He was glad that he had stopped, to pull her into his arms when he had, because the woman was crashing already, as predicted, the high was gone and so was she to the blackness that he could only imagine would leave her feeling confused and empty when she woke. So he did what he had been planning on doing anyway, wrapping his cloak around her as he went through the back alleys and elevators to take him up into the richer parts of the town, into the area where his townhouse was, next to his sister and her wife. The old woman, Sari, was there, with his niece when he arrived, and he nodded to her.
He waited until he heard the lock on the door latch close, before he took Seraphine up the stairs to the bathroom, cradling her as he worked the bloodied clothes off her, and piling them over in the corner, his eyes purposely only looking where he needed to, as he cleaned the blood off her with a damp warm cloth, and even as he did, he made sure to focus down to the only bits of skin he needed to see to wash the dried blood away. The scent was overpowering, as he finally went to pull the silk free from where it was caught between her legs -- the other man's scent and her own, the had been grinding there in the alley way, and as he finally freed the slip free and tossed it over into the pile of dirty clothes, he gritted his teeth. That smell, the smell that mingled with her own, needed to be gone. It was enough to send him towards the edge, to send the thought through his mind that had he been a few seconds longer...
His hand reached behind him to pull his night shirt down from the peg it normally hung on behind the bathroom door, and he gently tugged it down over her, the soft cotton coming down to nearly her knees, swallowing her, and the beast inside him was lulled back into some semblance of comfort, as he cleaned the rest of the dried blood off her. If he had been a weaker man, he would have derived pleasure from having her in his arms like that, of having seen naked flesh, of having washed her, but the only pleasure he had from it was knowing she was safe, smelling his own scent start to mingle with hers, chasing off any trace of the other man's scent. He'd ask Sari to take the robe and slip next door and have them washed and ready for the morning. The old woman wouldn't ask questions, hadn't asked questions in the past, when he came home in much the same shape before.
Malik had tucked her into his bed, making sure that there was a candle lit beside the bed, before he had gone to collect his niece, to spend the evening hours feeding her, and then giving her a bath, before rocking her to sleep and tucking her down into the crib. He had asked Sari to come back and sleep in the nursery in case Annie cried in the night, to help him manage both Ladies, before he had taken on his little feline form, and jumped up behind Seraphine on the bed, curling up behind her and purring for hours to help Seraphine sleep.
Annie woke, as per usual, around three in the morning, and Sari came to rock the child, waiting until she was fully back asleep to sneak back into Malik's bed chamber to settle her back down into the crib, Malik had stirred, sometime a few minutes before, and having took his human form again, had crawled under the cover to wait for his niece to be brought back in. He was able to keep a better eye on the two of them, if he had them both right there, and so when Sari came back in, and Seraphine stirred, he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him.
He propped up on and elbow, as he watched the elderly woman tuck Annie back into the crib, and then leave, pulling the door closed behind her, the quiet foot steps retreating down the stairs, and finally through the back door. The townhouse was quiet, when he spoke again, leaning his head down so that he could whisper to her without waking the child,
@Seraphine Salvo
If you'd take care of her a bit longer, you know Lord Tilani will be at the Palace till much later, and I will take full responsibility if she throws a fit over something by you being over here still. Could you stay in the nursery with her, until I get the Lady situated? Leave if you need to for basic comforts, but please stay locked in the nursery until I come get you and Annie. And send down for Benson, I need Annie's crib moved into my chamber please.Thankfully, the older woman had never had a bad experience with Malik, and while loyal to the Tilani household, accepted his commands as easily as they had come from his sister, or her wife. Malik should have made her go next door, but, no. He couldn't have his attention split between the two of them once Sari would need sleep, her advanced age, and while Benson was of the same family, he was more groom than nurse and childcare. He could help with the child, but Malik trusted the slave family matriarch more than the son.
He waited until he heard the lock on the door latch close, before he took Seraphine up the stairs to the bathroom, cradling her as he worked the bloodied clothes off her, and piling them over in the corner, his eyes purposely only looking where he needed to, as he cleaned the blood off her with a damp warm cloth, and even as he did, he made sure to focus down to the only bits of skin he needed to see to wash the dried blood away. The scent was overpowering, as he finally went to pull the silk free from where it was caught between her legs -- the other man's scent and her own, the had been grinding there in the alley way, and as he finally freed the slip free and tossed it over into the pile of dirty clothes, he gritted his teeth. That smell, the smell that mingled with her own, needed to be gone. It was enough to send him towards the edge, to send the thought through his mind that had he been a few seconds longer...
His hand reached behind him to pull his night shirt down from the peg it normally hung on behind the bathroom door, and he gently tugged it down over her, the soft cotton coming down to nearly her knees, swallowing her, and the beast inside him was lulled back into some semblance of comfort, as he cleaned the rest of the dried blood off her. If he had been a weaker man, he would have derived pleasure from having her in his arms like that, of having seen naked flesh, of having washed her, but the only pleasure he had from it was knowing she was safe, smelling his own scent start to mingle with hers, chasing off any trace of the other man's scent. He'd ask Sari to take the robe and slip next door and have them washed and ready for the morning. The old woman wouldn't ask questions, hadn't asked questions in the past, when he came home in much the same shape before.
Malik had tucked her into his bed, making sure that there was a candle lit beside the bed, before he had gone to collect his niece, to spend the evening hours feeding her, and then giving her a bath, before rocking her to sleep and tucking her down into the crib. He had asked Sari to come back and sleep in the nursery in case Annie cried in the night, to help him manage both Ladies, before he had taken on his little feline form, and jumped up behind Seraphine on the bed, curling up behind her and purring for hours to help Seraphine sleep.
Annie woke, as per usual, around three in the morning, and Sari came to rock the child, waiting until she was fully back asleep to sneak back into Malik's bed chamber to settle her back down into the crib, Malik had stirred, sometime a few minutes before, and having took his human form again, had crawled under the cover to wait for his niece to be brought back in. He was able to keep a better eye on the two of them, if he had them both right there, and so when Sari came back in, and Seraphine stirred, he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him.
Shh, Seraphine, Shh, you're safe and sound. Sari, thank you, you can head back next door now, the three of us will whether the rest of the night fine.
He propped up on and elbow, as he watched the elderly woman tuck Annie back into the crib, and then leave, pulling the door closed behind her, the quiet foot steps retreating down the stairs, and finally through the back door. The townhouse was quiet, when he spoke again, leaning his head down so that he could whisper to her without waking the child,
Lay back down and rest, you expended a lot of energy this evening. We're at my home, you are safe, and the other man is alive, I had someone follow him to the Eluvian to make sure.
@Seraphine Salvo
11-24-2024, 07:15 PM
