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ARIA:The smell of kerosene filled my nostrils.I lifted my head up, watching my surroundings. Men were pouring it everywhere around me.My eyes fell on the red patches of blood covering the white marble floor in front of me. Gideon’s blood.I looked around, tired but alert.Were they going to burn me alive?I closed my eyes, silently praying to the god to make it just as painful as it was for Gideon. The man died because of me, so it was just that I had the same fate.I didn’t have any energy left in me. I didn’t move my hand when a man nearly crushed it while passing by it. I just sat there, numb and cold.How did it happen? A. part of me was sad and angry, and the other part happy. A part screamed that I should be punished for the deaths I caused and the other told me it wasn’t my fault.Nothing felt real for a while. I tried to think it was a dream, a nightmare but I knew better. It was reality and reality was worst than any nightmare.A man destroyed everything just because I didn’t bow down to him.I looked up at the sky, wanting to scream at my dad. Where had being strong gotten me? Nowhere. It had ruined me, broken me and left me with nothing. I was strong and the beast took everything I loved. I was alone.No sister. No parents. No friend.It was just me all over again.Goosebumps broke over my skin when the cold, chilly air of December nights hit me in the face. My tears had dried up now. I curled my hands together in hopes to keep them warm but it was useless. My eyes fell on the bracelet chain that was somehow still on its place. It stung looking at the gift Gideon once gave me. Now he was gone and all that was left were memories.It hurt that his body was probably still inside. I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t even give him a proper burial. I was useless.My eyes moved to the mansion, I watched men spilling kerosene everywhere around the mansion. My eyes fell on a man who took out a match and lit it before dropping the flame on the ground and stepping away.The mansion was my safe haven; my only resort from the demons of my past. I used to stay here when I was a teen and spend hours with Gideon.I watched as the fire spread, embracing the mansion in red and orange flames. A moment later, the sound of a blast filled the air.Gone.Everything was gone.My safe haven, my only resort exploded.I was shoved into a car, the door was closed but my eyes were stuck on the red and orange flames that roared up to air, covering the mansion. White smoke rose to the sky, the mark of everything that was destroyed. Everything was turning into ashes. Flowers, trees, gardens. Even my best friend was inside the burning house.Everything was gone, burned to ashes.Fabiano Lombardi.The King of Italy.The Ruler of Underworld.The villain in my tale.The destructor of my life.All I could see was him. I felt him all around me, taunting me, laughing at me.I could smell the fuels, the fire, and the ashes. It was like they were etching themselves somewhere inside me.When the car started, I bid the burning mansion one last goodbye.“I failed, Gideon.” I whispered, knowing my friend was still somewhere inside there but I could do nothing but stare at the ruins.Not a tear escaped my eye, not a single cry rose from my throat. It was like nothing was left. Or maybe I was in shock. I felt…Empty.I didn’t even try to escape because I couldn’t. There were two men in the car with me, one driving and the other had a gun pointed at me as if daring me to escape. If I was the old Aria. I would’ve took it from him and shot him with his own gun but now.….so so empty.I just rested my head on the leather seat, stared at the car ceiling through the bumpy ride and blinked. I didn’t speak. I didn’t know how long we have been travelling. Tears still filled my eyes but I wiped them every now and then to stop them from falling.It felt like a storm had hit me and destroyed everything.When the car jerked to a stop, my head banged against the seat. I winced at the impact, rubbed my forehead to sooth the paining area.You should rub all your body, a voice whispered from the inside.I couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle. It was true. I was hurting very where but did it matter? The men gave me a sharp look when I laughed. I was forced out of the car. I stepped into the chilling darkness of New York. My eyes lifted to the jet plane in front of me and I blinked.“Come on.” The man gripped my forearm, yanking me towards the plane.Run, a voice screamed, run away.Run where? I had no one. I was all alone.My feet came to a halt when I saw the beast standing near the plane. Even in dark, I could see his eyes settled on me. His stare messed with my mind, did something to my body. I hated it. I hated those grey eyes. My mind took me back to the first time I met him. I saw him first when he had a gun pointed at Alara.“Lioness.” He had called me that on our first meeting.Run.When my eyes connected with his in the darkness that enveloped us, I listened to the screaming voice inside me.Adrenaline shot through my system, my heart pumped more blood to my body as I prepared for flight. With a harsh tug, I yanked my arm out of the firm hold, whirled around and ran.I ran like hell hounds were chasing me. Exactly, they weren’t but their king surely was. I faintly registered the shouts and orders being flown through the air in Italian but paid no mind to them.My feet beat across the ground, my breathing came in short pants as I ran across the perimeters of the airport. Footsteps followed me, gaining on me.Faster. You can do this.My lungs burned without air, screamed at me to breathe but I had no time. I ran, pushed my legs harder as I ran across the runway. I never glanced back but I knew they were chasing me. I could feel it. The feeling of being a prey chased by a predator was something I never wanted to feel again. My eyes fell on the building in front of me. My heart raced inside me, a tendril of fear shot through me when I heard the sound of footsteps so close to me.They were gaining on me.No. Not them. He.I felt him behind me but didn’t stop. My feet were aching and I knew I hadn’t been running for long. Maybe it was the stress that had tired me. I had no energy left yet I pushed myself.Just as I was about to take the turn, hot breath fell on the side of my face. Dread coiled inside me. No. No. Before I could take another step, I was yanked back. My hair whipped as I gasped, curtaining my face when I swallowed air greedily.“You can run all you want.” I heard him speak through pants, “But I’ll always follow you like your shadow.”A pained sound escaped me when a something sharp struck my skin on the neck. Steel-grey eyes connected with mine through the veil of my hair.His cold, taut expression was the last thing my eyes took in before they rolled to the back off my head and I slumped in the arms of the man who destroyed me.***The first thing I heard was the sound of waves crashing against the shore. It was a pleasant sound, making me feel like I was in heaven but I was wrong. When the pain hit me a moment later, I was sure that I was in hell. My body ached like I was run over by a truck. Everything hurt. My arms. My legs. My head.My hand curled around the silk comforter covering me and that’s’ when my eyes snapped open. I jerked straight, wincing when a wave of pain washed over me.“Fuck.”Pushing the comforter away, I stood on shaky legs and moved towards the sound of waves. Light streamed in through the windows. I moved towards one of the window with trembling limbs, my heart thumping wildly against my chest when I looked out through the window.My eyes widened at the sight.Blue. Golden. Green.Those were the only colors that kept filling my eyes wherever my eyes ran.The bright sun peeked at me through the steel bars on the window, the rays of the sun glimmered over the waves as they washed over the golden sand. On the other side, trees spread as far as my eyes could see.My hands wrapped around steel bars that covered the windows. It felt like windows of a cell. My mouth was open in a silent gasp as I stared at the nature in front of me.This wasn’t my home. This wasn’t New York.I stumbled back in shock, my throat constricted as my heart lurched. My legs were wobbly when I uncurled my hands from the steel bars and stepped away from the window.Please tell me it’s a joke.I whirled around, my hair flying everywhere when the door clicked open. My worst nightmare faced me and I wasn’t ready for it.His grey eyes brought back the horrific memories that were buried somewhere deep inside me.A pained sound echoed through the air. It was the most pitiful sound my ears had ever heard. It felt like the sound of dying animal.And the animal was me.His grey eyes never left mine as he crossed the distance between us. He stood so close to me, so close that I could smell soap and aftershave on him. His presence was like salt on my wounds. It burned me, ripped me apart, destroyed me from the inside.It felt like I was burning alive.And I wanted him to burn too.He opened his mouth, his lips parted but I raised my hand and swung it, hitting him in the face. The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed in the silent room. His head snapped to a side, a strand of his raven hair fell on his forehead. My lips parted on their own when he lifted his head, meeting my bewildered stare with his furious one.Reaching out, I pushed the strand away from his forehead. My palms cradled his face as I pulled him closer. My eyes stared into his as I brought him close to me. So close that our noses touched,“What have you done?”He had no answer for my question.***4 FABIANO: Fabiano knew what he had done. How could he not when he had been planning this for months? Aria Whitlock was his, the moment he saw her smiling face in Adriano’s office. His friend had told him she was a problem but Fabiano saw more than that. He saw a brave woman hardened by her past. He saw a woman protecting her family. He saw her. Then he wanted her. Fabiano didn’t know why he wanted her. Maybe it was because she challenged him and never submitted to him. She was a like breath of fresh air in his dull life. One meeting led to another and he knew he had to have her. He waited months for her, bugged her house. He had inserted cameras everywhere in her house, even in her bathrooms. There wasn’t a single corner of her house that wasn’t covered by the cameras. He had seen her roaming round the rooms, watching over her shoulder like someone was there. Her instincts were right. There was someone. Him. The King of Underworld. He was always there, watching her sleep. H
5ARIAI stared at the woman in front of me.Bloodshot eyes, blotchy cheeks, short hair.She looked like me but she wasn’t. She was weak and pathetic.I stared at my own reflection in the mirror. I tried to find myself in it but couldn’t. The woman in the mirror wasn’t me.She was a stranger.An impostor.Weak.That wasn’t me.I let out a shaky breath, my eyes still staring back into the blue orbs of the woman in the mirror but my mind was spinning.Black dots assaulted my vision, my vision blurred and I swayed on my feet. My eyes rolled back to the back of my head and I fell into darkness.I slumped in the arms of a destroyer. My destroyer.***When I woke up bundled in silk, I was aware of my unfamiliar surroundings. I was aware that my life was ruined.Shattered.Destroyed.Burnt to ashes.I laid there, staring at the ceiling, wondering what to do next. I didn’t know where I was. I had no idea of what was going to happen to me.My eyes were dry, so was my throat. My heart was surpr
6 ARIA Everything was burnt down. Reduced to ashes. My plans. My hopes. My craving of freedom. Everything around me was black and gray, that was all I could see through my unfocused vision. Ashes. Storms. Thunder. Private island. An island thousands of meters away from civilization. An island surrounded my nothing but vastness of blue. Secluded and hidden, I was no different than a valuable gem to him. An object for decoration. But I was different than a gem. I refused to be like this. I refused to give up. I refused to become an object. I was a human. A survivor after all. I wasn’t taught to give up and run. I was taught to fight. Anger pulsated through me, spreading throughout my body. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, giving me the power, I needed for the fight. Because that’s what I chose. Fight. Not flight. Never flight. Fuck flight. With red covering my vision, my senses haywire and my insides a blur of emotions, I swung my fist at him. It barely touched someth
7 ARIA ‘It is cold.’ That was my first thought when I regained my consciousness. My lashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. I blinked to adjust my eyes to the darkness that surrounded me. A shaky breath escaped me as I rolled over my back, pushing my feet on the cold surface to sit up. It was dark. Unusually dark. Was it night so soon? It was a stupid question to ask myself but I paid no attention as I shuffled to find some light. My hands touched something cold, I carefully ran my fingers over it while squinting my eyes to look around. The texture was smooth, yet cool. It felt like… metal. “What the hell?” I shuffled, my heart beat escalating with every second that passed. When I tried to stand up, pain exploded in my skull. I immediately ducked down, “Fucking shit.” Where was I? I rubbed my fingers over my scalp, soothing the pain as I struggled. I lifted my hands up, carefully and slowly. When the tips of my fingers met a cold surface, my heart dropped into a pit
8 ARIA Warmth seeped into my body, I sighed burying myself deeper into it, enjoying the way it warmed my body and soothed my chilled bones. I was covered in something soft and fluffy— it was so different than the metal box I had been caged in. Metal box? My muscles tightened as consciousness seeped back into me, making me aware of my surroundings. I wasn’t in the cold cage. Instead, when I peeked an eye open, I found myself covered in soft, warm and the fluffiest blankets that felt like clouds. If one could sit on clouds, I bet they’d feel the bliss I was feeling submerged under the weight of these fluffy blankets. Letting out a shaky breath, I pushed myself up, ignoring the ache that spread through my body like a wildfire. “Don’t.” I jerked in my place, gasping at the sudden intrusion. My head snapped towards it; eyes widened when I found a pair of vivid green eyes on me. The owner of the beautiful orbs-a woman just older than me stared back at me with wide eyes. “Don’t get
9ARIAThe mouth-watering aroma of food woke me up. My stomach growled in approval as I lifted myself up, blinking away the sleep from my eyes.The woman whose name I still didn’t know was pushing a trolly on my side of bed. She left it there and left before I could ask her what her name was.“Serve yourself.” She uttered when she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.My eyes went back to the trolly that was filled with all the food that would’ve made me drool. But when my eyes fell on a bowl of hot soup from which steam was rising, my mind flashed back to the past.The mansion was on fire, my friend was burning inside it. The chunks of flesh and blood painting the floor.My appetite evaporated, my mind spun and I looked away from the bowl of soup. I ignored the way my stomach begged for food and laid down, turning my back to the dinner that was sitting on the trolly.Gideon became the dinner of vicious dogs.My stomach churned, my heart ached as I closed my eyes and
10ARIAFool. Fool. Fool.I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth in anger. I was angry at myself. Where was my sanity? How could I not understand the signals Lina was sending me? The warnings. How could I be so careless?“Tell me.” I cringed, grimacing when he nipped at my earlobe.My body was rigid as wood and I was aware that he was naked. But so was I. His hard flesh was flush against mine.“Fabiano.” My voice came out breathless and raspy. Behind me, he groaned like he was in pain.“I missed you.” I froze, eyes widening at his admission. “I went crazy without you.”You’re already crazy, I wanted to scream.His hold tightened on me; his hand roamed over my belly. My legs were trembling, if not for his hold on me, I’d have fell down on my knees long ago.“So soft,” He muttered, his fingers reaching up to my breast. I stared down at the lean, tattooed fingers over my skin.I gulped audibly.Panic had me paralyzed, I wanted to scream and shout at him to move himself away from me but all
11ARIA“You haven’t been eating properly.” He jerked his chin at my body. I hid my surprise because I was preparing myself for his attack. I had thought that he was going to lunge at me and then…well!I blinked rapidly, shooing away the thoughts and focused on him.“Why haven’t you been eating?” I didn’t flinch when his hands landed on my waist as he held me.Because every time I looked at meat, all I could remember was my friend’s pained screams as the dogs ripped his flesh.Every time I saw the steam rising from a dish, my mind took me back to the night when he had burnt down the mansion and my friend.I couldn’t swallow more than a few bites without the food coming back up in my throat.“Where did you go?” I asked, ignoring his question. He didn’t appreciate it, his eyes flashed mercilessly as he bared his teeth at me.Feeling brave, I stood there, water rolling down my body as I stared up at him with a brow raised.His lips twitched; my eyes followed the little movement of his li