Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

44. Tragedy.

ACE.

I choked on air. With wild eyes, I turned to Rowan, a million questions flying through my head. I was no longer numb; now, I was buzzing.

"Your mother!?" I yelled. The only thing stopping me from grabbing him was the fact that my hands were cuffed behind my back. I couldn't believe it. It had to be a lie.

No.

No, no, no, no, no, NO! This was wrong- all of it so, so wrong!

"I suppose he never told you..." President X mused, walking from behind her desk to stand before me, "Sounds like the Rowan I know; a liar."

For some reason, my eyes were stinging, and a lump was forming in my throat. I wanted to cry. But I couldn't. Not here. Not now.

"Rowan, it can't be true... Tell me it's not true..." I whispered, my mouth and throat drying up. I felt like I'd swallowed glass. Rowan stared forward, his eyebrows furrowed and his body tensed. He gulped.

"Her name was Hexena Florence, in the old world. She fell in love with Fletcher Slade. She forgot that love when she murdered him in cold blood~"

"Enough!" the President ordered, clicking her heels. Rowan closed his eyes in defeat and his head tipped to the floor.

It all made sense.

The President was Rowan's mother. Agent Bailey Lux was his brother. The Enigma Council was a family business; being a liar was in Rowan's genetics! That was why he was able to be blackmailed into obeying the evil contract he had signed, that was why he followed through with his missions, why he battled himself over what he believed in.
That was why he wasn't allowed to love. Why he was forced to be cold and stoic. Why he wasn't allowed freedom or happiness.

Because he couldn't be distracted from his mission. He was a key part of the Council's plan- and for a good reason, too; he was the President's son!

"What do you want from us?" I demanded, my voice warbling as I fought back tears I hadn't expected would fall.

"In one word: obedience," said the President, her lips forming a tight smile. The smile never made it to her eyes. They remained cold. Very cold.

"Never," I hissed. As soon as the word left my lips, the collar on my neck grew tight, and a burning sensation erupted in my throat. I gasped for air, falling to the floor. My vision immediately blurred, red creeping in around me; black coming faster and faster.

"Ace!" Rowan and Josh yelled in unison, just as Gaspard marched through the doorway, smiling broadly- a small black remote in his hand. He stood beside the President. I stared at his shoes; black and shiny, and polished enough that I could see my reflection in them. I was seeing double -triple, even. I couldn't make it out.

I saw flashes of my reflection.

My wide eyes. My open mouth; gasping and gasping for air.

"What have you done?" Rowan yelled, snapping his handcuffs in a movement that was so sudden and sharp they hit the wall with a loud crack! Then he was leant over me, turning me onto my back to look up at the roof; up into his worried face. His voice was distant and echoing, and it reminded me of something I'd heard before. Low and with a quiet huskiness that I wanted to hold onto.
But I couldn't. There was no air. No way to breathe.

It was just easier to close my eyes.

'Stay awake, Ace! Don't close your eyes! Do. Not. Close. Your. Eyes!'

I sat bolt upright, knocking Rowan out of the way and looking wildly around. Gaspard had loosened the collar, and I was breathing again. My head spun, but I didn't care; I was too busy searching.