When we set out to rescue Asher, I don’t think either of us realized we were rescuing one of the most annoying human beings on earth. He simply REFUSED to stop talking. I started to wonder if his ability as a weapon was to talk people to death until they wanted to slit their own throat so they’d no longer have to hear him. Aria was ready to cut out his tongue after only spending a few minutes with him and we had to separate the two.
Asher returned home to his parents and he made up some story about traveling with friends to follow one of the bands he likes. I have to hand it to him, his story was pretty convincing. He was immediately grounded after that. It was the best two weeks of peace we’d had since rescuing him. Well…when we weren’t forced to go to human school and endure life as high school teenagers.
As much as she hates the thought of it, Aria seems to take being a high school student better than the rest of us. It’s not surprising. She has the mean girl act and the RBF down to a science. She’s giving Desiree a run for her money in the popularity department and damn near has every guy in school eating out of the palm of her hand.
My wounds have completely healed from the night she drove her blades through my chest. If Aria wanted me to be dead, I would be. She spared me. She wanted me to be in pain, but she didn’t want me dead.
“Don’t look now, but the motor-mouth is back.” Aria groans.
“Hey guys!” Asher excitedly walks over to us and takes a seat.
Aria gets up from the table, annoyed and Noah follows her. The annoyed look on Qi’s face lets me know she’s thinking the same thing I am. The two of them have been spending way too much time together.
It never fails that whenever I start thinking about Aria, Katnis reaches out to me. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I take it out into the hall.
“Thien.” Katnis calls out to me through the phone.
“Is everything okay? Is the baby okay?” I ask.
Katnis begins to sob uncontrollably and then her father takes hold of the phone. “Thien. Katnis lost the baby.” He tells me.
“I’ll be right there.” I quickly hang up the phone.
“Is something wrong?” Aria asks. She and Noah were heading back into the cafeteria when they noticed my expression.
“Katnis lost the baby. I have to go.” I explain. I motion for her to stop time and as soon as everything slows to a crawl I make the trip back to Legion.
When I get to Katnis’ she’s lying in her bed, holding her mid-section and crying her eyes out. After taking a deep breath I took a seat next to her and she practically threw herself in my arms. “It’s gone! Our baby is gone!” Katnis weeps in my arms.
I don’t know how long I held her for, but it seems like forever before she’s okay again. “Katnis, I’m sorry you lost the baby. Look, you’re a beautiful girl, and you’re going to make someone an amazing wife someday. When that happens, you can fill your entire kingdom with the pitter patter of little feet.” I explain.
“You mean we.” She corrects me. “Once we get married we can try again.”
“Katnis, I agreed to be a part of our child’s life. I never agreed to marry you.”
“What? No! No! You have to give me another baby! You have to!” She went ballistic.
Her father and a few medics came in to sedate her. Once she was sedated her father explained to me that she’s known for a couple of weeks she was going to lose the baby. When she tried to kill herself it did something to the baby. It tried to hold on but in the end, its injuries proved to be too much. Katnis blamed herself and then she began to unravel.
“I know what you’re thinking and none of this is your fault.” Xavier pats me on the back. “She tried to kill herself because I left her and it cost us our child. It IS my fault.”
“Look, I’m her father, but most importantly I’m a man. I see the way you look at Aria
Bliss and I know that look. It’s the same way I looked at Myra. And while I wanted you to do the right thing by Katnis when she was with child, her happiness is no longer your obligation. In fact, walking away completely would be the better thing to do unless you can honestly say you love her the way you love Aria. Can you?”
“No.” I shake my head. Part of me is confused but also grateful to Xavier for his candor.
“Then go. It will be hours before she wakes up again and when she does I will help her see reason. You being here will only make things worse.” He warns.
“Okay.” I nod. “This isn’t…I’m…I never mean for Katnis to get hurt.”
“Then learn from this. Stop partying, drinking and having unprotected sex Thien. You’re not JUST some guy. You’re the future king of Blood Harbor, which means your children will be heirs to that throne. Be selective and be smart about where you place your legacy.”
I nod and Xavier goes back to tending to Katnis. He’s given me a lot to think about as I head back to the human galaxy. When I return, Aria and Noah are talking in the hallway. She’s leaned back against the lockers and his right hand is next to her head against the lockers propping him up. The intensity in their gaze threatens to gut me as I replay her last words to me in my head…I HOPE I’M STILL AVAILABLE…
There aren’t a whole lot of girls within the Legion who are worthy of my legacy. There are eight royal houses within the Legion, including both my family and Aria’s. Then there’s the Royal house of Emerald Aisle. They are the purifiers of the realm and they exact punishment on those who break the laws of the Republic. You have the Royal house of Guardia who rule over the human galaxy. You have the Royal House of Superious, which is the house where Katnis serves as princess. You have the Royal House of Ravenblood, who rule the In-between and act as guards of that realm. You have the Royal House of Ashland, who rule Kaalen and are basically the epitome of evil bastards. Noah is the Prince of that realm and no self-respecting member of the Royal families would ever marry their child off to someone in that realm. Last you have the Royal house of Locke who rule over the Fortress.
Of the eight Royal houses, only four of them are left for me to choose a wife from and NONE OF THEM have daughters that are even remotely appealing. Which brings me back to Aria and this douchebag Noah.
“Ahem.” I clear my throat as I walk up to them.
“How’s Katnis? Did she really lose the baby? Are the Bolton’s pissed?” Aria fires off a rapid-fire of questions.
“Katnis is…sedated, the baby is gone and no, the Bolton’s aren’t pissed.” I answer her questions in order.
“Really? I just knew Xavier was going to have you for breakfast.” She seems disappointed. “He must be going soft. What did he say?”
“I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just get excited at the thought of Xavier Bolton wiping the floor with my ass.” I narrow my eyes at her. “If you want to know what he said, give me your hand.”
Aria hesitates, but her curiosity gets the better of her. She holds her palms up and I press my palms against hers, lacing our fingers together and feeding her the memories in order. Now she knows and she bites down on her lip, nervously. I’m just happy she let me touch her. Her skin still feels as soft as it did the night that…
Stop thinking about that night. Don’t put the cart before the course. She DID try to kill you afterwards.
“Havoc…”
“STOP. CALLING. ME THAT.” I grit my teeth glowering at her.
“I’m sorry you lost your kid.” She apologizes.
“Can I be honest with you?”
“Always.”
“I’m not sorry. I know it’s a messed up thing to say, but I didn’t love Katnis and having unprotected sex with her was both stupid and reckless. The baby would have grown up in a household full of anger and resentment…mostly mine. That’s no way to raise a child. So while I am sorry my child has died, I know in my heart Alpha is giving me a second chance to get my shit together.”
“You’re right, it is a messed up thing to say. Hav…Thien, Katnis is in love with you. You used that love to get her into bed and the two of you created a child together. How can you be okay with losing a child?”
“Because it didn’t come from you.” The words flew out of my mouth before I even knew what I was saying. Now there’s an awkward silence.
I HATE awkward silences.
“I…I don’t know what to say.” Aria stammers.
“Don’t say anything. I know I hurt you and it’s going to take time to get you to trust me again, but I meant what I said. There’s no more baby and no more Katnis…just you…me, space and opportunity.” I reply.
“Was.” Noah chimes in. “There was opportunity.”
“I’m not talking to you demon. I’m talking to Aria.” I bark.
“Thien…Noah asked me out a couple days ago…I said yes.”
He words may as well have been a fucking dagger to my heart. I’m too late. Aria has moved on.
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