Predilection

KALEB–

I breathed into the bag that covered my head, what happened in my sleep; a blur as a throb found its way to the core of my brain. I’d been smacked in the head with something, I’m not sure if I was still dreaming or I was awake. I tried to move my arms or to move my legs but my attempts came in futile as I felt ropes digging into my wrists and ankles while I sat on the chair that was starting to make me uncomfortable. My mind was running deep, trying to figure out what’s going on. The shuffling of movements drew my attention, I heard the struggling of.. my pet. Even from miles away I would know who that small whimper belonged to for I had learned every little sound that came out of her. My heart shoved against my chest, I wanted to rip through the ropes and get to her. I went to yell but my voice came out muffled, I realised there was a cloth wrapped around my mouth. My mind was raging with thoughts as I yanked against the ropes. ‘Now now Kaleb, settle down.’ An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind me, moments later, the bag had been lifted off my head, my eyes fell onto the trembling form of Eva, a masked man stood behind her, his hands locked against her arms. Tears fell from her pretty face while she gazed at me. I didn’t understand what was happening, I had went to sleep normal and woke up like this. Confusion built up inside my head while my body raged to get out off the restraints and rip my little pet away from the man. ‘I’m sure you’re asking yourself what is going on Kaleb, don’t think too far into it, in the end, you will find out.’ The man spoke again. I wanted to rip his tonsils out of his god damn throat. ‘Strip out of that underwear my sweet.’ The man ordered Eva, I was going to explode with all of the poison that was running deep through my veins. Her eyes were locked onto mine, she didn’t move, even at a time like this, she was looking for my permission to do things. My heart ached as I shook my head no, not allowing her to strip for the man. ‘Strip or I’m going to cut into your Masters skin.’ The man pulled out a knife and pressed it against my throat causing Eva to quickly start unbuckling her bra. ‘No!’ I groaned into the cloth, my word muffled. She glanced at me then dropped her bra to the floor, next came her thong, she slipped out of it as I shook my head, I couldn’t watch this as I sat there helpless. ‘Now dance my sweet.’ The man spoke again, I was fuming, afraid my muscles were going to pop out of my skin as I yanked and yanked at the ropes that bound me to this chair. ‘No Eva no!’ I yelled into the cloth again, it wasn’t clear but I knew she had to know what I was saying, so why was she continuing to do as the man said? The air felt thick against my throat all the while I swallowed down my rage. ‘Good, lovely.’ The man praised her as she danced slowly, tears streaming down her face. I wanted to hold her, to lock her away from all of this. ‘Stop.’ She stopped instantly at the man’s word. Her eyes searched deep into mine, I could see her chest heaving up and down, it was driving me crazy. The man stood behind her grabbed her again, putting his filthy hands around her as she squirmed under his grip. My heart stopped beating when he pulled out a gun and put it to her head. I froze, momentarily becoming immobile. I wanted to launch at the man, punch him to death yet here I sat helpless, watching it all happen before my eyes. His free hand slipped over her breast, she cried out as he squeezed it, touching what was mine, touching what belonged to me. ‘Now Kaleb, were not here to fondle your pet. Were here to play a game. Who wins? You choose.’ My mind was exploding with confusion, what the fuck was he talking about? I couldn’t even register his words for my mind was with Eva. All I wanted to do was to get to her. ‘There’s a gun to her head, but that gun can be placed on yours instead, that is, if you wish… all you have to do is nod your head and you’ll take her place.’ Without a second thinking I nodded my head, I couldn’t control the rage that was running through me, I couldn’t bare the sight of her, if they were going to threaten someone’s life, I’d chose it to be me in a heartbeat. ‘Noooo!’ Eva screamed, her body trembling under the man’s hold. ‘Very well.’ The guy behind me walked towards Eva and grabbed the gun from the other, he came and stood in front of me, his face, also masked. I was aching with the need to touch her as he placed the tip of the gun against my forehead, I was relieved that it wasn’t on hers anymore. ‘Are you sure about this?’ The man tilted his head, studying my every move. I nodded my head once more. Who knew I’d go out this way? Working so hard only to give myself up for a girl. I had went blank, not functioning as I tried to look for her, the man’s body covering my view. I could hear her screaming and yelling, I didn’t have to take a look at her to know she was fighting the man that held her to rip away from him and get to me. I closed my eyes when I heard the guns safety click off. I sat there, waiting, waiting for the end, listening to Eva cry her soul out, it pained me to hear her like this, it hurt a lot. For a minute, I realised that what I felt towards her went beyond the role of being her master, it was so much more and only then, I had realised it, when it was too late.

The man pressed against the trigger and in came nothing. No bullet, no shot. A clap from behind me pulled me away from the lack of air I was breathing in. ‘Interesting Kaleb, very interesting’ I knew who the voice belonged to. Maxence. He brought a chair in front of me and sat, motioning for his men to leave, taking Eva with them. My eyes longed for her. I pulled against the ropes, I needed to get her away from them. ‘Relax. She’s safe. They won’t harm her.’ I heard what he said but I didn’t believe him. I was confused and tired. I just wanted her in my arms. Only moments ago I thought my life was coming to an end and now I was sat here with Maxence who seemed too happy for his own good. I wanted to rip his throat off his shoulders. ‘I was testing you Kaleb. And by the time I’m finished telling you this, you’ll understand why.’

‘I’ve been watching you, watching you with your pet, I see the way you look at her and I see the way she looks at you. I know the things you do in the bedroom. Ive watched it all.’ My mind was racing with thoughts, he had cameras placed in her room? I wanted to pound into his skull as his confession fuelled up my anger. ‘You know I’ve always been a romantic, my heart has always belonged to the first slave I bought, that slave, she was taken away from me five years ago, she was ripped away from me by the one and only Viktor.’ I froze at Viktor’s name. I didn’t understand any of this, I didn’t understand it at all. ‘The woman you see at Viktor’s feet, she belonged to me. My sweet, sweet Bella. I know you must be wondering why I’m telling you this now or what my point is but I need you to trust me with what I’m going to tell you next.’

‘I wanted to make sure that all of this was worth it, I wanted to make sure that my suspicions about you and that girl of yours was right, I understood that the moment you chose to take the bullet for her and I’m sure you understood that too, I needed you to know your feelings for her and for that, I’m going to tell you everything that I know, everything that you need to know.’ I was trying to make sense of everything he was saying yet I couldn’t take it in for I had no idea what he meant.

’12 years ago when I worked with your father and Viktor, something happened. Mason became extremely attached to Viktor’s sister, as we all know, they had an affair. As you know, Mason also killed her but that is all you know, that is the part that is incorrect. Viktor killed his own sister a year after he found out her relationship with Mason. He’d plotted long enough to kill her and remove any trace of her death, making Mason think she had left. That had Mason fucked up for about a week, the same week he supposedly raped and killed your sister which is also incorrect. That day, Viktor was with your dad, in your house. They both raped your sister, but Viktor was the one who ended her life.’ I wanted to suffocate him with a knife as he spoke away lies to me. Viktor would never do that. Viktor was the one who saved me, Viktor was the one who helped me get here and now, now he’s telling me that all of this, everything that happened, it was because of Viktor? I lunched forward, pulling the chair with me as I tried to get my hands on him, he stood up and moved back. ‘I know you think this is all lies which is why I needed you to be tied up so that you don’t try to kill me before I tell you the entire truth.’ I clenched my teeth, my heart beating into my throat.

‘Mason was on drugs that day, drugs that had been given to him by Viktor. When Mason realised what they had done to your sister, he packed up his stuff and left. Too ashamed of himself for it all. The men that captured you weren’t send from Mason, they were sent from Viktor. It was all a part of his plan, to make you really believe that he was helping you when in reality you were just a pawn to him like Eva has been to you. He had already took away Masons daughter which resulted in you killing Masons wife, your mum. All he needed was to train you to go after him, get close to him and then to rip away everything else that Mason had left and then to end him. He didn’t do this for you Kaleb. He did this for himself, for the anger he felt towards Mason for betraying their friendship and sleeping with his sister, he did this because he wanted to blame Mason for the death of his sister, he hasn’t just been lying to you, he has been lying to himself, making himself believe that he’s not the one who killed his sister, that she died because of Mason.’ My mouth felt dry, my heart pounding into my sore chest. I felt like I was breaking. I was hurting. I couldn’t think, I didn’t know what to think. The man I had grown to trust, to know as family, the man I had aimed to never let down, he had let me down. He had played me, I didn’t want to believe it, I didn’t want to accept this but it all made sense now. The man that came out with Mason from Lana’s room. The way Viktor knew where I was when I was being tortured, he just swooped in and saved my life. He gave me something to live for, he made me hunt for Mason, to base my life on it. The more it all made sense the more my rage grew, I wanted to kill him but I needed to hear this from him, I needed him to admit to it. ‘Before you ask why I know all of this, I was there when Viktor killed his sister. I watched it happen. I was the one who helped him get rid of any trace of her. To remove any evidence of her death, I knew about his plan, he had asked me to help him. He had asked me to kill your sister but I refused, I didn’t want to get in too deep. I knew Mason was a powerful man, I didn’t want to risk being on the bad side of him so I declined his request and instead he did it himself. Five years ago I threatened him that I’d tell you this because we had some personal problems with our business, it was irrelevant but I stupidly threatened him and that’s why he took my sweet Bella away from me. I didn’t have a say in the matter, I knew if I didn’t let him take her he’d find a way to kill her so I had to say goodbye to her, to the love of my life. Ever since then I began to plan a way to get rid of him, but it’s always hard to get close to him without his men being there, thats why I act like everything is fine between the two of us. Just so I can earn back his trust and then end him but the only person that can get close to him is you. So yeah a part of me is telling you this for my own benefit and advantage but a part of me doesn’t want you to lose what you have with that girl that reminds me of my Bella.’ I closed my eyes, breathing in heavy, taking all the air I could take for my mind was on a rampage, my heart was aching and I needed to kill.