Second Assault — Bond And Treason — novel Chapter 24

XANDER

I take a deep breath before bringing the mouse cursor to the first video marked with the date of the day I was kidnapped. Alexei takes my free hand and intertwines our fingers. Knowing that he's here, for me at this moment when I need him so much, gives me the strength and motivation I felt lacking to face what we're about to see. I hit the forward button on the player and start to see in a fast flash everything that happened that day.

Waking up next to Magnus, Fred's brief advance with Derek when he went to deliver my breakfast, the beautiful restaurant where we went to eat, when we said goodbye in the bedroom and when they finally took me to the clothing store. All before my life changed in such a drastic and radical way. Magnus evaluates the video by my side in silence. By the time he briefly sees the whole event in front of the shop, his body is tense and in the end, I hear a brief grunt when he notices the hit in the head that they gave me to capture me.

In the video I am lifted off the ground by two men and thrown roughly into the back of one of the vehicles, before it proceeds to move. Unconscious and inert, my body rests on that leather seat, having no idea where or what to expect once I manage to wake up. When at last the car stops, the door opens, and again I am quickly transported to an immense mansion by two other men.

—Stop it there — I hurry to get the video back to normal speed so we can appreciate every detail —. Let me try to identify which of his bases it is — he informs me, approaching the desk and half-closing the eyes glued to the monitor.

I sense the pulse pounding in my neck, but I force myself to calm down a bit. In all these videos, there might be enough evidence to get what it takes to stop Dimitri, and I don't plan to ruin it by letting my emotions guide me.

So I fill my chest with air and proceed to study as much as I can in the turbulence of the recording. As I have the camera on my eyebrow piercing, it moves a lot and we have to be very careful to capture anything that can help us. I'm being transported in a horizontal position, but for our luck, we can get a good view of the front of the place.

—I know which one it is — he says quietly and turns to see me —.That's the one he has in Tver, the central base. He spends most of his time there — he focuses on the screen again.

Once the men enter me through the front door, there is a large metal base with wheels at the end of its legs that they used as a stretcher to transport me. That's also where I spent every day under Dimitri's power. Quickly my wrists are chained, as well as my ankles and they keep moving.

My head leans to one side and, grateful for our sudden luck, there is a fairly detailed view of all the corridors through which I am transported. In one of them we can see a huge window that leads to what seems to be the back garden, a gate in the distance guarded by several men and a couple of German Shepherd dogs. That slight fact catches my attention, but I let it go and keep trying to get as many clues out of it.

—It doesn't appear that big on the outside, it's been almost ten minutes and they're still moving you. Where the fuck are they going? — It seems as if he is asking himself, so I remain silent while now, in the video, four men are holding the metal stretcher and preparing to take me down a long staircase.

As they go on, the corridor gets narrower and narrower, until they finally reach a white metal door. I almost swallowed my tongue when I recognized it.

—There, Magnus — a bitter taste settles on my tongue and I start to sweat cold —. That's where I was all the time — Magnus turns his face towards me and slightly squeezes my hand. He bends over and places a subtle kiss on my cheek.

—If you can't go on, I'll do it myself — he whispers in my ear, and his closeness manages to calm down the turbulence inside me —. I don't want you to force yourself, kitty.

—No, I'm fine. I can do it — I insist.

—Sure?

—Yes — No! —. I'm sure — he stares at me for a long time, until he finally nods and leans back into the chair, focusing on the screen.

The video continues and the men have left me there all alone, locked in the four white walls that greeted me every morning I was there, tied up, defenseless and broken.

When the door opens thirty minutes later, all the memories bombard me with strength and without mercy.

But I can no longer escape, it is too late for that. Instead, I dedicate a silent prayer to any deity who may be watching to offer me the resistance I require and endure to the end.

—"Come in, doctor" — Dimitri's voice is a bit distorted, with static, but still terrifying —. "This is where I need you to evaluate him".

The sound of footsteps floods the room, both men enter and position themselves next to the stretcher of a very unconscious Xander. I wish he'd stayed like this forever, that when he woke up, he'd absorbed it into a long, terrible nightmare... But the reality is different.

—"An Omega, huh?" — the doctor added in confusion, staring at Dimitri —. "I thought you hated shifters".

—"That would be my dear father, not me" — Dimitri spat with contempt —. "Now, if you'll be so kind, give my partner a proper check-up" — The doctor nodded, his hands resting on the body of that unconscious, broken but not yet torn Xander. The shirt and part of the trousers were pulled apart, divided into uneven pieces by the edge of a pair of scissors, the doctor's eyebrows scowling at being concentrated in the work.

—"Everything seems to be in order" — he announced with satisfaction after a few minutes of silent examination —."His skin looks healthy, he has a good weight for his height, hips are wide, properly adapted to procreate if he is...".

—"He can't" — Dimitri intervened, the doctor raised a curious eyebrow —. "I made sure of that years ago. My father didn't want me to mate with a shifter".

—"And now?".

—"It's none of your fucking business. Go on" — he waved the chin at me. The doctor nodded and went on with the analysis.

—"Well, he looks good. I have to do a blood test if you want to do a more thorough checkup. I see you've already claimed him, so...".

—"Wait, wait" — Dimitri gestured with a hand to interrupt him abruptly —. "What the fuck are you talking about? I didn't claim him".

—"And whose mark is this, then?" — he pointed at my neck, where a delicate half-moon scar could be seen. Dimitri's anger was soon reflected, and though I know he cannot harm me from there, a simple video from the past, I still tremble with fear.

—"What the fuck?!" — he shouted, overflowing with waves of fury —. "Damn it, the little whore let himself be marked!" — The doctor recoiled a short distance, frightened by his explosive reaction.

Dimitri walked back and forth, breathing heavily and pressing hard the jaw. Then he rushed to the table on which were placed the utensils the expert used to examine me, and turned it over, the sound of metal echoing through the four walls and startling me unavoidably.

Magnus holds my hand tighter and I sigh, thinking that it's just a bit further for the video to finish.

—"Shit, I knew I shouldn't have left him alone in that fucking boarding school!" — he grunted, then he went over to the stretcher and shook it roughly. My head bobbed back and forth until it fell to one side, pointing straight at his red, anger-distorted face —. "I should have taken you with me, goddamn it!".

—"Mr. Zhukovski, calm down" — the doctor indicated with caution —. "He's sedated, he can't hear you".

—"And you better keep him that way for a while" — he warned in a low and threatening tone —. "I don't want to deal with him now. I'll be back once I figure out how to replace that mark with my own" — he pointed at the door, telling the doctor to leave, and he followed.

Before leaving, he turned and looked at me with restrained anger and then left, locking the door. I breathe, my heart stumbles inside my chest and the horror causes my skin to feel stiff, my bones like blocks of ice, freezing my blood.

—Fucking bastard — I hear Magnus mumbling after a few seconds of silence, pulling me completely out of the shock I was in. «So that was his reason for doing all that to me», I thought, finally fitting all the pieces of the puzzle into place —. Let's watch the others — unable to respond I just nod, moving the cursor to the other videos.