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Post by Ventia on Sept 1, 2022 23:08:26 GMT -5
( Thea) In the month after Tranquility's heat, Keith had found himself lost in a daze himself at least when he entered the penthouse room that still locked Tranquility away from the entire world. The moment he stepped over the threshold, the world melted away as the door clanged shut and locked behind him. His empire was deadly, the amount of enemies he had even within his own men seemed to be endless, with every passing week Keith was finding more and more people he unfortunately had to kill. It was all very stressful and although Keith wasn't a trustful person to begin with, it was getting damn near insane to try and keep up with everything he had to do with barely anyone to trust. One sign of weakness, one mistakes, that was all they needed to lash out and attempt to get Keith's head. These days it was simply easier to give them those openings and deal with the aftermath of their deaths, he wanted to be rid of the rats and snakes hiding within his walls. This was his. All his. He worked his ass off for this life, for this power and wealth, he wasn't going to allow his greedy minions to attempt to overthrown the King. Last night in particular had been a annoying one, leaving Keith angrier than ever and coming back to vent all his frustrations out on Tranquility's body. He didn't hurt her these days, he made sure she lived and had every comfort he found it was safe enough to give her. He couldn't be giving her any ideas of leaving either though, he was making sure with every long night that she would never be able to erase his impact on her as many had done before her. All while pretending not to notice how much she was doing the same for him. He was needy of her at any moment, thought of her whenever he had a moment to think for himself, and when he was with her? He couldn't keep his hands off of her, forgoing sleep just so he could fuck her one more time. Obsessed with her, every other woman he had once thought he'd been obsessed with seemed to lack now in comparison, even Ventia had stopped haunting his dreams and instead all he could see was Quill. The hour was early, barely dawn, and Keith was sitting up in their bed, the blanket covering half his nudity and the rest covering Tranquility, the musk of their lovemaking heady in the air, calming his inner beast like the peace before the storm. He hadn't slept planning on leaving earlier than he usually did, but instead of leaving Tranquility as she finally knocked out to shower, he had spent the last thirty minutes silent and watching her. Dark possessive thoughts continued to boil within his brain, worsening with each day he spent with her, he could hear the last words of his men, threatening him that they know she had become his weakness. They taunted him, saying she would leave him the first chance she got, that she hated him, that she still begged them to let her go, when they started to talk about killing her, Keith would always end the useless chatter. His thoughts were a mess, tangled and chaotic, making him feel all the more crazy for it. He wouldn't let her go. Quill would always be his. But what if he... That was how she found him, waking up to him watching her with dark golden eyes, only fierce in its desire for her. "You should sleep more, its barely been a hour. I'm about to leave."
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Post by Thea on Sept 2, 2022 1:32:43 GMT -5
Tranquility was pregnant.
She shouldn't be surprised. Despite his harsh words over a month ago about not finishing in her, he had done so not once, but every time they fucked afterward. She hadn't been on birth control, knowing that a lot of them were geared toward human hormones and not shifter ones. And Keith didn't seem to believe in condoms. She knew that during a shifter's heat is when she was the most fertile. The week of hers they went at it like rabbits; looking back Quill didn't think that he left her side, filling her with his seed as he sent her into orgasm after star-seeing orgasm. And every day after that it was like Keith was in his own sort of heat, finding solace and sanctuary in her body.
Quill was no obstetrician, and it wasn't like she was able to take a pregnancy test. (Wouldn't want to if she could.) How she found out was eye-opening itself, though, and if it hadn't happened to her she wouldn't believe it. It had been in a dream, where the wolf side of her soul led her down into the belly of a cave, the sounds of a baby's wailing growing louder and louder the closer they became. She had been urged awake before she could see the origin of those cries by Keith's beseeching tongue, lapping at her folds hungrily until she came, but all that day she had a sense of foreboding settling over her shoulders like thick iron chains. A ... knowing that nestled deep in her chest.
She hadn't said a word to her captor. Her mate. The man that turned her fairy tale fantasies into monstrous nightmares. When she first met him, there had been nothing behind those eyes except the desire for pain, whether giving it or receiving. Then at night, when they shared the bed, he reminded her of Cupid with Psyche. Of how the god of love wouldn't let his wife see his face but was with her until the sun came up, doing what husbands did with their wives. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that he didn't hurt her anymore. In fact, the last time she was up in those silver bars on the wall was well over a month ago, before her heat. And any time they had sex now she was a willing participant. Nine times out of ten, what she asked for she got. Clothes. Nail polish. Chocolate. A streaming service subscription.
It was like he was doing everything he could to negate the fact that he was an evil man. And there were days when she would believe that her mate was wholly good, she couldn't lie about that. But there was always that voice of logic within her that told her that he wasn't. When he went to "work", he went to do terrible things. There were times when he would come back covered in blood, never his, and he wouldn't bother to clean himself before coming to bed. It was then that she was reminded of what he said he would do if he ever found her pregnant. He wouldn't be a good father. He wouldn't be a father at all.
Her baby deserved better. So she had to think fast. Had to leave. To escape. Preferably before she started showing.
When she woke up an hour after their lovemaking, she had woken to his eyes. The center of most of her dreams and some of her nightmares. Right now they seemed to be devouring her. Any time she would have given him something to stare at. But not right now. Her stomach flipped uncomfortably, the contents of her stomach threatening to spill. Morning sickness. "Do you have to?"
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Post by Ventia on Sept 2, 2022 22:41:06 GMT -5
"Unfortunately." Keith reached out to pet her hair, stroking it away from her face and down the back of her head. She was all soft like a woman was supposed to be, though he still liked her feisty moments which he was more than happy to calm down with some undivided attention. The time they spent together always varied with him having so little time to himself these days. He did however try to get at least six hours at the end of his day which could be at any given hour and could only pop in to check on her on the rare occasion.
"I should be having more time soon though if today goes as planned. How are you feeling?" His fingers were still stroking her hair, his eyes still eating her up, had he not had things to do and a very busy day at that he would have lingered and had sex with Quill again. But there would be time for that later and he really was at his breaking point with the way his operation was operating.
He turned away from her reaching out with his free hand to grab the phone on the nightside table. He put the passcode in and started to send some messages out, his other hand still massaging and stroking Tranquility's soft blonde hair as he started his little game of revenge. His thumb paused in a middle of another message when he turned to glance down at her face.
Many games. Her vivid blue eyes were really like windows to the soul, so full of emotions and seemed to be a golden path straight to her heart. Shadows however crept everywhere, Keith knew this but found he didn't care as he slipped his fingers back towards her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek, cupping her chin easily in his warm big hands.
"You look a little pale, are you feeling alright?" He asked again, despite what she did or didn't say, and gave her body a another look. He kept his eyes on her, phone still in his raised hand, his attention solely on her for the brief moment before he would drag himself away from her and get to work.
"If you're feeling sick I can call the doctor."
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Post by Thea on Sept 3, 2022 14:00:36 GMT -5
Quill should be glad that he had to leave. After all, the longer she stayed in this bed the greater the chance she is going to vomit on the sheets. She was surprised that he didn't ask her when she should be having her period. She had it when she first came here when she had been chained to the wall, unknowing of what day it was or even the time. But not since then. If it hadn't been for the dream, she would have guessed her situation with the lack of blood.
A niggling little thought wondered if Keith just didn't pay attention to her for more than sex. It wasn't like they knew anything about each other other than he was her captor and she his bitch. And here she was pregnant with his child. A sense of self-loathing bubbled up within her, hotter than the hot springs back home and darker than night, spreading through her veins with its venomous touch. Her lineage could be traced back to the first alpha of her birth pack, one that reigned with an iron fist and tamed even the most unruly of his warriors. If he saw his descendant now, Quill was sure he would be disgusted.
She couldn't help but crave Keith's gentle touch. She closed her eyes briefly, and behind her lids, she saw him as she always imagined her mate to be. Sweet. Attentive. Soothing. A small sigh of contentment escaped her, making her think of her animal counterpart. Quill knew that her wolf understood that this man wasn't who they had imagined. What she didn't understand - what Quill tried to make her see - was why they needed to leave. This was who was made for them. The she-wolf didn't see the need for all the things Quill still saw as lacking in their mate. She saw action as louder than words. They were being paid attention to, not even the human that resided beside her could deny that. Besides, she knew an alpha when she saw one. The pup will be strong.
"Good. Really good," Quill emphasized, referring to how he made sure to make her orgasm three times before he came himself. Her voice was hoarse from her screams of pleasure, and when he turned to grab his phone her eyes caught the angry red scratches that started on his shoulders then disappeared down his back. She had to ignore the swell of pride in her chest. That was not what she needed to focus on. She needed him to leave.
If it had been any other day, she would have asked what he had planned just to have a little bit of conversation. To get him to stay a little bit longer. Usually, he was vague with it. Sometimes he was very detailed. Depending on how much time he had before he left. This time, she didn't bother. Her eyes traveled down his tattooed arm, where he put in the passcode to his phone and was sending messages to only gods knew who. Maybe the woman named Elizabeth, whom she had met once or twice. Or the men who had tried to feed her after they pleasured themselves at the sight of her. He was starting to trust her if he wasn't trying to hide the contents of his phone. She had to ignore the feeling of guilt. Remind herself yet again of who he was.
Honestly she really wasn't trying to pay attention to his phone. That was just where her eyes landed and stayed, vision going distant as she paid attention and concentrated on other things. Like making sure her innards stayed inside her body where they belonged. Though the longer he stayed here the more she was losing control. It was like trying to navigate through a rockslide. "I said I'm fine," she said, not being able to hold back the snappiness in her tone. It took a few seconds for her to realize she snapped at him. A twinge of fear jolted her heart. And when she spoke again her words were calmer. "Just tired. Like you said it's only been an hour. My legs are still shaking."
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Post by Ventia on Sept 3, 2022 20:58:05 GMT -5
"Hmm." Keith mused watching her silently, he didn't believe her but he wasn't about to push the subject sensing her discomfort. If she got worse he would only call the doctor without asking her and make sure she got treated. Even if he had to get violent to do so. Thankfully Keith didn't think it would get to that point, at least not now. He was sure if Quill was really hurt she would have told him. At least to curse him out for not taking better care of her. He finished sending his messages and then pulled back the covers off of his lap, disentangling his fingers from her soft curls as he went. He dropped the phone on the bed and got up, moving over to his closet and started to dress.
The silence in the room was loud but it didn't bother Keith as he dragged on a pair of boxers and dark trousers, then he pulled on the black tight tee and grabbed a pair of socks and his shoes. Backtracking back to the bed, he sat by the foot of it and started to put his socks and shoes on. He could have showered but he wanted Tranquility's scent on him as he didn't think he'd see her again until the day was over. Or longer even, he thought darkly.
"You should get back to sleep then." He told her once he was done dressing and grabbed his phone, stuffing it into his pocket.
He had a few phones, two he kept on him at all times with the third in his main office, the second was still waiting on the nightside table but he feign ignorance as he got up and walked over to the bathroom, leaving the door open as he brushed his teeth quickly. He watched the bed from the bathroom mirror, his gut nagging at him to not leave today, to stay with Quill and not play this game, that this life was enough for them-he didn't need more, she didn't need more, they should be content.
But Keith knew it wasn't enough. He had to let life play out as it would and then he could reap all the rewards if it was his to have. He spat the rest of the toothpaste into the sink and dropped the brush back in its holder, striding over back to the bed and Quill's side so he could bend down and brush a kiss over her forehead, Keith inhaled her scent deeply, filling his belly, and sighed as he gave her forehead another kiss.
"I'll see you later. Try to behave today, everyone will be busier so they might take a while to cater to you. I'll make sure the food gets in as normal but any other requests you might want to hold off on." He told her, still close to her face, Keith took a moment to stare into her eyes, searching, trying to see into her soul, he smirked at what he saw, brushed his finger over her swollen lips and then pulled away completely. She would be his. He knew it.
"Is there anything you want before I go?" He asked, stalling, needing to be in her presence even if it was just for a second more.
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Post by Thea on Sept 4, 2022 16:54:55 GMT -5
Quill couldn't help the pout she sported when he disentangled his fingers from her hair. It had been such a soothing gesture - if she had died right then and there she would have gone to the afterlife happily. She did feel suspicious that it had been his touch that kept the feeling of vomiting at bay, because when he left the bed not only did she feel cold but her stomach heaved once more.
Thankful that he didn't push or see her lashing out as a call to his darker side, she shifted in bed to better watch him get dressed. He was beautiful, she thought not for the first time. Like a hero from an old epic, gilded by old gods and prophesied to slay the worst of monsters. Sculpted legs led the way to a firm, round ass that Quill had the urge to grab. She was sad to see it go, but it gave her the opportunity to stare at his lean back and see the deep red marks she left on him. With the healing ability all shifters had she was sure they would go away eventually. But knowing that they would be there was enough for the swell of pride to return, as well as a shadowy pang of possessiveness to shoot through her mind.
"Aye aye, captain."
Only when he went to the bathroom did she close her eyes, though. Though every other one of her senses seemed to be attuned to Keith. Hearing him in the bathroom. His scent surrounded her in the bed. The ghost of his touch on her skin. She wasn't lying when she said her legs were still shaking. As she pressed her cheek against the dark pillowcase and burrowed deeper under the comforter, she winced slightly at the deep ache that nestled in her hips. Her legs were like jelly. Boobs? Sore. They were sore yesterday, and the day before. But now they protested when she moved to her stomach, which caused them to be pressed against the mattress. Another sign of her predicament.
She opened her eyes once more as he bent over her, looking up at him with soft awe. Forehead kisses? Who was this man? Her throat tightened suddenly, a sure indication that she was going to start crying. She swallowed hard a few times, determined to loosen the passageway and keep the lump of sobs from forming. If she started crying then she was sure that he wouldn't leave. What if ... that was what she wanted? A thought formed. A fantasy. Fast and hard and demanding that Quill figured it must have come from her wolf. Keith would stay, brush her tears away. She would tell him the news, usually good news to other couples - normal couples. He would be elated. Ecstatic. And he would forget all about his work. They could go to Greece. Or Jamaica. Or wherever. She could continue on with her career and he would find something less evil to do. They would raise their child, too, and have many more after that.
"You won't hear a peep from me," she said aloud, trying her best to give a sly smile. When she found out that she had more freedom than Keith's past victims, she had been demanding, just to dish out some hell that she had endured when she first came here. Lately, she became more mellow. Today? She wasn't going to act like a spoiled princess. She was going to find a way out of here.
Now would be a great time to spill the beans, however, a small desperate voice demanded. To make her fantasy into a reality. As she stared into his eyes, golden with possession, she had the image of her standing on the edge of a cliff. Behind her was safety. In front of her was uncertainty. Usually, she jumped, because she was never the type to shy away from something she wanted, even if it was scary to think about. Quill had something else to think about, though, didn't she? Someone else. The lie slipped easily from her mouth: "No, I'm good. If I think of something I can wait until you get back."
And that was it.
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Post by Ventia on Sept 4, 2022 20:34:54 GMT -5
"Alright." Keith ran a hand through his hair, his fingers brushing the short locks roughly, he still stood rooted in front of her, golden orbs watching her intensely, the scent of her sex still heady in the room and would be for some time, he was breathing that air in raggedly as if he'd never get the chance to again, and then clenched his hair hard yanking on it a bit as he watched her lying there in his darkness of a bed, she the only light within the room. The only light in his life.
A low growl was rumbling through his chest before he even registered it and before he lost himself to the madness in his veins he turned around face hard and went towards the door. The keypad registered him with his fingerprint and the recent code, giving him access out of his bedroom, he held the reinforced door open seeing a guard posted on the other end of the hall, and turned back to get a last look of Tranquility.
She watched him, her bright eyes both haunting and beckoning him back, he shut the door harder than he had intended, making sure she was securely trapped within the room. A dark presence erupted out from him, the psychotic manner in which he was known for out for vengeance the moment Quill couldn't see, he was glaring down at the guard, his stride towards him was unrushed and quiet, the man swallowed hard and tried to maintain Keith's gaze.
When Keith reached the elevator where the man was posted, he pressed the button to go down and in the next moment sharpened his fingers to claws and ripped the man's throat out, effectively cutting the scream before he could even muster the breath. Blood splashed Keith's hand and face, the man only making a garble sound before death claimed him, his eyes going blank. Keith watched with cold eyes as the dead assassin fell to his knees, crouching down Keith did quick work in searching him, finding the vial of poison in his front pocket.
He took the phone next and unlocked it using the dead fingerprint before he rose up in time for the elevator doors to open. He kicked the corpse, once twice before wiping his face of the foul blood, swiping his hands on his pants and entering the elevator. A murderous fire was dancing within his eyes, his lips stretched out into a wide grin, blood still smearing his features as he gazed at the door to his bedroom, the elevator doors slowly closing as he hit the button. Did they think he was stupid?
Keith chuckled darkly, gripping the phone in his hands hard, no one could enter his room these days, when he first learned he was being targeting he knew they would come after Quill. He changed the codes daily multiple time's throughout the day and personally checked everything that went into that room, food, drinks, items, everything, how many cooks had died after he forced fed them Quill's food for that day Keith lost track, he thought they would know better by now, it seemed like he had been too lenient.
"Ha. Fools." Keith smiled sweetly, any kind of mercy feeling he had felt towards the people who had been by his side for these last two decades completely dried up, sure he was still planning on killing them today but he had planned to be quick about it, to lessen their pain, now he would enjoy their misery until the last man standing. The doors opened and Keith walked out, pausing to the pair of guards he gave them quick instructions to round everyone up for a emergency meeting.
He still had at least another six hours before Quill would ring for breakfast and planned to put every minute before then to good use.
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Post by Thea on Sept 5, 2022 2:15:48 GMT -5
Quill's body reacted before her mind comprehended what had happened. With his growl ringing in her ears, she had jumped nearly out of her skin, heart racing at the base of her throat. She had moved to keep him in her line of sight since he started tugging at his hair, a sign to her that things were going to get pretty violent, never once blinking until she could no longer see him.
She stayed like that for a few minutes more, still as stone, waiting to see if Keith would come back. It was rare that he did, either coming back to be with her for a few more minutes or retrieving something he had forgotten. Knowing her luck, regardless of the reason he would have come back in as soon as she started in the routine of morning sickness. Then she'd really be fucked.
The room was sound-proofed, bullet-proofed, all kinds of -proofed. So when Keith locked her in, it was like he had left her in a dark, quiet box. Selfishly, she blamed it for her fantasies. It was easy to forget or disregard that when her mate went to "work", it consisted of being the head honcho of a trafficking ring. With a vengeance, the image of the little girl she saw getting raped seared her mind. She jerked once more, eyes screwing shut tightly as if the memory had physically hurt her. Then she raised up slowly and tossed the covers back, urgency making her motions quick before she made her way to the bathroom.
It was there that she stayed for the next fifteen minutes, heaving the supper she shared with Keith last night and the chocolate bar she had for dessert. The pregnant woman vomited so violently that she began to cry. It hurt so much, she could barely hold onto the toilet and her hair to keep it clean. The smell of her puke was rancid, threatening to make her hurl again. But she kept on, even through the dry heaves and wet sobs until her stomach finally settled enough that she could close the lid and flush.
Out of breath, she pressed her sweating cheek to the porcelain and focused on how cold it and the dark tile under her knees were. The chill not only cooled her down, but anchored her to reality. As much as she hated it, she knew that this was a horrible situation that she was in. Her sobs morphed from those of physical pain to emotional, muffled by her burying her face into the crook of her elbow. Why? she asked herself. To the cruel gods that left her here. To anyone listening. It was a question that she was sure she asked about a thousand times. There were times that she would be more specific, but now? She was too overwhelmed to ask anything other than that. Too tired to search for the answer that never came.
On shaky legs she stood, bracing her weight against the toilet as she did, and made her way to the sink and fished for her own toothbrush right beside Keith's. Such a normal thing, wasn't it? Like a normal couple. If it hadn't been for the fact that she could still taste the vomit on the back of her tongue she would have just turned around and gone back to bed. Her insanity mustn't be that bad. Or so bad that she didn't laugh at the absurdity. She made quick work of scrubbing her mouth, gums and all, before spitting the same toothpaste Keith used and rinsing her mouth out. With a slam she set her toothbrush back in its holder and turned. The light from the bathroom cast a warm glow across the room, illuminating the dark and reflecting off of something metallic.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, her feet carrying her forward slowly, arms crossed under her breasts both supporting the sore globes and protecting herself. It didn't take her long to realize what it was.
His second phone.
She didn't think. One second she was on the far side of the bedroom, the next on the bed with the device in her shaking hand. It lit up when she raised the screen to her face, showing a nondescript background and the time displayed boldly at the top. It was still early. Keith hadn't even been gone thirty minutes. He must not realize he doesn't have it. Before she could think too much, she jumped off the bed again and ran on light feet back to the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
Figuring out the code wasn't all that tricky. To be quite frank, she figured that he used the same one for the other, which was the date she came into heat. A twitch in her jaw was the only reaction she had to the revelation, not allowing herself to feel anything other than urgency and protectiveness of the baby that was growing inside her. And it didn't take long to find the phone app on it either, where she typed in the number she committed to memory all those weeks ago and hit the send button.
There, she waited with bated breath for someone to pick up on the other line, hoping that the mysterious man that gave her the number wasn't anything but genuine.
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Post by Ventia on Sept 12, 2022 1:09:55 GMT -5
He went to the control room first and foremost and after making quick work with the men stationed there, he pushed aside one of their bodies from the main chair and sat down, his fingers flying over the keys and scanning the security cameras for the last six hours he'd been away. Putting the building on lockdown and denying access to the top floor through the elevator and stairs, he waited and watched as the minutes unfolded. Keith didn't have to wait long, already seeing some rats scurrying off trying to escape from the main doors, his smile tugging back into place as he watched them try and fail to get out, he clicked the sound on and listened to them debate what was going on. Their raised voices both filled with fear and rage sounding like a special melody to his ears.
He let them talk as he finished all the new security changes and once satisfied that the building was completely under his and only his control, Keith stood up and exited the control room, the door locking behind him with no way of entry besides from the phone in his pocket and his fingerprint. He began to whistle as he walked, flicking off some blood from his hands and going into the rooms, checking them one by one to order anyone still remaining to get their asses to where they belonged.
The few slaves that still remained in those upper rooms Keith left them as they were, for now, because he also had a plan for them. Then Keith began to make his descent, ordering people into different conference rooms and ensuring that they were all herded like sheep's to where he wanted them. Any who disobeyed or tried to flee, getting a feeling to what Keith had planned, Keith was more than happy to take care of them.
By the time he was on the main floor, his people waiting for him in their locked cages, Keith was covered in blood none of it was his own, the hallways were eerie silent, courtesy of the soundproof walls, with only Keith's happy whistling that could be heard echoing throughout the building, he took his time to get to the main conference room, feeling a sort of reminisce emotion for the building he had called home for these last twenty years. He touched the walls, the blood on his fingers leaving red marks as he walked on, until finally he was standing in front of the main door.
Unlocking it, he entered with a smile, leaning back and closing the door with his weight. "It's a beautiful morning isn't it?" He said into the silence, the scents of their fear mixing creating a aroma so potent it would also stain the walls for some time.
"You stupid bastards," he chuckled, running a hand through his hair and pushing off from the door, "I take care of you, I feed you, I give you women and booze, and money, and this is how you repay me? Countless attempts on my life? On my woman's life? Why? Are you so greedy that you don't even fear death? I thought," He walked towards the head of the table, which had been left open today, for obvious reasons.
"That you'd get the message, with the many examples I've made and sent to your rooms, your men, even the one's you've tried to hide contact with, and yet you seem to think I was joking. That I wouldn't mind. Pray tell, how does that work in your pea size minds? Do you think me merciful? For so long? I cherished you guys, thought of you as my new family, we had such a good thing going, y'know? Why'd you have to ruin that?" He stood behind his chair, staring down at the room filled with all his main men and women.
"But Sir!" One finally spoke, his voice high and panicky, "I didn't do anything! I swear! I would never harm you-" his words got swallowed up by the chorus of others saying the exact same thing, their voices rising above the other just to be heard. Keith let them plea, enjoying it, enjoying the pained expressions on their faces, the tears falling down from both man and woman, the way some fell to their knees getting close to him but not daring to actually get too close.
Keith held up a hand, silencing the group once he heard enough, and then moved behind him to pull down the white sheet they rarely used for presentations. He took his seat, grabbed his phone and turned the machine on, the file was already set inside and waiting and all Keith had to do was press the buttons to turn the slides. "Let's review, shall we? I promise if there is anyone innocent, you shall be spared. Yes yes, all will be okay if you were loyal to me. And since you all claim you were, then this should be a walk in the park." He grinned at them, taking the time to meet each and everyone's gazes, and then started the slideshow of betrayal.
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He'd always been a light sleeper, with his childhood and way of life, that was a given. It was a good thing too, that he had woken from his ringtone because he was suffering inside that all too familiar nightmare of his. His mate, Megan Meyer, had been a beautiful woman with long black hair and bright hazel eyes, a perfect face with a perfect body and like everything else, a perfect personality. She had been sweet and kind, courageous and brave, she pushed him to be the better man she knew he could be, even if Vincent himself didn't believe it. And with her help, he had become better than the men in his family.
They were going to run away together, to get married, to flee from his brother's Pack, the Dark Moon, and start a life together with plans of a large family. Vincent begged her not to talk to Keith, begged her to stay safe in bed with him, but Megan had decline saying she had to give Keith a talking to, had to warn him that if he continued down this path that only misery would be waiting for him. Vincent tried to go with her, but she forbade it and asked him to trust her, that if he really loved her, he would allow her to do this one thing, to try one last time and if she failed, they would continue on with their plans of eloping.
That had been the last time he had seen her alive. The next time he saw her, hours later almost dawn, was crumbled by Keith's feet, her blood staining his hands and face, her body already cold. Vincent had cried, rushing to hold her dead body in his arms, cursing Keith for what he had done, it was that night he swore he'd one day get his revenge on his blood brother. He severed his ties with the lot of them and left his only home carrying his dead mate in his arms, finding a peaceful place to bury her.
Now she haunted his dreams, sobbing to him asking him why he hadn't protected her, why she had to suffer. Cursing him, cursing the love she had held for him, her usual sweet voice sounding twisted in death and dream, making Vincent awake with a shout and sitting upright in bed. Dazed for a second, Megan still haunting him, he finally turned to his phone on the nightstand. A unknown number was plastered on the front and a dark feeling whether from the nightmare or what to expect filled him.
Still he reached for it and answered the call, putting the phone to his ear and listening quietly, the bated breath on the other end raised his eyebrows in question and after waiting another few moments for the person to talk, Vincent quickly understood they wouldn't. He opened his lips, his voice darker than normal, as it always was whenever he had a dream of Megan.
"Who is this?"
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Post by Thea on Sept 12, 2022 13:15:16 GMT -5
Quill had expected a hello. A salutation of some kind. Usually, when the call was answered, that was how it went. The recipient would answer, kickstarting a conversation. She wasn't expecting endless seconds of loud silence. At first, she worried that she dialed the number wrong. Though a quick glance at the phone told her that she typed in what she remembered. Or at least what she thought she remembered. Swallowing her dread, her free hand went to her forehead as if to keep all her fears contained within her head.
She was about to hang up and call again - maybe there was a terrible signal on the other person's end - when a voice spoke. It was deep, dark, and reverberated through her bones. Quill knew that voice. And she had a feeling that she would know it even if she were to forget everything else. It had to be Keith on the other end. He must have left his phone on purpose.
It took her quite some time to answer. Instead, she was trying not to panic. She thought back to the man that gave her the number. Steven Jacobs. She remembered him having a picture of her mom and dad, standing on either side of her after her most recent dig. She had been given the impression that he was trustworthy. But she wasn't like her mother, whose instincts were always right. If her feelings toward Keith were any indication, she couldn't trust herself - let alone anyone else.
And now she was paying for it. Keith had to have left his phone on purpose. Had to have sent that Steven Jacobs guy to her under the guise of rescue. He had to be testing her. What he was testing her for, she wasn't sure. Loyalty? It wasn't like she had been actively trying to get away from Keith or finding his weakness since she had been given the number. Maybe he wanted to make sure that she wouldn't try to leave him. To be honest, if she hadn't gotten pregnant maybe she would have stayed. Trying to ignore how the revelation was making her feel, she took a shuddering breath in and then released it.
It did little to stop her shaking.
But wait.
If this was Keith, then surely he would know it had been Quill on the other end. If it had been a test, then he wouldn't have to ask. He would know that she was trying to leave. He would have stormed into the bedroom. Chained her to the wall. She would have faced his destructive wrath. Then when she gave birth to their child he would take it away from her and do God knows what, probably killing her either in the process or afterward.
Hope bloomed in her chest. Small and fragile, but it was still there. This couldn't be Keith. This had to be -
"Is this Vin ... Vincent?" Her hand moved of its own accord from her forehead to her belly, splaying protectively across the skin there. "I was given this number a while ago by someone." God, if this was actually Keith, she might as well signed her death certificate. "My name is Tranquility Chambers? He told me to call this number if I ... if I found Keith's weakness or can escape. I can't do either, but I'm desperate to leave." The next few words came out rushed, like if she didn't say them fast enough she wouldn't be able to get them out at all. In truth, her throat started to close again in the tell-tale sign that she was about to start crying. Already, tears started to well up, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I'm pregnant and he told me if I ever ended up that way he'd kill it. I can't have that happen."
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Post by Ventia on Sept 12, 2022 15:58:46 GMT -5
As the woman finally talked, Vincent felt his heart rising in excitement the day he had been waiting for was finally here. He threw off the covers and jogged to his closet pulling out some pants and a shirt, while waiting for her to give him all the information he needed. He hadn't thought Keith's most recent 'pet' would actually call, the few months that had passed since Steven Jacobs had told him of what he had witnessed, Vincent had been eagerly waiting by his phone for the girl to call, he knew it would be difficult considering Keith's paranoid ways but surely there should have been some kind of opportunity, as the months passed however Vincent had started to believe Tranquility Chambers would be a dead end and they'd have to forcefully make their way inside Keith's Compound.
"Yes this is Vincent, I have been waiting for you, Ms. Chambers. I understand your situation perfectly, you are not safe there and I will do all that's in my power to get you out of there and home safe. Your family is very concern for you, you must stay strong I will organize a rescue party and get to you as soon as I'm able." He put the phone on speaker and went back to his bed, pulling the pants on and then the shirt.
"Can you give me any kind of information of where you're at? Did he move you? Has he hurt you? We'll have a medic on hand to make sure you and your baby are healthy. How are you making this call? Is he there with you right now? Is he threatening you to make this call?" Vincent felt for the poor woman, to be in Keith's clutches and fearing for not only her own life but for a unborn child's as well? The bitterness only grew, the hate he held for his own brother growing that much stronger, what kind of monster could do that to their own flesh and blood? To a woman?
How had his brother gotten this bad? Once upon a time Vincent had looked up to his older brother, idolizing him as every younger sibling did to their older siblings, even with all the shit they had to go through because of their father, it didn't give Keith the right to act out like this. He was ashamed to have the same blood running through his veins.
"It's okay if he is, I'm not scared of that monster, either way we have made contact with you and knowing the stakes are higher, I will personally be in charge of your rescue party. Hopefully when I'm done, you wont have to worry about that monster ever again." Vincent wanted to reassure her, she would be a key asset to getting under Keith's skin. If he was honest, Vincent was quite surprised to hear of her predicament and more so that she was still alive. He knew what happened to Keith's pets and toys, their poor bodies left to be found by the authorities with no lead to the murderer and their families devastated.
"If he doesn't know, you'll have to keep this a secret for as long as you can. I'm hoping to get to you in the next six hours, okay Ms. Chambers? I need you to hold on for six more hours for yourself and your baby's sake, can you do that for me?"
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Post by Thea on Sept 12, 2022 21:15:42 GMT -5
Oh, dear God.
The man on the other end might as well have beaten her over the head with a club; she was in a daze. That little sprout of hope grew ten times larger, filling her chilled limbs with such warmth. Those tears fell down her cheeks, rushing toward the floor with such velocity. Her knees were liable to give out on her at any moment, so she sat on the toilet, shoulders hunched and lip quivering.
So this wasn't some sort of test.
It had been the real deal.
She could kiss Steven Jacobs. But instead, she tried her damnedest to not sob into Vincent's ear. There was a dull roar in her ears, mostly drowning Vincent's words out. Usually, when people addressed her she made sure to tell them that her prefix was Dr., not Ms. But right now, she couldn't care less. Her parents, her pack, her family were waiting for her. And she was getting out of here. She now had the ability to give her baby a life. The best life. It didn't matter if its father was a psychopath. Or that it had been conceived under less than ideal circumstances. She had always wanted a family. A rather large family at that. Growing up, she had a few other pups to play with in North Haven, her birth pack, but until her cousin came along, it had only been just her. She had no siblings. No one to love or confide in or push around.
Not that her parents could help that. They tried. So hard. But after her, there had been miscarriage after miscarriage. The town doctor eventually had to tell them to stop trying. That it was killing her mother - both emotionally and physically. There had been talks that it could have something to do with the fact that her parents weren't actual mates. They chose each other despite it. And while their love was as tall as the mountains they called home or deep as the ocean, Fate had other plans.
And maybe that was why Quill had been so hung up on finding her mate. Yes, she wanted love, and she wanted to feel what love was with the person she was destined to be with. But also, she wanted children. A lot of them. Yes, she knew that she could find love with someone else. Free will was important. But she didn't want to chance it. Never would she have thought that when she found her mate, he would have been anything like Keith.
God, she felt so stupid.
There were so many questions he was throwing at her. So many she couldn't answer right away, and would have had difficulty doing if he would slow down the questions. He almost sounded ... excited. Like he had been given the go-ahead for something he had been chomping at the bit to get at. Looking back on this day, she would have realized why. But now she was so caught up with how she was feeling that she couldn't be bothered to dissect why.
When there was a brief pause in the onslaught, she started to answer them through the lump in her throat. Starting with the most loaded question of all - best to treat it like a bandaid. "H-he's hurt me, but not recently. I-I don't know where I'm at, but I know I'm in his room in a building that has different levels. There's an elevator. I'm using his phone."
She had to stop, pulling the phone away from her face to press into her bare shoulder to relieve her throat from the pressure in it. Even so, she heard Vincent's words plainly, with his use of the word "monster" striking her in the heart and leaving it in little shards. She knew what Keith was. Wanted so desperately to believe differently. But hearing it from someone else? It just made it all the more real.
She didn't want it to be real.
"Y-y-yes," she murmured on a hiccup after she released her sobs and pressed the phone back to her ear. "I can hold on for six - that long." Another hiccup later, she caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her face was blotchy. A vein was popping from her temple. Her blue eyes were rimmed in red. She looked like a mess, sitting naked on the toilet. But she was leaving here. At least she did that right. "I-I'll be r-ready."
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Post by Ventia on Sept 13, 2022 14:22:53 GMT -5
Vincent paused, feeling his heart getting tugged in sympathy for the girl on the other end of the phone call, the sound of her voice breaking in a attempt to hide her sobs from him made his fists clench in anger, he could still hear Megan's haunting sobs in his ears, ringing like a echo right behind Tranquility's hiccups and soft sobs. He wanted to comfort her, had Vincent been there if his perfect fantasy would happen, he would have carried her off into his arms and stroked her hair telling her that she'd be fine as Keith's unmoving body laid somewhere away from her eyes could see. All her worries, or the biggest one being Keith, would only be a nightmare of the past.
"I'm so sorry Tranquility," he said her name softly, usually he liked to keep to last names to not get personal with his clients, but everything relating to Keith was personal for Vincent. He felt responsible for each and every crime his older brother committed, which was why he did everything in his power to try and make up for it. Though in most cases Vincent had always been too late...he wouldn't let that happen again, he couldn't, one more failure would completely destroy Vincent's spirit.
"No one should have to go through what you've been going through. I'm sorry it's taken so long for us to get ready, Keith's been a hard man to corner, we've been doubling our efforts this last month trying to get his people to turn on him and our scouts have been reporting that there's been tension within the ranks. This is truly a golden moment, the best chance to save you and everyone else, you've done amazing these last four months, I'm just so sorry that you had to wait this long." Vincent knew he was repeating himself, but he was sorry, felt horrible for it, if only he could have stormed the building when they got confirmation from Jacobs, but at that point the structure had still been too strong to dismantle from the outside. He had to do it from within and that had taken the extra time.
"I promise you'll be safe...if you want I can stay on the phone with you as long as you need, Ms. Chambers." His voice was soft even as he backed out of the call, not ending it but entering another app while it remained in the background and started sending some messages out, the first one sending to Thea alerting her today they would make their move on the Chambers Case, that he was currently talking to Tranquility Chambers and updating her on the most recent information of her being pregnant and desperate to leave. The next few messages were sent to particular guild members that he knew he'd want in on the rescue mission.
"I'd like to keep in as much contact with you as you're able, even if you hid the phone somewhere with the call still running."
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Post by Thea on Sept 13, 2022 20:46:21 GMT -5
Thea was most decidedly not an early bird.
And with her hearing on par with that of a human, the annoying ringtone didn't pierce through her deep slumber. Unbothered, her face was pressed into Elaine's snow-colored fur, with one arm draped over the leopard shifter's middle. When she first met Elaine, she had been perturbed at the white-haired woman's saccharine friendliness. But Elaine had this ... air about her that made others warm up to her quickly and without much more thought. She was a friend - a confidant. Also a cuddler.
Elaine couldn't sleep without another body beside her. It had been a by-product of being raised in the snowy tundra, where her pride stuck together at night to keep warm. Even after being exiled with her father, the act still remained. She never wanted anything other than to sleep beside someone, to hold and be held. Thea joked that people outside the Guild would pay good money for that. But Elaine didn't want money, either. If she didn't need it she would do without. In fact, most of the modern-day luxuries she didn't care to have, save for indoor plumbing. And the only reason why she had a phone was for Guild purposes.
Until Lark came along, she had spent most of her nights with Atsila, her little flame, occasionally bouncing between Vincent and Thea when Atsila was away. But now that Lark arrived, she was warming Atsila's bed less and less. She found very quickly that Lark didn't like to share. The bitterness because of that rose within her, leaving a sour taste in her mouth. She hated that taste, the sensation of sucking on a lemon head, so she didn't say anything. Besides, Thea was more than willing to share her bed.
Elaine felt at once important and needed; she was happy to warm the new Director's covers.
She lifted her head at the ringtone, ear flicking once in curiosity. Who was texting Thea before the sun was even up? It wasn't until the reminder ding that Thea received a message that she realized that it had been her Guild phone that was lighting up.
As she turned to face Thea, she shifted. So when Thea roused from her sleep she woke to brilliant gray-blue eyes and a Cheshire Cat grin. "You're needed, Director."
"Ugh, I told you to stop calling me that," Thea muttered, but she sat up and rubbed her face vigorously. "Who needs me?"
Elaine handed her the phone, purring in humor. It was cute to see Thea narrow her eyes in concentration as she read the texts Vincent sent. It was clear she was still half asleep, with how her thumbs moved slowly to text him back: "Great. I'll let her parents know. Give me an ETA on when we are leaving. I have someone else I'd like to bring in."
"Who was that?" Elaine asked after a few moments, sitting cross-legged and very much in the nude as she watched Thea move around the room.
"Vince about the Chambers case. We're finally getting a move on things." Thea fetched her personal phone from her pants she discarded on the other side of the room and typed in something before pressing it to her ear. "Hopefully I won't have to worry about the woman's parents breathing down my neck anymore."
Elaine heard a faint, feminine voice answer on the other end, and cocked her head to the side as Thea gave a sheepish grin and said in her gravelly "I just woke up" voice, "Hey Kate. You busy?"
***
Had she really been here for four months? Yes, she had been keeping track of the days since she was able to have access to a calendar. But having someone tell her how long she's been gone? It was like another slap of reality hit her square across the face. Four months ... four months of her pack worried about her. Had her mentor gone without her to Egypt? She took a shuddering breath before it hitched on another hiccup. What about her cousin? The whole reason why she was here in the first place?
She felt ... shame. And that big ugly beast only grew in size within her when Vincent told her she was doing amazing. Yes, for the first part of her time here, it had been hell. As if to remind her, her hand traveled up her stomach to just under her breast, where she had been branded with Keith's mark. Slowly, she traced the letter, her skin there raised with fresh pink scarring tissue - had it been done with anything else, it would have gone away ages ago. Though silver was still a weakness for shifters; she would have this mark for the rest of her life.
The man that did this to her was the same man that held her tenderly at night. Fed her. Clothed her. Gave her everything that she had wanted. He played the role of adoring partner in her fantasy perfectly. It had been easy to forget - at least for a little bit - who he was. What he was. And there was nothing to blame for her forgetfulness other than herself. She should have called sooner. Should have done what Steven Jacobs said all that time ago: find his weakness or get the hell out.
She was so fucking weak.
"That's -" hiccup - "-smart," she said in response to how he and whoever else was helping him was able to infiltrate Keith's goons. But Keith was also smart. Just under her cloak of shame, she felt a worming worry that Keith knew about this. That the reason why he looked so torn before he left was because of what was going on with his men. She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down just hard enough to focus on the discomfort. If anyone died because of her she will never forgive herself.
Another few hiccups passed as she debated on staying on the phone. Already it was dangerous to be on the phone for so long. Keith could come back at any minute. And what would he do if he found her locked in the bathroom, talking to the person that was to rescue her from him? She didn't imagine that it was going to be a pleasant exchange. But Vincent sounded ... sincere. At first, she thought that it had been Keith on the other side of the phone. But the more Vincent spoke, the more she was starting to crave talking to someone else outside of the room that had been her world these last four months.
Ultimately her self-preservation won out. Even for a little bit. "I think it's best if we hang up. This is his phone, and I don't -" hiccup - "-know when he's coming back. But ... could I call you back if I think it's safe? Or text?"
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Post by Ventia on Sept 14, 2022 18:10:44 GMT -5
Kate.
Thea's been calling her that lately and although she's used the nickname a few times in her lifetime though not nearly as much as Katie or Ivy, she was beginning to like the sound of it more and more each day Thea used it. She couldn't forever be holding on to both of her alias even she knew that was a ridiculous thing to continue on for so long. She figured she could use her original name, Kaitlyn, but she only got called that when her mother was really pissed or someone wanted to tease her.
"Busy? Not lately. What's up? You sound like you just rolled out of bed into something fun." Katie smiled, she on the other hand had woken up a few hours ago from a long nap she hadn't seen coming and had been playing a phone game to pass the time when Thea had called.
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Vincent sent a estimate of two hours at the most before he wanted to be on the road to Thea before he concentrated back fully on Tranquility Chambers, those light hiccups he could still hear were killing him, a protective instinct that was stronger than it should be roaring into life, knowing she was still crying and he couldn't do anything about it at this moment was sucker punching him in the gut making him feel powerless. God he hated his brother, he wanted to punch the asshole straight in the face and then some more until even a inkling of his rage would be expressed.
"Alright Ms. Chambers, we'll hang up for now and if its safe enough to text or call again, please do so. Delete the calls and texts after, leave as little evidence as you can. Continue on as you normally would, whatever you've been doing has been great so far, so keep it up. Try to relax, I know how hard that might be for you but please try. You're strong, no matter how much he's been trying to take that away from you, you're still alive and staying strong. Your child will need that, I'll get to you soon, I promise." Vincent made a silent vow that no matter what happened today he would have rescued Tranquility Chambers from his brother's clutches.
They said their goodbyes and after a few moments the call ended, Vincent stared at the phone at the number his emotions at odds with themselves, on one hand he wanted to hurry up and battle with Keith and on the other he wanted to save Tranquility more than getting a bite of revenge. He finished getting ready, getting what he needed from this room, before leaving his Guild's bedroom and moving to where one of the brains were.
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The picture of Carter was up first, he was essentially Keith's right hand man the one who went out to find all kinds of poor souls to bring into this hell, he did the dirty work that Keith was never amused to do. Seeing his picture up on the screen made the room go quiet, they all knew how close he and Keith should have been. Keith could vaguely remember it being Carter who had brought Quill in the day he had picked her out of a line up as a new pet.
"Keith-Mr. McClellan," Carter corrected himself, straightening in his seat a few seats down, "I insure you that I have been nothing but loyal and-" his words faltered as the next page was revealed, the video turning on with the audio's blasting from the room's speakers.
"I don't care how you fucking do it! Get it done tonight, kill the fucking bitch, that'll get him to take me serious, I'm doing all the work here getting the bastards and the increases in pay are nowhere near enough, poison her food her clothes whatever we can get our hands on, if he cares for her like I think he does, we can take care of him while he's too busy trying to recover her." The video had been taken in one of Carter's private rooms off base, the angle showing perfectly the older man's face and the new men and woman by his side, a few of those people currently sitting around the table.
"Such foul words for such a older man. What do you have to say for yourself now?" Keith mused watching the man intently, the gold in his eyes growing at rehearing the death threats towards Tranquility. Carter's face began to blotch with redness, anger spiking in his dull eyes. Keith saw the moment he was making his move, let it get to a certain point and pushed himself out of the way at the first gunshot blaring off. His rolling chair sliding to the side and whirling about, another shot ran out coming from his right now, Keith lunged off of his chair, his own gun now in his hands and moving with his werewolf speed, he sent two bullets into the two people who had fired their guns.
"I didn't let them disarm you guys, I'm sure even if I had you wouldn't have listened at this point. Plus what's the fun in that?" He walked towards Carter, sending another shot to Lisa's way, this time her arm didn't attempt to lift itself again, and stood down looking at Carter's face. He had shot his neck, blood pooled out of the human skin with no signs of slowly down.
"I despise liars." He told the dying man and turned to face the room.
"Do you get it now? I know all of you are guilty. I can prove it all. Here look I'll continue. Give you something to watch as you leave this world." He put the file on auto and let the pages show one by one how each of them made plans to kill both him and Quill. Without waiting for it, Keith began shooting the slow ones fighting against the faster shifters, until he had all of them wounded and incapable of moving at least for the next few minutes. He wanted them to suffer which was why he had avoided any main areas if he could help it.
He left the room, started up the second gift he had in store for them, which was silver and wolfsbane gas flooding the room from the air vents and started down for the next room, where he'd change it up for the max enjoyment of his revenge. Either way, everyone was going to die today.
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