Sinful Alliance: A Reverse Harem Story

THIRTY-EIGHT

-Avalona-

For the rest of that week it was like we were wrapped in a blissful cocoon until Silvano had to return to the city and Vartan came to keep an eye on me. We were keeping up the act that he was just my employer so he slept in a different room and I couldn't bring myself to go to him when I woke up from a night terror. So I found myself setting in the small breakfast nook with my hands wrapped around a mug of tea as I watched moonlight dance along the surface of the lagoon. "You're up late," Verona commented as she entered the kitchen slipping her glasses onto her face.
            "A bad dream woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep."
            She gave me a little smile and sat down across from me. "I remember when Vartan came back from overseas, there were a lot of nights when he lost sleep because of the things that he saw in his dreams. I guess its one of the reasons he is so taken with you."
            My brow furrowed at her comment as I looked at her. "What are the others?"
            "You don't know?"
            "Know what?"
            She gazed at me before letting out a sigh. "I suppose it would be normal to not remember, Vartan was the officer who responded to the shooting at your home when you were a child."
            All I could do was stare at her, yeah I knew he'd been a cop but had no idea that he'd been the cop who found me in the cabinet. "H-he never told me," I muttered looking down at my tea. "Excuse me."
            I placed the mug in the sink before making my way to the guest room where I leaned on the door watching Vartan sleep. Memories started to trickle into my mind- cabinet doors slowly opening, a gentle voice soothing me as I was taken into strong arms; how could I not have remembered him all these years? Slowly I stepped over to the bedside brushing my fingers across his cheek and a sigh passed my lips when he caught my wrist. "Ava?" he softly asked when his eyes fluttered open.
            "Why didn't you tell me?"
            "Tell you what?" He let go of my wrist as he sat up brushing his hand through his hair.
            "That you were the one who found me that day."
            "Baby," he muttered as his brow furrowed at me through the darkness and I settled onto the edge of the bed. He scooted closer wrapping his arms around me. "There never seemed to be a right time to tell you... When I responded to that call I didn't know what I was walking into, I thought I'd seen everything while I was overseas but then I found you hiding inside of the entertainment center it felt like something broke inside of me."
            He brushed some hair out of my face then ran his knuckles across my cheek. "You were so tiny and terrified. When ACS came to take custody of you, you gave me this look and something told me that I wasn't cut out for the job. So, I took some of the money that mom had set aside for me to start Goddess Black. I... I kept tabs on you after that because I had to know how you would grow up."
            "You knew who I was the day I stumbled into the club."
            He nodded and gently cupped my cheek. "When I took you in I intended to just be like a pseudo-father to you, I never knew that I'd end up falling in love with you or that you would feel the same."
            My hands cupped his cheeks as my forehead rested against his. "How could I not fall in love with you Vartan?"
            Gently his hands took hold of my waist and kissed me slowly. "Thank you for saving me that day," I whispered when our lips parted.
            "You don't realize how much you saved me Princess."
            I leaned back enough to look at him. "What do you mean?"
            "After my mother died I was heading down a really dark path until the day you came back into my life. Avalona, you saved me from myself."
            I gave him a small smile and buzzed him tightly. "I love you Vartan."
            "I love you Little One."