Aria's POV:
My heart begins to pound as I'm pried from my peaceful sleep. I fell asleep in Derek's bed, but there's no Derek. My ears ring as more and more glass shatters out in the main area, followed by gunshots. Against my will, my body violently shakes like a leaf in the wind.
"Where is she?!" A man's voice echoes, reaching Derek's room. With pure adrenaline pumping through my veins, I bounce out of bed and bolt to the window, opening it with a loud squeak. No doubt they're looking for me.
"You can fuck right off, Ortiz!" Derek exclaims. I take all of one second before I'm outside, making a break for the woods. My heart races as my feet fall one by one in front of me. My feet are bare, causing them to scrape against the harsh twigs and thorns. Thank God Derek's place is surrounded by woods and countryside, otherwise, I could die tonight. I should've never gone out with Rowan that night. I should've just stayed home. Then again that probably wouldn't have stopped Derek. He's seemed pretty insistent on making me his wife. If he didn't catch up to me that night, it only would've been a matter of time.
My breathing quickens as I continue to run in a straight line until reaching a cornfield. I spin on one foot and sit on the ground, eyes trained on where I came from so that I can get back. Along the way, I kept track of two large trees so that I know where to go.
"Oh, Aria," A man sings in the distance, coming closer and closer. I put a hand over my mouth to cover my breathing. I can't live like this. I can barely wrap my head around what's happening right now. My body sensed danger, so I let adrenaline take the lead. "You can run, but you can't hide from me. I will find you."
Tears burn my eyes as they create a waterfall down my cheeks. I put my other hand over my mouth as well, shrinking back further in the field. Silently, I pray for Derek to hurry up and get this shit under control. As much as I want to go home, he's right. If I go home, I'm easier to take and kidnap. At least here, Derek can make sure I'm not getting hurt.
"Aw, don't tell me you went into the field, babydoll," The man's tone grows more and more taunting as he stalks closer. My heart races as I scramble further back, my eyes never leaving where I came from. I can't get lost. Not now. If I get lost, then I'll die. "Aria, I know you're in here."
The voice comes from my right. I continue to grip my face, silencing my breathing. He's off on where I am by about thirty feet, the crunching of leaves under his shoes are enough indication of where he is. Where's Derek when I need him? I need help. I don't have a gun, a knife, anything. I need to start sleeping with a butcher knife under my pillow at this point, given the weakened state I'm in when I sleep. I can't leave myself totally defenseless as I sleep. Although it's ironic that this happened the one night Derek wasn't next to me all night. Typically, he has a gun on his nightstand, but he must've taken it with him when the people broke in.
My ears start to ring again as another gunshot goes off, followed by a thud to my right. "Aria! Come on out, I'm here!" Derek's voice trumps over every other sound in my ear. I desparately clabber to my feet, breaking into a sprint back towards the woods to exit the field. There, Derek waits next to a dead man with an ugly ass mustache.
"Aria, I'm so sorry," Derek apologizes profusely as he wrapped his arms around me, encasing me in protection. "They're all dead. We took care of them, but you need more security, more protection. I'm not going to leave you in the dark. I just started a war by doing this. I slaughtered half of the Ortiz family and-and," Derek's voice grows frantic as he pants. I look up at him and slap him in the face.
"Pull yourself together! You were just trying to protect me," I explain as Derek looks at me shellshocked that I just slapped him. His breathing slows as he stares at me with adoration. It seems as if I took his lungs and punched the air out of them with the way he's looking at me.
"You're hot, Aria," His reply is simple and to the point. I deadpan, expressionless as my cheeks heat up.
"Shut up," I reply just as simply.
Derek and I make it back to the house in one piece, and we examen the living room and kitchen. It doesn't look like much damage, but the window by the TV is busted as well as the TV itself. The couch, luckily, has no bullet holes, but the same can't be said about the kitchen island. It's full of them. I guess Derek or someone else must've used it for cover.
"I'm sorry I fought you so much before all of this bullshit," I apologize, words tumbling without thought. The events of tonight have really put into perspective how much Derek truly loves me and wants me to be safe. That still doesn't mean I'm totally in love with him. Just because he's good at eating me out doesn't mean I'm in love. Love is more than sex. It's also about compassion and sympathy. I lack the desire for Derek as more than sexually. I would absolutely kill to have sex with that man, but would I kill to spend my entire life with him? No. I wouldn't. Derek may feel that way about me, but I don't feel that way about him. Not even in the slightest.
"I understand, love. I didn't exactly give you the smoothest pick up line," Derek remarks. I let out an exhasperated laugh.
"Yeah, news flash, Derek, telling a girl to get in a car while holding her at gunpoint is not a good way to pick a bitch up," I reply, messing with him about my first night with him. Derek laughs as he heads over to the bullet covered fridge. "How are you cleaning all this shit up?"
"That, my dear, is for me to know and for you to find out," Derek replies. I let out a sigh and roll my eyes at him. He bends down in the fridge and grabs out two water bottles. Derek cracks open one water bottle before twisting the cap back on and tossing it to me. What a gentleman. Guess chivalry isn't dead after all.
"Thank you," I reply, opening the bottle and taking a sip. Derek does the same with his own, only he chugs the damn thing like his life depends on it. I stare at him for awhile. He's so pretty. I mean I don't love him like that, but I can appreciate how beautiful this man is. I mean the way he chugs water is even attractive. No woman can deny that this man isn't someone you'd want on top of you in the sheets. Derek smiles as he twists his cap back on and tosses the bottle in the trash.
"You like what you see, preziosa? You should just start frothing at the mouth at that point," Derek comments, pulling me from my captivating trance.
"Shut up," My cheeks flush a rosey red as Derek gets a kick out of my reaction.
"It's not my fault you're practically drooling over the way I chug water. If you think water's hot, you should see me shotgun a Whiteclaw," Derek replies.
"Derek, I swear to God," I swear, my cheeks still flushed.
"Just pulling your dick, love. Why don't we go back to bed, we have to be up in a few hours," Derek suggests, setting his drink down on the counter. I nod my head, eyes still heavy. I don't think I'll be able to sleep, but I can at least try. Adrenaline is still coursing through my veins, but I guess Derek's been through a few shoot-outs.
We lie down in Derek's bed, absolutely exhausted. I keep my eyes closed, but I can feel Derek's eyes on me. He gently runs his fingers through my hair as he rests his head on my own.
"I'm sorry, Aria. Things were never supposed to turn out this way. I wanted to give you a grand wedding with all of our family and friends. I wanted to do it right, but I couldn't. Regardless, I will fight until I no longer can. I will protect you with everything I have. I will burn the world for you if you so desire. I promise on everything I hold dear that you will not live in fear forever," Derek whispers, thinking I'm asleep. I do my best to remain composed, but it's quite the challege. My heart feels such a pull towards him, yet my head still wants to get away from him. This isn't healthy. He's so intoxicating, but I guess I don't mind. I mean I'm probably more like heroine for him. He's more like molly for me. I can take it at parties and not be addicted, but Derek... God, he'd shoot himself up every two seconds. I almost feel bad that I have that affect on him, but I guess I can't feel too bad, he makes me feel good and important. Maybe I should stop fighting his love and just subcome. I need to shut my brain off. I let the darkness consume me and flee to my dreams... about Derek... and his tongue.