by Anna Santos
I was patronizing her intentionally. But she seemed to lose sight of things. She had no idea what kind of danger she’d put herself into.
I fixed my hair and sighed. “You have to stop being so gullible! He’s a vampire, an evil and old vampire. Do you believe he hasn’t fooled hundreds of women to think he cared about them? Do you honestly think he’s sorry for hurting you, for…ripping his soul apart from yours? Aria, you need to stop seeing him as a human. He isn’t. He’s not like you and me. He’s cold and deceitful. I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this. I shouldn’t be here trying to make you stay away from him. You should want to stay away.”
I couldn’t understand why she was so keen on defending that creep. Whatever he had done in the past twenty-four hours made her feel something for him. I was losing her. It hurt, but it would hurt more if I pretended to be blind to it, and she tore my heart apart by choosing Philippe over me.
“If you’d stop talking about Philippe, we could talk about us,” she said.
Her words intrigued me since I had no idea what she’d meant by that. “I have been talking about us. Yet these days, it seems that Philippe keeps crossing our path to destroy what we have together. Everything was fine until he showed up in our lives and wanted to claim you back.”
“Everything was fine until you found out that Philippe was my former mate. You hate him so much that you’ve let that hate come between our love. I don’t know if you’ve realized this or not, but you’ve been pushing me away since the night Philippe tried to take me away.”
I stared at her, baffled and intrigued by her reasons for saying those things. I didn’t see things the way she did. I wasn’t pushing her away. She was falling for his deceitful charm and fake good intentions. She wasn’t going to place the blame on me.
“I hate this,” she whispered, lowering her gaze to her lap.
I sighed. I wasn’t happy about the situation, either.
Aria kept talking. “I hate that we fight all the time now. I hate that you’re incapable of understanding me. I hate that you think I’m being a spoiled brat when all that I want is for you to…”
“For me to what?” I leaned forward, invading her space. I didn’t want her being sad, but I didn’t want to be deceived.
Aria aimed her gloomy eyes at me as her crying voice reached my ears. “I want you to believe in me when I tell you that I don’t want Philippe. I want you. You are the only one who’s pushing me away. I don’t like where this is going. I don’t like the way you address me. I really don’t like how you think my dreams are so mundane and stupid now that I’m supposed to be an angel and a future queen. I really don’t like how you kept me away from the world, and you don’t seem to find time to want to know me and my family.”
I defended myself. “I invited them to come and have dinner with us here tonight. I went to meet them at the mall. You’re the one who can’t understand that Philippe is using your parents to get to you.”
“You don’t understand,” she said as I regained my breath. “I’m not stupid and I know perfectly well when Philippe’s lying. You may not like it, but we have a lot in common.”
“I don’t want to know anything about what you and Philippe have in common,” I grumbled as I leaned my back against the seat.
“Why not?”
I scowled at her. “Are you seriously asking me that question?”
“Yes.”
“It sounds like you’re trying to find an excuse to leave me,” I declared, troubled by the thought that crossed my mind. “Are you serious about us or not?”
Aria folded her hands as she faced me. “It sounds like you believe I don’t love you anymore.”
We stared at each other in silence for a few moments. She seemed to be hurting. Her cheeks were red and her lips were pursed as her soft hair fell about her pretty face. My eyes roamed her body. She was still wearing that flashy black dress with high heels. I didn’t like how it looked on her. Even if it was her cousin’s clothes and not something trashy that Philippe had in his closet, it bothered me how she’d dressed to be with him and how she’d defended him.
Aria’s voice came out fragile as she wiped away a tear. “It’s extremely upsetting to know that you have so little faith in me and my feelings for you. I’m seriously thinking that failing the trial isn’t going to be my problem, but yours. We’re supposed to fall in love. Things were going fine until you started to act possessive and paranoid.”
“I’m not being paranoid! Philippe is trying to take you away from me. As for being possessive… Well, I can’t change that. I’ve been alone for so long that I…want you to be a part of my life. I want you to love me—just me and no one else. Besides, why can’t I be possessive of you? We’re bonded. We’re a couple. I want to love you and keep you safe.”
“And do you plan to make me happy, too?” she snapped.
Her question hurt me. I did everything she asked me to. “Don’t I make you happy?”
“I’m not talking about the make-out sessions.”
“We do more than kiss and… We fight, we do, but whose fault is that?”
Clenching her hands on her lap, she muttered, “Probably mine for falling for your talk and neglecting to see the manipulation.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, mystified.
“It’s quite simple, actually.” She lifted her chin and met my gaze. “I came to Paris to fulfill my lifetime dream of exploring the city. I didn’t ask to be your mate—or Philippe’s. I didn’t ask to be your queen. You asked me to be. You convinced me to give you a try. You claimed you’d do everything I wanted, that you would make my dreams come true. So far, none of your promises have been fulfilled. On the contrary, you’ve kept me locked up in this house, and you’ve done nothing more than prepare me to be the so-called Red Angel of yours. You claim you love me, but I’m seriously beginning to doubt that since you don’t really want to know me. You’re simply waiting for me to change for good and accept the angel inside me. I think you’re in love with the idea of having a mate and a queen. You’re relying on me to break your curse, but you’re failing to understand the curse you’re putting on me. You have no idea how much pressure you put me through when you tell me that you’ll die if I don’t love you.”
“Aria…” I mumbled, blinking at her words. I had no idea that she’d been feeling all that. Am I being this selfish and blind?
“Don’t.”. She had a lot more to say by the look of it. “I don’t want to hear anything else from you. So far, you’ve been the only one talking. You haven’t given me the opportunity to explain myself. I’m not a prisoner, nor am I one of your subjects to yell at and boss around. If you want me to be your mate, then you should treat me as your equal. Don’t give me the lame excuses that you’re busy and that you don’t hide what’s actually making you so busy!”
I defended myself. “I’ve spent my day in meetings and resolving problems. I have a lot of duties. Being a prince and a ruler is more than parties and having fun.”
“I know perfectly well that you have duties. I don’t expect you to neglect them because of me. I want you to, at least, take some time to do the things that I want. You don’t even know what I like to do. You don’t really care. You would find time to take Charlotte to the Disneyland, but you didn’t make any time to take me to the Louvre or to show me the Eiffel Tower. I’ve been here for almost two weeks now. What am I supposed to do while you’re taking care of your royal duties? Should I stay locked up in my bedroom, playing the nice girl? Or should I practice harder to learn how to fly and use my powers since it’ll make me more angel and less human?”
“What’s wrong with being here and practicing how to use your powers?”
“Don’t I have a lot of time for that after you survive the trial? Shouldn’t you be working hard to make me want to spend the rest of my life, and apparently eternity, with you?”
“We were chosen to be a perfect match.”
“So you don’t need to work to mak
e me fall in love with you, is that it?”
I stared at her for a few moments, dwelling on her words and accusations.
“Apparently, I’ve neglected your needs. But don’t you think you’re being selfish?”
“Are you kidding me?” She raised her voice, flustered by my words. “Should I remain in the house feeling lonely and sad just because you think I have to love you, and we were paired due to some curse? Do you want me to thank you for that, too? Do you think my life was pathetic and pointless when I was a human?”
“Of course not,” I grumbled. She was distorting my words.
“It seems like it. It seems like just because you’ve saved my life, I owe you something in return. Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t saving a life be an act of altruism? Or were you expecting something in return just because gargoyles have a curse to break, and I was a rejected soul?”
“I…was hoping you were mine, but…I saved you because it was the right thing to do.”
“If you truly want me, then you need to work out your priorities. Now that you have me, you don’t seem to be making a lot of effort to keep me.”
“That’s not true, Aria. You’re being cruel because I…lost my temper. I care about you and I do a lot of things to make you happy.”
“Like what? What was the last thing we did together that I chose to do? Running, doing push-ups, attending a birthday party, going to your kingdom, and being left in a bedroom without anything to do? That’s all been you. That’s what you wanted.”
“You were enjoying the party until the panic was installed,” I argued, annoyed by the complaints. I was not the villain here. She was overreacting.
She folded her legs and arms as she glared at me. “That’s not the point. The point is that you don’t do anything that I like. You don’t take me to anywhere I want to visit here in Paris. You aren’t being true to your promise from when we first met. If my life is going to become this, I would rather stay human and spend my existence alone. At least then, I would be free.”
“Aria…” Her words were breaking my heart. “It wasn’t my intention to neglect you and your needs. These past few days have been hectic. I had to deal with exploding vampires, reunions, an increase of the patrolling to keep the humans safe, and Philippe trying to steal you from me. You could be a bit more reasonable with me.”
“Like you were with me today at Philippe’s house and when we got back?”
I rubbed my face and held it for a moment between my hands as I contemplated her accusations. “I may have overreacted, but what did you expect me to do?”
“Listen to me, believe me, and give me the benefit of the doubt. I don’t know, Cedric!” She got up.
I looked up at her. “I told you to come back home, didn’t I?”
“And why should I obey you?”
“Because it’s dangerous for you to be outside!” I stood up, shadowing her.
“It was dangerous when I was a human. Now that I’m an angel, it’s less dangerous. Besides, my parents were with me. Gabby and her boyfriend were with me.”
I looked down at her face as I uttered, “And Philippe.”
“Philippe wasn’t with me. He just let us inside his nightclub and went to work.”
“So how did you end up at his house?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s your fault, actually.”
“How was that my fault?”
She stepped forward and pointed a finger at my chest. “You’re selfish and inconsiderate. You never let me have fun. I’m eighteen years old. I’m not a damn nun! Also, you aren’t the boss of me. You’re my boyfriend and, as far as I know, that doesn’t give you the right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. If anything, I obey my parents. You’re not my parent. And my parents were with me. We were having fun until you ruined it by sending me an ultimatum to come home.”
I stepped back as she kept digging her finger into my chest with every accusation. “And you didn’t come.”
She glared at me and clenched her hands into fists. Then she turned her back on me. “There’s a difference between asking someone to do something and ordering them to do it. I don’t like the fact that you think you can order me to do whatever you want.”
I put my hands on her shoulders. “I’m the prince, Aria. You’re one of my angels now.”
She shrugged my hands away. “I’m not one of your angels. I’m supposed to be your soulmate, and you clearly don’t understand the difference!”
I stared at her in silence, trying to figure out what she intended to imply with her words. She was the one who didn’t understand what was at stake. It was probably my fault. I should have explained to her how things worked and what was expected from her. My mind was a mess. I was so absorbed in all the drama and confusion happening around us that I had forgotten to make sure Aria understood what it meant to be my mate and future queen. However, she was acting like I wasn’t entitled to be mad at her for partying and bonding with Philippe. He wanted her back. He was doing everything to repair their bond. Why can’t she see why I’m mad?
“Do you have any idea what is expected of me and of my mate? Disobeying my orders will send the wrong message to my royal subjects. Questioning my orders and spending a night out partying with the vampires isn’t really good publicity for me or for you. Other families will judge us and question our mission. They could break alliances and provoke unrest among the ranks of my soldiers.”
Aria sighed, probably bored by my explanation since she glared at me sideways. “So it’s always my fault. I’m irresponsible and immature because I want to have fun and live my life like any other teenager my age? That’s just great! And to think that I’ve wasted my time studying, so I could have good grades instead of going out partying and getting drunk. I get out once in my miserable life, and I’m now irresponsible and a slut.”
“I don’t appreciate the sarcasm,” I said, an edge of warning to my tone. She was manipulating my words to excuse being angry with me.
“I don’t appreciate you treating me as if I’m five years old!”
“Okay, you’re mad. I get that. What do you want me to do about it? Do you want me to apologize to you?”
“No,” she whispered as she looked away. “It wouldn’t be from the heart. You don’t understand what you’ve done wrong.”
I was getting dizzy with the constant accusations. “Aria, I’m trying to understand!” I reached out and grabbed her arms, making her look at me.
Her voice came out shattered as she lifted her face. “I’m tired of arguing with you. I’m tired of being the one to have to explain everything to you.”
My hand had a will of its own as it shifted the messy hair away from her doll-like face. “Do you think I like arguing with you? Do you think I’m proud of what I did?”
“I don’t know! Do you? Are you?”
“I don’t. I…wasn’t in control. I know that it’s not an excuse. I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. I shouldn’t have raised my voice. I didn’t want to seem inconsiderate.”
“I’m tired.” She pushed my hand away, rejecting my touch.
I guessed I deserved that since I had avoided her touch previously in my bedroom.
“Aria, I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Well, you failed miserably then.”
“What can I do to make up for it?”
“Give me some time.”
I was not expecting that answer. “I don’t understand.” It was sort of a dumb statement. I was hoping it didn’t mean what I thought it meant.
“I’m leaving.”
Her words froze me and made my stomach hurt. “What?”
“I want to go home.”
I swallowed nervously. “This is your home now.” I lifted her hand and held it between mine. She tried to pull it away, but I didn’t let her.
She turned her face away.
“We just…had a bit of a fight. That’s not an excuse for you to leave me.”
“You were rude an
d you don’t understand my needs.”
“I can…” I stopped what I was saying as a dark thought clouded my mind. “Are you leaving me to go back to Philippe?”
Glaring, she protested, “No, of course not!”
I felt stupid for asking, but if she had said yes, it would have ripped my heart apart.
“You always think the worst. That’s why I want to leave. I need to think about what I want, and you need to work harder if you truly want me.”
“Aria,” I called her softly and lowered my face to hers as a shade of red painted her cheeks. My hand circled her waist, and she stiffened. She seemed scared of me. “Come on, baby. I’m trying to make you understand that I want you. Can I move closer?”
She shook her head.
“Why not?”
“You’re trying to convince me to stay. But, this time, it won’t work. You can’t kiss this away.”
“I…” I straightened up to prove her wrong. I wasn’t planning to convince her of anything. “Where will you go?”
“My uncle’s house.”
“Gabby lives there. I don’t want you near her.”
Pushing me away, she freed herself from my hold. “You have no right to say whom I can or cannot spend time with. She’s my cousin. I’ll see her as often as I want.”
“That’s not what I meant.” If this weren’t such a serious matter, I could almost smile at her for being so cute when arguing with me. “I don’t trust her. She could tell Philippe you’re there and he…”
“Can you stop being paranoid about what Philippe will or won’t do? This is about me, not about you or Philippe. I want to have time to myself. I want to do the things I like. The things I came here to do.”
“But you can still do that living here,” I reasoned.
“Apparently, I can’t.”
“Of course you can. Aria, you’re an angel. You have all the powers that angels have. You can teleport. Honey, you can go wherever you want whenever you want. Can’t you understand that?”