Chapter 3

3

ARIA:

The smell of kerosene filled my nostrils.

I lifted my head up, watching my surroundings. Men were pouring it everywhere around me.

My eyes fell on the red patches of blood covering the white marble floor in front of me. Gideon’s blood.

I looked around, tired but alert.

Were they going to burn me alive?

I closed my eyes, silently praying to the god to make it just as painful as it was for Gideon. The man died because of me, so it was just that I had the same fate.

I didn’t have any energy left in me. I didn’t move my hand when a man nearly crushed it while passing by it. I just sat there, numb and cold.

How did it happen?

A. part of me was sad and angry, and the other part happy. A part screamed that I should be punished for the deaths I caused and the other told me it wasn’t my fault.

Nothing felt real for a while. I tried to think it was a dream, a nightmare but I knew better. It was reality and reality was worst than any nightmare.

A man destroyed everything just because I didn’t bow down to him.

I looked up at the sky, wanting to scream at my dad. Where had being strong gotten me? Nowhere. It had ruined me, broken me and left me with nothing. I was strong and the beast took everything I loved. I was alone.

No sister. No parents. No friend.

It was just me all over again.

Goosebumps broke over my skin when the cold, chilly air of December nights hit me in the face. My tears had dried up now. I curled my hands together in hopes to keep them warm but it was useless. My eyes fell on the bracelet chain that was somehow still on its place. It stung looking at the gift Gideon once gave me. Now he was gone and all that was left were memories.

It hurt that his body was probably still inside. I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t even give him a proper burial. I was useless.

My eyes moved to the mansion, I watched men spilling kerosene everywhere around the mansion. My eyes fell on a man who took out a match and lit it before dropping the flame on the ground and stepping away.

The mansion was my safe haven; my only resort from the demons of my past. I used to stay here when I was a teen and spend hours with Gideon.

I watched as the fire spread, embracing the mansion in red and orange flames. A moment later, the sound of a blast filled the air.

Gone.

Everything was gone.

My safe haven, my only resort exploded.

I was shoved into a car, the door was closed but my eyes were stuck on the red and orange flames that roared up to air, covering the mansion. White smoke rose to the sky, the mark of everything that was destroyed. Everything was turning into ashes. Flowers, trees, gardens. Even my best friend was inside the burning house.

Everything was gone, burned to ashes.

Fabiano Lombardi.

The King of Italy.

The Ruler of Underworld.

The villain in my tale.

The destructor of my life.

All I could see was him. I felt him all around me, taunting me, laughing at me.

I could smell the fuels, the fire, and the ashes. It was like they were etching themselves somewhere inside me.

When the car started, I bid the burning mansion one last goodbye.

“I failed, Gideon.” I whispered, knowing my friend was still somewhere inside there but I could do nothing but stare at the ruins.

Not a tear escaped my eye, not a single cry rose from my throat. It was like nothing was left. Or maybe I was in shock. I felt…

Empty.

I didn’t even try to escape because I couldn’t. There were two men in the car with me, one driving and the other had a gun pointed at me as if daring me to escape. If I was the old Aria. I would’ve took it from him and shot him with his own gun but now.

….so so empty.

I just rested my head on the leather seat, stared at the car ceiling through the bumpy ride and blinked. I didn’t speak. I didn’t know how long we have been travelling. Tears still filled my eyes but I wiped them every now and then to stop them from falling.

It felt like a storm had hit me and destroyed everything.

When the car jerked to a stop, my head banged against the seat. I winced at the impact, rubbed my forehead to sooth the paining area.

You should rub all your body, a voice whispered from the inside.

I couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle. It was true. I was hurting very where but did it matter? The men gave me a sharp look when I laughed. I was forced out of the car. I stepped into the chilling darkness of New York. My eyes lifted to the jet plane in front of me and I blinked.

“Come on.” The man gripped my forearm, yanking me towards the plane.

Run, a voice screamed, run away.

Run where? I had no one. I was all alone.

My feet came to a halt when I saw the beast standing near the plane. Even in dark, I could see his eyes settled on me. His stare messed with my mind, did something to my body. I hated it. I hated those grey eyes. My mind took me back to the first time I met him. I saw him first when he had a gun pointed at Alara.

“Lioness.” He had called me that on our first meeting.

Run.

When my eyes connected with his in the darkness that enveloped us, I listened to the screaming voice inside me.

Adrenaline shot through my system, my heart pumped more blood to my body as I prepared for flight. With a harsh tug, I yanked my arm out of the firm hold, whirled around and ran.

I ran like hell hounds were chasing me. Exactly, they weren’t but their king surely was. I faintly registered the shouts and orders being flown through the air in Italian but paid no mind to them.

My feet beat across the ground, my breathing came in short pants as I ran across the perimeters of the airport. Footsteps followed me, gaining on me.

Faster. You can do this.

My lungs burned without air, screamed at me to breathe but I had no time. I ran, pushed my legs harder as I ran across the runway. I never glanced back but I knew they were chasing me. I could feel it. The feeling of being a prey chased by a predator was something I never wanted to feel again. My eyes fell on the building in front of me. My heart raced inside me, a tendril of fear shot through me when I heard the sound of footsteps so close to me.

They were gaining on me.

No. Not them. He.

I felt him behind me but didn’t stop. My feet were aching and I knew I hadn’t been running for long. Maybe it was the stress that had tired me. I had no energy left yet I pushed myself.

Just as I was about to take the turn, hot breath fell on the side of my face. Dread coiled inside me. No. No. Before I could take another step, I was yanked back. My hair whipped as I gasped, curtaining my face when I swallowed air greedily.

“You can run all you want.” I heard him speak through pants, “But I’ll always follow you like your shadow.”

A pained sound escaped me when a something sharp struck my skin on the neck. Steel-grey eyes connected with mine through the veil of my hair.

His cold, taut expression was the last thing my eyes took in before they rolled to the back off my head and I slumped in the arms of the man who destroyed me.

***

The first thing I heard was the sound of waves crashing against the shore. It was a pleasant sound, making me feel like I was in heaven but I was wrong. When the pain hit me a moment later, I was sure that I was in hell. My body ached like I was run over by a truck. Everything hurt. My arms. My legs. My head.

My hand curled around the silk comforter covering me and that’s’ when my eyes snapped open. I jerked straight, wincing when a wave of pain washed over me.

“Fuck.”

Pushing the comforter away, I stood on shaky legs and moved towards the sound of waves. Light streamed in through the windows. I moved towards one of the window with trembling limbs, my heart thumping wildly against my chest when I looked out through the window.

My eyes widened at the sight.

Blue. Golden. Green.

Those were the only colors that kept filling my eyes wherever my eyes ran.

The bright sun peeked at me through the steel bars on the window, the rays of the sun glimmered over the waves as they washed over the golden sand. On the other side, trees spread as far as my eyes could see.

My hands wrapped around steel bars that covered the windows. It felt like windows of a cell. My mouth was open in a silent gasp as I stared at the nature in front of me.

This wasn’t my home. This wasn’t New York.

I stumbled back in shock, my throat constricted as my heart lurched. My legs were wobbly when I uncurled my hands from the steel bars and stepped away from the window.

Please tell me it’s a joke.

I whirled around, my hair flying everywhere when the door clicked open. My worst nightmare faced me and I wasn’t ready for it.

His grey eyes brought back the horrific memories that were buried somewhere deep inside me.

A pained sound echoed through the air. It was the most pitiful sound my ears had ever heard. It felt like the sound of dying animal.

And the animal was me.

His grey eyes never left mine as he crossed the distance between us. He stood so close to me, so close that I could smell soap and aftershave on him. His presence was like salt on my wounds. It burned me, ripped me apart, destroyed me from the inside.

It felt like I was burning alive.

And I wanted him to burn too.

He opened his mouth, his lips parted but I raised my hand and swung it, hitting him in the face. The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed in the silent room. His head snapped to a side, a strand of his raven hair fell on his forehead. My lips parted on their own when he lifted his head, meeting my bewildered stare with his furious one.

Reaching out, I pushed the strand away from his forehead. My palms cradled his face as I pulled him closer. My eyes stared into his as I brought him close to me. So close that our noses touched,

“What have you done?”

He had no answer for my question.

***