He was alive.
She felt it all first—the signs of living. The exhales that escaped his lips. Oxygen, angry, biting and hissing through an inflamed throat. The coldness of the room. And then the pain in his body, the achy sort of hurt that weighed in his head and trembled through his throat.
There was some pain that they never shared, like the nibble of Rumiko's teeth over breast or the weight of exhaustion. But it occurred only when body exchange was continuous and daily, and mostly when it was a result of her baby.
This pain was foreign and new—not hers. And she accepted it all with trembling lips.
He'd been mildly singed, burnt from the fire, the smoke—a familiar ache in his lungs from it all. And when she opened her eyes, she was almost in tears from the relief of it all, to feel him pulsing in her chest. The stutter of his heartbeat rushed in her ears, the burn of blood tingling in numbing limbs.
It didn't matter at first, that he was naked, tied to a bed—a prisoner. It didn't matter that the space was dark, and he'd been there long enough for the ropes on his skin to dig so tightly into his skin that it hurt to move. It didn't matter that his wrist burned, and his body was drooping with exhaustion. Nausea was swimming in his throat from it all. His belly dipped in, and there was a shiver from the weakness.
But he was alive, had to be if she wanted to take over his body as hers.
And it was Oliver.
She knew it immediately but confirmed it again with her eyes dragging over his body. The shape of his naked feet. The ripple of his muscles, the shade of his nipples. The curve of his flaccid cock. His lips that she pressed together and tasted. His hands zwere long and slender, the dip of his wrist. The curve of a fluffy tail from his animal soul bond. The twist of their bond melting together in delicious harmony. And she checked for wounds, felt for it.
There were none too deep and too awful.
And it wasn't the hotel that she was now situated in, not a bed soft and warm. Not the coldness of a grieving family, with tear tracks sticky on her cheeks and her eyes aching, swollen. It wasn't one of her boys. This was Oliver.
He was alive.
The joy that erupted from her chest was spellbinding, a wash of so much relief that tears had burned in her eyes. And it flowed hot and messy. She'd be scolded for this, and he'd stand before her rage in his eyes. You shouldn't have taken my place! He'd cry, roar at her with his words. It's not safe! You can't do that, never again. But he'd smile after that, kneel at her feet, head against her hands. Thank you, he'd say that too.
This had her smiling, soft, a choked down sob that she silenced quickly, surveying the area.
It was dark outside, but lightly illuminated by swinging lamps, a yellow ochre glow. It was a warehouse of sorts, dust motes spinning in the air, webs sticking to the edges of a cracking bulb. A space of rusting green walls, and stacks of thick boxes upon steel scaffolding.
She couldn't make out the size of the room, nor could she truly tell what was contained within each wooden box. The prints of it hidden under the darkness. But she tasted salt in the air and could hear the whisper of seagulls in the distance. The animal soul bond enhanced her senses, and she could hear the groan of a ship's horn, and the shout of dialect.
A port. Oliver would know what to do. He'd know where to find her, all she had to do was to wait.
A cold draft wafted through the cracks, and she shivered, and tried to press thighs together but they remained chained to the bed, wide open. Cold. So cold that she could see her own breath painting the air. There was hunger in his belly. But his bladder was empty, and he didn't seem hurt. Her brows furrowed, horrible thoughts swimming in her head.
Nudity meant many things, but on a bed as dirty as this one and in a room as dank, she could rule out organ harvesting. Torture? Perhaps. Blackmail? Of course. Sex? She chewed on her lips, and swallowed thickly. Fear creeping in slowly, quickly but the thought of him returning to this space after two days of imprisonment strengthened her resolve.
She'd take it all for him, anything for him.
But if he was alive, where was her daughter? Her gaze flew across the room, flustered.
And then there it was a giggle, a long-pitched titter from a group of girls. Before her somewhere in the darkness, a door was pushed open, creaking on unoiled hinges. The clack of high heels was what she heard first before they emerged into the light.
A group of girls, masked from their eyes to their noses like a masquerade ball. The disguise was similar, black velvet with gold lace. But it was the girl at the front of the herd that had horror cresting in her throat.
A video recorder in her hand, a tripod in the other.
"You're quiet now," she smiled, voice eerily familiar. A silky robe tightened around her waist. "You were so noisy just an hour ago."
"He's tired," one of the girls chirped taking the camera from her, a coo in her throat. "Isn't he, baby dog?"
"Oh, my dear, Livy," a third stated, baby-talk dripping wet and sticky. "Do you miss your friends?"
"I'll be quick," the first assured, stepping closer into the light. Her eyes were haunting, the shape of her lips familiar. "I'm sure it won't take you long." Her robe was shrugged off revealing naked skin and dark nipples. She stood in the light, preened as if he would think her pretty—thin and gaunt. "I'm not loose like that girl."
She was Claudia.
It was horror that went through her. This was the same voice that haunted her nightmares, and clung to her dreams. It wouldn't take long for her to recognise the woman who clawed soul flowers from her head. The woman who'd fucked them all over. Casper's distant cousin. The girl who'd left them exposed in the airport, resulted in the stampede, caused her body to bleed.
The woman who had always wanted Oliver as her soulmate.
The woman who'd started it all.
Amber's eyes danced to the side, to the girls that stood before her, smiling and giggling. Crazy fans or Claudia's lackeys? She couldn't recognise them, but surely they must be the people who were there. The people who'd watched as Claudia had torn out her heart and soul. She didn't know for sure but the adoration that clung to their voice was sickly, fanatic, and similar.
But Amber feared her cover blown, eyes drifting to the camera now focused on more important things. A camera hooked quickly to a computer. They wanted it high definition, with quality that one could only achieve with a tripod.
A sex tape with Oliver?
"Why?" she stated, voice raw. There was a blink from Claudia and then a big smile.
"I need a child," Claudia shrugged as if she didn't care. "I'd extract it from you later just in case this doesn't work. But you know it would be so nice to do it properly." Claudia grinned, cruel as she folded her arms, body displayed as if Oliver would care to look at it. "Your kid's cute, but it's not mine. Nor is it yours." She beamed, twisted curls, chest stuck forward as if proud. "And that won't do if I want grandmother to give her empire to me."
"What did you do to my baby?" Amber gasped; eyes wide.
Her memories rushed through her, and drew her to a meeting from months ago. It'd been so long it felt almost like a dream. A time when she'd been stupid, naïve and crazy. Casper's grandmother who'd proposed that she gave away her child for a stake in the company, for their protection, for her soulmate's fame.
She'd have it all as long as she gave up her child. Because a child with a eight soul parents would be better, smarter than the rest, which made Rumiko desirable to the old tycoon. And then her mind jumped to Claudia who'd begged for her to give it all up. Her eyes snapped to Claudia's.
Was Rumiko with Casper's grandmother—
"I told you already, the baby is still here with you," Claudia shrugged. One of the girls reached over to the side and kicked at a box on the ground. The lid pried open, and a cry gurgled free, soft and weak. Her daughter had been silenced in that box. Amber's heart lurched, horrified. It would have been better if she'd been with Casper's grandmother. "Stupid thing."
"You didn't care for her?" her lips were moving, forgetting that she had to continue with her charade. Something in Amber lurched forward, despair brewing in her throat. "She's just a baby! Leave her at the police station. Someone will pick her up—"
"Do you think I'm that stupid? Why would I leave out a child that everyone's looking for?" Claudia snorted, and this time suspicion flooded in her eyes. Amber struggled to keep her cool, searching her mind for an excuse. "We've had this conversation before. The baby's a good leverage so you'd play nice."
"Not if she dies," Amber cried. There were no lies when she spoke, voice trembling as her eyes remained locked on the box. Heartbreaking as the gurgles weakened in the box. There were tears forming in her eyes, blurring her vision. "If she dies, I will never cooperate with you—"
"There's no cooperation needed," Claudia smiled laughter in her voice. "All you need to do…" She crouched then a hideous look on her face. "Is lean back and accept it." She raised her hands, sweeping her fingers down her body, over flesh, over bone. "I'm sure it'll be so much better than having to share that ugly snake with six other men."
Amber exhaled, lips pursed, and the camera was screwed into place. The tripod set tight. The red button flashing. And Claudia only stalked closer, leaned forward, smiling. Her lips were painted red, and perfume sprayed over her skin so densely that it tasted bitter in her throat.
"What are you going to do with the camera?" Amber hissed, struggling against the ropes. They were tight on Oliver's body, too tight. Escape would be impossible, not unless she had a smaller body, a tinier structure, and thinner wrists.
"Oh, a little blackmail," Claudia shrugged. "Your fans will buy this from me. There's plenty of them waiting in the chat groups, waiting online. In fact, soon you'll be on live stream with me. They all want to see it, what's it like to see Oliver cum." She smiled, licked her lips with her eyes on Oliver's dick. "You'll stay here until we can't. Right girls?" The others laughed, and nodded eagerly.
"Don't you like me?" she snapped out, panic hissing through her. Her voice escaped her in a desperate whine. "You're my fans, right—"
"You!" Claudia snarled; finger stabbing to her chest. The roar billowed from her throat; her voice was dripping with poison. And her eyes were huge, wide as if mad. "Betrayed us by fucking that bitch." Her finger swept to the side, and pointed to the ceiling. She stabbed her finger hard into the air as she spat out those words. The hatred was clear, the anger even more so. "It makes us all fucking nauseous to see you there with her." She feigned a gag, then an eye roll. "She's so fucking disgusting."
"But she's my soulmate," Amber replied, eyes wide, begging. "It's fate. And she makes me happy—"
"Happy?" Claudia snorted, a laugh bubbling from her throat. "Oliver, you're the one that seduced us in the first place. It's your fucking fault for ruining my life! I just love you more than you love me." Her smile was growing bigger, wider. "And that girl? Amber? She's just a fucking slut. Plus, you share. You shouldn't be happy. She should just kill herself. She should fucking stab herself in the throat and jump off the fucking building. She should just die so that the boys have a decent chance with people who respect them, care for them, and worship them the way they should be. Like you, I'd worship you. I'd do anything for you. And you know, don't you?" She was panting as she spoke. "I've almost killed her for you. Do you have any idea what I lost just to do all that?"
Amber was quiet, lips pursed into a thin line, fingers on the ropes. Only a thinner wrist could escape these bindings, only a smaller body could slip through her restraints. But Claudia was crazy and God, she didn't know if it was safe for her to transform.
"Everything!" Claudia screamed, and even that had the girls behind her jumping backwards. "My money, my power. I've had to grovel under my grandmother for years, pretend I was a weak shit just so they'd lay off me. They sent me to a fucking boarding school where I was beaten for doing everything wrong. But I did it willingly, I did it for you. Because I know you'd need me. You'd need me one day to save you. And I did. I did." She nodded vigorously. "I did everything I could do to get you out of there."
"You did something at the concert," Amber mumbled, horrified. "You hurt them all."
"She was supposed to die," Claudia agreed. "But I had people waiting, waiting to catch you. You should have been weak, starving from the loss of the bond. I'd have latched onto you, and you'd live through the pain thanks to me. But no…She had to live." Claudia snorted, and shook her head. "She needs to die for this world to be a better place."
"You think I'd like you if you did all that to her?" Amber snapped, heat boiling in her throat. "She's my family. My partner. She's the mother of my child! I hate you for hurting the one I love, for hurting my members, for harming my fans at my concert; don't you see that? Why would I like someone who hurts others? I hate you!" She snarled, and this had the girls flinching, but Claudia merely laughed.
"You don't know what's good for you, little baby," she pouted, a disgusting purr slipping from her lips. "It's okay, once you have a pacifier in your mouth and the best sex of your life, you'll know who's better." There was brightness in her eyes, as she crouched lower before her. And Amber turned, begging the girls behind the camera.
"Please," she beseeched. "Please, help me. Please. I-I want to go home. Please." And they seemed to consider her words, shifting on their feet. There must be some love for Oliver, some humanity. Surely, they weren't all insane—
"You don't have to bother with them," Claudia snorted, lips curled—cruel. "They're all just like me. Every last one of us here. They all want this. They paid the price. And we're all going to hell together. Besides," she snorted; head jerked towards the standing crowd. "They're the ones that suggested all the methods to kill her. They were the ones who helped me commit this crime, we're all in this together."
"Please!" Amber begged, her eyes turning to the video. "My child, at the very least please, please save her. She won't survive in that box. Please. Not the baby—"
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Claudia rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to kill her?" This had Amber growing quiet, lips snapping shut.
"We didn't plan for this…" One of the girls spoke up softly from behind. "The baby's still JieMi's… He'd be devastated—"
"Silence!" Claudia snarled, eyes flashing. "Or you won't get your chance with him. You were the one who suggested paying the fucking nanny. And now you're getting cold feet just because the kid looks like JieMi?" Amber's eyes widened; lips curled. Fuck. "Now," Claudia turned to her, hands running up her sides. Amber shivered. "Where were we?"
She turned her head to the side, frustration burning in her throat, fingers sliding around the ropes.
"Look at me," Claudia hissed, climbing over her, and straddling her with her naked body. Her hands were on her now, running up her body as if they'd turn her flaccid cock solid. But nothing in this world could. "Look at me!" Amber refused, staring hard and cold at the lens, angry and accusatory. "Urgh," Claudia sighed from above her, perfume so sweet it was almost cloying. "Do we have to bring out the drugs? Or the baby?"
She gestured to the girls, and they tentatively pulled the child out of the box. Rumiko wailed sobbing in soiled rags. They brought her over, and Amber had to look with tears in her eyes. Her baby seemed a lot thinner, a rash running up her skin.
Her clothes were soiled in urine and her little cheeks were too pale, her fingertips blue. It hurt her heart to see her like that, and she almost cried out then, struggling against the restraints. Her body automatically moved with her need to get closer.
"She's not okay," her voice trembled, raw. "She's sick."
"Relax, she's alive," Claudia rolled her eyes, taking Rumiko in her arms. Amber almost sobbed out loud at how weak her baby seemed, flopping in the arms of their kidnapper. "Disgusting," Claudia turned her nose upwards with a scoff, but she glanced at Amber then with her arms around the child. "See this? That's why you should listen to me," she smiled. "If you don't cooperate, I'm going to cut off her little fingers one after another how would you like that?"
"No," Amber gasped. "You wouldn't." Claudia shrugged.
"Bring me a knife," Claudia turned and gestured to the girls. "One for each minute you spend wasting my time—"
And it was then that Amber transformed.