A Deal with the Devil

Chapter 6: Introductions

(In which Aria is apparently betrothed. Yeah, we didn’t see this coming either.)

Aria wasn’t sure who was more shocked, the beautiful couple standing in front of her, or herself. His bride? How crazy was this guy?

Upon seeing the bewildered faces surrounding him, Lush begrudgingly amended “Well, bride-to-be, anyway. I’ve not had the chance to ask her father for her hand yet.”

The couple Aria assumed were his parents seemed soothed with this amendment, but all eyes flashed to Aria with her rather un-ladylike snort of laughter. “And you’re not likely to without a medium. My father’s been missing for years. He was quite content to run away when my mother announced my coming arrival.”

“So,” The gentleman who presumably was Lush’s father said in an accent Aria couldn’t place, “your father’s consent is not necessary?”

Aria stared at him and the auburn-haired woman at his side. He was tall, with long black hair pulled neatly back in what appeared to be a leather thong. Both were dressed in formal black and white, but they somehow made it look…classier than anyone else could ever hope to. And the way the man held the woman at his side, it was like she was the most precious thing in the world to him, and like he would sooner take on every demon in existence than take half a chance at losing her for even a moment.

“My…father?” Aria blushed at how stupid she sounded. “No, I don’t guess so, but wouldn’t my consent be kind of necessary?”

“Well, traditionally---“ The man began, but was cut off by his apparent wife’s hand on his chest.

“Vlad,” She said softly, somehow pouring every endearment in existence in that one word. “Let it be for now. The children are tired, and we have time to discuss this yet. Let’s away to the resort. Frank will be waiting for you and Lush, and I promised Pricilla I’d help her with Little Frankie’s clothes.”

“Oh, very well,” Vlad sighed, “Come along, then. Lush,”

“Sir?” Lush replied with the utmost respect in his voice.

“You and your….” He paused as if to search for the right word before landing on the one his son had chosen “bride will follow on your bike. Your mother is too tired to ride and so we’ll be taking the car.”

Something in Lush’s eyes lit like a sky full of fireworks. A boyish grin spread across his face as he replied with an enthusiastic “Yes, sir!” before Aria felt his hand encircling her wrist yet again and he was pulling her toward the shadows beyond the brilliant display that had apparently been set up for her benefit.

It was so dark that Aria couldn’t see anything as Lush pulled her deeper and deeper into shadows. Abruptly, she just stopped walking. He pulled inquisitively at her wrist, but she didn’t budge. This was something she’d never told a living soul. Aria was terrified of the dark.

“Aria?” Lush’s voice reached out to her, and it brought with it an odd comfort she couldn’t make sense of.

“No.” was all she could bring herself to say. She was too deep in the darkness. She couldn’t see her way back to the safety of the lights and crystals. She felt a sensation like when she was little and went swimming with Zak and got too far from the bank and couldn’t feel the bottom of the river anymore. Panic. Raw, primal panic, without any real reason behind it or any reason that could assuage it.

“It’s okay, Aria.” Lush said in a soothing voice, like he was speaking to a frightened child or an injured creature. “I’m right here. Hang on to me and you’ll be okay.”