Chapter 10: Reunited
When the last rays of the day were painting the sky in pretty purples and oranges Alia was leaning against the cool stone of a winery, watching the people tiredly as they passed by. She had woken up early for no reason and it had gotten under her skin. The people of the City seemed to wander aimlessly, and for a moment she pitied them. They worked to afford their homes so they had a place to sleep so they could get up and go to work. It was the vicious cycle of life that couldn't be avoided unless you wanted to live like a hermit up in the mountains. And that was just no fun.
She sighed and rolled her head around, stretching the muscles in her neck; they were sore from the rigorous workouts she had been subjecting her body to. Being locked up in an asylum and tortured regularly had a habit of atrophying the muscles.
She shook her head of the thoughts before her mind recalled the details, because thinking about the Moira Asylum gave her visions that she would rather not see thanks to the Primal that they had forced into her body.
She grimaced as the marks that started at the base of her skull and traveled all the way down her spine burned; as if it knew she was thinking about it.
She didn't have a job lined up and was terribly bored. She mulled over going to see Basso but decided against it. It tugged at her heart strings to avoid him the way that she did; but he would pry into what she was doing and he just wouldn't understand and so it was best to not even open that can of worms. Besides, the less he knew the safer he would be. She sighed, debating whether to look for an opportunity or just go back to her house and go back to bed. She hadn't slept right in weeks and maybe a light coma is what she needed. She looked down at herself; she wasn't decked out in her full on heist gear, but with the coin she'd made she was able to pay off Basso and buy herself some extra gear that wasn't so conspicuous. It made walking around amongst the citizens much easier.
The wind kicked up and blew her loose hair right into her face and she struggled for a bit to get it out of her eyes and mouth, sputtering to get the strands off her tongue as a few strangers turned to giggle at her.
Her shoulders sank as she came to grips with the fact that she just wasn't in the mood for stealing today; and lifted herself up and headed back up the street to home.
Her apartment, along with everything she owned, had been lost to her when she was captured. When her rent hadn't been paid her landlord sold her possessions and rented her room out to someone else, which was typical. So she had to start from scratch. Luckily, the Watch was stretched pretty thin with the Gloom and the strangulation of the citizens all in the name of 'progress'. The word sent a shiver down her spine. If only the Baron knew just what kind of chaos he was unleashing.
The Primal didn't want progress. She knew because the damn thing was constantly whispering in her head. She supposed that it would have been her civic duty to try to talk to the Baron, or anyone that would listen; and tell them that what they were doing was going to plunge the city to hell, literally. She could be like that asshole Orion and try to start a rebellion; but she couldn't bring herself to care about the people around her, save a select few. She had seen what they were capable of, and she really believed that if the Primal wanted to sink the City in the sea, then so be it. What this place needed was a new plague and a few disasters. Scrap the whole thing and start over. Maybe that was a fucked up way to view the only home that she had ever known; but all she ever got from being soft was getting hurt, and she was over that shit.
The flashbacks rocked her violently. She was haunted by the screams inside the asylum; echoing inside of her head just like they did against the stone walls. She could smell the coppery scent of blood as if she was still covered in it.
You're going to sacrifice the lives of all these innocent people, and for what? Revenge? What about the people here that don't deserve to die? She could still hear the doctor's voice, muffled by the glass that had separated them. She was haunted by her actions that night, the night she finally escaped from the asylum. The doctor was good at his job. He had known how to fuck with her head; by appealing to her weak heart and humanity. But now she had the primal. It had whispered to her, convinced her that there were none worth saving. The needs of Alia outweighed the fate of them all.
God will sort you out. She had said before she pulled the lever.
She laid around her shack lazily until the bars were giving their last call to the drunks in their establishments; and restlessness set in. She took to the rooftops, even if it was just a run around the slums maybe it would burn off some energy and she could get some sleep. With a running leap, she bound across a long gap, landing with a roll and right back on her feet. She didn't break stride, letting the wide grin break out on her face. She liked going on runs. With the City beneath her and the stars and smog above, it was a reminder of her freedom and her strength. The civilians beneath her didn't have to worry about being physically fit enough to scale the side of a building or if their minds were sharp enough to evade traps. But she was, and it separated her from them.
She stopped high up on a sloped roof, sitting down to catch her breath. It was only a few hours until the dawn, but she wasn't tired. Out of breath, but not sleepy.
A commotion below her caught her attention. She crawled over to the edge of the shingles and peered down into a back street. Her eyes quickly penetrated the darkness and she saw three of the Watch cornering a young woman.
"You're past curfew, miss." One sneered.
"Violators of the Baron's laws must be punished."
The woman cowered down against the old wood behind her, her chest heaving in sobs. "Please… I just went to try to fetch my husband from the bar. I won't do it again I swear! Punish him!" She pleaded.
The man that seemed to be leading the assault lunged forward and grabbed her arms, holding her close to him. "But punishing you would be so much more fun!" He grinned as she struggled against him. "You seem like enough woman to take it from me and the boys with no problem!" They all burst into mocking laughter as another man came up behind her and began the process of removing her dress.
Alia slid silently into the darkness behind them as they tore at the woman's clothes and flesh like animals. Her heart raced until she was sure they would hear it beating out of her chest and give her position away. She couldn't just turn her head, not to this. The watch was corrupt before, but now? This was too much, even if every nerve in her body told her to go the other way, that it happened all the time and none of those other people got rescued. But she knew what it felt like to have unwanted hands on her flesh and it made her blood boil.
The watchman holding the womans arms forcefully kissed her as his friend yanked her dress, exposing the thin fabric of the cheap corset that served as her underclothes. The off white of the fabric almost glowed in the darkness. The third man began to clear a spot on the ground where they were no doubt going to lay her down and rape her.
Alia waited until they all had their backs to her before she sprang. She stayed low and drove the heel of her foot into the back of the main aggressor's knee. He was the largest, and had to go down first. She didn't have her blackjack with her, but her arms were strong and her elbows were sharp. She drove her bent arm into his face, and as the blood spurted from his nose she knew he would be unconscious before he hit the ground. But how long he would stay like that was uncertain. She had the second man's arm before he could piece together what was happening, and slung him into the wall. The third rapist wrapped his arm around her neck and tried to sweep her feet out from beneath her, but she moved her hips away from him and drove her elbow into his abdomen. He bent forward, but the man she threw into the wall had bounced back and grabbed her by her hair, dragging her to the ground with him.
He pinned her on her stomach beneath him. "Who's this pretty little tart?" He hissed in her ear. She could smell the alcohol on his breath as he grabbed a handful of her backside, squeezing painfully. The man she hit in the gut staggered to his feet, coughing. "You this bitches friend?" He gestured to the girl that they had tried to lay down, but she was stumbling away, trying to put her clothes back on. "Aw, fuck. Ronn she got away. I liked the tits on that one!"
The man on top of her, Ronn, kept her pinned as she struggled beneath him. "I've got her friend!" He gasped out as he fought her to stay down. "And this one's got an ass to die for!"
She grit her teeth as she attempted to shift her hips out from underneath the ball of filth on top of her. If she could get her legs underneath her then she could roll him and run.
Just then the weight that held her down vanished, and she heard a couple of grunts. Turning her head, she saw a tall dark figure before her as Ronn's friend crumpled unconscious to the ground next to the still forms of his friends. She struggled to roll over and get on her feet to flee, but her dark savior was faster than her. The stranger wrapped his hands around her forearms and hauled her to her feet. She glared up into a hood that hid his face.
"What are you doing here?" He asked forcefully. "Are you fucking stupid? It was three against one!" He jolted her as if to shake some sense in to her, but she didn't respond, only stared in total fear. Her mind buzzed so loud that his voice seemed far away, electric currents shot through her body as if his fingers were live wires.
One of his hands released her to peel back his hood and lower his cowl, and she felt her legs turn to jello.
"Alia." He said, softly, a small smile playing at the corners of those lips that she adored.
"Wha… Garrett?" She whispered weakly. "You… You're here. But you're dead." She searched his face, every scar and every line from him scowling all the time was exactly where it should be.
He released her, but continued to stare down at her intensely. "Obviously not."
She shuddered, feeling the tears burning the corners of her eyes. Her head throbbed, but not painfully. It was almost like there were visions that were trying to force their way through, but couldn't. "Where were you?" She murmured through closed teeth, trying to stop the tears from spilling over. He was here, in front of her, and he was real and alive. But all this time, where was he?
"I don't know, for sure." He said with a one shouldered shrug.
"You don't know?" She said, the anger rising in her at his indifference. What the fuck kind of excuse was that? "You were gone for over a year and you don't know!?" She shoved past him, only to whirl back around to his surprised face. "It was a shitty thing to do. I wasn't ready to be left alone... I… They…" Her voice quivered, and she was failing at keeping her voice even remotely quiet. Her breathing was becoming erratic. She could feel visions and flashbacks trying to force their way into her mind again, but they weren't getting through.
His eyes narrowed as he approached her again carefully, but there was something dark in his eyes that made her skin tingle when he looked at her. She hoped that his heated gaze was of desire, because it made her core ignite as she recalled the last time they had been intimate. Oh so wrong, but oh so right. "What are you talking about? I've been looking everywhere for you ever since I got back."
But she stepped back. She had to get her head out of the gutter. It didn't matter how good he was in bed, dammit she was a woman scorned. "Just forget it." She spat. Then she realized that once again, she looked weak in front of him. After everything she had survived without him, this is what he comes up on. "Why did you interfere? I could have handled them." She crossed her arms under her breasts and did her best to glare at him when deep down she wanted to throw herself at him. Why did he have such an effect on her? Oh that's right. Because Alia was really a sheep that followed her master blindly, even to the slaughterhouse. She scowled inwardly at herself; wondering why he still had her loyalty. As if he had stolen that, too, and she would never get it back.
There were voices approaching, probably more of the watch. She saw Garrett's signature scowl etch into the lines of his face. "It's not safe here. Let's go."
"I'm not going anywhere with you." She said darkly, trying to let her anger override any other emotion or impulsiveness. "It hasn't been safe here for a long time but that wasn't enough for you to come back then so I don't understand why it matters now. I've been doing just fine without you."
"Alia." He said sternly, breaking out his teacher voice. She had to think really hard to not bite her lip. She really liked his commanding tone. "Don't argue with me now. I'll explain, I promise. But we need to get out of here." The voices were getting louder, and one of the guards that Garrett had taken down let out a long groan as he began to stir.
The reasonable thing to do would have been to go with him, but she wasn't feeling like being reasonable; she felt like being petty. "I'll be fine. You go do whatever it is that you're up to now that your back, and I'll go do my thing." She turned to walk away but strong fingers wrapped around her arm and spun her around. Garrett had slammed her into the wall, pinning her body with his; one hand holding her wrist above her head, the other on her neck. His hips pinned her other arm down and also kept his midsection out of reach from her knees.
His eyes were dark, and angry; save for his right eye which was coated in a blue haze, one that she knew well. It sent shivers down her spine.
"Oh you're going to do your thing, are you? You mean stealing kids?" His lips twitched at her surprised gasp. "Basso told me. Your little slave trade business? It ends. Now." His gaze bored into hers. But she couldn't keep the hurt expression from her face. That's what they thought she was doing? Surely they both knew her better than that. "I should kill you." His deep voice interrupted her thoughts; although his threat was coated in sadness, and the darkness in his voice didn't reach his eyes as his fingers tightened around her throat. "I didn't want you to turn into this…" He winced, as if the declaration hurt him.
"Garrett, wait." She panted; partly because she was scared shitless and the other because his body was so close to hers. It made her head swim and her skin burn. She had missed his hands on her, that was certain. "You really think I would be in the slave trade?" She couldn't keep the pain out of her voice that cracked even though she wanted to be strong. He was ready to kill her for something that he didn't understand. Which wasn't exactly fair.
"Why else are you kidnapping? They call you Child Snatcher." He hissed into her ear; which even though he could snap her neck at any moment still made her shiver with want.
She closed her eyes and swallowed. Get a grip on yourself, old girl. "It's the Gloom. I'm taking them to Audale. It's the only place that hasn't been completely infected." His hand loosened on her throat, but only slightly. "The watch is on my ass about it because they usually take the kids from sick homes and take them to the asylum." Her voice shook as she spoke, haunting memories flashed in front of her eyes. Blood and screams echoed in her mind as she recalled a weak, bloody hand sliding down the glass. "I know what they're doing to them if they get there, Garrett. It's worse than death. I can hide them in Audale that's all I'm doing it for I swear." She let out a nervous bark of a laugh. "I don't even get paid. It's like a side project."
Garrett considered her words for only a second or two, then softened his grip but didn't let go of her. His eyes darted to the side, down at the end of the street the soft glow of the watch's torches were making their way quickly to them. "Let's go." He snapped, then pointed a finger at her threateningly. "Don't argue with me."
"Where?" She said, missing his warmth as he left her and scaled a nearby awning, heading up to the thieves' highway. And just like old times, she followed him like a damn puppy.
"My place." He said as he ushered her towards the haunted clock tower in Stonemarket.
000
He could tell it was strange to her being back inside the clock tower. She looked around nervously, like a cat in a new home. She was angry with him, that much he could tell for sure. He was relieved that she wasn't selling stolen kids to the slavers, though. He dreaded having to kill her; and seriously considered only punishing her, had it been what he thought it was. He couldn't deny that he left her too soon; so any failure of hers was also his. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he stripped his cloak and bow. He wished he could say it was pure dumb luck that let him find her, but it wasn't. He had been sitting in an alley, stewing angrily on his situation when the primal in his eye awakened and pointed him in her direction. It led him right to her, actually. Although he didn't understand it; whatever those freaks in the robes were fooling with was proving quite useful.
Her stormy eyes were wide, looking around in wonder. She thought he was dead just like everyone else, so it must have been like stepping into a museum. It was still dusty in his hideout, but he was trying to get it all cleaned up. He couldn't help but watch her as he removed his tool belt and kicked his shoes off. She looked a little thin, like she hadn't been eating right. He'd have to fix that. She had new scars on her face, which somehow made her even hotter to him. Her hair caught the light of his fire and the mix of brown and red gave her hair an almost burgundy sheen that fascinated him and made him want to curl his fingers into those soft waves and yank her head back as he took her mouth.
He tried to adjust his pants to hide his growing erection; he didn't know if now was the time for that. But a bigger part of him didn't really care. When he got back it seemed like he had only been unconscious for a few minutes, tops. So it surprised him when Basso said he'd been gone a year. It was a strange feeling, that was for sure because he hadn't felt the passing of time. But watching Alia, her arms crossed under her breasts and her tight pants showing off her sweet ass made him feel like it had been more than a year since his hands had been on her skin. His fingers itched to take her clothes off and have her writing beneath him like before.
"Why is the primal in your eye?" She asked nonchalantly as if she were inquiring about the weather. She wasn't looking at him, instead she was slightly bent over his work table, looking at the new maps he had laid out for the job he was working on.
He took in a deep breath; trying not to obsess over her backside. "When I woke up it was like that. I think it happened with the mansion collapsed."
She nodded, turning from the table she leaned against a pillar. Her body language was stiff due to her nervousness. He recounted to her how he had woken up in the cart, found Basso and so on and so forth.
"How do you know about the primal?" He asked, raising a brow. He watched her anxiety kick in. She had a tendency to play with her hair when her nerves were shot; and now she had it all pulled to one side of her neck, running her hands through it over and over.
"Basso didn't tell you?" She asked quietly.
"No." He said simply. But it bothered him that Basso might have known something and didn't tell him. He made a mental note to ask him about her the next time he saw him.
She left her hair alone and went back to crossing her arms. "It's not much to be concerned about anyways. If you were that worried you would have been here." Her anger gave her a fresh wave of confidence to block out whatever it was that she was hiding from him.
He sighed. "Obviously, I do care. I've been looking for you since I got back. I didn't mean to just disappear but I didn't have much control of it." He snapped at her. He was sick of her acting like he just ran off of his own free will. He had let her have an attitude before but that shit was getting old really fast. He was back now, which made him the master and her the obedient student. His brain immediately went to darker places at the thought of her calling him master.
Her eyes narrowed at him, the storms in her gray irises raged at him angrily. "Either way, you were gone. I've been doing just fine without you. I don't even understand why you intervened back in that alley I had it under control." Her hands on her hips only provoked him more. He saw the way she shuddered at his touch when he pinned her to the wall. He still affected her just as much as she did him. That much hadn't changed. He knew there were important matters to take care of and discuss, but right now all he could think about was how silly it was that they were both still clothed when the sexual tension in the room was palpable.
"I'll remember that next time you're getting your ass kicked." He said, smirking at her playfully. He walked past her, acting as if he was putting his bow and tool belt away, but really he needed to close the distance between them. "Besides," He said offhandedly as he laid his tools on the table. "I'm not a fan of people touching my stuff." When she whirled around to face him he made sure that he was much closer than she thought. He loved surprising her, keeping her on edge. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it.
"Go ahead." He said, standing so close their bodies almost touched. "Say you don't belong to me." He dared her.
She had to crane her neck to look up at him with narrowed, angry eyes. "I don't belong to you, Garrett." She spat his name out as if it were poisonous. But the lust in her eyes was undeniable.
He cocked his head to the side as he brushed her hair from her shoulder, exposing the swell of her breasts that rose and fell quickly with her nervous breathing. "Don't you, though?" He said with a sneer. He knew that would piss her off, but it was all part of the game.
She pointed an angry finger in his face. "Now you listen here-" She started but he didn't let her finish. He grabbed her jaw roughly with one hand, and the other grabbed a handful of her backside, controling her movements as he backed her up across the room.
He swallowed her gasp with a hungry kiss, invading her mouth with his. She struggled against him, but he had control over most of her movements. He broke the kiss, loving the way her cheeks blushed from the contact.
"Let me go." She whimpered. But the husky tone of her voice didn't match her words.
"No. I'm a thief, remember?" He said as he skillfully unclasped her belt and threw it out of the way. "What I don't own," He growled into the side of her neck as he slid his hands down the front of her trousers, cupping her sex roughly. "I take." She was already so warm and wet as his fingers went to work tracing lazy, tempting circles around her clit.
Whatever fight she had in her for him melted. He released her jaw as her hands slid up his shirt and her head turned to catch his mouth with hers. He grinned against her lips; she was hungry too. Her hands slid up his body; and he couldn't help the moan as she ran her thumbs over his nipples while gripping his strong chest. She yelped in surprise when he pulled his hands from her to grab her ass and lift her to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he toppled onto the bed with her, and then he wasted no time and kissed her neck, just below her ear. She moaned as she undid the clasps on his pants, which he would be glad to get rid of. The tightness around his erection was getting painful. She slid his pants down off of his hips and wrapped her fingers around his cock. He twitched at the contact and groaned when she went down the base and stroked all the way to the head.
"Did you miss me?" He asked huskily into her hair. Her response was a heated kiss and faster strokes. He'd take that as a yes. He didn't bother with the buttons on her blouse, the fabric was thin so he just ripped it open so he could get to her breasts. He kissed his way from her neck down, and licked her nipple before taking it in her mouth. She moaned and ground her hips into his, whimpering when he nipped her. She tugged desperately at his clothes, so the next few seconds were a blur of fumbling fingers and flying fabric as they both worked quickly to get the other naked. Her mouth was hot on his skin as she rolled him to his back. He wound his fingers through her hair as she trailed kissed down his hard stomach with her hand still stroking him. He knew where she was headed, and yanked her head up to look at him.
"No time for that." He panted as he pulled her back to him. Although he loved getting his dick sucked as much as the next guy he really just needed to be inside of her. "Just ride me. Just fucking ride me." Her grin was sexy as hell as she threw her leg over him and tossed her hair over her shoulders. He sat up to meet her with a deep kiss, his hands running up her thighs to her hips. His fingers grazed across a prominent scar that he knew was from the bolt to the leg she took, trying to save his life. He cupped her breast with one hand while the other stroked her folds. Oh yes, she was wet enough for the both of them.
He broke the kiss and wrapped a long arm around her torso to grab a fistful of her hair. "Look at me." He commanded. Her lids were heavy with lust as her eyes met his under thick dark lashes. He took a second or two to take in her face. Her lips were swollen from being kissed and her cheeks were red. Her hair was already getting messy, and was in tangled waves down her back. There was a fading scar across the bridge of her nose and up by her brow. "You are so beautiful." He murmured as he pressed down on her hips, and almost lost himself watching her eyes close and her mouth open in silent ecstasy as she lowered herself onto him. He hissed as he felt his girth stretch her, her body accommodating for his. Every nerve in his body screamed to flip her onto her back and pound into her like an animal, but he relished watching her raise and lower herself around his cock. Hearing her breath hitch in her throat was sweet music to his ears. He dug his fingers into the flesh of her hips and rocked her back and forth, just like she liked it. She gasped and took over the motion herself, moaning every time she slid his dick over the sweet spot inside of her. He shook with anticipation beneath her, laying back on the bed to get a better view of her body. He couldn't wait to watch her come; he had to have it.
The sensitive nerves in his head sent a sizzling sensation all the way up his spine as she rocked back and forth, her motions become desperate as she got closer and closer to climax. Her breath was ragged and uneven as she hovered over the edge. He moaned and rolled his hips beneath her as he felt the tremors begin inside of her. He wanted her to come, he was so desperate to fuck her brains out. He slid a hand up her thigh and rubbed her clit with his thumb. It only took four strokes before her eyes went wide and her nails dug into his chest. "Garrett…" She moaned. "I'm gonna come." She whimpered weakly while her hips slammed into his stronger and faster, desperate. She cried out as her pussy clamped down on his cock like a vice and shuddered around him. He saw her stomach clench and then relax while she rode out the waves coursing through her.
As soon as she was coming down off of her high he hooked an elbow under her knee and rolled her, never letting their bodies become separated. His free had grabbed a handful of her hair as he kissed her mouth and drove into her mercilessly. She pulled her face away from him so she could breath as she gasped and moaned beneath him. "You're such a good girl." He praised her while her fingers grasped his back like a lifeline. He could feel the tingling at the base of his spine as his climax built inside of him like water getting hotter and hotter until it boils over. He could feel his eyes wanting to roll into the back of his head as he got closer and closer with each thrust.
He felt her fingers curl into his hair as she writhed beneath him, she was coming again, and the shudders around him would be what sealed the deal for him. His shoulders shook and his vision blurred while stars exploded behind his eyes. He buried himself inside of her to the hilt for the last few powerful strokes, filling her while his brain sizzled with pleasure. His hips twitched, the involuntary spasms rocking him were the best thing he'd ever felt. He panted into the soft flesh of her neck, planting small, delicate kisses as she struggled to catch her breath as well. He then propped himself onto his elbow, and brushed the hair from her face. Her eyes were glassy and her body was relaxed. She lazily met his gaze and he felt himself smiling as he kissed her lips. He slid himself from her and rolled to his side, keeping one arm around her to keep her close. She rested her head on his shoulder while he threw a blanket over the two of them.
"Get some sleep." He mumbled into the top of her head.
Garrett considered himself smart. No, highly intelligent even. You didn't get the title Master Thief by being stupid. Doing reckless, impulsive things was illogical. It's why he was still alive and the best at what he did. He would rather turn down a job than to fail or get caught. He didn't need validation from others, he knew what he could do and he did it well and made money from it.
But when it came to Alia he was a complete idiot. It wasn't smart to let himself get caught up in a pretty girl with great tits. Especially when that girl was a complete bafoon sometimes and had a strange need to prove herself.
She stretched beside him, her body relaxing into the rhythm of sleep. She seemed like she was exhausted.
But he was caught up. He had let her work her dark magic on him and now he craved her like an addict with their opium. He knew it was a bad idea to get involved with her. But he did it anyway. He let himself be charmed by her smiles and her witty humor, and not to mention she was a dangerous kind of beautiful that sucked him in even more. He'd be a liar if he said he didn't want to fuck her the moment he saw her; after all he was a man and men had needs. But before he passed out over a year ago he was slowly being wound around her fingers; like a love struck school boy. And it seemed like they were just picking up where they left off. For fucks sake he had told her that she belonged to him. Which as far as he was concerned she did. But that didn't make it smart. Or right. He was supposed to teach her the ropes and cut her loose. He looked down at her sleeping form curled up next to him and stifled a laugh at how terrible of a job he was doing.
He sighed and closed his eyes as the sun began to peek through the window on the floor above them; pushing away his racing thoughts. He can worry about how dumb he was later. For now, he wanted to forget all the shit happening around him and enjoy sleeping next to her.