Samuel went in search of Carmilla. She was resisting the medallion and that in the short time he had gained control of her, was never a good thing. Her scent lead him to a room, Rita's room. Heaven no. His hand took the door knob and twisted, surprised to find it open, Samuel walked in, ready to strangle Carmilla.
Instead he found her sitting beside Rita on the bed. It had been a week and a few days since he had last properly laid eyes on her. Right now she was looking between Carmilla and him at the door in disbelief and...betrayal. He had to tread lightly now. “Rita," he started. "whatever she just told you is a lie. Don't believe her, she is a demon and–”
She did not let him finish, she turned back to Carmilla. “Sakaer mentioned a video too. Is it the same one?” she asked. He could hear her heart racing. Samuel watched in helplessness as the fucking bitch answered with an almost unnoticeable undertone of glee in her voice. “Yes.”
Rita looked back to him, he watched her swallow and so did he before the inevitable question came out of her mouth. “Is she telling the truth?”
Samuel left the door to come closer to her. Rita stood up from the bed. “What did she tell you?”
“It doesn't matter. Is there a video or not?!”
“What video?” he asked. At this moment, the wisest thing to do was to play dumb.
“Of you and I in that hotel and in your apartment.” She looked him in the eye and questioned him, her voice choking up.
Silence.
“Is there or is there not? Answer me!” She shouted, her voice straightened out
Looking into her eyes, listening to her heart beat almost out of control, his mind told him the best thing to do was to lie. It would be best for the both of them but they were going to question her about it later and then there would be no hiding it. He answered her. "Yes there is.” He watched the reality of his words sink into her, eyes wide and disbelieving, the truth of his words warped by the lies that Carmilla fed to her. “But I swear it is not what you think.” he reached for her. She swatted his hands away and took a few steps away from him. “Don't touch me.”
A sharp stroke of hurt accompanied by heavy bolts of pain went through his chest. He tried again, “Rita-”
“Thank you for helping me get out of there but I would appreciate it if you never come near me again.”
Damn it, Carmilla told her about that too! “Rita, please, I got rid of every single one of them. There isnt a single one out there or in my possession, i swear.” She kept going despite his attempts on clearing the gross misunderstanding.
“You can have the house and the car back.” Her voice monotone, distant, barely hanging in. “You can consider this my resignation. I will have it formalized by the end of this week. Goodbye Mr Princeton.” She gestured to the door with her hand. Samuel did not move and after a few seconds of silence and standstill she decided to do the honours instead. She stopped just before heading into the hallway. “And don't worry about the money, I will find a way to pay it.” After that she was gone.
Samuel wanted to rush after her and explain but his mind told him it would be of no use.
He turned sharply to the where Carmilla draped herself on the bed, a wicked smile on her face. The cause of all this. In less than a few seconds his hand was around her neck, lifting her body off the floor. “What did you tell her?!”
Even with her neck at the mercy of his rage, she still kept up that fucking smile. "Everything you would not. The truth.” she cackled.
“Whatever you told her was not the truth.” he growled.
Her eyes twinkled. “So there was no video of the both of you at that hotel?” she teased.
He increased the power in his right hand and only then did she lose the smile and start clawing at his hand. The need for air now apparent to her. “WHAT DID YOU TELL HER?!” he roared, channelling the power of the medallion around his neck. This time none of her games or her sharp tongue could prevent the true answer from falling from her deceitful dirty lips. no matter how hard she fought it
“I told her that you had that video made and that you shared it. And i watched it too.” she started flailing her legs, trying to hit him, Samuel dodged her blows and put more juice into his arm and his command. A choking sound came from her mouth, Samuel ignored it. “I told her the rescue was all effort to make sure she would be indebted to you and get her to keep quiet. That the police was in your back pocket.”
He felt the undeniable urge to kill her, have his claws puncture her neck and let her bleed onto the floor. “And your reason?” He was aware his voice was calm, too calm and Carmilla felt it too.
“To make sure that you ultimately lose too.” She declared, a weak semi-triumphant smile “Now your mate has outright rejected you. How does it feel?” she wheezed. People came running into the room and the hand around her neck grew tighter.
To be honest, it felt like he had been ripped in two and everything was meaningless now but he would soon rather slit his own tongue out than give the bitch of a demon in his hand the satisfaction of knowing. He felt pain. His wolf felt pain. Everything hurt and nothing could sooth it. He was angry. Helpless and desperate. A cocktail of emotions that shackled Samuel Princeton to the back and let Alpha Princeton take control.
He dropped her pitiful form to the floor. She gulped air like a fish, giving her that limitation was proving useful. "All of you, leave this place." he ordered, the sentence dripping with alpha command. The onlookers obeyed and scrambled away. Rita`s scent filled his nose, calming him and at the same time reminding him of what he had just lost. "You," he gestured to Carmilla. "get up and follow me."
****
Rita could not believe what a wonderful streak she had had. First Theo, then Sakaer and now her boss. Or was it her boss first, then Sakaer, Theo? Who the fucking hell cared?! Just when she thought she could trust him again, everything proved to her that her trust never mattered. To anyone. Just like her heart. This city just seemed to keep getting better and better. This time there was no half assing around, she was going to gather what little she had and leave for Condorsprings. She would take awkward and even Wahim over what was going on now.
She had three more days before she was certified to leave the facility but to hell with that. She was leaving today. She did not want to be in the same place Samuel Princeton was in. The only problem was, she had no where to go or any means of going anywhere. Sakaer had taken her phone, not to mention she did not have any cash on her. Not even for a payphone or a cab or the keys to the damn house.
‘You always attract the wrong attention! You are and will always be useless and helpless!” She was starting to think the bastard was right. She did not want him to be.
****//*****//******
Her birthday was yesterday. So that chucked her up to twenty nine, friendless, traumatized and after she submitted this resignation letter, jobless, homeless and severely in debt. Of course the best thing to do would be not to quit the job but she could not stay in this place, this city anymore. She should have been a coward and ran away the first time instead of being stupid and staying. Her mother called in that morning to wish her a happy birthday, it seemed no one had informed her family when she had been taken. Rita did not have the heart or strength to tell her. About the kidnapping or being ruined. So she did what she always did, pretend everything was fine.
She had packed her things, the rest that she could not take, she left or sold, that gave her some money. She sold the bakery to Matthew. One of the hardest things she had ever done. Everything was in her car now. Everything she had and currently everything she was worth. After working so hard.
Rita walked into the temporary office for what would be her first and last time. She looked past where would have been her station and knocked on the inner door. “Come in Rita.”
She opened the door, she stopped when she saw his eyes intensely pinned on her. Nerves told her to forget it and leave. “Good morning Mr. Princeton.” she walked in.
“Good morning Rita. What do you have there?" he asked, gesturing to the white envelope in her hand.
She came closer to his desk, repelled by his eyes, by him and the very thought of what awaited her after she did this and placed the envelope on his desk with all her might. He took and opened it. “My resignation letter, Mr Princeton.” she answered as he read it.
“As I said the last time we saw each other, I will do all I can to pay back the–” Her sentence was interrupted by the sound of crumpling paper. He crumpled her resignation letter!
He discarded it on his desk. “We need to talk Rita–”
“I would rather you not use my name so casually Mr Princeton.”
“Ms. Anozim, I can't accept this.” he stressed on her last name. “You obviously cannot pay the termination fee and besides once you do this you are leaving the city.”
How did he? How did she know she planned on leaving? She had. or told anyone, much less make it obvious.
“And I cannot let you do that. For reasons. Personal reasons.”
He got up from his chair and made his way to her. She subconsciously took a step back and he stopped. He gestured to the chair on her left. “You will need to take a seat.”
“No thank you.”
He went on. “The woman you were talking to four days ago was Carmilla. She is the one who turned Sakaer.”
What?! That was Carmilla?! She had been sitting and talking to another demon?!
“Everything she told you about the video and my hand in it was a lie. I wasn't even aware of it until someone started blackmailing me with it.”
Blackmail? Why was he telling her this now?
“That's the truth.” he came closer to her and she was too stunned and full of disbelief that she did not even move. “And I know you won't believe me but you are my mate Rita.”