by Tara Brown
Lucas looked to be holding back a severe reaction, "She is MINE." He spoke firmly grabbing the man by the hand.
Ari felt her stomach twist and turn as Lucas removed the mans hand from her waist. She ran behind Lucas to see Ben there smiling at her, "Hey Ari."
She nodded at him but his eyes shot to the man who had been holding her and his smile was replaced with the same crazed and angry look as his brother as stepped forward to ensure Lucas had everything under control.
Lucas spoke something to the man and then stepped back. The man looked frightened and turned and left the dance floor.
Lucas turned back to her but his face hadn’t softened, "Ari what the hell are you doing?"
His eyes burned down on her, he scared her and she let Old Ari come to the surface.
Her lip trembled slightly, "Nothing, I-I-I just uhm. Nothing." She could feel tears creeping up into her throat.
"You freak when I touch you and yet here you are dressed like this, with someone like him who calls you a slut?"
She didn’t have an answer. She turned to walk away but he grabbed her arm, "You're coming home Ari." His grip told her he wasn’t messing around and he would kill everyone in the bar before he let her go. His face was more dangerous than anything she'd ever seen.
She looked at Ben who put a hand on Lucas's arm, "Calm brother." Lucas's eyes flashed at Ben and back to Ari.
Lucas dragged his hand down her arm to her hand and took her entire hand in his. He pulled her off the dance floor, not dragging as much as guiding. She looked back as her friends as they watched her go. They looked scared for her, they wouldn’t try to help her.
"Ari that’s quite the outfit." Ben laughed trying to break the ice.
She nodded, "Yeah its my friends."
Her heart skipped when she saw Lydia sitting in the car at the curb.
Lydia leapt from the car running to her with her arms out.
Ari flinched away from what she expected, which wasn’t the hug she received. The old woman's embrace filled her.
"Ari I'm so sorry. I didn’t think what would happen if someone's life got worse, how you would respond. I'm so sorry Ari." Ari couldn’t fight her tears, she couldn’t fake her brave face because Lydia saw through it all.
She felt Lucas behind her, his telltale warmth covering her naked skin with his body.
Ben spoke softly from behind them all, "Lets get you home, Annabelle's been unbearable." Ari snorted laughing. She could imagine Annabelle in a state of concern would be intolerable.
Lydia kissed her softly on the forehead and walked around to the driver side. Lucas climbed in the back helping/pulling Ari.
Ben stayed outside her door until she was in and safe. He closed it giving her a soft smile. He rode passenger but spent the entire ride smiling at Ari and telling jokes. She was grateful for his efforts at keeping the conversation light.
Lucas sat at the far side of the car, he kept himself away from her looking out the window continuously. Ari felt miles between the foot that separated them. She knew he was hurt but the drugs in her system prevented her from being able to hold a thought longer than a second.
"Lydia I did in the alley again, right away after the man in the apartment. It was only minutes in between." The words felt hollow but she was trying to be herself again not the little street skank.
"Right away? You don’t need to recharge?"
She shook her head meeting Lydia's gaze in the rearview mirror.
"That’s interesting to know."
"Are you high Ari?"
She turned to Lucas who watched her suddenly. She met his harsh gaze for the briefest of seconds before lowering hers and nodded feeling sick at the admission.
"What would possess you to put yourself in such danger?"
She felt her walls crumble as she sputtered her excuses against New Ari's wishes, "She took over, I swear, I just fell into blackness and new Ari was there waiting for her chance to spring free. The man attacked us in the alley and she pushed into him and sent him back. She just knew how to survive." She felt the flood of tears but swallowed them back.
Lucas watched her, she could feel his cold stare upon her.
"Sweetie we need to find a way to get rid of New Ari. She is so damaged, she will be the death of you both."
She nodded, even new Ari nodded. She wanted the life old Ari had had, she wanted the diner and their uncle and cookie and high school completed and over with. She hated being a street rat, she hated being used and she hated the memories that came with every scar whether visible or not.
As Lydia parked the car Ari watched Annabelle appear on the front porch. She smiled seeing her and waved. Ari got out of the car exhausted in ways she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Her legs buckled slightly trying to get out but Lucas was there catching her before she fell. His warmth against her brought her home completely.
"I love you Ari, even if you cant love yourself. Don't scare me like that ever again." He whispered it so quietly she nearly missed the words against her ears. Her fear of her feelings for him vanished. She loved him, more than anything in the world. She let him carry her inside, she never fought him on the stairs or when he brought her right to her warm bath Annabelle had prepared. She kissed him back when his lips brushed against her softly sending shivers across her skin.
He placed her on the ground and left her in the capable hands of the ghostly maid, "Night Ari."
She watched him leaving wishing secretly he could stay and help her with the bath.
"Miss Ari ya looks a mess. Now just lie back and let Annabelle cleans ya off. You been gone one day and ya looks like the urchin ya was when ya came."
Chapter Thirteen- Wanna Pet My Wolf?
Ari
Ari woke to Annabelle sitting in the chair in the corner watching her sleep.
She grimaced, "Creepy Annabelle."
"Why good morning Miss Ari. Or rather good afternoon."
"How long have I slept?"
"Nearly eighteen hours. You was a wreck when ya got here though so that might be why."
Ari squinted against the silhouette of light coming from the edges of the curtains. Her head was pounding. She knew she was probably dehydrated from the E she had taken the night before.
"Stupid Ari." She whispered sitting up completely. She climbed out of the bed stretching. Everything felt fine, she had no aching muscles and no after effects of all the running and jumping and escaping she had put her body through.
She remembered the previous days and grimaced. The run had been stupid, running away had been even more stupid, clubbing was down right insane and the drugs had been the absolute pinnacle of disaster and poor choices.
"Ari?"
She looked up to see Andy at her door, "Hey Andy."
"I just wanted to check and make sure you were okay." Her pale skin set her bright blue eyes off.
Ari smiled at the dark haired woman, "Yeah I think so. I feel like such a nightmare though. I'm so annoying with my split personalities and crazy life."
Andy laughed, Ari couldn’t recall her ever laughing before. It was a magical sound.
"Yes well if it makes you feel better when I was new at this I ate a village. Women, children, everyone. I was like a horror movie. I ate everyone and everything that moved. I am haunted by the images still."
Ari swallowed hard, "Andy that's terrible."
Andy nodded smiling, "Yes it is. But the point I'm trying to make is you didn’t chose what you are and you can't stop being it so you need to give yourself a little leeway for the moments where you don’t put your best foot forward."
Ari smiled, "Thank you."
Andy nodded, "Well I'm off to Boston. Take care sweetie."
"Thanks you too." As Andy walked away Ari thought about the fact she had been spending an enormous amount of time in Boston.
Her mind darted instantly to Lucas. She hadn’t been putting her best foot forward with him. The idea of losing him terrified her.
<
br /> She walked from her room lost in thought and how she would repair the relationship that hadn’t really started yet with Lucas. She blushed thinking about what he had said, he loved her. No one had ever said that to her or the other Ari. She felt her heart flutter as the memories of his body against hers, the warmth of their kiss and the slipping of his tongue inside her mouth.
"Ari?"
She looked up to see Ben and smiled, "Hey." She didn’t feel awkward around him like she did his brother.
"Someone is lost in thought. How are you feeling this morning?"
She blushed, "Oh good. Actually great, my head hurts a little from the drugs I think, bit of a hang on maybe."
"That was a bad choice, I thought Lucas was going to kill something when he found out you'd run away. Especially after the way I'd found you in the woods."
"Why what did he do?"
Ben walked down the stairs beside her, "He ran following your scent the whole way around town till he found you. The bouncer wasn’t going to let us in, we didn’t have wallets with us but Lucas scared the shit out of him. Then he told that guy who you were dancing with he was going to tear his limbs from his body and make him watch as Lucas ate them if he didn’t get lost. Bit savage but it got the job done." He laughed.
Ari looked at him horrified, "How did he track my smell all over town? Why would he eat someone's legs? Is he insane?"
"He just flipped, he's usually the more calm and civilized of our family members. Anyway we have pretty good noses Ari. So speaking of which wanna see the wolf today?"
She smiled fighting the urge to ask more questions he didn’t seem to want to answer, "Yeah. Where's Lucas?"
"He was in Canada yesterday but when you ran away Lydia made Aimee go get him. He had to go back today. Roses crap."
Ari frowned, "Are you a Rose?"
Ben nodded, "I think Lydia wants to see you so how about meet me in the back in like an hour?"
She nodded and walked toward the kitchen starving and curious about the whole Roses organization. They had all spoken so infrequently about it in front of her.
"I made you some oats Miss Ari."
She groaned, "Oatmeal, Annabelle I hate oatmeal."
"Well I knows that but you's eating it today, bosses orders."
Ari sat to the steaming bowl of hot cereal and nodded, "Fine."
Chapter Fourteen- The Roses
Aimee
"I need you to do me a favor."
Aimee smirked, "As per the usual."
Lydia didn’t smile, "It's Ari, she needs to meet with the Roses. It's time."
Aimee frowned, "What if she's mortal?"
Lydia shook her head, "She isn’t. I got the blood tests back and the other day we tracked her route through the woods, seventeen miles she ran. She hasn’t run in the body she is in right now and she just pulled off seventeen miles like it was nothing. She's not a regular demon either she's a Nephilim Aimee."
Aimee nodded nervously, she hadn’t heard that word used in a long time to describe someone, "Okay. I'll take her to New York now."
"Thank you. I have to go speak to her, will you come?"
Aimee stood from her laptop where she was chatting with Shane who was on duty but sending her messages.
She looked at his profile picture remembering how it had felt to be in his arms the night before. She'd slept at his house, they had made love twice and she never accidentally murdered him, which had been a bonus. She blushed and looked at Lydia who was scowling.
"I really didn’t need to see that Aimee."
She laughed, "Well stop looking in my mind."
Lydia walked from the room, "You broadcast it like it was on CNN, I didn’t have to try. Shane is a looker though I will say. A man in uniform that sexy should be illegal."
Aimee sighed, "So illegal."
She followed Lydia to the kitchen where Ari was struggling with a bowl of Annabelle's gruel.
Ari grimaced shivering as she desperately tried to get it down.
"Wow you must have pissed Lydia off to be punished like that."
Ari nodded, "Yup."
Lydia sat at the table, "Now wait just a minute, that’s a healthy cereal young lady. You did drugs yesterday, this will help get it out of your system."
She put a hand on Ari's arm, "Look Ari we need to talk."
Aimee watched the young girls eyes grow worried, "Lydia I'm sorry about yesterday. I wont do it again I promise."
Lydia laughed, "No not that honey. We have figured some things out about you. Aimee is taking you to New York to get acquainted with everyone. You need to start your training."
Aimee smiled at Ari who sat frozen, "You're sending me away?"
Aimee laughed, "See I told you, Ari she said the same thing to me and I felt the same way. No she isn’t sending you away, she's sending you to learn about yourself. We fit into two categories in this world, good and bad."
Lydia nodded, "Exactly and for you to be on the side of good you will need some help with control."
"So you're really not mad about yesterday?"
Lydia frowned, "Ari I am furious about yesterday but you aren’t alone in the blame. Elsie and I are just as much to blame as you are. We all messed up yesterday. I want you to pack a bag for New York. You'll be there for a few months."
Ari choked on her disgusting cereal making Aimee gag slightly.
"Months?"
Aimee nodded, "I will come and visit as much as they’ll let me. We wont leave you there alone."
Lydia squeezed Ari's arm, "There really is nothing to be afraid of."
Ari didn’t look convinced and Aimee didn’t blame her, she shivered remembering her months at The Roses. She looked at her ring, pride and fear made the ring special to her.
Ari looked sick standing at the front door waiting for Aimee.
"You know Ari since we're winking there you don’t need to wait at the front door."
Ari smiled nervously, "Yeah force of habit."
Aimee flexed her fingers, "Ready?"
Ari shook her head looking around the room, "No."
Aimee smiled and touched Ari. She winked thinking about the lobby to the building in New York. It was a bank on the bottom eight floors and the roses the other twelve floors. The air moved around them flashing colors for only a second and her boots made contact with the ground again.
"I hate that." Ari shivered.
Aimee laughed, "Yeah no one likes it."
Ari looked stunned seeing the modern and fancy lobby. Aimee remembered her first time and smiled, "I get it. You saw where I grew up. We didn’t have fancy buildings like this one."
"Its like something off a TV show."
Aimee laughed, "Well lets go see everyone." She walked up the large glass doors and walked up to the receptionist.
Ari gasped looking at the woman sitting at the desk, Aimee kicked her and made a face.
"Morning Gladys how are you?"
The woman smiled back flashing her bright green eyes, "Aimee how are you?"
"Great, this is Ari. I think Lydia called about her."
"Yes of course, Ari nice to meet you."
Ari stammered, "H-h-hi, uhm nice to m-m-meet you."
Aimee felt her face flush, "Sorry Gladys, first tiger."
Gladys laughed, "I remember everyone's first day."
Aimee dragged Ari to the waiting area and slumped her into a chair, "Dude not cool." She whispered almost silently.
Ari frowned, "Sorry. Her eyes…"
Aimee put a hand to Ari's mouth and whispered softly directly into Ari's ear, "No. Hush. She can hear your heart beat, werecats have incredible hearing. I will explain later." Aimee pulled back and smiled, "So did you say goodbye to everyone?"
Ari frowned, "uhm no. Ben was going to let me play with his wolf but we had to leave and he wasn’t at his room and Lucas was gone."
She smiled at Ari almost laughing, "Don't let Ben con you into playing with his wolf."
Ari frowned, "What? Why?"
>
Aimee rolled her eyes, "Just focus on finding a way to text Lucas and see if you can't get him to talk to you."
"I don’t have a cell anymore. Street urchin Ari lost hers." She rolled her eyes.
Aimee grimaced, "Okay well they will give you your cell phone pretty much the first day so I will add you and give you my contacts. You can text him if you want to."
Ari smiled, "I haven’t touched a cell phone since I left the desert. It's been really weird. I wondered at first if my friends missed me but then I remembered none of them have met me. Not since I became this. None of them would talk to a girl like me."
Aimee hugged her, "Ari you are the girl you were all along. The scars and the tats are kinda like a reminder of the path you don’t want to take."
"Aimee."
Aimee smiled seeing a tall man walk from behind the second set of glass doors, "Mr. Jacobs, how are you?" She stood hugging him and kissing either side of his face.
"Daniel please." The older man smiled softly. His elderly face, gray hair and genteel English accent were not to be mistaken with nice old man. Aimee learned that the first day. He might have soft blue eyes and enjoy a cup of English Breakfast every morning like her father but inside he was a frightening bloodsucker.
Aimee blushed, "Of course, Daniel this is Ari. Ari this is Mr. Daniel Jacobs, he is in charge of recruits and training."
Ari stood inspecting him, "Nice to meet you." Aimee could tell she was fighting her other self taking over. It was the poor kids defense system.
"Ari we have heard so much about you. Your gifts are so very rare. Please come in." He held a hand up to a scanner on the wall and the glass doors opened.
Aimee walked behind Ari who kept looking back at her. Aimee smiled trying to reassure her.
"This facility was built a long time ago but we've continually modernized based on current designs and trends."
Aimee hated the long shpeel but she listened as Daniel walked them through a bunch of labs and offices.
"We have been in this office for eighteen years and before this we were actually in a building on this very land for two hundred years. When the settlers came to the New World we came along. We started in New England first and then moved our headquarters here when the city really started to boom. Has either Lydia or Aimee told you anything?"
