Isiah fought with every fiber of his being to avoid triggering a single negative emotion in Ciel's fragile heart. He was utterly desperate to repair the fracture between them, regardless of how long or painful the process proved to be.
He refused to cause the boy any further harm. Following slowly behind him through the deep drifts, Isiah suppressed the violent, ravenous urge to feed gnawing at his core, striving to project absolute restraint so the child would not be terrified by his dark presence.
"Can we speak right now?" Isiah asked softly, adopting the gentle, patient voice he reserved exclusively for Ciel, a tone that required immense effort for him to summon in his deteriorated state.
"You refused to help me find my parents," Ciel replied after a long, agonizing march through the endless white snow. "So I went to search for them on my own."
