The Call Of Thalassa
A Price of Betrayal

“Have you ever been so wildly attracted

to someone that you can actually feel it

driving you insane?”

- Rebel_Circus

The loud word resounded in the dimly lit office, startling those who were inside. Aileen’s emerald eyes widened in surprise and Alastor’s lips were set in a thin line, showing his displeasure over being interrupted. As the negative word echoed in the silence of the small room like a thunderstorm, a figure appeared standing on the doorway.

Her form was trembling as she stood in front of them –from anger or fear Aileen could not decide. Her palms had tightened into balls, sticking her nails into their sensitive skin and creating small sores. Her hair was disheveled as if she had run all the way from the village square to the police station. Some blond tufts fell on her blue eyes, which were shining like bright stars.

“Petra?“, Aileen whispered in shock.

She hadn’t seen her friend in quite some time, not understanding why she had disappeared. After Aide’s short explanation, she had given up on finding the blonde woman and asking her where things had gone wrong. She wasn’t a fool –she knew that something had been bothering her, but she believed that Petra would talk to her when she felt ready. Pressure would never help such situations become better. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“What are you doing here?“, Alastor asked the newcomer irritated, “You are interrupting the interrogation of a suspect.”

That was indeed a good question. She was the last person Aileen would have thought of appearing in her situation. As her friend entered the room closing the door behind her, she could only stare at her in confusion.

“The interrogation of a suspect or a marriage proposal?“, Petra narrowed her blue orbs angrily at the man in front of her.

“I would suggest you leave, Ms. Russo”, Alastor stated in a harsh voice, “You are meddling in affairs that do not concern you.”

Petra let a humorless laugh at his words, shaking her head in disappointment and displeasure. Aileen was speechless at the exchange unfolding in front of her, realizing that her friend had a closer relationship to Alastor from what she had originally thought.

“Affairs that do not concern me?“, she repeated his words in distaste, “We had an agreement !”

Aileen’s eyes widened dramatically at her words, snapping to Alastor’s form in shock as she waited for his confirmation. What agreement could possibly Petra have made with Alastor Steel that led her to distance herself from her childhood friends?

“Now is not the time for this”, he greeted through clenched teeth.

“Why?“, Petra gave him a faked sweet smile, “Are you scared that Aileen here is going to hate you even more?”

“Petra...“, he gave her a warning glare.

“We made an agreement and you broke it, Alastor!“, she answered his glare with one of her own, “If I helped you with Sethelious, you would be mine!”

Aileen tried to form words with her tongue, only to find out she couldn’t. She didn’t know what made her speechless. The fact that Petra knew about Sethelious or that she betrayed their friendship over a man? And not just any man! Alastor Steel out of whole Seaworth’s male population! She had figured out that her friend was attracted to him over his looks but she never thought she loved him. When did it come to this?

“I did fuck you, did I not?“, he shouted angrily at her as the ring of scarlet in his eyes seemed to brighten.

Aileen felt like her head would explode from what she was hearing. Her thoughts were a mess inside of her head as she tried to organize them. She tried to find a logical explanation, but she only gave herself a headache.

“H-How do you know about Sethelious?“, she finally managed to stutter.

Petra gave Alastor an angry glare before sitting on the chair in front of her. Her blue eyes were different since the last time Aileen had seen her –a deep sadness was swirling inside them along with a wave of fiery anger. Perhaps, her anger was just a shield to hide her pain from the world. Perhaps, it was a façade to protect herself. Aileen didn’t know what to believe any more.

“Sethelious is a smart man, Ail – he knows that conquering the throne of Atlantis is not enough. He has to make sure he’ll be able to keep it by eliminating any possible threats to him”, Petra stated as a fact.

“Havelock”, Aileen whispered to herself.

“Your merman is a danger to his authority”, Petra nodded, “He will have to dispose of him. What better way to harm him than through his mate?”

She stared at her friend in bewilderment, trying to comprehend everything.

“I don’t understand”, Aileen said, “What does this have to do with you?”

Petra rolled her blue orbs at her ignorance, getting herself comfortable in her chair.

“Haven’t you noticed anything strange on Alastor lately?“, she asked her quizzically.

Aileen’s thoughts stopped at a certain memory –the day he had followed her to the library. He had taken a hold of her neck as he threatened her about what happened on the cliffs, bringing his face close to hers. His eyes were strange –too dark and too manic. And then, there was this scarlet ring that surrounded them. It was so... abnormal.

“I am sure that humans do not have red-colored eyes”, Petra confirmed her thoughts when she didn’t answer.

Aileen looked briefly at Alastor’s figure as he leaned silently against the wall.

“How?“, she asked.

“Sethelious bounded him under his control with the help of some Oceaninds Nymphs”, Petra shrugged her shoulders in indifference, “He has been under his control for a while now –following his every order.”

Aileen looked at her handcuffs in despair, not knowing what to do. While Havelock’s life was threatened under the surface of the water, hers was unknowingly in danger on land. She was living under a false impression of security, only now understanding that she was never safe, to begin with. Her merman was miles away from her, trying to save Atlantis from Sethelious, only for that cunning merman to make his move on land. How could she possibly get herself out of this situation without his help?

“Why are you doing this to me?“, she asked her as a tear slipped from her emerald gems.

“Not all of us are as lucky as you, deary”, Petra smiled bitterly, “You have the beauty, the intelligence, the character -the love of everyone. You wouldn’t understand what it feels like to live in someone’s shadow.”

Aileen couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Some of us don’t have it so easy -we don’t have everything laying on our feet!“, Petra shrugged her shoulders in indifference, “We have to fight for what we want. Earn it!”

“I loved you Ail -I really did”, Petra gave her a saddened smile, “But I have to look out for myself. This was the only option I had to finally achieve what I wanted. To be a person of my own -not somebody’s shadow. To become Petra -not Aileen’s friend. It was really difficult to betray you, but it had to be done.”

Anger and sadness gathered inside of the red-haired girl, blurring her eyes as tears formed inside of them.

“How could you ever believe that I would have fought against you? After all we’ve been through together, did you really believe I wouldn’t support you?“, the tears finally fell from her emerald orbs, “That’s just what friends do! Have each other’s back no matter what!”

The despair inside her intensified, turning her anger into loud words as they left her mouth.

“At least, I hope you are happy now. After everything you’ve done!“, Aileen shouted angrily, “I hope that it was all worth it! That you betrayed our friendship for a high price!”

Petra was shocked at her friend’s screams, being used to Aileen being a peaceful and quiet person. The hate that had been growing inside her and the jealousy that had clouded her mind paused for a moment, taking in the sight of the tired and crying girl in handcuffs. A ting of regret was all she allowed herself to feel, before returning to her prior thoughts. The two girls looked at each other intensely as a tense silence fell inside the room.

“You have a week to decide about the marriage”, Alastor’s voice boomed around the room, “Until then you’ll be staying in one of the cells.”

Petra’s blue orbs snapped at his in surprise.

“And what about me?“, she yelled angrily, “What about our agreement? This was supposed to be a new beginning for me, away from Aileen’s shadow! And you’re choosing her over me, again !”

Alastor didn’t say anything to her, although his eyes darkened considerably. He approached her slowly as she yelled all kinds of profanities to him. Taking a tight hold of her upper arm, he guided her outside of the room, not caring about the bruises forming on her from his tight grip. Aileen could only stare speechless as he violently dragged her outside the office, closing the door behind them with a thundering noise.

“You promised me! You promised!”

Petra screamed repeatedly at him as he dragged her through different hallways. Angry tears escaped from her eyes as she followed him miserably. The few officers in the building gave them strange looks, but did not dare approach them –this only annoyed him further. He didn’t like the attention. He guided them towards a deserted corridor, away from the prying eyes and the eavesdropping ears.

Her back hit the wall forcefully, but she didn’t give it much thought. She hit him repeatedly as her crying never ceased –on his chest, hands, shoulders. Wherever she could reach. Her mind was playing dangerous tricks on her, making her start to question her decisions. She had destroyed a friendship of years to have him, only for him to propose to her friend.

It was a huge injustice –she felt betrayed, cheated on.

His lips silenced her as they pressed against her own. She weakly tried to hit him again, but their softness made her thoughts a swirling mess. She moved her own against him, following their lead. His lips may be soft, but his kiss wasn’t. It was hard and intense, making her crazy with lust. When he pulled away, he allowed his teeth to bite on her lower lip and pull it slightly.

“Do you remember what I once told you, baby girl?”

“About what?“, she asked him breathlessly.

“About betrayals”, he said tucking a blonde strand behind her ear.

She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“That you would kill me if I ever betrayed you”, she recalled his words.

He gave her a small smile.

“Good girl.”

He kissed her again, letting her arms to roam on his broad shoulders. His hand caressed her lower back and the outline of her breast, before settling on the side of her neck. He kissed her harder, exploring her mouth and enjoying her quiet moans. His fingers caressed the pale skin on her neck, feeling her heart’s racing beat through her veins.

His hand tightened as their kiss became more passionate –the slight pain only fueling their pleasure. He added more pressure as he kissed her deeply, swallowing her moan of discomfort. As the need for air intensified, she pushed his chest slightly to warn him to let go. He didn’t seem to mind as his hand tightened around her neck, effectively cutting her airway.

As she began to panic, she pushed him harder to no avail. Her nails scratched his skin and her hands pounded against his chest as her need for oxygen became vital. His lips never fell away from hers, silencing her pleading screams from alerting anyone of what was happening. His hand applied more pressure around her neck as he strangled her forcefully.

After a few moments, her body completely relaxed and stopped trashing against him. Her hands fell uselessly on her sides as pearly tears fell from her sightless blue eyes. Her lips stopped moving against his own as the hand around her neck managed to cut her thread of life. Her last breath escaped from her as she left this world forever.

Was this the price she had to pay for her betrayal?

In the end, was it all worth it?

Alastor pulled against her bottom lip, before finally pulling away.

Looking at the dead girl in front of him, he shrugged his shoulders in boredom.

“One less problem for me”, was all he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 30!!

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