Kissed in the darkness

-Chapter 10-

Okay back to the cutesy stuff ... Sorta, I guess haha! Love you xx -Tay

Christian's POV

The sun starts to peak just as Aria's...sister? Just as Aria's strigoi sister took off with her minions. I look over at Aria who looks like a beautiful and pained sallow silhouette against the burning sun. Her hair escaping it's pony tail, her chest raising up and down rapidly. She looks like a heroine from a YA book. And of course even heroines have emotions. She's shaking, and her normally tanned skin has paled. She drops her stake and raises the now empty hand to her mouth shocked at what she did. I don't understand why she's shocked, what she did was marvellous. Except what she did to her sister might be naw I g on her conscience, and I do understand she needs affection.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me, she nuzzles into my chest inhaling and exhaling jagged breaths, but no tears show

I try to console her

"Shhh...Ari it's fine. Your okay." She shakes her head a bit

"No, no I'm not. My sister may be a strigoi but I can't help but feel what I did to my baby sister was wrong. Christian,... I cut my little sister. I hurt her." She actually probably accidentally let's the tears flow. I keep murmuring apologies and how I love her.

"Christian...," she tells me "Strigoi aren't the people they were before. That means I don't have a family at all anymore. I thought I did because I thought Anna was in Russia, she wasn't she's hunting me." More tears. I gently lift her chin so she's looking in my eyes

"Aria, you do have family. I know they're not anymore but look.," I motion to the Dhampirs and Guardians running over "they're your family Ari. And you've got me too... I'll be your family now." She puts her hand on my neck and pulls me to her making or lips connect. We kiss for a moment before she realises I motioned to approaching guardians, she pulls away and hurriedly says while wiping her eyes

"We'll continue this later honey." Her eyes already look like she's been on her job the whole time, not letting her emotions show. As they near closer she takes up checking me over for injuries.

Aria's POV

Later that day I find myself yet again in the churches attic, and without Christian for a change. Of course I completed my duties, doing the rounds calming all of the Moroi down, cleaning, getting them back to their dorms, that sort of stuff. And being that ST Vladimir's runs on a nocturnal schedule, it's about midday when I can try for what feels like the millionth time to completely relax. Of course I can't though. With all the thoughts swirling around in my head like my own mini whirlwind of troubles, everything I need to do, what I just did. I can't believe what I did to Anna, I can't believe I could ever to that to a person who was once my baby sister. And I can't believe what I need to do now, and how it's necessary.

Christian of course has ignored what I told him to do and stay in his dorm. He enters the church's attic and drops down kneeling in front of me
"You said we could continue later." He presses his lips to mine, I sigh into his lips before pulling away
"Christian I can't." He places his hand on my face running his thumb over my cheekbone
"Can't what Aria?" I build up all the courage I can muster and tell him
"Can't be with you anymore." He looks down
"Why?..." I bite my lip
"I do still love you Christian, you know I always inevitably will." He nods " well, this is the only way I can keep you safe. I'm so distracted by you in the field I only care about keeping you safe in there- and that's not what a guardian is meant to do. When Anna was with you and I was to distracted in finding out what she was doing here I pretty much just handed you over to that strigoi, I was instructed to get you to a safe place and I didn't do that. Do you understand why I can't be with you Christian?"
"Yeah," he tells me " I do." He drops my hand and stands up walking to the door "see you around Aria." I choke down my tears until I'm sure he's out of the church and out of earshot.