Dread washed over Kathy as the shock of his kiss quenched the heat she built up. He moved his lips hastily against hers while rubbing his erection against her thigh. It was disgusting. She tried to turn her head away but he held her jaw with his free hand, holding her in place, and sucked on her lips while she struggled to get him off.
She felt disgusted and terrified as he forced his tongue into her mouth despite her struggles. His free hand roamed all over her body and Kathy felt like throwing up.
His grip on her hands loosened as he deepened the kiss. She mustered a lot of strength enough to push him off her. Taking advantage of his temporary shock, she ran off, not stopping until she got to her room and locked herself in.
She stood by the door, gasping for air while trying to comprehend the reality of the situation. Gabriel no, Atlas tried to hurt her. No, he hurt her. Her heart sank as she realized that once again, she was hurt by someone she trusted.
She felt someone trying to prod into her mind and knew that it was him. She tried to hold up the wall but due to exhaustion, she couldn't hold up the walls of her mind for long as he got into her head.
'You will be mine under the moon and in the eyes of everyone. I will make sure your parents ensure that happens.'
With that, he closed the link.
Her parents. He would hurt them.
Kathy slumped to the floor next to the door, shaking uncontrollably with only one thing on her mind– to protect herself and her parents. Her throat was closing up and she struggled to breathe. He was going to hurt her parents just as Mark did April. The room temperature went up a few degrees as her power formed a protective bubble around her. It probably spiked after feeling her fear. She wondered why it didn't come out when Atlas assaulted her.
She wouldn't blame it because deep down, she almost accepted that she would go through that again. She almost gave up fighting and surrendered to her supposed fate. And that scared her even more. The bubble kept getting hotter as she became more terrified.
"Kathy!" She heard someone shout from the door followed by continuous banging.
"Princess, please open the door, we can feel the heat coming from your room." It was Aerial and Triton. Even though she was far gone, her body somehow recognized their voices.
Kathy could not get up from the ground, too scared to leave the bubble. She hadn't had a panic attack ever since the night of the red moon when her power awakened. Her encounter with Atlas took her back to two days before her fifteenth birthday, her second encounter with Mark.
"We are coming in." That was all she heard before the door was knocked down to the ground.
Still, in her bubble, she quickly crawled to the other side of the room and hugged herself, leaning against the wall.
"Precious, what happened to you?" Aerial asked as soon as he saw her trembling by the wall.
"Gab...Gabr...Gabri.." That was all she could mutter.
Triton understood immediately who had done that to her and ran off, most likely going in search of Atlas.
"Precious, please call it back and let me hold you," Aerial whispered in a low voice. She wasn't understanding him.
"Reel in your power and let me comfort you, Princess."
The familiarity in his voice made her look up at him. Her bubble disappeared when she recognized him as her father. He pulled her into his arms and she let him.
"What happened to you, Precious?"
She let out a sob while muttering incomprehensible words. She found comfort in his huge arms as she held on to him, crying softly. Air slowly entered her nostrils and her throat opened up.
"It's alright, Precious. Cynthia would know what is wrong with you." He lifted her into his arms and moved to leave the room.
"No, father." She squeezed his arm softly. "Bed."
Shame would not let her tell anyone about what happened. Yet again, it was her fault for trusting someone.
He placed her on the bed and pulled the covers over her. Sitting beside her, he could see her still trembling softly every once in a while.
"What happened, Princess?" His eyes searched hers worriedly.
Not being able to face him, she turned to face the wall, backing him. Taking the hint, he squeezed her shoulder.
"I won't push you, Precious but I need to know what happened and who hurt you. I will make him or her pay."
She still didn't reply as tears gathered once again in her eyes. Aerial would hate her too just as Hala probably did.
"Goddess! I'm terrible at this. I'll get Hala and you can speak to her," He said, standing up.
Kathy turned to face him. "No, father!"
He looked at her and she pleaded with her eyes.
"I just want to get some rest," she told him in a now softer tone.
He nodded in understanding and left the room after kissing her head. She grabbed a coat as soon as he left and went in search of April. She needed to know April was safe. April was mostly with the women as she got accepted quickly into their circle.
The road to the town square was quiet as she made her way down the square. Darkness made the place eerie quiet. The two moons kept Kathy company as she watched them on her way to the square. The women of the royal colony would be cooking dinner for everyone. Lunae was a tight-knit kingdom, every colony ate together and the children played together. The few children she saw on the way waved to her as she walked by and she waved back. One little girl came up to her.
It was getting dark but Kathy could make out her features. The girl was a redhead with green eyes. Her Mark was an eye on her forehead making Kathy wonder what her power was.
They say the eyes are the mirror to the soul but that little girl's eyes conveyed nothing but looked like they could see through everyone's souls. Her eyes contained nothing but wisdom.
"Hello, little girl," she greeted when the girl got close enough.
She bowed slightly. "Luna Princess, what brings you to this side of town?"
Kathy couldn't believe she was talking to a kid who looked like she couldn't be more than eight years old.
"I am looking for my mum, April."
The little girl's eyes turned hazy, she was probably asking someone through the mind-bond.
"She is at the dining hall setting the table with some other women," the girl told Kathy after her eyes had returned to normal.
Kathy thanked her and moved to walk away but a hand on her elbow stopped her. She turned back to the child whose mark now glowed.
"Don't trust what you see. The truth is hidden beneath the one you love." The child ran off immediately after saying those words leaving Kathy stunned.
The riddles were making her dizzy thinking about them. First, it was the Oracle, and next that little kid who looked wiser than most adults. Was the kid a seer?
She shook her head and continued on her journey to the dining hall. She wondered if Triton found Atlas. Part of her didn't want him to be hurt and the other part that wanted to protect her family wanted him to disappear. She didn't want to admit to herself that she started developing feelings for him. When he saved her on the night of the red moon, she felt like she belonged to something, and finally, someone was like her. Although she hated his closed-off attitude, it attracted her to him.
Loud chatter interrupted her thoughts as she got to the dining hall. Women were walking to and from the table with bowls of food on their arms while the men talked amongst themselves and waited patiently to be served.
She spotted April laughing with some women, walked in and the chatter ceased instantly. Everyone bowed simultaneously and she nodded in response. Kathy would never get used to that. She had told them not to bow on numerous occasions but they still bowed.
"I was about to start coming back to the castle. You shouldn't have come all the way here," April told her when she got close enough. Kathy scanned April's body with her eyes then sighed in relief when she saw nothing concerning.
"It's okay, Mummy, I wanted to see you."
April only smiled and walked away. Kathy followed closely behind her.
"Are you okay, mother?" She asked and April turned to her with a raised brow. Kathy thought that April was acting strange. Ever since April was brought to Lunae, she became closed off.
"I am. Why would you think otherwise?"
"Well, I don't know but you've been acting strangely and I…" Kathy stopped speaking when Hala spoke in her head.
'Where are you, my moon? Something has happened.'
"Come, mum, we have to get back to the castle."
No other word was exchanged during the journey home as both women became silent. They got to the castle and went straight in. A guard was waiting at the entrance to take them to Hala but April excused herself and went to her room. They went down the last hallway but there was no door. Kathy wondered where they were supposed to go from there.
Kathy was about to ask how they would get in when the guard placed his hand on a spot on the wall and a door appeared after that part moved to the side. The guard opened the door and they climbed down the stairs. They entered what seemed like a cell or rather, a group of cells of some sort. Each cell had some words written at the entrance and a gate that seemed impenetrable. But the cells were empty.
They passed through the hallway without entering any of the cells. The temperature dropped a few degrees the deeper they got.
"Are we close to mother yet?" She asked, getting slightly scared. After what happened with Atlas, being alone with a man scared her. Even with her power, he held experience as an advantage.
It seemed like he noticed he was scaring her and moved forward, giving a lot of space between them.
"Yes, Luna Princess. The Queen is at the last cell," he replied. "I apologize for scaring you. We the royal guards pledged our lives to protect the royal family and would die before harming them with our hands."
She didn't get to reply when she started hearing some voices. She recognized her parents' voices but one voice was unfamiliar. Her father was standing in front of the last cell with Hala standing behind him. Some guards stood in front of the cell too. She tried to look around her father and the guards to see who was inside the cell when Hala pulled her back.
"Careful, he is unstable," Hala warned her and she moved back. "We caught him roaming the western border."
"Who is he?" Kathy asked, still trying to take a look at the person.
"Why don't you ask me, Princess? I am standing here after all," the man announced before Hala could reply.
"Don't speak to her!" Aerial growled and the sound startled Kathy. She wondered if growling was Lunae way of expressing anger.
"Then why did you bring her here? I told you I would only speak to the Princess," the man said. Hala pulled Aerial to a corner and they spoke for a few seconds. Kathy had the opportunity to see the man. Either he was a shadow magician or was possessed by one. Whichever one he was, the dark magic had completely taken over him. His skin was very pale and his eyes were black with no white spot. He looked ghostly.
He smirked when he caught her staring at him and sent her a wink which made her shudder in repulsion.
Aerial was frowning when he returned with Hala. He turned to Kathy. "Precious, make him tell you why he was on our land, who he works for, and why he has been attacking our colonies for weeks. Don't go close to him, although his cell has been enchanted to ward off any magic. Please be careful."
Kathy nodded in understanding and turned to face the cell. Hala squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. With hesitant steps, she moved closer to the man.