Bloodline

~ Chapter 12 ~

Mia woke up from her slumber with a piercing scream, her body jolting upwards in a sitting position as the nightmare slowly left her. But just as soon as she relaxed thinking that it all was just a dream, she tensed back up when it became clear to her that it was in fact the reality.

Gideon appeared in the room where Mia rested and the look on her face made him worry. He carefully stepped closer to her, reaching out his hand to grab her gently by the arm, but she flinched away. She was aware that it wasn't Gideon that did all those things to her, but it seemed like any touch at this point would burn her.

"Mia..." his voice was soft and full of concern, "I won't hurt you. I promise." He tried to reach for her again, but dropped his hand at the broken look she was giving him. She looked so fragile and he was afraid she would break at any touch.

"It wasn't just a dream," Mia finally uttered, her eyes focused on nothing particular, wide and swimming with tears that threatened to fall at any moment.

"What wasn't?"

"Cassius. He... what he did..." she didn't want to believe it was true, but the fact was that she was specifically made to remember. Gideon's face gave away the dread that cursed his body as he quickly realized what she was talking about. Cassius compelled her to remember what he did to her, and now she would be haunted by the memories. He said he wouldn't touch her, but this was worse than touching. He was sure to leave her suffering from how violated she was and how he used her for his own desire and how helpless she was in all those situations that he made her forget at first.

"Mia..." Gideon touched her arm tentatively, but she recoiled back, looking at him with tearful eyes.

"Gideon, he... he r-raped me. And all I could do was take it, as if I was under his submission. He used me for his own deranged pleasure." She started to sob by the end of her rambling, her words slurring with the tears that were cascading down her face.

"Hey," he couldn't take looking at her unravelling anymore, and despite her being apprehensive of his touch, he pulled her into his chest, holding her and trying to comfort her as much as he could, "You couldn't do anything against his compels. And I'm so sorry I didn't get to him sooner. I wish I could erase all these memories, but I can't." She remained tense for a long moment, before the familiar scent engulfed her senses and she found comfort, relaxing in his arms.

"Why?" Mia cried as she pulled away to look at him. "If he can, can't you?"

"He compelled you to remember. I can't overrule his compulsion." He looked at her with regret, while inside he was all shades of irritated because of he couldn't do anything to make her feel better. Her eyes glazed over with new tears and he sighed painfully. "No, Mia, please don't cry. You're breaking my heart." He pulled her back into him and held her close as she let it all out. His shirt got soaked with the salty tears, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered right now was the girl in his arms, and how she seemed to break in his arms.

Mia cried herself to sleep, and Gideon carefully moved across the bed with her still in his arms so she could get more comfortable without waking her up. He held her head gently with his hand on his chest and she curled into him, her small fingers fisted into his shirt. He didn't dare budge as the fragile girl rested, afraid of her waking frightened again.

~

Mia felt as if a dark grey and gloomy cloud got stuck over her - over her heart. She could barely function, she could barely eat, and she rarely left the confines of her bed. She knew that sulking would get her nowhere, but she felt like self-pity was the best she could do at the time being.

Gideon on the other hand, was restless. He was worried about Mia's way of coping – though understandable, the fact that she wasn't eating anything or drinking any water, besides the occasional cup of tea most evenings, didn't do any good to her. It only worsened her state of being. And on top of that, he had to occupy himself with the search of the girl with the royal blood. Chris helped, and truthfully did most of the work, but he still had to be involved. It took a couple of days to occur to Gideon that he had to check Mia's family ancestry as well, and when he finally did, it didn't sit well with him. She was a potential carrier. And her family originated in Greece, which did no good to the case. In the Council's mind, she would be a perfect candidate to test out first. The decision came easily to both Chris and Gideon. They would keep this to themselves for the time being, until they were sure that Mia was or wasn't the carrier of the bloodline.