Page 102 of Beneath Scarred Vows

Another jolt. My stomach drops as the plane levels out again.

I glance around, searching for any sign that this is normal. Instead, I catch Ares watching me. His eyes haven't left my face. The turbulence doesn't seem to bother him at all. He sits there like he's carved from stone, unmoved while I'm fighting the urge to vomit.

He removes his headphones, letting them rest around his neck.

"You're obviously scared so come sit next to me," he says, still lacking any emotion.

I straighten up, even as the plane shudders again.

"I'd rather sit on the pilot's lap then look for comfort next to you," I reply, my voice shaking briefly when another patch of rough air hits us.

Ares pauses. I can almost see the gears turning in his head, calculating his next move like we're pieces on that chessboard he tried teaching me to play.

"If you even think of doing that, I will choke him with my bare hands and figure out how to fly this damn plane myself," he finally says.

"Oh, great so you'll give him the same treatment you gave your wife yesterday?" The words slip out before I can stop them, raw and honest.

We lock eyes and despite the turbulence, neither of us looks away.

Ares's jaw tightens. His eyes flicker briefly to my throat, and for a split second, I see regret.

Good.

"That was..." he says and pauses. "If you're trying to punish me for it, it's working," he finishes, and for once, the almighty Don Kastaris sounds uncertain.

I lean forward slightly. "I'm not. I just don't forget."

The plane dips again, and I clutch the armrests tighter, hating the fact that I'm so scared right now.

"Move over here," he says, not quite a command, not quite a request.

"Why?" I challenge him, even as another wave of turbulence makes the plane shudder.

"Because you're terrified, and I can help." His eyes soften slightly. "And because I hate seeing you afraid."

"You didn't seem to mind when you were the one causing it," I shoot back, anger flaring hot in my chest.

He flinches.

"Katerina." My name on his lips is different now.

Another violent shake of the plane decides for me. To my surprise, Ares unbuckles himself, crosses the narrow aisle, and takes the open seat next to me.

He buckles himself in.

I stare straight ahead, not wanting to look at him. "This changes nothing."

"I know," he says. His hand rests on the armrest between us, palm up. An invitation. I ignore it.

The plane steadies for a moment, and I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Do you want to know what I'm most angry about?" I ask quietly, still not looking at him.

He doesn't respond, but I feel his attention focused entirely on me.

"It's not that you grabbed me. It's that you did it because I disagreed with you." I turn to face him now, meeting those piercing eyes I was once lost in. "The moment I had a different opinion, the moment I challenged you, you reverted to force."

Ares's expression darkens. "That's not what happened."