Chapter One: Freedom

3813 Words
****This is the second book in the Forbidden Trilogy: Book One: Forbidden Book Two: Phoenix Book Three: From The Ashes I advise readers not to read these books out of order because they do build upon each other. **** Content warning: This story contains violence, language, adult content, implications of s****l trauma and abusive relationships. Reader discretion is advised. Celeste             It was done.             I stared over at my lifeless body.  It was all so surreal, to see myself—or at least the body I had called mine—dead.  I looked down at my new self, feeling a slight pang of regret for killing off my sister and taking over her body.  Not to mention she had been hiding a very big secret.  My hands fell to my flat stomach and I wondered how long my stomach would remain flat for... What would a pregnancy entail? I barely knew how to take care of myself as it was! How would I be able to overcome this!? My anger towards my sister flared at the position she had placed me in, because I knew Victor would be furious about this. He would take his anger out on me, even though I’d had no control over this.             Victor ordered the guards to take away my discarded body for the time being so it wouldn’t be distracting.  Then, everyone was ordered to leave except Nikolai and I.  Once everyone was out, Victor back handed me.             “What took you so long!?” He roared, his fury flaring.             I moved with the blow, feeling a rage rear up in my chest.  How could I even begin to answer that without revealing Constance had had me dead to rights?  That she just let me win for some stupid reason. If I told him what really happened he would probably kill me himself.             Before Victor could strike again, Nikolai stepped in front of me.  He’d transformed into his human form before Dante transferred my soul into Constance’s body and had borrowed a pair of Kevin’s shorts to be modest, though I wouldn’t have minded seeing his naked body.             My cheeks flushed pink as the thought went unbridled through my mind.             I mean, I just had never seen a male specimen other than Victor before.  And even then, Victor hardly ever got undressed... I was curious.             “You knew Constance was powerful.  You underestimated her, and it almost cost you!” Nikolai accused, standing up for me.  “This isn’t Celeste’s fault.”             Victor turned on Nikolai but before he could say anything further, Nikolai continued.  “You believed Celeste was ready because she had been able to defeat, what?  A few measly immortals?  You never gave her the opportunities to really express her powers!  No wonder she had a hard time defeating Constance!  You never gave her a fighting chance because you feared she would grow too powerful for you to contain!  You tied her hands, handicapped her, when you never gave her the chance to go up against another controller, another immortal like her!  She didn’t know how to defend herself properly!  She had to learn on the spot, and quite frankly, that’s impressive.  If you want this whole thing to work, you need to believe in her loyalty and love to you.  Or else what you’re trying to accomplish won’t ever succeed!” Nikolai snapped and my stomach knotted because I knew Victor didn’t tolerate that kind of back talk.             Victor snarled, lunging towards the alpha.  I cringed, but Nikolai stood tall and strong, batting away the vampire’s attack which, only enraged him more.  From how Nikolai spoke and criticized Victor, it didn’t sound like he was a traitor amongst us.  Not like Constance had suggested.  Could he have pulled the wool over Constance’s eyes?             “Don’t you forget who I am!” Victor seethed.  “You watch how you talk to me—             “No,” Nikolai growled back with just as much force, stepping into the vampire and I was shocked to see just how tall Nikolai was. He looked down on Victor with contempt.  “I don’t have to watch how I talk to you.  Just because you are a council member, does not mean you have any jurisdiction here!  Here, you are powerless.  Here, you are only Victor, a vampire.  You know the rules and how they work.”  I wanted to whimper at the look Victor leveled Nikolai.  It had always meant a severe beating and days without anything to eat or drink.  However, Nikolai wasn’t even phased.  “Remember, it isn’t just your neck out on the line.  Had Constance won, she would have killed me too.  Out of your carelessness, and fear, you almost lost tonight.”             “Almost.  But didn’t,” Victor reiterated fiercely, his eyes sparking dangerously.             “Are you willing to continue gambling all our lives, including yours, for ‘almost’?  I’m not!  I don’t want any doubts, ever, that we won’t win.  But, if you are okay with almost, then I have no choice but to walk away.  If you are setting us up for failure, I won’t go willingly.” Nikolai drew the hard boundary in the sand.             Victor stepped back, his face still pinched with disapproval, his eyes gleaming red from the fury inside him.  He hated disrespect.  And that’s how he looked at Nikolai’s reprimand.  However, there was a thoughtful look in his eyes as he contemplated what the wolf said.  “What would you suggest we do to remedy this situation?”             “I know the methods and means Ulysses used to train Constance.  I can train her.  She can also learn a lot from Mathew and Erwin.  Both were trained in specific ways to protect Constance, and both are lethal.  They would prove to be great assets in getting her ready for any kind of combat she would run into.”             “And the controller aspect?”             “When her barriers are strong enough, I am sure she could get some practice in with Ulysses himself.  Not only would she learn from him, she would be able to find any weaknesses in his armor before facing him in a future battle.”             It all seemed legit to me and I was eager to learn more, to become more powerful because my ego and confidence was shot after Constance had owned me tonight.  I wanted to be that person everyone feared.  I wanted to be that powerful.  But Victor was ultimately the boss, the mastermind and if he determined I didn’t need anymore training, then so be it.             “Hmm, that’s not a bad plan.  But, before you go to Ulysses, you will bring her back to me for analysis.  I don’t want him being able to break through her shields and learn about our secrets and plans.”             “Of course.  It’s going to take some time before she is ready anyway—             “We’ll be starting our movement in the next month or two,” Victor interrupted indifferently.  “She will have to be ready then.”  He looked past Nikolai’s shoulder and glanced at me impassively.  “She’s good with long days, even so much as going with no sleep or sustenance for days.  She has proven herself to be quite resilient.  Don’t waste time for her feelings or necessities.  Just get her ready, fine tune her into a weapon of war.” As always. I was just an object to Victor. A possession. Albeit an adored possession.             “Umm,” I quietly spoke up from behind Nikolai, hating that I would have to add to Victor’s already sour mood.  “There’s a small complication.”             “And what is that?” Victor snapped impatiently.             “Constance was pregnant.” I whispered, so afraid of what he would do.             He looked blankly at me before turning to a very shocked Nikolai.  “Did you know?”             Nikolai shook his head.  “I had no idea.”             I had to hand it to Nikolai, he was good at acting, at portraying he wasn’t some kind of traitor.  Though, I still wasn’t sure which side he was truly playing for.  And, maybe, that was the goal, to keep me—and everyone else—guessing. That kind of talent was deadly. It was the kind of talent that won wars.             “Well, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get rid of the little monsters.  They can’t be but weeks old.”  He pulled out a knife and went to move by Nikolai. Fear and dread took hold as he wielded the knife. He had only ever used a weapon to dispose of those who disobeyed him. Panic reared her ugly head because of something that was entirely out of my hands.             I wasn’t sure how to break it to Victor that that wasn’t an option, unless he planned to kill me too.  Before Constance, I wouldn’t have ever doubted Victor’s love and loyalty to me.  But, I was learning a lot about him tonight and how easy it was to turn one’s back on someone, anyone.  It was naive to think Victor wouldn’t sacrifice me if it meant saving his own skin.  He had proven it multiple times!  I had just always been an asset, on the right side of his wrath.  Right now, though, I was afraid he wouldn’t see me as that.  That he would kill me because I was no longer useful, that I no longer fit into his agenda because of Constance’s decisions and choices.             Thankfully Nikolai stopped him.  “They may be mine,” he confessed quickly, quietly.  “I will not allow you to harm her or them.”             “That’s not your decision to make.  Celeste is mine and we have an important agenda to follow, one that persists beyond life itself! We cannot allow this pregnancy to manifest any longer. We cannot afford any delays.”             “You cannot do this.” Nikolai argued.             “Oh, but I can.”  As Victor yanked his arm from Nikolai’s grasp, Nikolai in turn physically pushed the vampire back, not allowing any room for argument.             “If you do this, you are no better than any of the other council members you so adamantly hate for breaking the most sacred rules.  This is one of them!  Do not stoop down to their level.”             “I will not allow a nine month delay!”             “I don’t think we have a choice,” I whispered, worried they may start a fight.  I bit my lip, anxiously.  I was afraid of the consequences for what I was about to say.  Damn my sister for doing this!  “You see, somehow Constance embedded a part of her soul into her womb to protect her children.” Id felt a piece of her soul touch mine when my soul was transferred into hers. Honestly, I was surprised Dante hadn’t felt Constance’s presence, or the fetuses. But, maybe, she had somehow masked them from being felt. “If we try and remove them by force, or by accident, she will kill me.”             I had never seen Victor so irate, so mad before.  I was thankful Nikolai was here because I would have indeed been afraid for my very life.  There were a lot of expletives along with threats and cursing Constance and every Erickson to ever exist.  If there had been anything to break in that room, I was sure it would all have been shattered.             “How could you let this happen!?” He screamed at me.  Nikolai made sure to keep himself as a barrier between us.  For the first time in my life, I felt protected from Victor’s wrath.  It was then and there I had Nikolai’s respect and, as tentative as it was, I trusted him.  Just from his actions alone I knew I was in safe hands.             “I—I didn’t—” I stumbled, trying to tell Victor I’d had no control over Constance’s actions.  But if I did that, he might suspect I’d never had control over the situation at all.             “What’s done is done,” Nikolai stated, drawing Victor’s attention away from me.  “It’s either we wait the nine months, or you lose your only chance and weapon of taking down the Immortal Councils.”             “Argh!”  Victor spun away to pace, agitated.  “Fine!  But at the end of those nine months, she better be ready.”             “And it isn’t like everything has to be put on hold,” Nikolai mentioned.  “There’s still a lot we can move forward with.”             “Hmm, you’re right.” Victor relented finally, calming down as Nikolai presented a different course of action. “And it might be better if we don’t rush into this.”  His gaze pierced mine.  “With how everything went down tonight, we should give Celeste more time to adapt to Constance’s way of life before asking her to act like Constance.  As I’ve recently learned, Celeste needs a lot more time invested into her abilities if she is going to be able to pull this off without blowing this whole thing to kingdom come. A lot more than I’d anticipated. She is more of an incompetent handful than I’d initially pegged her for.”             It was an insult and it hurt like hell because I’d done my best and had gone above and beyond my abilities tonight.  For him to say that hours after he’d been praising me for those very same powers, it hurt.  He believed this was all my fault for not being prepared.  For not planning on the unexpected to happen.  Yet, how was I supposed to know?  He had said I was beyond ready.             As Nikolai and Victor continued talking, I spaced out, reaching deep inside of myself for the anticipation of finally leaving this place.  It wouldn’t be long before Nikolai took me out of this prison, outside into the fresh air.             “Are we good to go?” Nikolai asked stoically. Victor looked past him to me and then breezed right by the werewolf so he was standing just before me.  Nervously, I made eye contact, unsure of what to expect.  “You are my daughter, Celeste.  Never forget that.  Never forget who took you in, who loved you and cared for you.  You owe me your life.  And don’t ever forget what you will gain once this is all over.”             I’d gain my freedom if I stayed the course.  I could be free from my prison.  Free from him.  If I didn’t stray, if I followed through with all of this, I would repay my debt to Victor.  If I failed, though, I would remain forever a devoted servant to him for the rest of my life.  And I wasn’t sure if I would be okay coming back to this cell after I’d stepped out into the big wide world.  I was sure I would be driven insane if I was forced to stay behind these four walls after getting a taste of what freedom felt like.  Which meant, no one and nothing would get in my way for following through on the promises I’d made to Victor.             “Don’t go getting any big ideas about running away, or going back on your word,” Victor warned, his gaze fierce. Filled with promises of pain and death if I disobeyed him.             “I promise I won’t father,” I whispered dutifully, numbly stepping into his arms.  All I’d ever wanted was to make him proud, make him happy.  Tonight, I’d failed at that, but I was determined to make up for it.   ***             Nikolai led the way out.  At the door, he turned to me.  “I know once we step out that door you will want to bask in the fresh air and revel in the beauty you have never seen before.  Honestly, I don’t want to dwell here any longer than I have to.  Besides, for your first time ever being out, I want to take you someplace I think you would really like.  Just follow me, Celeste.  And, if you see some where along the way you would like to visit, I will take you there on another day.  Promise.”             I didn’t expect him to be the sensitive type.  Then again, I hardly knew him.             Nodding to him, he reached for the door.  My heart started racing in anticipation.  Dread consumed me as I fretted that everything beyond that door may not be everything I’d ever imagined.  Grabbing Nikolai’s hand, I stopped him.  He turned back to me curiously.  “What if it’s not everything I’d ever dreamed it would be?” I hated the way my voice catered, hating I was showing weakness. But, I couldn’t deny I was afraid of the unknown.             “What if it’s better?” he countered, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips.  Adjusting his hand, he took mine firmly in his.  I had to say it did feel nice and safe.  Touch in any form wasn’t something I was used to.             Pushing open the door, the cold, winter air took the breath from my very lungs.  As we stepped out onto the snow-covered ground, I heard it crunching under my shoes.  Taking in a deep breath, I took the clean air deep into my lungs, loving the smell.  Opening my eyes, I took in the sky as the dawn started to meet the stars and the gorgeous flat landscape that was covered in a white blanket.  Tears formed at the corners of my eyes and I had to say, this was better than I had ever imagined.             I also knew in that instant that I would never be able to go back to living in the confined space of four walls.  I never wanted to be placed back into that small, hellish room of mine.  I would fight, fight to stay free.  Which meant, I would do everything and anything Victor asked in order to keep this freedom.             Gently, Nikolai tugged me towards the gates.  Following his lead, he started speeding up, allowing me to really stretch my legs for the first time, to test out my inhuman speed. I was a little clumsy, however that didn’t seem to bother him. He made sure to hold my hand, to help steady me when I stumbled.             As much as I didn’t like the prison I just escaped from, I couldn’t help but feel a bit strange about being away from those four familiar walls.  I had exclusively grown up in them and a sudden wave of anxiety hit me.  Digging in my heels, I pulled both Nikolai and I to a grinding halt.             Looking around, I had no inkling as to where I was.  I didn’t know how to get back to Victor’s.  And I was practically running off with a complete stranger. It was overwhelming!             “It’s okay to be scared,” he breathed, a puff of steam floating in the air between us.  I was suddenly very aware of the chill in the air and I wrapped my arms around me.  How could Constance have thought this of all things was appropriate for this time of year!?  The dress did little to fend off the cold.             “Aren’t you freezing?” I asked Nikolai, realizing he was even less dressed than I was.  I had diverted away from his question because Victor had instilled it within me to never be ‘afraid’, to never show weakness.  Looking down at myself, I realized I had broken both of those rules in just the few minutes I had been away from the safety of the four walls I’d grown up in.             A distant wolf’s howl startled me and I looked across the expanse of snow-filled land, trying to determine if I could decipher anything between where the black of night met the white stains of snow.  However, as I looked around, I didn’t see anything.  I was a sitting duck.  I hardly knew what to do outside of my own little bubble and it terrified me.  Stepping closer to Nikolai, I realized he was my only lifeline out here and I prayed he didn’t leave me.             “It’s okay, Celeste, I’m here and I will not leave you,” he whispered against my ear, “It’s just my beta.  He’s bringing some clothes with him.  I figured you wouldn’t be used to the cold.” His words were kind and filled me with an unfamiliar warm fuzzy feeling.             Suddenly, a large grey wolf came prancing out of nowhere, carrying a pack in his mouth.  He approached us slowly and gave the packet directly to Nikolai.  “Thank you, Aaron.  I’ll see you back at Erwin’s.  We will be out for a while still, so please, let everyone, especially Gabriel, know we are okay.”  And just like that, Aaron turned and headed back … Was that north?             I was so utterly helpless.             Reaching into the pack, Nikolai pulled out a jacket and leggings for me.  Handing them over, he pulled out a long sleeve and shoes for himself.  After we were a little more protected from the bitter cold, he took my hand in his again and we were off to wherever he was taking me.             We raced up into some mountains and as we crested one of the many peaks, the view stole the very breath from my body.  Thankfully, Nikolai paused to allow me a few moments to take in the beauty.  As I stared in awe across the small canyon that held a spellbinding view of a lake iced over with snow covered everything, Nikolai led me to a fallen log where we sat down.             “What are we doing?” I asked a bit warily.             “We are going to watch the sunrise,” he stated, unfazed.  “I figured for your first day of freedom, that was the least I could do.”             “I’ve never seen a sunrise before.  What are they like?”             “Why don’t you wait and tell me,” he suggested, nodding back towards the opposite side of the canyon where beautiful pastel colors started painting the sky along with rays of light.             He didn’t know me from Adam.  Yet, he had given me the best gift.             Was this what Constance had been talking about?  That innate love a family shared?  As much as I despised her, I wished I’d had more time to talk with her, to pick her brain about everything she had said.  Maybe one day, I’d get up the courage to ask Nikolai about her words.  Until I knew better which side he was on, though, it was probably best I said nothing at all.
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