Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

third-person p.o.v

Ezra was scared as he bounded to the top of the stairs. His chest was tight with an aching worry and his ears rang with the drum of his hammering heart. He opened the door to his bedroom, quickly scanning the room before his worry-struck orbs shot to the bed. Sucking in a sharp breath his fists curled into themselves, nails digging into the skin of his palm, his knuckles starting to lose their pigment, turning white at his destress. His eyes fleeted over her form as he approached the bed; a sheen of sweat glistened on her skin, causing her hair to stick precariously to her face. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, strangled breaths and mumbled pleas fell upon his ears. He avoided the broken glass of the lamp that laid in pieces on the floor. His chest constricted at the woeful sounds that left her lips in frantic mumbles, her eyes tightly wrenched shut in a horror-filled sleep. The bones in his hands started ached at how tightly his fists were clenched, He reached a hand out for her as he reached her side, his fingertips ghosting over her cheek when a foot collided with his stomach. He shuffled back a little in shock.

A pained expression pulled at his face, he hated everything about this. What was he supposed to do!? His feet moved before he could think it through. He stretched his hand down again, this time he swept her hair back gently.

He panicked when saffron's eyes shot open, terror-filled her features. And panic filled him. He quickly scooped her off the bed, sinking to the floor with her against his chest. strangled sobs fell from her lips, tears pouring down her red cheeks As the initial panic was quelled in recognition that the one embracing her was not the demon that haunted her sleep. But she was still left broken and scared from the weight of the horror she had just relieved. Ezra's panic spiked to a level he didn't know existed when she started to gasp for breath. His chest was tight and his breath lost as well. What was happening!? Was this the bond? It didn't matter! He had to help saffron! but He was stumped on what to do, his mind was like a blizzard of thoughts and he just couldn't grasp a logical one. So his instinct decided that was their time to do what felt right. So he held her close to his chest and soothed her cries with a gentle ‘shh’ as he rocked her and softly stroked her head like he remembered his grandmother doing to soothe his cries and meld the hurt all so many times when he was a child. His grandmother's soft hands, which seemed to be so fragile but held so much strength, so much wisdom, and love, she could soothe his worries with loving touches and gentle words. He yearned to be that. To hold that strength in his hands to protect those he loved. He wanted to have that same power to be a steady wall for saffron to lean on. He worried how saffron could ever accept him as a mate for life if he couldn't even help her. He had to do this right, no mess-ups, no mistakes.

He gently held the back of her head as she hiccuped and sputtered incoherent words. Broken apologies like a busted record player on loop. Her nails bit into his chest, her hold so desperate as she clung to his shirt.

“Shhh.. you're ok now babygirl.”

“You're safe now… no one will hurt you, I promise.”

He whispered against her hair as he placed a tender kiss in place of the ghosted words.

“What do you want me to do sweetheart? What do you need?”

“My mom.”

He didn't know how just two words could hurt so much but in that moment Ezra felt his heart shatter.. Was he helpless to help her..? What was he supposed to do? He had said no mess-ups but... How could he help her? He isn't who she needs right now… No! He reprimanded,

He was her soul mate! He had to fix this... For her.

“Sweetheart, I need you to breathe for me.. Ok?”

She gave him a weak nod of affirmation.

“Ok, good. Now just breathe with me, sweetheart... In.. out... Good, you're doing so good”

He continued to walk her through it, taking breaths with her until her breaths were shaky but calmed.

“That's it, sweetheart, you did so good..”

He placed another soft kiss on her hair.

After a while, he noticed she wasn't moving and her breathing was now completely even and calm.

She's asleep... Good.. he thought to himself. Getting up slowly and carefully he sat back on the bed. Protectively he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on the headboard Ezra let a sigh flow through his lips. His mind washed over with an odd sense of calm as he gazed at saffron. The knot in his chest dissipated; letting his breath finally flow without trouble. His mind lulled into a soft haze as his eyelids drooped, his head swaying softly as they got harder to keep open. His hand slipped slightly from her rich locks as his body gave way to fatigue, sleep clouding his mind into a dreamless slumber.

———————-

Ezra opened his eyes, with a groan he lifted his head from it

S fallen position to the side. Attempting to shift into a more comfortable position he moved his gaze down to what was weighting his chest down. His ears were hot as he noted that saffron had moved while he was asleep as she now laid softly snoring on his chest, legs tangled with his.

A soft smile melted onto his face and an odd sense of warmth flooded his chest as he looked down at her. He soft snores, her sleep flushed cheeks even the small string of drool

That hung out of her mouth, he didn't quite understand it all but it made him feel warm and giddy.

He felt at peace…. Yeah, he felt more at peace than he did in his entire life you could say he felt serene just holding her in his arms looking so peaceful, unlike earlier. He was just glad she was ok now, resting in his arms like a napping animal in the tranquility of a quiet field on a warm spring day. He smiled at that, she looked probably the most at peace than he guessed she had in years.

And he hopped with all he had that it'd stay that way.

Ezra had always tried to imagine what it’d be like to hold his mate.. but this was completely different from how he’d ever imagined. The way his chest was tight to the brim with warm happiness and he couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off his face as he gazed at her. The way he relished in this moment, her body cuddled against his in the most innocent of ways. How even just the smallest snores that fell from her lips were like music he could listen to all day. How he wanted to just pause this moment and never let it go. He just prayed that maybe she wouldn’t push him away when she woke up.

His heart twisted at that thought. Oh, how he wished that he could make it all go away in a second. Be Prince Charming like in those fairytales and just fix it with true love's kiss, but he knew that this wasn’t a fairytale and that this situation would take time… and he was willing to give her all the time in the world if he had to.

But there was still the part of his heart that he buried the worries that maybe he wouldn’t be enough for her.

But any doubts he was harboring were momentarily vanquished as she shifted somehow closer into his body, burying her face into his chest, softly gripping his shirt in her small hands. He looked at her hands in fascination; they were so small and so perfect. His curiosity got the better of him as he reached out, gently caressing her silk-like milky skin. His eyes widened in amazement; how was it possible to have such perfect hands. He gently slipped her hand into his, it melded perfectly into his... She was made for him... Crafted perfectly for him to hold. His stomach did a flip at that thought, what was she doing to him something as small as her hands got his mind all clouded, but… he loved it. It baffled and fascinated him how she already held this power over him.

He gazed at her as she turned her head slightly, giving him a view of the

The bruise that blotched her pale cheek.

It had caught his attention a few times but he was much too focused on her to closely observe her injuries. He still had the bruises and flesh wounds to show for their bond but now that it's been a few days the brunt of the pain had worn. As guilty as it made him in the past he had to admit that it was a relief when the pain would finally fade but now he had her here with him unable to know if she was in pain he felt helpless.

He stared at her analyzing her face, The bruises he could see were slightly better than a few days ago, less angry. Very slowly healing. But the thought of her other injuries still gnawed at his mind.. she hadn't mentioned them or her discomfort, but that didn't surprise him. She's spent years hiding them from onlookers,

Years bearing with the pain by herself; he wouldn't be surprised if it was worse than she was letting on.

If he was being honest the thought of taking her to the hospital had only fleeted past him briefly but he was anxious about how she'd react and the consequences for both of them if they found the number on her thigh... What he did was very illegal but he had to admit he hardly felt guilty... Who knows what would have happened to her if he hadn't got there when he did.

Maybe she'd let him look at her wounds, then he could gauge whether a doctor was necessary. He chewed his lip in guilt, maybe he should have taken her to the doctor... He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she was in silent agony, that he could have fixed.

He knew to an extent the pain she felt, but hers was so raw and direct. Sure he'd felt it and he'd be damned if he didn't say that it hurt… but his, in retrospect, was nothing, only the backlash per say. Saffron shifting in his arms pulled him out of his grieved thoughts. Ezra watched as saffron opened her eyes, meeting her gaze he watched as her blue eyes widened, fear and confusion clouding them.