Blood Series: Yellow - Chapter Twenty-One
Nikole moved across her room, realizing that he had taken care of everything. He’d unpacked her belongings and put them where they belonged, just like she’d had them at his house.
“How could you not stay?” she mumbled out loud.
She wasn’t willing to believe he didn’t love her too. You didn’t do this for someone if you didn’t care about them. Nikole looked over at her closet door and couldn’t help herself. She just smiled, seeing her clothes lined up, color coordinated. She went to her chest and ran her hand along a drawer before she pulled the top one open. She looked down and saw each of her panties and bras folded neatly and stacked in straight rows. The time and detail he’d spent on this little project amazed her.
She started to walk out of her room and was stopped by the sight of someone standing outside of her doorway. “Mehmet, what are you doing here?”
“Ma’am.” He bowed. “I was instructed to stay with you and make sure you keep to the house.”
“That isn’t necessary. You may go. Thank you.” She pushed past him, thinking he would fall behind. When she noticed he was staying in step with her as she walked down the hallway, she stopped and turned, looking at him with clear intention. Her eyes locked in on his, and her tone was evident without saying a word.
“I have to follow you, Nik. I’ve been ordered to do so.” Nikole started to protest when he put his hand up to silence her. “King Zayn ordered me to stay with you and keep you safe. There is nothing you can do or say, Your Highness.”
Nikole’s distaste for his answer must have been apparent in her expression, because he’d taken one step back and looked over her shoulder to the banister. She started to speak and then bit back her remark as she turned and continued down the path she was on, the path to bring Alec to her.
Nikole walked for a few hundred feet outside of the home when she turned to Mehmet and said, “I am going to Alec’s. If you wish to come, good luck following me.”
And like that, she disappeared before his eyes. He frantically ran back to the house and pulled out his cell phone, hopping into one of the vehicles parked on the property. Turning it on and pushing it into drive, he took off out of the mansion property and down the roads. With his right hand he dialed Nasir’s number, hoping he was around to answer.
“Hello.”
“Sir, I have a problem. The king ordered me to stay with the princess, and she vanished on me. She said she was going to find Alec and then flashed away. I’m already en route, but someone needs to alert the king.”
“Go bring her home. I will inform the king.”
Mehmet heard nothing but silence from Nasir as he turned down Interstate 24 and pointed the vehicle west, starting toward Alec’s home. Two hours, it was going to take me two hours to get there.
Standing outside of his cabin, Nikole noticed that the trees had their life back but didn’t know how that was possible. Maybe Alec had some reverse use of his powers and could give them growth? That made no sense, but clearly someone had given it back to them. She walked past the tree trunk beside his porch, her hand touching it. The bark flaked off into her grasp; she smelled it, the smell of life. How she did enjoy a nice summer day and the smell the trees gave off. There was something different about these trees, though. She just didn’t know what.
Walking up the steps she lightly knocked on the door, waiting to hear a reply.
Nothing. Silence.
She knocked again, and this time the door just opened. Well that’s an improvement, she thought. Walking inside, she noticed the shrubbery growing on the side of the wall but not quickly enough to block the steel pipe that hit her on the side of her head.
Alec struggled against the wall as he screamed out a muffled plea for Leigh to not hurt Nikole. He watched Leigh drag Nikole’s body over to a metal chair she’d had one of her men bring inside. Strapping her down, she attached a glass needle to the chair. She pointed it at Nikole’s throat and ran some smelling salts under her nose, causing her to regain consciousness.
“Hello, Nikole. Let me introduce myself, I’m Leigh, your new master. And this, my dear, is what I’m going to do to your akh when I get my hands on him.” She pointed to Alec who was hanging from the wall with metal and shrubs holding him in place. Nikole started to move when Leigh grabbed her throat and held her in place.
“You see this needle, my precious princess? I’m putting it against your throat, your artery to be exact. One move, and I mean one, and this will insert into your vein and shoot air through your system. Do you know what happens when you get an air bubble in your vein? One guess. That’s right Nikole, you die. Now, be a good girl and sit still.”
“You bitch, you can’t do this to him. He’s an innocent!”
“No one’s an innocent in this war. You kill my people, I kill your people, and it’s called tit for tat. The only problem is you were not smart enough. You and your precious akh will perish because you do not have the ability to foresee strategies.” Leigh walked over toward Alec and took his balls into her hand, squeezing them tightly. His cry, while muffled, was still loud and painful to hear.
“Stop it! Stop hurting him! You want someone… take me!”
“Oh, I will take you. No need for you to worry about that right now. But I just want you to know what I am capable of. There is nothing more pleasurable than seeing the tears run down someone’s face as they watch the person they love- die.”
“STOP IT! What do you want? Why can’t you people be civil? Why must you always kill?”
“Civil? Civil? Was it civil when your parents chased my omm’s family from their home just because she married my abb? Was it civil when our gedi passed my abb up for the throne and gave it to your bitch omm instead? WAS THAT CIVIL?” Leigh removed her knife and slammed it into Alec’s thigh. It stood straight up as she let go, the blood from his muscle running down his jeans.
“It’s compassion that will be the death of all of you, and mark my words; there is nothing compassionate about me. You will all die; it is just a matter of time and place. Right now, it’s his turn.” She looked at Alec who had tears running down his face, his neck tight, and breathing heavily. All the veins in his face were exposed.
“Say goodbye to him, Princess.”