***WINNER OF MISSMYSTERYGAME'S BOOK OF THE MONTH DECEMBER 2021***
***2nd PLACE IN THE FANTASY SECTION OF THE PUNK ROCK AWARDS***
In the realm of Glorianna, five young guardians: Titus, Rosemary, Megara, Aiken, and Brennan protect their kingdom with...
A wave of guilt fell over Asher. He hated that she felt so broken. He wanted to help her. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be alright, but for that to happen Asher couldn't be in the picture. That was something he knew now. If he wanted to make things better for Chantel he had to leave her.
Even if that thought filled him with a deep sadness.
"Have you beaten that thing yet?" Chantel asked hopefully. Asher was taken aback. When the Harpie attacked he told her SparkNotes version of his story. Granted, that was before he knew all he knew now. Chantel knew that they were fighting someone named Gedeon and that he had monsters occasionally come and try to capture them.
And now he was stuck in a moral dilemma. He could solve all her problems right now. He could lie to her and tell her that they beat him. That their lives were going to return to normal save a few new powers that they had before.
Or he could tell her the truth. Which were they hadn't. Asher didn't even know if they could beat Gedeon. He had years of experience growing his power. Molding himself to become a force that could take down whole realms.
Asher was a pothead with a chip on his shoulder that could barely form a bubble around a person's head. Their techniques were getting better with their practice sessions in the dead world, but it is only a fraction of what they should be able to do at this point.
"We did beat him," said Asher before he even had time to think. A look of relief fell over Chantel and she smiled. It was the same smile that Asher had fawned over that night in the club. Her perfectly straight and white teeth lit up the whole room with warmth. "He was a total bitch baby. We had him eating out of the palm of my hands. He begged for mercy."
Chantel lunged from the corner of the bed and wrapped her arms around Asher. He hugged her back, but now with even more guilt. Sure, he took away her fear, but now she was going to be unprepared.
What are the odds that something ever comes back to her apartment? He thought to himself as she pulled away and laid down in the bed. It's not like Chantel is one of us. She's just a human. They can't be interested in ordinary humans.
Asher laid down next to her and Chantel pulled him into a kiss. Her lips passionately traced over his as they melted into one another. Asher felt her hands travel along his torso and he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. She sat up and threw her shirt off her body and onto the floor. She climbed on top of Asher and the two collided.
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Asher stood in the bathroom and stared into the mirror. "Idiot, idiot, idiot," he mumbled to himself. He turned on the water faucet in the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. "I shouldn't have lied to her," he whispered to himself. "That wasn't fair."
He turned off the faucet and walked back out into the studio. The soft sound of breathing echoed through the room. He looked over at the bed and saw Chantel covered in sheets. She looked peaceful as she slept. Not a worry in the world on her face.
