Chapter 4 Asher #2
River pushed off the bed with a harsh groan. “That doesn’t fucking matter! You didn’t see what she did in her comatose state! You didn’t see the look in her eyes when she even mentioned your name!” I came up behind him, reaching for his shoulder. River shrugged me off. “Whose blood was it?”
Grayson’s eyes looked down towards his comforter, picking at the material. “Chancellor Fowler did it, not me.”
“I didn’t ask who did what. I asked you whose it was.” River’s voice was less and less comforting and more stoic. The charm he’d mastered so well was fading away.
Grayson moved his mouth around, looking as if he was chewing on the inside of his cheek. “I didn’t know she was going to be a part of this. I didn’t know it would end like that. I never hurt Riley, he did!”
I quickly moved past my brother and lunged onto the bed, pulling Grayson up by his shirt.
I could hear the fabric strain under my hold.
“It’s too late for regret. Blame it on Chancellor Fowler all you want, but in the end, she still sees you as a villain in her story and hiding out in your room isn’t going to change that.
I don’t care what you didn’t know; I’m only interested in what you do know. Whose. Blood. Was. It?”
Grayson opened and closed his mouth, peeking over my shoulder at River. “Marianne’s.”
I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me.
“Marianne?” River asked, his voice shaking. “Marianne!” The next time he said it, the anger that was threaded in his words was obvious.
“Who is Marianne?” I asked, letting Grayson go and shoving him back on his bed.
“She’s one of Riley’s best friends,” River said, crossing the room to the other side of the bed. “That’s why she didn’t want to talk about it…”
A knock came at the door that made us all jump.
“Grayson, sweetheart. You should really eat something.” Grayson’s mother’s voice entered the room with its light-hearted energy, but even that wasn’t enough to break the tension.
“We can’t continue this conversation here,” I said in a low voice.
“I’m fine, Mom, really,” Grayson said reassuringly.
“Where do you want to go then? We don’t have a random secret warehouse to keep him in like in the movies.” River whispered, rolling his eyes.
“Our place. We have that spare room. I think your little friend is far too upset with himself to try anything.” I turned to look at Grayson, my eyebrows turning down. “Go tell your mom you’re leaving with us.”
Grayson hustled off the bed, stopping at his bedside table and opening up a drawer. He pulled something out and tossed it over to me. I opened my hands to catch it, looking down at what it was. A cellphone.
“It’s Riley’s. Your dad told me to grab it before I let her loose at Chancellor Fowler’s house.” Grayson didn’t wait for us to say anything. He ran a hand through his hair, opening up his door and stepping out to speak to his mother.
I waved her phone at my brother. “You sure know how to pick your fucking friends.”
River narrowed his eyes at me, deciding to pull his phone from his back pocket instead of argue with me.
I cut her phone on realizing it had a little bit of battery left.
Twenty missed calls and ten missed texts from Corrin.
There were a few missed phone calls from her mom that were only about thirty minutes ago.
“Hey Mrs. Monroe, slow down. What’s wrong?” River’s voice caught my attention. He had his phone to his ear. “Wait, she just left? I haven’t heard from her, no.”
I turned my eyes back towards her phone. As much as I knew my brother would want to go on the hunt for Riley, we needed to deal with Grayson. I clicked on one of Corrin’s missed calls.
She answered in one ring. “Riley! Holy fuck! You can’t do that shit to me!”
“It’s not Riley.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Uh, this voice sounds eerily like my professor.”
I sighed. “That’s because it is, Corrin.”
“Oh shit, why do you have Riley’s phone?”
River looked over at me, telling Riley’s mom to give him a minute. He pulled his eyebrows in as he waited to hear how my phone call was going.
“Apparently she left her house, and her mom doesn’t know where she is.”
I heard rustling around on the line. “Does this have to do with what happened at the meeting?”
I groaned. “Listen, I don’t have time for this. Can you just go get her?”
“I’m sure the attitude is just from stress so I’ll let that shit go for Riley’s sake, but fun fact, I can’t find her if I don’t know where she is.”
River kept his eye on me but was starting to talk to Riley’s mom again.
It sounded like he was reassuring her. I let out a breath and dipped into my powers.
My brother was already stressed out enough, but if this didn’t work, I would make him use his powers again.
I tried to be optimistic and thought that she could be at another friend’s house, taking what I could only assume would be a well-needed nap.
I’d been in her dreams before and even if she was just casually daydreaming, I could find my way in.
My mind rattled and pulsed when I found her.
She was half asleep from what I could tell, but it was like she was trying to stay mildly alert for some reason.
I had to get in there and I had to make it quick.
I’d taken to dream walking easily and Riley would be no exception.
I found my dream self in front of her, while she sat on a bench of some kind, staring at nothing. I reached down and shook her gently. She jumped, shifting away from me.
“Asher?” Her voice was so small. It was so hot and muggy in her mind, it felt like flames were licking at my skin every so often. I ignored it, hoping to be out of here shortly.
“Where the hell are you, Riley?”
“Leave me alone and get out of my fucking head,” she barked back.
“Tell me where you are and I will.”
“I’m literally fine. I have Beau.”
I wiped the sweat from the back of my neck. “Ah, yes. The dog will save you from any harm.”
She scoffed at me and despite my irritation, I still couldn’t deny that she was beautiful even in her obvious sadness. “I would much rather have his company than yours.”
“I’m such a monster. The guy that’s trying to make sure you’re alright.”
She ignored me, not even looking in my direction.
“Your mom is worried about you. And so is River.”
She sniffed, running a finger under her eye as if she could quickly hide the tears that were attempting to overflow. “San Jose Caltrain station. It’s like forty minutes from my house.”
No wonder she needed to stay at least partially awake. She was at a fucking public train station. “Stay put.”
“Yes, sir.” The way she said it was almost sarcastic.
I pulled myself out, speaking into the phone. “She’s at the Caltrain Station near her house in San Jose. I’ll send you the location.” I hung up before Corrin could say anything back.
River nodded at me and then returned to his call with Mrs. Monroe. Grayson stepped into the room with his head down but kept his door wide open.
“We know where she is, Mrs. Monroe. It’s going to be okay. We…” River fiddled with the studs in his earlobe, “we know where she is. Yes, she’s safe.” He said a few more things and then finally hung up.
I settled my attention on Grayson. “Where’s your ring?”
He looked down at his naked forefinger where he usually wore his dampener ring. “It’s on the bedside table.”
River turned around and searched, finally finding it and placing it in his pocket.
“Is she okay?” Grayson asked in a tentative voice.
I scowled at him. “What do you think?” I tilted my chin up, silently telling him we were leaving.
Grayson’s parents gave us cordial goodbyes. Grayson tried to act like everything was fine, keeping a somewhat believable smile on his face. He gave his mom a quick hug, pulling away too swiftly for her liking.
“Psssst. Get back here.” The sound she made had Grayson turning around without another thought. She held her arms out and kissed him on the cheek. “Ingat ka anak. Call to check in and eat something.”
I didn’t know what he’d said to them, but they seemed to trust their son, especially when River was involved. His mom gave my brother the biggest hug and he gave her a small side-smile, walking out behind us.
“He can ride with me on my bike—” he offered, getting his keys out.
“Fuck no.” I took Grayson by the arm and nearly dragged him to my car. “He rides with me.”