Electus (Regnum Series Book 1)

by K. M. Link

  Finally, a moment to speak with him, she thinks. As she exits the room, she notices the other one is dark and empty. He is gone, yet again. Tia wonders how he moves so fast for a man three times her age. Her mind doesn’t have long to wonder, because her bladder speaks up again.

  Tia heads back to her hotel room, after the rest of the performances. Some of the other candidates offered for her to join in their dinner plans. Tia politely declined, to give herself a drama free evening. It feels like a long trip up to the fourth floor. She is relieved to find her key working, on the first try.

  As soon as she turns on the light to her room, she finds two men standing in the corner with masks concealing their faces. Before she can scream, a hand covers her mouth from someone waiting behind the door. Next thing she feels is his arm around her neck, squeezing tightly. She struggles against it, but can’t break free. Before she knows it, the room fades out.

  Chapter 9

  Tia wakes inside a dark, cold room that reeks of mildew. Pressure weighs down on her body, and something foreign is going on between her legs. Heavy breathing resonates in her ear. She closes her eyes, tears streaking her cheeks, as the strange man tears away her innocence. Tia is afraid to make any noise, for fear he might kill her. Then again, what could be worse than this. The sweaty, foul man, forcing his way inside her, over and over. Tia attempts to move her arms, but realizes her wrists are tied together.

  The man moans, thrusting in one last time. Tia cries through her gag from pain, discomfort, and complete disgust. “Shhh,” the man silences her. She can’t stop sobbing. Her fear of this man, whoever he is, overwhelms Tia.

  The man pulls Tia’s pants back up and binds her ankles together. “You just stay put, my dear. Now that you are awake, we have a lot to discuss,” he informs. His footsteps echo in the darkness.

  From the one corner, she notices a stream of light, poking through a crack. Tia assumes they have her in a basement somewhere. He opens the door, light flashing into the basement, illuminating the steps.

  This is it, this is how I’m going to die, she thinks to herself. Her breathing becomes heavy, as she hears voices and footsteps above her. The words are muffled through the floor. All Tia can decipher is that the voices are all male.

  The door opens at the top of the stairs, once more. Three men enter the basement this time. The last one closes the door as he enters. Two of the men fall down the stairs, due to the darkness.

  “You idiot!” the man who raped her calls.

  “Sorry, boss,” he responds. One of the men turns on a light, hanging from the ceiling. They are still donning ski masks. Two of the men are very bulky and muscular. The other one is a bit shorter, but still has a masculine build. He approaches her, examining her wrists where there are red marks from Tia attempting to break the binds.

  “Looks like we have a feisty one here,” the one man comments. His voice is rough as though he smokes two packs a day. “You shouldn’t try so hard to break free, my dear. It’s just going to make your punishment much worse.”

  The larger man picks her up, dragging her to a chair at a small table. Tia fights him with every ounce of energy she has left. Unfortunately, her efforts are in vain. He is too strong. He sets her down, and she lets out a gasp, due to the pain in her crotch.

  “Now, when I take off your mouth gag, you have to promise not to scream. Do I make myself clear?” the short, rough man voices, standing just inches away from her face. His teeth are rotten, most of them ready to fall out of his mouth. The scent of his breath reaches out and chokes her.

  Tia nods. The man removes the gag. “You were so compliant earlier my dear.” He kisses her cheek. “It’s a shame we had to wake you up.” After scanning her body, he sits across the table from her, in another chair. Tia stares daggers at him, her eyes a soft pink.

  “I heard a little rumor the other day.”

  “What was the rumor, Merve?” the man behind Tia asks. He is the largest of the three men.

  “You know the rumor, idiot! And don’t use names. Who trained you in this business anyway?”

  “Sorry boss,” the larger man hangs his head. From his voice, Tia can tell he was the last person to enter the basement.

  The man, Tia now knows as Merve, focuses on her once more. “Now, like I was about to say, I hear that you are intimate with a Mr. Javan Leporem.”

  Tia scowls. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  Merve laughs, then signals to the other man behind Tia. He pulls out a large blade and slices Tia’s upper arm. She cries out in pain.

  “Now, will you tell us how you know Mr. Leporem?” Merve questions, his dark eyes glued to hers. Her skin crawls at the image of him climbing on top of her. She wants to cry for so many reasons, but she remains strong.

  “He is just the leader from Elatus. I danced with him at the Electus Introduction Dinner, but only for a few minutes,” Tia states, returning his gaze to ensure he knows that she means what she says.

  “That’s not what I heard. My sources tell me you are rather close to Mr. Leporem.” Merve signals again to the other man behind Tia. She screams as the knife digs into her other arm, making a deeper cut than before. Blood trickles down to her elbow.

  “You, my dear, are not a quick learner. For someone who was top of her class, I would expect more from you.” His mouth forms a smirk.

  Tia’s eyes widen.

  “Yes, we know all about you, Conscientia Trumble.”

  “Who are you, then?” Tia snaps, realizing that was a poor choice.

  “Leave the questions to us, Miss Trumble.”

  The man with the knife slices her arm once more. Tia exhales, tears pouring down her cheek.

  “Now, tell us what you know about Javan Leporem. Our men saw you enter his hotel with him. He doesn’t spend time alone with anyone,” Merve insists, placing his hands on the table.

  “What?”

  “Don’t play stupid.”

  Tia just sits, afraid to confirm or deny anything, due to the massive injury that might result from it.

  “Is it true you were with him last night?” Merve inquires.

  “Yes, but only for an hour or so. He said he wanted to have dinner with me, celebrate my victory in yesterday’s fight. I just assumed it was something he did with a lot of people. I am sorry if I broke the rules of the Electus. I swear nothing is going on with him,” Tia is sweating, even though the air is still cold.

  The men glance at each other. “What about today in the restaurant?”

  “What about it?” Tia repeats. He cuts into her arm again, but she doesn’t make a sound this time, just grits her teeth.

  “You think that we are dumb enough to believe it was just a coincidence you were inches away from Mr. Leporem and Mr. Tersus?”

  Tia is quiet for a moment, not sure if she heard wrong. “Did you say Mr. Tersus? I thought he was dead.”

  “Stop pretending you don’t know what we are talking about!” he screams.

  Tia is frantic, knowing that nothing she tells these men will make them believe her. The large man behind her slides the knife across Tia’s stomach, this time. She yells even louder than before. A gash is bleeding all over her now soiled pant suit. She wishes her mind would concentrate long enough to devise a plan for escape. Everything is hazy.

  “I don’t know anything, why are you doing this?”

  “You have to know he was the brother of the late Mr. Tersus! We saw you talking to him outside of the hotel earlier! What was he telling you? What would he want with Mr. Leporem, the man who killed his brother?!”

  Tia begins to sob. “I don’t know. He didn’t introduce himself. I was upset. He just wanted to comfort me, I guess. Please, believe me! I don’t know anything!” Tia is hysterical.

  Merve motions for the other man to come over to him. “What do you think we should do with her?” he whispers, watching Tia from the corner of his eye.

  “Doesn’t look like
she knows anything, boss,” the man shrugs, still holding the bloody knife.

  “Well, maybe we can use her as a warning to Mr. Leporem.” His voice softens, and Tia can no longer hear what the men are saying. She steadies her breathing, as the room begins to spin.

  Without a word, the man who had the knife wraps a blindfold around her, then puts the gag back in her mouth. Tia is too weak to fight, as he picks her up and carries her up the stairs. She is not quite sure where they are going, but she can tell they are in a vehicle. Maybe they will burry me and this will be the end, she thinks.

  They drive for several miles. The car is quiet, except for the roar of the engine. Tia doesn’t attempt to speak. All she can concentrate on is staying awake. She doesn’t want the last memory she has, to be of this. Tia reaches her feet up to the handle on the door, but it doesn’t budge. She realizes it must be locked. Just that slight movement, wears her out. Her attempt at freedom is futile.

  Suddenly, they stop and the man shuts off the engine. Tia hears a door open and feels arms cradle her and carry her a few feet. Gently, she is placed on the ground. She can sense the grass is beneath her, wherever it is. Then, she hears the car door shut and the engine start. They are leaving me here to die. At least I can smell the grass one last time, Tia thinks, in and out of consciousness.

  The engine runs for a little while longer, before the sound dissolves, with the car driving off into the distance. Tia lays there for a severe length of time. Uncertain of her fate, her wounds searing in pain, as well as her back and legs. She tries to fight the binds, but her body is too weak at this point to make any head way. Then, out in the distance she hears foot steps, followed by someone calling her name.

  “Tia!” the voice sounds familiar, but she cannot make out who it is. “Tia!” it echoes out into the dark, this time a little louder. She moans attempting to scream, but can’t due to the gag. Her throat burns, but she continues screaming, hoping any noise will bring attention to her.

  “Tia!” This time she recognizes Javan’s accent. She starts kicking, pounding the ground. Tia’s legs fling, hitting something metal and hard. She continues to strike it, making as much noise as she can. It must be working, because the footsteps grow closer.

  “Tia! I’m coming!” He is only yards away now. She screams and kicks as much as she can. Her body aching with each motion. Finally, Javan catches her, then sprints in her direction.

  “Tia.” His breathing is staggered, as he takes her blind fold off and pulls the gag out. “Are you okay?” he questions, nearly sobbing.

  Her eyes land on Javan, his face is contorted with horror. I must look bad, she thinks.

  “Come on, we need to get you out of here.” He picks her up and starts toward the car in the distance. She turns back, noticing a playground. Her body was inches away from a metal swing set that she played on as a child. Tia winces, and it doesn’t take long for her to pass out in his arms.

  Tia wakes up in the car. They arrive at Javan’s hotel, and sneak in the back. His room is a little messier than she would expect. He has books sprawled out on a coffee table, in front of the couch. One is titled, Regnum’s Lost Treasures. He sets her down on his bed.

  “What did they do to you?” he inquires, prying the ties off of her limbs.

  She sobs and places her now free hand on her side. He lifts up the shirt to find the wound; his face is fierce with anger. Without a word, he stands up and grabs the phone.

  “Hello, get me Allison. We have a situation here. Code black.” He hangs up, then moves to the bathroom. Tia lies in his bed, attempting to calm herself. She can’t seem to stop crying. Each breath turns into a sob, and her entire body shakes. Javan returns with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up. He brings towels and a bowl filled with warm water.

  “We need to apply pressure to that wound, you are losing a lot of blood.” He grabs the large towel. “I’m going to lift you a little bit to get part of this under your back, okay?” Tia nods, tears cascading her soft cheeks. She winces, as he lifts her, her entire back is sore, as well. He wraps the towel around her waist, applying pressure, he decides to wedge a hand towel in between her side and the bath towel. He wants to add as much pressure as possible.

  Next, he grabs a wash cloth and dips it into the bowl. “I need to clean these smaller cuts on your arms. Did they cut you anywhere else?”

  “No,” is all she is able to voice.

  “What about there?” He eyes her pants, where a small spot of blood is present.

  “He was on top of me, when I woke up and...” she can’t even finish the sentence. “Who did you call?” Tia changes the subject.

  “My assistant, he is getting ahold of my personal doctor.” He concentrates on her wound. Tia can see hatred burning in his eyes at the thought of what happened to her.

  “You have your doctor with you in Urbi?”

  “You can never be too careful, Tia. You have another one on the other arm too, right? I thought I saw that when I carried you in.” He leans over and lifts the other arm.

  Tia nods, she just now notices the blood on his shirt. “I’m sorry I ruined your clothes,” she apologizes. He reaches her arm from the other side of the bed.

  “I rather lose my whole wardrobe than...” he trails off. “This cut is much deeper. You might require stitches. Maybe Allison will have some Regnumian meds on her. Are you in pain anywhere else?”

  “My back, legs, everywhere imaginable,” she exhales, with sharp pain in her lungs as she does.

  “I’ll have Allison examine you all over.”

  Javan peers at Tia’s face. His eyes meet hers. For the first time, Tia catches fear in them. The beautiful swirls of blue and grey stare at her for what seems an eternity.

  A knock at the door startles both of them. Javan abandons his task to let Allison in.

  She is an older woman, about Osborn’s age. Her blond hair is in a bun and she balances a pair of narrow bifocals on her crooked nose.

  “They really did a number on you, girl. It will be okay, we will fix it,” she re-assures Tia. Allison finishes Javan’s work of cleaning out the cuts. Then, she applies antiseptic before stitching. Tia winces slightly, trying to keep still for Allison. Luckily, she is equipped with a variety of potions. Allison coats the stitches with a blue liquid labeled In Stitches.

  “This will help heal your wounds at a much faster pace, as well as prevent scarring,” she informs Tia. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

  “Actually, doc, I think you should check her all over. Just to be safe; she was complaining about her back and legs as well as...” Javan interjects, peering down at her pants.

  “Alright, I’ll need her to remove her clothing. She should change, anyway. Do you have something she can wear for the night?” Allison asks Javan, calmly.

  “I have some sweats that might work,” he digs through his suitcase. Tia realizes she won’t be able to leave; she can barely move. All she can think about is how much of an inconvenience she will be to Javan. He is already doing so much. Maybe I can ask the doctor to go to the hospital, so I am not in the way.

  “That will have to do,” Allison comments, examining the black sweat pants and t-shirt. She turns her attention to Tia, once more. “I need you to undress now, sweetie.” Tia glances up at Javan.

  “I will just wait outside the door until you ladies are done.” He excuses himself.

  Allison assists Tia in lifting her shirt up, then removes her bra to examine her back. She has a rather large bruise across her spine.

  “Looks like they knew what they were doing,” Allison sighs. “I should have some cream for that.” Tia, feeling exposed, wraps her arms across her breasts. Allison applies a strong healing cream to Tia’s back that dulls the pain.

  She hands her the black shirt, then assists her with placing her arms in the sleeves. Tia is beginning to feel comfortable with Allison. As a doctor with years of practice, she is gentle while she works.

 
“Okay, kid. Now for the pants. Let’s see what the damage is.” Allison helps Tia slide them off, revealing her legs. Her panties are soaked with blood and semen. Allison shakes her head. Her legs are completely bruised and it appears as though Tia has another cut on her right calf.

  “Good thing I didn’t put everything away yet.” Allison gets to work cleaning her up. She sanitizes the cut, as well. Luckily it is minor enough to not require stitching. She applies medicine to her legs, then assists Tia in sliding the sweats on.

  “You can come in now!” Allison yells to Javan, who is still in the hallway. He enters the room. “How is she?” the first question out of his mouth.

  “I’m not going to lie, Mr. Leporem, she is pretty beat up. My suggestion is for her to rest. Have her stay the night here. Then, in the morning, I will come by to check on her condition and hopefully, if the meds work fast enough, remove the stitches.”

  Tia glances at Javan. He just nods at Allison, “Of course, I have plenty of room. Not a problem.” Part of her is mad she doesn’t have a say, however, she is also comforted at the thought of staying in his room. After the night she had, she rather not be alone.

  “Thank you, so much,” Tia voices to Allison.

  “You are very welcome, my dear. I will see you in the morning,” Allison remarks, gathering her supplies.

  “Thank you, again, Allison,” Javan adds, shaking her hand.

  “My bill is in the mail,” she jokes, then exits.

  Javan walks over to the bed and sits next to Tia. “Words cannot express how sorry I am for this.”

  Tia is confused at his apology. “It’s not your fault, Javan.”

  “I should have never asked you to dinner last night. It was careless.” He stares down at his hands.

  “I don’t blame you for any of this. If it wasn’t for you, I would be dead, most likely. How did you know where to find me?” she pries.

  “I got a call, with an anonymous tip,” Javan exhales. Tia realizes his shirt still has her blood stained all over it.