They met in the darkness. Brandon a mortal. Ezekiel a Shifter. Pain and loneliness brought them crashing into one another.
Their meeting will be the first dominoes in an epic saga that branches through not only time, but blood as well. Broken Bonds...
Ezekiel suddenly heard Brandon breathing behind him, tight sharp gasps.....like he couldn't quite catch his breath.
Taking a moment to step back out of the circle that his brothers had formed around their father and Nate, Ezekiel turned to Brandon and was struck by the emotions swirling across his face and in his eyes.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
He had expected to see irritation because of Mantilo's refusal to listen to him. (Something Ezekiel was privately relieved about.) But what Ezekiel saw there on Brandon's enchanting face wasn't anything as simple as irritation or even pouting.
What Ezekiel saw was an intense mixture of pain and shock. His cool green gaze was slightly widened and his gloved finger tips were clawing into the narrow arms of his chair like he was holding onto the seat in a turbulent sea that only he could see.
Only he could feel. And it was tearing him apart.
Moved by his obvious discomfort Ezekiel went to the side of his chair, leaned on it and playfully waved his hand in front of Brandon's face.
"Brandon....breath...just breathe." Ezekiel said.
"I am breathing." He responded, finally looking up at Ezekiel, but his green eyes were still cold, unfocused and scattered. "Leave me alone." Brandon demanded nearly at a breathless whisper.
"No...You're gasping, not breathing." Ezekiel said, as always not put off by Brandon's brusque words. Instead he leaned down and put his chin on the back of the chair, a few inches up and away from Brandon's ear. "And you're going to pass out if you don't try to regulate your breathing for me."
Ezekiel said putting a hand over his heart, feeling it pounding far too hard and fast beneath his palm. "Center yourself...focus on my voice if you need to...Focus on the weight of my touch...breath with me..." He tried to instruct. A part of Ezkeiel knew he could just force the man to clam down with his innate ability to share emotions but he knew Brandon would welcome that the way a slug welcomes salt.
"Hey, stop touching me! I'm fine. Im okay...." Brandon snarked at him, attempting to sound strong, but it didn't escape Ezekiel that he was still clutching the arms of the chair for dear life. His eyes blow wide and lifeless with fear.
"Hey..." Ezekiel snarked back. "Stop trying to pass out on me....and maybe I will believe you." Then because he really did feel like Brandon passing out was a definite possibility Ezekiel continued to try to calm him. Soothe him as if the Reaver had calmed Brandons scathing emotions before.
Increasing the weight or his hand on Brandons chest slightly as he leaned closer, speaking in a tone that seemed to make Brandon narrow his attention on his voice. "Now listen to me for once..... And breathe....nice and slow. In and out. Just take it slow. Feel the strength in your body flowing away from you...fell the weight of my touch holding you in place, keeping you grounded...Push aside the panic. Give it away...give it all away for me...and just breathe...."
