A Demon's Kiss ✔️

THIRTY SIX

Word Count: 1497

~Aspen

Kastriv stands between my legs as I sit on the counter, wincing every time he presses the damp cloth against the side of my head.

"I hate that he did this to you," he murmurs, rinsing the cloth in the sink beside me.

I watch the blood dilute in the water, flowing down the drain. My stomach turns uncomfortably, knowing that he could have killed me with no effort at all.

"I guess this means I'll never be able to go in public again." I stare down at my hands, trying not to get emotional.

Will I ever know freedom?

Kastriv frowns, shaking his head, although I get the feeling he is trying to make me feel better. "It doesn't have to mean that. We can fix this."

He presses the cloth to the side of my head again, and I wince.

"Ouch." The stinging pain is bearable, but it's frustrating. At least the dizziness has subsided, and the wound isn't bad enough to take a long time to heal.

"Sorry, he got you pretty good." I can hear the quiet anger in his voice. I wonder if he's replaying that man's death in his head over and over again.

"Thank you for coming to get me," I breathe, trying to keep my head positioned so he can access the wound.

Had Kastriv not come to help me, there is a chance I may not have come out of that alive.

"Vadric had heard about you and mentioned it to me. I was moments away from leaving the estate when word came in," he explains.

"I'm lucky."

"I'm sorry about losing control with that spirit again." He winces, remembering the feeling of being touched by them. I can only envision how terrifying that would have been.

"You can't help it. It's not your fault," I assure him.

He didn't ask to be burdened with the sight of spirits.

"I know...It's just becoming more frequent and I'm tired of it," he sighs, gently rubbing some cream against my head. I hiss through my teeth, trying not to tug my head away as the pain becomes overwhelming.

"The mental toll must be a lot." The fact that this spirit looks like his mate is a whole other element on top of it.

I just hope I don't have a connection to this, and that it's just a spirit using my appearance to torment him.

"I've seen spirits my whole life, but nothing like this." He washes his hands, unbothered by the blood.

"Does she still seem desperate?" I ask.

"Yeah. She continues to scream silently and cry like she's being tortured," he exclaims, shuddering.

I watch as his gaze shifts to the corner of the room, and then straight back to me. She is here, right now, and even though I know she isn't technically real, it is chilling, as if I can feel her presence.

"Don't let it get to you. Unless you can do something about it, then I wouldn't give it any thought," I assure him, even if I'm officially creeped out.

Kastriv frowns slightly, but nods. It's hard not to think about something that he can see right in front of him, but I don't want him to start going crazy because of it.

"I saw Keo while you were gone," I say suddenly.

Kastriv physically flinches, his worry melting away to cold anger. "What did he want?"