Hunted

Chapter Twenty

My eyes were already so blotchy and red by the time Luma got there. The tears wouldn't stop pouring out of my eyes. I cried so much that I didn't think I had any more tears left to cry. This fear was almost worse then when I found out Nicolae had found me. Forget almost! It was way worse!

"Aria, what happened? What did he do?" Luma had been my best friend for centuries. The thing was that she is Nicolae's sister. As bad as he was to me he was worse to her. I was always the one to clean her up after Nicolae's threats or beatings. Now I needed her to do the same for me. "Nicolae threatened Caleb. He said that he would kill him if I didn't go to the masquerade ball with him tomorrow."

"Okay, it's just one night." She knew as well as I that Nicolae would never let me be with Caleb in this life. "Luma, what should I do? I can't go to the dance with him. He won't let me go." She pulled me into a hug that sister's would give each other. We basically were sisters. Even though I was running and she was too, whenever one of us needed the other we came to help.

"I don't know. I might be able to buy you some time tomorrow to talk to Caleb since I just enrolled in the school here." I just shook my head. "Nicolae said that if I warned him in anyway that he would kill him. I can't risk Caleb's life Luma! I love him." She actually gasped. I never ever had actually said I loved someone who wasn't family. She knew why too. It was the same reason she never said it.

"Okay, we will figure something out. Don't worry Aria. We won't let what happened to Jackson happen to Caleb." Jackson had been her boyfriend. I kept it secret from Nicolae until he found out from one of his friends that Luma was getting married to Jackson. He beat me so I couldn't stop him. On their wedding day Nicolae killed him. Luma hadn't loved anyone since.

All night we just talked about anything except Nicolae and Caleb. I was still so fearful though that during the night I had the same nightmare. Only this time instead of running I was watching as the sword was pushed through Caleb's heart. My scream woke me up. Not the alarm that was blaring by my bed. I don't even remember moving up here or that Luma had fallen asleep on the floor.

I threw my pillow at her to wake her up. "If you don't get up bitch we will be late." We always called each other bitch because we had been friends so long. "Looks like someone is eager to see my brother." That just got her another pillow to the face. We took turns in the shower. She went simple with her outfit. Just some leggings and a hoodie.

"Are you trying to kill Caleb yourself or baiting him for Nicolae? Or are you baiting Nicolae?" I hadn't realized that I put on a thin strapped white dress that went down to my calf. My hair hung in its curls framing my face perfectly. My make-up hid all evidence of crying. The lightest of blush was on my cheeks. All I did was shrug. "I don't know. I just wanted to ware something that showed nothing was wrong."

A red mustang was parked outside of my house. No doubt Nicolae. "Ready to face the Devil?" I asked as we went down stairs, school bags in hand. "I'm ready to face my brother." I smiled at her. "Actually it's Devils." She raised her eyebrow at me. "High school teachers." Both of us laughed as we walked out the door. Nicolae was leaning against the passenger side of the door.

If I didn't know the monster underneath the man I would say he was stunning. The all black ensemble he had looked perfect on him with his hair neatly combed back. "Well, well. Isn't that a face I would never see again. Hello little sister." Luma scoffed. "Little by three minuets." Nicolae laughed his trade mark sinister laughter. His eyes resembled all the coldness in the world. He acted like a gentleman by opening my door forcing me to sit next to him.

When we got to school I saw Caleb's bike and had to stifle a tear. He was leaning against it so beautifully.  Where Nicolae was waring clothes that asserted dominance Caleb just wore a simple hoodie. "Remember the deal Ariralana." I nodded and stepped out of the car. My dress swished in the wind as Nicolae put his hand on the small of my back as I shivered at his touch. The ice in his voice was apparent as he whispered in my ear. "You look dangerously hot Ariralana." To seam like a lover he even placed a kiss on my cheek.

From across the lot I could feel Caleb's face turn red with anger and betrayal. Nicolae lead me through the crowed of students as if I was a shiny prize and he was showing me off. That's all I was and all I ever would be to him. Today was the first day I noticed this but Nicolae and Caleb were in all of my classes.

And I sat in the middle of both of them.

Throughout the classes Caleb passed notes to me. I didn't even read them. Even looking at them would result in his death. Classes seamed to last an eternity. With Nicolae pulling me closer as if we were dating, never letting his hand off the small of my back and Caleb's growing anger every second. In between classes Nicolae wouldn't let me out of his sight. During English I was texting Luma and Kenna and Nicolae was watching over my shoulder.

"Dude! Caleb is texting me non stop that you are suddenly buddy buddy loverly with Nicolae?! What the hell?!"

How did I respond to this? Nicolae was looking over my shoulder and Caleb was right next to me. I once was told by a seer that I was destined to go to Hell. Well this was it. "Look I realized it never would have worked between me and Caleb. It didn't feel right to string him along like that. I don't love him." A single tear streamed from my eye as I hit send.

Never have words like that hurt so much to type. Luma had sent a text not a moment later. "Aria, don't worry. It will be fine. Hang in there!" Nicolae saw and passed a note. His hand writing was elegant like the old times. It was hard to deny that. "What was that "dear"?" Just the way he said dear made me shiver. "Stressed about my dress tonight. It ripped. Father has been having trouble finding someone to fix it." He seamed to buy it because he let it drop the rest of the hour.

When class ended he escorted me to lunch. Not surprisingly he had a table all to himself. I saw Caleb outside reading a text. Guilt flooded my system as I saw the tears on his face. I wanted to skip next hour just because of that. Nicolae was not in my next hour but Caleb sat right next to me. Tears threatened to spill over. I couldn't do this right now. "I'll be right back okay Nicolae." To my surprise Nicolae planted a kiss on me.

His kiss was too rough for me. It always has been. As I left the cafeteria I noticed Caleb wasn't outside anymore. No one was in the halls as I exited the cafeteria. After I turned a corner I felt someone pull me aside into a dark closet. I could tell it was a guy because of the cologne. "Caleb?! What the hell!" The light turned on and I had to look away. His puffy red eyes were too much for me to handle.

"What do you want Caleb?" He pushed me against the wall and kissed me. His lips were still soft and tender but he kissed like it was out last. Only I knew it was our last kiss. "I had to do that one last time. I need to know it wasn't nothing Ali. I need to know I didn't waste time on you." Lie. That's all I could do. I knew this would end in heart break. I just always assumed it would be mine.

"It was nothing. I don't love you." I walked to the door unable to look at him. He grabbed my arm as I reached for the door. They were soft but I could feel them shaking. "Come on. We both know that is bull. What happened after I left? Did Nicolae threaten you? Damn it Ali answer me!" He turned me around and looked at me dead in the eyes. "Let me go Caleb." He did and I ran out the door crying.

I ran right out the front door and into the woods. I felt arms around me. Arms that I knew so well in times of trouble. "Ariralana. Don't worry. After the dance tonight we will leave and go off the grid. Nicolae won't threaten the boy anymore." I just let myself cry in my father's arms for what seamed like forever.