(Tana's POV)
V burst into the hospital room.
"Congrats, sire!" the nurse said, oblivious to the tension.
"Get out."
V's cold reply stunned her, but she knew better than to ask questions and left without another word.
"You're… pregnant?" he muttered coldly.
I searched my brain for an excuse, but nothing came. So I said simply,
"That's right."
"Whose child is it?! …Oh… wait. It has to be the smoke boy. The other two are flaming homosexuals. How could I not see it?!"
"Hey! Rytem is pansexual and Netalai is technically bi, but—"
He cut me off, saying,
"I honestly don't care. The fact is, they prefer f*cking each other over f*cking you. So it's Insinz's, right?"
I was struck silent.
V laughed bitterly, pacing around the room.
Then he spun toward me and punched a hole straight through the stone wall at my back.
I screamed.
"Get rid of it. If you get rid of the baby now, I'll only kill him and spare the others," he demanded.
What is he saying?! This is the first child I've ever looked forward to loving, and he wants me to kill it?
"You think I let them go without any failsafes? If the Chosen don't return by the time they're twenty, the execution devices I implanted in their necks will go off automatically. You know me; I always have a plan," V admitted in a tone that gave me chills.
I looked upon him in horror.
"You care about those little shits, right? I don't mind starting over. He has one too… so I can kill your boyfriend at any moment," he remarked.
"Don't hurt him!" I shouted, my throat burning.
Vetro's smile widened as he grazed my cheek with his fingertips.
"I was going to coronate you as my queen, but now…" He sighed. "I guess I'll have to remove those troublesome legs of yours after all," V muttered affectionately.
He means it.
I pulled away from his reach, but he yelled,
"DAMN IT! I knew something was up when he—Wait..." he paused, "What the hell do you have on?!"
He reached toward me, aiming at my necklace.
"No! Stop!"
A thick black cloud of smoke engulfed my body just as his fingers brushed the pendant.
When the smoke cleared, I was at the portal terminal connected to Earth.
Insinz was standing there waiting.
"Hey..." he greeted me softly.
I looked around, frantically, happy to see that we were alone.
"Don't worry," he said with a smile. "I put all the employees to sleep."
"How did I get here?" I asked, still shaken.
"I used the necklace to call you. Thank you for keeping it on."
He began inputting coordinates into the portal.
Even from here, I could hear Vetro's rampage echoing through the palace.
The tremors reached us through the ground.
"But how?! How are we outside the castle?" I mumbled in disbelief.
He paused, then glanced at me.
"You've known I could leave the castle for years, now. Long before I was officially granted recess. Remember when I gave you that flower? I'm sure you realized it then." he smiled and added, "I knew I could trust you. All these years and you never ratted me out."
His comment made me blush.
"Well, that's… because I didn't want to see you get hurt. But that still doesn't explain how you got me out!" I remarked.
The portal buzzed, alerting me that it had activated.
"You're a part of me now. I don't have time to explain, but for now, I'll protect you, and our daughter."
Our daughter?
Earth users, even those with subcategory affinities, have deep insight into life. They can sense illness… or pregnancy.
He must know.
V likely could tell too, but didn't care enough to mention it.
"You go to Earth. Talk to Zai. I don't know if I can beat Vetro alone, and if they don't hurry, we'll all be in danger. See if they're willing to help. If not, then at least you and the baby will be safe."
He picked me up and placed me on the transportion pad.
"Wait! Why are you sending me away? Come with me. There's still so much I need to say…"
He just grinned as he dispersed into over twenty clones.
They spoke in unison:
"Someone has to keep him distracted."
The one closest to me added,
"Be safe, my love." as he pressed the portal button.
The last thing I saw was one of the Insinzs yanking a long, large crystal shard from its neck, likely the detonation device planted by V.
He watched it turn to dust in his palm and blow away into the wind.
I materialized in the backyard of a house I could only assume belonged to Markis.
It was beautiful, but the yard was overgrown and the building badly needed maintenance.
What do I do here? Knock?
I stepped onto the porch and banged on the door."Markis, open up!"
I sensed he was home. Thirty seconds later, the door creaked open.
"Who the hell... Oh. Hey. What do you need?" he said with his tone quickly switching from hostile to flirty.
The moment our eyes met, he slicked back his hair.
I frowned.
"Yeah… I'm just here to see Raijian. Is he home?"
He raised an eyebrow."Wow, you know my brother? He hasn't lived here in over ten years. Sorry, sweetie, looks like he gave you the wrong address. But…" He bit his lip, scanning me up and down. "After I tell my guests to leave, maybe I can entertain you instead?" Markis offered.
I shoved his face away from me and forced myself into the house.
"Hey! The heck," he struggled and added," Damn, b*tch, you're strong as hell?!"
"Everyone get out!" I yelled.
The humans inside looked frail and reeked of drugs.
They scattered instantly, except one frail looking older woman curled up in the corner, sleeping.
"This is my house!" Markis snapped.
"The last I checked, I paid for this house. And you've let it fall apart?" I remarked.
I folded my arms. He stared at me confused.
A few seconds passed.
His jaw dropped.
"Tana?! …Oh wow… You're hot!" he exclaimed boldly.
"Shut up. Just tell me where RJ is," I replied with a sigh.
At the mention of his name, the woman stirred.
"Jey?" she muttered. Her voice sounded much younger than she appeared.
Markis sighed, lifted her in his arms, and took her into a room.
He returned a moment later, closing the door behind him.
"Sorry about that. Truth is, we haven't spoken in years. He got mad at me," Markis admitted.
"That woman… does it have anything to do with her?"
He grinned.
"Wow, you're sharp. Yeah, he got his first little girlfriend… I just wanted to mess with him a bit. He took it hard," he replied, shamelessly.
"Wait… you haven't seen him in ten years? How old is she?" I inquired.
"…What does it matter?"
His tone turned cold.
I got a bit exhausted from talking to him so I said,
"I just need to talk to Zai. It's important."
At Zai's name, something shifted.
He scribbled a number and handed me a slip of paper.
"This is Cera's cell phone number. He's been to their house before. I'm still on good terms with him," he explained.
"Oh… what's a cellphone?"
Markis laughed and began giving me a detailed explanation of the modern electronic.
It still felt primitive compared to what we had back home, but the portability was enviable.
"Thanks… Can I use yours?" I asked.
He groaned, then handed me the device.
His wallpaper showed himself shirtless with a woman in lingerie clinging to his arm. I chose not to comment.
I followed his instructions and called Cera.
Thankfully, Cera was helpful and eager. He gave me the address and directions. After I wrote everything down, I thanked him and ended the call.
I held the phone out, but Markis grabbed my wrist and pulled me close.
"You're not leaving yet, are you?" he murmured amorously.
I pushed him away with one hand.
"I am," I retorted.
He grabbed my hip with his other hand.
"Shouldn't I get something for helping you? Don't play hard to get. I know you've slept with everyone else," he remarked quietly.
I instinctively punched him in the jaw, sending him flying into the wall.
"Fine! I will stay!" I declared with a sweet smile. "Please, enlighten me as to why are you feeding off that human? And what exactly did you do to your precious little brother, the one you were supposed to protect?!" I shouted.
He coughed up blood as I approached him.
"She couldn't be older than twenty-six, and she looks sixty. She wasn't just a human girl—she was a child," I noted.
He wiped his mouth.
"What? I did him a favor. He was getting enamored with a human. I just needed him to realize they're nothing but food. The stupid bitch chose me over him. She chose to be here! You can't glorify a snack and make it think it's your equal. I stopped him from being a fool. He should thank me," he replied defensively.
His breathing was ragged. "Wow… you hit hard. I suppose that means your answer is no?" Markis mumbled, not ready to give up on his flirting yet.
"Of course it's a no! Do you know what V would do if I slept with you?! Plus, I have no reason to," I reasoned.
He closed his eyes, catching his breath.
"Oh yeah… I almost forgot. You're his personal sex toy."
Instinctively, I grabbed him with telekinesis, lifting him off the ground by the neck.
He tried to shoot fire at me, but it was too weak to pierce my defense.
Three seconds passed before I calmed down, came to my senses and let him go.
I don't have time to defend some random human.
Insinz is waiting. But…
Imagining a young girl being manipulated by a much older, stronger man stirred something in me.
A type of kinship.
After leaving, I withdrew all my Earth funds and booked a hotel room in the city where RJ lived, so the girl would have somewhere safe to stay.
I washed her and began repairing her aura.
When an Afarian feeds on a human, they use physical intimacy to drain life energy.
The process is addictive.
When cut off, humans suffer withdrawal and many mistake the craving for love.
They become hopelessly attached.
She had been with Markis for years.
It would take a long time to repair the damage.
She rarely spoke, except when I mentioned Raijian.
I had to call him Jey.
Then she'd smile weakly and whisper his name.
That's the only response I could get.
It explained why RJ had to leave his brother.
"I'll be back. There's food in the fridge. Don't leave this room. Do you understand?" I stated firmly.
She sat on the bed, staring at the floor, then nodded weakly.
I left, locking the door behind me. I cloaked myself and flew to the address Cera gave me.
Time to talk to Zai.
Zai wasn't home. Raijian answered the door.
Seeing him triggered horrible flashbacks. I pushed through the panic and asked to speak with Zai.
The way he looked at me made me uneasy, like how V would look at me right before...
But then, he recognized me.
His expression softened. I released the mental barriers protecting my thoughts so he could see them and know I had nothing to hide.
We talked.
Eventually, he told me Zai had already moved out and wasn't likely to return.
Insinz had mentioned Zai specifically. If Zai helps, the others will follow.
That's not true of Raijian.
Panic welled up in me.
"Why?" I asked.
"Before I tell you... tell me what happened to Aluma."
I bit my thumbnail... an old anxious habit. Of course he was worried about her...
"She's alive. And she misses you," I informed.
Something told me to bring her with me... but I left in too much of a hurry.
"If you can bring her back to me… I'll help you meet Zai. I'll even help convince him," Raijian assured.
My heart leapt. I bounced on the balls of my feet.
"Do you promise?!"
"I cannot lie," he said with a small smile.
I wanted to dance, but getting into the palace again won't be easy.
It was hard enough getting out.
Still… I have to try. Insinz needs me.
I also need to figure out what to do with the human girl while I'm away.
I can't bring her back to Afaria...
For now, I'll focus on helping her heal as much as possible... then it's time for a rescue mission.
I'll deliver Aluma straight to Raijian's door.