Page 22 of Unbinding the Demon
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yesss,”he hissed with a scowl. “Listen, there is a motherfucking, bloodthirsty serial killer prowling around this town, and you’re seriously telling me that you’d rather go into the woods all by yourself than with that behemoth of a man to protect you!?” He was stink-eyeing me hard. “Do not make me go wake up Oliver.”
“Okay, okay, I guess I’ll let him come with me,” I huffed. I didn’t want to argue, and I especially didn’t want a lecture from a grouchy, freshly awoken Oliver. Plus, it was weird that Ashton was here and waiting for us to finish squabbling in the bathroom. We both calmly and casually walked back into the living room like nothing had happened. Ashton was crouched down and petting Pepper Paws. My sweet kitty seemed to like him a lot. He was purring like a little motorboat and rubbing back and forth against his legs.
“Alright, I guess you can come if you want,” I mumbled in exasperation.
“Wonderful,” he grinned as he stood back up.
I stuffed my lunch into the basket and threw on my boots. William and Ashton shared mischievous smiles while glancing over at me as if there were some unspoken bro code going on between them. I scowled at William and walked out the door, with Ashton following right behind me. The sight of a big furry black head lifting to look at us caused me to jump in fright. With a small whine, Belzar rose to his feet and woofed, wagging his tail in excitement.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Come on, Belzar.” Ashton ruffled his fluffy head, and the three of us walked down the steps together.
An eerie mist slithered across the lawn and along the edge of the tree line. Its ghostly tendrils danced around the abundance of dew-adorned goldenrod and asters. The gray clouds wisped above us and smothered out any rays of sun that might have tried to shine through their thick veil. Songbirds chirped, filling the balmy air with their cheerful melodies. “So, which trail are we taking?” he asked as we strolled down the driveway, the wet gravel crunching beneath our boots. He put an arm around my lower back and grabbed my waist.
I sucked in a deep breath of the damp, yet fresh smelling air. “Oh, about that, you’re not coming. I only invited you to get William to leave me alone.” I tried to step away from his unsolicited touch. “You can go back to your car now.”
He pulled me closer and pressed me against his side. “Hmm... No, I don’t think I will. I’d much rather come with you. Besides, we’re partners in crime now. We need to stick together.” He bopped me on the nose playfully.
I tried to bite his stupid finger. “Yeah, well, I never asked to be your murder accomplice.”
“No, you didn’t. But you did need my help the other night.” He stopped and turned me to face him, bending his knees to gaze into my eyes. Both of his hands grabbed my upper arms, holding me in place. “Look, Gwendolyn, I know we got off on the wrong foot with that whole party disaster, but I do genuinely want to get to know you. I promise that murdering people isn’t a frequent pastime for me.” He chuckled, shifting his eyes between mine with a gentle expression. “I only did what I did to protect you.”
I pursed my lips, feeling torn about the whole situation. It was true that he had risked going to prison for life just to protect me. But why? He liked me; that much was clear. Yet he hardly knew me at all. I mean, he could have just as easily beaten the guy up, sparing us from this whole dilemma. In a way, I recognized I owed him my thanks. Yet that didn’t erase the fact that he’d killed someone in cold blood and was now blackmailing me.
“Alright, fine. You can come.” I figured he’d probably end up following me like a little duckling regardless, and I didn’t want to fight. “But only because there’s a serial killer somewhere out there.” Who better to protect me from a psychopathic murderer than a fellow psychopathic murderer?
“Excellent. It’s a date then.” He smiled and pulled me into a hug.
“No, it’s not.” I glared while pushing him away. “Like I said, I don’t date. I’m just using you as a bodyguard since you’re so, so...” I pointed up and down at his physique, trying to think of something other than a big, muscly hunk to call him.
“Sexy? Strong?...Well-endowed?”With a flirtatious grin, he placed his hands on his hips and cockily flexed his chest muscles.
“Meatheaded and clunky. Now let’s go.”
With a laugh, he put his arm around my shoulders and we continued to walk. Every time I tried to sneakily slip away, he pulled me closer to his side. Belzar sniffed around and pranced behind us, his tail wagging with joy. We turned down the trail, gradually making our way into the forest. Wonderful smells of earth and pine mixed with the fiery spice scent of Ashton filled my nose.
Dense shade provided by the trees caused the forest to become much darker as we entered a grove of hemlocks. The sun still hadn’t peeked out from behind the clouds, allowing the thick morning mist to roll across the forest floor unhindered like an ethereal shroud.
Birds continued to sing their sweet musical songs as they fluttered around the branches above. A tiny chickadee landed on the low-hanging limb of a hemlock right in front of my face. Its little black eye peered into mine, full of curiosity. I smiled at the bird as it sang it's little“chicka-dee-dee-dee”song. It flew away, and then I knelt down on the damp forest floor to pick some asters. As I put the violet blooms into my basket, I peeked over at Ashton. He was playing fetch with Belzar using a large stick. They truly looked like otherworldly beings dancing around as they played in the thick, swirling mist together. Belzar appeared especially at home, his barking echoing eerily through the dark forest. He was thrilled to have come along for the walk.
Ashton looked downright ethereal as his long, raven hair flowed down the length of his back and danced around his masculine face in the misty breeze. His black shirt and pants did nothing to hide his large, muscular body. He wasn’t too bulky; in fact, he had the perfect muscle-to-height ratio. His tattooed biceps and back flexed each time he held the stick over his head and threw it. And the way his pants accentuated his butt?
How is this man so perfect-looking?
My eyes drifted away from his rump and returned to his smug grin. My cheeks burned with embarrassment when I realized he’d caught me lewdly leering at him. I snapped my gaze away and began awkwardly fidgeting with the hem of my dress.Welp, I guess I should go find a rock to crawl under right about now...
“Oh, Buttercup! I think I may have found something over here,” he called, while motioning for me to come over.
I composed myself and stood back up. Dead leaves and small sticks crunched under my boots as I walked over, trying to ignore the way he kept excitedly waving me forward. The very moment I was close enough, he pulled me to his side. “What is it?”
“Are those what you’re looking for?” While raising an inquisitive brow, he pointed to a bunch of red shelf mushrooms embellishing an old, rotting hemlock.
They were reishis... Bingo!
