Severed Ties

Captivity

Cameron

There was nothing to soften the rage that coursed through my body, boiling to the surface and threatening to burst forth, and I didn't know how far I would go if I finally snapped, would I go back to the person I was before, with no care for consequence, with no limit to how much pain I would bring, the only difference being then I had done it for myself, and now I was doing it all for her.

"Um hi," the boy in front of me spoke and I didn't know what to say or feel or think, my mind was pounding with memories that I had long since locked away. How could I have forgotten him, my brother? 

How did I not remember the connection we used to have, what had happened to me?

And here he was, speaking softly in a fragile tone, and I knew he too was swept up into this all. It made sense that my father would always have a contingency plan, but having ripped my brother away from me just so one day he could use him as leverage there really was no limit to his cruelty.

And here he was my younger brother, and all he could manage to say was hi.

He wasn't made for this world. 

I was.

"Connor," my voice was a broken rasp, what do you say to a brother who thinks that you abandoned them? That you never sought them out, that you were too focused on yourself. What did you do then? When all the hope and life had been drained from someone you didn't even know you lost. 

He must resent me.

"What is this?" I snarled out, turning to Alara's father, who had laughter on his feature, this was a joke to him, a mere game, not my life, not his daughter's life, not even my brother's life. 

"Your wedding gift of course," he answered smoothly and my fist nearly connected with his face, but I hadn't missed the fact that he was holding a gun behind his back. I would be dead in seconds, and it appeared my father didn't even need me for his schemes to go through. If I died it wouldn't even matter, he had a backup.

It was cruel to think of my brother as backup or a spare but it was true, he was insurance, double assurance, and I was nothing anymore. My father never really did care for me, especially since I began to care for Alara. 

And his hatred ran deep to the point he didn't even care whose lives he ruined.

Not that he ever cared.

"So this is it? You're just going to show me a brother I was forced to forget and give me some sick twisted ultimatum, that I either marry Alara and condemn her to a life of being controlled by my father or your force my brother who hasn't even met her to marry her instead?"

"I guess you are the smart one," Damon responded curtly, "Now? Your decision is expected. What will it be Cameron?"

I remembered Owen's words, not to say I do but there was no choice, I could protect Alara if I was with her. If I was married to her, we would figure it out. And I didn't know anything about Connor but I doubted he wanted to marry Alara either, I could only imagine how he had been kept in captivity, a secret weapon for our father to wield. 

His soft blond hair fell before his eyes, he looked so young, so innocent, so fragile, and so not ready for what was to come. He was a child at most, and I wouldn't force him to pay for my mistakes.

"I'll marry Alara," and before Damon's smirk could grow I added, "On one condition,"

He bristled at the statement, clearly taken aback and prepared to deny whatever request I had.

"You let Connor go,"

"Absolutely not, that is not my decision that is your father's."

"Hmm, you know what I think?" I took a menacing step forward and I could see Alara's father fight not to take a step back, "I think you're bluffing, there's no ultimatum because you've forgotten to put one thing into account, Alara has to say I do too."

Damon Mortello scowled his aged brown skin creasing at the corners of his mouth as he frowned, "Alara will do as I say,"

I barked out a laugh and his frown depend, the laugh was completely unhinged, "Alara won't listen to you, she'll never listen to you,"

"She's my daughter she will do as I say, she will obey,"

Connor stood in the corner studying us both, a look of confusion spreading across his features as though he had never seen Mr Mortello so rattled, his lips pressed into a thin line and at the exact moment he met my eyes and I very nearly broke then and there, they were pleading, telling me to stop it, to let it all go, but that just spurred me on further. 

"You don't know you're daughter at all, she obeys no one, and she won't say I do to Connor or anyone other than me. And you can't force her to, if she says 'I do' out of duress the marriage will be nullified, she won't be bound to any contract and you can't have that. So I'll say it again, let him go,"

He gritted his teeth, and moved over to Connor, he pulled out his gun and pressed it against his temple, "NO"

Tears slipped down Connor's face, and I shattered into a million pieces that splintered through my heart pressing against the parts that cared too much, that had almost died before I met Alara, but I couldn't breathe, I rushed forward but in response, Damon pressed the gun harder to Connor's head, "Please..." his small voice broke and I couldn't do anything I couldn't move I couldn't help. I had just got my brother back and now he was going to be killed in front of me.

A sadistic grin pressed itself against Damon Mortello's face and he knew he had one, "One more step out of line and I'll blow his brains out, and I'll do it happily,"

"You sick fucking piece of shit," all the curses had flown from my mouth but they were useless words that could do nothing to help.

Connor closed his eyes, hiccupping slightly as fresh tears fell down his face, his nose had turned a bright shade of red, his green eyes sparkling with melancholy, and not just melancholy of that moment it was a misery that stretched back years.

"Please, Cam, please just do what he says," he was shaking now and Damon had him by this scruff of his shirt.

"Listen to the poor boy why don't you? Don't make this any harder than it has to be,"

"Fine, take me to the altar," I bit out and finally he released Connor who in a sputtering mess fell to the floor, his arms flew out to catch himself so his face didn't smash against the ground, and I was next to him in a matter of moments pulling him up and wiping the tears from his face, "Hey, Con, it's alright I'm here I'm so sorry," he reached out to me with spindly arms wrapping around me and I could feel how his heart thundered through is thing shirt, and I almost broke down right then and there, "I'm so sorry," and he sobbed into my shirt staining it with hot tears that burnt against my skin but what hurt more was that this was all my fault.

"It's ok," he replied in a broken whisper but I never got the chance to reply before I was dragged away by Damon.

"How touching, he'll stay in this room until after the ceremony, just as a precaution," and then as I was pulled out of the door and cast one more look at my brother I realised that I had just transferred him from one prison to another.

His whole life had been one of captivity.