Waking Other Lives
Chapter 26: Hatching

Seth waited Fileas to lead Baran and others away and then he waved at the remaining few people in the room and said, “Leave.” When we were finally alone in the room, I was ready for several scenarios, all of which ended with him being angry at me, whether he’d discovered what I’d been really up to, or whether he was thinking I’d misled him about Baran. But, what I was not expecting was him to jump on me, kissing me, and touching me as if life was ending, as if he couldn’t have enough of me, as if I was his only nourishment, as if I was his last breath. His hands were all over me, his lips roaming around my face, my neck, back to my lips again, his tongue drawing erotic circles on its way.

In between the kisses, I was trying to mutter, “We need to talk.” But, it was a halfhearted attempt as the touch of his magical hands was doing crazy things in my insides. Thoughts on finding the heart of Rawonia, carrying out the mission, what to do about Rocco, or Baran were all slowly pushed back beneath a deep haze of lust. I wove my fingers in his hair, pulling him tighter to me, his honey colored waves tumbled across his face as he suckled my lips.

“Tell me you are mine,” he whispered.

“I am yours,” I said back, I would tell him anything he wanted right now, I was like clay in a sculptor’s hands, ready and willing to be molded.

“Tell me he means nothing to you,” he said, as he lowered his head to pay special attention to my chest, kissing it slowly and seductively. I was so heated, I felt I could burst. My chest was heaving heavily under his tender ministrations, and I was having difficulty in drawing breath to my body.

“Tell me,” he reminded me, mercilessly stopping his kisses.

“He means nothing to me,” I said, pressing his head back to my chest.

He chuckled, and his lips placed a few passionate kisses on my breastbone, his fingers soft on my skin, before he rose up and said, “Kitten, we need to talk.”

My hands were firmly clutching his shirt, trying to keep him with me, even as he was trying to put distance between us.

“Sierra,” he said, trying to snap me out of my still lingering desires.

I took deep breaths, bending over to stop my pounding heart. “That was cruel,” I said.

“I know, I’m sorry. I just needed to hear the words, and I needed them quick, I was on the verge of going back there and ending him right now, right this minute. You just saved his life,” he said, his anger still evident in the way he paced the room.

And, I knew he could, just like that. He was a Drakon, it all made sense, his extraordinary strength, his pace, his confidence, all oozing from his pores like lava from an erupting volcano. Baran wouldn’t stand a chance, and despite still hating what he did to us at home, I had my doubts that Baran in Rawonia and Baran I dated on Earth were the same person. So far, he’d been sweet and understanding, none of which made him trustworthy, of course, as the boy I once knew had possessed all of those very same traits. Oh, crap, I was still so damn confused when it came to him.

“I understand,” I said, still breathing heavily. I was too inexperienced not to be affected by such intense lust.

“Sierra, I need to know you feel exactly what I feel towards you,” he said. ” I’m willing to give up everything for you if it comes to that. I need to know it’s not all in vain, that I’m not imagining this pull, that I’m not delusional.”

Yes, he was giving up his fiancé, we’d never talked about her, but I could imagine how much she meant to him. I knew this was no easy decision for him. He was right, I had to assuage his fears, I owed him that.

“Seth, you are not. I feel it, too. Believe me, I do. I think, well I think.... I love you,” I said, looking uncertainly at his face. He was grinning from ear to ear, but he was silent as if this was no news to him. “But, the thing about Baran is complicated, we are no longer together, but he believes we are in this world. I will talk to him. But, it has to be me,” I continued.

“So, you love me, huh?” he said, his face relaxing into another smile.

“Yes, I do,” I said. “But, I guess you already knew that?”

“I did,” the jackass said, proudly. “But, I was waiting for you to realize it,” he said, softly.

We kissed. Now, it was my time to play the game. I kissed his jaw, and then his neck just as he’d done to me, he was gasping, as if he was lost in the throes of passion. It was the right time, my hands were at his back, exploring, touching, feeling his muscles. “When will you tell me about the heart of Rawonia?” I asked, trying to cling to my lingering sanity, despite being enslaved by my own desires at the time. I feared I’d become prey in my own hunt game.

He didn’t say anything, but he pulled back, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Why hadn’t my kisses worked on him, damn it, yet I here I was, breathing heavily again, trying to regain some control to my thought process into my non-functioning brain.

“Never,” he said, in anger. “Why do you keep on insisting on this? This is not my secret to share, don’t you see that?”

Wait, what? Had he said, never? I had to try again. “Rawonia’s heart is only known to the Drakons, isn’t that right?” I said. “Seth, please talk to me.”

“You know nothing,” he said, as he took big strides that took him out of the room.

Okay, that hadn’t exactly gone as I wanted it to go. Not only was he determined to be tight lipped on the location of the heart, but it seemed he wanted to keep his identity secret as well. He had his chance to be honest with me, instead, he had used it to lash out at me. I was willing to accept him as he was, despite suspecting that probably my mission entailed hurting his kind, and perhaps even somebody he revered, such as the Drakon prince. I would do whatever was required of me though, to keep him safe where and when it mattered. He wasn’t willing to accept me as I was, unfortunately.

Was it me being a human, a species his kind fought with, that brought this lack of trust? And, if so, how could we hope to overcome that? Would this mission wedge us apart, cruelly pry us away from one another despite our love? I wanted to cry out at the unfairness of it all, we were not together in my world, in fact, we’d barely known one another to forge any intimacy. Here, however, where I had him exactly the way I wanted, I couldn’t keep him. I just wanted to stay in Rawonia, and be with him forever, even if that meant the two people I loved the most would die in my world, and even if it meant I would never see my family and friends again. But, it wasn’t even as easy as that, as I couldn’t be sure what my death at home would mean in here, even if I decided to be that selfish. It was very possible I would disappear from here, too upon my own death. And then, I would have nothing. A whole big nothing... It was too frustrating, and all in all, it seemed the only path open to me was to complete the mission, no matter what. I had no other freaking choice. Rawonia was like a dream, a cloud of floating hopes and wishes, it was fake, and it would not last.

Things between us had surely taken a fast turn from passion and love to this within seconds, I sat down, trying to hold back the tears from rolling down my cheeks. I stayed like that for minutes, until I could garner the determination, and self-will to do what needed to be done. Finally, I got up, my knees still shaking. I headed out of the room quickly before I lost my confidence. I grabbed some meat, and water from the kitchen, and then headed towards Rocco. Nobody was guarding him, again. This would make things easy for me. He was still lying on the floor, but at least he had put on some clothes.

He looked at me suspiciously as I threw the food and the water at him. He grabbed the water in a frenzy and devoured it within seconds.

“We have a deal,” I said. “If you tell me what I need to know, I will free you.”

“When?” he said. “Free me now,” he urged. “Before he kills me.”

“I need to find something that can free you from those chains, and frankly I have nothing with me right now. But, there is no reason why you can’t tell me where the heart is now,” I said.

“And, leave me with nothing to bargain with? No, thank you. Are you that stupid? I will tell you its exact location the moment you free me.”

“How will I know that you won’t kill me the moment you are freed?” I said. “That leaves me with no bargaining chip as well.”

“I won’t, you know why?” he laughed, as he swallowed the meat in chunks. “Because, he will. And, I will love every minute of knowing he’s suffering as he discovers his mate’s betrayal.”

“I’m not betraying him, you are just one prisoner, he’ll capture another. And, you are not even a threat anymore, you’ve turned into a human, remember?” I explained, trying more to convince myself. “I’m trying to save him, and this is the only way. I’ll be back in a few hours when everybody else will be sleeping.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t know where Ozy was being kept or else I would have taken him some food, too. I didn’t have time to worry over individual sufferings though, I had a bigger cause, and precious little time left to fulfill it. I needed to find somebody who’d help me, an ally. It had to be someone who knew where I could find a wrench, and a gun to protect myself in case Rocco changed his mind. So, Baran was definitely not an option, though he would do much to protect me, he was not an insider. Fileas was Seth’s loyal man, so I wouldn’t go there as he would tell on me the minute I opened my mouth. Who else was left? There was only one person I could ask without unnecessarily arousing any suspicions. As far as I knew, she was not solidly on Seth’s camp, not like Fileas was at least, and I liked her, so I assumed she liked me, too. I found her, getting ready for bed.

“Hi, Elvan,” I said.

“Oh, hi Sierra. What’s up?” she said. “If it’s about that place, I swear I’ve never heard of it, or I would tell you, cross my heart,” she said, smiling.

Oh, so the saying existed in here, too. Interesting.

“No, it’s not about that. But, uhm...” I said, not exactly sure how to go on asking for tools I needed without sounding as if I was planning a prison escape. I didn’t want to push her that hard, her loyalties could be lying with Seth, after all. “Well, I need a favor,” I finally blurted out.

“Sure, ask away,” she said.

I looked around in hesitation.

“Do you want more privacy?” she questioned, in understanding.

I nodded.

“Okay, follow me. Is this something you cannot ask Seth?” she said.

Wow, she would do wonders in psychology class at Northwestern University. I nodded again. “Is that a problem?” I asked.

“Not really, it’s none of my business.”

“Great, thanks, I really appreciate it. Hope you’ll feel the same way after you hear what I need,” I said, smiling.

She led me to a narrow alcove in the tunnel, close to the exit and it was isolated at the moment.

“What is it you need?” she asked, casually.

“Uhm... A wrench,” I said, trying to come up with an excuse of why I needed it and coming up empty. So I just repeated it. “I need a wrench,” I said, watching her reaction. “And, a gun,” I added.

She narrowed her eyes, and sighed.

Oops, this wasn’t going very well.

“Why?” she asked.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t ask,” I said, knowing full well she had every right to.

“That was before I knew what you were up to,” she said.

She was a clever girl, and she was an Andra. Of course, she knew what I intended to do.

“So, you won’t help me?” I inquired.

“I didn’t say that. I just need to know why I’m putting my head under the ax here. I don’t want to do it quite blindly.”

“Well, I can’t tell you the specifics, but I’m doing it to save Seth.”

“Then, why can’t you ask him? Your boyfriend happens to be the new leader, in case you’ve forgotten,” she said, cornering me.

“Well, he doesn’t quite believe me.”

“Believe what?”

“That I have a mission to complete in this world, which is the only way I can go to my own world, and save his ass where he’s dying.”

This was the moment where I would lose her completely, I knew it. She would think I was mad and rush to tell Seth, or at the very least leave me here alone, to deal with my mental issues and problems.

“Follow me,” she said. “I know where you can get a hammer, if not a wrench. And, I can find you a gun, as I happen to hide one under my bed.”

Whoa, what? She was going to help me, that was unexpected, that was like a miracle. “Why? Why are you helping me?” I asked.

“Damn, girl do you think I am in the dark here? I know my body was possessed, and though I said I didn’t remember a thing, I heard it all. I heard it all,” she said, shaking her head.

“You mean, you heard my grandma?” I asked, surprised. “But, how is that possible?” I asked. Did Olga from the kitchen, remember, too? She hadn’t said anything at the time. But, Elvan probably wouldn’t either if my request of a favor had not forced her to speak. Or, was Elvan special?

“I don’t know, but I did. And, it’s better to believe in your story than believe I am mad.”

“So, will you help me?” I asked, just making sure I’d not misunderstood her.

“I believe I will, but that’s how far my aid will stretch. I will not help you do the deed, understand? I may be stupid, but I’m not suicidal,” she said.

“Of course, I get it. That’s more than enough. Thank you, I will not forget it,” I stressed with gratitude.

“How will you get away, sleeping by his side?” she asked.

Well, I hadn’t thought of that. But, perhaps our fight had given me the right excuse not to sleep with him tonight, I just had to act hurt enough to pull this off.

“Go back to the sleeping quarters, it will be easier if I go alone to fetch the hammer,” she said. “I’ll find you there, just find some means to get rid of him for the night.”

I couldn’t help it, she was as dear as Abby and Payal to me now, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went back to the room. Seth was standing in front of the entrance, talking to Fileas.

Talk about the devil, there he was, and I had one shot to pull this off and I was determined not to miss. I took a deep breath, and walked towards him.

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