Chapter 49
Unknown POV
*Flash back - 23 years ago*
"When I get out of this, you're going to wish you killed me you f*****g piece of trash" I ground out between pants as I struggled with the restraints.
"If you live through this, you mean," he smirked at me. I tried to struggle but I was too weak. They've kept me in this god-forsaken place for months now. I still didn't know the extent of what they wanted from me, only that they kept drawing blood and testing me for a whole lot of s**t I couldn't understand in between the beatings they gave me when I refused to answer their questions.
I saw him with a needle full of a blue liquid and renewed my struggle. Whatever was in it, I didn't want it in me. He smirked at my panic and pushed it into my arm and pushed the liquid in. I gritted my teeth at the burning sensation as it spread up my left arm. I didn't want to give this bastard the satisfaction of hearing me scream. Once the burning spread into my chest, however, my back arced up on its own accord and a glass-shattering scream escaped from my throat. My entire body soon felt like it was on fire. I could see nothing, hear nothing but the fire in my veins. I felt a strange and painful pressure in the back of my head and I was sure that it was splitting open.
I heard a woman's whisper in my ear say, "I'm sorry, this is the only way to save you" before I begged death to save me from the pain I was in.
The last thing I heard was, "Pitty, I really thought that formula would work."
My last thought was of him.
I woke up facedown in a field. I had no idea where I was or when. I had a terrible taste in my mouth and I smelled something foul. I tentatively stood up. I was in a ditch and the foul smell was me. Ugh. I cringed. My entire body was in pain, but it was fading. I looked up at the darkness of the sky, wondering how long I had until the sun would rise. 2 hours maybe? I started walking down the side of the road. I stopped when I saw a deer on the other side, by the edge of the forest. I ducked slowly and approached quietly. The moment I was close enough, I pounced on it and sunk my teeth in its jugular.
I felt better once I had some blood in me. I thanked it for its strength and began looking around. The sky was starting to get light and I needed to find shelter from the sun. I walked further into the forest until I found a small enclosure. I pulled debris over the cover to make sure the sun didn't penetrate my little shelter and settled in to sleep for the day. I woke up shortly after sunset. Still in one piece, thankfully, though I had to admit to myself that there had been a certain amount of relief in my heart when I thought I would die. I left the safety of the small shelter and continued my journey...somewhere. I still had no idea where I was. The last place I remember being in was outside of Liverpool on assignment. I went to a bar for a drink and then everything got blurry after that and I had woken up in a cage.
After what felt like hours of walking, I saw a sign indicating a gas station up ahead. I was surprised to find myself all the way out in Glasgow, but after a day of rest, I managed to get a ride to London the following night and took a plane to Palermo and then a train to Sicily. I was greeted by many surprised looks from the staff as I walked into my sister's Estate. I went directly to where I knew I would find her. The ballroom, where she conducted many of her official affairs.
She gave me the same surprised look her staff had as I entered.
"Kassie! You're alive! We've been so worried," she said awkwardly. I rolled my eyes. She had never been very good at faking emotions.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm back and I'll be ready for my next assignment in a few days. I'll need new gear. I'll be in my room." I told her unceremoniously.
"Wait" she said, and I stopped and turned. She actually looked uncomfortable. That was different. "We didn't know you were coming back. We gave your room to someone else. You can stay in one of my guest rooms for the time being until I find you a suitable place."
"You gave my room away? I was gone for 9 weeks, Karissa! Did you even look for me?!" I yelled at her.
"That's Queen Karissa," her Beloved, Armand, said from a seat at the side of the room, "You would do well to remember that you're only alive because of her."
"She is my sister. I can call her by her name," I argued.
"You are a traitor to the crown and our species!" he spat.
I rolled my eyes, "So you keep reminding me. Where are my things, your highness?" I asked my sister.
"We put things in a box downstairs. There wasn't much," she said. Yeah, that was on purpose. I thought. There was no point in keeping much in a place I only slept a handful of nights a year. I was always being sent from one assignment to another. Anything to keep me out of the council's line of sight. I was a reminder of my sister's only act of mercy. A weakness for a traitor to our kind and a shame to the Royal Family.
"I will retrieve my items. If you could please provide me with new gear and my next assignment," I bowed and left.
I found a box of my things under the basement stairs. I reached in, looking for two things only. I began to panic as I threw out item after item until I felt a tear of relief leave my eyes as I finally found what I was looking for. I held the coral ring to my chest as I found the letter inside the book at the very bottom of the box. These were the only things I needed. The rest could burn. I had no ties to anything else. I leaned against the wall under the stairs and read the letter for probably the 5000th time. I let my tears flow freely as I remembered the night he died. I wished I could have been braver then. I wish I would have left with him when he asked me to. My memories flashed back to that night. I saw him lying on the floor of the forest, being beaten to death while my sister's guards dragged me away. That was the night I lost everything.
I felt pressure in the back of my head. An immense pain that made my vision blurry and I felt my hand shaking before everything went black. I woke up three hours later. I was still under the stairs. I felt something dry on my face and I wiped to find there was dried blood at the entrance of my nose. Not 100% sure of what happened, I grabbed some clothes, my ring and letter and went upstairs to wait for my next assignment. *End Flashback*This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.