42. SOPHIE
Sophie was on the cusp of complete inebriation. Staying up past four in the morning did that. They’d danced the entire night among the stars. Deymos, Eros and Nemy had finally found them and so started the raucous drinking games. Cam even joined in for a few.
Ash, despite the number of shots he’d had, was sensible, knowing he’d have to take Lumen to get them home. The ride back to the Isle of Deos had Sophie screaming. The alcohol had loosened all her inhibitions and Ash had to pull her back onto Lumen with a growl of warning. The stars were so, so pretty. Sophie insisted on taking one home to keep.
Arm in arm, they stumbled to Sophie’s villa, feeling like they were kids in Faery again. Sophie ran up the stairs ahead of Ash, bubbling with laughter. She pushed her white marble door open to find Calypso jumping up and down in excitement.
“OH BUDDYYY! We left you for so long. Mum and Dad are so sorry,” Sophie cried. Did I just say Mum and Dad? Shit.
Calypso licked and yelped as he nuzzled Sophie. The hellhound had a habit of letting himself in, alternating nights between Ash’s villa and hers, but Sophie wouldn’t have it any other way. Calypso barrelled to the front door where Ash stood, jumping into his arms. Ash held him like he was a baby and the sight of it left Sophie’s heart twisting in weird ways.
Cal howled in excitement.
“Let’s go home, buddy,” Ash said, ready to turn down the stairs.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Sophie slurred, rushing to the door. Calypso jumped out of Ash’s arms and ran inside to a chaise, settling himself down.
Ash turned red. The Godlands’s master of weapons turned red. And his wings bristled. His godsdamn wings bristled.
“Stay.” Sophie tugged at Ash’s hands.
“Sofreya, I—”
“Please.”
Ash grinned and nodded before stepping into her villa with his towering frame. He always had to duck before coming in. He closed the door behind him and all of a sudden the room felt so small. Sophie gulped, feeling a little more confident than usual thanks to the alcohol she’d consumed.
“I have some oversized pants that might fit you if you want to change out of your armour. Come with me.” Sophie grinned, pulling Ash with her into her closet. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, a mischievous grin across his face.
Sophie rifled through her clothes looking for her largest, stretchy, black cotton pants and handed it to Ash.
He took them from her. “Thanks.”
Sophie pointed to the bathroom. “You can get changed in there.”
Ash nodded before moving past her. Sophie turned to watch him with appreciative sigh. He was so stinking handsome that it almost broke her heart.
Sophie turned and tried to shimmy out of her shimmering dress but couldn’t quite reach the zip. Before she knew it Ash had come out of the bathroom with his tattooed, muscled torso on display. He still had his armoured pants on but he helped unzip her before moving back into the bathroom. The exchange was wordless. Second nature.
Popping on the oversized shirt, Sophie found that her inebriated mind could not tear away from the fact that an angel was getting naked in her bathroom.
Calm down, Sophie, you freaking horn dog.
She was spiralling. So, so fast. If she didn’t rein herself in, she’d be kicking down that door and plastering herself all over him. Sophie shook her head to clear the indecent thoughts, but it only made clear the vision of Ash slowly pulling up pants over those sweet butt cheeks . . . Coffee. She needed coffee, stat. Anything to pull her mind out of the gutter.
“Did you want some tea or coffee?” Sophie called out, moving to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of coffee. No matter what time of day it was, or the level of intoxication she’d found herself in, coffee always made her feel better. There was something about the taste and fullness of it that was so perfectly addictive.
Ash closed the bedroom door behind him, looking sinfully . . . adorable? Was that even the right word? Sophie’s long black pants came up to the back of his calves. It was like the angel was wearing some odd three-quarter-length pants – but at least his butt looked cute in it, almost stretching the pants to their limits. He looked very disgruntled as he spied the laugh that was edging out of Sophie’s lips.
“Tea would be great,” Ash’s voice rumbled through the room. He was unimpressed. So unimpressed.
“One cup of tea coming up for the brooding angel. Try not to move, will ya? Not sure if those pants could handle it,” Sophie teased.
Sophie let out a tiny gasp of surprise as Ash rushed up to her. He looked like he was going to take a bite out of her, but instead he leaned down with a growl, tucked her hair behind her ear and placed a kiss on her forehead.
It was the softest kiss she’d ever had and Sophie had no idea what to do with it. The kiss had sobered her completely. Who needed coffee? He’d stunned her. Like a stiff legged, spooked goat, Sophie fell still. Ash was clearly the wolf who enjoyed the torment.
Ash leaned back against the white countertop with his arms crossed. He grinned at her. He knew exactly what he did to her.
“Asshat,” Sophie mumbled with a small smile on her face.
Sophie returned to fixing him a cup of tea and handed it to him, piping hot. Her teacups looked outrageously stupid in his big hands.
“Thanks,” Ash said, before taking a sip.
Sophie took her coffee mug in her hands, breathing in the aroma before taking an unhurried sip. She let out a sigh of satisfaction, letting the beans bring her back to life.
“How can you drink that stuff?” Ash asked, genuinely disgusted that she was drinking coffee.
“Coffee? How can you not? It’s the nectar of the gods!”
“In what Godlands do you live, Sofreya? That is not the nectar of the gods. You wouldn’t ever catch me drinking that stuff. It smells horrific.”
Sophie gasped dramatically, feeling both offended and amused. “Wait, you’ve never had coffee?”
Ash shook his head. “We don’t grow it here, nor do we need it.”
“It’s never a need, Ash, it’s always a want.” Sophie held out her mug for Ash to try. “Take a sip.”
He narrowed his eyes, eyeing the cup, unsure what to think of it.
“Come on, a teeny tiny sip. I promise you’ll like it.” Sophie laughed.
Ash mumbled something under his breath before gingerly taking the mug into his hand. He caught a good whiff of the coffee and gagged.
Sophie laughed.
Ash was ridiculous.
He took a sip, pouting his lips as if he didn’t really hate it, but it looked like he didn’t really like it either. To Sophie’s surprise, he took another sip, this time a little longer.
“So, what do you think?”
“I see why we don’t grow it in the Godlands, it tastes like rubbish and it’s making my chest buzz. I don’t hate it though,” Ash said, handing back the mug.
Sophie snatched it away from his grip, “Well, more for me I guess.” Sophie grinned, watching Ash watch her.
He hiccupped. The sound echoing into the living room. He braced his abdomen and hiccupped again. “Sofreya, I don’t know what’s in the cup, but it’s . . .”
“By the gods, are you alright?” Sophie tilted her head.
Ash bent over, his hand on his knees as he hiccupped again. The angel before Sophie started giggling. Giggling.
Ash stumbled forward but Sophie was there in a split second, catching him before he ate the ground. Sophie pushed him back upright which was a feat within itself. He’d gone all floppy and he looked utterly high.
He hiccupped again. “The coffee makes me feel – feel nice,” Ash breathed. He tried to lean back on the counter but missed it by a fraction.
Sophie caught him again, a laugh starting in her throat. “Of course it does. You’re higher than a fucking kite and considering you’re an angel, that’s saying a damned lot.”
Ash tried to prop himself onto the counter but started to fall forward as he clearly did not consider the size of his wings. “Woahhhhh.”
Sophie was cackling now. Ash was high off coffee. Coffee, for Fates’ sake! She caught him by the shoulders and pushed him toward the bedroom, so he could at least lie down and ride out whatever buzz he had.
Cal popped his head up from the chaise they passed, wondering what the hell was going on.
“So pushy, S-S-Starlight. I love it,” Ash purred. He kept trying to look back at her as she pushed his hulking body across the room.
“Hey, less surveying the goods. More helping me out, asshole. Keep it moving!” Sophie laughed. She tried her best to make him sit, but Ash just turned around and hugged her so hard she thought her spine was about to burst.
“You are the best smelling thing I’ve EVER smelled,” Ash slurred, taking in a deep breath around her neck. His nose and mouth tickled her endlessly, making her core heat in the most tantalising way.
Sophie swatted him away. “Sit. I’ll go get you some water.”
Ash sat, looking like someone had stolen his lunch in the playground. He hiccupped, and mother of Faery, it was the cutest thing she’d ever witnessed. His entire tattooed chest rose and fell, and his lips pouted, fighting for control over his hiccups.
“I’ll be back,” Sophie said, moving toward the door.
She wasn’t quick enough. She never was.
Ash pulled her into his embrace from behind. His arms curling around her chest and his front firmly pressed against every curve of her body. Her entire body melted. She was a damned puddle of drool and heat. Her breathing stopped.
With more coordination that she’d anticipated, Ash lifted her up into his arms, breathing her in the entire time. He stumbled a fair bit on the way back to the bed, but he sat her down with such carefulness.
“You’re not going anywhereeee.” Ash laughed darkly.
Oh, he is absolutely shit-faced.
“You can’t tell me what to do.” Her small smirk said that he totally could.
Ash knelt before her, placing his hands on either side of her legs. He looked up at her with hooded eyes, strands of his white hair coming loose. Sophie could barely breathe. They were so close. His hands, just grazing the outside of her bare thighs. She watched him carefully as he assessed her, from her face down to every inch of her bare skin.
“I think I’ll stay riggghhtt here tonight.” Ash flashed a cheesy grin before curling up against her legs and laying his head down on her lap.
“I don’t think—” Sophie didn’t get to finish, because Ash the guardian angel that struck fear in other gods, had fallen fast asleep in her lap. “Of course, even when you’re asleep you’re so stinking handsome,” Sophie scoffed, moving his inky hair from out of his face. She traced the pointed parts of his ears and his striking jawline. The pads of her fingers burned, and her heart squeezed at the sight of his light scars along his left eye and cheek. The scar he’d gotten when they played chase along the hills of Soxis.
Sophie sat there for a few minutes, not really knowing what to do except admire this beautiful angel before her. I could get used to this, Sophie thought.
He began to talk in his sleep, his eyes darting back and forth underneath his eyelids. Sophie brushed her fingers through his hair to calm him and he softened immediately. He was like a little stray puppy she’d taken home, but it wasn’t long before his nightmare had come back. He was shouting and slurring all at the same time.
“Stop. STOP!” Ash yelled.
A flash of bright lightning encased the entire room and Sophie felt a sharp pain run up her thighs. She breathed in sharply as the world around her grew bigger and bigger. Her insides felt like they were tossing and turning.
“Starlight! Shit! Holy shit!” Ash shot up from where he had lain sleepy. His eyes were now wide as if he’d seen a ghost.
The room continued to grow bigger and bigger. Sophie looked down to her hands and down to her feet. She was standing on the bed and stood about the height of Ash’s kneecaps.
“Did you just FUCKING SHRINK ME?!” Sophie shrieked but it was futile. Her voice was all small and squeaky, and very much nonthreatening. Any heat and softness she felt toward Ash in those endearing moments of slumber were promptly thrown by the wayside.
Ash crashed down to the floor, his eyes wide with concern, terror and confusion. “By the Fates, I have no idea how I did this.” Ash looked like he was about to vomit.
“Are you KIDDING ME?!” Sophie threw her hands in the air. She”d been shrunk into a fun-sized version of herself and now she stood completely naked before Ash. The clothes and undergarments she was wearing were clearly not susceptible to whatever spell Ash had just zapped into her.
Ash, still in his too-tight cotton pants stilled for a moment to take a deep breath. He was thinking and it looked like he was coming up short for ideas.
Not good. This is SO not good.
Sophie stood on the bed, her arms crossed and her fingers drumming impatiently. She didn’t care if she was naked right now. She was as tall as a freaking ruler and there was nothing remotely cute about this situation. Once Sophie returned to her normal height and size, she’d be walloping Ash until kingdom come.
“Okay, okayyy . . . don’t panic,” Ash said with both hands raised up, trying his best to calm her while his eyes darted around the room as if the answers to her predicament lay in the damn walls of her villa. He was still slurring. STILL.
“Don’t panic?! You’re the one panicking, Ash! Turn me back to normal.” Sophie gritted her teeth.
Ash stood from where he crouched and ran to the bathroom, tripping on the carpet as he fumbled across the space. Sophie heard him rifle through a few drawers before coming back and producing a tea towel. His giant hand passed it to her, and she all but snatched it out of his grip. Sophie wrapped the tea towel around her like she’d just gotten out of the shower and huffed.
Ash let out a sharp whistle and Cal was instantly beside him. “I need you to run to our library. Find the book of transformation spells.” Cal looked at Sophie and a bark started in his throat. “Quick, boy.”
Cal whimpered and dashed through Sophie’s backyard.
Ash crouched down to Sophie again, almost losing his balance. “I’m so sorry, Starlight. You’ll have to come with me. We’ll meet Cal at my place. He’ll grab the book of transformation spells and we’ll somehow undo this.”
He held out a hand for her.
To sit on.
“You better remove that somehow from your sentence, Ash.” Sophie pointed at him with anger. “This is the stupidest first date of my life,” Sophie grumbled, but a side smile worked its way onto her face. She stomped all the way to Ash’s hand, making sure to stomp on him extra hard, before perching herself on the edge, grabbing a hold of his thumb for support.
Of course on their first date Ash would accidentally get high off his face on coffee and then accidentally shrink her. Peachy. It was just peachy.
Sophie glowered at Ash, whose eyes were brimming with something. “What?” Sophie grunted.
“It’s just— It’s just that . . .” Ash bit back laughter.
“Spit it out, you overgrown turtle-dove. I’ll be beating your sorry ass either way after this whole schemozzle is dealt with,” Sophie gripped his thumb tight as he lifted her up to his face.
“It’s just that you’re so cute,” Ash barked out in pure, unrestrained laughter.
“Bite me.” Sophie pinched his thumb in anger which only brought on more laughter from the angel.
Asshole.
They walked over to Ash’s villa. Sophie insisted he fly over but Ash had protested saying that he was scared to drop her and wouldn’t know what to do if he ended up losing her in one of the bushes. He lived three doors down from her. And given her size, she wouldn’t be able to get very far, but no. Ash insisted that walking was the best option. So here they were, walking together with Sophie carefully perched upon his calloused hand. Sophie shivered as the wind of the summer morning picked up. It was still dark as they neared the last day of the Ephemeral Eclipse.
“If you were a worm, Starlight, I’d give you the best fruit scraps and make sure that my compost was the best in town, I really would. You have my word on that,” Ash blurted out.
Sophie just shook her head and laughed. His slurring had slowed at this point, but now he was extremely chatty. Sophie couldn’t help it, her heart squeezed seeing him so at odds with his brooding, intimidating exterior. When he got completely inebriated, he was lippy of all things. It was a side of him that only she got to see, and it warmed her heart that he trusted her enough to let his walls down, even though what spurred him on was a little bit of intoxication. Scrap that, a lot of.
Ash pushed through his front door. Cal was already there with a small tome in his mouth. “Thanks, Cal, I appreciate it.” Ash bent low to scruff his best friend’s head, taking the tome out of Cal’s mouth. Sophie held on tight to Ash as her giant world tipped around her.
Cal stood up on his hind legs to sniff Sophie. He took a breath, then another before jumping around in recognition.
The poor hellhound is probably so confused right now.
Ash quickly busted his bedroom door open, placing Sophie gently on the black silk sheets of his bed. He threw the book filled with transformation spells next to her and frantically read through the pages.
Sophie sat quietly as she watched him concentrate. The deeper he got into the tome, the more it dawned on Sophie that she could possibly stay this size forever. She said nothing, letting Ash concentrate as fear crept up her chest.
Ash thumbed through the final pages before sitting back on his haunches, a look of defeat on him. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Sophie gulped.
“Nothing.”
Fuck.
Sophie wasn’t taking nothing for an answer. If he could do it, he could undo it. And by the Fates she would do everything in her power to make it happen. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life pocket-sized, snuggled up in Ash’s pocket – despite how comfortable that sounded.
Ash had moved to the wall of yarn he had in his room, picking out various colours and adding them to a basket. She remembered the day when he brought her back here after she’d taken the truth serum. He tried to hide his little hobby from her but now, it seemed like he didn’t care if she saw him for all that he was.
“You hit me with your lightning when you shrunk me. Do it again.”
“No, I’m not going to do that again. What if I accidentally kill you?”
“You won’t.” Sophie moved to the edge of the bed to watch Ash be totally engrossed in what he was doing. He looked stressed out, needing to find a way to channel it and focus again.
Ash moved back to the bed, placed the basket of yarn on the side, sat down next to Sophie and he started crocheting.
He started crocheting.
Time was of the essence and Sophie’s quality of life lay precariously on the tip of a blade and the man in front of her was crocheting. Sophie had obviously drunk too much and had entered an undiscovered level of inebriation because this was wild.
Sophie was about to rip Ash a new one when he broke from his trance.
“Crocheting helps me concentrate and helps me channel my stress.”
Sophie raised her eyebrows in surprise. Who knew Ash, the big burly guy with tattoos and painted fingernails, had a healthy way to manage anger and stress. Sophie wasn’t sure if she could even say that much for herself.
Ash made quick work of his hands, producing a tiny tube made of pink and purple yarn.
“Is that what I think it is?” Sophie pointed at the tiny tube that looked awfully like a tiny dress.
“Put it on. You must be so cold being so small. Starlight, I cannot tell you how sorry I am,” Ash paused as he tied off another article of miniature clothing. It was a bright yellow jumper. “I will spend forever making it up to you.” He started on another article of clothing. It started to form the shape of black loose pants. “I’ll carry you around everywhere. I promise.” He sounded like he was about to cry.
Sophie stepped out of the tea towel she’d wrapped around herself and shimmied into the purple-and-pink knitted dress that Ash had made for her. The angel was rambling now, the effects of the coffee still firmly gripping his senses. Sophie was thoroughly impressed how he managed to ramble while simultaneously making perfectly sized and fashionable clothes for her.
What is my life right now, honestly?
“The only thing you’re allowed to promise me right now, Ash, is getting me back to normal. I don’t want to hear this ‘I’ll carry you everywhere’ nonsense,” Sophie said.
“Oh, but I’m so tiiiiired.” Ash yawned loudly, dropped his crocheting sticks into the basket . . . and began stripping his pants off. His pants that were her pants. Sophie felt whiplashed from the way Ash danced from emotion to stress, through to tiredness. It was a rollercoaster and Sophie was ready to get off.
Ash was wearing a pair of tight grey boxers that accentuated the curves of his booty. His very large booty, among other very large things, now that Sophie was the size of a Bratz doll. He crawled into bed lazily and like before, fell asleep instantly.
Great. I’m going to be pint-sized forever.
Ash began to stir in his sleep, so Sophie, feeling like a bit of a lost cause, moved to soothe him. But then she felt like the world’s biggest idiot because her hands were the size of mouse hands, and she was trying to soothe a giant angel with them. Mouse hands! It couldn’t get any more comical, and a part of Sophie wanted to dowse herself in the nightmare fuel that it was and set herself alight. “This is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.” Sophie laughed softly. Because if she didn’t laugh, she’d surely be bawling her eyes out into her damned mouse-sized hands. One day, they’d look back at this and laugh. Surely.
That’s if I turn back to normal size. Otherwise, Sophie would be plotting Ash’s death in the confines of her tiny future home.
Sophie sat down next to Ash, leaning her back against his chest. Sophie looked up to the stars and wondered which Fate decided this would be the way their first official date played out. Once she found out which Fate it was, Sophie would be paying them a visit with some stern words and perhaps a little Sophie-branded craziness.
Sophie began to doze off when Ash grabbed her entire body. It sounded like he was arguing with someone in his sleep when he catapulted her into the air and zapped her with a burst of lightning. Sophie let out a yelp and the room stretched and bowed, returning to its normal size. PHWOOM. She landed firmly on her ass, with a harrumph. Her hands were normal. Her feet were normal, and she had never been so grateful to be butt naked in Ash’s room, perfectly normal-sized. Perhaps the internal threatening of the Fates had worked in her favour and the one Fate that was threatened realised she’d fucked up on this one.
Surprisingly, in and among her crashing to the ground with a yelp, Ash didn’t wake from his peaceful slumber.
Sleep peacefully, my little lamb. I’ve got a world of hurt waiting for you when you wake up. Asshole.
Sophie moved to Ash’s closet. Everything was either pure white, grey or black and his scent was encased in this room like nothing else. Sophie picked out a t-shirt and slid it on. Stepping out of the bedroom, she found that Ash had already climbed under his black silk sheets. His relaxed wings spread out behind him as he slept on his side.
Sophie shimmied into the bed like a stiff caterpillar beside him. It turned out that shifting molecule sizes did certain things to your muscles and now she was a little sore. Facing Ash, Sophie left a bit of space between them. As soon as she settled, sleeping Ash reached out to wrap his hand around hers, clutching it to his chest. The movement startled her, and it seemed like he was awake but the soft snores he let out told Sophie that he wasn’t. He held her hand like it was the most precious thing and nothing could have made her feel more warm or safe than that gesture alone.
Sophie smiled to herself. She had found a place where she belonged, and it was here with Ash. A place where adventure called, and they answered. A place where they’d always have each other’s backs, no matter how big or small the issue was.
As the grip of sleep slowly claimed her, Ash’s dark sumptuous voice whispered the words she’d never imagined she would hear. She could feel his hot breath on the hand that he held so tightly. “I loved you from the very start, Starlight, and I always will,” Ash whispered.
The words were achingly soft, and Sophie was sure she’d dreamt it all.