Page 11 of His Last Will

Aiden places the glass down and turns to me as he drops to one knee.

And my heart splinters.

No. No. No.

He cannot seriously be doing this right now. A cold sweat breaks out on my skin. Nerves and anger clash inside of me as a blush breaks out on my face. Bile fills the back of my throat.

It was never supposed to be him on his knees before me. It was always supposed to be Brodie. The once perfect vision in my mind, now desecrated by Aiden. I think I am going to be sick.

His gray eyes—so much like the clouds of a storm—are hard and daring as he looks up at me. “Ari, I have watched you from afar our entire lives. Never wanting to hope that one day you would be mine. Because you were always his.” My chest cracks and the sheer force of my grief overwhelms me.

I will never forgive him for this.

“But in his will, Brodie gave you to me.”

I blink away the tears that threaten to fall.

“I know we are at our engagement party,” I can hear a few chuckles from the crowd as he reaches into his pocket, “but I wanted to do this right.” He pulls out a velvet ring box.

And when he opens it, my world shatters completely. Because in the box is a black obsidian ring with a web pattern for the band and a large oval-cut white diamond at the center. My hand goes to my throat where my collar should be. The perfect match.

Fuck, why?

The dam breaks, and the tears I was holding at bay begin falling freely down my face. I have to find the quickest escape. There is no coming back from this.

My entire body shakes as I hold out my left hand and whisper the only answer he will accept, “Yes.”

With that one word, I seal my fate. No longer would I belong to Brodie Araneae.

Forevermore, I am Aiden Araneae’s.

Pocketing the box, he slips the ring on my finger and gives my hand a tight squeeze.

“Brace yourself,” he says quietly under his breath as he stands.

Before I can respond, his lips are on mine. Hard and unrelenting. The taste of my tears cementing my new reality.

He groans softly into the kiss, “Your tears make me so hard, Arianna. It’s a shame you didn’t respond like that the first time.”

“Have you ever had someone kiss you before, brat?” I study his soft lips and wonder if they would feel as harsh as the words he normally sends my way. As he leans down, he whispers, “Let me teach you…”

I touch my lips with my fingers as he turns back to the crowd. The tingling sensation that I thought solely belonged to Brodie’s kiss flares up.

No.

I can’t do this.

And then I do the one thing I promised myself I wouldn’t.

I run.

CHAPTER

THREE

ARI

VanHuss University—or VHU—is a private university for the world’s most elite members of society. There wasn’t even an application process to attend. Admissions sends out the coveted letter of acceptance in the fall of each year, and to not accept would be social suicide.