33

Ruarc could not get up. He laid facedown there in the mud and dirt taking painful breaths. The metallic stench of blood is so strong and Ruarc feels sick to his gut. He would have thrown up if he could. His wounds were not healing. No wound hurt more than the wound of the heart, his mother always said whenever Ruarc spots a bruise on a body part. He knew his mother was abused, is still abused, for a reason he could not understand. He did not know what to feel when Massa stopped. It meant that she was wide awake. Ruarc closed his eyes and envisioned her. She would be standing before a mirror, tracing Sia's mark with her fingers, still trying to come to terms with what happened. He heard the sound of approaching footsteps and rustling of leaves. He sniffed the air.

Humans.

"Oh Daniel look what I've found". A human female.

He heard a grunt, and he figured that was Daniel.

"A naked man Sarai. Come on now let's go".

"But we can't leave him like this".

"Of course we can".

"Danny!".

"Don't Danny me. Can't you see the thick X marks on his back? It's obvious he's a criminal. Excuse you but I'm not going to care for a criminal".

"But you won't be the one caring for him Danny. I'll do all that. He has a fine arse Danny, please".

Ruarc rolled his eyes in the dirt. To think she's only going to treat him because he has a fine arse. Humans could be ridiculous sometimes.

"I should be worried".

"Don't be Danny. If he causes us any trouble, I'll leave you to it. But now, let me care for him okay?".

There was a sigh. "Fine. I just hope I don't regret this".

"You won't".

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️
Ruarc woke up to feathery kisses on his skin. He blinked awake, staring at the woman who was kissing his skin. Whoever she was, she was not Crinka. He sat up, pushing her away. Her expression was that of hurt, but Ruarc didn't care, and rolled his eyes. He looked around the room. It was small without windows. It would be hard to know whether it was morning or not. He frowned. His back was numb, and he wondered why.

"Do you want water? Anything? Say something please".

Ruarc knew what he wants of course, Crinka. He really didn't want to talk, enjoying the uncomfortable silence, but she would keep on looking at him like that, and he needed to know where he is.

"I don't usually talk to strangers, but I'd make an exception for you".

She threw her head back and laughed, and Ruarc knew she was one of those people who were easily swayed with words. Ruarc listened to her laugh. Her laughter was like soothing music, and he wondered if Crinka laughed the same. He realized then, that he had never heard Crinka laugh. Her fingers felt like feathers on his skin, and Ruarc eyed them as they trailed up his arm, stroked his collarbone, before those fingers returned to their former position on his lap. Ruarc swallowed.

Ruarc stopped. He knew of he didn't, sex would become an unhealthy addiction for both him and Sarai who couldn't seem to keep her hands off him.

"I don't think I can today Sarai, I'm sorry".

She peered at him. "Okay".

"Okay?".

He was surprised and certainly didn't trust this 'okay'. She left the room in a haste and Ruarc threw the covers off him. Today is the day. He would leave this place and go home. He stood awkwardly in the living room. It had no door out. Sarai walked in and Ruarc was already talking.

"Thank goodness I found you Sarai, I..."

He stopped abruptly at the sight of the gun she was pressing against his manhood. His body went cold.

"If you don't pleasure me, I'll make sure you never get to pleasure any woman in your life".

Ruarc stared at the curve in her collarbone. The hickeys there, were not his, He knew what she was, what she indulged in, and Ruarc knew without any doubt that he had become a client.

"If you want payment, I'll give it to you".

She scoffs. "All I want is your hands on me, then you can leave."

He nodded, reaching out to bria lock of hair back. He kissed her gently, as if her lips would fall off if he didn't. It was the first time he was kissing her lips. She closed her eyes and unconsciously dropped the gun into his open palm.

Bingo.

He forcefully pushed her away from him, pointing the gun at her. "Back against the wall now!".

She glared, but obeyed. "My husband won't let you get away with this".

"The dead one or the live one?", he barked. "Now, where are the herbs for my back and the way out of this hellhole".

"My home is not a hellhole!", she yelled.

Well it's about time someone changed homes.

"But your pussy is", Ruarc shot back. He hated every second that he had spent thrusting into her. He wished he didn't get turned on each time she squeezed his balls. He hated being hard for her. There was only one woman, he was supposed to be hard for, and that woman isn't Sarai. There were times he forgot to use a condom. Those days, he was sure not to come inside her. The last thing he needed was another Eloive.

She gasped and Ruarc rolled his eyes. "How dare.."

He fired, missing on purpose. Raja growled. It was a good thing he didn't give Raja control, or this female would have been deadmeat by now.

"The herbs, the exit, or I'll blow your fucking brains out".

"Baby! Danny! Get the herbs quick!".

Danny was alive? Who then had he strangled?

Danny appeared, holding a satchel. He threw it at her, She caught it. Ruarc expected him to come armed, but he was not. Maybe he didn't care about dying then.

"The cops would be here soon. I told you that he was a criminal babe yet you wouldn't listen".

"I don't care about that.", she spat. "Eddie is dead and this bastard hasn't paid. Make him understand that my body is not free".

Like the person who made it put a price tag on it before. Rubbish. But was she really expecting Danny to ship out a gun? Poor girl had hopes.

"He would pay Sarai, This might be some rich bloke's prodigal son. We just need his name. What's your name?".

Ruarc eyed Danny. He was trying to put on a brave face, trying to intimidate Ruarc, but he was nervous and that killed it.

"Give me the herbs first".

She handed him the satchsl, scowling. "Your name".

He fired. Danny swore, holding his bleeding foot. Sarai screamed and rushed to him. "R".

He fired again, in the other foot. "U".

The left knee. Sarai's screams were making his ears bleed. He had no idea why she was making so much noise. She wanted a name, he was spelling it out for her, since most people had trouble spelling and pronouncing it. "A".

The right knee. She was sobbing. "R".

He blew Danny's arm off. The gun was more loaded than he thought. "C".

He chuckled. Danny couldn't die yet. Nobody called the cops on Ruarc. Nobody.

"Let's pronounce my name together Sarai".

He didn't wait for her. Danny's dick fell into her open palms. "RUARC".

Danny's eyes rolled back into his head. Sarai screamed, charging at him. Ruarc fired. He didn't usually hurt women, but Raja is in control.

"R-A-J-A"

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️
"Where is he? Where is that stupid fellow that I'm so unfortunate to call my son? I didn't kill him before but I will kill him today!".

"Calm your tits down Ruarc, or you'll wake them up".

Ruarc eyed Sia who was comfortably sitting on the floor, drinking coffee. Ruarc wrinkled his nose. What had Sia said? Them? Crinka was here? Why? He wasn't ready to meet her yet and he wondered for a moment if she has found out.

In a calmer tone, Ruarc asked, " Where is Eloive?".

"You know", Sia began, eyeing his brother with disapproval. "saying where is my son would be so much better. If you didn't want the boy so much you could have kept your wandering dick where it belonged", he said with a rising intonation.

Ruarc wasn't sure if Sia was still referring to the six rings on his finger or himself.

"I didn't come here to be lectured Nasia. If you want to grow balls now, do it behind closed doors. Where is Eloive?".

In my arse, Sia wanted to say, since it was Ruarc's favourite, but he thought better against it and said, "He's asleep".

"And Crinka?".

Answering 'in my bed' would ruffle Raja's fur, and Sia didn't want trouble with the icy fur. Sia doesn't speak and Ruarc asks again, "I smelt her here. She is here isn't it? Where is she?'

"Always demanding elder brother. A simple please wouldn't kill you you know".

Ruarc clicked his tongue. "Years ago, there was a little boy who said please to please people. Where did that get him?".

Sia looked away. He didn't want to be reminded of his cowardice.

"If you're done hating yourself for not saving yourself, tell me where Crinka is".

"If Crinka is not where your son is, I think she went to look for you, or she went to eat Massa's heart out".

Ryarc snorted and ascended the stairs. Dried blood was on the railings, and Ruarc felt a lump in his throat. He would deal with Massa later, when he was done with Eloive.

"To what do I owe this honour? That the so called crown prince decided to grace my humble abode?", Eloive asked, giving him a. rock bow, from where he was seated on the bed, changing the bloodied bandages. Ruarc wished he wasn't sitting so close to Crinka.

"When you're sobered up, I'll...".

"Scold me? Kill me? Push me down the stairs? I'm not scared of you anymore Ruarc. Do your worst and I will do mine", he threatened, his eyes landing on Crinka.

Ruarc swallowed. He knew.

It was the pills. It had to be the pills. The stupid pills Sia had given him. He stared at Crinka, Eloive's body was too hideous to look at anyway, with all those open cuts and bruises marring his skin. She was curled up in a ball, arm over her face as if that would shield her from Eloive.

"I'm not going to do anything to hurt you Eloive. I don't have that strength. You tried to break a bond, even after I earned you not to. If father hears of this, I would be forced to injure you".

And you said you didn't have that strength, Eloive thought. He wished Crinka would wake up now and see Ruarc for who he truly is.

"Father would never find out, unless you tell him. And I tried to kill Ceculia not break a bond. Then Massa turns me into a punching bag. He broke my nose, my arm, a tooth, stabbed me too many times, I lost count. He couldn't find my heart so he tried to separate my head from my body. Stupid bitch stopped him of course. Lord knows, I wouldn't have".

He didn't understand anything. He had seen Massa, and he was fine. That meant Eloice didn't fight back. Why?

"Look, just get out. I don't want to see your face".

Eloive rolled his eyes. "But you want to see hers? Wait till others, especially grandpa and your wives find out, what you're desperately trying to keep hidden. Let me see if she would still have a face when they're done with her".

Ruarc rolled his eyes, glad that Eloive gave him the privacy he needed.

"You chased your son out of his own room. What kind of man are you Ruarc?".

His name rolled out softly from her mouth, and Ruarc watched Crinka sit up, throwing the covers off he, Her tanned legs were perfect without blemish and Ruarc compared them to Sarai's freckled skin.

"Stop eye raping me Ruarc. It won't get you another lapdance", she says, placing her feet on the floor and standing up only to fall. Ruarc winces.

"Are you okay?".

Okay that was a stupid question to ask, but she answered it anyway. "I would be if I wasn't so dizzy. I can't see clearly and I just had a nap".

"Then maybe you should rest", Ruarc says scooping her up in his arms.

Maybe she just imagined the sparks, Crinka thought. Ruarc sat on the bed, with her straddling him. She buried her face in his neck, and he suppressed a moan.

"Sia said the same thing you know", she said and Ruarc froze. Crinka sniffed him and continued talking. "The asshole even thinks I am pregnant".

Raja fainted while Ruarc recovered from shock. He pushed her away as if she burned him, and she gripped the headboard hard so she wouldn't fall. Her breasts were in his face. He was reminded of Sarai. He reached out to touch them, but Crinka stepped back, leaning against the wall, staring at him as if he had horns on his head.

Ruarc stared at her stomach. Sia's child couldn't be in there could it? He wouldn't know if he kept quiet.

"Pregnant? Where you? Are you?".

Crinka flattened her palms against her stomach, staring at Ruarc. She wanted to know what was going through his head. She wished for a moment that she shared a blood bond with Ruarc and not Sia. She didn't answer for a while, and Ruarc thought his worst fear had come true.

"I would give you an answer if you explain to me the whip marks I saw on your back."

Ruarc froze. He had worn three shirts to cover that up. Sia hadn't seen it, but she had, He wished he hadn't got carried away so he would have stopped her from seeing.

She rose a brow, waiting. His mouth felt dry. Had she felt his pain? He hoped not. If she found out what she means to him, she nmight become Nuella.

"I...it's personal".

"Oh is it? Then my baby, Sia's baby is personal".

Ruarc jumped to his feet and stalked towards her.

Raja had awakened.