Chapter 17
Love
Pain.
Everything hurts but I’m managing it. I have to.
We just got to Dominik’s purge island. I unpack my things.
We’re going to stay here for two whole weeks.
Away from the world. Safe. While my father slaughters every traitor we’ve identified in the past week.
No one but a close number of people knew about this purge.
No one was obligated to come to the island.
They were only kindly reminded it was the only safe place.
While in fact Dominik is keeping an eye on everyone who enters through our complex’s door.
“Love?” Rian calls and I notice I spaced out again.
It became quite often. I’m still grieving.
I think I’ll forever be, the empty spot my mother lived in my heart will never be filled again.
Something is always going to be missing.
“Come here,” Rian says opening his arms and I get up from the couch and hug him.
He’s here. My best friend is still here, and he’s going nowhere.
“Rian, don’t ever disappear you idiot,” I say hugging him tighter.
Dominik is inside our room with Josh in a security conference to check that everything is going according to plan.
“I won’t, relax you’re stuck with me and these pricks for life,” Rian says and I sigh in relief. “I’ve got you,” he whispers before letting go of me. And I sit by the window next to Aiden. I try to see where he’s looking so attentively but can’t.
“What are you looking at?” I ask him. Despite my father’s plan Aiden never wanted to marry me against my will so we’re good.
“The layout of the buildings. It has changed since five years ago,” five years ago, the last time Aiden was here.
“A lot has changed,” I say and Aiden smiles at me.
“You haven’t, little spark,” Aiden says and I laugh.
“You’re lying-”
“I’m not, you never wanted me and still don’t. It’s kind of enchanting that you’re immune to my charms,” Aiden says getting up and going to the couch next to the others.
“What charms?” I ask in a whisper sitting between him and Rian.
“Very funny,” Aiden whispers back. I can’t dislike him. The more I try the less I don’t. “I could’ve married you,” Aiden says smirking.
“Yet you didn’t,” I wink at him and move through the white almost empty space and knock on mine and Dominik’s room’s door.
“Come in,” I hear from the other side of the door.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask Josh when I see him holding a knife to Dominik’s neck.
“Killing the last traitor,” Josh says and I look at him confused.
“Can we talk this through? What the hell happened in here?” I ask Josh once again seeing the place is completely trashed, they fought.
“I’m killing him. There’s no stopping me, little sister-”
“Dom, immobilise my brother please,” I say and in fifteen struggling seconds Josh is the one with the knife against his neck. “I’m not asking again, what happened here?”
“Josh saw me talking Mitkian and freaked out. Thinks I’m the enemy to fear. Some kind of twisted mastermind. I’m flattered but that’s not the case. I speak 6 languages. I like to know what the enemy is saying when they don’t think I understand them. No big deal,” Dominik says.
“He’s hiding something,” Josh says in our secret sign language.
“So are you, back off,” I sign back and Dominik stays still, still holding Josh until he releases a frustrated sigh.
“I’ll behave,” Josh says and Dominik let’s go of him. “Keep those filthy hands off my sister,” he says and leaves the room. Dominik closes his computer and opens the window’s curtains.
“Don’t listen to my brother,” I say and move near him.
“Glad to know my hands are welcome-”
“Hands, lips, the whole package,” I say and he kisses me biting my lower lip provocatively.
“Say the words,” I shake my head and his hands slide to my thighs and sit me on the table with my back against the wall, hips against his waist.
“What words?” I question and Dominik smirks what he wasn’t counting on was me brushing my hips against his jeans.
“Don’t play with the devil, Love. You’ll get burned,” Dominik whispers in my ear.
“Maybe I don’t mind some flames!” I exclaim and Dominik presses our bodies together.
“Come here, you gorgeous flame,” Dominik says and when I’m about to kiss him someone knocks on the door. “Ignore them,” Dominik says and I shake him away. That will cost me later.
“What’s up?” I ask opening the door while adjusting my pants and shirt.
“Karl is here,” Sammy says her dark brown eyes full of fear. Dominik flies out the door almost literally, he runs so fast his feet barely touch the ground.
“What do we have?” Dominik asks Karl and Karl says something to Dominik in Mitkian, the only language none of us speaks.
“Josh, Damian, you’re with me. Marcus and Rian will stay behind. We caught some spies,” Dominik says, he takes a quick glance my way and I can see a soft smile on his face, that disappears as soon as his eyes are off me.
“Keeping me away from the fun, Dom? What did I do this time?” Rian asks clearly losing his mind, he loves violence, but there’s one thing he loves more, bothering Dominik.
“You exist. Let’s go, Josh,” Dominik says gesturing with his fingers for Josh to get up from the couch.
“I want to go too,” I say after I get the sense I really understood one Mitkian expression. Kfrugt tref modret’v krulet. It’s a dialect expression from the south.
“Not a good idea,” Dominik says and Josh seconds it.
“I was not asking for it. I should’ve phrased it better. I am going too,” I clarify and Dominik looks both amused and terrified.
“You’re not going, get back on that couch,” Josh says and literally tosses me towards the couch. I get up from the floor and walk to him.
“You’re in no position to keep me away from mother’s real killer,” I say and Josh looks at Dominik surprised. He hadn’t gotten it. None of them did. Everyone but me and Dominik seem baffled, stunned even.
“Let her come with us,” Dominik says and Josh brings his hands to his head.
“Did you hit your head? That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said,” Josh says and Damian gets between Josh and Dominik. Dominik is completely calm but Josh is losing it. Yet it’s not because of him. It’s because of us. It’s because of mom.
“Is it really the responsible for the attack?” I ask Dominik and he nods.
“Karl doesn’t get mistaken, and he says it’s him. More specifically, his son,” we got his son?
“Good, even better actually. We get to hurt him back,” I say, steal Josh’s knife and walk to Dominik when I’m stopped to a halt by Aiden.
“Wow, little thunder, stop right there. I’ll ignore that you all completely forgot my person, and just say that destructive energy?
It’s bad mojo,” Aiden says and tries to take my knife but I hold it to his neck.
“I’m not trying to stop you, just be careful,” Aiden says and I let him go.
I don’t embrace my violent side, not since my kidnapping.
But for fourteen years I trained hard, every day to be like Josh.
I know almost as much as he does. And dad gave me a few tricks he didn’t teach Josh so I could have an advantage one day, if needed against one of the guys.
“Hurry, Josh,” I remind him and he looks at Sammy for one second, I can see there’s something in their eyes when their glances meet. I wonder what. But as quick as the connection locked it broke. Josh broke it.
“Let’s get this over with,” Josh says and holds my arm, “You stay behind me,” I decide to let him think he’s leading this and move towards Dominik. “Hey, I need my knife back”
“Go find another,” I say and walk side by side with Dominik and Damian.
“How did you understand what Karl said?” Dominik asks obliviously, I hold his arm for a brief moment before I remember what we’re walking into.
“I got a word here and a word there it was a hunch, but I was almost certain,” I tell Dominik and he nods.
“So this is how it’ll work,” Dominik starts, I look at the moon above us, a full moon, it’s looking yellowish with the sudden heat of the past few hours.
“Got it?” Dominik asks and everyone nods, I didn’t hear a single word, yet I still nod.
“What didn’t you hear?” Dominik asks and I whisper “everything” in his ear.
“It’s ok, stay still, lay low, I’ll wink at you when you can take over if you want to,” Dominik says and I assent.
“Got it, cap,” I say and he laughs.
“Don’t call me that, please-”
“Why? Does it feel like you're dating one of your soldiers?-”
“It sounds like I’m the third wheel, so I’m just going to slow down,” Damian replies to my words and I laugh.
“Sorry,” I whisper-scream at him. “I’m glad you two got along”
“Yes, he’s the least insufferable,” Dominik says and holds my hand.
I hold him back, a warm feeling that reminds me I’m alive.
I survived and am still here, fighting goes straight to my heart into my soul.
Something lingers in the hollow pit of my soul.
A light. A flame. Something to be hopeful about.
“You love him,” I say pushing and Dominik makes the most disgust-filled face.
“No. I love you. I like mint. I tolerate Damian well enough,” he clarifies and I laugh, “If you want me to say I love you just ask, don’t play games”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” I say and let go of Dominik’s hand when I see Karl waiting for us outside a building, similar to any other one here. White, big, with apartments, open concept, modern, with small sky blue and chocolate brown details.
Karl is an intimidating man, more than Dominik from a distance. Tall, muscular, looks kind of like a muscle wall, dressed in black like every other security member. He’s got a closed-off face and a disconnected look that gives this eerie, “I shouldn’t be near this guy” feeling.
But Dominik and my brother? They’re much more intimidating.
I don’t know if it is because of the world they grew up in, no…
that can’t be it. I have no idea what world Karl lived in, perhaps worse than Josh's. It’s the eyes.
I realise after thinking for a bit. It’s the death and utterly careless look in their eyes.
Dominik’s eyes only seem to somewhat shine near me.
When they do shine we’re alone. Mostly. Almost always.
Josh’s eyes are always dead, but today I saw something with Sammy. I don’t know what they’re hiding. Maybe the kiss was something more. I’ll have to dig into that thought.
“Ready?” Josh asks when everyone comes in but me.
Josh is keeping the door open. I nod and come in.
I don’t get involved in death, torture or anything with blood because I see myself in the other person’s position.
I can’t seem to detach myself from the one I’m inflicting pain on since I was taken.
Now I need to detach. Be the old Love. The Love that wanted to be part of the legacy, before she was crushed and reminded her place was in the sidelines, where I’m safe.
“You brought little Kane, so I can end her too? How nice of you-”
I don’t let him end the sentence I send the knife flying right beside his head.
“Not so little after all,” the young man says, he’s now bleeding from his ear. It’s nothing, compared to what he did and what I plan to do.
I walk to the other side of the room and see that the light is only shining bright on top of the boy. I hear a scream and look at Josh.
“Other prisoners,” he mouths. I get my knife from the wooden wall and wonder if they made the walls out of wood so the sound would be more hearable through it than concrete.
I play with the knife in my hands and reapproach the situation.
“Am I not getting an A+ for not crying, too bad. You guys are tough-,” Josh interrupts the ginger with a punch. Damian takes Josh away when he gets ready to throw his hand against his jaw again.
“Why did your father attack the Kanes?” Dominik asks holding the guy's pinkie.
“Fuck you, Ricik,” he says and spits on Dominik’s t-shirt, Dominik breaks his finger but all the other guy does is flinch for one second.
“We gave him what he wanted?” I state but I’m unsure, when he laughs I know I got it right.
“He didn’t just attack us, he attacked the south cities, Kane’s, Ricik’s and Denfell’s ground. But they might be going further. He wanted a reason for his father to start a war, and torturing his son in a safe space, is the perfect excuse.-”
“Tref Khikfc Iv vfratt,” the ginger says and I know I need to learn Mitkian as soon as possible. By Dominik’s hit on his head, it was something about me.
“What did he say?” I ask Dominik, he doesn’t reply, his lips twist.
“The bitch is smart,” Damian quotes and I hold my knife tighter. I got it right. He wants war. It’s not just some kind of casual attack. We knew it wasn’t, what we didn’t expect or at least I didn’t. Was for Mitkus to be claiming a reign that isn’t theirs to take.
“What are we doing to him?” Josh asks pacing back and forth, the ginger guy is still unconscious.
“We’re going to let him live,” Dominik says and signals something to Karl.
“Are we just letting him go like that?” I ask when Karl starts to unchain my mother’s murderer. I walk up to Dominik and have to let the knife fall to the ground not to threaten him.
“We’re moving him to a lower level, Josh and you are free to do whatever you please with him.
I’ll be outside,” I hear those words and enter a trance.
A trance I only get out of when my hands are full of blood and my knife falls to the ground, Josh is taking me out of the room, and the ginger guy, who looks nearly dead is laughing.
He mouths “Thank you,” when I leave. He doesn’t mouth it to Josh nor Karl. He mouths it to me. I did what he wanted, he played his part. Now I’ll have to play mine. Or better pay.