“She’s not a murderess.”
“You’re always so defensive about her.”
“Because she’s worthy of defending. She’s done nothing wrong.”
“She destroys you every time you disappear!” The words flew from my lips, anger and frustration like fire in my chest. “And every time you reappear I have to find a way to put you back together!”
“She doesn’t destroy me, they destroy me!” His voice tore through the air, my heart jumping at the sound. “I’ll never tell you what I’ve seen. What they do. What the world will never know because the powerful won’t confess. Siren is our only savior when it comes to this war.”
Tears burned in my eyes as I desperately tried to wipe them away.
He stepped forward, his shoulders slumping as the tension fled his body. “You can’t fix me, Mistress.” His arms wrapped around me, his lips running over my forehead. “I’m meant to stay broken.”
***
Arlo
***
“Zane Zone 2… Arlo Zone 3… Grizzly Zone 4… Siren Zone 7…” the Eyes and Ears updated, their voices distorted in static.
I continued through the darkness, listening for any hint of movement. The space remained silent, the old office equipment and desks covered in dust. The traitors were getting smarter, their underground warehouses becoming harder to navigate, but they still hadn’t found a way to stay hidden from the Eyes and Ears.
“Sam Zone 1…Trei Zone 5…”
I stared into the grey haze, trying to focus as I adjusted my earpiece. It was not the time for Gemma to be distracting my thoughts, but there was no silencing the memory of her tears. I needed to crawl back to her, on my knees as she preferred, and pray my pathetic apology was enough to earn my reward.
“Garrett Zone 1… Grizzly Zone 5… Trei Zone 6…”
There had to be a compromise, one that didn’t involve me shooting the next man I found at her house. I could offer my own house cleaning services, naked if it was what she enjoyed.
“Siren… off grid…” the voice was hesitant in my earpiece, the alert chilling down my spine. “Siren off grid…”
Off grid? There was no off grid. I shoved myself back against the wall, searching through the shadows. The space was empty, my stomach twisting when I realized I’d made it through three previous zones without firing my gun. I crept forward, hunting for movement, waiting for guidance. The air rushing from my lips was all that lingered, the realization haunting.
“Zane Zone 3… Trei Zone 7… Siren off grid…”
I glanced around, hunting for Zane, his shadow creeping into view from around one of the bookcases. He looked towards me, his steps as unsure as mine.
“Garrett Zone 2… JJ Zone 7… Trei Zone 7…Siren off grid…”
I tried to remember the map, the target smaller than usual and only broken up into seven zones. I slid down the wall until I reached an intersection of hallways, peering around the edge. It was empty, not even a body laid out to mark where we had already been.
Static cut through my nerves, the voice on the other end frantic as it screamed. “Siren down, off grid! Siren down, off grid!”
Zane raced past me, tearing down the hallway with me close on his heels.
“Garrett Zone 3… Zane Zone 4… Arlo Zone 4…”
We tore through the darkness, knowing it would be empty. The traitors weren’t there, they were somewhere off grid, somewhere Siren stood alone.
“Zane Zone 6… Arlo Zone 6… Grizzly Zone 7… Siren down, off grid…”
The lights flashed on, blinding us. I ripped the night vision glasses off my face, squinting into the bright light, colliding with Zane in my disorientation. I scrambled to my feet, my hands tightening around my gun when I heard the footsteps. They came from all directions, surrounding us in a blur of camo. My finger wrapped around the trigger, firing wildly and indiscriminately.
“Sam Zone 4… Garrett Zone 5… Zane down, Zone 6…”
I spun around, looking for Zane, unable to find him in the sea of camo.
“JJ off grid… Trei off grid… Siren down, off grid…”
Fists swung at me, knocking me to the ground before trying to rip the gun from my hands. My fingers clamped around it, unwilling to weaken. They wouldn’t take me alive, even if I had to slit my own throat.
“Sam Zone 5… Garrett down, Zone 5… Arlo down, Zone 6…”
***
Gemma
***
I weaved through the massive dungeon, the sound of whips landing on flesh enticing, the scent of leather, sweat and sex filling the air. It beckoned me as it always did, the ideas swirling in my head of all I wanted to do, everything I wanted to try, every pleasure I wanted to taste– but they were all the parts of myself I could no longer satisfy. Maybe there was nothing wrong with enjoying the vanilla. I was tired of questioning, contemplating, arguing– I wanted him. He wanted me. I could be his darkness and he could be my light, and we could spend our days finding ways to tread the path in-between.
“Mistress Gemini,” Lexa’s voice cut through my thoughts, “I need to speak with you.” Her arm linked through mine casually as we walked towards the back of the dungeon, stepping out into the hallway. She glanced over her shoulder, the sound of our heels drowned out by moans and screams. She shoved open a side door, pulling me with her as we darted down a short hallway before pushing open another door, the midnight air cool against my skin.
I paused on the patio, staring as she began pulling off her heels. “Where are we going?”
“I need some fresh air.” Her bare feet stepped onto the grass, her toes running over the soft blades. “You won’t get far in those heels.”
My lips rubbed together as I pulled off my shoes, leaving them next to hers, the earth far more forgiving than my stilettos.
She grabbed my hand, dragging me with her as she took off running.
“Where are we going?” I yelled after her, reaching out to run my fingers over the sweeping branches of a willow tree as we raced past it.
She slowed then stopped, her hands pressing into her knees, her breath gasping. “Is this far enough?”
My hand pressed into my chest as if it could help me breathe. I turned back, the Château lit up in the distance. “Far enough?”
“It’s just us, Gemma. Just you and me and the stars.” She straightened, tucking a few strands of wild blonde behind her ears. “No Château. No dommes. No slaves. Just you, Gemma Wright, and me, Lexa Ducain.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, glancing at the willow trees surrounding us.
“Who is he, Gemma?”
“His name is Arlo.”
“Why are you hiding him from everyone?”
“Because he can’t handle all of this.”
“Then he can’t handle all of you.”
I shook my head. “This is why I’m hiding him. None of you would understand.”
“If you would let some of us in, maybe we could help you. Mistress Morgaine or Mistress Brianne could eval–”
“I don’t want anyones help!” The words flew from my mouth, screaming into the night. “I don’t want any of you anywhere near him! I don’t want him assessed or picked apart or trained! I just want him!”
“But why do you have to give up yourself to have him?”
I spun around, taking a few steps towards the Château before spinning back. “You dragged me out here, running around barefoot like it would change anything, but it doesn’t. You’re still Madame Lexi, and you’ll never understand that sometimes even a domme has to make sacrifices for her soulmate.”
“And you’re still Mistress Gemini. You can walk away from all this, pretend that part of you is gone, but it will never leave. Trust me, I’ve tried.” She stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. “You are a domme. Your soulmate will see the darkest parts of your soul, and he won’t be afraid. He will never ask you to sacrifice those pieces of yourself for him even if they terrify him. He will take your hand and run with you through the shadows.”
I shook my head, the anger burning through my chest as I stormed back to the Château. It was time to choose either this life or Arlo, and every piece of my soul was screaming his name. I slipped on my shoes and shoved open the backdoor, weaving down the hallway until I reached the foyer.
“You’re leaving?” Miranda asked, approaching as I waited for one of the slaves to bring me my purse.
“I’ve had enough.” I avoided her stare as I dug through my purse. I pulled out my phone, unsurprised to see no missed calls or messages. Arlo wouldn’t be home until early morning, and he wouldn’t keep in touch when he was underground. I stepped outside, typing out a text apologizing for our fight. It was time to embrace the vanilla, with maybe just a little bit of darkness for taste.
“What’s wrong?” Miranda asked, stopping beside me as I hit send.
I shoved the phone back into my purse, crossing my arms impatiently as I waited for the limo. “Madame Lexi thinks she can control every–” The ding from my phone paused my lips, his immediate response surprising me. I pulled my phone out of my purse, smiling at the thought he may have been waiting to hear from me, my smile fading when the words “Message Send Failure” stared back at me.
“Gemma…”
My pulse pounded at my temples when I tapped on the red exclamation point, then tapped to try again. My phone dinged instantly, “Message Send Failure” popping up at the top of my screen.
“Are you ok–”
I paced around the steps, raising my phone into the air, trying to resend the message. “Since when is there no service right here?”
“Since never.”
I hurried towards the limo, Miranda close on my heels. I paused outside the limo door, sending the message again while I waited for the driver to pull it open. My phone went off instantly, my fingers becoming more frantic as I stared at the red exclamation point. I hit send again, chewing into my lip when the immediate ding cut through me.
Leave a Reply