The wedding wasn’t much more than a ceremony. Aria couldn’t even think and her mind was in a blur. She was prompted to say ‘I do’ in the right place and then his hot mouth was on hers. By the time she had recovered from the sudden shock on her lips, he was done and pulling away.
Aria was pulled out of the house and she noticed one of her bags was thrown in the trunk of a black sedan.
“This way my love.”
She balked at his words and touch, but did as she was told. There wasn’t anything else to do. She was promised before she could talk and now she had to live with it. None of it added up to what she had once planned. Aria had a thick feeling of resentment that she wasn’t told sooner. She had resigned herself to the fact that this new reality was hers, but it was harder to stomach the idea that she had been left to dream of things that she’d never know. That was the worst tragedy of it all, hope.
“I have waited so long for this day. Do you know how long eighteen years is?”
The man did not look much older than her, though he talked about it as though he had actually waited that long. Surely when he found out about her, he was just as young. She paused for a moment, realizing that maybe he had had as little of a choice as she did. That thought seemed to brighter her countenance for the man. It was easier to swallow that they were in it together.
“I wish I had known. Were you told or did you just find out as well?”
Keith looked at her strangely and his strong jawline softened as he smiled. “I have always known Aria. It is the way it has always been.”
The more he talked and the more she learned, the more confused she became. Her head hurt from it all and she was overtaken with an exhaustion brought on by emotions. Aria half-thought that she was in some kind of dream, though she could feel the heat emanating off of him and she didn’t think that was a sensation that transferred. Her lips could still feel his on hers. They tingled with the very memory.
“How can I be married to someone I don’t even know?”
“Arranged marriages are far more common in the world than love-induced. Can you not feel our attraction to each other already?”
Aria did not look at him. He talked of love like it was a disease to be caught and he seemed less like a husband. While his words of attraction were true, Aria planned to ignore her body’s responses to him. She moved further away from his disturbing presence and hugged the interior of the door. He made a chuckling sound and she had a thought go in her head. “You can run my dove, but you can’t hide.”
Her eyes lifted and met his blazing depths. The dark brown had lightened up to a glowing ring of yellow. She gasped and looked away. She realized than that she had not said anything out loud and the last part he had not either. Silence overtook the car and Aria tried to clear her mind. She had a nagging question of where he was taking her, but she refused to verbalize it.
“We are going home dear. Well, one of our homes. You will like it there.”
Aria grimaced. She doubted she was going to like anything that was about to take place. She had effectively gone from one cage to another and the one she currently resided in was shared with a lion. Her heart pounded and she closed her eyes, not even caring to see the beast beside her.
***
It was dark and Aria had dozed off before they had arrived. She started to awaken when the car came to a stop and then she felt him shake her slightly. She looked over at him and sighed. “It wasn’t a dream.”
“I am afraid not.”
Aria got out of the vehicle and she was at first overtaken by the darkness around her. There were no outside lights besides the moon and stars. The moon was almost full and after a few moments, her eyes had adjusted to the blackness and she could see the outlines of a large, sprawling house. The garden in the front was perfect and there was a little grass on the edges. The rest of the house though, was surrounded by deep, thick woods. It was as if a tiny slice of heaven was placed in the deepest thicket.
She looked down at the dirt packed driveway. There were several weeds growing up through the rarely-used path. For some reason, the idea that very few people went there, made her even more nervous.
“Come Aria. It will be okay.” She was ushered towards the uninviting house by a firm grip on her arm. There was no reason to fight as it would be moot anyways. Aria was resigning herself to an unknown fate.
Lights started to fill the windows and she was greeted with a flood of colors. Her eyes squinted, trying to readjust and she was then thankful for his steering. He seemed unaffected by the blare of the light and she was quickly in a large old house that boasted furniture from another era. Several men and women started to quickly remove plastic tarps over couches and tables.
“Sorry it isn’t ready yet. We rarely use this place.”
“We?”
“The rest of the family. You will meet them later. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
Aria made a disparaging noise. “A bit late on that one hubby.”
Keith smiled. Glad she was getting her spunk back and especially liking his new title.
“Petra will show you to our room. I will be up after I attend to some business.”
He turned away, not really waiting for an answer. Aria was partly peeved, but there was nothing she could do but go with the raven-haired woman. She walked up the long staircase and tried to gauge her reaction when she took her into a beautiful room. Her eyes went to the bed and she avoided it like the plague.
“Is there a bathroom here that I can use to take a shower?”
“Sure it is right over there. There are clothes in the closet and I have laid out a dress to wear after you get out.”
Aria crinkled up her face. The last thing she wanted to wear was a dress. She looked down at her shorts and tank top. “I don’t really wear dresses. Is there anything a little less girly?”
Petra was taken aback. Not only was the woman different than them, she demanded things of them like she were already Queen. Petra realized then that all of the family’s fears that he had made a bad choice were laid to rest. She should not have questioned his judgment.
“This is what Keith would like you to wear Ma’am.”
Aria noted the address and the change of her tone. She had said the words out of anger, yet she didn’t really think that it would be heeded. “You let me worry about him. I need some shorts or pants, something that isn’t from another century.”
“We have modern dresses in the closet.” The woman’s bird-like face was apprehensive. Aria started to realize that she was worried about something. Aria wondered if she was scared of her husband.
“I assure you, nothing will happen to you. I am just not going to wear it. I will find something, thank you for your help.”
Aria was trying to qualm her fears, though she did not think that she had done such a good job. She looked even more stricken and her hand touched her shoulder lightly. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I am fine.” Petra shook her head and looked to her with black eyes. There was something in her depths that Aria didn’t understand. Everyone she had met since the sham wedding, were so strange and she had to wonder what her life would be like with them in it. There was so much for her to learn. “We are all glad you’re here Aria. Just remember that.”
The small woman left the room and Aria to her thoughts. Petra shook her head and was stunned. It was going to be interesting, she thought to herself.