Alina pulled the cloak from around her neck, gently laying it on one of the chairs in Kirigan's bedroom. This had become her room as well now. Now they were bonded, Kirigan wanted Alina by his side all the time. He wanted her wherever he went. Currently he was in his war room, discussing the recent change of laws with his guards and Grisha.
Alina's head was scrambled. The last few days had been confusing and exhausting. She couldn't keep up. One minute she hated Kirigan and wanted nothing more than to be the furthest away from him and the next she wanted to be so close to him and never leave his embrace. It was all because of their bond. Her mark that ached when he wasn't there and tingled when he was.
Alina didn't know what to think. She slumped down on the bed and took a deep sigh, staring down at her hands in her lap. The pull inside her was growing deeper every day and Alina was falling with it. Kirigan gave her what she needed and he could give her so much more.
The door opened and Alina assumed it was Kirigan. She didn't turn her head and when she heard the soft patter of footsteps coming closer and the familiar scent of perfume, she turned and looked up, eyes wide with shock.
"Genya" she whispered and stood up.
Genya looked at her sadly, her face a frown and Alina blinked. A deadly silence took over them before Genya spoke.
"You look well" she said and Alina didn't speak back.
She didn't know how she felt right now. Genya was her friend… or supposedly her friend and she had gone months without seeing her.
"So do you… but you always have" Alina said quietly and Genya offered a small smile.
"What are you doing here?" Alina said, trying to put on a strong façade but inside she wanted to cry. Genya was the only person she really felt she could trust here before she trusted Kirigan and even she betrayed her in the end.
"I wanted to see you… I know I have no right to act like I've done nothing wrong and I'm not going to" she said and Alina narrowed her eyes.
"But I want you to know Alina I didn't want to do it… I didn't want to put you through that" she said and Alina rolled her eyes.
"You pretended to be my friend and then threw it back in my face" Alina crossed her arms angrily and turned back to Genya who furrowed her brows.
"I wasn't talking about that… but that doesn't excuse that as well" she said and now it was Alina's turn to look confused.
"What do you mean, what are you talking about?" Alina said and unfolded her arms so they dropped to her sides. Genya padded over to her so she was stood very close to Alina.
"Your friend… Mal. He's here isn't he" she said.
Mal
Alina froze, staring blankly out into the room. It had felt like so long since she thought about him. She hadn't thought of him since she got on that skiff to Shu Han. The last time she saw him was when they were being dragged back to the little palace after their escape attempt. Alina felt her heart sink.
"Mal… I hadn't even thought of him" she whispered and Genya took her hand, holding it up.
"That's because you don't have this anymore… the scar" she said and Alina looked down at her palm.
The scar… the only part of Mal Alina had close to her when he wasn't physically there. The memory of their friendship and that day when the Grisha came to examine her. The line that had kept them together all these years… was gone.
"Just before you left for Shu Han, Kirigan made me get rid of it… I didn't want to Alina, I swear but I didn't have a choice, he would have made me do it either way" she was pleading with Alina who still stared at her palm. She slowly raised her finger and ran it over her palm, remembering the feeling of the bump that had adorned her hand for so many years.
She remembered now. She remembered it all. Kirigan dragging her to Genya's room, forcing her to remove the scar that would mean Alina would forget all about the tracker, his shadow army pinning her down as Genya did the deed.
Tears came to Alina's eyes and she pulled away and slumped on the bed again, her hands shaking.
"I forgot all about him. I didn't even think of him while I was away. He just faded to the back of my mind like nothing" she whispered to herself and after a few seconds of silence, Alina burst into tears, sobs cracking in her throat as she held her eyes with her hands.
Genya sat beside Alina, running her hand over her back.
"Alina" she cooed and Alina sniffled, tearing her hands away and shaking her head.
"I don't know what to do Genya… everything is so confusing" she sobbed and looked at her, her cheeks stained with her tears and her lashes wet and messy. Her lips quivered as softer cries escaped.
"Listen, you have every right to hate me and I know what I've done was terrible. I am so sorry; I should have been honest with you from the start and if I had a choice, I wouldn't have taken the scar away… I know how much he means to you and for that I'm going to help you get out of here" she said and Alina blinked in shock.
"Wh-what" she stuttered.
"I'll help you escape from him and Mal" Genya said once again.
"But… I thought you said you were his solider".
"Not anymore… after what he did to David" Genya was now the one to become teary and Alina turned her body fully to face her. she had also forgotten about David. she knew how much Genya liked David and had a thing for him.
"Oh Genya… I'm sorry" Alina said softly but Genya took a deep breath. She was not one to show emotion and she had already done enough crying on her own when she heard the news was true.
"It's not your fault Alina… Kirigan is an evil man and he won't stop until he has everything" Alina agreed with her on that.
"Genya, I don't know what to do… my head is so messed up I don't know what to think or believe. I hate him, I hate what he's done to Mal and I want every chance to get out of here… and I don't".
"This bond we have, it's too powerful and over the last day I've come to realise that what he said was true. He gives me the balance; he give me this feeling inside that I yearn for and no one else could give me that… not even Mal".
"I love Mal but maybe I would be better off here, with Kirigan. Maybe this is the only way for me" Alina shuddered as a broken cry came out and Genya took her hands in hers tightly, squeezing them.
"Alina look at me" she said and Alina did as told, staring with teary eyes.
"I can tell you to escape or I can tell you to stay here and be with Kirigan… but you have to decide. I know this is hard and this is going to be even harder to hear but your right, what you and Kirigan have is… special and no one else could have that with you" Genya looked at her intently and Alina shuddered once again, her hands shaking from sobbing.
"Whatever you decide, I will be there for you, I promise as a true friend this time" Genya said softly and Alina let out a sob but smiled. She latched forward onto Genya and hugged her tightly, her face buried in her shoulder. Genya squeezed her tightly, brushing her hair and whispering into her ear.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" Genya cried softly and a tear fell down her face as the two hugged. After a few minutes, they pulled back and both wiped their faces. Genya reached forward and waved her thumb over Alina's cheeks to remove the stains of tears and Alina let out a small laugh. She had missed Genya and her excellent tailoring ways.
"I did miss you; I feel like over the last months I've been a crying, dirty mess" Alina twirled a piece of hair between her fingers.
"Your right about that" Genya said smugly and Alina laughed. She missed Genya's humour and wit. She missed having a girl she could talk to about anything.
"I have to tell; I saw Mal while you were away" she said.
"How is he, is he alright?" Alina asked quickly, latching on to Genya's arm. She hoped Kirigan hadn't done much damage to Mal.
"He'll be fine, I nursed a few of his wounds. When I went to see him, he was going to escape but I told him not to, the guards would have found him and Kirigan could most likely kill him" Alina frowned, nodding her head.
"That's Mal for you… I hope he doesn't cause too much trouble for himself. I don't know what to do Genya, I need to think about all this" Alina said softly.
As much as Alina knew what Kirigan had been doing was wrong, she couldn't ignore the pleasure she got from being with him and being his equal even if most of the time it felt one sided. Alina didn't know if she could keep on ignoring the fact that Kirigan and her had this bond and she and Mal did not. Like Kirigan would say, she is Grisha and he is Otkazat'sya.
"I think so to… just be careful Alina" Genya said and Alina nodded.
"I will" Alina had no choice but to be careful. She needed some alone time to think carefully about what she wanted to do.
"Well I better go, why don't you get washed up, you look awful" Genya smiled and Alina scoffed.
"You said I looked well" Alina said and Genya turned over her shoulder and smirked as she walked to the door.
"I was lying" she said and Alina giggled softly, shaking her head. Genya left and Alina felt the silence surround her. She looked down at her palm once more where the scar had been and rubbed her thumb over it but when she did, the memory of Kirigan in his tent, rubbing his thumb across her palm came back to her instead of the scar.
Hey so I hope you like it, what do you think will happen next, what do you think Alina will choose, let me know what you think in the reviews