~Sinful
I watch him carefully, for a specific reaction.
He’s been coy with me. Careful, in fact. I’ve been waiting for him to start questioning me about Alaya. About what we did that night. Instead, all he has been doing is brooding, and now that this has happened, I’m not anticipating any further reaction. My favourite side of Asher is about to come out.
The dark side.
We assume Alaya and Aspen left together this morning. I don’t believe there is an inch of my property Asher has scoured. It’s interesting watching his reaction to this. He pretended not to care about her, as if I don’t know him and how he works. This will drive him insane, which is exactly why I am letting him take care of the issue.
“Don’t bring anything with you,” I instruct, pausing Asher’s movement up the stairs. “You won’t need it.”
“Who knows how far they have gotten,” he replies.
I shake my head at him in disbelief, not preferring him like this. His expression is withdrawn, his eyes wandering in all directions as if Alaya is in this building. Surprisingly, he’s weaker while she is away rather than while she is here. More distracted even. If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be pressing for her return.
“You’re an Alpha, Asher, use that to your advantage,” I mutter flatly. He understands what I mean by that. It shouldn’t take him more than a few hours to scope her and the other male out.
“She hasn’t shifted, otherwise I would have been able to find her by now,” he said, folding his arms over his chest.
“Your mate is out there, it just depends when you want to find her.”
We keep eye contact for a few moments, before his stubbornness chips away completely, until he turns to walk away from me. I watch his departing back. Alaya has no idea what is coming from her. Or what’s in store when she gets back.
***
~Alaya
(11 hours earlier)
“Seriously?”
“I convinced him,” Asher informs me, leaning against the doorframe to my room. I smile at the thought of that.
Aspen isn’t going to be spending the night in a cell like I had assumed he would. Asher had managed to convince Sinful that Aspen wasn’t’ a threat, which he probably already knew. It wouldn’t surprise me if Asher is only doing that for Aspen because he knows he’s going to be executed by Sinful soon anyway.
The thought makes me sick to my stomach, but I swallow my hateful words. Him being in his own room helps me another way too. In a way Asher doesn’t know about.
“You can go,” I comment, pulling my bedcovers over my legs as I look back at the book I was reading, not taking in any of the words.
Asher knows I’m mad at him. He also knows it’s for good reason.
“Alaya, I’m sorry-”
I hold my hand up, ceasing his talking. Without even looking at him, I notice him walking away. I practically feel him do so. If my heart could physically crumble into pieces, it just did. No, just because he’s my mate doesn’t mean he can kill an innocent man like that, and expect me to be okay with it.
I wait a few hours before I make my move.
Asher will regret not keeping his mouth shut about where Aspen is sleeping tonight. It’s far from both Sinful and Asher’s quarters, while being closer to mine, which couldn’t be more perfect. I left enough time for Asher to sleep, and Sinful to do whatever immortals do instead of sleep before I ventured out, light on my toes with a backpack over my shoulder, fully dressed.
I knock softly on Aspen’s door, praying it is actually his. When he opens the door, I exhale in relief, pushing him out of the way.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, quickly closing the door after me.
Turning back to him, I struggle not to throw all the information at him. Instead, I’m slow and convincing, explaining to him until he begins to pale, those brilliant emerald eyes clouded with worry.
“That wasn’t apart of the plan,” he excuses, raking his fingers back through his hair.
“There was no plan,” I mutter, already turned around to rifle through his drawers for any clothes. None. The servants don’t need to bring him any, considering his life is going to be ended soon, if we don’t get out of here in time.
Aspen continues to be silent, watching me.
“So what’s your plan then?” he questions as I turn back, having found nothing to fill a bag with. What is my plan?
“We have to leave, otherwise you’re dead,” I breathe, not mentioning the fact that Asher is my mate, and the distance that I’m about to put between us might just be my downfall. “We go on foot until we find Fate. We can summon him once we are out of Sinful’s territory.”
Aspen still looks nervous, trying to come to terms with what I am proposing. I don’t blame him. A minute ago, Asher was helping him. Now, he wants him dead. Even I still find it hard to fathom.
“Trust me,” I say gently. “I’m going whether you come with me or not.”
Aspen seems wary, however, he knows what Asher is like. He doesn’t trust him at all, and the stakes of staying here are too high. We both need to get out of here as quickly as possible, on foot too, so it’s harder for Asher and Sinful to track us down. My plan is to take us to Time’s territory before we summon Fate.
Getting out of Sinful’s place was harder than imaginable. The only way out is through the front door, which is guarded full time. If I had known this at dinner, I would have drugged their food. Too late now.
We opt for a window in our quarters, right by the garden. There’s one that might fit the both of us if we try hard enough. No one patrols this part of the estate, even outside, so we don’t have to worry about that. We do, however, have to worry about the light laden garden that is a view from Sinful’s room.
“You think this is a good idea?” Aspen whispers, as I prop the window open.
“Not at all,” I reply.
The cool night air drifts in, however, I don’t spend much time worrying about that. Instead, I stick my leg through the window, ducking under the top part before stumbling outside. Aspen passes my backpack through before following more awkwardly.
We make our way quickly through the garden, trying not to get too close to Sinful’s oddly coloured roses that manage to survive in this eternal night.
“We are going to get caught,” Aspen whispered, the stones under our shoes crunching loudly, “and when that happens, I’m going to be the one who gets killed, not you, because you’re the Alpha’s mate.”
I don’t reply. Partially because I know that’s true.
The trek down the hill was full of nerves and cold. Aspen still seems uneasy, even though he’s not about to turn around now. I keep glancing over my shoulder as if Sinful or Asher was stalking behind us. It makes me quicken our step, forcing Aspen to follow me down the hill at the same speed.
By the time we make it to the bottom of the mountain, I’m left to consider how Aspen and I are going to make it to T’s territory on foot. It will surely take us a few days, which will mean keeping low and talking to the smallest amount of people possible. It won’t be hard for Sinful to track us if we keep in his territory.
Without the moonlight, we wouldn’t be able to see a single thing, however, I can tell the sun will be coming up in around an hour. Then Sinful and Asher will wake. Then hell with surely begin.
Still with no words spoken between each other, Aspen and I reach the highway that leads back to the small villages in Sinful’s territory. There, we will surely have to avoid everyone, considering how quickly I was turned in at the first door I approached when I first entered this territory. There is no telling what people here would do for Sinful, their leader. I’m sure some kind of reward will be put out for our return.
I’m staring at my feet when I hear the sound of a car approaching.
The headlights blear brightly in both our eyes as the car pulls over almost instantly at the sight of us. Fear spikes through me as I glance over at Aspen, wondering what is going through his head. If this is Asher or Sinful, we are both surely dead.
The car pulls up directly beside us, the window rolling down at the same time. Seeing the driver, recognition clicks in my mind instantly.
Myles, the boy from the party. Even after having my memories stolen many times, I remember him. This time, he looks stern, as he stares both of us down.
“Get in.”