I don't know how they all expected me to act calm. I was scared about how tomorrow was going to go down, horrified at having to face Jasper and for my brothers to perhaps find out what he had done to me, and on top of all that, I was terrified of what might happen to Alex. I mean, Jasper had already touched him and we had barely been here half an hour.
My blood boiled at the thought of his filthy hands on my Alex, and I looked over at Alex. He sat in the same chair as before, talking to Raymond and trying to act normal, but i could tell he was still shaken up. His eyes looked frightened, and he sat on the edge of his chair, as if ready to run at any moment.
"I can't believe we are doing this." I glanced over at Jonathan, who was still standing near me, making sure I wasn't going to go do anything crazy and ruin our plan.
"It's doesn't seem real to me either, but it's about damn time." My eyes were back on Alex. I wanted to comfort him, to let him tell me exactly how he felt and to be there if he needed me, but we weren't alone, and he was still mad at me.
"I don't know if I'm ready." His blue eyes were clouded with so many emotions.
"For what? Confronting him?" That's what I was the most unprepared for. Why was that part of our plan again?
"To be king." He leaned against the wall casually, but his eyes showed his hidden turmoil.
"You are more than ready. And besides, you'll have Jordan there to help you."
"I know I'm going to be a fuck up...like him."
"You're nothing like him." My jaw clenched at the even the mention of Jasper. Would tomorrow ever come?
"Thanks." He cleared his throat, possibly the only sign that he was slightly emotional, and only one you'd recognize if you knew him well. His eyes and voice gave nothing away.
There was a quiet tap on the door, and Alex immediately stopped talking, eyes fixed on the door.
"That's probably just Mark, my secretary." Jonathan explained, opening the door and allowing the other man to walk in.
The other man was at least half a foot shorter than me, and barely looked eighteen. But the thing I noticed before all of that, was the long scar that ran from his forehead, between his eyes and down to his jaw. It couldn't have been more than a year old, only beginning to fade slightly from what it must have been like.
I tried not to stare, knowing that that was probably something he hated, but it was hard to look away from it. How did someone get a scar like that? A knife? Maybe he had been in a knife fight...
"Jordan said that there was nothing to worry about as far as the general was concerned, and Eva said that she wanted to talk to your guests." He gestured towards the three of us, and Jonathan glanced over a Raymond for a moment longer than the rest of us.
"Thank you, Mark." Jonathan smiles at him, but it was the way he smiled that caught me off guard. His secretary? There was too much affection in his eyes for just that.
"Oh no!" Mark almost yelled, looking around at all of us before tilting his head up to frown at Jonathan. "More fucking gays!"
Before anyone had a chance to get offended, Jonathan threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Oh come on. None of them are fucking." Mark rolled his eyes before looked over at Alex and then at me, and then back at Alex again. How could he be working for Jonathan and be homophobic? That didn't add up.
"Yeah, but those two want to be." And to my horror, he pointed at Alex and me.
I felt warmth spreading to my face, barely glanced at Alex's face to see the blush there, and tried to block out the giggles that came from Raymond and Jonathan. I'm serious, actual giggles.
"Mark, you can't just say stuff like—"
"But aren't you all gay here? So you all shouldn't mind. I'd like to make it well known that I am the minority here as a straight man, and as such should be treated with all die respect."
"It must be so hard being straight in this day and age." Alex faked sympathy and Mark laughed, an almost childlike laugh that made him look even younger. Only his scar marred his features, twisting his smile to one side ever so slightly.
"It's almost unbearable sometimes. I mean, if you take into consideration that fact that this guy," he gestured to Jonathan, who looked wary of whatever he was about to say. "Practically eye fucks his body guard every time we walk past him. If you ask me, he wants him to do more than guard—"
"What was that about Eva wanting to talk to our guests?" Jonathan cut in quickly.
"Yes, and she's not alone, so you should probably go talk to her now. It's a safe place to meet...well, anyone who it might be hard to talk to otherwise."
He looked pointedly in my eyes, and I caught his drift. Alex seemed to as well, and was quick to stand from his seat.
"Mark, why don't you show them how to get there from here. I don't think we need to meet up again after that. I'll see you in the morning." He let us out into the hallway, before walking out himself, and heading towards his rooms.
"Of course, leave the secretary with the hard job." Mark called after him.
"That's what I pay you for."
Mark grumbled under his breath, looking through some papers in his clipboard. He then shoved it under his arm, and began walking down the hall, expecting us to follow.
Something was bothering me about him. A suspicion that was nagging at my brain and that I couldn't shake away. It had come the moment he made eye contact with me. Not being able to make sense of whatever was bothering me, I let it slide.
The moment Mark knocked and the door was opened, Alex pushed past me into the room. Eva was sitting on her couch, as usual, and standing by the window, looking like he was completely lost in thought, was Elliot.
"Elliot!" Alex couldn't contain the excitement in his voice, and Elliot turned abruptly, a small smile at the corner of his mouth.
Alex has been rushing forward to greet him, but seemed to think better of it, and stopped within a few feet of him.
"Can I hug you?" He asked, almost too soft for me to hear. Tears filled Elliot's eyes, and he nodded slightly.
The tension in his body was obvious to everyone, but I'm sure especially to Alex. Gradually, he began to relax, and hugged Alex back. When he pulled away, I was superseded to see an almost blank look instead of tears in his eyes. Jasper had done more damage than we had thought.
"Raymond, you came too." Raymond sniffed, pulling him gently into a hug.
I stood there, awkwardly, wanting so much to be someone he would hug right now, but knowing I wouldn't be. He would have to have trusted me before this to be near me now. After what Jasper must have done to him.
"Hi, Thomas." He whispered, and I tried to smile at him, thinking only of what Jasper had done. Of how much we could actually relate if I would just tell Elliot what happened. But he would find out soon enough.
He seemed to have stepped out of some sort of daze to greet us. For a minute he smiled and spoke to us almost like normal, but gradually, he retreated back into himself, answering only in short one word answers, and avoiding our eyes.
I think Raymond and I realized he just wanted to talk to Alex. I don't know when they had become close, but Elliot seemed to trust Alex more than almost anyone on earth right now.
Raymond moved to talk to Eva, and I couldn't help but wonder what he must be thinking after Cole admitted his love to him. I knew he had strong feelings for Eva, perhaps even loved her, but that was a little while ago, and people did move on.
Instead of staying, since I didn't quite seem to be wanted, I followed Mark out of the room. I needed to talk to him and settle this doubt in my mind.
"Mark." I closed the door behind me, and he stopped walking to turn and face me. He didn't look quite comfortable with us being alone in the hallway, and I smiled to show him I only wanted to talk.
"I'm Thomas."
He nodded, and went back to staring at me, probably trying to figure out why I would have stopped him on his way.
"Have we...do I know you from somewhere? Sorry, I just...there's something familiar about you."
"I highly doubt it, your highness." He seemed more at ease after my question. "I haven't left this palace in two years and before that, I don't think I lived where you would have ever been."
"You haven't left at all?" He dropped his gaze, his foot tapping in what seemed to be a nervous manner. Come to think of it, he blinked a lot too. Maybe that was a nervous habit as well.
"That's another story." He laughed bitterly, and I caught a look in his eyes, a look I knew instantly.
My heart sank.
"Maybe I have a doppelgänger in your country." He said helpfully.
"I don't think that's it. I know now why I thought I knew you."
"Why's that?" He eyed me curiously, blinking rapidly.
I tried to think of the best way to voice my thoughts. What if I was wrong? No. I wasn't wrong about that look. I couldn't be. I knew it too well.
"How long has he kept you here?"
He took a step back in surprise, eyes flying open.
"What are you—"
"You know who I mean. He hurt me too."
Understanding dawned in his eyes. His body relaxed, but his eyes remained hard and bitter.
"I've been here for two years. I was sixteen when he brought me here, with no family to give a damn if I went missing." He saw the question in my eyes, and held up his hand.
"It's been a year since he's been near me."
I nodded, too many emotions running through my mind to form any words.
"How old were you?" His voice was almost too gentle to be a man's. So understanding that it was heartbreaking. No one should be able to bond over this.
"14." I almost didn't recognize my voice, it was so small.
Mark gasped, and I looked down, bewildered by the tears in the corners of his eyes.
"You poor thing!"
"Me? You just said you've been here for two years! Even if it's been a year, you still must have dealt with that for a year. This was just once. I—"
"That's so young. Too young." He shook his head, blinking away the tears he almost shed on my behalf.
"No age is old enough for that." I muttered, and we were silent for a moment, each lost in our thoughts.
"Thomas." I felt his hand on my arm, and met his upturned eyes.
"He's not going to hurt anyone ever again. We'll see that that. All of us, but especially us. We can't let this happen to anyone else."
I nodded, the determination in his voice fueling my already firm resolve.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He drooped his hand, checking the time on his phone. "Let's fuck Jasper up, okay?"
"Okay." I thought he was about to shake my hand, but instead he wrapped his arm around me for a split second before scurrying off down the hall.
——————-
I waited for Alex in our room. It was almost an hour later before I heard the door close, and his soft footsteps heading towards the bedroom door. I heard them falter, as if he was unsure of wanting to be near me, especially alone in our room. I knew he was still mad about me not wanting him to come here.
When he did come in, he avoided looking at me, but I could see the exhaustion in every line of his body.
"Alex."
He shook his head, kicking off his shoes by the dresser, and keeping his back to me.
"I'm still mad at you."
"I know." I stood up from our bed, walking slowly towards him. He looked up at me, but wouldn't meet my eyes.
"No. I'm fine. Leave me alone."
I took another step towards him, and he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to keep distance between us.
"Alex." I repeated, softer than before.
He whimpered, and in that moment all the fight left him. He dropped his arms to his sides, letting me wrap my arms around him and pull him close. It wasn't until I began running my hand up and down his back that he finally burst into tears.
"I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. He should never have touched you like that."
He gripped the back of my shirt at those words, and I felt his whole body trembling.
"He won't touch you again, I swear." I spoke in his ear.
"But I'm sorry for being s-so stup-pid. I shouldn't have talked to him. I-I—"
"Baby, it's not your fault."
He left out a heavy sigh, and I felt his grip around me relax slightly. I moved us to our bed, only breaking our embrace for the time it took to lay down.
It took a few minutes of just holding him before his tears subsided. I kissed the top of his head, and heard him sniff softly. Then it was quiet for a small moment, long enough for me to actually enjoy the feeling of holding him in my arms. It wasn't often that I had.
"I'm still mad at you."
His voice was hoarse from crying, muffled by the fact that it was pressed against my chest.
"I know."
But he didn't pull away, and I didn't let him go that night.