Betrayal in Elysium [malexmale]

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

I woke up to warmth and comfort.

I hadn't felt like this in a long time. I couldn't even remember it, actually. The sensation of someone's arms around you when you woke up in the morning, feeling clean and refreshed. I could feel, hear, Cain's heart beat. We slept wrapped tightly around each other under Cain's thick dark blankets in his room. It was nearly afternoon. Something about the way my body tingled indicated it.

"Stop moving," Cain grumbled against me, tightening his hold on me and burying his face against the back of my neck, "You're gonna crush my nuts." I didn't say anything. I almost laughed at him, then caught myself when that one sentence triggered the memory of what Hannibal had done. I held my breath, going still at that as I let it sink in.

Hannibal had... And then Cain came in and killed him, left his corpse in the throne room. Part of me wanted to ask Cain what he would do with Hannibal now, but another part of me thought better of it. He'd probably kill me for asking, or just give me some mysterious vague answer. I sighed at that, closing my eyes and going still so Cain would stop kneeing me in the butt or muttering about being a pain in the ass.

I still didn't feel right. Part of me wondered if it was what happened with Hannibal. No, part of me knew it was what happened with Hannibal that made me uncomfortable. I had never had something like that happen before. Even when Cain had been tormenting me for centuries on end, he'd never gone so low as to doing something like that to me. It was difficult to sort through all the emotions buzzing around in my skull.

And why hadn't I reacted differently? I had let Cain take me away and take care of me. Yes, I loved it. It felt wonderful to have Cain's arms around me again, his heart beating for me, his breath hot against my skin. To have him be in agony, over me. To have him behave the way he used to, all those eons ago.

But after everything Cain had done to me, wouldn't I have been more resistent?

No, because Cain saved me. He may have been a couple minutes late, but he came and stopped Hannibal before he could have gone any further. He killed his own right-hand man for me. He carried me away and took care of me and loved me, just like he used to.

And yet, something still felt wrong.

And I wasn't sure what.

I started to close my eyes to go back to sleep when the memory shot back. The gold rope that Hannibal had used on me. It had belonged to Alexion, the god killer. The restraints Cronus forced him to create in order to bind gods, even Alexion himself. Hannibal had gotten them from Alexion, there was no doubt about it.

"Cain." I ordered, propping myself up on my elbow after rolling around to face my brother. Cain groaned and grabbed at the blankets to pull them over his head. I rolled my eyes and tore them off his head again, tousling his hair. Cain scowled, blinking open tired blue eyes to glare up at me.

"I liked you when you were quiet and sleeping." He grumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, well, I'll sleep better when we're not under attack," I answered dryly, making Cain frown curiously, "Those restraints that Hannibal used. Those weren't his. Those belonged to Alexion. Those were the restraints that Alexion had used to bind me and my powers. They're special for anyone with god blood in their system." Cain still looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened slowly as he sat up.

"He got them from Alexion," He agreed, then paused and snapped his fingers, "Zelios sent out a message not too long ago. Something about there being a second spy. There had to be for an operation this big, which means Hannibal was the missing guy. You mentioned it at the other meeting too. Alexion wouldn't want to free the Titans, he'd want to kill them. Hannibal's the one who wants to free them."