Word Count: 1883

~Kiva

We walk hastily through the forest, circling around the wait.

We don't speak as we walk. Louis's breath is harsh as he keeps up a decent pace while still carrying Erin in his arms. My mind is still whirling, or maybe that's the blood I'm losing.

It takes over an hour of us walking before we make it to Louis's home on the east side of the river. It's a simple wood cabin with two rooms and a bathroom.

I would be happy for him, if I didn't know the job title that is funding this place.

My legs wobble beneath me as I approach the couch, colours spotting in my vision. Louis hurries into another room, placing Erin on the bed.

I sit slowly, feeling faint.

I've lost a lot of blood from the back of my head. When I look down it's all over my chest, drenching the front of my shirt from where it has run down my neck.

"She's been drugged. She will be out for a bit," Louis says, closing the bedroom door as he comes out.

"It's for the best. She need's rest," I say quietly, squeezing my eyes shut.

Erin was painfully close to being slaughtered for the amusement of some wealthy man. I'm not sure how long we will be safe here, but she is out of my fathers cruel clutches.

"When she wakes she can tell us where her family are from, and I'll contact them," Louis sighs, settling onto the couch next to me.

"Thank you, Louis."

His stare darkens as he finally calms down enough to see the blood still weeping from my head. "We need to clean up your head and your face."

"My face?"

He stands, holding his hand out to me. I take it, swaying on my feet a little. He holds my shoulders, guiding me into the bathroom.

"Take a look..."

I face the mirror, gasping.

A large bruise stretches over my eyes and cheek. My lip is split and there is a nasty gash on my right cheek. These injuries must have been from me falling on my face when I was hit in the back of the head.

As my breathing settles, a deep ache settles in around my eye. I was so caught up in getting out safely that I didn't even feel the pain.

"Shit..." I murmur, gently brushing my finger over my cheek, wincing at the bite of pain that follows.

"Sit down. I'll take care of you." He pats the counter.

I oblige him, bending my head down so he can get a good look at the wound.

There's silence as he unwraps some cotton gauze and twists the lid off something. As darkness crawls through the window, cut only by the light Louis turns on, I can't help but think of Ark.

I've been gone for over a day an a half. Ark has definitely noticed my absence.

He's smart, I'm sure he will eventually figure out where I am. Problem is, that could be days from now.

And he will be angry. So angry...

"Why are you helping?" I ask softly. Since he works at my fathers business, I wouldn't have expected him to bail me out so quickly.

Father will know, and Louis may just get more than a job loss.

"I didn't mean for this all to happen," he says quietly. "Your father has been threatening my family, making me work for him."

I stare down at my lap as he cleans at the wound best he can with something that burns. "What?"

"He caught me sneaking into your room. He told me he knew about me for a while and found my family. He listed off my families names right in front of me," he tells me, his voice shaking as he recalls the memory.

I grimace, and not just because of the cloth he presses against my open wound.

"Shit."

"Everyone that works there is being threatened. It's how he gets such loyal staff without having to pay them," he explains darkly.

He pulls the cloth away, letting me raise my head.

"What do you do there?" I ask tentatively.

He closes his eyes, a shadow passing over his face. Long, excruciating seconds pass by as he gathers his thoughts before his eyes open again. They shine with tears.

"I clean...I clean up once everything is done." He coughs, fighting nausea.

"How long has this been going on?"

"I've been working there for over a month," he explains, his voice cracking. "It's horrific, Kiva. It's so bad."

I draw in a deep breath, sharing his horror. I can't even imagine what he has witnessed over the months. The thought would bring me to my knees if I weren't sitting.

"My father is going to know you did this. What if he kills your family?"

"He won't know for sure. I'll go back tomorrow and claim I have no idea what happened," he says, although he doesn't sound entirely sure. "He's short on staff, he has to believe me."

He winds the gauze around my head once he's pressed some sort of padding against the wound. I itch at the material as it sits on my forehead, hating it already.

"Thank you for saving me," I whisper, meeting his familiar gaze.

He cuts the gauze, pinning it in place. "I've never known such horror. I saw you there, chained up like the many victims I've seen come through there and I knew what your fate would be. I had to get you away."

"You're brave. You put your life and your families at risk," I murmur.

I forgot how good it feels to be in his presence. I haven't had many friends in my life due to my title, and I really appreciated his friendship.

Even when it got complicated.

"It was about time I did something," he muses, sighing deeply. "I've watched so many people die...I couldn't save them."

I grab his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You saved me and you saved Erin. And now we are going to shut down the business."

He looks sceptical. "How do we do that?"

I swallow tightly, knowing my next admission will change everything. Louis has heard me rattle on about the rebellion for years and has agreed with me on everything. I don't think he is going to take this well, but I'm choosing to trust him after what he did to save me.

"I've been working with the rebellion."

He pauses, his hand hovering just above the gash on my cheek.

"What? Kiva, that's dangerous," he growls, eyes widening. To him the rebellion is a group fighting to have me and my father killed. Like a lot of people, he has no idea why.

"It's not," I assure him. "You remember that bodyguard, right?"

"The asshole? The one that kicked me out of your room?" His voice is edged with irritation as he disinfects the cut.

"Yeah. He's a leader of the rebellion," I tell him uneasily. Ark wouldn't be happy about me divulging this information, but I trust Louis.

He drops his hand, gaping at me.

"Kiva, this isn't good."

"No, this is good," I tell him firmly, hopping off the counter and back onto my feet. "This rebellion exists to take down this business. Each one of them has lost a loved one because of my father."

"And what are you going to do, huh? It's dangerous," be challenges. "Next time your father won't hesitate to kill you."

My heart aches just hearing those words because I know he's right. My father will hunt me down and end me if he has to.

"I need to do this," I insist, brushing past him.

He follows me back out to the living room. "If you're doing this, I'm going to help you."

I turn around, letting out a deep sigh of relief. I open my eyes and he walks into my embrace.

He smells so familiar, like old buried memories. My romantic feelings for him have vanished since meeting Ark, but I still want him in my life.

Soon I can have freedom and we won't have to hide our friendship.

"Thank you, Louis," I breathe into his chest.

"I missed you. It hurt me so much to move away without saying goodbye," he murmurs, smoothing his hand down my hair.

When he lets me go I sit back down on the couch, still feeling faint from the loss of blood. Sensing that, Louis walks into the kitchen, pouring me a glass of juice.

"I missed you too. Things have been so crazy recently, but I should have reached out," I say, resting carefully back, trying not to bump my wound.

"It was best you didn't." He hands me the juice, settling in beside me. "Everything could have gone bad."

I take a sip. "Thank you. Hopefully I didn't lose too much blood."

Draining the glass, I set it down and look back at Louis. Something in his expression has shifted as he stares at me. I know that look...it's what he looked like when he wanted to kiss me.

"Despite this," he brushes a finger gently down my cheek. "You're still as beautiful."

My eyes widen. Uh oh.

"Louis-"

"No, don't try to stop me," he breathes, twisting his body to face me. "How I feel about you hasn't changed."

"A lot has changed for me." How we were months ago isn't how we are now. Back then we used each other for release, for a moment of brightness in the dark that was our lives.

Now, I've found my mate and more in love than ever.

"I'm about to be free from this, and you're about to be free from your duties. We can start a new life." His smile grows with every word.

"That can't happen. See-"

"You can't tell me that there isn't something between us. We could have been more had I not been forced away."

I close my eyes. "Louis. I have a mate."

He stills, his eyes turning cold. The revelation takes a bit to fully sink in.

"You what?"

"The leader of the rebellion...yeah, he's my mate." I rub the back of my neck uncomfortably. We often spoke about what would happen if we found our mates, and we agreed we would return to being just friends if that happens.

I just hope he remembers that.

"The bodyguard?" Repulsion stains his expression.

"Yeah."

"Is that how you got mixed up with them? How do you know they aren't dangerous?" He demands. I knew he wasn't entirely over the rebellion issue.

I frown. "I trust Ark."

He doesn't know Ark like I do. He only saw the Ark who wore a mask to protect himself and his cause.

"I don't think you should be with him." He grabs my hand.

"Let me guess," a cold, familiar voice stares from the edge of the room. "You think she should be with you."

I look up frantically. Sure enough, Ark stands at the front door, watching us.

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! and as always it is available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!

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~Midika 💜🐼