(spoiler warning for Princess in Practice)
The alley was dark, but luckily Jamie Volk always came prepared. He grabbed a flashlight from the bag he carried on his shoulder and flickered it on, shining it onto the wet pavement beneath his feet. He never knew about this alleyway before. Before he went to Rosewood, he would never have to go near a place so sketchy. But now he had no choice.
As Jamie approached his destination, he felt a dark cloud looming over his heart where his wolf pendant used to be. The pendent had been ditched by him long ago. The Wolfson Family Crest was the last thing he wanted to carry with him. Ever since heâd seen Ellie and Lottie kiss in Tompkins Manor, his opinion on Ellie and her entire wolf-pack family had been much more negative than it had been prior.
None of that mattered now. That life was far behind him now. Being a partizan seemed like a distant memory, and one heâd rather forget.
Dressed in all black, Jamie had managed to escape the castle in Maradova exactly one week ago. He hadnât bothered to text or call. In fact, heâd chosen to leave his phone in the castle, which he was sure that Lottie was inspecting meticulously for clues of his whereabouts now. Her efforts would be in vain, though, as he had destroyed all evidence of his new location. He certainly didnât need the pesky portman by his side right now, as much as he wished she were in the very back of his mind. No, he thought to himself. She loves Ellie. Thereâs no point. Sheâd never pick you over her.
To this day, he still couldnât comprehend why someone who carried as much potential as Lottie would give her whole life away for this horrible family. Why would anyone willingly subject themselves to the ownership of the Wolfsonâs? If he had a choice, he wouldâve been out of Maradova the minute he could speak.
Lottieâs gift to him, a book about the culture and history of Pakistan, was the only thing Jamie packed that he didnât really need. Jamie couldnât even remember why heâd brought it. It seemed like second nature when he shoved it into his messenger bag along with all his essentials, but now that he was back in England once again, he couldnât imagine why heâd bring such a painful reminder of Lottie.
Nevermind that now, Jamie thought. He turned off his flashlight as he shook the water out of his hair just in front of a tall, dark door. This was always the destination in his mind, Jamie knew that, but he couldnât help but feel a little shock that he was actually there. If he did this, the Wolfsons would never take him back into their family again. He wasnât sure he wanted their forgiveness anyway.
Jamie sighed deeply and pushed the door open. Even more shockingly, it wasnât locked, and it swung open under his weight. Jamie stumbled into the hallway, hand still on the knob. There was no light, no windows, and no turning back.
âWell well well,â hummed a familiar southern-american accent. âLooks like Pretty-boy is back.â
Jamie quickly reached for his flashlight and shone it in the direction of the voice. Before him was Julius, the rogue partizan from Tompkins Manor, squinting. He looked nearly identical to what he looked like when Jamie saw him last, except for one thing missing: his left eye.
âWould you put that light down?â he groaned, holding his hand out in front of his eyes. Blushing, Jamie put the flashlight back into his bag.
âI guess I just donât know who to trust,â Jamie explained with a shrug.
âIn your defence, I wouldnât exactly trust someone who tried to tie me up and kidnap me either,â Julius smirked. Jamie returned a soft smile and started down the dark hallway with Julius.
âIngrid will be pleased to see you,â Julius started babbling as he showed Jamie the way. It wasnât very long before Jamie tuned him out. He wasnât interested in making friends. Friends were just distractions. Lottie and Raphael had already taught him that well enough. No, he had a job to do, and he was here to do just that and nothing else.
Finally, the two had reached what seemed to be the end of the corridor. Jamie was face to face with a long, dark wooden door that seemed unnecessary tall. Once again, he took a deep breath, but this door was harder to get past than the first one.
âWhat are you waiting for?â Julius tilted his head. âThe master is waiting for you. He hates waiting.â
The master. So that was the type of system they had here. Jamie thought heâd left his life of masters behind him when he ditched Ellie in Maradova, but it looked like he was back at square one. Disappointing, Jamie thought. There was so much hope in him that this was the right thing to do, the only thing to do if he wanted freedom. MaybeâŚ
Shaking all thoughts of the word âmasterâ and the connotations it carried, Jamie squeezed his eyes shut as he turned the brass knob and pushed open the only thing that separated him from a new life.
Across from Jamie sat a tall, slim man with tan brown skin and dark gray hair with one long horizontal lighter gray stripe slashed across the middle. The man had a scar running down the right side of his face that stretched all the way from his forehead down to his jawline. He wore a pale green suit and was comfortably sat in a chair with a very high back to it. The wall behind him had a large window with green tinted glass that was covered in dust. This menacing man reminded him of something, but he wasnât quite sure what.
Next to the man stood Ingrid Crow, the girl who was partners in crime with Julius. She had her hands joined together behind her back. Her posture held her back straight and tall. Unlike Julius, not a thing had changed in her appearance since Jamie had seen her last.
âLeave us be now, Julius,â the man (who Jamie assumed was the master) demanded as he leaned further back into his chair. Julius nodded and shut the door behind him as he took a step backwards. There was a loud clang that echoed into the room.
âMr. Volk,â purred the master. âNow this is unexpected.â He turned his attention to Ingrid next to him, who gazed adoringly to the man with a pleased smile. She knew she had impressed him.
âI told you I would make this up to you,â Ingrid said to her master.
âAlright,â Jamie interjected. The two on the other side of the room looked up at him with a shared surprised expression. Apparently neither of them had expected Jamie to dare to speak out of turn. âYouâve gotten me here. Iâve made an appearance. Now I would like to know why Iâm your highest priority and whatever you have to offer me.â
This got a smirk out of the master. âYouâve got guts,â the man noticed, clearly impressed. âYou remind me of myself when I was your age. Allow me to introduce myself.â The man stood up from his chair but did not move out from behind the desk. He was even taller than he appeared sitting down. Jamie gaped up at the man who was at least 4 heads taller than himself. âMy name is Xavier Otets, and I am the leader of Leviathan.â He held out his long arm and put his hand in front of Jamie to shake.
Cautiously, Jamie took his hand and shook it firmly. âJamie Volk.â
âOh, I know,â Xavierâs smile widened. âIâve had a very close eye on you, Mr. Volk.â
âOf course you have,â Jamie muttered under his breath. If Xavier heard it, he ignored it and went on.
âWe have quite a history together, my organization and you,â Xavier stated. âItâs rare that someone can escape us once, but twice? Quite impressive, young man.â
âIâve had a lot of training,â Jamie eyed Ingrid through the corner of his eye, who was disturbingly still.
âTraining that will come in handy to us,â Xavier nodded.
âYou want me to join you,â Jamie gathered. He had expected this, but it was somehow relieving to have confirmation for once.
âClever boy. Yes, I value your assistance and would be very pleased to have you join us.â Xavier admitted. He took a step to the left, slowly strolling away from the desk. âI have to wonder how you managed to get away from your princess long enough to come pay us a visit,â he asked curiously.
âSheâs not my princess anymore,â Jamie practically spat. He knew they believed Lottie was the real princess, but it was Ellie who truly supplied the painful resentment in his voice. âI left Maradova a week ago. For good.â
âI assume that means youâve decided to join the Leviathan,â Xavier responded hopefully.
It was a strong consideration.
âNot necessarily,â Jamie shrugged. He needed to keep the high ground. âWhat if I were to reject your offer? Go back to the princess and tell everyone of your whereabouts and plans? What would you do then?â
Xavier laughed. âDonât be curt, Mr. Volk. We both know you wonât do that.â
âWhat makes you so confident?â
âI know your story far too well,â Xavier replied. Something in his face struck a nerve with Jamie. He seemed⌠sad? Understanding? Sympathetic? âIâve lived it. Iâve heard it told over and over a thousand times. A partizan trapped in their position for the rest of their lives, stripped of freedom before theyâre even old enough to make the decision for themselves. It must have been especially difficult for you, what with your inability to escape this role that you were assigned the day of your own birth.â
How did he know Jamieâs full story? It wasnât like Ingrid or Julius or even Saskia knew about his unique conditions as a partizan.
Xavier continued. âYouâre not going to decline the Leviathan, Mr. Volk. A boy as driven and underappreciated as you would never pass up an opportunity for freedom.â
Freedom. A word Jamie had heard so seldomly in his life, and yet could never stop hearing ringing in the back of his own mind. He hated to admit it, but Xavier knew him too well. He could never let a chance to be free slip through his fingers. But what about Lottie?
He knew what Ellie would do if she were the partizan. She would accept this role in a heartbeat. Jamie knew very well that her only loyalty to the Wolfson family was purely because of the responsibility she carried along with her royal blood. Ellie would seize this. Ellie would.
No. Lottie had willingly given herself to the Alexander and Matilde. She was perfectly fine to give her life over to someone who needed protection. She was selfless.
But what if she didnât have a choice? What if it were her who had been handed to the royal family at birth? Would she be so understanding and forgiving if she had as little say over her life as Jamie did?
Stop this, Jamie thought. It doesnât matter what Lottie would do. Sheâs made her choice. Sheâs chosen Ellie.
And heâd chosen neither.
Jamie hung his head, refusing to meet the eyes of Xavier Otets until he made his mind. Finally, he stared into the masterâs familiar brown eyes.
author note: heh i know iâm not a great writer but i really want jamie to join the leviathan sorry not sorry
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