Sarcastic beauty

Asper

Evie's POV

  "Evie baby wake up." I wake up feeling someone shake my shoulder. But I'm greeted with darkness. The world a dark void of emptiness. It almost matched my heart. Empty and barren.

"Asper?" I try to call out but my voice breaks. I feel something warm curl around me nuzzling my neck. "It's okay Ev I'm right here I'm right here," Asper whispers calmy in my ear settling my erratic heartbeat. I cling to him trying to slow my breathing. I was still trying to shake off my nightmares that plagued my mind in my sleep. "What time is it?" I managed to croak out. 

"A little before midnight. Helen says it's the perfect time for us to start t-the thing." Asper mutters. He didn't need to tell me what Helen meant. He didn't need to remind me that we have to sacrifice Liam tonight. I didn't want him to. 

I try to get up and move but the soreness of my body caused me to groan instead. Fighting in two battles almost back to back is something I don't advise. Every muscle ached within my body. "Come here baby let me carry you," Asper muttered in the dark no doubt seeing perfectly in the night with his werewolf eyes. I feel my body being lifted still naked from the night before. My eyes are half-closed as he dresses me in some soft jeans and one of his hoodies. He carried me down the hallway to the kitchen which was warmly lit with some candles on the window seal. But all it reminded me of was the torches in the clearing where Liam died. The memory sent a pang of pain through my heart. I look down when I feel something hot in my hands. Asper had set me down on the counter before he poured me a steaming cup of coffee.

"Ramen?" I ask quietly while blowing on the rising steam from the cup. Asper chuckles lightly kissing my cheek before he goes off to the pantry. Looking down at my coffee a well of sadness fills me. I keep expecting Liam to come around the corner and make a snarky comment or make fun of the way I look. But the kitchen is quiet besides the rustling of Asper making his way around the kitchen.

The air seemed empty in his absence. Like the room itself missed his presence. I sip my coffee in silence grateful for the warm liquid cascading down my throat warming my body perfectly. If only it could warm my heart with it. 

Asper softly takes the coffee mug from my hands and places a bowl of ramen in them instead. I lift my head to kiss him softly showing him my thanks without words. My mouth didn't seem to want to form anything only to open slightly to shovel ramen in. My eyes water at the memory of taking Liam's bowl of ramen all those weeks ago. I don't notice when the tears start dropping down into the bowl soaking into the noodles. 

Asper's warm hand lifts my chin as he leans in to kiss the tears from my cheeks in a loving manner. "I love you," he mumbled. 

More tears sprang into my eyes from the warmth filling my chest finally warming my heart. "I love you too." I croak out from my tears taking his lips into mine kissing him with such love that it aches. I feel my body mold against his setting the bowl to the side as I squeeze his shirt in my fist holding it as my anchor so I keep grounded to him. I never want to let go. Without him, I would drift into oblivion getting lost in the darkness. 

We separate from each other to catch our breaths leaning our foreheads together. My tears have been dried and swept away with his love.  "thank you." I whisper. He didn't need me to clarify what I was thankful already knowing what I meant. 

A half an hour later 

My head bounced against Asper's shoulder as he walked along the forest floor. The walk was going to be a long one and when I found out I let out the world's longest groan. But Asper said he would carry me instead-but when I insisted I could still walk despite my unwanting to he said he wasn't asking. So here I am clinging to his back clutching to the front of his shirt. Lucus wasn't far off carrying Liam's body that was rapped in the whitest cloth we could find. 

Helen was in the front of the group leading us to the cell I was held in not too long ago. The memories of Clide beating me and me laying on the ground shivering kept replaying in my mind racking shivers all along my spine. Asper sensed my unease through the mate bond causing him to ask. "Are you sure you can handle this? It's okay if you can't no one would judge you if you wanted to turn back". I simply shook my head taking a deep breath. 

We continued onward getting deeper and deeper into the forest. As beautiful as the forest is I'm not going to be traveling back into it for a while. Lots of bad memories reside here that will take a while for me not to be scared of. Even now I have to remind myself no figures in dark cloaks are going to jump out and attack me. 

The journey goes on a few more hours leading us to an old crumbling building. "Wait I thought there was a huge throne room? This doesn't look like it could even hold more than a kitchen let alone a ballroom?" I asked as Asper set me down. I tried not to wince at the pain in my legs but failed as I noticed Asper's tense beside me. He's been very protective this morning. He says it's from the attack and his wolf is on high alert when it comes to my well-being. I didn't mind the extra protection though it made me feel safe amidst a place that made me feel otherwise. 

"Did you by chance walk through a pair of huge doors?" Helen questions. I only nod thinking back at the huge birch wood doors I stepped through to get to the throne room. "That was a magic portal most likely made from your mother." She answered before heading towards the structure. 

I shuffle after her but a faint smile reaches my lips when I feel a light tug on the back of my jeans. Asper had looped his finger through the back belt loop following close to me. It brought back memories from when we first met. But the smile was washed away as we stepped into the building the smell of molding stones overriding my nose. My body froze as a familiar voice filled my head. 

"Look who's back."