Adrinada

Part 16

Ari didn't know if he was angry at her or at himself, but Vincent was angry. He seemed to always have a scowl on his face and spend less time with her. The only time he was near to her was when they slept, and even that seemed distant. He didn't hold her but instead turned away from her each night.

He required her to be dressed and present at dinner nightly on her cushion. He made sure to make a show over her to the other vampires, but then let the maids return her to their chambers alone each night. When the maids left, Ari climbed out of the bed and fell asleep on her cushion, attaching her chain to the foot of the bed herself.

"Why are you on the floor?"

Ari rubbed her eyes groggily, looking up at his glaring eyes. "I was tired, so I decided to sleep where I was at least comfortable," she quipped.

He growled and unhooked her chain, "Get in the bed, Ari."

"Why? You don't seem to want me there, so just let me sleep," she waved her arms dramatically and began to lay back down.

Vincent knelt down next to her, wrapping the chain around his hand and tugged her close to his face, clenching his teeth as he spoke, "So now you've decided to tell me what to do?"

"Why am I here? What do you want from me, Vincent?" she spat back, her temper flaring. "Am I your slave, your breeder, your lover, or just a toy to be put on a shelf when you're bored with me? Just tell me what the hell I am, so I know how to act and then we both can get to sleep!"

Vincent's mouth twisted into a hard line as he stared at her in astonishment. She had never spoken to him like this before. He didn't know whether to respond or punish her. "What do you want to be?" he finally asked, pulling her closer.

Ari sighed in frustration, "I want to be yours, but I don't know what to think when you push me away." She tried to suppress the tears that sprang to her eyes, but couldn't.

"Even punishments are better than being ignored," she whispered.

Her tears broke him.

"I'm sorry, little one," he said in a low voice as he wiped away a tear, "I feel like I failed you. I'm mad at myself, not you." He let go of her chain and pulled her into his lap. "I'm the one who brought Gwen into our bedroom. If I hadn't introduced her to you, then you wouldn't have been hurt, and our child wouldn't have been put at risk." Ari pulled back when she felt his body shake with sobs. "Our child isn't even here yet and I've already failed both of you." His voice was hoarse and his eyes were filled with shame.

"Vincent, you didn't fail us. I'm the one who wanted to experiment," she placed her hand against his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. It started as a soft brush of their lips, but he pulled her tighter against him and began to devour her mouth.

He moaned as he moved his lips along her neck and collarbone, "Please forgive me, my love. I can't bear to see you hurt." His hand trailed along her breasts, squeezing gently, then he dipped his head low, suckling her nipples one after the other. Ari moaned as she leaned into his touch.

He stood, cradling her in his arms. "I want to show you something," he whispered in her ear as he walked them down a back hallway and down a winding staircase. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he pushed open a large door covered in frosted glass. The room was warm and filled with exotic flowers and plants. Ari gasped as she looked up to realize the ceiling was glass. She could see the dark night sky littered with stars.

Vincent brought them to a small moss-covered area and laid her down, lying next to her. He played with a strand of her hair as he watched her get lost in the night sky. "Do you miss it?" he asked. She blinked, looking at him in confusion. "Being free to do what you want, go where you want. Do you miss it?"

Ari paused for a moment then shrugged, "I'm not sure I've ever really been free, so I can't miss what I never had." She scooted closer to his chest. "Being a princess is very limiting, ironically. My mother was always controlling where I went, who I was with, and even who I was to marry. The only times I felt free were when Soren and I would run off."

"Tell me," he leaned down and nuzzled her hair, "I want to know more about you."

"One time, Soren and I ran off and joined the army. I had to cut off all my hair and bind myself to pass as a boy, but I was younger then so it wasn't that difficult." She let out a sharp laugh, "Mother was furious. She made me take etiquette lessons for months afterward to 'rid me of my un-lady-like behavior' and of course she magically made my hair grow back."

Vincent chuckled, "Hmmm, I wonder what she would think of your un-lady-like behavior now?" Ari blushed at his teasing. "So did they find out who you were in the army?"

"Not really," she paused, "Soren's dad actually found us. Alpha Beck dragged us back to the pack and played it off to my mom that I had been training with the warriors, not the Fae army. Of course, the Alpha knew I'd been around the warriors all my life, but Mother didn't."

"It sounds like the wolves were a large part of your life," he hesitated, then asked, "Were you and Soren, um, well.."

Ari snorted and rolled her eyes, "Ewww! Goodness no! Soren's like my brother, that would be so gross. But you're right, they are like family to me. My father and Alpha Beck were good friends, and when my father died, he tried to be there for me. I think he hoped that Soren and I would be mates, but even if we had been, my mother would have forbidden it." Ari's eyes filled with a distant look, "That didn't fit her plans for me. I was just a bargaining chip for more power, not really her daughter."

Vincent pulled her onto his chest, "That doesn't matter anymore, love. You're here now." She snuggled against him and let out a deep sigh. She felt safe in his arms and let herself drift off to sleep under the stars.