Chapter 2: Her mates' lair
The door of the closest vehicle was opened and Clarke's mates moved away, giving Clarke room to get in.
Clarke felt apprehension unlike anything else, seeing her mates looking at her with such hunger.
She knew she had decided to go with her mates for the sake of her people. It still made her extremely nervous though.
She didn't know these people. They had essentially spied on her for years, since she was seven. She knew this, because only a week after her little "talk" with her mother, she had discovered letters which her mother had received from Clarke's mates.
Those same letters, Clarke had stuffed into her bag, when she had gone out to meet with her mates.
Having read many of these letters? Clarke honestly had thought that maybe she should actually want her mother dead.
Because these letters? It showed that her mother had told these people a great deal about Clarke.
And that made Clarke furious.
The content of those letters varied from questions about Clarke's interests, her favorite foods, her favorite dinosaur, her favorite movies, cartoons and TV shows, and some letters even inquiring as to whether or not Clarke had gotten some children's toys that they'd send her. Stuffed animals and figurines that she had played with when she was younger.
In fact, she could even recognize every single toy they had mentioned.
Her teddy bear, her stuffed T-Rex, her figurines, a lot of other stuffed animals.
When she had read those parts of the letters? Clarke had almost set fire to the toys that she had received from her mates, regardless of how much she liked them when she was younger and still felt an endearment for them.
She had shoved all of those toys into one of her bags, intending on throwing those toys back at her mates, angry that they had done this.
But actually seeing her mates? All she felt, instead of righteous anger or betrayal, was apprehension.
She couldn't deny that she was actually slightly afraid of her mates.
They had had control over her life for years. Since she was seven. And she hadn't even known it.
These people had destroyed the Mountain Men and had made all twelve of the tribes fear them.
What were such people capable of doing to her specifically?
She wasn't sure she wanted to think about it.
She tried to think about the benefits of this, she really did. Her people were safe from the Mountain Men and from the twelve tribes because of her mates.
And according to her mother, not that Abby had ever cared about Clarke, but according to her mother, her mates wanted to provide Clarke with everything.
Clarke wasn't sure she wanted to know what that meant.
But still, she hesitantly walked into the car, watching as her mates smiled at her, those smiles troublingly soft and sweet.
It felt like an act.
Still, she got in, with her belongings and several of her mates got in after her.
The cars were all loaded up and took off. Clarke nervously looked over at the Ark gates behind her, seeing several of the people she was leaving behind, watch her.
She had deliberately left while Wells and Callie were asleep, because she knew that they'd try to stop her from going with her mates.
If Clarke was hesitant and cautious? Wells and Callie would have been most likely violently against what she was about to do.
She just hoped Wells and Callie could forgive her for leaving without saying goodbye.
Clarke tried to ignore the feeling of the eyes on her that belonged to two of her mates who were in the backseat with her.
The two of her mates that were in the backseat with her, were Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers. All of her mates had introduced themselves to her when they had arrived.
Clarke tried to block out the feeling of their eyes on her, or of what she felt when they were close. She had put on her seatbelt almost instantly, at Carol's request.
It was a long distance from the Ark camp, to where Clarke's mates lived.
The Ark had landed in Virginia. Clarke's mates all lived in the city that used to be called New York City.
It took about seven hours.
During that period? Clarke and her mates occasionally would stop the cars and would get food and ask if Clarke wanted to ride with any of her other mates. Clarke decided it would be better if she pretended that she wanted to know all of them, so she'd occasionally alternate in which vehicle she rode in.
Sometimes her mates would try to get some answers from her. About how everything had been. If Finn had taken the news well.
Clarke had fought the urge to roll her eyes at the mention of Finn. Because yeah, they knew about Finn.
Big shocker.
Finn Collins, part of the Ark people, of course, had used to date Clarke.
Clarke had learned later that he had cheated with her on his girlfriend Raven, which instantly had caused Clarke to break up with him.
And when Clarke had broken the news to him that she would be marrying thirty people who apparently were her soulmates, he hadn't taken it all that well at all.
He actually looked like he contemplated trying to convince her to run away with him.
But she had said to him gently that there was nothing that could be done about it. That it was for the best for all of their people.
And what was more? She pointed out that he wasn't her boyfriend anymore. She didn't want to be with a cheater.
So, regardless of the situation? Clarke still wouldn't choose to be with Finn.
She had watched his face when she had said that had seen how his face had fallen, feeling her chest hurt for him.
He might not have been her boyfriend any longer, but it didn't change that she felt bad for him.
It didn't change that she still cared about him.
She hoped for his sake that he wouldn't try anything. She didn't want her mates to murder him.
Clarke ignored her mates' questions about Finn.
When they at last, reached where her mates ruled, in the place formerly referred to as New York City, Clarke was helped out of the car and her things carried in.
The place where they were going to have Clarke live, it seemed, was a huge tower, they went nearly to the top and they escorted Clarke to a large penthouse.
Clarke wasn't going to deny, the penthouse was amazing and beautiful.
Vast, with some potted plants, many soft looking sofas and sofa chairs. A few bookcases and many flat screen TVs.
Outside of the penthouse, in a section of the penthouse that was closed off by glass from the outside world, was a huge swimming pool.
"Do you like it?" Bruce asked, watching Clarke look around, "We can change some of it, if you'd like."
"No, it's fine, thank you," Clarke said, not facing him.
She glanced down at her father's watch, which he had given to her before he had been executed.
It had been 1 o'clock in the afternoon when she had been taken from the Ark camp.
It was now nearly 8. She didn't have to look outside to know it was getting dark, though she had seen it get dark when she had first exited the car and again, when she had seen the swimming pool.
"So," Clarke said, turning to her mates cautiously, "What happens now?" Clarke didn't like to ask because she had a pretty good idea what happened next.
What exactly was every married soulmates supposed to do? Consummate their marriage.
However, her mates' reactions weren't the ones she had expected.
"Well, now," Melina said, smiling at Clarke, "We should help you put your things away, and we should get you some food. Lunch was almost seven hours ago. You must be hungry."
Clarke paused. Well, Melina was right about that.
Clarke's mates helped take her things to her new room and she walked in, seeing a huge room that made her mouth drop.
She really hadn't been expecting a room like this. The room was so wide, that you could fit four parked cars in the room, one behind the next. The bed was large, soft and covered with silks and soft cotton blankets.
She walked into the of course, carpeted room.
There was a wide flat screen TV on the wall, with a cable box under it. There were two remotes on a small table beneath the TV and the cable box.
Carol said, "There are all sorts of streaming services, as well as cable."
Clarke nodded, hating that she was grateful for that too.
She asked quietly, as she set her things down, "So, you know all of the things I'm interested in, huh?"
"We don't know everything," Steve said, and gestured to the several large but squat bookshelves in the room, all filled with books, "But enough to know what types of books you like to read, and that you like to draw and paint."
Clarke spotted the containers of art supplies and the many sheets of long paper stacked up on top of the bookshelves.
Clarke nodded to them.
"Thank you," she said, supposing that showing gratitude might be the best choice.
"No need to thank us, Clarke," Wanda said, her voice gentle, "We know that this is hard for you. We took you away from your people. We know that must have been difficult."
"Yeah, no kidding," Clarke growled, almost facepalming as the words left her mouth. How could she be so stupid.
She glanced nervously at her mates, but none of them looked angry or hurt by her words, just sad.
"We know, honey," Pepper said, nodding to her, "It's okay. Is there anything specific that you'd like to eat?"
Clarke thought about that, not doubting that these people had access to literally anything she could possibly want to eat.
After a few seconds, she asked, "Do you have cooked eel?"
The few times when Clarke and her friends could go to the ocean together-Luna, the leader of the Floukru, was one of the few tribe leaders that didn't mind the Ark peoples' presence, and had let them go to the ocean, they would retrieve some fish, but Clarke always went for the eels.
Cooked eel was delicious.
The smiles that Clarke received, gave her the answer she wanted.
"Of course we do, sweetie," Wanda said, "We have everything really."
Clarke tried not to snort. Now they were just bragging.
Bruce said, beginning to leave the room, "Come with us, we can show you where the kitchen is if you want to grab anything."
"Not that you'll need to," Tony said, sounding like he felt this was important for Clarke to hear, "We can serve you your meals in bed, if you'd like."
Clarke wasn't entirely sure, but she was positive that there was an edge of suggestiveness in Tony's voice when he said that.
Pepper, who Clarke had learned during the drive from Virginia to this city, was Tony's other soulmate, most have heard the suggestiveness in Tony's voice too, because she gave Tony a look and said in a scolding voice, "Tony."
The group led Clarke to the kitchens and Clarke almost fell over when she found the number of water-filled tanks that had eels swimming around in them.
Alright, so, it looked like her mates knew how much she liked eating eel.
She was going to have to go ahead and assume that her mother was at fault for that, as well.
Pepper gave some orders to the chefs in the kitchen to start making some cooked eel, and the chefs went about their business.
"Okay," Clarke said, huffing as she and her mates left the kitchen area, "So, food is getting ready, um, I hate pointing out the obvious here, but you all know a lot about me. But I know nothing about all of you."
Clarke watched as displeasure filled her mates' faces.
"Your mother told you nothing about us?" Natasha asked, her eyes narrowed at this.
Clarke shook her head. "Only that you're my soulmates," she said, "And that she made a deal with you years ago to have me married to you. And that you were the ones that killed the Mountain Men and kept us safe from the twelve tribes. Because of that deal."
"We see," Christine Palmer said, sounding like she didn't like that at all.
"Alright," Steve said, "I guess then we owe you some information about us, right?"
"Come over here," Laura Barton said as she and the others led Clarke to the sofas and they sat down.
"We should probably have some drinks before we start talking about this," Tony said, going over to where the bar was. The very large bar had many, many drinks available, as was to be expected.
Clarke snorted as she dropped onto one of the sofas, "You don't have to get me drunk, you know? I know what the deal means. I'm to have sex with all of you. You don't need to get me drunk to do that."
Clarke received unexpected chuckles from her mates at that.
"Oh, Clarke," Pepper said, smirking, "Do you think we're going to have sex with you tonight?"
At Clarke's startled expression, Steve elaborated.
He said, "We'll let you settle in and get used to the place first. Sex can wait. But for now, we're just going to talk. And since there's a lot to hear, we figure it might be best if you have a drink or two."
Clarke was genuinely surprised by this, but didn't question it. If it was a trick, she didn't see the reason behind it.
Natasha pointed out, smirking, "We're not even married yet, malyshka."
Clarke eyed them, she wasn't sure what that word was that Natasha just said, or what it meant, but okay, then.
Tony brought over a bottle of something and a glass and showed her he was pouring it, clearly wanting to show her he wasn't going to put anything in it, except the drink. After he did that, he placed the drink down in front of her and poured the same thing for himself, taking a long gulp of it, showing Clarke that the bottle wasn't drugged in any way.
Clarke cautiously took a sip of the drink and almost instantly drank all of the cup.
Clearly, her mates knew what she liked-again, her mother's fault. Because this drink was alcoholic, but sweet.
"Now," Steve said, looking at the group in front of him, "Clarke wants to know about us. Who should start?"
Tony looked like he was about to start talking, smirking, till Natasha and Pepper both said to him at the same time, "Not you."
Tony shut his mouth, looking put out, but still was smirking.
"Why don't you start?" Steve asked Frank, nodding to him, "You, Jessica, Natasha, Yelena, Melina, Hela and Elektra? Your stories are the most messed up. We should probably get those stories out of the way."
Clarke's eyebrows popped up. Oh, dear.
Frank hesitated a few seconds, then gave Clarke the story.
Frank was married years and years ago, not to his mate, since Clarke had just been two years old at the time.
He had been married to a woman whose mate had died previously and they'd had two children together.
The marriage had been when Frank had been twenty-four years old. And his wife and daughter and son, years later, had been murdered by people that Frank had trusted.
Frank had been shot in the head, but of course, had survived.
Frank had then gone on a killing spree, killing anyone that was involved with the murder of his family.
He got all of them in the end.
Jessica's family had died in a car crash when she'd been very young, she had grown up in an adoptive home, then had been abducted and raped multiple times by a man who she later had killed.
Jessica was now considered a hero in a good portion of the area where they were now.
Hela had used to be her father's personal executioner, who he would send out to kill his greatest enemies.
But when Hela's mother became pregnant with her little brother, who was Thor, they had decided to throw Hela away because she was too violent, and had her locked up and isolated in prison for years, until she broke out and killed her father in retaliation and took over his kingdom which was not far from New York City.
Natasha, Yelena and Melina had all been brainwashed by the same people.
And on and on it went.
One violent and depressing story after another.
Also, it turned out Laura and Clint had several kids that lived elsewhere and were being looked after by some friends of Laura and Clint.
Clarke shivered. She vaguely wondered what types of people she was to be married to.
She was suddenly grateful for having alcohol in her system.
The others told their stories too.
From the sounds of it? They all had some pretty fucked up issues.
She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that they were able to bomb the Mountain Men and kill everyone inside.
People capable of murder, would understandably probably be willing to fire missiles at a mountain full of people and be fine with butchering everyone inside.
Still…
Clarke said quietly, after all the stories were finished, "There were children in Mount Weather. You knew that, right?"
Maybe it was the booze that was helping her loosen her lips on her more troubled words.
She heard a few sighs around her.
"We know, honey," Pepper said, sounding sad.
Clarke glanced at Clint and then Laura, knowing that they had children, then glanced at Frank, wanting to see his reaction.
To Clarke's growing unease, all three of them looked sad at the decision they'd made, but in no way appeared to seem like they shouldn't have done it.
Clarke tried not to think about how that alone made her feel.
The Mountain Men, without question, were dangerous people. But knowing that her mates had willingly killed all the children inside? That just made her mates all the more dangerous in her eyes.
Thankfully, before Clarke could say anything else, the food had been brought out and placed in front of Clarke.
The glasses full of water were put out too.
Clearly, the chefs knew what Clarke's mates liked, because their own meals were placed down in front of them.
When the chefs left, everyone sat down to eat.
Clarke glanced at her mates as they smiled at her, and she quickly looked away, uneasy, picturing them being fine with pushing a button that launched missiles to wipe out the Mountain Men and kill all the children.
She tried to calm her unease around them down, but knew that it wasn't going to happen for quite a while.