Fated

Chapter 21

A chill had settled in my body after the walk home in wet clothes. Stepping into the hot shower, heat wrapped around me while I replayed every moment shared with Ash tonight. I couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt to have his lips on my skin, his arms around my body, how I had melted into his touch. Each moment, every second with him, seemed to have etched itself into my memory, and I was savoring it, letting the sensations wash over me again and again.

But it wasn’t just the memory of Ash’s touch that replayed.

I also savored the laughter, the carefree moments of joy we’d shared, and the thrill of him flying me around the beach with the stars glimmering overhead. It had been pure magic.

And his thoughtfulness, taking me to the ocean, knowing how much it would mean to me was more than I could ever have asked for. It felt as if Ash was able to see a part of me that no one else had ever understood, and I felt like I would never stop smiling.

Leaving the bathroom, I found Ash sitting on the bed, waiting for me.

“I haven’t given you your birthday present yet,” he said, holding a small, square box.

“I thought the trip to the ocean was my birthday present.”

He smiled but said nothing, simply offering me the box. My fingers trembled slightly as I took it from him, lifting the lid with care. The moment I saw what lay inside, my breath caught in my throat, my hand flew to my mouth, and a strangled cry escaped me.

Inside the box were two bracelets, one silver, one gold. They were the bracelets my mothers had given me, the ones I had thought were lost forever. Tears welled up as I stared at them, shaking my head in disbelief. “I didn’t think I would ever see these again.”

“There’s something else,” Ash said gently, pointing to a small, round object now attached to the middle of each bracelet. My brow furrowed in confusion.

“Hold that round piece to your eye and look through the hole,” he instructed.

I picked up the gold bracelet and did as he said, peering into the tiny opening.

What I saw made me gasp, tears instantly running down my cheeks. Inside the bracelet was an image, the photo of Mom and me from the day we’d spent at The Meadow.

I quickly lifted the silver bracelet to my eye, my breath catching again. Inside this one was the picture of Everleigh holding me as a baby.

My hands fell into my lap, clutching the bracelets tightly.

“How?” I whispered.

“You had your phone with you the night you were arrested. It was in the bag of items I took with me from the jail, along with the bracelets. I had been looking at your phone, trying to figure out if there was a way to turn it on. I knew how much a photo, a text, or even a recording of your mom’s voice would mean to you, but I couldn’t get it to turn on without a charger from your world, which would be incompatible with power from ours.”

He paused, then added, “I thought it was a dead end, but for whatever reason, I took the case off and hidden behind your phone were those photos. I had a jeweler put them into the bracelets. When you came out of the store and I was gone, I was dropping them off to be worked on.”

He shrugged as if the gift wasn’t the most incredible thing anyone had ever done for me. “Now that you’re divine, the protection charm won’t work on you, but …”

I couldn’t hold back any longer; without thinking, I climbed into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close. “This, this means everything to me,” I whispered, squeezing him tightly, unwilling to let go. Ash wrapped his arms around me, holding onto me just as fiercely. I rested my head on his shoulder, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

A terribly selfish part of me wished for everything to just stay as it was.

Ash and I could stay here in Cresinthia, couldn’t we? We’d be safe from the threats above and I could keep him to myself. The thought of him regaining his memories, of discovering the life he had left behind, still terrified me. “Ash?” I whispered, breaking the silence.

Reluctantly, I pulled away to meet his gaze.

“I just want you to know that whatever happens when you remember your past life, I’ll always cherish the time we spent here together and the friendship we formed.”

Without allowing him a chance to respond, I climbed out of his lap, setting the bracelets on the small table by the bed and then sitting beside him.

“I want to heal you now.”

“Areya …”

“You promised. At least let me try.”

Eventually, he nodded, though his face told me that he too, wished everything could stay the way it was.

“Ok,” I said, taking a deep breath. “So, how do I do this?”

Ash sighed, his expression heavy with something unspoken, before he began explaining.

“When I use my power to influence people, it’s like a living thing inside me. I can sense it, feel it, almost see it. I open myself up to it, and as I allow that power to flow out of me, I command it to do as I will.” After he finished, he opened his hand, and a black puff of smoke appeared in his palm, swirling a moment before vanishing into the air.

I stared at the smoke, startled by the display of magic. “What was that?”

Ash shrugged. “I’m not really sure. Besides my mind tricks, all I’ve ever been able to muster are these small puffs of smoke, and even that takes immense concentration.”

“The curse, it’s holding the rest of your magic back,” I muttered, realizing just how deeply the curse was affecting him.

He nodded in agreement.

I thought about the golden river of magic inside of me. “I can sense my magic too, like a golden river, flowing inside me. When you first told me to let it in, there was a gate—or a dam—keeping it out. I held that dam open until that space inside of me had filled with magic, and then I let go, and the dam slammed shut, sealing my magic inside.”

He nodded in understanding, though his expression was serious.

”Areya, you need to be careful with your power until we know more about how it works. Lilly told Madam Pearl how strong your magic felt last night, and Madam Pearl said it was vital for you to master control over it.”

He ran his hand through his hair. “The way she explained it, the power truly is a living thing, and if you don’t control it, it will try to overpower you. Too much too fast, and you could hurt yourself. She said most divine spend their entire early years learning about their magic and how to master control over it. Eventually, wielding your power will become second nature, as easy as breathing, but growing yourself to that level will take time and practice.”

I nodded, swallowing hard, before opening my hand out in front of me, palm up.

But then I hesitated, doubt creeping in, and lowered it again.

Sensing my hesitation, Ash placed his hand underneath mine, lifting it back up. His touch was a grounding presence, reminding me I wasn’t alone in this.

I closed my eyes and searched inside for that glowing river of magic. I could sense its powerful current surging behind the dam that held it back.

Slowly, I concentrated on lifting the dam, imagining a river of light flowing through my body and into my palm. But the moment I lifted the dam, the magic surged through with a force for which I wasn’t prepared. Before there was time to slam the dam shut, magic exploded from my palm, a blinding light and intense heat erupting from my hand.

At the sudden bright flash of light, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.

Ash pulled me tightly into him, cupping his hands around mine to shield me from my own raw, untamed power. When the light faded, and all traces of my magic had vanished, my eyes hesitantly opened. Shock reverberated through me, and I gasped.

The smell of burning flesh hit me first and then my gaze dropped to Ash’s hands.

Both palms were severely burnt, the flesh raw and blistered.

“Oh, my God, oh, my God,” I stammered, frantic. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to …”

“Areya!” Ash’s voice cut through my panic, commanding my attention. “It’s ok. Watch.”

I followed his gaze to his palms as new healthy skin began to form, the blisters disappearing until his hands had been restored to their natural, unmarked state.

“How?” I asked, still shaken.

“We heal fast, remember?” he said, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

“But the night you were stabbed …”

“The knife was laced with a rare poison that halts our healing.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Will I heal like that too?”

“You are stronger and faster now, not nearly as clumsy,” he said with a smile. “So, I’d assume you will also heal quickly.”

I couldn’t move, frozen by the nausea welling inside me from my epic failure to control my magic.

“Try again, Areya,” Ash insisted.

“Again? What if I actually hurt you? I don’t know if I can do it, control it. I—I shouldn’t even have this power,” I nearly shouted.

His expression shifted, his eyes flashing with something resembling anger. “I’m so tired of you underestimating yourself. If you could only see yourself the way everyone else does, the way I see you.” His gaze softened, and he lifted my hand again. “The fact you can summon any power at all is a testament to your strength. You controlled your power before you even settled. I would bet my life very few people can say that.”

I looked down at my palm, the fear still simmering, but I swallowed it down.

Ever since meeting Ash, I had been able to overcome my fear time and time again. He gave me the strength to believe in myself and I wasn’t going to let my fear control me anymore.

I closed my eyes and focused inward, seeking the golden river of power pulsing beneath the surface. I could feel it, an immense, untamed force pressing against the dam, desperate to be freed. Angry waves crashed against the barrier, but I refused to let it overwhelm me.

I controlled this river, this wild magic inside of me.

With that thought, the river seemed only to push harder, its pressure increasing, the waves growing more insistent. But I didn’t flinch. Instead, I took a deep breath and pondered Ash’s words. His belief in me—his certainty that I could do this—steadied me.

I didn’t shy away from the power. I accepted it—embraced it.

No. The word echoed inside me, laced with pure authority as I commanded my magic, and it obeyed.

The wild crashing waves stilled, the furious current settling into a quiet calm.

This time, I didn’t touch the dam, instead, I imagined a small stream forming from the river, allowing just enough magic to trickle through. Slowly and with control, I guided the power into my palm, its warmth flowing through me.

When I opened my eyes, my hand was emitting a soft golden glow like a star resting in my palm. The magic felt alive, warm, and steady, as if it had always belonged to me.

I glanced at Ash who was watching me, unruffled and confident.

His expression saying, I knew you could do it.

With another deep breath, I willed the magic to retreat, imagining the stream flowing back into the river. The light in my hand dimmed and then disappeared altogether, the power settling calmly behind the dam once more. “I did it, Ash!” I said, excitement bubbling in my voice.

“You did,” he acknowledged, smiling at me.

Without hesitation, I hopped off the bed, turning my body to face Ash, fitting between his legs. I threw my arms back around his neck. “Thank you!”

I pulled my face back, my eyes searching his. He lifted his hand and brushed the hair out of my face. I lifted my own hand, cupping his cheek, reveling in the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips. He was so beautiful, and the connection between us undeniable.

I wanted him, wanted all of him, I wanted to make him whole again.

I let my magic pool in my hand, and instantly, I could sense the curse within him. My palm tingled, almost recoiling at the wrongness of it. The curse felt alive, pulsating like a living thing—a parasite clinging to something it had no right to touch.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the darkness, sensing it clearly now, an inky blackness suffocating the light within him. But deep within that darkness, there was something familiar, something pure, a soft glowing ember that was unmistakably Ash’s magic.

The vile creature had latched itself onto his power, feeding off of it.

As if it was able to sense my presence, the darkness recoiled, retreating deeper into him, pulling away from the power in my hand. With its retreat, flashes of faces hit me, the faces of strangers I didn’t recognize. The thing had embedded itself so deeply into Ash that it had its claws hooked into his very mind, feeding not just on his power, but on his memories too.

I sent a trickle of power to my palm and let it flow into the curse.

The creature dug its claws deeper into Ash, reacting violently. It let out a horrible, unnatural scream and Ash’s body jerked beneath my hand. It was hurting him.

I could sense fear radiating from the creature. It was afraid of me.

Opening my eyes, I looked at Ash. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow, his face tense.

“I can feel it, Ash,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “And I feel your magic inside of it. It’s feeding on your power, like some sort of leech, and it’s got a claw in your mind. But I think … I think I can kill it, but I think it’s going to put up a fight, and I think it might hurt.”

I cringed at the thought of causing him more pain.

But he didn’t flinch, only lifted his hand and placed it over mine.

“Destroy it,” he said, his voice calm and full of trust.

Then, without hesitation, he closed his eyes and turned his face into my palm, pressing a gentle kiss against it before turning back toward me and letting his hand drop.

Ok. I can do this—I will do it, for Ash. Clamping down on the tremors running through me, I forced my hands to steady. Closing my eyes again, my other hand lifted, resting against the opposite side of his head. I reached out with my magic, searching for the darkness.

It didn’t take long to sense its hideous presence.

“ Get out , ” I commanded inside my mind.

As if it actually heard me—understood me, it let out a grisly snarl.

“I recognize your power , girl. You command the ancient power of the celestials . ”

The snake-like voice hissed in my head. I didn’t know what it was talking about, and I didn’t care. I wasn’t interested in conversation.

“Let Ash go,” I demanded.

A dark, cruel laugh echoed from within the thing, sending a chill through me. Every part of me screamed to pull back, to escape its presence.

“ The king is mine , ” it spat, its voice dripping with venom.

The king? I pushed the question aside, done listening to the thing. I hated it, loathed it with every fiber of my being for what it had done to Ash. My Ash.

“HE’S MINE!” My voice roared inside my mind, releasing a colossal wave of magic.

It barreled into the creature, the curse screaming in response, thrashing violently, desperately hooking its claws deeper into Ash.

More random images flashed through my mind, fragments of Ash’s memories.

It took all my strength not to let go of him, not to pull away from the monstrous presence lurking within him. Sweat dripped from my hands where they rested against his head, and I could feel the tremor in his body. The rapid, panicked thud of his heart pounded beneath my fingers, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he fought off the pain.

It wasn’t enough. All I had managed to achieve was to piss the thing off. Desperation clawed at me. I’d held back, afraid of my own magic—and now, Ash was suffering because of it.

My confidence slipping, the weight of my failure was already pressing down on me.

Then, through the chaos, Ash’s breathing settled, his hand moving to cover mine again. “You got this, Areya. I trust you.”

His words pierced the fog of doubt clouding my mind, snapping me out of the spiral of despair into which I had been tumbling. Ash trusted me completely and unconditionally, and he had my trust equally, in return. If he truly believed I could kill this thing, then I could.

Turning my focus back on the beast once again, I felt its gleaming black eyes watching me carefully, but I didn’t care. I thought only of Ash, of the beautiful melody of his laughter, the light in his eyes when he smiled at me, the goodness in his soul that no darkness could touch.

Bracing myself, I began gathering my strength, and then … let go.

I slammed open the dam containing my magic, and only when I commanded it did it surge forward as a blinding wave of golden light, straight into the core of the demon inside Ash.

This time, there was no holding back, not allowing it another chance to hurt him.

The force of my magic slammed into it with such astounding power that its claws instantly retracted, and before it had a chance to scream, my light burned through the darkness, dissolving it into nothing more than a puff of smoke.

The moment the curse vanished, a spectacular wave of power exploded outward from Ash.

The entire room—no, the entire earth—quaked beneath me as the mighty force of his magic was unleashed. The sheer magnitude of it sent me flying backward, crashing onto the hard floor. The river of magic inside me was a mere drop, a single molecule compared to the torrent of power coming from Ash now.

Breathless and stunned, I sat there, shock and awe reverberating through my entire being. My chest rose and fell rapidly, trying to process it all but my eyes remained fixed on Ash.

He still sat at the edge of the bed, head bowed, utterly motionless.

“Ash?” I said, my voice barely a whisper as it trembled out of me.

There was another moment of suffocating silence and then a sound that shattered me to my core. It wasn’t a word, or even a sob. It was a raw, utterly broken noise full of pain and devastation, and it came from Ash. Slowly, he lifted his head, revealing eyes no longer their familiar stormy gray but a piercing, luminous emerald.

But it was the look in those eyes that stopped me cold—a look so haunting, so profoundly broken, it stole the air from my lungs. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks and the raw agony in his expression was undeniable, utterly wrecked, hopeless.

He attempted to stand but collapsed to his knees before me.

I hurried to my own knees in front of him, and without a second thought, wrapped my arms around him. He crumpled into me, his entire body shaking as uncontrollable sobs wracked him. I held him tightly, tremors coursing through him. I couldn’t stand seeing him like this, appearing so broken, so fractured and damaged in a way I wasn’t sure could be fixed.

“Ash, it’s ok, it’s ok,” I said, my voice pleading, rubbing his back.

His sobs only deepened, becoming more raw, more frantic. I felt so helpless, unable to console him. “Ash,” I whispered, pulling away slightly to cup his face with my hands, forcing him to look at me. “I’m here, Ash. You’re not alone. I’m here.”

My voice broke, tears spilling down my face.

“Tell me how to help you,” I pleaded.

He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as if rejecting my comfort, and pulled out of my hands.

“What have I done?” he choked out. He opened his eyes, meeting mine for a fleeting moment, before a new wave of tears spilled over, running down his face in heavy, unstoppable streams.

He fell forward, his head bowing into my lap.

“I’m … so … sorry,” he heaved, each word fragmented by his sobs. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” he repeated, his voice frantic, overflowing with hurt.

“Ash, it’s ok. It wasn’t your fault,” I said desperately, shaking him slightly.

But when he sat up and looked into my eyes, the anguish in his gaze was unbearable, like a wound too deep to heal. “I don’t think I can live with myself, Areya. I don’t deserve to live,” he whispered, his voice raw, cheeks wet and glistening.

The words hit me like a punch to the chest, and a sob rose from deep inside me. “Don’t—don’t say that, Ash.” My voice cracked as I spoke. “You don’t deserve what happened to you. I forgave you a long time ago for everything because it wasn’t your fault. Even when you were merged with that darkness, you were still good. You are good, Ash.”

I stood to my feet, wiping my eyes, and reached down to tug at his arm.

He resisted, but I wasn’t going to let go. “Get up, Ash,” I said in a firm voice. “I’m not letting you give up. Now, get up and fight!” It was an order, a mandate, not any kind of suggestion.

Reluctantly, he obeyed, moving to stand slowly. I led him back to the bed, motioning for him to sit beside me. His emerald eyes met mine, the heartbreak in them shattering me all over again.

“How can you look at me like that, Areya? Like I’m not the monster that wrecked your life? Why don’t you run away and never look back? You’re free. I won’t come after you.”

“No.” I snapped.

A shadow of defeat crossed his face. “Why?” he whispered, his voice soft and broken.

I didn’t mean to say it. The words slipped out before I even realized, but I didn’t regret them. “Because I love you, Ash.”

He stared at me, unmoving and unreadable, but I wouldn’t take it back. I had fallen hopelessly in love with him, and even if he didn’t feel the same way, I wanted him to know it.

Then, without a word, Ash slipped an arm under my legs and one behind my back, effortlessly scooping me up. He turned, lying down with me, setting us both on our sides facing each other.

He leaned in, pressing a gentle lingering kiss to my forehead, then pulling back just enough to meet my gaze. And I was struck all over again by the brilliant emerald of his eyes—no longer gray, no longer dull, but alive with strands of gold threading through them like rays of sunlight.

“Do you mean that?” he asked quietly.

“With everything I am,” I whispered without hesitation.

There was a long moment of silence, Ash staring at me in disbelief, his eyes searching mine as if he were trying to make sense of my words. Then he took my hands in his, lifting them to his lips, and kissing them tenderly. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Areya,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I knew I belonged to you from the moment I saw you in that bar.”

I clung to his words, breathing them in like air, my pulse racing.

“Even in the darkness, my heart belonged to you. When we first met—when I took you—I was terrified. I was a monster, a stone-cold killer who had felt nothing for sixteen years. It was impossible to explain why you suddenly filled every one of my thoughts, why I wanted to be near you all the time. I couldn’t explain my stubborn refusal to hand you over to Agidius.” He paused, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “I tried to push you away by showing you the monster I was, but you … you consumed me.”

I listened intently, tears streaming down my face as he continued.

“When you were attacked, when that guard even thought about harming you, nothing existed in that moment. There was no world, no purpose, just the overwhelming need to protect you.”

His voice broke slightly, and I had to remind myself to breathe, to keep my heart steady as his words wrapped around me like a lifeline.

“You saved me, Areya. Before you even broke this curse, you saved me. You pulled me out of the darkness and led me back to myself. I’ve done nothing to deserve you, but I’ve spent over three hundred years waiting for you. Now that I’ve found you, I can’t imagine any sort of life without you. I don’t know how I managed to live so long in a world where you didn’t exist.”

He ran his finger gently down the side of my face, the soft touch sending tiny shivers across my skin.

“I love you, Areya.”

In that instant, everything around me seemed to stop. The world, time, even my breath, all frozen as the weight of his confession sank in. Goosebumps erupted over my skin and my heart thundered in my chest, threatening to break free. Ash loves me.

His curse was broken, he was whole again, and he loved me.

The realization was overwhelming. Ash leaned forward and kissed the very spot where a solitary tear fell, his lips soft and warm against my skin.

He pulled back just enough, his face so close I could feel the warmth of his breath on my lips. His eyes shifted from mine, lingering on my mouth.

“I want to kiss you, Areya,” he whispered.

I couldn’t remember how to speak, how to form words, so I simply nodded. I stared at him, nodding like a fool, and he let out a quiet laugh before leaning in and gently pressing his lips against mine in a kiss so tender it left me breathless. He pulled away slightly, just enough that our breaths mingled, and he whispered once more.

“I love you, Areya.”