Chapter 36
SINN'OUS
Sleeping in his arms, breathing even and soft, Izz’s the picture of peace. Soft and vulnerable, cradled in Sinn'ous’s embrace. So trusting. So in need of a strong guiding hand.
“What happened to him?” Reni’s words are flat, and in the otherwise silent cell, they’re a loud demand.
He tucks the boy in tighter to his chest, moving his legs to drape one over Izz’s thinner ones. If he could crawl under Izz’s skin to further protect him, he would in a heartbeat.
Sinn'ous’s lips move, forming syllables that have acid burning his oesophagus. “He was raped. I got there before any real damage was done.”
“If you fricking hurt him—”
Sinn'ous cuts the other off. “Contrary to your beliefs, I have no intention of killing him.” Not anymore anyway. But that’s not a detail he’ll be sharing, not when it has all the potential to circle back to Izz’s ears.
“And every intention of keeping him. The only one in danger of death here, is you.”
“Am I just supposed to believe your—”
Sinn'ous talks right over the top of whatever absurd thing Reni is about to say. “I don’t give a shit what you believe.” He scowls at the wall over Izz’s head. “Where exactly were you, when he was grabbed.”
“Where were you?” Reni venomously claps back.
“You’ve only stayed alive this long for your usefulness in protecting him.” A fact. And one he is considering rectifying right now.
There’s a small intake of breath, a real ‘I-understand-now’ moment of clarity. Then, “it was you,” realisation bleeds into the accusation.
Sinn'ous leaves the conversation there. But Reni continues it all on his own.
“You’re the one who got me released from The Hole. I thought it was Sinj—thought he blew a guard or something. But he would have gotten himself out if he could do that.”
Hair as soft as the prison soap allows it, greets Sinn'ous’s face, welcoming him when he noses into Izz’s neck to place a kiss behind his ear. His eyes are half adjusted to the slow lightening of the cell as the sun rises and trickles in through the tiny window off centre in the cell’s back wall.
Reni is chewing his lip, clearly mulling over the pieces of a near complete puzzle. So no luck that Reni will go back to sleep until the doors open for breakfast.
“All those dead . . . You killed them all for him?”
It might be a question, but it’s clear no verifying reply is needed.
And it’s a good thing, because Rogers picks that time to do the morning walk by and count. Clicking his counter three times on a resigned sigh. Heavy soled boots thudding away to count the next cell.
After a short, sharp buzz, the doors clank open. A loud call coming from every cell in their Wing. A start to a new day.
And his boy doesn’t so much as twitch, breathing deep and heavy in his slumber.
Not even when Sinn'ous snakes his hand down the boy’s pants, to cup his bulge from atop his briefs.
Nuzzling into his neck, and licking over the shell of his ear.
The smell of soap is so minimal it doesn’t coat the natural scent that is all Izz.
He can’t help it when his tongue slips out to taste the boy’s neck. A lingering salty mix of human skin. Another breath passes, then he’s doing it again. A lazy drag of his tongue that he reluctantly stops when the sounds of sheets rustling indicate Reni is getting out of bed.
The sound of pissing fills the cell, as does the acidic stink of it. It’s faint, and probably all in Sinn'ous’s head, but he scrunches his nose at it all the same. Removing his hand from down Izz’s pants, he kisses his cheek and uncurls himself from the boy.
He has things to do, and the boy deserves to sleep in.