Word Count: 1883

~Aspen

"Kastriv!"

I'm at his side in an instant, shaking his limbs. He's alive, but barely. It was as if something overcame him, turning him into a monster.

He's completely limp as I shake him incessantly, trying to bring some life back into him. His breathing remains faint, while he is entirely unresponsive.

And I'm out here, somewhere in Territory Ten, alone.

"Please wake up...Please," I beg, groaning with frustration. He's my way out of here, with his magical abilities...And once it gets dark, who knows what creatures will come out of the forest to tear me apart.

Eventually, I gather resources to light a fire, which is almost impossible, considering how damp the material is, but by the time night has officially fallen, I've created a spark that grows into a healthy fire.

Kastriv remains unconscious. The best I can do for him is sit close, and keep an eye on the fire.

Soon enough, my eyes become tired and my body grows wary.

I need sleep. But can I really sleep out here? In the distance, I can hear creatures stalking around, their calls to each other haunting.

It's even more frightening when I have no idea what they are, and what they are capable of...

As my hands are warming over the fire, Kastriv suddenly startles, sitting up in one rushed movement.

"Woah, you're awake."

He blinks, resting his palm against his forehead. "What happened?"

"You collapsed. Your eyes turned red," I explain. He looks a little out of it, but other than that, and the dried blood on his chin, which he promptly rubs away at, there is no evidence that any harm came to him.

"That spirit touched me," he exclaims, brushing his fingertips over his shoulder, where the contact must have been made.

I shift uncomfortably. "The one who looks like me?"

He nods grimly. "She's trying to tell me something."

"We need to find a way to talk to her." Now more than ever, we need to make contact, to determine her intentions. This spirit is in distress, and by the looks of it, Kastriv is the only way to help it.

Kastriv nods, getting to his feet. He shudders warily, before looking down at me. His obsidian gaze has returned, which is a relief.

The red was...Horrifying. I get the sense that it will haunt me tonight.

"We will. But first, we need to find this site." He looks up, frowning when he realises night has fallen, most of what is beyond the trunks in our small area completely blanketed in darkness.

"I don't think we can tonight. But I'm frightened of staying in this place." Even with Kastriv awake, I would rather get out of here...

Kastriv looks around, seeming to remember that this is a foreign Territory, and I haven't been to a more civilised one, let alone here, where the bush is barely traversable.

He offers his hand. "Let me take you to a local inn at the edge of this Territory for the night."

Kicking wet dirt over the fire to ensure it is no longer smouldering, I take his hand, and the world around us falls away. This time I embrace it, more than grateful to be getting out of here.

We appear out front of a small inn, which we duck inside immediately, the rain out here pouring down incessantly.

Lucky we left, because I get the feeling this onslaught of rain would have chased us down in the forest...

Kastriv gets us a room, and we make our way up the creaking stairs to a small, but perfectly adequate room.

It's such a relief to be under a roof, safe from whatever dwells outside, that I nearly collapse into tears.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I tug my shoes off, kicking them away from me. I'm more than ready to fall into the deepest possible sleep, even if I'm aware my mind will try to distract me once the room falls dark...

Oliver will know I'm gone. He will be looking for me, back in Territory One.

I straighten, smirking slightly, watching Kastriv's back as he shrugs off his jacket, covered in dirt from his moment of unconsciousness.

Oliver's anger upon learning that I'm away in another Territory with a Noble, outside of his ability to control, would be otherworldly.

And I have a purpose out here...I've never felt needed like this before.

I smooth my hand over the stiff duvet. "We have to sleep in here together?"

Kastriv turns, and suddenly, the entire feeling in the room changes.

"Would you like me on the floor?" He asks softly.

Shaking my head, I look down, brushing my hands over my pants, trying to get rid of most of the mud, although it's not much use.

"It's okay. I just haven't slept in the same bed with someone in a long time," I admit sheepishly. Kaia would sometimes sleep over when Oliver was out of town, but other than that...

It almost feels like there is some kind of law that should stop a commoner from sleeping in the same room as a Noble. It's a ridiculous thought, and yet when I look up at his imposing figure, the dull light playing along the strong lines of his face, I feel like I shouldn't be here.

Kastriv's gaze softens. "He didn't make you sleep in the same bed with him?"

"Thankfully not. At least not after our agreement," I say. He seemed more relieved than I was when it was decided. It meant he could have women over whenever he pleased without worry I would interfere.

"I can't stop thinking about that agreement," he mutters.

"I try not to think about it." It's easier that way.

"The thought of him forcing you, if you didn't abide by his rules, makes me sick." Kastriv turns, like he doesn't want me to see his face. My stomach twists uncomfortably.

I shrug. "He was evil, but I don't think he was that evil. I think he just did it to threaten me."

"You give him far too much credit," Kastriv growls, voice low. I can feel his anger rolling over me, and even though it's not directed to me, I tense.

"Maybe it's because I don't know any better," I whisper.

Kastriv studies me, running his hand through his hair. "I can assure you, the next man you allow yourself to be with, will not treat you like he did."

I can't look away. My entire body flushes with heat, and I suddenly don't know what to do with my hands, even the way I'm sitting starts feeling wrong.

I clear my throat. "Is there a bath in that room? I'm quite cold."

"Of course. Go ahead."

His eyes track me as I push through the door, closing it quickly.

The tension of the room releases as I lean back against the door, breathing in deeply. I haven't felt blatant desire like this before. Ever.

Sure, I've been around other Noble's, and I've felt that pull of attraction, but it's never gone deeper than a fleeting couple of days after seeing them, before it dies out.

I get the feeling that won't be possible with Kastriv.

Once my bath has been drawn, I strip down and slip beneath the heat of the water. The entire time I'm cleaning myself, I can hear Kastriv shuffling around outside, likely tossing off most of his clothes.

I take my time drying off and slipping into a robe hanging off the door, trying to ignore the scratchy material.

Kastriv sitting on the bed when I wander out.

Silently, I slip under the covers next to him, smiling politely while keeping a healthy distance from him.

"Do you have a mate?" I ask eventually, wanting to fill the space with some kind of conversation.

He settles deep into the pillow, the white of his hair blending into the cover. "Not that I know of."

"Don't laugh at me, but I used to wish I were mated to a Noble," I admit, feeling my cheeks tint. It's been a quiet, selfish fantasy I've had since the moment I saw one. They have always seemed so mysterious to me, and their overwhelming beauty is alluring too.

His brows raise. "Really?"

"Only because a few would come through our house often for business. I thought if anyone could get me away from that life, it would be a Noble," I murmur. I laugh breathily at the thought, realising how sad and pathetic that sounds.

"At least part of your wish came true," he notes.

True...One Noble has taken me away from my life, even if it's not in the way I expected. But this is much better, giving me a chance to build my own life.

And I'm not complaining about the Noble who did it, too.

"I'm glad you have given me a purpose, though. I don't know what I would do if I had to completely rely on someone else," I admit. I just wish this way didn't involve the looming threat of Oliver, because he isn't going to be happy with the fact I left him.

Kastriv turns on his side, resting his head in his palm. "You deserve so much more than what he gave you."

When he looks at me like that, he has me considering terrible things...

"What happens if I can't find these Demon's?" I ask.

"You will. You are one."

"I better not be helping you kill them," I add, frowning.

He laughs, shaking his head. "I don't want harm to come to Demon's. That doesn't mean I trust them all, but most are decent people who fear Angel-bloods and humans coming to kill them."

"No one has ever known who I was before you..." I'm not even sure I would know another Demon were I to run into one.

"That's because most have never met a Demon before, so they have no idea what to look for," he reminds me, leaning over to turn the lamp off, coating the room in darkness.

My eyes remain open, pinned to the ceiling. Next to me, I can feel the dip of his weight in the bed next to me.

I release a long, slow sigh. "You are attentive, aren't you? I know you knew what Oliver was doing to me when you first met me."

I can feel him shake his head. "It wasn't hard to see. I just didn't get it..."

"Get what?"

"How someone could do that? To their wife, especially." His tone lowers to barely above a whisper. An unfamiliar feeling flushes across my skin, making me want to lean closer toward him, although I hold myself back.

"We weren't really lovers," I remind him. Even when my mother first brought us together, we hardly got along.

Eventually he sighs, pulling the covers up some more. "Let's get some sleep."

"Good idea," I murmur, turning over, stuffing my face into the pillow.

How am I going to work for this man, when I can barely get him out of my head?

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