40. Aeris
Aeris
I barely killed the engine before I was out of the car and climbing the stone steps to Selene’s cliffside estate. Wind tore in from the sea below, sharp enough to sting my cheeks, but it did nothing to cool the unease simmering beneath my skin.
Two of Selene’s men stood guard on the porch, arms folded across their chests as they watched me approach. “You’re expected,” the one on the left grunted, whom I didn’t bother to acknowledge as he opened the door.
The warmth of the house wrapped around me as I stepped inside, heavy with the scent of the sea, cedarwood, and expensive perfume. Voices drifted from the study down the hall, sharp and tense.
I found Selene behind her desk, her expression carved from ice, while Vivienne leaned over the polished wood, palms braced against it.
“It wasn’t my fault, Mother,” Vivienne snarled. “I—”
“You weren’t supposed to hurt him,” I snapped before I could stop myself, forcing both of them to turn.
Vivienne straightened immediately, fury flashing across her face. “And you weren’t supposed to interfere.”
“You almost killed him.”
“He was—”
“Girls,” Selene interrupted smoothly, though the single word cracked through the room like a whip. “Enough.”
She rose from her chair with unhurried grace, dark eyes flicking from Vivienne to me. “Aeris, what happened?”
“Mother,” Vivienne hissed in disbelief, but Selene silenced her with a single look.
I swallowed carefully. “He was barely breathing, so I called Sebastian.”
Selene’s brows lifted slightly as she rounded the desk. “You called the Beast?” she asked, her voice so cold it could’ve frozen the room solid. “Was he aware of what Vivienne had done?”
My heart raced, but my expression didn’t falter. “I didn’t tell him Vivienne drugged him,” I said evenly, “but Caden remembered.”
“He wasn’t supposed to!” Vivienne screeched, and for the first time since I’d known her, genuine fear crossed her face.
Selene stopped beside me, contemplative for exactly one second before she turned and struck her daughter across the face. The crack echoed through the study, loud enough one of the guards rushed in at the sound, only to freeze in the doorway.
“Out,” Selene snapped without sparing him a glance, and the door shut immediately.
Vivienne’s head had whipped sideways from the force of the slap, but slowly she looked back at her mother, one hand pressed against her reddening cheek.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Selene snapped.
“I was thinking of us, Mother,” Vivienne shot back, straightening her shoulders. “Of this ridiculous wedding you’re so obsessed with.”
“You drugged a man connected to one of the most dangerous crime lords in the city,” Selene said coldly. “And worse, a man more than capable of destroying us all in his own right.”
“He was never going to marry me willingly.”
“Well,” Selene agreed, “he certainly won’t now.”
I stayed perfectly still as she moved towards the windows overlooking the ocean below.
Vivienne’s jaw tightened, her eyes flicking towards me with venom. “This wouldn’t have happened if Aeris had stayed out of it.”
“No,” Selene said, not even bothering to turn around. “You would have likely killed him. Then you’d have had to settle for the mute.”
Vivienne gave me one last glare before she turned on her heel, leaving me alone with Selene.
“I’m happy you’re here,” she said after a moment, her gaze still fixed on the view below. “I would’ve assumed they’d have killed you.”
“Have I ever failed you?” I moved to the window beside her, following her line of sight down to the narrow strip of private beach tucked against the jagged cliff.
Stone steps clung to the rockface from the edge of the deck, descending steeply towards the sand and angry sea.
“Your plan worked. They believed everything.”
Selene’s upper lip curved on one side. “You’ve gained their trust?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” The words tasted like ash on my tongue. “Sebastian had me tied up. Caden’s the one that freed me.”
“Did he, now?” Something glinted in her eyes as she reached up and brushed a lock of hair from my face with false tenderness. “Wonderful what a sob story and pretty face can do. I’ll assume you had to spread your legs.”
I ignored her comment. “You do understand that Vivienne’s burned that bridge.”
“Don’t worry, Vivienne will marry Caden.” She cocked her head, her smile turning sharp. “But you’ll have to continue doing whatever he asks.”
I kept my expression neutral. “I thought you forbade me from seducing him once Vivienne was in?”
“That was before she let her impatience ruin everything we’ve put into place.”
“I doubt he’ll marry her.”
“Like we’re going to give him a choice?” Cupping my jaw, she turned my face towards hers. “You will warm his bed, become his whore, his toy—I don’t care, as long as we secure the alliance.”
My stomach twisted. “You’d want me to become the mistress?”
“Whatever is necessary,” she said coldly, her nails digging into my skin.
“Caden doesn’t even like me,” I protested, my voice cracking. “Like you said, I’m just his toy. He’ll get bored soon enough.”
“My dear, sweet child. Caden Ackworth is notorious for permanently fixing problems. The fact that you’re still alive … still standing here … means far more than you could ever understand.”
“Vivienne isn’t going to agree.”
“Vivienne will do as she’s told.” Selene let out a soft, amused laugh that sent chills down my spine. “Just like you.”
“Are you sure about this?” Fletcher asked, his brows drawn together as he handed me over a folder full of everything I’d asked him to create. New names. Driving licence and passports. Everything that I’d need to give my sisters and nephews a new life.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I embraced the wind whispering through my hair. The chirping birds in the trees and the laughter drifting from the park, bright and careless.
A complete contrast to the tension running through me.
“You’ve been telling me to run for years,” I said, opening my eyes to offer him a strained smile.
The crease between his brows only deepened. “Yeah, but you’re not the one running. Are you?”
“It’s a backup plan.” I flipped through the documents quickly, making sure everything looked perfect, then slipped my handwritten letter inside before handing the folder back to him.
Fletcher stared at it as though it were a death sentence. “This feels like you’re giving up.”
“I’m not.” I looked across the green, at the kids playing football and the old couple walking slowly along the path.
Normal things I ached to experience but was unlikely to.
I turned back to him, voice steady despite the tightness in my chest. “This is the last resort. If everything falls apart, if my plan with Caden fails, you get them out. You make sure Selene can never touch them.”
Fletcher held my gaze for a long moment, jaw tight.
“Promise me,” I whispered, needing to hear him say it out loud. Everything I’d ever done was to protect my sisters. Every decision. Every death at my hands. I couldn’t save Mira, but I sure as hell was going to save Brooke and Darya. This was the last thing I needed in place to secure their safety.
Fletcher exhaled sharply, eyes widening just as a shadow moved behind me. “Red—!”
A flash of steel, and I turned just as a sharp sting sliced across my shoulder. I stumbled back with a gasp, hand flying to the cut and gaze locking on the knife that had been aiming for my throat.
“Vivienne sends her regards,” the man dressed in black grunted, sneering with his teeth.
He lunged for me, the blade of his knife glistening with red.
But before he could take another swipe, Fletcher was there.
He slammed into the man with his full weight, tackling him to the grass in a brutal collision.
The attacker twisted violently beneath him, wrenching his arms free as he drove the knife upward.
Fletcher grunted, body jerking hard as I screamed. The blade had sunk deep into his side, the attacker pulling it out only to stab him with it once more.
“Hey!” I screeched, the sound causing the attacker to look up.
I punched him, the pain along my knuckles immediate. He snarled, jumping up with the bloody knife aimed towards me. I tensed, my ribs aching with how fast my heart raced.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I went to brace, but an arm encircled my waist from behind, throwing me to the side.
I barely managed to catch my fall before Langdon stepped between me and the attacker, his head cocked to the side like some great cat out hunting.
His fingers moved, signing something that neither I nor the attacker could understand.
“Fuck you,” the attacker sneered, but before he could do anything, Langdon had reached for his wrist and promptly broken it.
A pained shriek, and the knife fell to the ground.
Langdon kicked it away, and I didn’t have a chance to blink before his fist connected, a dull, heavy sound that made me flinch.
But I couldn’t stop them, instead crawling towards Fletcher.
He still lay on his back, unmoving, his eyes closed and blood oozing from his side.
I immediately added pressure, looking back over to find Langdon fighting viciously, each punch landing harder than the last.
“Get help!” I screamed, and Langdon turned to me. It gave the attacker a moment to run, his shoes slipping on the grass as he scrambled for his escape.
Langdon watched as he disappeared into the trees, his expression thunderous when he turned back to me.
He gestured angrily, but when I snarled at him once more, he finally threw me his phone and crouched beside me.
His usual chaotic energy was promptly replaced by a focused intensity as he took over the pressure.
I fumbled with the phone, hands slick with Fletcher’s blood, and dialled nine-nine-nine. My voice shook as I gave them our location, eyes never leaving Fletcher’s pale face.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, stroking my fingers through Fletcher’s hair. “You don’t get to die on me.”
I couldn’t lose him.
Not now.
Not when I was this close.