Gabriel’s POV
I was holding her in my arms tightly. Her sobs were a stab to my heart.
“Is that why you were so afraid?” I asked her quietly. “You thought I would hate you?”
She nodded and looked up at me.
“I was sure you would hate me once you realized that the woman who raised me took your family away,” she said with a trembling voice.
“She did,” I nodded and wiped her tears away. “But you had no fault in that. And you are nothing like her.”
Her lips quivered and she placed her head back on my chest. I hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
I looked at Nick and Annie. I could see sadness and worry in their eyes.
My heart was breaking when she was in pain. I wished I could take it all away. I wished that bitch took me instead. At least Aria would have been safe here with our grandma.
Aria lifted her head and let go of me. She wiped her tears away and sat back down on the bed next to Nick. He lifted her up and placed her in his lap.
“No way you are sitting next to me when my lap is empty,” Nick said when she tried to protest.
Annie chuckled and sat next to them on the bed.
“Why didn’t she kill me?” Aria asked quietly.
Nick growled and I clenched my fists.
“Your grandma said that she thought we shouldn’t even be born,” Aria said, looking at me. “Why didn’t she kill me when she took me away? What changed her mind?”
“Our grandma,” I said sternly. “And I don’t know.”
“Maybe she couldn’t do it. She probably fell in love with you as soon as she got you,” Annie said. “She loved you, Aria.”
“No,” Aria said and shook her head. “She didn’t love me at first.”
I narrowed my eyes on her. What does she mean by that?
“What do you mean?” Nick asked her before I could.
Aria sighed and looked down at her hands.
“I didn’t want to tell you this, but when I got my memories back, I found out she was not a really good grandma when I was a kid,” she said quietly.
“Why?” Annie asked surprised. “I mean I know what she did, but she was great when we were living in our village.”
“She was,” Aria nodded. “But when I was little, she used to hit me, starve me, and tell me that I was a mistake.”
I froze.
Nick growled loudly.
Annie gasped and covered her mouth.
“Now I know why she did and said that,” Aria said when none of us spoke.
“She hit you?” I managed to ask.
Nick was still growling, his eyes flickering from brown to black.
Annie was looking at Aria in shock.
“She was abusive, yes,” Aria said. “I spent most of the time at Cassie’s house. That’s why they mean so much to me.”
“Did they know?” Nick asked her.
“I think their mom did,” she sighed. “I think she tried to talk to my grandma a couple of times, but it didn’t help. Only made it worse, actually.”
Goddess do I hate that woman. If she wasn’t dead, I would gladly kill her myself.
“She is lucky she is dead,” Nick growled loudly.
Aria sighed and looked down at her lap.
“I am sorry, love,” Nick said and rubbed her back. “I know you loved her but to us, she is the woman who kidnapped and abused you. I hate her.”
“I know,” Aria said quietly. “It’s confusing. I loved her, you know.”
“We do,” I said and she looked up at me. “I am sorry she wasn’t who you thought she was.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears again.
“For what?” I asked and caressed her cheek.
“For taking care of me,” she said and smiled at me.
“Always,” I smiled back.
“Okay,” Annie said and clapped her hands. “Enough with the mushy stuff. My girl and I are having a girl’s night and you boys are leaving us alone.”
“No,” Nick said and growled.
“Yes,” Annie said and gave him a stern look. “She needs to relax and chill. And you two are not helping one bit.”
Aria chuckled and caressed Nick’s cheek.
“I could really use a girl’s night,” she said. “And you two really need a break from me and all the drama.”
Nick growled and I frowned.
“I don’t need a break from you,” I said.
“You know what I mean,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Go have fun. Just the two of you. You need to relax a bit as well.”
“Do you even have any other guy friends?” Annie asked us, smirking.
“We did,” Nick responded. “But thanks to Gabriel’s bad attitude we don’t anymore.”
The girls laughed and I couldn’t help but think how much I love the sound of their laughter.
“Hey,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t have a bad attitude.”
“Dude, you were pissed off most of the time until you found Aria,” Nick said with a smile on his face.
Aria looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I sighed.
“Fine,” I said. “Maybe I was a little bit pissed off.”
“If that was little, I hate to think what a lot would be like,” Nick laughed.
“Okay, enough!” I growled. “Now I do need a break.”
The three of them laughed and I frowned at them.
“I don’t like the idea of leaving you,” Nick said, changing the subject.
“Gabe, you said you put a spell around this place,” Annie said, turning to look at me. “Can anything happen to us here?”
“No,” I said confidently.
I am a great warlock. Nothing gets past my barrier.
“Did you hear that, Nick?” Annie asked him. “We will be perfectly safe here.”
“Maybe we could go to Louis’ bar,” I said. “I could use his wine after that little rant about me.”
I didn’t like the idea of leaving them either. But I could see Aria needed a break from everything. Nick wouldn’t keep his hands off her and I would be joined at the hip with her if I could. She needed a night with her friend, away from our over-possessive auras.
Nick grunted and ran his hand through his hair.
“Okay, fine,” he sighed. “You have two hours, and we are coming back. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Annie said seriously.
Aria stood up from Nick’s lap and he got up and walked over to me. I could see he was not happy about this, but I think Aria really needed this.
Aria’s POV
Annie and I were standing by the front door, waiting for the guys to leave.
I was really glad Annie suggested we have a girls’ night. I needed a step back from everything. I needed to stop thinking and try to get my emotions under control.
I constantly felt like I was on the edge of freaking out, panicking, and running away. But on the other hand, I felt so safe here. My feelings for Nick were getting stronger and I was really glad Gabriel was my brother. I always felt something for him and now I finally knew why.
“Call me if anything happens,” Nick said sternly, walking to me.
“I will,” I said and gave him a small smile.
Gabriel walked down the stairs and came to stand by Nick.
“Two hours,” Nick continued. “Not a minute longer.”
“When does the countdown start?” Annie asked with a smirk on her face.
I turned to her and chuckled. She was such a tease.
“As soon as we walk through that door,” Nick growled.
“It’s okay, Nick,” I said, calmly. “Go, relax and we will see you in two hours.”
He frowned and wrapped me in his arms. He kissed my forehead and breathed in my scent.
“Come on, man,” Gabriel said.
He let go of me with a frown on his face. He turned around and walked over to his car.
“Don’t leave the house and call us if you need anything,” Gabriel said.
“We will,” I smiled at him.
He hugged Annie, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and walked to Nick’s car.
As soon as he left, Annie closed the door and grabbed my hand.
She pulled me to the living room and motioned for me to sit down.
“Where are you going?” I asked her when she turned away from me.
“I’m getting us a drink,” she said, not looking back at me. “Beer or gin tonic?”
“Gin tonic,” I said and leaned back on the couch.
I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed in a matter of days. I didn’t even know how long it had been since I arrived in the City. It felt like months, but I knew it wasn’t. Only a few days had passed, but I lost track. My life changed so much that it kind of didn’t even make sense to keep track of time. I no longer knew who I was. Time really didn’t matter.
“Here you go,” Annie’s voice startled me.
I didn’t even hear her walk in.
“Thank you,” I said and took the glass from her hand.
She sat beside me on the couch and turned to me.
“How are you?” she asked me. “No bullshit. I want the truth.”
I sighed and took a sip of my drink.
“I have no idea,” I said honestly. “I’m confused, sad, angry, scared, in denial. But also, kind of happy that I have a brother. I feel safe here. Name an emotion and I have it, believe me.”
“What about Grace?” she asked quietly.
I looked at her and frowned. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t want to believe she did that. But there is no denying it, is there? She was a horrible woman. But on the other hand, she was my grandma. I loved her. She loved me. I mean later in life, but she did.”
“I had a tough time believing it as well,” Annie said quietly and looked down at the bottle in her hands. “I didn’t know her for long, but I never thought she was capable of such things.”
“How long have you known?” I asked her.
She took a sip of her beer and looked up at me.
“I found out the day Gabe asked us to move in,” she said.
I raised my eyebrows. She had known all this time?
“Don’t hate me, please,” she said and grabbed my hand. “Do you remember when they asked us, and we were both against it?”
I nodded and waited for her to continue.
“Then you went to your room and when you came back, I said we should go live with them,” she said, and I nodded again.
“While you were upstairs, Gabriel showed me the video you saw today,” she continued. “He knew we wouldn’t go, and he needed to convince one of us. And at the time he didn’t want to tell you, so he told me.”
I sighed and took a big sip of my drink.
“I would ask you why you didn’t tell me, but I know it wasn’t your story to tell,” I said quietly.
“It wasn’t,” she said and smiled at me. “I am really glad you finally know. I know it is hard for you to accept all of this, but you found your brother. That is amazing.”
I gave her a small smile and looked down at the glass in my hands.
“Do you still want to go see Cassie and Jake?” she asked me.
I nodded. “Yes. I need to find them. I don’t really know who I am anymore, and I’ve known them the longest. I consider them family. They were my support system when my grandma was horrible to me. I need them now as well.”
“The guys are freaking out about you going back to your old village,” Annie said with a small smile on her face.
“Why?” I frowned.
“They are afraid you won’t come back here,” she explained. “They think you will want to stay there with them.”
I sighed. It’s not like that idea hasn’t crossed my mind. But I thought I wouldn’t be able to leave Nick. This bond thing really messed with my head. I needed him now. And I wouldn’t be able to leave Gabriel. Or Annie.
But how amazing was it that they were willing to take me there despite their fear?
“But they still want to take me there,” I voiced out my thoughts.
“That’s how much they love you,” Annie said with a big smile on her face.
“I wouldn’t leave them,” I said. “I couldn’t leave them. Or you.”
“I am really glad to hear that, A,” Annie said and took my hand in hers.
Annie and I continued talking, which made me feel a little bit better. But honestly, I still felt lost. Like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like my body was in shock and I couldn’t feel the pain yet.
