“Whatever your apprehension about Michael taking your blood, my Coya, at least the Junta can’t track us the same way. We need to hear the rest of the story now.”
Michael spent the next hour telling us his story and being grilled by Elias and Anthony. “When the goons from the council came to the house, the boys were in the backyard playing. I recognized them, of course. These men I’d trained with, fought beside, and learned from were on our lawn. I thought I’d been betrayed by you two, my confidants. Besides my wife, you were the two people I was closest to in the world.”
“Who came for you, Michael?” asked Elias.
His eyes shifted between the three of us before looking away. “I can’t remember.”
Anthony cocked his head. “What do you mean you can’t remember? You’re the only one who can tell us since the Junta refuses.”
“I remember their faces, remember the pain of betrayal. I could feel the love I had for those men, but I can't remember their names. There were three of them. They walked up to our little patio where I sat watching the boys play. They told me to come quietly, that the last thing they wanted was to hurt me or our children. What could I do? I was outnumbered.” He sounded helpless and lost. “Riley, I’m so sorry. I didn’t fight. I didn’t resist. I can’t tell you how badly I wish I’d fought. Until today, I’ve wished I’d fought so that they would’ve killed me. Death would've been preferable to what I’ve endured.” He sucked a deep, calming breath in through his nose and out his mouth. “But I have you again, so it was worth it.”
“Michael,” I said, “all of your belongings were gone. The boys’ stuff—gone. All that was left to me was their memory boxes. Who took everything? Who left the house empty of our life together?”
“I have no idea. They put the three of us in a minivan. As soon as I slid into the seat I felt a prick in my neck, and I lost consciousness. I don’t know what they injected me with since we're resistant to drugs, but when I woke up, I was in a room with no windows. It was a comfortable room, but I couldn’t leave. The door was steel and reinforced. I broke my hand trying to punch through the walls. I couldnotget out.”So, they’re strong, but not like a superhero.
“Ohh, God,” I whispered, watching his face as he spoke. I took his hands in my own and rubbed his knuckles. Anthony’s face was stone, and Elias's fists were so tight they were turning white.
“Breathe, guys. I survived. I’m here. It gets a lot worse, so you have to stay calm.” Michael gave them a pointed look and nodded his head toward me.
Smooth.“I’m okay, Michael. Yes, it’s emotional, but Ineedto hear what happened. I’m—by far—not the same person you knew.”
He let out a long breath. “Okay, Ri. You’re right. You've always been strong. If the past five years hardened you, we'll have to work to break you down.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to be broken down, but it wasn’t the time to argue.
He looked my body up and down. “You look great, by the way. But I liked the old you. I hope you're still soft in the right places.” He nuzzled his nose into my cheek then kissed it.
I ducked my head and looked at Elias and Anthony through my eyelashes. They didn’t look happy with Michael’s display of affection. I squeezed Michael’s hands, so he’d continue with his story.
“Any time they opened the door, I fought. They stopped coming in for days at a time, so I would be weak with hunger and unable to fight.” He rubbed his eyes, tired. “They kept me in a gilded cage, even gave me a T.V., but they'd only bring in one tiny bag of blood every four days.
“I passed the days watching television.”
He paused for a few moments; eyes focused on nothing. “I tried. I tried so hard to ration the blood, but by the time they brought more I couldn't stop myself from drinking it. I hoped to be able to learn to control my urges, but I no longer think it is possible.”
Michael pulled away from me, and my heart broke imagining how painful it must've been for him to tell us his horror. “I was kept in that room for a year. I used the bathroom in a pot in the corner. Since I was dehydrated, I rarely needed to use it. I bathed with a bucket of warm water they brought in every couple of weeks.
“Voices through the door begged me to give up, to swear that I would let you go. If I would give in, they’d take me to my children. But I refused. Every few weeks I would destroy the room. Daily, I spent time at the door, screaming and yelling that they must return me to my family.
“After a year went by, they changed tactics. On a feeding day when I was too weak to fight, they brought in a sorceress. She tried spell after spell to alter my memories. It might have worked if I wasn't pureblood Supay.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “In a way, it did work. There are things I can't remember. I don’t remember how we met, Riley. I don’t remember the various locations they could be keeping the children. And I can't remember the faces of our children. I can’t see them.”
Michael broke down at that point, sobbing. My heart broke into a million pieces. I climbed into his lap and hugged him as tight as I could. Elias came to the bed and sat behind Michael, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. A hand touched my shoulder, and I looked behind me to see Anthony crouched beside me. My heart glowed to see these three astounding men in one room, safe and comforting each other.
Stop with the warm fuzzies. I rolled my eyes at myself.You are attracted to three men and married to one of them. Whatever Elias and Anthony thought Michael might have wanted when they were younger, he spent nine years with me alone, and he might not be so keen on the idea of an open relationship.
When Michael composed himself, he began again. “The sorceress made me drink potions after potions. My body burned with one and froze with another. She brought in a man with strange carvings on his chest and they worked a spell together over my withering body. Nothing worked though, nothing took. They thought a few times they might be successful, but as soon as they gave me blood and my body strengthened, so did my mind.
Shudders racked his body. “I’m not sure how long they continued the spells and potions. At least a few months. Weeks would go by without a word and then she’d return with some new torture.” I looked at Elias and Anthony, worried. Michael stopped talking, and a few minutes passed.
“Michael?” I squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, sorry, I was just…Well, when they exhausted the sorceress’ abilities, they began torture. In my weakened state, I would be whipped, flogged, and my fingers were broken. I was stabbed, burned, and my skin peeled off. They even tried immersing me in freezing cold water.”
“Michael, no!” I wanted to wrap him up in a hug and never let him go. It was hard to hear, much less live through.
“We didn’t know, man.” Elias's fists hit his knees in frustration. “We would've been searching for you! We thought you were dead.”
Anthony stood and looked out the window without saying a word.
