Chapter 12. The Night It All Changed

Aria took a step forward and began walking towards Lucien’s still figure. The wind whistled past her, her boots crunched softly on the snow and leaves.

The scent of damp earth and even damper snow filled the air. All of it overwhelmed her senses, but she pushed forward.

Aria was stubborn. Once she decided on a course of action, she never deviated from it.

“I can’t imagine what he is going through every day,” Aria thought, her gaze softened as she stared at him.

Lucien still hadn’t moved, she could still feel his tight grip on his cane. It was pretty obvious to her that the only reason why he was even able to stand right now was because of the cane. His obsidian cane dug deep into the snow--filled gravel floor.

As she watched, Lucien’s grip grew tighter, so tight that his knuckles began slowly turning white. His body trembled slightly and he coughed.

“You know I can feel you staring right?” his voice was surprisingly cold,

Aria could only hea