Word Count: 1480

~Aspen

"This is a terrible idea," I mutter.

I don't even know where we are. This morning, Kastriv came to me with an offer that I couldn't exactly refuse. And now, I'm standing in an unknown Territory, walking through a park toward a Noble who tried to kill me.

"He needs to be spoken to," Kastriv reminds me. Even if he is right, I'm not sure how I feel about having to see Ellard's face again.

"Why?"

Kastriv looks down at me, a cold rage behind his eyes. "Because he may continue to pursue you otherwise."

I shudder. There are too many people in my life who I am afraid of, who I am running from. At some point I'm going to have to stand up to them, and I suppose now is the time to start, even if it's not going to be easy.

"If he kills me now, it's your fault," I tell him bluntly, staring out over the green pond before me.

Kastriv threads his fingers through mine. "He won't kill you. Not with me around."

"Comforting," I mumble.

We stop, facing the pond. To my left, I see a figure tentatively emerge from amidst the trees. My entire body stiffens, sensing who it is before I can truly make them out.

Kastriv turns, keeping me close next to him as he regards Ellard.

"Hello brother. I would say it's good to see you, but I assume you're going to be lecturing me," Ellard exclaims.

When he looks at me, I can't help but look away.

How could I have once thought about loving him, having dreamed about what it would be like to be mated to someone like him. I suppose my dream came true, in a backwards, unexpected sort of way.

"What a great assumption," Kastriv mutters.

He turns, motioning to me. "Maybe we should start this with an apology, to Aspen."

"Don't bother," I tell him. It's not going to mean anything to me.

Ellard's expression crumbles. "I am sorry, Aspen. It's not like I want you dead, but you must understand-"

"Your vision said my existence is putting this world exist. Do you have any other evidence that this is the case?" I cut in.

I believe that he is truthful, that he didn't want to hurt me, but I don't have time to care about that. If I'm the key to the world ending, that I want to know how, and why.

"Not yet. I'm working on it," he explains, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But you try to kill me first?" I growl. If I saw what he did, my first reaction wouldn't be to take somebodies life.

Ellard winces. "It seemed like the right thing to do, at the time."

"You're lucky I didn't kill you for trying it," Kastriv snaps, taking a step toward his brother, who retreats in response. I sigh. The last thing we need is for two Noble's to turn against each other.

I push my mate back. "It's fine Kastriv, I can deal with this."

Kastriv frowns. He knows he pushed me too far the other night, with Keo. He knows I want to make these decisions for myself, even if it puts me in danger. Like this issue, I can handle it.

"What's going on?" Ellard asks, sensing something else happening between us.

"Nothing," Kastriv snaps. "Aspen already has a myriad of enemies. She doesn't need you chasing around after her because you had one vision."

Ellard narrows his eyes. He doesn't like that at all.

"But you know how powerful these visions can be, brother. You've seen it yourself," Ellard hisses.

I look at Kastriv, wondering what that means. He's seen the aftermath of one of Ellard's infamous visions? That can't be good, since Ellard has mentioned to Oliver before that his visions often haunt him.

"Leave this to me to figure out. Alright?" Is all Kastriv says.

"Actually, leave it to me, considering I'm the problem here," I cut in. I'm not going to let them leave me out of the loop, when Oliver spent so many years purposefully doing that.

And when it comes to something this serious, I need to know.

Kastriv glances down at me, seeing the conflict written all over my face. "We are just trying to help."

"Can we go?" I insist.

Every time I look at Ellard's face, I see my past. I remember all those nights after he left, even the moments before the dinners, where Oliver would threaten me into being the perfect wife.

"I mean it Ellard. Stay away." Kastriv winds his fingers through mine, ready to transport me away, but for some reason, I don't feel settled.

"And can I just say thank you," I add.

Ellard frowns. "What for?"

"For watching me suffer for all those years being married to a monster." I keep my voice calm, although everyone can hear how it trembles.

I want to be stronger than what happened to me. I don't want it to bother me, or for others to see how it bothers me. But the emotions are still so strong.

"I never-"

"I don't care if you never noticed. I used to think so highly of you Ellard...Now, I don't think I do," I whisper. Not just because he tried to kill me either...

Ellard looks lost for words. Kastriv only gives him a few seconds to figure himself out, and when he doesn't, the world falls away out from under us, and a few moments later we are standing back in Territory Six.

Kastriv immediately turns to me, not letting my hand go. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just don't want to see him again for a while," I mutter, resting my palm against my forehead, feeling how much I've been sweating.

"I hope you know that I want nothing more than for you to be okay, Kiva. I'm not trying to be hard on you regarding Keo," Kastriv says softly, running his hand down my arm.

"I want to speak to him again. At least once more." I need to answers, to try meet other's like me at least once.

I'm not sure I'll be able to rest if I don't.

Kastriv sighs, looking over my shoulder at the pink forest. I can see the internal battle. He's not sure whether he should try to protect me or whether he should let me make the potentially dangerous decision for myself.

Eventually he loosens a long sigh. "I suppose that's fine."

My eyes flutter closed, relieved. "Thank you."

"It's hard isn't it, having someone in your life now who cares about you." Kastriv starts to lead me toward the cabin, but I keep my feet rooted amongst the crushed petals.

"It is strange. But I like it," I decide.

Even if I'm still getting around the whole autonomy thing...Kastriv means well, but it's clear that being mated to a Noble is never going to be easy.

"If Keo hurts you..." Anger, pure and raw flashes across his face, but vanishes almost instantly.

"He won't. You and I both know that."

At least as long as I stay useful.

"I don't know anything anymore."

We walk into the cabin together, and before I can open my mouth to ask Kastriv if we could visit Kaia where she is staying with some distant family a few Territories away, I note that there is something he is holding back. I can see it in his eyes.

"There is dinner I want to take you to. It's with my family," he finally grits out, bracing his hands against the back of one of the dining room chairs.

I frown, not liking the sound of this already. "Your real family?"

Kastriv has yet to tell me anything about his birth parents. He calls Ellard and the others his brothers, but they all don't like alike, and there is no way so many powerful people can come from one family.

I imagine they call themselves brothers because they haven't fit in anywhere else. All they have is each other, since I doubt any of the others have mates.

"Not so much, but they may as well be," he says uneasily.

"So Noble's," I respond flatly.

"If it's too much-"

"No, it should be alright. I've met most of them through Oliver anyway," I tell him. And most of them were nice, as long as Ellard isn't there. I imagine he wants to stay far away from me now.

Kastriv still doesn't look convinced. "There is someone there you haven't met-"

"Really?" I tilt my head. "Who?"

The grim expression on my mates face tells me everything I need to know.

"You'll see."

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