Redemption (20 page)

“Oops.” I cover my mouth and giggle again.
Damn, why am I giggling all the time?

My laughter trails off as I stare at him.
Gage twists on his stool and places his knee between my legs. Wow.
He really is panty dropping gorgeous. I can see why all the girls
on campus fall over themselves trying to get him into their
beds.

“Thanks,” he says with a wicked smile as his
eyes sparkle with humor.

I groan. Shit. Did I say that out loud?
Damn tequila.

I’m lost in my own thoughts while Gage moves
closer toward me. Finally, it dawns on me just how close he is to
me.

“What are you doing?” I whisper.

“I’m not sure, love.” Gage’s expression is
confused.

“You should stop,” I warn in a tone that
clearly says I don’t mean it.

“You have no idea how illicit you are.” He
watches my lips.

My heart stops. “So tell me,” I say boldly
from the tequila running through my veins.

I bite my lip as his lust filled eyes drop
and focus on the movement. I hold my breath and still. When he
moves closer, I feel it. Crawling up my throat as my stomach
bottoms out. The world tilts and I grip his arms to steady myself.
Oh shit.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” I quickly
alert him.

The right side of Gage’s mouth tilts before
he speaks. “Sounds about right.”

I squeeze my eyes closed and proceed to
throw up all over him.
Awesome
.

I don’t remember how I got back to the
manor. I’m sure Gage teleported us as fast as he could. What I do
know is upon our return, Asher had Gage by the throat and the
angelic sword pointed at his heart.

At some point during their scuffle, Abby
yanked me upstairs, changed me out of my clothing and is now
sitting next to me on the bathroom floor, holding my hair while I
vomit up the entire contents of my tequila soaked stomach.

She sighs. “So let me get this straight, you
thought tequila shots would be a good idea?”

I moan. “I just needed to be numb for a
while,” I answer in a soft voice.

She’s quiet while dabbing my face with a wet
cloth. “Pretty sure, sweetie, that you’re feeling a whole lot of
hurt right now, which is the complete opposite of numb. Even with
your healing abilities, you’re about to have a rough night.”

I lay my head against the cool porcelain.
“Well, chalk it up to another mistake I made.”

She winces and I throw up again. “You’ve
been through a lot lately, Eve. I can certainly understand the need
to escape for a few hours. Although, I really do wish you would
stop trusting Gage so blindly.” She hands me water.

“Trust is not something I give freely
anymore.” I lay my head down on her lap.

“Is that so?” She places the cool rag on my
forehead and runs her fingers through my hair.

“Trust is like a mirror, you can fix it if
it’s broken, but you can still see the crack in that mother
fucker’s reflection,” I say and close my eyes, willing the room to
stop spinning.

Abby laughs. “Did you just quote Lady
Gaga?”

“Don’t judge me, Abby. I was born this way,”
I mumble through my drunken stupor.

“Oh my God, I think I love drunk Eve.” She
giggles.

14
Fragile Heart

I sit back in the lounge
chair, wrapping the wool blanket around my shoulders. Even though
it’s spring, the mornings are still cool. I inhale, watching steam
rising off the ground as the sun warms the frost-touched grass.

I’ve learned to cherish these quiet,
peaceful moments, lost in my own head and reevaluating life.
They’re few and far between. I can’t explain it, but I know
something is about to shift and that I won’t have these serene
moments for long. I can feel it in my soul. War is on the horizon
and it will be dark and unsightly.

I’m no longer the ordinary girl I once
thought I was. The luxury of ignorance is gone. My eyes are wide
open now. Choices have to be made. Who will I become? Can I redeem
what needs to be? Am I strong enough to make the sacrifices that
are needed to be successful?

A steaming mug is placed in front of my
face. My hands wrap around its warmth as Asher sits in front of me,
straddling the lounge chair. He’s silently watching me. He’s always
studying me like I’m a chess game and he’s planning his next
move.

I play with the tiny marshmallows floating
on top of the dark chocolate liquid, so I don’t have to look him in
the eyes this morning. My memory of last night is foggy, but I feel
like I might have crossed a line with Gage.

The guilt has been eating away at me all
morning. I was hoping to find Gage and talk before I saw Asher but
I guess that’s not going to happen.

After an awkward amount of time, I break the
silence. “Thanks.” I lift the mug of hot cocoa. “It’s nice to have
this back.” My eyes meet his. “Gage just kept buying me café
mochas, which are chocolately but super sweet. I missed the
simplicity of this,” I ramble.

Asher continues to focus on me in
silence.

“Not to mention the absurd amount of money
he spent buying them,” I continue my rant.

Silence.

I exhale and look up at the brooding
gargoyle. “Are you upset with me?”

He shakes his head no.
Alrighty
then.

“Okay.”

His eyes drop as he plays with the leather
bands on his wrists.

“Is there a particular reason I’m getting
the silent treatment today, or did you forget how to speak?” I take
a sip of the warm liquid and squint my eyes at him in a challenging
manner.

“I figured your head might be pounding this
morning after you drank your weight in tequila shots, siren,” he
speaks softly. “I wasn’t sure if your healing gift covers
hangovers.”

And there it is, he’s pissed. Way to be
passive aggressive, Asher St. Michael. “Suckily, no. Hangovers are
not covered under supernatural healing powers.”

Asher’s expression drops as his eyes dart
around before speaking through a tight jaw and rough voice. “After
I beat the shit out of Gage last night, he and I talked.”

My eyes widen. “You did?”
Oh
crap.

Asher just nods. “Yes. On both counts.”

I chew the inside of my cheek. “What did you
talk about?”

“You.”
Crap. Crap. Crap.

“What did he have to say?” I ask, trying to
be nonchalant but my voice cracks.

At the change in sound, Asher’s eyes lift to
mine. “He revealed the meaning of life.”

A small smirk appears on my face. “Wow. Who
knew Gage was all knowing?”

Asher’s mouth tilts. “No one ever accused
Gage Gallagher of feeblemindedness, siren.”

“Where is he this morning?” Asher’s brow
arches in question. “I mean, I wanted to apologize for last night,
but I didn’t see him,” I fumble.

“For the record, he should be apologizing to
you.” His tone has a bite to it.

“It wasn’t his fault. I agreed to go. He
didn’t pour the tequila down my throat, Ash.”

“No. You did that all on your own,” he says
with a sharp look.

“I thought you weren’t mad,” I retort and
place the mug on the table next to me.

Asher sighs. “Why did you go with him,
siren?”

I play with my fingerless gloves. “I needed
space. I just…I wanted to feel nothing for a while…to be normal.
God, Asher, I’m eighteen. Up until a few months ago, my biggest
concern was whether I would get into the college of my choice, if I
could walk in the heels that Aria picked, or if my summer job would
give me enough time off to sunbathe. You’ll have to forgive that I
misstep a bit. I am human,” I state a bit heated.

Asher exhales and rubs his face Before
aiming a dark, irritated glance my way.

“Imagine for a moment, that your entire life
is turned upside down. You wake up one day to discover that you’re
not who you thought you were. Your parents are not who they’re
supposed to be and suddenly, friends are supernatural beings you
didn’t even know existed except in dark fairytales. That every new
breath you take could be the last. Envision walking down the street
past innocent people, knowing if you don’t accept your ascension,
there’s no redemption for them. Consider how you would feel if your
best friend was killed because of you, or that the person you love
most in this life, can’t be with you because of obligations that
are not of your world. So forgive me for having a few shots of
tequila last night and trying to just be…normal,” I spout off as a
tear falls.
God, I’m whining. Shit.

With lightning speed, Asher moves up on the
lounge and yanks me onto his lap, his warm lips pressing against my
neck. “Fuck. I’m sorry, siren.”

I cling to him, because I need to be close
to him. “I know,” I whisper.

He pulls back and takes my face in his
hands. “No, you don’t. I know what it’s like to need to catch your
breath in order to breathe. I get that we live our lives with death
hanging over us, but by the grace, I fucking love you, siren. It’s
you and me. I know I haven’t been the best at showing you that, or
even being here for you, but give me a chance to prove that to you.
If you need something, you come to me, yeah? Not Gage. I am your
protector.”

“That’s just it, Asher. You protect me so
tightly that I can’t catch my breath,” I say quietly.

He releases a deep growl. “Fuck…it’s just
that I’m so fucking afraid that someday this will be over.” He
motions between us. “I know you’re overwhelmed and that I’m adding
to it, but it’s because you’re mine and I will do anything to make
sure that you’re safe. You get that, yeah?”

“I believe with all my heart that you’ll
keep me safe, Asher, but what about happy?”

Asher goes still before swallowing hard. I
watch the sexy movement of his Adam’s apple as he contemplates what
I’ve said.

“Tell me what to do, and I’ll fucking do it.
Tell me what you want, and it’s yours. You. Come. First. Always,”
he whispers across my mouth.

“All I want is you,” I say while pressing my
lips to his.

“You have me,” he responds against my mouth
before kissing me hard.

Breathless, I pull back. “What about the
council? Sooner or later, they’ll discover you’ve broken your
protector oath. What then?”

“We’re forming a strategy to deal with the
council. There’s an elder in London whom I’m planning to meet with
soon. He’ll help. It will work itself out. The divination provides
extenuating circumstances and hopefully we can use that to our
advantage. For the time being, I don’t want you to worry about the
council, siren. The clan has the situation under control,” he
assures.

I chew on the inside of my cheek. My eyes
shift to the pool then back to Asher.

“You know, if the scrolls are true, there is
a way that I can save you. If you have a soul, there’s no way you
can turn to stone. Even if the council threatens stone
petrifaction, it can’t happen, Ash,” I speak softly.

He shakes his head adamantly. “No, siren. I
promised you what we have is real. We’re linked by blood and for
now, it will remain that way. In order to link souls, we need to be
mated. That’s something I want you to do because you want me,
forever. Not because you want to save or protect me.”

I shift on his lap. “Isn’t that what you do
to me on a daily basis? Protect me?”

“That’s different. It’s my job,” he barks in
aggravation. “Let’s keep the soul thing quiet for a bit, yeah? I
haven’t told the clan about it.”

I’m still for a moment before I speak.
“Keegan seems to think you’re not interested in taking control of
the throne and I’m simply a distraction. Is that true?”

His grip on my waist tightens as he pulls me
closer so our chests touch. “No.”

“If we work it out with the council, are you
still planning on leading your race?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Where do I fall when that
occurs?”

“By my side, siren. My mate. My queen.”

I scoff. “You think the clans will accept a
human? One that you’ve broken your oaths and laws for?” I ask as
Gage’s words come back to me.

“I don’t fucking care. I will end anyone’s
existence who questions it.” His voice is hard.

I smirk. “You can’t do that, Asher.”

“Yes, I can. I am the king.” He wiggles his
eyebrows playfully. “Or I will be once we get you ascended. Hey
you’re going to be late for your first class. Let’s get going,
yeah?”

“About that, I was thinking of taking a
leave of absence from school for a while.”

“Eve,” he says with dismay. “It’s important
that you finish school. You’ve worked hard to get here. See it
through, yeah?”

“Hear me out. I’ve already missed so much at
this point, if I don’t drop, I’ll probably fail. Besides, I promise
to go back and finish. Right now, if I’m going to focus on the
ascension, then I need to and not on elodea cell labs.”

Asher just studies me as I play with the
scruff on his jawline. “I’ll agree to it if you promise when this
shit storm is over, you go back.”

“If I’m still here, I will.” I try to sound
strong.

“You will be fucking here and you will be
going back, siren,” he demands.

I clear my throat. “I promise then.”

“What about your aunt and Michael. Don’t you
think we should sort this out?” he asks.

I drop my forehead to his. “I can’t. It’s
too raw. I’m not ready.”

His hands methodically rub up and down my
spine, causing delicious warmth to float through me while he’s lost
in deep thought.

“All right, siren. We’ll go back to London
for a bit. We’ll work on the ascension and strategize on the
council while figuring out how to prevent, or win, this upcoming
war. When all that’s done, we’ll come back and you and Elizabeth
will work this shit out, yeah?”

I roll my eyes and try to stand. Asher’s
hold tightens. “She loves you, Eve, and I know you love her. Life
is too short to leave this between you two. She’s your mother. She
has always been. Don’t let a lie that was designed to protect you
push her away. Family comes first.”