Page 33 of Fated

Had Mom been pushing me toward the genre because she knew magic was supposed to be a part of my life? She’d said my love for fantasy had come from Everleigh; at least, that much was certainly true if she had also been a healer.

My thoughts kept drifting back to Ash, to the memories I witnessed. My heart was at war thinking about him. Through his eyes, I had felt his love for his family, the deep connections he felt for those he cared about. There had been goodness in him once, a life full of warmth and love. But he was also the man who had torn my world apart, the man who had taken my mother from me, and the one I’d watched as he drained and killed an innocent woman.

Mom had always taught me to be compassionate, to have empathy, and to always try to see the world as if through someone else’s eyes.

She’d believed everyone carried their own burdens, their own pain, and that understanding those struggles was the key to forgiveness. But to even consider doing that for Ash, to accept he might be a victim worthy of redemption, felt like a betrayal to her.

How was it even possible to have empathy for the man who had stolen her from me?

But then, there was the other side, the side of me who was my mother’s daughter, and it was hard to believe she’d consider it a betrayal to hope there was goodness in Ash, or even in Calyx.

Despite everything, a part of me couldn’t shake the thought that maybe they weren’t entirely lost. My heart desperately ached for my mother’s wisdom.

If only there were more time, time to settle, then maybe curing them would be possible.

Maybe, once they remembered who they were, they would help me stay alive.

I couldn’t help but wonder what Ash had felt tonight, to have lived in darkness for so long with no memory of how it felt to be loved and then to experience it for the first time.

I supposed I’d never find out, with Agidius coming here to collect me in the morning.

Tossing and turning in bed, my mind refused to quiet; it seemed sleep would never come, the weight of the terrifying unknown pressing down on me. But somehow, in the midst of such restless thoughts, I began to drift off to the sound of Ash’s laughter echoing faintly in my mind.

***

My eyes flew open to the pitch-black darkness of the room, unable to see anything, only aware of the hand clamping over my mouth. Panic swelled in my chest, my heart pounding so hard it felt as though it might burst. I was about to scream, to try and fight off the intruder, when a voice whispered in my ear.

“You have to be quiet, Areya. We have to leave now. If my hand comes away from your mouth, will you calm down?”

The voice instantly soothed my thundering pulse, and my head nodded, my eyes adjusting just enough to make out the faint outline of his face. He removed his hand and moved toward the window, silent and graceful like a shadow slipping through the night.

When he reached the window, he slid it open without so much as a creak.

I crawled out of bed, well aware it wouldn’t be possible to mimic the fluidity of his movements. Regardless, I did my best, tiptoeing to follow him.

Ash effortlessly hopped out the window and landed on the ground, turning back to offer me his hand. I didn’t hesitate to take it, then swung my legs over the windowsill and crawled out too, nearly losing my balance. He steadied me until my feet touched solid ground.

Outside in the moonlight, the silhouette of his body was visible, along with a small duffle bag hanging from his shoulder. If we were sneaking out of the house, this couldn’t be part of Agidius’ plan since Agidius had ordered Ash not to leave the compound.

A tiny spark of hope ignited in me.

Ash leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear. “We can’t take the motorcycle; someone will notice us.”

“What about Calyx?” I whispered back.

“I can’t bring him into this, I can’t risk his life too.”

I nodded, not fully understanding whatthiswas.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I was about to ask how we were going to leave when, without warning, a flash of black cut through the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of rustling wings. I jumped back, panicked, pulse racing again. The towering structures behind Ash unfurled in the moonlight and were just as magnificent, if not more so than Calyx’s wings had been.

My eyes widened, taking in the sight of him dressed in all black, standing there like an angel of death. He was stunning, and a shiver coursed through me.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I’m—I’m not afraid.”

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