Page 21 of Obsession

The only inclination that the officer hears, or even understands him, is the slightest narrowing of his eyes. And then he fires at Aris’ chest, hitting right where a man’s heart would be.

I know that Aris is immortal and invincible, but I still gasp as the bullet connects. Of course, my worries are irrational; Aris stays standing.

The policeman keeps firing.

The sounds force me to cover my ears, trembling, as Aris is my foil; he does not cower or flinch. He glances at me and rolls his eyes, as if to communicate the ridiculousness of the situation.

Finally, the man’s clip runs empty.

While he fumbles to reload, Aris straightens his jacket and inspects himself, finding that what was once an impeccable suit is now littered with holes.

“Really,” says Aris when looking back up. On the ground around us are bullets crushed flat like pennies from the impact of hitting his chest. “You should know better.”

“We will never stop fighting you,” says the officer, furious. “And you will be destroyed!”

He raises his gun again, but Aris appears before him in a blink, grabbing the weapon out of his hand. With a squeeze, the metal crumbles like dry clay, clinking against the earth.

“Good work, hero,” says Aris.

The man opens his mouth, maybe to beg for his life, maybe to yell a final declaration or slur, but in an instant, it has already happened: the policeman is dead. Erased. All it takes is a flash of light, and there is nothing left of him, save his shadow scorched in the ground, blackening the asphalt.

Before I can comprehend what just happened, before I can fear what I’ve willingly returned to, Aris stalks towards me, stepping over the dark spot on the ground with a thunderous expression. “You could’ve been killed,” he bites out.

He’s not as tall as Jaegen or as thick as Ryan, but he’s terrifying and towering, and for a second I consider that Jaegen might’ve been wrong, that maybe Aris has changed his mind about me: he won’t bring me with him, or let me live. I look between Aris and the shadow on the ground, terrified to think that everything might end here.

But then, it hits me: he’s furious because he cares.

You could’ve been killed, Aris said.

He was worried.

I try to get my racing heart under control, but fear will not listen to reason. I start to shake as he gets even closer, and he stops abruptly.

“You’re scared.” His scent hits me again, and my body betrays me by relaxing slightly.“What happened?”

I glance pointedly at the policeman and the wreckage around us to convey that I am terrified of him, but that isn’t true. I am scared, yes, but…

Aris tilts his head to the side. “Are you afraid of me?”

I look down at my hands, which are trembling; they have been trembling for some time now. “No, I’m just… afraid.”

I was burned and now I have to enact this insane plan, or else the world gets screwed and Jaegen…

“Who scared you?” he asks. He leans closer, until our faces are only inches apart, and he reaches for me, a cool hand cupping my cheek.

My toes curl, eyes closing as fire lights low within me. So unsuitable to the situation and the dead man who Aris is standing on, but it’s there, and I realize it’s true: when I was with Henry, it was Aris I was feeling. Aris who I was wanting.

A single hand on my cheek drives me wild, makes me lose reason.

I should push him away, but I can’t. It feels too good; I want him too much.Unwittingly, I angle myself toward him, wanting more, wanting to be close, and I’m letting myself down all the while. I’m giving him what he wants, but it feels out of my control. I’m angry at him, but it’s suddenly hard to cling to that rage. Harder than it should be.

Back when he was just a voice in my head, he used to say I’d be attracted to him, that he was quite handsome, in fact, but I shrugged him off. And now…

I don’t know what it is that tethers me to him. Is it because of what he is? Jaegen has a sort of magnetism, too, but this is different; they are different. Where Jaegen is light, Aris is dark; where one is heat, another is cold.

My eyes shoot open. No. No. What is wrong with me? How is it possible that I like his hand on me, his temperature, his smell?

Remember who he is and what he’s done. What he will do.

---