Chapter 11 Elior #2
Before I could type, Aarev added, almost offhand, “Oh—and I don’t know if it’s still there, but I heard there’s a swan at the pond too.”
My head snapped up. “A swan?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Pretty cool, right? I don’t know if it’ll be there today, but it’d be nice to see it.”
I gasped softly, delighted. “Wow. I’ve never seen one in real life.”
“They’re impressive,” he agreed.
My attention drifted completely, my mind filling with the image—white feathers, long neck, gliding across the water like something out of a picture book. I glanced back down at my phone, thumbs moving automatically.
Going to the park to feed ducks. Be back soon
I slipped the phone back onto the table, satisfied. “Okay. I told him.”
“Great,” Aarev said smoothly. “Ready?”
I nodded, feeling lighter now that I’d done the responsible thing. I grabbed the bag of bread and followed him out the door, locking it behind us like Daddy had taught me.
The air outside was warm but not too hot, a soft breeze brushing my cheeks. The neighborhood was quiet. As we walked, I kept thinking about the swan—how big it might be, whether it would honk like a goose or stay silent and elegant.
The park came into view quicker than I expected. Green stretched out in front of us, the pond glinting in the sunlight. I could already see ducks clustered near the water’s edge, waddling and bobbing their heads.
My chest filled with a happy little buzz.
“I’m really glad we came,” I said.
Aarev smiled down at me. “I thought you might be.”
We sat on a wooden bench near the edge of the pond, the boards warm from the sun. I set the bag of bread between my feet and carefully tore off a small piece.
Almost immediately, a little brown duck waddled toward us, its head bobbing with each step. It stopped a few feet away and tilted its head, one shiny eye fixed on me.
“Oh,” I breathed, delighted. “Hi. Are you hungry?”
I tossed the bread over gently, and it snapped it up with surprising speed. I laughed, the sound slipping out before I could stop it. Another duck joined it, then another, the water rippling as they paddled closer.
Aarev watched me with an easy smile. “You look happy.”
“I am,” I said honestly, tearing another piece. “They’re so cute.”
“They are,” he agreed, chuckling. “And apparently very hungry.”
Then I saw it.
Near the far side of the pond, gliding slowly through the water like it didn’t even have to try, was the swan.
It was even bigger than I’d imagined—brilliant white, its neck curved in a graceful S as it cut through the water. Sunlight shimmered on its feathers, making it look almost unreal.
My breath caught. “Oh my gosh,” I whispered. “It’s beautiful. Look, Aarev!”
Aarev glanced over. “It looks like it’s coming over here.”
I stood without really thinking about it, stepping closer to the edge of the pond, bread forgotten in my hand. The swan lifted its head slightly, unbothered and regal.
“Wow,” I whispered, smiling at the gorgeous bird and hugging my arms around myself as I watched it drift past.
After a moment, I went back to the bench. I was already imagining bringing Daddy here.
It was quiet for a few minutes as I basked in the warm breeze and watched the water.
“You know… You could do things like this more often. Get out of the house. Have days like this.”
“I do go out,” I said softly.
“I mean, on your own,” he clarified gently. “Or with friends. You don’t need him to do everything.”
I shifted my weight, the smile on my face fading just a little. “I’m… not really comfortable by myself yet.”
“That’s understandable,” he said, but there was something probing in his tone. “Still, it might be good for you.”
I looked back at the bench, then at the ducks crowding near my feet. “It’s just been hard,” I admitted. “Adjusting. Everything outside the Covenant still feels… too loud, too open. It’s all so much.” I swallowed, then released a long breath out. “Home feels safer right now.”
Aarev studied me for a second. “I guess I get that. Especially with everything in the news.”
My shoulders stiffened.
“The press has been relentless,” he went on. “Your father, the case—it’s everywhere. That kind of attention can be overwhelming.”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” I said quickly, my voice small but firm. My fingers curled into the hem of my shirt. “Mark said I don’t have to talk about things if I’m not ready.”
Aarev blinked, then nodded, looking contrite. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Elior. I didn’t mean to push you into talking about it. I just…”
“It’s okay,” I said, though my heart was still beating a little fast.
“No, it’s not. I haven’t been fair to you. I’ve just been worried. You’re a good kid, Elior, and I—I’m worried about you.”
“Worried about what?” I asked.
Aarev was quiet for a moment, watching the water instead of me. The ducks had wandered off again, and the swan was farther out now, a white curve against the green.
“I’m worried,” he said finally, “that Jace might be taking advantage of you.”
“What?” I shook my head immediately, the motion sharp. “How?”
“The way he acts around you—it’s not normal,” Aarev said gently. “And I’m not saying he hasn’t helped you, because in some ways, he clearly has. But help and control can look very similar when someone’s vulnerable.”
“I’m not—” I started, heat creeping up my neck. “I’m not vulnerable like that. I mean, I am, but—he saved me. He—”
“Elior,” Aarev interrupted softly, turning fully toward me now. “Please. Just listen to me for a minute. I’m not trying to upset you.”
I hesitated, fingers curling in my lap. My instinct was to stand up and go home. It felt like he was trying to upset me.
But at the same time, he looked so concerned, like he was earnestly trying to express that something was deeply bothering him.
He was my friend—he had said so. And friends needed to support each other.
Maybe if I listened to what he had to say, I could clear up any misunderstandings that had led him to be so upset.
“…Okay,” I said quietly.
“Have you ever been in a relationship before Jace?” he asked.
I blinked, then shook my head.
Not even close.
Aarev exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. “Yeah, I thought so.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
“A lot,” he said. “Healthy relationships don’t start the way yours did.
They don’t begin in crisis. They don’t begin with one person having total power over the other’s safety, housing, food, or emotional stability.
Have you two even talked about you getting a job or going to school or anything that would make you more independent? ”
“He doesn’t have power over me,” I said quickly. “And no, but—”
Aarev replied, “You rely on him for almost everything—where you go, who you see, what you wear, when you eat.”
“That’s not true,” I insisted. “He lets me choose things.”
“Does he?” Aarev asked quietly. “Or does he decide what your choices are first?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. I thought of the clothes he bought me. The way he watched me eat. The rules about going out alone. The way he didn’t like it when I used Aarev’s first name.
“He just wants me to be safe.”
“I believe he tells himself that,” Aarev said. “But making someone dependent on you—especially someone who’s just escaped an abusive, controlling environment—that’s dangerous. Even if it feels loving.”
My chest felt tight. Too tight.
“You don’t understand! How would you know any of this? I haven’t seen you since that first therapy appointment, which was like a month ago. You don’t know anything about our relationship,” I snapped.
Aarev’s expression softened, but his eyes stayed serious.
“I see how possessive he is over you. I see how you think you need his permission or approval to go places and do things. I see how you’re completely financially dependent on him.
I see how he’s trying to keep you hidden away from the outside world.
None of that is okay, Elior. None of it. ”
I looked down at my hands, at the crumbs stuck to my fingers. “You’re wrong,” I whispered, my voice raspy from the burning in my throat. My head was starting to hurt.
“Then tell me why,” he answered.
I shook my head, breath coming faster now.
“You don’t understand. The Covenant—everything there was rules and punishments and fear.
Jace is different. He’s kind. He listens to me.
He tells me I’m doing a good job. And I like it when he makes decisions for me!
I like that he takes that pressure away.
He isn’t doing it to make me hurt or make me afraid of him.
You don’t see the way he looks at me when it’s just us. ”
Aarev blew out a breath. “I didn’t want to fight about this.”
“Then you shouldn’t have insulted my Daddy,” I asserted.
Aarev studied me for a long moment, his eyes sad. “That’s what I’m talking about, Elior. That Daddy stuff? I get that some people might like that sort of thing. I do. But how is it that it’s okay to push a kink onto an inexperienced, vulnerable victim?”
“Is that the issue? ‘Victims’ can’t be into kink?”
Aarev’s brows shot up. “I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Please, just stop,” I said, tired and more than ready to go home.
He sighed, “…Okay.”
Relief washed through me, shaky and fragile.
“But,” he added, voice quiet but firm, “I want you to know this—if you ever feel scared of him, or trapped, or like you’re not allowed to say no… you can come to me. Any time.”
“Take me home, Aarev.”