Not Alone

Chapter 12: Triggered by the Aftershock

I lazily run my hands through long silver hair, the cave bedroom almost pitch black in the early morning.

Asper had returned last night, a large deer carcass on each shoulder, a pleased look about him that quickly faded into concern when he saw Dias and I by the fire. I have never seen Asper so angry as when I told him about what happened earlier, his black and silver hood flaring from his hair as he hissed, long fangs snapping open.

I pause briefly in stroking his hair. Angry isn't the right word for what he was. Incandescently furious fits better. Furious and concerned. Just as I could read anger in the flaring of his hood and the snap of his teeth, I could see concern in the scrunch of his eyebrows, and worry in the corners of his mouth.

Dias awoke and left early this morning, leaving Asper to cuddle and hold me, his head resting on my stomach. Dias was silent as he sat with me by the fire after our conversation, silent as Asper returned, silent as we went to bed, and silent as he left.

My brows furrow as my fingers tap idle rhythms on Asper's warm back. In all the time I've known Dias, I've rarely seen him this upset. I'm well aware of just how badly he is reacting because when he gets truly upset, he doesn't get angry, cry, or any other sort of audible emotion. He just gets quiet. Dias, who is so utterly filled with life and endless quick quips, quiet? It hurts to watch, and it hurts to know that there isn't a whole lot I can do other than give him my support.

Really, I should be the one upset in this situation, I almost got kidnapped after all, but I found that I'm not really scared or traumatized or whatnot. I'm angry mostly. Angry that it happened. Angry that there wasn't anything I could do to protect myself. Back home, if I guy tried to pull some sort of shit like that, yeah maybe I wouldn't succeed, but I could at least hurt the motherfucker, I could bite, punch, claw, and kick in ways that couldn't be easily ignored. But here? I may as well have been gently caressing the bastard. I couldn't DO anything.

Asper tightens his arms around me, disrupting my train of thought as he looks up at me with those concerned silver eyes I am swiftly learning to love. He speaks after a moment, clearly thinking over his words carefully "I'm sorry."

I cock my head a little to the side in confusion "What for?"

His lips tighten a little before he answers "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you. That I took too long to return. I should have been faster."

I shake my head a little as I comb through his hair "It wasn't your fault. None of what happened is on you. It's a little bit on both of us for not remembering about the Mermen but for the most part? There was no way that we could have predicted that a Merman was going to try something the minute we had our backs turned"

His nostrils flare as his brows furrow "I should've known. I do know. What use are ancestral memories if I never use them? Mermen have done this before. They typically keep very few females, even as few as one at a time since they give birth in massive amounts, but it's happened before where they kidnap beautiful females. I can see the memories. I should've known that they would try to take you"

I stay silent at that, petting his hair quietly. It isn't his fault, but I doubt I'll be able to convince him, not when there is a kernel of truth. He does have the memories to know about Mermen, but at the same time, so do I. We both fell into the trap created by distraction and forgetfulness.

Asper cuddles with me for a while longer, long enough that we can see the first rays of light come through the wall hole. Pushing himself up, Asper rises from the bed and slithers out of the bedroom, the end of his pitch-black tail stretching out to remain in the bedroom door.