by Santos, Anna
Although he didn’t want to talk to me, I knew Cedric cared about me. He cared, or he wouldn't use an army of angels mixed in with the crowd, watching over me and following my every move. I could see them glow since I was one of them now. They would acknowledge me, slightly curving their heads when they passed by me. I could see the glint of the angel presence in their eyes as they probably saw mine. The world was far from being the same one I had grown up in. I was now in a brand-new place with a new adventure to live for. I just didn't want to drag my parents into it.
Chapter THIRTY-SIX
ARIA
Looking at Cedric's bedroom door, I could barely breathe. My heart was racing, my palms were sweaty, and anticipation was clouding my thoughts and stopping me from acting sane. I was feverish. I was feeling lonely and terrible for being mad at Cedric. I hated being mad at him. I hated that he had been ignoring me and acting as if we weren't lovers, friends, and part of one another.
It wasn’t just my angel affecting my emotions. I couldn't stand being angry at him. I didn't want to be prudish and a coward. I needed to step up and stop acting like a spoiled child. We were bonded. I had never thought I could feel so close to someone as I did with him. So, why all the drama and pouting? We were acting like kids! How could we make our relationship work if we couldn't handle a bit of heat and yearning?
Building up the courage, I knocked on his door. I felt silly as I stood there barefoot in my nightgown, with my wild hair falling over my face. I bit my lower lip and wrapped my hands around my waist. I had decided to try to talk to him and resolve our little quarrel. It was a silly argument. I didn't want to prolong the separation between us. I was ready to make amends.
And if he ignores my knocking? What if he was too grumpy and sent me away? Maybe he didn't love me anymore because I was stupid enough to get mad at him.
Why isn't he answering the door?
I knocked again, and the door opened before I could brace myself to face him. He had sleepy eyes and ruffled hair. He looked so hot that I lost my breath and swallowed hard.
Frowning, he inquired, “What?”
I gulped and shivered, staring at his ripped abs and flawless skin. He looked yummy. I know that it wasn’t even an adjective to classify humans or angels, but he seemed incredibly edible. Perverted angel alert!
I palmed my face mentally because it wasn’t my angel's fault. She growled at me from the depths of my mind, complaining about being accused of something she didn't do. So, I was the one being perverted. I was the one missing him, wanting him to hold me and kiss me. I wanted to stop complaining about his yearnings of taking me to bed and taking my innocence away.
“Aria, are you just going to stand there staring at me?” he asked, probably confused by my silence and empty eyes on him. “It's late.”
“I…just came here to tell you that I'm home,” I stuttered, unhappy by his lack of tenderness. He was still mad at me and playing hard to get. Men really are jerks! No matter what species they were.
“I can see that.”
“Don't you want to ask me how it was?” I inquired, unsure why he was so indifferent to my presence outside his bedroom. Couldn't he see that I was dressed in a revealing nightgown and was willing to raise the white flag and talk about us?
“I don't want to be accused of being jealous. So, I’d rather not.”
I raised a brow and folded my arms in front of my chest. “Dumbass idiot.”
I was getting flustered by his words and the incapacity to understand my reasons to meet Philippe. It was not like he didn't send an army of angels to watch over me. So, he probably knows already what happened. That was why he was sleeping in his bedroom while I was in my bed, frustrated, and feeling unloved by him.
“And why am I a dumbass idiot?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Because I didn't take you to a fancy ballet performance and didn't show you an expensive restaurant where you saw how glamorous vampire life could be?”
“Do you think I enjoyed the date?” I asked, raising my voice as I fisted my hands. “I went to see my parents, nothing more and nothing less.”
“You let him touch you! He put his hand on yours, and you didn't even make a move to get away from him!” he accused me, unfolding his arms.
I paused, wondering how he knew that. “Were you spying on me?”
“What else did you think I would be doing? Playing cards with Jacob while some dumbass, ruthless vampire was trying to steal my soul-mate away?”
I got so out of breath and was so dumbfounded that I felt like crying right there. But I wasn’t crying because his words hurt me or made me sad. I was crying for an entirely different reason. I was feeling a roller-coaster of emotions these days, but one thing was evident. Cedric cares. He cared about me. He was a crazy, jealous angel because he wanted me to himself and that was utterly amazing.
Tears ran down my face, and Cedric stopped accusing me. He looked troubled for making me cry.
“Aria,” he whispered, losing the intimidating pose and softening his expression. “Please don't cry. I'm sorry for being insensitive. I didn't want to say all those things when we were kissing and seemed impatient. I just didn’t want you to go on a date with him. I didn't want to force you to mate with me. I really didn't. I'm an idiot. I know I am. I don’t recognize myself. I know I can't constantly be blaming the heat for my mistakes, but I…go crazy around you.” His velvet voice lulled me to stop crying.
“I'm so sorry for complicating everything,” I whispered and hugged him.
I needed to feel his arms around me. I needed him to be patient and to hold me tightly. I didn't want him to make me feel unloved and unwanted.
“I'm sorry for being an idiot,” he said.
Giggling, I nuzzled my face against his muscular chest. I loved his scent and how my skin tingled with lust and love every time we touched. I liked how he would apologize to me, softening his voice, caressing my head, and holding me against him as if I were the most precious thing.
“I'm so sorry. I love you as you are. If you don't want to kill vampires, that’s fine by me. But if Philippe tries to harm you in any way, I'll rip his head off.”
“I don't think Philippe wants to harm me,” I said, stiffening at his words.
I didn't like when he talked like that. I had too much respect for life to approve the death of anyone. Death sentence appalled me. It could be seen as naivety and stupidity, but I thought that everybody had the right to a second chance. There were a lot of variables that would make people malevolent and cruel to others. Maybe there was a predisposition to evil, something in our brains that dictated who was going to turn out evil and who would be virtuous. Perhaps, Philippe was merely a ruthless bastard and wanted to prey on other people's feelings and innocence to get what he wanted. Yet, I had no idea why he wanted me back. I couldn't understand why he thought I would accept him after his rejection.
“Why do you hate him so much?” I asked, intrigued by his silence. I could sense his tensed muscles under my hands. It felt great to touch him again. I should just stop talking about Philippe, so I wouldn't ruin our moment. I didn't want to talk anymore. My lips wanted to touch his luscious skin, and my hands wanted to explore his ripped muscles. I was feeling the heat overtaking me and, for once, I was willing to let go and give in to it. Not entirely but, at least, discover a bit more about lust and love. My stomach felt crazy butterflies and waves of cold inside. It was scary and exciting at the same time.
“Why do you defend him so much?” he asked, making me stare into his blue eyes. He wasn’t mad He looked everything but angry. I think he was as aroused as I was.
I just shrugged and caressed his face with the tips of my fingers.
“Can we just forget about him?” I was impatient and sighed when his hands touched my waist, and his fingertips blazed my skin. I could barely remain to stand and keep my eyes open. I wanted to kiss him and mold myself against his body so bad that it was insane to even to try and have a conversation.
&nb
sp; “Who is talking right now, Aria or the angel?” he inquired.
I smirked at his words.
“I don't want to be accused of taking advantage of you.”
“And if I was the one to get blamed for that and wanted to take advantage of you?” I teased.
He chuckled and rubbed his nose against mine. “I think I can live with that,” he whispered with an alluring voice, brushing his lips against mine.
“Then, I confess. It’s all my fault. You even tried to fight back, but I was just too damn strong for you,” I joked, taking over his lips and deepening the kiss.
I made him walk back into his bedroom and closed the door behind us.
Chapter THIRTY-SEVEN
PHILIPPE
I could be despicable. I could be ruthless, but I was no match for the specters. They were vicious beings, living from corpses and other people's feelings to fuel their existence in this world.
As evil as they were and—even though I would rather stay away from them—I couldn't ignore their existence. Vampires and specters had a truce. They kept their presence on their side of town, and we didn't pry into their business of trading knowledge and preying on vital human energy to survive. Well, I would typically stay away from them. However, they were the only ones who could explain to me what was happening with Aria and how I could get her back. At least, that was what Josephine had implied with her evasive answers to my millions of questions. My maker knew something that she wasn’t willing to tell me. It piqued my interest but also left me worried.
Josephine wouldn’t be caught dead in this of town. She loathed the specters and all their evil doings. Therefore, I had to find someone else to arrange a meeting with one of their leaders—a powerful necromancer named Kayden. Since my first in command, Gerard, knew several black witches, he found one willing—for the right price—to tell me where I could find the necromancer.
There I was, strolling with two of my men behind me into the Père Lachaise cemetery.
It has been a while since I last came here. My mom's tomb was there. I had given her a proper funeral when I was wealthy enough. She didn't deserve the consideration. Sophie's grave was also here even though her body wasn’t resting in the coffin. Her remains were at the bottom of the ocean. The ship she was on sank and she lost her life.
I stopped. My gaze was fixated on the Chopin's grave, adorned with many flowers. It was undeniably stunning, especially the statue above it. It was the statue of Euterpe, the muse of music, weeping over a broken lyre. Chopin was one of my favorite composers. I had spent eternities playing his solo piano works. It relaxed me and made me miss my humanity. I had the feeling that Aria would love to come here with me to see his tomb and those of other famous people. It was beautiful even if it was a landmark that symbolized mortality and the eventuality of death.
Aria—even her name was perfect. I was remorseful and broken for what I had done to her. I needed to know if there was something I could do to restore our bond and save her soul. I knew my place was in Hell, but hers wasn't.
Saving Aria’s was why I was venturing into the specter’s territory.
Not far from where I was, I could hear a group of people talking and exchanging gossip. The necromancer's work was highly requested, and many waited to meet him. He dealt with curses, spells, potions for all kinds of illnesses and evil doing.
My contact should meet me halfway to guide me to the necromancer and arrange a meeting as quickly as possible. Money wasn’t a problem for me, and I was desperate for answers.
After ten minutes of waiting outside a barrel-vaulted tomb, and scaring other ominous paranormal beings who knew me, an old woman came out with the news that Kayden was ready to see me. I wasn't known for being patient and the night was no longer young. I didn't have time to waste. So, it pleased me that Kayden was not going to let me wait indefinitely. However, the request was to leave my men outside, so I did.
I followed the woman into the tomb, only to see that narrow brick stairs were leading deep into the ground. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a vast cave where a lot of old box tombs were scattered around. There was also a table and a hooded man, sitting on a chair while scribbling with a quill pen on a scroll. He was outdated and had to be frozen in time to be still using that. Electricity was also missing as candles illuminated the place.
The tunic and a hood over his head made him seem like a monk or a friar from a religious order. It was somewhat hilarious since he did the work of the Devil.
The woman bowed before me and showed me her empty hand, requesting her money. After I paid her, she left, and I stood there alone with the sinister monk who was doing the excellent job of ignoring me.
I gazed at the place, looking at the shelves with old books and scrolls, the bags of tea, and pots of potions piled in a corner and a cauldron to my right, ornamented with three skulls around it. If the creature was looking for the wow factor of eerie creepiness, he nailed it. It also smelled like rotten flesh and dead flowers. With the amount of money, the guy had, he could, at least, find himself a better interior decorator.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of having the King of the Vampires at my humble abode?” His voice was guttural, nonhuman, and it hit me with a vibration of darkness and coldness.
“I'm in need of your services,” I explained nonchalantly.
“Yes, I already know that,” he said, without raising his face to address me. “My time is precious, so don't waste it and tell me what you want.”
I arched an eyebrow, displeased by his lack of manners and the arrogance in his voice. He was rather cocky by talking to me like that. “I have a problem with my mate,” I said, swallowing my pride.
The necromancer stopped writing and spared me a glance. I stared back at his face, though the hood made it impossible to see if he actually had a face. Does he still have a human shape, a body, or is he just rotten flesh and a skeleton?
“And here I thought that you needed my help for world domination,” the necromancer said.
I frowned, unsure if he was joking or talking seriously. One could never know with his kind. “Not today,” I replied and grinned mischievously. I could be funny when I wanted to. “Maybe some other time.”
“The world is falling apart. Vampires are exploding, and you are here because you have a problem of the heart. Excuse me if I don't buy it. There must be something more to it than that. What do you really want?”
The creature was suspicious of my intentions. I couldn't blame him. I would never have guessed I would have to ask for help from his kind because of my love for a girl. It was insulting to be here, needing his help, but Aria was worth my trouble.
“I have recently encountered my mate, and I sort of…rejected her. She almost died.”
“Yes, that sounds a bit more like something you would do,” the necromancer said mockingly.
I narrowed my eyes. I shouldn't be annoyed since it was a compliment coming from him, but it upset me.
The creature added, “Wanting to kill her after the rejection was the only clever thing to do. We don't need to have our hearts meddling with our business, do we?”
“My question is: how can I restore our bond?” I asked before he said anything else to anger me further.
The specter folded his gloved hands over the table. “That was unexpected. I thought you wanted to know how you could cut all ties and prevent the obsession of wanting her back. I guess the attraction is too strong.”
I had to be smart about what I was going to say next as I didn't want him to comprehend I was beginning to have feelings for the girl. It would be my downfall and hers. I had enemies. They would hurt her to get to me. I had to be better at protecting her. I had to lie better. I could do that. I had decades of experience.
“Well, you see,” I stepped forward and blanked my eyes of emotion. “When I rejected her, I thought I would never see her again. Still, she managed to escape and now...”
“She’s an angel,” the guy finished my sentence.
I stood there with a surprised gaze directed at him. “How do you know that?”
“We live in Paris. It would be impossible for them not to notice a rejected soul wandering around here. I assume you don't know how she became an angel because it’s a well-kept secret. I can’t explain it to you either because the curse is real, and I’d rather not mess with that. But the thing is that the girl is now someone else's problem. You just need to ignore it. Only if she survives the trial, then you have a problem. Rejected soul-mates tend to be resentful,” he spoke as if he was an expert on the subject. “If she doesn't survive the trial and becomes human again, you have two options. One, you fuck her and make her your sex slave. Two, you kill her and forget all about her existence.”
I pondered his words, trying to have an insight into what they meant and what the trial was. “And if I don't want to wait for the so-called trial? What if I want her back now, and I want to end the bond she has with the gargoyle?”
“Just fuck her, say you are sorry, make her forgive you, and the bond will be restored. You are her designated soul-mate. It shouldn't be difficult for you to seduce your mate to go back to you and sever the bond she has established with the gargoyle.”
“That’s good to know,” I whispered, thinking about what the necromancer was suggesting. “But you’re saying that she has a real bond with the beast?”
“He acknowledged her as a potential soul-mate. So, they have a bond. But their bond will be put to the test.”
I gritted my teeth and grumbled words of annoyance towards Cedric and his ability to get in my way. He wasn't content with messing with my plans and killing my vampires, he also had to claim my soul-mate as his!
“It’s rather amusing,” the necromancer said, catching my attention.