Chapter 21
I t’s been a week since we arrived here. I can tell Aurora is itching to get out of this house. I can’t say I blame her. Being trapped isn’t ideal. For the most part, her brother has left us alone, though.
Levi and Bray split two days ago. Bray had told me to call him should I need anything, that he’d also try to keep low-key track of my parents’ movements. I’m hoping we get some warning before they reach the conclusion that we’re in Australia. As of now, my parents are in Dublin.
The search for Aurora and me continues—although it’s not me I’m worried about. As insane as my parents are, I really don’t think they’d kill me. No, they’d do worse than that. They would make me watch as they broke the woman I love.
There is only one way out of this mess, and that’s for my parents to die. I don’t know if I could do it, if I could actually pull the trigger. They might be monsters, but they’re my parents.
Then I look at Aurora. A few weeks ago, I hated her. Even then, I chose her over my family when I lied to them about who was responsible for Kenny’s death.
I make the sign of the cross and send up a silent apology. Guilt eats at me, but I push it down. I can’t let it consume me. I know Aurora wasn’t in her right mind. It wasn’t her fault. I know that. It doesn’t make the images of her knife sticking out of my cousin’s neck go away.
My arm wraps around her body tighter. Holding her closer. I’m not letting her go, even if I have to live with the weight of this guilt, of being a traitor to my own blood for the rest of my life. As long as I have her, I’m going to be okay.
Aurora tips her head back and looks up at me. We’ve been sitting outside in the weird fucking hedge maze for an hour. She’s in front of me, nestled between my legs, with her back against my chest. “You okay?” she asks.
“Mhmm,” I murmur.
A look crosses her face but she doesn’t push as she turns back around to peer out at the garden. “Would you rather eat a spider or a scorpion?”
I chuckle. “I’d rather eat you.”
“That wasn’t an option. Spider or scorpion?” she tries again.
“Scorpion,” I tell her. “Would you rather me eat your cunt or your ass?”
Aurora stills in my arms. “I think we should go back inside. It’s hot as hell out here.”
“That’s not the question. I answered yours. It’s only fair you answer mine.” I raise a brow at her. She’s still not looking at me.
“If I told you that, you’d only focus on the one you thought I wanted most. And honestly, I like both options. My father taught me to never answer a question that didn’t benefit me, so… I plead the fifth.” Aurora stands.
“You know, you’d make a great attorney.” I sigh. “You’re really good at arguing your point.”
“I’d kill the opposing counsel for not agreeing with me.” She snorts.
“Yeah, probably. Maybe you should become a mortician. You can’t kill people who are already dead.”
“Maybe I’ll become the world’s best hitwoman,” she counters.
“The world is your oyster, babe.” It’s the truth. I don’t care what she does. To an extent.
When we make it back inside, we come across a younger version of Kyla. “Zara, you’re allowed to see daylight already?” Aurora asks the girl.
“Not really. I came here looking for you,” she replies as her eyes bounce around the space.
“Follow me.” Aurora drops my hand and takes hold of Zara’s. And, of course, like the lost fucking puppy I am, I follow them into a living room. “What happened?”
Zara looks at me over Aurora’s shoulder. “Oh, I get it now. He’s cute.” She smirks.
“He is cute. Now, what’s going on, Zara?” Aurora presses without bothering to glance in my direction.
“There’s a party, tonight. I’m going to be there. Here.” Zara hands Aurora a card. “If you can get out, come. No one will know who you are there. Well, no one but Ares.”
I roll my eyes. I can live without seeing Ares De Bellis again. The cocky motherfucker needs a good knockdown.
“You’re going to a party with Ares?” Aurora tilts her head to the side.
“No, I’m going to a party that he will be at. I’m not going with him .” Zara scrunches up her nose in disgust. “I would never go to a party with him.”
“Why not?” Aurora asks.
“Because he’s… a spoiled, overindulged, rich-kid asshole,” Zara spits out. “He thinks he owns the whole damn town. Newsflash! He doesn’t.”
“No, that would be you.” Aurora laughs. “He’s not that bad.”
“I agree with her observation.” I gesture to Zara as I walk around the two girls. “And we are not going to a party, Aurora. We can’t.”
I realize my mistake as soon as the words leave my mouth. Fuck.
Aurora’s brows lift in challenge. She’s going to this party with or without me. If for no other reason than to prove that she can and will do whatever she wants. “You can stay here. I’m going,” she tells me.
I laugh. The thought of her going off to some fucking party without me is funny. As if I’m not following her.
“Great. See you there. I gotta run. I told my dad I wasn’t going to be out long.” Zara smiles.
“How are you getting out tonight, exactly?” Aurora asks her.
“My parents are going to some gala hosted by Vin and Cammi De Bellis. Actually, I’m surprised Ares isn’t being forced to attend,” Zara says.
“Who are Vin and Cammi De Bellis?” I look to Aurora.
“Ares’s parents. His mother does a lot of charity work around the city. Particularly aimed at kids,” Zara answers my question. “She’s actually a really nice lady. How she birthed a demon like Ares I have no idea— never mind . I do. It’s his father’s genes. His father is scary as hell.”
“Don’t listen to her. Vin is not scary,” Aurora tells me.
“Sure he’s not. Anyway, see you tonight.”
“Okay, thanks!” Aurora calls out to Zara’s retreating back.
Great, I guess we’re going to a party with absolutely nobody I know. Not that I need anyone other than the one person I have right here.
“Your brother is going to lose his shit, Aurora,” I warn her.
“He’ll get over it. Are you going to help me plan our escape?” She smirks at me, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
My gut churns. I got a feeling this is a bad idea.
Which is exactly why I told Lorenzo to have his men follow us.
While I don’t think it’s the best thing for us to be doing right now, like fuck was I gonna let Aurora go off on her own.
And I had no doubt she was gonna go off. Even if she had to drug me to do it.
I’m in a foreign country and, other than Bray and Levi, I don’t have a lot of connections here.
I don’t know who I can trust. I need help keeping her safe, especially when she has it in her head that she’s leaving the security of her brother’s home.
Which she did with ease, mind you. I followed her, step by step, and she got out without anyone seeing us. Not a single guard noticed we left.
Although the tail we have tells me Lorenzo had people waiting for us—if he’s not tailing us himself. She might stab me when she finds out I told her brother we were going out. I’ll take it, though. When it comes to keeping Aurora safe, there is nothing I won’t do.
By the time we pull up to the location on the card, the party is in full swing. We’re also in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea where the fuck we are.
“You sure this is a good idea?” I ask Aurora. “You don’t even like parties.”
“I don’t, but if Zara wanted me here, there’s a reason. She didn’t just come and invite me to a party for the fun of it. She’s planning something and wants backup.”
My eyes widen. Great, just what we need, to be pulled into teenage fucking drama. “Whatever she’s planning, it’s not your problem to fix it. We have enough of our own bullshit to worry about,” I grunt.
“It’s as if you don’t know me at all.” Aurora smiles in a way that tells me tonight is going to be nothing but trouble.
“Fine,” I huff. “But do not leave my side, Aurora.”
“You think I’m going to leave you alone with all these Aussie girls? They’d eat you alive within minutes.” She shakes her head.
“No, they wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t let them.
” Opening the car door, which I still don’t know how Aurora managed to arrange, I get out and walk around to the passenger side.
Only to find that she’s already out of the car.
So I take her hand in mine and we walk into what looks like a warehouse full of drunken teenagers.
“Let’s find Zara or Ares. Either way, I suspect they’ll be near each other,” Aurora yells into my ear over the music.
Gripping her hand tighter, I lead her through the crowd, shoving people out of my way as I guide her to the other side of the building. I don’t see Zara or Ares anywhere. That is, until we walk outside.