Chapter 43

I wake with a start, and the first thing that i notice is i am no longer in that godforsaken clinical room, another thing i notice is that the heart monitor machine is gone, and a little slither of happiness climbs through my chest. At least it won’t drive me crazy anymore.
I look around, noticing small similarities to Mihai’s other houses, including the dark wallpaper and four poster bed. I guess they no longer saw the need for me the stay at the Nati hospital. I'm glad too, the hours passed by so slowly there, it was like some sort of torture.
I look around, searching for Mihai or Garne, but neither of them is anywhere near me, and i cannot say i blame them. I'm a trainwreck.
But I was tired of being left on my own, it seems like every time something happens, i am abandoned. Left on my own to come to terms with what has happened.
Although, I'm not even completely sure what did happen, one minute i was fighting the Nati who were trying to kidnap me and the next i was in Mihai’s arms, and he was saying some crazy shit.
Not just mildly crazy shit either, but like the cat sat on the moon type crazy, or the earth is flat type of crazy.
He told me that i was a Nati, but that can’t be true, I've never been interested in blood, and I've seen enough of it to know i don’t have an unnatural thirst for it.
All I've ever known is violence, and i wanted that to change, i didn’t want this life anymore. I didn’t want to have to fight to survive in fucked up situations.
I wanted to be free.
But the closer i get to freedom, the more it is out of reach, and i am starting to believe that maybe i will never have a life of my own. No matter how much i want it.
I climb from the bed and search for the bathroom, and after finding a library, a tv room and a closet, i finally open the right door.
The bathroom was covered in black tile, the shower was big enough for three, and the bath was also a jacuzzi.
I think the one good thing about being owned by Mihai is that i never have to worry about going without, he’ll get me everything that i need. He'd probably get me things i want too, if i asked. But i won’t.
I didn’t decide to stay because of his money, i stayed because of the gentleness i know is just below the surface of his heart.
I quickly use the toilet and then wash my hands, staring at the shower for far too long before i finally decide to take one. The hot water streaming down my skin and making me feel alive once more.
It amazing how good a shower feels when you haven't had one in a while. I always feel better when i shower, it is like washing away all the bad energy and replacing it with something new.
If only i could spend my entire life under the water, it’s where i feel the most relaxed. It's the only place on this earth where i feel safe. Even if it is just for a moment.
I wrap myself in a black fluffy towel and walk back out into the bedroom, jumping when i see Mihai sat at the table near the door to the library.
“Did you enjoy your shower?” he asks, trying to make small talk.
I fucking hate small talk.
“Cut the shit, Mihai.” I snap, crossing my arms as i walk closer to him, “What the fuck is going on with me?”
His shoulders visibly tense, and there’s a twitch in his jaw, “Just because you are angry doesn’t mean you can talk to me like that.” He says, keeping his voice even, and his anger hidden. “Why don’t you sit down so we can talk?”
I stare at him, wondering when he got so good at controlling his temper, the old Mihai would have beaten me bloody for raising my voice at him.
Maybe he’s just being nice because he knows he is about to give me the worst news of my life.
If he tells me I'm a Nati again, I'm going to punch him right in the nose.
I slowly walk over to the table and choose the chair furthest away from him, i can’t having him distracting me with physical touch right now, because the moment he touches me, I'm done for.
The moment he touches me, my anger will dissipate, and right now, i need to be angry.
I need to be fucking furious, because i have a feeling that everything i have ever been told is a lie, my life is a lie.
Mihai looks disappointed by the choice to keep my distance, and i can’t blame him, we’ve come so far from where we started, and now i am about to throw all that away.
“Mae, before i tell you, i need you to put your faith in me.” he leans forward, “I need you to know that I'll protect you, no matter the cost.”
“Just tell me.” I grind through gritted teeth, unsure how much longer i can handle all the lies of my life.
I don’t want to be a Nati, i don’t hate them, not like my father and brothers do, but that doesn’t mean i want to be an immortal bloodsucker. Does this mean I'll never see the sun again? Will i have to live in darkness?
“Your mother had an affair, with a Nati known as Lord Luthor.” he says, watching me closely, “Mae, you are a result of that affair, and the children your mother died to save were Luthor’s.” he looks down, “She died to save your three brother’s and your older sister.”
The room spins, but before i can fall, i am in Mihai’s arms, and he’s cradling me like a child, trying to give me some comfort.
He’s trying to piece my world back together, all because he is the one that shattered it. But i know he isn’t the one to blame, my mother is, but how can i be mad at her? She fell in love. i cannot fault her for that. I just wish she would have found a way to tell me.
“Why did my father never come for me?” i ask, it was the one question that plagued me above all others.
“Your mother’s husband hid you, all because the council told him to, and they trained you, hoping you would grow to side with them.” He rocks me gently, “i have contacted Luthor, he is on his way here.”
I startle, my body going rigid, “You told him to come here?” i ask, not sure if I'm just shocked or angry, or both.
He places me down on the bed, “I told him that you were alive, and that you were half Nati, he is the one who insisted upon meeting you.”
The man who raised me is not my father, the man who tucked me in on a night and chased away the demons now wants me dead because of what i am. How will i ever come to terms with that?
I shake my head, panting for breath, “I can’t do this, Mihai, this isn’t real.”
He sits beside me on the bed, pulling me back into his arms, the only place that i feel alive anymore. He says he’ll protect me, and i believe him.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when your unneeded me, Mae, I shouldn’t have spoke to Luther with out you there, but I needed to know what was going on so that I knew how best to help you with this transition.” He presses his head into the crook of my neck, “you have my word that I will not abandon you again, not for any reason.”
“I’m not what you thought I was.” I murmur, “i am sure that was as much of a shock to you as it was for me.”
Mihai nods against my skin, “It wasn’t on my bingo card of surprises, that much is certain.”
I laugh, rubbing his hair back so that I could see his face, “Thank you for trying to protect me, even when i’m being difficult.”
He’s there when I need him, which is more than I can say about those I thought were my family.
But can i protect Mihai from the storm that i know is coming?