My girlfriend's boyfriends 3

My girlfriend's boyfriends 3
After the first war that I partook in wiped out a nation and no small number of Warlandian soldiers, I decided I just couldn't stand by and watch it happen again and again. My own country was depleted, couldn't handle another war and Sartis Est, Dean's next target, would likely suffer a similar fate to the last country. So I did the hardest thing I ever had to do. I went up against Dean, plotted, schemed, begged and at last swayed King Edward and ended the Warlandian Wars with the House of Assassins by my side, making an enemy of my brother, a bloodthirsty killer, for life in the process.

(Aria)
I was not a stranger to war stories, but the ones pouring out of Troy were some of the most vicious, merciless ones I had ever heard. I found once he started, he couldn't quite stop. My heart went out to him. To the sixteen year old boy who had to go up against two grown men to liberate nations, including mine.
When at last he did quiet down, I got up and went towards him. Troy got up too and walked away.

I remembered what last night was like. He could have really hurt me. And talking about this stuff, especially with the woman who he could have choked to death last night, left him shaking with dark rage.

I wanted to say the right thing, to say so many things, but when I finally laid my head against his back, all I could say was, “You were right. Your dad was a dick and so is Dean.”
This earned me a little chuckle. He focused really hard on stilling himself, the anger. I saw it yesterday and did my best not to flinch, but Troy didn't want me to see it again.
“I'm sorry I didn't ask before. I just let you take care of me. Just took all the love you poured into me and let it fill me up, take away the darkness.”
I gently slipped my hands up the front of his shirt, felt his rapidly beating heart under my hand, let myself hold him.
“It sounds so lonely. Please don't be alone anymore. Please let me in. Give me your burdens, let me share them with you. Let's share more than just these perfect moments that you make for me, for us. Let's be more than just lovers, let's be king and queen together.”
Troy slipped his hands over mine, letting me get to him, letting himself accept me and my warmth and comfort.
“You don't know what you're asking for. Before you and Ethan came along, there wasn't anything to hope for. It didn't matter if I got hurt, because there was no pain in it. But last night I felt pain. Soul crushing agony at the thought that you might be hurt fighting my war, at the thought that I might hurt you.”
I wrapped my arms around him tighter and asked, “Are you going to let go of me, then?”
Troy sighed.
“Forgive me. I don't think I know how. But if you choose someone else, if, when you hear Aaron's story, you decide that that's the life you want—”
I frowned, hugging him harder. I was already holding on so hard, I didn't know that there could be a harder.
Don't push me away, Troy, not after showing me the dream that is you, us.
“What are you talking about?”
“He's going to tell you himself, sooner or later,” said Troy, turning around and taking me into his arms. “Please don't ask this from me. I'm not strong enough to tell you to love another man.”
“You don't need to be. I already love the warmth of these arms too much,” I said, hugging him back again.
“I want to be fair to you. I need to know that it's not just me falling stupid hard for a woman I've only been with for two weeks. Because you deserve love, Aria, crazy, messy, unfathomable love and happiness. I'm so completely consumed by you. I have been since our night in that hotel when you showed me all of you, in more ways than one.”
They shared a naughty chuckle at the memory.
“So even if you choose him, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, to protect your love.”
Why was he saying these things? Did he not know how much I wanted him? How desperate I was not to lose him? How I already felt that way after that night, too?
“Are you so confident of my affection for you that you're willing to send me to another man to discover his?”
Troy laughed.
“Not at all. In fact, my vote is that you don't go, is that you never leave my arms, is that you stay with me always. I'll even find a way to be not just be the one protecting you, but also the one being protected by you. I'll find a way to trust that it's okay to be in it together, just like you say it is.”