by Anna Santos
I arched an eyebrow. “The kiss?”
“Well...” Camille seemed a bit uncomfortable. “Cedric is the prince and he will be the future king.”
“So?”
“All the girls want him to be their mate. He wanted a mate too, therefore, he had some gargoyle girls dating him and kissing him to see if they were the ones. No luck there, though. Charlotte would be the next one in line. I guess you arrived before she could have her try.” She smirked evilly.
I frowned at her. I didn’t know if I should be angry or confused about everything she was telling me.
Camille added, “I really don’t like her. It would be a nightmare if she were Cedric’s mate. I’m so glad it was you!”
“I think Cedric has a lot of explaining to do,” I muttered, wrapped up in my own thoughts and staring at the French doors that gave access to the pool.
“Aria,” Camille called me, grabbing my arm before I could leave her side.
I glared at her, and she sighed, making me lose the hard stare. It was not her fault.
“Calm down. Being jealous will not help. He is yours now. There’s nothing she can do to change that. So, don’t be mad at Cedric. Men can be jerks, but Cedric is not going to leave you or reject you. Okay? Take a deep breath and cheer up. Don’t let her know that you feel threatened by her.”
“I’ll try, but I can’t promise I won’t burn her to ashes!”
“What?” she asked, widening her eyes at my threatening words.
“I have no idea why I just said that, but she is really making me upset. My hands are burning, and I have an intense urge to kick her ass. And I’m not normally this…prone to violence. I’m losing my mind.” I sighed, covering my face with my hands and breathing deeply as Camille suggested I do.
“You are changing. Your angel is taking over,” Camille said. Then she added, “It will be okay. You just need to calm down. Go outside to eat and don’t let that girl get on your nerves. She can be self-centered, though. She thinks the world revolves around her.”
“I know someone else like that, so it won’t be a surprise,” I mumbled, remembering Philippe with disgust. I didn’t want to remember him. I didn’t want to know that he even existed. I was very focused on forgetting his night visit and his intentions of getting me back.
“I have a lot to do. Go eat and be friendly,” Camille said, putting a hand on my shoulder and rubbing it.
I nodded and listened to her walking away.
I was hungry, and I was supposed to meet Cedric at the pool to eat. It was supposed to be a couple’s thing, but I was willing to go there and act like a mature person and pretend that I hadn’t witnessed the girl’s arrival and the way she was flirting with my boyfriend. I could do that. Or I could smack her in the face if she called me stupid one more time.
I stepped forward and walked to the doors while checking my soft sundress and brushing my hair with my fingers. I was feeling insecure and deceived. To make things worse, the closer I got to the pool, the more laughter and flirty comments I heard coming out of Charlotte’s mouth. Cedric didn’t seem to mind them. He was actually laughing and teasing her back. I could just growl in anger. It was supposed to be a romantic breakfast near the pool for two, not three! And even if I disregarded the fact that she had jumped into his arms, I couldn’t overlook the fact that the girl was a beauty and was clearly in love with him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ARIA
I was ready to cause a scene or, at least, get really upset with Cedric if he continued to indulge that girl’s behavior. I stepped outside into the glorious sun and walked to where Cedric was seated with Charlotte near the pool. Charlotte saw me first since Cedric had his back to me. She lost her smile and that made me widen mine, even if I was mentally growling at her hand on his shoulder. If she didn’t take that hand off him, she was going to fly across Europe and land in the damn open sea!
“Aria,” Cedric called, turning around and acknowledging my arrival. “What took you so long, darling?” he asked, getting up and coming to me.
He leaned down to my face and kissed my lips.
“I stopped to talk to Camille,” I said, playing the innocent part. “And who is your friend?”
“This is Charlotte, the princess of London’s angels and gargoyles.”
“Hello,” the girl greeted me with a big smile, getting up and running to kiss me on the face.
I was taken aback by the greeting. I was not expecting that. Oh, she was good!
“You can call me Charlie. It’s so nice to meet you,” she said in her fake girly voice.
She was good at pretending. I couldn’t deny that fact. I knew she was faking it, though. So I wasn’t going to fall for her show.
“Hello.” I faked a smile.
“Charlotte is visiting us. She came to meet you.”
Bullshit, I thought to myself and wondered why he was lying.
“Yes, when I learnt that Cedric had found his mate, I had to come here and see it for myself. You don’t know how lucky you are,” she happily spoke.
I kept my fake smile on my lips. “I bet I don’t,” I whispered and stared at Cedric, losing my smile. “Why didn’t you show her in and come find me, Cedric?”
“We were waiting for you to join us outside for breakfast.”
“Oh, to join you two,” I repeated, swallowing the words hard. “And our romantic breakfast, are we going to reschedule that?”
“Oh, no, I thought we could spend some time with Charlotte. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”
“Oh, you want to spend some time with Charlotte,” I mumbled, taking in his words and repeating them to him, so he would understand where he went wrong.
“We can have a romantic dinner,” he said, ruffling his hair with a blank stare.
“Where? Are we finally going to the city?” I asked, feeling a bit excited.
I wanted to see Paris. Being stuck in the house was not seeing Paris. The only time I was able to go into the city for anything was when we went shopping the day before. There were lots of places I still had to visit. Cedric had promised me he would take me to see them. So far, he was not keeping his promises. And now, he had that girl at our table, talking to him like he was single. But I could play her game. I could fake a smile and act like a spoiled brat to get his attention.
Cedric said, “I thought we could have dinner at home.”
“What home? Aren’t we leaving this home?”
“We will be in a new place soon enough.”
“I really don’t see the point of leaving this place.”
“You know it is to keep you safe.”
“I thought you were supposed to keep me safe. Besides, he won’t come here again.”
Cedric frowned. “Are you saying that you don’t want to leave this house?”
“I’m saying that you’ve promised to spend some time with me and to take me out to see Paris.”
“I would love to go out,” Charlotte said, clapping her hands. “I really want to go to Disneyland. Can we go to Disney, can we?” she asked, staring at Cedric.
I think I stared at them with an open mouth. She was joking, right?
“Of course, we can go to Disney. I bet Aria will love it! What do you think, honey?”
“Disney…” I whispered not believing my ears.
“It will be lots of fun,” Cedric interrupted my thoughts.
I explained, “I would rather go to see the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre.”
“Seriously, that’s so boring,” Charlotte said with a disgusted face.
Cedric laughed as he rested his arm on the back of my chair. “Anyway, I can’t go today. But we can go tomorrow.” He stared at me with hopeful eyes. “And we can go out to dinner when the city is safe again. The vampires want revenge. It will be dangerous in the city at night. Besides, I need to go to William’s house. I have to check on the sick vampires.”
“So you have work to do,” I told him, frowning with deception. “And now y
ou are busy with your friend. So you don’t really have time to spend with me.”
“Darling, you have to understand that royals have a lot of things to do,” Charlotte intervened once again in our private conversation.
I spared her a look as she was defending Cedric. The way she said ‘darling’ with that conceited British accent made me livid.
“Of course, I understand that. However, Cedric and I are mates now, so he has to have time for me. Doesn’t he? Don’t you?” I asked him. “Or am I too much trouble and am getting in your way?”
Cedric’s face became serious. “You’re not, of course, you are not.”
“But it seems I am.”
“Of course not. I promise that we can do whatever you want tomorrow. We can even go to dinner in town.”
“Tomorrow. Aren’t you planning to take Charlotte to Disneyland tomorrow?”
“We will have free time at night. And you are also going with us to Disneyland.”
I narrowed my eyes, fuming. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you are listening to me. I don’t want to go there.”
“So, what will you do while we are gone?” he asked with puzzled eyes.
“I don’t know Cedric. Maybe I’ll die from boredom. Or maybe I may want to go somewhere or meet someone on my own. I may even want to go get my stuff at my uncle’s place. You promised me that we would go there.”
“I told you I can buy you anything else you may need.”
“I have something there that can’t be bought or replaced,” I explained, losing my patience. I was getting upset with his assumption that money could buy everything and make me happy.
“Then tell me what it is. I can send someone to get it.”
“I want to get it myself since there is no point in faking my death anymore, is there?”
“We should talk about that when we are alone,” he whispered as he lowered his head. He seemed uncomfortable with the matter.
I stared at Charlotte who was listening to our quarrel with amusement in her eyes. “I was hoping to be alone with you here,” I said. “But it seems you have made other plans.”
“You are being rude to our guest, Aria,” Cedric declared.
“I’m the one being rude?” I whispered to myself. “Was her arrival planned? Did you know she was coming?” I questioned since I was recognizing that Cedric was pretty keen on keeping me in the dark about things.
“No.”
“I see.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Charlotte said. “I didn’t know I was an imposition on you, Cedric. I’m sorry. I’ll just leave.”
“No, Charlie. Just relax. Aria is overacting. She isn’t normally like this.”
“No, I’m not. But I got tired of being the understanding one,” I told them with a sarcastic smile as I folded my arms and got up from the chair. “After all, it seems that being a bitch gets you all the attention around here.”
“What is wrong with you, Aria? You are being extremely rude,” Cedric complained.
“What is wrong with me?” I asked, fisting my hands as I turned my back to him and stormed off. “I didn’t ask for any of this shit! I was perfectly happy, living my boring life, so I really don’t want to be in a place where it seems that I’m not wanted. So, go back to your gargoyle girlfriends and leave me the hell alone,” I exploded, making a scene while he was following me.
“Aria,” he pleaded, holding onto my waist and hugging me to his chest. “Why are you acting like this? This is so not like you.”
“I don’t know. But I thought you liked spoiled girls with brains the size of a peanut. Scratch that, a pea! What is she doing at our breakfast table and why in the hell are you flirting with her?”
“I’m not flirting with her,” he denied as if it was something outlandish that I had just come up with. Was he that unaware of his actions?
“Yes, you are,” I said with a sober voice and killer stare. “I don’t care if that bimbo is the damn Queen of England. If she touches you one more time, I’ll burn her fake smile down to ashes.”
“Don’t you think you are overreacting? We are friends.”
“I’m sorry, weren’t you the one who said you could cut off Philippe’s head if he were to get near me again?”
“I said I will cut his head off, not that I could,” he said, getting angry just by listening to his name.
“Well, if that snide girl fakes one more smile at me, I’ll just smack her in the face.”
“You are being too harsh with Charlotte. You are overreacting without having taken the time to know her. She is a really sweet girl. You just need to give her a chance. You have no need to be jealous of her.”
“So, you are defending her,” I said, taking his hands from my stomach and getting away from his hug.
When I turned, I noticed that Charlotte was eating my food as if we weren’t just having a big fight because of her.
“I’m not defending her. I’m just…talking to you. Charlotte is my friend.”
“No, Cedric. Charlotte was going to be your next girlfriend. I was at the door, I heard everything,” I told him.
He frowned at me as if I was acting crazy. He had no idea what I was talking about or he was just thinking that there was nothing wrong with bringing home the competition. Either way, he was out of his mind if he thought that I was going to take that.
“Charlotte was playing,” he whispered. “She wasn’t talking seriously. She was kidding, nothing more.”
“I thought you were more clever than that. I guess I was wrong,” I complained, walking back with my heart feeling stupid and my inner voice screaming to get away from there.
“You are acting really strange, honey,” he whispered, making me more frustrated.
“Go to hell!” I turned my back to him and left to go to my bedroom.
I was able to reach the stairs, thinking of plans of how I would leave this place and deciding that I was not going to take anything with me other than the dress I was wearing and a coat. Maybe Camille could help me with that and take me to my uncle’s place.
“Aria, baby, wait,” he called for me, following me and grabbing my wrist to stop me.
“I swear, Cedric, if you touch me again, I’ll kick you,” I warned, glaring at him.
He released me, but he looked sad with my threat. “Just go to your room. I’ll get you some food, and we can talk there.”
“The hell I will. I’m not going to my room. I’m going to find Camille and ask her to take me home.”
“What?” He became pale. “You can’t go home. You are my mate now.”
“Are you sure about that? Because you seem to have a replacement for me right there.” I pointed outside. “You know what? I can’t even look at you right now, so I’m just leaving to wherever I damn well want. You can go back there, talk to your friend, and take care of your royal duties.”
I ran upstairs. I would probably kick him in the privates if he followed me and kept making up excuses for Charlotte’s behavior.
I arrived breathless to my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and stared at the bed with a haunted expression.
I was losing it!
I was so mad that I could destroy everything. I was burning up, my hands were extremely hot, and I smelled smoke. I looked around and noticed that my hands were burning the door. I removed them, staring at the black imprint burned into the wood. I stared at my hands and it was as if they were releasing tiny sparks of fire.
I jumped when someone knocked.
“Aria, are you okay? It’s me, Camille! Open the door.”
“It’s open,” I whispered, fisting my hands in excruciating pain. It was getting worse. It was consuming me from inside out as if I was going to burst into flames.
“Are you okay?” she asked, opening the door and finding me there in front of her with my hands on fire. “Oh God! Your wings and your hair!” she said with her voice holding an edged with hysteria.
“My hands are burning,” I showed her as I rep
layed her words in my mind. “What wings?”
She pointed them out with her eyes. I stared behind me and saw a shadow of red and orange feathers. I swallowed hard, trying to understand if I had any feeling of them on my back. If I had wings, I should feel them as if it was another limb. I got no feeling. The only thing I had was a burning sensation in my skin. “I think I’m going to explode, Camille,” I sobbed.
“I think you will too,” she whispered with a frightened look in her eyes.
The last thing I remembered was seeing her hands pointed at me and her power leaving them like water wrapping around me. Then I closed my eyes, feeling my body burst. I screamed in pain until everything went black and quiet inside my head.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CEDRIC
I felt it in my chest when her angel awakened and burst into flames. I curled down and held a scream inside my throat. It itched and burned my insides. I heard her call for me as my own angelic wings burst on my back in an explosion of white feathers with silver glitter.
I gasped for air, listening to Camille screaming for me, urging me to go inside Aria’s bedroom and grab her. It was painful to walk, though. But Aria’s angel kept calling for me to go to her, too.
When I opened my eyes, I had transported myself inside her bedroom. I gasped in shock with the vision of Aria burning up in a ball of fire that was only being contained by Camille’s force field around her. I could see her red hair sparkling golden and orange flames and her red wings with orange edges shining while curled around my mate in a protective position. She had her hands folded against her chest and her eyes closed. She had yelled. I had listened to her pain that echoed on my skin and made me gasp for air. It was torturous and painful. It still hurt while I watched my mate, astounded. She was so beautiful and deadly that my heart started to pound faster and faster.
I had no clue how to stop her angel from trying to burn the place down to ashes.
