"Are you kidding ?" Lucian asked in an incredulous voice, his tone sharp and disbelieving after what had just filtered into his ears. He fixed his gaze on Marlowe, his piercing eyes demanding an explanation, hoping she would say sothing to counter the ridiculous claim she had just made.
It was the next morning, and they were seated in the dining room after breakfast. Marlowe had just delivered the piece of information she received from Maria the previous day, and it had left them all throwing her disbelieving looks. The atmosphere in the room was tense, the weight of her words hanging heavily in the air.
"The over three-hundred-year-old founder of the Council of Vitae is alive, and not just that, he looks like a forty-year-old man. And our child is supposed to be the reincarnation of his son, who died over three hundred years ago," Lucian repeated the major points of what Marlowe had said, his voice laced with skepticism. He leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, waiting for her to refute it.
Marlowe nodded her head with all seriousness, her expression unwavering. "Everything you said is correct," she affird, her voice steady despite the disbelief etched on their faces.
"So, in other words, the Council of Vitae is practicing witchcraft," Serena noted, her voice tinged with both curiosity and unease. She believed what she said to be true in her heart because she didn’t know what else to call the bizarre story she had just heard.
"It’s not witchcraft per se," Marlowe replied, her tone asured. "What we engage in at the lab is purely science. Although I can’t fully counter what you said, seeing how his wife used to be a witch." She leaned back against her chair, scratching the back of her neck lightly, as if trying to relieve so of the stress that had been weighing her down since the previous day.
The information had burdened her deeply, and sharing it hadn’t lessened the load. "I really don’t have much information about it because, like you all, I believed the story to be fake. But co to think of it, why would the council be so specific about you two producing a child within the space of a year if sothing isn’t fishy?" she asked, putting forward a point that none of them could easily dismiss.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Serena asked, her voice tinged with discomfort. She shifted in her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she tried to process the gravity of the situation.
"Until we know for sure what we’re dealing with, no making of any child by the two of you," Marlowe said firmly, her gaze shifting between Lucian and Serena.
Serena frowned. "I wasn’t planning on making one in the first place. But won’t they co up with a sinister way to ensure it happens if they don’t see it happening when they expect?" she asked, voicing her concern.
"Trust the council when it cos to that," Marlowe replied. "We need to move faster than them. Gather as much information and co up with a plan. That way, we’ll have the advantage." She turned to face Serena squarely, her expression softening slightly. "I believe your father knew about this and must have written sothing on it. We have to work together to completely decipher the information in his journal and other materials."
Serena nodded, determination flickering in her eyes. She was ready to do anything to escape the prison she had been thrown into and bring the oppressors to justice—especially for Elias’s sake.
Just as she thought about Elias, Dr. Marlowe began to reveal the information she had on him, as if she had read Serena’s mind. However, this ti, her attention was on Lucian.
"I’m already working on a new identity for him, and it will be completed soon. We still need a little more ti to avoid mistakes," Lucian revealed, his tone calm but firm.
"New identity?" Serena asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. This was the first she was hearing of such a plan. Although Dr. Marlowe had told her that they were working on getting Elias out, she hadn’t ntioned how they planned to do it.
"Yes," Lucian answered, surprising both Serena and Marlowe with his willingness to share. "Once he gets out, the only way to ensure he isn’t hunted down again by the council is to send him far away from here and give him a new identity."
Serena’s heart sank at the thought. "If he goes far away and has a new identity, does that an I will never see or talk to him again?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as a sudden sadness enveloped her.
"You will have to put all communications with him on hold for now, until this matter is settled completely. Reaching him through any form might put him in danger," Lucian explained, his tone firm but not unkind.
He then shifted his attention to Marlowe, his expression thoughtful. "How co her brother doesn’t have the sa immunity as she does?" he asked, voicing a question that had been on his mind for a while now.
Marlowe hesitated for a mont before answering. "Serena’s mother was matched to her father, just as you two were matched, for the sole reason of producing a child for the council’s use. After Serena was born, the contract was fulfilled, and the woman was free to leave the man. She left Mr. Alaric for her lover and disappeared without a trace. Mr. Alaric remarried a while after and had Elias. Unfortunately, his mother didn’t have the genes that could produce a child with such an immunity."
Serena’s countenance fell as she heard the story of her mother once again. Her father had kept it from her, deciding not to burden her young mind with such information. But naturally, with her father gone and a curious, growing mind, she had eventually pieced it together.
She couldn’t say she blad her mother. Being forced into such a union with soone you don’t love could be infuriating as hell. At least she was experiencing it herself and knew how much she wanted out.
However, she didn’t think she would have the heart to abandon her child for an organization as devilish as the Council of Vitae. It didn’t matter who the father was or the thod through which she had the child.
"I’ll go start working on Father’s journal," Serena announced, pushing herself off her seat and walking away from the dining room. Her mind was racing, and she needed to focus on sothing productive.
As soon as she left, Dr. Marlowe fixed her attention on Darrell, who was also present in the dining room. "I need to speak to your boss alone. Give us so privacy," she requested, her tone leaving no room for argunt.
Darrell gave a nod and left the room without a word, closing the door softly behind him.
"Mr. Draven," Marlowe began, her voice carrying a tinge of pleading, "considering the current situation, I urge you to please refrain from bringing up the suggestion of sexual cooperation between you and Serena for now. Just continue with your won whenever the need arises."
Lucian let out a sinister chuckle, his lips curling into a smirk. "I don’t understand, Marlowe. What has sexual cooperation got to do with baby-making? There’s a thing called protection, you know," he uttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"The only protection that can be applicable here is a condom," Marlowe pointed out, her voice firm. "But you and I know that it’s not foolproof. I’d rather you don’t touch her at all."
Lucian narrowed his eyes at her, his expression darkening. "You know I’ve noticed you’ve never been comfortable with the idea of us being together, even before this issue ca up. Is there sothing I should know?" he asked, his voice low and probing.
Marlowe shook her head, her expression unreadable. "You two are adults and capable of making decisions about being together or not, irrespective of whether anyone is comfortable with the idea or not. My only concern is this issue."
"If I don’t touch her, as you said, how do you suggest she deals with the sexual tension?" Lucian asked, his voice sharp. "Because you know how brutal and unrciful this thing can be." He lifted his wrist, showing the bracelet as if to emphasize his point. "Or do you plan to keep her on dication for the entire year?"
"I suggest you let her et other n, since you already have your won," Marlowe answered without hesitation, her tone matter-of-fact.
Lucian’s gaze darkened the mont the words fell from her mouth. His jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"No," he said firmly, his voice cold and final.
"Why?" Marlowe asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "It’s wrong to keep a woman you have nothing to do with from seeing other n."
"She is my wife," Lucian replied, his tone icy. "Until we split up, the answer to that suggestion remains no."
"What if she has a man she loves out there?" Marlowe probed, her voice rising slightly.
"Does she?" Lucian shot back, his gaze darkening even further, leaving Marlowe more confused than ever.
"I don’t know, but we cannot ignore the possibility. I an, she is a beautiful woman, and all the n out there are not blind to that," Marlowe argued, her voice firm.
"We are done with this discussion Marlowe. Nothing changes." Lucian uttered in finality, leaving the dining room in a foul mood.
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