Quick note:

Demons are a bit funky fresh. There is mention of a little of what Dell can do in this chapter. All demons feed on something, and some of those things are less tangible than others. Dell feeds on emotion as a primary food source, and is able to "take" or share both negative and positive feelings from others.  

-------------------------

The hands were everywhere at once, all over me. Pushing and pulling, pinching. Gripping cruelly at my hair, my throat, the delicate skin at my hip. The fingers probed, invaded. Nails, and then blades, pressed into my skin. Relentless. There was blood in my mouth and I couldn’t tell if it was mine, or someone else’s. The beast raged, stuck helpless within me because it had never been there when I needed it most.

I jerked upright, slick with sweat and tears. My lungs struggled as I wretchedly tried to pull enough air into myself. I could feel my throat growing thick, and the pressure in my chest growing at the panic surged towards me. The darkness pushed in on me, as I struggled for control. I was alone. So alone.

“Ed?”

The voice in the doorway was tiny, and hesitant. It took my eyes a while to focus on her, silhouetted in the light spilling in from the rooms beyond my own. I could see her pale little hands gripping the doorframe, and I tried to focus on them as my breathing became more and more ragged. Six regarded me for a moment in the dark, and then made a little sound. She came for me, reaching out with both hands to touch my cheeks, gently, tenderly.

“Can you stand?”

My head jerked in a rough approximation of a nod, as I struggled to free myself from my covers. Finally released, I stumbled upright and she took my hand, wedding her fingers to my own. With a tug, she brought me out into the light and then again into the dark. Another bedroom. Hers, and judging by the demon sleepily propped up on his elbows, Dell’s as well. I’d never stopped to think where they slept. All I knew was that the little house we were in had many rooms. I felt my cheeks heat, suddenly shameful that I had woken them both. I must have screamed in my sleep and not realised. Six must have felt me hesitate, because she squeezed my hand gently.

“Touch, remember? Get in.”

Six gave me a little push, and Dell reached out for me, his face softened by sleep. I’d never had any issues touching other men, but something about the sheer size and power of the demon made me nervous. The wolf within me was less picky, especially blinded by panic. It liked Dell, deferred to the massive demon. Dell wanted us there, so we went. Powerful arms, much broader than my own, encircled me as he dropped back to the mattress with a sleepy huff, taking me down with him. Before I could make a noise, Six had slid in behind me, curled against my back.

Touching both of them at once was overwhelming, and the panic ebbed so quickly that it almost brought me to tears. It felt so safe. There were hands everywhere, but now they were gentle and soothing, nothing like my dream. Six propped her chin against my shoulder, and I could feel the gentle thrum of Dell’s heart where he had smooshed me to his chest. The panic slipped off me, like I could cast it off the same way I’d let a blanket fall from my shoulders. I sobbed then, broken and relieved.

I had never been comforted like this. The only person I could ever depend on was myself. I screwed my eyes shut, hands tangled in Dell’s shirt as tears leaked down my face. He kissed my forehead, gently, and one of Six’s arms curled up and around my chest. They were so tender, so totally willing to give themselves over to the simple act of providing solace. Like two sides of a whole, moving in perfect synchronicity. The panic seemed to abate so effortlessly that I had to wonder whether it was simply touch, or if Dell had reached out to sip the emotion from me. Either way, I was pathetically glad to be rid of it.

Together, they held me until I had cried myself to sleep, exhausted and wrung out.