The panic takes awhile to settle in. At first I think this might be completely normal. That my parents pawning me off to the son they always wanted must be the most natural thing since we got engaged. 

I place my communicator on the bed and start doing routine things that I would normally do once back from work. I comb my hair, take a bath, change into a fresh set of clothes. My hands are shaking when I apply serum to my face. 

I stare at my reflection under the undulating system of lights that crisscross each other in Lazarus's bathroom. The lights in my room would have been static, the voice activated system I installed responding solely to me, shutting them off and turning them on at my whim and fancy. 

I croak out an instruction, trying to see if Lazarus has the same thing. There's no response and that fact, coupled with the penetrating silence finally gets to me. 

Tears roll down my face and I smash my fist against the mirror in front of me. It's reinforced, so I only end up hurting myself, the pain reverberating up my forearm making my bite my lip. I swallow my panic and rush to the door. 

Lazarus said he was going to check on dinner but that felt like eons ago. Why hasn't he come back? Why can't I reach anyone on my communicator? 

I think of all the Plutonians I should be corresponding with. Axis has been monitoring the labs, he could have gotten back to me by now. Lucian has been eerily silent, I haven't heard from him since the engagement was announced and now the need for him grows exponentially. 

Lucian would know what to do. He will be able to help me. 

I key in his number on my communicator and press for the call to go through but the rotating icon on my screen tells me the signal is lagging. I let out a small scream of frustration and begin pounding on the door. 

"Let me out!! Let me out! Lazarus!!" I scream until my throat feels raw, like someone has run their nails down my oesophagus. A bout of coughing ensues, so intense that I buckle over, falling on my knees in the process. 

A racking cough runs through me, threatening to burst through my ribs. I don't realise when the door opens and Lazarus rushes in to help me up. My chest aches, nothing comes out but I can't seem to stop coughing. 

"Luna, I'm here. I'm here." He presses a palm against my chest and another runs up and down my back repeatedly. His voice is smooth like velvet, meant to be soothing but it has the opposite effect on me. 

I start shaking even more. I push against him as tears run down my cheeks. "Get away from me!" 

"Luna," Lazarus's eyes, those beautiful eyes I used to be so obsessed with watch me with blatant worry. I feel like poking them out so he can stop staring at me like that. 

"I said get away!" I screech. I tumble away from him, out of his room. The sight of the familiar hallway draws oxygen into my lungs and I take in a deep breath, so sharp it sears through my chest. 

My shoulder hits the wall and I push against it, moving away from him and his room. 

"Where are you going? You're not in the right state of mind, Luna." 

I feel him approaching and quicken my pace. The bubble of panic starts to grow in my belly again. I feel like one of those foxes he used to hunt whenever we visited Proxima B. My brain churns, fingers tightening around my communicator. I can't outrun him, me crawling against the walls isn't going to stop him from trapping me in my room again. 

I press the dial icon again and this time the line goes through. Lucian answers after the third ring and I quickly bring it to my ear. 

"Lucian, I need you," My voice breaks again, the feeling of betrayal and hurt bubbling its way up my throat. "Please save me." 

My hand is yanked back violently and Lazarus slams me against the wall. My head hits the hard marble and it feels like it's cracked open. I release the communicator as a result and it falls to the floor with a crash. 

"I'm at Lazarus's." I scream loudly, hoping that Lucian is still on the line and my comm has not broken. 

Lazarus cups my mouth with his palm, his fingers pressing my skin hard enough to bruise. He looks livid as he presses me against the wall, oblivious to the fact that he's hurting me. 

"Now why did you have to do that, huh?" He presses harder, face contorting with rage and my jaw aches. I blink furiously and gasp in pain, shocked that he hasn't pulled away. 

"You're hurting me," I whimper, struggling against him. 

"You made me look bad during our visit to Earth. Now you're screaming like an uncultured human, making me look bad to my staff. I told you, you'd be free to leave once dinner was ready so what was all that drama for? Why did you have to call the one Plutonian I have never trusted? He already sees me as a villain and now you've gone and made it worse." 

Lazarus pushes against me harder and it feels like my ribs are about to burst under the pressure. And then just like a switch, his eyes lighten. His expression changes in a flash. He releases me and I slump forward, gasping. My head is pounding but I resist the urge to touch it. All I want to do is run away. 

But where? I can't go back home, my parents would only send me back here. 

"Shit, I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?" He studies me cautiously and I cast him a murderous look. 

"I want to leave," I tell him in a low voice. 

"Luna, you're not thinking straight. I can't let you out of my sight in this condition." 

"What condition? Me being trapped here, unable to leave your room without your permission? Unable to make a single call? Why don't you just throw me in prison while you're at it, huh?" My body shakes so much, anger bursting out of my every cell. 

The moment I gave in a little, the moment I said yes, he traps me in a cage of his making. Now I wonder if getting my father involved in his experiments had been his plan all along. He never had his biological parents support, so he stole mine and now they're snug in his pockets, too deep inside for me to reach. 

I used to like him being close to them, now it all feels like a game of chess. 

He strokes my hair, smoothening it down. "You're not trapped. Come on, get some rest and then we can talk about the arrangements. I apologise for doing this without your knowledge. I thought you'd find it romantic, I was clearly wrong." 

I feel a vein throb at my temple, my blood is pulsing so hard it feels like a vessel's about to burst. 

"You thought this would be romantic?" I push past him and walk away. "I'm leaving, Lazarus." 

"Where are you going to go?" His tone turns knife edged. 

"I don't know, a hotel or something." I mumble. Maybe once I'm outside, breathing in the fresh air, then I can make a decision. 

Lazarus takes hold of my forearm and pulls me back. "How would that look for us, Luna? Everyone knows we just got engaged, what would they say to you checking into a hotel alone?" 

My teeth gnash together in annoyance. Of course that's all he cares about. 

"Listen, just stop. Let's go to the solarium and talk. I'll get the staff to make us tea or that coffee from Earth you like so much. I have some smuggled somewhere around here." He insists. 

I wriggle out of his hold. The more he wants me to stay, the more I want to leave.  "We'll talk later. I need some space right now." 

"And by space you mean Lucian, right?" Again his fingers burrow into my skin, so hard I just know he's going to leave another bruise. 

"I never said that," I seethe and pull my arm back but he holds on and suddenly everything just feels so hopeless. The only thing I can do is scream in frustration. 

"Help me! Help!!" I scream so loud that I don't hear his attendants rushing our way. 

"She's having an episode. We need to sedate her." Lazarus's tells his staff, while I struggle against him. 

I fall silent. The horror of what he just said sinking in. Now he's making me out to be mentally unstable? Plutonians are not supposed to have such issues, especially Plutonian leaders. If this gets out my reputation will be ruined, the best way forward for me would be to marry him and remain in his shadow. 

Which is obviously what he wants. 

I clear my throat, forcing myself to calm down even though all I want to do is break down the walls caging us in this corridor. I have to remain stoic, I can't let his staff think I've lost it. 

"I'm fine. I'm fine." My lips press together, forming a tight smile. "Must be exhausted from today. You're right, maybe I just need some rest." 

"Let me help you with that," Lazarus murmurs tenderly. He holds out a hand and I watch an attendant place a vial on his palm. They've removed the cap, the tiny needle barely legible to the naked eye. 

I let out a nervous chuckle. "I don't need that. I'm exhausted enough as it is." 

"Don't worry, this will only relax you a little." 

I keep the smile plastered on my face but my head shakes in protest. "I'm very relaxed. I have you here, what's there to panic about?" 

He only smiles in response, I know he sees through my charade and the bastard looks like he's enjoying it. 

I close my eyes when the small pin prick sensation is felt on my arm. It happened so fast, he moved with such practiced precision, reminding me of our trainings together growing up. A tear rolls down my cheek, I never thought he'd use a manoeuvre reserved for targets on me. 

The drug takes effect immediately. A numbing sensation snakes down my arm, leaving my fingers tingly. Then a coolness flits down my neck, going past my torso and finally to my legs, making them feel like noodles. 

I blink away the resultant exhaustion and the bell rings suddenly. Lazarus's eyes shoot up to the sound of it. 

"Whoever it is, tell them to come back another time. We're busy," He instructs his attendant and I hear the sound of boots thumping against the floors. 

The bell rings again and again but he turns us around, leading me back to his room. There's some commotion happening somewhere in the house because I hear a loud crash and then the alarms go off. 

Lazarus curses under his breath and then I hear shouting from somewhere far off. Lucian's voice is adamant as he calls out for me, the sound of it music to my ears. 

Lazarus places my limp body on the floor and then he rushes off in the direction of the noise. My eyelids have grown heavier with each passing second, I try to keep them open but eventually succumb to the blackness behind my eyes, just as a crash echoes down the corridor.