Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ashland
I wake to sunlight streaming through the cabin windows and the weight of Bianca curled against my chest. Her dark hair spills across my skin like ink on paper, and for a moment, just one fucking moment, I let myself believe this could last. That this is real.
That she's not being pursued by an absolute monster and I'm not one myself, and that none of those factors are going to break us apart.
Her breathing is soft and even, one hand resting over my heart. I wonder if she can feel how it thunders at her touch, how it's been beating for her alone for years.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. Once. Twice. Three times.
Fuck .
I carefully extract myself from Bianca's embrace, her small sound of protest making something crack open in my chest. Even in sleep, she reaches for me. I force myself to move away before I crawl back into bed and say Fuck all to everything else.
The screen shows seven missed calls from Seamus.
My heartbeat thunders. Tiernan .
My jaw tightens as I pull on my jeans and step into the main room, keeping my voice low. “Is he alright?”
“Who? What the hell are you talking about?” His confusion gives me momentary relief. If he doesn’t know what I’m talking about…
“Tiernan.”
“Aye, he's fine, brother. I’m wondering where the hell you've been. I've been calling you for an hour.”
“I was asleep.”
“Well, it’s time to wake the fuck up.” Seamus’s voice is tight and angry. This isn’t good. “We’ve got a problem. What can you tell me about Marcus Crowning?”
Fuck .
My brief time with Bianca has come to a close, even before I imagined it would. I run a hand across the back of my neck. “What about him?”
“He's asking questions about a missing woman? Someone he was supposed to marry , Ash?”
Ice floods my veins. “What kind of questions?”
“The kind that means he knows she's gone and he's not happy about it. He's reached out to every family, claiming the McCarthys may be harboring stolen property.” Seamus's disgust is palpable. “Come to the house. I'm going to ask you one more time, Ash—do you know anything about this?”
“Aye.” It comes out hard. It’s time to tell them… to deal with the aftermath. “She's with me.”
He curses under his breath. “Jesus fucking Christ , Ash, what the fuck is wrong with you?”
I blow out a breath, and before I can answer, he continues. “We need to figure out how to handle this before it turns into a war.”
“Aye.”
War . Because of me. Because I couldn't keep my hands off what didn't belong to me.
Except… she does belong to me. Always has.
“I'll be there in an hour.”
“Make it thirty minutes,” he says. “And Ash? Leave the girl wherever you've been hiding her. This conversation might not be one she needs to hear.”
He ends the call before I can respond. I run a hand through my hair. He knows. And he’s gonna lose his fucking mind because there’s no way I’m leaving her here .
I stand there, phone in hand, staring at nothing.
Leave her at the cabin? Over my dead body.
I suppose it makes tactical sense—leave her safe here while I go clean up the mess I made.
But no. Crowning knows she's missing. He's looking for her.
And if he connects her disappearance to me, to this place…
No .
“Ashland?”
Bianca's voice is soft and sleepy. I turn to find her in the doorway, wearing nothing but my shirt from last night. My god , the sight of her curvy body silhouetted against my tee— I swallow hard.
She’s here, in my bed, in my clothes, and she trusts me. I have to go against what Seamus tells me, even if he'll fucking kill me for it.
I'd crawl over flames just to be with her. Her curvy, pale legs are bare, her hair wild over her shoulders. She looks like every goddamn fantasy I've ever had and knew I didn't deserve.
“Come here,” I rasp.
She smiles and moves toward me, practically bouncing. “Come back to bed?”
I catch her around the waist and pull her against me, breathing in the scent of vanilla and rose. “I can't, love.”
“Why not?”
“Family business. My cousin needs me. ”
“Oh.” She bites her lip, and I want to soothe it with my thumb, kiss away the worry. “How long will you be gone?”
I hesitate. I don’t want to tell her that he knows.
“Take me with you,” she whispers, cutting me off.
I have to, but I hesitate. Leaving her here leaves her vulnerable. Bringing her with me…
“If it's important, I want to be part of your life, Ashland. Not just someone you hide away.”
She looks away from me, and I know without her saying it that this is a wound she carries. Someone else made her feel small, unwanted, and kept in the shadows.
Every instinct screams at me to say no, to keep her separate from the violence, the politics, and whatever complications come next. But Crowning's already looking for her, already making this personal. Hiding her here—if he traces her to me, if he finds this place while I'm gone…
No .
She's safer with me.
“You need to get dressed,” I tell her.
Her face lights up like I just promised her the world. “Really? You mean it?” She grins, and Christ, she's so fucking beautiful it hurts. “Really, Ashland?”
“Aye. You're coming with me, but you have to listen to me, lass.” I cup her face, making sure she sees how serious I am. “We're in danger—you and me both. I can't risk anything happening to you. Do you understand?”
“Aye,” she says with a sad smile. “But I feel safe with you. I know you won’t let anyone hurt me. I mean, I don't want you to think I'm using you?—”
“Stop.” I silence her with a kiss, my lips claiming hers. I cup the back of her head and give us half a minute just to breathe each other in. She trusts me. I love her. That has to be enough.
It will be.
“Seamus said thirty minutes,” I whisper. “We have to go. Now.”
I pull back, my voice low and rough. “Let's go.
I'll fight for you, Bianca. I won't let him touch you.” I frame her face with both hands, forcing her to hold my gaze.
“They're taking on a fight they didn't ask for because of me, but I love you.
Do you hear me? I can't—” My jaw clenches.
“I already lost someone I loved to this world. I won't lose you too.”
Her eyes widen as she nods and swallows hard.
“You’ll tell me,” she whispers, as if testing the words. “But not now. Alright?”
“Aye.”
“You love me,” she says. “You really do, don’t you?”
“Aye, lass. I loved you every day I watched you. I love you so much it's made me a monster—one who takes you and tells himself it's for protection.”
Tears well in her eyes, catching the morning light.
“You don't have to say it back,” I continue quickly. “I know what this is, what I am. Trauma bonding, Stockholm syndrome, whatever the fuck a therapist would call it. But it doesn't change how I feel?—”
“You're an idiot,” she says, then silences me with a kiss. It's soft and sweet and tastes like forgiveness. When she pulls back, she's smiling through her tears. “I love you too. I don't care what anybody else calls it. I know I made the choice to be here.”
I blow out a shaky breath and kiss her forehead, still cradling her face. “Christ, I don't deserve you.” I force myself to step back. “We have to go. Now. Seamus is waiting.”
“Aye,” she says, moving toward the bedroom. Then she pauses, glancing back at me with uncertainty in her dark eyes. “Ashland… what if your family doesn't like me?”
I can't help the rough laugh that escapes. “Are you fucking kidding me? Of course they will. It's like asking what if they don't like sunshine .”
She gives me a half smile, ducks her head with a blush, and disappears into the bedroom.
I pull out my phone, checking the time. If we leave now, we can make it to the family house in forty minutes. Thirty-five if I push it.
A text comes through from Seamus.
Seamus
Where the fuck are you?
On my way
Then, before he can murder me on sight, I decide it's probably best to prepare him. So I add:
And you can kill me later, but I'm not leaving her where Crowning can find her.
Three dots appear, disappear, then appear again.
Seamus
This better not be a mistake, Ash.
I pull on a fresh shirt, strap on my shoulder holster, and check my weapons. Everything's in place. I grab the bag I keep ready by the door, always prepared for a quick exit.
Bianca emerges from the bedroom wearing jeans and a sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looks young and nervous, and so fucking beautiful it steals my breath.
“I'm ready,” she says.
I hold out my hand. She takes it, her small fingers threading through mine.
“Whatever happens in there,” I tell her. “Whatever they say about your father—we'll talk about it after. Me and you. ”
Her brow furrows. “My father? What do you know about my father?”
“I'll explain later. I don't have time right now.”
She frowns, pulling her hand back slightly. “Did you know my father?”
“Aye.”
She doesn't say anything else, but I can see the questions building behind her eyes. I'm bringing her into my home, my world, my family. She deserves to know the truth, but not like this. Not rushed, not before she has to face the McCarthys.
“Who's going to be there?” she asks quietly as I lead her toward the door. “Do you have brothers? Sisters?”
I clear my throat. “I have one brother, Lorcan. There was another, but he's… deceased.”
“Oh, Ashland. I'm so sorry.” Her face crumples with genuine pain. “What happened?”
“He betrayed the family,” I say impassively. “And he paid the ultimate price.”
Her brow furrows, but she doesn’t ask any more questions. Not yet.
We reach the car, and I open her door, waiting until she's settled before closing it and rounding to the driver's side. I reach over and take her hand as I pull away from the cabin. She squeezes back, holding tight .
I can't shield her from any of this anymore.
“The people we're about to meet—” I pause, choosing my words carefully. I glance at her, then back to the road. “You should know who I am, Bianca. What I'm capable of. Do you understand me?”