14. Asher
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ASHER
The cabin felt stifling after hours of sitting in silence.
My leg was healing well enough, but Gael still hovered over me like a protective shadow. Tonight, though, he was quiet.
I glanced out the window at the clearing, the moonlight spilling over the damp earth. It had rained for a little while, then it stopped.
The sky stretched wide and endless, stars sparkling like they were close enough to touch. For the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of peace, fragile but real.
Gael’s voice broke the stillness. “You’re restless.”
I turned, catching his sharp gaze, always more observant than I gave him credit for. “I’m fine.”
“You’re staring out that window like you’re trapped,” he said, stepping closer. “Come on.”
I frowned, realizing I hadn’t left the cabin since my confrontation with Declan. “Come on where?” I asked.
“Outside.” He tilted his head toward the door. “Fresh air might do you some good. You’ve been healing well enough.”
I hesitated. “Are you sure that’s a smart idea?” I asked.
Gael’s lips quirked into that infuriatingly smug smile. “We’ll be fine”
There wasn’t much arguing with him when he got that look, so I sighed and grabbed my jacket.
“Fine. I could use some air,” I told him. And Gael’s company, but I didn’t tell him that.
We headed outside. The clearing near the cabin was quiet, the forest alive with the hum of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves.
The ground was soft beneath our boots, the air crisp and cool. I inhaled deeply, letting the tension in my chest ease just a little.
Gael was quiet beside me, his presence steady and grounding.
We stopped in the middle of the clearing, the trees framing the open sky above.
It was breathtaking, the stars scattered across the black canvas like shards of glass.
“I don’t imagine vampires take much time to stargaze,” I said, crossing my arms as I stole a glance at him.
His lips curved into a faint smile. “You’d be surprised.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow.
He laughed softly, the sound warming the chilly air.
“Really.” He pointed upward, tracing an invisible line. “There’s Orion.”
I blinked, startled. “You actually know constellations?”
He smirked. “You underestimate me.”
“That’s…weirdly sentimental for someone like you,” I teased, but my tone lacked the usual edge.
He glanced at me, his expression softening. “It’s been centuries since I’ve stopped to enjoy something like this. Sometimes it feels like I’ve forgotten what it’s like to just…be.”
The raw honesty in his voice caught me off guard.
I didn’t know what to say, so I let the silence settle between us, only broken by the faint rustle of the forest.
After a moment, I cleared my throat.
“When Finn and I were kids, we used to camp out under the stars. Our parents thought we were asleep, but we’d sneak out with a flashlight and a pile of blankets.” I smiled faintly at the memory. “We’d stay up until dawn, making up stories about the constellations.”
Gael tilted his head, his gaze thoughtful. “Sounds…nice.”
“It was.” My chest tightened as I thought about how much had changed since then. “Feels like a lifetime ago.”
He nodded, his expression distant.
“I used to do something similar. Long before…” He trailed off, his jaw tightening. “Before Beric. Back when I was still human.”
I glanced at him, surprised. “I forget sometimes that you were, you know, normal once.”
He huffed a quiet laugh. “Normal. That’s generous.”
We stood in the clearing, the weight of the past pressing down on us.
The stars above seemed to mock the fleeting nature of everything. Our lives, our choices, this fragile moment of peace. It was all so temporary.
Gael turned to me, his eyes catching the moonlight. “It feels like the world’s holding its breath, doesn’t it?”
I nodded, shivering slightly. “Yeah.”
He noticed and shifted closer, his shoulder brushing mine.
Vampires normally burned cold, but the warmth of his presence seemed to seep through the thin fabric of my jacket.
Without thinking, I leaned into him, and he instinctively wrapped an arm around me.
It wasn’t calculated or deliberate. It just…happened.
For a moment, we stood like that, the silence between us no longer heavy but comforting.
His fingers curled lightly against my arm, and I felt a strange sense of safety I hadn’t known in years.
Gael broke the quiet first. “You’re full of surprises, Asher.”
I laughed softly, the sound almost foreign to my own ears. “Funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you.”
His lips quirked into a half-smile, and before I could stop myself, I turned to face him.
His arm stayed around me, his touch steady and grounding.
The tension that had always simmered between us softened into something warmer, more profound.
He leaned in, his lips brushing my temple in a feather-light kiss. My breath hitched, and I returned the kiss, taking my time.
The stars began to fade, swallowed by the creeping light of dawn. We’d stayed up for hours, talking, gazing at the endless sky.
But now, the inevitability of morning urged us back into the safety of the cabin.
Gael moved first, slipping through the door with his usual grace. I followed, a step behind, the chill of the night air still clinging to my skin.
Inside, the cabin felt warmer, cozier, though the scent of rain lingered.
Without a word, I helped Gael secure the windows, covering every crack and crevice that might allow sunlight to sneak in.
“See you in a few hours,” Gael murmured, tucking himself under the makeshift bed.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I leaned down and kissed him.
It was unthinking, instinctual. A brief press of my lips to his, soft and lingering.
When I pulled back, Gael’s expression was one of quiet satisfaction, his lips curving into the faintest smirk.
"That was unexpected but nice," he said, his voice low and warm.
Heat rushed to my face, and I flushed for no reason I could explain.
He looked pleased, so damn pleased, and then, just like that, he was gone. His body went still, lifeless, as sleep claimed him.
I stared at him for a moment longer, the contrast of his vulnerability against his usual strength tugging at something deep inside me.
Shaking myself, I stepped away. The cabin fell silent, save for the faint creak of the wooden floor beneath my feet.
I wasn’t sure how to pass the hours until Gael woke again.
Somehow, my hand found its way to my jacket pocket, pulling out the burner phone Declan had given me.
I turned it over in my palm, studying the small, unassuming device. It felt heavier than it should have.
Heavier than anything that size had a right to be. Why did I even keep this thing?
I let out a breath, my thumb brushing over the buttons. Eventually, I powered it on.
The screen lit up, and my heart stuttered as a single name appeared in the contacts: Donovan.
The sight of his name sent a pang through my chest, sharp and unrelenting.
I turned toward Gael’s still figure, irrationally worried he might suddenly wake and catch me red-handed.
The thought made me laugh, low and humorless. He wouldn’t wake, not until nightfall.
I stared at the phone again, my thumb hovering over the call button. Should I do it? Should I call Donovan?
He’d be worried about me; I knew that much.
And wasn’t that the entire reason I’d kept this phone, tucked away like some shameful secret?
Thinking about Finn’s disappearance made me swallow my pride and I pressed the call button. The line connected after two rings.
“Asher?” Donovan’s voice was uncertain, hesitant. It didn’t sound like him at all.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I said quietly.
“I kept waiting for you to call,” he said after a beat, his voice tight with something I couldn’t name. “Tell me Declan lied. That you’re not with…one of them.”
My throat tightened. “He’s not like the others, Donovan.”
Donovan laughed, harsh and bitter, and the sound cut through me.
“Can you hear yourself right now, Asher? I wasn’t even surprised when Finn ran off with Gabriel, but this…I never expected this from you,” Donovan said.
Silence stretched between us.
I knew no amount of explanation would convince him that Gael was different, that what I felt was real.
Donovan would never believe me. Not in a million years.
“Asher,” he said, his voice sharp, “wake up. Stop living in this perverse fantasy you’ve conjured up. You’ve been working too hard, stressed yourself out over Finn. Just…leave that leech and come home. Leave Declan to me. I’ll convince him you’ve come back to us.”
“And the other hunters with him?” I asked, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me.
“We’ll come up with something believable. That vampire hypnotized you, brainwashed you into thinking you were in love with him,” Donovan said, sounding more confident now.
“What a flimsy excuse,” I said bitterly.
“Damn it, Asher.” His tone cracked, anger bleeding into frustration. “You don’t even sound like you’re interested in coming back to the Guild. To me. The only family you have left.”
I froze, his words hitting like a punch to the gut. He already considered Finn lost. The thought made my chest ache.
“I don’t know what I really want,” I admitted, my voice quieter now. “But Donovan, I know what’s between Gael and me. It’s real.”
Donovan’s sharp intake of breath was audible through the phone.
“Asher…why did you even call me?” he asked, his voice quieter, softer.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Maybe I just wanted to hear my brother’s voice.”
“Asher,” he said, and this time, there was a crack in his voice, something raw and unguarded. “Cut ties with that leech. Come back home. I’m not begging you again.”
My hand tightened around the phone. “I need more time,” I said, my voice trembling. Before he could respond, I ended the call.
The silence that followed was deafening. I stared at the phone in my hand, feeling hollow. A little lost.
I sank onto the edge of the bed, my hands shaking as I ran them through my hair.
I wanted to believe I could fix this, that I could make things right with Donovan without sacrificing what I’d found with Gael.
But the truth was, I didn’t know how.
My chest ached, my emotions warring inside me. Guilt, anger, sadness. They all clashed, leaving me drained.
I thought about Donovan’s voice, the way it had cracked when he begged me to come home.
The way it had broken when he talked about Finn.
I thought about Gael, his quiet strength, the way he made me feel alive in a way I hadn’t felt in years.
The way he’d kissed me, like I was the only thing keeping him tethered to this world.
I pressed my hands to my face, breathing deeply.
I wasn’t ready to let go of either of them, but the reality was sinking in. I couldn’t keep holding onto both.
And no matter which choice I made, someone was going to get hurt.