15. Asher/ Gael
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ASHER/ GAEL
ASHER
It wasn’t long before reality hit me. We couldn’t stay in the cabin forever, even though I wanted more moments like the ones with Gael, like when we watched the stars.
Donovan’s voice still echoed in my mind, a mix of anger, pleading, and disappointment.
We needed to move on. Convincing Gael wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped.
He leaned against the rickety table, his arms crossed, frowning as I laid out my reasoning.
“Staying here isn’t an option,” I argued. “It’s only a matter of time before they find us. The longer we stay in one place, the more predictable we become.”
Gael’s brow furrowed. “This cabin is defensible. I’d hear anyone coming long before they reached us.”
“That’s not the point.” I ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep my voice calm. “You’re fast, Gael, but you’re not invincible. And I’m not at full strength yet. If they come, and they will, we won’t stand a chance.”
His eyes softened for a moment, his posture relaxing just slightly.
“You’re still healing, Asher. Moving around constantly will only slow that process,” Gael said.
“I’d rather slow it than stop it altogether because I got us cornered in a damn cabin,” I snapped, then immediately regretted my tone.
I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Look, I know you feel like this place is safe, but it’s not forever,” I told him.
Gael studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a resigned sigh, he straightened.
“Fine. We’ll leave tomorrow night,” Gael said.
“Tonight,” I corrected.
A flicker of irritation crossed his face, but he didn’t argue.
Instead, he turned and began gathering his things with a practiced efficiency. I exhaled, relieved but wary.
Finally, we left the cabin. Gael moved ahead of me, his steps fluid, almost soundless.
In contrast, every movement I made felt clumsy and loud. A bull crashing through undergrowth.
My leg throbbed, the ache a reminder that I wasn’t at full strength yet, no matter how hard I tried to push through it.
“You were right,” Gael murmured, his voice low as his eyes scanned the trees. “I hear movement in the distance. The hunters are nearby. How are you faring?”
He didn’t look back at me, but his shoulders were tense, coiled like a spring. Gael knew I was struggling, and it pissed me off more than I wanted to admit.
“I’m fine,” I ground out, even though my lungs were burning and each step sent a jolt of pain through my thigh.
Gael didn’t respond, but I caught the slight twitch of his jaw. He didn’t believe me. I didn’t believe me.
A twig snapped to our left. Both of us froze. Gael’s head whipped around, his eyes narrowing into slits.
I clenched my fists, my muscles locking up as adrenaline surged through me. The forest fell deathly quiet, the kind of silence that screamed trap.
“They found us,” Gael hissed. “We need to?—”
A sharp crack split the air, followed by the hiss of a bullet splintering bark inches from my shoulder.
“Move!” Gael roared.
We bolted. I didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to feel the pain in my leg. Survival burned everything else away.
Branches clawed at my arms and face as we tore through the underbrush.
My breath came in ragged gasps, the metallic tang of fear on my tongue.
Behind us, footsteps pounded the earth, shouts of hunters weaving through the trees.
“There! Don’t let them escape!”
Another shot rang out, closer this time. Gael snarled, the sound raw and primal.
He pivoted, his hand seizing my arm and yanking me behind a thick oak just as a bullet bit into the tree trunk, sending splinters flying.
“Keep going!” he barked, his eyes wild. “I’ll cover you.”
“Like hell you will!” I shot back.
His gaze softened for just a fraction of a second, but the urgency didn’t leave his face. “Asher, be reasonable.”
A fresh burst of rage surged through me. “I’m not leaving you behind.”
A shout to our right cut off any further argument.
Gael cursed, his eyes flashing with frustration and something else I couldn’t name.
He grabbed my hand, and we ran. The forest blurred around us, a smear of green and brown.
My leg screamed with every step, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep going. Falling behind wasn’t an option.
The ground sloped downward sharply, the leaf-covered earth treacherous. I stumbled, my ankle twisting, but Gael’s grip tightened, keeping me upright.
We crashed through a tangle of brambles, thorns raking across my arms. I barely felt it. Suddenly, Gael yanked me to a halt. I blinked, trying to focus.
Ahead of us, the forest thinned out into a small clearing. And standing there, blocking our path, were three hunters.
At the front was Declan.
He looked the same as he had as the last time I met him. He looked cold, composed, with those calculating eyes that saw too much.
“You should’ve heeded my warning and Donovan’s, Asher,” Declan said with a sigh.
My hands clenched into fists. My heart slammed against my ribs.
Beside me, Gael went still, his body vibrating with barely restrained violence.
He looked from Declan to me, and my stomach twisted. Shit.
I hadn’t told him about my encounter with Declan or my call to Donovan.
It wasn’t like I was keeping it from Gael. I planned on telling him eventually, but there hadn’t been time.
Declan hadn’t killed me outright last time because of Donovan, I remembered. Maybe I could reason with him again.
“Let us go, Declan,” I said, my voice tight. “Just pretend you didn’t see us.”
Declan’s mouth curled into a cold, humorless smile.
“The two of you are in our way. My team and I can’t focus on both you and our primary target.” Declan tilted his head, eyes narrowing. Then he continued,“Besides, the fact remains. You’re running with a vampire, Asher. You know how this story ends.”
The hunters flanking him lifted their weapons, the metallic click of safeties being disengaged.
Gael’s fingers brushed against mine, just a fleeting touch, but it reassured me.
I took a shaky breath, the air sharp and cold as it burned my lungs. How the hell were we going to get out of this?
Frustration boiled beneath my skin, raw and bitter. I was so damn sick of being held back by my leg, of feeling like dead weight.
The ache that pulsed through my thigh was a constant reminder of my limitations.
I hated knowing I wasn’t at full strength, that I couldn’t move as fast or fight as hard as I needed to.
I hated that Gael had to factor my weakness into our survival, that he might have to risk his life just to cover for my sluggish pace.
I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms.
I was a hunter. I was supposed to be the one protecting others, not the liability dragging them down. But here I was.
“Stay close,” Gael murmured.
Then, everything exploded.
Gael lunged, a blur of motion. He was on the first hunter before the man could even squeeze the trigger.
A sickening crack echoed as Gael broke his neck, sending him sprawling to the ground.
I ducked low, adrenaline sharpening my focus. I swung my fist into the gut of the second hunter, who came at me.
He grunted, doubling over, but I didn’t have time to finish him off. Declan was already moving, his eyes locked onto me.
I barely dodged his blade, the knife’s edge singing past my ear. I twisted, pain shooting up my leg.
My balance faltered, and Declan’s fist connected with my side, knocking the breath out of me.
I hit the ground hard, leaves and dirt flying up around me.
“Asher!” Gael’s roar split the air, raw and desperate.
I rolled onto my side, gasping, just in time to see Gael grappling with the third hunter.
He moved with lethal grace, but his eyes kept flicking toward me, that distraction slowing him down.
Declan loomed over me, his knife glinting in the pale light filtering through the trees.
“It’s over,” he said, his voice flat.
Panic clawed at my chest.
I scrambled backward, my hands slipping on damp earth. Declan’s arm tensed, the knife poised to strike.
Then Gael was there.
He crashed into Declan, the impact driving them both to the ground. The knife skittered away, lost in the undergrowth.
Gael was on his feet in a heartbeat, his chest heaving, eyes blazing with fury.
Declan lay sprawled at his feet, dazed but alive. Gael bared his fangs at Declan, the temptation to end it clear on his face.
“Gael!” I rasped, struggling to get to my feet. My vision swam. “We need to go.”
Gael’s gaze snapped to mine, looking torn. He looked back at Declan, his eyes filled with indecision.
Kill him, and one threat was gone. But it would cost us precious time.
Time I didn’t have, because the rest of Declan’s team was probably nearby.
Maybe the old Gael could have just killed Declan, left me because I was dead weight, but he was no longer the old Gael.
His eyes met mine again, something breaking in his expression. He turned away from Declan. He chose me.
“Come on,” Gael said, his voice rough.
He grabbed my arm, hauling me up. My leg threatened to give out, but I forced myself to move. Behind us, I heard Declan groaning. He wouldn’t stay down for long.
We plunged into the forest again, branches whipping past, the air sharp with the scent of sweat, blood, and pine.
Gael’s grip on my arm was iron, anchoring me to him as we ran.
We didn’t stop, not until the sounds of pursuit faded behind us, swallowed by the trees.
Finally, Gael pulled me to a halt. I doubled over, gasping for breath. My lungs burned, every muscle screaming in protest.
He looked at me, his eyes dark with worry and something else. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure if it was true. “Yeah. You?”
He let out a sigh, his gaze never leaving mine. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
The raw honesty in his voice stunned me. My chest tightened, emotions crashing into me all at once.
He could’ve chosen to end Declan. He could’ve chosen revenge. But he chose me.
“Why did you—” My voice cracked. “Why did you do that?”