Chapter Three
Tony smiled softly as he looked down at the peaceful face of his older brother, stroking the long sable locks gently. He had lessened the drugs he had given the man and was now waiting for him to awaken.
He had seen the peculiar looks Silas and Bucky had been sending him and he wished he could tell them that Jeice was fine, but he knew if he did they would force him to let him go and that was unacceptable.
If he let him go, he would be in danger and he would lose him.
"K-Kael…" He smiled gently, meeting the sleepy blue eyes of the elder with his own hazel.
"How do you feel?"
"What…what are you doing…Little One?"
He took a seat right beside the man's head.
"I have to save you, brother. I can't lose you again."
A strong, callous hand grabbed his smaller one. "You won't…but you can't keep me captive either."
Tony shook his head. "Not a captive. Safe."
Jeice sighed and sat up, pulling his brother into his arms and stealthily sneaking the syringe from the other man's pocket and plunging it into his neck.
Tony gasped and stared up at him with wide, broken hazel eyes. As they slid shut, the older man kissed his forehead and gathered him in his arms with a whispered apology.
"I'm so sorry, Kael, but you need help whether you want it or not."
"No," The younger man pleaded and Jeice ignored the guilt niggling at the back of his mind.
"I'm so sorry." He repeated softly, gathering the handcuffs chained to the bedrails, before slipping into the elevator and asking JARVIS to set course for Silas' room.
The elevator didn't move for a moment.
"If you harm Sir in anyway, I will kill you."
The dampyre stilled, clutching Tony's slumbering form tighter.
"I will not harm my brother, Jarvis. You have my word." His voice softened with grief and he looked down at Tony's peaceful face.
"But he needs help or he will self-destruct and then there will be no saving him."
The AI didn't reply but the elevator began to move so Jeice slumped against the wall, cradling his brother to his chest.
"We'll help you, Little One." He crooned. "I promise, we'll save you from everything. Even yourself."
"Tony's missing again and Jarvis won't tell me where he is." Bucky reported to his brother-in-law frantically.
The former king frowned slightly, turning from where he had been gazing out at the New York Sky line, emerald eyes troubled.
"That is the third time this week."
Bucky nodded, worry lining every tired inch of his frame and Silas felt his heart ache for the young human. The man loved Kael with every fiber of his being, anyone could see that, and the fact that the young prince was suffering was weighing heavily on his mate. This was worsened by Kael's own refusal to speak about his troubles, something the young prince hand struggled with even as a child and The former King couldn't help but reach out to comfort his brother's mate.
He had to believe that Kael would get better if only to prevent the human anymore suffering.
"I don't know what to do." The man confessed quietly and the pain in his voice was almost tangible in it's intensity.
"He will heal. We must give him time."
Bucky snorted. " It seems like the more time I give him, the worse off he gets.
Silas opened his mouth to disagree but Jarvis cut him off.
"Lord Salenyme, your presence is being requested in your room."
The former king blinked and perked up hopefully.
"Tony
"No Sir, Mr. Jeice."
Silas frowned stunned. Tony had done something to Jeice, he knew he had. So why had he decided to suddenly let him go?
Unless…
"Is Tony with him?"
"Yes."
The two men shared a look and Bucky nodded before taking off towards the elevator.
As they approached his room many different scenarios racedthrough his head, each one darker than the next, however nothing prepared him for the sight that greeted him when he entered his room.
Jeice was sitting at the edge of his bed, Tony lying unconscious and bound in front of him. Their youngest sibling's hand were cuffed in front of his body, his feature slackened and more peaceful than Silas had seen them since finding in HYDRA's lab what seemed like ages ago. Jeice didn't even glance at him, his sable hair pulled back with a silk ribbon and nicely groomed.
Whatever Tony had done, he had obviously taken very good care of their brother…but it didn't explain why the youngest Prince was laying bound in his bed nor what he had done in the first place.
"He was trying to protect me, protect us, from his demons." Jeice whispered.
"I mistakenly tried to convince him to talk and something I said seemed to rigger the breakdown we all knew was coming because next thing I know I was drugged and bound, with Kael sitting at my side trying to reassure me it was all for my own good."
Silas' eyes widened in horror while Bucky swallowed.
"Did…did he say anything in particular."
The blue-eyed man finally looked up at them his eyes full of tears.
"He said, 'I won't lose anyof you.'" A tear escaped his eyes. "What has he gone through without us, Sy? Just HYDRA wouldn't cause this. There's something deeper, something that he's been holding in for a long time and HYDRA just gave him the push he needed. How can we save him when we don't know what's hurting him in the first place?"
Silas wrapped his arms aroung his younger brother, his sad gaze never leaving the still form of their baby brother lying unconscious in his bed.
"I don't know, Dear One. But we need to find out."
He watched as Bucky moved to Kael's side and clasped his small hand in his larger one, blue eyes full of pain.
They really needed to find out.
It wouldn't bode well for Kael or his mate if they didn't.
TBC…
A/N: FINALLY! This chapter gave me so much trouble and honestly I got so frustrated I was half a second away from just deleting this. Luckily, I stepped back and took a breather then managed to write a conclusive outline for the rest of this. So all in all we're looking at around 10 or 11 chapters for this fic all together. Anyways, happy belated Easter. Remember R&R.
