Page 55 of Asher
It wasn’t just physical, though that part was unforgettable. It was something deeper.
Asher had this way of breaking down my defenses, slipping past the walls I’d spent decades fortifying.
He made me feel alive in a way I hadn’t experienced in years. Maybe ever.
Most days, I felt like a hollow shell, a corpse walking through the motions of Beric’s orders, doing his bidding without question.
It was easier that way. Easier to shut down, to disconnect from everything that reminded me of what I’d lost.
But Asher? He shattered that numbness with a single look, a single touch. He forced me to confront the parts of myself I thought I’d buried for good.
The memory of his laughter, soft and rare but genuine, warmed me even though I was a cold-blooded creature.
I hadn’t realized how much I craved that sound until I heard it for the first time.
For so long, my world had been steeped in shadows, secrets, violence and the unrelenting hunger that came with my existence.
Asher was like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, unexpected and blindingly bright. And yet, it terrified me.
What if I couldn’t protect him? What if I lost him, like I’d lost everything else that mattered?
I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms as if the physical pain could silence the spiraling thoughts.
No. I wouldn’t let that happen. Asher wasn’t just another fleeting connection, another moment in an endless string of days.
He was different. He wasmine.
There. Movement.
I stilled, my eyes catching the subtle shift of a shadow across the underbrush.
A hare, its ears twitching as it foraged near a cluster of ferns. I tracked it with precision, muscles coiled and ready.
The moment came quickly. A leap and a twist, and I had it. The hunt was over before it began, the creature limp in my grasp.
A wave of satisfaction rolled through me. Not for the kill itself, but for what it meant.
Asher would eat tonight, something warm and filling. For once, I could give him something that didn’t come with a price.
By the time I returned to the cabin, twilight had given way to full darkness, and the air was sharp with the promise of a cold night.
The faint glow of the firelight through the window was a welcome sight.
Asher was awake when I stepped inside, his gaze immediately locking onto me.
He was sitting on the edge of the makeshift bed, his jacket draped over his shoulders, though he still looked pale.
“Took you long enough,” he said, but there was a glimmer of relief in his voice.
His eyes flicked to the hare in my hand, and his brows lifted.
“Showing off now?” Asher asked.
I smirked. “Jealous?”
“Hardly.” He snorted but couldn’t hide the faint curve of a smile.
I set the hare down near the fire, grabbing the knife from my pack.
