Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Oct 7, 2022 19:49:45 GMT -5
When he found Ari, Seth really was going to kill her. Honestly, did she have to be so good at covering her tracks?
He had been on her trail all morning. It was now past noon, and while he was within minutes of his target at last, he had not wanted to spend half his day on this mission.
Seth shoved the tavern door open and stomped in. Those closest to the door paused what they were doing to glare at him, but Seth paid them no mind. His attention was already caught on the redhead slipping out the back door.
"Damn it," he growled. He bolted through the room, dodging patrons and sliding across tables. He hit the door and rushed out into a back alley. Ari was darting around the far corner. Seth shot after her.
Arianna was fast, but Seth was faster. As soon as he hit the open street, he poured on the speed and started gaining on her. Ari knew it too, and suddenly bolted across someone's front yard. She climbed over their fence and dropped into the backyard. That was her undoing.
Seth jumped to the top of the fence in one bound, and then he ran across the top of it. Ari saw him too late. He launched himself and tackled her into the snow.
She fought like a wildcat, but it didn't take long for Seth to pin her. She tried to throw him off, but he was almost twice her weight, and after what she went through following Kalama's death, she wasn't in top form.
Seth growled. "Damn it, Ari! Stop fighting me!"
She did, rather abruptly. It was the one thing Seth didn't expect, and his grip loosened slightly in response.
The elbow Ari threw at his face, however, that he saw coming a mile away.
He caught it in one hand, flipped her over, and pinned her facedown in the snow.
She grunted and lifted her head enough to speak. "I always knew you liked me best in this position."
Seth hissed and suddenly stood, hauling her to her feet as well with an iron grip on her arm.
She gave a breathy laugh, still out of breath from the running and struggling. "The little farm girl has made you so shy, Seth. I remember you liking dirty—"
Seth shook her. "Stop it. Just — stop."
"Fine." Ari yanked the bright red wig she was wearing off her head. Her darker auburn hair tumbled free and fell around her shoulders. "What are you doing here, Seth?"
His brows went up. "What am I doing here? You seriously need to ask me that?"
She batted her lashes at him. "Why, Seth," she purred. "Have you come to join me?"
"Jeez, Ari." Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're impossible."
She grinned and stepped closer. Seth went rigid, but held still as she leaned against him and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. "Not for you."
Seth jerked back. "Gods damn it! Cut that out! What are you even trying to accomplish here?"
She shrugged one shoulder. "I took a shot. Sue me."
Seth glared. "Ari, I am still with Anya. I did not leave her to come be with you in exile."
Ari jerked her arm from him. He let her, because they both knew she wasn’t going anywhere without his say so. "Well, excuse me for daring to hope. Far-fetched as it obviously was, it still seemed more likely than you bowing to the Rebels and tracking me down like one of their trained dogs!"
Seth tossed his hands up. "Well, why the hell not? It's no different than doing it for Genevieve, and you never had a problem with that."
"Of course not! I wasn’t the target!"
"Oh, right. The high and mighty Arianna has been reduced to a target on somebody's agenda. The horror!"
She shoved his chest; he didn't budge, so she shoved at him again. "You're a jerk, Seth Accio! I don't know what I ever saw in you!"
"What you saw in me?" Seth asked incredulously.
"Yes!" Ari shouted. "If you had been even half the boyfriend to me that you are to Anya, maybe I wouldn't have had to look elsewhere for it!"
Seth's eyes flared. "You've got to be kidding me," he growled. "You're blaming me for your sleeping with Silas? Do you know how crazy that is?"
"Is it, Seth? Really?" Ari stepped back, hands clenched at her sides. "The first year was great. But then you bonded with Stel and suddenly you never had time for me." Seth opened his mouth, but Ari rushed on. "You defended her before you defended me. You chose to bond with her instead of me. I would have understood if it was sometimes, but it was all the time, Seth. You didn't like me looking at your drawings, yet Anya has free rein."
"How do you—"
"You never introduced me to your family, but you couldn't wait to bring Anya to see them, even when you weren't dating her. You sacrificed everything for her! Why… What is so special about her?"
Seth stared at her, stunned. He had never thought about those little things, things he did so easily with Anya, but Ari… it had never crossed his mind. Their lives had always been so busy, and there was something about Ari that had always felt… unattainable, even when they were together.
But he didn't say any of that, because he knew the real reason was so much simpler: "I love her."
Ari blinked back angry tears. "I once thought you loved me."
"I thought I did too," Seth admitted. "Especially after Silas. But as much as that hurt… as much as I cared, it wasn't love. I know that now." Ari looked away, blinking rapidly. Seth continued. "But I did care about you. I still do. You mean a lot to me, Ari, and I hate seeing you brought so low. We were friends before we got together. I'm willing to go back to… some form or that. As long as you know that Anya… she's my future."
Ari took a breath and glared at him. "I don't want to be your friend, Seth. I want to disappear, to have a chance to… to heal." Tears threatened again, but she blinked them back with effort. "I'm not going to sell out your little Rebel friends."
Seth studied her face. "I'd be willing to let you do that. But, Ari… I need to hear you promise that you won't tell anyone where the Rebels are hiding."
Ari brushed her hair away from her face and squared her shoulders. "Seth Accio. I swear on Kalama's… on her spirit that I won't tell a soul where the Rebels are hiding."
Seth sucked in a breath. "Thank you. I'm—"
She waved him off. "It's fine. Can I go now?"
"It—" Seth sighed. "Yeah. Take care of yourself, Ari."
Ari nodded and turned away, but stopped. "Seth? Can I ask one more favor of you?"
Seth shifted warily. "Maybe. What—"
She darted forward, and before he could stop her she'd placed a kiss to his mouth. "Don't hate me," she whispered. And then she moved quickly away and was gone, slipping through a hole in the back of the fence.
Seth watched her go, annoyed and sad and more sure than ever that what he felt for Ari, while once strong and true, wasn't love. Not the forever kind.
He turned. In the distance was the mountain range that housed the Rebels. And his future.
Without a backward glance, Seth walked toward it.
Sol shot him a smirk. "I showed you last night. And again this morning. But if yiu need another demonstration, there's a supply closet right there we could... utilize."
He had been on her trail all morning. It was now past noon, and while he was within minutes of his target at last, he had not wanted to spend half his day on this mission.
Seth shoved the tavern door open and stomped in. Those closest to the door paused what they were doing to glare at him, but Seth paid them no mind. His attention was already caught on the redhead slipping out the back door.
"Damn it," he growled. He bolted through the room, dodging patrons and sliding across tables. He hit the door and rushed out into a back alley. Ari was darting around the far corner. Seth shot after her.
Arianna was fast, but Seth was faster. As soon as he hit the open street, he poured on the speed and started gaining on her. Ari knew it too, and suddenly bolted across someone's front yard. She climbed over their fence and dropped into the backyard. That was her undoing.
Seth jumped to the top of the fence in one bound, and then he ran across the top of it. Ari saw him too late. He launched himself and tackled her into the snow.
She fought like a wildcat, but it didn't take long for Seth to pin her. She tried to throw him off, but he was almost twice her weight, and after what she went through following Kalama's death, she wasn't in top form.
Seth growled. "Damn it, Ari! Stop fighting me!"
She did, rather abruptly. It was the one thing Seth didn't expect, and his grip loosened slightly in response.
The elbow Ari threw at his face, however, that he saw coming a mile away.
He caught it in one hand, flipped her over, and pinned her facedown in the snow.
She grunted and lifted her head enough to speak. "I always knew you liked me best in this position."
Seth hissed and suddenly stood, hauling her to her feet as well with an iron grip on her arm.
She gave a breathy laugh, still out of breath from the running and struggling. "The little farm girl has made you so shy, Seth. I remember you liking dirty—"
Seth shook her. "Stop it. Just — stop."
"Fine." Ari yanked the bright red wig she was wearing off her head. Her darker auburn hair tumbled free and fell around her shoulders. "What are you doing here, Seth?"
His brows went up. "What am I doing here? You seriously need to ask me that?"
She batted her lashes at him. "Why, Seth," she purred. "Have you come to join me?"
"Jeez, Ari." Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're impossible."
She grinned and stepped closer. Seth went rigid, but held still as she leaned against him and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. "Not for you."
Seth jerked back. "Gods damn it! Cut that out! What are you even trying to accomplish here?"
She shrugged one shoulder. "I took a shot. Sue me."
Seth glared. "Ari, I am still with Anya. I did not leave her to come be with you in exile."
Ari jerked her arm from him. He let her, because they both knew she wasn’t going anywhere without his say so. "Well, excuse me for daring to hope. Far-fetched as it obviously was, it still seemed more likely than you bowing to the Rebels and tracking me down like one of their trained dogs!"
Seth tossed his hands up. "Well, why the hell not? It's no different than doing it for Genevieve, and you never had a problem with that."
"Of course not! I wasn’t the target!"
"Oh, right. The high and mighty Arianna has been reduced to a target on somebody's agenda. The horror!"
She shoved his chest; he didn't budge, so she shoved at him again. "You're a jerk, Seth Accio! I don't know what I ever saw in you!"
"What you saw in me?" Seth asked incredulously.
"Yes!" Ari shouted. "If you had been even half the boyfriend to me that you are to Anya, maybe I wouldn't have had to look elsewhere for it!"
Seth's eyes flared. "You've got to be kidding me," he growled. "You're blaming me for your sleeping with Silas? Do you know how crazy that is?"
"Is it, Seth? Really?" Ari stepped back, hands clenched at her sides. "The first year was great. But then you bonded with Stel and suddenly you never had time for me." Seth opened his mouth, but Ari rushed on. "You defended her before you defended me. You chose to bond with her instead of me. I would have understood if it was sometimes, but it was all the time, Seth. You didn't like me looking at your drawings, yet Anya has free rein."
"How do you—"
"You never introduced me to your family, but you couldn't wait to bring Anya to see them, even when you weren't dating her. You sacrificed everything for her! Why… What is so special about her?"
Seth stared at her, stunned. He had never thought about those little things, things he did so easily with Anya, but Ari… it had never crossed his mind. Their lives had always been so busy, and there was something about Ari that had always felt… unattainable, even when they were together.
But he didn't say any of that, because he knew the real reason was so much simpler: "I love her."
Ari blinked back angry tears. "I once thought you loved me."
"I thought I did too," Seth admitted. "Especially after Silas. But as much as that hurt… as much as I cared, it wasn't love. I know that now." Ari looked away, blinking rapidly. Seth continued. "But I did care about you. I still do. You mean a lot to me, Ari, and I hate seeing you brought so low. We were friends before we got together. I'm willing to go back to… some form or that. As long as you know that Anya… she's my future."
Ari took a breath and glared at him. "I don't want to be your friend, Seth. I want to disappear, to have a chance to… to heal." Tears threatened again, but she blinked them back with effort. "I'm not going to sell out your little Rebel friends."
Seth studied her face. "I'd be willing to let you do that. But, Ari… I need to hear you promise that you won't tell anyone where the Rebels are hiding."
Ari brushed her hair away from her face and squared her shoulders. "Seth Accio. I swear on Kalama's… on her spirit that I won't tell a soul where the Rebels are hiding."
Seth sucked in a breath. "Thank you. I'm—"
She waved him off. "It's fine. Can I go now?"
"It—" Seth sighed. "Yeah. Take care of yourself, Ari."
Ari nodded and turned away, but stopped. "Seth? Can I ask one more favor of you?"
Seth shifted warily. "Maybe. What—"
She darted forward, and before he could stop her she'd placed a kiss to his mouth. "Don't hate me," she whispered. And then she moved quickly away and was gone, slipping through a hole in the back of the fence.
Seth watched her go, annoyed and sad and more sure than ever that what he felt for Ari, while once strong and true, wasn't love. Not the forever kind.
He turned. In the distance was the mountain range that housed the Rebels. And his future.
Without a backward glance, Seth walked toward it.
☆~☆~☆
Sol shot him a smirk. "I showed you last night. And again this morning. But if yiu need another demonstration, there's a supply closet right there we could... utilize."