45: Enjoy locking your lips.
**Bane pov**
I woke to the sunlight spilling into the tent, feeling every muscle ache from yesterday’s exertion. The monster inside me stirred faintly, like a predator testing its leash.
I tensed immediately, heart pounding, but the moment I sensed Aife beside me, her warmth and calm, I allowed myself to relax again.
“Morning,” I muttered, my voice hoarse, but my lips stretched into a grin when her eyes met mine.
“Morning,” she whispered and brushed a strand of hair from my forehead. Fuck, I really needed a haircut with how long my hair was getting. “Ready to start?” She asked and yawned, pulling me back to reality again.
I let out a slow breath. Was I ready to start all over again? Yeah, I think I was, for as long as she was near and could grab my hand if I fucked up again. “I think I am, but I’ll need you to stay focused.” I muttered.
Aife snorted out a laugh and sat up. I watched how she slowly crossed her legs and made herself more comfortable, looking like a baby chick, sitting inside a nest.
She flashed me a quick, teasing smile and arched an eyebrow. “Me, focused? Bane, yesterday you nearly turned me into a speed bump when you tried to pull off that stunt with Zion and the brute.”
I chuckled and sat up, “that was on purpose and you know that. A quick display of strength, nothing else.”
“Oh, yes,” she said in a deadpan, “because terrifying your best friend and a Goddess knows how massive brute is exactly how you display strength.”
I groaned and pretended to be offended by her words. “You’ll never understand the genius of my methods.”
“I’m beginning to,” Aife muttered and laughed. Goddess, I loved the sound of her laugh so fucking much, it was driving me insane. Then, just to make a point, she leaned closer and whispered, “ I have to admit, watching Khan lecture you yesterday was something else. I nearly choked on my own laughter.”
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “Don’t remind me. Puppydog eyes, threats, and more than a hundred years of Alpha anger all rolled into one. I thought I’d grown immune to fatherly intimidation, but no, not against that.”
Aife giggled. “Khan’s all bark and no bite. You should’ve seen me when he first ‘adopted’ me.”
I looked up and furrowed my brows. “Wait, what? Adopted you?”
“Yes,” she said and shrugged as she flashed me that devilish little smirk she did whenever Aife was about to tell me stories she knew I’d react to. “One of the lions found me sleeping in a cave. He thought I was lost in the woods, so he brought me back to the camp, expecting I’d be grateful. Then Khan looked at me with those impossible puppydog eyes and just said, ‘my enforcer took you home and from now on, you are my child’. I couldn’t find it in myself to say no.”
I blinked, trying to imagine Khan pleading in puppy mode. “You’re telling me you didn’t argue? Not even once?”
Aife shook her head. “I mean, I questioned his idea, but I didn’t really argue with him. I’d rather die than disappoint that beast. And yes, it’s ironic that the same man lectures you like a father every time you so much as twitch in the wrong direction.”
That was too much, I couldn’t hold it in, so I snorted out a loud laugh. “You’re absolutely terrible. I’m stuck between laughing and crying because of how ridiculous that sounds.”
Aife grinned and patted my knee. “You are very welcome.”
“Alright, enough reminiscing, I need to push him back today.” I announced seriously as soon as I stopped laughing.
“Push who back?” Aife asked, sounding like the embodiment of innocence.
“The monster, love. You know, the thing I’ve been trying to keep caged.” I groaned.
Aife crossed her arms and huffed. “And you think you’re doing it alone again? Not a darn chance, the brute needs to be here, we agreed yesterday.”
I frowned at her. “Seriously, the brute? I don’t recall agreeing that he’ll always be around whenever I attempt to push the monster’s buttons, only when it gets out of hand.”
“Now listen here, mister,” Aife raised her voice and somehow, she managed to use the same tone Khan used while he was lecturing me yesterday, which I really didn’t like. “We saw yesterday how helpful the brute was. First of all, he’s protective and observant. Second, he’s a little terrifying and I think it’s a good thing in our case. Until you have a stable hold on the monster, you’re not going to risk trying without backup.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes before I looked away to hide the smile on my lips. I wasn’t smiling because of the brute, my smile was all Aife’s fault - she looked so cute with her bird nest of a hair while she lectured me, not smiling was seriously impossible.
“Fine, you can call him in, but he seriously better be prepared for what he’s walking into.” I grumbled eventually, trying my damndest to keep the amusement out of my tone.
Minutes later, the brute’s heavy footsteps announced his arrival before I even had a chance to glance at the tent entrance. He stood near it, arms crossed in front of his chest while eyes swept the tent living area like he was looking for a threat out in the open.
“Morning,” I muttered as he started approaching us. “Ready to begin?”
Aife’s hand instantly squeezed mine and for a moment, I held her just as tightly, once again, fearing to let go. While we were waiting for the brute, we set the blankets on the ground and sat down so the brute sat down near us, his eyes never leaving my profile.
For once, he didn’t look at me with disgust, just interest and a little bit of worry.
I got a little more comfortable and loosened my grip on Aife’s hand. “Alright. Stay close, keep your hands ready if I slip, but don’t interfere unless I call it.” I told Aife, then turned to the brute, “understood?”
The brute nodded and echoed, “understood.”
Aife gave me a soft smile and whispered, “you got this, love. I believe in you.”
I let out a heavy breath, closed my eyes and pulled my hand free from hers. The monster instantly nudged at the edges of my consciousness, fighting to regain control, but I pushed it back, focusing on Aife’s presence rather than fear of his power and future plans.
Slowly, the first waves of pressure washes over me. My body shook with the effort as goosebumps covered my skin. “Not bad,” I murmured more to myself than them. “Not bad at all.”
Aife chuckled near me and kept encouraging me, “that’s my man, keep going, Bane, you’re doing it!”
I opened my eyes just long enough to glance at the brute. He still sat near and his arms were uncrossed, like he was ready to jump in and grab, or as he mentioned yesterday - even sit on me to hold the monster from doing something awful.
I closed my eyes again and focused on pushing him back, forcing him to stand down and give up on his attempts for control.
“I’m stronger than you think,” I whispered to the monster. “You’re not taking my body today, tomorrow or any other day. I’m not letting you do it again.”
The brute shifted near me and I felt the warmth of Aife’s hand hovering over mine. “I can do this,” I muttered to her without looking at her.
“You’re already doing it. Remember, you’ve already fought so many times and survived. This is just another step.” Aife reminded me, her voice softer than earlier.
I clenched my jaw, my muscles trembled under the strain, but I didn’t give up and kept pushing the monster deep into the darkest, hidden places of my mind - right where he belonged until I figured out how to get rid of him for good.
I had no idea how much time passed by - maybe minutes or even hours, but I couldn’t find it in myself to try and figure out how much it was. My main focus remained on the monster who screamed, roared, crawled and thrashed against me.
After what felt like years of endless torture, I opened my eyes and felt like the earlier tension had finally left me a little and now it was nothing but a dull ache somewhere deep down.
“You’re doing it,” Aife gasped as a wide smile spread across her lips and tears filled her eyes. “Bane, you’re holding him back!”
I forced a smile and nodded. “I’m getting better at this.”
I watched Aife wipe the tears off her cheeks and the next moment, she leaned closer, threw her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine. I was so caught off guard, I didn’t move for a second, but once I tasted her tears on my tongue, I didn’t waste another second to kiss her back.
Somewhere deep down, I still felt the monster’s faint attempts to push at my control, but now that I held Aife this close, even he knew he had no chance of breaking free anytime soon.
The brute cleared his throat next to us and I slowly pulled away to glance at him while Aife hid her face in the crook of my neck. “Thank you.” I muttered, “although I didn’t need you this time, I’m very grateful you came here to ensure nothing bad happened.”
He let out a low grunt, nodded and stood up again. The brute looked down at us for a bit longer, then cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I.. Well, I think it’s best I get going. Call me if my presence is needed, but until then, enjoy locking your lips.”
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