Bound Trilogy: Bound: A Supernatural Story (WLW)

Chapter Five

"I'm sorry... I..." Pen turned her head from side to side, glancing between Xenia and Jules. They stood in the ceremonial circle and as much as Xenia thought Pen understood just what had happened, she could also see she had no idea of the impact it held. "I'm your what...?"

"My familiar." Xenia stifled a chuckle, swallowing it deeply within her throat before it could escape, when Pen's face scrunched up.

She looked less and less like the scared little rabbit Xenia first met and more like her shell may finally be breaking. She couldn't place why Pen reminded her more of a land dwelling shifter rather than an actual Aquatic, not that she had much to go on as her knowledge of the Aquatic wasn't exactly plentiful. Still, maybe Pen was more like... An otter? Pen looked her square in the eyes as Xenia thought this, blinking a few slow times, and then shook her head as if casting out Xenia's observations.

So, their telepathic link had already been set.

Xenia glanced over at Jules who seemed somewhat fascinated by Pen's possible breakdown that could happen at any moment. Jules looked at a cross between wanting to help Pen and wanting to watch how it all ended. Xenia stuck her chin up into the air, took a few deep breaths so that the woods would cleanse her palette, and finally peered back at Pen.

"A familiar is someone who is very close to the alpha of a pack. Since our alpha would in fact be a Vixen," Xenia pointed her thumb at herself. "Then you would be the First Vixen's familiar. Their most trusted ally. Although, I do have to say I've only felt one bond stronger than this. It's definitely different."

Pen darted her eyes over Xenia's face, then they narrowed. "I don't want to be. So, make it stop."

She fought not to laugh at her again as she spotted a lilt in Pen's voice and couldn't quite decide if she was angry or freaked out beyond belief. "I can't, Pen."

"What does that mean? And by it, do you really mean can't or do you mean won't?"

Xenia crossed her arms over her chest and stepped closer. Pen, obviously absentmindedly and out of pure instinct, cast her gaze away and found an area of the grass beneath her feet very interesting. Why did she always look away when Xenia made eye contact? It was so strange and made absolutely no sense in this case. If she were angry with her or commanding submission, sure, it made all the sense in the world. However, that wasn't Xenia's goal.

"I can't. And besides that, it's already working." At this, Pen looked back up at her expectantly. This time, Xenia went to harden her gaze and Pen hurriedly dropped her gaze back down to her feet. "I just asserted my dominance and you looked away."

"That doesn't mean anything. Dominants are..." She shook her head and grunted as if in defiance of Xenia's words. "Submissives look away. It...It's just how we are meant to behave. It's just what's proper." Pen walked toward the stone at the center of the ceremonial grounds and knelt down beside it. Xenia could see she was fighting the bond, but for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. No one fought a bond in their culture. No one would even dream of it. They drew their power, their strength from the bonds they formed. It was a natural way of life, but the trepidation drifting off of Pen told Xenia she felt it was somehow wrong. "I think...you should tell me...what we're doing here." Pen sat down on the stone and glanced up, zeroing in on Jules. "And wh-why we went and got D-Daughter Dabrowski."

Her stammering was back and with it, her walls.

That was it. Xenia strode toward her and sat down on the opposite side of the stone. Jules followed and took her hand, giving it an encouraging, approving squeeze. Yes, Xenia needed to tell Pen anything she would want to know and more. If it meant Pen may come to see that this was not a bad thing someday, that this budding friendship would be something that she could rely on, Xenia would sit there all day and all night if she had to do so. She would speak for as long as it took to help Pen take down those barriers once again and leave them where they belonged. Stomped into the ground and forgotten.