Chapter Twenty-Four

"Get off me, asshole! I'll break your goddamn face!"

Four ignored me with a smirk, hauling me around by the neck and leading me out of whatever weird room we appeared in and out into an equally sterile white corridor that smelled like cleaner. It reminded me a lot of the compound, and yet, something was off.

This wasn't the compound I'd grown up in.

This was a different location.

The atmosphere was different. While everything was still sterile and white and clean, the atmosphere itself was off. Either we were in a different wing or a completely different compound.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, reaching back to claw at Four's hand, but he ignored me and jerked me hard, making me choke a little.

"Like I said, time to meet the Mother," Four responded, "You wanted to come home, right? Well, you might wanna be prepared to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, cuz we're going to meet her right now." My stomach dropped at that and I swallowed thickly, stumbling along the corridor in front of Four.

Meeting the Mother? Herself?

I'd never met the Mother, as astonishing as that was. Even during the experiments, I'd never seen her. She was always behind closed doors to a two-way mirror. I had never seen her, never met her personally, only heard of the things surrounding her. Things like her being stunningly beautiful, incredibly intimidating, stoic, powerful. All I had were rumors.

Meeting the Mother? Now?

My anxiety ramped up and it renewed my vigor to fight Four, though, to no avail because he refused to let up and would jerk me around if I fought particularly hard. His grip on me was ironclad, and he was like a steam roller going down that hallway, refusing to stop or adjust his grip.

In no time, we reached a set of white double doors with gold leafing on it. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen at a compound.

Four kicked the doors open and they banged against the wall. We strode into what appeared to be a throne room. It was all clean white with gold swirling designs on the walls and the Greek columns that rose up high into the ceiling. Archways were marked into the walls, framing paintings of ancient battle scenes. A long white rug led the way to a raised dais upon which sat a white marble throne decorated with thin gold designs. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

The room was completely empty.

Four threw me at the floor and I hit the ground, cursing and whirling around to face him with bared fangs. He simply smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

"What is the meaning of this?" A voice demanded. I swung back around to see that someone had appeared in the room at the base of the dais. They were a petite creature, wearing a white robe that fell longer in back, shorter in front and a long matching cloak with cold shoulder sleeves. Their long black hair ran in a sleek ponytail down their back to their butt, their eyes blue with black sclera, their skin porcelain and flawless.

"I come delivering the Beast," Four announced, making the creature go still. The creature, their gender undetermined, stared at me for a long moment. I glared back at them cautiously. The creature finally blinked and looked up.

"You return," they said at last, "And with a gift, it would seem. Perhaps you wish to make up for your absence." Four rolled his eyes up at the ceiling, like he was trying to think of something that wasn't smart alecky, then he looked at the creature.

"Just bring the Mother, Hild," he ordered, making the creature glare at him.

"I do not answer to you, only the Mother, you arrogant prick," they said, earning a shrug from Four, "I will fetch the Mother. Patience is a virtue." They vanished before I could ask or say anything. I turned to Four, who shrugged again and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jumpsuit.

"What the hell is going on? Where are we?" I demanded. Four looked at me.

"Oh, right, you never got clearance because you abandoned us," he said, making me glare, "Welcome to the Mother's palace, squirt." I froze at that, then looked around the throne room warily. It was so pristine and white. It was almost enough to blind someone. I turned back to Four.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Hild," Four responded, "She's one of the Mother's handmaidens. She has six total, but Hild is the one who calls the shot most of the time. I'm just glad it was Hild and not Mia. Mia's a total cuntbag and I hate dealing with her. I mean, Hild's a bitch too, but you know. Females."

"No, I don't," I deadpanned, unamused by the sexist remark, "And the Mother... She's coming here."

"Yes."

"In the flesh."

"Yes."

"For real?"

"No," Four drawled sarcastically, making me glare at him, "She's gonna vid chat from her room. Yes, she's coming here, imbecile. She's been waiting to get you back. Especially now that you've some use to us." I grimaced at that and looked away. I had no idea how to control my Beast, so what fucking use was I to her? On top of that, I had no magic. Even in Beast mode, I didn't have magic. So my Beast was fast and strong, big fucking whoop. That wasn't enough to take down an entire army, not like the King of Atlantis.

I felt my stomach sink as I remembered the King and Akin and Thirteen. I ached to go back, and it was weird, because... why? What was left for me there anyway? Without Keros, what was the point? Thirteen was happy with the King and Akin. He belonged there. He fit in there. He was part of their family. I, on the other hand, was nothing, but a nuisance. The King was always happy to remind me of that.

This was for the best, I reminded myself. Granted, once they found out my Beast was useless, they'd probably lock me up or use me as Bait or maybe even kill me. At the same time, it was better than being in the way back in Atlantis. Now that I was gone, I could find a way to get Keros back to them and everything would be okay.

I just needed to find Keros.

"And Keros?" I asked. Four frowned.

"Who?" He asked. I sighed, rubbing my temples. Of course Four wouldn't know. He was imprisoned when Keros had been kidnapped. So he had no idea where he was at. What if he wasn't here? What if he was in a different location? My anxiety ramped up, and it only increased as the air rippled and pulsed with power.

I swung around just as a plume of smoke appeared, then dissipated. Hild appeared once more, and this time, she was joined by... someone.

Someone incredibly beautiful.

Someone incredibly powerful.

Someone incredibly deadly.

The female who appeared beside the oneiroi was out of this world. She was very tall, very slender, lean and willowy. Her hair was platinum blonde and fell in loose waves over her shoulder. Her skin was a light shade of olive, sunkissed, her eyes a sharp intelligent pale blue, her features stern and cold. She wore a sleek modern white suit with a matching belt and a blazer that sat neatly on her shoulders.

"My Queen," Hild announced, "The soldier Four arrives with a gift, the Beast."

I stiffened and took a step back, then found myself unable to move. Like every muscle in my body had frozen in place and I was trapped in space, only able to watch as the female's sharp blue eyes drifted from my feet up to my face. She was silent. She didn't speak, she didn't acknowledge anyone else and only stared at me, her expression unreadable.

After a moment, she stepped forward and her stiletto heel cracked against the marble. She took another step forward and the only sound now were her heels snapping on the marble as she strode forward to approach me, stopping once she was in front of me. I had to tilt my head back to stare up at her, my heart hammering in my chest, my mouth going dry.

Panic ensued, but damn it to hell, I couldn't do anything about it because I was frozen in place. I couldn't tell if it was my fear that held me motionless, or if the Mother herself was doing something to me.

She was silent for a long moment, her intense eyes searing into me.

She lifted her hand and I tracked the movement out of panic, watching her draw her hand up so she could take my jaw in her hand. She didn't grab me hard, didn't squeeze or cause me pain. The touch was surprisingly gentle, delicate, her perfectly manicured nails not digging into my skin. She tilted my head from side to side, examining me.

She smelled like almond and cedarwood. I had no idea how I knew that. I just knew it. The scent was sweet, nutty, strangely comforting. My eyelids fluttered for a second as I took in a deep breath to smell her better.

"You left me," she said suddenly. Her voice was unexpected in the ear ringing silence. It was warm, dark, a confusing combination of motherly love and a business woman. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not.

"I'm sorry," I heard myself say, like I was suddenly on autopilot.

"I gave you a bed. A home. Education. Food. Water. And yet, you left me," she said softly. I swallowed thickly.

"I-I'm... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," I managed. She studied my face, then let go of me and took a small step back. She scanned me from head to toe again, then met my eyes.

"You seem well," she said at last, "Your health is still intact. Your Beast seems sedate." No one said anything in response. I don't think anyone knew what to say. Even Hild had a wary look to her as she eyed the Mother closely.

"And yet," she murmured, "You return to me. Perhaps the outside world wasn't as kind as you expected." I swallowed again. She was making me nervous. I kept expecting her to zap me on the spot, to just kill me and get it over with, but she didn't. She just stood there and studied me, like she was looking at a painting.

"I... I'm scared," I said at last, unable to lie with her staring at me like that, "Keros. He was taken from his home. He-He didn't do anything to deserve that. He was just protecting me. He was trying to help. He didn't mean to hurt anyone. He shouldn't be here. He belongs with his people." The Mother blinked at that, appearing a bit surprised by my words before she relaxed to a degree. She gave a slow, understanding nod. Or at least, I think it was understanding. Again, it was so hard to read her. She was being so... calm. So relaxed. She wasn't infuriated, raging, or destroying things. She was just calm.

"Keros," she said slowly, "He is the son of Cerberus and Blaine." I looked at her, surprised.

"You know him?" I asked. She looked at me and Hild winced.

"Do not question the Mother, boy," Hild commanded. I swallowed.

"S-Sorry."

"I know of him," the Mother said at last, "I know you spent a considerable amount of time with him during your excursion. He is brave, that one. Like Cerberus. Intelligent, like Blaine. Strong, like both of them."

"He is," I said immediately, "He's..."

"Do you love him?" The Mother asked. I froze at that. Froze at the words that seemed to slap me across the face because damn it, my immediate response was just...

"Yes," I whispered. I couldn't lie. Not with her staring at me like that, not with the incredible ache in my heart to have Keros back where he belonged.

Behind her, Hild's eyes widened and her lips parted in disbelief. Behind me, I heard Four give a puff of air through his nose, and I was unsure if he was laughing at me or making a sound of surprise. I couldn't turn around to look at him. All I could do was look at the Mother, who stared at me stoically.

"I see," she murmured at last. There was a long silence now, and my panic was rising.

"P-Please don't hurt him," I managed, earning a glare from Hild now, "He didn't do anything to deserve it. He doesn't deserve to be hurt for protecting me. Please, just send him back home. I won't follow. I won't ever leave again. I'll stay forever. Just please don't hurt him." The Mother stared at me, didn't speak, didn't show any sign of anger or remorse or anything. She was scaring the shit out of me. The lack of reaction was even more terrifying than a reaction. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, what she was planning, or god fucking forbid, what she'd already done.

"You left me," the Mother said after a moment, "You fled your home. You fled your safety and your comfort and the life you have here to enter the world beyond. You fell in love with an outsider." I swallowed nervously.

"I--"

"Shut up," Hild ordered. I snapped my mouth shut. The Mother studied me for a moment longer, then averted her eyes slowly, as if she were thinking hard about something.

"You will never leave again," she said at last, "This claim is baseless. Your words, at this point, mean nothing to me." Fear rode down my spine like an ice cube. I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. It was like someone had stolen my voice. I tried again, but again, nothing came of it. I was motionless, I was wordless.

"You will remain here," the Mother said simply, "We will begin our tests at once. There is no time to waste. In the meantime, I will care for Keros as if he were my own. I have no reason to harm him." All I could manage was a sigh of relief, until the Mother stepped up to me and she put her finger under my chin, forcing my head up to face her, our eyes meeting.

"Unless you give me one." Her words were cold. Icy. Frigid. I felt naked. Like she'd stripped me of everything, even my own skin. I wanted to say something, anything, but my body refused to move, refused to speak, refused to do anything.

She stepped back and vanished in a plume of smoke. Hild watched her go, then turned to Four.

"Please escort our brother to his chambers," she ordered. Four inclined his head and came forward, grabbing me by the arm. Suddenly, I had all motion back in my body, all thoughts, all words.

"W-Wait! Wait, she can't keep him here," I exclaimed, "He needs to be back home with his--"

Hild slapped me so hard my head snapped back and I actually almost lost my balance. Four caught me and surprised me with how gentle he was. I expected him to let me drop, but he got a hold of my arms and held me as Hild got right up in my face while I recovered from one hell of a bitchslap.

"How dare you," she sneered, "You are lucky to be alive this day, you ignorant little worm. Were I the Mother, I would have killed you on the spot. You dare shun her gifts, her love, her affection, for nothing more than a measly rodent. The Mother cannot keep him here? The Mother do as she so fucking wishes, child. You are lucky she is willing to keep him, and you, alive." I stared at her, stunned.

"But--"

Crack!

She slapped me again.

"You will obey the Mother from here on out," Hild ordered, "You will no longer speak of the outside world. You will no longer think of the outside world. You will be escorted to your quarters where you will remain in wait for our Mother to begin her tests. You will wait patiently, and with honor." I didn't know what to say and fuck it, I didn't want to try saying anything knowing the bitch would slap me again. I just nodded numbly, my whole face on fire, my head throbbing from her abuse.

Hild immediately backed off and seemed to relax at that. She studied me.

"You are one incredibly lucky brat," she stated, folding her arms over her chest, her coak sweeping the floor with the movement, "I would have killed you. Beast or no Beast. Nothing is worth having a liability, but the Mother makes her decisions wisely and I shall respect it as I respect her. Now leave this room so that I may cleanse it of your stench." Four's hands gripped my arms and guided me away toward the exit. I followed along, dumbfounded.

What the fuck just happened.

What the hell.

Once we had left the room, I turned to Four, who shut the doors behind us.

"What-- She can't do this," I managed, making Four turn to me with a droll stare, "She can't! She wanted me back, right? So she needs to send Keros home. That's what the deal was supposed to be." Four snorted.

"You wanna go back in there and tell Hild that? Go ahead. Maybe a third slap will knock some sense into you," he retorted, making me glare at him, "Now get moving. To the left and keep going until I say so." I wanted to fight, wanted to go back in and argue, but fuck, there was something about that room that was off, something creepy, something that made it hard to move, hard to fight back. It was almost like the very air itself was magically charged.

Finally, I obeyed and followed Four's instructions.

"Where is Keros?" I asked at last.

"Fuck if I know," Four responded, "And even if I did, why the hell would I tell you?"

"Because I need to know he's okay if I'm going to submit to any of her tests."

"Yeah, good luck telling her that. I dare you to tell her what to do, kid."

"I don't understand. Why couldn't I do anything, why couldn't I--"

"Don't you get it, pipsqueak? The Mother is a fucking god. If she doesn't want you to do something, she'll make damn sure you don't do it, especially now that you've defied her once. Hild's right; it's a fucking miracle she didn't kill you on the spot. I've seen her kill for much less an offense."

"But, what god is she, who is she--"

"She is the Mother," Four replied, "That's all that matters."

"You don't even question it?"

"Nope. She's given me everything I could have ever wanted. Why the fuck would I challenge her?" Four asked matter-of-factly. I clenched my teeth. I wanted to scream. Couldn't he see he was being manipulated? Couldn't any of them see it? Everything he's ever wanted, he says? Then why did he have a tiny cramped cell of a room without windows? Why was Four always alone? He couldn't possibly be happy eating almost the same thing every day.

Infuriated, I had no choice, but to follow Four's directions until we came to a large wooden door that he opened up and let me inside first.

The room was massive and completely empty. Scowling, I turned to ask Four what the fuck was going on, only for him to stab me in the neck with a needle. I gasped, reaching up to yank the thing out, but it was too late; he'd pushed down the plunger and injected me with something.

Something that made my head spin. I groaned and stumbled back and Four followed. I almost slammed face first into the floor, but he caught me under the arms and lowered me to the floor.

"Hey, cool it," Four said as I struggled against him uselessly, "Just relax."

"What-What the fuck..."

"It'll make things easier," Four responded, surprising me as I looked up to see the edges of my vision darkening around Four's blurry face, "This was my request, so be glad I made it. Otherwise, you'd have to do all those tests sober."

"What is this--"

"It's called verti," Four explained, his voice fading in and out now, "S... numbing... high as a fucking kite... okay? Just... and... better..."

"Uh?" I mumbled. The last thing I remembered was Four's grim expression and his low voice muttering near my ear.

"Fucking... luck..."