good breath helps."

I might be having palpitations. I press my hand to my breast, willing my pulse to slow down. I can’t breathe fast enough to satiate my body’s need for oxygen. “Is it true?” I wheeze, stopping Cillian from leaving by grabbing his arm. “Is what she said true? Did Mikael take Guttenbrieg from you?”