Revelations (Formerly known as Promises and Lies (EDITING)

Chapter 12

Because I love ALL of your novels. :)

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Twelve.

A r i a.

I opened my eyes to two ice blue orbs staring intently down at me with a trace of concern marking them. I realized I was cradled in his arms like a baby, my head just clearing his neck. He was just standing there, at the edge of the stairs with me in his arms and for a moment, all I could do was stare back.

My eyes traced over his face taking in every detail as if I were examining it. People this beautiful couldn’t be real. I was drugged, confused, dazed. But the sound of arguing coming from somewhere near reminded me of how very real this was.

“Please. Just let me see if she’s okay. I won’t do anything!” His pleading voice floated to me, making me wish I were still unconscious.

“No. You’re not going anywhere near her. Now turn around and go back to the room.” I heard Dhalia say. Her voice so sharp it could have given someone whiplash. It cut through the stillness of air, stirring it with its stern undertone. There was a dull sound, almost like someone being thrown across a room and landing with a thud. I tore my face away from Daniel’s needing to see what caused the sound.

Dhalia’s shoulder was braced against Jonah’s shirtless one. As if she were blocking him. I didn’t think she would be able to stop him. He towered over her 5ft1” frame. He was wincing in pain. Daniel’s hold on me gripped tighter. The tension was thick in the air, with all of us just standing in some sort of standoff. Jonah, with his chest heaving stared intently at Daniel with a look that could’ve killed.

“Just let me talk to her. Please.” His voice faltered on that last word and he dropped his gaze into one of defeat. He was gripped in remorse. That much I can tell.

“Alright.” Daniel spoke up for the first time. All that time, my heart was beating erratically. But this time I felt like it would burst. The physical pain this one little word caused me was almost too much to bear. I didn’t want Jonah to talk to me. I didn’t want anything to do with him. His words wouldn’t fix anything.

Jonah took two steps forward.

“Don’t come near me.” My voice found it’s way out. I sounded winded, and I was breathing in shallow breaths.

I saw his face crumble and distort into one of pain. It set off an ache in me one I was desperately trying to quell. It wasn’t fair. He couldn’t just show up after all this time.

“Aria. Please.” He pleaded. His eyes willed me to understand. I felt Daniel’s hold on me tighten even more. This was the moment I was practically praying for. The moment where I get all my answers. But it was too much. I couldn’t handle it. I needed to leave.

“Daniel, I need to leave.” He started turning around to descend the stairs that were right behind us. But Jonah’s voice made Daniel’s step falter.

“Wait.” He called. I looked at him and for a second a fury so great that it made me shake swept through me.

“I’m done waiting, Jonah.” My voice wavered on his name. Inhaling deeply, I looked at up at Daniel, pleading with him silently to get me out of there.

~

Daniel carried me all the way to my house, never once complaining about my weight being too heavy. In a swift motion, he unlocked the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. He then made his way up the stairs and straight into my room, setting me on my bed, never saying a word. He looked at me with such an intense gaze, as if trying to see if I’ll go into a fit of tears. But I remained sitting there gazing back at him and staring deeply into his eyes trying to figure out what he was thinking.

He turned to leave and I grabbed his hand, forcing him to turn around again. The beating heartbeat echoed in the space around us, filling my ears. The pulse thudded in my head, at my fingertips, in the space around us, and in the space between us. It felt like it was drawing me closer to Daniel in a way, and I felt myself rise off the bed and come chest-to-chest with Daniel.

“What is that?” I whispered to him feeling as if I were dreaming.

The hazy feeling was overwhelming my senses and lulling me into a dazed state where the edges of this moment seemed blurred. Then the heartbeat was echoed with another. The sound of two distinct thuds following each other and almost overlapping filled my ears. It was such a peaceful moment. All the chaos that used to be my rational thoughts faded away. It was just me and Daniel in this room, and in this moment.

“It’s beautiful” I whispered more to myself than him, and I shut my eyes for just a second. Beautiful bliss erupted within me and it was just the relief I had been craving for years. All the worry, stress and building questions melted away. I opened my eyes to Daniel’s seeing his deep obsidian eyes with a striking ring of blue within them.

He had a soft expression on his face, and I felt his fingers weaving themselves through mine. His hand was warm, for the first time. His other hand gripped the tip of my chin, pulling it up slightly.

A vague memory tugged at my mind. The image of the hallway with Dhalia, Jonah, and Daniel. Dhalia standing in front of Jonah, blocking his path towards me, and Daniel behind Jonah, at the other end of the hall.

And then it hit me like an avalanche. Daniel was at the other end of the hall, the furthest away from the stairs. He was the one who caught me.

How?

As if sensing my confusion Daniel’s eyebrows furrowed together. “What’s wrong?” He asked me.

“Daniel. How did you get to my side of the hall so fast?”

My question hung in the air around us, and I caught an expression on his face. Shock.

Willing myself to move from this spot, I pulled my hand out of his and took a step back. The heartbeats ceased. I looked up at his towering six foot frame, the black in his eyes shrunk back to a small ring around his now blue iris.

Why did his eyes change?

So many questions plagued my mind. The room spun and I swayed on my feet. He caught me before I could fall.

“How did you do it?”

I felt the words leave my lips. But I felt so tired, like I couldn’t keep my eyes opened.

“Shh.” He cooed. His hands traced cool circles along my arms. It was a nice feeling against my heated skin. It was calming, soothing.

“Just sleep.”

And after those two small words, I was gone.