"Keep that fucking thing away from me," Claudia snaps when she sees the needle in the doctor's hand.
"Claudia, he needs to test your blood, let him do his job," I pressure her.
Claudia shakes her head vigorously, "All I want is a check up. There's nothing about a fucking needle piercing into my skin."
The doctor puts the needle away, "Since you don't want me to do blood tests, I'll need you to pee in a cup for me. Multiple times for confirmation."
Claudia raises an eyebrow. I pray to God she won't have to pee multiple times on a stick.
"I'll do the damn blood test."
The doctor's shoulder slump in relief. He walks over to Claudia and she shuts her eyes tightly, showing her arm to him.
I look away when I see him put the needle in her arm, hearing her squeal in discomfort.
"Ugh, this is so weird!" she squeals.
I excuse myself and go get a bottle of water. There was a vending machine near the waiting room. I watch a couple fawn over their infant baby and I can't help but smile. The man peppers kisses all over his partner's face and memories of last night come rushing back like waves.
My body shivers, forcing me into doing a weird dance in the middle of a hallway. People glance at me weirdly and I quickly push the buttons for water.
I roam around the hospital hallways and see men in suits on their phones and talking into earpieces. They check every room and seem to be separated in groups.
Could they be after us?
I rush back to Claudia's room to see her with a solemn look.
"What's wrong?" I ask, approaching her.
She releases a ragged breath. Scratching her head, she replies, "The doctor says I'm not pregnant."
"What?" I nearly shout.
Claudia barks out a laugh, "Apparently, I missed my period because of stress... and I'm gaining weight because of an eating disorder. So, basically, I'm depressed and stressed out."
She shakes her head, "At least I don't have to worry about a baby anymore!" she tries to cheer up.
I frown, "Don't say that, babe."
She glances behind me, "Who's patrolling the halls?"
"Men in suits searching the rooms," I summarize.
Claudia raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure they're not after us? You seem calm about this."
I shrug, "I'm tired of running. And besides, Aiden will find us and get us back."
She narrows her eyes, "Ellie... men in suits are capable of beating the shit out of women. They don't care if they're pregnant or not."
"They passed us, didn't they?"
She shrugs, "I guess you're right."
"Is the doctor coming back?"
She shakes her head and leaves the room. I follow after her and we walk around silently. A nurse comes up to us. "Are you Claudia Michaelson and Eleanor Holt?"
I nod on our behalf.
"Mr. Giovanni asked me to escort you out back," she informs us, leading us to the elevators and out an exit.
Aiden leans against his car, busy on his phone behind the hospital. He looks up and hides his phone when he sees us coming.
"Glad you two could make it," he deep voice says.
Claudia walks inside the car, hugging herself.
Aiden gives me a questioning look. I shake my head in response. He nods and opens the door for me.
"Where were you?" I murmur, leaning my head against the window.
"Out," he replies.
"Your knuckles are bruised," I point out quietly. I don't like where my thoughts are heading.
"Just a small fight," he brushes off.
I snort slightly, sleep overtaking me, "It's sad how those same hands touched me so delicately last night."
I feel his gaze on me but my eyelids are already shut.
"I could never hurt you," he says lowly, "No matter how much blood is on my hands, my fists will always be careful to you. You've tamed me, princess."
"How can you say that?" I yawn.
He chuckles and puts his hand on my thigh, "Go to sleep. I'll be there when you wake up in the morning."
♠♠♠
The sunlight burns my eyes, forcing me out of slumber. I stretch and look around the hotel I recognize as Cupid's Cabin in Italy. Did Aiden think we were safe here?
The door opens, revealing Aiden in his usual attire, black Armani suit and tie. "I had to make a quick phone call," he says apologetically, remembering his words to me from before I fell asleep.
I nod slowly, my head still fuzzy from yesterday, "Did I really sleep that much?"
He nods, "I may have injected you with some sedatives to help you sleep."
I lean my head back, "I know I should be furious you drugged me but honestly, I'm too tired to fight with you."
Aiden's gaze falls down, "I heard what happened to Claudia."
I release a small breath, "Guess you were wrong about your suspicions."
He scoffs slightly, "Not everyone is that observant, princess."
I stretch my arms, "I want room service."
"Whatever you want."
"I want to go home."
His eyes darken, "I won't make arrangements for that."
"Why not?" I pout, disappointed.
"Don't pretend like you don't know the answer," he snaps, "You're not safe out there without my protection."
I almost laugh at the irony of the situation, "I think you're past that lame excuse."
"Excuse me?" his nose flares.
I shrug, not knowing what he means.
His eyebrows furrow, "Why do you think that's an excuse? Do you think there's another reason I'm keeping you close?"
I look around, an obvious expression on my face, "Uh, yeah? We've grown close in the past week, I'll admit."
He laughs, his eyes wrinkling making him look so innocent, so handsome it hurts. His gray eyes sparkle and his bright white teeth are worth seeing more often.
Aiden exhales, "Oh, princess. You have no idea how wrong you are about that. You think I'm keeping you here for company? I'm merely keeping you out of pity."
My jaw drops and my eyebrows raises accusingly, "Excuse me?"
He smiles innocently, tilting his head to the side and shrugs, "You're excused."
I laugh humorlessly, "I'm not a fucking charity case. Like you said before, I'm your friend. But it looks like you don't have any after what I've seen between you, Jordan, Lorenzo and Claudia! No wonder why they hate you! You treat your 'friends' terribly!"
Aiden's eyes flare. Before he can talk, I continue what I've been holding in for so long.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Princesses don't raise their voice or speak such vulgar language so I'll just finish by saying this,
"Stay the hell away from me. You've only brought darkness into my life."
He rolls his eyes like I'm a defiant child who can't be controlled.
"Fine. Go. Leave. Have fun, go to frat parties, procrastinate on your essays, I really don't give two shits. But don't act like these past few moments with me haven't been the most exciting moments of your life. You know you loved the adventure, craved for it. I'm not surprised to say, you're exactly like me."
"Don't ever compare me to you, ever," I growl.
He laughs.
"I'm afraid that's already true. I'm just speaking the truth while you're running away from it."