Chapter 16
Sixteen
Aries stood rigidly, fingers raking through his dark hair as his patience clearly waned. ”Out with it,” he growled.
Pisces sucked in a shaky breath, smoothing her dress over her thighs. A tornado of jumbled words and emotions erupted from her. ”I overheard Gemini and Virgo talking about some secret mirror realm that could contain the missing Cerulean Tear! They were discussing whether to tell us but decided to keep it hushed up for now!” The words detonated like bombs, tumbling over each other in a frantic rush as Pisces tried to recount the whole confounding conversation verbatim. Aries” expression morphed from annoyed disinterest into a darkening storm as the depths of Gemini and Virgo”s deception became clear.
When she finally ran out of breath, Aries arched one mocking eyebrow. ”You expect me to believe this?”
White-hot rage blazed through Pisces” every nerve ending. How dare he dismiss her again. After everything, after dragging her from the beach, trapping her here against her will, now he dared to accuse her of more deception?
”Why wouldn”t you believe me?” she shouted, leaping from the chair as the dam holding back her anger finally gave way. ”Why on earth would I come bursting in here, putting myself at your mercy...again, if I were making something like this up?” She flung her arms out, showcasing her painfully mundane mortality with a sardonic twirl. ”Take a good look! I”m clearly not the all-powerful being you seem to think I once was. I wouldn”t dream of jeopardizing what little ground I have left by lying to the very creature who loathes me most!”
Chest heaving, fists clenched, she took one deadly step closer to the immovable column of Aries” muscled form blocking the door. ”Or do you just enjoy belittling and berating me at every turn because it makes you feel like a big, powerful, all-knowing god?”
Pisces could feel the flames of her rage licking higher, scorching away her self-control. With an inarticulate shout of fury, she shoved Aries hard, putting her whole body”s weight behind the assault. Predictably, he didn”t even rock back on his heels, but she couldn”t stop the tirade now. She was too far in. ”I don”t care what happened before!” she ranted, flecks of spittle flying from her lips as she invaded his space, poking one accusatory finger into his carved granite pecs over and over. ”I didn”t ask for any of this! All I want is the truth about who I am and what happened to me! But instead of helping, you just take pleasure in treating me lower than a worm under your boot! Well, guess what, you’re the worm.”
Whether from the exertion or the pain of reliving her identity crisis constantly, hot tears sprang to Pisces” eyes and began tracing scorching paths down her cheeks. ”You may think I’ve wronged you once upon a time, but I am a living, feeling soul who never did anything to deserve?—”
Her words broke off in a choked sob as the full emotional weight threatened to smother her. Head hung in defeat, she retreated from Aries and sank back into the chair, body quaking as the tears streamed freely. ”You don”t have to believe me, Aries. I didn”t ask for your help. I never wanted you here...just leave me alone.”
Several beats passed in thick silence as Pisces” ragged breathing slowly calmed until she mustered just enough strength to meet Aries” expression. Braced for a volcanic backlash, she was stunned to find him instead...smirking? An unmistakable flicker of amusement danced across his chiseled features as he took in her messy, emotionally-wrung state.
”Think this is funny, do you?” she snarled, leaping back up to advance on him again. This final indignity shredded her last vestige of restraint. ”Well, let me leave you with one more parting laugh, you arrogant, callous, sadistic?—”
She froze as his heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder, pinning her in place. But his grip wasn”t forceful—it was almost gentle, taking the fire out of her bluster. As his eyes bore into hers, the smirk slowly faded from his lips, leaving behind a mysterious look of...affection? Longing? It made no sense and sent Pisces” thoughts spiraling in dizzying circles. Without a word of rebuke or snide comment, Aries stepped aside, clearing her path to the exit.
Pisces sniffed hard, swiping her cheeks with the back of her trembling hand as she tried to process this nonsensical shift. Part of her wanted nothing more than to flee, to escape his presence and the torrent of mercurial emotions he catalyzed within her. But another part, some deep-rooted instinct, held her in place, mesmerized by his silent, smoldering intensity.
When he finally broke the stretching silence, his low rumble sent shockwaves through her core.
”You did ask me, Starfish.”
Brow furrowing, Pisces slowly shook her head, confused. ”What?”
He took one step closer, the heat radiating from his body, reaching out to envelop her. ”You asked me to follow you...to save you from Scorpio...to help you find your power. You asked.”
The room spun around Pisces as her listless mind slowly processed his words. Asked him? When? How? Fragments of her missing memories flickered out of reach, maddening in their incompleteness.
Suddenly, the exertion of her emotional purge, combined with this latest disorienting revelation, became too much. The edges of her vision dimmed as her legs gave out from under her. She crumpled toward the floor, only dimly aware of Aries” arms catching her weight as everything faded to black. His face was the last thing she saw, sharp angles and shadowed contours softened by an expression that somehow held loathing, awe, and a profound yearning all at once. As oblivion claimed her, one whispered thought echoed through her mind: Was that...love?