When Aria collapsed in my arms, I thought the worse. With no other choice, I had to reach out to Marcum who came down to earth with a team full of medics that immediately went to work on her. For hours I couldn’t see her.
Finally Marcum and the medics walked into the room where we were all waiting and I quickly stood to greet them. “How is she? How’s the baby?”
“They’re both fine, she’s was just a little famished. Apparently she hasn’t been eating like she should.” Marcum replies.
“Thien.” I sigh.
“Excuse me?”
“She’s been worried about Thien. He’s not handling his new…arrangement very well.”
“Yeah, well…that’s what happens when you children start thinking for yourselves. You screw things up.” Marcum shoots daggers at me with his eyes.
A light erupts in the room and Thien finally decides to grace us with his presence, but it’s the hickeys on his neck that gets most of the attention. Marcum notices the same thing and instantly goes into protective father mode.
“I give you my daughter and this is how you repay me?” Marcum grimaces with disgust.
“Yeah, well, she wasn’t much of a prize after that asshole touched her.” Thien stumbles closer to Marcum.
“You’ve been drinking brew.” Marcum quickly realizes.
“What else is there to do when you find out your consort is carrying another child’s man.” Thien slurs, screwing up his words.
Irritated, Marcum punches Thien so hard in the stomach he drops down to one knee and throws up every last drop of brew in his body. Once Thien is aware of his surroundings again, he quickly stands to greet Marcum and nods.
“Do I have your attention now?” Marcum asks.
“Yes.” Thien nods emphatically.
“My daughter collapsed today, and where were you…you were off doing Alpha knows what with Alpha knows who. She could’ve died and instead of getting a call from you I get a call from the last person on earth I expect to hear from.”
“She’s carrying his child Marcum.” Thien bravely meets his glance.
“I don’t care if she’s carrying the anti-Christ, it’s your JOB to care for her, THAT’S WHY I GAVE HER TO YOU!” His voice shook the house. “You don’t have to love her, and you don’t have to forgive her, but you will take care of her! Am I clear!”
“Yes.” Thien nods.
“Good. I’ll leave Marcel to look after her and the baby spark until the embryo is ready.”
Marcum emits a blinding light in the room and disappears. The team of medics disappears with him. All except Marcel. He goes back to tend to Aria.
Thien waves his hand over the vomit on the floor and it vanishes. He starts to walk away when he stops and turns to face me. “I hope it dies.” He whispers to me. “I hope it dies and you’re NEVER able to have children or ruin someone else’s life ever again.”
I deck Thien in the face and he charges me, slamming me into the wall behind me. We go clear through the wall and into the next room.
We exchange blow after blow, destroying everything in our wake while the others plead with us to stop. Fueled by rage and physically stronger than me, Thien is a formidable opponent but I’m still able to hold my own. I’m prepared to fight to my death but something takes hold of me and I can’t move. Neither can he…Aria.
She walks over to Thien and I, and she pushes us apart. She focuses her attention on repairing the damage done to the house and then she turns to address Thien. “I know this isn’t an ideal situation but I need you to stop. Please. You’re hurting and it’s my fault…no one else’s. I made the mistake and you can punish me all you want, just…don’t do this…don’t self-destruct.”
“And you…we’re about to have a son, which means I need you to make better choices. Stop fighting the man I love and be here for your child.” She addresses me. “Respect my union and help me raise our son to be a better being than we are.”
Aria takes a deep breath and then she releases us. She sees the hickeys on Thien’s neck and reaches out to touch them, but he backs away from her grasp and heads upstairs. Playing her role as the dutiful wife, Aria heads upstairs to talk to him.
Qi leaves the room and I can tell by the way she’s walking she’s upset. I follow her outside onto the front porch and she has tears in her eyes.
“Aria strikes again.” She sighs, wiping away her tears. “It never fails that she gets everything I want. You finally pledge your life to me, and what does she do…she goes and gets herself pregnant.”
“Qi, if you want a baby just say the word and we can make one.” I promise her.
“I know, but it won’t be your first…she took that away from me.”
“Qi, look at me.”
She hesitates and then her eyes meet mine. “I’ll put the world at your feet if you ask me to. It doesn’t matter if you have my first child or my second…I’ll cherish you both.”
“And Aria? Noah, I know I came after her, but I’ve always been here for you. Even when you forsake me and you don’t treat me the best…I stick by you. Even when you chose Aria over me, I was still here for you. When will you be here for me?”
I sigh and turn away from her. The truth is…Aria has seared into my heart and my mind. She has been since we were kids. I’d put the world at Qi’s feet, but I’d give up my soul for Aria. I can’t answer her question because the truth isn’t something she wouldn’t want to hear.
My cell goes off, rescuing me from Qi’s heavy gaze. “Did you find something?” I ask.
“I have the location of the third weapon.” Gavin answers.
“Good, you know what to do.”
“Yes, only I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?”
“I mean the house is like a fortress and its been sealed. The only way to get in or out of the house is with pure Royal blood. You and I…we’re just playing royalty. We need Aria’s blood.”
“I’m not killing her.” I grimace at the thought.
“No one said you had to kill her, just get some of her blood.”
I hang up the phone and sigh. Getting Aria’s blood is easier said then done. I can’t just walk up and ask her for it.
“If she were anyone else, would you care whether she lived or died?” Qi asks.
“But she’s not just anyone else.” I reply.
Upset, Qi gets up and leaves. I have no idea where she’s going I just know she needs to cool off. She’s never outright threatened Aria’s life before and I’m not stupid enough to believe her question could be anything BUT a threat.
ns 15.158.61.50da2
