Tempting My Trouble

The moment Zuriel felt his neck rest over hers again she felt herself melt into him. If he had taken her then and there she would have welcomed it. Her thoughts were already on the future and this new life they were creating for themselves. When he stepped away from her again she had to hold back her disappointment, but from the look on his face and the way he moved toward the goat skins laying off to the side she could tell that whatever it was that he needed to do first was important. She turned to keep her eyes on him, watching his back now as he walked away from her. A small smile was resting on her lips... until she saw him freeze and his  fur stand on end.

It seemed to only last for a moment and Zuriel remained where she was while she watched him push back one of the skins, revealing the knife from the blood ritual. Now she understood why he had gone to those first. She expected him to pick it up and turn back to her, but instead he looked away from the knife and Zuriel watched him with a concern and confusion forming on her features. "Elias?" she asked, but he didn't seem to hear her. She took a step closer as his whole form seemed to tremble under the weight of some unseen force, his growl echoing around the cave.

Her ears flicked back and she carefully edged closer to him as he fell to his haunches. For a moment she felt helpless. She had seen and treated so many ailments and wounds in her time, but... She began to wonder if she had bitten off more than she could chew. Doubt seeped into her mind and her steps shifted backward again. Her heart was pounding against her chest and her eyes flicked to the entrance of the den. It wasn't too late, she could slip past him, run back to Lirim...

"Zuriel," His strained voice snapped her back to reality and her gaze went back to him. She was confused by her own thoughts, but she didn't let herself dwell on that in this moment. She quickly went to her herbs, pulling out the lavender and placing both of her forepaws on top of it. She crushed the purple-hued flowers under her paw pads till the fragrant scent was surrounding her. She had no way of knowing if this would help, but she knew that lavender had gotten her though many nights where her anxiety would rattle her brain and keep her from sleeping in the nights that followed their first night together and the days after her sons disappeared.

Zuriel padded over to Elias then and sat on her haunches directly in front of him. Any hint of worry for herself was gone. As soon as she saw the painful struggle on his face she could only think of him. She leaned her weight back onto her haunches so that she could lift her forelegs, resting the lavender scented paws on his cheeks. If nothing else the scent helped her calm down and focus so she hoped it could do the same for him. She held his head in a way that made his gaze meet hers, keeping him from looking at the knife for a moment.

"Let him go." Her voice was soft, but firm. She didn't fully understand what happened in his mind, at least not yet, but something told her that whatever was happening behind those ruby eyes of his was the same that happened that night. Whatever this was, it wasn't the Elias she loved. She felt her blood rushing through her veins and pounding in her ears, praying that she was doing the right thing, but she didn't let that uncertainty show in her expression. All she could do was follow her gut and her heart. They had gotten her this far.

"Talk"