Villainous, page 7
I've been pacing back a forth all day trying to figure out who might be the one plotting against me. A few suspects come to mind. Rian and Arachne.
Rian has been challenging me since he got here. I feel like him getting close to Myra is just him trying to get closer to me. There's something about him I don't like. A few things actually. He thinks so highly of himself, like he can do no wrong. He constantly tests me and my patience and he thinks he can get away with anything.
Arachne has been in the back of my mind as a suspect due to her attitude towards everyone lately. She's been horrid towards myself and others and frankly she's been quite a bitch. She was never like this up until a few years ago. Then she just changed. She used to be so carefree, she used to be a lot like Poppy. Free spirited and kind. Something happened and it's like a switch was flipped. She became impossible to deal with, loud and rude.
Myra returns a short while later, the Second Kings and Second Queens in tow. "What is the meaning of this?" Arachne blurts out as she stomps to the front of the group. "Settle down, Arachne. I'm sure there's a good reason." Kian says to her. She looks at him with what looks to be a flash of hurt in her eyes but it is quickly masked and annoyance replaces it but I don't miss it.
"Thank you for coming on such notice everyone. I would like for us to sit down and brainstorm possible names for the traitor who wished to dethrone me." I say in a loud authoritative voice. Most nod, some stay quiet. Everyone gathers around in their appointed seats that are formed in a semi circle before my throne and we get started.
Hours go by and I feel like we have gotten nowhere. Everyone is unsure who is plotting since there are so little clues.
"I would like to say Rian has captured my eye as a prime suspect." I tell everyone. They all look to me in confusion. "Rian is one of the new Third Charms and I have cause to believe that he may be the one behind all of this. He is calculating and careful." I explain.
"I agree." Levi speaks up and Kian nods. "Kian and I have spoken about the First Queen's concerns about him and we both agree that there is a strong possibility that he is our guy."
"He challenges our First Queen with ease. That's something to be aware of as it is quite the red flag." Kian pipes up and I nod my thanks to him.
"Arachne." I say as I look at her. She is shocked that I have called upon her and she looks worried I might add. "I would like to add you to the suspect list." I say. You could hear a pin drop with the deafening silence that fills the room after I have spoken.
"Me?" She says as she looks around the room.
"That's ridiculous!" Kian yells as he thumps a fist on the arm of his chair and stands. "My wife is not a suspect. She would have nothing to do with this issue." He snarls as he makes his way towards me. Levi draws his sword on his friend to stop his
advancement. Kian holds his hands up in submission but still has an angry look on his face.
The others keep their mouths closed as I accuse Arachne of being a possible traitor. She actually looks scared as she cowers under my gaze.
"I'm not a traitor! I swear it!" She yells. She gets to her feet and rushes forward. "I swear it, First Queen." She says. I look into her eyes and search for the truth. Her dark eyes begin to water and her mouth shakes. "Please..." She whispers.
"Walk with me, Arachne." I say
suddenly. She quickly gets up and walks next to me as we exit the throne room.
"I'll give you one chance to convince me of your innocence." I tell her and fold my arms over my chest. She nods quickly.
"I know I'm a bitch. I know I'm cruel and rude. But there's a reason why I am that way." She says quickly.
"And that reason is?" I ask impatiently.
"Kian and I tried for children for a long time. So many failed attempts to get
pregnant. So many tears and so much heartbreak. Then we were blessed with a miracle pregnancy," She says with a smile on her face as she remembers the past. "We were so excited to finally be parents. So excited to bring this new life into the world. But..." She trails off. My face softens as she tells me her tail.
"But?" I press, wanting to know more.
"But the pregnancy went bad. I had started bleeding horribly one night and the pain.. The pain, Aerowyn," She says using my name. "Was unbearable. We lost her. We lost our baby that night. I bled so much on the bathroom floor that Kian thought I was going to die. That is a pain I will never forget. I'll always remember that kind of pain." She says as tears roll down her cheeks. "That's why I am the way I am. I'm angry, I'm irritable and I'm carrying so much pain that I don't know what to do anymore. I'm hurting so much inside that maybe if I make other people miserable around me, then maybe it won't hurt so much anymore. Which I know is bad. But I can't help it. I just want the pain to go away." She says.
I stand there and take in what she said. Looking into her eyes, I find myself believing her. I let out a long sigh and turn to her.
"Alright." I say. She looks at me with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape.
"A-alright?" She stammers. I nod my head and turn back towards the throne room. I hear her running to catch up with me.
"Thank you, First Queen. You won't regret this decision, I promise." She tells me. I don't reply as we make it back to the throne room and I sit down in my chair. I watch Arachne sit down in hers and Kian hold her hand as she smiles up at him.
"Arachne is not a suspect. We must focus on Rian from now on. Frai, put Rian in a holding cell for the time being." He nods and leaves the room to get Rian.
The meeting ended a few minutes ago and the others are leaving the foyer. Arachne looks back at me and nods her head, smiling. I nod back and turn to leave.
Myra meets me in the hallway.
"Please don't do this. Don't arrest him." She pleads but I ignore her. "Aerowyn, please!" She yells which stops me in my tracks. I turn around and just look at her.
"He's a good man. He's just
misunderstood. Please give him another chance." She begs. I shake my head at her.
"No, Myra. He will be put in a cell. He will be interrogated and he will tell me the gods damned truth." I snarl at her. "I'm so tired of you sticking up for him, Myra. You hardly know him. Why must you repeatedly stick your neck out for him when he has done nothing for you?" I counter. She stays silent and I turn back around and head for the library.
Chapter Fourteen I don't see Myra for the next few days. Levi said that she had been hanging out around Rian's cell. Levi had told her multiple times to get away from the cell but she never stays away for long. Something about him draws her to him like a moth to a flame. But he is hiding something and I will find out what it is.
"Hey, you ok?" Levi asks me, snapping me out of my head and into the present. I smile softly at him as I admire his naked body in my bed. We had just finished our
lovemaking session and our bodies were damp with sweat. He raises his hand as I watch it move a strand of hair out of my face and behind my pierced ear.
"Ya, I'm ok. Just in my head a bit about Myra and Rian." I laugh and shake my head. "I need to butt out but there's something about him I don't trust." I look back at him, concern slipping through and showing on my face. He nods.
"I understand how you feel and your feelings are valid. There's something about him I don't like either. He hardly follows orders and he's always staring at my sister in a way I don't like." He explains.
"Hm." I agree.
"Well, let's forget about him for a little bit and focus on something else, hm?" He says as he slides down my body to the apex of my thighs, never breaking eye contact. I giggle at lay my head back on the pillow and spread my legs further to grant him more access.
He ducks his head between my legs so just his eyes are showing and he licks his way up the seam of my lower lips and back up again. I groan as my head sinks deeper into the pillow and I begin to fist the blankets beneath me.
"You smell so good, Aero." He mumbles as he fixes his tongue on my nub. I love that he called me Aero. I haven't had a nickname since I was a child.
Levi places his rough hands on my inner thighs to widen my legs further, granting him full access and preventing me from forcing my legs together at the sensitive and overwhelming sensations. I throw my arm over my eyes and my other hand on the headboard to brace myself as he is fixated on my clit.
Sucking and humming against the little bud is making me oh so wet that I'm worried I might drown him in my juices. I feel my toes going cold and warmth flooding my core as it announces my organs swift arrival.
"Levi... I'm going to come!" I squeal as I come on his face, I can feel like licking me clean.
"Fuck, you taste so good." He says as he lifts his head and wipes his chin. I cover my face with my hands and laugh with embarrassment. I can hear him joining my laughter with his own and it makes me smile as I listen to his deep rumbling chuckle. "I have to get downstairs to relieve the guard at the cells. I'll see you tonight, ok?" He says as he gets dressed. I nod my head and get up, wrapping a blanket around me and kissing him softly on the lips before he smiles at me and exits my room.
A few minutes after Levi left, I get dressed and head down to the library to do some reading.
Seconds after I sit down with my book, a guard comes rushing up to find me.
"First Queen!" He's panting as he slams his arm in front of his chest to salute me.
"Borden, what is it?" I say putting my book aside and stand in front of him. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach looking at his condition.
"You must come to the cells,
immediately!" He rushes out to say before turning and leading the way for me. We hurry down the long winding stone staircase to the basement of the castle where the cells are kept. When we reach the bottom, my mouth parts in a gasp as I cover it in shock.
Myra lays unconscious on the floor. She is bloodied and battered and her pants have been ripped. Blood coats some of the bars on the cell door and I raise my eyes to see Levi punching the shit out of Rian in the cell.
"That's my sister, you son of a bitch!" He screams. Rian just smiles a bloodied smile at Levi before turning his head and spits at me.
I don't dare stop Levi. If he kills him, he kills him. It will be much deserved. I kneel down and place my hands on Myra's cheeks and attempt to wake her. Her nose is busted, her lip is split and she has bruises all over her face, neck and wrists and her breathing is short and laboured.
I call the guards to come and take her to the infirmary. After she is taken from us I turn back to the two men. Levi has stopped punching Rian but paces the cell like a feral lion. He runs his hand across his mouth, wiping the blood off of his face.
"Why?" Is all I ask. That one word makes him smile at me again.
"She asked for it. She kept coming to me. I guess she wanted to get fucked as much as I wanted to fuck her tiny little ass." He begins to laugh and Levi roars and kicks his knees, sending Rian to the ground. Punching him in the head again I hear the cracking of bones as he hits with such force.
"Levi." I say with barely contained rage. He looks at me while panting and reluctantly stops his assault. He exits the cell and slams it shut. We turn and head back up the stairs. When we get to the throne room I turn and look at Levi. He is shaking with white hot anger that is ready to be released.
"Tell me what happened." I tell him. He sighs and tries to contain himself.
"I came down to take over for Pax when I saw him knocked out on the floor and Myra plastered against the bars. Rian," He spits his name. "Had her by the wrists and neck. Her back was to the bars and I saw his pants on the ground. Hers had been ripped open down the back and he was..." Levi had to stop and take a breath. "He was raping her. She was crying and shaking. She was calling for me as soon as she saw me. Rian must have seen me at the same moment because he pushed her away. She fell and hit her head on the stone floor and went unconscious.
“Next thing I know I'm in the cell beating the shit out of him for what he did to her." Levi put his hands on the back of a nearby chair and rested his weight on it, hanging his head in defeat. "I wasn't there to help her. She was being raped and I wasn't there to protect my own sister!" He yells and throws the chair across the room. I make no move as I let him rage as much as he wants. I'm shaking on the inside. I will rip Rian apart for what he did to her.
Once Levi is done screaming, he looks up at me with tears in his eyes. Tears of anger and sadness. I hold out my arms and he walks into them.
"It's ok. She's away from him now." There's not much I can say that will help him with this situation. All I can do is be there for him and then be there for her. "Let's go see her, shall we?" I ask softly. He nods and takes a breath as we make our way to the infirmary.
Chapter Fifteen We get to the infirmary and see Myra laying on the bed. Her eyes are cracked open and she's looking around with panic.
"Hey." I say softly as we approach her bedside. "You're okay." She looks at us and her eyes immediately begin to water. I can feel her fear, her pain and her confusion.
"Why.. why would he do that?" She sobs, her hands moving to cover her face and she cries. It breaks my heart. She lets out heart wrenching wails and I have to turn away to compose myself so I don't cry. Levi moves past me and to Myra's side.
"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now. He will be punished justly. He will not see the light of day again and he will never touch you again." He reassures her but she doesn't look like she believes it.
"I know it's going to be hard for you, Myra, but can you tell me what happened?" I whisper as I kneel down next to her side, looking her in the eyes to let her know that I'm here for her and that I'm not leaving her side. She looks back into my eyes as silent tears roll down her cheeks. She is at war with herself and I understand that. She doesn't want to relive it all over again, especially since it's so fresh. But she gathers up her courage and opens her mouth.
"He did things to me. Horrible things..." Her voice ends with a crack that tears my soul. I place a pale hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. I don't dare interrupt her as she painfully explains what happened.
But I'm already deciding and sealing Rian's demise. "I thought he was the one, you know? The way he acted, touched me, talked to me at the beginning. I thought he would be someone I would share my life with. But then things changed. It's like a flip of a switch. He just turned so nasty, so unforgiving and cruel." She places her head in her hands and sobs. I run my long fingers through her blonde ringlets. My eyebrows pinching together in sadness for her. I know the worst part is yet to come. She sighs and raises her head and sniffles. She stares at the floor for a few moments before continuing.
"He asked me to come back to his cell last night... He said he wanted to talk to me about something. That's where it happened. The guard was nowhere in sight. That is until I saw him laying on the floor, unconscious. He got me to get close to the bars and then he kissed me harshly. I didn't like it and tried to push him away. I shoved him as hard as I could. I really tried, Aerowyn." She looks at me with a watery gaze. I nod.
"I know. You did so good, Myra. I'm proud of you for fighting back. So proud." I tell her quietly, never breaking her gaze. She nods and looks down. She squeezes her eyes together as she continues.
"He grabbed me and turned me around so I was plastered against the bars. He started to undo his pants. I tried to take advantage of that and fought to get out of his grip. He had my arms behind my back in one hand. I tried to buck him off but my hands were shaking and my mind wasn't working. He grabbed me harder and ripped the back of my pants and went behind me. He had a strong hold on me and he...he raped me." She sobs uncontrollably. I look over to see Levi with a face full of anger and fists clenched so hard that they turned white. I look back to Myra as a tear slips from the corner of my eye. I hastily wipe it away but she sees. She embraces me and we both sit in sorrow.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I'm so sorry." I apologise to her over and over again.
"I don't blame you, Aerowyn. Not one bit. But if it's okay with you, I think I'd like to lay down for a bit in my own room. I'm still sore. I don’t want you to see my weakness. I had too much of a soft heart and it made me weak." She says as she avoids eye contact with us.
“Myra, having a soft heart in a horrible world isn’t weakness, it’s courage.” I tell her.
“It doesn’t feel like courage.” She says without looking at me.
“I know, but trust me, in an unforgiving world such as this, it’s courage.” I say. I walk her to her room and wait until she closes the door behind her, locking it. I turn and slowly walk back to my room and find Levi waiting at the door. We don't say anything as I walk into my room and he follows. As soon as the door is shut, I collapse in his embrace and cry. I cry for Myra, for her pain, for what happened to her.
"I'm going to kill him." I whisper hoarsely. Levi has his chin resting on top of my head as I can feel him nod.
"Let me have a go at him first." He says, his voice holding malice. I nod, unable to deny him that justice for his sister.
Myra doesn't come out of her room for the next few days. Food and water are delivered to her but hardly anything has been touched when we come back for the tray that's been placed outside her door. I'm worried about her.
We knock on her door every few hours to make sure she's ok. She answers us but never opens the door. I understand that she needs space and I'm trying to grant that wish but I also want to make sure she's ok, especially after everything that's happened to her. When she answers, her voice sounds so listless and lost. She doesn't sound like her anymore and it hurt me deeply. Her
innocence has been taken from her and that's something she will never get back. It's something that time might not be able to heal.
"What are we going to do about Rian?" Levi spits his name. I look up at him with a glint in my eyes. I've been craving death the past few days. Rian's death to be exact. I want him to suffer. I want him to beg. I want me to be the last thing he sees before his pathetic life is over.
