there was a distinctive reason dominique duval didn’t touch drugs. whilst she would never judge another for what they chose to put into their bodies, the frenchwoman had always had a particularly adverse reaction to the more synthetic varieties, synthetic hallucinogens in particular. perhaps it was her refusal to ever face what had happened to her, when she was a child or otherwise, but there was something in her genetic makeup, her bare bones dna, that meant she totally lost it. she knew something was wrong the moment it began to settle.
it didn’t take long for some man to try and take advantage, but in her state she was weakened, vulnerable. her fingertips felt numb, her skin scorched as the male continued to try and grab at her, ❛ get off of me … ❜ she mumbled, pushing him away with the most feeble attempt she could muster. she could hear him, trying to whisper nothings into her ear, his greasy skin almost pressed up against her, but his voice never reached her as anything more than a garbled mess, his filthy palms seeming to sink into her bare arms. ❛ no … get … away from me … ❜ but every word just filled her periphery with more colour, she stumbled, and the male caught her in a near vice-like grip.
and then he was gone, pulled away from her in a movement so sharp she crumpled to the floor. blue hues, barely visible beyond her widened pupils, stared upwards, the image of devlin burned into her mind, a tear rolling down her cheek as she reached up and gripped his leg. tight. ❛ something … there’s something wrong. i can’t … ❜ vulnerable. that was how she felt. she clung onto him as if he were her only port in a storm, because he so often was, tears spilling out as her heart thudded against her skin so violently she thought she might break. all she wanted was for him to scoop her up, to feel the warmth of his body against hers. for him to soothe her like he used to. perhaps it was a long shot, but in this state she had no other desires.
❛ soleil … ❜ she half-begged, his old nickname slipping from her lips before she had a chance to stop it, ❛ get me out. please. ❜
he could’ve killed the male before him. could’ve drove his fist into his face a few hundred times until he was unrecognizable for even laying a single hand on dominique to begin with , but all that vigorous rage dissolved the moment he felt her slender digits make contact with his leg , her desperate pleads filling his ears , and suddenly all that mattered in that moment was her.
he releases his menacing grip on the male and allows him to fall harshly to the ground , attention now focused on the blonde , gaze softening and concern etching across dark features upon her distressed , vulnerable state that consumed him with the overwhelming need to protect her from everything and everyone around her. instantly he’s scooping her up into his arms as he gently picks her off the ground , shielding her protectively from others as he walked towards the nearest exit , wanting nothing more than to get her to safety of his car and away from any possible danger.
❛ i got you , princess. ❜ he soothes lowly , fingers absently running along her hair in hopes to bring her some comfort as he tried his best not to think about what could’ve happened to her if he hadn’t been there , the rebel leader now holding the blonde just a bit more tightly to him as the thoughts attacked his mind like a deadly disease , trying his best not to let the rage resurface.
with one arm still wrapped around the frenchwoman , the other reaches out to open the door of his car now that they were outside before settling her into the passenger seat. he kneels down so he’s at eye level with her , hand reaching out to cup her face , brushing a few strands of blonde hair from her seraphic features so he could get a better look at her as he looks her over to see if she had any bruises.
❛ did he ----- are you hurt ? ❜
