This Is Where I Want To Be

158. Hold On, Michael

Fahan

I left the men there to start with the extraction. I could not believe Jade, and I had fought like that. I did not like myself for striking her... It had been the first time I had ever raised my hand in anger. She was being nonsensical about Aries. I understood that. But if we let the Riphath go... We would never get off that planet. Our food was depleted, and there was no relief on its way. Our numbers were rising because of instinct. Our bodies knew that we needed numbers to survive. To fight a war. The thing that would save us was also the cause of our suffering.

I had set the scientist to work, stalling. Why would we trade if they were sure that Juliet would not kill Aries? We would wait... And when the extraction was done, we would give him back like the vamps had done all those years ago.

"You can not do this! He is our child. How do you know what they will do to him after you almost kill her mate." Jade was screaming.

She had been waiting for me outside, in front of the building. All my men were there. Avrio and Raas were watching us closely. I hated that it was drifting us away from each other. I lifted my hand, and Dimitrios and one of the men picked her up and carried her out. Her legs were kicking. She was weak... Her body was still recuperating from the branding and from the birth. If it was any other time, she would have been able to fight them. I had hit her at her lowest. When she could do nothing to fight back.

"Watch her and keep her in our cave."

Avrio and Raas had decided to stay. They would not be able to go back to their planet until we could teleport out all my men and declare war on the Vampire planet. It was the reason I was not going back in there and trying for a second time to get my son. When the boy disappeared with him right in front of my eyes, I knew that they would not do anything to him. The way he was cradling Aries. Just before they knew we were there, he was playing with him.

If we were close with Beatrice... It wouldn't be long with even a more robust subject. Dimitrios had said that he had held out admirably the last two weeks. He showed no weakness. I went back inside to make sure they were starting.

A few men opened his cell, which was the first time he struggled. I could see the fear on his face. He knew what was coming. He had been on the receiving end of some method of torture in his past. I turned away as they started chaining him up. I wished there was another way, but there was not. Avrio was overseeing the proceedings, which would only make it go faster.

"How long?" I asked.

"A week or two with someone so powerful and young. Our technology has improved."

I could live with that. In a week, I would go get my son. Even if I had to kill all of them.

***

Chris

I wanted to leave Louis and Marcus on that godforsaken Red planet. The glow the world carried was ominous. The constant droning of the factories and the plants they had erected to give all of it power. It was indispensable and something I had to get used to. I was angry at them, but I stopped at the door. We were on a strange planet. Once again, in a stressful situation. It made me stop to think.

"Chris... I know you said that you would rather be on your own. That the family unit wasn't important to you... You got what you wanted. Soren is out, and you left immediately after. But this is a family problem. You can't come and take over when she calls you."

"Why did she call me Louis?" I asked and glanced back at him. Kubra had sat down, eyes on the floor. It really didn't matter that he was there. He was family, after all.

"It's my fault," Marcus said. "I told her that we would get Michael back. That we had to wait. I had no idea that Fahan would choose both stones."

"Why haven't you done anything on En-gannim? Are you really going to leave her to do everything? If I had known she was all alone... Again... I probably wouldn't have left... You're right... It is your fault. You told me not to manipulate her time. I regret not doing it... If you had known what was going on, Avrio would never have gotten away with it in the first place. You didn't even clear The Tower yet... What have you been doing the last two weeks?" My eyes drifted to Marcus. "Did you not promise her you would work with her... And as far as I know, you didn't mind playing politics when you left Juliet on Earth?"