9. Andrea
9
Andrea
A deep voice comes from behind me causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. My hand clamps over my mouth to muffle the scream that escaped.
I quickly turn to a figure leaning against a thick hedge with his arms folded against his chest. My heart, now pounding more than it was from the scare as I take in his black suit and a solid black mask. Black wings are peaking over his broad shoulders.
I can tell right away it’s Ash by the way his crystal blue eyes shine through his mask even in this dark garden. That stare still haunts my dreams since it burned into me when I first arrived.
“Jesus!” I place my hand over my booming heart.
“Not quite.” My chest tightens from his deep voice.
“I—I needed some air.” Trying to look anywhere but the blue vortex that is Ash’s eyes. No matter how weary he makes me, I can’t seem to pull my gaze from his for long.
“Boy trouble?” The mention of Zach has my eyes snapping back to his. My mouth dries instantly as I recall the conversation I just had with Brielle’s brother. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I remember Brielle telling me about their heightened senses.
“I don’t think that is any of your business.” I try to calm my galloping heart, I straighten my spine and lift my chin. Every instinct is telling me to run as the clearing gets darker. I blink a few times to make sure I’m not seeing things. Nothing has changed, the night sky is still clear but darkness creeps a little closer now.
Ash’s brow raises as he kicks off the hedge and walks toward me. I swallow as his heat grows the closer he gets. By the time he is right in front of me, my entire body heats as if I’m close to a flame. That familiar prickle from earlier runs across my skin.
“Brielle told me y’all can hear very well,” I start, my voice unwillingly shaky. My pulse booms in my ears as I remember his hand around my throat and his delicious smell consumes me. There are no human words to explain the way he smells. I have to focus to not let my eyes roll back.
“I don’t have to hear well to read your face, little bird.” His smirk tightens my stomach.
“Stop calling me that,” I bite as I peer up at him through my brows. Forcing myself to not run before he decides to snap again. Brielle would go ballistic if she knew I was out here alone with him.
A deep chuckle leaves his full lips.
“Or what?” Ash takes a step forward to close the little distance left between us. Frozen in place, I blink up at him. Fear rattles my body as his threat registers.
“I should maybe go in,” I mumble. I try to sidestep him but he steps in front of me once again. His eyes darken as he watches me try to regulate my racing heart. The warmth of his breath skates across my face as he leans forward and stares into my eyes. The blue of his eyes is so piercing, it’s like I can feel them cool the skin they land on.
“I think you should stay right here, little bird. ” His lips pull into a smile taking my quickened breath away for a moment. He is taunting me now. Anger flushes my cheeks red.
Who does he think he is to order me after choking me all those days ago? The last time a man put his hands on me, died. I’ve learned a few things since then.
“Do. Not. Call me that.” The words barely leave my clenched teeth before his warm hand grips the nape of my neck.
An ice-cold chill runs throughout my entire body, freezing me in place once again as he lowers his face even closer to mine. My mind is willing my body to move, to run, anything to get away from his consuming darkness. But my body is pulling toward him, wanting him to touch me more .
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” His voice just above a whisper.
“D-do what?”
“Run, little bird.” His eyes flare when the world leaves his perfect lips. “Because if you run, I will chase you,” His gaze drops to my lips, “And you don’t want to know what will happen if I catch you.” His eyes darken as I try to figure out if he’s joking or not. If he would hunt me or not. Something turns my stomach I am not entirely sure is only fear.
He’s dead serious.
My brows pinch so tight that the hair at my temples pulls at my slicked-back hair. My core knots at the things he might do to me if we were alone together in the woods.
He slowly dips his chin, encouraging me to try him. His eyes drop to my dry red lips as my tongue darts out to wet them.
“Will you hurt me?” I hadn’t realized how shaky my voice had gotten.
“I guess you will find out.” Another sinister smile blossoms on his gorgeous face. My heart sinks to the bottom of my stomach when he steps to the side. I know the opening to the woods isn’t far from this spot in the garden. We’ve picnicked here plenty of times in recent weeks.
My fight-or-flight mode is in full swing, my body only wanting to put distance between us any way that it can. I leap forward, my dress is clutched in my hands and my feet pound into the ground as I make my way to the forest. I don’t stop once to look behind me. My lungs tighten as I run deeper and deeper into the dark trees. It feels like I’ve been running for a lot longer than I have in these heels.
A faint whistle chimes around me and I freeze. Allowing myself a quick glance around me, I find the thickest tree stump and jump behind it.
Doing my best to catch my breath and silence my heavy breathing at the same time, I don’t hear anything around me. No footsteps or leaves rustling, only utter silence. Eerie silence.
The itch to glance around the tree becomes unbearable so I turn and slowly lean to the side, just enough that I can see if Ash is near. Or if anyone is near to save me from whatever he might do. A tinge of excitement courses through my body along with my fear.
Nothing.
Turning my back to the trunk of the tree again, a dark figure in my peripheral vision causes a shriek to escape my throat.
“It took you long enough to look for me,” Ash mutters with amusement, his mask now gone revealing all of his beauty and his piercings. My hand falls to my chest which contains my rambunctious heart.
“This isn’t fair, you have powers and I don’t.”
“Is that so? Because I think there is a lot you don’t know about yourself, little bird.” His sly grin as he drags out the nickname he has come up for me heats my entire body. My stomach turns at the sight of the pure mischief radiating from the fallen angel before me. His pitch-black wings tighten behind him.
A male crafted by God himself.
He leans closer to me, putting his ear near my chest. Ash pulls back with a smile, “Your human heart is fluttering like little wings,” His blue eyes flicker. “Not from fear, though.” His expression pinches slightly with confusion. “You aren’t afraid of me?”
“I’ve dreamed of worse scenarios,” I bite out, wishing the tree would absorb me. His words about me not knowing about myself finally register, “What are you talking about?” my brows pinch.
“Ah yes, Your dreams. You don’t think your dreams of me are an innocent coincidence, do you?” My core tightens uncomfortably as he mentions my dreams. Dreams I haven’t told anyone about.
He steps closer, my back presses hard against the tree. The bark biting into my skin is dull in comparison to his piercing stare. It always seems he is peering into my soul rather than my outer appearance.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The shadows swirling behind him reach for me, my nails dig into the bark behind me to the point my nails break. The black, smoky tendrils wrap around my body like small currents of a breeze. They caress my arms, my throat, and my face, like a cool hand.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” His low voice, almost a growl, vibrates my chest before he takes a step back, his shadows following him. I almost feel stripped naked now that they are gone. “Someone is searching for you,” He tilts his head in the direction of the manor.
I stay frozen as I process his words. I need to go.
Now.
Zach is probably worried sick if he can’t find me.
“Oh and one more thing, little bird .” I turn from the few feet I have already gotten from him, his eyes glowing brightly in the moonlight. “You may lust after that human now but your heart will belong to me until your last breath. So, if that mortal swine puts his hands on you again.” His bright eyes illuminate even more. My breath hitches when I realize who he is talking about. What he’s talking about. “Well let’s just say the shadows get hungry, too.” Ash’s devious smile is enough to make me start running again, this time toward the manor.
My cheeks burn, not from the running but from his words about Zach. How can he possibly know about me and Zach if he’s been gone? We’ve been as careful as possible not to get caught.
Or maybe he was never gone, maybe these dreams I’ve been having are because of him being close. That is the only explanation for him knowing about my dreams. Is he having them, too?
Your heart will belong to me until your last breath.
Those words ring in my head. How could he possibly think I could ever love a thing like him?
I need to keep telling my body that.