Page 10 of Forging Bonds: Part Two

“Good. I’m here. I have a feeling it’s going to take both of us.”

“Me too.”

Thank fuck that the castle recognizes me, because it opens the doors immediately. The guys all turn to me, panic, fear, anger, and tears on all of their faces as they drop into defensive stances.

As soon as they see me, they straighten back up.

“We can’t help her,” Evander says with anguish.

River clears his throat, “She can’t hear us. She’s too far into her memories.”

I nod, but I don’t bother replying, there’s no time. Striding through them, what I see, while not unexpected, still breaks my heart. She’s ready for a fight, her swords in her hands, her eyes full of panic and flitting around the room as she sees things that aren’t there. Tears stream down her face, and blood drips onto the floor from her wrists, ankles, and the wound she got when she dived through the door.

“Shit,”Dimitri curses violently.“She’s far worse than I thought.”

I grunt and carry on moving forward, all of my focus on Neith.

“Careful, man, she’s swung the swords at everyone who steps close enough,” Doc warns, his voice sounding broken.

I hear him, but I don’t care. From experience, the only way to get through to Neith when she’s in this condition is to hold her and speak to her. Fortunately, I’m used to pain, I always have been, but especially now. I stride closer, and she screams and starts swinging. I feel the swords as they slice me, but I don’t feel the pain. She is all that matters.

Even with my dragon bound, I’m still quicker than she is, and within moments, I have my arms wrapped around her.

“Asael, she’s safe, I promise,” I growl to the swords as Neith struggles in my arms.

I have no idea if he will listen to me, he’s not my enchanted sword, but this will be a lot easier if he disappears right now.

“Asael?”Dimitri questions his voice, strained.

“Enchanted sword,”I reply.

It surprises me when Asael listens and disappears from her hands. Unfortunately, her sword's disappearance makes her panic heighten, and she starts to swing for me using her fists instead.

“Neith, Love,” I try, keeping my voice calm, and hoping that the sound of it will bring her out of her panic, but it’s no good, she’s too far past hearing me.

“We’re going to need to sing, it’s the only thing that has ever worked to calm her down when she’s gotten this bad, and it only ever works when it’s both of us,”I growl to Dimitri.

“Like old times, my voice will come out with yours, and it will sound like we’re both singing together,”Dimitri reminds me unnecessarily.“Are you sure me singing is going to help her?”

“It only ever worked with the two of us singing, brother,”I remind him.

“Okay.”

As I open my mouth to sing Neith’s lullaby, Dimitri’s deep baritone voice sings alongside mine, and I am sure that the guys are going to have questions. It’s obvious that it’s not just my voice. I really couldn’t give a fuck though, the effect it has on Neith is immediate as she stills.

She’s still lost in her mind, but she’s not fighting me anymore. The fists that were hitting me wherever they could moments ago, move to my chest as her fists clench in my shirt tightly. We don’t stop singing, she’s not ready yet.

Finally, she looks up at me.

Her eyes are still unseeing, “Coen, Dimi,” she says with such profound relief that it has a lump forming in my throat as I pull her closer.

“Fuck,”Dimi’s heartbroken voice whispers through my mind.

Her voice rises with panic again, as her fists clench harder in my shirt, “Don’t let him get me.”

“I’ve got you, Love,” I reply, and then go through what I usually do in this situation. “He’s dead, remember, Love? Dimitri and I tore him to pieces, do you remember? You watched us. He paid, we made sure he paid, and he can never hurt you again.”

She smiles, looking so much more vulnerable, “You did. I remember. Dimi made him hurt extra, just for me.”

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