Second Assault — Bond And Treason —

Chapter 24 - Weak Point

XANDER

I take a deep breath before bringing the mouse cursor to the first video marked with the date of the day

I was kidnapped. Alexei takes my free hand and intertwines our fingers. Knowing that he's here, for me

at this moment when I need him so much, gives me the strength and motivation I felt lacking to face

what we're about to see. I hit the forward button on the player and start to see in a fast flash everything

that happened that day.

Waking up next to Magnus, Fred's brief advance with Derek when he went to deliver my breakfast, the

beautiful restaurant where we went to eat, when we said goodbye in the bedroom and when they finally

took me to the clothing store. All before my life changed in such a drastic and radical way. Magnus

evaluates the video by my side in silence. By the time he briefly sees the whole event in front of the

shop, his body is tense and in the end, I hear a brief grunt when he notices the hit in the head that they

gave me to capture me.

In the video I am lifted off the ground by two men and thrown roughly into the back of one of the

vehicles, before it proceeds to move. Unconscious and inert, my body rests on that leather seat, having

no idea where or what to expect once I manage to wake up. When at last the car stops, the door

opens, and again I am quickly transported to an immense mansion by two other men.

—Stop it there — I hurry to get the video back to normal speed so we can appreciate every detail —.

Let me try to identify which of his bases it is — he informs me, approaching the desk and half-closing

the eyes glued to the monitor.

I sense the pulse pounding in my neck, but I force myself to calm down a bit. In all these videos, there

might be enough evidence to get what it takes to stop Dimitri, and I don't plan to ruin it by letting my

emotions guide me.

So I fill my chest with air and proceed to study as much as I can in the turbulence of the recording. As I

have the camera on my eyebrow piercing, it moves a lot and we have to be very careful to capture

anything that can help us. I'm being transported in a horizontal position, but for our luck, we can get a

good view of the front of the place.

—I know which one it is — he says quietly and turns to see me —.That's the one he has in Tver, the

central base. He spends most of his time there — he focuses on the screen again.

Once the men enter me through the front door, there is a large metal base with wheels at the end of its

legs that they used as a stretcher to transport me. That's also where I spent every day under Dimitri's

power. Quickly my wrists are chained, as well as my ankles and they keep moving.

My head leans to one side and, grateful for our sudden luck, there is a fairly detailed view of all the

corridors through which I am transported. In one of them we can see a huge window that leads to what

seems to be the back garden, a gate in the distance guarded by several men and a couple of German

Shepherd dogs. That slight fact catches my attention, but I let it go and keep trying to get as many

clues out of it.

—It doesn't appear that big on the outside, it's been almost ten minutes and they're still moving you.

Where the fuck are they going? — It seems as if he is asking himself, so I remain silent while now, in

the video, four men are holding the metal stretcher and preparing to take me down a long staircase.

As they go on, the corridor gets narrower and narrower, until they finally reach a white metal door. I

almost swallowed my tongue when I recognized it. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

—There, Magnus — a bitter taste settles on my tongue and I start to sweat cold —. That's where I was

all the time — Magnus turns his face towards me and slightly squeezes my hand. He bends over and

places a subtle kiss on my cheek.

—If you can't go on, I'll do it myself — he whispers in my ear, and his closeness manages to calm down

the turbulence inside me —. I don't want you to force yourself, kitty.

—No, I'm fine. I can do it — I insist.

—Sure?

—Yes — No! —. I'm sure — he stares at me for a long time, until he finally nods and leans back into

the chair, focusing on the screen.

The video continues and the men have left me there all alone, locked in the four white walls that

greeted me every morning I was there, tied up, defenseless and broken.

When the door opens thirty minutes later, all the memories bombard me with strength and without

mercy.

But I can no longer escape, it is too late for that. Instead, I dedicate a silent prayer to any deity who

may be watching to offer me the resistance I require and endure to the end.

—"Come in, doctor" — Dimitri's voice is a bit distorted, with static, but still terrifying —. "This is where I

need you to evaluate him".

The sound of footsteps floods the room, both men enter and position themselves next to the stretcher

of a very unconscious Xander. I wish he'd stayed like this forever, that when he woke up, he'd absorbed

it into a long, terrible nightmare... But the reality is different.

—"An Omega, huh?" — the doctor added in confusion, staring at Dimitri —. "I thought you hated

shifters".

—"That would be my dear father, not me" — Dimitri spat with contempt —. "Now, if you'll be so kind,

give my partner a proper check-up" — The doctor nodded, his hands resting on the body of that

unconscious, broken but not yet torn Xander. The shirt and part of the trousers were pulled apart,

divided into uneven pieces by the edge of a pair of scissors, the doctor's eyebrows scowling at being

concentrated in the work.

—"Everything seems to be in order" — he announced with satisfaction after a few minutes of silent

examination —."His skin looks healthy, he has a good weight for his height, hips are wide, properly

adapted to procreate if he is...".

—"He can't" — Dimitri intervened, the doctor raised a curious eyebrow —. "I made sure of that years

ago. My father didn't want me to mate with a shifter".

—"And now?".

—"It's none of your fucking business. Go on" — he waved the chin at me. The doctor nodded and went

on with the analysis.

—"Well, he looks good. I have to do a blood test if you want to do a more thorough checkup. I see

you've already claimed him, so...".

—"Wait, wait" — Dimitri gestured with a hand to interrupt him abruptly —. "What the fuck are you

talking about? I didn't claim him".

—"And whose mark is this, then?" — he pointed at my neck, where a delicate half-moon scar could be

seen. Dimitri's anger was soon reflected, and though I know he cannot harm me from there, a simple

video from the past, I still tremble with fear.

—"What the fuck?!" — he shouted, overflowing with waves of fury —. "Damn it, the little whore let

himself be marked!" — The doctor recoiled a short distance, frightened by his explosive reaction.

Dimitri walked back and forth, breathing heavily and pressing hard the jaw. Then he rushed to the table

on which were placed the utensils the expert used to examine me, and turned it over, the sound of

metal echoing through the four walls and startling me unavoidably.

Magnus holds my hand tighter and I sigh, thinking that it's just a bit further for the video to finish.

—"Shit, I knew I shouldn't have left him alone in that fucking boarding school!" — he grunted, then he

went over to the stretcher and shook it roughly. My head bobbed back and forth until it fell to one side,

pointing straight at his red, anger-distorted face —. "I should have taken you with me, goddamn it!".

—"Mr. Zhukovski, calm down" — the doctor indicated with caution —. "He's sedated, he can't hear

you".

—"And you better keep him that way for a while" — he warned in a low and threatening tone —. "I don't

want to deal with him now. I'll be back once I figure out how to replace that mark with my own" — he

pointed at the door, telling the doctor to leave, and he followed.

Before leaving, he turned and looked at me with restrained anger and then left, locking the door. I

breathe, my heart stumbles inside my chest and the horror causes my skin to feel stiff, my bones like

blocks of ice, freezing my blood.

—Fucking bastard — I hear Magnus mumbling after a few seconds of silence, pulling me completely

out of the shock I was in. «So that was his reason for doing all that to me», I thought, finally fitting all

the pieces of the puzzle into place —. Let's watch the others — unable to respond I just nod, moving

the cursor to the other videos.

The next two recordings show the same thing: the doctor going in and out of the room several times to

give me some kind of sedative through the IV connected to an infusion bag on a railing at the side of

the table.

My head remains in the same position all those days, pointing towards the door of the room.

Completely immobile, I couldn't move even a small millimeter, totally unconscious under the effects of

the sedative. No wonder I was so sore when they woke me up. It is in the third video that things finally

change. The door opens and Dimitri and the doctor enter again, with a first-aid kit in the hands.

—"Do you want him fully conscious?" — he requested, poking around inside the box, putting on a pair

of gloves.

—"Yes, I want the little bitch to realize that he will belong to me now and no one else" — he looked at

me then, with obvious evil reflected in the eyes.

—"Good" — the doctor took out a syringe and filled it with a yellow liquid, taking it to the IV connected

to my fainting arm and injecting its contents slowly —. "He will be a bit dazed at first and may find it

hard to remember, but it is because of the time he has been asleep".

—"I don't care as long as he wakes up. The rest he'll have to deal with" — The doctor stepped aside

and Dimitri ordered him to leave.

Soon my head began to move slowly, moans of pain escaped from my numb lips and my limbs tried to

rise, though without much success because of the restrictions that held me down —. "Until you finally

wake up, little Xander" — Dimitri hummed low and reflected the malice and rage contained in his

words.

I gasped loudly, my head moving frantically back and forth, denying.

—"Oh, God, no... Please, no".

—"God's not here, Xander" — he held me tightly by the hair, turning my face to force me to watch him

—. "There's only you and me here, and right now, you're going to explain to me who the fuck you've let

yourself be marked by".

All the words were grunted between teeth and low hisses, Dimitri kept his jaw in tension. His face was

so close to the little camera in my piercing that we could see in detail his sharp features and the way

his eyes glowed in an intense and scary yellow.

—"Get away from me, don't touch me!" — I shouted, shaking violently on the hard metal stretcher, the

clatter of handcuffs on my wrists and ankles flooding the white room where I was being held.

—"Answer me, you piece of shit!" — He slammed my head into the stretcher, stunning that desperate

Xander —. "You're a whore, you've let yourself be touched and marked and who knows what else. I

always knew it" — with his other hand held my chin, I can still feel his fingers hurting my flesh —. "At

the boarding school, you walked behind me like a little lapdog, I always knew what a little slut you were,

but I still wanted you for myself".

—"No, Dimitri" — I sobbed, scared —. "Don't do this to me. Back off. Please, I beg you, let me go...".

—"Go? Go where?" — He released my hair and squeezed my wet cheeks with both hands —. "Your

place is with me now, you'll never leave here. You belong to me, you always have. I don't give a damn

who marked you, I'll make sure I erase that mark and replace it with mine. You'll see".

—"Let me go, Dimitri!" — shaking in vain again, only succeeding in bruising the skin that was held by

the restraints —. "How long do you plan to keep on hurting me?!" — I sobbed louder, my breathing

unsteady —. "Haven't you done enough already?!".

—"Oh, no, my pet. The only reason I didn't make you mine at the boarding school is because I had my

dad up my ass all the time. You see, he hates shifters, which is ironic, since his only son turned out to

be one" — he laughed, a hoarse, creepy sound —. "Fuck, he made sure that, by hiring all my men,

they were human because of his ridiculous phobia. It's pathetic, but at that time, I had no choice but to

leave you there.

I couldn't take over the business without his full authorization, so I was left with no alternative".

—"You abused me, Dimitri" — I cried, my voice drowned out —."I offered you my heart and you

trampled on it in the cruelest way you could find, laughing in the process" — a brief silence —."I hate

you" — I spat on his face, my saliva staining his nose, left eyelid and part of the forehead before he

wiped it with the sleeve of his suit —."I will never forgive you for all you did to me and you continue to

do so. If it were up to me, I would kill you with my own hands".

—"You're hilarious, sweetheart" — he laughed, patting me on the cheek —. "Now I'll show you who you

truly belong to, Xander. You'll realize your place is by my side, whether you like it or not" — he

straightened up and started to open his belt.

—"What? No, Dimitri... Please, for God's sake, don't do this. Not again".

—"Shut up, Xander. The less you resist, the faster it'll all be over".

—"No!".

ALEXEI

I stop the video immediately and bring him into my arms.

—Easy, kitty — I whisper, rubbing his back from top to bottom, his voice is overshadowed by the loud

crying —. I'm here, Xander. You're safe — his little hands cling to the fabric of my shirt tightly, spasms

repeatedly sweep over his body.

I knew I shouldn't have done this with him, but he managed to convince me and now those images

have brought him back to that moment that I would have given all my fortune and even my life to

prevent from happening.

—Let it out, my love — I reassured him, feeling him relax progressively and his chest starting to work

normally —. That's it, calm down. It's over. I swear on my life, he'll never lay a hand on you again,

Xander.

—This is all so wrong — whispers in my neck —. I'm sorry, I thought I could handle it.

—Nonsense. It is a deeply traumatic thing for you and it's clear that it's still too soon to submit to this. I

shouldn't have allowed it.

—I wanted to do it...

—But that doesn't mean you're ready, kitty. Not yet — I'm keeping my voice sweet, stroking his hair

with one hand, massaging his scalp.

He seems to relax, starting to purr slightly and rubbing one cheek on my chest.

—I'm tired, Magnus — he leans back and looks at me. His eyelids are swollen and the eyes are red, as

is the tip of the nose —. I want to go to sleep.

—Sure, kitty — I get up and carry him. He automatically curls up on my chest and continues to purr.

By the time we get to our bedroom, his eyes barely stay open and his body falls weakly on the bed

once I put him in it. I sit on the edge next to him and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. He

smiles at me, dazed by sleep and tiredness, both emotional and physical.

—Sleep, my love — I mutter and bend down to kiss him sweetly on the lips —. Everything will be fine, I

promise — He sighs and closes the eyes, falling asleep at once. I get up as carefully as possible, cover

him with the sheet and go back to his office.

I don't intend or want to see the rest of that footage, so I'll just jump to the next video. After minutes and

minutes of reproduction without being able to get a good track or any detail that is crucial for us, I sigh

with resignation. Until something happens... A victorious smile is drawn on my face.

—I got you, you miserable bastard.