7. Creed
“Hold on, what the fuck do you mean, your dad found you? Why do you have a phone? I thought our plan was to lie low; no phone calls, no internet, pay for cash everywhere,” I grit out carefully, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning my back against the door. From here, I can easily see Asher’s tense posture, Griffin fighting with his urge to go to Prudence and scoop her up, and finally, my little fiery Ember, bundled up in bed with flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips. Fuuuuck, she’s a vision. If Asher wasn’t my cousin, I might have killed him for interrupting us.
Asher sighs, looking at Griffin for a moment, having some kind of silent conversation. I narrow my eyes at the two of them, trying to read the room. I’m not sure what it is, but something’s weird between them. Either they fucked each other stupid and feel weird admitting it, or there’s another kind of secret brewing between them that they don’t want Prudence and me to know.
I shift on my feet, about to call them out for this bullshit, but Asher breaks away from Griffin’s gaze and starts explaining before I can say a word. “This is a pre-paid burner,” he says as he pockets the cell phone without offering it to Prudence to see his father’s threats. Probably a good idea, because it’s chilling. The text read, Do you really think I can’t find you, son? That I don’t have eyes on you even now? You know the reach we have within our ranks. Come back and hand over the girl before you force my hand.
The worst part is, I believe every word. The Celestials have police, tech geniuses, and more in their pockets. It’s really not shocking to think they’ve somehow already tracked us down.
Asher explains, “I bought it at one of the gas stations we stopped at while the rest of you were using the bathroom and getting snacks. I just thought it would be a good idea to have some way of calling for help should we need it, right? I thought it was safe enough, that there was no way—“ He stops himself and shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose before adding, “But not even a week later, and he’s somehow tracked me down. I don’t fucking know how he managed it, but we all know just how powerful The Celestials are. The text came in half an hour ago. Griffin and I are already packed up and ready to leave. You two should hurry, so we can head out before we’re all murdered.”
His tone is somber, yet furious, and I can tell he blames himself for this slip up. But fuck, he didn’t know they’d be able to find us so quickly, so there’s no reason to beat him up over it. I have a feeling we’re going to face much worse than what we’ve already seen from The Celestials. We’re going to need to be a strong, united group against them.
Prudence meets my gaze, biting her lip, her brows furrowed. Asher and Griffin both turn to look her way a second after I do, as if they’re both drawn to her without even realizing, and I have to smother my smug smile. I fucking knew this girl would make all three of us weak sons of bitches.
With crimson cheeks and messy hair tumbling around her shoulders, she says, “Um, I get the sense of urgency, but I’m not getting out of this bed while Asher’s here. So… can you leave?” Her voice hitches up at the end, like at the very last second she decided to frame that as a question rather than a demand.
Asher rolls his eyes, clearly on edge from that text and forgetting his manners. ”The entire hallway would have heard you screaming. It’s not like I don’t know what you two were doing in here, and clearly you’re not naked. What”s the issue?” He pointedly looks down at my white tee that Prudence slept in, where it”s just barely visible over the comforter she”s holding to her chest.
”Ash,” Griffin tries to reason, while I take a step forward, ready to drag my cousin out of the room for Prudence can be comfortable. Before I can manage it, Prudence sighs, grits her teeth, and slides out of bed wordlessly, and I watch her in awe. In fact, all three of us watch her, and I get the sense that even with his pissy mood, Asher is drawn to her curves as she stands before us.
Prudence slowly raises her gaze from the floor to meet Asher”s, a tight expression on her face that shows just how uneasy she is right now. The only thing on her is my shirt, which hangs down to her mid-thigh, but even as exposed as she is, she lifts her chin like she’s making herself bigger by her attitude alone.
I lick my lips at the clear sight of her nipples through my shirt, tempted to go to her and suck one into my mouth as a reward. She’s such a good girl, after all. But despite how much I want to taste every inch of her, I keep my feet rooted to the spot, ready to pounce on Asher the second Prudence tells him to leave. Right now, she’s ready for a fight, to prove yet again that she’s not going to break under pressure, but the moment that changes, I’ll step in for her. I’ll always fucking step in and be her shield, even if that means losing myself to protect her.
“Happy now? Do you like what you see?” she grits out at Asher, gesturing with her hands down her body. Her skin is so pale and all the scars littered around her body stand out in stark contrast, something I know she’s incredibly self-conscious about still. Not with me, when it’s just the two of us locked away from the rest of the world like we have been for the past few days. Maybe not with Griffin, either, because he seems to calm and comfort her inexplicably, but Asher hasn’t earned that sense of security with her yet. My girl feels raw, I can tell just from the slight tremble of her hands as she balls them at her side, and it makes me feel very murderous suddenly.
Funny how quick I can flip that switch.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Griffin’s sad eyes drop down her body, cataloguing every wound that she’s survived. “Little flame,” he rasps, stealing her attention for a moment.
Asher gets it right back when he takes a step closer to her, halting a moment later before he can get within reaching distance. His voice is strained as he says, “You realize I’ve seen it all before, right? I was there when Creed found you bleeding out on our porch. I helped him patch you up. Your scars are nothing to me. Now get packed, and please for the love of god, find some pants to walk out of this hotel room in.”
Prudence nods stiffly, turning away toward the bathroom. “Good to know the scars that remind me on a daily basis about how close I”ve come to death don”t mean anything to you. Glad we cleared that up,” she calls weakly over her shoulder, her voice cracking. Before she disappears into the bathroom, she looks from me and then to Griffin, who’s standing very carefully still, and for a second I pity the fool. He’s caught between Prudence and Asher in a way I’ll never be. Poor bastard. I couldn’t imagine feeling this way for two people and having to pick a side when they butt heads.
No fucking thanks.
As soon as she’s locked in the bathroom there with the shower running, Asher sits on the edge of the bed with a groan. “Jesus fuck, what did I say? I didn”t mean anything— Her scars aren”t— Fuck me, I”ll never figure her out,” he complains under his breath.
Griffin stifles a laugh under his hand while I roll my eyes. “It”s not her fault she expects you to cut her down every chance you get,” I drawl, trying to keep my temper under control. I don”t like thinking about how he”s hurt her, it enrages me, but then I”m a fucking hypocrite, aren”t I? I”ve hurt her too, maybe even worse, and somehow I won her over. Asher”ll get there if he really wants to, he just has to show Prudence that he”s more than a bullying dickwipe. A fact she”ll be hesitant to believe, I”m sure.
”No, it”s my fault, I know,” Asher sighs, running a hand through his hair and tugging on the strands. ”I just really don”t have the energy to work this shit out with her right now.” I narrow my eyes at him, not liking the way he said that. Like there”s more going on and he”s bone tired from navigating through it.
”What do you mean?” I ask. He doesn’t meet my gaze, but Griffin does, and the heavy weight I find in his icy eyes makes my skin prickle. “What is it? Has something else happened? Something besides your dad texting you?”
Asher shakes his head, pushing to his feet and heading for the door. “No, sorry, I’m just on edge,” he mumbles. Yet I don”t believe him for a fucking second.
I raise my brows and plant my hands on my hips, giving Griffin a very pointed look. “Secrets are exactly what got us so far up shit’s creek in the first place. Whatever it is, I want to know. I deserve to be in the know.”
Asher walks straight out the door without responding, and I flip him the bird behind his back. Griffin presses his lips together while he tilts his head, like he’s thinking over his options and weighing each one carefully. Finally, he walks closer to me and murmurs, “Let’s get on the road first. He’s extra prickly since his dad knows where we are. Maybe once we put some miles between us and this hotel… he’ll explain.” And then he walks out after Asher, leaving me with more fucking questions.
“Yeah, that really calms me down, Griff. Thanks!” I call out after him.
I could knock Griffin out cold when he slides into the backseat with Prudence while I’m busy loading our bags into the trunk of Asher’s Hellcat. It’s not that I’m jealous of my friend, I swear, but it’s hard for me to sit in the front, so far from her, when I know how hard being in the car is for her. She struggles because of the accident with her mom, and I don’t like that. I’d rather be back there with her, holding her together as best as I can.
Griffin, the bastard, doesn’t even so much as shift in his seat when I tell him I want back there. He arches one brow, pulling Prudence closer into his side, and when she flashes me a sheepish smile like she feels bad and doesn’t know quite how to handle the situation, I give in with a huff of irritation. It’s not her fault I’m needy. But do I give Griffin a savage glare before getting in the front passenger seat? You bet your ass I do.
When Asher gets into the driver’s seat a few minutes later, he takes one look at me and then at the rearview mirror, and says, “I know where we can go. It’s safe, I think.”
“You think?” I snap at the same time Griffin asks, “Where?” Prudence doesn’t say anything, but when I look back at her, she’s holding Asher’s gaze in the mirror, her eyes all big and innocent right now, like she’s trying to give him her full attention without a fight. We’ll see how long that lasts.
“I told you that you have a sister, do you remember?” Asher asks carefully. Prudence doesn’t say a thing, but she offers a jerky nod, as if she’s still coming to terms with that information. Either that, or she’s not sure if she believes him about it yet. Asher starts the car and wraps a hand around the steering wheel tight enough to stain his knuckles white. “That’s where we’re going. So I hope you’re ready to meet her, Prudence.”