9

~Aspen

I 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