Chapter 8
I crawled up onto the middle of the bed, pulling on the thick socks one by one, my eyes drifting to the window. The sky beyond was filled with stars, sparkling brilliantly against a deep black canvas of night. I stared out, not really looking at anything—until something moved.
I blinked, unsure if it was just my tired eyes playing tricks on me or the play of shadows outside the window. But then, the movement came again, a fist of panic squeezing my chest. My body froze, unable to tear my gaze away. And then, a pale face appeared, staring directly at me.
A scream erupted from me, high pitched and uncontrollable, my heart racing wildly.
Everything happened so fast.
I felt and heard the explosion from the bedroom door behind, and at the same time, the window in front of me shattered, sending shards of glass flying across the room. I turned away instinctively, shielding myself … And that was when I saw what Ash had done to the door. There was nothing there anymore, only a cloud of dust remained.
Before I could fully process what was happening, a heavy arm snaked around my body, yanking me to my knees on the bed, sending fear surging through me like wildfire.
The stench of the guard’s vile breath on my neck filled my nostrils and I watched as another ripper climbed in through the shattered window.
Ash’s eyes met mine from across the room.
His gaze was murderous, flickering between me and the ripper at my neck. For a split-second, Ash seemed to hesitate, an expression resembling fear flashing over his face, but it was quickly replaced by cold fury as he rushed toward the man at my throat.
Before Ash could reach us, the second ripper stepped into his path.
Ash moved fast, and with a sickening snap, the ripper’s body fell to the ground.
Then, I stared with terror-stricken eyes as Ash stumbled back a few steps, a knife protruding from his stomach.
No!
Ash yanked the knife from his abdomen and tossed it aside, where it rattled against the floor. The last thing I saw was him heading toward me before a sharp, slicing pain shot through my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut, but instead of darkness, I saw something else. It felt as though I were looking through someone else’s eyes, as though caught in a memory not my own.
Lying on my side in a bed, I was facing a beautiful black-haired woman.
Her smile was radiant, lighting the room and warming something deep inside my chest.
She was the center of my universe, my love for her overwhelming, an all-consuming type of love, the kind shared between true soulmates.
In an instant, the scene was torn away, shattered by a guttural wail that filled the room.
I opened my eyes to find Ash still in the same spot, his face a mask of shock and confusion.
My head whipped around toward the source of the wailing, seeing the guard who had just bitten me now lying on the bed, hands clutching his head, tears pouring free.
His body convulsed with sobs, the sound of his pain raw and agonizing.
Without thinking, I reached out and placed my hand on the man’s arm.
As soon as my fingertips made contact with his skin, a strange sensation spread through me—a prickling itch in my palm. It carried a sense of terrible wrongness, a darkness that made my stomach twist.
I lifted my hand to the man’s face, pressing my palm against his cheek. To my astonishment, my hand began to glow faintly, emitting a soft light. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I could feel the wrongness, the darkness—and I pushed against it with everything I had.
As my light pushed forward, the darkness receded. Suddenly, I was in another vision.
The same black-haired woman appeared again, this time wearing a beautiful white wedding gown. She was walking toward me, and my emotions were inexplicable, having never felt anything like it, an overwhelming sense of awe mixed with deep affection and reverence.
Then, the vision shifted, and I was sitting on a porch swing with her by my side, my hand resting on her swollen, pregnant belly. Beneath my palm, the baby squirmed, a soft, fluttering movement sending a wave of delight and awe rushing through me.
It was such a tiny, yet profound sensation, like holding a secret miracle in my hand. Pride swelled in my chest, marveling at the new life growing beneath my touch.
Suddenly, the force of the darkness pushed back against my light, throwing me from the vision, knocking me back with its intensity. My hand had stopped glowing, and when I looked up, I gasped. The man’s eyes were no longer cold and gray but warm, golden, and full of life. Slowly, the darkness seeped back in, clouding his irises until they returned to a lifeless gray.
The man, still sobbing uncontrollably, stared at me.
“Who is she?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
“I … I don’t know,” the man choked out between sobs.
“You love her,” I whispered.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, jittering before opening them again.
“I loved her, oh God, I loved her so much,” he cried, wiping his face, smearing tears and mucus across his cheek. “That son of a bitch, he made me kill her. I killed her,” he wailed.
My heart fractured for the man, for the loss of such great love.
Tears welled as I whispered, “Who made you kill her?”
“Agidius,” he muttered. My heart stilled, and cold dread settled over me.
“I’m so sorry.” I meant it with every fiber of my being, looking at the large broken man before me. The monster —no, he wasn’t a monster. Agidius had made him one, stripping him of his humanity, creating a blank slate that he could forge into his own weapon.
I willed my hand to glow again, to push back at the darkness, to heal him somehow. But nothing happened, there wasn’t enough power left in me.
“I don’t think I can fix you,” I said, more tears cascading down my cheeks.
I turned toward Ash, remembering that he was still in the room. He hadn’t moved an inch, still clutching his bleeding stomach. There was so much blood that it seeped through his fingers and steadily dripped to the floor.
Panic stirred inside me. Why isn’t he healing? That’s how magic works, isn’t it?
Not even sure why, I desperately wanted him to heal.
I turned back to the bed when the man reached for my hand, his massive grip swallowing mine. He squeezed lightly and when he spoke, his voice was soft, sincere.
“Thank you,” he said, offering a small, sad smile. Before I could respond, he reached for his side and when he brought his hand back, it held a dagger.
There was no time to react before he plunged it into his own heart. I screamed, scrambling backward off the bed, frantic at watching him fade and die in front of me.
Before I could mourn another dead soul, a loud thud drew my attention, making me whip around to find Ash slumped on the floor against the wall, his face pale, his breathing ragged.
Without a second thought, I rushed to him, falling to my knees in front of him.
“Does your kind not heal quickly?” I asked frantically.
He grimaced, his voice weak. “The dagger—it was laced with poison. It’s keeping me from healing.” I glanced at his wound and then back to his face, inhaling sharply on catching sight of the black veins slowly creeping up his neck.
I searched the floor for the poison-laced dagger, spotting it a few feet away—then I froze.
This was my chance, the very chance I’d been waiting for. It would be so easy. All I had to do was pick up the dagger and plunge it into his heart just like the other man had done.
I could kill the monster who’d taken my mother away from me.
But then I thought of the other man—his memories of a past life full of love and happiness—and my heart sank to my stomach.
I looked at Ash who had been watching me as I stared at the dagger. What kind of life had he lived before being turned into a monster?
What if, like the other man, he had once been good, once had people he loved, people who loved him? If I couldn’t blame the other man for what he’d become, how could I blame Ash or Calyx? No, I wouldn’t allow myself to become a monster too.
But what if I could heal him? Desperation surged as my eyes shot to my hands. I held them out before me, willing them to glow, to summon that strange power that had been there just moments ago. As soon as Ash realized what I was doing, he pushed himself further into the wall.
“Don’t touch me,” he growled, his voice strained.
“But what if I can heal you?”
“Calyx,” he mouthed.
“I’ll go find him,” I said, starting to rise, but Ash shook his head weakly.
“Too … dangerous,” he managed.
Panic swirled inside me like a storm. How could I let Ash die? I couldn’t watch anyone else die, even if that person was my greatest enemy. His eyes were closed now, and I kept my vision locked on his chest, as if able to will him to keep breathing.
I inched closer, trying to stay as quiet as possible until I was near enough to hover my hand over his bleeding wound. My eyes stayed on his face, ensuring his own stayed closed.
Searching deep within myself for the light, I remembered how it had felt in my palm before.
And just like that, warmth bloomed in my hand and the soft glow returned. With trembling concentration, I imagined his wound closing, knitting itself back together.
The veins on his neck began to slowly recede, my hopes leaping, but as quickly as it had come, the glow sputtered out, spidery veins crawling back up his neck.
“Shit,” I whispered, defeated and helpless, wishing so badly to be able to call my mom and ask her what I was supposed to do.
Shaking out my hands in front of me, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I leaned closer into him, so close now that I could touch him.
I hesitated only a moment before placing my hand on his cheek, finding his skin cool under my palm. I felt for the darkness—the wrongness—there.
Then, reaching for the light once more, I imagined it driving the darkness away. My hand began to glow and instantly, I was somewhere else.
Now, I found myself in Ash’s memory, looking up through his eyes at the face of a lovely dark-haired woman with a gentle smile. She gazed down at me with pure affection, and the world around felt only safe, good. Her smile lit something up inside of me and I delighted in the warmth it brought, savoring the way it made me feel. She was my mother—Ash’s mother.
“I love you, my sweet boy,” her soft voice whispered, and it was apparent just how much this child version of Ash loved her, too.
The scene shifted. Now, I was sitting at a table in a tavern, surrounded by laughter. I didn’t recognize the man sitting to my right, but I could sense he was important to Ash.
Across the table, a dark-haired girl—looking very much like Ash’s mother—was laughing, her eyes sparkling with joy.
I was laughing too—or rather, Ash was laughing—and the sound was … beautiful. My gaze shifted across the table to the source of the group’s laughter. It was Calyx but it wasn’t.
His eyes, now a brilliant ocean blue, brimmed with life as he moved his hands animatedly in front of him, telling a story, flashing that signature grin of his. The joy in this moment was overwhelming, almost intoxicating, like being with Lucy and Tyson, only magnified.
The vision shifted again, and I found myself on a balcony overlooking a spectacular city. The buildings were unlike anything I’d ever seen, some tall and silvery, reaching far above the clouds, others glittering as if made from crystal.
Joy and laughter filled the air and children played below. Silver spheres floating above the city caught my attention. No, those were vehicles carrying people inside. How extraordinary.
As I looked, sheer delight, pride, and a sense of home welled within me. This was Ash’s home.
I jumped as the vision was yanked away, thrusting me back into the room, where I was kneeling in front of Ash. He pushed my hand away, gripping my wrist as his eyes snapped open.
A sharp breath escaped me as I took in his eyes.
They were a brilliant emerald green, stunning and bright, glowing with life.
I couldn’t look away, mesmerized. But then, as if a shadow passed over him, the darkness returned, and his eyes shifted back to a cold, stormy gray. “What have you done?” Ash’s voice was ragged, cracked with such desperation, I couldn’t find any words.
The sound of the front door opening and shutting startled me. Calyx was back, thank God. Ash’s grip on my wrist loosened and with a quiet motion, he lifted his finger to his lips, signaling me to stay silent. He didn’t want Calyx to know what had just happened. I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump that had grown in my throat, and nodding slightly.
Calyx’s footsteps echoed down the hallway as he whistled a cheery tune. When he reached the room and his eyes landed on the scene before him—me kneeling on the floor, the dead ripper on the bed with a dagger sticking out of his chest—he froze. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open in shock. “What the actual fuck?”
“Hurry, it’s Ash! Help him!” I blurted out.
He was in the room before I could blink, taking in the sight of his friend leaning against the wall. “Dark-root,” Ash muttered weakly.
“Shit,” Calyx disappeared for only a moment before returning with a syringe filled with an amber-colored liquid. He didn’t waste any time, stabbing the needle directly into Ash’s chest.
Before Calyx even finished pushing the liquid through the syringe, all the veins on Ash’s neck had vanished. “You’re lucky,” Calyx muttered. “It was the last antidote in the supply room.”
Ash lifted his shirt, and I couldn’t believe my eyes; the wound on his abdomen began sealing shut in front of me. Calyx tossed him a blood bag, which Ash ripped open with his teeth and drained in seconds, his color returning almost instantly.
I turned away, stifling a gag.
“One of you want to tell me what the fuck happened while I was gone?” Calyx glanced between us before reaching out to help Ash to his feet.
“That asshole from the guard station and his friend attacked Areya,” Ash said, standing up.
My fingers brushed against the puncture wounds on my neck, making me wince at the sharp sting. The holes were deep and wide, still throbbing from the ripper’s bite.
“Oh shit.” Calyx looked at my neck as I offered an embarrassed smile.
“Those were two bottom-level rippers; how the hell did they get a hit on you?” Again, Calyx looked between Ash and me, waiting for an answer.
“Don’t know, man.” Ash rubbed his temple. “He was going to kill Areya, I knew Agidius would kill us, and it all just threw me off.”
Calyx gave him a long, hard look. “Yeah, dude, seems you’ve been ‘off’ a lot lately.” His brow furrowed in concern before his gaze dropped to my hands. “Her gloves?”
He looked back at Ash.
“I told her she could take them off inside this room.” Ash shrugged.
“They’re in the bathroom,” I said.
Calyx walked to the bathroom, the glass crunching under his boots.
He bent over to collect both gloves from the floor before tossing them to me. Slipping them on again, I raised both hands to show him.
He sighed, then said, “Ok, let’s clean up this mess … Areya may need another room to sleep in.” Calyx stared at the bed, his lip curling up in disgust.
Ash offered me his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. Then he extended his arms in front of me. My eyes narrowed in confusion.
“There’s glass everywhere, and you’re wearing socks. Either I can carry you out of this room, or you can dig glass out of your feet all night.”
Oh. I nodded and before my mind could process it, he scooped me into his arms, lifting me easily against his chest. I tried to ignore the warmth of his body or how good it felt to be so close to him again, not daring to look at him. He was angry with me for using my power on him.
He carried me a few doors down the hall, setting me down gently in front of another bedroom. About to step inside, I hesitated, turning back to him. “Thank you for saving me. Well, you had to for Agidius, but thanks anyway … I guess.”
His eyes drifted down to the marks on my neck, and my hand instinctively lifted to cover the wound. He hesitated a moment. “You saved yourself, Areya.”
Calyx appeared in the doorway, arms loaded with bandages and antiseptic.
“Don’t want that to get infected,” he said, offering me the supplies.
“Thank you, Calyx,” I murmured, taking the supplies, and giving him a small, tired smile.
He shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as if not quite sure what to do or say next. Then, with a brief nod, he turned and walked away.
Ash’s eyes found mine, and for a moment, it felt as if he was going to say something more, but he only sighed, adding, “Goodnight, Areya.”