Blood of Ash

Chapter 8: Asher POV

I was talking to a guy from my English class when she got to school. It was like a hush fell through the halls. All I saw was her. She wore the short peacock blue dress with knee high black boots. She had done her makeup so her eyes were big and bold and her hair. I loved her hair so much. She had changed the colors so it was an ombre of different shades of blue and purple and she had curled it into gorgeous little waves. And her scent was easily five times as strong.

I know she saw me, but she kept walking past me. My eyes followed her against my will and then I heard my classmate say, "s**t. She looks hot as crap today."

Again, my alpha aura erupted and I growled at him loud enough I was sure she heard me. By the time I got to class, she was flirting with some random guy and I fought the urge to say anything. She's mine, I growled internally before remembering that I was letting her make her own choice. When we went into the other room, I closed the door and immediately said, "Bells, you're so beautiful."

When she ignored me, I walked over and gently took her chin forcing her to look at me. "Bells, why are you doing this?"

She looked at me defiantly, "What do you mean?"

I whimpered and practically begged, "Bells, why are you dressed like this? Why did you refuse to talk to me in the hallway? Tell me how to fix things. Please."

Her eyes blazed in anger and pain. "Why? Do you seriously not know?"

"Bells, you misunderstood," I pleaded with her.

The bell rang to dismiss class and she shoved my hand away. "Oh no. I understood perfectly fine." She looked at me before leaving. "Don't bother waiting up for me."

My heart broke completely at those words. I grabbed her hand and begged, "Please, just hear me out before you leave." She didn't try to pull away so I continued, "Bells, I wasn't apologizing for what you thought I was."

Hesitantly, she turned around and asked, "What do you mean?"

I pulled her close, and cupping her lower back with one hand and the back of her neck with the other, I kissed her desperately. After a second of hesitation, she relaxed. I pulled away slightly and breathed, "I would never apologize for kissing you, Bells."

She whimpered and gently pushed me away. She ran away after saying, "I'll see you on the way home."

I smiled and let her run. I had a stupid grin on my face the rest of the day and every time we saw each other in the hall, she would blush and run away. I was waiting by her locker for her when she got out of her last class.

She blushed hard when she saw me, making me smile wider. In a soft voice she said, "Hi, Ash."

I laughed and hugged her saying, "You're adorable. Let's go home, huh?"

She nodded and I followed her out of the school. We walked in an easy, yet slightly awkward silence for awhile. As we entered the forest she started babbling. I took her hand and pulled her to a stop.

"Bells, ask the question you're avoiding," I commanded.

She started to say something but changed her mind. Instead, she surprised me by reaching up and pulling me down enough to kiss me. She was intoxicating and I pulled her flush against me, easing into the kiss. I never wanted it to end, but she pulled away.

She smiled. "I need to get home. Text me?"

I grinned and kissed her one last time. "Always do."

I watched her run ahead and had no idea what I was doing. I didn't want her to feel the way I did without knowing the truth about what I was, but I loved making her feel good. Sighing, I texted Alex, Hey. U want 2 go 4 a run?

He texted back, Where r u?

The woods by B's house? y?

He's back.

I called Bella and when she didn't answer, I took off running. She has to be okay. She has to be. Please be okay, Bells.

I got to her house without seeing her and sniffed the air searching for her scent. There. She's home. She's safe. Please stay home for now, Bells. Please.

I tugged on our bond as hard as I could, begging her to respond. I felt a gentle, sleepy tug and projected my need to see her. I waited until the door opened and I saw her. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and scooped her up into my arms.

"Ash," she questioned. "What's wrong?"

I kissed her hard trying to convey all of my feelings and whispered, "Bells, you might not see me for a while. I had to see you and know you were safe. I had to."

She was worried. I felt it. I hugged her tight and she chuckled, "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. What's wrong? Can I help?"

I smiled at her. "You're not ready for that yet, Bells. All you can do is stay safe."

I kissed the top of her head and went to leave when she grabbed my hand. "Don't go, Ash. I have a bad feeling about this."

"I have to go, Bells. I have to."

Please tell me what's going on, she said through her mind.

I pressed my forehead to hers. "Bells, please." My voice cracked and I felt tears forming. "This is already hard enough. What can I do to make this easier on you? I can't tell you much about what's going on. Please tell me what else to do."

I was begging, I know I was, but I didn't care. "Take me with you."

I groaned. "Bells."

She smiled sadly. "I know. You can't do that. So, tell me how you feel. Do that and it'll be better."

I smiled at her. "Don't you already know that?" She shook her head. "I can't tell you yet, but I can try and show you if you want."

She nodded and whispered, "Yes, please."

"Let's go upstairs then."