Aria Outbreak

Viktor POV 

As always, I woke around five in the morning, on my back, staring at the ceiling.

Today I had slept about three hours, which wasn’t much worse than my average night and I turned my head toward the sound of soft breathing beside me, Aria  was still curled into herself and her face hidden under her wavy dark brown hair.

After her nightmare, she had slept soundly, and once I’d returned to the bedroom from my conversation with Alexei, I had quickly found sleep as well and I had no trouble sleeping beside her, even if it had been years since I’d shared a bed with anyone and back then it had been with my brothers because we only had two beds.

 Soon I sat up, wanting to prepare everything for the presentation of the sheets and Yuri but Aria jerked awake, her eyes wide open and terrified as they settled on me.

Her body coiled tighter before she swallowed visibly and then finally relaxed. “Sorry.”

“For what?” I asked. She said sorry a lot for her body’s natural reactions and I wasn’t sure why she thought her fear would offend me.

After what she had been through, and considering who I was, it was natural for her to react the way she did but killing her uncle and not laying claim on her body wouldn’t change that.

She didn’t say anything, and I couldn’t read her expression, so I swung my legs out of bed and stood.

Aria gasped behind me and I glanced over my shoulder at her. I was naked because I preferred to sleep without clothes. “I’m going to take a shower, does my nakedness bother you?” I asked.

She moved her head in a twitchy mix of nodding and shaking, looking down at the blankets. “Is that a yes or a no?” I asked.

“You are my husband.”

“I am but that doesn’t answer my question.” I turned, fully facing her, to try and coerce a stronger reaction.

She swallowed, her cheeks turning red. “It doesn’t bother me.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Being trustworthy means no lies, Aria.”

Her eyes snapped up to my face, and she pursed her lips in … frustration? “Okay. I lied. It bothers me very much and you scare me when you are naked. Happy?”

“I can’t see how that would make me happy.”

She shook her head and then her eyes darted to my groin area, and she tensed again and looked away.

“My nakedness doesn’t pose a risk to you. It doesn’t make me more dangerous nor would clothes offer you any kind of protection. It’s a matter of physical strength, not layers of clothing.”

My words didn’t seem to have the intended effect because she slumped her shoulders, making herself smaller. She was scared and I wasn’t sure how to handle her.

My lack of emotions had never been much of a problem when dealing with my brothers or Ivay because they weren’t offended easily, and even harder to scare but with every other people, my lack of emotions had been a useful asset.

“Aria,” I softened my voice, something I had never done. Her hazel eyes flickered up to my face. “I’m stronger than you, that is fact and If I wanted to hurt you, nothing would stop me that is also fact but as I told you, I have no intention of hurting you. My being naked doesn’t change that in any way nor would you being naked around me change it. I’m more than capable of controlling my urges just as any other man would.”

“But my uncle didn't,” she murmured.

“Your uncle didn’t want to control his urges, and he paid for it with his life.” For me the topic was settled, so I turned and headed for the shower.

When we were both dressed, I checked the time and It was only eight-thirty. Still early. “Why don’t we head for breakfast before the presentation of the sheets?”

Aria eyes widened. “What sheets?”

“The sheets your uncle bled out on,” I told her.

“Everyone will realize what happened to me,” she whispered, her face scrunching up.

“Are you ashamed?” I asked, because I still had trouble reading her face and eyes and It would take me a while to link her facial expressions to the appropriate emotions.

She gasped out a laugh and swallowed hard. “Of course I am.”

“You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong so don’t turn yourself into the aggressor when you were the victim.”

She shook her head at me, eyes wide. “You don’t understand and It doesn’t matter that he did this to me. They will blame me because somehow the victims always end up being treated like accomplices. You are a man, so you don’t understand.”

Her voice and words made me realize that the emotion her face displayed was anger. “It’s not a matter of being a man but It is fact that you did nothing wrong, he forced you.”

“Don’t you understand? I’m a woman and I’m guilty by default. It’s always like that because they will say I asked for it."

"A smile means I’m flirting and a nice word means I’m asking for it even revealing clothes mean I’m inviting touch. That is fact, Viktor.”

I regarded her, surprised by her outbreak. The women my brothers and I dealt with weren’t prone to wordy comebacks, but she was eloquent and intelligent, and she could hold her own if she got past her fear of me and men in general.

“If you feel ashamed, if you allow them to make you feel that way, you cement their ignorance, so fight it.”

“I fought once in my life, and it only made him hurt me worse!” she screamed.

She swallowed again and I assumed it was her attempt to control her emotions and stop her tears, but they had gathered in her eyes anyway.

Maybe I should have prolonged her uncle’s torture over a few days, but we were supposed to return to new York today.

Her eyes flickered over my face, and she stiffened. “I’m sorry.”

I tilted my head. “What for exactly?”

“For screaming at you. I shouldn’t do that, shouldn’t provoke you.”

“Provoke me?” I asked?