Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - You Are Here - Part 10
[Note: Poor, poor Aurora. Eric’s mind games have officially escalated to a new level and what in the world is a little Amity transfer to do? 😩All I can say is handle with caution cause this content gets a little hot… 🔥🔥🔥 Tagging @elaacreditava aaaand @dreamingoffandomscenarios!]
Rated: M for Mature (violence, language, and sexual content). Please enjoy!
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Amity was a very different place compared to Dauntless. The longer Aurora spent away from it, the more it felt like a different planet altogether or like it never really existed at all.
In Amity, loyalty was given freely and not bought. Affection was a natural part of life, like growing taller or losing your first tooth. It was easy to laugh and talk with strangers. Abnegation may have been the leading role in selflessness, but anything Amity did, it did out of love. Summers were filled with crackling fires, cheery folk songs, and flower crowns made out of wild daisies.
At night, when Aurora couldn’t sleep, she could crawl out of bed and pad barefoot down the walk outside of her small cabin to see the stars open up above her. Crickets trilled softly in the grass, and the whispers of the breeze against the tree leaves was a gentle song that always helped to lull her to sleep. She thought she heard a very distant howl once that she swore sounded like the cry of a child, but her father had told her that it was nothing, just her imagination, go back to sleep.
There were, however, similarities between the two factions as well.
The bravery that she sucked in through her teeth and filled her chest with had not changed. It still twisted in her gut and replaced the blood in her veins with wildfire. The way her heart pounded then skipped was still the same, and the way she had to stop her voice from shaking when she stood up for herself.
The sensation of a punch when hard knuckles met the curve of her jaw still felt the same as well. That moment of blind numbness where her senses were scattered and she didn’t quite know what had happened until the sharp ache of pain punched right through the fog cloud, and afterwards her jaw was stiff and hard to move. Sometimes her lip was split and she tasted coppery blood where the edge of her teeth had cut into the flesh of her mouth.
The first time she had ever been punched, she was five years old.
When she tried to think back to that time, she couldn’t recall what she had done to deserve it. She couldn’t remember where it had happened, inside her house or in the barn. She didn’t remember what she was wearing or where her brother had been or what time of day it was.
She things she did remember were still fresh in her mind, years later. The crashing sound of her father storming down the hall towards her. The wooden floorboards had shaken and Aurora had covered her ears with her hands because she thought maybe she would go deaf. The way the door frame splintered when her father kicked it in, and Aurora practically jumped out of her skin. The feral, unhinged anger that flashed through his dark eyes and the way he roared so loud, he spat. The words he said were jumbled with rage, and Aurora never caught exactly what it was that he screamed at her.
She remembered being pulled up so violently by the collar of her shirt, her head snapped back and her neck was sore for days afterwards. He had hit her so suddenly, she never saw his fist coming and couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when his sharp knuckles made contact with her soft, round face. In fact, she wasn’t even sure what had happened at first. She had never been hit before. She had never been struck by anything at all, ever. Stars had leapt into her vision and she blinked in a total daze. At some point, her father had released her, because suddenly she was lying on the floor, but her legs wouldn’t work.
Panting with anger, her father had taken a step back and spat once at his own feet before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. It wasn’t the realization of what he had done that erased the fury from his face. It wasn’t the fact that he had just lashed out at his own child. It was the fact that Aurora did not cry out. It had happened so fast, maybe she simply didn’t have time to. But even when she grabbed her face and her skin turned bright red and began to swell, her vivid green eyes remained unclouded by tears. Any child would feel betrayed when their guardian hurt them, and even if Aurora didn’t understand why her father struck her, she didn’t seek comfort. Not from him, not from her brother, not from anyone anywhere in Amity. No one would ever know.
With his steam all used up, he had turned and stomped heavily back down the hall, leaving Aurora behind to pick herself up off the ground.
That was the first time Aurora had ever been punched.
Aurora wasn’t sure whether or not she should obey what Eric said to her.
Every morning, five o’ clock.
She told herself not to listen, that he didn’t actually mean that now he required her to meet him before training started. But she had enough doubt in her head to feel uneasy when she considered just staying in bed. She knew that if she disobeyed him, a direct order, that he could punish her any way he pleased. Maybe next time she would not survive a fall into the chasm.
So it was fear that caused Aurora to shiver and quietly climb out of bed in the dark. Her stomach was twisting with apprehension and she had no idea what to expect from the Dauntless Leader. Half of her hoped that she would be stopped by someone on her way to the gym, maybe someone who would give her a different order or demand for her to go back to the dorm. The other half of her prayed he wouldn't be there. She would have rather been the butt of a joke- she could tolerate being laughed at for being so gullible.
But those prayers did no good at all, because Eric was waiting patiently at the wide entrance to the gym, leaning with one foot propped against the wall. When he looked up and saw Aurora bathed in the half light, he had enough grace to be pleasantly surprised for a moment before he donned the cold, hard mask that Aurora was used to.
“I didn't think you'd show up,” he said as he pushed off the wall and came to stand in front of her. Aurora passively noticed that he smelled too good to be so mean; freshly showered and dabbed with a cologne that reminded her vaguely of herbs and spices and a sweetness that she couldn't place. When he spoke, she could smell the faint smoke of cigarettes on his breath.
“I didn't think I had a choice,” she said curtly, rubbing her arms a little self consciously. It was difficult to look him in the eyes.
He smirked. “You didn't.”
Aurora chewed her lip and looked around. There was no equipment set out in the gym and she hoped he wouldn't make her run again. Her legs still ached terribly from yesterday.
“So what are we doing? Why do I have to train with you? I'm not failing.”
Eric nodded and wrapped an arm around Aurora’s waist. Her breath froze and she looked up at him anxiously as though it might be a trap. His hand was barely touching her, was not hurting her at all, but she had enough sense to be weary of everything he did. A lion hiding in plain sight.
“It's not for your initiation,” he confided, and Aurora couldn't make sense of it. “I'm taking you somewhere.” With the arm that was wrapped around her, he guided Aurora away from the gym and down a hall she had never been to before. The hair prickled on the back of her neck and she tried to keep her feet coordinated even though a steady trickle of fear was beginning to unsettle her.
“Where are you taking me?” She asked nervously, trying to memorize the turns they were taking in case she needed to get away. A deer planning for an escape route.
She felt his rumbling chuckle in her chest. “You can stop worrying, Aurora. If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it a hundred times already- no offense, but you're not special enough for me to wake up at four in the morning just to off you.”
She knew it was meant to make her feel more at ease, but it only stirred up a new cocktail of uncertainty. But if Eric was anything, she didn't think he was a liar… Well, at least not in this case.
Aurora allowed him to lead her through twisting corridors and then up steep, uneven steps. Her feet stumbled once on the top of the stairs, but Eric caught her before she could fall. He didn't laugh at her clumsiness or give away any sign that it bothered him at all, as she would have thought he would. Aurora, however, could barely hear over the pounding of her heart.
Eric rounded a corner and Aurora was faced with a setting she had never seen before, especially not in Dauntless.
The spacious room was surprisingly well lit and clean, with barely a single smudge on the shining dark tile floor. There was a long desk situated to the left where a computer monitor sat idle. It looked like the kind of place where one would find a secretary answering phone call after phone call and bustling around to take her boss’ orders.
To her right, there was a row of chairs against the wall that didn't look very comfortable. Then again, this place probably wasn't meant to be. ‘Principal’s office’ came to mind.
Directly opposite from where Aurora stood, there was a door with a window blocked by blinds. It looked so strange in a compound where most entrances were only rectangular cutouts in the ancient rock. But she supposed this was the most private setting she had seen since transferring here.
She looked to Eric for an answer, but he only pushed her forward.
Eric led her directly to the door, that he swiftly unlocked and swung open. Aurora wasn't sure what to expect, but it was not this…
It was an office similar to the lobby outside, with matching floors and limited decor. The desk was very similar to the one that Aurora had seen when Four patched up her hands, only newer and better taken care of. There were various folders and papers strewn all over it, and a flatscreen monitor in hibernation mode.
In front of the desk, were two leather chairs that were of matching condition. The legs of the chairs were scuffed, probably from being moved across the hard floor.
There was also a small fridge, a filing cabinet, an intercom speaker on the wall, and a bare coat rack in the corner.
“Is this… your office?” Aurora asked, the words feeling peculiar coming from her mouth.
“Whose office would it be, if not mine?” Eric closed the door behind them and Aurora startled when she heard him slide the lock. He saw the look in her eyes and removed his arm from her waist.
“What did I tell you, Aurora?” He reminded her roughly and strode across the room towards the desk. He turned expectantly back to her and rolled his eyes with impatience. “Do I need to pull you over here like a child?”
Aurora forced her feet to move and she looked around awkwardly, not sure whether to sit or stand or lay on the floor. Her mind was trying to work through the possible reasons for her being summoned here, with him, so early in the morning, but she was drawing blanks. She didn’t understand why any of this was necessary.
“Sit,” he commanded. Aurora didn't hesitate to drop herself into the closest seat at the very edge. Her back was rigid with tension and she didn't remove her eyes from Eric. She probably looked exactly like a kid preparing themselves to be scorned by a teacher for acting up in class… Only it wasn’t detention she was nervous about.
He turned to face her and hoisted himself up to sit on the desk. His heavy boots thumped against the wood with a hollow thud. Aurora found it strange that he didn't just sit in the twin chair beside her or behind the desk. This was obviously his office. It smelled just like him. It was also barren, just like his emotional spectrum. Bleak.
“I didn't single you out for some spiteful game. I'm not training you to make you better for your initiation. I’m not stupid, Aurora, I already know you’ll pass it.”
Aurora could only stare at him as his words slowly registered in her brain. She had a bad habit of trying to guess what the outcome would be before it happened, and she supposed that would do her no good now. She didn’t know where all of this was coming from.
“You won't be going through your initiation with the other transfers. You're going to accompany me on a little mission that has been in the works for some weeks now. If you do well, you not only pass, but you'll get to choose whatever job you want when it's all finished.” This version of Eric was strictly businesslike, like he were brokering a deal.
Aurora didn’t answer at first. She did nothing other than stare at him with her confused green eyes. When she continued her silence without any sort of response, he thrummed his fingers against the desk impatiently.
Eric sighed and hopped down. He pulled Aurora up by her hands and brought her forward to look at the documents stacked all over the place, as though that would straighten everything out in her head.
“Look,” he said, pointing to the paper on top. Her eyes skimmed over the neatly typed passages, but only a few words could settle in her spiraling mind.
Factionless… Unauthorized weapons… Surveillance… Unrest…
“For the past few months, groups of Factionless have been gathering just outside the city. Small units have been able to scatter them pretty easily until now. It's the makings of a revolt, and somehow they've managed to get their hands on Dauntless weapons and ammunition… So we need to break up the entire operation before they begin making too much noise.” His finger traced over the document as he spoke, navigating Aurora’s gaze across the pages.
This was too much information all at once. When she woke up this morning, she didn't know if she would be back in the hospital or if she was the victim of a cruel joke. The chance of being Factionless by the end of the week had been very real.
Now the man she feared the most was recruiting her for a mission she had no idea existed- or even had a purpose for existing.
Aurora backed away and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to give herself a moment to sort through all the information.
Eric watched her closely, reading every emotion as it flitted across her face.
“Why do you want me in on this? Choose someone else. You literally have an entire faction to choose from. I just don't get it,” she finally admitted with a shake of her head. “You're so confusing. I don't get you. One moment you hate me, the next you're trying to team up with me? You don't make any damn sense, Eric.” His name scraped more harshly out of her mouth than she intended it to.
His eyes narrowed fractionally and the deep blue color of them darkened.
Uh oh. Aurora knew that look. He was offended.
“You should know by now that I get what I want, Aurora. And I want you on this mission.” His voice was low and thick and the ghost of a smile turned the corner of his lips upwards. “You want me to show you how much I want it?”
Aurora totally blanked. Her pulse quickened and suddenly the air was getting heavy again.
“W-what?” This had to be a dream.
Eric turned on her so quickly, she had no time at all to react. One moment he was just standing there, and the next he was grabbing her and spinning her around and pinning her with his full weight so that she was forced back against the desk with a startled yelp. Her mouth opened reflexively in surprise, and he took complete advantage of it. His tongue traced her bottom lip before catching it with his teeth and pulling it to force her open wider. Her breath hitched and he could taste the surprise on her.
Unlike the first time that Eric kissed her, this time was not clouded by alcohol. There was no whiskey to make him clumsy, nor to make her slow. His nerve endings were not dulled by the sluggish drink, and he could feel every single inch of her pressed against his body. So fragile, so easy to move, so tempting.
His hands planted firmly on the desk at Aurora’s sides, gripping the polished edge until his knuckles were white, and blocking off every possible route of escape for the short redheaded girl from Amity. He crushed her against him with his hips, forcing her ass up onto the table where she was eye level and he could deepen the kiss. Her body hadn't quite caught up to his own yet, and he growled low in the back of his throat with unrestrained fervor. Without moving his hands, he pressed into her and roughly forced her knees apart. Though she was scarcely meeting him halfway, she did not try to free herself as she had with Evan the night Eric found her outside the club. She was tense with inexperience, but her mouth was willing and she gradually conformed to his touch as though fitting herself to him.
Her legs were so dainty and she was so small compared to him, she could barely wrap her thighs around his waist.
When Aurora began to gasp for air, Eric broke away from the kiss, dragging his lips to the corner of her mouth, the edge of her jaw, the sensitive skin just below her ear, and down the elegant swoop of her neck. The sound of her panting for breath, her chest fluttering beneath him, her face blushing rosy pink, back arching as her pulse raced… It was enough to drive him wild in a way that he thought no Amity girl ever could.
He had to touch her. He had to feel her.
He grabbed the backs of her thighs and roughly pulled her into him, lifting her up off of the table. He hissed through his teeth when she was ground against the erection that was straining against his pants. She whimpered when she felt the size of him against her, separated by far too much fabric that he desperately wanted to rip away. Finally, finally, he felt her arms wrap around his neck, and he smiled darkly into the curve of her throat.
He traced a path from one shoulder to the other, using his tongue to soothe the flesh that he nipped. He hoped he left bruises, hoped that he would create a trail of where his mouth had been and when she touched those bruises with her fingertips later on, she would remember the feeling of his mouth hot against her skin.. She tasted so sweet, so warm, so fucking delicious.
Aurora curled her fingers into his hair. Whether it was subconscious or intentional, she used this leverage to increase the friction of him between her thighs. He groaned hoarsely in approval, and responded by grinding himself into her so hard that she moaned. The passionate, breathy sound of it shot an electric tremor straight through him, spurring him on and sending him into a frenzy.
He wanted to tear her clothes off, wanted to hold her so hard and so tight that the prints of his fingers would be permanently marked on her body. But if he didn't stop right now, he wasn't going to be able to keep himself from throwing her down onto the floor and having his way with her in every possible way, and he doubted she had ever been fucked before. And god he wanted to fuck her so hard.
Eric reluctantly pulled back just enough to look at her while still keeping himself between her legs. Her eyes were bright and unfocused, pupils dilated until her irises were only thin green rings. His breath fanned her face, blowing loose strands of hair that whisped behind her ears. Her lips were already swollen, delicate bruises springing to life down the column of her throat.
As fast as his heart was beating, hers was thrumming ten times faster.
“Do you want to stop?” He breathed, hoping the answer would be no. If she didn't want this, he wouldn't force her, but the thought of being inside of her was enough to drive him crazy and goddamn he was so fucking hard.
Aurora hesitated for a fraction of a second while she caught her breath. She didn't release him, didn't try to push him away, didn't try to squirm off of the desk. But he saw the uncertainty pool in her eyes and he knew she wasn't ready. It was almost as though she realized what was happening for the first time.
The excited glimmer in her eyes faded into confusion, and then doubt, and then she was pushing him away. She put her hand on his chest and pushed weakly, with hardly more strength than a baby bird. But Eric backed off when she wanted him to, even though he had to grit his teeth to move his feet. His initial reaction was to be angry at the rejection, and he caught himself wanting to tell her to get out then, but no predator ever caught their prey by jumping right in. He was a lion, and lions waited.
With a deep breath, Eric gave her space to clumsily slide off the desk. Her face was flushed and there were obvious bite marks dusting across her collarbone, but he didn't point them out to her. Instead, he ran a hand through his short hair, trying to compose himself. It was too early in the morning to be that turned on only to be turned off again. Fuck.
Aurora didn't- or couldn't- look at him. Only at the floor.
“Um… I-I need to go now,” she stammered, then suddenly seemed to realize who she was talking to. “Er, p-please sir. If that's all…”
“Go on then.” He growled it out without meaning for it to be quite so sharp. She recoiled at it though as if he had reached out and physically slapped her. But before he could correct himself, she was lurching forward towards the door as though she might be sick.
“Aurora!” Eric shouted over his shoulder. He knew she heard him because of the falter in her step, though she didn't pause. “We leave in three days. You won't be training with the other initiates. I still have to go over protocol with you and you still need to learn how to shoot properly.” Back to business, as usual, going over lists and priorities in his head. His chest was still heaving but he reigned himself in easily.
Aurora slammed the door behind her and Eric was left in the silence of his office. That is, before the phone began to ring.
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