14. Oria

Iturned onto my side feeling a twinge of pain in my head, wincing when the throbbing got worse. My eyes fluttered open, closing immediately when the sun was too bright. I rolled onto my stomach to cover my eyes even more. The throbbing intensified as I groaned from the pain.

Meow.

Loki kneaded my back, then laid himself on it while I tried to go back to sleep, but my pain was too annoying. My body protested when I sat up, squinting at the sunlight until my eyes adjusted.

Loki glared at me from the floor, but I really didn't care.

Why the hell was I in the guest room? I looked around to see the door closed, which I never did unless mother was home. Wait, was mother home? I got up quickly, stumbling a bit before I grabbed the door to open it. When it didn't move, I pulled at it again.

Nothing.

"What the hell?" I said, yanking again so hard my head throbbed again.

I pushed myself off the doors, breathing slowly because I needed to heal this headache, which was getting worse.

"Flos nitor et rutilans tua virtus luceat," I whispered, feeling my magic sluggishly pour out of me.

What would have been a really quick healing session, was long and drawn out, making me shake with exertion. I fell to my knees, my body shaking as I felt clammy from sweat. This was getting worse.

Dread pooled in my stomach; what was going on? Was I sick or just losing my magic? A hundred questions ran through my head, thinking it was time to tell Mother what was happening to me. What would she think? Would she still protect me, stay with me or would she feel free from the burden of protecting me.

It was no secret Mother really didn't treat me like her daughter. She had always been cool with me, only giving me affection a few times. I don't know if Mother didn't have a maternal bone in her body or if the burden of my magic weighed heavily on her to protect me. Would she care about me when she realized I didn't need her anymore? Would she be relieved? Now, losing my magic didn't seem so appealing.

Being alone to navigate the world seemed daunting. I wanted freedom, but I didn"t want it by myself.

The sound of voices made me perk up a bit. They were male voices that sounded oddly the same, like twins.

Oh shit.

Gray's brother found him. That's why I was locked in this room, I knocked myself out on a chair while I was trying to get out of his hold. I touched my head realizing where the bump on my head had come from. The throbbing had dulled tremendously, but if I paid attention enough, I knew it was there.

"I don't know, Soren," the voice snapped.

The other voice was now muffled until I heard footsteps retreating. The door abruptly opened with one of the twins standing in the doorway. It looked like Gray, and the last time I tried finding something physical to distinguish them by, there had been none.

I quickly stood, taking a step back, not trusting the twins because Gray's act could have been just for me to lower my guard. He stepped inside the room; Loki hissed and growled at him.

"I'm not in the mood, devil cat," he said, making me remember that Gray called him the same thing.

Loki hissed at him again, ready to launch himself at the twin.

"Try it, fucker," he growled at Loki.

I scooped Loki in my arms, thwarting his attempt to get himself killed. He resisted me for a moment before settling in my arms. We looked at the twin as the twin watched us, almost as if we were in a standoff.

"I have questions." He broke eye contact first.

I stayed quiet while he walked further into the room, taking a step back.

"I said, I have questions," he reiterated slowly.

Silence; that"s all he was getting from me.

"Just answer my questions and I'll leave you alone," he said, scrutinizing me.

There was no way I was going to answer anything he asked.

"Look Blondie, I just need you to answer a few questions. Help me out so I can help you out," he said, looking frustrated with me.

This had to be his brother. Soren? He was a little more abrasive than Gray, but I didn't know if Gray, the prisoner, was this same guy or not. He took another step towards me as I took one back until I was up against the window. Goddess, why did they have to be so fucking beautiful?

"Are we doing this the hard way, Blondie?" He crowded me, making Loki hiss.

I glared at him, raising my chin up in defiance, wishing he would just leave me alone.

"Who makes the Oria?" He stared down at us.

Loki hissed but I kept my mouth shut glaring at the man. Why did standing up to him make me tremble?

"Come on, Blondie," he snarled, both of his arms caging me in.

Loki growled louder as he dug his claws in me, trying to jump at the twin. The pain was too much, making me lose my grip on him. Loki launched himself at the man, ready to wreak havoc on him, but he caught my squishy-faced cat and threw him out of my window.

"No!" I screamed, going to the window searching for my cat.

When I didn't see him, I sneered over my shoulder.

"Now—"

I launched myself at him, not caring how or what I did to him, but he had to pay. He wasn't prepared for me to come after him, so I scratched him on his face, pulled back and hit him before he was able to grab ahold of me.

"What the fuck?" he roared, grabbing ahold of my hands, but I lurched forward trying to bite him, to do anything to him, when I realized he had left the door open.

I cried out, letting all of the emotions hit me as I went limp.

"Fuck," he said, holding my limp body as I let the tears flow down my face. He put me down, standing in front of me as I sobbed. I covered my face trying to sell my heartbreak when he moved to the window and I bolted out of the room, running down the stairs.

"Blondie!" he roared, as I ran down to the main floor looking for the other twin, hoping not to run into him. I ran across the room hearing him thundering down the stairs behind me. I pushed myself to go faster as I passed the workroom seeing the other twin about to exit the room.

My breath hitched when he saw me, but I didn't stay around for him to catch me. I kept going as my lungs hurt from exertion. Fuck, I needed to start exercising, I thought, as opened the door to run outside along the tower looking around frantically for Loki.

"Loki!" I screamed, panicking when I didn"t see him anywhere.

I stopped outside of the window he was thrown from looking up and then around the grassy area.

"Loki!" I cried as a tear fell down my face.

I heard two sets of footsteps walk up behind me as I walked away calling out for Loki. He had to be found, if he was hurt or dead he would still be where he had landed. I just didn't know where.

"You son of a bitch," I snapped, looking behind me, where the twins stood side by side. "He's just a fucking cat. Are you such a fucking coward you can't handle a little cat?"

One of the twins looked at the other one in disbelief.

"Tell me what I want to know and I'll help you find him," one of them said.

"Fuck you!" I said, walking away from them yelling for Loki again.

I heard them talk amongst themselves, snapping and snarling at each other as I looked around for my cat. A loud hiss followed by a screech sounded when I looked around seeing Loki on one of the twins.

Relief swept through me. I took my time walking back to them, hoping he had gotten to the right twin. He yanked Loki from his face holding him by his neck.

"Fucking cat," he growled at him.

"Let him go!" I yelled.

"Tell me what I want to know, Blondie," he snapped. "I'm not playing any fucking games."

"Leave him alone," I cried, watching Loki moving less and less. "You're going to kill him."

"Let him go," his twin said, looking annoyed.

"She just needs to answer my questions," he snarled at his brother.

"Not like this," the other twin said calmly.

"What the fuck, Gray?"

"Ask nicely and maybe she will answer," Gray said, reaching for Loki.

"I did, she refused?—"

"Well, what do you expect!" Gray interrupted him. "We came into her home and locked her in her room and now you throw her cat out of the window."

"We need to find out what else is here," he growled. "I don't want to be surprised when someone comes back for her. I need to know everything about Oria, how it"s made, who makes it and what do we have to do to ensure we can either replicate it or take her with us."

"Soren, god. There are better ways to get that information than being a fucking dick," he said, reaching for Loki.

Soren put the cat out of his reach.

"No, she has answers, and we need them," Soren said, looking at me.

"Soren, put the fucking cat down." Gray's voice had a menacing edge to it.

"Please don't hurt him," I said, hoping he was going to listen to his brother. "He's all that I have, and he's been here with me through everything. Please."

I choked back my sob.

"Then answer my fucking questions." He stepped back from us.

"Give her the cat, Soren," Gray snapped.

"Why are you siding with her?" Soren glared at me.

"Because I don't think you"re being fair." Gray took a step towards Soren, grabbing a limp Loki.

I rushed to Gray, grabbing Loki out of his hands, checking for his breathing. Loki had just passed out. Relief soared through me. The brothers were arguing while I checked Loki's injuries seeing that he was totally fine. Amazingly he didn't have a scratch on him.

"What the fuck did she do to you?"

I turned around to see the twins scowling at each other in perfect mirror images of each other.

"What happened to you?" One of them snapped.

The tension in the air was growing with each second until one of them finally broke their stare down.

"Come on, Sunshine." One twin reached his hand out to me and I was almost certain it was Gray.

I looked between them wondering if I should choose a side, and if that was a good idea or not. I decided sticking with Gray was in my best interest so I took his hand and he escorted me up the stairs.

We were both quiet as he led me upstairs, giving me time to admire how delectable he was. They both were scrumptious and as much as I should have been repulsed by these men, a nagging feeling emerged when I was near them. It was like I reveled in their presence and their attention. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what, and I was terrified of saying something that might hurt me. We walked up the last set of stairs when Loki started stirring. I immediately thought he was going to put me back in the same room, but he led me to my own.

"I'm sorry for everything Soren did," Gray said, crossing his arms and leaning on the door. "I don't know what has come over him, but I wouldn't have left you alone if he was going to act like this."

"I told you before that when this place was found, men's greed would take over," I said, sitting on a bench at the end of my bed. "His actions aren't all that surprising, but I do wish he would have left my cat out of this."

"Look, this is what we do," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't expect you to understand, but a find like this is big in our world."

"No matter the cost to get it?" I glared at him.

"What aren't you telling me, Sunshine?" He walked to me. "I'll do everything I can to help you."

His words should have soothed me, but they made me even more wary.

"Nothing," I whispered, hoping he would believe me.

"Give me something so that I can appease Soren at least for the time being," he pleaded with me. "I promise nothing is going to happen to you."

"That's an easy promise to break," I countered.

"Not with me, Sunshine." He squatted before me. "Are you in trouble? Are you being kept here against your will?"

My heart pounded quickly wondering if he knew anything or he was just smart enough to piece things together.

"Are they forcing you to make Oria?"

I stared at his concerned look wanting nothing more than to tell him everything. Gray was still the same man I had captured. He still felt like someone I could trust, but before I could say anything Loki growled in my lap, disrupting my need to tell Gray anything.

It looked like I would keep my secrets for another day.