Ares' POV

      I sigh to myself quietly as I wake up once more in the night. I know I should be sleeping, but my mind keeps convincing me, even in my dreams that Thomas isn't here and that he's been captured again. I've woken up three times already to check for myself that he is indeed here and safe.

I let my eyes fall to his face, his long white lashes resting against his cheek bones as he rests. My sweet kitten has always be beautiful to me, but it doesn't stop me from seeing the way these past few months have effected him health wise. I don't miss the bruises that color his neck, or the way his cheeks are sullen and hollow. His brown freckles across his cheek, however hasn't changed a bit and the fact of that makes me smile softly.

Being away from Thomas lately has shown me a lot about myself and him that I never noticed before.

Like how I depend on him to brighten up my day and wake me up with kisses in the morning. How he always gives me advice on what to wear and how to look. His voice singing and muttering to himself as he goes about his chores.

I realized how much I gravitate towards him, even in sleep, always wanting to be closer to the light in my endless sea of darkness.

I remember before we met, I was convinced that I would never be anything but a calloused, destructive Daemon that lost touch with the good things in the world. And then Thomas got dropped into my life and I haven't been the same since. And I love him for it.

Not able to ignore my badder any longer, I reluctantly get up and begin to move my body away from Thomas' smaller one slowly. As soon as my body is no longer touching his, my sleeping kitten begin whining low in his throat and his eyes scrunch up quickly. I watch with worry as his brows begin to lower but before he can panic too much, I let my hand come out to touch his cheek, my palm resting on it softly. I begin to stroke it with my fingers lightly and after a minute or so he begins to calm down until he's relaxed into the mattress once more.

     After he's calm enough, I quickly finish removing my body from the bed, silently making my way out the room and to the hall bathroom, not wanting to disturb my sleeping kitten.

     Once I'm done and my hands are washed, I turn left to head into the kitchen to grab a midnight snack and almost jump when I see Ben sitting on the couch. I'll admit I forgot he was here for a moment. Instead of wanting into the kitchen, I go to the living room and sit down on the floor beside the couch softly.

      Ben is starting off into space and his eyes look that of a dead man. Not a Vampire or someone that was killed but his gaze looks like that of a person that has seen something no one in the world should have to experience and it keeps playing over and over inside his mind. I turn from him and look at the wall across from us as I open my mouth to speak.

"Thank you." I tell him and I feel him startled beside me but I don't comment on it, knowing how easy it is to pull away from the world and into your own grief. In my peripheral vision I see him turn towards me in confusion but I let him take it as he may.

"You're supposed to hate me. Or try to kill me." He says and even his tone sounds dead. It's almost chilling to hear.

"I used to. I though about it everyday once I learned it was you. But now I respect you." I tell him honestly, turning my head to look at his baby blues. He shakes his head at me in disbelief and I don't let him disregard my claim. "Most people, if they found a way out of where they were being kept, they would run. You stayed and saved Thomas. I also know that if I was in your shoes I wouldn't have made it this far." I tell him and I turn my head away as tears begin to spill down his cheeks.

     "I'm sorry. For the pain." He tells me and I let the apology resonate before I let it go.

      "I'm sorry. That you had to go through this alone." I tell him and he laughs darkly.

      "I'll have to leave." He tells me, his blank face turning fully towards me with wide honest eyes. I tilt my head at him in confusion.

"Why can't you stay here? We have an extra bed." I tell him and he shakes his head at me before his eye well once more and his voice gets thick, the emotion in them giving away to the pain and turmoil thats he's trying to hold in.

"I have to leave this city. I can't stay here. Too much happened here for me to ever be okay in this town. I have to go." He tells me and as he looks at me so earnestly I understand. His demons will never stop haunting him here, especially since Silas wasn't found. I don't know if he knows that, and honestly I don't want to be the one to tell him.

     "Well in the meantime, you can stay here." I tell him and he gives me a relieved smile as if the only thing he wanted was someone to understand what he needs and wants and not be judge for it. But I meant what I said. He's strong and resilient in a way so many people can never be, and if staying here will be his breaking point then he need to get away.

    Getting away from a toxic or dangerous situation doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong for knowing what's best for you and making the move necessary to be okay.

    And I would never judge anyone for that.

     Just as he's about to answer, a chilling scream is heard form the bedroom and before he can react, I'm already on my feet and racing towards the room, terrified of what I might find. When I open the door and barge in, I find Thomas tangled in the sheets of the bed, face red and tear stained as he sobs loudly into the dark room. His hand is stretched out as if looking for someone and I get a heart breaking realization that it was me.

     I quickly race over to the bed, on his side and touch his face trying to get his attention but it backfires.

      As soon as my hand touches him, he begins fighting and kicking, trying to get away from my hold, his screams of terror making my ears ring and heart clench but I don't back down. Even as he's clawing against me in his sleep, obviously somewhere very different from here, I fight with his limbs to have him sit up as I lower myself to the bed.

     Taking all the punches and slaps and scratches to my body, I raise my hand and pull his head closer to me until his nose it rubbing against the Mark on my neck. It takes him a few second but once he realizes that it's my scent wafting through his nose, his limbs slow down a bit until they completely stop.

Once he's calm, I begin to shake him a bit before he starts to move as he wakes up. He lifts his head from my shoulder, and then looks at me before doing a double take as if surprised my my presence.

Looking into his pale gems I watch as the realization of all of yesterday crashes down on him and he remembers that he is no longer held captive in a basement with Silas but home with me. As tears form in his eyes, I place my hands on my cheek softly. "Kitten, what happened? You started screaming and kicking." I tell him but it's not his voice who answers.

"It was a night terror. He probably reached out for you and when he didn't feel you beside him, he panicked. He has PTSD." Ben tells us from the door of the room. I hadn't even notice he had followed me when I ran out.

"Are they permanent?" Thomas asks with a shaky confused voice and I look to the other Vampire for the answer.

"Sometimes. It all depends on how you heal." He says and Thomas looks to me with fear and sorrow in his eyes. I nod to Ben in thanks and he returns it before he exits the room and closes the door behind him.

     I look back down at my kitten and it's hurts to see the look of absolute despair on his face. Like he just wanted to give up. I place my hand under his chin and force him to look at me even through my clouded eyes. "We're going to get through this. We're going to help each other heal. I don't know everything you went through and we won't get into it tonight, but we will. I'm going to make sure we'll be alright." I promise him with tears in my eyes.

     I watch as his own spills over as he nods at me and returns his nose to the crook of my neck and I let him. As we sit there together in the ghost of the night and think about life, I vow silently to myself and him, that I will do whatever it takes to make him happy again.

~~~~~~~
Ben's book is going to be so good. I can't tell you guys how many book Ideas I have so I need to hurry up and finish the ones I have now so I can start them.

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QOTD: Are you excited for all these updates?