Thirty-Eight

**TW: Mention of rape**

Mircea

They threw me into the same cell I had been taken from. I was huddled in the corner, arms wrapped tight around my knees as I stared at the ground in front of me. Flashes of what happened burned my eyes, from the illusion of making me think I was with Vali to that visual falling apart in my hands.

To bed sheets and black hair.

To a black mark and a black ring.

“Why do you smell like that fucking vampire?” A woman’s voice reached my ears. I couldn’t do so much as flinch at the harsh tone that came from her. “Why do you smell like you were fucking that vampire?”

“Marce, take it easy.” A man’s voice cut through the air, and my heavy eyes lifted just enough to see him placing an arm in front of her. She was going to attack me, and I might have been grateful for it. “It clearly wasn’t a choice.” He said before he walked over to me and took hold of my hand, pointing to the black ring on my finger. The one that was stuck, that I couldn’t fucking take off. Not that I could move to try in the first place.

“Jackson-”

“This ring, it’s what Lilith put on him in Hell. I had my suspicions but this proves it…” his voice echoed into nothingness as my eyes focused on the ground once again. I didn’t need to hear him explain what it was, because I knew what it did. It took away my choice, it took away my autonomy and forced me to follow the will of whoever it was tied to. In this case it was Nari.

She had complete control over what my body could do, and I was simply trapped inside of it like a perfectly shaped cage. Or maybe a coffin. One that I shook so hard and screamed so loud inside of I thought I would tear a vocal cord, but that was impossible. Because all that screaming had been in my head.

Every ‘no’ was unheard by her. Every protest and argument and plea didn’t even make it past my lips. But I had been sent down here for a reason, and that was because after she managed to get what she wanted from me I threw up over the bed. Over her. It had been absolutely vile, and it made me feel absolutely lesser than before, but it was something. It was something that proved I was still in my own body.

That proved she might be able to control my body’s actions, but she couldn’t stop my reactions.

“By Selene…” Marcy trailed off, Jackson likely having finished the explanation.

“Whoever’s in control of you, they told you that you can’t speak, didn’t they?” Jackson asked, and all I could do to respond was look into his eyes. “Did they say anything about your telepathy?” No. She never did. Maybe she thought I couldn’t control it, or maybe they just didn’t know the White Wolf had that power.

I… God, this was fucking hard. It was never this exhausting before.

“It’s okay, save your strength. What you’ve just gone through…” Jackson said. “Why did they do that to you?”

Bond. Heir.

“To try and break the Bond between you and Vali and to make an heir?” Marcy asked, and I looked to her. It was all I could muster. My entire body was aching and shaking, maybe I was going into shock.

“Well, at least one of those things definitely failed.” Jackson pointed to the mark that was still on my left hand. The mark that had burned the entire… rape. There was no other word for it. The person I had grown up beside, had loved as a friend for my entire life, had raped me to take the throne. If she did get pregnant then she would be mother of the new heir, and I would be disposed of in a ‘tragic accident’. She would become queen regent until that child ascends the throne. This had been the plan the entire time, I knew that now, but before they wanted to do it the 'right' way by marrying me to Nari first. Now they would simply take what they wanted from me.

Vali.

It was all I could manage once more, but they both seemed to understand what I was saying. Understand what I meant by simply saying her name.

“She held on? She was with you?” Marcy asked.

Hurt her.

“Yeah, it would have hurt her. You were in pain, she… fuck this entire situation is a fucking nightmare.” Jackson said, and it seemed like the least professional I’d ever heard him speak. “What did she say?”

Won’t let the bond break.

“That sounds like her. She’s not the biggest fan of people trying to steal her things away from her.” Marcy said, kneeling in front of me next to Jackson. “And I take it you smell like vomit because you threw up…”

On the bed.

“Well, that should prevent them from wanting to do this again, at least for a little while.” She replied, gingerly placing a hand on my knee. “Did you see the moon?” She asked, and I had to force myself to think. While Nari had been under me, I had managed to look out of the window and see the night sky.

Yes.

“How long do we have?”

One week.

“Fuck.” She whispered, sitting down on the cold stone floor. “Well, focus on one good thing, Mircea. It can be anything you want, as long as it helps you relax. You need to rest, tomorrow we’ll try to contact Vali properly so we can get the information to her. Okay?”

Okay.

They both picked me up and walked me over to the only cot in the cell, making sure I was lying as comfortably as I could be before they settled on the ground. While my entire body still hurt, and I still felt nauseous, I could focus on one good thing as I stared into nothing.

Vali had told me she loved me.

And she was going to make everyone pay.