by Abella Ward
"Grab ice-cream and cry," Aria supplied.
"Exactly. Instead of that, we go out. We go to a great club or something and dance until dawn and drink non-alcoholic beverages."
Aria smiled. She turned back to her friend and nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. Let's do it. All partying, no crying."
"And maybe by the time we're both half-dead from exhaustion, you'll want to talk."
Aria rolled her eyes. "Maybe. I doubt it."
***
"My feet are going to fall off," Aria groaned, hobbling as she and Sonya leaned against each other for support. They had been going from club to club, dancing for hours. She didn't even know what time it was anymore. "I shouldn't have worn heels this high. It was a bad idea."
Sonya giggled, turning her face into Aria's shoulder. "I know! Me either. Now, look at us. We're stumbling around like a couple of drunks. It's time to go home, isn't it?"
Aria nodded. She was sufficiently exhausted that she might have the strength to face what was going on in her tangled love life. The two women made it to the curb and hailed a cab. Still laughing, they climbed in and collapsed onto the soft leather seats.
"Oh, I think I could sleep for a month," Sonya said with a sigh.
"Me, too." Aria leaned forward to the cab driver. "Hey, so—"
The driver turned and smiled. Twin fangs flashed. "Goodnight, ladies."
Before Aria could even register that there was a vampire in the front seat, her lungs started feeling like they were filling with water. She clutched her chest. Her head spun. Black spots burst before her eyes. Sonya grabbed her arm and gasped. Aria struggled to think clearly.
The last thing she thought before she fell unconscious was that she hoped that this wasn't Gavin.
Chapter Eight – Gavin
Gavin roared, overturning his desk. Computer, papers, pens, and photographs flew every which way. The human police chief flinched back from him, face paling, and the two vampires that were in the room with them subtly shifted, shielding the fragile human. The king slammed his fist into the wall, cracking his knuckles.
"Are you certain?" he growled.
"M-my lord, the proof is undeniable," the chief stuttered. "Queen Monique is behind these kidnappings."
"That wretched, twisted, evil —" Gavin forced himself to still.
He inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. The scent of the human's blood made his stomach gurgle, reminding him of how long it had been since he'd drunk blood fresh from the vein. Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Aria left him, and he hadn't even visited the humans that lived on palace grounds for the lower-ranked vampires to drink from. He'd been subsisting off of the bagged stuff, and it honestly just wasn't good enough.
But the thought of drinking from anybody but Aria made his stomach churn.
"If you are wrong, there will be severe consequences."
"We have tracked the kidnappers to her kingdom. Our undercover agent saw her himself. We haven't heard anything from him since he reported it. We fear the worst."
Gavin nodded, his rage turning cold in his chest. Monique had made a terrible mistake. He looked at one of his vampires. "Mobilize the army. We will not let her kidnap our people without repercussions. We move out in four hours."
"Sir, that might not be enough time—"
"Four hours." Gavin pointed at the door, silently dismissing them all. The vampires all bowed and left. In the case of the police chief, he all but ran away.
The king closed his eyes once the door slammed shut behind them. He needed blood. Living blood, none of this bagged crap. Maybe if he went to Aria and told her the truth… Maybe if he told her that she was the best thing to happen to him and that he was sorry for the way he acted…
A gentle rap on his door made him snarl. "What?"
The door opened and one of the cleaning women poked her head in. Her eyes were like saucers, one of her small fangs worrying her lower lip. "M-my lord, there is a human here to see you."
"Why would I want to see a human? Send him away."
The door slammed open, revealing Aria's father. The king narrowed his eyes at the man. What was his name? Gavin could only remember his surname, and that was only because it was the same as Aria's. "Mr. Taylor. What are you doing here?"
"I want to see my daughter." The human marched up to the king, eyes blazing. A throbbing vein popped out of his forehead. "I don't care what your rules are, you have no right to keep her from calling me! I am her father."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Gavin was tempted to just throw him out the door. "Aria isn’t here. She left two weeks ago. Didn't even come back for her things – she just cut off all contact."
Mr. Taylor's brows furrowed. His hands clenched. "What are you talking about? The last time I spoke with her, she said she was pregnant and didn’t know how to tell you. But she didn't want to leave. No matter what excuses she gave me —"
"She didn't want to stay, she —"
"She loves you. I don't know why, but she does."
Gavin stared at the little human. Aria's father thought that she loved him? But that was impossible. If she loved him, why would she leave?
Okay, that one might be obvious.
The king turned away. He had acted immature, like he owned her. A girl like Aria wouldn't stand for that. But that didn't explain the pregnancy. Vampires simply couldn't father children.
"She doesn't love me. She slept with another man."
Mr. Taylor snorted. "My Aria sleeping around? No. What makes you think she did that?"
"She's pregnant. Humans and vampires cannot have young together."
"Why not?"
"Because vampires are the undead." Gavin took a deep breath, the pain of Aria's betrayal ripping yet another hole in his heart. He hadn't even let himself hope that somehow the child she carried was his. Hoping was too painful. "Vampires don't have heartbeats. We don't have blood. Both are necessary components to the whole process of pregnancy."
He turned back to see Gavin staring at him with a puzzled look. "Both are necessary for sex. Yet Aria made it clear that you two…" He flinched. "As much as I hate to think of her… doing that, you did, didn't you? So why not whatever process that allows that to happen also allows a pregnancy to occur? I know my little girl. She would never sleep with someone she didn't love. And she loves you."
"Me." Gavin wet his lips.
What Aria's father was saying couldn’t be true, could it? For the past two weeks, he'd been angry and hurt, wondering over and over again what he could have done differently. Could it be that all he needed to do was listen? Put aside what he thought he knew and be open to the impossible?
She had tried to tell him. Sonya tried to tell him, too. But he hadn't listened. He didn't want to listen, and Aria had known that. That was why she cut him out of her life. Because if he wouldn't listen to her when it mattered most, what use did she have for him in her life?
The revelation made his heart rise even as his stomach clenched. He had a chance now. He knew what he needed to do to make this right. At least, he knew how to ask her to come back to him. Whether she would or not was uncertain… but he had to ask.
He focused on Mr. Taylor again. "You said that you haven't heard from her in two weeks."
"I thought that you were stopping her."
"Why would I—" The king shook his head. Humans knew too little about the vampires who ruled them. That had to change. "The last I saw her, she was at her friend Sonya's house. I thought that they might be… getting back together."
Mr. Taylor narrowed his eyes. "Just because she is bisexual doesn't mean she's going to sleep with everybody she finds attractive. If you can't see that she would be monogamous to you —"
"I was an idiot, I know that." Gavin held up his hands. "But the pressing concern is where she is."
The human nodded. His brow furrowed. "I haven't seen Sonya for a while, either, come to think of it. But if you and Aria had a fight, then chances are they would have
gone clubbing or something. That's what they always did when Aria had a disappointment."
"That doesn't explain why neither of us has heard from Aria in two weeks."
"If they were out all night… Do you think something happened to them?"
Clubbing.
A ball of dread slipped into the pit of Gavin's stomach. He leaped over his turned desk and grasped the files that contained the missing persons that Monique had taken. All had disappeared from clubs or bars. Bile churned in his stomach as Gavin stood again. Sonya and Aria had most likely gone clubbing and now they were missing. Two women, alone, vulnerable. The perfect targets. Monique's forces must have taken them.
"I think I know where they might be," Gavin growled. He turned towards Mr. Taylor. "I'll get somebody to set you up in a room here so you can stay up to date with what is happening. I promise I will bring her back."
"Where is she?"
Gavin headed for the door. He would get Aria back. And he would get his people, his subjects, back. Monique would rue the day she chose to abduct humans from his kingdom. They were not cattle to be traded or stolen. He was their king and protector. He would get them all back, no matter what it took.
Mr. Taylor jogged to catch up with him. "Where is she?" he repeated.
Gavin's face was grim. "Paris."
Chapter Nine – Aria
The thin crack from the trap door in the ceiling cast a watery beam of light over Aria's face. Occasionally, a shadow would pass over it, but there was no telling what lay beyond the crack. She huddled close to Sonya, trying to borrow a little warmth from her friend. Darkness and bars surrounded them. Somewhere beyond the bars were more bodies, and sometimes they would whisper to each other or cry, but other than that, everyone was silent.
"How long do you think we've been here?" she asked Sonya for the millionth time.
"I don't know. How often do they feed us?"
"I don't know."
They fell back to silence. The only comfort in this place was that Aria knew now that this wasn't Gavin's doing. Her suspicion of him ate a deep hole in the pit of her stomach, but Sonya had overheard somebody talking about Monique when she first woke. And if this was the queen's doing, then Gavin would be here soon to save them… Wouldn't he?
The trap door above them was suddenly thrown open. Aria flinched as the light stabbed her eyes, but she greedily drunk it in at the same time. Her eyes adjusted enough to see a ladder extending into the pit. A vampire jumped in and grabbed her.
"No!" Sonya shouted, grasping Aria's wrists.
The vampire shoved Sonya away. "Quiet."
Aria struggled against him, but his grip was like steel around her waist as he dragged her up the ladder. He tossed her onto the floor. When she looked up, she found herself staring in Queen Monique's face.
"Get her cleaned up," the queen ordered, her delicate, pretty face twisted in fury. "Stealing Gavin's human. This could end all my plans. You!"
Aria flinched as Monique grabbed her arm and shook her.
"Was this your trick? Did you plan to force Gavin's hand? He may be on his way with his armies to retrieve you, but if you breathe a word of what you saw here, your pretty blonde friend down there and all the other humans I gathered will be killed and their bodies fed to sharks."
Aria tried to pull her arm away, but Monique's grip was too tight.
"Do you understand me?" the queen snarled.
Aria glanced down at Sonya's terrified face as the trap door was shut again. "I won't say anything."
The queen relaxed. "Good. Now be a good girl and don't fight my people as they clean you up. I have to phone Gavin and do some damage control. I depend on idiots."
A blindfold was wrapped around her eyes. Aria opened her mouth to demand that Sonya is released as well. Maybe if she threatened to expose Monique's actions, the queen would let her friend go. But what if she didn't? What if she only hurt Sonya for it? Aria closed her mouth again and let herself be pulled away by the vampire attendants. She thought furiously as they scrubbed her skin, brushed her hair and dusted makeup over her cheeks. There had to be a way to tell Gavin what she knew without putting Sonya at risk…
And if she didn't tell? What would happen to her friend then?
Her mind was a blur of thought, trying to find an answer. Eventually, she just had to close her eyes and concentrate on Gavin instead. He was coming for her. Despite all his flaws, despite her pride, he was coming for her. And it made her heart soar.
Monique had her sitting next to her on a couch, a teacup in her hand when Gavin arrived at the Paris palace. The queen's head of security came in and bowed.
"My lady, Gavin's forces are surrounding the palace and relieving your men of their weapons."
"And we will be accommodating to him. What he is doing is no less than invasion, but I'll let the other kingdoms decide his fate."
Aria swallowed hard as the vampire bowed and took his leave. Her heart pounded. The humans were kept in the lower regions of the palace – certainly Gavin would be able to find them?
The queen pinched her arm, apparently reading her thoughts. "Remember, if you say anything, those humans die. And your friend will be the first. Now, do drink up. Your king is here."
Aria sipped her scalding tea. Her hands trembled. Monique rolled her eyes and plastered a welcoming smile on her face.
Moments later, Gavin strode through the door. Aria's heart swelled to bursting as soon as she saw him. She dropped the teacup, the fragile china shattering as soon as it hit the floor. The king stopped in the doorway, amber eyes fixed on her. With a cry, Aria launched herself across the room. She threw herself into Gavin's arms.
"My lord, it's a pleasure to be able to reunite you with your love," Monique said, her voice syrupy sweet. "I can't tell you how angry I was when I learned about the illegal human-trading ring operating in my own kingdom. My people are working now to uncover—"
"And I have information that implicates you in this 'ring,'" Gavin interrupted. He gently pushed Aria behind himself and advanced on the queen. "Spare me the shocked looks, Monique. The results of my people's investigations have been quite clear."
Monique stood and drew herself to her full height. She was a head shorter than Aria herself. "My dear Gavin, I can accept that you are distraught from almost losing your human here, but those accusations just may take us to war. I had nothing to do with this. Ask your human. My forces rescued her."
Gavin glanced back at Aria. She didn’t know what to say, so she settled on the only truth she could tell him. "They still have Sonya."
"And I will tear apart this kingdom to find her. As for you," Gavin pointed at Monique, "you will stay in your palace under house arrest until my own investigations are complete. And if any of my subjects have been killed or harmed in any way, you will pay for it."
Monique spluttered. Gavin turned on his heel and marched away. His arm wrapped around Aria's waist protectively. She leaned into his strength, grateful he was there. Her eyes burned with tears, no matter how hard she fought against them. The king led her to a room little ways down the hallway, never releasing her.
"Continue your investigation," he said to somebody who stood outside the door after they were inside. "I will be here with Aria. Inform me of any move the queen makes."
He shut the door and turned to Aria. Regret and pain flashed across his face. Aria sat heavily on a chair, not certain she knew what to do now. She could tell Gavin what she knew, but what if she was condemning Sonya by speaking? And what if she was condemning her friend by staying silent?
"Aria." Gavin knelt beside her and took her hands in his. "I'm so sorry. For everything. I'm sorry I got mad at you when we were last here. I'm sorry for accusing you of betraying me. I'm sorry for acting as though I owned you. I am so, so very sorry. And I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you'll let me."
Aria threw herself into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder, her body shuddering. "I'm just so scared."
/> "I'm here now. I'll protect you."
How could she tell him that it wasn't herself that she was worried about? "Just hold me."
He kissed her head. "Of course."
He scooped her and carried her into the bedroom, where he laid her on the bed and came up behind her. His arms wrapped around her. His breath wafted across her neck. Aria pushed herself against him, drinking in his strength. To her surprise, the fear started to dissipate as she pressed her body closer to his. But it wasn't enough.
Aria spun around, earning a surprised grunt from Gavin. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She kissed him hard and slung her leg over his hip. Gavin groaned, returning the kiss with fervor. His hands dug into her skin, pulling her closer to him. Aria scrambled with his shirt, frantic. The cool, toned flesh that met her fingertips made goosebumps spring to life all down her arms. He ground against her, then pulled back.
"Wait," he whispered. "Does this mean you forgive me? That you'll come back to me, despite what I did?"
Aria nodded. "Yes. If you'll forgive me for giving up on you."
"Of course." He peppered kisses to her face and neck. "Aria… I would forgive you for anything and everything."
She slipped his shirt off his shoulders. "I didn't sleep with anybody else. This baby is yours. Please believe me."
Gavin brushed the hair from her face, then unzipped the back of her dress. "I don't know how it's possible, but if you say this baby is mine, then I believe you. Once we get back to my palace, we'll have to run tests. We have to make sure you're safe with this. I can't lose you."
"My doctor didn't notice anything wrong. But I understand your point." She shivered as his hands coasted her skin. "Is it right to be here with you when Sonya…?"
Gavin finished slipping her dress off her, then rested his hands on her hips. "Whatever you want, Aria. I don't think it's wrong to take a little comfort, but if you don't want to, then we don't have to."
