Living Like Legends [Alec Lightwood]

{Chapter Eight}

Ashe

"Ashe, listen to me.  I'm not afraid of you.  I never will be."  Alec was standing close, closer than they'd ever been. His breath tickled her face, a scent of evergreen and fresh wood filled her senses.

She gazed at his handsome, rugged face. "How can you say that?"

"Because I trust you."  He leaned closer. Her pulse quickened and their foreheads touched. They were so close now, Ashe could see Alec's long, dark lashes brushing his skin as he blinked.

Then a dark shadow fell over the both of them. Ashe tilted her head back, searching the sky. It passed over again, but she couldn't find the source of it. "What-"

She smelled smoke. She jerked her gaze back to Alec and gasped as he fell to his knees.

His eyes were a porcelain blue, churning like the sea on a windy day. "Ashe, stop.  Please."

Tendrils of midnight were snaking around his ankles, climbing up his body. She frantically tried to rein in the darkness, stop what she was doing, stop hurting him but found that she couldn't.  "Alec-"

But then he was gone and she was alone, standing in a clearing.  Trees were surrounding her and there was no way out- no end in sight- no way-

Ashe sucked in a breath and she flung off the blanket wrapped around her.  Cold beadlets of sweat prickled on her skin and the room was dark- too dark. 
She hurried to the window and flung open the drapes, letting the bright morning sun pour in and illuminate the room. Swallowing hard and pushing the remnants of her disturbing dream from her mind, she pulled on an over-sized hoodie she'd found in one of the drawers. She glanced at her bed but had no interest in sleep. Without bothering to look in the mirror, she quietly opened her door and peered out into the hallway. 
The others must be sleeping, she reasoned and padded down the long carpeted hall. Her stomach growled but she felt like she'd swallowed rocks and didn't know if she could stand to eat. The hall turned to the right and Ashe followed it, but not before noticing the small door painted a light beige color, almost but not completely the same shade as the wall.

Her curiosity won her over as she pulled the small knob and it swung open on silent hinges. Ashe peered into the gloom before flinging out a wave of darkness and sensing the stairs leading up. She stepped a foot forward and then another, letting the little door swing shut behind her. After climbing the stairs, a total of twenty in all, she glimpsed light spilling onto the floor.

And then the whole room opened into light. It was a greenhouse, overflowing with trees and shrubs and flowers of every kind. For a moment she stood, taking it all in and the smell of rich earth and rain water was almost enough to transport her back to the jungles of Elementia.

Almost.

Then she was pulled back to reality and her heart fell again. She retreated back to the stair case which emptied out into the hall.

This time when her stomach growled, Ashe succumbed to the feeling and made her way the large kitchen. She glanced around before settling on opening the fridge and pulling out a carton of eggs.

Hunting around for a pan, she located one and flipped on the stove.  Cracking the eggs, she dumped the liquid into the pan. 

"Did we order in for breakfast?" 

Ashe jumped and spun around to face a bleary looking Alec, rubbing his eyes.  He was still dressed in his pajamas and was barefoot. Her mind snapped back to the dream and she took several deep breaths to steady herself.