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“No,” she started explaining. “They are my friends. But we grew up together and I think of them as my family.”
So, she was the real Aria. I didn’t even know why I questioned it. I got all confused and nervous when she said family. And I got sad for Gabriel. He would be devastated to find out she wasn’t his sister. I could see how much he loved and cared for her.
“Where is your home, A?” Annie asked her.
“It is a small village about six hours away,” she said, wiping her tears away. “It is called Winterfort. I grew up there with my grandma.”
I never heard about that village.
“You can’t go, Aria,” Gabriel said. “What if something has happened to them? What if they are not there anymore?”
She looked angrily at him. “That is exactly why I have to go. They are the only ones that cared about me.”
What does she mean by that? What about Grace?
“What about your grandma?” I asked.
She looked down and I saw a hint of pain and sadness before she pulled herself together. Did she know about Grace?
“She cared,” she said quietly. “But she is not here anymore.”
“No,” Gabriel said and sat on the bed. “But we are.”
“I know,” she said and looked up at him. “Thank you for being here. But I have to go home.”
My heart clenched painfully. I was not losing her. She was not leaving.
I wanted to say something, but Gabriel interrupted me. “You can’t go. It is not safe for you to go. And what about Nick? He is your mate. You can’t be apart.”
He was right. It will hurt us both if we separate. Mostly me because I feel the bond more than she does. But she would be hurt too. Not to mention the possibility of somebody else hurting her. Or inquisitors finding her. Or Victor and Cora. There was no way she was leaving me. It was too dangerous.
“You don’t understand!” she yelled and startled the three of us. “It is not safe for me to stay here! He found me! He said he will, and he did. I can’t stay here!”
We stared at her confused.
“Who found you, A?” Annie asked, hugging her.
She broke down crying.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE – The Past
Gabriel’s POV
She couldn’t calm down. I could see how scared she was. I didn’t think she would be able to tell us anything. But I had to find out. Was it Victor? Did she know something?
She could show us the memory. But I needed her to calm down first. She was a mess, and she was afraid of Nick and me. We needed to leave her with Annie for a while. Once she was calm enough, she could perform a spell and let us see. If she wanted to, of course.
“Aria, love, please,” Nick said. “Talk to us.”
She shook her head and continued sobbing. Annie was holding her and speaking softly to her. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she was probably consoling her, although I didn’t think she could be consoled that easily. She looked broken. Whatever happened to her was terrible.
“Nick,” I called him. “How about we let her calm down a bit?”
“What?” he asked angrily. “No, I am not leaving.”
“Yes, you are,” I said strictly. “Let Annie be with her for a while. You and I are going to make dinner.”
He growled and clenched his fists. He wasn’t going to move.
