31: Ashallia

Ash stared at the shadowy tendrils that seemed to be trying to reach out to each other, both stunned and fascinated. As they finally touched, she felt suddenly slammed with the awareness of another, right there in front of her.

She still couldn't see them, only feel them, but it felt like emotions and sudden realisation both flowed through the strange forms on contact, and her eyes went wide, realising that it was him.

He was stunned by it too, she could feel it, but he reacted fast, and a split second later she was trapped, held tightly with his arm around her waist and a hand over her mouth.

She tried to struggle and kick, clawing at his arms and hands, but he ignored it, continuing to hold her firm. "Stop it!" he growled in her ear, before burying his face in the curve of her neck and breathing her in deeply, "you know I'm too strong, and I'm not going to let you go."

Still struggling, she knew he wasn't lying. She could sense him, all of hi