Aria's mine
848 Words
Cassian’s POV
The taste of scotch was still bitter on my tongue, but the taste of Aria was something else entirely, it was a lifeline.
I held her like she was the only thing keeping me grounded in a world that had just moved off its axis. My mother was back, Elena was a ghost of a lie locked in a room upstairs, and my brother was likely currently tearing the library apart in a silent rage. But here, in the shadows of the estate grounds, the only thing that existed was the frantic beat of Aria’s heart against mine.
I pulled back just an inch, my forehead resting against hers. Her breath hitched, a small, broken sound that made me want to go back inside and burn every contract my mother had ever touched.
"You tried to kill me, Cassian," she whispered, her voice trembling, her eyes searching mine for the monster she’d seen in the library.
"I was blind," I rasped, my thumb grazing her jawline. The skin there was so soft, so different from the jagged glass I’d held minutes ago. "I was drowning in all of it. The lie, the baby... the fact that I let Julian touch what was supposed to be mine. But I’m awake now, Aria. I promise you, I’m awake."
She didn't pull away. She leaned into my touch, her tears dampening my palm. "She sold me. She's bringing people here to... to look at me."
"Over my dead body," I hissed.
I looked back at the looming silhouette of the mansion. The lights were flickering on in the guest wing, the Grand Luna’s arrival always signaled a shift in the house's energy, making it colder, sharper. We were out of time for games.
"We need to get you inside and away from the windows," I said, my protective instincts finally overriding the booze and the despair. "If the North is already sending representatives, the perimeter isn't just ours anymore. My mother’s security is everywhere."
I led her back toward the side entrance, my arm draped heavily around her shoulders. We moved through the shadows like thieves in our own home.
When we stepped back into the foyer, the air was different. The silence was gone, replaced by the hushed, urgent movements of staff preparing for the Grand Luna’s stay. And standing at the base of the stairs, looking like he was ready to kill the next thing that moved, was Noah.
He looked at my arm around Aria, then at her swollen lips, and I felt the air in the room grow heavy with his unspoken fury. He didn't care about the contract right now. He didn't care about the business. He saw me, and he saw her, and he knew exactly what had happened in the garden.
"Aria, go to your room," Noah said, his voice a low, dangerous vibration. "Now."
Aria looked at me, then at Noah. She didn't say a word. She just pulled away from both of us and ran up the stairs, her footsteps echoing until a door slammed shut in the distance.
I faced my twin, squaring my shoulders. "She’s safe, Noah. That’s all that matters."
"Safe?" Noah stepped into my space, his eyes glowing a fierce, predatory amber. "You almost slit her throat an hour ago, Cassian. You don't get to be the hero now. And you certainly don't get to touch her."
"I’m the only one who didn't keep a bill of sale in my pocket for half the day," I countered, my voice rising. "You knew what Mother did, and you stayed silent. You’re just as much a part of that contract as she is."
"I was trying to find a way to break it!" Noah roared, his composure finally snapping.
He lunged, grabbing me by the collar and slamming me against the wall. The back of my head hit the wood with a dull thud. "I am trying to save this family, and you’re busy making things worse. The Syndicate is coming, Cassian. They aren't coming for dinner. They're coming for the merchandise. And thanks to you and your 'moments,' she’s more confused and vulnerable than ever."
He let go of me, his hands shaking. "Get sober. Get your head straight. Because tomorrow night, we don't just fight our mother. We fight the people she sold our souls to.”
As he turned to walk away, I couldn't help but say something back to him. “You know one thing about you, you always like to be at the top of everything, and now, Aria chooses me, and it pisses you off.”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to me slowly, his eyes as red as ever.
"You don't have Aria, brother, remember. You have a mate upstairs already, probably with a fake heir. So if I were you, I'd stick to one problem first.”
And with that, he turned and walked away from me.
- Writer
