Jesse sped away from the scene, following Emily's car as she zipped through traffic like a crazy woman.
“What is going on?” I screamed into the phone when Troy called back. “What's the parcel? What are you and Emily into? Because the big, scary, angry dude with a shit ton of soldiers really wants it back!”“Shit. She must have intercepted Dormer.”“You mean the dead guy? Big, scary, angry dude iced some dude back there.”“Wonderful. Of all fucking days for her to be one step ahead! Where is she?”“Why am I the only one sharing here?!”“Aaron, big, scary, angry dude is Dean, my brother. The new King of Wars. I need to get to what Emily took before he does. If he gets it, she's dead. Now where is she?!”I hesitated. I just had a shitload of people shoot at me, around me, and I couldn't think. Who was I supposed to trust?“Aaron!”The anxiety was getting to me. Troy took a deep breath.“Thi2019, December 24thAaron almost sat straight up when he awoke to her next to him playing with his hair. Instead, he closed his eyes right back and paid attention to her touch. She hadn't touched him in weeks, and it felt incredible.“I know you're awake, you know,” said Aria. Aaron smiled and took her other hand in both of his and kissed it.“Well, I don't. This is what my dreams are like, so I can't be sure.” Aria rolled her eyes, but she gave him her hand willingly. When was the last time she did that? “If you don't get up now, I'm leaving.”Aaron grabbed her, pinned her down onto the bed and said, “Stay,” before jumping out of the bed and going to lock the door. She sat up and laughed. “Are you expecting someone?” “Bart, Emily, Troy. It's anyone's guess who it might be this time.” Her smile fell. “I can't speak for your houseguest, but he's not coming this time.”
(Bart) She looked up at me, her eyes swimming in tears. That look meant something different to me now, cut me differently now. I just wanted it gone. “I fucked up, Barry. I fucked up so bad,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. I knew the feeling. I was fucking up right now. Even knowing that holding her wasn't okay anymore, I just couldn't walk away. My arms tightened around her. “Tell me what happened,” I said, feeling myself get sucked into the force that was Aria Maine. “Aaron didn't do anything wrong after all. It was me. I did it. I messed it up. I ruined us. I ruined the perfect thing that we had in Sartis Est. Should have had.” So did I. I fucked it up too. But she wasn't crying about me anymore and she shouldn't be. Seeing the state that she was in, I couldn't tell her after all. I
Aria was on the warpath. From the way she was zeroing in on me, she'd apparently decided she didn't want to wait until tonight and was here to see me now. Even as I saw how very wrong this was about to go, I couldn't stop looking at her. How did I ever convince myself it wasn't her? Emily got to me first. “You wanted to see me?”“Now's not really a good time, Em,” I said, just as Aria showed up too. “Why are you here?!” Aria screamed at Emily.“Isn't the better question why are you?” Emily asked, putting a hand on my arm. “Stop it!" Aria and I snapped, our hands overlapping as we both went for Emily's hand. Our eyes met. “Isn't this interesting? I guess you told her then,” said Emily. “Shut up, Em,” I hissed. Aria took the hand beneath hers and ripped me away from Emily. I grinned as she marched me away from Emily. This felt familiar. She felt familiar. It was like nothing had chan
2019, December 23rd (Troy) I woke up early that morning. I wanted to give Aria the royal treatment before I told her that she wasn't the only one with a red hot date tonight. When I made the deal with CC, I had devious intentions. But then things with Aria happened and now I just wanted to get through tonight so that we could all move on. It was stupid and crazy but I was doing this for Aria, because I loved her. After tonight, if she came back, I would tell her. I would tell her tonight and every other night forever. Aria woke up to a tray with all her favorites on it. In the center of it all sat a diamond necklace. I smiled at her reaction. So even Aria Maine was just a woman after all when it came to diamonds. “Do you know what that is?” I asked. “Besides stunning, you mean?” She beamed. “That is your collar. Proof and a reminder that you are mine,” I said, handing her the invitation th
Sartis Est(Aria) I waited well into the night for Aaron to show, but he didn't. What's worse was that he was all I could think about despite my entire family being dead. Even as I went back and forth between holding back the tears, losing my mind and complete numbness, all I could see was the man who didn't show up for me. His smile, his touch, his kiss, his voice, his laugh, his everything. It wasn't my parents that I saw when I closed my eyes, or even Ethan. It was him. All of me was calling out to him. Where the hell was he? “Hey, goody goody Adele,” said Keira's voice. Ispun around, pulled out my gun, and searched the room for Keira. “I'm flattered, really, but that's not necessary,” said Keira, ambushing me and disarming me. “I'm a friendly.”But I was in no mood. I recklessly went for Keira, had her pinned down to the ground when Keira shoved a phone in my face. “Hello, Your Majesty,” said Prince Troy. “My co
“No chance. I'll finally get a chance to thoroughly explore all of you. Might need a little longer than a month, actually.”I would probably need forever. “Aah, so that's what it is. You just want to get laid. And here I was thinking you missed me.”(Aria) We both went quiet. I did miss him and he missed me and it was getting really bad. But not nearly as bad as the situation with Warlanda and Sartis Est. He truly stuck to me like glue over the last five months, even if we weren't actually together. What if something happened to me? He wouldn't know where to look, who to look for. I should tell him. Let go of the idea that he wasn't coming back. He needed to know. “Aaron—” “Why do you have to be so far away right now?” he sighed, longing in his voice. And just like that, I remembered all the shit we had going on, how hard everything was for both of us right now. How all I wanted was for him to tell me it would be ok