Deceived Read Online Free

retribution, but I think Holly is taking it too far,” I hated that this whole thing escalated to a war. The wind played with Aiden’s dark hair and an intense emotion overcame me. My stomach knotted and churned with nauseous waves. Heat rushed to my face as a cold sweat broke along my brow. I didn’t understand what it meant, but it wasn’t good.
    “Leave with me tonight,” Aiden’s eyes burned into mine.
    I shook my head, words failing to form.
    “Gwen, if what you say is true and the council is using you as a frontrunner in their war, you need to leave with me, tonight. I won’t let you become collateral damage while they start an endless war,” Aiden paused and squeezed me tighter into his chest. He rested his head atop mine, “I won’t lose you.” His voice was a mere whisper, but the intensity he coated those soft words with sent chills along my spine.
    His offer was tempting. I didn’t want anything to do with the fight , but the council already involved me. Running wouldn’t change the fact that they planned to kill innocent vampires and start something far bigger than they probably realized. Once news got around that vampires were being murdered, all Hell would break loose. Witches were powerful and not to be trifled with, but vampires were killing machines—especially those hopped up on brew. The playing field wasn’t exactly even. We would be fighting against creatures that could move faster than the wind and heal whatever wounds we inflicted, not to mention they’d have our magic on their side as well.
    I ran all of the excuses , as to why I couldn’t go, through my head and was almost to the point of believing them . The real reason why I couldn’t run away with Aiden, as much as I’d like to, was the threat of being shunned from the magical community. I had already been kicked out of my home when I was sixteen for becoming a witch—something I had no control over. If I chose to run away with Aiden, I’d be rejected by the NAWC for something else I had no control over—love.
    Maybe I can save him. Maybe I can convince him to return to Italy and wait out the war. He’d be safe. “I’m sorry, Aiden, I can’t,” I said with false confidence.
    Aiden was from Italy and still owned a home there. My fate was sealed; I’d fight in the war, but Aiden didn’t have to. A tiny amount of weight lifted from my shoulders with the hope that my plan could work. The nausea in my stomach eased and I began to feel better the longer I thought about him leaving.
    “What do you mean, you can’t?” Aiden asked accusingly, like I was supporting what the council was doing.
    “I want you to go to Italy,” I told him, ignoring his question . He walked a few paces away before turning around and staring at me. Worry and anger were evident on his beautiful face, and it pained me that I was the cause of it. I walked towards him and put my hands on his chest. Looking up I said, “Please, go.”
    He shook his head, a slow and measured movement . His hand cupped my face and glided down to settle on my shoulder. His body was unyielding beneath my hands. “I cannot and will not leave you, my Gwen. If danger is ahead of us, I’ll be beside you until the end.”
    My breath caught, and I tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. The hope was squashed and replaced with fear. I could handle putting myself in danger, but I couldn’t accept Aiden’s life being threatened. He lived over six hundred years, and it could all end because of me.
    “Please,” I begged. “They know you drank witches blood, you’re a target.” I was hoping this news would send a jolt of awareness into him, but his only reaction was a slight twitch to his lips. My eyes blurred with tears as I realized he was steadfast with his decision to stay. He folded me into his arms while I held back the tears that threatened to fall.
    “This wasn’t the reunion I planned,” he said with a shallow laugh. Somewhere deep inside I knew he was