"Kiss me," I said.
"...What...?"
After leaving home, I'd headed straight to where I knew they would be. Somewhere I knew that I definitely shouldn't be.
But there was no hesitation as I'd confidently walked up and knocked on their door. And when Cai had answered, I'd ignored his confusion and demanded the one thing I knew could make me feel better.
Because if it felt anywhere near as good as the first time, then maybe it would be enough to make me forget for a moment that everything was falling to pieces around me.
"Kiss me," I repeated.
His eyes were wide, stunned at my request, but he wasn't moving. I could see he was still in the same attire he'd been in earlier; the formal clothes making his body somehow look even more fitted.
I quietly sighed impatiently whilst his head tried to comprehend exactly what was happening.
"Aria—."
However, I didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. It wasn't w
On my way to the hospital, I had time to process some of what had just happened.I could still feel it; that hum of energy deep inside me I'd never known was there. It was as if it was suddenly awakened, brought forward by my desperation and pain. This was true authority, I knew. Something I'd never realised existed, nor did I think anyone else had either. If they'd known I had this control, I was sure they would have tried to lock me up sooner. There was a huge difference between following me by choice due to being chosen by the Goddess, and me being someone with an ultimate authority to control others by force. I was now an even larger threat to the traditional hierarchy.Upon arriving, I could see the hospital was quiet. There would only be skeleton staff around at this time of night so it wouldn't be hard to navigate my way without being seen. This was particularly important since I didn't need further cause to jeopardise my current position.It only t
I walked up and approached the stump slowly, unsure if I even wanted to proceed.Just being here made me feel sick. Ever since coming back, I'd always purposely avoided this place, knowing it would dredge up memories that already haunted me more than enough.And that's exactly what was happening.I could see flashes of it all happening before me again as if it were real. An alternate reality where I was convicted of a wrongful death.I saw the faces of the pack members as they stared at me with such malice, parting the crowd to let me walk up. I saw the Elders sitting in the chairs assembled in a semicircle... and, of course, Aleric and Thea. Thea who was seated in the Luna's seat.In a daze, I continued to walk forwards, the large oak stump beckoning me on like an old friend. Had I become delirious? When was the last time I had even slept? The combination with my weakened state probably wasn't doing me any favours as it all felt so real.Bu
‘I killed you,’ I whispered in my head.‘You did nothing wrong and I killed you.’"Ahh...," was the only sound that left me.I was fairly certain that telling him that information didn't exactly scream that he could trust me; a vital part of any possible relationship to start. Would it be wrong of me to keep it a secret? It seemed like such an unnecessary gamble to ruin something that didn't need to be tarnished so quickly."...Aria?" he prompted."I'm trying to remember," I lied.I could see it now... his eyes changing to become wary, unsure of who I was. His death was just the start of a list of names whose lives I had ended up claiming. Would he see me as a murderer?I swallowed back my hesitance and cleared my throat. If I was willing to finally put the past behind me then there was no reason to ruin my future because of it."No," I eventually answered. "I... can't recall ever having
"Aria?" Cai asked, pulling me from my thoughts.He gently reached out and poked a finger between my brows, making me realise I was frowning."You've got that look on your face," he said. "The one that usually tells me you're overthinking something... Should I be locking the bedroom door to prevent your escape?"Instantly I relaxed, smiling a bit at his joke. I hadn't realised he'd learnt my expressions so well."I'm sorry," I said, as I stared into his pure golden eyes that had always made me want to melt. "...I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I... I want to be with you too, Cai."'Even if it's just temporary,' I finished in my head.Cai had been there at the beginning of my return, witnessing my worst moments and helping me even when my plans were insane or not his concern. He'd been there for me when I'd cried and broken down, unsure of who I was or who I could lean on. And it was true he'd ended up hurting me, but I'd hurt him t
'So handsome,' I thought to myself as I watched Cai sleeping next to me.I wasn't sure how long I'd slept for but I'd woken up to find him by my side. He looked so peaceful; his hair had tousled into a mess as his chest softly rose and fell. I could have watched him for hours.I lost track of time as I recounted the events that had transpired the evening prior but soon Cai stirred next to me. In his slumber, a strand of hair fell across his face and I couldn't help but reach out and gently brush it away back into place. It was so silky to touch.As my eyes drifted back to his face though I froze, realising he was now awake and watching me."Morning," he mumbled sleepily, reaching out to pull me close to him.I had fallen asleep in one of his t-shirts but could still feel his warmth through the fabric. If not for the confusion of his words, I would have melted myself into his touch willingly. But the nagging in my mind prevented me, forcing
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Aleric frantically whispered. "Do you have any idea how much shit you'll get into for this?"In an involuntary reaction, I quickly pulled the blanket up over my chest to hide myself even though I wasn't naked. And yet at the same time, I'd never felt more exposed.There had been no time to react, no time to hide. I knew what Cai had been desperately looking for now; an escape. But it would have been futile. There wasn't enough time to cover my scent and the window had outside privacy panels preventing me from squeezing through. Cai must have realised the same thing. All he could do was apologise for the fact that we were now in this situation."We've found it!" I heard a voice yell from somewhere in the house.Aleric's eyes suddenly showed signs of worry as he looked at me. Already he looked pale, confused, both of which I'd never seen on him before, but it was his worry that unnerved me the most. Aleric was co
"Fuck!" I yelled in frustration as I threw yet another folder of files to the ground. "It's been months now, Aleric, and we're still no better off than when we started."Aleric was seated by the windowsill of our small office area, papers of his own in hand that he'd been reviewing. He seemed used to my small occasional outbursts these days and usually ignored them, but today he just turned his face to me, raising a sole eyebrow as if to silently ask 'really?'.I buried my face in my hands, utterly exhausted and not needing his further judgment. When was the last time I'd slept peacefully? Before Myra's death?After Cai was taken in, days had turned into weeks, which had turned into months, all with little change.My seventeenth birthday had passed without celebration, or even with any sort of acknowledgement. How could I while Cai remained imprisoned when I'd promised to quickly clear his name?The allegations had ended up being a lot wor
"...What did you just say?" I asked, my voice thick with disbelief."I said they've declared war," Alexander repeated. "They've said that if we don't release Caius before sunset tomorrow that they will officially announce their intent to bring him home by force."Less than twenty-four hours. I had less than twenty-four hours to free him or we would be initiating a war....And it would be my fault."It's not enough time," I whispered, the panic rising inside me once more. "...It's not enough time... It's not enough time."I took a step backwards as my mind continued to whirl. This was it. Everything had been leading to this moment and it was finally here."Is there anything else I need to know?" Aleric asked him.Alexander frowned as if he'd expected him to have a different reaction. "...No? Just that we received a letter from the Silver Lake just now... —.""You can go then," Aleric interrupted. "Thank you for te