Second Assault — Bond And Treason —

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.

but still terrifying —. "This is where I need

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...

in confusion, staring at

body of that unconscious, broken but not yet torn Xander. The shirt and part of the trousers were pulled apart, divided

after a few minutes of silent examination —."His skin

sure of that years ago. My father didn't want me to mate

—"And now?".

the chin at me. The doctor nodded and went on

have to do a blood test if you want to do a more thorough checkup. I see you've already claimed him,

with a hand to interrupt him abruptly —. "What the fuck are

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

he shouted, overflowing with waves of fury —. "Damn it, the little whore let himself be marked!" — The doctor recoiled a

heavily and pressing hard the jaw. Then he rushed to the table on which were placed the utensils the expert used

tighter and I sigh, thinking that it's

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,

down" — the doctor indicated with caution —. "He's

want to deal with him now. I'll be back once I figure out how to replace that mark with my own" — he pointed

restrained anger and then left, locking the door. I breathe, my heart stumbles inside my chest and

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

in and out of the room several times to give me some kind of sedative through the IV connected to an infusion bag on a railing at the side of

in the same position all those days, pointing towards the door of

me up. It is in the third video

poking around inside the box, putting on

to me now and no one else" — he looked

— the doctor took out a syringe and filled it with a yellow liquid, taking it to the IV connected to my fainting arm and injecting its contents slowly —. "He will be a bit dazed at first and may find

wakes up. The rest he'll have to deal

the restrictions that held

my head moving

God, no... Please,

to force me to watch him —. "There's only you and me here, and right now, you're going

teeth and low hisses, Dimitri kept his jaw in tension. His face was so close to the little camera in my piercing that we could see in detail his sharp features and

the hard metal stretcher, the clatter of handcuffs on my wrists and ankles flooding the

me, you piece of shit!" — He slammed my head into the stretcher, stunning that desperate Xander —. "You're a whore, you've let yourself be touched and marked and who knows what else. I always knew it" — with his other hand held my chin, I can still feel his fingers hurting my flesh —. "At the boarding school, you walked behind me like a little lapdog, I always knew what

scared —. "Don't do this to

hair and squeezed my wet cheeks with both hands —. "Your place is with me now, you'll never leave here. You belong to me, you always have. I don't give a damn who

go, Dimitri!" — shaking in vain again, only succeeding in bruising the skin that was held by the restraints —. "How long do you plan to keep on hurting me?!" — I sobbed