Restraint (The Revelation Series Book 2) (5 page)

He takes my chin between his fingers and lifts my face to meet his.
“Are you upset because I didn’t tell you we grew up with Gage?” Asher’s voice is weary.

I lift my brows to my hair
line and look at him. “What?”

“I did tell you
my family has known him for a long time and he’s an old friend.”

I close my eyes.
“It’s fine. I’m not mad about Gage.” I pull my chin away.

“Fine?” He plays with the word
, unsure what I mean by it. “If you’re not upset, then what’s going on, Eve?”

I
pick pretend lint off my blanket. “It’s nothing, really. I guess I’m just tired.”
So. Lame. Eve.

He
watches me, waiting to see if I’ll cave and tell him all the crazy, ridiculous thoughts and ideas running through my head. I know he can feel my emotions through our bond. I’m already not handling this conversation very well.
Crap.

Asher sighs when I don’t
expand. “Okay, your way then, siren. Get some rest.” He plants a soft kiss on top of my head before standing and making his way to the door. Before he turns the knob, he stops. My heart is in my throat and I swallow the lump that has formed.

“Abby will be guarding you
tonight and will alert me if anything happens. She also put up the charms so you’re safe and sound,” he explains over his shoulder, reassuring us both about my protection.

I keep my eyes focused
on the wall in front of me, hating what I’m about to do, even if it’s necessary. Michael seems adamant that we need to draw professional lines. Perhaps everyone’s right.
Just do it, Eve. Stop being indecisive
.

“Michael was right
, you know,” I blurt out, just above a whisper, before I lose my nerve.

Asher’s
back is to me but he tenses. “About?” He drops his hand from the doorknob but doesn’t turn around.   

“
Us. Staying away from one another. That we shouldn’t breach the oath you took or the reason I was created for selfish reasons,” I say, but I don’t mean it.

He turns and faces me, crossing his arms and standing tall
, like a fierce warrior ready to go into battle. “Is that what you want?” His voice is trained, not giving any emotions away.

I
close my eyes. “In the second I hesitated with Deacon, she got by me, Asher. My eyes were on you. Watching yours plead with me not to take Deacon on. In that moment, Aria moved in. If I’d been paying attention to what I was supposed to be focused on, she wouldn’t have gotten by me. She’d still be here.” I reopen my eyes to catch his, wishing I hadn’t.

His face
pales. “Are you implying it’s my fault she’s dead?” he asks with a solemn tone.

I shake my head. “No. I’
m saying it’s mine. I was distracted, and someone died because of it. All those times you told me you had to put my protection first...well, I get it now.” I pause to catch my breath. “I think we should put some space between us for a bit.” I regret the words as soon as they fall out.

The striking gargoyle studies
me for a moment. “If that’s what you truly want, siren, then I will respect your request.” His voice is thick.

My eyes shift down
. I can’t look at him. Though his face is impassible, I know his heart is breaking. I can feel it through our link. “I need to concentrate on the ascension and training. When you’re around, I seem to get tunnel vision. We should respect the rules and boundaries that have been set for us,” I lie.

Asher
stares at me with an unhealthy intensity, like he’s trying to read my thoughts and figure out my motives. He prowls to me and I begin to panic inside. If he gets too close, I won’t be able to hold my resolve. I tell myself to breathe, not back down. This is necessary.

He stops in front of me
, crouching down to meet me at eye level. Without a word, he lifts his hand to a strand of my hair that has fallen out of my ponytail and secures it behind my ear. His hand glides over my cheek in a light caress. It’s all I can do not to close my eyes and lean into the sensation, flushing this idea down the toilet.

“Say it,” he demands quietly.

My eyes lift and meet his. “Say what?” I whisper.

“Te
ll me you don’t want me and I’ll leave,” he says.

I exhale.
“I just need some time to focus on the ascension,” I repeat.

He sho
ots me a look. “That’s not what I asked you.” His tone is firm.

“What do you want me to say
, Asher? I’m asking you for some space to focus. It’s simple.” I ignore the burn in my throat the words cause.

“I won’t allow you to push me away.”
He growls and grabs my head, forcing me to look directly at him. Slowly, he brushes his lips over mine as a shiver works its way down my spine from the tender kiss. “Say you don’t want me. This. Us. It’s the only way I’ll walk away,” he murmurs against my lips.

I close
my eyes. This is for the best. It’s the right thing to do, so I look straight into his eyes as my heart lurches. “I-I don’t want you.” I barely get the deceitful words out.

His jaw clenches
. The tick in his cheek picks up but other than that, he is motionless. “All right. Training starts at nine in the morning. Be downstairs in the gym no later.” His voice is void of emotion before he drops his hands to his sides and turns to leave.

“Asher?”
I hate that my voice sounds so weak.

He stops but doesn’t face me.
His broad shoulders stiffen.

“What we want isn’t always what we need.”
I force back my tears. I fear McKenna is wrong because my body is fighting against this.

He
snorts. “And sometimes what we need is something we didn’t even know we wanted.” With that, he pulls the door open in a harsh manner and walks out.

I curl up into
the bed, knowing I just made a horrible mistake.

4
Words of Warning

My eyes flicker to the
mirror as I scrutinize the stranger staring back at me. An ordinary girl watches my every move with eyes that seem vacant this morning. On the outside, she and I seem similar, but the spark of life her once lively face held, is now dim. I sigh, my reflection mimicking the action.

After I
splash my face with soap and water, I run my toothbrush over my teeth and throw on some mascara and my favorite vanilla-coconut lip gloss then make my way down to the kitchen. The first thing I notice is Fiona singing and flittering away happily by the stove. If possible, her smile gets even brighter when she sees me. It’s contagious. I have no choice but to return it with my own small grin.

“
Mornin’, luv. Ye’re da first one awake. Have a seat and I’ll bring ye some breakfast,” she offers in a cheerful, airy tone while running her palms over her white ruffled apron.
A panther, this woman is not.
Her eyes widen at my internal dialogue.
Crap.

Ignoring her reaction,
I walk toward the fridge. “That’s okay, Fiona. I’m happy to get it.”

She waves me off
in a maternal fashion. “Nonsense, lass. Sit,” she orders as she redirects me to the table and pushes on both my shoulders, forcing me into the chair.

   
Resigned, I stay seated at the large, empty table as Fiona glides around, preparing a plate. My gaze lands on the outside gardens, visible through the four French doors off the breakfast sitting area.

The morning sunlight
is filtering through the birch trees, bouncing off what’s left of the fall flowers and winter plants. A light layer of fresh snow fell last night and when the sun’s rays hit the white powder, it sparkles like diamonds. Everything looks so pure and untouched. Serene.

“The gardens are
beautiful, even in the winter. I bet they’re spectacular in the spring and summer months.” I peer at them longingly, missing my aunt.

Fiona shifts her eyes from me to the
grounds and nods. “Aye, ‘tis true da gardens are very special indeed. Vivian, da lad’s mum, adored them. Aside from da boys, ‘twas her pride and joy.”

“
My aunt Elizabeth would love them. She has an amazing green thumb and affection for flowers and plants,” I offer, feeling a pang of homesickness.

Fiona places a plate of eggs, hash browns and sausage in front of me with coffee and orange juice. Then she puts hot cinnamon buns on the table
next to fresh muffins and fruit. I raise my eyebrows at her as she sits across from me, sipping her Earl Grey tea.

“
Yer aunt sounds luvly, dear. She must be very special ta ye.”

I
offer her a genuine smile. “She is.”

Asher walks in
, and in an instant, our eyes lock. My heart stumbles as my stomach drops and lurches while I relive the stupidity of my actions from last night. He holds my gaze for a moment, his face softening. Not wanting to get sucked in, I snap my focus to my breakfast.

Fiona notices the
obsessive look I’m giving my scrambled eggs and widens her eyes. Her light gray eyebrows pinch together at my odd behavior.
Clearly, I’ve gone all mental case.

“Morning
, Fi.” Asher kisses her cheek and offers his breathtaking smile.

“
Mornin’ darlin’. Sit down and I’ll get ye some coffee and make ye a plate,” she offers.

“Eve
,” he says curtly, watching my reaction.

Asher
folds his large, intimidating body into a seat directly across from me, even though there are several vacant chairs available. I squirm at his intense gaze, keeping my eyes fixated on my plate as he keeps his on me. It’s like he’s trying to see inside my head and figure out my thought process as he places his hands under his chin, scrutinizing me.

We sit in awkward silence while I push around
the food on my plate. Fiona finally returns, placing coffee and a breakfast plate in front of Asher as the tension continues to build between us. His eyes never leave my face as they burn into my skin.

Fiona
stares at the two of us, hands on her hips. “I don’t know what ye did, lad, but whatever ‘twas, ye best be fixin’ it,” she says with a no-nonsense tone.

“I didn’t do anything
, Fi,” Asher says, annoyed. He drops his chin to focus on his plate.

At that
, my flight instincts kick in and I stand in an abrupt motion, scraping the chair across the kitchen floor. Fumbling, I clear my plate, dropping it in the sink then turning to the doorway to run upstairs, but not before Fiona blocks my escape route.
Sneaky panther
.

The short, plump woman
just stands there. She narrows her cat eyes at me and places her small hands on her round hips. I swallow, bracing for the lecture.

“Rules are meant
ta be broken, if luvs at stake,” Fiona says quietly, her eyes unwavering.

I hold her gaze
for a brief moment before shifting my focus to the wall behind her. “Broken rules equate to nothing but pain and darkness.”

Her lips tighten in a straight line.
“Stars don’t shine wit out da darkness.”

Before I can
reply, Asher interrupts me. “Training in twenty minutes. If you’re late, you’ll run,” he says coolly from the table. With his gargoyle hearing, I’m sure he overheard our exchange.

“I’ll be there with five minutes to
spare.” The sharp note in my tone is not missed as I storm around Fiona, escaping.

***

I make it to the training room with one minute to spare and
mentally high five myself. My victory is short lived when I walk in and see Asher already standing there. A severe scowl mars his handsome face. His arms are crossed as he stares at the clock.
What the fuck?

“You’re late.” His voice
is laced with fury.

“I have
a minute,” I say, pointing to the clock on the wall.

“Not by my watch.
On the treadmill. You’re running,” he challenges, one eyebrow raised.

I huff and just stand with my
hands on my hips like a rebel. “You aren’t even wearing a watch,” I throw back.

“Keep staring at me like that and for every min
ute your ass isn’t running, I’ll add another mile,” he spits out, fuming.

Lucky for me, Callan walks in and raises his eyebrows to his hairline. “Lover’s quarrel?”

“No!” Asher and I shout at the same time.

Callan puts his hands up in surrender. “For fucks sake, no need to bite a gargoyle’s head off.”

“Eve’s running before she begins training. NOW!”
Asher shouts and points to the treadmill.