~Aspen
Yawning, I wander down the stairs, holding my stomach.
I'm nervous to see Kastriv again, and in this large home, I'm afraid of stumbling into something I shouldn't see. So I head straight down to where we were yesterday, lingering between the foyer and the living area.
"Good morning."
I flinch, whirling around.
Kastriv strolls down the stairs, not much longer after I did. He must have just woken, ivory hair mussed in such a way that has my mouth drying.
"I'm ready to go home," I tell him, keeping my gaze pinned to his, instead of letting it drift down to his low hanging pants.
He brushes past me. "Come sit down, enjoy some breakfast."
I frown. "I'm not hungry."
"I wish to discuss something with you. Something you may be interested in." He continues walking, not bothering to look over his shoulder.
Considering Kastriv is my only way out of here, I reluctantly follow him.
He leads me back outside onto the deck to a set of table and chairs, already laid out with a variety of breakfast foods. There's not much heat to the sun, as I sit down, basking in it regardless.
Kastriv doesn't say anything for a moment, filling a cup with coffee before handing it to me. It feels strange, having a Noble wait on me like this, dining with me as if I am politically, or magically on the same level as him.
"Do you have a job?" He eventually asks.
I shift. "No."
"Why not?"
"I'm better suited to what I do at home." I look away, toward the desert. What a concept...Me working. Oliver hasn't had to tell me that would never happen. He makes plenty of money, so that's no motivation, and I'm far easier to control when I know few people.
Kastriv's eyes narrow. "Speak from your own mind, Aspen. Not what he has told you."
I take a sip of my coffee so I don't have to answer right away. How deep does Kastriv think Oliver's hold on me is?
"I've never had the opportunity." It's not untrue.
"I would like to offer you a job," he offers.
I nearly spit the coffee from my mouth. A job? With a Noble? He must be playing some cruel trick on me. He can see that I'm vulnerable, and any way out of my current life is one I would be desperate for.
Wiping my chin, I set my coffee down, trying not to cough. "Doing what? I'm not qualified for anything."
"You are more than qualified," he murmurs, fingers drumming against the surface of his mug. "I want you to help me find these Demon's."
"I'm confused...Why not ask Oliver?"
"I don't want these Demon's dead, but I would like to locate some of them," he explains. I blink, still confused. I understand that he doesn't despise Demon's as Oliver does, but what purpose could someone have for Demon's?
"What for?"
His tilts his head from side to side. "That, I cannot say."
"I know nothing about Demon's. What you told Oliver yesterday was all the history I've ever learnt about them," I say carefully. He doesn't need to know who or what I am. It would only complicate things, and infuriate Oliver.
He appears to think for a moment. "I suspect you will know more than you are aware of now. What do you say?"
"What if I fail?" I whisper. I wouldn't even know where to start. I'm not a seeker by nature, but the sound of having my own job, whatever it may be, is exhilarating.
"You won't," he says simply.
It's not an insinuation that if I failed, there would be a price to pay. He merely suggests that there is no way for me to fail, and if I did, it would be no fault of my own.
"You'll pay me?" It feels wrong to even ask. If a Noble asked me to do something for him, I wouldn't have much choice to do otherwise.
"Yes. And I will offer boarding here, or elsewhere in the city." He gestures around him, and I'm not ashamed as my mouth falls upon in surprise. Live here? In such a magnificent home? Oliver and I's residence is nothing to be ashamed of, but to live out here would be unimaginable.
Shifting in my seat, I sober from my initial shock. "But I live with Oliver."
"That may change. I'm giving you an opportunity to be your own person, to belong to no one but yourself, Aspen."
His eyes stare into mine with renewed intensity, the sable void of his burning irises appearing to strip me of all my outward defences, revealing my vulnerabilities for him to sift through at will.
I can't believe he just suggested that Oliver and I may come to live apart. He's essentially telling me he predicts my divorce, which would otherwise be socially deplorable, but the way he says it makes it sound less offensive and more...convincing.
"Can I think about it?" I ask softly.
I'm non-committal for a few reasons. Mainly because of Oliver, and his inevitably explosive reaction. If he doesn't like Kastriv now, I hate to think about his feelings were I to broach the subject of a job with him.
But I'm also hesitant because...could I really work for a Noble? And finding Demon's doesn't sound like my ideal job.
Kastriv smiles tightly. "Absolutely."
"I should probably go home, shouldn't I?" I murmur. Oliver will be pacing at home, wondering about what horrors occurred to me last night, purely concerned about what his standing will be with Kastriv.
His expression goes cold suddenly, casting a look outward. "My urge is to keep you here and ask you why you said what you did last night, but I suspect you will not relent."
"There is nothing to say," I merely exclaim.
Nothing that won't incriminate me, at least.
"I'm not going to push you beyond what you are comfortable with. When you want to tell me, you will," he concedes. I could collapse in relief. The further he digs into the nature of my relationship to Oliver, the more horrors he will uncover.
Like the burn, he so keenly picked out, despite my covering. My hand feels relieved today, improved vastly from the ointment he supplied.
"Thank you, Kastriv."
He stands swiftly, leaving the untouched breakfast unattended as I join him.
"Write to me, once you have decided. Or come visit in person," he offers. I nod, knowing Oliver will never let me in sight of this man ever again, if he can help it.
"I will."
I couldn't rush from the home any quicker, hopping into the awaiting transportation without a single glance back.
As I suspected, Oliver is waiting for me in the foyer of our home the moment I return. He doesn't appear angry, although I've quickly learned that he conceals his anger the best when he is moments away from exploding.
"Well, how was it?" He demands, watching me as I casually hang my coat, hoping to give away little. I owe Kastriv nothing, but sustaining the ruse that him and I slept together last night only benefits me.
"Fine," I murmur.
His eyes trace over me, looking for marks, for the bruises Kastriv promised to inflict upon me. "Did he please you?"
My cheeks flush convincingly. "Oliver, please..."
When I go to brush past him, he steps in my way, his silent fury becoming increasingly more obvious. "Answer me."
"He was a selfish lover. He found his pleasure, but I did not find mine," I blurt out, just to sate him, and his overwhelming ego. It doesn't feel wrong to lie either, at least to him. But it does feel wrong to paint Kastriv in such a light.
I can only imagine what kind of lover he really is...
"How many times did he have you?" Oliver questions. His nose scrunches up slightly at the thought, seeing me now as used, dirty.
I exhale through my nose. "I lost count after the third time."
He has the audacity to laugh, as if he was not the one who supposedly inflicted this upon me. "Impressive. Noble's huh...or maybe it's the magic."
"I'm going to rest, I'm sore." I can't bear to stand here and speak of this any longer.
"Wait, Aspen." He steps in front of me again.
"What?"
"Thank you for this. Your own kind will be wiped off this earth shortly, but you shall remain," he tells me, as if I should be grateful. I've never felt inclined to mingle with other Demon's, but I most definetely don't want them dead.
Regardless, I bow my head. "Thank you."
He goes to walk away, but I wince, knowing that there is no point bringing up my conversation with Kastriv, and what that may mean for my future.
"Hey, Oliver? Would you mind if I were to get a job?" I ask gently. There's little point telling him Kastriv has offered me one. He will assume he is being bested, once again.
He frowns. "No one would hire you."
"Maybe not. I'm just asking-"
"Your only job is to remain under this roof, and be my wife when I need you to. Got it?" He demands, the curtness of his tone suggesting that any more talk of such a notion will have terrible consequences.
My throat dries, the painful need to cry echoing through me. "Got it."
"If I hear you're searching for a job, you will be punished." With that he turns, heading out toward his office.
I run my hands back through my hair, beginning to pace. Just like that, the smallest glimmer of hope within me has been snatched away.
My pace up the stairs is slow, the letter I have to write not one I want to.
Kastriv.
I want to thank you for the opportunity, but I must decline.
My job is to remain here, a doting wife to my husband before anything else. Were I to get a job, I fear his needs would not be met, therefore, I must not take your offer.
Thank you anyways.
Aspen
~Aspen"I can't believe he did that."I stuff my head deeper into my pillow. "Neither can I."My friend stands by my bedroom window, gazing out.Kaia has been the only friend I've had since meeting Oliver. He made me cut off all of them, and right now, he doesn't know I'm close to Kaia. He suspects, but ultimately, he thinks so little of his staff, I don't think he believes I would befriend her."We need to get you out of here soon, okay?" She turns, lookin
~AspenBoth Oliver and I are left speechless.I try not to look at him, to reveal anything. If Kastriv knows I am a Demon, who knows what he could do...He claims to believe others like me are not dangerous, but that does not mean he can be trusted.Oliver let's out a choked laugh. "Aspen is not a Demon.""The spirits information may not always be reliable, however, this I am certain about," Kastriv says lowly.If Kastriv is so confident in his assessment, w
~AspenKastriv is methodical and efficient as he continues to sew up my wound."Fuck this," I grit out, stomach clenching. It's odd, knowing I should be feeling more pain currently. My arm is numb, either from adrenaline, or from whatever tonic Kastriv gave me, that is currently making my head spin.Finally, after what feels like centuries passing, Kastriv pulls away.I watch as he turns back to his table, rummaging through the supplies. "All done now. Let me clean it up and bandage it."
~AspenI stare blankly up into those dark eyes of his, wondering, despite his seriousness, if he is teasing me."What?" I whisper.Kastriv lets out a long breath. "I know...I've seen this woman since I was a child, so you can imagine my horror when I first laid eyes on you."I hadn't noticed...Although that attentive eyes of his always troubled me. It were as if he was looking at me like he knew me, knew my secrets.And now this?
~AspenI shiver, pressing deeper into the couch, clasping the hot cup of tea between my hands.Kastriv sits on the coffee table in front of me, our legs basically intertwining. He has had the same grim look on his face since I came in."I'm sorry, Aspen, but I'm not letting you return to him," he murmurs lowly, brows furrowed.I swallow thickly.The thought of going back to Oliver now has my heart racing to the point of pain, leaving my limbs trembling and head spinning. It feels different this time.This time, I have a way out."I'm not going back. I'm done," I say over the rim of my cup, sipping the hot tea. I'm still shivering, my clothes and hair soaked through from my trek in the rain, but the blanket Kastriv draped over my shoulders earlier has helped.Kastriv leans forward, reaching out to brush his thumb along my cheek. When he pulls away, there's dried blood on the surface of his glove from the small cuts along my face."How could anyone do this to you?" He says it less like
~Aspen"Kastriv!"I'm at his side in an instant, shaking his limbs. He's alive, but barely. It was as if something overcame him, turning him into a monster.He's completely limp as I shake him incessantly, trying to bring some life back into him. His breathing remains faint, while he is entirely unresponsive.And I'm out here, somewhere in Territory Ten, alone."Please wake up...Please," I beg, groaning with frustration. He's my way out of here, with his magical abilities...And once it gets dark, who knows what creatures will come out of the forest to tear me apart.Eventually, I gather resources to light a fire, which is almost impossible, considering how damp the material is, but by the time night has officially fallen, I've created a spark that grows into a healthy fire.Kastriv remains unconscious. The best I can do for him is sit close, and keep an eye on the fire.Soon enough, my eyes become tired and my body grows wary.I need sleep. But can I really sleep out here? In the dist
~AspenWe return to the same area first thing in the morning.The same internal tugging feeling has me leading Kastriv through the forest. The difficult terrain has it taking a while, but Kastriv insists it's part of the test for me to lead him there."Can you sense it?" he asks after a while of walking.I wipe sweat from my brow, squinting to look through the trees. "It's around here."It feels like I'm being drawn to something, that there is a tether between it and myself, that is pulling taut with each step I take in the right direction."I go where you go, Aspen," Kastriv says from behind me."Do you really not know where it is? Or are you testing me?" I question, looking over my shoulder, giving him my best accusatory stare. He's told me he's testing me, but how much of this is really necessary?"Genuinely, I don't know exactly where the site is. I just have a general idea," he tells me.He hasn't made any comments that I've been heading in the wrong direction, so I continue."Gre
~AspenKastriv helped me tend to Kaia wounds, before allowing her to rest upstairs while we came down to talk.I barely get to sit down before Kastriv starts speaking. "You can't go back.""I don't want to make this difficult for everyone...What if he seriously pursues this?" I question.Would Oliver kill me? Absolutely, and he would get away with it as well, once he exposed me for being a Demon.Or worse, he could hurt Kaia again...Kastriv settles into the couch next to me. "He likely will, but that doesn't mean you can go back to him. He was abusive.""I don't want to go back. But what about Kaia?" I sigh, trying to press down the fear rolling around my stomach, although it's impossible. I have to face this, not run away."I'll protect her," Kastriv assures me. "Just like I'll protect you."I turn toward him, feeling the power flowing off him, a consequence of his risking anger. How many spirits are around us now, whispering in his ear? I wonder how they feel about me, if they are t