Seventy-five

I panic, leading me to the door punching her non—stop.

— HELP! — I ask. — PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!

I felt once again the breath of life unloading the raw feeling of loneliness on me. At that moment I can not control the tears and the air is missing, I think I will sink into the sea of oblivion. There will be nothing left.

— Benjamin... I call him with heavy shoulders. — Benjamin, please...

"Love, listen to me, I beg you!"

— BENJAMIN!

"Is that how it ends?"

MILA

Two hours after that.

— Grandpa?

Without paying attention to the voices, Lucian crossed the end of the corridor being caught by the field of vision of his grandson. Not everyone was distracted enough to miss that little shadow crossing the passage.

— I called you several times, could you not hear me?

With no way out, he heads to his grandson, to present his lies.

— I feel very much —

But then, to his misfortune a pile of guests were already stationed in the lobby when he marched to the site.

— What is this man doing here? — He cried out.

— Hello, Clifford! — said the Greek God, with his upright posture, hands in his pockets and a devil’s face.

— Benjamin and Professor Datto, have come to help us find the Queen!

There he is bombarded with two pieces of information that he did not even imagine had already been leaked. The first is that the King already knew of the Queen’s disappearance and the second is that the whole Palace, including Benjamin, had already been alerted as well.

— Professor Datto? —looked at him negatively.

Hector was too smart to be fooled, he used to always act two steps ahead of his opponents, which led him to introduce himself as an ordinary teacher, leaving others around him more relaxed with his arrival.

After all, saying he’s a witch would only make the kidnapper prevent himself by doubling his strategies.

— It is a great pleasure, Majesty! — he flatters him, pleasing him with his former title.

— Majesty? — laughed. — I already liked you! — said smiling, going to shake the teacher’s hand.

— It is essential to show respect for such a glorious monarch, as you were! — he said greeting.

— Are you a friend of this man? — he asked pointing to Benjamin.

— Known in truth! — mind.

— It is good to see that he was not corrupted by the arrogance of his colleague. He does not usually share the same recognition as you!

— Recognition? — Mocked. — If you had been a good king, books would not describe you as the snake that is!

— See? — He snorted. — He doesn’t have any respect!

— Don’t be so rude, Bennet!

Benjamin may have agreed to the wizard’s deceptive plan, but he would never agree to join him in that frame.

— Have you heard from your wife?

— Iris is under control, but we can’t find Kaila!

— We suspected Mrs Bennet was here!

— She’s not! — She’s quick to respond and suspicious too.

Suspicious looks hang on his wrinkled face, making him reevaluate his words.

— I say... he pretends to cough. — I didn’t see anyone different when I was looking for Her Majesty!

— Were you looking for her? — He asked. — Did you not see her in the cellar?

— Basement?

— N—no! — said nervous. — She did not go in the basement, I went there!

— It makes no sense for her to frequent a basement, or be hidden in it...

— Our basement is not as usual, actually —

— That’s where the employee housing is! — he warned.

For some reason the past information just makes everything weirder.

— The employees? — he grumbled. — Since when do the employees' rooms stay in the basement?

How ironic. said the man who houses three wives also in a hole.

— The east wing of the Palace is under renovation. Anyway, Mila was there few times and if my grandfather did not see her, then we can disregard!

— It is better –

— Piter stays in this basement? — Is it direct, interrupting his friend. — Mila frequented his room?

— What?

— What question is that, Bennet?

— He was her bodyguard, I don’t know where the two of them were!

"Look what we have here. He doesn’t know that his nephew has an involvement with his cub..."

— License!

Furious, he crosses the wheel heading towards the corridor.

— Benjamin! — He called, going after him. — Can you explain to me what you’re doing?

Bennet invaded the interior of the Palace by sneaking into the rooms without any authorization. His feet pound the ground and he reaches the top of the ladder, his head boiling with innuendo.

— My nephew el —

— Piter is no longer here! — revealed, making his footprints stop.

— What?

— Bennet!

— I said she’s not down here! — echoed worried.

— Where is Piter? — he said turning to the King.

— Mila fired him!

— Fired, what do you mean fired? — He’s shocked. — Why would she do that?

— I don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me!

The vampire remnants situations in his mind, restless on the floor.

— She fired him for no reason? — complained thoughtfully. — And you did not bother to ask?

— Are we really discussing how my wife and I decided to deal with our employees? — He gets mad. — She wanted to fucking fire him. Simple. What haven’t you understood yet?

— I need a minute! — he said turning around.

— Bennet, wait a minute!

Benjamin leaves for the exit and the wizard soon goes after him, while the other two there standing at the top of the ladder, are facing lost in what had just happened.

— Do you understand something?

— He must suspect that his nephew is involved with the Queen’s disappearance!

— Piter? — laughed. — But I saw Piter leave here with his wife!

— So he suspects something else!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

— Bennet, stop walking, I’m getting bored!

— Answer me one thing — he brakes suddenly in the garden. — What is the probability that the two of them ran away together?

— Your nephew and the queen?

He glances at the elder, highlighting the obvious.

— None! — replied. — She would not leave when she needs her blood to survive!

— What if he’s responsible for her disappearance?

— Why don’t you go straight to the point? — he asked angrily. — He keeps surrounding me with secondary questions when his brain has already set up the whole scenario!

— Ever since Piter met Mila, he’s become detached from my wives — he explained without showing disturbance. — From then on he began to show a certain affection, following her everywhere. He even scolded me when he saw me near her —

— Do you think they have a romance?

— If I believed that, I would have killed him already! — he said.

— So it’s just a hypothesis...

-----------------------------------------------------------------

— I will check the downstairs again! — warned his grandson.

Oscar— LORD!

As soon as the security guard arrives, Lucian finds the perfect space to escape his grandson’s sights. He runs into the basement dialing his cell phone.

CALLING

"Lucian: At last!"

"Kaila: What part of (not attention—grabbing) did you not understand?"

"Lucian: Everything was going great until you decided to run away!"

"Kaila: I didn’t think Iris would lose so easily, she was supposed to take all of Benjamin’s attention. It was the perfect time for us to take the Queen!"

"Lucian: But your plans failed. When I came back everyone already knew you were coming for her!"

"Kaila: But did you have time to arrest her?" — she said angrily.

"Lucian: Yes, but not in the wine cellar as we had agreed!"

"Kaila: Where is she?"

"Lucian: In a secret room inside the basement!"

"Kaila: IS SHE STILL IN THE PALACE?" — HE SHOUTED. " YOU IMBECILE. HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET HER OUT OF THERE NOW?" — HE CRIED. " THE PALACE IS FULL OF ARMED SECURITY LOOKING FOR HER!"

"Lucian: How do you know that?"

"Kaila: BECAUSE I’M HIDING IN THE DAMN STABLE. THERE’S SECURITY EVERYWHERE!"

"Lucian: We need to act before nightfall. If twenty—four hours pass, Thomas will put the whole country on alert and in a short time the whole world will look for her!"

"Kaila: I just want the damn babies, Lucian!"

"Lucian: What do you expect me to do drugs, want me to open her belly and tear the fetuses?" — he said without patience. " She’s three months at the most, children would never survive!"

"Kaila: That’s why I asked her to wait for at least seven months, but you were persistent, begging us to let her live, just so you could have her in your arms later!"

"Lucian: That was the deal. I give you the babies and you let her live!"

"Kaila: Did you see if she fed today?"

"Lucian: She’s weak, I barred the freezer as soon as she arrived!"

"Kaila: If she stays inside, she’ll die without oxygen. Bring her to me, bring her carefully. If anyone can see you, we’ll never get a chance to catch you alone. I lose my babies and you lose your beloved Queen!"

"Lucian: Don’t worry, I guarantee she will behave!"

Her fingers end the call and her feet descend the steps.

— Oh, look at you! — mocked seeing me lying on the floor.

— Lucian... my belly burned with hunger and my veins burned with dehydration.

— Damn, you look bad!

— I’m really hungry...

— I know, but I can’t feed her now.

— Will it make me hungry too? — I ask, joining forces to get me up. — That way I’ll die before you can complete your mission!

— Soon your hunger will be satisfied, now I need you to wear this! — he told me throwing a kind of black cape with hood.

— What is it? — I say touching the cotton that expels smell of stored clothes.

— It’s so you can protect yourself from the sun!

— Will you set me free? — I’m happy.

— Not silly! — denied making me wither. — But I will take you to a more comfortable place, as I asked.

— Lucian, please —

— Just put the fucking cape on! — It’s rude of me to point your poisonous cane.

That said, I unfold the cloth surrounding my body with it, its size covers me completely and the smell causes me even more nausea.

— Cover that face well — —ordered taking the ropes of the cover, almost touching my skin. — And protect well that belly.

— Where are you taking me?

— You don’t care! — he replied. — now look at this — he raised his staff in front of my face. — See?

— Yes! — I’m tough.

— If you try to scream, run, or anything else, I swear I’ll stick it in you. Are we clear?

"Son of a bitch!"

— Yes! — I repeat.

— I will ask once again — he approaches my face and I face him with the corner of my eyes. — Are we understood, Mila?

— We are understood, Lucian! — I announce with blood in my eyes.

— Very good! — roared pushing my shoulder. — walk!

We marched in silence to the top of the stairs, I could easily scream for help, but that would cause the death of my children, since he had his baton glued to my back.

"Any slip and my name will end up on a tombstone!"

— What are your plans? — whisper.

— We will go to the stable! — he answered by my ear.

— Do you plan to get out of here on a horse? — I laugh.

— Shut up! — scolded the volume of my voice. — Come on, the way is clear!

He pokes my spine with his wood, guiding me around the back of the palace towards the cleaning deposit. That part of the house was long after the kitchen, holding a back door that gave access to the dumpsters.

— What you did with –

— Xiu! — He sent, listening to footsteps behind us. — Come, come!

He lowers his weapon and grabs my neck leading our bodies to run towards the exit. His grip is firm and rough, not allowing me to look sideways.

♡♡♡♡