TDEH Ch. 21

Sunlight streamed into the cabin through the old window, her face warmed by it. Finn grunted softly and scrunched her eyes tighter. The light was painful, having been unconscious for so long. Her whole body was on fire. Her muscles and veins slowly repaired themselves and it was almost more than she could manage. A lack of food and water would also cause her healing to be more unbearable, taking longer without the needed energy. She had to eat and drink.

After a moment, she was able to comprehend her surroundings. The cabin was quiet. She heard no sounds from animals but that was to be expected. She did hear the occasional branch moving and the rustling of dead and decaying leaves from the wind. There was a steady breath on her hand. Not wanting to open her eyes yet, she reached out the hand and connected it with Carter's mop of hair. She gently rubbed his scalp, his greasy hair slid between her digits. She heard him sigh and shift slightly, she grit her teeth together refusing to allow a yelp of pain to pass her lips.

"Carter," she called out softly through their bond. She felt him move again. He let out a quiet snore and returned to his steady breathing.

Taking a different approach, she flicked his ear with her fingers. He shot straight up, looking around in a panic. Finn slowly opened her sore eyes and squinted at him.

"Good morning?" She asked, her voice low, scratchy, and raw.

It took a moment for reality to sink into Carter. He had been deep in sleep and his mind was taking some time to understand that she was speaking to him.

"Mate?" He asked her, his mind still fuzzy with sleep.

"Yes," she responded softly.

Tears filled Carter's eyes as he sank to his knees beside her cot and the chair he had dozed off in. He grabbed the hand she had in his hair, held it tightly as tears fell down his cheeks. After a moment, he let out a loud whimper, unable to hold it in. He pushed his face into her hand and the cot, his body wracked with sobs.

After the first of his sobs echoed out into the quiet cabin, Eutus, Izzy and Ramsey all came running from their room, fearing the worst.

"Good morning," she said quietly as all three stared at her. She pulled her hand from Carter's grasp, laying it on his head for comfort. Eutus was the first to break down, grabbing Izzy and burying his face in his chest. Izzy stroked his hair. Tears fell from Ramsey and Izzy silently, their years of torment by their sire quieting all of their emotions.

"We feared we were going to lose you," Ramsey said as he wiped his tears with his bandages. Izadore reached out, squeezing his little brother's shoulder.

She pleaded with Ramsey with her tired eyes. He bent down and gently grabbed Carter, pulling the man up and away from Finn's cot. His eyes were swollen and red from his tears. She attempted to push the blankets from her and move to sit up but she immediately felt dizzy and ill.

"Please don't move. You've been unconscious for days. We tried to keep you hydrated and fed but we also didn't want you to drown or choke so you are very dehydrated and probably starving," Ramsey stated, holding Carter.

She tried again, managing to push all the blankets onto the floor. She saw that she was mostly just dressed in bandages, from her stomach up past her chest. She pulled the robe she was in closer around her midsection. Everything was on fire. Her vision continued to blurr. She felt some tearing from her movements, a stitch or two having popped loose.

"Finn, stop!" Cried Carter. All four stared at her in horror, blood began to soak through her bandage.

She stopped, placing a hand on her opened wound. "I... I need to see outside."

The others began to beg her to stop and be still. Carter had stopped crying and was standing helplessly as his mate continued to try and stand, her brothers gingerly attempted to hold her down. He pushed through them and stood in front of Finn. She looked up at him with her exhausted eyes, pleading for help.

"If I help, will you rest?"

"Yes."

Carter reached down and scooped her up into his arms. She was still heavy, but lighter than she had been the night of the attack, her loss of weight and blood made her feel almost intangible in his arms. She hissed out in pain as he stood, looking at her with a scared expression on his face.

She smiled at him, "I'm okay," she stated. Her attempt to be reassuring.

Eutus opened the door as Carter carried Finn outside. She twisted her head into his shoulder, the bright light from the sun hurting her tender eyes. After a moment, they adjusted and Finn looked up at the sky. She continued to stare for minutes as the others just stood around her. She needed to see the world. She needed to know she had come back to the land of the living and had not continued into some purgatory of her own making. She smiled and without saying a word, slipped back into unconsciousness.

(2)

It took almost a week for Finn to heal enough that the others didn't fear her immediate death. Food, water, and rest were given to her round the clock. They had stopped using potions, her already fried nervous system needed time to heal on its own. The poison was pushed out of her body through her wound, the healing opening occasionally coming away black when cleaned. She had spent the majority of the week asleep, to allow her body the time it needed to knit her damaged flesh back together.

Frustrated with the constant attention and fussing that followed any time she was awake, Finn slipped out for some solitude. She grabbed a not rotten stick to use for walking and slowly began her hike to the fjord she had shown Carter. Her body was one large bruise and it was painful to walk, she leaned her weight on the stick hoping it would hold her. It took her almost two hours to make it to the clearing as she needed to stop and rest frequently.

She was also aware that Carter was following her. He had tried to hide his existence but every time she stopped to rest, she felt anxiety reverberate through their bond. She'd make a large show of drinking water and stretching before resuming her journey, an attempt to placate his fear for her safety.

When she broke from the tree line, she breathed deeply, bringing the ocean air into her lungs. The salt was a salve for her spirit. She shuffled forward to almost the edge of the cliff face and stared out at the ocean. It seemed tangible, the colours looked like reality. Her brush with death had left her fearing she had not returned to the corporal world. She needed to be sure. After a few minutes of staring at the ocean, she limped back towards the tree line and gingerly lowered herself to the ground, her back rested on the rock she loved to sit on. She closed her eyes and waited for Carter to make his presence known.

"I thought you might jump..." His voice was low and soft, fear still evident in it.

"Oh, no. I just needed to see it for myself."

He stayed quiet for some time, sitting beside her, but not touching her. She knew the questions were eating him alive but chose to allow him the time he needed to ask.

"I thought you were going to die."

"You know, so did I."

"You've been... quiet since you woke up. Are you okay?" She cracked an eye open to look at his earnest face.

"I'm... not okay... yet, but I will be."

"What happened? In the woods? What was that?"

"It was Fionn Ironblood."

"What! How?"

"Same as Elsepth and the others. Necromancy. I love that your mind never goes to the darker answers," she smiled at him.

"You... You love things about me?"

"Of course, I do. I love you. I'm... not very good at saying things. I hope I've shown you in other ways."

"You love me?" He asked, his breath caught in his throat.

"Yes, you fool. It's... it's just hard to say. I've only ever said it to one person before and they've been dead a long time now."

"What was his name?" He wanted to know her, even the parts that hurt his own pride.

"Her name was Amina."

"What happened to her?" He asked.

"She felt her life was too high a price to others and chose to end it. I tried to talk her out of it. Asked her to stay. For me. It was selfish and I see that now. She was my only other romantic partner."

"I'm... your first male partner?"

"Yes. How about you, who was the first person you told you loved them?"

"First? Definitely my dad," he chuckled. "Dad has been extremely emotional my whole life. I remember him crying whenever I hit a milestone of some kind."

Finn also let out a small laugh, "To be fair, Art's been emotional my entire life as well. He's the most emotionally intelligent person I know. A wonderful sounding board."

Carter stood and moved in front of Finn. He sank down onto his knees, taking her hands in his. He kissed each before leaning in and kissing her gently on the lips.

"I love you, Finn."

"When this is all over... No matter the outcome, I think I'd like you to call me Thea." She smiled at him warmly, cupping his face in her hands.

They stayed that way for a while, enjoying each other's company in silence. When dusk had broken, the sun sinking behind the other side of the fjord from view, Izadore appeared. He walked out of the tree line with purpose.

"Eutus did it. Your spell is ready," he smiled at them, trying to avoid the fear that was a pit in his stomach. They had become a family. A real family. Something he had spent hundreds of years pinning for. They had grown together and taken care of each other during the bad times. Now that would come to an end, no matter the outcome. He was grieving already for something he wasn't sure he would lose.

"That's wonderful. Dear, help me up. I'm going to need to be at my best before we try this. I should probably have a nap."

Carter gently helped his mate up, slipping his arm and shoulder under hers. All three began the walk back to their cabin.