#thread 01: roan & brayden ( the covenant ).

[palomofionas]

a closed starter for my beautiful fiancée, @canncnball, for roan & brayden.

she was sitting up in his bed after her fit and he changed his sheets. the blood thankfully hadn't soaked through to the mattress, but tears rolled down her cheeks and his mother walked in to give her a glass of water. she gave the older woman a small smile and sipped from it before bringing her knees to her chest. when brayden returned, roan sat up better, "i'm sorry. i've been causing so much bullshit..."

[palomofionas]

she sniffled and she was slowly finished crying, but her body was exhausted and she knew that even if she thought she wouldn't be able to sleep...well, things were a little different now. a sigh escaped her and she nodded her head when he said his mom likely drank herself to death. she felt so sorry for him. for her. "...baby, if i were in her place, i'd probably do the same thing. she must have really loved your father, you know? i love you the way she must have loved him. if the same thing happened to you? i would lose myself." she took a deep breath and pressed another kiss to his lips. she rested their foreheads together and her eyelids were growing heavier. she took another deep breath. "i'm getting tired now..." she breathed and nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. she wrapped her arm around him and yawned before shivering and nudging her nose against the curve of his neck. "i love you, bray," she whispered and drifted off to sleep.

brayden leaned into the kiss and let himself linger against her lips. from that very first moment he saw her, he wanted and needed to know her, but that feeling never fully went away and that's how he knew this was real. he always wanted to be there with her, learning more about who roan was and being there to see everything as it played out for her. he wanted to be a part of her life and help her through all of this. if her parents gave her up, they had a reason and he was starting to understand that more and more as he thought about sam and what the other guy was really doing. his head nodded and he nudged his nose against hers. "she likely drank herself to sleep," he said with a slight shrug. "it's complicated with her and i, but i don't blame her for what my dad did. he did this to himself and he did this to his family." and it nearly destroyed their family many times along the way.

[palomofionas]

her eyes were rimmed red and she took a few more deep breaths to keep herself calm. she closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead and she smiled gently, "i know you will," she whispered and relaxed into his touch. before she could even respond, he honestly read her mind, and turned netflix on. she looked up at him and nodded her head. she swallowed thickly and she slotted their lips together in a deep, passionate embrace. she was cold and she pulled the blankets up over them a little more before pressing herself flush against him once more. she wiggled a little bit and ran her fingers through his hair as she pressed a little kiss after kiss to his lips after the longer one. she smiled gently against his lips and she sighed. "did your mom finally go to bed?" she asked and tipped her head to the side. she knew he had problems with her, honestly. especially when it came to drinking. she could understand why, though. if the love of your life did something so selfish and drained himself of his power and life force...she'd be fucked up, too. if brayden did that? and she knew he wouldn't, she'd be a mess.

there was a frown on his features when she said she didn't know if she'd be able to sleep, but he understood. after everything she had just been told, along with how sick she had felt, brayden wasn't so sure he would be able to sleep, either. a kiss was pressed to her forehead before he let himself linger to breathe her in. "i love you. i will always keep you safe, roan." he sighed and brushed another kiss to her forehead and lightly trailed his fingers along her side. "would it help if we put something on to watch?" brayden knew it would, so he didn't wait for a response. the noise in the background and something to take her attention would do wonders. he reached over for the remote and put on netflix to let something play for her, while his focus was on her as his arms wrapped back around her. "he can't get in here, baby. just remember that. you're always safe here," he promised.

[palomofionas]

she trembled a little and she took a deep breath as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hold he against his side. roan listened to him and she noded her head as he explained what he was going to do, how he was going to help her. she sniffled and wiped beneath her eyes before she swallowed thickly. he kissed her forehead and her temple and she closed her eyes as she nuzzled into his shoulder. she inhaled slowly and then looked up at him, "i don't know if i'll be able to sleep," she whispered and wiped her eyes and her nose and she turned to rest on her side and pressed herself flush against his side. she trailed he hand up and down his side before pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek and then his jaw. "i love you. thank you for keeping me safe..." she whispered and bit into her lower lip.

a sigh passed his lips before brayden tilted his head to look at her, then she moved over and he climbed into the bed with her. his arm was around her shoulder to pull her closer against his side and he held her. "i'll help you get a better handle on your magic, then you'll know what to do. you won't use without realizing you're doing it and you'll be able to stop him from taking from you." leaning closer, he brushed a kiss to her forehead and another against her temple with fingers lightly moving along her arm. "not now. you should rest now. you don't need to worry about him right now, though. i've got you and you won't be able to get to you tonight, baby." his other hand lifted to brush the tears away that rolled down her cheeks. he was so worried about her right now and brayden could practically feel with worry radiating off of her. one thing he couldn't feel was any magic being used, which was a good thing. "just...try to sleep right now, okay?"

[palomofionas]

the ride home was quiet and the moment they got back to his place, she climbed into his bed and curled up under the blankets. the moment brayden spoke, she furrowed her brow and then inhaled sharply when she realised what he was talking about. her hand went to her neck again and she got tears in her eyes. she took a deep breath as he turned to look at her and she shook her head, "i can't believe he's doing this...why would you do this to your blood? to your twin?" she whispered and wiped beneath her eyes. "it'll probably be back in mine and elif's dorm tomorrow. i can bet you every penny i have that it'll be there." she rubbed at her eyes and shook her head. she was so tired and so sick to her stomach. "please..." she moved the blankets and wanted him to get into bed and hold her. "please just hold me," she whimpered and more tears rolled down her cheeks.

lips parted and brayden wanted to ask more about her necklace. how often did it go missing? when did it show up again? instead, he just nodded his head and guided her back towards his car. the drive back was a little quiet, but he kept his hand in hers the entire time with their fingers laced together until they were back at his place and up in his bedroom. once there, he watched her climb into the bed and stood there a moment longer with his gaze on her. "i think sam has it," he spoke moments later. inhaling a deep breath, he slowly let it out and neared the bed before sitting on the edge of it. "if you have had it all these years and you got it from your birth mother, i think that necklace is more a piece of you than you understand. i think it was a piece of her and i think he's taking your magic from you through it." brayden rubbed a hand over his face and shifted in the bed a little to look directly at her. "the next time it shows up again, i want you to give it to me. i'll put a spell on it to block him out. it won't stop him completely, but it'll be a start."

[palomofionas]

she closed her eyes as he rubbed his fingers over her temples and she took a deep breath. then he was suddenly bringing up her necklace. "oh...it keeps disappearing. i had it on the other day and took it off to shower and then it was gone. it's happened a few times. i just think i must have misplaced it." she rolled her neck and then it started raining a little harder. "why?" she asked and looked up at him. her heart beat quicker and she rubbed her hand over where it usually rested. "i miss wearing it. that was my only possession from her...i'm surprised the other two let me keep it, honestly." she swallowed thickly and felt a little lightheaded. "can we go back to your place? i just wanna lie down. i don't feel well."

brayden pulled back enough to slip his phone from his pocket and he sent danny a quick text, explaining it as best as he possibly could to his best friend in so few words. he would explain more later when the group of them could actually get together, but he needed to be right there with roan. the phone was back in his pocket and brows pulled together when she spoke of a headache. his hands lifted and fingers rubbed over her temples as he whispered a few words to ease the pain. eyes trailed down and his head tilted as brayden noticed something. "where is your necklace?" he asked and met her gaze seconds later. "the one your birth mother gave you. you never take it off."

[palomofionas]

she couldn't breathe as she thought about turning into what brayden's dad was right now and would be for the rest of his life. and not even because she was selfish and greedy. she was being turned into that against her will. before she could respond, he was grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the house. it was raining lightly outside and she inhaled sharply. as he spoke, she ran her fingers through her hair and tipped her head to the side. he said the power was addictive and she inhaled slowly, trying to calm down. she rubbed at the back of her neck as he continued and she nodded, trying to wrap her head around what was going on. when he cupped her cheeks, more tears slipped from her eyes and she looked up into his eyes. her heart was ready to fly out of her chest and she leaned in to wrap her arms around him, hugging him so tightly, "okay. okay...i trust you," she whispered and sniffled. "we'll get through this. you should call and tell danny. he is probably with elif, so he's gonna tell her. and then you should call the other guys. just warn them about this. uhm..." she cleared her throat and she rubbed at her temples again. "i've got an awful headache. i think he's trying right now..." she breathed.

there were tears in her eyes and brayden hated to see it, but he needed her to see what happened when they reached this point. he needed her to understand that there was no return after a certain point. "this is what happens when you're selfish and greedy," he muttered with eyes trailing over to his father and the older man looked back at him for a moment. brayden walked along and took roan's hand, then he quickly tugged her along to walk down the stairs and out of the house in order to get fresh air. "that happened to him because he used and used until there was nothing left. he cared more about himself and his power than anything else." hands lifted to rub them over his face. "roan, it's addictive. i think sam got too much of a taste of it and he can't stop. i think he's already at the point where it should be wearing him down, but he's taking from you to stop that." hands reached out to cup her cheeks. "look at me, baby," he whispered. "i won't let that happen to you. i will find a way to stop him. i don't care what i have to do."

[palomofionas]

it was like the caretaker was trying to warn them and then he disappeared. she didn't know what was happening and he squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her. what was he trying to reassure her of? when he stepped up to the chair...she inhaled sharply. tears glistened in her eyes and she gripped onto his hand and he introduced her to his father. the father who was supposed to be dead. he looked dead. he might as well be dead. her eyes widened and she looked up at her boyfriend and she sank onto the edge of the couch. "...is this what happens when you use up all of your power?" she whispered to brayden as she stared over at jeremy. "is this what will happen to me if sam doesn't stop taking mine away from me?" she choked out and covered her mouth with one of her hands. she sank back into the couch and she shook her head, "fuck..." she whispered.

there was a small, sad smile on his lips as he got out of the car and took her hand to lead her inside the home. it was their caretaker's home, but it was also so much more than that and he couldn't so easily explain it to her in words. once inside, they walked up the stairs and paused at the top when the caretaker looked between the two of them. "brayden." there was a warning tone before his head shook. "i need to do this, isaac." the older man ducked his head down and walked by the two of them to walk downstairs, then brayden gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "it's okay," he whispered, seeing the confusion on her face. steps were taken to walk along until he stopped off to the side of the recliner chair, seeing a man seated in it who looked like he might be close to a hundred years old, but brayden knew his dad was only twenty years older than he was. "roan, this is jeremy rollins, my dad.." his head tilted to look at her, seeing the confusion and fear that laced her features.

[palomofionas]

once she dropped her hands from her temples, she took a deep breath. she realised that this was a familiar route they had been on before. with a sigh, she wrinkled up her nose. why were they here? "your caretaker's home?" she asked and then he asked if she trusted him. "i trust you one hundred percent, baby," she breathed and squeezed his hand back before pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "i love you, brayden." she gave him a gentle smile before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his lips. "come on..." she whispered and climbed out of his car and she pulled the hood up over her head. she took his hand and followed him inside. the caretaker was giving them a wary look before roan glanced over at brayden. "what's going on?" she whispered.

"you won't. i won't let it happen." his voice was soft, as to help calm her down a little. once she agreed to go with him, they were up and down the stairs quickly enough. brayden looked at his mom and saw the way the older woman looked at him. it was as if she knew what he was going to do and didn't approve, but he didn't care. he only walked along to get in his car and drive them along a very familiar path for him. during the drive, he kept his hand pressed against hers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze when he came to stop outside of a familiar home. after cutting the engine, his head turned from the place he had taken roan to a time or two before, but she never walked inside with him, and he looked at her. "do you trust me?"

[palomofionas]

she hummed softly as he rubbed his hands over her arms. she rubbed the back of her neck and she squirmed in her spot a little. she couldn't believe this was actually happening to her. "i don't want him taking from me...i have to strengthen myself. i can't end up dead because of this. i don't want to die, brayden," she rasped and wiped beneath her eyes. he squeezed her hands and she nodded quickly, "of course," she whispered and got to her feet before following him out of the bathroom and downstairs. she gave his mother a gentle smile and pulled her jacket on over the hoodie of his she was wearing. she climbed into his car and buckled up. it was so dark out and it was starting to storm, actually. a sigh escaped her and she rubbed at her temples. her vision was a little blurred and she tried to squeeze her eyes shut, willing her body to stop this all from happening.

without hesitation, brayden slid down to sit in front of roan with hands reaching out to rub them over her arms. "i think he's been using for a while and knows what he's doing if he's able to do this. he can't just take from you, not if you don't let him or don't want him to. we just need to...strength you a little. if you can control it, then you can stop him from taking it." eyes trailed down and he laced their fingers together before hearing roan ask about his dad. "he used too much and it killed him," he whispered. brayden shook his head a moment later because that wasn't entirely true. his gaze lifted to look her in the eyes while squeezing her hands. "can i take you somewhere? i need to show you something."

[palomofionas]

she was starting to feel very sick to her stomach as he explained more to her. her lips parted with a quiet gasp and she ran her hands over her face. she took a deep breath, "...sam," she whispered and she slid down to the floor, against the bathroom wall. "fuck." roan brought her knees to her chest. "bray, what if he's my brother? like my fucking twin. there was redacted information. is there a way i could stop him from taking from me?" she asked, looking up at him and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. "what the everloving fuck?" she breathed and ran her fingers through her hair. "is that what happened to your dad? he used too much magic?" she asked and furrowed her brow.

"i think you've been using for a while without realizing it. i've seen you sway balls into pockets while we're playing pool. i've felt it, roan." inhaling a deep breath, his thumb brushed over her cheeks before hands fell away and one lifted to rub it over his face. "our power can sort of be a give and take sometimes. we use too much, it, literally, takes the life from us," he began explaining to her, "but we can give, too. i think you're...unknowingly giving because it's being taken away. i remember reading deeper into the books before about an anchor. it's something of yours that's attached to you or has been. something that holds a part of you." his head shook while brayden thought for a moment. "i'm not taking from you and i know danny isn't and i know the other guys aren't, either. that just leave us with one person..."

[palomofionas]

she disappeared into the bathroom and filled her mouth up with mouth wash before she started swishing it around. she needed to get the blood taste out. when he leaned against the doorframe, she spit everything out and looked up at him. her brows furrowed for a moment as he explained everything he could. "the sons of ipswich. i heard that when danny and elif were speaking." when he said he didn't think sam was the only one from the bloodlines, she inhaled sharply. he cupped her cheeks and she swallowed thickly. tears glistened in her eyes and she took a deep breath, "you think i've been using? and not known? i mean...but what about in my sleep. you couldn't possibly use it in your sleep. or me. i couldn't use it in my sleep. do you think someone's trying to take my power from me?"

as she spoke, he inhaled a deep breath and swallowed thickly, then she was climbing out of his lap and brayden's head nodded. "on the bathroom counter," he mumbled a response and watched as she disappeared into his bathroom. brayden's hands rubbed over his face and seconds passed before he pushed himself up to follow her, stopping just at the doorway and leaning against the frame. "the sons of ipswich. we come from a very long line of magic. i think sam might be from one of the lines, but i don't think he's the only one..." steps were taken to cup her cheeks. "using magic sort of...drains us. if we're not careful and we use too much, it makes us sick. i can feel it when someone uses and i don't think it's because of the other guys. bishop is one of the family names."

[palomofionas]

when he asked what she meant, tears glistened in her eyes. "i've heard elif and danny...talking about magic. and the families. your families. all being connected in this. i heard you and your mom when i got here. talking about power and your father. brayden, is sam from one of the families? i did enough research. my last name is actually bishop." she sighed and ran her hands over her face. she swallowed thickly and still tasted blood in her mouth. "do you have mouth wash?" she asked and climbed out of his lap and ran her fingers through her hair.

the moment she said this wasn't normal and that it was supernatural, his gaze dropped down to not look directly at her. he could lie, try to keep her in the dark, but brayden knew that wasn't right and it might not be an option anymore. if anything, it might make things worse for roan. "what do you mean you've heard conversations?" his gaze lifted to look directly at her. "what have you heard?"

[palomofionas]

"waking up, choking on blood? no. i have been sick and exhausted...just really drained, but i haven't thrown up blood," she said and shivered before pulling the sleeves of his hoodie over her hands. she moved to climb in to his lap and wrapped herself around him. "i heard conversations, bray. i brought all of those books. what's going on with me?" she whispered, forcing his gaze. "this is supernatural...this isn't normal."

the moment he returned to his bedroom after tossing his sheets in the wash, brayden shared a knowing look with his mom before the older woman nodded her head to disappear out of the room. "ro..." he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her and rubbed his hand over her leg. "you've been getting pretty sick lately. has anything like this ever happened before?" if it did, he would be worried, but if this was something newer, he would be extra worried because then brayden might really know what was happening.