Chapter 8

AN: I decided to have an author I respect very much write this chapter. I hope you kiddos like it.

When she'd gone to the infamous Aria T'Loak to ask for her help – which some people might call an extremely idiotic idea as the Queen herself was at first her assassination target – it'd never occurred to her that the simple trip would take that long. Yes, Illium, one of the biggest and most peaceful cities she knew was placed quite far from Varris. Yes, they were travelling on foot as she'd decided that horses would drag too much attention. And yes, they had to stop every night, renting rooms in small taverns to rest and be sure that they would be able to fight at every single moment. She really didn't want to be attacked while exhausted; her sister was in danger after all, she had to be focused. Yet not for a single moment had she thought that of all people, Aria T'Loak would be complaining that much about almost everything. The bed hadn't been comfortable, the food had been distasteful, the weather had been awful, it would have been faster if they'd taken horses, and her pistols were heavy. Miranda had tried, really tried to keep calm, ignore those complaints and simply say nothing, instead think about her sister. For four days it had worked. But on the fifth, her patience suddenly grew too thin.

"Could you shut up at least for a moment?!" she snapped at Aria, turning to face her so suddenly that the woman didn't stop in time and bumped into her. She managed to keep her balance and her reflexes kicked in, saving Aria from landing on the hard ground. The second she was sure the woman wouldn't fall over, her hands left her arms and she took a step back. She couldn't stand too close to that damn woman. It was too difficult.

Aria straightened her coat and shook off an invisible speck from her sleeve before looking at Miranda and smirking. "So you do remember how to speak. Good to know. Now, are you finally willing to answer my question from the first day of our small trip?" Aria asked, her voice almost dripping with venom hidden behind a fake of innocence.

"I do not remember any question," Miranda said quickly and turned around. She looked around, trying to assess the distance from the nearest city. The bad weather had stopped them around midday, making it almost impossible to travel. As soon as the storm had passed, they were back on track, hoping that they would reach the town before the twilight.

"I believe I've already told you how I hate to repeat myself."

She heard Aria speak but didn't bother to even glance at her companion. Instead she focused on the nearest hill, wondering how long it would take them to get there. She was interrupted by a hand that clenched around her arm tightly, almost causing pain.

"Are you deaf or stupid?" Aria hissed right into her ear. Miranda felt a shiver running down her spine. She closed her eyes and swallowed, trying desperately to break free from this iron grip. Being in such close proximity to Aria made her body react in odd ways. She couldn't really explain it, but the woman's very existing was even more than intoxicating. All it took was a closeness between them and Miranda felt herself blushing slightly. She lowered her head so her hair would hide her face and stubbornly tried to free herself. Quickly her other arm was trapped and she was pulled back against Aria. "Looks like both," the woman snarled, clenching her fingers tightly.

"Let go of me," Miranda growled almost desperately.

The more she struggled, the tighter Aria's grip became. She ended up with her arms pulled back even more, forcing her to press her body against Aria's chest. The hot breath she felt on her neck was driving her crazy. She couldn't stop thinking about that kiss from five days earlier. All this time her very being urged her to do it again, to capture Aria's lips with her own, to taste that forbidden fruit that seemed addictive, to tangle her fingers into the dark hair, pulling her closer, deepening the k...

"If you don't answer my question immediately I'm gonna tie you to the nearest tree and force you to tell me everything I want."

Her eyes shot open and she froze. Slowly gulping, she glanced at the nearest tree and immediately her mind was assaulted by tons of images, all including the tree, the rope holding her wrists and Aria's hands and lips all over her body. She shuddered, forcing herself to take a deep breath and calm down, to get rid of those images. The pain in her crushed muscles brought her back to reality. Just in time, as Aria's patience clearly grew thin and she tried to pull Miranda towards the tree.

"It's revenge. He wanted to create a dynasty. My father I mean," she whispered in a hurry, fighting Aria as strongly as she was able to. She wouldn't let herself be imprisoned; it would become impossible to resist the other woman then. "He never wanted to have a daughter, it was all about business for him. He was forcing me into doing things I never wanted to do, held me locked in his palace like a bird in a golden cage," she was saying, her voice low, words leaving her lips hurriedly, her eyes never leaving the tree. "I ran away. He... managed to get another daughter, replace me. I couldn't let him do the same to her. I saved her and hid her in a safe place. Now he threatens to kill her to get his vengeance."

Silence surrounded them as soon as her last word was consumed by the air. She didn't dare to move. At some point Aria stopped dragging her towards the tree and simply listened to her words. Yet it didn't mean she wouldn't decide that it wasn't enough. And the longer the silence lasted, the faster her heart was beating, the harder the blood was throbbing in her veins, the more shallow her breath became. She couldn't move, she couldn't think, she could only see the images Aria unintentionally had placed in her head when she'd first mentioned those damn tables.

"You're an idiot," Aria snorted after a long moment. "If your father wanted to have a daughter so he could create a dynasty, why would he kill that daughter? He's only trying to lure you into coming to rescue your sister which would end up in you walking straight into a trap. I am utterly shocked you fell for that."

Feeling an enormous wave of relief Miranda slightly lowered her head again, her hair covering her face, hiding the smirk. If Aria still wanted to talk, the risk of being tied to a bloody tree became much smaller and she could relax a bit. She didn't really want to reveal all her secrets, but as long as she was safe, she could answer a few questions.

"I didn't. I knew from the very beginning that it's a trap."

"And yet you decided to go there. Why?" Maybe it was only her imagination but she could swear that she heard curiosity in Aria's voice.

"They want to play a game with me? So be it. They expect me to show up sooner or later. But they'd never think that I would bring someone with me."

Her words were followed by a moment of silence broken later by a heavy sigh. She could almost sense Aria shaking her head. Also, she couldn't not notice that the grip loosened a lot yet she stopped trying to break free. She didn't want to risk pissing Aria off again.

"I knew there's a catch. And what's your plan? Making them believe that they tricked you by getting yourself caught and then hoping that I would rush to save you?"

"More or less."

"And why do you think I would help you after all those attempts to kill me? Why are you so sure that I won't simply let them finish their job?"

"Because you agreed to do it. Also, you want to help me. You are curious to see what would come next, what I would do next. Would I keep trying to get your attention after you helped me save my sister? Or would I leave you in peace? You want to know why I kissed you, if it was just a moment of weakness or if I desire you as much as you lust after me. And you are aware that none of those questions would ever be answered if you leave me to death."

The hands released her arms slowly, almost absentmindedly. She could sense Aria taking a careful step back and realized that what she just said hoping to end this ridiculous interrogation was all true. If Aria's mind was indeed hunted by such questions... Well, it might have meant that she wasn't the only one who had trouble with sleeping recently because her mind was filled with the annoying images of the other woman. Images that had made her wake up in the middle of the night feeling hot wetness between her thighs, like it'd happened the day before; she'd spent half of the night simply staring at the wall separating their rooms, stubbornly trying to ignore her own body and force it to go back to sleep.

Unsettled by the stretching silence, Miranda slowly turned around and immediately met Aria's gaze. The woman was standing a few steps behind her, her arms crossed over her chest, simply looking, examining. Her face showed absolutely nothing, yet there was a gleam in her eyes. A gleam that was difficult to describe. It didn't tell Miranda anything about what Aria might have been thinking nor what she must have felt. It was rather disturbing. She felt like an animal in a cage, trapped, being observed in silence. She took a step back. Aria tilted her head. Miranda could literally feel the goose bumps creeping up her arms. She fought the need to rub her own skin.

Clearing her throat she turned again and looked back at the hill. "We won't make it before sundown. The town is too far, we'll have to spend the night in the woods," she said quietly, glad that at least her voice sounded as strong as always. Aria said nothing, so she risked a glance at the woman who nodded shortly. Miranda sighed, preparing herself to spend the next few hours in heavy silence. It almost made her miss all those earlier complaints.

As she'd expected, they only managed to reach the hill before the darkness surrounded them. The wolves howling echoed from almost every direction. She wanted to stay in the forest, hidden between the trees but something inside her told her that it wasn't a good idea. She always trusted her instincts and they led her towards a small cave at the bottom of the hill. As soon as they both got in and lit a bonfire, it started raining again. And there she was now, sitting at the entrance of the cave, partially covered with the branches she found nearby, listening to the sound of drops hitting the ground. Behind her Aria stayed by the fire, still silent. It was unnerving and disturbing. And honestly, she would be rather glad if the other woman started complaining again, no matter what about. Because that silence let her thoughts wander and they rushed towards the Pirate Queen more often that she would like them to. She had already lost control over herself once and it'd made everything much worse. She must have been blind, deaf and stupid to not notice how Aria's body had reacted to her kiss. The woman must have felt the same enormous wave of heat that had flooded over Miranda's body. The softness and the taste of Aria's lips hunted her dreams. Every time the Queen was close she wanted to do it again. It took all her strength to not grab her shirt and make all the space between them vanish.

She shook her head violently and got up only to leave the cave after a moment's thought. It took her about half an hour of wandering around the forest before the rain managed to cool her down. It was a cold night and by the time she was back, her whole body was shivering. Aria was leaning against the furthest wall of the cave, sitting as comfortably as it was possible as if she trusted that wherever Miranda went, she would finally come back. And she was right. Yet Miranda could swear that she saw a momentary relief on the Queen's face before her expression turned into a stony one again. Without a word she stripped off her armour and sat near the fire, hoping her tunic and pants would dry soon.

And so they sat in the cave in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by silence, both deep in their thoughts, trying to ignore the other's presence. It didn't work well. Miranda kept glancing at Aria from time to time, wondering if the closed eyes and steady breath meant that she'd fallen asleep. A smirk slowly crept on her face. After all, there was a way to find out...

Aria's eyes snapped open and she gasped the moment Miranda's knife dug into her arm. The brunette simply tilted her head and turned another dagger over in her hand as the Pirate Queen removed the blade with a frown and glared at Miranda.

"Care to explain what the fuck you're doing?"

"Practicing," Miranda answered calmly, not bothered at all by the angry hiss. She smirked when her next knife hit Aria right between the collarbones. "Score." It was still quite difficult to believe but she somehow learned that no matter where she aimed, there was no way to harm the woman that way. But that didn't change the fact that observing how the wound healed itself and seeing the frown and angry glares Aria shot her way was quite enjoyable.

"I'm gonna practice breaking your neck if you don't stop right now."

"You are not going to do that."

In the blink of an eye Aria was right in front of her, leaning low, their faces only inches apart. Miranda felt a very familiar wave of heat flooding her body, forcing her to hold her breath. Her eyes were captured by Aria's and she just couldn't look away even though the look the Queen gave her was anything but a kind one. She gulped as the woman leaned even lower, forcing her to pull back until she was stopped by her own backpack.

"Why are you so sure?" Aria whispered, her hot breath caressing Miranda's lips. Ice blue eyes fell to Aria's lips as she absentmindedly licked her own. A smirk appeared on the woman's face as she slowly pulled back. "That's what I thought."

It was too much. The proximity was driving her crazy. It was already difficult to control herself after all that had happened, but now, having Aria that close, almost on top of her, brought back all those images created by her mind since the mention of the tables. Her self-control broke into tiny pieces and her fingers clenched around Aria's tunic. Miranda pulled her back and their lips crushed with force; she had to use all the remaining strength to not moan in pleasure. The taste was intoxicating, she couldn't get enough. A part of her noticed Aria's hesitation, yet it vanished into thin air the moment Miranda's tongue brushed against her lips.

If anyone asked her later about it, she couldn't really answer how it all happened. In one moment she was clenching to Aria, tasting her lips as if they were water and she was in the middle of the desert dying of thirst, and the next she was pinned to the hard ground with the Pirate Queen on top of her, claiming her lips as her belonging. She could feel the hands on her sides, discovering every curve while her own fingers dove into Aria's dark hair, forming fists, holding her there like her life depended on it.

And suddenly it was all over as Aria pulled back, gasping for air. They were both panting, their breaths mixing in the thin space between them, blood pounding in both their heads. Miranda didn't move, her eyes closed as she lay there enjoying the feeling of Aria's body against hers, pressing her into the ground, hands on her hips. She could feel her head resting on her own shoulder, the hot breath caressing the skin on her neck. It sent a shiver down her spine. She slowly, carefully, untangled her fingers from Aria's hair only to move them to the woman's back, scratching it slowly through the layer of a fabric. She could swear she heard a quiet purr somewhere near her ear.

And just like that Aria pulled back and took a deep breath before returning to her previous spot, leaving Miranda right where she was, lying on the ground, immediately missing the closeness. Her hands fell to her sides as she sighed heavily and after a moment turned to the side, not willing to face the woman now. Pressing her thighs together, all she could do was hope that somehow she would survive this trip both physically and mentally.