Page 41 of Fated

I hurried with my hair. “Yeah, I’ll be right out!”

“Just making sure I don’t need to break this door down and strangle a unicorn,” he added.

I chuckled. This was the third time today he’d made me laugh. It was hard to reconcile this version of Ash with the one I had met just three days ago—the dark, cold, arrogant version who’d had my mom killed and who had drained a woman of her blood right in front of me.

My chest tightened, a sharp pang of grief and guilt reminding me my mother was actually gone. I took a deep breath, fighting against the panic trying to well inside of me.

It was such a bizarre twist of fate. Only last night, I’d gone to bed certain of facing death today. Now, here I was, working sideby side with the very man responsible for my mother’s death, and Ash—of all people—had risked his life to save mine.

I was struggling to wrap my mind around it.

A part of me was beginning to believe that when his memories had returned last night, so had a piece of his humanity.

Against all logic, I did believe him when he said he would keep me safe.

Slipping into the turquoise outfit, I slid my feet into the flimsy sandals before stepping out of the bathroom. Ash was leaning against the cave wall, dressed back in his signature black, his eyes scanning me as I approached.

“You look nice,” he said.

I blinked, caught off guard by the normalcy of his comment.

“That’s twice in one day. Wait until the other vampires hear you’ve gone soft.”

Another grin tugged at his lips, and he shook his head as we headed toward the center door.

On the other side, we were greeted by the sight of a sleek, silver, bullet-shaped train. The tracks stretched forward, disappearing into a tunnel winding deeper into the caves.

I glanced back at the door we’d just come through, noticing a sign overhead that read:Kingdom of Astern. Ash’s eyes flickered suspiciously over the sign, but he stayed silent.

Mira was waiting for us in front of the train, her ever-present smile lighting up her face.

“This train will take you straight to the city of Echo. When you arrive, follow Main Street until you hit Waterspout. It’s only about a ten-minute walk. Once you reach Waterspout, turn right and you can’t miss the manor. Madam Pearl is expecting you,” she chirped cheerfully.

Ash and I exchanged wary glances as the train door slid open with a soft hiss.

“Hurry now!” Mira urged, gesturing for us to board.

We stepped inside the empty train to find a narrow aisle flanked by rows of seats—twelve rows in total, three seats on either side. The train didn’t have a driver, and there were no windows except for right at the front, which offered one large expanse of glass.

We took the first row, Ash sliding into the middle seat, with me sitting beside him in the aisle.

A flashing red sign above our heads caught my attention:Warning: fast speeds ahead. Please buckle your seatbelt.The doors slid shut with a soft click, and a robotic voice came over the speakers. “Train to Echo leaving in two minutes.”

I fumbled quickly for my seat belt, pulling the red strap across my lap, only to find it ending in frayed edges where the metal buckle should have been. Chewing at my lip nervously, I glanced at Ash to see that of course, he wasn’t even bothering with his seatbelt.

He noticed me watching, and his eyes trailed down to my legs, which I suddenly realized were bouncing nervously.

“Something wrong?”

I held up the broken strap. He snorted in amusement.

“Live a little, Areya.”

Frowning, I peered around him, spotting the seat next to him, which, thankfully had a working seatbelt. Without thinking, I stood up to move, stepping in front of him.

But just at that moment, the train lurched forward with surprising force, throwing me backwards—straight into Ash’s lap.

He caught me effortlessly, one hand gripping my thigh, the other steadying my arm.

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