Eerie

Chapter 37 The Seven Trumpets Ball #2

After Fin disappeared into the shadows of the hall, Hailey moped back to the table and scanned the room again for Asher. Still nothing.

Giselle appeared, positively glowing.

Hailey looked her up and down. “I think you’ve turned the corner on the hag issue,” she told her. “You look like a movie star.”

Giselle smiled, and Hailey pointed at her mouth.

“Except for the pointy demon teeth,” she said.

“David just kissed me.” She could hardly contain herself.

“Did he survive?”

Hailey was still looking at her roommate’s razor-sharp snarl, and Giselle nodded toward the doors where David stood with a dumb grin plastered on his face, surrounded by no fewer than ten of their classmates.

“He’s bragging to his friends right now,” Giselle said, looking radiant.

As Hailey observed David swoon, something flashed in her periphery, and she snapped her head around in time to see Asher across the room, holding Fin by the throat with one hand and pressing his other hand against Fin’s forehead. She sprang out of her chair and raced over to them.

“…two months, and my patience wears thin, Pádraig. You forget your place, and your soul is still black as pitch with the hundreds of lives you’ve taken,” Asher was saying through clenched teeth as Hailey approached.

Hundreds of lives? Neither man noticed her drawing near.

“Yeah,” Fin choked. “You know why?” His face went crimson with rage.

Asher didn’t respond.

“Because I actually have a soul, Asher. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“Asher has a soul,” Hailey piped, rather nonchalantly, given the two looked as if they were engaged in mortal combat.

“What?” the men asked in unison, Fin with disgust; Asher in astonishment.

Hailey looked from one to the other.

Asher released his grip on Fin, and Fin took a swing at him. Without shifting his gaze from Hailey, Asher snagged Fin’s fist out of the air and squeezed it until it crunched. Fin doubled over, and Hailey’s hand flew to her mouth.

“Oh my God, Asher!” She rushed to Fin’s side, and Asher seethed.

Fin shook his head and held up his good hand.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Hundreds of lives?” Hailey put her hands on her hips, demanding an explanation.

“It was one life,” he yelled, standing hastily, and Hailey cringed.

Fin’s voice went low, hateful. “Over and over and over…”

He put his face close to hers and stared resentfully into her eyes. “And over.”

She shrank away, blinking at him, speechless. What was he saying? What life? His life? Had he killed himself hundreds of times? Maybe after living in hellish torment for hundreds of years…

There were some things I had to straighten out with the Big Guy. That’s what he’d told her at the church. It all made sense. Suddenly, instead of yelling back, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him. But Asher was watching. Glowering. And Fin was looking at her like she was a cold sore.

“So now you know,” he spat at her. He turned his back and walked off. Hailey stared after him and watched open-mouthed as he slung his arm around Adelaide. Then he kissed her so passionately, it turned into a full-body salsa dip. Hailey’s heart plummeted into her stomach.

“Hailey,” Asher beckoned, and Hailey started.

He held out his hand.

“Come. We must talk.”

She couldn’t read his expression or his tone, but it felt like she was in trouble. Tentatively, she put her hand in his, and he led her to the door.

“It’s really cold outside,” she said, unable to hide the fear in her voice and hoping he hadn’t planned on making her leave. For some reason, she felt safer in public, though she didn’t really believe a crowd would stop him from killing her.

Asher sighed heavily, whirled around, and cupped her face in his hands.

“You won’t be cold with me,” he said tenderly, and some of her anxiety abated. He didn’t sound angry, but if he had seen her kissing Fin…

She swallowed hard. He slid his fingertips from her chin, down the sides of her neck across her shoulders and down the length of her arms. Taking her hands, he gazed into her eyes and walking backwards, led her outside.

Hailey braced for the bite of Alaska’s winter, but Asher was right. Somehow, he was shielding her from the icy wind. It was quite comfortable inside his warmth-bubble.

“Look, Asher…” She wanted to tell him that she was in love with Fin, that she wanted nothing to do with Cobon’s plan, that she was angry at him for showing up late, though that seemed petty compared to having one’s soul ripped out—but her thoughts jumbled and bounced around in her head, and after what she just saw Fin doing with Adelaide… and his hateful tone…

Breathe.

And Fin had dismissed her so coldly, she wasn’t even sure he felt the same anymore…or if he ever did feel the same. Plus, Asher might kill her, and she hesitated.

“What is it?” he said very tenderly.

She looked at her hands.

“Thank you for the beautiful dress.”

Fear-one, courage-zero.

“The beauty of the dress pales in comparison to the angel wearing it.” He sounded exasperated.

Then he tilted his head, his eyes igniting into a firestorm, and his mouth twisting into a scowl.

Yep, he was angry. “What are you doing, Hailey?” he said bitterly.

“I saw you kissing him,” he accused, his voice slow.

“You promised me there was no romance between you and Pádraig.” He leaned close to her and whispered, almost pleading, “Do you have any idea what I do to students who lie to me?”

Hailey gasped, her heart quickened.

Jaycen… Unwittingly, her thoughts turned to the southern belle, who was still writhing in agony inside a steel cage in the White Forest with nothing but the sub-zero wind chill to keep her company.

Never had Asher spoken to Hailey with such animosity, and for a beat, she wondered if he might tie her soul.

Her throat tightened, her eyes went wide, and she instinctively took a retreating step back.

She didn’t know what to say and stood locked in his intense gaze while her brain floundered and her heart rose in her throat.

He stared and squinted, but then his brow knitted together. And she knew in that instant that he—the all-powerful Envoy—was hurting. She had hurt him, very deeply she’d hurt him, and her heart shriveled.

Asher looked away. He must’ve seen her remorse and taken pity on her, because when he looked back his eyes were soft.

“He’s not the gallant knight you think he is, my dear.” He stroked her cheek as he said it. “He will hurt you.”

“Well, he never threatened to rip my soul out,” she whispered, blinking back tears. “Where have you been anyway? With Cobon?” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

Asher closed his eyes and inhaled loudly. “I only want to rescue you,” he told her apologetically. “I know I’ve been neglecting you—forgive me, please. And no, I haven’t spoken to Cobon for quite some time.”

What was he doing? His voice was kind. He was staring at her with those gorgeous eyes, full of adoration and heat. Not an hour ago, she’d decided he was a hideous monster, and now…

Hailey trembled and not from the cold. The intensity, the electricity between them sent a shiver down her back, and she raised her shoulders against it.

“Are you cold?” Asher seemed perplexed.

“No,” she said, unable to look at him. She could feel her cheeks flush.

Asher regarded her curiously for a moment, then without warning, he grabbed her shoulders and guided her against the wall next to the door.

Grasping her chin with one hand and wrapping the other around her waist, he pressed his mouth to hers, hard and hungry.

His lips molded to hers, and she kissed him back, running her fingers through his silky hair and melting into him as he pressed the full length of his body against her.

This was what she wanted. This was what she craved—love, passion—from the one creature that could rescue her from a fate worse than death.

Oh, it was heaven! He held her there, kissing, caressing for minutes, hours, maybe. She didn’t know. She didn’t care. She didn’t want him to stop.

When he was finished, he held her close. “It upsets me to see another touching you,” he breathed against her lips, still caressing the back of her head. He leaned back and flashed his eyes at her. “You belong to me. Do you understand?”

Hailey blinked rapidly, unable to find her voice.

“Answer me,” he commanded, grasping her hair and pulling so hard it hurt.

“Yes,” Hailey squeaked, her eyes wide, and she was trembling again, this time from sheer terror.

“Yes, what, Hailey? I want you to say it.”

Hailey blinked again. What the hell was happening?

“Yes, Asher. I belong to you,” she said obediently, and he sighed deeply, releasing her head and rubbing it gently.

“Will you tell me why you think I have a soul?”

She didn’t feel like chatting with him anymore.

She wondered how fast she could run in her new heels.

But wrestling her sudden urge to flee was her paralyzing terror and the realization that—there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Plus, she was still sort of reeling from his kiss and needed a moment to slow her breathing before she could even begin to feel ashamed for wanting him to kiss her again.

And right now, she couldn’t sort ANY of this out, because he wanted an answer.

“What do you mean?” she asked, searching his violet eyes.

“You have a soul… I’ve seen it in my dreams.” Plain as day.

There was the Aethereal light of his “body” and a second, completely different glow at his core, which hummed and pulsed like an operatic heartbeat.

She’d seen it many times and very clearly on the Traumzeug.

“I don’t have a soul, Hailey,” he said. “Envoys are pure energy.”

“I think you’re wrong, Asher. I think you know you’re wrong.

I think you know you have a soul, but you don’t want to admit it.

Maybe that’s why the Envoys are going mad?

” She emphasized the word “mad” maybe a little too much and had to recover.

“You wouldn’t be able to love me if you didn’t have a soul. ”

She wasn’t sure what he was feeling really qualified as love, but she was floundering and suddenly wishing she was safe with Fin again…at the cabin…tucked in his arms…

Asher’s eyes calmed down, but he didn’t step back. He still had her pinned to the wall.

“I do love you, Hailey,” he murmured. “I’ve tried to be patient with you, but I can no longer tolerate seeing another put his hands on you.” His voice was gentle, and Hailey’s blood pressure came down. A little. “And I believe I’ve frightened you. Am I right?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

Now she couldn’t hold back her tears, and they gushed forth. Asher brought his lips to her cheeks and kissed each teardrop as it escaped her eye.

“Forgive me.” He was doing it again. Gazing at her with those hypnotic eyes.

“Asher, I’m sorry,” she sobbed.

“For what?” He asked between kisses.

His heat against her face was divine. This was a new side to her monster she’d never experienced before. He was sensual…and loving.

“For disappointing you,” she whispered. Suddenly, she felt horribly guilty for kissing Fin when all this time Asher was protecting her, waiting for her.

He kissed her left eyelid then her right and ran his thumb along her jawline. Then he kissed her lips again, unleashing his warmth inside her mouth.

Was he giving her another gift? Invading her mind?

Oh, hell. She didn’t care.

She grabbed two fistfuls of his luxurious hair and pulled him into her. He responded by pressing her into the wall, and once again she was putty in his arms.

“Shall we dance?” he asked in his smooth, seductive voice, and Hailey had to get her bearings. She wasn’t sure she could stand on her own after that kiss, let alone dance.

“Okay,” she breathed.

“I’m going to let go of you now, Hailey,” he whispered to her ear. “You’re trembling. Can you stand?”

She nodded, but as soon as he let her go, her legs crumpled, and he caught her again.

She clutched his white shirt and willed her legs to stand. “I did that on purpose,” she said with a soft giggle, “so you’d hold me tight again.”

But the Envoy wasn’t amused.

Envoys don’t laugh. Fin’s voice rang inside her head.