Page 12 of Forbidden Harvest

“Jared?” Her small hand grazes my arm, and electric heat jolts through me at her innocent touch. “I’ll miss you. Really.”

The pure emotion in her eyes is almost my undoing. I give a stiff nod, unable to trust my voice. Pulling away from her gentle grip, I stride out of the room and down the hall. Each step is sheer torture, my body screaming at me to turn back.

But I can’t—I won’t risk exposing her to the darkness inside me before she’s ready. Aria is my light, my solace, and I must stay far away from that radiant purity until the time is right.

“All set, son?” Dad asks as I enter the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m going to catch the bus out of here.”

His brow furrows. “Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll drive you where you need to go.”

My throat constricts as I meet Dad’s concerned gaze. I’m eighteen in two months, and dropping out of high school, moving out, and getting a job was not what he expected from me. But he isn’t the kind of guy to fight me. He’s always been the kind of man supporting us in whatever we want. “Nah, I got it covered. The bus’ll be fine.” The lie tastes bitter. I can’t let them get too involved, or they might start asking questions I can’t answer. Like, why am I only moving to the town over from Millset?

Dad’s frown deepens. “You sure? It’s no trouble to drive you, son.”

Forcing a casual shrug, I adjust the strap of my duffel bag. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’d rather take the bus anyway. You know how I like my independence.”

I can’t help but still hold anger toward my dad. It festered deep because he left me with my mom, knowing she was a junky. He left me and never looked back, all to marry a woman and take on some other kid. A kid that’s not even his blood.

I gaze over his shoulder where Aria lingers in the hallway, her big doe eyes watching our exchange. Just the sight of her has my heart thundering painfully in my chest.

Swallowing back the torrent of emotions, I meet Dad’s gaze. “I should get going.”

He lets out a heavy sigh but nods. “Alright then. Don’t be a stranger, you hear? Your mom and I expect you to stay in touch.”

“Sure thing,” I mumble. Even though I’ve never called Elaine by the name Mom, he insists on calling her my mom. I never had a mom. My birth mom was a pathetic excuse for a woman who didn’t raise me. She spent her life being a junky and leaving me to cook and clean and look after myself from as young as I can remember.

Moving toward the door, I can’t stand another second in this house, surrounded by overwhelming reminders of what I can’t have.

“Jared, wait!”

The soft plea freezes me in my tracks. I brace myself before turning to face Aria. Her eyes shimmer with unshed tears that twist the knife in my gut.

“You’re really leaving? Just like that?” she whispers.

Every instinct screams at me to grab her and erase the sorrow from her angelic features. But I can’t—won’t—give in to those cravings gnawing at my soul, not yet.

Forcing my expression into an impassive mask, I nod. “It’s for the best, Aria. You’ll see that one day.”

Her lower lip trembles, and I look away, fists clenched at my sides. Goddamn it, why does she have to make this so difficult?

“But I...” She trails off, a stray tear slipping down her cheek.

The sight damn near breaks me. Before losing my fragile grip on control, I spin on my heel and yank open the front door.

“Take care of yourself, princess,” I toss over my shoulder, the endearment like acid in my mouth.

Then I’m striding down the path, putting as much distance as possible between myself and the siren call of temptation. The bus can’t come soon enough to carry me away from this personal hell.

Because no matter where I go, a part of me will always belong to Aria. And that terrifying truth is what makes me a threat to the one person I should protect above all others—even from myself.

Staringout the window of my new flat, my finger drum restlessly on the sill. One town over from Millset in Longate, yet it feels like I’m worlds away from Aria.

Two years. That’s how long I must wait until she’s a woman, no longer the fragile, innocent girl I left behind. The thought of her blossoming into maturity without me there is torturous.

With a heavy sigh, I turn from the window and sit at my desk, booting up my laptop. My freelance web development job is perfect for working remotely and watching Aria. I’d always excelled at coding and graphic design, and my portfolio caught the eye of a software company.

Pulling up the security feed I’ve discreetly installed at the family home, Aria comes into view. She is curled up on the couch, a book in her lap, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. Our parents are out now, and she’s home all alone.

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