Asher smiles. A real smile. It’s not forced. It looks so good on him he should do it more often.
He raises his brows. “Okay, sweetheart. I’m waiting. Please enlighten me with your stellar, verbose dialogue,” he mocks my word choice.
I ignore him. “Stop. Calling. Me. Sweetheart,” I grate out of clenched teeth. I hold my breath, trying to control my anger.
“Eve? Is Mr. St. Michael being a nuisance to you, love?” Gage questions from behind me.
Asher’s expression darkens at the sight of Gage. His playful demeanor is gone and in its place is a cold pretense as his posture becomes authoritative. He steps around me, placing himself between us in a protective maneuver as I turn to face Gage.
“Asher, not surprising to see you here,” Gage muses. “I would ask why you are,” his eyes slide over to me then back to Asher, “but I’m guessing I already know the answer to that question.”
Asher stands motionless, arms crossed in a warrior pose, ready to attack at any moment.
Gage slowly shakes his head. “I presume we’re on different sides this time, something new for us, old friend,” he says with boredom.
My brows pull together in response to their exchange. “Do you two know each other?” I ask.
Asher’s face is still stoic. “Something like that.” He briefly glances back at me, softening his expression before shifting back to Gage.
Gage watches our interaction, his face reflective. “Always the protector, Asher. Duty, honor, and loyalty above all else,” he taunts.
Asher ignores the jab, but I notice his shoulders tense. “What are you doing here, Gage?”
Gage smiles though it’s void of emotion. He leans into Asher, speaking directly to him in a very low tone so I can barely hear their exchange. “Ui vid lem kredon hiuman in-saengkt ku drak ágra-lem.” Once done, he retreats back and looks almost disappointed.
Asher’s face becomes cocky once more as he too converses in a low, secretive voice. “Via, qua-lem plú ben de in-saengkt de des-por de arc de drak ágra-lem.” Are they speaking another language? I question the oddity of it, but their voices are so low, I can’t be sure.
I sigh, annoyed to be left out of their private conversation. Gage finally gets tired of Asher’s intimidation and turns in a lazy manner toward his car, walking past me and tipping his head in my direction. “Eve, it was a pleasure.”
Before Gage gets into his car, he spins back to Asher. “Oh, Asher, please do give Michael Deacon’s best.” Satisfied he has goaded Asher, he smiles, gets in his car, and drives off.
Asher just stares with an intense heat in the direction Gage left in. “Fuck,” he growls out.
Anticipating some type of explanation, I twist to face Asher. He’s in deep thought, ignoring me. Okay then. I’m restless, tired, and like everyone else on campus, I just want to go back to bed.
Pacing agitatedly, Asher takes out his cell phone to make a call, allowing for my escape. Without a word, I turn and start walking toward the student pathway connecting the college to the downtown area that is hidden in the dense woods.
“Eve, wait,” he demands from behind me.
“Goodbye, Asher,” I throw over my shoulder.
“Dammit, Eve, stop walking,” I hear him ground out.
I keep going, focused on the tree-lined area in front of me. Just as I get to the path, Asher gently grabs my arm, forcing me to turn around so I’m facing him. Crap, he’s fast.
“What?” I screech, surprised with how quickly he got to me.
“Let me take you back to the dorm. It’s safer than walking through the woods of a college campus when no one is around,” he offers, nodding to the trees.
I’m not used to being looked after so Asher’s sudden concern causes my throat to go dry. “Asher, I’ve done this a thousand times. Please let go of me.” I attempt to squirm out of his clutches.
It’s then I realize I’m still wearing his leather jacket. I put my coffee on the ground and move to take it off when a low growl emanates from behind me. I look up at Asher, startled.
His striking face pales and his horrified focus shifts behind me, locking in on the wooded area. In the blink of an eye, he grabs my upper arms, pressing me to his solid chest. Using a voice so low and uptight, I can barely hear him. “I need you to stay calm.” Well, shit, that can’t be good. Frightened, I lift my gaze.
Asher shifts his gaze to me, locking with my eyes. Sympathy mars his striking features. The thing growls again in warning, causing fear to take over my body. Asher, however, is composed while trying to keep me calm.
With a serious tone, he snaps his head back to the woods. “There’s a large, black dog behind you and it looks like it might be rabid so we need to do this very carefully. Understand?” He’s obviously worried.
“Do what?” I ask as the panic sets in while the dog hisses at me again. “By the way, Asher, that most certainly does not sound like a dog. A wolf maybe, a dog not so much.” My voice sounds petrified and hysterical.
At my tone, his expression becomes stern. “I’m going to slowly switch your position so you’re behind me and I’m standing in front, blocking it from you. When I do, I want you to gradually,” he blows out a long breath, “back away and run to the Aston Martin. It’s unlocked.”
I swallow hard, terrified to stay but at the same time, frightened to leave him.
“You’re not to look back. I want you to wait for me in the car and lock it. Do not open the doors for anyone. Do you understand?” Asher speaks unhurriedly, not spooking me.
I nod my agreement. “What about you? Shouldn’t we call someone or get help?” My voice quivers. I scan the area and notice we’re alone. My body panics at thoughts of physically leaving him.
The animal growls again, causing Asher to stiffen. “There’s no time. I’m going to move you now. Ready?”
“Not really but what choice do I have?”
At a slow pace, Asher relocates me behind him. The motion angers the animal and it sneers at us. I tighten my hold on Asher’s right arm, which is stretched behind him and wrapped around me. The animal lurks closer and we both remain still.
From this position, I get a good look at the predator. This creature is a monstrosity. Its black fur is sticking straight up. Glowing yellow eyes are fixed on us, and a snarled mouth is showing off its razor sharp teeth. I shiver as I notice its huge claws are twice the size of me.
Scared to death, I clutch Asher tighter. “That’s a cross between a werewolf and panther. It’s definitely not a friggin’ rabid dog!” I whisper yell.
“Relax, siren. I’ve got this.” He tries to reassure me. I’m amazed he sounds like he’s suppressing a laugh. Not working. I’m not at ease in the least.
The large beast tilts its head as if listening to our conversation, its eyes narrow while it sniffs the air. Oh my god. Can it understand us?
“Please tell me you don’t have meat or something in your pocket,” I joke through my nervousness.
“Eve,” Asher warns. “I want you to slowly back away. Now.”
I let go of Asher’s arm and turn at the same time the dog-like creature pounces on top of him, scratching his chest. Blood begins to coat the t-shirt.
“Fuck,” Asher growls out in pain. “EVE, RUN!” he commands in a firm tone.
I swallow a scream, watching Asher writhe in pain in front of me while fighting the evil animal. It gnashes its large teeth, growling and hissing in his face as he grabs its mouth, attempting to clamp it shut with both hands.
Realizing Asher is pinned, I rebelliously lock eyes with the creature. “Hey, mongrel, leave him alone,” I taunt it.
It snaps its head up in a sharp, fluid motion, pushing out of Asher’s hold. Then it narrows its chilling eyes at me and rushes toward where I am. I spin and run as I hear Asher shout, “DAMMIT, EVE!”
Taking a chance, I look back over my shoulder just as the angry creature swats its paw, barely missing me but causing me to stumble forward. As I land on the grass
y ground, my head hits the green earth with a small thud. Fuck that hurt. I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the attack, but it never comes. After a brief moment, I throw them open, fearing for Asher. I rotate onto my back only to see he has the animal restrained on the ground. His hands are wrapped around its neck, squeezing as he straddles it. What the hell?
I hear Asher’s deep, menacing voice. “Beidh mé tú a mharú go mall agus millteanach,” he threatens through clenched teeth as he releases his hold and jumps off the monstrosity.
In an instant, the beast vanishes in blue flames. I shut my eyes then quickly open them, thinking I’ve gone crazy. When I look at the area again, there’s nothing except Asher watching me with pensive eyes.
In four long strides, he’s in front of me, crouching so we’re eye level. Without hesitation, he brushes the hair and grass off my face then cups the sides of my head, holding it still.
“Eve,” he says calmly, but his anxious eyes glide all along my body, looking for injuries.
“I’m okay.” I exhale deeply to reassure him. With a shaking hand, I brush over the spot on my head where the welt is starting to form and a dull ache is throbbing. “Thank you,” I offer but I think I’m in shock.
Asher breathes out in uneven spurts, still panting from the fight. “Shit. You’re so stubborn,” he grunts out once he sees me conscious and blood-free. “Next time, run,” he scolds, offering me his hands and pulling me to a standing position.
“Next time?” I breathe out. “By the way, that was so not a dog,” I say in an inaudible yet strained voice.
He lets out a short laugh.
I groan. “I think I’m going to be sick,” I mention while shaking uncontrollably.
Asher pulls me into a secure embrace, rubbing my back in a methodic motion. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he says with compassion. “It’s just the adrenaline running through you. As soon as your body relaxes, the nauseous feeling will pass.”
Being this close gives me a good view of the blood on his shirt. “Are you okay?” I lean back and scan his chest and face.
He looks down at his shirt and back at me with devastatingly beautiful eyes. “I’m fine. It’s a scratch. It looks worse than it is,” he says in an easy way as the blue in his eyes deepens.
I scrutinize his face, not believing him. “What was that language you were speaking,” I ask, changing the subject.
“Gaelic. I thought perhaps it would calm it,” he offers casually and shrugs. Odd.
I study him. “You thought Gaelic would calm it? What did you say?” I demand.
Asher sighs. “I told it I would kill it slowly and painfully.” He cringes as he watches my reaction.
I snort and touch my head where it connected with the ground. “Is it the same language you used with Gage?”
“No. Can you walk?” He motions to the car, shutting down the questions.
“Yes.” Without warning, his palm is on my lower back, causing my skin to warm under the touch as he guides me toward the car.
At the contact, my body begins to relax and crash from the adrenaline high. I start to shake again. “Where did it go? It just vanished into blue flames.” My voice is becoming mildly hyper.
Asher stops walking, turns to me, and studies my face with an intense and straight expression. “It ran away limping. I think I choked it enough it got scared and ran into the woods.”
I shake my head. “Asher, I saw it with my own two eyes. You pinned it, strangled it, then poof, it turned into blue flames.” As I recount what I witnessed, my eyes don’t leave his.
Uncertainty crosses over him for a moment then he becomes rigid. “I didn’t see any blue flames. Eve, just get in the car,” he commands.
“Excuse me?” It comes out somewhat irate. He did not just order me around after disregarding what I saw.
“I said, get in the car, now!” His voice is calm and controlled.
“You’re kidding, right?” I stand there with my arms folded, not budging an inch.
Aggravated as if he’s dealing with a petulant child, he takes out his cell phone and makes a call. His voice is cool while he irately instructs someone on the phone to make the call. A few seconds later, my cell phone rings.
“Answer it,” Asher demands.
“What?” I shriek in annoyance.
“Your phone, answer it.” He says each word at a slow pace while pointing to my bag.
I give him the death glare and pull my phone out of the bag. “Hello,” I answer.
“Hi, Eve. It’s Abby. Asher just told me what happened with the crazy dog. He said you hit your head and are seeing blue spots. Are you okay?” she questions with an edge in her voice.
I exhale a short breath. “I’m fine, Abby.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” she replies in relief. “Listen, Kenna and I are at Asher’s house. He happens to be a very close family friend. Once a week, we meet up with him and his brothers for dinner. Why don’t you come back with him? You can tell us everything, rest, have dinner and I’ll take you back to the dorms myself when we’re done. Please, I’m awfully worried about you,” She’s trying to guilt me into agreeing.
I chew on the inside of my cheek and whisper into the phone. “I don’t know, Abby. I really don’t want to impose on a family thing and to be honest, I’m pretty shaken up by this dog attack.”
“That’s exactly why you should be with us tonight. Come on, we’ll take good care of you. I promise there is no imposition,” she begs.
“What about Aria? I can’t just leave her.” I rub my head, which is still aching.
“She’s out with Leo tonight. Besides, what if you have a concussion and fall asleep in the dorm without any of us there? Please. We would love to have you. Just trust me on this,” Abby pleads some more.
I hold the phone to my ear while watching Asher. He’s agitated. His eyes are darting everywhere as if he’s on high alert, looking for danger. It’s making me nervous.
Too tired and freaked out to put up a fight, I huff. “Fine.”
She squeals a, “thank you,” as I hang up.
I quickly text Aria to let her know where I’ll be this evening and throw my phone in my bag then shift my focus to Asher. “You know, you could have just politely asked me to come. You didn’t need to sic Abby on me with all the dramatics.”
He narrows his eyes. “Would you have said yes if I simply invited you to my home?” He’s right. I would have said no. No, wait, make that HELL NO!
I concede by throwing my hands up in frustration. I take a moment to study him. Trying to figure him out is like doing a math problem. It’s making my migraine worse.
“Great. Get in the car,” he barks. I raise an eyebrow at him, unmoving. “Please,” he adds.
Proud of myself for winning a round, I smile and move toward the car. It’s off to Asher’s for family dinner night. Yippee. The sarcastic delight must be written all over my face because he picks up on it.
Asher blows out a long, exaggerated breath, looking drained. “Listen, let’s just try to get through tonight without killing each other. Then, we never have to speak again if that’s what you want.” Placing his hand on the small of my back, he guides me to the passenger’s side of the car. Once I’m in, he closes the door and makes his way around to the driver’s side.
I have to admit, part of me is giddy to be sitting in my dream car. The leather is so soft and the entire car smells like Asher. I peek over at him. He’s just sitting there, watching me. His eyes have become softer. “Wait here a minute,” he demands in a quiet tone as he gets out of the car and runs into the coffee shop. A few moments later, Asher reappears with a cup of ice and some napkins.
Once back inside the car, he places the cup in the cup holder then folds some ice in one of the napkins. Asher turns to me and gently brushes my hair away from the side of my face that’s sporting the bump. With a light touch, he applies the ice to the spot where my welt is now showing. I wince from the cold but my body relaxes from the intimate
gesture.
“Tender?” he asks. His voice is low and hoarse.
“A little.” I offer a polite smile.
He just stares at me. “You really scared the shit out of me when you taunted that thing, siren. Don’t ever fucking do that to me again, understood?” His blue eyes hold mine.
“Okay.” My eyes glaze over him, stopping at the blood on his chest and I become weary, reminded of the vicious animal attack. Maybe I did hit my head harder than I thought. Animals don’t just disappear into blue flames, right? I start chewing on the inside of my cheek.
“Okay,” he repeats and takes my small hand in his large one, flooding my body with heat as he raises the two and places my hand on the make shift ice pack. “Hold this here while I drive.” He looks forward and starts the car. I clutch his leather jacket as if it’s a safety blanket and buckle my seatbelt while he pulls out of the parking lot.
5 La Gargouille
I stare at the muscles on Asher’s right arm as he shifts gears, driving us out of the parking lot and onto a main road. The way he handles the vehicle is so attractive. He’s controlled and focused as his left hand guides the steering wheel, commanding the sports car where he wants it to go as if it’s an extension of himself.
My gaze roams his arms and I notice the thick leather bracelets he wears on each wrist. They have some kind of black stone interweaved in them. I let my ogling eyes wander up to his striking face. It’s tight and fixated on the tree-lined road ahead of us. The car’s suspension is smooth, lulling me into a relaxed state as I concentrate on his five o’clock shadow, a constant fixture on his beautiful face. I heave a sigh of contentment as I contemplate how it would feel to run my hands over his jaw and cup his face. Asher shifts uncomfortably in his seat, most likely because I’m gawking at him like a psychotic stalker.
He always looks like he’s on guard. As if at any moment he might need to jump into battle. I have an overwhelming need to touch him and kiss the lines between his brows. This silence and my ogling cause a lingering uneasiness. I have to put an end to both.
REVELATION (THE REVELATION SERIES) Page 5