Royal Blood

Reunited

I kept the shackle key in my hand as I slowly walked down the steps. It wasn't very well lit, the only light that was on was a spotlight on Axton. I covered my gasp with my hand as I saw him. His clothes were dirty and ripped, his long arms were secured up the wall behind him, his head was hung looking down at the damp floor where his long legs were stretched out in front of him. He looks worse than I did.
"Axton?" I said it carefully as I stood at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't stir. "Axton, I'm here." Nothing. "Axton, please look at me." I pleaded with him and his neck twitched like he wanted to look up but thought better of it.
I carefully walked towards him, the water on the floor making little splashing noises from my bare feet. I could see his chest rising and falling the closer I got. I also saw untouched blood bags against the wall next to him. He hadn't been eating.
"Axton, I'm going to unchain you now. I'm home." I said it gently but he still didn't look up. When I got close enough to unchain him I whimpered when I saw that his skin looked slightly grey. He needed to drink.
I unchained both hands and they flopped down to the ground. I sat cross legged on the ground next to his right hand and held it in mine. It was ice cold so I started rubbing it with both hands. I kissed each of his finger tips and kept trying to warm him up before taking a chance glance up at his face
He had turned it towards me and I fought not to shake at the sight. He looked like a mister in a horror movie. His eyes were entirely black and they looked sunken in from his lack of blood. His hair had grown longer and hung limp around his face. His fangs were perpetually out, preparing to sink them into anything near him.
I kept eye contact with him as I moved his hand up to my cheek and held it there.
"You don't look so good bloodsucker." I tried to joke lightly. He just blinked at me. "You have to drink this." I used one hand to grab the blood bag and the other kept his hand on my face, he had started to twitch his fingers.
I moved the spout of the blood bag up to his lips and to my relief he started to drink the blood. He kept his face in the exact same place and expression as his face started to fill out and recolor as he kept drinking the bags. After he drank all 5 of them he almost looked normal, his eyes were still black but his fangs had receded and the color was back in his entire body.
"Is that better?" I asked quietly. He finally did something different and nodded slightly. I smiled at him and that seemed to loosen him up a bit. He moved his thumb back and forth on my cheekbone and I leaned into his hand.
"Dove?" He said it so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. I opened my eyes and smiled at him again.
"Yeah it's me. I'm back, I'm okay. We are all okay." I grabbed his other hand and put it on my stomach where one of the babies kicked his hand.
"You're actually here," he mumbled, his eyes had moved to his hand.
"Yeah I am. Do you want me closer?" I had to speak carefully. He was still in a fragile state. He nodded and I scooted myself so that my legs were across his and I was leaned against his side. His clothes were damp and they made me shiver but I just pressed against him harder.
He dipped his head into my neck and inhaled deeply before growling and biting down. I whimpered since it hurt more than it usually does but I would allow him to feed for a little bit. About a minute later I told him to stop, when he didn't I had to push away from him and crawl a few feet away.
He whined and looked at me with his normal grey eyes back in place. "I'm sorry." He mumbled like a little kid.
"It's okay Axton. Let's get you out of here." I got to my feet and held a hand out to him. He took it and got to his feet. I kept hold of his hand as I led him up the stairs and past his family who looked worried.
"He hadn't drank any of that blood," I growled at them as we passed and continued up to our room. "Can you take a shower by yourself?" I asked him and he nodded. He shuffled into the bathroom and I heard the water turn on.
I had to change into new clothes since the ones I was wearing got wet in the dungeon. I grabbed another pair of boxers for Axton and put them on the bathroom sink with another towel before walking over to the bed and sitting down on it and waiting for Axton.
He walked out of the bathroom 20 minutes later, clean and dry. He just stood there like he was waiting for instructions. I walked back over to him grabbed his hand again. I led him to the bed and laid him down on his side and put the blanket on him.
I got in next to him and laid with my back against his chest and put his arm around my waist. We fell asleep like that.
I woke up the later to Axton rubbing my belly and periodically kissing my neck.
I yawned and his arm wrapped around me tighter.
He put his face in my neck and took deep breaths before speaking. "I'm sorry that I was so out of it. I had dreams about you every night and just assumed that was another one."
I turned over and faced him. He had eyes liked a kicked puppy so I smiled up at him, grabbed the sides of his face with my hands, pulled his head down to mine and kissed him on the forehead and then the lips.
"I'm real this time Nosferatu. I'm back and I'm okay. Like I said we are all okay." I dropped my head to his chest and snuggled further into him.
"I know that now. I should apologize to Robin. I could have killed him." He wrapped his arms around me again and rubbed my back.
"He's a big boy he can handle himself," I yawned again and fell back asleep in my mates arms for the first time in months.