Page 74 of Fated

Ash didn’t hesitate. He stood and came over to my side of the booth, sliding in next to me.

“Scoot over,” he said, and I moved to make room. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close. I turned toward him, burying my face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent, letting the comfort of his presence wash over me.

“Do you realize how much you’ve changed me?” he murmured into my hair. “If Calyx were here right now, he’d be beside himself, convinced you were the one with mind control powers.”

I laughed through the tears, reaching for a napkin to wipe my face.

“We will get Calyx back,” I said, sniffling.

“Hell, yeah, we will.”

Chuckling, I glanced up at him. “Thank you, Ash.”

He squeezed my shoulders tightly.

***

Ash drove us back to the manor, and we were quiet on the walk back to our rooms. He followed me into my room, my stomach twisting with anxiety when I noticed the tonic sitting onthe dresser. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I walked over to sit on the edge of my bed.

It was only an hour until midnight.

“Will you stay tonight?” My voice was low, barely a whisper.

Ash came over and sat beside me. I hadn’t realized my legs were trembling until he put a hand on my knee, steadying them. “You couldn’t keep me away tonight if you tried.”

I nodded, smiling at him, before grabbing the tonic off the dresser and heading to the bathroom to change. I slipped into the silky pink pajama shorts and top, then washed my face, brushed my hair and teeth, and grimaced, swigging down the bitter tonic.

I took a deep breath, nervous about the night ahead.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, the door opened, and Ash walked in wearing nothing but a pair of black lounge pants. The sight of him stopped me in my tracks.

My gaze roamed over his bare, tanned chest, tracing the defined muscles there.

Ash froze when he saw me, his eyes flicking from my face to my silky pajamas and then back up again. “What are you wearing?”

I squinted, confused. “Pajamas,” I said as if it were obvious.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Right,” he mumbled, nodding as if trying to collect himself.

I bit back a laugh. “And where areyourclothes?”

“Oh—these?” He glanced down at his pants and shrugged. “I put them on for you—I don’t normally sleep in anything.”

“Oh.” I swallowed hard.

Pulling back the fluffy blanket, I crawled into the bed, lying on my side to face Ash. He flicked off the light, casting the roominto darkness except for the faint glow of the clock on the wall. Ash lay down on the bed, facing me. The clock showed 11:30.

“Do you think it will happen as soon as it’s midnight?” I asked, my voice smaller than intended.

“I really don’t know.”

My nerves took over as the minutes ticked by, tremors beginning in my legs, and no matter how hard I tried to suppress them, they only intensified, spreading through me like wildfire.

Ash noticed immediately. “Jesus, Areya, you’re shaking like a leaf.”

“I’m trying not to.”

Without a word, he pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me and tucking me into his chest. He rested his chin on my head, his breath warm in my hair.

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