Page 31 of Fated

Shaking out my hands in front of me, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I leaned closer into him, so close now that I could touch him.

I hesitated only a moment before placing my hand on his cheek, finding his skin cool under my palm. I felt for the darkness—the wrongness—there.

Then, reaching for the light once more, I imagined it driving the darkness away. My hand began to glow and instantly, I was somewhere else.

Now, I found myself in Ash’s memory, looking up through his eyes at the face of a lovely dark-haired woman with a gentle smile. She gazed down at me with pure affection, and the world around felt only safe, good. Her smile lit something up inside of me and I delighted in the warmth it brought, savoring the way it made me feel. She was my mother—Ash’s mother.

“I love you, my sweet boy,” her soft voice whispered, and it was apparent just how much this child version of Ash loved her, too.

The scene shifted. Now, I was sitting at a table in a tavern, surrounded by laughter. I didn’t recognize the man sitting to my right, but I could sense he was important to Ash.

Across the table, a dark-haired girl—looking very much like Ash’s mother—was laughing, her eyes sparkling with joy.

I was laughing too—or rather, Ash was laughing—and the sound was … beautiful. My gaze shifted across the table to the source of the group’s laughter. It was Calyx but it wasn’t.

His eyes, now a brilliant ocean blue, brimmed with life ashe moved his hands animatedly in front of him, telling a story, flashing that signature grin of his. The joy in this moment was overwhelming, almost intoxicating, like being with Lucy and Tyson, only magnified.

The vision shifted again, and I found myself on a balcony overlooking a spectacular city. The buildings were unlike anything I’d ever seen, some tall and silvery, reaching far above the clouds, others glittering as if made from crystal.

Joy and laughter filled the air and children played below. Silver spheres floating above the city caught my attention. No, those were vehicles carrying people inside. How extraordinary.

As I looked, sheer delight, pride, and a sense of home welled within me. This was Ash’s home.

I jumped as the vision was yanked away, thrusting me back into the room, where I was kneeling in front of Ash. He pushed my hand away, gripping my wrist as his eyes snapped open.

A sharp breath escaped me as I took in his eyes.

They were a brilliant emerald green, stunning and bright, glowing with life.

I couldn’t look away, mesmerized. But then, as if a shadow passed over him, the darkness returned, and his eyes shifted back to a cold, stormy gray. “What have you done?” Ash’s voice was ragged, cracked with such desperation, I couldn’t find any words.

The sound of the front door opening and shutting startled me. Calyx was back, thank God. Ash’s grip on my wrist loosened and with a quiet motion, he lifted his finger to his lips, signaling me to stay silent. He didn’t want Calyx to know what had just happened. I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump that had grown in my throat, and nodding slightly.

Calyx’s footsteps echoed down the hallway as he whistled acheery tune. When he reached the room and his eyes landed on the scene before him—me kneeling on the floor, the dead ripper on the bed with a dagger sticking out of his chest—he froze. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open in shock. “What the actual fuck?”

“Hurry, it’s Ash! Help him!” I blurted out.

He was in the room before I could blink, taking in the sight of his friend leaning against the wall. “Dark-root,” Ash muttered weakly.

“Shit,” Calyx disappeared for only a moment before returning with a syringe filled with an amber-colored liquid. He didn’t waste any time, stabbing the needle directly into Ash’s chest.

Before Calyx even finished pushing the liquid through the syringe, all the veins on Ash’s neck had vanished. “You’re lucky,” Calyx muttered. “It was the last antidote in the supply room.”

Ash lifted his shirt, and I couldn’t believe my eyes; the wound on his abdomen began sealing shut in front of me. Calyx tossed him a blood bag, which Ash ripped open with his teeth and drained in seconds, his color returning almost instantly.

I turned away, stifling a gag.

“One of you want to tell me what the fuck happened while I was gone?” Calyx glanced between us before reaching out to help Ash to his feet.

“That asshole from the guard station and his friend attacked Areya,” Ash said, standing up.

My fingers brushed against the puncture wounds on my neck, making me wince at the sharp sting. The holes were deep and wide, still throbbing from the ripper’s bite.

“Oh shit.” Calyx looked at my neck as I offered an embarrassed smile.

“Those were two bottom-level rippers; how the hell did theyget a hit on you?” Again, Calyx looked between Ash and me, waiting for an answer.

“Don’t know, man.” Ash rubbed his temple. “He was going to kill Areya, I knew Agidius would kill us, and it all just threw me off.”

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