Marcus
It had been two weeks of meetings, TV appearances, and traveling day in and day out. I was exhausted mentally and physically. The last time I talked to Louis was when he told me he was sorry about being rude. It had been too long for my well-being, and since then, I couldn't get hold of them. I tried to get a new phone. Nothing worked. I couldn't get through. The communications at the compound were probably down. My sixth sense told me it wasn't coincidental; something was up, but I couldn't do anything about it. Carl couldn't get through to anyone either. He even tried Charlene, but nothing. It was like the two of us were cut off from the world. There was no watcher to teleport us back and forth quickly. Jabin refused flat out. Bertram wasn't allowed to do anything. The whole world was at a standstill. There was no reprieve. No talking to Juliet. We had been together every day in France. Being with her and not being able to talk was better than not being close. My only consolation was that Qadir was with me, together all the time. It meant he wasn't hurting her.
I had become a spokesperson for the alien races. I couldn't leave. People didn't tend to like Qadir. No one wanted to work with him. It was evident why he raised me on Earth or why I never went back to En-gannim. He was molding me into his personal, perfect mouthpiece. Forced to study in every area and allowed to read about the outside world. Trained by so many people in public speaking… I was really good at it. When I needed to smile or fake my charisma, I could do it. Be a totally different person. What did Juliet think about it? We would never have met if it weren't for my father.
I even went with Qadir to Palmyra to negotiate the possible viability of creatures we could raise on Earth. Juliet would kill me if she knew I was one planet away from Chris and didn't pop in to say hi. When I suggested it to Qadir, he scoffed. I waited. He would give me an explanation eventually. 'Not this time' was all I got.
The morning after we returned from interplanetary travel, my laptop had a few million emails. Over-exaggerating, but that's what it felt like. One stood out, though.
Subject: Thought you should see this.
Attachment. I clicked on it.
A video opened with a scene of Louis and Juliet speaking in France at the dining room table. My defenses went up.
Juliet [ I'm so sorry, Louis… When I asked you to cover Marcus on me, I thought I'd be free of him. ]
My first reaction was jealousy. Did she want to be free of me? Did she believe the one would remove the other? No… Juliet said, 'Add' the night in the club… What was going on? Who sent me this?
The video cut out and played again. Edited? Why?
Louis [ I'm scared of Marcus—Juliet. It's not that there's no space for you there… It's because… I know he won't choose you. ]
My second reaction was hurt. How could he say that? After everything.
I played the next one… Louis was alone in his room until Juliet clearly spoke out of nowhere. Invisible?
Juliet [ I gotta go… But one last thing… My answer to your question on the boat. About why I think this is a stuff-up… I feel that way… Because if I had to choose… I will always and forever choose you… Not Marcus, and not Chris, and not Michael or whoever comes into my life. ]
"F—!" I picked up my broken phone and threw it at the wall. My third reaction was anger. Hurt. Juliet didn't love me, did she? She had no choice after what I did. Until Louis… You're stupid, Marcus. Everyone knew her choice would always be him. You knew it the moment she asked him to brand her. Juliet went to France with him even after she slept with Chris. Her reactions toward Louis at the embassy, when you saw them together for the first time, were proof of the connection they shared... Did you really not know!
When all those thoughts plagued my mind, I had to make the decision again. Like every day, my demons told me to let her go. She didn't need me. Come on! You promised yourself you would never leave her again. Had Juliet not shown you how much she cares. How much you hurt her… Even at the cages, she asked why I hadn't come for her…. I swore, muttering to my mind, fighting myself. In France, everything was so clear. It was because I hadn't talked to her. Left her angry and alone. Gone back on my decisions.
I ran down the hall to Carl's room, knocking loudly. He opened, and I pushed past him, "What happened… Why are we back at the compound? Is it for Juliet's treatment?" Carl shook his head slowly from side to side. I wanted to murder someone. I swore even louder, bit my teeth together, and fisted the wall. Now is not the time, Marcus! "Your phone? Quickly. Call Louis."
"I still can't. I keep on trying. Nothing. I still haven't heard anything from Kubra or Charlene either."
"I forgot Kubra went to Charlene… S—! They haven't come back yet!" Nervously, my hand scratched the back of my head.
"Juliet went for Miné, Marcus… Qadir and Sita were there… In France, a few days before you and Chris came back. He threatened us with her life to get you back at the compound."
I walked to the mini-fridge and took out two drinks, throwing one his way. "I have to think! I have to think! Why did no one say anything?" I gulped down the contents. The brown liquid burned the back of my throat.
"We weren't allowed. All Qadir wanted was you back on the compound. And… seeing all this. He needed you back, Marcus. Willing to do what he says."
I scoffed, "You all forget. My grandfather wants me back on En-gannim. F—!" I tossed the little bottle at the wall. "What happened to the watchers, Carl? Is there any way to get to the compound right now?"
"I'm sure if you talk to my father."
I spun toward the door and walked to the next room, banging on the door. Bertram opened. I pushed him out of the way. Carl came in and closed the door behind us. "I need to get to the compound. Now. Tonight."
"Marcus, you can't. We haven't even begun to negotiate or strategize. None of your people have eaten. Juliet has had no food."
"I know! Who the hell cares about food? It's been two weeks. I need to go. I'll come right back. Give me an hour there. Where are all the watchers? What happened to the thousands of soldiers you've created?"
A little mockingly—as if I should've known—he said, "Decommissioned. All of them. It's a matter of Jabin hitting a button… He can either switch it on or off. Initially, they didn't care that we were monitoring all the kids being born… Learning how you guys worked… Now it's war, and we're on a need-to-know basis."
"Is there anyone that isn't?"
"Kubra."
I swore loudly, "We can't get a hold of him."
"Carl has been training, but no teleporter plate. Jabin has one, and Michael. He is still MIA, and so is Samuel."
I had forgotten about Michael and Samuel. It had been two more weeks… I couldn't do it all. I wanted to, but I couldn't, not like Louis. I wasn't free like he was!
"Part of the negotiations is the use of the tech. We got used to being able to go somewhere instantly. Now that we've not been allowed to for a few weeks… Qadir has us where he wants us."
I sat on the couch, defeated. If I left. Fly commercial? Drive? It would take a whole day. Jabin would beat me to the punch. "Do you have any numbers for anyone there? Where is all your information stored? Do you know why our communications are down?"
"War, Marcus! The first thing to go… This will all be solved if we can get rid of Qadir. You should've left him in custody. Then you would've been in control."
"Do you understand that we would leave? My grandfather wouldn't allow me to play house here. All the scum would stay. All the people would've turned into monsters… You would be stuck. Everyone would suffer. No tech… No advantage…" I glanced at Carl. "Is that what you want?"
"We'll be okay until you come back," he tried to console.
"I don't have time for this." My heart was pounding. Something was wrong. Jabin was up to something. I had been so stupid. I promised to never leave her again. So focused on my father not hurting her that I forgot my grandfather would probably be worse. If I got there and she had lost an arm. I groaned… her tongue. I'd kill all of them.
I walked back down the hall, knocking on Jabin's door. He opened. I pushed past him. "Tell me, or I'll kill you right now."
"I have one job, Marcus. I have to get you back to En-gannim. Gave you the option two weeks ago. You didn't take it."
My stomach dropped. I snapped, reached for the steak knife on a plate, and threw it at him. It stabbed deep into his throat. Kubra's face flashed in my mind. A regret. Something I didn't have time to dwell on and would deal with later. I crossed the room. Jabin crumbled to his knees, undecided as to what he could do to save himself… I hunched over him, "My strength is unpredictability, Jabin… My weakness is Juliet." I grabbed the knife. Cartilage broke, and muscles tore apart. Back and forth, I hacked and sawed at his skin, creating a slit up his neck. With sharp black nails, I splayed him to reach in, grabbing his spine and crushing it. The color drained from his face. His eyes rolled over in his head. Blood covered my hands. I pushed him off me. He fell onto the couch behind him.
I sat next to him. "What did they do to her?" If he was trying to drive a wedge between us, what did they make her believe? Immediately, I got up, searched the room, and found a few things: One was the teleporter device. The second was his laptop with the recordings of the voice-manipulated calls I had with Liam and Juliet. Also the entire conversation they had in France and the weird and edited versions. The third was two black tubes. There was no time to figure out what they did.
I jumped up, running back to Bertram's room. I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down the hall. Carl hurriedly followed. Bertram gasped, trying to move backward out of the room. Carl pushed his father forward, closing the door.
"Here!" I pushed the device into his hands. Bertram didn't even notice me holding it out to him, still trying to wrap his mind around Jabin's dead body. Carl grabbed it from me. "Two weeks enough training, boy?" Bertram whispered.
He nodded, "Yes, sir."
It was my first glimmer of hope.
***
Luckily, Carl and I had free access to come and go at the embassy in Washington, or the next part of our mission could never happen. Inside the building, I kept my eyes on the floor, anxiously avoiding all the staring people. Everyone wanted a piece of me since my face was plastered on the news. All the attention tired me out. I had been in so many interviews that I felt like I could scream.
One floor was designated for the control of the teleportation, and a corner in the room for the actual spot or booth. The few times we have used it, humans made it a spectacle to ramp up curiosity around the world. As we entered the cubicle and while Carl figured it out, my mind raced to determine how much damage I had caused. I cringed at all my months of hard work ruined. It took so much for everyone to trust me… All Louis and Liam would've seen was how easy it was for me to lie and mislead anyone... Maybe having Carl there… I closed my eyes, mumbling to myself. For the first time, Carl took my hand in his. I gripped tightly, "Will they forgive me?"
Carl smiled, "That's not how this works, Marcus. You're family, no matter the mistakes you make…They love you. Of course, they will."
In an instant, we ended up across the country in the diner's building of a small town a few miles outside the compound. Teleportation was a miracle, and it alone had the most claim and financial gain in the galaxy. The vampires had done one thing right.
When we appeared, the vampire sitting there lifted up an arm and held out a key to me. My heart still raced, beating against my chest. We jumped in the car and sped out of there.
***
Juliet
Painful agony overwhelmed me when I came back to my senses. It was almost unbearable, worse than it had ever been. I forced myself not to react, to lie deadly quiet because I was not alone on the bed. Damian's body odor smell was distinct and disgusting. To make sour matters worse, I was naked, and he was cleaning my wounds, putting ointment on my back. His finger trailed the wounds as if he got off on them. He touched my hair and stroked my lips with a thumb. It was beyond me how this monster of mine only came out when I was in extreme emotional sadness. Not when I was angry or needed to protect myself. This would've been the perfect time for me to rip some guy's stomach open and bury him in the canyon. My body recoiled inwardly at every sensation he created in me. I could handle them being mean, even degrading. What I couldn't take was men like him wanting to touch a woman in both ways. It made no sense— like he had a split personality, and both needed to be fed.
"I was ordered to discipline you but still take care of you… Like a good husband should…" Damian's knuckles stroked over my cheek down my neck. "Like Marcus should have done years ago." His fingers sensually gripped my shoulder. "You would not believe how his estimation has gone down in the eyes of the army he spent years cultivating because of one… little girl… He will soon learn it does not matter who you are. Even Qadir's son can be brought down a peg… or two by violating what is his… And you will not mind… You can see me as another one of your companions. We heard you have a few."
His weight lifted off the mattress, and heavy treads crossed the bridge. Damian wasn't leaving and sat on Marcus's bed, creaking the base and lifting his feet into the air. Was he going to watch me the whole night? He probably knew I was awake. I turned my head away from him to open my eyes. He chuckled at my feeble attempt, "But not yet. Maybe later today. Just waiting for the call. Your in-laws really hate you. From Earth to all the way back home… I did drug you to make you a little more… pliable, so try to get some sleep or fight it… I really do not care."
The last time I wanted to commit suicide wasn't about the outcome of being trapped for the rest of my life… No, my fear lay rooted in the raping and the violation. Just like me wetting myself when I was tied down. I didn't know if I wouldn't sacrifice Soren for not getting raped. But what if it was my mom or Miné? What if they threatened me with hurting Louis? Taking it… like a good girl… was the worst thing I could think of. I would rather fight to the death if it came down to it… Or be knocked out… Lying down, watching him undress, allowing him to get on top of me because it was the only way to stay alive—my whole body stiffened at the image. If I died today, I'd be okay with it. We all three would have to die. For a long time, I silently cried, forcing myself not to sleep. At one point, I had no choice.
My eyes flew open. I grabbed the sheets and cried out into the pillows. The pain was now tenfold, stinging every nerve and consuming my thoughts. I writhed slightly, unable to move too much. My breathing was labored to get myself under control as I looked out the window to the dusky sky and the sun going down, announcing what was about to happen. I had been back at the compound for two weeks, and I was already planning my subsequent demise. I was a coward when it suited me. Not only had I lost my son, but I would never see Chris or Michael again. Marcus had proven two weeks was all he needed to completely turn around and go back to his father's lap. My every fear was realized about coming back there with him. Louis was right… Marcus wasn't going to choose me… And Louis… would forgive me.
I struggled to my feet, limply dragging the bed sheet to cover myself before I sat up. Damian was not in Marcus's room, and the doors were closed. I sobbed softly. Raised voices outside caught my attention. Guard numbers one and two were fighting in our native tongue. Strange… They had woken me up. Why was I so immobilized? I never froze! Why in this situation? My heart pounded, making all the anticipation worse. I would do anything if Louis and my dad came and rescued me before Qadir gave the order. How would they know I needed them? They wouldn't throw all our efforts away. Louis knew Qadir wanted him out of the way. Even if they couldn't kill him, they could take him away. I covered my face with my hands. I was so stupid to show them I would do anything to keep Miné safe. Soren. Louis, somewhere in a hole, made me quickly run to the cupboard to pull a sweater over my head, winching. I couldn't remember it hurting so much the last time. Qadir was much stronger than Damian, but his lashes were all over my new skin.
After I was dressed, I clutched the handles, regretting my impulse to cover myself up. The situation was too much for my young mind... Pretending for months in France was better. I wished I could take all my complaining back. Just be happy there. How could I ever have been so naive? Decided, I pulled my veil over my head and opened my door, ready to do something and flee out the back door no matter the consequences.
Damian looked over his shoulder as I walked into the kitchen. He was bolting the door and windows. The corner of his mouth lifted, "Good girl. In time for dinner."
Nervously, I fumbled to get things from the cabinets. Every time he used the drill, the sound bore into my gut. There is nowhere for you to go. You're trapped. This is where your real confinement starts. I tossed a steak into a pan and pulled my nose up at the smell. Blood or beer was all that could settle my vampiric cravings.
He yanked on the wood bars covering the door. My head flung his way. Damian turned and shook his head, "You brought this on yourself." Walking past me, his fingers brushed over my back. Pain rippled into my spine; I gripped the counter for support. He leaned down, "If you need pain medicine, all you have to do is go onto your knees… I will not even expect you to bow all the way…" Damian's fingers closed around my neck and squeezed, "Although, either position will bring me great pleasure." His thumb rubbed across my tense muscles.
Without another word, he turned on his heel as if playing mind games with me. The next moment, the whirr of the tool resounded in the courtyard. Damian was adding locks to the outside of our doors.
He left me alone for hours in my room. All I could do was sit there in pain, crying… The bath was appealing. No. Damian's outside; he would hear you. I hesitated. He wouldn't leave either. Nor give me anything if I didn't ask. I had slept the whole day and was bored out of my mind. Irritated by the constant pain. What could I do about the pain by myself? Stuck in this f—ing room! There was no way I was gonna beg… He would touch me again… See it as an invitation.
After another few hours of listening to him dozing off and finally snoring, I put on all the lights. I took my clothes off, letting freezing cold water run over my back, trying to soothe the pain a little. I just wanted to wash off Damian touch on me. I didn't care whether he would be on the other side of the glass anymore.