Chapter 27 The Quill #2
“I reconsider often,” he confessed, still caressing her neck, and Hailey readjusted her arms, hugging herself closer.
“Should I be afraid of you?” Honestly, she didn’t know if she wanted to scream and run or stay and find out if he’d finally kiss her again.
Stroking her arms, Asher coaxed them away from her belly. “I don’t want you to fear me.”
Hailey couldn’t look at him.
“Fear the others,” he told her. “If Cobon finds out he’s killed the wrong girl, he and the others will tear you apart. But they won’t touch you as long as I protect you.”
“You mean as long as you favor me over your home,” she corrected him. “And who knows how long you’ll want me.”
“Forever,” he murmured.
Hailey bowed her head so he wouldn’t see her tears.
“Even when you enrage me with your disobedience, I still choose you over the Aether.” With the back of his hand, he brushed her tears away. “Hailey, you’re weak from poison. You should sleep.”
“Are you asking me to stay with you tonight?” she teased.
“I’m asking you to stay with me forever.”
“Oh.” Her heart pounding, she tried to read whether he meant ‘forever’ literally. “In case you change your mind by morning, will you stay up all night and talk to me? Here…on Earth?”
“You’re exhausted,” he said with an amused half frown, “but I’ll stay with you until you sleep.”
“Tell me about DOPPLER. They’ve been watching us since we were kids,” she said, recalling the photo of their childhood home from Holly’s police file.
“They are curious about any human who has dealings with the Envoys. Because of the black rock, Cobon has guarded your family for centuries.”
“Until recently, you mean. What happened the night my parents died? Who started that fire?”
“Adalwolf, I believe.”
“Adalwolf,” Hailey repeated, thoughtfully. That was the name Fin had said. That was the Envoy that had tied his soul. “Where is he now?”
“He’s dead, Hailey.”
“An Envoy can die?”
“Not in the sense that you know it. But, an Envoy can be torn apart, effectively destroyed.”
“Who destroyed him?”
Asher studied her.
“You,” he said simply.
“Me?” She shook her head. “No, Asher, I would remember destroying an Envoy. I can’t even tear myself away from your gaze.” She laughed, but he seemed quite serious. “Asher,” she said just as seriously, “you’re mistaken.”
“It’s no mistake. You were very young, and you don’t remember.
” Hailey opened her mouth to protest—but Asher cut her off.
“DOPPLER is harmless,” he said, steering her back to her original question.
“They are an Envoy’s pawns. They obey us, and they don’t even know it,” he said leading her back to the couch. “Your friend, Tage, for example.”
“Tage?”
“The men at DOPPLER know Cobon's interest in your family. I allowed them their curiosity for a while. But when they placed one of their agents close to you, I became…jealous very quickly.” Asher flicked his eyes at the floor then back to Hailey.
“You stopped…” Hailey shook her head. “Did you rescind his offer of enrollment here?”
Asher nodded, looking ashamed.
Hailey’s head pounded. She sat on the edge of the couch. Tage really didn’t like her after all—he was just spying. It made her sad and angry, because his stupid attention dominated one of the last conversations she’d had with Holly.
“Forgive me,” said Asher.
“I’m glad you stopped him.”
Asher sat next to her. “When I built this place,” he said, his eyes tracing something in the distance, “it was with the intention of tearing the Barrier and finding a way home—I was never convinced that Cobon’s rock would succeed.
To function in the world of men, I made certain concessions…
I shared bits of information with the government through DOPPLER, and in return they sent me great minds and stopped interfering with my work. ”
Though she hung on Asher’s every word, Hailey stifled a yawn, struggling against the drowsy aftermath of a paranormal poisoning.
“Sometimes it’s necessary to have dealings with those who are despicable—an alliance, even. The men at DOPPLER believe they operate as spies for the humans, gathering information about the Envoys. But they are our puppets. Many Envoys use them. Cobon has used them to watch your family for decades.”
“Do you think he kidnapped my poltergeist from Pittsburgh?”
Asher tilted his head, squinting slightly.
“Tomas—he told me he escaped from DOPPLER…that they were dangerous…”
“Cobon,” Asher said as if to himself then he looked at Hailey. “Call your ghost friend. I wish to speak with it.”
Gleaning information from a poltergeist was no easy task, even for an Envoy.
There was no mind to manipulate, and ghosts simply didn’t care—about anything.
But Tomas was an aberration. He’d latched on to Hailey, which was not extraordinary, but he’d offered her a warning. Peculiar behavior for a ghost.
When Asher returned from his conference with Tomas, he was sure of three things.
First, Cobon already knew he’d killed the wrong sister.
Before escaping DOPPLER, Tomas had witnessed many things, one of which was Cobon’s interference with Jaycen’s pathetic attempt at spying.
Jaycen had been telling the truth— Cobon had indeed switched her barrier breaker.
Second, Hailey fussed with her hair a lot, especially if she anticipated seeing Asher, which bolstered his confidence in her affection for him.
But Tomas had imparted a third piece of intel, information regarding Hailey’s uncle. However, such news would only distress Hailey further.
He found Hailey sleeping soundly on his couch and watched over her for several loving minutes. When it was clear she wouldn’t wake to continue their talk, he gathered her in his arms and moved her into his bed.
She never stirred.
During the night, she shivered once. Very easily, he could have pulled a blanket over her. Instead, he warmed her with a gentle embrace, holding her tenderly through the night, wondering how much of his plan for her he would divulge.
“Thank you for the book for Mrs. Spitz,” Hailey told Asher as he escorted her across campus to her dorm the next morning.
“I can’t wait to get my hands on some ParaScience data—I’m designing a new ghost trap.
The one in our room doesn’t work, and even if it did, it would require an escape hatch—I’d feel awful if Tomas got stuck,” she gushed, feeling completely rejuvenated after a great night’s sleep in a bed with blankets and a pillow—and Asher.
“Mrs. Spitz expects you this afternoon,” he said. “She’s a gifted clairvoyant, and she has a message for you.”