Artemis’ PovI could have asked Aiden where he was off to, but I chose to play nice and let him have his way. Besides, wherever he ought to have gone wouldn’t take much time, but I was wary of someone, the woman in mask.It’s been a game since we arrived at the table. It’s been a game from yesterday during the dance. Kane had his eyes on me like I had something of his he wished to reclaim, and the lady had her eyes on Aiden like he owed her, so, I couldn’t help my curiosity as it piqued.I looked up from my plate and saw Kane. First, he was a little too crafty. He’s shoved a word at Aiden at will, though he knew Aiden would say nothing to him. And when their father showed up, he accused Aiden of saying shit about the old man.Thanks for the Don’s personality. Well, that’s by the way. The problem now is Kane still has his eyes on my skin. It felt it sting like a scorpion’s sting. I needed Aiden so bad at this moment, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found.It was then that a broad hand gl
Author’s PovAiden returned to the hall and met the noise and the fella nestled at his seat with his face riddled with disgust. His eyes met that of Kane who seemed eager to see either him or his masked lady returned.He made to his seat and tugged at Benny’s suit. Benny turned with his eyes red with tears that refused to spill through his eyelids.“You asked me to recite my poems to her,” Benny’s voice met Aiden’s ears in the midst of the laughter. Don Carlos was now seated, but his friends now resorted to one thing; mock and mimic the fella they thought mad and nothing else.“Sorry—” Aiden urged him to leave the seat with his eyes. Benny left the seat and Aiden sat. “You can go grab another seat over there.” Benny followed Aiden’s gesture. It was the tail of the table. Someone had just rose from there, and the person would surely return. That would be a second batch of trouble for Benny.“Okay,” Benny said and walked off from the hall.Artemis on the other hand was done with her m
Author’s Pov“You don’t mean it,” the man said with a toothy smile. Kane raised his brows and gestured at the limo down the aisle. Some of his girls were there already, waiting for him. This time, Aiden picked interest in looking though he hadn’t wished to do such earlier. The scene was nothing far from what he had seen and done in the past. It was nothing tempting, so, he felt the fella might as well turn down the offer. “Nice girls you got there, but I’m not up for some pussy,” the man said with a shrug, “I’m out here hunting for something deeper and bigger than a ride with girls and a big guy.” Aiden chuckled. The men who check in often in the Creeks crib will never fall for such fantasies. It’s that common among them. Kane smiled. He seemed to understand just why the fella had to turn down his offer—Aiden was there and no one would like to hurt Aiden to favor Kane. “What if I introduce you to my new business plan and make you part of—”The man slung his ball bag across his
Aiden’s PovI nearly pushed my finger’s to Rusev’s lips, but I didn’t because Artemis could be watching from the room. He’s not to be blamed anyways. No responsible man can skip such question, and if anyone should, it can never be Rusev.“She’s no more,” I masked the shock that braced my face with a sudden smile.Rusev raised his brows. I thought of blinking my eyes in quick signs but he seemed not ready to yield. Maybe because he must have ready of me in the dark web where I was portrayed as ruthless.Being ruthless might mean I might be so rash I could talk of my past even in the presence of my wife to be—that is if he understood Artemis’ place.“What happened to her?” he asked curiously, “is she dead?”I waited thoughtfully before I answered him. “Maybe, just not sure.”He nodded and turned once more to my mother’s picture. I knew why he’s so obsessed with my mom. She hid him and his siblings away during the dark days of the scandal that tossed his father’s life in the hands of the
Artemis’ PovFirst, Aiden didn’t see me when he stepped into the bathroom thinking he had the privacy he probably wanted from the prying eyes of his friend in the open chamber, and probably mine, but he didn’t know he walked in on me.I was done cleaning the restroom when he entered, and I didn’t bother to disturb him, not until I heard him chant the name Hera twice in the phone with tensed voice, and now, his friend asked if I’m Hera.Who the heck is this Hera of a person that got almighty Aiden so pissed he couldn’t even check well before snarling at the name.“Hera?” I raised my brows, “I am—”“Artemis,” Aiden didn’t let me finish, “my wife to be.”The fella blinked twice. He seemed to realize he’d said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and he should have knocked before badging into someone else’s toilet.“And why are you donning such apparel?” the fella pointed out.Aiden called him Rusev earlier, so, I thought I should call him the same and ask him to let me be. I can’t stand ge
Artemis’ povAiden, my man, is not the type that would drift to sleep in a matter of seconds, but with me in his warm cuddle, he snored like he’d never done before.I might be wrong anyways if I count it as success—the endless stress of being a core member of the Creeks is enough stress already, but I praise my patience for enduring till I heard him snore.I started with his heavy hands, he’d secured me with them, maybe to keep me from breaking into the night to search for clues of the name, Hera.I lifted his hand gently and slipped off, but I didn’t let it rest on an empty space. I replaced my warmth presence with a pillow and watched him for a while as he slept like a baby.I was tempted to touch his hair—to trace the lining of his nose bridge with the tip of my finger and press a kiss on his cheek before leaving him for my little adventure, but shunned the thought instead and made my way out of the room.First, I sought out his things. He didn’t check in with much—just his suitcas
Aiden’s Pov“You nearly put me in shit, man,” I pushed Rusev’s chest and pinned him to the wall with my left hand. On a good day, I’ll punch shit off his face, but he’s a longtime no see friend, so, I didn’t dare.“Come on,” he gently shrugged off my hand. He probably knew what I meant, “I didn’t know it was not Hera—”He paused suddenly and watched me spare him a breathing space and free my face a little to catch up with the morning’s warmth.He exhaled and adjusted his shirt. “I thought she was Hera because she looked like Hera, and—maybe I just didn’t understand you when you said you don’t have no more shit with Hera.”“You saw her in the field with us and walked to the chamber with us, only to call her Hera—” I clenched my fists to punch his lying mouth, but I still held back. He raised his hands like he knew I could throw a punch at his face if he kept on tossing his lies to my face. I freed my clenched fist and gestured to the big balcony next door.He nodded and followed me in
Artemis PovI nearly jolted out of myself when the flowers moved. There’s clearly no wind in the garden. It looked lit was sealed from the outside, but I could breathe in it—I don’t why I could still breathe in this new word.I thought once again of Damon. He’s the one I should call—maybe before calling anyone I used to know. He’s the one I wished most to meet and at least, say sorry for letting him fight on that fateful night for my sake.“D—” something crawled on my leg and stopped three steps away in the flowers. I looked down and saw a pink nurtured rabbit with a red rose trapped in the grip of Its teeth.I went down on both need and took the flower from its mouth, sniffed it and remembered Aiden. The flower’s scent seemed to have been touched by his hands.“Aiden,” I whispered.This might be a stunt, or, the rabbit brought me gift from the human world—maybe the flower placed on the grave. I sniffed once again and let the scent sink into my head.It was full of him. Maybe full of
Artemis' POVThe days in the old cabin had elongated into weeks, each one mindlessly running into the next, making it feel like we were losing track of time. The dense forest that surrounded us became both a sanctuary and a prison, offering protection from Kane's relentless pursuit while isolating us from the world we once knew, after all the life hack and the steady look out for Kane and his men, how can one remember what the real world actually looks like. In this enforced solitude, Daymon and I developed a routine, a delicate dance of survival and companionship.Each morning, the first light of dawn or will I say the first sun rays hits the cabin, which will obviously hit us so had forcing sleep out of our eyes, we had to wake up, nothing much to do just the survival routine but the direct sun rays won't let us get back to sleep. We would rise early. Daymon took it upon himself to teach me the essentials of survival. We'd venture into the forest, where he demonstrated how to identi
Artemis' POVThe forest had a way of amplifying solitude. Each rustling leaf, every distant sign of wildlife, served as a reminder of our isolation, of how disconnected from the world we are. Daymon and I had been hiding in the cabin for what felt like an eternity, and it didn't seem to end. The days blending into nights in a continuous never seem to end cycle which was already draining me both mentally and physically even Daymond noticed . The constant threat of Kane's men loomed over us, turning even the simplest tasks into exercises done with absolute care and vigilance.One particularly cold evening, the wind bleed outside, rattling the windows and blowing through the cracks in the wooden walls. I sat by the fireplace, its warmth doing little to chase away the chill that had settled deep within me. The weight of our predicament pressed heavily on my shoulders, and an overwhelming sense of loneliness washed over me, total and general weakness flushed me, both weakness from the dail
Artemis' POVThe days in the cabin blurred together, each one marked by a cycle of survival. These cycles never seemed to end, the time there was just static. Daymon and I fell into an unspoken rhythm, gathering firewood, rationing our limited supplies, and maintaining the routine of sleepless nights, for any signs of Kane's men. The forest felt so isolated. This isolation felt like both a blessing and a curse; it shielded us from immediate danger but also confined us to each other's company, which was not helping the unspoken tension between us.One evening, the sun was hitting on a different level , casting long shadows through the trees, I found myself sitting by the fireplace, the flickering flames offering the feeling of warmth and uncertain cozyness. Daymon was outside, ensuring our tracks remained concealed. The weight of our situation pressed heavily on my shoulders, and my thoughts drifted to Aiden. Guilt filled me like an empty vessel for doubting him, for allowing Kane to
Artemis & Daymon’s POVArtemis' POVThe darkness of the forest swallowed us whole as Daymon drove deeper into the unknown, the headlights barely cutting through the thick trees. My heart was still hammering in my chest, my breath uneven. Every nerve in my body remained on high alert, expecting gunshots to ring out at any moment, expecting Kane’s men to appear from the shadows and drag me back to that nightmare, shit hole!I stole a glance at Daymon. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw locked in determination. The way he maneuvered the car, every calculated turn, every sharp swerve, spoke volumes about his skill. I must admit, at this point I was beyond impressed. He had always been Aiden’s most trusted bodyguard, and now, he was my only chance at survival.“You okay?” His voice was rough, edged with concern, but he didn’t take his eyes off the road.I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t even know where we are.”Daymon pressed his foo
Artemis povAfter crying myself to sleep, I decided that I can't be living like this, from frying pan to fire , I can't be running round in circles and getting hurt. Kane is an animal, he is a wicked person. I thought I ran to safety and comfort ,not knowing I ran into my own early death. I wholeheartedly entered the lions darn.Now Jesus won't even think of saving my butt like he did with Daniel in the Bible. I am such a fool, and I can't reach Aiden, I need saving.Now all this event has occurred thanks toe, the guards are more on guard, silently and stylishly following me every where I go like I am in some sort of prison or something.If I run out , before I can even make it to the gate , I might get shot or I might be captured and this time around restricted to my room only, maybe with chain also. Kane made it clear ! If he can't have me, then no one can. It's either him or I die. I am cooked. I thought of all these so deeply and tears rolled down my cheeks, I am all alone again
Artemis and Kane’s povWhich centimeter on my hand I don't want my back to leave the study room only to stumble into Kane. Turns out he has been there all along. He saw me walking to the study room and said nothing, he saw me tPick the letter up he said nothing, he say me read them and said nothing. Who is this guy? Jesus fucking Christ I am with a lunatic.I was still trying to understand what is going on. I don't get why someone willake such disgusting decision he made. I started confronting him and blow all kinds of questions at him just to get some answers. Because I feel like a total idiot at this point.Kane why would you, why would you do such a thing to your brother? To me God . How would you fucking lie to me, I thought of you as a friend! I accepted everything about you despite ! everything Kane warned me about, I still believed you I. fought all odds just believe you. So all you wanted was to play me, just to get back Aiden . that's so stupid of you. I have never been
Artemis povEver since I noticed how Kane has been acting, how he has been replying to all my messages about Aiden in sarcasm, and how he has been avoiding and changing topics whenever I bring anything about Aiden. I just I grew more suspicious of him.The more days passed by the more suspicious I get, the more eager and curious I get the more scared of what Kane actually is. Everything was just becoming so suspicious . I went outside to get some fresh air since I can't stay for a minute without thinking of these or that.My biggest fear now is if Aiden was right about not doing anything and how cruel Kane can be at times. He warned me, he asked me not to leave. I hope I'm not playing myself, I just want everything to be right and crystal clear between I and Aiden.As I was going outside , I collected some sliced apples and a bottle of wine, and the glass to pour the liquor . I went to the relax chair outside and settled down there staring at the sky, how blank it is, no clouds.
Artemis povIt's another day in kane's house, everything seems good and off at the same time.I decided to stroll around the compound with my headphones on just to clear my head and exercise my muscles in my own way. But I can't help but notice how strange kane’s guard got. Any corner of the house are guards looking and starring at me like I was some criminal or something. I could tell that something was really off about them cause they weren't all over me like this. It felt like they were monitoring me or keeping a close eye on me or even spying on me . I got to admit, I always creeps the shit out of me but I decided to stay put and trust Kane just a little for now till something really happens.As much as they all seemed strange,I decided to just keep my head straight. I will not disturb myself is so much with thoughts. I focus on my personal growth away from Aiden. So I didn't think much about it, I just thought of myself.Until I saw the news. I noticed Aiden was one of the hea
Artemis povKane welcomed me back with warm hand as always. Willing to help and stand by me no matter what. This made me have hope but I can't help but notice how off it all felt, I tried shaking the feelings away but for some reasons it all still feels weird.We sat together outside getting some fresh air. I was clouded with so many horrible thoughts like what if Artemis has given up on us and also think the other night was a mistake, what if he loves the idea of me leaving his house, what if he was awake while I was trying to leave so desperately, what if he is out there with some slut shitting himself. A lot of questions just kept bothering and I couldn't help myself. I think Kane noticed it, my uneasyness, frequent sigh , he even called my name some couple of times and I didn't hear it . Till he called again. “Artemis”Yes, so sorry Kane , I was…He interrupted, I know you were lost. Talk to me , what's going on in that head. I am always here to help, and I can't help you if I d