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

Ash hesitated at the top of the stairs, realising it would look very odd for her to come down with a man, especially after her last conversation with Benny, when she arrived. She bit her lip, turning back to Jason and trying to think of a way to explain it. It seemed she didn't need to though, as he smiled at her, nodded, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, whispering, "I'll meet you downstairs." She smiled gratefully, and he stroked her cheek before he stepped back, moving towards her door, then disappearing. She frowned at the spot where he'd stood, realising she still didn't know exactly what he was, or the extents of what he could do. That odd feeling tugged at her again, and she was pulled from her thoughts, realising he was already downstairs waiting. It was kind of comforting, in a way, knowing he was there, and it made her smile as she descended the flights of stairs quickly. Benny walked past the bottom of the stairs and looked up at her, g

Ashallia closed her eyes as she clung to Jason, her mind reeling as she thought about what she'd read in the article on Lukas' phone. How had such a huge smuggling network been thriving in Violet Cove without any of the locals knowing about it? It made her feel sick to her stomach. Especially when there were people involved.. 'Could that have almost been me?' she wondered, thinking of the night when she'd first seen Jason, when those sleazebags had tried to grab her. 'Were those guys always a part of it? All those times they came into Pete's?' she couldn't help but wonder.She shuddered at the thought, and Jason wrapped his arms around her tighter, Lukas' and Mikael's hands still on her back. They'd closed in around her, and she realised she could sense something from all three of them now, not just Jason.The sensations from Mikael and Lukas seemed less, like their connection was weaker, but they were there, and she could feel how similar, yet

Lukas gave Ash a sympathetic smile, which she ignored, heading for the door. He sighed, stepping into a shadow, and out again an instant later, right in front of her, blocking her way. She frowned at him. "I just want to leave," she said, and Lukas shook his head. "Sorry, darlin', you know I can't let you do that," he said gently. She rubbed a hand across each cheek, wiping away some tears, "I don't want this," she said suddenly, as more began falling. Lukas stepped forward, putting his arms around her. She tensed slightly, but then slowly relaxed, likely sensing his feelings through their connection. He sensed hers too, and it only made his feelings of both empathy and sympathy grow. He knew she didn't deserve to be uprooted from her life like this, for reasons they could barely explain themselves. None of his kind knew how our why their destined soulmate was chosen for them, only that it was always right, even if it took a while to find the right bala

Jason was surprised by her gesture, but took it as a good sign. He studied her smaller, soft hand, as he stroked it lightly with his thumb. Content in the silence, he put one arm around her, the other still holding her hand, as they waited for his brothers to finish up with the agent. After finding a suitable, already vacant house in the right location, he knew Luke would have put in an offer competitive enough to gain the agent's undivided attention, and now they all they needed was the paperwork. Ash should be both comfortable and safe here, and they'd do everything in their power to make sure of it, before turning their attention to Henrik's other associates. His assistant hadn't been forthcoming with much, but what he had given them was a start, at least, and combined with what Lukas could find, they'd be able to plan who to target next. Ashallia seemed to sense his troubled thoughts, lifting her head and looking at him with a small frown on her face. He looked at her, giving h