Dark Prisoner ✔

Chapter 12: Beauty and the Beast

Mia looked over at the clock on the wall as it ticked away slowly. She sat on her bed, waiting for the milk she requested, her legs stretched underneath the blanket as she saw the dark sky cascade over the house. The feelings of anxiety plagued her mind whenever her brother would leave for these missions, because she never knew if he'd come home safe or in a body bag, just like the rest of her family.

Mia laid back on the bed, her head on the pillow as she stared at the moon brimming in the sky. She prayed to the goddess to protect Kade, Dario and Nikolai. She couldn't endure any more losses. An ache ran through her as she realized that perhaps prayer wouldn't save them, just like it didn't help last time. She closed her eyes as the horrible memories crept around to capture her in their grip and drag her into their darkness.

Despite her resistance, the memory of that fateful night appeared in front of her. She was that young girl again running away from the men who chased her after they brutally killed her brother Emilio and their parents. The first thing Lucas had done when he caught her was break her left leg so that she couldn't run when the other men grabbed her. Even now, as she laid in bed, her leg throbbed with that sharp pain of when it broke. The bones shattered and it bent in an abnormal angle as she cried out in pain and begged them to stop. But they hadn't. Their thick, disgusting hands seized her from everywhere and made sure she'd never let out a sound and...

Mia sprung out of bed gasping for air, pushing away her hair from her face. She stumbled out of bed, trying hard not to fall from the pain in her leg. She saw all of their heinous faces around her in this dark bedroom. She couldn't get away. She couldn't save herself.

Mia clattered with the lock as she burst open the balcony doors and toppled outside. The cold breeze swept through her hair and dried the tears on her cheeks. She collapsed against the railing as she tried her hardest to breathe again.

She didn't turn around and kept her gaze fixated on the tree ahead of her. She tried to remind herself that she was safe in the house and that no one could attack her here. But nothing was comforting enough. She couldn't even look at the moon anymore.

Unknown of how much time passed, she went back into her room but felt a strange sickness in her gut. Mia abandoned her room and left for the elevator right outside her door, taking her to the ground level. She left through the small door to the garden for some fresh air rather than the stifling nightmares in her bedroom.

-Vadik's POV-

Vadik hadn't received any update on what was going on at Xeon after Alec left to stop Mikhail with Kade and his team. He figured two things happened. First, that his brother stopped Mikhail and they were coming home sooner rather than later. Or Mikhail wasn't there and they were coming home. However, Alec would have told Vadik either way if the plan did or didn't work. Something must have happened to them. An attack? Or perhaps, a diversion?

Vadik crossed the living-room when he saw a maid carrying tray with a cup on it. "Who's that for?" he asked her.

"For Miss. Mia," she answered.

"I'll take it to her," he held his hand out.

She looked a bit stumped but didn't argue back and gave the tray. She gave curt bow and walked off back to the servant quarters alone.

Vadik climbed the stairs and reached Mia's bedroom, he already knew where it was since he visited it before. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. Without second thought, he barged in now and it was as he suspected. There was no one here. He put the milk down and looked around the room. He saw that her walk-in closet was empty and so was the bathroom. She wasn't abducted because her scent was close. He walked out onto the large balcony when he saw a figure walking on the grass.