My skin crawls in fear and disgust as Lazarus holds me firmly in place, rendering me useless. All I can do is listen to the steady sound of his breathing against my ears and then the insidious tone in his voice as he speaks.

"Don't worry little kitten. I'm not going to harm a single hair on your head. I just want to talk."

After a few seconds of struggling I finally give up and stare at the darkness before me. I'm barely able to see anything.

"First of all I know you saw Luna and Lucian talking. Poor thing, you must be so heartbroken. It really isn't your fault though. Lucian's been pining for her since we were kids. Which makes marrying her so much fun. I just love winning and I've always been good at it," He brags. "You must be wondering why I'm telling you any of this."

Even though it is a question I can't respond with his hand clasped over my mouth so he just chuckles and continues.

"I promise there's a reason but I need to rewind the clock a bit for you to understand. You see even though he is younger, Lucian has always been the brainy, reasonable, compassionate one. Everybody loved him. Thought he would be the perfect leader. Even my parents." Lazarus spits out the last few words with so much venom it shocks me. "I was always the rash, hot blooded one but who would have thought perfect little Lucian would start dozing off during briefings, became moody and unapproachable, not to mention lost the love of his life to me and remained a lovesick loser ever since."

"It was so perfect I could not have dreamed for a better outcome. Suddenly the tables had turned and people started to look at me as the potential first in command. It was what I'd been waiting for and when I had garnered enough support I got rid of everything in my way. Everyone who still supported Lucian was eventually met with unfortunate circumstances." Lazarus moves and the light from the slit under the door catches his face. I see his eyes gleaming.

"Even my parents and Lucian's father."

I gasp under his palm and my body shakes slightly making him smile. How? I never paid much attention to the generals but now that I think about it I've only seen three watching me fight so far.

"It was a difficult task, trust me but I somehow managed to kill three birds with one mission. I've even tried to get rid of Lucian but he's managed to slip through my fingers several times and then of course there's Luna, the lovelorn annoyance that she is. After a while I stopped bothering because he became mediocre and perfect as second in command. After a year or two I will send him on a mission and get him killed just like his father."

I stay still like a statue feeling nauseated after everything he just confessed. I knew he was terrible but killing his own parents for power made bile rise up my throat.

Suddenly Lazarus's breathing quickens and his grip around my waist tightens considerably. The pressure is unbearable I feel like my ribs are about to break under the pressure.

"Everything was going smoothly until you appeared," Lazarus seethes with anger. "Now Lucian is back to being cheerful, attentive, and a smart-mouth and of course everyone's noticed. Even my shallow, fickle Luna can't stop praising him. And you, Aria the Bone Breaker. Who would have thought you'd become a star in the pits?"

Tears sting my eyes, the pain in my ribs now overwhelming. And then just like that he releases his hold around me and I would have fallen to the floor if his hand wasn't still covering my mouth.

"There was something happening to him. He hid it very well but I know he has a problem. Is it a drug addiction? An illness? You must know about it since he's changed after you became his lover. Tell me now and I will spare your life even if Lucian is killed. I'll even promote you to my squad."

He releases me slowly but before I can say a word he places a finger on my lips. "And don't you dare scream or you might see a new bruise on Cassandra's face next time you see her."

His words make me gasp as my world begins to close in around the dark space of this tiny room. It was him who caused the bruise on her back? Was he the one who caused the bruises on her neck last time as well? Why didn't her commander stop him?

He lifts his finger finally and waits for me to speak. I can't believe he thinks I would reveal Lucian's secret to him. I would never trust him over Lucian even if he offered me freedom. There is no way I can trust someone who could kill his own flesh and blood.

He is more powerful and wicked than I could have ever imagined. I don't think he cares about anyone and it frightens me immensely that he is hurting Cassandra.

"Speak. We don't have all day," Lazarus orders.

"He doesn't have a secret. I've never noticed anything off about him," I say quickly and Lazarus places his hand over my chest pushing me against the wall.

"Your heart betrays your words, Aria. You're lying to me."

I can't let him know the truth. It would be the end of Lucian. I think hard and a surge of adrenaline runs through my veins as I speak with a confidence that surprises me.

"Like you said he's perfect. He's everything you described and more. He's brilliant, thoughtful, hard working, and gorgeous. He might have been stressed and lonely before me but I make sure he's satisfied every night and he enjoys every minute of it. Must be why he's different nowadays."

Lazarus growls in anger, not liking my answer at all. "Why--you little-."

We hear voices outside and he immediately slams his palm over my mouth, silencing me.

"Speak of this to anyone, especially Lucian and I will send Cassandra's head to your doorstep as a gift. Her commander answers to me directly and he won't go against his leader for a mere human. I do whatever I want with her especially when I think of you," He smiles when he sees the horror on my face.

"Remember her life is in my hands."

***

"Are you sure you're, okay? Did Lazarus hurt you?" Lucian asks me for the hundredth time as we head back to his place.

"No, he didn't. I got lost and he lead me back to the dining room. That's all, Lucian," I cast him a reassuring smile which feels like a mask because all I feel inside is utter turmoil.

I can't stop thinking about Cassandra and what Lazarus is doing to her. What has she done to deserve this? And it's all because she's my friend.

Lucian frowns slightly and then he looks out the window at the shops in the city. He has been tense ever since we left Lazarus's house. Partly due to me missing but I know it's mainly because of Luna. After their encounter in the bathroom he avoided her completely and hardly greeted her when we left.

I honestly feel sorry for him and it feels like my throat is constricting because I can't tell him about Lazarus. I wonder if he knows that Lazarus killed his father and deliberately stole Luna from him because of his greed and jealousy and I really want to tell him but after what Lazarus has said it's impossible to know who's on who's side. I can't risk endangering Cassandra's life and it kills me that I have to hide this for now.

I stare at Lucian, thinking about what he is up against. The only thing that makes me feel better is the fact that I didn't divulge Lucian's weakness to Lazarus.

He's done so much for me so far. If he wasn't here, I would still be a slave or fighter, maybe even dead if Lazarus was sole commander.

Feeling guilty, I have the sudden urge to make him feel better in any way I can. I want us to forget tonight's dinner ever happened. I lean towards him and stare out of the window as well.

"What's that?" I point at the large compound over the barrier. It is crowded with Plutonian's playing games and riding large electric contraptions. Seeing all those happy Plutonian's gives me an idea.

"It's a theme park," Lucian replies absentmindedly.

"Can we stop by? I've never been to one," I stare at it curiously while Lucian looks at me in surprise.

"You sure?" He asks and I nod my head in response.

An hour later and Lucian and I are stuck at a stall trying to shoot at a moving face which has it's tongue stuck out at us.

I shoot and shoot until my gun is empty but the annoying face escapes each shot. It spins around and laughs at me before disappearing, making me scowl. On the other hand Lucian shoots and hits it with his first shot.

He smiles at me proudly but when he sees my gloomy expression he pretends to miss his next two shots. Seeing him fail deliberately makes a small laugh escape my lips and Lucian smiles even wider.

"You know, I never pegged you as a sore loser," He says as he collects his prize - a coupon for deserts- and hands them to me.

"Yeah, well it wasn't exactly a fair fight," I smile up at him.

We walk over to the desert booth and the attendant gives us two pink colored snow cones. I lick mine and rejoice at the sweet taste.

"I haven't been here in a long time," Lucian says while we walk side by side. His fingers brush against mine and I feel a strange warmth travel up my arm.

"It's really crowded." The theme park is packed with Plutonian's and some humans. Some in groups but mostly couples. There are quite a few who gawk at us when they see us but other than that our time here has been so much fun. The perfect escape.

"You wan't to try that? It's something like a ferris wheel," Lucian points at a large wheel contraption that houses small carriages for two. It turns slowly as it spins in the sky.

I nod my head, feeling excited and Lucian takes my hand in his. Everyone and everything around me blurs as he leads me to the waiting line, the familiar warmth spreads through my arms up my neck and into my cheeks.

Once we get into the carriage I realize just how small it is. We sit side by side with our knees touching and when we are lifted into the air, my heart skips with excitement. It feels like I am flying.

I turn to look at Lucian only to find him staring at me too.

His face is calm but his eyes are conflicted and I just have to ask.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"I saw you behind the glass panel in Lazarus's house," He says and my breath hitches.

"Lucian, I'm so sorry. I didn't mea--," I quickly say but he cuts me off.

"It's okay. You were bound to find out eventually."

"She really hurt you." I say and he sighs. I can't help but think Luna doesn't deserve Lucian at all.

"It's always been complicated with her. I've loved her since I was five and she loved me too. Even though she's always been with Lazarus, she would only come to me whenever she needed to talk to someone. She told me she was going to leave him for me," Lucian looks down as he speaks and I dislike Luna deeply for treating him like this for years. "When my nightmares got worse, I pushed her away because I didn't want her to see how weak I was and then she got engaged to Lazarus."

For the first time I forget about me being a human and him being the Trinity, I take his hands in mine and squeeze them reassuringly.

"Well it's her loss."

Lucian's eyes sparkle and his thankful expression makes everything feel better despite the day we've had.

He squeezes back as we travel through the sky and approach the ground again. "It's weird. The pain I thought I felt, doesn't even feel real anymore. Especially not recently. Not sure why but it's liberating."

The air blows in our faces as we land and he suddenly laughs light heartedly and oddly enough it brings the widest smile to my face.

Heyy hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thoughts on Lazarus? Do you hate his guts? I smiled while writing the last part though hehe