Secondary & Third Rings

It wasn’t the silence that followed his outburst that bothered Orion. No, it was the look on Zade’s face. He had caught it out of the corner of his eye and he slowly shifted his gaze towards the male as if trying to keep from looking at something horrific. He knew by the expression and how pale the other collared had become that he fucked up in more ways than one. Swallowing hard, the redhead bit on the inside of his cheek, heart starting to race as stress quickly built up inside of him. By the time the car stopped, his palms were sweaty and he had to look away from Zade when he whimpered.

Fuck.

Yep, he fucked up bigtime. He managed to keep his expression neutral as Lilith made it clear that he had fallen right into her trap by admitting that the redhead model was his sister. Damn it, why didn’t he just play it off. Now he was certain that if anything happened to his twin, it would be on his head. Snarling when she threatened they were going to use him as bait, Orion managed to keep from saying something, but it was hard. Eyes snapped to the door the moment the locks were engaged, and he frowned at Zade’s please. This was his fault too.

“I’m…” Saying sorry wasn’t going to make a damned bit of difference. He had put Zade in this predicament when the male had been trying to keep them safe. In truth, Orion didn’t think Lilith would punish the two of them, only him.

“I thought she would only punish me…” He finally managed and shook his head just a little. “I’m going to do my best to protect you. It’s all my fault… but I spoke the truth.”
 
Seren frowned as they passed by Lilith and her wards, keeping his reaction muted. "If I may speak freely, ma'am?"

Given permission, he shook his head. "It would be a liability if she were to damage them too greatly. They will be ill-suited to serve as representatives either if they are visibly harmed, or left traumatised. One of them is unused to her methods. It will reflect poorly on us, if she leaves him in a fearful and brutalised state to greet our guests, will it not?"

He glanced back in their direction. "With your permission, I could protect them without interfering with Ms. Lilith directly. A simple ward, to remind her we have greater priorities today than punishment?"
 
Amaryu raised a brow at her ward. It was unusual for him to feel the need to speak freely, but she gave him permission. She listened to his words and nodded slowly. "You're right as usual, Seren. Please feel free to do so." She answered with a sigh. "I'll probably still hear from the higher ups later. She always has a way to wiggle into their pants.."
 
Zade didn't speak. He merely sobbed and whimpered, looking almost as if he were a ghost at this point. The door opened slowly. "Come on out boys~ I want you to stand against the car, your hands on the frame. Now!"

As much as Zade was whimpering and moaning, he still did not hesitate to hop out the car and do as he was told. Lilith stood there twirling a metal pole, about four feet in length. That was it. But the smile was there, a sinister twisted grin that said she was about to enjoy every moment of this.
 
Seren nodded in return, saying nothing more. He settled back into his seat, closing his eyes and letting the sound of the car's engine and the rushing wind fade, until they were nothing more than a vague background awareness, far from his mind. His breathing slowed, a familiar sensation of physical detachment settling over him as his other senses became equally more distant. Within a few short seconds there was little left within his awareness but his own thoughts, and his steady heartbeat.

It was from that state of calm that Seren allowed himself to drift. He left his body behind, spirit flowing outwards invisibly and passing through the car. He soared back through the air towards where Lilith, Zade and Orion were gathered - at once himself, and a magnificent serpentine dragon, both forms blending together in his self-awareness without any clear distinction.

As he reached the other collared prisoners and their mistress, he reached out to them. The writhing ball of fear and panic that made up the emotions of one, and the twisting anger and guilt of the other, both were like beacons of emotion in the astral sea that he traveled. Lilith herself was a dark blot of malice and sadistic glee, but to her, he paid no mind.

When his presence brushed against that of Orion and Zade, it came with a tempering calm. It would not entirely banish their fearful or angry emotions from them, but it did soothe them - like a gentle embrace - as his powers wrapped around them. The pair began to softly glow, their bodies shrouded in a faint shimmering light, as Seren placed a ward upon them both - a shield against both harm and pain, more than enough to protect against the beating Lilith intended to deliver to them.
 
Following silently behind Zade, Orion shot Lilith a look that spoke volumes. She was going to have to work at it if she had intentions of breaking him. He refused to cower before the bitch and left the door open as he moved over to where Zade was currently standing. He glanced at the metal pole and internally winced, knowing how bad it was going to hurt. Still, he refused to let her win and wasn’t about to make any sounds. Well, as long as he could. The redhead wasn’t dumb, eventually, he wouldn’t be able to hold back the screams, but he planned on doing his best.

“You didn’t say please.” Orion snapped and maneuvered himself so that he was directly behind Zade, hands pressing against the frame while his body shielded the other collared.

Refusing to budge from his position, determined to ensure that Zade was protected as much as he could from the beating that the poor male didn’t deserve, Orion was chewing on the inside of his cheek in preparation. As he stood there, however, he felt something coming across him like before when he was on the failed mission, but this time the presence was different. His eyes closed for a moment and he inhaled a deep breath before exhaling slowly and calmly. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but as his eyes reopened, Orion waited for the first hit by Lilith.
 
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