~Aspen
Kastriv 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
~AspenAs if he can sense me, his eyes draw up, pinning me through the window.I freeze, unsure of what to do.Slowly, his lips turn up into a cruel, dark smile.There is nothing for me to do. I can't run, I can't hide...But I can face him.Stalking to the door, I snap the lock off, opening it a crack. With purposeful steps, Keo comes toward the door, stopping on the short wooden porch."It's you..." I whisper, clutching the door tightly.He's far more striking in person than I could have ever imagined. His eyes are so green, so absolutely pure they knock my resolve back a bit.But it is quickly reconstructed, as I consider how terrifying he is. A true, almost pure Demon is a sight to behold, and it's clear by how he holds himself, he knows it."Of course it's me, who else would come into the middle of nowhere, where you just happen to be?" he says, that smile telling me more than just blatant amusement.He is not to be trusted."What do you want, Keo?" I question. My voice wavers, bu
~Aspen"I can't believe Kastriv is being so nice. I never expected that from a Noble," Kaia says.I stare down at her arm, winding a bandage around it slowly. I've dressed many wounds before, although never on someone else.Seeing the gruesome graze Kaia now sports from being pushed down by Oliver makes my stomach churn.He did this to her because of me..."It's because he wants me to do this job for him. Don't confuse it with anything else," I mumble distractedly."Consider me confused then, because I don't think that's his single motivation."Sighing through my nose, I raise my gaze tentatively. "Don't say it..."It's the last thing I need to hear. The more Kaia talks about it, the more she encourages my own thoughts, which have a tendency to sabotage me."What? I think he may feel bad that you've been abused all this time. But I'm sure he wanted to do more than just save you," Kaia muses, wincing as I accidently press upon a tender area on her arm."He may have wanted to save me, b
~AspenI linger near the doorway, watching Kastriv ready for bed.He gave me time to change, and then I did, and now, I'm scared to step past the threshold of the room, knowing once I do, there will be no going back.He's far calmer than me, adjusting the pillow quietly.Am I really about to sleep next to him in bed?"I should warn you, I haven't slept with another man in...well, ever," I admit quietly, rubbing the back of my neck.Kastriv turns, brows furrowed as he looks over me, as if he's startled by my words.My skin flushes with heat as I realise what I just said."I mean, I've slept with a man, like had sex...With Oliver, a few times in the beginning," I ramble, unsure of why I'm even admitting this to him.His eyes narrow slightly."I'm sorry. What I meant is that I've never slept next to another man before," I finally amend, breathing in deeply and holding it, concentrating on the burn in my lungs rather than Kastriv's pressing gaze.He takes his time answering, before he sof