Restraint (The Revelation Series Book 2) (21 page)

My head snaps up at him. “No
,” I say firmly as a deep pain rises in my throat.

Abby’s tear stained face come
s into view next to Callan. “Sweetie, you need to let Keegan and Callan tend to him. I promise you won’t be far from him.”

I shake my head wildly
. “I can’t.”

Callan and Abby look at one another before McKenna squats in front of me
, taking my face gently in her palms. “Eve. Look at me,” she commands.

I don’t. I can’t get my body to stop shaking, or my emotions
controlled enough to focus.

McKenna’s
voice is even and calm. “Eve. I said, look. At. Me.”

I lift my eyes
and meet her compelling ones. “Good girl. Now listen very carefully to what I have to say. Asher is hurt. We need to get him back to Wiltshire and get him in the chamber immediately so he can begin to heal. Do you understand me?”

I hold her eyes. “W-What?”
It comes out in between sobbing breaths.

“He is hurt. See
.” She guides my face down with her hands to look at Asher and then with great care, lifts it back up to meet her gaze once again. “He’s not stone, Eve. But he’s injured. He needs to be placed in stone state to heal. That requires Keegan and Callan to move him. You have to let go so they can do that. Once he’s in his stone state bed, we will let you be by his side during his healing sleep. Do you understand me?”

Slowly it begins to sink in.
He didn’t turn to stone. She pierced his heart and he’s still here.
Oh. My. God.
Once I fully absorb what she’s saying, I move my head up and down adamantly. Still cupping my face and maintaining eye contact, she stands us both up and moves us away from Asher.

“Take him
,” she orders in a firm voice, still focusing on me.

My eyes flick down to his lifeless body. “Look at me
,” McKenna commands, causing my gaze to snap back to her. “We’re going to fix him. You need to be strong, Eve. For him.”

I nod. Keegan kneels next to Asher. “Abby
, you and I will take him back to the manor and get him sorted out. Callan, you and Kenna follow with Eve in the Escalade.”

Abby moves toward Asher. Keegan lifts him with ease
, bringing him to the gargage opening and shoots up into the air, disappearing with Abby following.

Once they’re out of sight
, McKenna drops her hands from my face. “All right. Let’s take a breath and get into the car. We’ll explain everything once we’re on our way to Wiltshire. Callan, stay here with Eve while I bring the vehicle around.”

As
McKenna leaves, Callan walks up to me and wipes my tears away with his thumbs, which only brings more tears. The tender gesture reminds me of something Asher would do. He pulls me into an embrace as I quietly sob into his chest. “I know, cutie. I know.”

The entire drive back to Wiltshire,
I cling to Callan in the backseat while McKenna drives. Once I’ve managed to get my emotions somewhat in check, I swallow the painful lump in my throat. “Explain why he didn’t turn to stone,” I say on a choke.

Callan shifts
me up off his shoulder so he can look at me, but not before McKenna meets his gaze in the rearview mirror. He nods at her before speaking in a low voice.

“Gargoyles, like demons and angels, don’t have a soul. We’re created for a specific purpose
. To protect. Once our purpose is over, we cease to exist. In order for Asher’s soulless body to accept your pure blood, he also had to be injected with demon, dark blood, for balance. Therefore, like half-demon, half-gargoyles, he can only cease to exist or be turned into stone petrifaction by the Angelic Sword or while in stone state,” Callan explains in a low, soothing voice.

I close my eyes and inhale. “So, that’s what he meant when he said there is only darkness behind his eyes.”

Confusion flitters across Callan’s face. “When did he say that?”

“Never mind.” I brush it off, figuring Asher doesn’t want me sharing that. “So he’ll heal and be okay?”

“Yes. But it will take a while. He’ll most likely be in stone state for a few days,” he says.

“I don’t care.” A sob escapes me. “I just want him back,” I whisper.

Callan snags me in his arms. “He’ll come back to you. I swear, cutie.”

The minute we pull up to the manor, I have the
car door open and I’m running into the house with Callan and McKenna at my heels. I sprint into the library and wait for them to catch up. Callan takes off his shirt and stands in front of the dragon statue so it can scan his tattoo. Once the floorboards open, I take off down the stone stairs.

I enter the chamber to see Keegan, Abby and Fiona standing around Asher’s stone state bed. The black silk fabric
is pulled down, concealing him.

Keegan walks over to me
, and in an odd showing of emotion, places his hands on my arms. “He’s sleeping. Fiona cleaned him up and dressed the wound. Now we wait.” I swear his voice cracked a bit.

“I don’t want to leave him alone.”

“Eve, I understand, but his wound was deep. I’m not sure how long he will need to fully heal,” Keegan says in a gentle tone.

I raise my eyes stubbornly at him. “I don’t care. I want to be by his side the entire time.
When he wakes up, I need to be the first thing he sees.”

Keegan lifts his eyes to McKenna who is standing next to me.
Something passes between them and his eyes soften. “All right. I’ll make a deal with you. You allow Fiona and Abby to get you cleaned up and you can stay with him when you’re not sleeping, eating or training.”

My eyes
begin to water. “Deal.”

Keegan nods once. “Deal.”

“Come, luv. Let’s get ye all tidied up.” Fiona takes my arm gently.

“I’d like to see him before I do
,” I state, my voice timid.

Fiona eyeballs my blood stained
shirt, untamed hair, blood shot swollen eyes and dirt covered arms and hands before flicking her cat eyes to Keegan. He sighs his agreement and she steps aside.

Abby moves one of the black fabric pieces to the side and my
gaze roams over Asher’s still body, now completely clean. He looks so peaceful when he’s sleeping. I let out a shaky breath and force back the tears. He’s okay. I tell myself over and over again.

I walk over and allow the palm of my hand to
caress the stubble on his jawline. Leaning down, I place a small kiss on his cheek and whisper in his ear. “I would give up everything for just another moment with you.”

Fiona leads me out of the chamber with Abby and
, to my surprise, McKenna in tow. They bring me to my room in the manor. Fiona starts the shower while Abby pulls out some pajamas and places them on the counter. McKenna sits on the bed, watching me from a distance. I just stand there watching, my body numb from tonight’s events.

As soon as the
water is to Fiona’s liking, she motions for me to get in before allowing me privacy. I automatically undress and slide into the warm stream. After a bit, I dry off and get into my tank top and flannel pajama bottoms. Abby enters and brushes and blows out my hair while I focus on breathing and keeping my emotions in check.

Once pulled together, McKenna moves closer to
me, looking me in the eye. She stands tall and pushes her shoulders back before clearing her throat. “No matter what happens, we will take care of you and protect you, always.”

My
water filled eyes flick to hers. “Thank you,” I whisper.

She offers a small smile before it slips. “
Come on. I’ll take you back to him.”

I inhale, and swallow the tears before they leak out.
Pushing my shoulders back, I follow McKenna, allowing her to lead me back to Asher.

1
5
Sto
ne State

I brush a piece of the
black silk curtain aside and examine the bed. Memories of the last time Asher and I were in here infuse my mind. I close my eyes and immerse myself in the flashes of Asher’s face as he watched me come down from my blissful state. A small smile touches my lips at the memory.

With great care not to disturb
him, I crawl onto the bed and hover over his face, taking in his good looks. I lean down and brush my lips against his unmoving ones, silently thanking whomever will listen that he’s still alive before I position myself under the covers. Needing to feel him, I curl into his side, hugging his arm. I could swear I heard him sigh in contentment.

I close my eyes and drift asleep.

“Open your eyes, siren.” Asher’s voice drifts through me.

“Asher?”
I murmur, stunned.

He chuckles.
“Who else would it be?”

At the sound of his laughter
, I open my eyes to see him positioned above me. Eyes twinkling as he bites his lip.

Shocked at the si
ght of him, my hands cup his face. “Oh. My. God. Asher.”

He lets out a low grunt.
“It’s so fucking hot when you say that.” He briefly closes his eyes. When they reopen, the blue hue is darker.

A tear escapes my eye as he follows it
, pulling his brows together. “I never thought I would see you again,” I choke out.

He brushes
the damp bead away with his thumb. “Don’t ever think that. I will always come for you.” 

“Is this real?
Am I dreaming?” My voice is barely above a whisper.

His mouth tilts in a mischievous smile. “Are you telling me that you dream of me?”

I roll my eyes. “Hardly.”

He raises his brows. “Hardly
, huh? I guess we’ll have to change that.”

Watching me,
he leans into my neck as his lips graze my skin. I sigh at the contact. The tip of his tongue flicks over my pulse as my body jerks from the touch. He releases an appreciative sound in response.

In a
muted whisper, he says, “Prepare yourself, siren. I’m about to take your breath away.”

My mouth goes
dry and I wet my lips. Inch by slow inch, his lips close the distance between us. The first stroke causes a pulse to shoot through each corner of my body. He tilts his head, deepening the kiss as my heart begins to pound with each caress.

I try
to hold back the rest of the tears that are threatening to come. I never thought I would feel his lips move against mine again. Sensing the change in my emotions, Asher stills and lifts his head. His eyes lock onto mine.

“What’s wrong?”
His knuckle brushes my cheek.

“I
’m in deep with you,” I admit quietly.

He doesn’t react, just watches me with an intense
stare. “When I wake up, I plan to bury myself so deep inside of you that I might never find my way out.”

Befo
re I could think about my actions, I lift my hands to his face and run them over his jawline and then entangle them in his hair, pulling him back to me. I lift my lips as he fuses his to mine. A small moan escapes me as he presses his body firmly against mine, pinning me in place. His knee bends in between my legs, forcing mine to fall open.
Wait. What did he say?

“Asher?” I breathe out against his lips.

“Siren?” He pants.

“Wait. W
ait a second.” I push against his chest to get his attention.

He lifts his head, concern marring his face. “What’s wrong?”

My eyes dart to where my hand is over his heart. Where the protector mark is. Where Dimia stabbed him. “You said, when I wake up. What’s going on? Where are we?”

He follows my line of vision to my hand resting over his heart. “Don’t freak out.”

My eyes snap back to his. “Asher.”

“
We’re in stone state. Dream walking,” he says, watching my reaction.

I sit up
, forcing him to sit back on his heels. “So this isn’t real?”

“
No, Eve, it’s very real. When you and I are in stone state, our bond allows us to reach out and interact with one another mentally when we aren’t able to physically. Everything that happens here is actual, I swear to you.” All I see is honesty in his eyes.

I fist his shirt in my hands.
“I need you. Wake up, please.”

His face softens as he rubs my arms up and down in a soothing motion.
“Soon. I swear. I’m okay, just healing. Dimia pierced me pretty far with the dagger.”

My eyes glisten with tears. “Why did you push me out of the way? You would be okay if you just let me jump in front of Abby.”

A
growl resonates out of his throat. “It’s my job to protect you. No matter what the end result. You’re my first priority, Eve. I will protect you, always.”

“I t
hought you were dead. My heart…” I place my hand over my heart and rub the ache.