Their Thief: Redemption

Chapter 15 (Part 1)

"Simon."

He pulled back to look down at me, his features that I once recalled as boyish now hardened by the truth of what he hid behind his charming smiles. He wasn't the boy that I loved. Not anymore. He never was. The boy I loved only existed in my head. A fantasy I had created while turning a blind eye to anything that said otherwise.

"Aris!"

A sharp jerk had the words penetrated through high-pitched ringing that had filled my ears. The voice didn't match the face watching me. The disconnect had the paralyzing fear holding my body still for the abuse it was sure would follow waver.

I blinked. The vivid sight of hateful eyes flickered to blue ones lined with worry. Blinking hard a few more times, the relief that accompanied the oddly comforting sight of the concerned blues had my body sinking into the softness below me.

"Aris," Alec repeated, his voice sounding strained as his hands on my shoulders tightened. "You with me, kitten?" He asked, trying to keep his voice soft.

The more I heard him speak, the more I emerged from inside my head where I had gone to hide at the touch that sent me back to that night. The night that Simon erased what remaining faith I had that I was deserving of love. I Ruined everyone's lives. First, dad's by making mom leave, then Simon by dragging him into my mess.

I was a worthless nobody.

So then why was Alec looking at me like he was afraid he was about to lose something precious? How could someone I hate so much, that has shown me how much he hates me, be the one to look at me with eyes that warmed the untouched part of my heart that just wanted to be loved? The part that wanted someone to care about whether I lived or died, and not just because they wanted something from me.

Why was fate so cruel?

My hands rose to push Alec away as frustration and hurt rose to combat the wash of ease and safety he couldn't help but bring out. It wasn't fair. It was so hard to fight against it when giving in seemed so easy and luring.

Maybe it was pointless fighting against it so hard. Doing so just made the bond push back harder, making it even more difficult to keep my thoughts from straying to him and his brothers. The one I had expected everything from, took everything from me, while the ones who tried to break me were promising me everything he took and more. What was the worse that could happen?

I could be burned again. I had a feeling it would be far worse than anything I had experienced before. I didn't know if I could handle that, if I could handle any more. All that remained of my heart was charred remains, anything more would just crumble it into a fine dust.

"Aris?" Alec questioned as he backed off at my push, still keeping me pinned beneath his weight.

"Get off!" I snapped, my voice coming out in part a growl as I exerted myself uselessly to shove him off further.

He snapped my wrist up in his hands and pinned them above my head again, bringing his face level with mine. His nose brushed against mine, trying to distract me from the hurt that had me lashing out.

I wasn't the one they wanted. I never was.

"What happened?" He demanded, the gentle tactics he had started with dissipating as a hardness entered his tone.

"Noth-"

"That wasn't nothing. Not what I felt or what I saw. Enough with the lies. I'm done with this little dance, I want the truth!"

"I could say the same!" I snapped back. He never failed to rial me up with his demands.

"No, you can't." His eyes narrowed. "We haven't lied to you, not when I was chasing a twisted vision of power, or after when I had come to accept what I really wanted. You just aren't ready to see that."