stay with me

Just seeing the emotion she was dredging up from Indigo's soul felt strange, but it also came so easily. Being kind back to the gentle giant that had saved her and given her a new lease on life felt as natural as breathing. Existing was easy with him; he didn't expect her to be anything other than who she wanted to be. When she had been a pup, she'd been expected to be a princess, regal and well mannered. As a slave, she was expected to be quiet and obedient. As a fighter, she was required to be brutal and vicious. But all Indy asked of her was to be herself. Em had been so many things in her life that finding her natural self was a challenge. It would take some time, but step by step she was learning how to let her true self out, all thanks to the man whose arms she was now wrapped up in.

A tender paw stroked over his cheek just below his eye, wiping away the tears welling up there. "You don't need to thank me," she replied, offering him a soft smile. "But you're welcome all the same." Emersyn didn't resist when Indigo wrapped his second foreleg around her and brought her tighter into his chest. Her heart skipped another beat—though out of fear or something else, she couldn't tell. She ignored her racing pulse and the panic threatening to choke her, focusing on keeping her breathing slow and even while she buried her face into his broad chest and thick fur. She was safe. Indigo was safe. She would have to get over this one way or another. Exposure to the gentleness and sweetness of Indigo was the only way she'd be able to heal and recover from her trauma. Segin had helped a lot, but the smaller male could only do so much. Her fear came from Indy's size and strength. She would have to learn to embrace and welcome that from him.

Black paws gripped at the fur on his chest, holding herself to him while she nuzzled into him, taking a long, slow breath of his scent. He was warm and strong and protective, and everything about him felt like home. "It's the least I could do for all you've done for me," she murmured quietly against his skin. Her eyes slowly closed, letting darkness take her sight while she focused only on his touch, his warmth, his strength, his presence. Her heart continued to pound like crazy against her chest and her nerves felt electrified and on high alert, but she wasn't fighting or struggling against him. It was progress. Slow, but steady. "Thank you for bringing me back to life..." She let Indigo hold her for as long as he wanted. She liked the way she felt in his arms, and it seemed like he needed someone to hold him back as well. She'd be whatever he needed from her from this day on.

"Emersyn"