Ileus: The Dark Prince

Music recommendation: "Skyfall" by Adele

---

Tasha's protests could be heard throughout the corridors. He resisted and kicked and fisted the guards in order to leave her. "You can't take me there, you can't take me there!" she said in a gravelly voice. She thrashed against her chains and against the guards who dragged her out. She screamed at them but they didn't listen to her. Tasha knew what she was going to get it. She would be chained like a slave—a punishment that was given to most depraved souls. They stayed in shackles for their lives and they worked in the kitchen or the toilets or the rooms of the soldiers in that state. However, she was also going to be thrown into the rooms of soldiers who demanded sex, and she knew that she would end up fucking the entire unit many times a night. 

As soon as her voice faded, Kaizan pulled Olivia in his embrace. He pressed her tightly against his chest and tucked her head beneath his chin. Her body was trembling after the incident. 

"Kaizan…" she said in a low voice with quivering lips. 

"Olivia…" he stroked her back and pressed his face on her head. "It's all over, love, it's all over…" Now not a single rebel remained. With Luke and Taha gone, Murtagh was crippled. Kaizan felt safe not only for Olivia but for his unborn babies. And for the first time a burst of relief flooded his chest. 

Olivia inhaled her husband's scent and calmed down. Throughout the time he was out there to combat with the rogues, she was filled with dread. She was bracing herself with an untoward situation. What if…? She shuddered again at the thought. 

Sensing her emotions, Kaizan picked her up and walked to the sofa. He made her sit in his lap and said, "What is it, Olivia? Please tell me."

She stared into his warm hazel eyes that were full of love, care and promises. She entwined her fingers in his hair and pressed a kiss on his lips. "I just want to know that all this is for real." She pressed another kiss. The tears that were stinging at the back of her eyes, rolled out. 

He shook his head. Kissing every tear that rolled out, he said, "We are real. Our babies are real. I have taken care of all the threats and now our babies will be born in a safe world." He kissed her on her lips and she tasted the salt. There had been so much tension over the last few days that Kaizan had forgotten what relief felt like. He realized that it felt like… Olivia. Seeing her lips curled up… relief felt like that. "I need you!" he said. "I need you like I need air!" And Kaizan crashed his lips on hers urgently. She opened up for him and let him taste her, fill her mouth and explore her all over again. He moaned in her mouth and she moaned in his. They both wanted to merge into each other. Finally, when Kaizan pulled out, both of them were gasping for breath. He rested his forehead on hers and both waited till their breaths evened out. Yet both were left wanting for more. 

"How is father?" she asked after some time. 

"Ileus along with the healers are with him," he said, stroking her arm slowly. "He was shot by an arrow and Luke plunged his dagger inside his stomach. The dagger got out quickly but—"

"Luke?" Olivia jerked straight up. "What do you mean, Luke?" she asked, her eyes wide open. 

Kaizan bit his lip. He intended never to tell her or Kaia about it, but it slipped out by mistake. He pursed his lips and then looked away. Olivia held his chin and moved it to face her. "Tell me, Kaizan!" she demanded. 

Kaizan knew that he had to fill her with all the details, else she was going to be very angry. He exhaled sharply. "You brother never died."

She gasped as disbelief blasted through her. "What? You are lying!" 

"Have I ever lied to you, love?" Kaizan said as he stared into her sapphire eyes. 

And at that moment, Olivia realized that he was indeed speaking the truth. 

"Murtagh saved Luke after the last war he fought for the Whiteclaw pack. He hid Luke in his caves so that no one came to know about him. After that he poisoned Luke's mind against Vaarin. Once you got married to me, Luke started hating you as well."

"H—how do you know?" Olivia asked. This was a heart shattering revelation. All the time her parents mourned Luke, they looked at her as if they wished that she was dead and Luke was there, and now… "How did father take it?" she asked in a low choked voice. 

"I know because Ileus had his spies all over the kingdom. Some of them spilled the secret." He cupped her face with his hands and brushed her cheeks with her thumb. "I am so sorry…" 

Olivia's throat was choked still as a fresh lot of tears threatened to come out. "All these years, I lived like I should have been there instead of Luke, and now— now—" she choked again. It was impossible to speak. 

"Luke was Murtagh's pawn in all this. We came to know about his betrayal at the last moment." His gaze flickered in between her eyes. "I know how you feel about it, Olivia, but what is done can't be undone. One has to move on…" 

Her nostrils flared at the surge of mixed emotions in her body. Hate Luke? Love Luke? Hate him or love him? Nothing made sense until Kaizan pressed her head against his nape. "Please Olivia. Don't think about him…"

"I want to go to father," she said in a hoarse voice. 

"Sure," he replied. "How is your mother?" he asked, glancing at Kaia. She was still heavily sedated, oblivious to what was happening around the world. 

"She should be fine when she gets up." She got out of his lap.

"Good," he said. 

Olivia called a maid to look after Kaia. Already several servants were there in the antechamber to remove the dead guard. There was stunned silence amongst all of them. Once everything was cleaned up and settled, Olivia went to see her father along with Kaizan. 

--- 

The sun had come up and spread its golden wings in the sky. Murtagh came out of the cave, wondering how come not a single messenger had come to him from any of the rebel groups he had sent. His servant had given him a cup of tea and he had sent him to prepare his horse for contingency. 

Murtagh sat on a stump and had his tea along with freshly baked bread. With each passing second, his anxiety grew. At least one messenger should have arrived by now. If not a single one arrived, it meant that something had gone drastically wrong. But how could that be? He had planned so beautifully that it couldn't fail. A smile came on his lips as he regaled himself with another sip of hot tea. 

Somewhere in the thicket on the right a twig snapped and he whipped his head in that direction.. "Who's there?" he growled, getting up from his place.