Chapter 10
1244 Words
Aria
"I'm not going anywhere so..."
Before Vesper could complete her words I pushed her out with all my strength and slammed the heavy doors shut, locking them before she could figure out what was happening.
"Aria! Open this door!" Vesper's voice came through the wood, followed by a hard kick. "I'm not playing with you! Open this door right now."
I ignored her and turned around, facing Leo.
He sat on the bed, perfectly still, watching me with those dull eyes, like I was an interesting piece of art.
The shadows continued moving across the floor like smoke, crawling toward the bed and wrapping around his ankles.
I'd never seen anything like it.
I took a step forward and they quickly moved away from my feet.
What the hell was this?
I sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to step on any broken glass. Leo didn't move and just kept watching me.
"How do you feel?" I asked, reaching out to touch his forehead. It was burning hot.
He looked me up and down, his small face pale and set in a hard line. He looked so much like Dante in that moment that it made my chest ache.
"What's your name?" he asked instead, ignoring my question.
"Aria. Dr. Aria Vale."
He tilted his head, considering the name. "Aria. It’s a pretty name. It doesn't sound like a doctor’s name."
I almost wanted to laugh. I had been called a lot of things, The Viper, a miracle worker, a b***h, but no one had ever told me my name wasn't 'medical' enough.
"Names don't make the doctor, Leo, my hands do and right now, my hands are telling me you have a fever that could boil an egg."
He ignored my joke and kept staring at me, his black eyes searching my face as if he were looking for a lie.
"And you're really meant to be a doctor?" The way he said it, with that slight edge of doubt, actually made me groan.
"Yes, Leo. I'm a very good doctor. Probably the best one your father could find."
"No you're not." He said it so matter-of-factly, like he was telling me the sky was blue. "The others had wolves and their wolves were afraid of me. You're wolfless so that doesn't seem to be an issue."
I froze, his words sinking in.
Wolfless.
He'd said it so casually. So bluntly. Like it was nothing.
My throat tightened.
I never thought my entire life could be summarised, but here it was, a single word.
If I wasn't wolfless, Lucas wouldn't have thought I was useless. He wouldn't have thrown me out. I wouldn't have been left in the snow and had my baby snatched from me. I wouldn't have to be here.
I know Leo probably didn't mean it but hearing it come out of a five-year-old's mouth, in that cold, detached tone, stung more than I wanted to admit.
I forced myself to keep my face blank, not wanting to cry.
So that's why Dante really wanted me.
Not because I was the best or some miracle worker.
But because I was wolfless.
Because whatever was wrong with Leo scared other wolves. Their instincts told them to run and I had no wolf to warn me.
I was the only doctor who could get close without feeling the primal terror that came with being near him.
I'm not special. I'm just broken in the right way.
My jaw clenched. I wanted to laugh. Or scream. Maybe both.
If that was the only reason I was here, then technically, he didn't need me specifically. He just needed someone wolfless. Anyone wolfless with medical training.
If I could find him another doctor like me, he'd let me go.
Wouldn't he?
But then reality hit.
I was locked on an island. I had no phone, no contacts. No way to reach anyone.
And even if I could, how many wolfless doctors were there? How many people like me had clawed their way into the medical field despite being seen as defective?
Not many.
Maybe none.
I looked at Leo again. At the way the shadows curled around his small body like living things.
The other doctors had wolves. And their wolves were afraid of him.
Why?
What kind of power would make a trained doctor's wolf recoil in fear from a dying five-year-old?
I leaned forward slightly, my eyes narrowing.
"The other doctors," I said slowly. "Were they afraid of you? Or were they afraid of that?"
I pointed at the shadows swimming lazily across the floor.
"They're afraid of me." He tilted his head. "And that's because no one else can see them. Not Vesper. Not Papa. No one. Can you?"
What the?
"You seem to. Why?" He continued, asking.
I didn't have an answer for that. I was supposed to be wolfless. I shouldn't be able to see anything supernatural. No wolf. No magic. Nothing.
But I could see the shadows clear as day.
"I don't know, Leo."
This wasn't normal. Nothing was normal with this boy. He was creepy as hell.
I stood up to walk out but he quickly grabbed my sleeve. His little fingers dug into the fabric, holding on tight.
"Don't go."
I looked at him.
He was a small, sick five year old, but the way he spoke, the way he looked at me... it didn't match. He sounded way older.
"I have to meet your father, Leo. I don't have a choice."
"He won't hurt you if I tell him not to." His voice went cold. "He can't!"
A chill went down my spine.
Just what...
The pounding on the door started again, harder this time.
"Aria! I'm counting to three!"
Leo's grip on my sleeve tightened. The shadows reacted instantly, shooting up the walls. A chair flew across the room and crashed into the mirror.
Leo started shaking. His breathing turned fast and shallow. The shadows kept moving, angrier now.
"Make her stop," he gasped. "The noise. It's making them angry."
What?
"MAKE HER STOP!"
"Vesper, shut up!" I yelled at the door.
She didn't listen and I heard her shoulder hit the wood.
I ignored her and pulled a trembling Leo into my arms. I held him tight, his head tucked under my chin and his small body pressed against mine.
"Listen to my voice, Leo. Just my voice. Nothing else. I'm not going anywhere. Mama's here."
I didn't know why I called myself that but it seemed to work as he went stiff for a second. Then his arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer.
The shadows stopped, dropping back to the floor and going still.
"Aria. Open the door."
It was Dante's voice.
I looked down at Leo. He was still holding me, his face buried in my neck.
"Can I open it?"
He nodded, but he didn't let go.
I stood up, carrying him with me. He was lighter than I thought he'd be. I walked to the door and unlocked it.
The door swung open hard.
Dante stood there. His eyes were glowing gold and his jaw tight, like he was ready to tear someone apart.
Vesper was behind him, gun in hand.
Dante opened his mouth, probably to yell at me, but then he looked down at my arms and saw Leo clinging to me tightly.
The immediate shock on his face was palpable.
- Writer
