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Vitus sighed as he left his office. Things had been a mess since the Sulvan family dissolved. It was his plan for it to happen, but he had things he’d rather focus on than the aftermath of that. Felix, Alessia, and Rhys had done an amazing job managing the fall out. The Kamia family was taking a position at one of the city entrances now, it would be easier to move humans in and out.
He made it to the bedroom and fell into his desk chair. A small yelp reminded him of his mistake. Searching for the source of the sound he found Dabria near the entrance to the house set up for her. He grimaced, she was shaking and it was his fault. He’d made the mistake, he had to learn.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” he whispered. His steps had probably woken her up. The twins having their own space on the second floor made this easier. He didn’t want to scare them more than he already did. “I’ll be more careful, you can go back to sleep.”
“R-right. O-of course,” Dabria said. He moved slowly and carefully. Putting one arm on the table he placed his head on top of it and watched her. She was tense, he didn’t blame her. “Is… everything alright?”
Vitus smiled. Despite all the fear she felt, Dabria continued to try and see him how she used to. He’d never blame her. She stepped away from the house. Shaking steps forward to be completely in the open. He brought his other hand up and held it close to her. The twins and Ryder seemed to like it when he held them, but Dabria always became more anxious.
“Just tired, there was a lot to deal with,” he whispered. She flinched when he spoke. Changing to be quieter was hard. Ryder never mentioned it, none of the humans did. He couldn’t blame them, he should have considered his presence was a lot. It wasn’t uncommon that he intimidated other giants just by arriving.
“Because of… us?” she asked. It took everything in him not to bring his fingers closer. To have her in his palm and bring her against him. He sighed again, his breath blew her hair from her face. It had started to grow out again, just a bit past her shoulders. He did give in and curl his fingers just slightly closer. He could see the way she stiffened. He just shook his head. “Th-that’s good.”
“I wish I didn’t scare you.” Bright red eyes looked up at him. A shaking, small hand reached out for the fingers near her. She almost managed to touch him without flinching. “ Honestly, I don’t blame you for being scared of me. ”
“What?” He straightened his fingers, pulling them from the semicircle they’d formed around her.
“I know I’m intimidating, it must be worse for you. With everything that happened and even just now…”
Vitus looked away. He wanted to be a source of comfort. A person she saw and smiled at. That was a long way away, if it could ever truly happen. He would wait, even if nothing ever changed. Small hands dug into the skin of his fingers. He breathed in a sharp breath, feeling guilty when the hands lost their purchase. He looked back at her.
“It’s… it’s not you ,” Dabria breathed. She was quiet, quiet enough he had to lean closer to hear her. A small noise escaped her, but the hands on his finger didn’t leave. “It’s… everything. It was easier not knowing. A face without a name and no memories to distract me.”
Dabria pulled her hands away. Vitus desperately wanted them back. That small proof she trusted him and wanted to be near him. He was given a different gift entirely. A small body, one that seemed more fragile than any other human, rested against his palm. His fingers curled in protectively. He didn’t feel her shaking, there was no gasp she failed to hide.
“I… I don’t want to be scared. I want to talk to Rhys, see how Felix has changed, find out if Alessia’s gotten better at talking with humans,” she said. He felt shaking, but it wasn’t the way she shook out of fear. He’d gotten used to that by now. A sob escaped her. “I want to be able to act like everything is fine, even though I’m human now. It’s just… Dominic was awful, the things he did and said. The things he made me see… it’s not the same when…..”
“When you’re at risk of the same fate,” he said. She shook more, but the weight against him grew.
“Exactly.” He took a chance, carefully tilting his hand to the side. Dabria had all the time she could need to leave, but the weight on his palm never disappeared. Once his hand was flat and he knew she was off the ground he pulled her close. He stared at her, trying to see all the details he couldn’t anymore.
“I can’t make you forget what you saw, or make it easier to deal with the memories,” He pulled her close and pressed his nose against her. “But I’ll help you however I can. I failed to protect you once, I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
She laughed. It was the first time she’d laughed around him. It made him desperate to hear it again. To hear it as often as he had in the past. Small arms reached up and pressed against his skin. He loved feeling this just as much as when she’d been able to wrap her arms around him.
“Honestly, that’s one thing I trust.”