Page 68 of Ruin

I watched Arik’s head lower until his chin rested against his chest. His eyes were closed as the room filled with a somber energy that overpowered the smoke and dust.

“I do not know how to turn her. I do not know how to give her venom,” he whispered as if he was trying to hide his truth from me.

Ambrogio breathed in deeply as his hands moved to Arik’s chin, pulling his gaze to meet him. “Instead of taking, you give. Instead of pulling, you push. If you love her, you will know how when the time comes.”

Arik nodded as my mind raced. I would have to die…or damn near die if I wanted to be with Arik. Sure, I could spend my life as a human with him. But one day I would die. Regardless of whether the choice came now or twenty years from now, it was still a choice I would have to make. And to be honest, I didn’t have the mental capacity to process this along with everything else that had unraveled during this nightmare.

“Thank you, Ambrogio,” Arik said, his voice smooth and calm as he stood before his frail maker.

Ambrogio spoke softly as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Arik. You may be your father’s son. But you are my child.”

Arik nodded his head as he stepped away from Ambrogio and turned toward me, his eyes locking into mine as I witnessed the mixture of confusion and fear that he wore across his face. He reached out to me, taking my hand into his as he pulled me toward the door.

“And, Arik,” Ambrogio called gently. “You will not need me again. This is goodbye for us, I am afraid.”

Arik nodded, his gaze locked in on the worn and broken door that separated us from the forest just outside. “Goodbye, Ambrogio,” he said coldly.

I looked back toward Ambrogio and took in his appearance once more. His eyes, still closed, made him appear as if he had died with that last sentence. Even though I knew, he was very much alive.

The choice he had handed me already felt like death.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Claire

We stood together in silence, watching the fog slowly lift, revealing the villa in the distance. The once heavy clouds, dense fog, and rain were gradually giving way to the bright, beautiful sunset, a stark contrast to the turmoil churning inside me. It was breathtaking, but the awe of the scene only seemed to amplify the uncertainty and fear that lingered in the air between us.

“I feel like that wasn’t helpful at all.”

Arik sighed, his brow furrowed in frustration. The tension in his voice made my heart ache. His whole being felt sensitive and broken. I had the overwhelming feeling that I had seen more of him than he intended to show me.

I reached out and gently rubbed his forearm, trying to soothe him. “It was helpful if you think about it,” I said, hoping to calm him. “He said you’ll know what to do…if we really are meant for each other.”

Arik turned to me, his eyes dark and intense. “We are meant for each other,” he stated firmly, as if I had somehow questioned his love. The look he gave me was wounded, almost pained, as if he couldn’t believe I didn’t understand. “He knew you were my soulmate the second he saw you. It is not a question. It is a definitive confirmation.” His words were laced with angst, each syllable a testament to the depth of his feelings.

As the boat neared the shore, I noticed Sam sprinting down the stairs from the upper terrace, his feet barely touching the ground as he made his way to the dock.

“I feel like you’re angry at me,” I stammered, the words escaping before I could stop them. Arik slowed the vessel to a crawl; his movements deliberate as he prepared to dock.

“Angry at you?” Arik repeated, closing his eyes for a moment as if to gather his thoughts. I watched as his fists clenched, his knuckles whitening with the force of his grip. Without warning, he jerked the boat into a hard stop against the dock, the sudden movement jolting me slightly. Sam was quick to act, grabbing the ropes and securing the boat to the dock as Arik released the anchor with a heavy sigh.

“I am the furthest thing from angry at you,” he admitted, his voice low and filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “I’m frustrated and I’m scared.”

He sat down heavily, as if the weight of his own words had finally caught up to him. My heart skipped a beat.

“What are you scared of?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear the answer.

“You,” he said simply, his deep eyes bored into mine, filled with a vulnerability I had never seen before. “I am afraid this will all be too much for you, and you will leave me. I am afraid I will not be able to control myself long enough to change you. I am afraid of many things at the present moment, and that is a feeling I have not had for an exceptionally long time.”

My breath caught in my throat as he reached out and grabbed my hand, the warmth of his touch grounding me in that moment. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze before pulling me down onto his lap. The way he held me, the way his lips brushed my shoulder so tenderly before resting his cheek against my arm, it broke my heart to see him like this. He was so strong, yet so vulnerable.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with both love and pain. “I love you, Claire,” he whispered, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

The sound of his voice, so raw and real, hit me like a punch to the gut. All the air was suddenly sucked from my lungs, leaving me gasping. My eyes locked with his, and the world around us faded into nothing. My heartbeat quickened, and I felt a heat spread through my body as I struggled to breathe.

Fuck. I’m in love with him.

And I may die.