Chapter 17 #3
“Ms. Black is right,” Waverly said finally. “The guest suite will be prepared. And I assure you all, there will be a full investigation into this attack. Attempting to murder zodiac warriors, especially on academy grounds is a serious offense.”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” I said, deliberately turning away from Percy’s stare.
As we filed out of her office, I felt a hand close around my upper arm. Aiden pulled me back as the others continued down the corridor. “All of you fuck off for a minute—” he called to the group. “I need to talk to Jupiter. Alone.”
Before anyone could protest, he yanked me sideways into an empty classroom, kicking the door shut behind us. In the darkness, I could see his eyes glowing golden as he backed me against the door, one hand on either side of my head, caging me in.
“Aiden, what the hell—“
“Come back,” he said in a whisper. “Come back to us, Jupiter.”
My heart raced as he leaned closer, his nose brushing against my hair, inhaling deeply. He trailed his nose down to my neck, his breath hot against my skin.
“I’ll do anything. Anything you want. I’ll crawl.
I’ll beg. I’ll plead. I was an idiot. We all were.
” I could feel his cock hardening against my hip, his breath coming faster as he pressed closer.
“I’m sorry,” he continued, his voice breaking.
“So fucking sorry for what I did, for not believing you, for thinking even for a second that you could have betrayed us. I was so used to manipulation by our families that I didn’t trust anyone.
It’s like I was waiting for the other fucking shoe to drop. ”
He sank his hands into my hair, tilting my head back to look at him. His eyes were wild with need and… grief. Then his mouth crashed down on mine, hard, tasting of sweet coffee and mint and regret.
For a heartbeat, I froze. The familiar heat of his body against mine, the taste of his lips—it all sent a wave of memory crashing through me, his hands on my skin, his voice in my ear, riding his cock while my thighs shook around his hips.
A tear slipped down my cheek as I stood motionless in his embrace, letting him kiss me. Then something inside me hardened as what we were doing sank in.
I planted both hands on his chest and shoved him back with all my strength. The slap echoed in the dark classroom, the impact of my palm against his cheek sending his head snapping sideways. He staggered back, hand rising to his reddening face, shock written across his features.
“Don’t you dare—” I hissed. “Don’t you ever touch me again, Aiden.
I’m not yours anymore. I won’t let you manipulate me.
You’re just mad because you can feel me getting fucked better than you ever could, and you’re jealous.
Every time one of them makes me scream, you get to hate yourself all over again. ”
It was mean and horrible of me to say, but I couldn’t stop the words from spilling out, wanting to hurt him in any way I could.
When I met his eyes, I expected to see a smug grin or hear a sarcastic jab, but nothing prepared me for the sight of tears streaming down his face.
“Aiden…”
He shook his head and looked away, running his hands over his hair. He laughed, but it wasn’t funny. “I can’t fucking stop crying. I’ve never cried in my damn life and suddenly it’s all I do.”
“Aiden, you don’t get to act like I broke your heart. You don’t get to do that.”
He wiped a stream of tears from his cheek, but more fell in its place.
“Trust me, I know. And it’s not just my heart.
It’s fucking worse than that. It’s my soul.
” He stepped closer. “It’s like… It’s like my soul is walking around outside of my body.
” He gestured to all of me. “Every time you get hurt, I feel your pain like it’s mine.
Every time you’re scared, every time you’re alone, every time you pretend you’re fine when you’re not.
It fucking wrecks me. It makes me feel like I’m dying and I don’t get to do a damn thing about it.
And I did that to you.” He tapped his chest, right over his heart.
“I know you don’t forgive me. I know we don’t deserve it.
If I were you, I’d never forgive me. Not ever.
But selfishly, I still don’t want a world where I’m not the one making sure you’re safe.
I don’t want a life where I have to wonder if you’re okay and not be allowed to ask you or see you or even feel you.
I don’t want any kind of existence that doesn’t have you in it.
But you don’t want that world anymore, and I don’t even blame you.
Even if you hate me forever, you will still be my soul, Jupiter. ”
I wanted to scream. To rage and cry and scream again. I wanted to punch him in his pretty face, to kiss him, to run from him. But most of all, I wanted to turn back time and start over again.
But that wasn’t possible. Life wasn’t some fantasy novel. This wasn’t a movie. Life was heartbreak.
I turned and violently yanked the door open, light from the corridor spilling into the classroom, my eyes already stinging with tears I refused to give him.
I paused, feeling him behind me, not moving an inch, barely breathing. “You know… The worst part is that you were my soul too. But now I’m not even sure if it was love, or if the bond made me feel it. I’ll never know, and I’m not sure I could ever go back to that. In fact I know I can’t.”