Bound Trilogy: Bound: A Supernatural Story (WLW)

Chapter Sixteen

Every move Kuba made to get the dosage of her medications correct, Bast watched with a scrutinizing eye. Pen wished more than anything that she could take that automatic distrust Bast obviously held for others and replace it with the light she felt from the foxes around her. She would. Her mind was made up and she would do as much as she possibly could to make Bast feel safe. Pen wanted it no matter what had happened or would happen in her life.

Bast stayed close to her side and clung to the bottom of her shirt, bolstering her confidence in being able to help her, even if it was in the faintest of ways. Actually, it wasn't faint. It was encompassing and took Pen with such a force she could have felt frightful of not being able to give her what she needed, yet she wasn't.

She was trusted by someone whose natural instinct was to fear everything, or rather, to be on alert amongst everyone around her. Carefully, Pen took hold of Bast's wrist and slipped her hand into hers with a shy smile. Bast flitted her gaze to hers as her lips twitched like she may send her one back, but she quickly turned her eyes back to Kuba as he approached and put herself between him and Pen. She stood from her chair and eyed Kuba up and down through narrowed slits.

"It's okay, Bast. He won't hurt us." Pen told her as she ran her fingers of her free hand up and down her forearm. "He won't hurt anyone."

Bast stayed where she was, in a protective stance in front of her and Pen felt another smile playing at her lips as her cheeks heated. It may have been hard to accept their obviously deep bond before, but after the last few days, spending all her time with Bast and listening to her every word, trust was all that filled her mind over the past week.

Strength and protectiveness drifted off of Bast, a nickname by which only Pen was allowed to call her, and filled her with care. She kept rubbing Bast's forearm and it seemed to relax the tense muscles beneath her fingers.

"This is a sort of sedative." That tension was back in an instant and Bast stepped back with a hand on Pen's torso with each pace. She heard a snarl rumbling from her and gulped at the terror flooding the room. Kuba lifted his hands in the air. "It won't put you to sleep, I promise, but it will stop the change from progressing while we all try to figure out what is happening with your body's physiology, Bastet. Pen is right. It won't hurt you, alright daughter?" Bast's snarl turned into a full-on growl at hearing his last word and Kuba winced. "S-Sorry."

"It's okay, Bast. I'm right here with you." Pen told her, drawing her gaze. Bast searched her face and tilted her head to the side as her own face slowly, but surely softened ever so slightly. "It will help with the pain." Pen glanced over at Kuba. "That's all, right?"

"Yes. She will be out of harm's way and be quite safe. No more cold tremors or shifting at all until we know how she can do so safely." He gave Bast a gentle, but definitely uneasy grin that died nearly as soon as it came to life. "You have my word."

"See?" Pen sent her a gentle gaze and Bast peered back over at Kuba, then tentatively nodded.

Pen continued to rub her arm and Bast glared at him as he put the needle into her arm and gave her the medicine. She shivered and relaxed again as he stepped away, letting her hand finally fall from Pen's stomach.

"Will you both be going to the next ceremonies tomorrow?" Kuba asked, a distinct tremble in his voice.

It sounded drenched with emotion, as if he was on the verge of tears and he wriggled about for a moment in an apparent attempt to hide it. While Pen couldn't sympathize with what he had done to Bast, she still hoped that one day this may become easier for them both. With her lack of a real relationship with her father, she wanted something like that for Bast, even if it took time to achieve. However, that couldn't happen unless Bast truly let her in and told her more of her past, and most of their conversations had been Bast listening to Pen speak about herself and the Aquatic, while Bast only divulged little tid-bits of rather superficial information. If only she could get her to open up...