"And with that attitude, you wonder why I did," Valentine shot back. "It's my body and my business."
"Come on now, we aren't attacking you," Taranis said, putting his hands on Valentine's shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. "We are here for you."
Valentine wished they weren't there at all. Yelena turned back toward them and pushed Quinn and Taranis's hands off him.
"Leave him. He doesn't want to be touched right now," she said, no trace of her sweet smile. To their credit, Taranis and Quinn backed off. They moved to stand with the others in a loose semi-circle, the cold wind blowing around them.
"Thank you," Valentine said, his shoulders hunching inwards. His anxiety was burning through him, and if anyone else grabbed at him, he would snap.
Yelena said softly, "I know you are mad at me, but they needed to know about the binding, Val. The magic would have broken,and Taranis, especially, would have felt it and panicked. I didn't want that to happen. Everyone is tense enough right now."
She was facing him but not trying to reach for him. Thank fuck. How she knew he didn't want to be touched was a mystery. No one ever noticed things like that about him. He was fighting not to walk away from the whole shit show, but somehow her calm presence kept him where he was.
"You better not care if I'm an ugly dragon," he muttered, staring at his boots because he couldn't bear looking at everyone's expectant faces.
Fuck, this was a bad idea. All he could think of were the things that could go wrong. Was this the day he went truly crazy?
"It's not possible for you to be anything but gorgeous. They are only teasing you," Yelena said and tilted her head to catch his eye. "Look at me, Valentine, and forget about them. You have this. Anything happens, and I'll be right here."
Valentine sighed. "Fuck, this is going to hurt."
"Only for a moment, then you will feel better than you've ever had in your life."
Valentine's lips twitched. "I don't know about that. I felt pretty good last night."
"You will tonight too if all goes according to plan," Yelena replied, a teasing note in her voice.
"What plan is that, baby girl?" he asked, anticipation coiling inside of him.
"You'll just have to wait and find out," she said and lowered her voice to a husky purr. "Now show me what I missed when I was in the ice. I want to see all of you."
A shiver swept over Valentine's skin. "Please, don't make me get hard on top of everything else today."
"You had better start undoing that binding then, or I am going to start telling you in detail exactly what I want to do to you."
Valentine laughed softly. "And people think I'm the evil one."
"I'm not evil." Yelena made her eyes go big, and she gave him the sweetest baby girl look he had ever seen. "I am impatient, though."
"Okay, okay, I'm going. Fuck," Valentine grumbled, but he was feeling better.
"Look at that. He can smile," Avallach called out, and Valentine flipped him off.
"You've got this, Valentine. I'm right here," Yelena said, and he believed her. She wouldn't let him hurt anyone, not even himself.
Valentine rolled his neck and shook out his hands. He walked further out onto the stone platform to give himself plenty of space. He stared at the mountain range in front of him and let the wind drown out all the other noise around him.
"Please don't hurt them," he begged his dragon. He got no reply.
Valentine blew out a long breath and crouched down. He placed his hand on the firm stone of the mountain, using it to ground him, and let his magic rise within him.
Scarlet and black threads danced out of his skin. There was no silver amongst it, and he found he missed the sight of it. The binding was all his magic and had none of Yelena's silvery influence.
The threads of his magic reached his chest, and the tattoo began to shiver. He groaned as the rings began to move. There were parts of it that had been shredded since his last shift, but now he finally surrendered to the pain. The bindings tore free, and he screamed. Ink and blood and magic poured out of his skin and down his arm to smear against the stone.
At last, we will be free, his dragon roared, making him clutch at his head.
Valentine screamed again as the beast tore away the last of thebindings around it, and there was nothing he could do but let it drag him under.
