The door shut behind him and the guard took up just behind Bain as he strode down the hall. Though he was in no hurry, he did not want to stop and exchange pleasantries with anyone who would try. Everyone knew that he had returned with his Feral and would be peeking out their windows to catch a glimpse of the pair. No one knew that he had gone straight to Asio's and he hoped that they had given up watching for him by now.
He took the long way through the palace, his face masked of emotion so the servants he passed would know to keep walking the other direction. He came to the Peregrine Tower from the servant hallway and was glad to see that there were very few about. All of the Peregrine men lived in the tower, the giant structure was hollow within, except for a few supporting beams that stretched across the space and served as long bridges. The walkway followed the curve of the walls as it climbed upward, used rarely by those who could not or did not wish to fly to the desired floor. The royal apartments were at the highest point and were the largest while the floors nearest the ground were for those of the lowest station.
Bain quickly decided that flying, even though he was reaching the limit of his endurance for the day, would be faster and less trouble than walking. It would draw less suspicion. He unfolded his wings and stretched them out, feeling the great aching already. Tomorrow would be much worse.
"Ah, Bain. You succeeded, or so I hear," said a cool voice from behind, effectively stopping him.
Bain wings hinged as he slowly released an irritated sigh, but did not turn around. "Coldwind. I have not seen you in a while," Bain avoided his comment.
"Yes, I was traveling during the last meeting. Please accept my apologies." Coldwind stepped around Bain's shoulder as he spoke, his pale eyes dropping to Sorren as soon as they could, too curious for courtesy. They flared, too hungry for his mask. "Ah, so it is true, then. There is nothing you cannot accomplish, is there? And look, she has already got you wrapped around her finger, carrying her all over the place. How endearing. You always were a bit soft," he chuckled, straining to see her face. He was obviously wondering why she had not responded to him.
Bain stared at him unblinkingly, grinding the edges of his lower teeth back and forth against the inside of his top ones, behind his lips. He imagined Coldwind's head crushing into the ground as the guard's had and it made him more tolerant of the situation, though by little.
"What is the matter with her?" The faintest hint of a smile touched Coldwind's eyes, as though he was delighted at the prospect that Bain had failed and had killed the Feral in his arms.
"She is sedated, Darus. I did not wish to traumatize her further. She is quite the handful," Bain said in a flat voice.
"Really? But she is so small. I suppose badgers are small and they can tear one apart. She is a female, regardless, so she will be easy to break. Once you do, make use of her as best you can," Coldwind sneered. "If she was worth the hunt, you will get a son or two out of her."
Bain kept his face impassive and focused inwardly on control, letting his breath out impossibly slowly through his nose. How dare he speak of his mate in such a way? Like she was disposable.
He wanted to carefully put Sorren on the ground and beat the Peregrine standing beside him until his face was unrecognizable, but knew that it was unwise. Sorren might wake up and be frightened. "Choose your words carefully, Darus. She will be your queen soon and disrespecting her will earn you no favors with me."
Coldwind's face moved from smug derision to a steely emptiness. Bain turned away before the Avian could say anything more or try to redeem himself, and swept off the edge. With a few sure strokes of his wings, he gained altitude and let the warm drafts from below carry him up as he followed the rising spiral of the walkway. There was only one Peregrine out of his quarters and he waved when he saw that it was Bain going by.
Relieved that he had made the trip without much event, he landed on the ledge in front of the double oak doors to his quarters. Bain looked down at the key hanging from his neck and frowned. There was no way to pull it over his head with both of his arms beneath Sorren. He bent and slowly let her feet down until he heard the soft hiss of her toes on the stone, keeping her torso tight against his chest. With his free hand, he unlocked and pushed open the door, pulling her carefully inside.
Sorren whimpered as the movement pushed against her shoulder. All anger immediately swept away, he loosened his grip and lifted her back up again, even though his arms were sore and burning with the pain of overuse. Moving quickly up the stairs, he decided that putting her in one of the guest bedrooms would be less traumatizing for her than if she were to wake up in his room. It meant that he wouldn't exactly be able to keep two eyes on her at every moment, but it would beat the repercussions of her assuming that by waking up in his bed, he was intending to force something upon her, or worse, already had.
The room was untouched as usual, unused due to Bain's extended absence and any attention before then had been from Victor's visitors. The few women Bain had allowed inside his quarters had all stayed in there, never in his own bed. Many had tried to convince him, but he could only tolerate the thought of his wife sharing it. The walls were white, the bed dressed in sheets of gray and black that matched the dark furniture and ironwork of the window frames. All Peregine quarters were outfitted with locking iron windows. It was an unfortunate necessity.
He could tell that she would wake soon and was too tired to deal with another bout of struggling and biting. As gently as his aching muscles allowed, he slipped her tiny body under the covers, his fingers brushing over her arm in the process. She was cold to the touch, abnormally so, and shivering. Concerned, he drew the blankets up over her body and stared down at her.
It seemed so surreal that after chasing her for so long, fighting the wolves and the Gagra beside her, that she was now in his guest room. Truly, she looked out of place so still and wearing her doeskin and wolf fur clothing amidst the tidiness of the room, but perhaps it was because he had grown accustomed to seeing her creeping through the foliage or climbing Everberry trees.
Bain checked the windows to make sure that they were locked tightly and the key was on the clip with his others. With a predatory slowness, he bent and inhaled her unique scent, his nose in her silky hair. Honey, wood, earth. The nostalgia of Everfell gripped him hard and tugged him back to its shadows.
Taking a last, lingering glance at her, he shut the door behind him and clicked the deadbolt into place from the outside. Weariness suddenly washed over him and he dragged his feet as he shuffled to his bedroom. He could not even muster up the energy to stand in the shower, collapsing on the bed like a sack of potatoes, covered in splatters and smears of blood. It took a long time to quiet his mind from its incessant worrying over how she could possibly escape, but finally he was able to slip into the heavy darkness.
*
"Bain told us to tell you that he would be okay with whatever you choose," Rutiger said, watching as Link's back went perfectly straight and his eyes grew to the size of oranges.
Heart pounding, he swallowed dryly and twisted his hands together, unable to reply.
"What the hell does that mean, Link?" The bulky Peregrine leaned against a young tree, causing it to shiver with his weight.
"He knew," Link murmured, secretly afraid that Bain was mad at him. It was his decision now, whether or not it made his friends cross; he needed to do what was right for him.
"Knew what?" Arthur looked extremely curious.
"Bain knew where all our coffee was going," Rutiger answered with narrowed eyes. "Go on, spit it out then."
"I...I met someone. A Feral. I- well, I caught her with one of the snares, but I couldn't...there was just something about her. I couldn't turn her in," he stammered. "And...and I well, I let her go."
"So, you're saying we could have been out of here months ago?" Arthur's feathers ruffled.
"Shut up, he's in love." Rutiger grunted, his brow heavy over his eyes as though he could not fathom why Arthur would suggest differently. Ever regal, the lanky Peregine lifted his chin and sniffed.
Link's eyes were as wide as a deer's, blinking furiously. He was shocked as much by Rutiger's statement as his own revelation. "I think...I think I am."
"Well?"
"What?" Link's eyes became round again, worried that they were going to insist he make a decision right then.
"Go find your female and figure out what you're going to do," Rutiger grinned. "I've got this one to take back and she is going to beat the hell out of me." He nodded to the tent. "I can't wait."
"Everyone found a female here, except for me," Arthur muttered. "If you're leaving, Rutiger. I might as well wait for Link to run his errand. I couldn't possibly pack all this up myself after all."
Rutiger laughed, dipping into his tent to pull out the raven-haired devil, wriggling fiercely despite being wrapped like a mummy with rope from shoulder to hips. They had even resorted to gagging her just to prevent her from biting. "Sorry, love. It's for your own good and my safety."
A string of muffled profanities escaped from her teeth but it only made him smile.
"They already have a lot in common," Arthur sighed.
"See you back home!" Rutiger slung the female over his shoulder very much like a caveman and took a running leap into the air, working hard to get both his bulky frame and the new weight up and out of the canopy.
Link rose without another word and set off barefoot into the brush in the same direction as he had every day, leaving Arthur alone to pout.
This walk was not his usual stroll where he would take time to admire the beauty of Deepfell and there was no excitement about secretly visiting Leda. This walk might be the last one he ever took to see her, depending on what she chose to do with their relationship. The idea of never seeing her again put his stomach in knots, but could he really go through with capturing her and forcing her to live with him, or abandoning his friends for this female he barely knew?
"Leda! Leda!" He called for her as soon as he had reached his normal meeting place. It was earlier than usual, but he hoped she was not too far off.
Within half of an hour Leda came gliding between the trees as she always did, silent and beautiful. It made him nervous and yet proud that such a beauty liked him enough to continue to come.
"Sam, what is wrong?" Concern filled her eyes as she touched down in front of him. "You said that we must be quiet and now you are shouting like an elk in heat."
The seriousness of her voice made Link smile despite himself, but it was just as quickly gone. "Bain knows. He knows about us and I...we need to make a decision."
"I know what I choose," she said, squeezing his hand tightly.