The spinning was getting worse. No, no, no. That was just some random girl who happened to be with Emily at the time. He was just going to dance with her to mess with Emily a little, but then everything with CC and Bart started happening and Aaron just wasn't in the mood anymore. So he left her. Aaron's eyes went to Aria, who was still in a daze. She didn't look good. Their eyes met and he recognized her, put the pieces together. Her hair was even longer than it had been when she got here, but it was her alright. He had her, smiling and laughing and eating out of the palm of his hand and he left her, like he left every single one of them after he was done messing around, because of course he fucking did. No wonder she was being all hot and cold with him. He could see it in her eyes. She was about to have a meltdown. No wonder she didn't want to be near him when she was about to lose it. She already had a reason not to trust him. He knew. Emily must have told him or seeing them togeth
2017, September 5thThe last three months had been exactly what Bart needed. Satis Est was beautiful, diverting and lively. They always had something going on, from feasts to street festivals and balls, the party seemed to be non stop. Bart was happy for his friend. In the last three months he watched as Ethan charmed his way into Diane’s heart. They were a completely different couple and even Aria was slowly letting go of her reservations. Bart was on his way to Ethan’s room to check on him. He was late for combat training and despite his goofy, childish demeanour, in the three months that Bart had been here, that had never happened before. Just as Bart was about to open the door and dump a jug of water over Ethan’s lazy ass, the door opened and out walked Diane and Ethan. She blushed and curtsied.“Good morning, Lord Bart,” she said, looking down before disappearing down the hallway hastily. “Good morning, Your Highness,” he called after her, turning his head back to Ethan. “And a
Aria brought Bart out to an open field set up with a target, a bow and arrow. “Didn’t think this would be your kind of thing. You handle yourself like a pro with a gun,” he observed. “It’s not. I may be an ace with a pistol, but I suck at archery,” she answered. He gave her a suspicious look. “Bullshit.” “It’s the truth, I swear. Teach me? You’re obviously an excellent shot.” He laughed. A terrible, horrible thought went through his head. Bart wished that he’d never sat down next to the crying girl in that playground. He wasn’t even allowed to be there. His mother took pity on him and snuck him out of the house every now and then so that he wouldn’t grow up “too much of a prince” as she put it. Strictly speaking, as far as his father was concerned, Bart Arden never left the residence for anything until he went off to boarding school. For the first time in his life, he wished it was the truth. That the first woman he met was the one in front of him, the one that was so taken with
Bart dropped the suitcases and let himself fall down onto his knees, his eyes welling up. He wouldn’t see her after all, he wouldn’t be near her after all. Bart hadn’t been thinking about seeing her. All he could see was the man next to her. Until that very second, he hadn’t really considered, let it sink in, that seeing Prince Troy also meant seeing Caroline. Ethan frowned.“What’s your deal, Barry? You look like shit.”“How could you not tell me?! How could you not tell me that they were coming?!” Bart was breathing heavily now. He was leaking heartache. Ethan took a knee, worried for his friend and the state he was in. He’d never seen Bart like this.“You mean Prince Troy? You never care who’s coming to dinner. I didn’t think-”“That’s right, you didn’t think! He’s not just anyone, she’s not... just anyone.” Realization came over Ethan’s face. “Oh damn, buddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was, I didn’t know he was bringing your girl.” Ethan sat with Bart until he settled down
2019, December 6th CC held her head up high as she walked towards Troy's chambers, already knowing that she was about to do something she was going to regret. That she was about to make a deal with the prince of darkness. But her father had already shut her down and she was out of options. CC had to go and get Bart. Bring him back from the clutches of the vixen he couldn’t seem to stay away from. And once she had, she was going to sit him down so that they could talk. Caroline Condor wasn’t about to end up like her brothers. She was second fiddle to no one. Troy was sitting at his desk, attentively typing away on his laptop when CC walked in. Unceremonious as ever, she placed herself decidedly in front of him, slamming the laptop closed. Troy’s sexy brown eyes met hers as she brought her face down to the level of his. He grinned. “Have you had a change of heart, my dear princess?” Troy asked in that voice that was between sultry and charm, the one she hadn’t heard since she left Sat
Just then, Aaron burst through the doors. “What are you doing about your missing fiancee?!” he boomed. CC withdrew her hand quietly. Aaron looked between the two of them. “Well isn’t this cozy? Your fiance just bolted with his and the two of you are in here doing what exactly?” To say that he was frustrated was an understatement. How could she be this stupid? This careless? Did she forget that she was a fucking queen?! That people were just waiting for her to show her face in public, where she was vulnerable and unprotected, where they could end her life with just one little bullet?“Making plans to retrieve them,” CC answered. “Prince Troy has just agreed to loan us his manpower.” “Oh he has, has he? How gracious of him to want to protect his bloody fiancee!” Aaron couldn’t stay still. He remembered hearing the gunshot when James got shot. The five years of not knowing whether he was dead or alive. He was right back there, living that nightmare again and she was probably just f
Meanwhile, back at the palace, CC and Aaron, with the aid of Troy’s men, tore Aria’s room apart, searching her desk, her devices, everything. Anything to find some sort of clue as to where they were, what she had planned. CC’s own concerns and insecurities took a backseat to her concern for Aaron. He had crazy, tortured eyes. How had she missed it? How had she not seen what this woman had come to mean to her brother? He swore up and down that he was going to kill Bart, but as much as she knew he loved her, this wasn’t about Bart and CC. This was about the engaged woman he probably couldn’t have. Aaron’s excessive rummaging and throwing stopped abruptly as his hand closed on something. His face paled. He’d been so focused, so worried about her getting shot that he wasn’t thinking about all the stuff Aria had planned for her little outing with Bart. As he looked down into his hand, his eyes grew red with rage. Not wanting to alarm CC any more than she already was, he took a deep breath
"Aria, stop the car!" Bart screamed. He had been trying to get her attention since the moment she started driving, but she wasn't hearing him. Now she wasn't just charging into traffic like a crazy person though, she was driving straight towards an SUV, one that meant to cut her off. Aria slammed on the breaks, stopping inches from the black SUV. The doors opened and there she was, his girl. Bart looked visibly relieved. CC didn't look hurt or sad, she was pissed. He laughed at himself and how eager he was to find out just how mad she was. "Guess you were right after all," Aria choked out. "She came for you.""Looks like someone came for you too," said Bart, seeing Aaron waiting behind them in the distance. "Be careful Aria. Aaron Condor is a dick."Aria laughed. "Tell me something I don't know."Her eyes softened. "Thank you Barry, for today. For having known Ethan.""I'll always be here for you, Ria. You and I, we're family," he said, kissing her forehead before getting out of t
When Aaron got to Elegantor Ludo, Emily had already made it up to her room. He walked through the doors like he owned the place, past The Purple Guard soldiers who didn't dare intercept the pissed off prince and banged on the room door. When she didn't open up, he shot the lock and kicked in the door. He walked straight up to Emily and grabbed her shoulders. "Talk!" "Trust me, you don't want to be involved in this," said Emily. "I'm sorry, did someone else just save your ass? Explain yourself!" Troy and his men showed up then. "Secure the room. Find the kid," he said, watching them fill the room. Emily whipped her head in Aaron's direction. "You called him?!" "What kid?" Aaron asked. Emily and Troy exchanged heated glances. "You know what? Forget this. What does all of this have to do with Adele?" He'd meant to say Aria, but Aaron was tired and confused out of his mind.
2019, December 22ndWhen CC got home that morning, the sun was already high up in the sky. Bart was waiting for her on the porch of the Arden Mansion. This was home now. They'd started living together because CC wanted to be with Bart so that she could hold him at night when the loss of Ethan overwhelmed him. How things had changed. They'd been at each other's throats for the last few days and it always ended the same way. It needed to stop. They had to actually talk. "I'm sorry Caroline. I don't know what else to say. Aria called and said-" CC sighed. "Can her name not be part of the first sentences that come out of your mouth right now? I'm super wasted and I just want to go to bed." Bart turned around and squatted in front of her, offering her a piggyback ride. She smiled. It was a start. She could be mad and still want to touch him. CC wouldn't look at him, but she'd gotten onto his back. Her hands had slipped up his shirt, onto h
2019, December 19thAaron was burning the candle at both ends. He and Jesse had been following both Emily and Troy around for the last 10 days and it was starting to take its toll. He honestly didn't have the foggiest what the big fuss was about, but they were both on the move constantly. And they were both packing some serious heat. Emily had Hotel Elegantor Ludo's penthouse suite drowning in Purple Guard soldiers and Troy wasn't being shy about showing off his manpower either. This was it. Whatever or whomever the big hype was about, shit was going down today. He now knew the identity of the woman in the photograph. Once his head cleared after his drunken night in Maine, he had Jesse find someone to clean the photograph up and find out who she was. She turned out to be Troy's dead sister, Diane. Aaron had been stewing, turning this information round and round in his head. Was that it? Did she somehow survive the war after all? And what would become of Aria and h
When at last he did quiet down, she got up and went to him. Troy got up too and walked away. He remembered what last night had been like. He could have really hurt her. And talking about this stuff that he really shouldn't have talked about, especially not with the woman who he could have choked to death last night, left him shaking with dark rage. All this time spent worrying about who was watching and he had been the one holding her life in his hands. She wanted to say the right thing, to say so many things, but when she finally laid her head against his back all she could say was, "You were right. Your dad was a dick and so is Dean." This earned her a little chuckle. He focused really hard on stilling himself, the anger. She'd seen it once and not flinched, but Troy didn't want her to see it again. Even her acceptance of it was dangerous. He kept going back and forth on what to do, whether they should be together. "I'm sorry I didn't ask before. I ju
Troy entered the nursery first. He took baby Ethan out of his crib and sat down with him on the carpet."Hey kid. You've been waiting a long time for your Aunt Aria, haven't you? I know how you feel. I think I've been waiting a long time for her too."This earned him an eye roll and a smile."You're that guy now? You're going to use your mad baby skills to hit on me?"Troy shrugged, holding out his hand to her."Not much else he can do at this point other than get me into your pants."Her eyes widened and she chuckled. Taking his hand was as effortless as the night he'd offered it to her for the first time, even as she faced this difficult situation. He sat across from her, the baby in between them as they held hands. The moment didn't feel like Aria was afraid it would. It would always hurt that Ethan was gone, that they all were, but this was her family now. The little guy laying his hand into hers and the big goof behind him, watching her and the baby, alw
2019, December 22nd"So which one was it? Boyfriend A or Boyfriend B?"Aria smiled, taking her place next to Troy by the piano."You know, A for Aaron, B for Bart," he said, handing Aria her violin."You're just full of surprises, aren't you? I suppose you really are the jealous type."Only when she held her violin up to her shoulder and started playing did Troy's fingers find the keys of the piano. Was it silly how she liked that he just assumed she would play with him now? Aria was so angry over the last two nights that she didn't see how intertwined they'd become, how he gave her little bits of himself everyday. They hadn't played together in two nights, which meant that neither of them had played at all because they almost never played alone anymore."Which one?" he persisted. "So I can know how jealous I should be.""If you must know, Barry came by to see the baby."She still couldn't say it, couldn't call him Ethan. Troy brushed off his concern.
The oceans in his eyes were on fire and if he was lying, those flames made his lies her truth."How long do you mean to drive me crazy like this? Can't you see what you're doing to me? What you've done to me? Just say you'll be mine, tell me I can be yours," he begged desperately, leaning his body against hers again.What was she supposed to do now? He was leaving today and she meant to reject him, to protect her heart. Aria laughed at herself. She had always known. He'd had her from their first dance in that club. She was already his. Why did he have to make her say it?"I can't do what Diane did, Aaron. I can't look the other way. I can't wait and hope that it'll just be me someday.""Then don't," he said softly. "Let it just be you and me now, from today and everyday after this."He had waited long enough, been looking for her eyes to say yes long enough. If she couldn't get there with his words alone, he'd have to resort to his old tricks. He didn't care
2017, October 12th Aaron had sneaked onto the castle grounds the way Adele had taught him to and then into the castle itself. Diane and Ethan's wedding had just ended and he was meeting Adele in her room like they'd planned. This last second wedding meant that they had even less time together today, so he wanted to get to her quickly. Things back in Terres Somnia were moving fast. Henry was being even more persistent now, so they were leaving tonight instead of tomorrow. The wedding was very low key. Aside from the king, queen, Troy, Caroline, Keira and Adele, there were no other guests allowed, not even Aaron. He wanted to go to spend more time with Adele, but Troy was still being overly cautious with Dean at large. As Aaron made his way to the room he'd spent yesterday in with Adele, he stumbled upon Keira and Ethan making out in the hallway. Sensing someone's presence, Ethan's eyes went to Aaron. He pulled away from Keira. "Please, don't stop the p
When Aria left, it took Troy a minute to decide what to do. People usually did exactly what Troy told them to, especially women. This was new territory. When at last he decided he was going to go after her, he didn't have the foggiest idea where to start. This was feeling eerily like chasing after Caroline and Troy hated it. Everything with Aria had been different up until now. Everything she did with him was of her own volition, even if he did sometimes coax her into things. Aria liked her time with him. What was he going to do when he found her? Would the rage in his eyes scare her? There was no holding it back now. She was not with him. She was out in the open somewhere being an idiot just to spite him. He should've held on harder, been more persistent. He wouldn't make that mistake twice. Aria was about to tell the Red Guard Soldiers she'd been left with that she was ready to leave when she saw him. Troy had just entered the club, looking livid. The way he walked, moved, hi