The new speed caught Syri off guard and threw the zeta off his balance. It was not much, but just enough for Jae to notice and slip an arm around Syri's waist. Syri's heart raced, and he wondered whether it was from getting thrown off-balance or from Jae's arm around his waist. He supposed it could be both.
"It's alright. I've got you," Jae said. His voice was not loud. It certainly was not loud enough to cut through the wind whipping past them; it was just above a whisper, but Syri heard it. And how his heart sang. Jae's words reassured Syri, so he was able to adjust to the new speed quite easily. Taking ahold of Ajax's mane, Syri leaned forward and enjoyed the wind whipping past him.
Ajax maintained the same speed, never slowing or accelerating. Syri found himself smiling widely as he leaned into the wind. He had never felt freer. The zeta closed his eyes and let his heart sing inside his chest.
Jae's heart skipped when he felt the zeta lean back and rest against his chest after he had enjoyed leaning to the wind for a few minutes. A few moments passed when the zeta was completely still; he had not moved a muscle. Jae looked down after a few more seconds to see Syri's eyes closed. A content expression painted the zeta's face as he leaned into the true blood. With a few prompts, Jae brought Ajax to a trot so Syri could rest. Syri had not done that much physical excursion in a while.
The feeling of the zeta against his chest sparked emotions in Jae that he had shoved deep inside his heart, and the prince found himself leaning down and resting his chin on the zeta's head. A low hum radiated from the zeta in response to Jae's motion. Syri's response warmed Jae's heart, so he tightened his hold around the zeta's waist.
'Syri...Syriii??' Syri snapped his eyes open as the sing-song voice echoed throughout his head. The voice laughed maniacally as a surge of pain swept through the zeta's mind.
"No. No, no, no, no!" The zeta began to panic as he sat up. Jae immediately detected the change in Syri's countenance and released his hold on Ajax to steady the zeta.
"What's wrong?" The prince asked with great concern.
'You've been a bad boy, Syri. You've been running around with another wolf. I can smell him all over you. How could you do this to me?!!'
"No!!" Syri cried out in pain as the intruder tormented his mind.
"Syri!" Jae tried his best to steady both the zeta and the steed, but Syri's state worsened by the second, so the prince ended up taking the zeta in his arms and leaping off Ajax's back to tend to Syri on the ground. Ajax, being a trained steed, immediately slowed to a stop and stayed by his master's side. He would not leave until he was no longer needed.
"Gnahh! Please...stop!" Tears streamed down Syri's face as his expression filled with pain. The zeta clutched his head as his mate continued to bash his mind. Stars filled the zeta's vision as Jisue invaded his mind.
'Come to me, Syri. I need you. Be a good boy and do as your mate says. Come to me!' The rhythm and flow of the words were wild and random, showcasing the intruder's unstableness.
Syri shook his head frantically in response to Jisue's voice in his mind. He could never go back. Not to that house. Not to that dark room. Not to him.
'I will find you, Syri. You cannot hide from me. I know he has masked your scent, but it can't last forever. You are mine.'
Syri felt as if he was back in that basement with chains around his ankles as Jisue continued to batter his mind. The zeta's vision had completely blackened from the pain, and his intervals of breathing became smaller.
'You're mine, Syri. Never forget that.' Another crazed laugh followed the words that cut Syri's mind like a knife.
Jae watched helplessly as Syri's face turned red from the pain and the zeta's breathing turned ragged. The prince took Syri's head in his hands and pressed their foreheads together.
"Syri, look at me," Jae voiced calmly. Jae heard Syri's breathing hitch as he heard the prince's steady voice. "You are safe. He is not here. He cannot hurt you. You are with me." Each word was sturdy and clear. Jae released an immense amount of soothing pheromones which seemed to aid in calming the zeta. "Everything is alright. I am right here." Jae held Syri's face and looked at the zeta's wet brown eyes. It took a moment for the zeta to get his breathing under control, but with the help of Jae's steady presence, Syri was able to gain back dominance of his mind.
"I heard him, Jae. It was like he was right here." Syri's eyes teared up as he spoke of his experience with Jisue's voice in his mind. "I don't want to go back."
"You're not going back there. I won't let him take you." Jae positioned himself to sit next to Syri and pulled the zeta into his embrace. The zeta clung onto the prince as fresh tears of relief began to flow. Syri's body began to relax as he realized he was safely wrapped in Jae's embrace.
"Thank you...Jae," Syri voiced quietly. The zeta's eyes began to droop as his body begged for rest. It was not long before the zeta was fast asleep due to the physical excursion performed throughout the day and fighting Jisue in his mind while resisting the pain.