"His name is Malcolm Kitsch." She said which made her involuntarily fist his shirt in her hand. "The current leader of the Phoenix Clan."
And just like that, a wave of understanding crashed over Aiden.
It all made sense now. An enemy she couldn't take down on her own. Hiding her family until she was sure they would be safe from the harm that only a deeply rooted clan could do. Avoiding her professional image to be widespread so that she could gain time until she was ready. Everything that he had observed about her behavior and the way she carried herself now seemed comprehensible. And the more he kept learning about her, the more he saw her in a new light. One were he understood and admired her even more than before.
When she had told him and Jacob about the things she knew regarding the clan, he didn't find it strange given the fact that she knew so much about practically everything. Including himself and some of his best kept secrets like his Cassowary division. And although he sensed tension in her voice, it wasn't enough for him to decipher her connection to them. But now thinking back on what she had told Jacob after he asked about the woman born into the clan's main family line, he felt stupid for not realizing sooner.
She was a woman born into the Phoenix Clan!
What else could explain everything he had seen?! Just seeing the way she carried herself looking like a strong and independent woman on the outside, yet shy and negative on the inside, was a major indicator of it being true. Only a chauvinist, toxic and dead set in its way's ancient group like the Phoenix Clan could produce such a complex being.
"You were born into the main family?" He cautiously asked as it was now as clear as day how sensitive the topic was for her, and most surely for the rest f her family as well. Especially since he could feel her grip on the back of his shirt.
"Yes." Claire replied as she took in a deep breath. She tried to fight back the need to grip Aiden's shirt even harder. The last thing she wanted was to tear it with her nails. "My father was to be the next leader, but he died after he was defeated in a challenge for the inheritance of the leader's position." She could see the imaginary puzzle pieces inside Aidan's head falling into place.
Aiden felt beyond himself. All the signs were there, yet he hadn't managed to figure it out until his little lady put things into perspective with her explanation. But even so, another wave of questions flooded his brain.
Who was Malcolm? How was he able to defeat a member of the most well trained family in the underworld? How come she and Colton weren't killed during his succession? How long were they kept? They surely weren't let go, so did they escape? How? When? What about their mother? What role did she play in all of this? Where is she? Was the Lone Wolf always with them? Or did they meet him along the way? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
"Just ask." Claire broke his train of thought. He had been facing her, but his eyes were glazed over which made her understand he wasn't really there. "I know you must have a million of them."
His pensive expression was a somewhat serious one, but after hearing her it turned softer. He lifted his hand up to her face and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I want to avoid asking you anything you're not comfortable answering." He leaned forward and gave her forehead a kiss before leaning back and continuing. "So just talk. If I have to ask I will, but just talk to me for now."
She softly smiled at him. It was obvious he had every right to ask her any question that had popped into his head, yet he put her and her feelings first. Again. It made her stomach flutter and her heart feel warm.
"I was ten when my father died." She began to tell him about her past while his hand on her cheek kept bringing her comfort. "As you already know, women aren't seen as more than slaves or tools to be used in the Phoenix Clan, so even the news of his passing didn't reach me until Colton manage to send me an encrypted message."
Aiden didn't know his heart could crack so easily. Although the expression on her face was an indifferent one, she was yet to loosen her grip on him. It was a dead give away that her past still haunted her. Making him feel awful and angry beyond words.
"After that, everything went down hill." Claire continued. "My father had somehow convinced his own father, who was then the current leader, to train me as a weapon and use me instead of treating me like the rest of the women that were born into the main family." She could see Aiden was curious as to how the rest of the women were treated, but she couldn't find it in herself to share that piece of knowledge with him. At least not yet. It was still too hard for her to think about, let alone mention it. Ignoring the matter, she continued.
"And after somehow managing to do it, he made sure that I was constantly learning as soon as I could walk. Firearms, ballistic trajectory, knife fighting, martial arts, war strategies, espionage, snipping and anything else he thought would help me become the ultimate weapon was taught to me. That also included multiple languages, business classes and all sorts of other things. Turning me into a weapon that regardless of what happened in the future, the clan couldn't even dream of getting rid of something so valuable. "
Aiden easily understood her fathers intentions. Even if he were to parish, he forged her into such an unreplaceable asset that nobody would dare question her importance to them. After all, even if they believed themselves to be the superior gender, any single woman is a dangerous as a direct bullet to the head if she so desired to be. Be it because they are born with tears that can breakdown men or because they carried the womanhood that others so much lusted over. Their power was undeniable in his eyes. And having one as well trained as his little lady, would only triple her destructive power if used correctly.
"But after his death everything took a turn for the worse." Her brows furrowed together as she vividly remembered the worst years of her life. "Instead of continuing to teach me how to fight and conquer any possible obstacle, Malcolm decided it was better to concentrate having me learn how live in the shadows. How to find vulnerable targets within the underworld. How to stealthily stalk and kill those who didn't bow down to him. How to kidnap and torture those he needed things from. How to kill off any human part of myself and shut down anything remotely similar to a feeling or a sentiment." Suddenly the image of Aiden snapping the neck of the man warmly touching her shoulder flashed in her mind." How to not bat an eye when those who were brought up alongside me are killed not a foot away from me and how to spill blood regardless of... regardless of-" The began to stutter as her breathing felt more and more constricted.
Aiden slipped his hand to the back of her head and pulled her face into his chest. "Shhh Baby. It's okay. That's enough." He kissed the top of her head as he pressed her against himself. "I understand. You don't have to keep going." The rage and raw emotion in her voice was too much for him to bare.
After hearing everything she said, which he knew was only the tip of the iceberg, he felt even more inclined to hold and protect her. He didn't care if she was a strong and independent woman. Nobody should've been put through what she lived. Especially not his angel. Thinking of how she loved to garden, bake, paint her nails and wear fluffy looking slippers, only made the idea of her being so brutally raised even more unbelievable. She was a gentle person at heart. One that was forced to become a tool for others benefit. Regardless of how broken it would leave her in the end.
He continued to whisper reassuring words in her ear as she slowly began to calm down. 'No wonder she was so reluctant to talk about it.' Aiden thought to himself as he too found it hard to control himself. Not even half way through her explanation, he felt an unbelievable urge to storm out of the house in search of all those who hurt her. So he could only imagine the self control his little lady had to have to patiently wait in the shadows all these years.
Feeling her finally back to being somewhat relaxed, he decided to ask a few questions."When did you manage to escape?" His voice was low and laced with something Claire couldn't identify, but nonetheless she replied while still being snuggled into his chest.
"After my fathers death, I was constantly being moved and relocated." Feeling Aiden's hand rubbing up and down her back again, she finally started to loosen her grip on the back of his shirt. It had been such a long while that her hand had started to feel numb. "Colton spent the next few years tracking me down while finding a way for him to get us both out. But since we were both so heavily monitored, it took him a while. I was fifteen when he finally managed to do it."
Five years. His angel was being tortured and used as a tool for Malcolm's benefit for five years. The fire within Aiden's soul was slowly turning as intense as the fire his little lady carried daily inside her lushes curls. "Is that when you were helped by strangers?" He remembered how she had told Lily not to fear strangers. It didn't make much sense to him then, but it certainly did now.
Claire leaned back and lifted her head to be able to see his face. She could sense his mood shift since a while back, but hadn't been able to read his expressions yet. "Yes." She sweetly smiled at what seemed to be a memory. '"And I also found someone who taught me how to feel again."
Aiden tried not to assume anything when she referred to a specific person, but he couldn't help but wonder. "I would love to meet said person."
Claire's eyes turned slightly sad, but she pushed whatever she was thinking about aside. "I don't think you can, but I'd love for you to meet some of the people very close to my heart."
Seeing as she intentionally dodged his original intention, Aiden simply went along with her. She had already shared enough for him to want to cause massive bloodshed. There was no need to listen to it all now. They had all the time in world. "I would love to Angel." He gently smiled at her before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her lips.
Claire hugged his torso even tighter as she enjoyed they way his lips felt against hers. It wasn't as passionate or as sexy as many of the other intimate moments they had shared, but it was definitely one of the most meaningful ones.
He had accepted her. Her complicated life style, her inhuman abilities, her horrendous past and so many other things she had always thought nobody would want to deal with. Yet there he was. Tightening his arms around her waist as he pressed his lips a little harder against her own. How she got that lucky, Claire could only wonder and hope it would never change.
"Goodnight Angel." Aiden said after he pulled back from their tender kiss and pressed his lips onto her forehead.
"Goodnight." Claire sweetly smiled as she snuggled even deeper into his embrace. She closed her eyes, focused on the sound of his heart beat and without a full minute having passed, she fell asleep. She was truly exhausted.
Aiden stayed fully awake as he continued to gently caress her back. He gazed at her as her chest slowly rose and dropped at a steady pace. She was mesmerizing without even trying.
A while passed before he made sure she was in deep sleep. Seeing that she was, he leaned back and reached for his cellphone on the bedside table. Being careful not to wake her up, he leaned back into the bed were Claire still had her arms wrapped around him as she snoozed peacefully.
After giving her another kiss on the forehead, he focused his attention on the device. He sent out a few messages to which he received immediate responses. Among them, there was a reply from Jacob saying 'Already on it'. The message making Aiden's lips stretch into a grin that would have sent shivers down Claire's spine had she not been asleep.
He placed the phone back with equal caution, before slithering his arms around her waist. Pulling her even closer to him, he took in a deep breath of her intoxicating scent while he nuzzled his face into her hair. And without much time passing, he joined her by letting sleep take over him as well.