6. CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
Asher
A sher dragged Nikola into the two conjoined backseats of the minivan, far away from the designated driver. Moss sat across from Katsuki while Trish claimed the passenger seat, as close to the dog she had leashed as possible.
And thus, to the tune of the robotic GPS’s voice, the cheeky pilgrimage began. The roads cleared once Chicago’s skyline vanished beneath the horizon.
The more miles of farmlands they crossed, the worse Asher felt. Every nerve in his body fired the same signal. Wrong way! Turn around! It was clear those were his independent thoughts. The essence of the vampiric patrons was a muggy film of anticipation in the air around him.
Two gods, five vampires, one human. What a crowded fucking van.
Moss and Liam sat in frosty silence, reminiscent of a broken marriage on the way to a miserable family vacation to Disney World.
Trish and Kat chatted idly, mostly about the nature of the Moon. Trish made the comment, “There’s this idea that a lot of people go crazy during the full moon. Like, claims that there are more ER visits and arrests. Lunacy, you know. Luna . Sometimes I wonder if the Goddess has anything to do with that. ”
Katsuki tilted their head, considering it. “I’ve heard such things. It may be that the visibility of the full moon during sleeping hours inspires humans and vampires alike. Perhaps the Goddess was inspired to bless her creations with the gifts of emotions. It begs correlation versus causation, I suppose.”
Asher, miffed by his claustrophobia and their destination, snapped, “The Moon Goddess can barely control her own subjects. Doubt she’s out there making humans go batshit crazy once a month for funsies. The gods ancient people came up with had more power than those spirits.”
“Spirits” was the best placeholder Asher could come up with that wouldn’t make him sound batshit crazy. Celestial aliens having fun with a science project checked out, but he had put that theory together while he was tripping balls, so he kept it to himself.
Trish shot him a glare over her shoulder, seething over his blasphemy. Ah, to be so young and devoted. Asher grinned at her until she turned back around. He let his face fall, slumping against Nikola, and scowling out the window.
He sensed Liam’s red gaze cut toward them, the Blood Follower bristling with envy. Asher very much doubted it was jealousy over Asher himself, but for the relationship that was clearly going smoother than whatever was happening between him and Moss.
Oh, well. Not Asher’s problem.
He let his mind go blank, dissociating into the nighttime rolling past them. The two patrons had nothing to add, content that the vampires were headed back to their so-called Holy City, so he reveled in the temporary peace.
Until it was interrupted. Because why wouldn’t it be ?
“Surely you should be paying attention,” Katsuki lightly scolded. Nikola snorted, shooting Asher a side-eye in agreement. Treacherous bastard.
Asher rolled his eyes. “You sound like my damn English teacher from back in the day. I was one of those jocks, y’know. Passed just because they wanted to keep me on the team.”
Why the fuck was he mentioning anything to do with his human days? He regretted it twofold when Liam’s chuckle slithered throughout the cab. “At least you weren’t as bad as Braylin. Then again, his dad was vice principal.”
Moss glared daggers at him meant to kill. But that was nothing compared to the flaring hatred radiating off Asher in nuclear waves. “No. We are not doing that.”
“Doing what?” Liam said. “Being civil?”
That was one way of putting it. Asher ground out an ironic laugh. “Quipping like old pals over high school shit so you can feel better about yourself. Newsflash, asshole. Your happy little flashbacks were my personal Hell. Or have you oh so conveniently forgotten our little dance in the locker room?”
Liam snarled, cutting the wheel until they were skidding to a stop on the side of the road, alongside the infinite rolling farmland. Asher sat up straighter, barking another laugh. So, we doing this, huh?
“What the fuck are you doing?” Trish demanded. Asher felt the rush of her power pushing against Liam from the backseat.
Liam flashed his teeth at his sister. “You said you wouldn’t intervene with my emotions unless it was related to the Horned God.” He growled the words, fury laced throughout. Relenting, Trish backed off, raising her hands in surrender.
Liam threw himself out of the cab, slamming the door shut behind him. Asher got the message loud and clear and followed him. Nikola called his name, and Asher heard Trish’s muffled cry to Kat, “Aren’t you going to stop them?”
“Those two need to get this out of their system,” was Kat’s reply.
As the rest of them piled out, Trish exclaimed, “Liam might kill him!”
Oh, please .
“Asher,” Nikola said with warning, hovering nearby. But Asher’s attention was fixed solely on the Blood Follower marching toward the middle of the overgrown field. Frozen soil crunched underfoot.
When Liam spun around, Asher prepared to counter an incoming lunge, but Liam didn’t attack. Instead, he spat, “Just hit me.”
“Uh,” Asher deadpanned. “What?”
“Christ, dude, Kat’s right. Get it out of your system. Punch me.” He motioned at his jaw.
Oh, Asher was beyond tempted, but decking someone literally asking for it felt like a bitch move. “Man, I was the general of an army of immortals at war.” Liam probably would’ve been in Asher’s unit in an alternate universe—stray Blood Followers in Grander, as rare as they were, didn’t stay stray for long. Huh, he wondered how that would’ve played out, if Asher had been the one who’d spotted him on Malkolm’s territory and how he would’ve reacted. “I ain’t hitting some defenseless, sorry sap.”
Liam’s eyes flashed, but he didn’t rise to the bait. “Exactly what I mean. You were a vampire lord’s right-hand man, but you’re still hanging on to shit that happened when we were kids.”
Asher sneered. Okay, maybe he would hit him. “It’s not up to you whether I forgive you. Why do you even care what I think ?” On the last word, Asher shoved against Liam’s chest.
Liam pushed him back—with far more gusto than Asher had been expecting. The temperature seemed to spike between them. “Because if you forgive me, I can forgive myself! Do you think I’m proud of how I handled my internalized bullshit back then?!”
Asher guffawed. “Oh, so you’re the real victim, huh?”
He nearly staggered against the wave of rage surging from Liam, a white-hot burst of hatred toward Asher, toward himself, toward everyone. It was the only warning Asher got before Liam sprung, claws out and jaw opened.
Asher let himself get tackled to the ground, Liam blindly swiping at Asher’s face. Asher bucked and flipped the inexperienced vampire underneath him, slipping into his old role all too easily, like a forgotten jersey in the back of the closet—a role steeped in anger and impatience and disdain.
Liam was just another lowly Blood Follower who wasn’t getting the point through his thick skull, so Asher Black was gonna pummel the lesson into him. Liam was about to understand the extent of Asher’s decade-long grudge.
Asher gave what Liam wanted and hit him.
And hit him.
Over and over again.
The blows rained down too hard and too relentlessly for Liam to retaliate. Blood gushed from teeth and broken nose, bone and cartilage cracking beneath Asher’s knuckles. Asher didn’t need tooth or nail, he just needed to strike like a human man. Like a teenage boy full of wrath on the locker room floor.
“Enough!” Trish screamed, using her mojo to quell much of Asher’s fury, enough for Nikola to haul him off Liam.
“He’ll fucking heal,” Asher spat as Trish helped her brother up. His eyes swelled shut, his flesh blotching purple and blue, shining with tears and dark red as he wept and bled. Pathetic .
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Liam coughed through engorged, split lips.
He still didn’t fucking get it.
The only thing keeping Asher from pouncing again was Nikola’s hands firmly locked around his forearms. Asher felt the words erupting, unable to stop them any more than he could the explosion of an active volcano. He’d spent years keeping them to himself, Nikola Kingston the lone exception, yet he heard himself hurling them at one of the people he hated most on this planet. “I tried killing myself after the team attacked me, do you get it? I walked into a vampire’s path on purpose, hoping it would kill me. I will never forgive you!”
Liam, looking at Asher over the hands cupped around his nose, froze. The murderous fire in his scarlet eyes doused in an instant. Asher wanted to feel satisfaction over catching him off guard, but in its place was shame. He regretted so impulsively admitting to that level of weakness, of... of admitting that Liam once had that much power over Asher. But that’s what Asher was best at: impulsiveness.
“Oh, fuck off,” Trish said, dragging Asher out of his pity party. “You act like no one here knows about your reputation. The ruthless Master Asher Black, the feared guard dog of a tyrant. You really think you can take the high ground right now?”
Nah, he really didn’t. This wasn’t about the code of morality. “Listen, lady, if one of those fucks I kicked around under Malkolm’s regime came around, I wouldn’t be groveling at their feet begging for forgiveness. We ain’t discussing the carnage of Blood. This shit between Liam and I is just that. Between us. And as far as I’m concerned, we’re done here.”
Not giving anyone the chance to reply, Asher marched back to their stolen vehicle, grabbing Nikola by the hip on his way. He felt Moss’s eyes trailing after his every step.