Chapter Twenty-Three #2
“Oh, I am.” She shook her head with a wry grin. “But I’m also incredibly nosy and with nothing to do this week—apart from unravel the mystery of why I’m here and who’s trapped in here with us, I’ve been bugging the others—or at least the ones who will talk to me—with lots and lots of questions.”
My interest immediately piqued. “Oh?” Taking her elbow, I guided her toward a wrought iron bench overlooking a small pond.
The crystal surface was broken by the occasional bubbles thanks to the black koi carp darting below.
My need for wine and lunch paused thanks to my need for answers. “Can you give me the highlights?”
“Sure.” She sat down. Our knees touched as we turned to face each other. “Honestly, part of it sounds so crazy, I wouldn’t be surprised if the others made up stories just to mock me but from what I know...”
I leaned in, my ears almost ringing for information.
“According to them, Lucien Ashfall used to be the crown jewel of Brimstone Industries. His grandparents—the founding members of the company—figured out how to use the energy of volcanic activity and used magma to create clean, renewable energy. The company became incredibly powerful, almost overnight, and now multiple countries all rely on him and his power grid.”
My mind raced, wishing I’d paid more attention in the work meetings. Surely, Brimstone Industries would’ve been mentioned. It had to have been, seeing as his company was the exact opposite of ours. We dealt in ice and polar properties; he dealt in fire and the destructive force of volcanoes.
It just wasn’t logically possible that my research team, accounting team, and even all those exorbitant lawyers kept on retainer wouldn’t know intimate details.
So why did they keep it from me?
“Apparently, the Ashfalls have been working on this method for decades. The secrecy of their patents, keycodes, and other sensitive information is all hidden in a vault that can only be opened with fresh Ashfall blood—along with a password no one can guess.”
My heart skipped a beat, soaking up every word she gave me.
“Twenty years ago, when Lucien turned nine, his parents died in some magma backflow disaster, and he became the CEO. Not because a nine-year-old can run such a dangerous company, but because they needed his blood to turn on every machine. According to Evelyn, the harvesting of volcanic energy will turn off after ten hours and require the blood of an Ashfall to turn on again. It’s a failsafe so the reactors don’t overheat, blow up, or the technology falls into the wrong hands. ”
I blinked, my mind racing with the consequences of such advanced tech.
The Ashfalls probably thought they’d made their company water-tight against corrupt staff members or their patents falling into the grasp of their enemies, not realising they’d just condemned their entire bloodline.
“So he’s here to keep the company running?” I asked quietly, shooting a glance at Lucien’s home, glittering like a black jewel in the sun.
“He’s here because he tried to sabotage it and almost succeeded in blowing up the reactors. And...” She threw a look around the empty garden where we sat. Leaning closer, she said quietly, “Lydia heard a rumour that...ugh it’s so far out there, I’m sure it’s not real.”
“Just say it.” My interest turned razor sharp. “Doesn’t really matter if it’s real or not. All information is good information.”
She exhaled heavily as if even saying it out loud tainted her. “Apparently, his parents were brother and sister. They were forced to have a child because the board wanted the purest blood to run it.”
Okay...that wasn’t what I was expecting—
“And the reason Lucien went wild on his ninth birthday and tried to destroy everything was because they’d locked him in his bedroom with five older women.
They wanted to see if he could start getting them pregnant—to get a head start on breeding as many babies with his blood as possible.
But...he was a kid!” She shuddered. “Probably hadn’t even hit puberty. ”
Sickness slammed into me as my head spasmed. “So that’s their plan? To get him to sire as many back-up blood bags as possible, then kill him once they have a puppet of their choosing in power?”
My stomach turned over.
My stress ignited.
Silence fell between us, dark and miserable.
Laura didn’t speak, her gaze locked on the fish blowing bubbles before us.
Time stretched before I asked quietly, “So...he’s been in here ever since?”
“Sounds like it,” she muttered. “I mean, don’t get me wrong.
Each time I hear screams at night and see another body carried out, I hate him.
I’m petrified I’ll never get out of here and I’ve barely slept in over a week, but.
..I’d probably do the same if I was him if I’m honest. I would kill all those trying to hurt me, just out of principle. ”
In the distance, Whisper appeared.
The black panther stood out like a fairytale beast, his pelt sleek and diamond-black in the sunlight. Sniffing the air, his tail twitched.
He looked directly at us as if he’d smelled me on the breeze.
“Uh-oh.” Laura shot to her feet and went to run. “It’s that monster again.” Reaching for my hand, she pulled me up. “Come on. We have to go. The place I’m staying at isn’t far from here, we can—”
Too late.
Whisper broke into a run and covered the distance in a feline flash. Skidding to a halt, his whiskers bristled. He revealed the tips of his fangs, then came to headbutt my hip.
Laura’s mouth fell open.
I glanced at her as I pried our fingers apart. “I think that’s my cue to go.”
“Go?”
I merely nodded. “I’ll see you around, though, okay? I managed to find a pavilion on the outskirts. Come find me, and I’ll keep you company when I’m free.”
“Okay.” She gave me a shy smile. “Thanks.”
Whisper moved to my side, opening his mouth to grab my wrist.
“No need for that, pussy cat.” Holding my arms up to avoid his bite, I nudged past him. “I know the way.”
Laura didn’t say a word as the panther herded me toward the palace, no doubt instructed by his master to collect me.
The entire journey I wondered what fresh torture Lucien had planned and why, despite my imprisonment here and lack of certainty about my future, I no longer hated him.
I’d already felt something I shouldn’t thanks to last night, but now...now I struggled in entirely different ways.
How could I hate someone far more tragic than me?
How could I fear someone who hadn’t stepped outside in twenty years?
I had a nervous system that liked to make me blackout in stressful situations.
But Lucien?
He carried a blood that condemned him to a cage.
A cage that I doubted he would ever be able to break out of.