Once back at Draven manor, both Viktor and Aria scolded Darius for leaving without telling anyone where he went. I didn’t see him for several days after that. Several long days. Thankfully Cara came to keep me company. We went shopping for furniture for the nursery and stopped off for brunch at a local café not too far from home.
It’s getting harder and harder to leave the house and not be recognized. Everywhere we go people stop and stare and take pictures. Thank God for the towers of muscle Darius hired to guard me at all times or I would have been swarmed.
Examining Cara’s frail body and sunken eyes, I can’t help but ask how she’s doing. “You don’t look so good. Is everything okay?”
Looking away, she shakes her head. “William got Viktor to annul our marriage. I’m now a single woman,” she smiles to lighten the mood. “The crazy part is I still love him. After all he’s done to me…I still love him.”
“I don’t know what I’d do if Darius were to leave me. I can’t even fathom the thought. I mean, I know it’s a possibility because I dread it every day I wake up, but to have it actually happen…”
“I thought you wanted out of the marriage.”
“I don’t want out, I want him to love me the way that I love him.”
“Well don’t hold your breath,” she scoffs, “The Draven’s weren’t raised to love people like us. They were raised to look down on us.”
“Don’t I know it,” I huff. “I haven’t seen Darius since we got back. Viktor had a conniption that Darius took a few days off of being his pit-bull on a leash, to actually spend some alone time with me. But I must admit it was kind of nice. I mean that first night was a little rocky, but the days we spent together after that was blissful.”
“Just be careful. The bottom line is that you’re still human Giselle, which makes you expendable,” she warns.
I hear her and I know her warning is coming from a good place, but my heart can’t help but hope that maybe our son will bring us closer together. Hopefully having his son will make him see me as something more than a human surrogate for the woman he truly wishes to have.
Aria and Darius have done nothing but argue since we’ve gotten back. I know it shouldn’t, but it gives me some level of comfort knowing they’re going at it. I keep hoping he’ll call it quits or maybe she will.
“Have you been eating?” I ask, getting back to the original topic of discussion.
“I just had my heart ripped out,” she sulks, “I haven’t had much of an appetite.”
“Still…you have to eat Cara. I know you love him, but have you seen yourself lately? You’re not going to get him back allowing yourself to waste away like this.”
“He broke my heart. I just need a little time to bounce back.”
“I’m not sure if you have a little time. You look like you’re going to drop dead at any moment now.”
Cara narrows her eyes at me. It’s the truth. She doesn’t look well. Hoping to jolt her into action, I pull out my compact mirror and show her what she looks like. She reels back a bit and stifles a gasp.
Slowly she comes back to the mirror and examines her sunken eyes, the cheekbones protruding through her skin and her emaciated body. She quickly orders burgers and fries and we both have a laugh at her reaction. “Jesus Christ. I didn’t realize I looked this bad. No wonder he can’t look at me.”
“You just make sure you fill up and you’ll fill back out in no time. In the meantime, no skipping meals or I’ll kick your butt.”
“Yes mother,” she rolls her eyes.
After lunch we went back to Draven manor. I instructed our guards to take the things I bought into my room, but as Cara and I neared my room, I noticed they’d been stopped. As a matter of fact, my things were being removed from my room.
“Whoa! What are you doing?” I asked, forcing one of the servants to put my things down.
“Lord Draven’s orders Madame,” he nods to me.
“Lord Draven? Where is he?” The servant pointed to my room and I stormed inside. Darius isn’t alone. His father Viktor is with him, barking orders at the staff and instructing them to remove my things. It’s not Darius…it’s Viktor. “What is the meaning of this? Where are they taking my things?”
It’s Viktor who answers, not Darius. “You’re getting closer to giving birth so we’ll be moving you to a private facility where you’ll be given around the clock care until my grandson arrives,” he explains.
Turning to Darius I ask, “You’ll be coming with me right?”
He starts to respond when Viktor cuts him off, “He’s needed here, but when he gets a free moment he’ll come see you.” I looked to Cara then back to Viktor. There’s no arguing with him, but I don’t have a good feeling about this. He’s separating Darius and I for whatever reason and I don’t like it.
As soon as he leaves, I ask Darius to dismiss everyone else and he does. Now it’s just the two of us and I want answers. “Is there something wrong with the baby? Is that why he doesn’t want me here?” I ask.
“No. The baby’s fine. He just…he wants to put some distance between us, but don’t worry, everything will be fine,” he pulls me close and wraps his arms around my waist.
“How will everything be fine when he’s shipping me off to God knows where? Will you even get there in time to help me give birth? I don’t want to do that alone Darius.”
“And you won’t have to. You have my word, Giselle. I’ll be there. I’ll visit you at least once a week and I’ll be right beside you when it comes time for you to give birth.”
I want to believe him, but I’m afraid. Viktor wouldn’t move me out of Darius’ grasp unless he has a plan. He’s clever that way and he knows how to manipulate Darius. “Viktor is the reason William dissolved his marriage to Cara, isn’t he?” I quickly put two and two together. “Cara suffers because Viktor doesn’t want her in his sons life, just like he doesn’t want me in yours.”
“I’m not William,” Darius replies. It’s not a denial, but it’s not an omission either.
“Tell me something. What happens once I give birth?”
Kissing me on the lips he whispers, “You think too much. Nothing is going to happen and nothing will keep me from you or our son,” he assures me with another kiss. “This is only temporary Giselle. Even if he doesn’t want you to come back, I’ll come get you my damn self. Trust me.”
So far he hasn’t given me any reason not to trust him. Taking him at his word, I stifle my concerns and allow his men to remove all of my things from the room. The last thing I want is to be alone somewhere surrounded by strangers so I talk Darius into letting Cara come with me. It’ll help me keep an eye on her too. He doesn’t protest and neither does she.
It takes a few days for all of our things to be rounded up, and then Darius, Cara and I take a car to the airport. I’m still uneasy about all of this, but he promised he’d come for me and I have to believe in that.
We charter the Draven private jet and take off into the skies. Darius sits next to me and holds my hand the entire time, but neither of us speaks. Darius sits with his eyes closed, while I stare out the window of our plane. Cara is sound asleep across from us.
I’m due for my weekly visit from Asher, who came to visit me every week while I was unconscious like clockwork. It pissed Darius off, which I’m sure put a smile on Asher’s face. Part of me wonders what he’d have to say about our new living arrangement. Would he even be able to find me?
We aren’t in the sky for very long before the plane begins to descend. Once we land, we’re taken to a second plane that’s much smaller and I glance over at Darius who offers me yet another assuring smile.
Everything will be okay…you’ll be fine…I tell myself. We board the second plane and the ride is just as short as the previous one, only this time we land on water. The plane is brought to a stop next to a floating wooden platform and we exit. I literally have no idea where we are or which direction home is in. Just that we’re walking towards what looks like a three story mansion with glass walls all around and it’s a bit cold out.
Darius takes us inside the home, which is nice and cozy. Servants have already started unpacking our things and they’ve lit a fire in the fireplace. While Cara goes to find her things, Darius takes me up to my room, which is on the second floor. It’s the entire second floor.
“It’s beautiful,” I smile, “Where’s the baby’s room?”
“Pick a space and I’ll have them arrange everything the way you want it.”
Darius looks down at his watch. He doesn’t want to leave, but I can tell he must go. His cell phone has been going off since we left the house. “I guess this means goodbye,” I grimace.
“For now anyways.”
“When will I see you again?”
“Seven days from now.”
Seven days seems like such a long time. We kiss and reluctantly I let him go. I want him to know I’m not just some weak human. I’m strong enough to do this. I’d do this for him and our son.
Standing in front of the window, staring at Darius’ shrinking image, Cara walks up beside me and takes my hand into hers. He hesitates and looks back before boarding the plane. It isn’t until just before he turns away that the first sense of panic runs through me. Viktor would keep him from me if he could. He’d lock me away here and throw away the key if it meant keeping his son and I apart.
“You okay?” Cara flashes me an apologetic smile.
“I’ll be better when this is over,” I sigh.
“For what its worth, Darius loves you more than William ever loved me.”
I hope so. The plane disappears from the floating dock, and Cara and I focus on exploring our new prison. For the most part it’s beautiful and serene. A lake and a small forest surround the glass mansion. It’s an island. I’ve been condemned to an island.
A knock at the door startles us both. We’re not expecting company. Darius left me a handful of guards, two of which went to answer the door. In walks Asher, but the guards aren’t behind him. I inch towards the door and find them all laid out on the ground.
“They’re my guards. You can’t just show up here and beat the crap out of my security detail. How did you even know how to find me?” I glare at him.
“They’ll wake up in a few minutes,” he shrugs, “And when they do you should send one of them to bring back some real guards.”
Asher steps inside, nodding to Cara, who glowers at him as he checks out the rest of the house. “How did you find me?” I ask again.
“The bond. It doubles as a lo-jack,” he winks at me.
“If Darius finds you here-”
“He knows how the bond works, he wouldn’t be surprised,” Asher cuts me off. “Although I must say, dragging you all the way out here in the middle of nowhere is a classic Draven move. You must be close to giving birth.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Oh nothing. Just a little hunch.” I don’t like the smug look on his face. He knows something I don’t. Something I’m sure he’s planning to use against me.
A hard kick inside my stomach sends me off balance and Asher catches me in his arms. Surprisingly I detect a bit of concern in Asher’s eyes as he quickly helps me to a seat. Cara is right behind him. “What the hell was that?” She asked.
“He kicked…hard.”
“Well are you okay? Are you in labor? Does it feel like you’re in labor?”
“Asher I’m fine,” I swat his hands away.
Cara and I exchange glances. Asher’s worry catches us both off guard. I’m not used to anyone caring this much. His hands are all over my stomach and all I can think about is how much I really don’t want to be touched right now.
Realizing he’s overstepping, he backs away and gives me some space. He orders one of the servants to bring me a cup of water and then stands over me waiting for me to swallow it all down. “Jesus Christ.” Cara eyeballs him. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think it was your child she was carrying. Is this what you people do…make a habit out of catering to women that don’t belong to you?”
Asher ignores Cara and takes the seat next to me. “Thank you for keeping your promise to me,” I tell him, “Our latest reports show the human population is thriving.”
“And it will continue to thrive as long as I have something to do with it. We aren’t done yet so don’t go celebrating this miniscule victory just yet,” he winks at me. “You know…you and I, we make a great team.”
The look in his eyes and the possible hidden meaning in his words keep me from agreeing with him. I don’t want him reading more into my words than intended.
“Darius and I make a great team,” I correct him, “You and I share a similar passion.”
“Will she be around this whole time or might I be able to have some alone time with you?” He asks, glancing over at Cara.
I motion for her to leave us, and she reluctantly heads to her room. Asher scoots closer to me and I back away. He seems amused by my moving away and moves closer yet again. There’s nowhere for me to move to unless I decide to stand.
“Haven’t you ever heard of personal space?”
Asher motions to my feet, which happen to be swollen. He lifts them up onto his lap and begins to massage them. “Don’t worry, I get no pleasure out of this other than the pleasure of helping you to relieve the discomfort,” he smiles. Somehow I doubt that.
He always seems to know exactly which buttons to push to stay in my good graces. A foot massage is a good start. Even though, part of me wonders if this might be crossing some sort of line. Still, I don’t stop him. Not once he starts talking about his next plan of action for the human population. Namely, he speaks of the creation of human banking institutions…like what we had back in the old days. Back when humans only had each other to fight.
Asher wants to create these institutions with my family as the sole benefactors. “Why? I am your enemy’s wife. Why would you want to help us?” I ask.
“Help you,” he corrects me, “This helps you.”
“Okay but why?”
“I’ll give you the short version and tell you its because I like you.”
We both know his answer does little to answer my question, but I let it go all the same. Asher laid out his plans for helping to revive the human communities until they’re one hundred percent operative. If he weren’t Darius’ enemy, we might be friends, but I know better than to trust him. Asher always has an angle.
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