65__The death trap

Raiden hadn’t thought he would witness this side of Natalia. He hadn’t even thought she had this side.

She hadn’t lied when she’d said she would probably do anything for her family, it was evident. First with her mother and then with her sister, Jade and now with their youngest sister, Amethyst.

He’d been invited to her father’s throne room but was keeping the old man waiting, far more interested in watching her interactions with her family. He hadn’t come here to speak with her father, he’d come solely for the chance to meet her mother. When Natalia had discarded her father’s invite without a second thought, Raiden had picked it up and told her to pack her bags. The chance to meet the woman responsible for creating Natalia was one he’d refused to pass up.

She’d been so nice to him, he’d been shocked silent when she’d taken both his hands and apologized for any trouble he’d gone through after her daughter had tricked him into marriage. Natalia had gasped and complained with a loud “Mother!”, but had quickly looked away when Raiden gave her a look that said he was all too aware of the trickery she’d used to enter his kingdom.

The Queen was as elegant as could be and so were her other daughters. Raiden frowned quizzically. How on earth had Natalia turned out this way? Fiery, bold and fearless, in such an environment. He was nothing less than proud of her.

Now they stood in a well-lit room, pink lace drapes hindering the direct sunlight from shining in, but allowing enough light to warm the room.

Natalia sat on the bed holding a pair of frail hands in hers. “I’m sorry I took long,” she whispered. Pale green eyes looked back at her and Raiden saw the girl smile happily, her adoring gaze never leaving Natalia’s face. She was very frail, Raiden saw. Her natural structure was probably as delicate as their mother’s, only for her ailment to make her even frailer. The sight of the vulnerable girl made him sad, for some reason.

She conversed in hushed tones with Natalia and their mother who sat beside them. As for Natalia’s other sister…

Slowly, Raiden looked to his side. Bold green eyes stared back at him, the short girl at his elbow not looking away once as she stared at his face.

“So King Raiden’s a wolf?” she questioned crisply, the arrogance and intelligence in her tone unmistakable.

He blinked, nodded. “That’s… that’s right.”

Princess Jade narrowed her eyes. “Are you aware that my sister has a crippling fear of wolves?”

“Oh, she isn’t very scared of wolves anymore.”

“I don’t believe it,” declared the princess, flipping back her long black hair. “Provide me with proof.”

He raised a brow. “What kind of proof?”

“A transformation! If she doesn’t throw up her arms and run away at the sight of you in your wolf form, I’ll believe it!” she suggested quickly, her eyes sparkling. It was too obvious that she simply wanted the chance to see a real werewolf for the first time in her life. Suddenly, she sobered and shook her head. “Oh, wait. Not here. Not in front of Amethyst. Later?”

“Why don’t you visit Zaire so you can see as many wolves as you’d like?” he offered generously. “Everyone’s a wolf there.”

Her eyes went huge, her arrogance forgotten. “R-really! Oh, wow—” She went dull. “Oh. That won’t do. Father won’t allow me. Is your coachman a wolf? Could he transform for me later on?”

He didn’t have the heart to turn down her bright-eyed smile, it reminded him so much of Veronica. “Sure, I’ll arrange that.”

She started to celebrate but it was cut short when the atmosphere in the room suddenly darkened.

“I don’t understand?” Natalia was saying, looking at her mother blankly as she held her sister’s hand.

“It’s only right,” the Queen said firmly, not meeting Natalia’s gaze.

Raiden didn’t know what was going on, but he suddenly saw Natalia’s eyes darken with anger. “Did he threaten you?”

Monica sighed. “Talia—”

“Did Father threaten you to stay?”

When her mother only looked at her, Natalia got up. “I’ll find out myself.”

Her mother was already moving, swiftly catching her daughter. “No! Natalia! But, you cannot fight him every chance you get, my love!”

“I’ll fight him at every single chance, Mama!” Natalia retorted, trying to free her elbow. “We agreed we would leave! You said we would leave one day, why are you changing your mind?!”

“Natalia!” the Queen whispered fiercely, glancing at Raiden. “Stop this, not in front of the Alpha King Raiden.”

“Why do you refuse to leave with me?” Natalia insisted, her voice thick with emotion. “All I’ve been doing, all I’ve been sacrificing myself for is to get you out of here, Mother. You, Jade, Amie… you guys are all I think about.”

“We’re okay, Talia—”

“Like hell!” Natalia shouted.

The room went dead silent, her mother staring at her.

Burning with rage, Natalia didn’t stop. “You say you’re okay like I’ve never lived here! I’ve lived here, Mother, I know what he’s like, I know what a hell hole this place is. Why do you insist on staying?”

“We are Vampire Vikings! Gadon is our only home—”

“Home is where you’re comfortable! It’s where you’re loved, where you’re safe and happy! It’s not where you’re kept prisoner in a castle, bullied by that toxic bastard of a man—”

The sharp sound cracked through the air as Natalia’s cheek was struck.

Raiden stepped forward on impulse, shocked by the sight. Natalia herself was shocked, frozen still. Slowly, she looked at her mother, feeling her cheek burn from the slap.

Jade hurried to her side, her face pale with worry as she gripped Natalia's arm. “Mother… Amie's watching..."

Staring, through blurry vision, at her mother’s equally teary eyes, Natalia swallowed the lump in her throat. “You hit me… because of him?”

The Queen could barely speak, her throat tight with the ache in her heart. “Because I fear for your life, Talia,” she whispered. “The world is not kind to girls like you. Your father will show you that, firsthand. Stop it now, let us stay. If I am not here to plead with him and he unleashes his anger on you, how will I protect you?”

“You never have anyway.” The words came out before Natalia could think of what she was saying. “The times I was nearly sent off to marriage, the times Father arranged thoughtless marriages to heartless bastards for my sisters, and even when Milana was sent to Edon, did you protect any of us?”

Jade looked at her with wide eyes. “Natalia…”

Tears streamed out of her eyes and Natalia wiped them away furiously, refusing to show any form of weakness. She faced her mother again, knowing her words would hurt her, but wanting to get it out, to have it said. “Even if there wasn’t a single person in the world who could protect us… *you* should’ve protected us, Mother. You’re our mother before you’re his wife.”

“I am Queen of this kingdom too,” the Queen whispered painfully. “I cannot act recklessly, my Talia. Of course, it hurt me that I could not protect—”

“No matter what,” Natalia insisted firmly. “You should have protected us from him! *I’m* doing it… because you didn’t.”

“What if you make it worse?” her mother questioned. “Leave it alone! Let us stay and we’ll survive as we’ve always had—”

“My sisters will not survive this!” Natalia screamed. “They could if you helped us, but you only do what he says, Mother! Milana had bruises all over, do you know that? She tried to talk him out of sending her away and that was the consequence! If she’d gone to Edon, she would have died! That’s what those marriages are, death sentences! His own daughters, he treats us like objects! Please see it, realize it.” Having poured her soul out, she waited, her heart pounding in her chest.

The moment of silence was drawn out and her mother said nothing.

Natalia saw the resigned look in the Queen’s eyes and felt her heart tear apart. Shaking her head, she came an understanding of the state her mother was in. Biting her lip to fight off the tears burning her eyes, Natalia tiredly sighed. “If… if I can no longer save you from him, I will at least save my sisters.”

Her voice grew thick with tears and she stopped talking, swallowing her emotions. Gathering herself, she looked at her mother one last time. “I love you, Ma. I’m sorry that I’m so much trouble for you, but I will not stop. I will find Amie’s gemstone and when I do, I will return for my sisters. Neither you nor your husband can stop me.”

“Leave Amethyst with me,” said the Queen. “You’re the reason she’s in this state in the first place, will you take her so she dies in a foreign land?!”

Natalia froze. Not a single part of her body moved, her heart frozen with shock in her chest at the words she’d just heard.

Her mother’s eyes went wide, framed by long dark lashes. Natalia saw the immediate regret over the words she’d said. True words, Natalia realized. Her mother’s true feelings.

“Talia…” she whispered.

Haltingly, Natalia started to turn around before she paused. “Amie?” she whispered. Her youngest sister sat a little straighter, her eyes sad and full of tears, making Natalia’s heart ache more. “I’m sorry, honey. I’ll… I’ll be back soon, okay?” She looked at Jade. “Take care of her.”

Without another word, she hurried out of the room.

“Natalia!” her mother called.

She didn’t stop, she didn’t turn back. Escape was what she desperately needed and she didn’t stop until she was out. Free of the house and all the suffocating memories it held.

She finally remembered exactly what had fuelled her crazy plans to leave, to get free. The insanity of what she’d done to get into Zaire now made perfect sense. She’d been desperate.

Desperate for freedom.

**************

“You don’t seem surprised?” said Cyrus.

Evelynn calmly stirred her tea as she watched the steam rise out of it. “Why should I be?”

He frowned. “I… I told Natalia your plans.”

“Ah! Right. What was it? You whispered in her ear?”

“A note,” he said uneasily. She was far too calm. “I gave her a note with a warning. You’re planning to have their coach ambushed along the way. A tribe of rebels has been paid to attack them and lead their vehicle off the cliff. I know all about it.”

She scoffed lightly, picking the spoon out of her tea before placing it on the saucer and lifting the cup. “Do you, now?”

His eyes narrowed, watching her take a sip. “You’re not angry? Your plan won’t work. Natalia will probably take a different coach back in order to thwart your plotting. Your henchmen will not recognize a different coach and will fail to run them off the cliff. Don’t you understand that?”

Blue eyes rose and met his gaze, full of mirth. Lowering the cup, she let her mouth curve into a smile as she watched him try to figure her out. “How brave of you to confess, dear Cyrus.”

He stared at her for a silent moment before cold spread over his body and his heart grew heavy with unease. “What… what was it?” he asked. “Did you not make plans?”

She laughed. “Why, of course I did. But I knew you would intervene, as fickle as you’ve been lately. So I made sure to consider your mood swings.”

He stared at her. “What the fuck does that mean?!”

Evelynn’s smile melted off, replaced by an icy glare as she stared back at him. “I’ll tell you what it means. It means you better prepare for a funeral, because, even if they take a different coach… it isn’t rebels who will run them off the cliff.”

Cyrus felt the panic seize his heart. Oh, God, no.

She’d made a different plan! His warning Natalia would have no effect. “What are you talking about?!”

Evelynn lowered her cup. “For the promise to take care of his family like royalty, an ordinary coachman, crippled by his gambling addiction debts, is willing to sacrifice a lot.”

He stared at her.

Slowly and with great horror, the meaning of her words sunk in. Cyrus went pale. “Surely… surely not…”

She smiled. “Yes, my dear Cyrus. Rebels won’t run them off the cliff. Raiden’s personal coachman will. So whatever vehicle they take, since he’s driving…” Her smile widened. “It still works out.”