Half of Cayden's face darkened. Ariana took a few steps closer towards him. She inched her way under his face and looked up. "Cayden why did you treat me so badly when we first met?" She whispered.
Cayden's eyes grew wide, he didn't realize she moved so close to him. She matured so much in the time they didn't see each other. Her eyes lost its childish roundness and were now almond shaped with gorgeous, long eyelashes. Her soft cheeks and small face where now gone, she slimmed down, her skin now was silky smooth and flawlessly white. He moved his gaze to her lips swallowed hard, they were now more inviting then they ever had been before.
"Cayden?" She said as he watched her lips move slowly, forming each letter. He snapped back and looked at Ariana instead of just her features. "I never treated you badly when we first met." He said bitterly, his eyes glued to her and Ariana couldn't help but straighten herself up. "Yes you did. Just so you know my feelings were hurt after I walked away... I thought you didn't remember me anymore." Cayden's face softened his eyes started to glaze over with something unknown to Ariana.
"....Let's go." He said before he started walking away. Ariana hesitated for a bit, there was an ache in her heart and she could barely hold back her tears as she watched Cayden's back. She stubbornly blinked away her tears and started to chase after Cayden. She couldn't stop herself the closer she got to him the better she started to feel, she opened up her arms and caught him within her embrace. Cayden stopped moving, he quickly looked around and saw that no one was in view.
It was just them, on a cobblestone road. Red maple trees to the left, shrubs, flowerbeds and a quad to the right. Behind them was the border to the spring section. Ariana tightened her grip on Cayden as she burred her face into his back. He was taller now but she wasn't short either. She was a good 5 foot 6 but her face properly fit in between his shoulder blades. She thought if she hugged him from the front she would be just at the right height to snuggle into his chest.
Ariana could feel her face burn as she tried to chase away her thoughts. "Ariana... enough. We can't... you can't openly touch me." He said as he placed his hand over top of her own. Ariana's heart skipped a beat. "So you do remember me." She said as she peeled her face of his back. "I never said I didn't." Ariana laid her cheek against his back and tried to listen to his heartbeat. She had no luck, she sighed as she enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.
"Cayden?" She asked softly as Cayden slid his fingers in between hers. "Ya." Ariana could feel his body heat transfer to hers, the warmth soon spread throughout her whole body and she couldn't help but smile. "I didn't write to you for two years... I'm sorry." Cayden's hand started to slightly tremble, he pulled Ariana's arm off and escaped her embrace. "You need to go see your cousin." He said coldly and stared walking away from her without turning back.
Ariana felt like her heart was ripped out and thrown to the side of the road. Beating sadly and slowly, she refused to cry and started walking behind him again. "Did you ever come back once to the cafe?" She asked in a slightly trembling voice.
There was no response. "I see... I found out my birthday is New Year's day so you missed a couple. You know.... sniff... A few people from the cafe left... sniff... I scared them off but... sniff.... everyone else stayed.... I also made a friend my-my own age.... sniff... she knows everything about me... and... hic... sniff... I also found out that two more elementals blessed me so... sniff... I never broke my promise."
Suddenly Cayden turned around and grabbed Ariana's waist. He picked her up like a sack of potatoes and walked into the forest. He placed her back against a tree and placed a fist over top her head. His eyes showed so much pain and restraint that it stopped Ariana's tears.
"Explain." He said breathlessly as he looked down on her. "What?" She asked as she peaked up from under her lashes. Cayden gritted his teeth and brought up his free hand. He moved his thumb to her eye and brushed away a tear.
Ariana slowly brought her hand up and covered his hand with her own. She closed her eyes and focused on the warmth of his hand. Cayden lost all sense and started to inch closer towards her face, he couldn't resist the temptation. His lips lowered closer towards hers.
"I don't know what you want to know." She said as she opened her eyes, widening when she saw how close he was. "Cayden..." She said as her breath was partially caught in her throat. "Ariana..." He said as he brought his lips down onto hers.
The sensation was exhilarating. Her body exploded with warm and pleasure, she closed her eyes and followed Cayden's lead. He gently slid his hand down her face and repositioned his lips. They parted from eachother momentarily but soon found out that one of them refused to part, hungerly returning to the other and repeating the whole process again.
Each kiss lasted longer then the next, it started to get more passionate, their mouths started to open. Inviting each other to taste one another. Cayden let out a moan and quickly pushed Ariana away.
Ariana lost all strength and slid down the trunk of the tree. She looked up, face flushed with a pink hue, lips swollen, eyes sparkling and they were both panting. Cayden brought his hand up to cover his mouth as Ariana looked up at his face and showed him a dreamy smile. Suddenly a flash of orange light appeared in between them and a squishy, chibi jellyfish formed. "Adonis." Ariana said in sweet voice as she stretched her arms out for a hug.
Adonis raised his tentacles in delight and he started to float towards his former Master. To his surprise Cayden swooped in and took his place. He wrapped his arms around and up her back. One hand laid on her shoulder while the other crept up into her dark, wavy hair. 'Master this is not fair!' Adonis cried as his tentacles started to pound on Cayden's body. 'I wasn't allowed to appear before her yesterday!' He shouted as his beady eyes started to water.
"Adonis it's good to see you." Ariana said as she raised her hand to pet the chibi jellyfish but Cayden caught her wrist. "Don't touch him." He said in a low voice, catching Ariana off guard. She moved her gaze to met his and they flashed a dangers shade of silver grey. 'Ariana, why are the others stuck in that form?' Adonis asked as one of his tentacles touched her earrings. "I'm sorry... they saved my life in exchange for their own."
Cayden's eyes grew wide as he looked at Ariana, tightening his grip on her wrist. "What do you mean?" He said. Ariana flinched and clenched her jaw. 'Master you're hurting Ariana!' Adonis shouted as he tried to free Ariana's wrist. "I was almost encased in a garnet chrysalis again." She said as she winced. "What do you mean again?" He shouted when suddenly a strong wind pulled the two apart. Ariana closed her eyes as the wind encircled her and tousled her hair playfully.
"Well hello beautiful! I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." A playful voice sang as she was pushed into an embrace. She looked up and her face lit up. "Breeze!" She shouted as her eyes started to water. "No, no none of that! Look, step back and take a good look at me! I'm perfectly fine! What no, scratch that! Don't take a step back! Just stay in my arms and I'll keep you warm and safe." He said playfully as he laid his cheek on her head.
Ariana laughed as she struggled to free herself. "If you're making jokes like that then I know your fine."
Breeze let her go and Ariana started to fall backwards. He quickly grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. He brought his hand under her chin, rested his head on her shoulder and snuggled into her hair. "Sweetheart, honey bear, sugar pie why are you alone with this young man?" He asked as he narrowed his gaze towards Cayden.
While Cayden shot daggers from his eyes towards Breeze. "Breeze, come on let go already." Ariana said as she tried to shrug him off but Breeze pulled her body closer as he kept a firm arm around her waist. "Answer me first." He said with an icy tone.
"Cayden is a childhood friend who is special to me." Ariana replied as Breeze forced her body to arch upwards along with his and pushed her chin up, making her stare at the leaves on the tree tops. "You don't say?" He said in a dark tone causing a chill to run down her back.
Something was wrong and she was stuck in an awkward position. Breeze turned his head and gently placed his lips next to her ear. "How special is he to you?" He asked in a low voice. Ariana's hair started to stand on end. The intimate act was starting to go too far and she couldn't bring down her gaze to see Cayden.
Breeze grinned and moved his mouth closer. He parted his lips and slowly stuck out his tongue. He moved it to the bottom of her ear lobe and started to caress it. Ariana let out a small shriek and started to blush a bright red. "B-Breeze!" She stuttered and a huge gust of wind wrapped itself around her body. Cayden moved forward and missed his target. Two orange, short blade were in his hands, his face twisted with fury as he searched for Breeze.
"C-Cay-Cayden!" Ariana shouted in between gasps of air. She was stuck in the middle of a whirlwind and it was sucking out the air fast. They could hear Breeze laughing from within in the trees. "Do you think you could fight against me?! I am the wind and you're nothing but flesh and blood. Watch as I hurt the one you call special before your eyes!" Breeze moved fast and appeared like a green streak of light.
The wind moving around Ariana's body was started to close in on her. "W-wh-why ar-are?" Ariana gasped as she started to move her hands to her throat, massaging her neck to get more air.
Cayden paled as he saw her struggling. "Why?! Why?! You should know why! You hurt her! You hurt her now you must pay!" Breeze shouted as he moved right beside Cayden and started his assault.
Tears started to well up in Ariana's eyes as she struggled with her shallow breaths. 'Master!' Her Lumas shouted as her lungs started to cry and burn for air. "Help." She mouthed, her eyelids started to close as she her hands lost strength and fell downwards.
Cayden heard the Lumas and turned in time to catch her last word. Something snapped, an inner strength started to overflow within his body. He could now see Breeze's movements like he was running in slow motion, five shinning, white pieces of string appeared from his body and extended backwards.
His short blades started to glow a blinding orange and he moved swiftly to cut the string. Breeze stopped moving and fell to his knees. The wind surrounding Ariana dispersed and she stared to fall downwards.
Cayden dropped his blades and started to run to catch Ariana. The blades started to vibrate and collided into one another, turning into an orange ball. Small tentacles extended downwards and Adonis blinked his eyes. 'Ariana!' He shouted as Cayden started to look for a pulse. Fear entered his eyes then he looked at Breeze. "Help me save her!" He shouted as Breeze spaced out.
"Sh*t!" He shouted as he moved Ariana's body to the ground. He placed one hand at the center of her chest and placed the heel of his other hand over top. He interlocked his fingers and started to perform chest compressions.
He then placed his hand on her forehead and another under her chin, tilting her head back. A memory flashed across his mind, he remembered her sitting on the ground with her arms stretched out for a hug. "You are not leaving me again!" He shouted before he sealed her mouth with his own. He forcefully pushed air into her lungs and removed his lips.
He took another breath and did it again. He then moved to her chest and started to perform compressions again. Ariana started to cough and Cayden quickly scooped up her body, pressing her against his chest. "You're okay, you're okay now, it's okay." He said as he stroked the back of her head.
"Cayden?" She said weakly making Cayden's body tremble. "Ya, I'm here." He said gently. "Breeze?" She then called out and the satyrs turned his void gaze towards her. "I'm so sorry... I couldn't control myself." He said as his face paled.
"I know." She said as she started to close her eyes. Cayden felt her body go limp and pulled her away. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized she had just passed out. He slowly picked her up, princess style and started to walk towards the road.
"Is she going to be okay?" Breeze asked as he started to crawl towards them. Cayden looked back with a cold glare, Breeze flinched and Cayden relaxed his gaze. The satyrs looked pitiful but he couldn't forgive him. "Why did you attack her if you were going to regret it?"
"I couldn't help it! My master's emotions are linked into me and I couldn't stop it." He said as he dropped his head in shame. "And now?" Cayden asked as he raised his eyebrow with suspicion. Breeze brought his face up and a crooked smile appeared. "I feel nothing but my own feelings... what did you do?"
....
Ariana woke up with a gasp. She had the same horrible nightmare and desperately searched for something to drink. The room was unfamiliar and dark, she started to panic. A warm hand caught hers and she could feel her heart rate starting to slow down.
"Thirsty?" Cayden said softly as he moved a glass of water into her hand. "Mmmmh." She answered and put the glass to her lips. She started to greedily swallow the water back but she over did it and started to cough. Cayden shifted his body on to the bed and started to rub her back. "Take your time."
"Honestly humans are so fragile." Breeze said as he flicked the light switch on. The lights hurt Ariana's eyes and she turned away. She started to blush, when she met Cayden's eyes, he was only a breath away from her face. "And apparently very transparent... by the way who is Owen?" Breeze asked as he narrowed his gaze.
Ariana's eyes grew wide and she shied away from Cayden. She looked at Breeze and gave him a bittersweet smile. "Why? Are you jealous?" She asked awkwardly. Breeze started to laugh uncomfortably. "Don't get me wrong sweetheart! My type is your friend, cute, oblivious, kind hearted... pink, soft curly hair." Breeze replied as he averted his gaze.
Ariana laughed. "She's every magical creatures type." Breeze started to blush. "Hey now, don't make fun! I was just freed from my master's feelings... I'm still trying to figure myself out." He said with a pout. Ariana gave him a gentle smile. "Owen is someone from my past... I loved him dearly but he has long since passed away."
Breeze paled and didn't know what to do. He looked around the room with his eyes. "I'll be right back." He said before he ran out of the room.
"So you loved before?" Cayden asked under his breath. Ariana turned to him and brushed back some of his hair. "How long was I out?" She asked gently. Cayden took the cup of water from her hand and placed it on the bedside table.
"15 maybe 20 minutes... so not long." He replied flatly. Ariana dropped her hand and then looked around the room. She saw shelves of books lining the walls, a dark walnut desk and parchment rolls everywhere. "Where am I?"
"Your cousin's room." Cayden replied nonchalantly as he stared her down. "Where's Gregory?" Cayden pursed his lips and leaned towards her. "He's around." Ariana started to flush again. "I need to talk to him." Cayden reached out and gently intertwined his fingers with locks of her hair. "Tell me what happened the last two years."
Ariana looked at Cayden with confusion. "Why do you care now? So far you've been cold, then sweet, then loving, then you got mad and now you're, I don't know this?!" She said as she waved her hand up and down his body. She then stopped and looked at Cayden sadly. "What do you want from me?"
Cayden brought back his hand and looked at Ariana coldly. "Once the school year starts I want you to stay away from me. I want you to pretend that you don't know me, pretend that what happened between us so far was all fantasy. We don't know each other." Cayden said coldly as he let go of her hair.
Ariana's jaw dropped, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And if I refuse?" Cayden got off the bed and looked at her indifferently. "I don't care, I'll ignore you, I will stay away from you and I will push other men to you."
Ariana narrowed her gaze as she watched Cayden walk towards the door. "Even though you get jealous when I say another man's name?" Ariana asked bitterly. He hesitated and looked back. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Ariana laughed. "You thought I couldn't see it? The fury in your eyes when I said Breeze, Gregory... Owen." Cayden gritted he's teeth as a vein popped out on his neck. "You don't understand." He started to say but Ariana got up from the bed and stormed her way towards him.
"No you don't understand. My heart is yours! My life is yours! I can only see you, I only get hurt because of you, I only cry because of you and now I'm supposed to ignore you?! Pretend that what happened between us is fantasy?! Why not stab me in the heart? It would hurt a lot less." Ariana spat as she glared at Cayden while calmed down and looked at Ariana pitifully.
"Ariana if I could... we can never be together." He said apologetically. "Do you love me?" She asked flatly making Cayden's eyes open wide. "What?" He asked in utter disbelief. Ariana grabbed his tie and pulled his face closer to hers. "Do you love me?" She repeated.
Cayden swallowed hard and looked her dead in the eyes. "...No." He replied. Ariana released his tie and dropped her gaze. "Get out..." She whispered. Cayden tried to reach his hand out to her but she smacked it away. "I said get the f*ck out!" She yelled.
The door swung open, Breeze came back to the room. He was dragging something behind him but instant regret flashed across his face. Cayden swept his arm across his chest and bowed deeply. "Whatever you want my lady." He said before he straightened up and walked out of the room.
When she heard a door slam shut she dared to raise her head. Giant tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Ariana..." Breeze whispered but Ariana started to wipe the tears away with the palms of her hands. "I'm fine." She answered shortly causing Breeze to bite his tongue.
He tossed in what he dragged behind him and looked at her apologetically. "Your cousin... he's fine... I'm going to go get the antidote and come back.... won't be long." He said into the room as he closed the door behind him.
Ariana looked at her cousin and watched as he slowly picked himself off the ground. "Antidote?" She asked as she sniffed her runny nose. Gregory looked at Ariana with a bored expression. "Don't ask." He said with a super high pitched voice.