ARABELLE'S P.O.V. //
As I sat in a lone chair inside the rustic inn room, everything seemed to crash down around my shoulders. The gravity of losing Corey, losing what I thought he was to me, filled me with such an ache that all I could do for several minutes was curl into a ball and sob hysterically. My heart was shattered and I didn't think I would ever be able to fully mend it. I had put everything into him, into us, so much of myself had been intertwined with him, it was unbearable to know that he had felt nothing this entire time. The pain I felt inside was nearly tangible,I could taste it under my tongue. I could feel the hurt bone deep, a throbbing anguish that was nearly blinding. It didn't feel like I had anything left in me. I was broken. All I had was a cruel longing, a longing for someone that had never wanted me in the first place. A longing for something that hadn't even been real.
What would I be going back to, if I made it home? A broken family, a broken relationship, a throne that I would share with someone that I wasn't really in love with. A facade. How ironic. I guess Corey and I had both been pretending, for different people. The only difference was that Reaver knew I wasn't really in love with him, he knew that our relationship was solely for the public's benefit.
Even if I made it home, none of this would end. The Rebellion wouldn't stop. Corey had said that Bryn wasn't even the leader, he was just a mask. Who was the real leader, then? What were they planning?
Finally, I gathered myself and tried to think clearly. I found the en suit bathroom and washed my hands and face. I still couldn't get rid of the blood from under my nails. Exiting the room, I waded back upstairs to the main floor. I approached the bar and asked the woman working if I could borrow her phone. She handed me a landline and I picked up the phone, dialing my brother's cell number.
There was no answer. I didn't want to leave a voicemail because I didn't want him calling back this number and asking for me.
Sitting down at the bar, I asked the lady for a drink. She served me a glass of tan liquid with a layer of foam on top. I chugged half without actually tasting it. Then I tried calling Drake again. Still, no answer. I glanced over my shoulder, at the door. How long did I have until Corey got back? I mentally shook myself, taking another gulp of beer. What could he do, even if he did catch me trying to contact my brother? Was I his hostage now? It was as if I had traded in one bad situation for another. Maybe I wasn't the Rebellion's hostage anymore, but now had I become Corey's? He was just one person, he couldn't hold me. What I really wanted to know was, what was his angle? Why betray the Rebellion to help me escape? Was it because he felt pity for me?
Unrest burned in my gut. I finished my drink and asked for another. Every few minutes I would try Drake's number again, between swigs of muddy alcohol. Him not picking up made me anxious. God, I hoped he was alright. I couldn't lose him, too. It felt like he was the last person I had. There was several empty mugs in front of me and I was steadily working on another. I hadn't kept count of how many I had already drank. I was just forcing them down.
My head was fuzzy. It seemed like I was tilting, but I really wasn't. At least I didn't think so. My eyelids felt heavy as I dialed Drake's number, fingers clumsy. All of the sudden the phone was ripped from my grasp and slammed back down onto the receiver. Motions slow, I glanced up to see Corey watching me with a disinterested gaze.
"What are you doing out of the room?" he demanded, his eyes roving over the used mugs. "Have you been drinking?"
I topped off my glass,accidentally knocking over one of the many of them beside my elbow. I fumbled to catch it before it hit the floor.
"You've got to be kidding me." Corey uttered.
The bartender came up then. "Which one of you is going to pay the tab?" she set down a receipt.
Motions stiff, Corey produced cash from his pocket and tossed a few bills onto the counter top.
"Come on," he pulled me to my feet.
I stumbled, blood rushing to my head. The room was starting to spin.
"Get off me," I yanked free of his grasp, only to send myself falling to the floor without the support for balance.
"You're drawing attention," Corey hissed at me, low enough so no one else would hear, expression revealing irritation. "Get yourself together."
"Piss off," I told him, slowly getting back to my feet.
He scrubbed a hand over his chin, eyes glancing around the room. "Let me help you, you're moving too slow."
"Don't touch me." The words were slurred, but the point stood. Wavering, I made me way towards the staircase.
I heard Corey sigh from behind me.
My skin felt flushed as I walked back to our room and slipped inside. Limbs sluggish and ungainly, I collapsed onto the mattress.
"Good, sleep it off."Corey noted, closing the door behind us and locking it. "Then we need to leave."
"Why are you doing this?" I demanded, kicking off my shoes. "Am I your hostage now instead of the Rebellion?"
"Just go to sleep, you're incredibly drunk." he muttered, stowing the bag inside the closet.
"I want to know." I insisted, closing my eyes to stop my surroundings from swirling in my vision. "I want to know why you're trying to help me."
"If you're looking for some confession about how I was actually in love with you the whole time and I want us to run away together, it's not going to happen."
I laid down, eyelids closed as I breathed slowly through my mouth. I felt sick to my stomach. "So, when we get to wherever our destination is, you're going to just drop me off and take all my money?"
"I don't need your money." he retorted.
Anger burned through my blood- but also sadness, which only served to irritate me further. Before I could get a reply formulated on my drunken, thick tongue there was a knock on the door. I could feel Corey tense, even from where he stood several feet away inside the bathroom. I opened my eyes, as another, more insistent knock came.
Corey came back out into the room, gesturing for me to stay put as I began to sit up. Then the door splintered open unexpectedly, cast off it's hinges. Three men dressed in black and red garb were at the threshold. I recognized the colors. They were with the Rebellion.
"What's going on here?"one of them spoke, with a heavy English accent. "Is that the Queen?"
Corey, silent for a moment, squared his shoulders. "Yes, it is. Thank you for breaking down the door."
"What's she doin' here? I heard word from Bryn the other day that they planned on killing her."
They had been planning on killing me? Would I have been dead if not for Corey? The shock was slightly sobering.
"Well, the plan changed." Corey stated, tone matter of fact. "Our safe haven was raided by the police, we had to leave. I was instructed by Bryn to get her out of town."
"She should be dead by now." The Englishman said.
"Like I said, change of plans."
"And who are you? Why would Bryn leave his most valuable hostage with you?"
"My name is Corey Johnson."
A look of recognizance passed over the man's face and the three of them exchanged a glance. "Mr. Johnson, your name is well known among the guild. I apologize for the trouble."
"You were just doing your jobs, it's no problem."
Through the fog of alcohol I registered surprise. He was known among the Rebellion? Basically, he was famous for tricking me into falling for him? Hundreds of vampires knew exactly how stupid I was, fantastic. Awesome. I wanted to lay back down.
"Why ain't she tied up or nothing, mate?" one of the three vampires at the door said, gesturing at me.
"It's not necessary,she's very weak. Easy to control." Corey uttered.
"Fuck you," I mumbled, syllables running together.
"Is she drunk?" the man questioned.
"I saw you two downstairs at the bar..." I didn't even know which one of them was speaking now. "It looked to me like she was the one bossing you around, mate. Now that doesn't seem right to me."
I was far too distracted with trying not to spew my guts all over the floor. Their voices were blending and my vision was wobbly at best.
"Something's not right here." they said. "No, I got a bad feeling 'bout this..."
"I assure you," Corey spoke. "This is all part of Bryn's plan."
"Where is Bryn?"
"I killed him." I mumbled, trying to sound resolute.
Corey glanced up with exasperation coloring his features, as if he was dealing with a child. "Really?" he asked me, then headbutted the vampire nearest to him.
"Oh, more fighting,"I muttered, getting to my feet. I wavered. My stomach was protesting any movement.
One of the vamps snaked past the doorway and came for me, grabbing my arms and trapping them behind my back. I was definitely going to throw up.Leaning over within their grasp, I retched up the many beers I had drank earlier. Corey was fighting off the other two vamps and itlooked liked he was handling himself. One of them lay motionless amidthe hardwood floor.
"Oh, that's fuckin' gross." the vamp holding me murmured. "Really?"
"Sorry," I exhaled, my stomach settled.
"Feel better, yeah?"
"Yeah, I do actually." I asserted, then reached for my magic. The energy flooded my veins and I focused it, forcing it through my hands where they were held at my back. Electricity crackled between my fingertips and wound up my arms, shocking any part of the vampire's skin that had a grasp on me. He yelled out in shock and pain, quickly letting go of me. Purple energy rippled and sparked between my hands. I threw it at him in a concentrated mass that looked like a ball of straight, dark void. He was flung backwards into the wall, leaving a crack where his body made impact.
My stomach roiled uneasily again. "Oh, no," I muttered to myself, energy receding as I grabbed my abdomen.
"We need to get out of here." Corey stated, stepping over the limp bodies he had made. "It's not safe now."
The vampire I had sent flying was getting to his feet and I was too busy getting ready to throw up again to do anything about it. He went for Corey and they were a blur of fists and kicks. I doubled over, emptying the contents of my stomach onto the floor. A cold sweat had broken out on the back of my neck. Getting drunk wasn't as good of an idea as it seemed at the time. I was hurting though, and I had been desperate for anything that could temporarily alleviate the ache that echoed in my sternum.
Straightening up, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Corey got hit with a kick to the side but he countered with a hook into the guy's jaw. This made him take a moment to regain himself and the slight lapse was all Corey needed, he threw a punch into the vampire's solar plexus. The impact made him double over, short of breath. Then Corey landed an uppercut that knocked the guy out cold.
My knees were wobbly. I just wanted to lie down and rest.
"Let's go," Corey grabbed our things and pushed me out of the room. "Keep your head down."
We hurriedly exited the inn, stepping out into a dark alley.
"We need to get out of the city. It won't be long before the Rebellion hears about this, they run this town."
"Why did you take us to their fucking base? That was probably a bad idea, don't you think?"
"I had a plan. Which you just fucked up, by the way. You're really good at fucking things up, aren't you?" Corey retorted, raking a rough hand through his sable hair. "Fuck."
"You could just let them take me and save yourself."
"Is that what you want? Have you given up?" he asked me.
I shrugged, my throat feeling tight. I blinked back the moisture that welled up behind my eyes all the sudden. I was still slightly drunk.
"Well, I haven't. Let's go, this way." he headed between the buildings, the opposite direction we had originally taken to get here.
Defeated, I followed him.