by Light
“A day or two to what?” he said. “Decide whether or not she’s going to sacrifice her own life for ours? I’m not going to let her do that.”
“I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s not our choice to make. There’s nothing we can do. That tree either gets its mojo back or the Artisan gets our heads on a silver freaking platter. It’s called a curse for a reason. There’s no other way.”
“There is always another way. You just have to find it.”
“Short of giving up your magic for the decrepit old tree, I’d say you’re out of cards to play.”
“That’s it,” Rome said. “How do I do it?”
“Whoa,” Christian breathed. “Slow down, I was freaking joking. We don’t even know if that would work.”
“It’s worth a shot, right? Plus I stand a better chance at not being killed—given what I am,” Rome whispered.
Christian let out a deep breath. “I think you’d just need her wand? But see, that’s not going to work. We can’t use her wand, only she can.”
Rome drug Christian into an empty classroom to continue talking in private. “Does a witch just know how to give up their magic? Is it common knowledge?”
“No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“I think the wand is just supposed to act as a conduit, then. It’s the tree that’s going to take the magic, so it shouldn’t matter who’s on the giving end.”
Christian laughed. “Giving end,” he snickered.
“I’m being serious,” Rome growled.
“Right. So, how are you going to get the wand from her?”
“Do you know where she’s keeping it?”
“She has it on her.”
“Then that won’t be hard. Just meet me at the yew tree at midnight. I want you there just in case anything goes wrong.”
“Yeah, speaking of going wrong,” Christian drawled, “what am I supposed to tell her if you’re not breathing tomorrow? You do realized it could kill you, werewolf or not?”
“I don’t plan on dying, but… Are you in love with her?”
Christian clenched his jaw. It was bad enough that he’d blurted that out to Adam and Shawn. It was a miracle that he’d even been able to tell her how he felt. “Yeah,” he shrugged. Rome gave him an indignant look. “Yes, I’m in love with her, alright?”
“So you’d never hurt her again? You’d take care of her, and protect her, no matter what?”
Christian sighed. “What are you getting at?”
“Just answer the question.”
“No,” he said, “I’d never hurt her again. And I’d look after her. Which if you hadn’t noticed, I’m already doing; so what’s with the third degree?”
“I just had to make sure.”
Christian watched Rome rush towards the door.
“Where are you going in such a damn hurry?”
“Where do you think? This might very well be my last day alive. I’m certainly not going to waste it on going to class.”
“If you’re going to the strip club you’re going to need cash,” Christian grinned. He pulled out his wallet and handed him a few hundred dollar bills. Rome looked beyond offended. “I’m kidding,” he said. “But if you’re going to spend the day with her, then you should at least have some money to take her on a proper date.”
“How do you even have this kind of money?”
“I hand you five hundred dollars and that’s what I get?”
“Did you steal it?” Rome asked.
Now it was Christian’s turn to look offended.
“Okay, but I can’t take this. I have no way of paying you back.”
“Don’t worry about paying me back. It’s a drop in the bucket,” he shrugged. “I have a trust fund.”
“You have a trust fund? Are you kidding me?” Rome said.
“No, I’m not kidding you. How do you think I can afford to go to a school like this? I don’t even know how much is in it. I just keep withdrawing, and the ATM keeps spitting out money, so…”
“I get Henry, and you get a trust fund,” Rome said disbelievingly.
“Just promise me you’ll survive tonight and half of whatever is in that account is yours,” he said.
“What? No. I can’t take your money. It wasn’t left for me.”
“Clearly it was left by our father. Joseph Grant, whoever the hell that is,” Christian breathed.
“Joseph Grant?” Rome mumbled. “…What’s your point?”
“My point is that he didn’t know you were his son. I can tell that much. Money doesn’t make up for abandoning us, but it’s as much yours as it is mine. Look, I’m usually a selfish little bitch, so just accept it before I change my mind.” Rome stood there in shock. “What are you waiting for?” Christian said. “Go get her.”
***
Ariahna stared into her open locker, tracing the sure, strong lines of her father’s handwriting on the surface of the envelope with her eyes. She hadn’t even read the letter from him yet. Strangers had read the biting words that were no doubt inside, and she hadn’t even seen it. It mattered very little now, in the grand scheme of things. She closed the locker, leaving his negative influence behind. She was sure there was something in there about her missing class as well. Regardless, the idea of skipping preoccupied her mind. Part of her wanted to go out to the yew right now. It wasn’t a question of if she would give up her magic, it was a question of when. There was no point in waiting, really. Coming to terms with the possibility of her death or of losing the things she loved most about herself wasn’t going to change what she had to do. The longer she thought about it, the more opportunities she’d have to talk herself out of it. It would be best to act now, while she still felt sure of her actions – while she still had the courage to carry them out.
“Aria,” Rome whispered. “…Aria.”
Ariahna looked around in confusion, barely spotting Rome smiling at her from around the corner. He nodded for her to follow and she did so hesitantly. He was leading her farther and farther away from her class.
“Rome, where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said softly. Maybe sneaking around with her wouldn’t be so bad after all. It did have a certain appeal to it.
“Classes are going to start any minute,” she said.
He stopped and turned to face her just as they reached the doors to the parking lot. “Life’s too short for class.” She frowned down at her shoes. “I promised you a date. Now may be my last chance to make good on that promise.”
Aria looked up at him slowly. “What do you mean?” Did he know what she was planning to do? Had Christian said something?
Rome was a good liar, which was not something he was particularly proud of. In this moment, though, he was glad it was a skill he had at his disposal. “With the way things are going with my case, CPS might not let me stay here.” That wasn’t entirely untrue, he thought. “Tell me you’ll spend the day with me. Please?”
Ariahna exhaled tightly, glancing away from him. She felt like it would be selfish if she said yes. It was only going to make it harder to walk away in the end. “I’d like that,” she said quietly.
But I don’t think it’s a good idea, she thought.
“Do you remember the first day we met?”
She smiled unwillingly. “Do you think I could ever forget?”
“I’m going to make this one even better.”
“Well that shouldn’t be hard, given that you got pulled over on the first day we met and we were nearly stranded in town,” she teased.
Rome took her hand, leading her out to his car at a run. It felt like breaking free, escaping from everything that confined them; that school, their lives, the curse—everything. They cranked the windows down and welcomed in the rush of air, speeding down the highway away from Vardel and rushing towards some unknown destination. Any place seemed better than where they’d come from. The highway bled into the town and they kept driving, leaving Redwood Bay in their rearview as for
ests and cliffs swallowed them from either side. The skies were alive with birds and bugs, the drift of the clouds hypnotic in the early morning sun.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To the edge of the world,” he said. “Somewhere where no one can touch us, somewhere where we’re the only two people who matter. Somewhere they can’t take that away from us.”
Gravel crackled under the tires as they pulled into the vacant parking lot, and Aria wanted to laugh. “Who knew an abandoned carnival was the edge of the world?” she smiled.
“It’s not abandoned, it’s just closed. But not for us.”
Rome broke the chain wrapped around the gates, pushing them wide open. Just past the ticket booths were several locked rotating gates like the ones typically found in subway stations. He hopped over them with ease as Aria seemed to be looking for a way around. “Here,” he said, picking her up by the waist and lifting her over the bars. “So what do you want to do first?”
She smiled down at him curiously. “Everything’s turned off and there’s no one here to operate anything,” she said, letting her hands fall to his shoulders. He began spinning her around playfully. Her hair was flying about and she squeezed her eyes shut, smiling against the dizziness.
“I know how to make this place come alive,” he said, slipping her back down to her feet.
“You make it sound so magical.”
“Not nearly, I just worked here over the summer,” Rome admitted. “So, do you want to start off with games or rides?”
“Mm… games,” she decided.
Rome took her hand and she let her eyes slip closed, taking everything in. She was excited, and elated, and yet somehow she felt like all of this was too good to be true. Just being with him always felt like a fantasy, like something she dreamed up in her mind. The scariest thing about it was the thought that she was going to wake up and realize that he didn’t exist.
“Rome,” she breathed, “I love you.”
His fingers tightened between hers.
“I love you too,” he said. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I just—” Have something I need to tell you, she thought.
“You just what, need to have fun?” he teased. “Let it go, whatever’s weighing on you can wait until tomorrow. I told you, today’s just about us. So I’m warning you now, if you frown again I’ll be forced to tickle you.”
Aria giggled. “Okay,” she said, “you win.”
“Good. Now why don’t you, Test Your Might?” Rome said theatrically. He borrowed the outstretched arm flourish he’d seen Trevor’s dad use, gesturing to the high striker a few feet away. The mallet was leaning against it luckily enough, and he watched Aria walk over and pick it up with a bit of difficulty. She offered it to him and he shook his head.
“You should go first. I might break it.”
It sounded like a cocky thing to say, but it was the truth.
“Okay,” she laughed, not really believing him. She hoisted the mallet over her shoulder and took a swing.
Rome tried desperately not to smile. “I’m not laughing, I swear.”
“It looks a lot like laughter to me,” she argued sheepishly. “Why don’t you give it a try, Mr. I’m So Strong I’d Break It?”
“Did you not see me rip the lock off the chain when we walked in? Or how about the time I broke us into the Performing Arts building?”
“We do an awful lot of breaking and entering when we hang out.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m kind of a bad influence, aren’t I?”
“The worst,” she smiled.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to find trouble; it just seems to come naturally to me. To be honest, I feel like a different person when I’m around you. A better person,” Rome clarified. “Usually I’m more, angry, more—I don’t know, just different. I worry that I’m not really who you think I am. I’m typically quiet, and awkward, and, well, just rude. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of.”
“I know everything I need to know about you. Things you’ve done in the past don’t dictate who you are or who you’ll become. Maybe this person you are when you’re with me is the real you. Had you thought of that?”
“Ariahna, you barely know me,” he sighed. He shook his head, putting a smile on his face. “I’m sorry; this is supposed to be fun, not depressing. I think I’m just nervous.”
“…I saw your file,” she admitted. “I’m not afraid of your past.”
Rome frowned at her. “My file?”
“When I snuck into the Dean’s office to get a look at Christian’s birth certificate, I got a glance at it. It was kind of hard to miss,” she mumbled. “I know you have a criminal record, and I know you had a hard time at your last school. I didn’t look at it that closely. I didn’t want to invade your privacy, but I guess I just wanted to fill in some of the blanks.”
Rome set the mallet down.
“…How about a round of bumper cars?” he asked. Aria nodded. They walked over to the ride in silence and he strapped her into one of the cars. “I’m not mad,” he said finally. “But if you want to fill in the blanks, all you have to do is ask, okay?”
She bit her lip guiltily.
“We haven’t had that many chances to talk,” she said. It was an excuse, and a poor one. She looked up at him as he turned on the machine and then climbed into a car beside her. “The truth is, I think I was a little intimidated. I didn’t want to upset you, or come off as stupid.” She shrugged, looking away. “You’re the cool older boy. I didn’t want to annoy you.”
Rome let out a short, embarrassed laughed. “The cool older boy? I guess I never saw it that way. But there’s nothing you could possibly do to make me think you were stupid, or annoy me for that matter. Aria, I love everything about you. I love the way you smile, the way you blush, the way you bite your lip like that. I mean, I’m practically swooning and tripping over my own feet whenever I’m around you.” He looked away, swallowing anxiously. Sometimes he wished he’d just shut up while he was ahead.
Ariahna turned her wheel, bumping into his car playfully.
“Come on,” she said, “stop being so serious for a minute.”
“Okay, but you asked for it.”
Rome stomped on the gas, shoving her into one of the walls.
“Playing dirty, I see,” she said, maneuvering herself out of the gap and reversing into him quickly.
Rome groaned upon impact.
“Playing clean just doesn’t have the same ring to it,” he grinned.
They chased each other around the empty cars, bumping into one another and laughing until the ride ended, only to do it all over again.
“I bet you can’t catch me.” He jumped up from the small car, hopping down into the grass and dashing off out of sight. The sound of her footfall followed him, becoming abruptly quiet.
“Rome? Where are you? If you think you’re going to—”
This was his moment to strike. Rome pounced down directly in front of her, jumping off the side of the ride he’d been hiding on. He felt a little guilty when she screamed but he couldn’t help but laugh.
“If I think I’m going to what?” he smirked.
“Jerk,” she accused, shoving him on the shoulder.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t like it,” Rome teased, backing her up against a wooden stand. “Besides, I just wanted to make your heart race.” The smile on his face widened when he realized he’d pressed her up against the kissing booth. Aria huffed out a laugh when she read the sign.
“Are you trying to tell me something?” she said. “I could be wrong, but I think you need a ticket to play this game.” She grinned at him, and his lips melded over hers, shocking her into submission. His hands tugged softly at her clothing, running down from her waist to her hips and back again. Breathing was the farthest thing from her mind. “Promise you won’t let me go,” she whispered. “No matter what happens, promise we’ll be together.”
“I promise.” He burie
d her in kisses and gentle caresses, pulling them back into the sensation of each other’s bodies – that sensual place somewhere between it all where nothing else mattered.
Rome was getting lost in that place, in this moment.
Soft lips pressed against the skin of her neck, replaced a moment later by the sharp yet pleasant sting of Rome’s teeth. He was being dominant, and just the right amount of pushy. His hand gripped just below her breast, making her head fall back in pleasure. Ariahna was staring at the blue sky above them, smiling at the clouds through trembling lips. It felt like they were floating towards the heavens. The only thing keeping her on the ground was the feeling of his body beneath her fingertips. He was compact and well-muscled, and he felt as good under her hands as he did pressed against her.
Rome was quivering, barely restraining himself from taking this perfect moment one step too far. Their lips found one another again, and when she moaned against him, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He lifted her up onto the booth and pressed himself between her legs. The thought that they were completely alone hadn’t slipped his mind, even as she pressed her hands weakly against his chest. His breathing was shallow and ragged. Rome wasn’t sure he’d ever felt this heated, this needy and out of control. He could feel her nerves, her uncertainty. He knew in that moment that this wasn’t right. They couldn’t possibly let their first time together be in the middle of a fair, and on top of a kissing booth no less. That didn’t keep his palms from dragging firmly up the smooth expanse of her legs, pushing her skirt up as he went. He was struggling against not only his own urges, but those of his wolf.
“I don’t know if I can stop,” he said.
“…Maybe we shouldn’t.”
Their eyes met and Rome stared back at her unblinkingly. Maybe this was right. Maybe he was just scared. After all, he didn’t really know what he was doing. And what if this was the last chance they had to be together? What if he didn’t survive the night? Even the best laid plans can crumble to dust, and what Rome had was a half-cocked theory. Even he knew it sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. The odds of him walking away from this the same, let alone alive—it would be a miracle. “Are you sure?” he asked. He caressed her cheek lovingly. “I want you, but if you’re not ready…”