Illstar

[Saren]

~

Some days had passed. Aerin had lost track of time. He was only allowed to rest for a few hours before being taken back into the room. He wasn't beaten as much as before, but his head was still bloodied and bruised from Andria's initial treatment. They asked him the same questions every day, and if he didn't answer them the way they wanted, they slid drugs into his system. He was constantly tired, and some days, he felt compelled to tell the truth, even if the truth was that he didn't know. They asked him what happened to the wolves, and unfortunately, the information about Shadow came from him and not Nova. It was the only thing he'd mentioned about their travels, but it wasn't good enough.

In that moment, Aerin was getting one of his rare moments of sleep when he heard movement outside of his door. No one came in yet, but he caught a few words. A plan was being formulated by someone called Ms. Jessamine, but he didn't know who that was. He knew he was going to play a part in it, but what?

He shied away from the light that streamed through the open door, shielding his eyes. Two men hauled him two his feet and stabbed him in the arm with a needle. Aerin found that the drugs dulled his senses, which was about the only good thing they did for him. He was moving then, but he was hardly aware it wasn't to his room. It was a different one, one that wasn't stained by his blood. They sat him down and left him there for whatever reason. Aerin's head lolled on his chest, making attempts to rest again. He didn't know what was going on. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop. He hadn't seen Nova since she was torn away from him that first day, and it felt like years had passed since then.

Aerin could only imagine what she was going through, and his imagination was grim and dark.

 

[Kaisaan]

Jessamine smoothed her hair before she opened the door to the interrogation room - well, one of them, this one was more docile than some of the others - heels clicking on the linoleum before she sat in the chair across from Aerin like this was a business meeting between a boss and a employee. She set the folder she was holding down on the white table and folded her hands. Her eyes looked dispassionately over the blond. She didn't see what it was about him that had attracted Nova, but she didn't much care either. No, what she wanted to know now was if she could use that to her advantage, if this plan had any success at working.

"Aerin Belsaiven, I am Jessamine Carter-Enscott. Tell me, what is my daughter to you?"

---

Testing. She hated testing.

Nova shut her eyes against the bright light shining at her. People thought being in the dark was bad, but she knew from experience that constantly be subjected to bright, intense light could wear down one's sanity just as quickly. Her headache was constant, a deep throb through her temples that didn't abate. Her throat was dry, not even the bar between her teeth enough to work saliva from her parched mouth. She didn't know the last time she'd eaten, couldn't measure the days.

Everything was measured in pain. Dull and throbbing meant she was being left alone. Agony meant she was being questioned again, the words running together in her mind like so much gibberish. She couldn't tell them what they wanted to know. She couldn't even muster up the emotion to be horrified that her own mother was doing this to her. She'd gotten over that three months past. The first time had been devastating, but now...now it was just one more thing that caused her pain.

She hadn't been moved from the table and Nova's limbs were streaked with blood and bruises. IVs ran out of her arms, her blood being taken slowly, slowly enough that she wasn't in danger of dying before her body replaced it, but she was constantly light-headed, pale and matters were never helped when she was tortured and bled that way, too. It didn't matter how she screamed, pleaded, raged - they wouldn't listen.

Nova was tempted to just start spouting off information that wasn't even true just to get a reprieve, but she'd done that one before in her previous capture and had paid dearly for it.

Above all else, though, she wanted Aerin. She'd never wanted anything more and she didn't even know why, but it didn't matter. She was beyond questioning why.

 

[Saren]

Aerin looked up and saw a woman who he almost mistook for Nova for a split second. The thought freed his mind of thoughts until he realized that this woman was much older and much colder. Her eyes glared at him, saying that if he wasn't coherent enough to speak to her, he would pay for it. He managed to straighten up in the chair, his head pounding. All he wanted to do was sleep. However, he couldn't do that, not in her presence. She spoke his name then, and he didn't like the way it came out of her mouth. It sounded hard, like she was displeased at the mere mention of his moniker. And then she said her name and asked what Nova was to him. This woman was torturing her own daughter for information?

"She... Why are you doing this?" Anger had cleared his mind, and now, his green eyes could retaliate with a glare. "She's your daughter. You should be helping her, not hurting her." This woman brought back memories of his own mother, a woman who hadn't wanted him. He wagered it was better than what Jessamine was doing to Nova. "Where is she? I want to see her." The way his mouth settled into a scowl when he was done speaking suggested that he was not going to answer her question.

He felt that pull, that compulsion again, somewhere in his head. A part of his brain wanted to say what Nova was to him. How he wanted to simply hold her and never let her go, because being separated was what had caused all of this. He wanted to see that beautifully contoured face and body of hers, the one he could draw for days and never have a single complaint. He wanted her to open up, to admit her feelings to him and him alone, telling him that she wanted to be more than just friends and how she could touch him without being afraid.

All of those thoughts surfaced, but he didn't dare let himself speak. His eyes closed, his mind relishing in her image, in the moment where she'd been clad in nothing more than shorts and a tank. The form where he could observe the power behind her frame and understand exactly what she'd suffered through.

But nothing left his mouth.

 

[Kaisaan]

She observed him, calculating eyes giving nothing back but a cold wall. Interesting. Mention of her daughter brought clarity despite the drugs. That was normal in subjects that had a strong, romantic connection. A marriage, dating, friends with benefits. Yes, this told her exactly what she needed to know and he didn't even have to say a word. But his words were useful, too. So he was defending her daughter. Good. And he wanted to see her. Even better. That was exactly what she wanted, what she needed to know for she knew very well that Nova wanted the same.

Perhaps more than Aerin realized.

She didn't answer his questions at all as she opened the notebook and slid it toward the blond. Inside were pictures of Nova, of the state she was in now, but there were other pictures, too. Pictures of what she'd been after three months in their custody. Broken and scared, pale and malnourished. Many pictures, however, focused completely on her eyes and mouth. The first three pictures were dated; one month into the capture and Nova's gaze was defiant and angry. Two months and she was tired, defeated and clearly suffering. Third month and it was clear she was terrified, haunted and hopeless. Above all else, though, she looked normal. No glow, no animal-like qualities whatsoever.

And then there were pictures of her now. Her eyes burned with fury that couldn't be measured and there was a feral gleam to her glowing orbs. They promised death and possessed a wildness like that of a rapid wolf. And then there were her teeth, normal six months ago and now sharper, canines longer in a snarl.

Jessamine let Aerin look over those in silence before she spoke. "This is the woman you care for. Do you even know her? What has she told you?" A raised brow. "Perhaps not that she was infected herself, completely so? Well, she was. The virus is in her blood right now, but its dormant." She leaned forward slightly. "My husband did something to her that protects her against the virus, but it's changing her. Take a good look, Aerin. That is six months worth of difference. How long before she becomes like your father, hmm?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Get her to talk to us. We can help stop whatever is happening to her. We only need to understand it."

 

[Saren]

It was morbid curiosity that drove Aerin to look at the pictures. He shook his head, disbelieving of what was happening to Nova. Was she really infected? She'd said she was immune. She couldn't have known that it wasn't true. He still found her lovely, even though her face was angry. Was it because of his absence? She'd seemed calm enough when he was around. One hand gripped the metal table, the coolness of the material clearing his mind. "I don't know. She didn't tell me anything, and if she hasn't told you already, then she won't. She doesn't know." She was strong enough to survive the torture, and while he wanted to believe she knew nothing, there was a spark of doubt in his mind.

And then there was the comment about his father. Imagining Nova attacking him... He couldn't handle it. His free hand swept the pictures from the table in a heap and he shoved himself from the chair. His anger was getting the better of him. "No! She won't be like my father! I can't... I can't kill someone like that again. I can't kill her." The last part was whispered as his hand covered his face, breath coming out in pants.

"She can't tell me, or you, anything if she doesn't know. Why would you even think she would tell you if all you do is cause her pain? Torturing us... hurting her... it won't get you anywhere." Maybe more than what he'd wanted had come out, but he couldn't take it back. That part of his mind, addled by drugs, the part that wanted to tell the truth, still rose up, but he clamped his lips shut. Too many words had been said already.

 

[Kaisaan]

Ah, this was working perfectly. She could see the spark of doubt in his eyes. She was good at picking those things up and Jessamine glanced at the scattered pictures but left them and instead observed Aerin calmly. She smiled just a little, just a fleeting expression before she motioned to the chair. "Sit before you fall over." she directed, uncaring if he actually obeyed or not and the woman turned in her chair and crossed her legs, one elbow on the table as she loosely linked her fingers.

"She doesn't have to be like your father, Aerin. As I said, we can fix her, but we need information. And you're right; I have been going about this all the wrong way. Hurting Nova, it's not working. She's stubborn, like her father. She does know something, but perhaps I have been too harsh in thinking she might remember after all the trauma the Illstar caused." She stood. "So we're going to go about this a different way."

Jessamine moved toward the door and knocked. The thing opened and she looked back at Aerin then, a smile coming to her face, unpleasant and cold. "I'm going to give you an hour with her. One hour to start jogging her memory, Aerin, or I will give her to Jenson. He was rather...fond of her the last time she was here. We can repeat such a process until one of you succeeds." A dark smirk accompanied the words before she looked to the people standing outside the door. "Make sure he's cleaned up."

She left.

 

[Saren]

Aerin sat, not because she asked him to, but because his limbs were growing heavy. His head was curled under his hands, but he looked up, just a hint of hopefulness in his eyes. He wanted to help Nova, to save her, but to do that, he would have to get information she didn't have. And Jessamine had said she was doing it wrong by torturing her daughter. Had he really gotten her to stop, just like that?

No, of course not. That was evident in her next words. He slammed the table and bolted toward the door. "No!" he shouted, but the door slammed in his face before he could chase after the woman. He couldn't let Nova endure such a thing again. Emotions overwhelmed him, the primary feelings being anger and sorrow. He curled up in the corner, tears streaking his dirty face. He cared too much for her to go through something like that.

He didn't exactly know when two women came to collect him. He just knew that they washed his hair with something sweet-smelling, scrubbed the grime from his face and body, bandaged up what wounds he'd gotten, and gave him a new set of clothes. An hour later, he was seated back in the same room. He was clad in a white v-neck shirt and jeans, a piece of wrapped gauze covering his healing shoulder. His bruises had been reduced to brown and black patches along his cheek, temple and forehead, but otherwise, he appeared normal. His eyes were down as he waited impatiently.

One hour. It was all he had. They would be given more chances, but he had to make this one count. He didn't know what they'd already done to her, but he could imagine it wasn't pretty.

 

[Kaisaan]

She'd been fed and watered.

Nova knew right then something was happening, something she should be wary of. It was when she was forcefully bathed, though that she grew scared. Last time this had happened.... Her mind flashed to Jenson and Nova's legs nearly buckled there and then in the shower. She was held up but strong, but uncaring hands and her body shuddered in fear as she was dried and bandaged, her hair left loose but brushed. Her skin was pale and she swayed on her feet as they dressed her back in clean cotton shorts, but this time a true bra and tank-top.

The brunette didn't try to run through it all. There were locked metal bracelets around her wrists. If she so much as even tried to leave the room, she'd feel the bolts of electricity running through her flesh and muscle and nerves alike and that was the last thing Nova could deal with right now. Her anger had not abated, but it was only seething for now, the fear taking a front seat as she was led toward a room.

She started to cry even before it was opened, her body wanting to curl in on itself at what it thought was behind that door. No one spoke to her, no one said anything to reassure her and Nova was shoved into the room and the door slammed shut behind her before she could even try to formulate a question, a plea, a protest. She didn't move from that spot, didn't even look up, terror-stricken and she slowly backed up, hitting the door and sliding down, visibly shaking as she curled inward.

Not again. Please, not again.

 

[Saren]

He heard the door open and he stood up, finding that Nova had already curled up in the corner. She was crying, something he'd never seen her do. He got down on one knee in front of her, careful not to touch. She'd always initiated the intimate touch when they'd had that luxury, and she was even more scared now.

"Nova?" he said softly. "It's Aerin. I'm not here to hurt you." He could feel the timer in his head striking down each second. He didn't want to think they were wasting time, but it's what it felt like. He had to coax her out of her spot first. So he sat down at her level, not asking her to move or anything. "I'm sorry that you're scared. I don't know what they did to you, but I know you saw what happened to me. I'm sorry that I couldn't help."

His head dropped as he looked at his lap and his hands. He wanted to hug her, to let her relax in his grip and tell her everything was going to be okay. But they both knew it wouldn't be. But he wanted let her know that he was there, that there was no harmful intent in his hands or in his heart.

 

[Kaisaan]

That voice. She knew that voice.

Nova looked up, tears still running down her face, and as soon as she saw Aerin, her eyes widened and she slowly reached out. She'd so many illusions of him by now, so many dreams that she was so scared this was not true. But her fingers touched flesh, touched a body that didn't strike out at her for the contact and she gave a gasping sob. "Aerin..." It was breathed through her lips and then the brunette was moving, her eyes flashing with a greenish glow as she moved to him, curled into him without any hesitation whatsoever.

They were both injured, some of the contact hurting her so she knew it had to be doing the same thing to him, but Nova didn't let go of her hold on him. Her body was practically in his lap, curled tightly, but AGAINST him and not away from him. Her breathing hitched with emotion, too many to name in that moment, but she knew one thing: she never, ever wanted to let him go. She buried her face into his chest, inhaling him, feeling a foreign kind of comfort wrap around her even amidst the terror around them and she didn't question it. She didn't want to. She didn't care anymore. He was safety. He was hers and she was with him again.

"Aerin." She wasn't even sure she could say anymore than that.

 

[Saren]

She was sitting and then she wasn't. She moved into him, her head curled on his chest and her legs on his. Had that been any other moment, he would have wanted to do so much more, but he couldn't. Instead, he simply leaned against the wall, his arms surrounding her with one hand on her hair. "I'm sorry, Nova," he repeated, his hand stroking down her long hair, trying to keep her from shaking. His lips brushed the top of her head, his arms tight around her body.

"I want you to stay here with me, but... We've only been given one hour. They want me to talk to you, to see if you'll give me information. I... Your mother said that if I don't succeed, she's giving you to Jenson. I told them that you didn't know anything, but they didn't believe me." He hated telling her what her fate was to be, but if it spurred anything in her memory, it was better than suffering at Jenson's hands. "I don't want you to go back there, but I can't stop it."

The hand that was on her hair came to rest on her cheek. He gently tilted her head up so his green eyes, full of concern and care for the young woman curled around him, stared down into her brown ones. He studied her face, the one he'd missed so much. He didn't think he would tire of looking at it or the rest of her, and while he wanted to dwell on his feelings, he knew he couldn't. "If you know anything... anything at all, please tell me. I can't stand to let you be taken to him." He couldn't stand to see her leave him again.

 

[Kaisaan]

His words elicited no response at first as she simply kept her eyes closed, let herself feel comfort from a man, a kind of comfort she'd never had before. She'd had boyfriends, lovers, friends, but this was different. This was so completely different in a way she could not fathom. And she only had an hour of it. That was enough to make Nova want to start crying all over again, but it was Jenson's name that made her tense. No, she grew rigid in Aerin's hold and while she didn't try to get away from him, her hold tightened as if he were a lifeline and her form started to tremble again, violently.

He lifted her head to look at him and while Aerin's gaze managed to send a flow of trust through her, it didn't negate the raw terror in her eyes. His words brought a flood for tears to her eyes and Nova gasped, feeling like she couldn't breathe. Her lungs didn't want to work, the fear she felt causing a literal panic attack as she tried to inhale and no air filled her body. Her vision swam, black spots dancing before her eyes. It lasted for a frightful time - at least to the brunette - before her throat suddenly opened and oxygen swept into her. She struggled for a moment, trying to get more in and finally just started sobbing as she curled back into Aerin.

"I don't know.... I don't know. I'm sorry, I don't know..."

She didn't know. She'd been over this so many times in her head that Nova felt she breathed it, dreamed it, was this one thought process by this point, this one question. Did she know anything? She didn't think she did. She had run over everything she knew of her father, everything she'd known about the virus, but nothing came to her. She didn't understand what her mother wanted, didn't know what ran in her blood.

She didn't realize how very different she was and that her father HAD done something to her.

Or at least she didn't think she did.

 

[Saren]

Her grip was painfully tight, but he said nothing. She needed something to hold onto, and he was that something. So he let her go through her emotions until she ended on crying into his chest. His shirt was quickly soaked, but he didn't care. His hand found her cheek again, and he went about the slow process of wiping her tears from her skin. "Sshh," he said, letting shudders rack her body before he held her tighter. He wanted to say that she would be okay, but he knew Jessamine was not going to let this go until she had something suitable to go on.

So all he did was hold her in his lap, still against her shaking frame. Just like he'd done in the truck, his lips pressed to her ear and he whispered sweet nothings to her. He had to do something to keep her mind from her fate, but he only had so much time. He was fighting the clock on this, and he was losing that fight.

He didn't know how long had passed, but eventually, he knew they would come for her. Spying the camera in the corner, he shook his head at it, knowing Jessamine was watching their interaction. She would want to observe how her daughter reacted around him and how she could use that against the two of them. Aerin glared at it, silently conveying his feelings. Nova didn't know anything, and that level of knowledge wasn't going to change, so there was no point in handing her off to Jenson.

Aerin knew his thoughts would go ignored.

 

[Kaisaan]

Nova quieted after some time as his voice caressed over her, his grip keeping her securely against him and while the trembling of her body didn't go away completely, it lessened and despite her fate, she relaxed into him. There was one person on this entire planet she could trust and he was right here, and it didn't matter that there were so few people left. It still counted. The brunette stayed near him and her breathing grew easier.

She knew their time was short and yet she'd calmed. It was him. It was his presence that did that and she didn't understand how it was possible, not when she knew what was going to happen to her. But she felt as long as she was here, with him, nothing could happen to her. Nothing bad could ever happen again. It was a silly delusion, she knew that the moment the door opened. The peace fled and Nova looked up, her eyes dilating rapidly.

A growl rumbled in her throat and she instantly felt the electricity arch through her body. She gave a cry, body convulsing in Aerin's hold before it abated and she was left gasping for air, tears streaming and her body shaking once more, this time with pain. Jessamine made a tsking sound. "Nova, you know better. You've gotten a rare privilege being able to visit Aerin. Don't make me regret my graciousness."

The brunette bared fangs that had rapidly grown, but she didn't move. She wouldn't leave the blond until they dragged her away from him. Jessamine's eyes went to Aerin then, brow rising. "Well? Do you have something for me or shall I have the guards escort Nova to Jenson's chambers?"

 

[Saren]

His grip on her body tightened so she didn't flail around in pain. He could feel the current coursing through her. How were they able to produce such pure and powerful electricity? It wasn't at the forefront of his mind as Jessamine asked what he knew. Aerin knew that she knew that he had nothing for them. They'd been watching. They knew that Nova hadn't been able to tell him anything. He couldn't lie, but he couldn't let her go back to Jenson. He held onto Nova, his arms sliding around her more protectively than before.

He didn't stand to face them. They weren't worthy of that. From the ground, he said, "No. You know that. She doesn't know anything, so she couldn't have possibly told me anything. You're never going to get anything out of her, especially if you take her to him." He fought to keep his voice steady, but anger wanted to pitch his tone into higher octaves. He couldn't let Nova go. Not like this. Not ever.

"There's nothing here for you. You would just be better off leaving us alone. You wouldn't do this if you even cared just a little bit about her."

 

[Kaisaan]

Jessamine laughed, a chilling, cruel sound that made Nova flinch. She could hardly remember what her mother had actually been like. She'd never been a doting woman, never really interested in her children, but she'd never been cruel. Nova knew something had changed her, but she didn't know if it was the Illstar or something else she was unaware of and she didn't much care anymore. The older woman didn't have a compassionate bone in her body anymore.

And the evidence was given as she smirked slightly and beckoned to the guards around her. "Unfortunately for you, young man, I don't." she shot back and Nova held onto Aerin tighter, already starting to sob again as they were both yanked apart, arms and hands and fingers pried away from one another and Nova screamed, fighting to get back to the blond. "No! No! Let me go! Aerin! Let me go! Please let me go! Please!"

The only response she received was another shock, but while the brunette gave a snarled cry, it didn't stop her from struggling to get back to Aerin, her brown eyes fixed on him until she was dragged from the room. She was dragged down the hall then, screaming and fighting still, snarling horribly - only upping her frantic endeavors when she was pulled into a room with a bed. Once she was tied down, though, all Nova could do was cry and pray that she could retreat far enough into her mind to escape.

---

Jessamine stayed with Aerin, watching as he was restrained and she gave a sigh. "Well, that was practically useless. And here I thought you cared about her. You didn't even try, Aerin." She smirked, malice dancing in her brown eyes. "I have half a mind to make you watch what Jenson does to her." She let that threat hang for a moment before shaking her head with a chuckle. "No. No, I think I will let him tell you during your next questioning session. Yes, that sounds good."

She moved toward the door, speaking over her shoulder. "You'll see her again in a week. Do think of a more convincing way to go about this until then."

 

[Saren]

"No!" Aerin held onto her as much as he could, but there was only so much he could do. His strength failed him and she slipped from his grasp. He immediately sprang to his feet to pull her back, but it took five more men to restrain him from taking off with Nova. The door slammed, but he could still hear her screams down the hall. They faded, and the pain remained. He turned harsh, angry green eyes on Jessamine as he lunged forward, nearly ripping his arms from their sockets. Of course he cared about her, but he couldn't make information magically appear in her mind. Jessamine was toying with him, and he was taking the bait. He shouted obscenities at her, but by the time he was dragged back to his room, he was reduced to only silent tears. He'd let her slip, and he would hate himself until he saw her again.

Maybe even then, he would still hate himself for allowing her to leave his presence.

~

A week passed, but it was too slowly for Aerin's taste. He was no longer giving sensory-dulling drugs, and his interrogator wasn't Andria. It was Jenson. Aerin grew to hate the man in about five seconds after he'd opened his mouth. He'd tried to shut out the details of Jenson's awful treatment of her, but his mind was allowed to wander and he could see her, his thoughts recreating her slender form in his head, one that soon became ravaged in ever way. After the first day of questioning, he had to be restrained because he'd clipped Jenson in the mouth with his fist and received a near-concussion and bruised chest for it. Aerin still got injuries even after that, but they were less, as much as 'less' could go for Jenson.

His rare hours of rest let his mind shatter the image of Nova's broken body and replace it with one of them together, just as they'd been days before. She wasn't afraid to touch him, and she was all laughs and smiles. For the first time in weeks, his dry and cracked lips curled into a smile, because he knew once they got away from here, she could be that person.

His hope was shattered as each long day drawled out until finally, he was being given his next chance. Just like before, he was clean and dressed in new clothing. His injuries were bandaged and he appeared healthy, were it not for the fact that his face was gaunt and paler from the lack of food and some days water. Aerin stood next to the door rather than sitting in the chair. He wanted to be the first thing she saw, not the room they were trapped in. He didn't want her to think about what had gone on while they'd been forced apart. He just wanted her to see him and nothing else.

 

[Kaisaan]

They'd taken her to him twice more after that first day and Nova had wanted nothing more than to die, to curl up and disappear from the world. She couldn't stop feeling his touch, even the memory making her skin crawl, a shudder wracking her body. Everything hurt and she'd stopped trying to fight it, retreating into herself both with Jenson and with the rest of the torture, the questioning, the tests. Her mind shut down until there was nothing left but animal reactions and even those were subdued. It was happening quicker this time around, her spirit crumbling.

She didn't know if she'd ever see Aerin again and any chance she got, Andria would whisper to her how he was dead, all the things that were happening to him and Nova would spring to life then, managing once, the first time, to tear into the woman's arm with her fangs. The bar had been replaced then until they started questioning and after a few times Nova had stopped reacting. There was a blankness in her eyes as she was cleaned again. They did this every time she went to see Jenson, too, so she had no reason to believe this time was any different.

Her body didn't want to support her, but she was made to walk, silent tears dripping down her face as the door was opened and Nova looked up. She always looked up. It was that faint spark of hope that still burned, telling her that maybe this time, maybe it was Aerin this time. Her brown eyes caught his face and for a moment nothing registered there, and then life sparked, sputtered and flared in her brown gaze. Nova was moving then, strength she didn't know she still possessed pouring into her limbs as she flung herself at him, arms wrapping around his neck.

He was real. He was real. He was here.

Her body gave a shudder of pain, of fear, of relief so profound she could barely breathe with it and Nova buried her face in his neck, voice nothing but a whisper, a hoarse, broken, heart-wrenching whisper. "Please don't leave me. Please."

 

[Saren]

Aerin obliged her, his arms encircling her waist and holding her as tight as he could against him. It had almost been worse not seeing her for a week after seeing her, than not seeing her at all. His cheek rested over her head, wincing as it was the tender side, but he said nothing. One hand went up and down her back, doing his best to calm her. The room was normally cold, but Nova was always incredibly warm. He didn't want to let her go, but eventually, he would be forced to do it again.

"I'm sorry that I let you go last week," he said, his other hand caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "I didn't want to." He moved so he was against the wall, using the metal frame to support the both of them. "He... He told me what he did to you. I tried to block it out, but he hit me if I stopped listening." He drew in a long breath, remembering the physical pain that had accompanied the emotional hurt. The hand on her cheek slid under her chin to tilt her head up, and his lips very lightly pressed to her forehead. It wasn't so prolonged that it would scare her, at least he hoped.

"I can't save you from him, but I can try to make it better." His grip around her tightened, like his arms could protect her from everything that wanted to hurt and kill her.

Jessamine's treatment of them both was weighing on him. How much longer could they stand this before one day, they didn't wake up? Nova had been right. Death would have been better than this.

 

[Kaisaan]

The motion of his hand soothed, but it also hurt. She was incredibly bruised there, but Nova said nothing. No, she didn't want him to stop, not for something as insignificant as pain. She kept close to him, the touch of his hand to her face welcome in a way Jenson's would never be. She nodded at his words, knowing he meant them and also knowing that she couldn't blame him. She'd been unable to hold on just as he had and she could never blame him for that.

Her breathing hitched to know he knew and Nova breathed in shakily when his lips met her forehead, so incredibly grateful he didn't do more than that. She didn't think she could stand it if he did. Not now, not yet. "I tried...I tried to fight him. I did." she whispered back, desperate that he believe her. She went back to his chest as his grip tightened and Nova coughed, the sound moving from her chest, sounding far wetter than it should have. She was getting sick, but no one seemed to care and the brunette ignored it herself, knowing there was nothing she could do about it.

She didn't have the energy for tears anymore as she pulled back from Aerin just a little, not leaving his grasp, but enough that she could see him. She really looked at him this time and what she saw brought sorrow and anger to her gaze. The former was constantly with her, but the latter...hadn't sparked in days and now it turned her eyes aglow as a glare swept over her face. Her fingers touched gently the swelling on his cheek, feeling the chill of his skin and Nova cursed behind her teeth. "Bastards."

Her gaze took in the many bandages and Nova shook her head, heedless of her own state, covered in just as many bandages, as she looked his over. "Hells, what have they done to you? I'm so sorry, Aerin." Nova went back to him, coughing again, but far more careful than before where she laid her head and how tight she held him. She needed him, though, and that was something she'd never felt toward another human being besides her brother, and this was different by far.

She'd been strong when they'd met, impenetrable and now...now Nova didn't care anymore. She needed him.