Chapter Fifteen: Respite

Holly didn't know when the pain stopped. How could so much agony come from the tips of fingernails? But they had been like knives, slicing her skin, causing her blood to flow.

But where had they gone now? The servant was gone without a word, and so was the master as well. Now it was just her alone and tied up. Was this a ruse on their part?

"Holly," the whisper was close to her ear and she turned to meet Quix's eyes. "Stay quiet," he whispered as he went to work on her restraints. They popped off and he pulled her into his arms, closing his eyes as he willed them to travel.

Nothing happened. They were still in the bowels of Death's trap.

Holly sobbed.

"Don't worry," Quix whispered. "I have a plan."

Holly didn't believe him. This had to be a trap. If she showed any sign of hope, it would slam down on her. The pain she had endured already was just the start. They were going to do so much more to her. "Leave me," she whispered.

"You can't give up like that," Quix scolded. "Just hold tight, I'm going to use all my power, but this might make you sick."

Holly closed her eyes but against her will, her fingers curled into claws and she grabbed onto Quix tight. Probably tighter than he had anticipated if the soft gasp for air was any indication.

But still, she wanted to believe.

Quix grunted and his hold on her became as tight as the one Holly had on him. Even without opening her eyes, she could sense the movement as they escaped Hell itself.

Holly bent over double as they appeared wherever Quix had taken her. Her stomach was in knots and she clenched her it to try to stop the urge to vomit.

"Breath deep, in through the nose, out through the mouth, the sensation will go away in a moment."

Quix massaged her back in small firm circles. Holly dry-heaved but managed to keep everything down. "Are you real?" she whispered.

"That's an odd question," Quix frowned. "Yes, I'm real." He helped her sit down on a bed and frowned at all the injuries. "They didn't go easy on you."

"Did you know?" Holly whispered as she stared at her clasped trembling hands. "Did you know what was going to happen to me?" she didn't look up, she just stayed in that bent pose.

"Not exactly," Quix replied. "I didn't know that he'd torture you if that's what you meant. I knew he was after your power, but..." He trailed off as he looked away. "I'm sorry."

Holly continued to sit there and tremble. The cuts weren't deep or even wide, but they were all over her body and they still stung. A lingering pain that wasn't going away, even now. "Sorry is not enough," Holly sighed and clambered onto the bed leaning against the wall and pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I should get you back to the others. It's only a matter of time until Death realizes I took you."

"I want to stay here, at least until I can stop shaking." Holly whimpered. "Please?" She sat up. "Or will he find us here too?" her heart was in the clutches of a great beast squeezing it. Whatever power she had, nothing would be able to enable her to withstand Death again.

Quix took a spot on the bed on the corner, not even close to touching her anymore. "I can't believe Krim betrayed us." he shook his head. "I should have realized he might. We can stay here, but the others will be worried about you. I have a spell on us so no one else can find us, not even other reapers. Death might, but he doesn't tend to do much his actual self."

"Just gets everyone else to do his dirty work for him?" Holly asked as she continued to huddle against the wall.

Quix shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you he's not really such a bad guy. I honestly don't know why he did this, and now I don't know what to do to help you." He frowned. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you back to the others?"

Holly shook her head again. "I can't face them right now. I just want this to be over. If I had power, if I knew what it was, I'd give it to that guy in a heartbeat. I don't care about the consequences."

Quix listened to her and reached a hand out patting her head. She looked up at him and noticed that he was looking away from her as he did so. "We can stay here as long as you need. I promise no one else can get in. This is a spot I made for myself. Rubes is really worried about you."

Holly shivered and curled into herself more shying away from his touch. "Why did you save me? This isn't a part of some bigger plan to make me suffer later, is it?" she whispered.

"No," Quix scowled at her as he moved closer. "I came because when I realized you were gone I was worried about you. I figured you might be in the throne room so I took a chance and teleported in there. I'm lucky that they were too occupied with you to see me."

"Lucky," Holly scoffed. "I was so lucky to be strapped to that table. Do you know he said that was only the beginning? Just the barest amount of pain he could inflict." She bit her lip. "I can't take that again."

"You won't have to." Quix took her clasped hands in his and waited for her to look up before he spoke. "I will protect you. I can't fight, but I'm an expert at running."

"Running away won't be enough with him," Holly pointed out. She looked at the bed and the small room. "How are we going to sleep in here?"

Quix grinned for a moment before it faded away and he shook his head. "You can just take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor or something. You've been through enough. I'm not surprised you're tired."

Holly roused out of her mental loop to watch the man as he got to his feet, his braid swaying behind him. "You really won't try anything?"

He looked over his shoulder at her and gave her a half-smile. "Are you really offering?" instead of blushing she looked down and he sighed. "No, I'm not going to try anything. Just rest, I'll keep you safe."

Holly peeled the sheets and blankets back and scooted under them, stopping with a whimper as her cuts stung again.

Quix reached for her before he doubled over himself and grunted. Droplets of red coated the cover as he coughed and Holly's eyes went wide. "Quix?"

"Don't worry about me. I just broke a rule and I'm paying for it, that's all."

Holly threw the covers back and put a hand on his back. She hadn't noticed it before, but the reaper was shivering too. His skin that had been warm before was now ice cold. "What's wrong?"

"I told you, teleporting is a solitary business. I really overextended myself." He coughed again and groaned as he doubled over.

Now it was Holly with him in her arms. "You need to be under the covers."

Quix's eyes shot open. "No, you're staying right there. I won't let you take the floor."

Holly's cheeks grew warm and Quix's expression changed from resolution to interest. "Then, we can share the bed. It's just big enough. Just, don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Quix didn't even argue. The two of them got under the covers and their residual body heat stopped the shivers from both, though he continued to cough, at least he had stopped coughing up blood. "I'm too weak to do anything to you, don't worry."

Holly mock-glared at him. "And if you weren't you would be then?"

He smiled at her. "I would try. I really like watching your expressions." He didn't touch her but the warmth in his gaze made Holly blush and him chuckle. "Yeah, like that."

"Are you going to be okay? You said you broke a rule. You can't get off that easy right? With just that?" she gestured to him then winced as her cuts brushed against the hard wall.

"I'm not going to do anything to you, but I'm going to hold you while we rest. I'm going to be weak for a few days anyway. I've never pushed myself that hard, I could have died, but I didn't. Looks like the worst is over." He held out his arms to her. "Come here, sleep against my chest, you won't be rubbing against any walls than at least."

Holly's cheeks were blazing fire by this point. "I'll just face the wall. I'm fine." she turned away from him.

The bed shifted beneath her and Quix's arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her flush against him. "I can protect you better this way."

Holly didn't reply. The flames from her cheek spread over her entire body, and she forgot all about the cuts that decorated it.