ELIANO #6
Taking a deep breath, I continue, "Anyway, after killing Tito and my parents, Anzo, strangely enough, took all his nephews into his fortress: me, my brothers, and Tito’s only son, Ennio.
He raised the five of us while drilling into our heads that it wasn't him who was responsible for the killings, only the Russians. But my brother Mauro was a witness. He saw everything and never forgot. Anzo gave him drugs meant to damage his memory, but the only thing it caused was that my brother stopped speaking. That memory could not be torn out of Mauro’s mind.
The atmosphere in our house was awful. Anzo was a very strict parent, demanding excellent grades and athletic achievements, especially in martial arts.
I resisted it the most out of all of us.
Rocco and Luca actually came to like it.
Mauro and Ennio just adapted to Anzo’s rules.
We all had to fight, including Ennio, in the omega category.
There was no way out. To ensure our obedience, Anzo implanted metal rods in us that allowed him to shock us remotely.
And when someone tried to protest, anything really, he was electroshocked.
If someone tried to run, like I did, he would track me using a device hidden in the rod.
As punishment, he would lock me in cages for days and whip me. That is the kind of caregiver he was."
"Wait, wait. If the rod is still there, can Rocco…?"
"No, Anzo had the tracking device in his own implant. It was dismantled. He’s in prison."
I realize how detached I sound as I tell my story, my voice almost flat. So I decided to add a bit about how I really felt, just to keep it from sounding like a report.
"If I had not had the support of Ennio, Luca, and Mauro, I probably would have killed myself. But I stayed alive because they did, and they kept telling me, don’t give up, push forward, survive it, one day it will end, and well… they were right."
"That is where the scars come from? You tried to escape a few times?"
"Yeah. I hated that life. Luckily, when I was sixteen, I was sent for a year to my great-uncle Alberto, my grandfather’s brother.
It was because Anzo, as a beta, couldn’t prevent me from entering Musth.
That year was the best time of my life. It showed me what a normal family looks like, love and trust, how good relationships between people can be, without the sick atmosphere Anzo created. "
"I have heard horror stories about young alphas going into Musth."
"Yeah. Seeing how healthy Alberto’s relationship with Uncle Darien was, I swore to myself that one day I would escape and build my own family, completely different from the one Anzo showed me."
Well, maybe I shouldn’t say this. Salt stiffens slightly again, clearly uncomfortable with the topic, and I get the feeling I should wrap up this fucked-up life stories session.
"Other than what I have told you, not much happened in my life. I secretly ran my blog and kept training, watching the twisted games and activities that took place inside the fortress, run by Anzo and Rocco."
Salt lets out a low grunt and suddenly says, "Did you watch porn in your room to kill time? I did sometimes, guilty as charged."
"Well, yeah, but not all the time. After training I was fucking exhausted; I’d crash hard."
"I get it. So what were you training? Some sword stuff or something? I saw you with that… pipe thing. You got some moves, huh…"
I struggle to hold back a laugh.
"I trained in Kendo for years, the Japanese sword-fighting art. Anzo was great at it and insisted we learn it too. Besides that, it was mostly wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai."
Salt is silent for a moment, then rubs his chin lightly.
"Sounds like a lot to learn."
"Yeah. So. When the FBI took Anzo away, I escaped along with my brother Mauro and a few others." I hesitate for a moment, then decide to say it.
"I spent a few days wandering the streets until I ended up outside the Fate’s Choice agency, and that was when Storm approached me, claiming he could see human auras, and that someone under his care had an aura identical to mine. And that’s how we met."
Silence falls. Salt plucks at the end of a strand of his hair, saying nothing, lost in thought.
"There is not much more I can tell you, really. I never had close relationships. I never even had… friends. Everything is new to me, in the outside world."
Salt keeps quiet for a long moment. The silence is really deep, so heavy I can almost feel his thoughts physically. He has sunk into something dark and serious.
Then, all of a sudden, I decide to say the thing that should have been said between us a long time ago.
"But… if we are True Mates, we will find out today. Have you thought about what you would do if that turned out to be true?"
Salt jerks away from me and turns to face me. Losing contact with his skin is unpleasant, and I can see something strange shift across his face.
"Eliano, stop. I do not believe in that!"
"Do you not believe in it, or do you just not want it to be true?"
"I do not believe in it, period."
I shrug lightly. "Look, it doesn’t really matter if you believe in it or not. If it’s real, it’s gonna affect us either way. I just want to know what you’d do in that situation, and if it would change anything for you," I say in a slightly cranky tone.
As I’m talking, I can already feel that sharp spike of energy rolling off Salt, but I push on.
"We haven’t talked about this before because I didn’t want to corner you. Didn’t want to make you lie, or straight up admit you’re planning to leave the island."
When his eyes suddenly widen, I add quickly, "Hey, relax. I’m not asking for an answer." Then I snort lightly and go on, "But here’s the brutal truth. If we really are fated, and that energy coil snaps into place, then whatever happens to you… happens to me too," I finish more quietly.
Even softened like this, it still lands hard. Salt’s face drains of color, suddenly twisting into pure anger.
"You can’t…" he snaps through clenched teeth, then cuts himself off and drags in a breath. "You can’t force this on me, Eliano!" he shouts.
The reaction is so over the top and simply absurd that I burst out laughing before I can stop myself, which only sets him off more.
In one sharp move, he jolts to his feet, stepping out of the tub and sending foam and water sloshing across the floor.
"Salt, wait!" I say fast. "I’m not forcing anything. Hell, I’ve got doubts too. I’m just talking about a possibility. One that’s kinda real, because there are signs it might be."
He suddenly stops and glares at me. "What signs?!"
I hesitate, then mutter, "Starting with the taste of our semen. And the way I can feel you so clearly. Your moods, your emotions…"
Salt’s face is dark and stormy now, as he averts his gaze. He dries off quickly and leaves the bathroom.
Sighing, I climb out of the water as well, wrap a towel around my hips, and follow him.
I can see him hesitate, stopping helplessly in the middle of the kitchen area, before moving toward the bed. He collapses onto it and curls onto his side.
"Try to get it," he mumbles into the pillow. "I don’t wanna think about this. It can’t happen, it’d ruin everything."
"There is a way to stop it, Salt," I say softly, pausing by the bed.
"We do not have to have sex. Before the doctor’s appointment, we could just…
" I make an awkward gesture toward his groin.
"We could kinda… inject semen there. So the doctor finds sperm in the mucus.
" I feel ridiculous even saying it out loud.
Silence falls. I realize that Salt probably never actually seriously considered the TM option before, or at least the consequences of Joining. I can almost see waves of shock moving through him at the thought alone.
The room sinks into a deep quiet, and I choose my words carefully, trying not to hurt him.
"I do want this to happen between us, very much. But if it would sabotage your plans, then I understand that it might be better for both of us to stop. As long as we do not enter the Joining and activate the Bond fully, there is a chance that nothing will happen to us."
I cut myself off. To be fair, I’m actually certain the Bond has already started to form, and it’s a lost cause anyway, but for his sake, I zip it. The room is heavy with silence; his heart is galloping.
Finding the right words suddenly feels incredibly hard. I want to say something completely different, but I simply can't; all I can do is repeat what I said before.
"As I told you. You do not have to say anything or confirm it, but I have a feeling you want to leave this island. That you want to kill Tanner. But please… I hope you know what kind of danger revenge like that carries, right?"
"I do not want to talk about this!" Salt snaps, punching the sheet with his fist.
I huff quietly.
"Okay. I just needed it to be said."
Silence again.
I slowly sit down beside him, my weight causing his body to rock slightly. One of his hands slides lower, almost toward me. I watch it for a moment. In a rush of foolishness, I lean down and gently brush my thumb along the side of his hand.
I see a shiver run through him.
"I am sorry for bringing this up. I just felt it needed to be cleared up. I really do want this, I just…"
"There is another option," Salt suddenly says, his voice different, slightly muffled as his face is still pressed into the pillow.
"We can use condoms, or even two. I heard that it blocks the closure of the energetic coil, in case something like that is about to happen."
I stare at him, genuinely surprised by the suggestion, and wonder what is really behind it.
This is no longer just about giving Salt an alibi for another doctor’s visit or protecting him from Drax. This is about the fact that he actually wants this to happen. Sex with me.