No One Will Ever Hurt You Again I Promise-Chapter 71
The thought makes Theo wince, and El notices it right away since he was staring at Theo while spinning him around like a damsel. All that’s missing is a puffy white dress, pastel blue gloves, and glass shoes for Theo right now to complete the picture. Theo’s hands on El’s shoulders tensed at the thought that El might treat him much worse than he had already. El was jolted out of his trance by Theo’s wince, and an awkward tension developed between them; he stopped twirling the other around like a doll, who avoided looking him in the eyes as he gently placed him back on the floor.
They stayed like that, facing each other for a moment without saying anything or moving away from each other. The discomfort that sets in, grows more and more, and the oxygen in the room becomes suffocating and poisonous; their lungs begin to catch fire from breathing the heavy air filled with tension. El scratched his throat, aware that he was the one who caused all this unbearable embarrassment; he was the one who put them in this situation first, right?
Theo said nothing; he didn’t even dare to move for fear of making a move that might be too sudden or too tense. El’s moods shift like a coloured neon, keeping Theo on his toes. It’s better to be careful than to be carried away by El’s terrible mood swings; he never knows when all this will come back to bite him in the ass.
As Theo didn’t dare move or seem to hear the scratching of his throat, El figured he better talk to him. This lost look that he read on his companion’s face torments him a little. "Do you want to get dressed... or bathe before getting dressed?" he ended up formulating in a deep, tense voice.
Theo nods yes, still without looking at him, so El shifts to the side, assuming Theo wants to take a bath first, leaving room for Theo to move and go to the bathroom. What he does without looking behind him or murmuring a word—caution is the key to any good understanding.
Immersed in the most complicated emotional distress, Howie struggles with his impending fainting; he has to stay in control; he has to stay awake no matter the pain; and the price he has to pay to stay conscious while these waves of memories invade his cerebral cortex.
On two occasions that were inconclusive, he tried to establish contact with his father, which did not work. He is far too unstable to concentrate on what he knows about the modus operandi of psychic contact between his peers while he is on the brink of sinking into darkness, in an infernal and chaotic whirlwind.
And the fact that he is far too worried about the pressure that his father must feel if he learns of the situation in which he finds himself, especially since he is accompanied by the two new boarders, makes the contact between them more complicated to establish. El is a much better choice than his father right now, and El will know how to help him get on his feet real quick, he will know how to guide him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
If he can’t find his father, El is the only person with whom he can share everything, even if the latter is sometimes unbearable. He tried to make contact again, but this time it was El, Howie chose to call to help. On the other hand, Bravael, who was too busy with Theo, was unable to make the connection on the first try or to tell the difference between a voice in his head and a voice in the house. The second time he tries again, El hasn’t realized the importance of the contact H is trying to establish between them, he’s all too happy to find that he’s one of the chosen ones.
The panic he heard in H’s voice on the first attempt didn’t stop him from being happy when he realize H had finally put him on the pedestal he deserves. He thinks that the latter is trying to understand how the psychic link between his chosen ones works since he has never used his wolf until now. It is part of his training; he must be aware of all the weapons he has in hand when the time comes so that he can put them all to use and use all his abilities to the maximum.
In his excitement, Bravael missed the most important part of this attempted connection between his friend and him, who desperately needs his support right now.
H’s head bobbed to either side like a shameless old drunk-ass man, his hand resting on Kaeli’s wound to keep the pressure on and the wound closed. He is trying hard to keep his lucidity and sanity in check to get her out of there alive, but he can’t manage to use his powers to help her to the fullest, he’s far too disturbed by the sight of all that blood flooding all over the place to be of any use to Kaeli.
The images of his past life flashed in a loop in his head as if he were watching a black-and-white film; the smell of blood awakened his disturbing and terrifying memories, making him lose his means. Sitting on the asphalt with Kaeli’s inert body propped against his chest, Howie tries to keep her alive just a little and as best he can.
For once, he completely forgot how much he hates being so close to people except his father, El, and the twins. His phone is way too far away to be able to use it to call for help or anything. If only he were one of these teenagers addicted to their cellphones and such, he would have it in the pocket of his jacket or his pants instead of leaving it in the glove compartment of his car.
"Come on, Howie, you can do it; just a little more effort, bro. We’re going to forget all that blood squirting everywhere and focus on saving a life. Even if that bitch doesn’t deserve you to give yourself all that trouble for her, she is dating the twins, buddy, Remember this and focus, big guy."
Desperately, he begins to talk to himself, as El would have done for him when he was losing his footing in the infernal circle of his memories, and Lyke, who has not spoken to him for some time, would have been a big help if this one could show up now.
But Lyke left him in charge a long time ago, ever since he exploded into a ball of light. It was time he let Howie figure out who he is on his own and make his own choices as the teenager he is today and the man he will be tomorrow.
Howie is a responsible kid, and Lyke didn’t want to stay in the corner like a voice in his head when he was him; he wanted Howie to understand it and act like they were one. He doesn’t want the little one to get used to expecting help from anyone, he’ll only have himself and himself alone to rely on.
So he gave the child time to complete the fusion with his inner being, as well as space to control the two beings he now possesses within his soul because he is now far more dangerous than a ferocious and fearsome pure-blood prince or a wolf god with immense power and a harsh indomitable temper, merciless to those who recklessly defies him through insolence or ambition.
Now he’s a combination of two fierce, disreputable beings with bad tempers to boot, so it’s up to Howie to manage them, tame his nature, and control them on his own. He should know who he is by himself, explain it to him, and guide him step by step; otherwise, it is like pampering him and making him careless and lazy. There’s no room for procrastination in his world; he has a war waiting.
He should learn to master the pure blood with the murderous impulses that he is and the god with benevolent intentions, but who is not better than the pure blood when he feels trapped, or rather when he is put up against the wall.
Besides, their communion was made in perfect harmony, Howie accepted his inner self without constraint, so there was no need to worry the rest of the procedure will go smoothly if possible. With his migraine escalating, Howie calmed down anyway and tried to connect with El again.
If he didn’t have esteem and admiration for the white-haired boy who’s been ruining his life every day since he met him, he wouldn’t be able to connect with him at first. Try; he loves El more than he lets him know, but hey, after all, Howie is Howie.
He closed his eyes and concentrated again, which caused him far more pain than he had anticipated, and let his mind wander to El with his devastatingly charming smile and his unwavering support, even if he may be a wound with his confidence, which overflows on all sides.
El was rummaging through his wardrobe to find something for Theo that would suit his hazel eyes or highlight that fragile and soft side that he hides so well from others. Certainly, he is not a brute or a physically fragile person, but he is someone much more tender than he lets on, and El has seen it since the latter lost all his arrogance and his tough look when he found himself face-to-face with him. Beneath his bad-boy looks hides a tender-hearted boy with an angelic smile and the tenderness of a sparrow, moreover his few lovers know it a little too but they do not know the extent of his tenderness.
El was humming a rather cheerful tune while he was looking for what could marinate the best with Theo’s beautiful eyes. Well, it must be said that he truly has something to celebrate and be on cloud nine about. He was finally able to have a good time with Theo without them yelling and hitting each other like a punching bag, and the most amazing thing is that he is finally part of Howie’s important circle. This arrogant and snobbish little brat has finally understood that he is an asset to him and that he well deserves his respect, like the twins.
That said, he had a much more pleasant end to the day, and that was unexpected; it is an assured joy. He waddles happily from foot to foot while looking for what he needs in his awesome, huge wall cupboard with a smartass TV in the middle of it. Theo left the bathroom draped in a large bath towel and leaned on the doorway, admiring this new facet of his executioner, beaming with drops of water all over his upper body.
