Skedaddle

[Emora Deen]

Laya lay still, her eyes closed as she listened to them talk, listened to Erik bark orders at Adonis. He was a cruel spoiled boy, and she couldn't fathom why Adonis had befriended him in the first place. Then, again, Adonis had tired to kill her, treated her terribly, and she had befriended him.

But this man was evil. His eyes, something about his eyes made him seem so.

So she lay there and listened to them, hoping to gain insight. Hoping also, that Telanis wouldn't get lost in looking for them.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Lazy jerk, you can't even put the effort into healing me? Or do you think you can use this to manipulate me into forgiving you?"

"I would not leave you hurt if there was another option," Adonis said tiredly. "The gift is gone. Hold still, and don't let go of your nose," he said, gathering the man in his arms. He stood up and lifted Erik to the bed.

"You're helping me raise that money. Or I'll be more than happy to let them rent your little friend by the hour until it's paid. It's your fault I'm late on my payments. They think I skipped town."

Adonis frowned. "She has nothing to do with your debts."

"She does now that she pulled a knife on Sammy Jones's brother. Get me some vodka, this hurts like a bitch."

The unicorn's eyes flared.

"Or should I just tell Sammy that twat spent the money I owe him."

"Stop it," Adonis said. "Apologize to her and I'll get you a shot." He stood up and started back toward the kitchen to get some more water for Laya when a sudden pulse of pain startled him to his knees. Erik pounded his fist against his own chest and glared at him.

"I can take it longer than you can," the man sneered. "Watching you makes it worth it."

Adonis recovered from the shock and turned back toward his self-mutilating soulmate with rage in his eyes. He tugged his fist back and slugged him across the jaw, renewing Erik's bloody nose and knocking him out. The pain in his body dropped away like a bad dream. Adonis stared at Erik and backed away from him slowly. He dropped into a chair and leaned over his knees.

[Emora Deen]

Laya pushed herself up just slightly and watched Adonis sitting in the chair. She rolled to her knees and pulled herself up to her feet. When she was close to him she knelt down on the floor in front of him and grabbed his hands. "Nice hit," she complimented him as she leaned to look over at the unconscious man. "He deserved it."

Laya didn't believe the man had the power to sell her off to those people that were after him. For all she'd seen of him he seemed to be a whining child. Maybe he was more than he seemed, and if so she didn't want to see it.

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis looked down at her. His fingers closed over hers. He felt so overwhelmed that he didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know how to thank her for trying to breathe sense into this situation, or for defending him while she was already hurt. "You would make a good unicorn," he murmured.

[Emora Deen]

Laya glanced up at him, and felt a warmth feel her at his words. She smiled softly. "You still do," she whispered back, squeezing his hand.

She sat quietly with him for a while, her shaking hands in his. "I should go get Telanis... He could heal him so you don't hurt anymore. He'll have nothing to complain about then."

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis shook his head. "I don't want you crossing the city alone. I'll walk with you."

[Emora Deen]

Laya nodded. "Did I make a very bad enemy with this Sammy?" she asked him as she pushed to her feet. She wanted to ask him how he and Erik were connected, and if it could be reversed, or how it had happened to begin with. However, she felt that it was not the right time to do so.

[Soran Nightblade]

"It will be alright. I'll get him the money," Adonis said. His defenses seemed to be falling back into place, helping his composure, but it was still dangerously thin as he stood up and guided her toward the door. "I can carry you," he said.

[Emora Deen]

Laya swallowed when she reached the door, still feeling very dizzy. "No," she told him. "You're hurt..." She looped her arm around his. "I'll just lean against you, if that's okay?" The cold winter air blew over her when she reached the door. Her breath came in a fog. "You should leave him to the consequences of his actions, Adonis. It is the only way he'll learn..."

[Soran Nightblade]

"It's not that simple," he said reluctantly. "I can't leave him alone." He paused and reached down to sweep her off her feet. "I know you want to walk. Just give me this," he apologized as he settled her in his arms and started walking. "I'll be fine until he wakes up."

[Emora Deen]

Laya's head rushed when he swept her up. She leaned her face into the warmth of his chest, blinking the world to stop spinning. "Will you tell me whats going on when everything is calm and we are all together again? If you can't leave him... we won't leave you."

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis's breath caught. He almost didn't believe he'd heard her right. But this human was just crazy enough to say something like that and mean it. His chest swelled at the shallow hope of keeping what he'd barely begun to realize he had with Telanis and Laya. But he didn't believe it could be real. Not truly.

She deserved to know what was going on, if she was going to go this far. Even though he was sure it would change her mind.

"I'm not sure if Telanis would have ever mentioned this to you...but we are born with a certain power. A gift. It can only be given once, and it must be given wisely," he said. "I suppose I gave it unwisely. Or I wasn't strong enough to use it in the first place. It's possible I messed up the entire thing, and that's why the person I chose came out...wrong."

[Emora Deen]

"He didn't mention it," Laya told him, looking up at his face as he carried her. "You chose from your heart though... No matter how it turned out, you did what you did for the right reasons... Is there a certain reason you give it to someone?"

[Soran Nightblade]

"To revive a life," Adonis answered, sorrow creeping into his eyes, "that has already passed on." He took a slow breath. "Bringing someone back is difficult. It requires us to give half of our own strength to the one we wish to save. We must join our soul to theirs. We become linked, emotionally and physically. Pain or pleasure for one affects both. Emotional empathy seems less mutual. Perhaps humans are just less equipped for it. I can feel him keenly, but he seems to be blind to my emotions. Or perhaps he simply doesn't care." The hurt threatened to seep back into his voice, so he stopped talking.

[Emora Deen]

Laya listened to him. He was linked to someone awful in way she was thankful to have never been linked to Kron. He had to endure everything that filth did. "Yesterday you told that creature that you had a woman, but not with your body. That's what you meant? You feel when he's with a woman? That's so... I can't imagine how that must be for you. No wonder you... I'm sorry for yesterday. I'm very sorry. Is there a way to take it back?" she asked him softly. "To save yourself?"

Laya looked down the street. "There, the tavern is across the road, two buildings down."