Buried deep within her, Aria hides a secret from Dumont. The unrevealed joy that she has recently grown fond of. With every kill or torture, Aria embraces the comfort of the emotions that uncontrollably flows from each of the victims. Empowered by each fallen tear and every scream, she takes her time with each kill.
Walking to the basement to give the prisoners their daily meal, she hears the boy scream her name. When Aria arrives, he sits perfectly still glaring at her. His mother hovers over him crying.
“Please forgive his outburst he didn’t mean it,” the woman begs.
“What is wrong with you?” Aria asks him.
He stands and looks Aria in the eyes. His dominating posture and glowing eyes make her smile. A brave boy for only nineteen, she thinks.
“You were supposed to feed us hours ago,” he says.
Aria laughs. She tosses the trays into the trash and strikes the boy across the mouth. As if barely fazed by her blow, he gets to his feet and smirks wiping the blood from his mouth.
“Aria, please stop! Leave him be! He is just a boy!” Trouse screams from his cell.
Aria looks at the young man intensely.
“Oh—I like him. I think I’ll keep him. I will let him live. You have raised a hell of a Vilmo, Trouse. He will be mine. He and I will be one when he is of age,” she says. “What is his name, Trouse?”
“My father does not have to speak for me!” the boy says.
“Okay. What is your name?”
He spits in her face. Aria strikes him a second time, he laughs.
“Blake, my name is Blake. No one will ever love you. I will never be yours.”
His words sting more than any words have. He will learn to love me or he will die. She pulls her sword from her waist. Trouse drops to his knees and begs for mercy. Blake stands to his feet and glares at Aria with burning fury in his eyes.
Blake does not flinch as Aria approaches him. For a long moment, the two stare at each other. Blake’s expression is full of anger and Aria’s filled with fascination. She blows him a kiss and quickly removes his mother’s head. The moment the head falls from her shoulders, a crippling pain pervades Blake’s body and his legs buckle, dropping him to his knees, yet his fury-filled eyes stay locked on Aria’s eyes and hers on his. A terrifying strength fills the softness of his brown eyes. The cold stare gives an unspoken promise to kill Aria. Aria overlooks the hate in his eyes and makes a promise as well. I will change your hate into love for me. You will be mine, she says to herself as she walks out of the room.
“Get rid of the woman’s body, place Trouse in the cell next door and bring the boy something to eat. Something good, like a steak or something,” she tells the Shadow guards.
Aria thinks of Blake all the time, imagining their life with their new baby. The feeling she has overwhelms her so much that at times she forgets that Blake hates her.
“I will go see him today,” she mumbles.
Although she’s walked those steps, to this basement a thousand times, this time makes her nervous to see the bottom of the stairs. Every step weakens her knees, and for the first time she cares about her appearance. Just before making it halfway down the stairwell, she turns around and races to her room. She fixes her hair, puts on her prettiest dress, and even brightens her lips with lip gloss.
Aria’s next trip down the basement stairwell is more terrifying than the last. Her armpits sweat and her heart races. When she unlocks his door, Blake sits in a corner with his head up against the wall and his knees tucked in his arms. He looks up at her and laughs. Aria cringes with annoyance but quickly hides her anger, for she needs him to like her. She gives him an awkward smile.
“Hi, Blake.”
He scowls at her and turns away. His hate for her, burns. For the first time in her life, Aria felt a hint of regret. She silently cursed herself for killing his mother.
“Did you like the meals I sent to you?”
Blake smiles and nods toward the last three days’ worth of food sitting across the room. Some splattered on the walls and the rest filled with dirt on the floor.
“You haven’t eaten in three days? Blake, you have to eat or you will wither away and die.”
“Isn’t that your plan? You are going to kill me eventually anyway. I’ve just sped up the process,” he says.
“I told you. You will live. We will…”
“I would rather you kill me, then make me live a moment as your pet. I will never love you!” he interrupts.
“You will eat everything I send or I will kill your father as well!” Aria shouts.
She races out of his cell and up to her room. Her heart hurts. She’s never felt so awful in her life. Pain radiates through her so fast that she can barely breathe and tears flood her eyes. No one has ever made her cry. She hates how she feels and more than that she hates Blake for making her feel so bad about herself.
Aria and Dumont sit in silence as they eat. Over the last few weeks, they have hunted non-stop for Nora and her family, and each day Dumont gets more impatient with Aria. She hates disappointing him, but Robbie has hidden his family well, not even she can get into Nora’s head anymore.
“Aria, do you have news for me?”
“Yes, Father. We found six more families. I took care of them for you.”
“And your sister?”
“Nothing yet, Robbie …”
“Why do I get the feeling something else has preoccupied your mind? You need to focus, Aria. Find them before it is too late!”
“Yes, Father,” Aria says, leaving the table.
Aria sits quietly in her room. He is right, I need to focus harder, but all I can think about is stupid Blake. I have to kill him. That is the only way.
Each time she passes the door to the basement stairs, she stops, swearing she will kill Blake for making her feel so bad, but as soon as she opens the door, she slams it shut and leaves like a coward.
After about three weeks, Aria no longer wants Blake dead. She only wants him to fear her more than he’s feared anyone in his life.
“Today will not be one of those days that I run away. Today he will fear me,” she says as she stares at the basement door.
She walks down the stairs full of confidence, her fangs shined and her eyes glowed as she approached his door. Although she planned to make Blake piss his pants in fear, she still fixes her hair and puts on lip gloss before opening the door.
Today Blake draws in the dirt with his fingers. He quickly slides his hands across his picture, messing it up before Aria has a chance to see what he drew. One look at him and it is she that is frightened. She wants to get close to him, but his every stare pushes her away.
“I—I just wanted to see how you are doing.”
He looks up at her and turns away.
“You like to draw? Maybe I can bring you some paper and chalk.”
He turns and stares at her blankly, then faces the wall again.
“Why would you do that?” he asks.
“I like to draw too. I know what it is like to have an image in your head. The need to see it on paper is painful when you have no way to make it happen,” she tells him.
He turns to her and gives her his best fake smile. Her eyes widen, she’s never seen such beauty.
“I can return tonight, maybe show you some of my drawings. If you like?”
Blake nods and smiles again, this time looking deep into her eyes. Aria leaves the room with a warm feeling. Within Blake’s smile, her view on life becomes filled with possibilities. The hole in her heart feels less empty.
That evening, just as most evenings Aria and Dumont have supper quietly.
“You’ve grown fond of that boy, haven’t you?” her father asks.
“What boy, Father?”
“Aria don’t lie. It makes you ugly, and you my dear are too beautiful to be a liar, especially to me,” he says gazing at her.
“He is not a distraction if that is what you are asking, Father. I will find them.”
&nbs
p; Dumont laughs and continues shoveling his meal into his mouth.
“Love is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a beautiful thing and if anyone deserves to be loved, it is you,” he says.
“You are not upset with me?”
“No, Aria, just stay focused. Since you have only played with your food tonight, maybe you can enjoy it in better company. Go get dolled up. I will have the guards bring the two of you a meal to enjoy together.”
Aria at first thinks she has misunderstood what she had heard, but when Dumont calls the guard in and puts in his request for a table to be taken to Blake’s cell, she becomes filled with excitement. She kisses Dumont on the cheek and races to her room.
Opening the door to Blake’s cell was like seeing him for the first time. He was clean and wears clean clothes. He smiles when Aria closes the door.
“They let me shower and gave me clean clothes,” he says.
“You look good all cleaned up,” she tells him.
He smiles and sits at the table.
“The food smells great. Oh, and you look pretty,” he says, looking at his plate.
Aria sits in the chair across from him and hands him her drawings. As he glances at them, his eyes widen.
“These are amazing. I think you make me look better in your drawings than I am in real life,” he says handing them back to her.
“This is how I see you. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” she whispers bashfully.
They sit in silence for a moment and then begin to eat in the awkward silence created by Aria’s sudden kindness.
“Aria, tell me your dreams.”
Blake’s words frighten her. No one has ever wanted to know anything about her. She adjusts in her seat.
“Okay. Well, I once had a dream I was hanging from a tree by my feet, but it was weird beca...” she rambles.
“No. Not those dreams. What do you want in life? This can’t be what you want,” Blake says softly touching her hand.
Aria swallows hard and looks down at his hand on hers. He gently rubs her hand, melting her heart. It wasn’t long before she was rambling again.
For hours, they talk and laugh. Aria forgot about everything negative that had brought them together. She has never held a real conversation. Not with anyone she didn’t want to kill. She never knew talking could be so much fun.
“Aria, do you think I could see my father?” Blake asks.
Aria jumps from her seat, furious.
“You are only being nice to me because you want something!” she yells.
Her eyes glow brightly as Blake stands.
“Isn’t that what you are doing? Being nice to me only because you want something from me?”
“No! I want nothing from you!” Aria snaps.
“You do! You want me to be with you,” Blake softens his tone and walks toward her. “You want someone to love you.”
Blake slowly reaches for her hand. Aria stands perfectly still. Her eyes dim and her facial expression softens. Blake takes her hand and motions for her to sit back down. She sits and stares at him.
“I—you are right,” she says softly.
“Aria we both want something out of this. I can’t go anywhere, and I won’t try to run. I give you my word, but I need to see my father just for five minutes,” he says.
Aria nods.
“I can give you two minutes and no more. Two minutes each week.”
Blake smiles.
“Thank you.”
Aria leads him to the cell next door. She unlocks the door and follows Blake inside. He turns and smiles sweetly at her.
“Can I spend my two minutes with him alone?”
Aria frowns then turns away and closes the door. Blake races over to his father’s cage. Trouse embraces his son through the steel bars.
“Dad, we only have two minutes. Can you get out of this cage?”
Trouse nods.
“If I escape, they will kill you.”
“Aria will not let anyone hurt me. I will find a way to get out of here and when I do, you run. Don’t look back, I will find you,” Blake says.
“No, Blake! You can’t trust that she will protect you.”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. I have not forgotten how evil she is, but as long as she thinks we have a future together, I will not be harmed. I will get us out of here. She is giving me two minutes a week with you, so we can make a plan,” Blake whispers.
Aria rushes in with a frown on her face.
“Time is up,” she barks.
Blake hugs his father and turns away.
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, Son.”
Trouse kicks his empty food dish against the wall as Blake walks toward the door. Aria looks deep into Trouse’s deep gray eyes and catches a glimpse of the worry and love he feels for his son. She slowly closes the door, then stops. Trouse looks at Blake and a tear falls down his cheek. Aria stands frozen in shock. For the second time, Blake has made her feel. Feelings that were stripped from her before she could walk. She walks over to Trouse’s cage.
“Aria, please. Don’t hurt my father, he’s all I have,” Blake begs.
Aria looks at Blake, then turns back toward Trouse.
“He is not all you have, Blake. You have me,” she says softly.
“I know, but my father is …”
Aria raises her hand and Blake is silenced.
“To love so deeply must hurt,” she says, grabbing the bars with both hands to get a closer look into Trouse’s eyes.
Trouse grabs the bars next to her hands and he stares into her eyes.
“There is only one pain that hurts more,” he says.
“What’s that?” she asks with true interest in her face.
“The pain felt when the ones you love are taken from you.”
Aria’s eyes widen, and she steps away from the cage. She looks at Blake and is reminded that she has hurt Blake and can never fix the pain she’s caused. She motions for Blake to leave the room and she slowly follows. Just before closing the door, she looks up at Trouse one last time. Trouse smiles when he sees feeling of remorse in her eyes.
“I will see that you get something decent to eat tonight,” she says as she slams the door closed.
Each week Dumont allows Aria to spend time with Blake as long as she continues her hunt for Nora and destroys as many Vilmo and Szion as she can along the way.
Kills are not the same for Aria. They weigh heavily on her heart. As much as she tries to hide her newly found softness, Dumont notices her weakness but does not confront her. Each day, she tries to put up a good front, pretending that killing the innocent doesn’t faze her. The moment her sword slides through another body, she is reminded of Blake and hates herself more every day. The only person that hears her complaints is Blake. Before long Blake becomes her everything.
“Father, can I talk to you?”
Dumont sits in his study, reading a book.
“Sure. What is on your mind?”
“After I’ve killed Nora, I’d like you to release Blake.”
Dumont stares at her long and hard, then smiles. He calls over a Shadow and whispers in his ear. The Shadow leaves.
“What was that?” Aria questions.
“I am releasing Blake. The Shadows will take him to a safe place. When you find Nora the two of you can be together,” he says.
“Really! Oh, thank you, Father.”
“You better go say goodbye. It may be a few weeks before you see one another again,” Dumont says.
Excitedly, Aria races to Blake’s cell. Blake smiles big when he sees her. She jumps into his arms and kisses him on the cheek.
“I’ve convinced my father to release you.”
“What, really? What about my father?” he asks.
“He will release him when Nora is found, but for now you will be safe and we can be together soon.”
Blake places his hand on Aria’s cheek and kisses her lips gently.
“Aria
, we can be together now. You don’t need to kill anymore. You don’t have to be that person anymore. We can make our own family,” he whispers.
Although she didn’t want to betray her father, she no longer wants her sister dead and no longer cares about taking Nora’s life. All she wants is to be with Blake. She wants her own life.
“Okay, I will find you. Take this drawing and leave me a trail. I will leave tonight,” she tells him.
“You will release my father, right?”
Aria nods. Blake kisses her again and tucks the drawing in his pants.
That evening after their hunt, Aria leaves. After an hour, she finds the cabin. All she thought about the entire trip was the smile on Blake’s face and the way it would feel to have him holding her. She slings open the door. Happiness shrivels until gone. Her heart is crushed into a million pieces. Like a disease, anger leaves her feeling nothing but pain and darkness.
Dumont stands next to Blake’s beheaded body. Aria falls to the floor. She crawls to his side and sobs holding his head to her chest.
“Nora and Robbie attacked the group. I heard the call too late. I’m so sorry, baby. There was nothing I could do,” Dumont says, walking out of the cabin with a smile on his face.
Aria sits with Blake for hours, her mind replays his kiss. Everything good she had ever felt dies with Blake. I will never stop until Nora is dead, she silently promises.
“I will come to you and we can be together,” she tells Blake’s body.
“Nora, Nora!”
Robbie’s voice echoes in her ears. Her eyes are heavy as if the light rays hold them shut. With each second they become lighter, allowing her to open them. Robbie sits at her side, smiling.
“What happened? Did I black out?”
“That happened,” he says, pointing to her right.
Her eyes focus on two baby blankets on the bed. She pulls herself up and leans against the headboard. Nora wipes her the tears from her eyes as she looks them over. Their black hair shines and their skin glows with the perfect shade of gold. She leans in and kisses them.
Vilmo's Wrath: Deglon Blood Page 14