Imperfection - Chapter Eighteen (Patreon)

Olwen

“This is remarkable. Your neural pathways are moving faster than anything I’ve ever seen. I think we’ve finally broken through to the next stage of evolution.”

The scientist reading my results is fascinated as he stares at the screen, reflecting my mind's current state. I try to find excitement in what he’s telling me, but it's elusive at this moment as I look out the window overlooking Etherium. I knew something was wrong with me earlier this week. My body felt different, and my mind's way of understanding has shifted. Sleeping with Tiberius has awakened something in me that has forced my mind to overcompensate, taking another step in its development.

I want to believe everything Tiberius says to me, but it's becoming more and more difficult as time progresses between us. My emotional intelligence has always been below average. I’ve always been able to easily decipher how others are feeling, never being able to give a proper reaction. But being with Tiberius is forcing me into confusion and disarray. My mind warring with what I want and what’s right.

Exile is an option for anything that we do.

Those words haunt me. I’ve never cared for those in the lower classes before. They’ve never been on my radar. But imagining Tiberius being taken away or even served death because he crossed a line with me has upset the balance of my mind and somehow triggered a mutation.

“We’ll notify the king and the upper cabinet immediately. I’m sure this will be exciting news to hear at the assembly.”

The door to the lab opens to reveal the center of my distress. Tiberius steps into the room, his dark clothing a stark contrast to the mono-colored white walls of the lab. His honey-colored eyes fall on me, narrowing slightly in disgust as he takes in the needles lodged into my spine and neural leads on my temples.

I’m sure in his eyes, this does look like torture. He’s voiced his disdain for it on more than one occasion. But at this moment, he doesn’t voice his opinion. He remains in place against the wall, training his eyes ahead as the lab tech removes everything from my body. When the last needle is finally removed, I feel the familiar warmth of our technology healing the tender areas before I am released.

“I would like a physical copy of the reports,” I say, standing.

Twenty minutes later, we’re leaving the facility with a physical report of my results in hand. I make sure to keep them hidden from Tiberius, but I need to go over them myself to understand what is happening to me and what triggered this mutation at such a random stage. It’s a huge leap from the steady increase I’ve had over the years.

“You don’t look too happy. Did something happen?” Tiberius’s voice is laced with concern as he moves behind me.

“No, everything is fine,” I murmur. But he doesn’t buy it, moving closer to me.

“Olwen, if this is about the past few nights—”

“Don’t,” I hiss. I turn around, glaring at him to show my seriousness. “Not here.”

Every day this week, Tiberius and I have ended our nights together. No matter how much I try to keep my distance to ensure it doesn’t happen again, I am weak regarding his advances. When we are together, alone in my room, everything feels different. I’m not a product of Etherium whose sole purpose is to further advancements. I am an individual who he sees as beautiful and funny. I have an emotional connection with someone. But when Etherium and the people within it surround me, my mind races about the mistake I’ve made and the world I’ve put in jeopardy by doing so.

“Olwen.” I’m pulled out of my thoughts to see Tiberius standing before me, his expression showing clearly how he feels. He’s concerned. And it makes me uneasy. I suck in a deep breath, turning away from him.

“I have to get to the assembly,” I murmur.

* * * * *

“You’ve outdone yourself, Olwen.”

I bow in appreciation as the king continues to read over my reports. I’ve worked harder on these than I have anything else up to this point. Not only have I accounted for the lower half of Etherium, which is something no one has ever done before, I have come up with ways to improve as well. I have to impress the king so that he’ll honor my request to be sent to Ethos to oversee their inspection.

I can feel the eyes of the council on me, including my father, who is in attendance today. This is my first time as an advisor giving reports to the king. Usually, meetings with the king are held with only advisors in attendance. But this is an assembly meeting to update all branches of the Etherian government on the dome. As such, even our guards are in attendance, Tiberius included, who stands at attention near the wall, his eyes trained straight ahead like his counterparts.

Once the king finishes with my reports, I take my seat, allowing the next advisors to step up. My eyes shift to my father, who tosses a wink in my direction. I haven’t spoken to him since asking him to leave the day he pissed me off. In hindsight, I overreacted. Even Tiberius found it in himself to voice his opinion on the situation. I can’t imagine what my father is going through mentally. His son is busy with a dome on the brink of civil war, and his daughter wouldn’t speak to him because he wanted what was best for her.

I make a mental note to make things right with him soon.

As the assembly comes to a close, the king rises to give his closing speech which includes the assignment of each advisor to a dome for inspection. My heart beats in anticipation as I wait to hear my name and assignment. I have not only constantly expressed interest in Ethos, but I have also gone above and beyond to prove to the king that it wouldn’t be a distraction.

“Olwen Sheridan shall remain in Etherium to oversee…”

My body grows numb as I try my best to remain unbothered by the blatant slight against me. I notice Julius look at me from his place behind the king in concern, but I make sure I keep my face unchanged. I mentally tap out, not showing anyone how upset I am. As the meeting adjourns, I quickly gather my things, not waiting for Tiberius to stand near me as I follow the king out of the assembly hall.

“Your Majesty?” I call after him. He turns to face me, his guards, and Julius with him as well. I bow, rising before speaking.

“I don’t understand why you didn’t give me Ethos for the inspection. I specifically requested it,” I say, ensuring I keep my tone even. The king hands off his things to his son, approaching me. I can read him easily. He’s not in the mood to deal with me at the moment.

“Did you know that our last mutation was over one hundred fifty years ago?”

I slowly nod, and the king continues.

“Your results have been incomprehensible, Olwen. You are too valuable to send to a dome like Ethos. I know you are aware of its state. It’s just too fragile for someone like you,” he says.

“But isn’t that why I have security? Isn’t that why we’ve taken so many precautionary measures?” I ask.

“Olwen, I have big plans for you. Bigger than Ethos. I’ve indulged your interest because you’ve improved Etherium so much since your arrival as an advisor. But I think it’s time you stop asking about it. Ethos is not your concern.”

My breath feels like it's been ripped from my lungs. I can’t find words to speak. Benjamin’s letter keeps replaying in my mind. He needs me. And I can do nothing about it. Once again, the rules of Etherium are clashing with my own desires. I bow, keeping my head down as I speak.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I keep my head down as I hear a new set of footsteps, and when I rise, I see Julius standing over me with a pity-filled expression.

“I’ll talk to him,” he says. I open my mouth to stop him. I don’t want his favoritism or any kind of tension between me and the king. But I can’t bring myself to say it this time. I nod, giving him a smile.

“Thank you.”

* * * * *

I am a product of Etherium, nothing more. I always knew that. I always lived my life that way. I never expected anything out of it other than to do as I was instructed to ensure the success of Etherium. And now that my results have improved, I have officially been stripped of any form of individuality. I’m sure in the coming months I will be removed from the advisory council and studied. I am the first of many.

My results sit on the coffee table in the sitting area of my office. I’ve gone over it for the past hour, trying to come to terms with what it means for me. But I only feel myself growing further and further from my emotions as I lose my sense of self. As usual, Tiberius enters my office with a tray of food in his hands. He silently places it on the coffee table, turning to look at me after a moment.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.

I shake my head, earning a sigh from him.

“Olwen—”

“I said I don’t. Why can you never follow a simple order?” I snap.

Tiberius doesn’t respond immediately. Instead he laughs as he comes to sit next to me on the cushions. He looks into my eyes, his thumb gently rubbing across my jaw as he speaks.

“Because you’re hurting. And I care about you.”

I scoff, unable to hold his gaze. He is no longer disgusted with me or even angry with my existence. His body language has shifted significantly.

“Look, I know how important Ethos is to you. I’m sure with someone else overseeing it, they’ll solve the issues—”

I quickly stand, walking away from him. I pull open my drawer, grabbing the letter from Benjamin. Tiberius watches me curiously as I approach him, slapping the letter on the end table next to him. He gently lifts it, his eyes roaming over it in confusion.

“I don’t understand. He says he’s doing fine.”

I study Tiberius as he looks at the page. I’m warring within myself to open up to this man. This man who so willingly risks his life and claims to care about me. He is an outsider; therefore, no part of me should trust him. He will never be an Etherian, no matter how much I care about him. But as he looks up at me, his eyes meeting mine laced with innocence, I find myself expressing my secrets.

“I taught Benjamin code when we were children.” I sit next to Tiberius, pointing to the letter as I explain.

“H…E…L…P…”

Tiberius’s breath seems to leave his body as he leans back on the cushions.

“No one knows this code. No one is capable of deciphering it except me. Even Benjamin could barely write it out. His friend gave it to me upon his arrival at the palace. And I haven’t heard from him since. He needs me. No one else. Me.”

Tiberius continues to study the letter, his body language tense. He finally sets it down, looking at me.

“Why didn’t you tell the king?” he asks. I chuckle humorlessly, looking out the window.

“You haven’t been in the council meetings. To shine a light on an issue in Ethos is frowned upon. The king refuses to see it, let alone acknowledge it. And now that I’ve shown signs of evolutionary traits, the king won’t risk letting me leave Etherium. My life is about to change from here on out,” I say, gesturing to the reports.

Tiberius doesn’t respond immediately. He slowly reaches for the reports, his eyes roaming over them. A small nagging appears at the back of my mind as I watch him read through the reports with expertise he shouldn’t have. But after a moment, he quells my curiosity.

“I don’t know what I’m looking at,” he chuckles softly, placing them back on the table.

“Just an anomaly that has finally appeared for the first time in a century,” I murmur.

Tiberius turns to look at me. “I guess you meant it when you said it’s exhausting being you,” he says. He shifts, moving closer to me. My heart rate increases as I take in his warmth.

“Thank you for trusting me with this,” he says. My eyes widen. No one has ever thanked me for sharing my burdens. As a matter of fact, I’ve never shared my burdens with anyone. But with Tiberius, they seem to have come easily.

“I—” Tiberius cuts me off as his lips come over mine. My instinct is to push him away and reprimand him for doing this again, but I can’t. Just like every other night before this one, I melt into his arms. His tongue slips into my mouth, tangling with my own as arousal sparks inside of me, overtaking my logic. All of my worries disappear for an instant, the only desire to have him inside of me at the forefront of my mind.

I rise up on my knees, deepening the kiss. My fingers run through his dark tresses, the soft texture tangling within my grip as he lifts me from the couch. I half expect him to take me to the bedroom, but he doesn’t. I vaguely register the crash of everything on my desk as he clears it before laying me against the cool wood. I release a shaky moan as he breaks the kiss, his lips suckling my throat. His free hand drifts from my waist, beneath my dress, and I’m suddenly grateful that I wore a dress today as he brushes against my sex.

I moan softly, arching my back as his kiss lowers. He pulls the strap from my shoulder, capturing my naked breast in his mouth. His tongue plays at my nipple, making my legs tremble and my clit throb in desire, and I’m happy when he brushes it before slipping a finger inside of me.

“You’re so wet for me,” he murmurs as he captures my lips in his again, swallowing my moans. Tiberius’s form swallows my own atop the desk, and I feel the press of his cock straining against his pants against my inner thigh as his own lust grows.

“Take me… help me forget,” I moan.

Tiberius acquiesces my request, taking seconds to pull his rigid shaft free, pushing my panties aside before sliding into me. I gasp, my nails digging into the shirt he wears as he thrusts into me, pressing me against the desk. He pulls my legs over his shoulders, penetrating me deeper than he ever has.

“Open your eyes,” he rushes out as he continues to stroke me. I open my eyes, looking deep into his, glazed with lust as he looks down at me. He’s mesmerized by what he sees, and it makes me climb even higher, embracing the warmth that is coaxing me to climax. His breathing is heavy, and I feel him stretching my inner walls with each stroke.

“You are everything, Olwen. Everything to me,” he pants. He lowers his head, capturing my throat between his teeth, and I cry out as my orgasm finally washes over me. Tiberius strokes me maddeningly slow, drawing out my climax. It washes over me, my inner walls gripping his shaft with desperation as a wave of warmth washes over me, settling between my legs.

I’m thankful when Tiberius captures my lips, swallowing the moans that escape me. Warmth fills me as he finds his own release, filling me with his seed. I shudder in pleasure beneath him, enjoying every second this bliss.

My mind is quiet, my nerves are gone, and I feel safe in his arms.