FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Isaiah slipped in and out of consciousness. I stripped him, ran him a bath and helped him climb inside. According to him he had healed most of the outer damage, but some of the internal wounds were taking time to recover. He soaked in the hot water. He seemed more awake now than he had been on the trek up to the dorm room.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

He nodded.

I smiled, as I leaned back against the rim of the bathroom sink. I folded my arms over my chest. I was so pleased that Isaiah was alive and well, although looking at him now, I wasn't so certain he was as well as I would have desired.

Isaiah slumped back in the tub, his eyes gazed at the ceiling as his muscular, dark arms hung over the edges. His knees were like tanned islands in the middle of the warm water, he was simply too tall to fit into the tub.

I had a sudden thought.

"Broderic mentioned that Linus has left the country?" I asked.

Isaiah nodded.

"What business do you think he has in Russia?"

"No idea. Something to do with the Benefactors, perhaps?" Isaiah suggested.

I looked at him and could see true sadness in his green eyes. What had happened to him? Yes, Isaiah wasn't all smiles all the time, but even I could see that something was troubling him, something had reduced him to this shadow of what he had been before.

"Isaiah, what's wrong?" I asked.

He looked at me then. He huddled in the water, as tears spilled from his sad-stricken eyes. "Just after the beating from Luis, I went to the lake to heal the damage the wolf had inflicted. When I got there I found Broderic and his pack waiting for me. The pack beat me, picked at me one bit at a time until I was beaten within an inch of my life. Then he blinded me."

"Blinded you?" I repeated.

"I healed the damage done in the water, but they pushed me into the lake, blind and bleeding, thinking I'd drown and die then and there," he breathed against his knees as he huddled in on himself, "It was so...dark, Jack." His voice was small and distant as tears spilled from his eyes.

I stepped up to the bath and sank to my knees. I looked at Isaiah from inches away and smiled sadly.

"Isaiah, your safe now. I promise."

"Am I? Am I safe? What happens when Broderic tells Linus I'm not dead? He'll come for me, Jack," Isaiah whispered.

"Isaiah, I swear to you, I will find some way to end all of this. I won't let them harm you again."

Isaiah looked at me, his tears stilled as he leaned over the bath water and touched his forehead to mine.

"Thank you," he breathed.

"My pleasure," I smiled back.

"What about Broderic though? I heard what he said. He won't leave you alone for long. Linus is away, and he wants you as his violent little werewolf. What are you going to do? What are we going to do? I won't let him hurt you, Jack." Isaiah's voice was full of determination and anger.

I thought about what he'd said though. What was I going to do? Broderic wasn't bound to Linus' command like Luis. He'd act while the big, bad weresnake was away. If he didn't get to me, then he'd definitely get to Lian, Miles or Isaiah somehow. There was no doubt about that.

"I'll kill him."

"You'll do what?" Isaiah replied.

I thought about what I'd said and suggested something I'd considered using against Linus when I heard about Miles traumatic experience with SD. "Is there a way I can take SD and channel it into anger, make it so that I go feral, instead of submissive?" I asked.

"You want to repeat what Miles experienced, but use it on Broderic?" Isaiah asked.

I nodded.

"I wouldn't know how to control SD's effects," Isaiah replied sadly.

"I think that might be the way to beat Linus as well."

"Jack, I don't know if you should be taking SD, hoping to become maddened, instead of filled with lust. Please, think this through. What about the Benefactors? If the Benefactors are working with Linus, then who else are they working with in this world? What about your sister? If Linus finds out you've killed Broderic, then he'll come for you, as well as me."

"I know, I know," I sighed. That plan had been shot out of the water.

"Linus could send Luis after you, like he did me." Isaiah smiled sadly and added, "He's a remorseful one, but he follows orders, Jack. Trust me."

"So what do I do then? Wait for Broderic to come find me? Accept his offer? Join the other werewolves? Add to the nightmares some more?" I asked desperately. I stood up and stepped back from the tub. I paced back and forth. Isaiah had brought all my doubts and fears to the forefront of my mind.

I massaged the back of my neck with my hands as I walked. Isaiah climbed out of the bath slowly and stood, watching me. He reached out and wrapped a long-fingered hand around my wrist. He pulled me in against him and I let him. I touched my other hand to the still damp chest and suddenly felt more solid, more secure in myself. He was naked and wet. Was that all it took to make me forget my nightmares for a moment? Looked like it.

"You need to rest your body," I breathed as I looked up into his pale green eyes.

"And you need to stop with these suicidal schemes, Jack."

I swallowed and said, "Get back in the tub and I'll stop. Fine?"

Isaiah smiled. He looked down at me and wrapped those muscular, strong arms around me. "You promise?" he asked.

"Promise," I replied.

He smiled sadly and leaned down. He kissed me, a chaste brush of lips. My body ached with need, a nice, normal attraction between two youths, nothing drug-induced and chased by ravenous lust. I was in my own mind and think in that heartbeat I was slowly falling for Isaiah.

I kissed Isaiah back, it deepened as our tongues carressed one another. His hands released my waist as he cupped my face. My own touched his naked waist and encircled him as much as his sheer broadness would allow. He turned us and suddenly he lifted me by the thighs and sat me on the rim of the sink. Isaiah's back muscles worked and tensed as he undid my waistcoat and peeled it from my body. He kissed down the side of my face and brushed his lips against my throat. His hands yanked my shirt apart, buttons popped and my body rocked with the force. I spilled out of the material and moaned as Isaiah kissed down my chest and licked toward my nipples.

It was then that he flinched. He stopped dead and touched his forehead to my shoulder. I couldn't help but smile.

"Still need time to heal?" I asked.

He simply nodded. A choked laugh came from him as he gripped the sink in both hands. I leaned close and gently scratched the back of his neck. I massaged the muscles and stiffled a laugh of my own.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"I'm sorry, I'll do my best to heal as quick as I can."

I grinned and said, "You'd better."

I was so pleased that even though I'd been sexually abused and mentally confused, I was still able to be attracted to someone like Isaiah. Tears filled my eyes as Isaiah moved back and looked at me with concerned eyes.

"Jack, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm just happy, that's all," I smirked back.

Isaiah smiled at me and leaned close. He kissed me, a chaste brush of flesh on flesh. A flicker of heat between the two of us.

Silence spread between us as we simply huddled in against one another.

That silence was shattered when a loud knock came at the door.

Lian's voice came from the other side, "Jack? We need to talk."

I was still pissed at Lian for not believing me about Isaiah and for being as jealous as he had been about the werecroc. "Not right now," I called back as casually as I could.

"Jack, please, this isn't the time. Zeke's here."

"Who's Zeke?" I mouthed at Isaiah from inches away.

Isaiah looked a little too wide-eyed. "Elite," he mouthed back.

"He's here to declare Initiation," Lian explained quietly through the bathroom door.

Ruined. That moment of happiness had been smashed to pieces and ground to dust. Without thinking the tears of joy I'd shed bled to tears of fear and sadness. I pulled Isaiah slowly toward me and let him hold me for those few precious seconds.

I'd somehow fallen out of the frying pan of passionate, consensual romance and had tumbled head first into the roaring flames of emotional blackmail and sexual humiliation. Another loud knock sounded at the door and I released Isaiah. I told him to soak some more and heal, then sleep off his exhaustion in my room.

I hoped Zeke wouldn't keep me away too long. But I'd found hopes like these were often futile.