Bird of a Nest - Chapter 51: Chapter 51

Watching someone collapse was not easy. Ryraso moved on instinct, gathering Cai'ress up and hugging him tightly. Hands clutched to him, and Cai'ress sobbed into his shoulder, almost limp. Dy'nad moved behind Cai'ress and wings surrounded them both. Anger burned in Ryraso a split second at the light touch before the more rational side pointed out Cai'ress' back would still be tender. Dyn'ad couldn't hold on as tight.
Cai'ress trembling in their shared embrace and wept, the sounds hard to listen too. Ryraso's heart hurt. There was nothing to do to fix this right now. For now, he needed to give Cai'ress a safe place to break down. The sound of mourning sliced through the layers Ryraso had built up in the recent days.
Curling around Cai'ress, Ryraso wept too. Dyn'ad's lips pressed to his forehead as he curled around the two of them, careful of Cai'ress back. His wings and limbs were gripping as much of them as he could. Dyn'ad was not unaffected by the brokenness of the cries. Hints of the call of a distressed youngling breaking through the sobbing. Cai'ress was not old enough yet for the sounds to be out of his system. It added an extra layer of helplessness and weight that was sinking the three of them into the dark.
The sobbing faded softly, Cai'ress no less wreaked but exhaustion creeping up on him again. His face was buried in Ryraso's neck as he took a few shaky breaths. Ryraso kissed his hair, catching the top of his ear. Dyn'ad hummed softly, drifting around the room and adding an extra layer of safety. It was safe. Ryraso would make it so.
Cai'ress' body tensed, and he jerked back from Ryraso. Ryraso blinked surprised, for one moment thinking Dyn'ad had done something when Cai'ress's hands moved down to Ryraso's stomach. Ryraso let him, pulling his tunic up so Cai'ress could see his scarless torso. Cai'ress barely touched him, his fingertips brushing over the skin to know it was real. The man's eyes welled up again, but there was no more water to cry.
"He said I killed you."
Ryraso kissed his forehead, running a hand through Cai'ress's hair to grip the back of his neck. "I am very much alive. Don't worry about that."
"Thank the goddess and the light she sheds," Cai'ress pressed his forehead against Ryraso, hands not quite touching Ryraso. His eyes were relieved, something draining from him as the knowledge he had not killed Ryraso soaked into him. "You are safe." The eyes closed as he sniffed hard, trying not to burst back into tears again.
Ryraso pulled him close and cradled him. Already feeling Cai'ress freeze as the memories of what had happened returned: the sharp swallow and full-body shudder. Dyn'ad didn't say anything blissfully. Dyn'ad kept his wings wrapped around them both, but the moment Cai'ress spoke, his humming at stopped, giving them both space. Ryraso met his eyes. Dyn'ad was overwhelmed right now, but he wasn't leaving.
"You are now too."
Talons dug into his skin. Not as many as there should be. They stung, but Ryraso didn't let go or fight the hold. There was a long few moments as Cai'ress stayed still, breathing deeply. Ryraso prompted once or twice when the breathing got a little too raggedy but otherwise let Cai'ress process. Five minutes wasn't long enough to process; the rest of Cai'ress's life was not going to be enough to handle the hell he had endured.
"He said I killed you."
"You didn't."
"He cut my legs off first so I couldn't run away."
The growl that came from Dyn'ad was overwhelming. Cai'ress bunched in on himself and gripped tighter to Ryraso. Ryraso looked up at Dyn'ad. Snarling fangs and angry eyes met his, yellows eyes several times darker. The growl lowered more to a back of the throat rumbling, Dyn'ad trying not to scare the injured sub in his arms.
"He will hang for what he did to you," Dyn'ad promised, his voice far deeper and severe that Ryraso could remember hearing it outside of battle. "Ryraso is not the only one who will ensure your safety after this, Cai." He kissed the back of Cai'ress's head.
New tears welled up in Cai'ress's eyes. "I stabbed Ryraso."
"You did," Ryraso agreed, combing a hand through Cai'ress' hair and meeting Dyn'ad's eyes. "We should talk about that later."
"They were going to rape and kill you," Cai'ress trembled again, voice tight and choked up with emotions. "I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't. There weren't any options. The blockers in the room, something drastic would breakthrough. Oh, Goddess. I killed you."
"You did not kill me."
"You were close," Dyn'ad snorted, pulling away and sitting up. Ryraso glared at him as Cai'ress whimpered. Dyn'ad ignored both and picked Cai'ress up. It was rather impressive from the angle, and in a less severe situation, Ryraso would have enjoyed watching it.
The look of bafflement on the man's face as he went from facing Ryraso to sitting on Dyn'ad's lap, legs either side of his lap, was adorable. A shame the look of fear and the soft distressed clicking that was out of tune with Dyn'ad protective rumble of anger. Cai'ress looked down, the trembling getting worse if anything. Ryraso moved to intervene, but a strange tug in his mind made him pause. The pseudo bond was back. He hadn't noticed that.
"You almost killed Ryraso," Dyn'ad stated, a hand rubbing up and down Cai'ress thigh. The material of his sleeping gown shifting with the movement. "Did you intend to kill him?"
"Dyn'ad!"
Cai'ress's head snapped up and looked Dyn'ad in the eyes. Horror filled them but not from what he had endured. This was something far more personal and soul-wrenching. "He's yours," fell out of Cai'ress's mouth, "I would never do anything to harm him. He's..." The words trailed off and his hunched in on himself and hugged himself.
"Did you intend to kill him?" Dyn'ad repeated,
"No," sadness radiated from Cai'ress, but he kept his eyes on Dyn'ad's. "I may be a failure as far as my house is concerned, but I am a good submissive."
A trained noble submissive who knew what was expected of him once he was bonded to people far more important than him. If a bond was not possible, the same expectations were placed as a mistress. One role was far more desirable than the other, but it came down to the same thing. Respect the wishes of the head of the nest and never endanger the other or in the case of mistress, true, bonded.
"Cai'ress," Ryraso breathed, but again Dyn'ad whispered to stay still. "You're not a failure."
Cai'ress glanced over at him and just shrugged, not believing those words at all. Ryraso didn't blame him. They were going to have to build the man's self-confidence from the ground up.
Dyn'ad nodded. Then they were kissing. Slow, gentle, tender, Ryraso swallowed hard. One of Dyn'ad's hands cupping Cai'ress face gently and his other arm wrapped around his waist gently. A few emotions bubbled in Ryraso that he pushed away for the moment. He would identify and deal with them later. One which he did know for sure was confusion. This could not be good. The flare of anger from Nel'os in the bond confirmed that. Tai'ray seemed more bemused than anything else, settling next to Ryraso and nuzzling him in delight at having the false bond again.
Dyn'ad reached for Ryraso, and Ryraso moved over warily. Dyn'ad wrapped an arm around Ryraso's shoulders and gave him a quick peek on the cheek as he finished kissing Cai'ress. Warm blooming from the small gesture, especially as Dyn'ad's wing curled around Ryraso protectively.
"You're now our concubine," Dyn'ad declared, the protective growling stopped for the moment. He lifted a hand and played with some strands of Cai'ress's hair. "So that training will be tested to new levels."
All colour drained from Cai'ress's face.
"Dyn'ad, your delivery and timing are impeccable," Ryraso growled, knowing for certain what was going through Cai'ress's mind. Dyn'ad had not softened that news in any shape or form. If anything, it was dark and foreboding in a place that made Ryraso feel scared. He dreaded how it felt to Cai'ress after his family had forced him into prostitution. "You're not changing pimps, Cai'ress. They changed the definition."
"Oh, good," the weakness in Cai'ress's voice was almost as hard to listen to as his weeping earlier.
"I'm serious," Ryraso tried to reassure, elbowing Dyn'ad in the ribs with a strong wave of disapproval. "You are not going to be the Royal's whore. Frankly, with the rules of being a concubine, you may never have sex again."
"At the moment I'm not sure I'll ever want to," Cai'ress offered. The fear and nervousness not leaving his voice. "I'm not being made into a high-class whore for killing Ryraso?"
"If you killed Ryraso, you'd be dead."
"No," Ryraso battered Dyn'ad again as Cai'ress looked down and trembled. "Dyn'ad," he growled. 'For the love of the Goddess, the man was turned into a whore. We all know that being a concubine used to mean the same role but with a fancy title. Let him know the people he loved aren't going to inflict the same thing on him as he had just survived by the skin of his teeth!'
Dyn'ad gave Ryraso a stern look but pulled Cai'ress in for a gentle hug,  this time kissing his forehead softly.  "You did not kill Ryraso, nor did you intend too. You are not going to be a whore, my love. Things aren't going to be easy, but you will be protected. You will have all the help you will need to recover from this. You have my word. No one will ever dare touch you in such a manner again. We'll show you the paperwork in the morning." His voice was gruff but less far, more reassuring than more. Ryraso snuggled in, a hand rubbing Cai'ress's back. "For now, you should sleep more."
"Yes, sir," Cai'ress nodded, hands clenching into fists. He unclenched them and looked at the mismatch of talon and talonless fingers. A broken sound escaped from him, and Dyn'ad tightened his hug.
"Everyone who allowed this to happen to you will pay, I promise."