Chapter 64
Mara trailed behind us dutifully as we went to the car, pretending she cared about my well being. She carried all the things that we brought to the beach including the blanket. I was both furious and amazed by how easily she could have gotten the blanket herself and still happily watched me battle with my life to get it.
I wondered how she got it without getting wet though. There was no drip of water on her clothes unlike me that was soaking wet. Perhaps it swam hack to shore or someone grabbed it for her. Whatever it was, she got the blanket under a minute while I almost lost my life trying to grab it.
I realized how long the walk to the car was and how big the beach really was, too bad that I couldn’t enjoy it. What I was enjoying though, despite my heart still racing from the fear of almost seeing the pearly gates, was how well I fit in Aston’s arms. It was like I was meant to be in it. I tried not to get distracted and to set my thoughts straight but it was hard especially with those muscular arms holding ne so close to his heartbeat.
I was trying to set my thoughts straight because Aston was probably just doing this to avoid a scene not because he cared about me and I didn’t want to give myself false hope or raise my hopes up unnecessarily. Although, it would not be too far fetched to say that he cared seeing how he had saved my life more than once. He was faster than a trained rescue team and that did not only impress me, it made me swoon. If the water had not completely washed all the blood-from my veins and the colour from my face, it would be so obvious that I was blushing now.
beautiful thing ever. If I hadn’t a good view of his strong jawline from beneath and I had to admit that it was the most
He was looking straight ahead so I got
seen
the man’s torso, I would have been so sure that it was his most defined feature. Ever time he looked down at me to see if I was doing okay, I didn’t know how to act
Do I pretend to be asleep?
Do I look really sick?
Do I show how smitten I was by his bulging muscles and his beautiful jawline? I was form.
“Are you okay? Do we need to get you to a hospital? It’s not a long drive from here.” He asked worriedly after I coughed a little and it was the first time he has spoken to me so nicely. The times we were naked in his room didn’t count because we had to be under some sort of spell during those times. He looked so worried about me right now and I wished that this moment would last forever.
“I’m fine, we don’t have to go.” I told him my voice barely audible and even though he didn’t look like he bought my lie of being okay, he still listened to me. We finally got to the car and he set me down gently in the front seat. The door was wide open and I was guessing it was from when he rushed to get me and my heart s**d a beat,
He opened the back door and helped me to the back seat. I was still soaking wet and he didn’t mind that I was dripping all over his seats. I thought he cherished his car more than my life but I guess not.
He sn***d the basket from Mara and grabbed the towel in it without sparing her a glance. I thought he would hand the towel to me but he did something even more shocking instead, he dried my hair with it instead and I just stared at him speechlessly as he tousled my hair with the dry towel, his eyes never meeting mine once. It was almost like he was doing it mindlessly without putting much thought to it. Like something was in control of his mind and I didn’t mind it at all. I was not mad at whatever was making him be so nice to me.
“Tell me Kira, what really happened? How did you get into the water? Did you forget that you couldn’t swim or you just wanted to experiment before leaving the beach?” He looked so p**d as he spoke and I just wanted to be quiet and watch him speak until he calmed down but I caught a glimpse of Mars standing behind him and the anger in me resurfaced.
“I told her that I couldn’t swim and she still insisted that I went to get the blanket. She was trying to kill me!” I yelled on top of my voice, willing to gouge her f***g eyes out but I was too weak to even get up from where I was seated.
Mara gasped in horror, her eyes wide with denial. “No, no, no! I didn’t try to kill you, Kira! I would never do that! You’re just being paranoid again!” she yelled.
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I sat there, diteering and dripping with water, my anger and fear till raw “Don’t lie, Marat You told me to go get the blanket, even though you knew I couldn’t swim. You wanted me to drow You’ve been trying to get rid of me since the beginning. —and
and now you’ve irving to cover it up
Aston’s face turned red with hay Mara, is this true? Did you really send Kira to retrieve a flimsy blanket, knowing she coubin) swim! How could you be so cruel
Mara’s expression turned defensive. “I didn’t expect it to be that hard for her, Aston. I guess Kira is just incompetent. She’s always been a weak link in our pack. I don’t know why your decided to keep her around despite how useless she is
Aston’s voice was stern. “You didn’t need to send Kira to get the blanket, Mara. And even if you needed to, you should have called for help when you saw her struggling. Why didn’t you? You’re supposed to be a member of this pack, not a predator””
Mara’s eyes welled up with tears. “I was in shock, Aston! I couldn’t move or speak. I was traumatized watching Kira drown! You’re always so quick to believe her lies and defend her, but what about me? What about my feelings?”
Aston’s expression turned sceptical. “Really? Because I was the one who splotted Kira’s movements in the ocean and came to hes rescue. You didn’t even try to help. You just stood there, watching her struggle. That’s not the behaviour of someone who’s traumatized”?
Mara’s face turned red with anger. “You’re always so concerned about Kira, Aston! You should be consoling me for the trauma I just went through, not accusing me of trying to kill her! You’re always taking her side, and it’s getting old!”
Aston sighed. “We’ll talk about this later, Mara. Right now, I need to make sure Kira is okay. She’s the one who almost drowned, not you”
He turned to me, his eyes soft with concern. “Kira, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you sure we don’t need to to the hospital?” he asked again.
I shook my head, still shivering. “I…I don’t think so. Just cold and scared. But Aston, I know Mara’s been trying to hurt me. She’s been threatening me and trying to get rid of me since the beginning. You have to believe me!”
Aston nodded and lifted me in his arms, helping me into the car seat properly and completely ignoring Mara’s outraged outburst. “You’re going to be okay, Kira. I’ve got you. And I’ll make sure Mara doesn’t hurt you again.”
As we drove back home, Mara spent the entire time complaining and whining, her voice grating on my nerves. She was furious that Aston was defending me and ignoring her, and she made sure to let us know it. Her voice was so loud that I could have sworn, it was blood coming out of my ears and not water.
“You’re always so quick to defend her, Aston! You never believe me! I’m the one who’s been hurt here, not Kira!”
Aston’s expression remained calm. “Mara, we’ll talk about this later. Right now, Kira needs our attention and care, not you. She almost drowned, and it’s our responsibility to make sure she’s safe.”
“Since when was it our responsibility to make sure sl***s were okay? I hate the way you treat her like she’s more than just a sl***e! It’s starting to get me realize frustrated! I’ve had it up to here with the both of you.” She put her hand beneath her jaw but Aston seemed to be done talking because he said nothing to her.
Mara huffed and crossed her arms, her anger and resentment palpable. She was furious that Aston was prioritizing me over her, and she was determined to make him pay for it.