by Santos, Anna
“I think you know,” he whispered in my ear.
I blushed so hard that it was difficult to breathe. “Cedric,” I gasped when his tongue plunged into my mouth, and his hand grabbed my t-shirt, sliding under it to my stomach.
“Just relax, Aria.”
His voice sent goosebumps throughout my body. His lips softly kissed my face while his hands were trying to lift my t-shirt. I tried to stop it. His weight fell on me. I blushed from head to toe for the aroused protuberance I felt against my legs. Cedric lusted after me. It made me feel proud, but I also felt shy. Yet, my body burned, and my skin hurt if he didn’t touch me.
“Why does it burn so much?” I complained when he was trailing kisses along my collarbone.
“It's the desire, honey.”
I panted with the answer and the notion that my body was quivering under his. My hands were tugging at his shirt, trying to get it off since I knew that the touch of our skin would soothe the heat.
“I don't want it to burn. It hurts less when we touch.”
“It would hurt even less if we mated,” he claimed.
I roared in annoyance. I wasn’t ready for that and didn't care how much it would hurt. It was too soon for us to mate. Even if my angel was telling me to stop being such a baby and give in to the heat. My angel's thoughts weren’t in tune with my own. She had a serious infatuation for Cedric. I liked Cedric, but I wasn’t ready to lose my virginity in the heat of the moment. It seemed forced if we mated because of the heat. I wanted the moment to be magic. I wanted to have free will to decide to give myself to him. If we made love, it would be because I wanted to and not because I needed to.
“You’re killing the mood, Aria,” Cedric complained, stopping the kissing.
I opened my eyes. “Why?”
He rolled over to my side and placed his arm over his forehead. “You’re overthinking this. You should let yourself go when we’re kissing.”
“I need to overthink it,” I claimed, upset by his lack of understanding.
Turning his face to me, he declared, “No, you don't. You really don't. We are meant to be, we are bonded, and there’s no need for you to feel guilty about whatever happens between us. Don't you love me?”
“Yes...” I felt remorseful. He was always sweet and kind. I should be less paranoid and trust him more. After all, we were going to spend an eternity together. “You have to be patient with me,” I whispered, holding back the tears. I would get weirdly emotional every time I thought I was hurting his feelings.
“I'm trying, but I can't stop thinking that there’s some other reason for you to resist the mating call.”
“You know there isn't,” I refuted, hurt by what his words were implying. “I love you.”
“Then prove it.”
His words hit me like a bad song. I sat up as I glared at him, not believing that he had just said that. Cedric frowned and tried to prevent me from leaving the bed. But I pushed him away and got up, fixing my t-shirt and brushing my hair with my fingers.
“I would like to go home now,” I said with a cold voice as a sharp pain circled my heart.
He sat, his eyes on my face as if he didn’t understand why I had run away from his embrace. I fought the urge to slap him because he had hurt me.
“What did I do wrong?”
I folded my arms, glancing away. He was so clueless sometimes that it was absurd! I guess even angel guys are total jerks. “If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you. You’ll have to figure it out by yourself. I want to go back to my bedroom. And then, I would like to be left alone.”
“You’re still going to the show with Philippe, aren’t you?”
I sighed. I wanted to see my parents, and I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity only to please Cedric and stop him from feeling jealous of Philippe. He would have to deal with that and trust me.
“Are you going to take me home or do I need to invoke my damn angel to get out of here?” I asked, speaking louder than I intended.
“I'll take you,” he said, getting up and holding on to my arm.
One minute we were in his palace and the next we were in my bedroom—the one I had gotten used to. Then, Cedric disappeared, leaving me alone.
Running away was the best he could do for now as I didn't want to see him for the time being. The nerve he had! I could growl with disappointment and hurt. But, of course, my angel didn't agree with me. All that came out of Cedric's mouth was law for her. It was like he had brainwashed her, and she was trying to get rid of me, so she could have her way. It was scary. I was scared. No one asked me if I wanted to be possessed by an inner voice that belonged to an annoying and stuck-up alter-ego! I guess I had no other choice than to get used to having two voices in my head and to fight to keep my angel’s temper in check.
Looking around my bedroom, I sighed with remorse. I didn’t like fighting with Cedric. My eyes saw my violin case on a chair. Seeing it reminded me of the time I was a mateless girl with no worries about boys and their egotistical games. I missed that. I wondered if I could run away and leave all that behind.
It was so much simpler when I didn't have guys fighting over me. Life used to be perfect when I picked up my violin and just played and played, letting my demons and dreams be transformed into music. I was in sync with the universe when I performed. I needed to feel that again. I had no idea how I was able to live so many days without playing or listening to my music. I missed my iPod, I missed my violin, and I missed my Mom and Dad. I missed being free, normal—a simple human girl.
I sat down on my bed and took my violin out of the case. To my surprise, there was something attached to the back of the violin. It was an envelope. When I opened it, I saw a picture of my parents and, on the back, there was a message written in an unfamiliar handwriting. It was Philippe's since he had signed it at the end. It was a simple message, telling me that my parents were okay and that they were eager to see me. It was a picture of them on a plane—a selfie.
It made me smile as tears fell from my eyes. It was thoughtful of them to take a selfie to send to me. It was nice of Philippe to give it to me. But the surprises weren’t over yet. There was also a smartphone in the case. It had been concealed under the violin. I stared at the picture while the phone was turning on and installing the configurations. It pleased me that it had a SIM card and, amazingly, there was a lot of music I liked for me to listen to. He had taken his time to build me a playlist. And I had no idea how he knew the music and the artists that I liked the most. He had been snooping, the creepy stalker!
I spent a lot of time playing with the phone and checking everything it had while uploading and installing some apps I liked to use. It was nice to have a cell phone again. It had Philippe's number recorded in the list. In fact, it was the only number recorded. Does he think I’ll use it to call him? The nerve! He was full of himself, wasn't he?
It would probably be best if I gave him back the phone and forgot all about it. Cedric didn't let me have a cell phone. I had asked him once, but he just let me play with his and said it was too soon for me to have one. Well, I didn't think it was too soon. A cell phone was a handy tool, especially to listen to music, send text messages to my friends, and talk to my parents. I could also use it to check my emails and my friends’ social network updates. Maybe I should keep it and say nothing to Cedric. He was doing an excellent job in keeping me removed from the world and away from my friends and family. It was unnerving. Lately, there were a lot of things upsetting me.
Chapter THIRTY-FOUR
PHILIPPE
The show was about to start, and there was no sign of the limousine I had sent to pick up Aria. I was at the Opera house’s entrance, staring at the movement on the streets, safe from the blazing sun that was outside and could make my skin get extra crispy. As long as the sun didn’t touch me directly, I would be fine. Still, summer was not the most recommended season for vampires to go out before the sun completely set. I was being reckless because I wanted to please A
ria and spend time with her. I was hoping she came to check on her parents. But I could be wrong, she could stand me up. She was acting strange the other night. I couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness in my heart. It haunted me all day.
Finally, the limousine parked, and my driver got out, helping Aria. I held my breath, hypnotized by the sunlight that was making her seem like an ethereal being under the sparkling rays of the sun. I had no idea what she was wearing or how her hair was styled as I couldn’t take my eyes off the glow around her. I almost faced the sun to get to her, but I stopped before my feet left the safety of the shade.
I gazed at her image, fascinated. Then, I noticed she wore a little black dress with a red laced hemline, paired with red high heels. Her hair was stunning, glossy and perfectly straight, highlighting her elfin features.
She acknowledged my presence when she looked up at the stairs and saw me there, all alone because everybody else was already inside. I had prevented the ticket clerk from closing the doors before Aria arrived. Now that she was there, we could go up to my private box on the fifth level, where we would have a better view of the show and had privacy from prying eyes. I had a big private box with a huge velvet sofa and several chairs. Aria’s parents were seated on the velvet sofa, and I was hoping Aria would join my side on the chair, so I could describe the opera house to her and tell her about the paintings and the design. I would have loved to show her around, but we were running late and had to go upstairs. I could do that later.
I stood quietly, watching her climb the stairs, feeling ashamed for not being able to go down and help her. I looked at the sky, not even a cloud to cover the sun momentarily. I sighed. It had been a long time since I last stared at the daylight and was able to be touched by it. I had grown accustomed to the night and the artificial lights.
I offered my hand when she was almost next to me, helping her climb the final steps as I got caught up in her brown eyes. A shade of red spread across her face, and my lips formed into a smile. There she was, my Aria.
“I’m sorry, I’m kind of clumsy in high heels,” she apologized, resting her hand on mine as if she was afraid of moving it. “Am I late?” She looked at the grumpy ticket clerk staring at us. “Or no one else is coming?” She stepped back as she removed her hand from mine.
I promptly explained before she ran off, “The Opera House is full. You’re a bit late, but that’s okay. We didn’t miss the opening yet.”
“And my parents?”
“They’re already inside. They wanted to admire the décor and talk about the paintings. They are extremely friendly,” I added, smiling at my words because I had liked her parents. They were well-educated and interesting people, really different from my dumb vampire servants. “Your parents were eager to see the Marc Chagall’s ceiling. I thought they would want to see something less contemporary, but they wanted to see the ceiling. I’m glad my box is on the fifth level of the auditorium.”
She raised an eyebrow at my words. I didn’t know if she was mistrusting me or was thinking of how cocky I was. I rented a seasonal box in the Opera House. It wasn’t a big deal. I liked to spend time there, and it was good for business when I wanted to charm my most important and wealthiest clients. I was the owner of many fine dining restaurants and nightclubs.
“Shall we go in?” I asked when the ticket clerk cleared his throat.
I offered my arm for her to hold, and she surprised me by accepting it and letting me lead her in.
Aria’s eyes opened wide when she glanced at the Foyer as soon as she entered it. She stared at everything with glowing eyes. I had made the best choice for our first date.
“It looks like everything is made of gold,” she whispered. “And there are so many cherubim and nymphs! I thought it would smell differently.”
“Yes, there are a lot of adornments. The interior is made of marble. You will love the different details and the colors.”
“I’m eager to see the chandelier. It is said to be one of the biggest and weighs like eight tons or something.”
“Did you know that a famous scene of the Phantom of the Opera was inspired by the fatal fall of one of the chandeliers over a member of the audience back in 1896?”
“No, I didn’t know that,” she said, taking her eyes off the marble and the statues to look at me.
I smiled at her, but she didn’t smile me back.
“I think the show is starting,” she informed as the sound of clapping reached us.
The curtain had been opened, and we would lose the beginning of the show if we didn’t hurry. I didn’t want to rush her because she might fall, and it wouldn’t look right to be running up the stairs like kids.
She smiled at her feet, and I wished I could read minds. “What is so funny?”
“I would always take some all-stars sneakers when I was going to watch my mom perform. My dad usually arrived late, and we had to run and bother everybody in the audience to grab our seats. I bet you are wishing I had brought a pair of flat shoes right about now.”
Her words reminded me of the fateful night I had rejected her. She was very different from how she looked back then. “Not really. You look perfect like that, and a gentleman doesn’t rush a lady. Besides, I didn’t come here for the show. I came here for the company.” I caught her rolling eyes at my words which made me smirk. “Nevertheless, we’ll be taking the elevator up. So, we don’t need to rush,” I assured, my voice laced with tenderness to make her feel less scared. She didn’t trust me. I couldn’t blame her.
Aria didn’t say another word after that, and we quietly climbed the stairs to get to the elevator, my hand gripping harder to hers and all my senses sharpened to her breathing and heartbeat. She had nothing to be afraid of. Besides, Cedric had put a lot of angels in here to keep her safe from me. I could smell them a mile away.
“You don’t need to worry,” I whispered so that she could calm herself. “Just enjoy the show and the sightseeing.”
“But if we take the elevator, won’t we miss the sightseeing?”
I stared at her, finding her complaint adorable. “We will have plenty of time for that. I’ve reserved a table at the L’Opera Restaurant for us to dine at. We can see the Opera House after the show is over. We can even go and meet the dancers of the Ballet Company, whatever pleases you more.”
“Us?” she questioned, arching an eyebrow.
I understood that the idea pleased her, but she just didn’t want to be alone with me. “Your parents and us.”
She relaxed. “Do vampires eat?”
“Well, we can even if we don’t need it.”
“Hum,” she said with apathy. “What lie did you tell my parents?”
“I didn’t lie to them. They are my guests here and think they are just spending some days in Paris with all expenses paid before they leave for London.”
“What do you mean?” She stopped and stared at me with pursed lips and folded arms.
“Well, your mom has been invited to apply for the job of Principal Second Violin in the London Symphony Orchestra.”
“You are joking!” she gasped as her hands covered her cheeks.
I smiled, pleased with her reaction. “I wouldn’t joke about that, Aria. I’ve personally taken care of that. They are hiring, I’ve sent your mom’s letter of application to a friend of mine in the administration board, and they are going to let her do an audition next week.”
She glared at me. “Why would you do that?”
“To please you,” I said. I thought it was obvious. I frowned trying to understand what I did wrong. “Why aren’t you happy?”
“It’s wrong to get people’s hopes up just to pull the rug out from under their feet!”
“She is outstanding! Don’t you have any faith in her talent?”
“She will be heartbroken when she doesn’t get the job!”
“You are wrong. Your mom is a strong woman. It’s her dream to visit all these places and have the chance to audition to play in a famous Orchest
ra. The manager I sent, he approached her and offered his services as an agent to find her a better job. But she’ll be hired for it if she is good enough. Don’t you believe in your mom’s talent?”
She growled. I thought it was extremely hot the way she would get mad at me. Her red cheeks and big brown eyes were fascinating.
“And my dad?” she asked, clearly preoccupied with the events I had created to find a plausible excuse for them to come to Paris to visit their daughter and the city.
I hadn’t compelled them. My plan wouldn’t make them question my actions. I just had to do a little compelling when we met, nothing out of the ordinary or that would damage their perception of reality. I made them overlook that Aria was going to appear differently and that she was no longer hiding from the men who she had to be a key witness against. That matter was resolved and cleared up.
Aria didn’t need to lie to her parents anymore. They wouldn’t question her transformation. Everything was going according to plan, and she had nothing to worry about. I was doing everything to please her, to make it right, even if I had a tiny chance for her forgiveness. Will she grant me her love, then? I didn’t know if I could love again. I was willing to try, though. I wanted to try harder each time I looked into her eyes and every time she shared a bit of herself with me.
I held one of her hands in mine, hoping to ease her concern. “Your dad is more than happy to follow your mom. Besides, I’m sure he’ll find a place for himself to teach music in a British University or at some Private College.”
“You think you have everything figured out, don’t you?” I didn’t like the way she said those words. I felt a wave of heat coming from her and warming my hand. Sunrays seemed to radiate from her body as the air around us appeared to shift into waves of heat. Gravity was pulling me deeper into the ground.