Bonus Chapter

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This is the chapter when Aiden finds out that Arian is being abused and finds her holding Desmond at gun point.


AIDEN


Not her, not her, not her.

It was all I could think as I ran up the apartment stairwell, gun at the hip, more than ready to fucking end this cowards life.

Not her.

She didn't deserve this. Not Arian. If I ever needed proof that angels exist, it was her. All I could see as I took the stairs two at a time, was her smile, such a genuine smile. The way she listened, as if whatever I had to say, no matter how trivial, was of the utmost importance to her.

How anyone could put a hand on her, in violence, in rage, in anger, I couldn't fucking fathom it. I hoped she hadn't killed him, I wanted to do that myself.

But more than that, I didn't want her to have blood on her hands. She had no idea how much that burden could damage a person.

I wouldn't let myself consider the alternative of what she wanted that gun for. Memories of our conversation on the rooftop played over in my mind but I refused to believe she would point that barrel at herself. Until proven otherwise, she was still alive and I hoped I found her before it was too late.

Her apartment door wasn't closed properly. It was shut, but not latched, as if it'd been swung shut in a hurry.

I quietly pushed it open and focused on keeping my breathing even, my senses sharp and aware. As soon as I was inside, I heard it. The harsh male voice snarling and Arian's voice, her words trembling, panic lacing her instruction for that piece of shit to shut up.

Following the voices, I paid little mind to the household, noting only that it was clean and undisturbed. There were a few glass tumblers on the coffee table, the remnants of a strong alcoholic beverage at the bottom.

I had no idea what was about to go down but I was putting together a cover up scene as I walked through the living area and toward the corridor.

The voices were closer, coming from the first door on the right and then I saw her at the foot of the bed, pointing the gun at the other end of the room.

Arian's back was to me, but I could see a shadow of bruises climbing up her arm and shoulder, her hair was pulled back and when I saw the finger marks around her neck, I shuddered with violence.

It threatened to consume me. I couldn't stop seeing him holding her down, strangling her, hitting her.

My shoulders sagged as the images knocked the wind out of me.

Storming that room and extracting torture like I never had before was almost too tempting. I'd shoot his motherfucking kneecaps out so he couldn't run. I'd sever his fingers, one at a time, so it was slow. Those fingers which had so violently hurt my girl.

I would cut out his tongue, and then his eyes and then his ears and slowly, so he was alive for as long as possible, I would dismember him and I would fucking thrive on his pleas to let him go.

"I have had enough," Arian's voice broke me from the thoughts and I heard the desperation in her voice. How broken she was, how hurt and torn and devastated she had become. I had never heard her speak like that before, it fucking killed me.

"Put-"

"Shut up!" She said, moving forward and in a split moment, I knew this couldn't be about me.

No matter what I wanted to do, no matter if I wanted to walk in there at the full height of my rage with a gun in my hand and his fucking face at the end of it, this was about her and I knew she couldn't stomach seeing the things I wanted to do to him.

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