Chapter 52

i follow Garne and the girl down the stairs, my nerves biting at my ankles with every step that i take, my mind reminding me of all the things that could happen. All of them ending with me being underground, dead. Very dead.
But Luthor wouldn’t murder his own kid, right? Mihai made it sound like he was actually excited to meet me, maybe i am panicking for nothing.
Maybe it’s all in my head.
Garne stops at the bottom of the stairs, and so does the girl, both of them clearly uncomfortable. They don’t want to go any further, i can tell, and i can’t blame them. I'm scared out of my mind too, but i expected more from Garne, he’s a soldier, shouldn’t he be used to situations like this?
But he looks like he’s about to piss himself, and not because he needs the toilet, then again, i might just soil myself too, maybe that would get me out of doing this.
“You have to go alone.” Garne says when i don’t move, rubbing the back of his neck, “I’d come, but he ordered that it only be you and Mihai.”
“But he isn’t your lord, surely you can just ignore the order, right?” i scoff, shaking my head. “Come on, come with me.”
I won’t show that I'm scared, it dangerous to show weakness, even to friends. Friends can easily become enemies. All it takes is one bad decision. One mistake.
Garne shakes his head, and the girl scurries away, back towards the kitchen. Looks like i have to go in alone.
Fuck. I really don’t want to do this. I'd much rather gouge out my eyes with a spoon than go in there and meet the man responsible for the death of my mother.
“Fine.” I snap, crossing my arms, “You owe me big time, Garne, i mean it.”
He waves me away, “Just hurry up before both of our heads are removed from our bodies.” he snaps back, “I like where my head is, and i like being alive.”
I smack his arm, growing more annoyed. “Well, me too, but i have to go in there, and god only knows what type of man I'm going to meet, especially seen as everyone is pissing themselves.”
“Just go.” He growls, giving me a shove.
I begin to walk through the hall, and stop, looking back with a sigh, “Where am i even going? I don’t know this place as well as you do.”
“Third door on the right, it’s the spare office.” Garne says, turning around and walking back up the stairs. “Good luck.”
Asshole. He knows exactly the kind of mess I'm going to walk in on, i just know it.
Is Luthor really that bad?
I find the door I'm supposed to go in, but my hands hesitate on the handle, my heart racing. I never thought my life would come to this moment, and i never suspected that the man who raised me wasn’t my father.
I've been lied to all my life, and now I'm about to meet the man who should have raised me, and i don’t know whether to be frightened or ecstatic. I have so many thoughts and emotions running around inside of me that I'm not sure which to cling on to.
I just hope he doesn’t chop off my head the moment i enter the room, that would really suck.
I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with air, and then i twist the handle, throwing open the door.
Mihai is the first person i see, my eyes going to straight to his, searching for comfort and reassurance. He's sat behind the desk, his body rigid and tense. It's like he’s ready for a fight to break out at any second, and that only fills me with more dread.
I don’t want to do this, I'm not ready.
I slowly back away, but before i can turn and run, a voice breaks the eerie quiet of the room, a voice so thick with a southern accent that i stop dead, searching for the owner with my eyes, and i find him. My father.
“Mae. Come take a seat.” He says coldly, “We have much to discuss.”
My eyes widen at the sight of him, i look just like him, the dark hair, the sharp chin and high cheek bones, there is no denying that i am his child, and that makes me want to cry.
He left me all alone with the hunters my entire life, he didn’t even look for me, he didn’t try to save me from the living hell i was forced into.
The only good was my brother’s but now they hate me because of what i am, because i am a Nati.
Luthor has thick shoulders, and i can see the muscles in his arms bulging under his black dress shirt. He looks like a fighter, a good one. He's lean and muscular and i have a few extra pounds around my waist and stomach, not that Mihai minds, he likes something to grab onto whilst we fuck.
I wonder what he thinks about mine and Mihai’s relationship, i wonder if he hates it, i want him to, i want it to piss him off just so i can tell him to fuck of back to whatever hole he climbed out of.
I don’t need him, i don’t need anyone but Mihai. I know he’ll protect me, and I'll protect him.
I slowly walk forward, my eyes on the Luthor the entire time as i go around the desk and perch myself on Mihai’s lap, his arms instantly wrapping around me. It’s a silent promise. He's telling me he’s here with me. No matter what.
“I don’t know why you came here, Lord Luthor.” I say, my voice stronger than the racing of my heart, “I don’t need you here, nor do i want you to barge in like this.”
He looks shaken for a moment, but it’s quickly replaced with anger, “You do not talk to you father like that, girl, i demand respect.”
I laugh, “You will get my respect when you earn it.”
He steps forward, his fists clenched, “I didn’t come here to argue with you, i came here to claim you as my daughter.”
“And what if i don’t want to be claimed by you?” i ask, looking back at Mihai, “I have all the family i need right here.”
He's fucked in the head if he thinks he can just walk into my life and tell me what to do. No one tells me how to live, not anymore.
Luthor sighs, “Let’s just start again, ok?” he sits on the edge of the chair that is on the other side of the desk. “I came here because i wanted to meet you, your mother and i, we had some good times, i was going to chance her after she gave birth. But she disappeared.”
Disapeared? What the fuck is he talking about?
“Explain.” I say, leaning forward.
This should be good, I'll finally learn what the fuck happened all those years ago. The man who raised me, the one i thought was my father, he hated talking about my mother. He wouldn’t answer any of my questions.
Maybe now, I'll get the answers i need.