Chapter 4: The Gilded Cage

Kael POV

The cold wind just stopped.

I opened my eyes to the quiet. The bad smell of the subway station was gone; now I could smell wax, leather, and wet stone.

"Put me down," I said, pushing against the chest I was leaning on.

Lucien let me go without saying a word.

My boots hit the ground. My legs felt weak. I grabbed the side of a black car to stop myself from falling.

This place was too quiet and clean. There were buildings made of glass that went up into the night sky, their windows warm and cozy. Cars drove by quietly on the sidewalks. There were trees with leaves that looked perfect. No one was yelling. No one was selling things. There was no smoke.

"The Upper District," I spoke quietly. People like me usually get in trouble for being here. "You brought me here."

"Yes."

I turned to face him. Rain was falling from his coat, but his dark hair was perfect. He was standing by the door like it was a normal night.

I crossed my arms. "You still haven't told me your name."

"Lucien Vale."

The guards by the iron gates looked down.

"My lord," one of them said. He came over and opened the car door.

Lucien looked at me. "Get in."

"I'd rather walk."

"You won't make it to the end of the block."

"I've taken care of myself for twenty years."

"You survived because no one knew you existed." Lucien's voice was calm. "That changed tonight."

His words hurt. I clenched my jaw. "You don't know anything about me."

"I know enough."

"No. You know what I am."

"That doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything."

I saw a couple across the street. They were looking at me. The man's nose was flaring; the woman's eyes were wide.

My heart skipped a beat.

Lucien came closer to me. I got ready to defend myself, but he didn't touch me. He took off his coat and put it over my shoulders. The smell of cedar and clean clothes covered the smell of flowers.

The couple across the street looked away and kept walking.

I held the coat tight, then let go. "I don't need your help."

"It's not help. It's protection."

"I'll give your coat back."

"When you don't need it anymore."

"I'm not staying."

"I know."

He was so sure of himself. "You know I'm trying to leave?"

"You've been trying to escape since we met."

"Why aren't you stopping me?"

Lucien looked at the guards. "If I wanted to keep you by force, you would know it."

The iron gates opened quietly. A guard came down the steps with a tablet that was flashing red.

"My lord, the High Council has found the car that left the subway station. They're sending teams to get it."

Lucien looked at the screen. "What else?"

"House Raven is sending their teams."

Lucien's eyes narrowed. "They're moving faster than I thought."

"The Council is having an emergency meeting. They want you to be there."

"I'll take care of the Council." Lucien gave the tablet back and opened the car door. "Get in, Kael."

I didn't move. "I'm not your prisoner."

"If I wanted a prisoner, you would be in chains."

I tried to argue, but I couldn't think of anything to say.

The guard held the tablet to his chest. "My lord, the Council thinks the Omega is too valuable to be left alone. Every noble house got the alert. They're afraid of what might happen."

"It won't happen."

"Stop talking about me like I'm a thing," I snapped. "What's House Raven?"

No one answered.

Finally, Lucien looked at me. "A family that should never find you."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"It answers the important part."

I laughed. "You like speaking in riddles."

"I only speak when I have to."

The guard smiled a little, then straightened up when Lucien looked at him.

"My apologies, my lord."

"Go back to your post."

The guard went back to the gates. The sound of rain hitting the car roof filled the silence.

Lucien turned to me. "You can stand there arguing all night. It won't change anything."

"What won't change?"

"People are looking for you. They'll find this place eventually."

I looked at the street. There were cars driving by, looking for something.

I got into the car. "This doesn't mean I trust you."

"I know."

"Or that I'm staying."

"I know."

I slammed the door.

Lucien got into the front seat. The car started quietly and drove into the night. There were no cars with us. The city went by quietly outside the windows.

I looked at myself in the window. I was dirty and bloody. Lucien's coat was too big for me.

I looked at the front seat. Lucien was sitting still, looking ahead. I looked away before he saw me.

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of big iron gates. Behind them was a stone building on a hill.

The car drove into a garage. The doors closed behind us with a clang. There were three layers of steel.

The driver got out first. The guards lowered their heads, waiting for Lucien to get out.

"We're here."

I got out of the car. The garage was bright and quiet. No one was speaking loudly.

Lucien started walking. I stayed where I was.

He stopped without turning around. "If you want to escape, this is not the place to try."

"I wasn't thinking about escaping."

"...Maybe," he said, almost laughing. "Come."

I followed him into an elevator. It went up smoothly. When the doors opened, we were in a room. The floor was made of marble. There were big windows that looked out over the city.

"This is your home?" I asked, staying near the door.

"Yes."

"It looks like a palace."

"I prefer a fortress. Because this is the safest place in the city. For both of us."

I laughed quietly. "You sound very sure of yourself."

"I don't make promises I can't keep."

There was a knock. A woman in a uniform came in. "My lord, the doctor is here."

"Bring him in."

My stomach tightened. "A doctor?"

"You need to see a doctor. You're getting a fever. You've stumbled three times since we left the station. You're hurting your back."

"I don't need a doctor."

"You need treatment."

The woman quietly left. I walked to the windows to get away from Lucien. I tried to open a door. It was locked.

I turned to him. "You locked it."

"I secured the floor."

The elevator doors opened, and an old man got out. He was carrying a bag. He looked tired, then he saw me.

He froze. His bag fell to the floor. "No..."

He took a step closer, looking at my face. He was breathing hard. "Impossible..."

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

"The eyes... The same shape..." He put on his glasses with a shaking hand. "He has the eyes."

The room was quiet.

I turned to Lucien. His face was hard.

"Leave." Lucien's voice was sharp.

The old man jumped. "My lord, I only meant—"

"Leave," Lucien repeated.

The old vampire grabbed his case, bowed quickly, and backed into the elevator without looking at me. The doors slid shut.

I walked closer to Lucien. "What did he mean by that? Who do my eyes belong to?"

He did not say a word. He just kept his back to me, looking out at the city.

"Lucien, look at me. I almost got killed tonight. I have been pulled all over the city. I deserve to know what is going on."

Finally, he spoke up. "Not tonight. I will not tell you anything tonight."

"That is your answer?"

"That is the only thing I can say right now."

Lucien's crimson eyes met mine in the reflection on the glass. For a short time, the cold feeling went away, and I saw something that looked like regret. Then it was gone.

I looked at Lucien. "You said I am a key to something that's a hundred years old. Now a doctor looks at me like he has seen a ghost. Whose eyes do I have?"

Lucien closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was cold and distant, like before.

"If I tell you the truth now, you will never have a peaceful night again."

A chill ran down my spine. Being a Pure Omega wasn't the end of my nightmare.

It was only the beginning.