19. Chapter 19 - Layrin
Chapter 19
T he last two weeks had been the best of my life. The guys never left my side, and we stayed in our paradise bubble for as long as we could. Then a phone call from Maria brought reality crashing down around us.
“The test is scheduled for ten am tomorrow. Don’t be late.”
Rion glared at the phone before shoving it into his pocket. Worry lines marred his beautiful forehead, and I reached up to rub them away. “It's okay. We knew it was coming.”
His hand caught mine. Pulling my fingers to his mouth, he kissed the tips, staring into my eyes with the full force of his attention. My knees got weak, and I forced myself to stay standing, not wanting to look like a fool.
“I can do better than a few kisses on your fingers,” Ravi said as he slid next to me. Lifting my free hand, he turned it around and bent his head toward my wrist, looking up at me with a devious smirk that spoke of all the naughty things he wanted to do to me. My breath hitched when his tongue flicked along my vein, making my heart beat ten times faster.
Looking up to Roux, hoping he would help me out of this situation, I realized that was wishful thinking. He just rolled his eyes at his brothers before he winked at me.
“It's not a contest, brother. Grow up.” Rion’s voice became menacing at the end, and he glared at his brother kissing up my arm.
Ravi giggled, shooting up to give me a quick peck before sauntering over to the refrigerator. “It's not a contest, brother,” he threw over his shoulder as he grabbed a water, “but if it was, I would definitely be the winner.”
My serious prince’s face got red, his nostrils flared. He was looking at Ravi like he could barbecue him with just his eyes.
Roux’s voice finally broke the tension. “Quit it. We need to talk about the worst-case scenario.” Knowing he was right, I sighed and grabbed a seat.
Both Ravi and Rion followed suit, and all of us stared at the table until Rion spoke. “We know they won’t kill her if she doesn’t pass, which leaves two paths for them. They either take her by force and lock her up to produce an heir…” A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of that horrible fate. “Or they make plans to insert suitors into her life to ensure the continuation of the line. Either way, if she doesn’t pass, their plan will be to get her pregnant as soon as possible.”
While I hated both of those choices, the boys looked worse than I felt—faces pale, jaws clenched, and their heads down. Ravi mumbled something, but every other word was a curse.
“Obviously, I don't want any of that, so what do we do?” I needed them to think about solutions, not focus on the problem.
Rion folded his hands together, brows furrowed as he looked down at the table. “Since you are the last of your line, they’re going to try to control you without you realizing you’re being controlled.” He exhaled into the silence. “The only positive I can see is that they’ll take their time making a decision. This is the first time in history this has happened, and they won’t want to make a mistake. It won't be right away if you don't pass, which will give us time to make moves.”
Roux’s rumble of a voice promised, “We won’t let them take you.”
Ravi and Rion nodded before the latter’s eyes closed, his lip lifting in a scowl as he spoke. “It also doesn't hurt that you’ve already made ‘friends’ with Cinzia and Elio Ricci. Maria will have to worry about keeping them happy, and the other council members won’t want to anger her if they can help it.”
I flinched, eyes pulling tight when I asked, “Are they really powerful enough to make the council members change their minds?”
Ravi chuckled. “They’re just the most unstable, and it being those two…” He paused, leaning forward. “Cinzia is second to Rion in the tech department, able to take down governments if she wanted to, and Elio… He has no problem blowing shit up for fun.”
“Needless to say, they will want to tread carefully in order to keep from creating dissension in the younger ranks,” Rion finished for Ravi.
Mr. Angry added his final words. “They might take their time, but don’t think that means they won’t easily find a way to get you in manipulative ways. Always be on guard.”
Well, duh. I was already going to do that, but something else was needling me. “And when they finally decide on a plan and I’m unable to refuse them? What then?”
Picking up his tablet, Rion stared at his screen with furrowed brows, almost like he was figuring out an equation then drawing up a plan. It was silent until Ravi slapped the table, grinning up at all of us like he was a genius. “Then we’ll just get you pregnant first.”
My body stilled, and my lips silently flapped open and closed like a fish. What did he… Did he just… No. He couldn’t be serious, right?! A nervous giggle came out, and I pointed at him like he was making a hilarious joke. I looked to the others for support because there was no way they were all on board with this, but I was met with the exact opposite.
Rion’s head was cocked to the side as he put his tablet down and lifted a hand to his chin, nodding like he was working out all the day-to-day details of how that situation could work. I shook my head at him and went to Roux, hoping my angry ball had some of that spitfire to release, but his mouth was pinched to the side, his eyes traveling to me, then the table, as his face got red. Finally, I turned back to Ravi, glaring at his happy-go-lucky face. This was all his fault!
He cried out like I was the crazy one. “What?! I think it's a great solution! Everyone is happy, including those bastards.” He folded his arms on the table, leaning forward as he cooed, “Plus, putting our baby in that belly sounds like the ultimate way to trap you forever!” He shrugged, leaning back with his hands on his head, and I wanted to smack the grin off his face.
“Well, for at least eighteen years,” Rion said, adding his two cents, "but we can figure out the rest later." My head snapped to his to see he was indeed thinking of other ways to keep me forever. I knew that they wouldn’t force me or anything like that… However, that didn’t make me feel much better since I knew first hand how persuasive they could be. Slumping in my chair, I gave up on fighting this one-out-of-ten possibility, knowing that they were all very serious about this solution.
Rubbing at my temples, I was determined to change the conversation. “Okay, let's table that for later. It's not something that needs to be figured out right now.”
Rion nodded, probably sensing my need to move on from the subject. “Yes, it's only one of the options.” Sneaky bastard, making it so he could still be in favor of that option without upsetting me. I resisted the urge to take my fingers, point them at my eyes, then turn them on him, letting him know that I saw what he was doing.
Ravi interjected from the side of his mouth, “But definitely the one we’re goin' with if needed.” Like the three of them were in tune with each other, they went silent after his comment. Ugh! Men!
Shoving my hands under my arms, I grumbled, “Is this how it's always going to be, you three ganging up on me?”
Ravi laughed. “Nah. We hardly ever all agree. Now that you're in the mix, you’ll probably win more than you lose, but when it comes to your safety or keeping you with us until the end of time, we’ll always agree with each other.”
“That's only if I make it out alive.” Maybe it was a downer, but it felt like they needed a reminder of the actual life-threatening test I needed to pass.
“You will pass.” All of their voices came out at the same time, strong and unyielding, leaving no room for argument.
I nodded, leaning on their strength. I really did hope they were right.
Rion and I came back to the building he’d taken me to when we met the council, only this time Maria was waiting for us in their weird AI-manned lobby.
“Hello, Layrin! It's so nice to see you again.” Her wide smile and pleasing tone set off my internal warning bells. The only thing that kept me standing was Rion’s warm, reassuring hand on my back.
Putting my guard up, I nodded to her. “Hello, Mrs. Ricci.”
She stepped up to me, arms out, and hugged me. Rion’s hand clutched the end of my shirt like she was the metal claws of a claw machine, threatening to take me away from him forever. She pulled back, smiling wide as her eyes slid between Rion and me. “My dear, there is no need for formalities between us. Just call me Maria.” She patted my cheek, her long red nails scraping along my skin as her viper eyes narrowed on me. “Mrs. Ricci is for outsiders, and you are very much an insider now.”
Not knowing what to do, I made eye contact with her. “Thank you, Maria.”
Something flashed in her eyes, almost like she was lost in thought, then she turned her head and smiled at me like nothing happened. “Shall we?” Her hand gracefully lifted toward the elevator.
I still couldn't figure out her angle. Was she being nice to me because she wanted something from me? Was this some frenemy thing where she was being nice even though she hated me? Maybe it was all just a new form of hazing. If she was nice to me now, I wouldn’t expect it when she did something horrible later. There were way too many questions around her and her behavior.
All I knew was this woman was the one we really needed to worry about.
The elevator door opened, and she walked in, her eyes flicking to me then the spot next to her. Something about this woman demanded others follow her orders, so I did. As I crossed the doorway, she glanced at Rion. “I will take her the rest of the way.”
We knew they were going to try this little stunt.
He crossed the threshold like she hadn’t said anything, then the doors closed behind the three of us, her eyeing him with a scowl. “I am going to be a member of the council soon, as well as being the one who trained her. I think it's only fair for me to be in the observation room with you.”
Her face crafted back into the soft smile from earlier, but she didn’t say a word until the elevator came to a stop. “Seems fair .” She emphasized the last word for some reason. I didn’t know what that meant, but it didn't sound good. Rion shook his head at me as he followed her, so I trailed behind them quickly.
Stepping out of the elevator, you would think you were in a whole new world. There was an army of people buzzing around, wearing lab coats, business suits, hazmat gear, and military uniforms from different countries.
The room was wide with a high dome-like ceiling. Different areas were walled off, and the space was filled with tables. People stood around them, poring over documents, and a natural buzz of energy was running throughout the room.
“This is the main hall. Most of the regular Foedus members will have access to this area for various reasons. Secret meetings between nations, lab results being traded for other information, that kind of stuff.” Her flippant tone told me that she really didn't care much about this stuff even though I found it very interesting.
A few people looked up and nodded to Maria, while some shied away from her. A couple looked like they were going to try to approach her, but when her eyes collided with theirs, they stopped and turned away. I might not trust her, but I had to admire the kind of respect this woman got, even from grown men three times her size.
We walked off to the side, heading down a dark hallway no one was using. “This is the area only meant for the members of the six, well, now seven families. I assume Ambros taught you about all of us, so we don't have to go through that boring stuff.”
I went on autopilot as I answered. “Yes. I know about the six other families and their members.”
She stopped at a large door that resembled something a high-tech bank would have over a vault. She pulled out a card and inserted it into the slot to the side. A robotic camera lens snaked out of the wall, moving past Maria to scan me and Rion. It flashed red for a second before retracting, then the door creaked open like it had taken twenty full-grown men to crank it open.
As soon as the door completely opened, you could see three different hallways. Maria pointed to the left and center hallways while heading toward the right. “The families’ private training hall and weapons room is to the left, center leads to the meeting rooms, offices, and a few bedrooms, but to the right…” She looked over her shoulder and gave me a smile that set me on edge. “This is the way to the testing facility.”
Keeping my mouth shut, eyes forward, I followed her at a steady pace, but my heart was pounding so hard I thought she could hear it.
Rion’s voice cut through our silent walk. “Who will be in the viewing room with us, Maria?”
She was quiet for so long I thought she was intentionally ignoring him until she let out a low chuckle. “I would be lying if I said that you were the only Ambros that wanted to be in the room.”
My fingers curled into fists at my sides. That asshole wanted to watch me, wanted to be near me to threaten the boys, and that made me want to rage. I wanted to find him. Kill him.
Wait, what? When had I ever been so mad that I wanted to go that far? That didn’t sound like me. I turned away from fights, not incited them, never letting my anger get out of control. Now, I was having a hard time keeping my face blank like Rion and I had talked about.
“Anyway, it's only going to be me, you, and the lab tech. The other heads don't come to the tests anymore unless it's one of their own.” She shrugged before she pulled out her card again, stopping in front of a wall.
“Maria Ricci,” she said, and a little slit appeared for her to insert the card. Watching closely, I tried to figure out how the door worked.
“All council members have a biometrics card made for them when they are sworn in. It gives us access to every nook and cranny of this place.” The door opened, and she walked in and continued. “It’s also fingerprinted, so if anyone tries to take the card and their fingerprints don't match, the card self-destructs, hopefully taking the life of the thief.” She smiled wide like she enjoyed that thought.
I gulped, my heart skipping a beat as I followed her in. The room we walked into had a large switchboard with several buttons and various mechanical attachments. To the left, someone was sitting at a computer with four screens, typing away like we hadn’t just entered.
“Now, this is where the test will be administered.” Maria pointed to the large wide glass panel that separated this room from another. When we got closer, I could make out the full-body chair in the center. It had a helmet attachment, and several tubes and wires came out of it. A halo of light circled around the chair like it was on display. “This is the control room where we will be, and in there,” she pointed at the lone chair, “is where you will complete your test.”
Rion had coached me through this on the way here, but I my palms were still sweaty. No matter how much I was told about this test, seeing how isolated I was going to be was making my skin crawl.
Maria barked, “Door,” and the man at the computer quickly pulled a lever. The vacuum-sealed door popped open. “Come, Layrin. Let's not waste any time.” She held out her hand, but I hesitated. I wanted to run and give Rion a hug, have him tell me that everything was going to be fine, that he was right here and would save me if anything bad happened, but I knew we couldn't. Not while anyone who was with Foedus was around.
Taking a shaky breath, I stepped forward, bypassing her hand. I kept my chin up and walked through the door. I could feel Maria’s eyes assessing me. Was this how it would always be? Would I need to be on guard all day, every day? It sounded so tiring.
I stopped at the chair, waiting for Maria to say more since she’d followed me in here. I had a sneaky suspicion that this woman never did anything without a specific plan in mind.
“Climb up. I’ll help hook you up and explain.”
Not looking at her, I sat down, allowing myself only a small glance at the glass. Rion’s intense gaze was fixated on me, and in a weird way, I found it comforting.
“As I’m sure Ambros has taught you, this test will contain three stages. I can’t say which will be first or what you will see because that is determined by you.” I nodded, and she picked up the helmet and put it over my head. “Now, this will be reading all of your brain waves. This will tell us if you are in distress, which part of your brain is working, and generally read all your activity.” She pulled out a cable from behind the chair, hooking it around my biceps, down my forearm, and circling the tips of each finger on my left hand.
“This will give us an idea of your body's distress level. For example, if you get hit in the stomach, you're going to see it and feel it. The test is so immersive that your body can't tell the difference and will react like how you would normally react if you were punched. Your body will jerk, and you will feel that pain like it's real because, to your mind, it is.” Her face fell as our eyes collided, and I suddenly felt scared by having this woman looming over me. “This is why the test has a mortality rating. If you get shot, stabbed, or beaten to death, that is it. Your mind will shut down on its own, thinking that you are dead, and will, in fact, make you die. It's also why some leave this place insane, too.”
She glared at me for a second, a flash of concern in her eyes before it was gone. “Don’t die.”
“Not planning to,” came out of my mouth, and for a second, her lips turned up.
“Cinzia, Elio, and Luca wanted me to tell you good luck. I wasn't planning on passing along their message, but…” She left the rest out, blinking like she didn't realize what she’d started. I saw a flash of the syringe before she stabbed me with it and my whole body jerked.
I fought to stay awake as my eyes began to droop. Her face became blurry, but I could hear her whisper perfectly clear. “Make it out of this, Rose. Don’t make me regret helping you. Your mother would never forgive me.”
She left me reeling just as the darkness took over. It was a real bitch move.