Essence of Quinn Parts 3 & 4 (MxM)

Trust

Air stood frozen into place as Quinn bolted from the room. He felt torn, not knowing what he should do.   

His chest felt tight and he whined at the raw pain that lashed at him through the bond he shared with Quinn. He was hurting so badly and Air felt helpless, not knowing what to do for the best.  

Earth cursed, and Air turned to face him. The big ghoul reverently held the reason for Air’s hesitation.   

Amaya.  

Someone needed to watch over her and stand vigil until it was time to perform the ritual. It should have been Quinn and Calista. Air owed it to him to take his place when he couldn’t do it himself.  

But how could he leave his mate to suffer alone? This had been building ever since they’d entered Lucia Santos’ bedroom and Quinn had sensed Amaya there.

He always straddled the line between his balanced and unbalanced selves. Bar a few minor wobbles recently, Quinn had mostly leaned towards balanced these days. Mostly.   

This situation, though? He’d been teetering right on the edge of hysteria since the moment they'd discovered the missing ghuleh. Air had looked on helplessly as it happened. Since Boreas’ ghouls had discovered Amaya and Astra’s last known whereabouts, Quinn had been crippled with frustration and anguish, but he'd felt pure joy when they finally discovered the ghuleh here on Earth.   

Air’s heart had swelled with love as he’d watched Quinn stepping up and taking care of Amaya, despite his still fragile emotional state.  

The hysteria had dug its claws deeper into him when they all fully realized the situation. To become free of Lucia Santos, she would have to go through the death ritual, just as Itzal had, in order to become a free ghuleh.  

Air whined when he looked at the result of all this; Amaya, her small, pale, still form laying still in Earth’s arms.  

The big ghoul smiled sadly at him, realising his dilemma.  

“Go after him, Air. We will guard her. He needs you more than she does right now.”  

Air went to Earth and gave him a gentle hug.  

“Thank you. He will appreciate everything you’ve done for him. When he’s back,” he added, emotion choking his voice.  

He looked down at the petite ghuleh that Earth held. She was beautiful, and Air’s heart ached when he thought about all the things she must have been through so far in her young life.  

Being a seer was tough. Air saw it every day, saw the toll it took on Quinn and how it shaped what he did and who he was. Seeing Amaya, so young and yet so old for her age already, it brought it all into perspective. It explained so much to him about Quinn and why he was the way he was. Things he hadn’t made the connection with before.  

Air leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Amaya’s forehead. She was still warm and a tear escaped his eye when he thought about the unfairness of it all. 

“Go, Air, before he does something stupid,” Earth said patiently. “I could see he was about to lose his shit.” 

Air stepped away and nodded. He looked at the rest of his pack mates and he smiled. He wouldn’t change any of them for the world. 

He turned and left the chapel, heading out towards the main corridor that led to the exit. Air stopped for a moment to reach out and try to figure out where Quinn was. He’d presumed that the other ghoul would make his way to the woods to let off some steam, but as it turned out, he was wrong.