Aria's POV

My lungs inflate and deflate as I stare at the diagram I've constructed on my desk of the surrounding area. I have been running through various scenarios for ages. Using random objects as markers, I have been trying different configurations of actions to try to see what would work. They couldn't have gotten far after they attacked us considering they were escaping with a large sum of people who had their powers drained, but we still haven't been able to mobilize our army to search for them.

I came back to a disaster when I returned from the castle that day. After feigning sobs and undergoing several long interviews with guards, other authorities, and the king himself over the "kidnapping" of Princess Seiliel by the Master of Earth, I was ready to relax and take the panic in Cole's eyes as a small victory. That was until I came back and saw the chaos.

On my path back, dozens of soldiers lay on the ground either soaked to the bone or twitching. They were out cold. Even a tap with my foot couldn't wake them up. I rushed to where there was the most disarray. Members of my elemental army were scattered about, clutching their sides as Talon ran around trying to heal everyone. Chairs and furniture were strewn all over the place, some of them seared and others busted to pieces.

Needless to say I could guess what had occurred. Not only had they come in to save that bitch's friends, but they also took Skylor, my leverage. I have no doubt that they were able to disconnect her from Neuro's hold by now, so now they have another elemental ally.

I knew that we had to hit them while they were down and regaining strength, but my army was ill prepared to face them again. Their confidence was absolutely shattered. Their size advantage was extraordinary yet they still buckled under Lloyd and Kai's power while Jay and that slut got through fairly undetected and stole the hostages. They have been training non stop to get stronger, but as it stands, what we really need is the blood of Princess Seliel. With that, we can possess the power of earth, and I can try to pick the elemental masters of creation off one by one. We just need to separate them. It was always my objective, and while that whore disrupted that, I believe I can do it again.

But in order to do that, we must know where they are hiding which brings me back to the struggle at hand. The training, albeit important, must be halted so that we can discern their location.

"Master," Amara, the Master of Teleportation, suddenly appears within my office, her arms glued to her sides.

I startle in my seat, nearly falling backwards. "What have I told you about doing that? Teleport outside of my door and then knock," I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"I apologize, Master, but the Master of Lightning is here. He has Princess Seliel in chains as well as a bouquet of flowers," she bows as my pen slips out of hand and clatters on my desk. "We quickly surveyed the surrounding area, and he seems to be alone. When we asked him about his intentions, he just told us that you would understand. We are ready to ambush him on your command."

Jay. Jay is here. To see me.

I had figured they would reemerge sooner than later, but not like this. I was wrong.

Because my soulmate is here. With flowers. It has been centuries since I have seen the mouth and ears and nose and cheeks and eyes and shoulders and body and mind that I am devoted to. It is all rightfully mine. He is rightfully mine. I'm his soulmate, and he is here.

However, this is why my chest contracts. I know him, and it is very unlikely for him to come here alone when he certainly views me as the enemy. Cole definitely spread more lies about me, and since Jay trusts him, he eats them up. This is a trap, but I still can't help the heat the envelopes every inch of me.

I need to see him right now. My skin has been craving his since the second I woke up from that amber. It's been an inescapable urge, a constant longing for something out of reach this whole time. I haven't been satiated at all, and now knowing that he is this close to me...

"That won't be necessary. Bring him right outside my bedroom and bring Tobias, Briar, Talon, and Thea to stand guard," I rise from my chair, portraying none of my emotions on my face.

"Are you certain, Master, I..."

"It is an order. I will need some time to prepare for my guest, but keep him there. Bring him in once I'm ready."

---

I am the vision of beauty itself. In the tight, vibrant red dress I had picked out for this occasion, I have no doubt about it. It accentuates the curve of my waist and the deep v neck puts my best assets on display. The golden necklace I have on draws even more attention to them. My lips are the same shade as my dress, and my mascara and winged eyeliner are done perfectly.

Not only do I look beautiful, but I feel powerful. Before I began getting ready, I injected myself with Kai, Skylor, Lloyd, Harumi, Zane, and PIXAL's blood. The heat of fire pulses through my veins. The thrum of energy makes me more aware. The chill of ice calms my racing heart.

I sit in a chair on the side of my room beside a lamp, crossing my left leg over my right knee. "Send him in."

Once that door opens, I am ruined. Jay Walker is still my absolute weakness. His shirt is blue and contours his body perfectly. I can see the definition in his firm pecs, his sturdy shoulders, his sexy arms, and while I can't see his abs, I can only imagine the rolling hills hiding beneath the fabric. His lower body does me no better, and I am left barely able to conceal just how flustered he makes me. And his face, oh his face.

"It has been a long time," my gaze shifts to the bouquet of flowers in his hand. It is an array of many different kinds, some blue, some red, some pink. His hand grips the stems, his fingers flexing around them tightly, setting my skin alight just imaging them on me.

"628 years, but who's counting, right?" his eyes scan across the modest decor of my room before they settle on me. They scan me up and down slowly, and I lose any advantage I had in demeanor, shifting in my seat.

"Why did you come here? You know I'm not dumb, Jay, so please spare me the b.s," my words come out sharp, distancing him from me. I know this is what I want, but I can't let myself believe I am actually getting it, not even for one second.

"Honestly?" he swallows before looking down at the bouquet. "You were right."

"Don't lie to me, Jay. Not now."

"I-I'm not," his sapphire eyes snap to mine, and I can't look away. They're enchanting. "Why would I bring Seliel here just to lie to you?"

It is at this moment that I finally notice the girl standing beside him. Her hands are bound behind her back as she slightly trembles, the slight movement of her hair evidence of this. Not only is her mouth gagged by a rag, but her eyes are covered too. Even in this state, she makes no effort to move even though Jay isn't touching her.

"You were right, Aria, about everything," my attention jumps back to him the second his lips start to move. "Cole filled me in on everything, so you don't have to, I just... please listen to me. I need to get all of this off my chest because if I don't, I might quite literally explode and neither of us want that."

"Keep going," I insist, leaning forward in my seat.

"When Cole told me that it was you who did everything all of those years ago, I was hurt, like really really hurt," he swallows yet again. "I saw it as PIXAL dying because of me, because I made a mistake. I felt dumb and stupid and idiotic and every other synonym for just being a moron. It took some time, but then I realized that wasn't it at all. You always knew that I would rebuild PIXAL. You knew me better than anyone else, and you knew I had the capabilities to do it, so you saw this as a way to show me how the world really is."

"It's shallow at best," he huffs. "The guys and I had been proving to them for centuries that we were trustworthy, yet they put us on trial as soon as they got the opportunity. They never cared about us, but you did. You cared about me. Even when I tried to push you away... you were fighting for us," his voice breaks near the end, and he closes his eyes.

"When I was on the run, you're the one I wanted to confide in, the one I wanted to go back to so badly it hurt. I missed you and your support and your presence. I knew that you were the only one who could truly understand me on my deepest level, that you were the only one who could fix the broken boy that was left," his eyes open again, this time looking at mine. "You're my soulmate."

His recognition knocks the wind out of me, leaving me lightheaded and slightly disoriented. My heart is thundering within me.

"And I thought I'd never see you again, honestly, because how could I? I assumed that you'd die of old age just like any other mortal, but when I found out you were alive, it sparked something in me that I thought vanished long ago. Even after Cole told me everything and I felt a bit broken, I knew I had to come back to you. You are the new world for everyone, but you are especially my new world," he moves the bouquet over to his other hand.

"In regard to Seliel, I love Cole, but he has the intelligence of a rock sometimes, and he missed out on an opportunity by running away instead of helping you. He was startled, I understand, but even when I brought it up again, he brushed it off like it was nothing. I...I want to help you and the guys at the same time, and I feel like bringing her to you does that. If you draw Seliel's blood and complete your collection, you need to promise me that you will not hurt her, any of the guys, or any of their soulmates as you conquer Ninjago. You will allow them to live peacefully."

"As long as they don't attack me first," I interject, barely able to get the words past my lips.

"Of course. I figured that was a given."

"And you, where would you like to be?" I take a deep breath and stand up so that we are now on a similar level.

Every one of my senses intensifies as I walk towards him, and as his scent hits my nostrils, it's as if I just inhaled perfection itself. My entire body tingles as I begin to see the spattering of freckles dotted across his cheeks.

"Here, I hope," he sticks the flowers out to me, and I take them, allowing my hand to brush against his. The gentle shock that I've longed for for so long travels up my skin and fuzzes up my insides.

"You know, my soldiers reported something to me which I thought was very interesting," I take a long sniff of the flowers before looking back up at him rolling his lips between his teeth, a nervous habit of his. "You remember how they found you and your buddies up in the mountains when you were looking for Cole, correct?"

"Yep, they kidnapped some of us before we tricked them into thinking all of us were there, why?"

I walk a few steps to set the bouquet down on my vanity, admiring the petals as I do so. As I look up, I meet his eyes in the mirror. "Well, my soldiers were tracking you through a stolen airship for quite some time, and when they eventually reached this little down you parked at, I heard some very interesting news. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"No, I don't," he says, and I frown.

"Well, when trying to figure out where you went on foot, they asked around the town, and there was a woman who apparently looked a whole lot like me who had something to say," I twirl around and stalk back over to him until there are only a couple of inches between us. "She said that there was a hot guy with auburn hair, blue eyes and nice muscles who was staying in town for the night. This guy who was wearing a blue shirt came to flirt with her, and it was going well until another woman stopped by."

I watch the air leave his lungs as his face freezes. "Aria, I..."

"She claimed to be his fiancé, and then they practically dry humped each other in the bar before they left together without their third friend with dark hair who wore red," I stand on my tiptoes to reach his ear. "You say you missed me, but you fucked that whore? It doesn't make sense," I whisper before lowering myself and turning my back to him. "It broke me to hear that, you know."

"I...it wasn't as bad as she made it sound. I did kiss Nya..."

"Don't say her name," I twist to snap at him. He opens up his palms to me in front of his chest as a sign of surrender.

"...but that's all it was. We were both drunk and in bad places emotionally. The Master of Shadow proposed to her, actually, in case you were worried. You must have heard about their relationship, right?"

His words decompress some of the stress in my chest. "Yes, I have," I look at the distance between us. "But you were so eager to kiss that slut, and you won't even touch me, Jay. You say you missed me and yet I haven't gotten a single hug."

"Well, I didn't know if you were on edge with me touching you cause of my powers and everything and..."

"I have something for that," I wrap my fingers around the cuff sitting on my vanity. On contact, my powers vanish, leaving me hollowed out. "I want you to wear this until I am 100% sure of your intentions."
His eyes widen, and he takes a deep breath. "Aria please, you know how I feel about..." he takes a step back from it. I let out a heavy exhale through my nostrils.

"Do you value your powers more than my state of mind? This is the foundation we need for this new us," I approach him again, and I enjoy the rush of watching this lump of perfection squirm at my power. It's mouth watering.

"I'm keeping Seliel in line with my powers. She doesn't move out of fear of getting shocked," he says at a speed so fast I'm surprised I understand it.

Heat circles in my palm as I conjure a flame that is absolutely still. "Oh Seliel, Jay might not have his powers, but I have three right now that I'm not afraid to use if you decide to be naughty. Nod your head if you understand." she nods so vigorously I'm surprised her neck doesn't break. "Good girl."

As I snap the cuff around Jay's wrist and lock it with a key, I see some of the life drain out of his eyes and skin. His lips slightly part as he looks down at it. "I feel so...empty." He whispers at the same time my powers come back to me in one intoxicating wave.

"It's okay, Jay. You only have to wear it for a little bit," I reach up and cup his cheeks in my hands. Pausing for a few seconds, I admire how my hands look on his perfect face and slowly dig my fingers in more. My fingernails start to make crescent divots in his skin, "I'll be here the whole time, so don't worry about anything."

"They're coming today," his words make my hands fall limp to my sides as I try to process what he means.

"The whole army?" I clarify.

He nods his head. "They were going to come at dusk from the south, but they might have expedited the plan once they found out I left with Seliel."

"How do I know this is the truth?" I look over him one more time as the last nagging feeling in my gut holds me back from accepting what is standing right in front of me.

"I brought you the last thing you needed and let you make me defenseless. I don't know what else I can do."

"Show me what you've been telling me all this time. Show me that you really missed me. Kiss me like today could be our last day together," the words leave my mouth on their own accord. I'm satisfied as I see his breath catch in his throat. Jay has always loved being told what to do, and it's clear that hasn't changed.

He leans in slowly, each second achingly long as I wait for the explosion. With every inch that disappears, my heart accelerates and the heat in my body multiplies. My hands find their way to his shoulders, and I immediately squeeze them, a feeling of ecstasy washing over me. I trail my fingernails down his pecs, hopefully leaving scratch marks along the way. The idea of claiming him awakens a feral need inside of me.

I close the gap myself, knowing that if I don't feel his lips at this very moment I'm going to explode with desire. We waste no time. I wrap a leg around him as I push my tongue into his mouth and immediately get to work. I claw up his torso, reaching underneath his shirt and scratching and squeezing every inch of him that I can. His skin is so soft underneath my fingertips.

His hands are in one place, both gripping onto my waist. It has been so long since I felt his embrace, and I am succumbing to it. All I want is more of this heaven.

"Jay, rougher, plea..."

I'm pulled out of paradise as I hear clinking across the room. I grudgingly pull myself away, and in doing so, I spot Seliel frantically struggling to get her gag and or blindfold off. With her head tilted downwards and shoulder pulled upwards, she tries to free herself from the rags. Her handcuffs shift from the force of the movement.

Without hesitation, I draw the energy from my skin and throw a dense, green ball in her direction. It barely misses her as I intend, leaving a hefty dent in the side of the room. She stops in her tracks.

"Stop that, or next time I'll actually hit you," I scold her as she starts to quiver yet again.

"I'm sorry, Seliel. You'll be back with Cole soon I promise. We just need some of your blood," the emotion in Jay's voice catches me off guard. As I whip my head over to look at him, I notice the deep frown on his lips.

"Would it make you feel better if I drew her blood right now?" I place a hand on his shoulder and am hit with another wave of desire, but I try to keep it off of my face.

"Yes please."

A/N: Yet again here I am with an eternity between updates. I shouldn't even be surprised at this point I'm just disappointed in myself. School started up though so at least I have an excuse

Thoughts on the chapter? I know it's been a while, so feel free to ask any questions!

Thank you so much for the continued support! It means so much

Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!