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CHAPTER6
Ryan
Aurelia is quiet as I take Zeke’s car and drive her to the new apartment. She sits in the back, staring out of the side window as if it holds all the answers. As I take in the forming bruise on her cheek, my fingers tighten around the steering wheel until I can see the whites of my knuckles.
Fucking Charlotte Fraser.
She’s full of bullshit.
She wants Aurelia to marry to suit her purpose, and I hate her for that. Aurelia isn’t a pawn in her game of chess. She’s a human with thoughts and feeling.
I know her brothers both had arranged marriages, and yes, they worked out, but that isn’t always the case.
Besides, Luke and Kane were willing to do it. She’s not.
And for good reason.
Luke and Kane have power in any relationship they are in. Aurelia does not. She is always going to be on a back foot. She’ll always be the powerless one.
Men in the spheres she exists in don’t see women as important.
She’ll never be seen as an equal, and that pisses me off.
I focus back on the road until I pull up outside the parking garage. I insert the code and drive into it. I find the space for the apartment that belongs to her and pull into the space.
Turning the engine off, I take a moment to breathe. This isn’t like with Zeke. Her brother can take care of himself, and even then, I worry about protecting him every moment of the day—especially since I’ve failed him in the past.
Aurelia is vulnerable in a way I’m not sure how to deal with. As I open the back door to let her out, I keep close to her, making sure she’s not left open to attack. My heart feels like it’s in my throat as I walk her to the lift and stab the button to call it down.
She doesn’t speak. She just stands, hugging her waist as she waits. I wonder what is going through her head.
I also wonder why her brothers thought I would be the best person for this job.
Zeke trusts me. I know that. I’ve done a lot of shit over the years to earn that.
But she’s the most precious cargo he could have given over to me.
Those men love Aurelia.
She is everything to them.
To me too.
The lift doors open, and I usher her into it.
“Aurelia.” I say her name softly, not sure what I want to say, but hating the silence she’s giving me.
Her eyes rise to meet mine, and I see uncertainty in them. It breaks my fucking heart to see it. She’s usually so strong, so sure. A little cocky, a whole lot naïve. But right now she looks… shattered.
I hate it.
“Lia.” I don’t know why I shorten her name, but in this moment, it feels right to.
“No one’s called me that before,” she says quietly.
I like knowing I have something that’s just ours.
“Do you hate it?” I ask her.
