Everlasting Bonds - COMPLETE

Chapter 8

POV: Aidan

Feeling her in my arms felt like every single one of my dreams coming to life.

I had lost count of how many times I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about her. Most of the time it was nightmares. I would see her face, the last time I saw her, and then see her fade away with a look of fear taking over every feature. Logically I knew that I couldn't have done anything to save her, my foster parents, or my brothers. But most of the time I succumbed to the dark irrational thoughts that told me I could have.

The other dreams I had of her were rare. We would talk and laugh like we used to. Sharing secrets and running through the streets of our neighborhood at two in the morning. Lark was the only one that really allowed me to lose control and just be free in moments that others try to control.

 Losing her felt like losing a part of my sanity.

Seeing her now in our home looking relaxed and at peace gave me some of that sanity back.

She opened her eyes and looked at all of us. I know the guys and I were doing our best to not overwhelm her with our curiosity, but she must have seen it in our eyes. She looked like she was going to say something when I heard our elevator door open.

I was confused for a moment before a feeling of dread set in. The only other two people not sitting in this room that had access to our floor were Taylor and Liz. Colt and I's girlfriends. I could hear their voices start to get closer to the living room and I met Colt's eyes.

They cannot be here right now.

Before we could get up to ask them to come back later, they were in the living room. They stopped talking as they approached the group of us in the living room. I turned around to say something when I noticed their eyes were trained on Mia. Not in a friendly way either.

"Aid, who might this be?" Liz's eyes caught mine briefly as she asked the question, and then returned to Mia sitting on the end of the large sectional.

Lark had always been cute. She had delicate features that made her look as if she was from some fairy world. Now that she had grown up, she was stunning. Her dark hair complemented her sharp cheekbones, and her lips rested on her face in a plush heart shape. Liz and Taylor were both pretty, but I could see why they seemed threatened.

"This is Mi-". I started to introduce her when I was interrupted by Lark herself.

"I'm Emily, Luka and Greyson's classmate". She didn't meet any of our gazes, but I knew she could feel the question in our eyes. None of us corrected her though, letting her play whatever role she was trying to occupy.

"Oh, I'm surprised we've never heard of you before. Liz and I are here a lot and the guys don't usually bring strangers into their place". I cringed at Taylor's words and saw Lark flinch.

She probably doesn't think she was important enough for us to have mentioned.

I saw Grey and Luka look at each other with annoyed expressions. They weren't the biggest fans of Taylor and Liz. In fact, it caused a huge fight amongst us when Colt and I told them we were giving the girls our floor code.

Instead of responding, Lark just took a sip of her tea and reclined in her seat. An assessing look came on her face as she stared back a the girls.

Colt got up and ushered Taylor and Liz back into the entrance hallway as Grey and Luka began to talk to Lark again. I left my seat to help Colt handle the awkward situation. I caught the tail end of his words as he pushed the button for the elevator to take the girls back down.

"Now's just not a good time. We've all had a long day and I know Greyson and Luka are getting ready to send La- Emily on her way too. Why don't we plan something for this weekend?"

Liz and Taylor looked annoyed at being asked to leave but agreed to meet up on the weekend anyway. Liz came over to give me a hug goodbye and I was unsettled to know that it didn't feel the same as it had a few days ago. Her kiss felt even stranger.

We waited until the elevator door closed before heading back in to talk with our family. Lark caught my eyes as I sat back down and gave me a small, rueful smile.

"They seem lovely". Her tone didn't quite match her words.

I heard Luka laugh and try to cover it up with a cough.

Asshole.

I didn't mean it though. I think I was starting to see why my youngest brothers didn't appreciate our girlfriends.

"So are you going to tell us why the fuck you're calling yourself Emily?" My voice came out harsher than I meant it too, but I thought I was going to combust if I didn't get any answers soon.

 

Lark took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

Everything.

We wanted to know everything.