Luckily, all I’d left with was a split lip and probably some bruising on my lower abdomen.
It was too late to use the front door, and I didn’t want to risk it if Dad was home, so I did what I always did: I climbed through one of the spare bedroom windows.
The one around the back of the house was my usual choice. Clive, the estate manager, always made sure a specific alarm was off so I could get in without anyone noticing.
I rattled the window, gently pulling it up so I could haul my body through.
But something felt … off.
I knew what that something was when I was met with a right hook to the face.
I rubbed the spot, cursing, before the sudden illumination of the room forced my eyes to blink a few times as they adjusted.
Then, I saw her.
This girl stood there with her arms folded, looking straight into my soul.
Her bright blonde hair was bunched up in a bun on the top of her head. Her pyjamas were covered in butterflies. But it was her eyes that captured my attention. They shimmered grey like the moon in the night sky—a beacon in the darkness.
“Are you just going to stand there staring all night?” Her voice was filled with sass. A vibrant little soul, apparently. Her eyes dropped to my split lip. “Oh, crap.” She scurried closer to me. “I didn’t do that, did I?”
Before her finger could find my lip, I grabbed her wrist to stop her.
“Safe to say that wasn’t you,” I said, lowering her hand before I let go. “I’m going to take a wild guess here and presume you’re my new little sister.” I flashed her a smile, but I wasn’t sure it didn’t come across as more of a grimace.
“Please don’t call me that. We aren’t blood related.” She climbed onto her bed, grabbed her pillow, and hugged it. “Besides, we’re both adults.”
“Adults?” I questioned. “Aren’t you like, fourteen?”
She flung her pillow at me, hitting me in the head. “I’m sixteen.”
“So grown up.” I teased her, tossing it back.
She huffed. “What kind of adult climbs through a window in the dead of night?”
“This kind of adult, clearly.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Did you hit your head to go with that split lip? It looks really bad. Shall I go get your dad?” She climbed off the bed.
I grabbed her arm to stop her. “No.” Her eyes flicked down to my hand, then back to meet my eyes. “I wouldn’t, if I were you.” I let go of her arm, and she slowly sat back on the bed.
Silence fell between us for a moment. It wasn’t awkward, but it was necessary. Her face softened, and those eyes stared deep into my soul.
“Aria.” She held out her hand.
That may have been her name given to her, but I wasn’t going to be calling her that. She reminded me of the Greek goddess, Nyx. This girl had managed to add light to pure darkness with one look, and no one would ever be able to put that spark out, just like the goddess herself.
This girl wasn’t going to be overlooked by anyone.
“Sebastian,” I said, taking her hand and shaking it.
“I was expecting to meet you at the wedding,” she confessed, looking at me.
“I had business arrangements.”
She looked me up and down. “You look too young to have business arrangements.”
I let out a small laugh. “Welcome to being a Knight.”
