The Storm Before the Calm

Chapter 6

Aurora Salvatore

"Sissy!" Ariana's singsong voice carried throughout the house upon her coming right in my front door rather than knocking or ringing the doorbell like a normal person. She's the only person on this planet who is allowed to do that, so she abuses that privilege daily.

My personal motto is to shoot first and ask questions later, especially when it comes to people invading my private space. Almost nobody steps foot in my home besides my direct blood family members. However, I say that she is the only person on this planet allowed to do that because of 2 other reasons. Mila and Arya.

"Mamas!" I heard Ariana's feminine voice carry through my front hallway towards my kitchen. Mila sat directly between my legs as I sat on the bar stool, staring out towards the kitchen around me like the good guard dog she is while Arya laid right next to us, watching our backs like the good girl she is.

I brought Mila home with me as a first priority after...the incident. Arya came into our lives the day after I returned home, and I enrolled them in obedience and protection training as soon as they grew their adult teeth in, and they've been my fiercest protectors and warmest cuddle bugs ever since. Unless it comes to Ariana. They love and protect her as much as they do me.

And that is why Ariana is the only person allowed to barge into my house without dying by hands other than my own...or, paws, I guess.

Mila is my Belgian Malinois  whose look is icy enough to make a grown man shit themselves before they even had time to calculate attacking one of us. Her body was dark brown with specks of black and gold, but her entirely black face is what made her bright hazel eyes pop. And Arya is my all black German Shepherd whom we found when she waltzed into my parent's compound the day after I got Mila, and I took her home with us.

I was sitting at my kitchen island, sipping on some tea while I scrolled through e-mail files my father had sent me after I stayed up all night with Antonio and our cousin Joey who was the expert in the field of tracking people down along with all fun little bits of information about them that they'd never want to see the light of day. He taught me everything I know. He was such a good teacher, that I taught myself more than he ever did, and he now pouted when I was better at his job than he was. I'd gotten at least 4 hours of sleep when I threw in the towel, took a shower and planted my ass down here.

That was, until Ariana texted me to say she was coming over with a bunch of dresses I needed to look at and help her figure out what she was going to wear tonight. She had a huge crush on Gabriel and Frankie's other best friend, Hunter. And she knew he would be at the club opening tonight, so she was planning on spending her time with him.

So, for the last 30 minutes, I'd been anticipating her driver dropping her off any minute. I knew I had about a minute left of peace when my electronic gates informed me she was putting her code in and coming up the driveway.

Mila and Arya ran up to Ariana, kissing her and jumping all over her in a loving way, rather than when they maul human beings on command until I can see through to their bones.

She, as I should've known, had her hair all up in her usual curlers, with a full face of perfect makeup done, and she was wearing grey sweatpants with a matching grey zip up hoodie with...heels?

"Interesting outfit. I think you should just wear what you're wearing now." I said, looking down at her feet. She growled like a defiant child, stomping her right foot, and putting her hand on her hip that wasn't holding a ton of sparkly dresses.

"No, Aurora! These are the heels I want to wear. They match all these dresses." She said, flopping the pile down on my large white stone island. I closed my laptop, and paid her my full attention, sipping my tea, as the dogs assumed their original positions under me and next to me.