Thicker than Blood - Book One (Watty Awards 2012)

Chapter Thirty

Heya Readers,

My apologies for the unusually late update, it's been a rather busy week for me ;) 

Thank you all for fanning and voting and commenting! It means the world to me and each and every comment makes me smile. 

I started a new story on the side. It's called Your Violence, Their Silence and is about bullying in highschool. It's not a supernatural story nor is it about a teacher/student relationship but I really hope some of you would take the time to read it as well.

No worries! Thicker than Blood has main priority and I will only update the other story if I first updated this one.

Because people asked, the phonetic way to pronounce Tlanextic would probably be something like: Tjan-ECKS-tick. Hope that helps?

Please let me know if anything in this chapter was offensive again ;) 

Love,

Robin

P.S. Don't forget to vote! :)

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Back inside the house I made a beeline for the shower again; I just had to cleanse myself after that horrendous experience. Nathaniel watched me go but didn't comment on it.

As I shrugged out of the beautiful dress I noticed that the hem was stained with crimson droplets, like Deidre's tears. A pity, but I didn't think I'd ever want to wear it again anyway, not now that it had been soiled with tonight's nightmares.

After my shower I still didn't feel the same but I went to check on Hayden anyhow. I felt the need to assure myself that he was fine.

Surprisingly I found Nathaniel in Hayden's bedroom standing at the foot of the castle-like bed with his arms folded across his chest. There was a frown creasing his forehead as if he was lost deep in thought, bad thoughts.

He simply lifted one arm and tugged me under it so he could hold me against his chest tightly. The gesture was absentminded and showed me how he felt the need for physical reassurance just like I did.

Hayden was fast asleep in the bed, his arms thrown up across the pillow the way babies and young children often sleep. He was a little old to sleep that way but he was so mature with his observation's usually that I didn't care.

He was softly snoring and his expression was peaceful, it was much easier to forget the disgusting memories I'd seen now.

'You needed to check on him too?' Nathaniel whispered. I nodded as I focused on the slowly rising and falling of my brothers chest.

'The man killed was one of Thornten's generals. Carston, Jules Carston, can you confirm that? Or was it impossible to get his name from the memories you took?'

I closed my eyes, 'It was him, I'm sure.' I had the image of that man clear in my mind's eye, the way he remembered himself in the mirror. He was young and handsome, charismatic with a smooth voice that he used to charm everyone.

I shivered when I remembered how he charmed little kids to come with him. For once the violent image of the man's death actually made me feel better.

'Come a ghrá mo chroí, I will make today's nightmares go away,' Nathaniel whispered, as he spoke his lips brushed against my ear shell. I shivered again but it was in a good way this time.

I loved this man, with all my heart and I loved how he had put aside his anger for now so he could reassure me. So he could make me feel better even though it was my own stubbornness that had caused me nightmares tonight.