by Anna Santos
“You are crazy,” I protested, caught up in his paranoid spiel. “I didn’t know Aria when we first met. I wasn’t thinking straight. I didn’t give our bond a chance. The last thing I want now is for Aria to die. I have no idea where you find all those crazy ideas, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. I couldn’t care less about you. All I care about is keeping Aria safe. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done what he asked me to. I would seduce Aria, so she rejected you, and you would somehow die. I have no idea how that would happen. I don’t know angel rituals. I don’t even understand how you could make her your mate in the first place.”
“Yet you will prey on her feelings once she is no longer an angel. You are here beside her because you know that she doesn’t want me anymore. She wants you.”
“I’m here because she can’t be left alone. I’m here because I love her. I don’t want her to die, and I can’t stay away,” I explained, so he would understand once and for all. I looked at Aria and kept talking, “I tried to stay away, but you aren’t happy. I can’t keep my distance if you are suffering. You can send me away if you want. I’ll stay in the corridor, and you won’t have to see my face again.”
She bit her lip with wide eyes.
“Send him away,” Cedric told her.
She looked at him and then at me.
“We can try to fix this between us, but you need to send him away for good. You need to reject him and forget about his existence.”
Cedric sounded like an evil voice in Aria’s head. He wasn’t happy until he had what he wanted. He wanted her, and he wanted me gone. There was a time that I would give up on her and leave on my own two legs if that was what it took for her to be happy. But she wasn’t happy, and she didn’t love him as much as I thought she did.
“Do you want me to go away for good?” I asked with a sad voice and a silent plea in my eyes. I kept repeating to myself, Please say no, please say no. It was up to her to choose, not me. I would do whatever she wanted me to.
“Will you stop the attack on the graveyard?” Aria asked Cedric.
“Will that make you send him away?” he retorted, narrowing his eyes.
“Won’t you cancel the attack even if he stays?”
“Aria, you can’t ask me to stop an attack just because you think it’s wrong. There are a lot of things in this world that you don’t understand.”
“But Philippe said that it’s a trap,” she reasoned with him.
“Philippe could be lying, or the specter is.”
“If they know that you are coming, they will leave, don’t you think?”
“If that happens, I’ll find among the prisoners someone who knows where they are hiding. I’ll prove to them that we aren’t weak.”
“You don’t need to prove anything. It’s a pointless war,” she said. “It will only prove that they were right to fear us. That they were right to think that I’m the Destroyer of the World.”
“They have no idea of what you are. You have no idea of what you are. If you would let your angel explain it to you. If you accepted her…”
“Then I wouldn’t feel confused and would peacefully obey you,” she finished his reasoning. “I don’t want to sacrifice my individuality for anyone.”
“We will be equals. I’m acting jealous because I know that you have feelings for Philippe. Once he is gone from our lives, once we mate, everything will be well again.”
“You don’t get it.” She closed her eyes as she folded her arms over her stomach.
Cedric placed his hand on her shoulder with a worried expression. “I won’t attack, Aria. Look at me. If that’s what you want, I’ll call off the attack. But you need to send Philippe away and stop fighting your angel.”
“You need to stop telling me what I should and shouldn’t do.” She raised her head to stare at him. Tears fell from her eyes. “If I need to give you something in return for you to stop the attack, then you don’t truly love me.” She removed his hand in a clear sign that she didn’t want him to touch her.
Cedric asked as he stepped back, “What do you mean?”
“She’s too clever for your own good,” I mumbled, sitting down on my chair and folding my arms.
Aria was right, Cedric didn’t get it. I had no idea why it was so hard for him to accept Aria's request. If the attack is hurting her so much, why doesn’t he end her pain?
“I swear to you that if you are lying to me, I’m going to kill you,” Cedric told me.
I shrugged. I was meant to be quivering with fear, no doubt.
“If you hurt Aria, I’ll kill you,” he added.
“I have no intention of hurting, Aria. I love her.”
He clenched his jaw before barking at me, “If that’s true, why aren’t you doing anything to stop Kayden and his associates from killing her? Because you know that if she rejects me, her angel is gone. Confess that it was all an elaborated plan to make her give up her powers.”
I unfolded my arms as I arched an eyebrow at him. “Whatever you’ve been smoking, you should stop. It’s not good for you. Please stop accusing me of something I didn’t do. I’m here for Aria. I have plenty of time to find Kayden and the girl who tried to hurt Aria. I don’t need to make rushed decisions that will affect innocent lives.”
He sneered. “That’s a first. Did you grow a conscience?”
“Yes. Did you lose yours?” I teased him. “Guess angels—when they can actually feel something—allow their reason to be clouded by vengeance much like the common humans and vampires.”
“Please stop the both of you,” Aria ordered, raising both hands as she kneeled on her bed. Looking at Cedric, she said, “I’ve given you two days to keep your angel powers. I’m going to stay true to my word. Even if it means that you are going to use your powers to do wrong and not good.”
“Aria…” Cedric mumbled. “Please try to understand my reasons.”
“You don’t make an effort to understand mine.”
“I’ll talk to the others. I’ll share Philippe’s findings.”
“Are you going to share such important information with the people you don’t even know if they are truly on your side? In doing so, you are going to put Aria’s life in danger once again. You are going to put my life in danger because I told you what Kayden told me.”
“Philippe’s right,” Aria said.
Cedric breathed deep and ruffled his hair. “Damn it.”
“Maybe we should act smart about it.”
It was Jo’s voice. We looked at the door. She was wearing a sexy red dress, and her hair fell freely down her left shoulder. I smiled at her. Perhaps, she could help me in convincing Cedric.
“How?” Cedric asked as he faced her. “Aria believes Philippe, but I don’t trust him.”
“Then trust me. Kayden is evil. I’m sorry if I overheard the conversation. I’m a vampire, and I was outside. It was hard not to listen. I didn’t listen to everything…but…I know Kayden. He’s manipulative and deceiving. Philippe wouldn’t lie if Aria’s life is at stake. Trust me, Cedric. You need to act smart about this new information. I’ve shared with you my fears about this being a trap. Philippe is saying that it is a trap. We can’t be stupid and fall right into it.”
“We can’t look weak, either,” he retorted. “There are people in the graveyard who may know of Kayden’s whereabouts.”
“We will ask them,” I said, having an idea. Margaret and Mara were witches. They knew the covens that were working in the graveyard. I had had confirmation that they were safe. I shared my idea with the rest. “We don’t need to attack the graveyard. We just need to gather the covens’ leaders and explain to them what’s going on. Any rogue pack of werewolves or specter that is there, we may assume that they don’t have anything to do with Kayden. He must have taken his men out.”
“He left someone to spread the venom and put them against the angels,” Jo said.
“Yes, he must have someone there whom he trusts. But we can’t find out who it is as
he will be reluctant in helping us, won’t he?”
“It’s a crazy plan. We need to think more carefully about it,” Cedric complained.
I corrected him, “It’s an idea, not a plan. We need to talk to Mara and Margaret. Only then you’ll gather the people you trust. We don’t need an army. We simply need a group of people to meet another group of people and talk.”
“And where would we talk? The graveyard was supposed to be a neutral zone,” Cedric said.
“There is another neutral zone,” Jo declared. “Philippe’s church.”
“I will think about it,” the prince said with his eyes on Jo. “But if the leaders aren’t willing to meet with me, we will attack the graveyard. Maybe not today, but tomorrow and without delay.”
“Tomorrow is Charlotte’s party,” Jo reminded him.
I had no idea of what she was talking about.
“True. Hence why everything must happen today,” Cedric stated. He turned to look at me as he pointed a finger. “You need to come with me and leave Aria alone. If you want me to accept your plan, you’ll need to help me with it.”
I stared at Aria. I wasn’t keen on leaving her alone. She didn’t look pleased with the idea, either. Her big shining eyes were gazing back.
I got up from my seat. “You can come with us if you think you can walk.”
“She won’t be leaving here. It’s not safe,” Cedric denied with his stuck-up royal voice.
Breathing in, I tried not to flutter my eyes in annoyance. “If you want her to grown-up, you have to stop treating her like a kid or a helpless girl.” I crossed my arms and endured his penetrating gaze. “Also, she can decide for herself.”
“I want to go with Philippe,” she said and bit her lip as she stared at Cedric who glared at her.
I clenched my teeth, mentally growling at his attitude. Taking her in my arms and getting her out of this place was more and more enticing. Preferably far away from the Angel Prince.
Gulping, Aria added, “What I meant was that I don’t want to stay here by myself. I can walk. I’m feeling better now.”
“We need to go home so that you can change your clothes.” Cedric stepped closer and took her into his arms. “Jo will help you change while I talk to Philippe. He needs to request the presence of the leaders at his place. Once we are reunited, we’ll think about what to do concerning the attack.”
Aria nodded.
Cedric raised his face to stare at me and then at Jo. “Put your hands on my arm,” he requested. “We can’t afford to lose time driving.”
Jo walked in and put her hand on his shoulder.
I guess we are teleporting. I didn’t protest. Grabbing onto his arm, we disappeared into his house.
Chapter THREE
ARIA
“You are so pretty,” Jo said with a smile while brushing my hair. She made it fall freely over my shoulders.
I didn’t know what to say. She was sweet and had helped me get dressed. Jo even chose the clothes I should wear while I was showering.
I wore a marbled, tweed-print, stretch, cotton dress colored white and pink with a full skirt. It was fashionable and favored my skin tone. Jo helped me with the makeup, using a glossy red lipstick to paint my lips. I liked my image in the mirror. It beat the pale appearance I had when I arrived from the hospital.
After the shower and the dressing up, I was feeling better and less sad. Things seemed to be lighter now that I didn’t have the weight of innocent lives on my shoulders.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” she asked.
I blushed. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“That’s okay.” She smiled as she pointed her hands at me. “You’re ready. You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” I looked at my skirt and then at my trembling hands.
“I don’t mean to intrude,” Jo began.
I lifted my eyes to meet hers.
“If you are that keen on protecting the people from the graveyard, you should use the fascination Cedric has for you to convince him.”
I shook my head and frowned. “What do you mean?”
Leaning forward, she tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “You are no longer a kid. You need to start acting like a woman. Cedric is in love with you. Women have a lot of influence when men are in love.”
I looked at my feet. “Cedric isn’t like other men. He doesn’t care about my opinion, and I’m not sure if he is truly in love with me.”
I truly wasn’t.
“You are just doing things wrong by arguing with him. You should act smarter about it.”
“You mean manipulating him with sex?” Biting my lip harder than I should, I explained, “I would rather reason with him without resorting to manipulation. He needs to respect me as a person and his equal.”
Jo placed a hand on my cheek. “You are so cute. Men like Cedric lose track of rationality when it comes to injustices or attacks on the people they love.”
“I’m alive. Philippe explained to him why I was kidnapped. Cedric is being stubborn.”
Touching my nose with her index, she grinned. “As all males, darling.”
My voice pitched when I asked, “Even Philippe?”
“There are times when he can be obtuse. You’ve experienced that first hand, haven’t you?”
I evaded her gaze and nodded. “He still…” I shrugged. “I have no idea how to make Cedric listen to me.”
Jo stepped back, and I looked at her. She was playing with a strand of her hair, twisting it around her finger. She didn’t even need to try to look gorgeous. It should be easy for her to make men do all she wants.
“Sometimes, giving them, the cold treatment also works,” she said, smiling.
I furrowed my brow.
“Ignoring them, darling. Men don’t like to be ignored.”
I nodded in understanding.
She changed the subject and crouched in front of me. “I love the color of your hair. It’s so pretty.”
“Thank you, but I’ll go back to having brown hair once I’m human again.”
“That’s okay. Brown is pretty, too.”
“Your hair is beautiful,” I said, mesmerized by her glossy black hair. Jo was the most gorgeous woman that I’ve seen up close. She looked like a movie star with perfect skin and face. She was tall and had a slim figure. I wondered how old she was. If she was Philippe’s maker, then she was extremely old.
“Thank you.”
“We should go to the meeting. I want to be there when it starts,” I said, getting up from the chair.
Jo rose to her feet and smoothed down her dress. “Aria, can I ask you something before we leave?”
Her voice sounded serious, so I spun around and faced her. “Sure.”
“Are you having feelings for Philippe?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
“You are willing to give up your powers, and you seem to… Darling, you look at him differently.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What do you mean?” Why is she interested in my feelings for Philippe? “How do I look at Philippe?”
“Like I used to look at my own mate.”
I pursed my lips and blinked. For some reason, her words didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or outraged. Since I had been kidnapped, apathy had become a constant feeling.
Jo waved her hands in front of me with a worried expression. “Never mind. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable about it. You need to figure out what you want by yourself.”
“Yes, I do,” I said coldly.
Brushing my dress with my hands, I chased away the sensation of feeling like a little girl with a new dress that wanted to twirl around to show it off. I liked how it flowed down my figure and how soft the material was. It was a silly thought. I had more pressing matters to take care of.
I looked at Jo. “We should go.”
“You should dress like that more often. It makes you look older.”
&nb
sp; “I like the way I dress. I have a lot of time to look older,” I said, unsure if I should feel offended or not by her comment.
“You have a new position now. You are no longer a teenager.”
“Jo, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the advice, but I’m not planning to be an angel for much longer. I don’t need to dress like this in college or at home.”
“You are certain that you want to give up all of this, aren’t you?”
“You look like you don’t approve.”
“You have the right to do what you believe is best for your life.”
“But you don’t approve.”
She shrugged slightly. “I’m just…curious. Why do you want to leave Cedric?”
“It isn’t because of Philippe if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“You feel trapped and misunderstood. Cedric lied to you and…can be a bit overwhelming.”
“He can.” I nodded. “He can also be charming and kind.”
“Don’t you want to give him another chance?”
“Did Cedric ask you to talk to me about him?”
She shook her head. “No. I thought that maybe you could talk to me about what is bothering you and… It was a silly idea.” She placed her hand on her hip and held the other up to her jaw. “Maybe you should think about what you are looking for in a man and decide if Cedric is worth holding on to. You are only going to have a chance to find a new mate once; one that is willing to love you unconditionally.”
“Cedric doesn’t love me like that. He expects me to love him like that, though.”
“Well, men sometimes can be jerks,” she said nonchalantly.
I couldn’t help but smile. “We should go, Josephine. I appreciate you wanting to help me, but I’m good. Philippe has already talked to me. I vented and ranted all I needed to feel lighter and better.”
“Philippe is a good listener. I know.” The soft way she smiled showed how much she loved him.