Page 41 of Make Her Bleed
Aria may not have been a virgin but she was innocent before this whole thing. She was strong, witty, and charismatic. She's still all those things but her strength is dwindling. She was fearless, and that's being morphed in a way I despise.
I throw on my clothes and leave the room to find the guys. They're sitting at the kitchen table, except for Nico, who is making breakfast.
It was quite a shock when I found out Dax and Nico both like Aria, considering Nico swears he's gay as fuck and Dax is in love with Nico. They've been “dating”for two years but it's odd because there isn't much show of it. The only people who know are Kai and the ones in this room.
"You're such a stingy ass, Ward," Rowe complains as he sips his coffee.
"Fuck off. Some people actually appreciate privacy when they're fucking … sometimes." Usually I don’t give a damn about privacy but this is different. Aria actually saw me, and she didn't try to hide that she did.
"Where's Aria?" Dax asks before sipping his cup of coffee.
"She's passed out," I explain before my whole demeanor darkens. "Where's Kai?"
"Already deuced out," Nico pipes in.
"Why?" Rowe asks as Nico sets a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, toast, and fucking pancakes in front of him. "I'm fucking starving."
"Nico, cut the Martha Stewart shit," I snap. "We need to have a serious talkaboutKai."
Everyone freezes, staring at me with blank expressions.
"What about him?" Dax asks.
"The way he's handling this shit with Aria," I say, hoping this will grab their attention like it should. Instead, their expressions turn grim and refuse to meet my gaze.
"Come on, man. This is Kai's game. Just because we all like her doesn't mean we can or should interfere. If we do anything, it will be ten times worse for her,” Rowe states.
Everyone nods in agreement.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew what I found out last night," I say as Nico sets plates in front of everyone before sitting one on the counter in front of me. He moves around to the island and sits next to Dax, squeezing his hand as he starts to speak.
"Listen to whatever he has to say," Nico mutters as Dax's eyes fall on him. "Knox doesn't freak out about shit unless it's real."
Dax battles between listening to Nico and his loyalty to Kai. We all have that loyalty but mine has been tested.
Finally, Dax caves. "Fine. What is it you found out?" He tosses his fork down on the plates and gives me an uninterested look.
"Well, first off, did anyone else know Aria is not on birth control?" I ask with a cocky grin on my face.
Rowe is the first to spit his coffee across the room before looking pale.
"Wha-what?" Nico gawks.
"She hasneverbeen on birth control, and Kai has been completely aware of this, not only withholding any form of contraceptive from her but also not telling us … the ones who've been fucking her."
Nervousness covers all their faces as they fidget.
"Come on. That's bullshit. What kind of girl has never been on birth control? That's just irresponsible as fuck," Dax says, trying to mask his anxiety.
He can't pull the wool over my eyes. I know the signs. He's freaking out.
"The kind of girl whose father holds birth control hostage in an attempt to keep her a virgin," I answer the sarcastic remark.
"My uncle did that shit to my cousin," Rowe says, backing me up. "She became the biggest whore in my family."
"I thoughtyouwere the biggest whore in your family?" Dax jokes.
"Second biggest," Rowe retorts.
