A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 6-2

At the Arturo Vineyard, in the majestic manor, the Arturo family called Artri House, Tani rested on a large bed with comfortable blue sheets. He was dressed down in comfortable sweatpants borrowed from Dante’s closet. His t-shirt and jeans were already in the washing machine in the laundry room.

No sheet covered him and his red-brown hair was damp with sweat. His body shook with unending spasms, his jaw clenched tight as though to keep his mouth shut, allowing no sound to escape his lips. The muscles on his arms were taut, as he clenched his fingers in tight fists. Holding himself tight, in place as best as he could.

Dante could only assume the spasms Tani endured were pain-filled. They were alone in the room. Hera was downstairs making a list of items for Tom to bring back from their home. A home Dante realized they all shared somewhere in the Elderwood Conservancy. Nora was in the basement in search of a healing spell that would help an Ekho.

Dante was sure she would call the family grandmaster in and his father. He shuddered at the thought.

Reaching for the white washcloth in the bowl resting on the bedside table, he squeezed out warm water. Dante used the washcloth to wipe the sweat off Tani’s brow. He wiped off sweat beads on Tani’s flawless hairline, passing the cloth over Tani’s hair. Changing direction, he brought the cloth to wipe at Tani’s neck, along his ears where he noticed five Elderwood leaves made of gold, decorating Tani’s right earlobe like earrings. He leaned closer to inspect them, expecting to find pins on the other side, but they did not have pins. The leaves were part of Tani’s skin.

Dante had not noticed them before. Perhaps because of Tani’s hair falling over his ear, or the glamour he dropped earlier in the olive grove.

A hard spasm racked through Tani again. Dante dropped the washcloth on the pillow. He placed his hands on Tani’s forearms holding him in place, pouring healing energy into Tani’s body as much of it as he could. He wanted to ease Tani’s pain any way he could.

To Dante’s shock, Tani’s eyes opened slightly, eyes shining like gold.

Tani let out a soft moan and then bit his lip hard as the spasms increased in force.

“Let go of him,” Hera said behind him.

Dante could not bring himself to let go of Tani when he kept trembling as though his body wanted to explode into pieces. He could only hold on and hope to keep Tani together.

“You are adding to the pain,” Hera said, placing a gentle hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Stop giving him your healing energy and you will see I’m telling the truth.”

Dante hissed, horrified by the thought of adding to Tani’s pain. He drew back his power and the spasms slowed. Tani’s eyes closed, he breathed easier and seemed to return to a point of rest.

Dante let go of Tani and stood, shaking his head he moved away from the bed.

“Why?” Dante asked, watching Hera take his place next to Tani.

She took the white towel he had been using and rinsed it in the bowl of warm water. She then wiped down Tani’s bare chest. Her movements were efficient, as though she did it for a living. It was clear to him that this was not the first time she had cared for Tani. She was careful not to touch Tani in her ministrations.

Hera wiped down Tani’s right arm, pausing when she reached the gold cuff around Tani’s wrist.

“You must have seen the terrible power Babu released today,” Hera said, as she wiped Tani’s fist, wincing as she worked to open Tani’s fingers so she could wipe dirt off his hand. “When Cale takes off the cuffs, it floods out of him like pressurized water breaking the walls of a large dam. It is terrifying, suffocating power, isn’t it?”

Dante crossed his arms against his chest, his gaze on Tani’s face. He leaned on the wall closest to the bed, unable to look away, taking in the beads of sweat that had appeared on Tani’s brow again.

“I couldn’t breathe when he first let it out,” Dante agreed with Hera’s assessment of Tani’s power.

“That’s right, it’s suffocating,” Hera said with a nod.

She returned the washcloth to the bowl and sat next to Tani without touching him. Her gaze fixed on the gold cuffs. Tani clenched his hands into fists again as a tremor swept through his body. A tear rolled down her cheek and Dante understood Hera’s worry.

She reached up to wipe off the tear on her right cheek.

“The cuffs are restraining that awful power. It fights back, wanting release after so long in captivity. Babu’s body suffers until he can control the effects the cuffs place upon him. At times he will bleed, but today he seems to be doing his best to hold it together.”

As if on cue, Tani’s eyes opened again, glowing gold for a few minutes before he closed his eyes and his torso arched off the bed in a hard spasm. Tani’s jaw was locked tight, but a strangled cry escaped his clenched teeth.

The sound of the harsh cry had Hera getting up in a panic. Her eyes filled with horror as she made to reach out for Tani, but then she could not touch him. Her hands hovered over him for a moment, frantic. Then she turned a panicked gaze to Dante.

He was surprised when lunged for him, grabbing his right arm and pulling him to the bed.

“I cannot control my elemental gifts,” Hera said, shaking her head, tears now streaming down her cheeks. “If I touch him, my power seeps into him. I bring him more pain. I notice you can control yours. You pulled it back and held him. So, hold him down, Dante. Please hold Babu down.”

Dante nodded and knelt on the bed.

A rippling blaze flooded his senses the moment he pressed his palm on Tani’s flat stomach. Tani’s skin was hot to the touch, damp with sweat. He fought his first instinct, which was to caress, slide his fingers over smooth skin, and memorize the contours of Tani’s muscles as they arched into his touch.

Hera watched him with tear-filled eyes.

Pushing back his urges, Dante pressed Tani’s abdomen down to the bed. He straddled Tani’s body and placed his right hand on Tani’s left shoulder, holding him in place as Tani continued trembling in violent spasms.

Tani’s eyes fixed on him. For the first time, he unclenched his fingers from the tight fists and bunched the sheets tightly. Dante noticed the change, holding Tani’s gaze as the gold intensified. Heat seeped into his left palm. Dante dragged his gaze away from Tani’s face to where his palm rested on sweat-coated skin. His hand was covered in a gold mist that seemed to pulse at the point of contact. Pulling on the heat from Tani’s body.

An idea filled his head. One he had tested during his training days with the grandmaster but had never had an opportunity to try in a real setting. No powerful beings had crossed his path until now. The heat rolling off Tani made him hot, his cock hardened and he bit his lip hard to stop a soft moan.

They needed to be alone.

Dante glanced at Hera. He needed to get her out of the room.

“My mother is finding a healing spell in the basement of this house,” Dante said. “Take the stairs down, when you reach the front hall, head to the kitchen. You will find an open door going into the basement before you reach the kitchen. Tell my mother to hurry.”

“There was no door there,” Hera said, shaking her head.

“Trust me, you will find a door,” Dante said, keeping his voice as gentle as he could. “Go, I’ll watch over your Babu.”

Hera wiped away her tears, hesitating as her gaze remained on Tani’s gritted teeth.

“Why do you call him Babu?” Dante asked, curious.

“It means grandfather in my language,” Hera said, a fond smile coming through the worry. “I’m his ward. He has taken care of me all my life. I hate to see him in so much pain.”

“Alright. Hera, the only way to ease his pain is if you head downstairs. Mom won’t know to hurry unless you tell her.” Dante promised him. “Go. I’ll watch over him.”

“Okay,” Hera said, then sprinted out of the room.

Dante let go of Tani and slammed the door closed with his will, making sure the lock turned. Pulling off his own shirt, he threw it on the carpeted floor and gripped Tani’s arms. He pulled Tani up, making him sit, helping the unconscious ekho cross his legs. He slid his right hand to the back of Tani’s head, holding him in place.

“Tani,” Dante murmured, sweeping damp red hair away from Tani’s face when locks of it fell over Tani’s eyes.

Tani’s closed eyes made his heartache. The ice around Dante’s heart broke another inch and the urge to restore Tani’s health filled him up. Tani trembled again, hands shaking with the effort to hold himself together.

Dante cursed under his breath.

“I don’t know what is pulling me closer to you,” Dante said, his gaze dropped to Tani’s lips.

Tani bit his bottom lip hard working to keep from crying out.

Dante brushed a thumb over Tani’s ravaged lip, hoping to ease the bite, but Tani only whimpered and bit harder. Dante let out a sigh of defeat.

“If what Hera says about your cuffs is true, my mother’s spells will not help. They will only infuse more healing energy into you, which will make you hurt more. You’re left with my methods,” Dante said, crossing his legs so that his knees pressed to Tani’s knees. “I will help you.”

Dante’s hand slipped away from Tani’s neck, and he started to fall back on the bed. Dante gripped Tani’s bare arms, his fingers tightening around Tani’s elbows. He pulled Tani into a sitting position so that they now faced each other.

A violent tremble rolled through Tani. Dante gripped his arms, holding him in place as Tani’s head tilted back, his eyes sparking gold. For a moment, Dante stared at the elegant arc of Tani’s neck, the perfect line of his chin, his ravaged lips open in a whisper of a murmur, up to the elegant curve of his nose, to half-closed eyes. He wanted to press a kiss on Tani’s forehead, his lips, but this was not the time.

It surprised him that he wanted time for the kisses later.

Dante smiled and tightened his hold on Tani’s arms. He murmured the spell to bind his energy with Tani’s, and thin conduit lines formed on Dante’s arms moving to his wrists and then to his fingers tips. He let out a soft moan when the lines wrapped around Tani’s elbows, moving along Tani’s arms to the gold cuffs on Tani’s wrists.

Tani opened his eyes then, meeting Dante’s gaze. His eyes changed from gold to amber, like a sparking light.

“W-what a-are y-y-you doing?” Tani asked, his voice a trembling mess. “I—I’m—n—ngh, not i-in control…burn you to a crisp.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Tani Ryuzo. I’m born of fire,” Dante said with confidence.

“Don’t want to hurt you, Dante. D-don’t—,” Tani started to protest only to stop when he trembled in earnest, losing focus.

“Acını paylaş. Yakacağım,” Dante said, speaking the spell, and bringing it to life.

Dante let out a harsh gasp as fine pain flooded him from Tani. Pooling inside him like a sharp knife scraping over his skin. He held the pain, using the fire in his very blood to burn the pain. Making sure to isolate his powers, not allowing them to follow the conduits to find Tani. Instead, he siphoned Tani’s pain, dragging it to the pillar of the flame inside him, doing his best to burn it. More waves of pain filled him, faster than he expected.

Tani gripped Dante’s elbows then, fighting to control the wave of pain going into Dante.

“Y-you’re a-an i-idiot,” Tani said at some point, then shifted and pressed his forehead to Dante’s, merging himself in Dante’s spell.

Dante closed his eyes, taking steadying breaths as they worked to find a balance.

---

Tani wished he could stop Dante, but the spell to burn off his pain felt good. It eased the burden on his body allowing him to build back control over his own power as the cuffs on his wrists demanded. The binding walls holding his power were no longer overflowing to the brim, threatening to break his veins and arteries and leave him bleeding.

Dante gripped his elbows tighter, and let out a sigh as a balance started. Dante pulled in a beat of pain, burned it off, and pulled another wave.

The spasms racking Tani eased, reducing to manageable trembles.

Tani breathed easier, and then shock filled him as he realized a part of Dante’s fire was seeping into him through the conduits on their arms. A part of Dante…a very small part of Dante’s fire soul. Its white-hot aura burned bright as it escaped the tightly bound conduits on Tani’s arms. Sliding up Tani’s left arm of its own free will, filling Tani with delight as it raced to his chest.

Tani gaped as it sunk into his heart, filling his heart with warmth. It was a small drop in an ocean that had stayed still for nine hundred years. It was a small part of Dante’s soul, but it was the first Tani ever received.

When he opened his eyes to look into Dante’s brown eyes, he could not help but cry. Tears slid down his cheeks unrestrained.

Dante panicked.

“Did I burn you?” Dante asked, still clutching Tani’s elbows.

The pain had reduced, and the spasms were gone, as Tani managed to control his power. The only thing out of control was Dante’s strange choice to bind a small part of himself to Tani.

“Big idiot,” Tani said, fighting down a sob, he looked away from Dante, his tears still falling.

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Acını paylaş. Yakacağım – Meaning, Share your pain. I will burn it.