Marked By Two

Bill of sale

​Aria’s POV

​The words “Bill of Sale” were still echoing in my brain like a physical weight that made it hard to draw air into my lungs. I wasn't a person to them. I wasn't even a threat anymore. I was a commodity, signed away in ink and seal by a woman who looked at me like I was dirt beneath her designer heels.

​I stood in the library doorway, watching the Grand Luna stand over Elena’s collapsed form. The air around her was cold, not the refreshing chill of winter, but the sterile, dead air of a vault.

​"She's alive," the Grand Luna remarked, her voice flat as she straightened up from Elena’s pulse. She didn't offer a hand. She didn't call for a doctor.

She simply stepped over Elena’s silk-clad legs as if they were a tripped wire. "I leave you for a day and this is how you treat your heir?"

​"She isn't the heir," Cassian spat, his voice trembling with a mixture of scotch-soaked rage and the devastating shock of the contract he still held in his hand. "Maeve is awake, Mother. She heard everything. Julian and Elena, it was a setup. The baby isn't ours."

​

The Grand Luna didn't even flinch. She signaled to the two silent men in dark suits behind her, her personal security, to pick Elena up. "Take her to her quarters. Lock the door. No one goes in or out without my permission."

​She turned her gaze to me then. "And Aria," she said, her lips forming into a smile that didn't reach her flinty eyes. "I see you've discovered your true value. It’s a shame, really. I had hoped to keep the details private until the transition was ready."

​"You sold me," I whispered, my voice finally finding its strength. "Like I was a piece of land. Like I was a dog."

​"I secured the Vaelor legacy," she corrected smoothly, stepping into the library and scanning the wreckage. She looked at the broken scotch bottle, then at Noah, who stood like a statue of ice.

"The North wanted the Mark. The Southside Syndicate wanted the bloodline. I simply made sure we came out on top of the deal. You should be honored, Aria. You’re the most expensive thing in this house."

​Noah stepped forward, his body shielding me instinctively. "The contract is void, Mother. I’m the Alpha of Vaelor Holdings. I didn't sign it."

​"You didn't have to," she said, pulling a slim, silver device from her pocket and tapping the screen.

"As the surviving Luna and legal guardian of the estate's assets, my signature is the only one that matters to the Syndicate. If you break that contract, Noah, they won't just take the girl. They’ll take the docks, the city towers, and every cent we have in the North."

​She looked past him to the bags her security was now bringing into the foyer.

​"I’m moving back in," she announced, the tone final. "Clearly, my sons have lost their way. Between the drinking, the fighting, and the... infatuation... this estate has become a liability. I will be overseeing the 'heir' situation myself. If Elena is lying, I will deal with her. If she is telling the truth, that child will be raised under my hand."

​She turned back toward the foyer, pausing at the door. "Noah, Cassian... get cleaned up. We have guests arriving for dinner tomorrow night. The buyers from the North want to see the merchandise."

​She swept out, her heels clicking a rhythmic, terrifying beat against the floor.

​I felt a hand on my arm, Noah’s, but I yanked it away. The touch felt like fire. He had the contract. He knew. Even if he hadn't signed it, he was part of the world that thought I was a price tag.

​"Don't touch me," I breathed, looking at both of them.

​Cassian looked broken, the paper in his hand crinkling as his grip tightened. Noah looked determined, but I couldn't see past the betrayal. I turned and ran, not toward the medical wing, but toward the back stairs.

​The estate wasn't a home anymore. It was a cage, and the door had just been double-locked.

Thanks to the Grand Luna.

​I walked as far as my legs would carry me but when I looked up, I was still in the compound.

With a heavy sigh, tears started to form in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks.

I hadn't noticed that I was followed.

His hand held me to his body. It smelled of bourbon and sweat.

For someone who just tried to kill me, I didn't expect Cassian to be the one who chased after me.

He turned me to face him. “It's going to be okay Aria, I won't let anyone hurt you.”

With tears tricking down my cheeks and a quiet sob stuck in my throat, I let myself free…and into his grip.

He used one hand to pull me close and the other to lift my chin so I could look directly into his eyes.

Thus estate was a nightmare of lies and secrets but somehow I kept getting myself deeper into the mess.

I could have stopped him, but I didn't. I didn't want to.

His nose brushed mine and then…

Our lips met.