Unbound: Forbidden Desires

38 | Turning Point

𝓦hoever this person was. It wasn't their fault I was in this mess. "Does she deserve to be hunted?" My question had clearly struck a chord with both men.

Eros's jaw clenched, his frustration evident as he shook his head. "No," he admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of regret.

"Is she working alongside Victor?"

"No."

My conviction strengthened, my voice grew firmer. "Then find another way," I insisted, my eyes locked with both Eros and Aries.

"Eva, There is no other way." Aries interjected, saying what I'm sure Eros wanted to say as well, but I shook my head.

"The way I see it, she doesn't deserve to be hunted or get hurt because of me. Regardless of what she has. So, find another solution, because I forgave what happened between Jeremy but, I won't forgive you for hurting an innocent life."

Eros's stormy eyes flickered with a mixture of frustration but then to my relief understanding. After a moment he nodded his head and there was a pause between us. I felt as though I had been holding my breath for that entire conversation and as I caught up, there was another wave of questions still in need of answers.

There was a question that had been lingering in my mind and perhaps if I could understand why Victor was after me specifically, I could figure out how to solve the problem without having to resort to hurting an innocent person.

With newfound determination, my gaze once more flickered towards Eros and Aries. "Now that that's settled, I need to know why Victor is targeting me specifically," I asserted. "What is it about me that has drawn his attention? You mentioned this was a form of revenge before, but what do I have to do with it?"

Eros and Aries exchanged a knowing glance, as if they recognized the importance of unveiling this truth to me. Eros took a deep breath, his voice was steady as he began to explain. "Victor was a man we once lived under, like many other... families did. He was particularly cruel and paranoid, but he had many followers." He carefully chose his words like before.

"So, it was some sort of community or group you all lived in?" I interjected, trying to understand as Eros unraveled the tapestry of their past.

Eros nodded solemnly, his eyes filled with the weight of those memories. "You could say it was a community of sorts." Eros continued. "When Aries and I arrived, Victor knew right away we were different, everyone did, and Victor detested that. He detested anyone who looked or was different in any way."

"This sounds a lot like a cult."

Aries's expression hardened as he spoke up, his voice filled with anger and resentment. "Cults are easy to take down, this was worse, Eva." His jaw was wound tightly between the moments that he spoke. "We were different and Victor thrived on conformity. He despised anyone who deviated from his ideals. So from the moment we arrived, we stood out and that made us targets. Victor saw our differences as a threat to his dominance."

My mind was racing, trying to process the magnitude of the situation. Just this part of their revelation already explained to me the deep-seated animosity Victor harbored towards them and vice versa.

Looking at them both, I realized that this part of their past was still painful to recall.

Eros continued after. "Being young though, we were desperate to fit in and oddly one day it seemed Victor had a change of heart. He suddenly accepted us, treated us well, but in turn we had to do things that went against our morals. It took us a while to realize he was manipulating us, using us for our strengths, but when we figured it out, Aries and I vowed to leave."