He had once seen a man rent a child in two. Max never thought he would see something more gruesome or brutal than that in his life. Two days ago took the cake. And here they were. Back in Alvas like nothing had ever happened. That was how it was done. That was how it had always been done. No use in dwelling on it. It did not reveal anything he did not already know. Besides there were still more pressing things to take care of.
They still had not been able to find Samuel's secretary. It was five days since that demon kidnapped her. And no one had been able to find anything. No leads. Nothing. Everyone on both sides of the tracks were looking for both of them. With Samuel heading the search on one end and Carmilla on the other. Max could feel Samuel's dark mood all the way from the elevator. It was probably for the best that he did not leave his apartment for a while. Not that Max did not know Samuel was going to stay there. He would more than definitely be out searching himself once he got out of the way. Not that Max posed any hindrance to whatever plans he had.
It was probably just Samuel. The Samuel he knew. The Samuel he sensed was fading into the backdrop. A brother and a friend that was being pushed back by wild and instinct. A wolf not a man. Not a brother or a friend. An Alpha. One that demanded respect, order and right now, demon blood and his mate. All of which could pose more than just a truckload of trouble.
Back in Astoke, Max could not tell anyone about the predicament they had fallen into. The Alpha would not allow him to. And Max would not admit it even on his own death bed but he had never been more scared in his life. He still remembered how he looked at him over the dining table. It had been less than one second but the look in The Alpha's eyes had said it all in frightening clarity. And no one had noticed it, it had been meant for him and him only. And it frightened him to his very core.
Samuel, or The Alpha had taken out the majority of his frustration out on another alpha and the results were nothing short of gruesome. A show of his brutality and strength. Max shook his head to clear the gory image from his head and walked out of the elevator.
*******
Rita woke up to the sound of birds chirping, sunlight and fresh air. Her limbs felt so tired and she gave them a stretch. She had a terrible nightmare. Correction, terrible nightmares. Rita opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The walls and curtains that were not familiar. The barred windows that she did not recognize.
She sat frozen for a few seconds on the bed. The bed she definitely knew was not her own. She looked down at her clothes. Numbness took over her body. These clothes were not hers. To top it off she was not wearing a bra. She grasped fistfuls of the sheets beneath her as numbness turned to panic. ‘No. No this had to be a dream. Some sort of twisted dream.’ She thought. She must have watched a crime documentary and her overactive imagination was projecting it in her sleep.
But everything felt so real. Was that just a product of her mind too? Her mouth tasted awful and bitter as if she had not opened it in days. She gagged. Rita placed a shaky foot on the polished wooden floor followed by the other. With unsure limbs she walked to the one window in the room, the gentle breeze coming from beyond its barred threshold made the grey curtains billow softly.
Outside was covered in a light layer of snow. Enough of it to make you put a coat on. The enormous pine trees that towered around could have competed with the buildings around the office.
Rita held one of the metal bars with her fingers, they were cold. Cold enough to elicit a small hiss of pain from her lips.
“Ok, it has been nice subconscious but it was time for me to wake up.” she whispered to herself. ‘Before whatever murderer or serial killer she watched on T.V. last night came to get her’, she thought. A sound came from the direction of the door. Rita turned and froze. Olive skin and striking green eyes greeted her first and familiar black jeans and shirt. Kalzaar?
He greeted her with a smile. And that made her freeze. She had seen that smile on his face but not the face she remembered. The smile was a flash of white teeth behind lips that concealed their sharp edges. Rita felt her feet moving backwards on their own, putting a good distance between them.
No. Not Kalzaar, her mind said. Sakaer. The trembling started anew and her feet felt like they would give out beneath her.
He took a few steps in her direction. “Good morning, my Lily.” he greeted cheerfully. But Rita did not take it into account.
Sakaer was here and she did not know where she was, which meant none of this had been a figment of her imagination. This was all real. This. Was all real. Rita's voice failed her and she took more steps but he did not seem to notice. If he did, he did not show it.
“You were asleep for less than i expected.” He said. Just continued like nothing was wrong. “But that is a good thing. Excellent even.” he went on. That was when she noticed the bag slung over his shoulder.
“And why would that be?” She asked. She regretted it. Her throat was so dry and her voice came out raspy and hoarse. How did she not realize sooner.
Sakaer slung the bag off his shoulder and placed it on the bed. Rita flinched when the bag landed on the bed. She had no idea what was in there but she had a few guesses and none of them were good.
“You will see.” came his only answer, along with a small deceptive smile. It made her fear inch higher. That was what he said when he compelled and forcefed her to eat that porridge.
He caught her looking between him and the bag. He leaned and reached his hand for the zipper all the while her heart pounded like a jackhammer. She looked around to find a way to escape but there was none. She watched on in dread as he put his hand into the bag and withdrew a white towel. A white towel?
Rita furrowed her eyebrows. Sakaer dropped the towel on the bed and brought more things out of the bag. “I brought you some towels, new clothes and sanitary things. I was not sure which one you preferred between pads and tampons just grabbed the ones that were available.” he explained.
The purple pack of pads in his hands looked at her. Her period was not for two weeks at most. Just how long did he plan to keep her trapped here? A sneaking suspicion crawled into her head. Perhaps this was just a way to ease her tension and make her drop her guard so he could kill her.
Once everything was on the bed, he rose to his full height and came closer to her. Rita quickly moved back only to be stopped by the nightstand. His hand went to his bank and her heart went back to being a jackhammer. She highly doubted what was behind him was another stack of towels. He come so close to her that there was barely any space between them. “And this.” he said, producing a white lily from behind his back.
For the second time that day, Rita furrowed her eyebrows. Dread grew in her heart and Sakaer's next words strengthened it. “I know you liked the earlier ones I sent, that is why you kept most of them alive.” He placed the lily in her hair. Rita felt like throwing up. He had been the one sending her flowers. He had been her house.
“I apologize for not having the time or patience to write a poem.” He sighed. “I just could not wait to see you and check on how you were doing today.”
His hand came up to her cheek and she flinched away from him.
“I will be off now. I have someone important to pay a visit. I will bring you breakfast–well–lunch before I leave.” He stepped away from her and turned to the direction of the door.
“I don't want to be here.” Rita found her voice again, still hoarse and painful. “I want to go back home.”
Sakaer turned to face her again, the next thing she knew he was back to invading her personal space. He looked at her and held her face in both his hands. They were invitingly warm but she would rather be in the freezing cold that have his warmth. “My lily, I know. And I promise I will take you home myself but things are not aligned properly yet. Once all this is over, I will take you home and wherever else your heart so desires myself.”
“I don't want you anywhere near me!” she croaked, trying to wrestle him away from her.
The look in his eyes switched from calm to subtly pissed. He let go of her face to take hold of her hands, pinning them both on the nightstand and pushed her further against it till there was no space left between them. The rapid movement of the rise and fall of her chest caused her breasts to rub against his chest almost painfully. “I cannot do that my Lily.” he growled.
“Stop calling me that!” she shrieked. God, her nipples hurt.
“Then what would you have me call you?” he asked. He brought his face so close to hers, that she subconsciously withdrew but she could not go far since the only part she could move was her head and unless she was interested in snapping it off, she had to stop. His face caught up with hers and now they were both practically breathing in each other not air. His eyes had already taken a darker colour. Rita did not utter a word, unsure of what would happen if she opened her mouth even an inch in this situation. It was between actually snapping her neck in two or him sticking his tongue in her mouth. “Nothing?” Sakaer questioned, tilting his head to the side, orbs still dark with desire.
He took his face away, looking somewhat disappointed. At least she could breathe in air and not him. He still sandwiched her between his body and the nightstand. “Let me go, you bastard.” she ordered. Her back had started to ache and so was her neck.
With one more look, Sakaer replied. “As you wish, my lily.” he put more emphasis on the last words before roughly letting her go. Rita winced at the pain.
“Get cleaned up. Everything you need is in the bathroom. I will be back in fifteen minutes with your food.” he announced before phasing out the door.