"Asher, don't..." I jump from Thomas' arms and try to calm down the raging Lycan. I knew I would've succeeded, if Thomas didn't step in front of me and hid me from Asher.
I blink and Asher was on top of Thomas, hitting him like a mad man. Flashbacks of the night we met play in my head and I remember the bloody, unconscious body of Will after he also tried to "protect" me from Asher. But the Lycan was way more furious now and I found myself fearing for Thomas' life. I don't lose anymore time and throw myself between the two, hugging Thomas' limp body and hoping Asher won't decide to make me his next punching bag.
But I knew he wouldn't and the moment he saw me in the direct line of his punchings, he got up. I look at him as he tries to calm himself. He takes deep breathes and keeps his eyes closed for a few minutes, enough for me to sweep off the wild tears that escaped my eyes. I looked down at Thomas who was merely conscious and new tears rolled down my eyes. I didn't know what I was feeling, seeing the man I love beat up and having his attacker right in front of me. I could hurt Asher right now, but something didn't let me. I wished I could, at least, gate him for what he has done, or be angry at him. But when my view switched to the now calmed Lycan, I couldn't even force myself to feel any repusilve sentiment towards him. It was like anything he would, I couldn't hate him. Not even if I was the one laying on the floor right now with blood spilling out of several bruises. Not if he would've hit me when I interfered...
I don't feel myself when he's around. It's like I'm a different person; an obviously deranged person if I'm this blind to such a grave act of violence on someone I state that I care so deeply for. Thomas groans in pain and I immediately search for a way to comfort him. Elves don't have any healing powers, but they do have some kind of primal magic who helps them create simple spell like the healing ones. But I don't know if someone could cast a spell half-unconscious. I was looking completely frozen at his limp body, his face contorsonied in pain and probably anger. He must be bloody furious right now, as I know he hates being powerless. And against an adversary such as a Lycan, anyone would feel inferior.
"Don't." Asher tells me, his words slipping through his clenched teeth. I was trying to inspect Thomas' wounds, looking if he had any major open wounds. But I stopped and turned to face Asher. I took my hands off my wounded boyfriend and showed them up in defense. He took both of them and forced me to stand on my feet. My inside was trembling in fear, but I was forcing myself to stay still.
I tried to protest when Asher started dragging me to the exit, but the death stare he gave me forced me to shut up. With a breaking heart, I've left Thomas laying helpless on the balcony's floor. He passed nearly all the rooms on my floor, until Asher stopped us exactly in front of my room. I didn't ask how he knew which one was mine, because I didn't evem care about his answer right now. My mind dumbly trying to find a way to reach Thomas, to find a way to help him. If Asher called an ambulance on Will after their fight, because he realised that he was only my hunting partner, I doubt he'll show the same kindness to Thomas. After how he caught us...
"Change your clothes, Adeline." He says with a rash voice and only know I realise that we are in my room. Luckily, Béatrice is nowhere to be seen, otherwise she'd have freaked out if she saw me walking in with my clothes full of blood and an angry man dragging me around.
I walk to my bed and get the blouse and pants I chose not to wear less than an hour ago. Right now I didn't even cared how I looked anymore, I just wanted to help Thomas. An idea pops into my mind when I get my clothes and I silently walk towards the bathroom. Asher was standing by the door and didn't comment when he saw me going there. I close the door behind me and I quickly strip of my bloody clothes. I put on the new ones and hide the others at the bottom of the laundry bag. Once I'm done hiding anything that would panick my room mate, I hurried to the cabinet behind the sink and got my emergency kit. There, under the mettalic tile, was laying a loaded gun. I can't remember the type of bullets I've put inside of it, but I don't want to shoot him anyway. I just wish to scare him enough that he'll let me help Thomas.
With the gun in my right hand and the kit in the other, I exit the bathroom. As I was preparing myself to threaten Asher, I find Béatrice standing in front of my gun, instead of him. My room mate raised her hands in defence and started shaking and I dropped both the gun and the kit immediately. I saw Asher standing at my desk, looking through my textbooks and whatever stuff I was having there. But I couldn't look at him too much, I was too focused on keeping Bee from running out the halls and probably never coming back.
"Bee, I can explain. I didn't know you were there. It wasn't supposed to be you..." I say with a trembling voice and I wish she will believe me.
"I figured, you psycho!" She shouts back at me, closing the door behind her. "I'm just glad you figured out in time that I wasn't one of your monsters."
"M-monsters? What do you mean?"
"Oh, please Ally. I'm a forensics student and you're the messiest secret agent in the world. You could've put a sign on your forehead, it wouldn't have made a difference."
"I'm not a secret agent."
"Whatever you are. The lesser I know, the better." She sighs and her eyes fall directly on Asher. Her face stiffens as she must've realised who should've been standing at my gunpoint. "If I say please don't kill me, it will make a difference?"
"Let's go, Adeline." Says Asher, grabbing my hand and dragging me towards the door.
"Wait!" Bee puts herself between us and the door and I silently pray that Asher won't lose his temper. "Please don't hurt her, I'm sure she didn't mean to do whatever bad thing she did..."
"Oh, she meant." Spits Asher the accusatory words. "She meant to break my heart." He looked at me this time and tears built up on the corner of my eyes. Having seen Thomas earlier, Bee must've realised what Asher is meaning and stepped away.
I jumped in my boots and didn't look behind me when I exited the room, nor when I got out in the cold air of the night. I forgot my jacket in my room, but I couldn't care less right now, when both my heart and my mind were divided in so many directions, pulling my entire being apart. I don't know where Asher was leading me to, but I was surprisingly unworried about this matter. Even after what I've witnessed and what I already knew about him and his kind, I don't understand why I'm never afraid of him, or whenever I'm around him. But I should be.
Damn, I should be terrified right now.
"Asher..." I call his name in the silence of the night and he stiffened up immediately. I didn't know what I wanted to say, but my mouth decided on her own to speak up. So she will figure out the rest.
"What?" He asks with a harsh tone and I shut up instantly. Whatever glimpse of wanting to discuss with him what happened is gone.
"What?" He further asks, stopping in place and making me bump into him. He turns to face him and although his face was frowned, his eyes were more sad than angry.
"I'm sorry, you're not supposed to see that..." I mumble a pathetic apology fot which I wasn't able to find motivation, but it seemed like the right thing to say.
"See what, Adeline? How my soul mate is declaring her love to another man? Or how she was being cozy with someone else than me?" He spits the accusations and I step back. He sighs when he see than I don't have any arguments to give, looking at the gap between us as he speaks. "You know, I was sure you're just a cold person, closed off and who doesn't like sharing her emotions. But now I realised that you're this way only with me, because no matter what I do, you'll always deny our bond."
"I... I don't..." I mumble the words under my breath but I can't make up any coherrent sentences. His words are truer than anything, but somehow I'm sad that he's finally giving up on me. Wasn't it what I wanted?
"I'm sorry that I've come looking for you, after you told me very directly that I have to stay away. I guess I never really lost hope..." he pauses and turns on his heels, his next words mere whispers in the night. "Until now."
"No," I say after he makes just a step away from me and my feet unconsciously run to catch up with him. I put myself in his way, blocking him from leaving me there. I don't know why I wanted him to stay, but I was feeling like my heart would die if he ever disappeared from my life again. Imagines of the nightmares I've been having the last weeks come in my mind and somehow I link their apparition to his disappearance from my life. I don't know why I drew this conclusion but it quickly became truer to me than the ground beneath my feet.
"Asher, you need to understand me. I'm not feeling myself right now, I haven't been feeling the same since I met you. I don't know if the change is good or bad, but it exists. The weeks since I left you in the woods have been horrible for me, but today I felt fine after you reappeared. I don't know if they're actually connected but my heart is sure they are. But with all things considered, I can't change what I feel. I've loved Thomas for so long, I don't know how could I care for anyone as deeply as I do for him." I blurt the words out and I drew a quick breath to calm down. "I can't give up either of you."
Asher wants to say something, but he stops and his eyes grow big. I see his fresh blood spoiling his white shirt and I gasp when he falls on his knees. I grab his body before it hits the ground and tears roll down my face as the blood continues to spill from the deep wound on his back. I draw the dagger from his back and a familiar crest on it makes me raise my eyes towards Asher's attacker. Thomas was grinning at Asher's merely conscious body and the only thing stopping me from grabbing his throat is the fact that I don't want to abandon Asher now.
"Why did you do that?"