CHAPTER 9: IN THE CLUTCHES OF HATRED
1901 Words
**NATASHA'S POV**
I slowly opened my eyes and returned from the dream world to reality. The medication Desmond had given me was wearing off, and I was beginning to regain consciousness. It took a moment for my vision to focus. I saw someone standing by my bed, but the sleep in my eyes made my vision unclear. At first, I thought it was Desmond, but as my vision cleared, I noticed that it wasn't him as the person standing behind me was taller. When my vision finally cleared, I confirmed that it wasn't Desmond.
I immediately stood up in fear as I realized it was Jorge standing beside me. I quickly turned to the heart monitor and noticed that he had switched off the machines so that Desmond wouldn't hear my panicked heart.
"Did you sleep well, my angel?" he sneered at me.
"What are you doing here? Desmond said that this wing of the center is for trusted personnel only," I replied, panicking in fear.
He laughed darkly at my expense. He was looking at me like I was his prey, ready to devour me. My heart started beating in fear as I remembered the two previous encounters I had with him. Unlike the previous encounters where I had Desmond to defend me, now I was all alone in the room with no one to protect me, so I knew this time would be harsher than before. Adrenaline surged through my body.
"You fool, are you not aware that I am the second in command to Lord Alexander, so I am one of the trusted personnel," he said, laughing evilly. "If I remember correctly, you need to answer some of my questions," he added.
"Lord Alexander won't like this, Jorge. He warned you to stay away from me unless he ordered you to," I said, trying to hide the fear in my body.
This time, Jorge laughed another big, dark laugh, causing me to wonder why he was doing all this.
"Lord Alexander is the one who sent me, fool. All he wants is an answer. He ordered me to get answers from you the way I want to. Now tell me what I want to know."
I remained quiet, holding myself back from telling him the truth as I didn't really know his true intentions. "You are interfering in my plans, so start talking, or I'll do it my way," he said with a monstrous voice.
"What do you mean, what plans?" I questioned, trying to make sense of his words.
He shook his head as if trying to get rid of a thought. "Plans for this pack. Lord Alexander has plans for this pack, and your presence here puts those plans in jeopardy. The sooner I can figure out where you came from, the sooner I can have you sent back."
There it was. I knew he was hiding something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "I've told you everything I can remember. Why can't you believe me? Desmond believes me," I said.
He scoffed. "Desmond is a useless excuse for a vampire who doesn't have a strong bone. He would trust the most dangerous snake if it smiled at him. And that is precisely what you are. You are a dangerous snake, and it's my duty to protect my kingdom from you. I will ask you for the last time, who are you and which pack did you come from?"
My heart skipped a beat as I heard that question. I needed to appear strong so he wouldn't know that I was scared of him. I couldn't let him know the truth because that would surely put me in danger, and the last three years of running would be pointless.
"My name is Natasha, and I am a lone wolf. That's all I know for now," I said.
Jorge stood at the edge of my bed, his right hand gripping the bed frame. His eyes were glazed over, and flashes of the Jorge I witnessed yesterday crossed my mind. He was on the verge of losing control.
"Jorge," I said fearfully. "You need to calm down. Your vampire is trying to take control of your mind. Lord Alexander will hold you responsible for whatever your vampire does."
The words I thought would pull him back only made him more angry. His right hand gripped the hardwood of the bed frame until it began to c***k under his hold.
"You have lied to me too many times, Natasha. It's time for me to do things my way," he said. In an instant, Jorge was in my face, his eyes burning with anger and hatred. It made no sense to me as I didn't understand why Jorge should have such strong emotions toward me, even though we barely knew each other.
"I'm going to have a lot of fun with you," he said as he glared down at me.
"I am not afraid of you, Jorge," I said, feeling more scared than ever.
"Okay, cutie, let's do it your way," he chuckled, letting out a devilish laugh. Jorge reached for my arm and ripped out my IV, causing me to hiss in pain. Blood started oozing from my arm as I attempted to cover the hole with my hands.
"Jorge, are you crazy? You can't just rip out an IV like that. What if it caught on a muscle or worse?" I exclaimed, blood still oozing from the wound.
"Does it look like I care about you, Natasha? You are just a rogue to me and nothing else, and therefore I will treat you however I want," he said.
He grabbed my arms and started shaking me violently. The pain I thought had finally healed resurfaced again. I tried to break free from his hold, but his grip was like iron. His sharp fingers extended in height and started digging into my skin.
"It's time to have a little chat," he spat.
Jorge was just about to yank me from the bed when the door to the room swung open.
"Stop," I heard a small, feminine voice exclaim.
I peered past Jorge and discovered that it was the same girl who had been mopping my room before I dozed off.
She rushed towards Jorge, attempting to free his grip on me. However, being significantly smaller than Jorge, her efforts proved futile.
"pest," he hissed.
He swiftly turned around, seizing her by the neck and effortlessly hoisted her up like a doll.
"You should learn to stop meddling in matters that don't concern you."
With a forceful motion, he flung her across the room, causing her to collide hard with the wall before collapsing onto the floor with a loud thud. I gasped as I watched the girl, who was barely moving.
I instinctively pulled the sheet down, uncovering my leg, and attempted to rise, but Jorge promptly seized my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
"You might have killed her! She needs help," I said, not even worried about my own situation.
"She's a cleaner and one of the lowest-ranked vampires, so she can be replaced easily if she dies," Jorge said. I struggled in his hold, trying to fight him, but his grip remained secure around my arms. He then tightened his hold, causing me even more pain.
"Jorge!" cried a voice from the doorway. It was Lord Alexander. Hearing his voice, I felt relieved.
Jorge turned and looked towards the entrance where Lord Alexander stood. His face was red, and I could see the vein in his arms protruding. His vampire nature was close to the surface, and he was doing his best to hold it back.
"Release her at once," Lord Alexander said.
Jorge obeyed his instruction and released me from his hold. I fell back onto my bed, thankfully not onto the floor like last time.
"What is wrong with you, and what is the meaning of this?" Lord Alexander stalked into my room and walked up to Jorge. His eyes were solely focused on him, like he was a target.
"I was doing what you told me, Lord. You said if she was behaving like that, I should find out the truth from her in another way," Jorge said.
"I told you not to ever come back here until I tell you to. Can't you see that she is injured, and you may have just injured her further when you were throwing her around like a doll?" Lord Alexander replied with anger.
"Lord, if I may..." Jorge started.
"You may not, Jorge. When I tell you something, I expect you to listen. You are my second in command, and I am your superior. You take orders from me and don't make them yourself," Lord Alexander stated, straightening up and exuding an air of authority.
"If you were any other vampire, I would have you lashed. Since you are second in command, I will let you off with a warning. But if I ever catch you treating Natasha like that again, it'll be your head. Are we understood?" Lord Alexander's voice flashed as he spoke.
Jorge stood there, staring at Lord Alexander with his mouth slightly open in shock. Lord Alexander stepped right up to Jorge, bringing them toe to toe. Jorge held Lord Alexander's gaze for a few seconds before lowering his head in submission.
"Yes, Lord," he replied.
"Good. Now get out of my sight," Lord Alexander commanded. Jorge stepped away from Lord Alexander and left the room without looking back.
Lord Alexander rushed to my side. "Are you okay?" he asked.
I nodded and then gestured to the girl who was still lying on the floor. She was making small movements now, so at least she was alive. "Help her, Lord," I said.
His eyes were still on me. "You're hurt," he observed, touching the small cuts on my shoulder that were bleeding. They must have been from Jorge's fingers.
"I'm fine, just a little cut. She needs your help more than I do, Lord Alexander," I assured him.
He left my side and went to help the girl stand up. When the girl saw him, she immediately bowed her head as a sign of respect for her Lord.
"How are you feeling?" Lord Alexander asked her.
"I'm fine, my Lord," she replied in a timid voice. Her left hand was bleeding from a cut, so I knew she was lying. She really needed Desmond to take care of her.
"I don't believe you are well. I will bring one of the healers to examine your ribs," stated Lord Alexander. She nodded but kept her gaze down, unable to meet her lord's eyes.
Shortly after, Desmond entered the room, appearing slightly worn out. It turned out he had been outside the door attempting to restrain Jorge, but was unsuccessful. "Alexander," Desmond called out.
I was surprised that a common doctor could address his lord by his name alone, without using the proper title.
Lord Alexander replied, "Yes, Desmond?"
And then, Desmond turned to Lord Alexander and said, "We need to move Natasha to your house today. It's not safe for her to stay here - yesterday and today have proven that. She requires a secure environment to heal, and currently, the healing center is unable to provide that."
Wait, what? Was I really going to live with Lord Alexander?
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