Seduction in Blood

She gasped and shot up from the soft bed. Her body was damp with a cold sweat and her heart was pounding hard against her chest. Burying her face in her hands, Aria tried to breathe normally. Her fingers combed up through her hair, which she gripped tightly and rested her head on her blanket covered knees. Her brows furrowed, these quilts and blankets were not hers. Lifting her head, she admired the beautiful designs stitched in the quilt and looked around the room. This wasn’t her home, it was spacious and clean, not cramped and cluttered like her room. Pulling the colorful quilts off her body, Aria swung her legs off the bed and down onto the rustic looking wood floor. Scooting off the bed, she stood up slowly and looked around like a nervous deer. Looking down at her body she gasped at the pale pink night gown she was wearing.

“What the hell?” Aria touched the soft cotton fabric and shook her head. It was modest thankfully and not some skimpy little thing that was see through. Pressing her lips together in a tight line, Aria studied the room. “Where am I?” she wondered aloud, looking up at the vaulted ceiling with exposed dark wooden beams and a metal chandelier that was dimly lit.

“The North Cascades,” a voice came from behind some white lace drapes. Aria jumped and noticed that there was a small wooden balcony beyond the window. Swallowing hard, she cautiously ventured around the queen sized bed and approached the window. Moving the lace drapes aside, her eyes landed on a small bistro table and the back of a man’s head. “It’s May fifteenth and currently 3:15 in the afternoon.” He was looking at a gold pocket watch and clapped it closed after he told her the time. Turning around, the man smiled at Aria and she was actually pleasantly surprised.

“And you are?” Aria asked, still standing inside of the room.

“Nikolas Ashwood,” he introduced, standing up. Aria was a bit intimidated by his tall, built stature. She had to admit he was handsome, very handsome. “How are you feeling?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned for her well being. Aria opened her mouth to speak, but turned around and walked back into the room. She kept repeating it was all a dream, she wasn’t in some beautiful mansion with a handsome man caring for her. There was just no way it could have been real.

Her eyes drifted around the room. Victorian, warm, and spacious. The walls were a deep red and the trimmings on the floor and ceiling were a creamy white. There was a small fire place in the corner made of a dark gray stone that went from the floor to the ceilings. It was all so romantic and chic. She turned back to the side with the windows that let the natural light from outside flood in. The windows were arched and so clean that they would have been perfect for the Windex commercials.

“So can you tell me why I’m here?” Aria asked, looking up at Nikolas as he walked into the room. He tilted his head a bit and sighed softly, he didn’t want to give her bad news. “You know what that doesn’t matter, I want to go home.” She made that very clear by the look in her eyes, but Nikolas shook his head. Her brows knitted together and she licked her lip, feeling the air in her throat hitch.

“I’m sorry, but this will be your home now.”

Aria’s eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. Letting out a breath, Aria brushed her hair back with her shaking hands. “No!” She backed away from him and shook her head. Nikolas held his hand out to her, trying to stop her. Aria dodged his reach and quickly darted for the wooden door behind her. Grabbing the brass handle, she twisted it and flung the door open. She had no idea where she was going to go, but there was no way she was going to stay. Everything was just meshing together as she ran, the sounds of her bare feet pounding the floor, the sound of the gasping maids, the paintings blurred in with the walls and lights, and the fresh breeze from the open windows of the hall kissed her skin.

She found a large stairwell made of marble and golden rails, sliding to a stop, she quickly climbed down the steps and came out into a large foyer where a young maid was cleaning. Her hair was combed into a neat ponytail and her dress was ironed perfectly. When Aria stopped to look at her, she blinked a few times and panted heavily. The maid turned around and looked a bit shocked to see her there. Aria’s eyes darted for the large French doors decorated in colorful stained glass. Without a second thought, Aria was at the door and running down the curved driveway.

“Leila would you please tell Darrien that our guest has fled from the mansion.” Nikolas came walking down the stairs, rolling up his red button down dress shirt. The young maid nodded and quickly placed her feather duster on the glass table, rushing down the hallway to Darrien’s private study at the back of the mansion. As Nikolas walked up to the front door, he sighed and combed his hair back even though it would become a mess while he searched for Aria in the forest.

Leila came to a halt right in front of the large wooden door and knocked on it gently. She waited for a few moments until she was allowed to come inside. Darrien called from inside the room and she pushed the door open. Walking into the room, Leila bowed and apologized for the disturbance. Her eyes drifted to the picture laying on Darrien’s desk. She saw that the person in the picture looked exactly like Aria or Aria looked just like the young woman. Darrien cleared his throat causing Leila to jump a bit and apologize once again. Flattening the skirt or her uniform, Leila looked back to Darrien.

“What’s wrong?” he pressed, slightly annoyed with her having disturbed him.

“Aria ran off, Nikolas is looking for her. He asked me to let you know,” she explained to him. Looking down at the photo, Darrien sighed softly and stood up from his chair. Leila looked at him with curious eyes as he walked around and went past her. Following him out, Leila closed his office doors and walked three steps behind him down the hallway.

“Prepare her a meal, we’ll be back within the hour.” Darrien walked through the front doors and trotted down the stairs. Leila watched him go and shut the doors before heading to the kitchen to have the two cooks prepare Aria a meal.


Aria wasn’t sure how far she had managed to run, but she had run as fast and as far as her legs could manage. This would have been one of those rare times Aria appreciated being in track. Panting heavily, Aria slowed to a fast walk and kept looking over her shoulder to see if anyone had followed her. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Aria sighed in relief upon seeing she had a hair tie on her wrist. As she walked, she thought back to that young girl she had seen less than fifteen minutes ago. That maid could not have been older than her if not younger. Stopping, Aria found a large mossy boulder and took a seat. Her sweat slowly trickled down the side of her face and neck and beaded on her body, making the pink night gown clinging to her figure.

She started to fan herself not that it did much in the humid forest. The sun was no longer out, in fact, it smelled and looked like it was about to rain. She kept her fingers crossed hoping she would be wrong. Once her heart rate slowed a bit, Aria pushed herself back onto her feet that were covered in mud and leaves. Thunder cracked loudly overhead and Aria cursed, looking up at the sky. She had no clue where she was and now it was going storming. If she was lucky she would be able to find a road or store and call her parents. All she wanted was to go home and forget any of this ever happened, but that was probably easier said than done. The worst part was that even though she had managed to get away that man at the mansion would probably come after her.

“That wasn’t the same man,” Aria breathed, remembering that the man who had attacked Johnny had a deeper, rougher voice. His hair was also shaggy and not neatly combed like Nikolas’s had been. They both had different colored eyes too, one amber and the other a vibrant blue. She stopped walking down the skinny trail and looked back at the direction she had come from. The forest was becoming hazy with mist that enshrouded the entire area. “As if I wasn’t lost enough.” Aria sighed and continued walking down the trail, hoping she’d find a camping ground or some park ranger.

The forest was beautiful even in the dense mist, deep rich greens, tall pines, and mossy boulders protruding from the ground. Stepping over some high raised roots of the trees, Aria stumbled and ended up falling face first into a pile of pine needles. They poked her skin and clung to her gown, making her feel itchy and more damp than she already was. Dusting the needles off as she stood up, Aria heard the sound of rattling pine cones. Looking around, she furrowed her brows and figured it must have been a squirrel or bird.

“Lost are we?” a smooth, rich voice came from the left. Aria started to panic and looked at the dark area, seeing nothing at all. She shook it off, telling herself she was just hearing things. Deciding not to stand around any longer, Aria started moving along. “If you are lost then you should really stop going deeper into the forest.” That time, Aria was positive she wasn’t just hearing things. Whirling around, her eyes landed on a handsome young man possibly in his early twenty’s with thick slightly curled blonde hair. She furrowed her brows, looking at his attire. He was dressed in something people wore to a semi-casual dinner or like prom. Black pants, blue button down with the sleeves rolled up, and black dress shoes. Why would anyone wear something like that in a forest?

The blonde smirked at her and chuckled a bit, walking forward casually. Aria watched him like a hawk and steadily moved away from him. She was about to run, but he vanished from her sight. Aria felt a cool breath on her neck and gasped when hands tightly gripped her upper arms.

“Ethan!” Nikolas snapped as he walked into the small clearing they were in. “That’s enough.”

“You always were a stick in the mud.” Ethan removed his hands from Aria’s arms and stepped back. She caught her breath and fell to the ground, coughing uncontrollably. Nikolas came forward and knelt down in front of Aria. “I didn’t hurt her, don’t worry.”

“Why are you here?” Nikolas asked, looking up at Ethan.

“I told you, I had a message for Darrien. Not to mention you both are going to need my witty charm to keep the council away from her.” Ethan gestured to Aria, who was now looking at them and no longer coughing. She tried to stand, but her strength was gone. “A little birdie told me they were coming here and if they find out that you have Clara’s incarnation they will kill her.”

“What are you talking about?” Aria croaked out. “Who is Clara? What council?”

“There is a lot we have to explain,” Nikolas said softly.

“No, there is a lot Darrien has to explain. This is his fault,” Ethan retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Isn’t that right brother?”

Darrien walked up from the right of everyone, but his eyes were burning holes through Ethan. As the two stared each other down, the rain began to fall from the sky.