*Keegan’s P.O.V.*
I felt bad for what I had to do to Victoria. Truly I do.
Knowing her the way I do, I had no other choice but to put her in the dungeon for now. She was very violent by nature… I understand that I hurt her but I had no choice. Dr. Pearce would have figured it out eventually and I don’t want to go to the stocks for a lie.
A lie to save a Fallens trust?
Pfft… that was unheard of.
Then again, I never expected to develop feelings for her either.
But I did.
It’s been four days that she has been down there. She must have calmed down by now. Maybe she saw reason. Maybe she will understand my point of view. I know she has feelings for me. Those moments we shared were not fake. It might not have been love, but it was something.
I would have gone to see her yesterday but I’ve been busy with new things… Dr. Pearce informed the Idris army captain of what he learned and he has organized his troops to train harder and more weapons are being made.
All of yesterday I had been summoned to the city to discuss possible war tactics for the prophecy date to defeat the Fallen quickly or at least hold them back for as long as possible.
While in the city I was able to visit the Seraph Institute where I met up with Rachel, Sheridon and Jayden. I invited them back to me palace and they agreed to come up within the next couple of days and stay for as long as they could before they were needed back here.
To be honest I just missed their company. I also felt worried for them. They were only young Hunters. But they were about to face something that was huge. Something so much bigger than even I had to deal with at their age…
I cleared my head of those negative thoughts and moved on to the task at hand. Making my way down to the dungeons, I take a deep, shaky breath. I want to apologize properly for the entire ordeal. I can’t lie and say I wanted to tell Dr. Pearce everything, but I definitely had to. I just wish that it didn’t have to be done in front of Victoria.
What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. But now she knows and she is hurt.
I’m sure that bloody witch doctor did it on purpose too. She has always hated Victoria and I know for a fact that she wasn’t my biggest fan either. She’s not a stupid woman, she clearly saw the connection that Victoria and I had and it very much displeased her.
The guards opened the door for me without a word and I nodded my thanks.
Darkness consumed me as I walked down the hall that was lit by scattered torches. Goosebumps and shivers raced across my skin, as it was fairly damp and cold here underground.
Stopping in front of her door, the guard who had silently followed me down, stepped forward now and unlocked the door before stepping back again.
“I won’t be long…” I mumbled quickly, as I pushed the big, heavy wooden door open and took a torch inside with me.
The first thing I noticed that there was an empty bowl and cup lying discarded on the floor right in front of the door. Well, at least she was still eating and not starving herself…
Looking up ahead of me, I saw Victoria. She was sitting up against the wall, her legs out in front of her. If she was as cold as I, then she did a much better job at hiding it.
She was looking at me. A glare, deep set onto her face. I wonder how long that has been there. This whole time or just now that she sees me? Her long black hair hung in a mess to her lap in messy knots. But I still just wanted to run my fingers through it…
She peered through her hair to pierce me with her deadly grey blue stare. It looked as if she wanted me to drop dead. Which I’m sure just might have very well been the case.
“Hello Victoria…” my voice sounded wrong, even to my own ears.
The room was filled with a thick, heavy silence. I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed the door behind me and hung up the torch in its cradle by the door. It lit up the whole room in a dull glow, just barely reaching the farthest corners.
“I just came to apologize. I never meant to hurt you, you must know that?” I tried.
Her eyes narrowed at me.
I sighed and walked to the wall that was on her left and sat about 5 feet away from her. I’m not worried about her attacking me; I can defend myself easily enough. I just know that she will still want her space away from me at the moment.
I sighed and began my explanation, “You have to understand my position in all of this… I didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
She scoffed but I ignored it and continued, “When I first purchased you, they knew who I was obviously and because they were struggling to learn anything new from you, they thought to make up this contract where I would basically learn it for them. It was assumed that you just didn’t want to talk to anyone related to Dr. Pearce.”
“You were meant to earn my trust for information,” she spat out angrily.
I sighed and nodded, “At the time, yes and that was all it was. I agreed to all of the terms and thought nothing more of it. I didn’t think that I would come to care for you Victoria. I l-” the word caught in my throat. Do I really want to say that? “grew fond of you as an individual.”
“Sounds like a load of horse shit to me,” she spat at me, but it only reached half way. Thankfully I had sat as far away as I did.
In a flash she was perched up on her feet in a lowered crouching stance. She looked just as feral and wild as she did when I first brought her here almost 8 months ago. I was suddenly very much on guard but I tried not to show it. My fingers felt for the Gael that was secured to my wrist and I felt comforted by that a bit.
“You’re just like all of my other Masters, whether you want to believe it or not. You try to make yourself seem so high and mighty but it’s all just a show. You were just craftier in how you got what you wanted. Most Masters just take what they want. It’s easy for me to block it all out and defend myself. But no. You had to go and get my feelings involved. You have hurt me worse than any other Master in the past. I hate you, Hunter. And I swear when I get out of here, I will come here for you. I will kill you.”
Venom dripped off of every word. And I believed her too. I just wanted to show her that all of those feelings were real…
“Victoria, please. Why don’t you come outside with me? We will go for a walk and we can talk some more. I want you to believe me that I care for you. But if I had lied, I would have been found out, thrown into jail and where would you be? Back in the auction house…” I sat up onto my knees slowly and slowly reached a hand out to her.
Just as my fingers grazed hers, she pulled back with a hiss and swung her nails out at me, trying to claw me across the face.
When she missed she let out an ungodly shriek and lunged at me, her hands aimed for my throat. Luckily the chain around her ankle threw her off balance as she tripped over it, so I was able to direct her momentum to the other side of the room, She fell but I felt grateful that I didn’t have to use the Gael on her.
Going over to the door I knocked twice and waited for the door to open. Looking down at her now, I sighed and my heart clenched painfully in my chest. It hurt me to see her this way again. She had come so far in developing feelings and actually caring for people. It was sad to see it all go to waste.
Spinning her head back in my direction, she glared and hissed once again.
“I can’t stand keeping you locked up in here, Victoria. I will be back tomorrow,” I promised.
With the door opened now, I grabbed the torch and left the cell. The guard quickly closed and shut the door, locking it. All the while, Victoria was screaming profanities and how much she wanted me dead.
*Trinity’s P.O.V.*
Just over a week now, Victoria has been in the dungeon. She doesn’t want to come out, and I don’t understand… Keegan has gone in there at least once every day to try to talk her out of there. But to no avail. It’s like she wants to stay there…
I really miss her…
Sitting under a tree out in the back gardens with Eric, I suddenly got to my feet, “I want to go visit her.”
He peered up at me, his eyes narrowed at the bright sun, “Visit who?”
“Victoria.”
Panic flashed in his eyes, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Keegan told me…”
“I don’t care what Keegan told you. Victoria loves me, she is my friend. She won’t hurt me.” I said defiantly.
Eric sighed and reached out for my hand before easily pulling me back down to my knees beside him again in the slightly dried grass.
“That was before she was put in the dungeons, love. She feels betrayed and angry. She won’t see reason, even with you…” I shiver of delight ran through me as he called me ‘love’.
I’m not sure what we were. I mean, I know I’m a slave and he’s an army commander. But what are we. Is there even a ‘we’? Nothing was ever said out loud but I think I love him. I know he cares for me a lot, but I don’t know if it’s love…
But I couldn’t think of those things right now. They would figure themselves out eventually. For now I had to harden my resolve, “Well, I don’t care what you say, I am going to see her.”
“It’s not safe for you to go see her, Trinity,” he tried to push.
“Why do you not want me to go so badly?” I was almost starting to get frustrated. Victoria is my friend. I need to be there for her no matter what. She is also the closest thing I have to a motherly figure… I missed her.
He sighed and looked away as if he was nervous… “Trust is, I’m scared…”
“Scared?” I highly doubted that.
With a nod, he continued, “When you had been bitten by the Lycan I was afraid you were lost to me forever. Victoria has turned back to her vicious, rogue self. I’m positive she will try to hurt you and I can’t stand the thought of loosing you again. I can’t handle it….”
His eyes met mine and I could have screamed in happiness. Instead, I leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his cheek, “Then come with me. You can protect me.”
His jaw clenched as he still looked unconvinced, “No.”
I pouted teasingly, “Why not? Is she too much of a big bad Fallen that you can’t protect me against her? I guess all these muscles of yours are just for show, huh?” I nudged his bicep with my fist.
He smirked and used one arm to wrap around my waist and swing me around him, making me squeal in surprise. Now I was suddenly on my back with him hovering over me.
“I think I’m strong enough to protect you, love…” he informed me, his face dangerously close to mine.
Giggling, I cupped his face in my hands and stroked his cheeks with my thumbs, “So does that mean you will come with me?”
“I guess,” he sighed with the added eye roll.
I smiled hugely, “Good,” and pulled his soft lips down to meet mine in a very bold move.
Butterflies erupted in my stomach once again, just like the first time and I smiled internally at my intense happiness. I couldn’t describe the feeling. And I don’t know what love is. But I think this is it and I never want to loose it.
***
The door slowly swung open to a dark cell. I couldn’t see anything until the guard placed the torch in its holder inside. Walking in, the door was closed behind us, Eric standing directly behind me.
Victoria was lying down all curled up. I can imagine how cold she was down here. As soon as I thought that I saw a wool blanket sitting untouched and folded on the ground a few feet away from her. I sighed as I figured that Keegan must have brought it for her.
Without thinking anything was wrong, I instantly move to go to her but I was stopped even before I took my first step. Eric grabbed me by the elbow. Looking at him, he gave me a stern look and shake of his head.
I sighed and called out, “Victoria?”
She stirred from her position and blinks a few times, trying to force the sleep out of her eyes. When her eyes landed on Eric and I, I couldn’t read the expression there and that shocked me. Over the time that I have gotten to know her better, I have been able to at least see what she was feeling.
Now there was nothing. Her eyes looked soulless. Like when she first came to the palace…
Sitting up, and instantly pressing her back up against the wall behind her, Victoria growled low in her throat, “What do you want?” she spat.
I flinched internally but tried not to let it hurt me, “We came to visit you. I really miss having you around, Victoria. Won’t you please come out?”
She glared at me and scoffed before looking away, “So, Lord Hunter has resorted to getting you to do his dirty work for him I see. Pathetic!”
I shook my head, “No! That’s not it!” and tried to go over to her again. I made it a couple of steps this time before Eric caught my wrist and didn’t let me go any farther.
Victoria’s head snapped in our direction but her eyes were on our hands. This seemed to upset her more as she hissed at me.
Pushing through my fear and fighting with the part of me that wanted to run over to her and hug her, I continued, “I had no idea about the contract that Lord Keegan agreed to. I was just as surprised as you when I found out. I just wanted to say that I am so sorry. I know Keegan didn’t want to hurt you. He loves you!”
That might have been the wrong thing to say. Or it was simply just too much and Victoria didn’t want to hear it.
She let out an ungodly shriek that I have never heard before as she was suddenly on her feet lunging towards me, her hands and nails out, ready to rip me apart I’m sure…
Closing my eyes and screaming, just before she got to me, I was suddenly engulfed in a warm embrace and then shoved towards the door. Spinning around, I could see Victoria fighting Eric, as best as she could while being chained at the ankle to the wall.
She punched and clawed at him, screeching the entire time, but for such a large man, Eric moved quickly. He was able to dodge all of her attacks, and deflect any of her hits. Within a moment he was beside her with her arms pinned while holding her in a headlock. I know that Eric carried a Gael with him all the time. I’m very glad I he didn’t use it on her.
“Relax angel…” he said in a very calm voice, considering the situation.
Victoria flailed about for a few more moments before she stilled and harshly said, “Let go of me, you dumb brute…”
He ignored her insult and slowly let her go. She practically collapsed to the floor and scooted back to her place against the wall.
I hadn’t even realized it but Eric was suddenly standing right in front of me. He held my face gently in both of his hands as he looked deep into my eyes, his full of concern, “Are you alright, dove? Did she hurt you at all?”
My heart swelled as I shook my head no and he sighed gratefully, and then kissed my forehead.
From beside us, across the room, I heard another vicious growl and hiss coming from Victoria. Looking at her now, I didn’t understand what got her so upset again so quickly.
“Victoria, please…” I started but I was harshly cut off.
“NO!” the room echoed and was engulfed in silence as I swallowed my next words.
“Get. Out.” Each word was punctuated with anger and malice. Her voice filled with venom…
“Victoria?” I tried quietly, trying to calm her again but to no avail…
“GET. OUT!”
It was a demand I could not ignore…
I sighed and turned to the door. Eric knocked loudly twice and it happened in a blur but when I looked around next, I was already walking out of the dungeons.
Wordlessly, Eric and I made our way up to his room. We had been spending a lot of our time there lately. Doing nothing more than kissing, of course. Sitting on his bed, I thought back to the events that had just occurred and I realized how sad I had become because of it. I had made a great friend in Victoria. I enjoyed her company very much. She was like a mother to me. She cared about me and my well-being. Now that was all lost.
A warm, wet tear slowly rolled down my cheek.
Eric moved to lean down on one knee in front of me then. He noticed the tear and gently wiped it away, “Are you alright, dove?”
In that moment I broke down as I wailed out a no and started to sob into my hands without care that I was still in the presence of Eric.
We spent the rest of the evening and night in his room. He simply held me, whispered soothing words and tried to calm down my hysterics. After a while it worked but I was still sad beyond belief…
I have officially lost my Victoria…
*Keegan’s P.O.V.*
This was all just so messed up.
As soon as I realize that I love the damned woman, I mess it up quicker than the blink of an eye…. I should have handled the situation better. I shouldn’t have lied to her!
Every day I go down to see her at least once. Trying to coax her out of the cell, there is nothing I can do to make her see reason. She’s got it stuck in her head now, permanently it seems, that she must stay in there fore everything out here in the real world is evil. I heard about her visit with Trinity. Even that broke my heart.
It was October the 10th today. So close to the prophecy it was making me nervous. I had to get Victoria to speak to me.
I sighed. I have so many problems to deal with…
Arianna was with me now. She is scarcely ever home so it is almost a foreign feeling to have her around me now.
I find it really hard to believe that she is always going out to tea parties with her friends. I talk to those city people too. I know that most are worried sick about the prophecy. It is a well-known fact among Humans everywhere now. So no one would waste time getting all dolled up for petty tea parties…
Sitting in the chair, at the desk by my window, head leaning on my hand I could almost smile that my ‘fiancé’ was finally spending time with me, but the only woman on my mind was a rogue Fallen angel locked in my dungeons…
I don’t think Arianna was very fond of my mood. She kept looking over at me from her vanity table with a look of utter confusion, disbelief and what looked like disgust almost…
I scoffed at that thought. If she had been around me for the past two weeks she would know and understand why I have been like this for so long. But then again if she knew why, there is a good chance she wouldn’t even be here at the moment.
Putting down her hairbrush, which she has been using for the past 10 minutes, she gathered up her skirts and walked over to me, to stand behind my chair. Reaching out, she started to massage my stiff shoulders. I tried to relax, but it didn’t feel right. My jaw clenched instead.
“Keegan, stress does not look good on you. Please, talk to me and tell me what is wrong…” she consoled.
I sighed, “You wouldn’t understand.”
I heard her smile in her next words, “Try me.”
Its not that I wanted to tell her, because in reality I didn’t, I think I told her because I wanted some kind of reaction from her… “It’s about Victoria…”
She instantly groaned and her hands dropped away from my shoulders. I took that as my chance to stand up and walk a few steps away from her before looking at her face. She was not impressed by this at all.
“That Fallen should not be worrying you so…” she crossed her arms in front of her.
“But I do. I can’t help myself. I feel awful for what I did and now there is nothing I can do to remedy it.”
She threw he hands into the arm in annoyance, “Then that’s just it! Do nothing! There is nothing you can do to fix it, so just leave it alone. It is meant to be this way anyway. I told you time and time again that you never should have gotten so involved with the Fallen… Leaving her alone with Trinity all the time, letting her train with you and the apprentices, letting her stay in if she didn’t want to come outside for the day even! And then you go and teach her how to read! It’s your own fault that you got so attached and now it pains you for her to hate you so… You let her get away with too much. You were much too lenient. And now that has all come back against you.”
Turning around to look at anything else besides Arianna, I said nothing for a moment as I thought it all over. I had to agree with Arianna, I did all of these things and if I had gotten any other slave, I wonder if I would have been as lenient with them as well.
But as I remembered all of the times I had been with Victoria, when I remembered the moments and bonds that we shared, I had to admit one thing at least. I regret none of it. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.
Because I had fallen in love with her.
And that settled my decision.
Spinning back to face her, she had an expectant look on her face. Like she was waiting for me to apologize and bend to her will. Just like how she did when she forced me to ask her to marry her or else she would spread horrible rumors about me to the public. But now it didn’t matter. Now one would care. I knew that I really wouldn’t.
“I agree with you, Arianna…” she got a smug smile on her face, “I did a lot of things wrong will having Victoria as my slave.”
“Well thank goodness you realized that,” she started to come towards me.
But before she could go half of the distance to me, I clearly said, “The wedding is off, Arianna.”
She froze in her steps, “W-What did you say?”
“You heard me. The wedding is off,” I shrugged nonchalantly, “Realistically it’s been off for a long time.” I felt no remorse as she stood there, her mouth opening and closing in confusion.
“But… but you can’t – you can’t do this!” she finally sputtered.
“I can and I did,” I finalized. Walking up to her, I grabbed her gently by the shoulders, “You don’t want to marry me, Arianna. You want my level of status; you don’t love me. That’s what I want in marriage. Love. I don’t care how old I am when I find it, but that’s what I will wait for and that’s what I will marry for.”
She had no tears in her eyes, only confusion. Clearly she was blindsided to my decision.
“I think this will be for the best anyways,” I let go of her and straightened my back, feeling much lighter as I had finally unloaded that burden off of my shoulders, “I can live my life getting the woman I love and you can go along continuing to fuck other men, “she gasped, “Yes, I know what ‘tea party’ really stands for.”
I started to walk out of the room to let it sink in for her. Before I made it to the door, the kindness in me struck and I swung around on my heel, “Oh, and I understand that this might all be very sudden and confusing for you. You are still my friend, we have known each other too long to not be, so please, feel free to stay in my house for as long as you need to before going back to Idris to find a home for yourself. I can imagine just how difficult that would be at the present moment,” I smile as I added, “I must go now.”
And without another word from her, I started off down the hall towards my study. I had some serious researching to do.
I giggled to myself slightly when not even a minute later from my walking down the hall, did I hear Arianna curing loudly and breaking things in her rage. I think she understood that there was nothing she could do to fix this and that I was lost from her.
What she didn’t know was that she had lost my heart weeks ago…
-----------------------
Well???????????
What do you think of that?! So happy this finally happened. I needed that woman to be told whats what! Still hate her though... And she's not done from the story yet! She'll be back...
So, can I get any thoughts from anyone??
How are you feeling about Victoria right now? Is she justified in being so angry again? And Keegan! You think he can win Victoria over??
Thanks :)
KatieLuvsTokioHotel