“Wait, what?” she asked, distracted by the warmth of his breath on her skin.But Troy was already pulling her into the kitchen like some delinquent.“Your Majesty, Your Highness!” the chef exclaimed, surprised by this ambush, bowing belatedly.“His Majesty wants you to retire for the night,” said Troy, looking dead serious with his hands behind his back. “The family has decided not to have dessert after all.”She gave him a look, sucking in her lips. He was tempted to return the smile in her eyes with one of his own, but first they had to complete the mission. There was mischief in his eyes as he subtly tilted his head towards the chef, waiting for her to back him up. Aria turned to the hesitant chef and swallowed her laughter. “That’s right. Dinner was absolutely lovely though.”The chef shrugged, bowed and went to turn the lights off. “That’s okay, we’ll just get that for you. Off you go,” said Troy, shooing the chef out of the kitchen. Aria covered her mouth until she couldn’t ho
"Do these rules apply to you as much as me?” she asked, walking backwards slowly, taking her shoes off. He thought about how to answer her as he followed her, kicking off his shoes too. What kind of marriage did he want with her? Maybe Troy didn’t need rules for a woman like Aria. Maybe it didn’t have to be all business. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to want to have your cake and eat it too. Was it time he lowered some walls for the woman who didn't have any up for him? “Of course,” he answered at last.Troy had never answered this question in the affirmative before. She wasn't just getting to him. She was changing him and the worst part was he liked it, wanted it. He took out his phone and played the song Let's Go Home Together by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan. Setting the phone down, he went to her and picked her up, setting her down into the fountain she’d been heading for before getting in with her. She grinned, splashing water in his direction, mischief and anticipation in her eyes as
2017, October 8th“This is a stupid idea,” said Aaron, watching CC as she emerged from the partition in yet another ball gown. “This kind of thing is not for a guy like Troy. He will burn you.”“I’ll take my chances. We’ve tried everything else and we’re out of time,” CC answered, holding out her hand for him to hand her a tiara. “I still think-”“You still want to start a three way war,” said CC, cutting him off. Aaron came up behind her and put a tiara on her head, sighing. “How do I look?” “CC, think about what you’re doing. No matter what you do, in five days prince perfect is going to want to put a ring on it. That’s for keeps.” “I know. I’m counting on it.”Aaron sighed disapprovingly. “You know you look amazing,” he said, frowning as he rubbed her arms up and down. “Remember what I said. If he suspects even for a second that you’re acting out of character, that you’re bluffing, the game’s over. You’re done. You lose. So don’t hesitate and don’t start things you can’t fini
Troy pulled her onto the dance floor. She went without protest, something CC had never done before. They hadn’t danced together since the ball he met her at a few months ago. “Alright Caroline, I’ll play. Rule number two. What are you up to?” he said into her ear. Troy didn’t keep his distance like he had the night they met. He held her as close to his body as he could. CC had danced with countless men, but never like this. Never had any of them taken such deliberate steps to hold her like a man holds his woman. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, pulling away subtly. Not subtle enough though. Troy pulled her even closer to him somehow. She gulped. She didn’t realize there could be a closer. “You woke up this morning and just decided you were ready to spend the rest of your life with the man who’s been making you stay with him for the last four months by threatening to go to war with your country?” He spun her out and twirled her back to him. Their eyes met. Did
Here we go,” Aaron sighed, watching the dance and shaking his head. He felt her arm tighten around his as she linked them. She was pulling him onto the dance floor before he knew what was happening. “Far be it for me to refuse a woman, but what’s happening right now?” he asked, as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “I’m not exactly supposed to be here,” she whispered. Aaron chuckled. “Oh, it’s my mystery woman. I was wondering when you’d show up. What’s with the funny hat?” he asked, laying one hand on her lower back and the other on her head as he swayed to the music with her. “You didn’t know who it was, but you just let yourself be pulled along? Just let some random woman—” She stopped short. Aaron smirked, swallowing his laughter. He was super tempted to pull her head back and kiss her again. He’d known the moment she laid her arm in his that it was her. No other woman would demand, take quite like her. “Are you going to show me your ridiculously cute je
They’d never danced together before, but that night CC and Troy danced for hours, all but forgetting what they were supposed to be doing here until the announcement came. They shared a look. She was suddenly uncertain and in that moment, Caroline Condor was just a girl. Troy looked at the ring that had been brought to him, the one he meant to give her tonight. He went down onto one knee and pulled a box out of his coat pocket. She gasped when he opened the box. The ring he held, the one he was about to propose with, was his grandmother’s. Caroline wanted to bolt. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t say yes, certainly not to that ring. “I met you over four months ago and it was the most terrifying night of my life. Not because your brother punched me, although that wasn’t very fun.” The crowd laughed. CC smiled too, her heart in her throat. “But because I laid eyes on you, heard you speak, held you in my arms and knew alm
2019, December 8th Bart and Aria ran into each other during the morning sparring session. He gave her a warm smile and she returned it. She looked better than she had in the corridor yesterday. He was happy to see her in such good spirits. “Are we doing this or what?” “You and I both know I don’t have a chance against you on my own,” she grinned. “Excuses,” he said, charging at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up the way Ethan used to. “This doesn’t exactly seem like a fight to the death,” she laughed. “It’s been a minute. I wanted to check in on you,” he said, looking up at her, his eyes softening. “Do it with your eyes then and stop being so hands on,” Aaron snapped, walking up to them. “You two look like you’re screwing.” Anger was coming off of Aaron in waves. He’d been going crazy all night wondering what happened last night between Troy and Aria after they left the fountain, dripping wet and laughing like a bunch of fools. She’d never l
She turned back three times, checking to see if he was still watching her. Troy waved at her the first time. Not trusting himself not to do it again when she inevitably looked back a second time, he stuck his hands into his pockets. She did look again, like he knew she would. This earned her a naughty wink for her bravery. When she turned back for the last time, she was holding onto the wall, biting back a grin, about to enter the castle. He blew her a kiss, sending her into a fit of giggles. She didn’t even know why she was laughing. He laughed too, at how ridiculous they were being, two future monarchs putting off a trip to make eyes at each other. “Get a grip Aria,” she scolded herself, as she all but ran down the corridor, suddenly in a hurry to be done with her packing. Aaron advanced towards Troy, but Bart stonewalled him. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me,” said Troy, taking off too.“You’re just going to let her go?!”“I don’t li
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