Forest Mutation (Book Two)

Epilogue

The lair at night is more alive than it should be.

Diaval wanders out of the dojo, his eyes as drooped as his shoulders. He sighs and runs his hands down his face, tugging at the pale skin and making the dark circles underneath his eyes shift. He can't sleep, again.

He heads for the other bedrooms at a shuffling, slow gait. The last thing he wants is to trip over something and wake everyone else up. He'd never hear the end of it from Raphael.

As he passes Destiny's bedroom, the sound of something all too familiar reaches his ears: whimpering, weak sobs, rustling sheets. He stops and turns to the door, pushing it open slowly. Sure enough, Destiny lays on her bed, whimpering into her pillow as she curls up in a tight ball. Tears start to run down her face as her claws dig so far into the pillow that he fears she may puncture it.

Diaval moves to her side and reaches out, his fingertips already starting to tingle with the warmth of her desire, but something makes him stop. His hand stays poised over her, ready to flush her troubled mind with images of Leonardo, but he doesn't do it. He sighs and lowers his hand before turning and leaving the room.

He stands before a different bedroom door, takes a deep breath, then knocks. There's silence on the other side. He knocks again. After five more seconds, the door creaks open and Leonardo blinks sleepily up at Diaval, eyelids drooped.

"Diaval?" he asks. "What are you doing? Can't sleep?"

"Don't sleep much anyway," Diaval admits. He takes a deep breath. "Destiny's having a nightmare."

Leonardo's gaze flits in the direction of her bedroom. "Don't you handle that now?" he asks. There's no denying the bite in his voice.

Diaval's face doesn't change. He blinks. "She wants you. Better to have the real thing, right?" Leonardo purses his lips and Diaval's mouth twitches as his fingertips tingle. "You want to. Go do it."

Leonardo frowns and rubs the base of his neck. "Didn't I say to stay out of my head?"

"Yeah, but..." Diaval shrugs. "Gotta do what you gotta do."

The turtle's face softens just enough to make him look less angry. He sighs and bobs his head, slipping out of the bedroom and shutting the door. "Alright," he says.

He walks to Destiny's room, turns the handle, and goes inside. Diaval wanders closer to the door, just able to hear the gentle words within the room.

"Hey, ssh...you're okay. It's just me," Leonardo murmurs. "Leo."

Destiny's fast breathing slows and there's the sound of legs dragging against sheets. Diaval peeks in just enough to remain inconspicuous. Leonardo has knelt next to the bed, murmuring under his breath as Destiny gazes at him with reddened, tear-soaked eyes. She occasionally sucks in a very long, cleansing breath, then releases it.

When Leonardo goes to stand, she grabs his wrist. "Don't go," she pleads. "They'll come back."

His expression is sad. "Des, we...we aren't..."

"Please?" she asks. "I don't want to be alone."

Diaval turns away from the door, bracing his back against the wall as he stares at the blank space ahead of him. Leonardo's soft, hesitant agreement floats through the nighttime air and there's a few more rustling noises before silence blankets the lair yet again. When Diaval wanders by a final time, reaching for the door handle, Destiny and Leonardo are sleeping soundly, wrapped in each other's arms and blankets.

Diaval shuts the door, steps back, and looks down at his hand. The warmth of his magic floods his entire palm and he grits his teeth as he closes his fist around it. This is better, he tells himself. She wants it this way.