Redemption (22 page)

“I know what it means. Why not?” He
pouts.

“I need some…girl time. Not only do I reek,
but I could use some private space to, you know…take care of some
girlie stuff,” I stumble and look everywhere but at him.

Asher contemplates what I’ve said for a
moment. “Maintenance issues?”

“What?” My eyes widen.

“I’m guessing you need to shave your legs,
loofa and do whatever it is you ladies do. Are you trying to
impress and seduce me, siren?” His tone drops to a seductive
one.

My face flushes. “This conversation has
crossed so many boundaries, I don’t even know what to say or how to
respond to you.”

He cocks his head to the side. “Are you
saying we’re too close?”

I groan. “Yes. We share way too much.”

“Should we discuss this in couple’s
therapy?”

I roll my eyes. “We aren’t in couple’s
therapy, Asher.”

“I’ve had my mouth on you. My hands inside
you and I’ve seen you scarf down two bacon cheeseburgers in like
ten seconds flat, siren. Pretty sure I understand the need you have
to shave your legs.”

My face turns bright red. “God, this is
mortifying. You really have no boundaries.”

Asher loosens his grip and steps back.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, siren.”

I close my eyes. “Oh my god, Asher,
seriously. Please just stop talking.”

“You want to primp? Be my guest. Shave,
scrub and groom away,” he says in a mocking manner while releasing
a light chuckle.

Without a second thought, I walk around him
and all but run to the guest room to escape his harassment. The
moment I enter the bedroom, I notice none of my things are in here.
I walk back into the hallway to ask Asher where my bags are and
notice his bedroom door ajar.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I make my
way into his room and see all of my things laid out for me, causing
a smile to form.
Damn gargoyle.

I approach the bed and observe the shopping
bags sitting on top of it. They’re from the last time we were in
London and I went shopping with Abby. Our outing was cut short by
Deacon’s mother, Dimia. The stores must have delivered the packages
while we were in Wiltshire. But Asher kept them here for me.
Oh
my God!
My fingers run over the handles.

Warm arms snake around my waist and Asher’s
breath is at my ear, causing a surge of desire to hum through
me.

“I figured you’d want those when you
returned,” he murmurs.

I twist in his arms so we’re facing one
another. “You knew I’d return?” I scan his face.

His eyes bore into mine. “There was never a
question, siren. This is your home. Our home. And in our home, you
stay in our bedroom. Got it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Thank you,” I say sincerely.

Asher’s expression turns seductive. “By the
way, I like what you bought at La Perla.”

I go crimson again. Yeah, that would have
been Abby’s idea, bra and panty shopping.

“You do?” I reply, studying him.

“I do. Even though I’ve seen what your
tongue can do domestically, I have yet to see it perform
internationally,” Asher says, giving me a sexy look.

My face morphs into shock at his
forwardness. “Out,” I demand.

“You sure I can’t wash your back?” he asks
in a dark tone while wiggling his eyebrows.

“Out, protector.” I step out of his arms and
point to the door.

He smiles knowingly and bites his lip.
Backing away, he places his hands in the air.

“Alright, siren. I’ll be in the guest
shower, washing every crack and crevice with great care. You know,
in the event you change your mind and decide you can’t go another
second without my body,” he teases.

“I’m set.” I smirk as he exits the room.
“Damn gargoyle.” My murmur is met with hysterical laughter
radiating from the hallway.
Gah, he’s an ass
. I make my way
into the large attached bathroom and smile in delight at the
thought of relaxing in the tub.

When the water’s temperature is where I want
it, I add my coconut-scented bubbles and purr in anticipation. The
flight, though on a private jet, from the US to London, was long
and I’m looking forward to soaking my aching muscles in the hot
gigantic bathtub.

I sniff myself. Asher was right. I am a bid
putrid. I let the bubbles hit the top of the tub and turn off the
faucet.

Undressing, I sink into bliss and close my
eyes, trying not to picture Asher completely naked in the guest
shower. It’s not working. All I can envision are the droplets of
water dripping from his taut chest. I inhale and lay back against
the tub, willing myself to calm down and not run into the guest
room shower.

I keep running through the dense forest,
trying to ignore the irritating burn in my lungs. My strides are
disorderly and choppy as I move over the terrain, knowing I need to
get to him. Terrified, I look around in confusion, wondering how
I’ll know which direction to go in.

I stop, close my eyes and reach out to his
soul. It’s easier now that they are connected. I allow mine to
guide me to him. Once I’ve picked up his essence, I continue to
move forward.

The sound of my erratic panting momentarily
breaks my concentration and I stumble over sticks and twigs that
are sticking out in all directions from the ground. I land on the
dirt with a hard thud. Skinning my knees and palms. Shit, that
hurt. Standing, I see my legs and arms are all scratched and
bleeding, but I ignore the stinging and keep going.

The snapping of tree branches under my feet
pulls my focus away from my panicked heart. When I come to the
wood’s edge, I stop. Everything is completely silent. Still.
Nothing is moving, not even a bird or cloud. There is no breeze.
That’s how I know pure evil is on the other side of the tree’s
borderline.

My heart leaps into my throat, causing a
small whimper to release. I can’t feel his soul anymore. I push my
shoulders back, lift my chin and inhale. Preparing myself for
whatever I’m about to find. I tread lightly as my eyes scan the
open meadow in front of me. It takes a few moments, but as my eyes
drift downward, I see him. Lying on the ground, completely encased
in stone.

My heart shatters and my throat constricts.
Fuck. At a slow pace, I begin to make my way to his petrified body.
Swallowing the bile in my throat, I reach him and kneel down next
to his stone body. Rocking myself so I don’t break down, I brush my
hand over his forehead.

“
Damn you, Gage. I told you not to follow
me,” I whisper as the tears begin to fall.

My eyes close as I collapse next to him,
placing my head between my knees, trying to get control of my
breathing before I have an all out attack. When my vision resumes,
I look to my left and that’s when I see the second body. The one I
was searching for.

“
No. No. No,” I scream and crawl over to
Asher’s lifeless, blood-covered corpse. All of the sudden, I hear a
scream, filled with rage and agony, chilling me to my core. It’s
then I realize I’m the one screaming as I stand and back away from
both gargoyles in shock.

Out of thin air, he appears. Like a mirage,
the six-foot plus half-demon, half-gargoyle stands and watches me.
He stretches his tattoo-covered neck as a sinister smile appears on
his lips.

“
Hello, little girl.” His dark voice
curls over me, sending shivers down my spine.

“
Deacon,” I gasp out through my dry
throat.

His eyes skim over Gage and Asher’s unmoving
bodies before he moves closer to them, kicking at Gage with his
black military boot.

Deacon tsks and looks disappointed. “Such a
pity. So much potential.”

For a moment, the half-demon looks sad, but
that expression dissolves immediately as his black eyes lift and
capture mine.

With trembling hands, I curl my lip. “I will
rip your evil heart out,” I seethe.

“
Don’t make promises you can’t keep,
little girl,” Deacon replies.

“
Did you do this?” I ask through clenched
teeth and motion to both gargoyles.

Deacon’s lips turn up cruelly. “No. You
did.”

I awake with a startle from my dream as
dread seeps into my veins. Asher is standing over the tub, wearing
only a towel around his lower body. My eyes drift over him,
watching the water drip from his hair over the muscles on his naked
skin.

He has a crazed look in his eyes. I sit up,
a bit disoriented, realizing the bubbles have disappeared. Rubbing
my hand over my forehead, I wipe away the lingering images of his
and Gage’s lifeless bodies.

“The fuck, siren?” His tone is serious and
lined with tightness.

I cringe at the sound. “Sorry, I guess I
fell asleep.”

His jaw drops. “You realize you could have
drown, yeah?” he says in a tense voice.

I don’t respond. Instead, I hug my knees and
squeeze my eyes shut, trying to remove the image of his cold, dead
body. Asher leans over and pulls the drain, removing some of the
cold water. After a bit, he returns the stop and runs the hot water
refilling the tub

He removes his towel and sinks in behind me.
Once in position, strong arms wrap around me and pull me to his
warmth. Basking in his closeness, I lean into his firm body,
twisting my head so my right ear is over his heart. I listen to it
pump. The sound breaks me and the tears begin to flow.

“Talk to me, siren,” he says in a gentle
tone while stroking my wet hair.

I can’t get words to form. Asher just holds
me. After a while, I begin to relax enough to share the dream with
him. He doesn’t say anything. He just listens in the quiet way that
he does when he’s internally freaking out, but doesn’t want me to
know.

After I recount what happens, he squeezes my
hand and lifts it to his mouth, planting the lightest of kisses on
it before lacing and unlacing our fingers together.

“You’re pruning. Let’s get you out of here.”
He stands and wraps the towel around himself then grabs a fresh one
off the rack and assists me out of the water, wrapping me like a
child.

“Thanks,” I whisper.

Asher cups my face and looks into my eyes.
“I know you’re scared, siren, but I assure you nothing bad is going
to happen to me at Deacon’s hands,” he vows.

Deacon’s statement that it’s my fault chokes
me. I push it away and allow Asher to lead us into the bedroom. He
sits on the edge of the bed and reaches over, pulling me
effortlessly onto his lap.

I flick my gaze away from him, not wanting
to see the disappointment I can feel bleeding off him because I
don’t believe his promise.

“You’re safe, siren,” he breathes against my
mouth before crushing his lips to mine.

At his words, something twists in my chest.
I’m not really safe, and to be honest, I don’t know if I ever will
be. My stomach plummets knowing he isn’t safe either. No one
is.

I cling to Asher, straddling his hips,
clearly aware that all that is between us are the two fluffy white
towels.

“I’ll protect you with my life,” he declares
against my lips.

I pull back and inhale. “I know you would
die for me, Asher. What I need for you to do is guarantee that you
will live for me.”

His eyes focus on me for several seconds
before he brings his hands up, sliding them through my damp hair.
“You are the ONLY thing I live for, siren. You own me,” he says
firmly.

I inhale a shaky breath and stare at his
mouth. “I love you.”

Asher’s thumbs brush across my cheeks.
“Forever.”

My eyes flutter closed as he pulls me back
to his mouth, seeking entrance. This kiss is the kind that knocks
you off your axis. His mouth brands me as his lips move in sync
with mine, inhaling and tasting one another in an illicit way.

I moan when his lips graze down my neck,
finding the spot that makes every one of my nerves jump to life in
anticipation. His large hands slip out of my hair, down my neck,
over my bare shoulders to the top of my towel. With a wicked gleam
in his eyes, he deftly unties the knot and opens the towel,
exposing my flesh.

At the sight of my chest, Asher releases a
throaty, appreciative sound and moves his hands to cup my bare
breasts. His touch elicits a small cry from me. My skin is
sensitive and crawling with need.

I grip Asher’s shoulders tightly when his
mouth closes over me. The pleasure he’s creating draws my body into
him. I gasp at the almost painful sensation, causing Asher to hold
me tighter and closer to him, possessively. Every part of me begins
to ache for him as he moves to my other breast, giving it his
undivided attention.

I whimper and tilt my head back, rocking my
hips into him. At the motion, Asher releases my breast and
entangles his hands in my hair, yanking me to him as his mouth
scorches mine again. I gasp at his forcefulness and his tongue
slides past my lips, claiming me. His lips move with an obsessive
desperation that sends me soaring.

“Fuck, I can’t wait to be inside of you,” he
pants across my bruised lips.

My breath catches and my fingers find their
way into his hair. “Now, please.”

Asher stills, his lack of movement returning
me back to reality.

“There’s nothing I’d love more than to throw
you down on this bed and slam inside of you, siren. Trust me.” He
blows out a hungry breath. “Just not like this, okay. Not because
you’re scared of losing me, yeah?”

“When?” I finally ask when I find my
voice.

He sucks in a sharp breath. “When you’re
ready to be mine, forever.”

“I am,” I say, my voice thick with
desire.

Asher gives me his boyish grin. “Then soon,
siren.”

16
The Royal Court

That icky feeling of
dread makes its way up my throat as I attempt to swallow it down.
When I awoke this morning, my chest was tight and I felt like I
couldn’t breathe. I pull the zipper up on my knee-high boots and
pull the sleeves over my thumbs before making my way out of the
bedroom.