[On some level, Liem does register the measured apologies that Bondrewd offers as he wrangles both himself and the struggling demon. They are not the words of a hostile man, and nor are his actions particularly violent — at least not towards his companions. He is Liem's jailer more than anything, steadfast in his grip no matter how much the dhampir resists. If simple fear was what drove him to turn on his companions, perhaps Liem would be persuaded to let himself be subdued.
But Bondrewd's apologetic mien does nothing to soothe the frenzy that has already been ignited in Liem's blood. The man has put his hands on him, and what's more, the blood flowing from him smells far, far more human than the ichor-like gore now coating them both. It slides past everything else, sidestepping the stink of torn viscera and the shooting pain of Liem's savaged leg to saturate his senses. Somewhere, beneath the layers of armour and fabric, Bondrewd's heart beats a mesmerizing tempo.
As ropes of clinging material fling Sebastian away, removing him from being of immediate threat, Liem makes a decision. Abruptly, he relinquishes his hold on his crossbow, leaving Dignity's Barb to Bondrewd's grip as he shifts the focus of his own grasp — not to pulling free, but to twisting enough to cling to the larger man. He is drawn, with the single-minded focus of a striking snake, to the material covering his neck, and to the promise of hot blood beneath.]
no subject
But Bondrewd's apologetic mien does nothing to soothe the frenzy that has already been ignited in Liem's blood. The man has put his hands on him, and what's more, the blood flowing from him smells far, far more human than the ichor-like gore now coating them both. It slides past everything else, sidestepping the stink of torn viscera and the shooting pain of Liem's savaged leg to saturate his senses. Somewhere, beneath the layers of armour and fabric, Bondrewd's heart beats a mesmerizing tempo.
As ropes of clinging material fling Sebastian away, removing him from being of immediate threat, Liem makes a decision. Abruptly, he relinquishes his hold on his crossbow, leaving Dignity's Barb to Bondrewd's grip as he shifts the focus of his own grasp — not to pulling free, but to twisting enough to cling to the larger man. He is drawn, with the single-minded focus of a striking snake, to the material covering his neck, and to the promise of hot blood beneath.]