Noah and I give Aria the short version of what happened and she’s stunned. I skip the part where I told her we couldn’t be together, because the moment the Magistrate found out about her innocence, the news spread far and wide. The Bliss family legacy is restored and so is Marcum’s power within the Republic. There’s only one problem…if Azury is responsible for Myra’s murder it would sink the Bliss name a second time, only PERMANENTLY.
Now that Aria is back in the land of the living we still have Gavin to stop. The Magistrate got word that he somehow bribed his way into the human Galaxy and now we have to prepare to go back. But first…I decide to take Aria some place neither of us has been in a while…Blood Harbor, my home.
We step out of the Portal just outside the gates to my kingdom. The guards recognize me right away and open the gate. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve invited her to have dinner with my family.
As we walk through the streets of Blood Harbor people stop and stare. Some want to get a glimpse of the legendary Shadow, while others simply marvel at her beauty. Before we get all the way up the steps to my castle, my sisters Aurora and Celine come barreling out of the front door to greet us.
“Aria!” Celine jumps into her arms.
“Hey firecracker, how have you been?” Aria laughs.
“Good.”
“I brought something for you guys.” Aria raises a mischievous brow. She reaches into her pocket and hands my little sisters some black licorice.
We are going to be in SO much trouble. The moment my sisters have candy they go into overdrive, and somehow my mom always knows. They go running back inside and we follow. Aria is nervous. Not everyone is buying her innocence. They think Marcum paid someone off.
“Mom…dad.” I call out to them. I take Aria into the dining room and my jaw drops. “You invited the Bolton’s over for dinner?”
“The Bolton’s are our friends Thien. Of course we did.” My mom flashes me a fake smile. That’s not why she did it. Please Alpha; don’t let this blow up in my face. My mom motions for Aria to take a seat to my left while a not so happy Katnis sits to my right. I’m in hell.
“Congratulations on your exoneration.” My mom spoke to Aria. So far so good.
“Yeah. I wonder how much that cost.” Katnis smirks. Shit.
Katnis and my mother exchanged telling glances. “It cost me close to four years of my life.” Aria replies. Here we go.
“And a pretty penny too…you know, to make it all go away.” Katnis scoffs. Double shit.
“Ah…I see what’s going on.” Aria chuckles. That’s never a god sign. I start to systematically think of everything that can be used as a weapon at the table and how I can get rid of it before Aria gets her hands on it. “Is this the part of the night where you make me feel like crap in the hopes that I go running home to mommy and daddy with my tail between my legs?”
“No. This is the part where I put the murderous bitch whose trying to steal my fiancé in her place. If you know what’s best for you, you’ll say your goodbyes and walk away.” Katnis cut her eyes at Aria. This quickly went from double-shit to nuclear-shit in a matter of seconds.
“Why did you bring me here?” Aria turns to me. “Did you know about this? Is this your way of telling me you don’t want to be with me?”
“I didn’t know. I swear.” I raise my hands in the air.
“His parents invited me.” Katnis dug in deeper. “You see…I’m welcome here. You on the other hand…you’re lucky if you get an invitation to clean shit off the sidewalks.”
A butter knife breezed past my face and I caught it before it could reach Katnis. She jumped back, startled. “See! Once a murderer, ALWAYS a murderer.” Katnis quips.
“How could you even consider being with someone like this!” His mother began to scold him. The only person who hadn’t spoken was his father.
“I guess this is my cue to leave. Thank you for dinner Mr. and Mrs. Youngblood, the pleasure was all yours I’m sure.” Aria spoke sardonically. She rose from the table and stormed outside so fast that it was hard to keep up with her.
“Aria, slow down.” I called out to her. She ignored me. “Aria please.”
She stopped and swung around to face me. “Are you engaged?”
“Not anymore.”
“But you were.”
“Yes.” I nod.
“To KATNIS BOLTON! She hates me!” Aria shoves me.
“I broke it off.” I explain to her.
“When?”
Shit. Why does she have to ask me the one question in the world I don’t want to answer?
“Well?” She folds her arms across her chest.
“Yesterday.”
All of the color drains from her face. I knew she’d be pissed, which is why I planned to tell her on my own time, but my mother had other plans.
Aria storms off again and I go after her. She creates a Vortex that takes her back home and steps through it. When I try to follow, the Vortex is no longer available. Its been sealed, which means she purposely altered it so she couldn’t be followed. I create a Vortex of my own that takes me into her room and I wait for her to show up. It doesn’t take long.
A few minutes later she walks into her room, we make eye contact and then she pretends like I don’t exist. LIKE I’M NOT STANDING HERE.
“Talk to me.” I sigh, frustrated.
“I don’t talk to guys with Fiancés.” She quips.
“I broke it off.”
“YESTERDAY.” She points out. “You’ve had a fiancé this WHOLE TIME and you just broke up with her YESTERDAY. Do you know what that means?”
That I broke up with my Fiancé…
“It means the hug in the Garden and the hug outside my bedroom were both lies!” She blurted out.
HUH?
“Come here.” I motion for her to come to me.
“No.” She refuses.
“Aria Helena Bliss, get your ass over here…NOW.” I order.
Arms folded and shooting death rays from her eyes, Aria finally moves her ass and stands before me. I grab her by her folded arms and pull her close.
“Look at me.” I demand. Her eyes shift from the ceiling to mine and I wait her out. She’s in fuck-off mode, but I’m patient. I can wait all night if that’s what it takes.
Thankfully it only takes a few minutes.
“I didn’t tell you about her, because once I saw you, I knew I couldn’t marry her.”
“Thien, your mother HATES me…there’s no way she’s going to let us be together.” Aria begins to pace back and forth.
“Aria, will you please chill out.” I ask. “SERIOUSLY…chill the fuck out. Let me worry about my mother.”
Aria continues to pace the floor, but I’ve had enough. If she paces any harder the floor beneath her feet is going to catch fire. I grip her by the arm and gently pull her back over to me, pinning her arms behind her back.
Our eyes lock and don’t let go. I’ve imagined this moment a million different ways in my head, but standing here before her now, I’m hesitant. “I don’t want anyone else but you.” I whisper to her.
I lean in, still holding her gaze and press my lips against hers. Her lips shiver beneath mine and she moans, clenching my shirt in her fists and pulling me closer. I slip my tongue in her mouth and twirl it around hers. She moans for a second time. The look in her eyes, when I finally open mine, damn near does me in.
Neither of us wants to rush this moment, and right now all of my blood is rushing to one particular organ. I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t get inside her within the next few seconds. “We have to stop.” I whisper to her.
“What?”
“I don’t want to do something we both might regret later.” I explain.
“WOW…the manwhore is suddenly having an attack of conscious.” Aria scoffs.
“Stop calling me that DAMNIT.” I glare at her.
“I know what I want Thien, and I want you to be my first.”
“Honestly, I don’t think you can handle it.” I tease.
“What? All two inches of it.” She jokes. “Is the motion in the ocean THAT BAD?”
“I see you’ve got jokes.” I shake my head and try to ignore her. She makes is difficult.
“The only joke around here is the one in your pants.”
“Keep talking, but when I finally get to bending those pretty little legs of yours to your ears, I don’t want to hear shit.” I warn her.
“From what I hear the Havoc experience is overrated.” She continues to talk trash.
“Whatever. You’re just mad because I won’t sleep with you.”
“No, there are plenty of guys that would love to put me out of my misery.”
I’ve had about enough of her mouth. After relentless insults are hurled at me, I decide to put her curiosity to rest. I take Aria’s hand, stick it down my pants and wrap it around my member. The stupid smirk on her face disappears and her mouth drops open.
“No more jokes about my Johnson, okay.” I make her promise.
“Holy shit.” Her eyes widen and a smile spreads across her face.
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