The Hidden Luna

Chapter Seventeen

Scarlett woke up in the middle of the night. She rolled over to see if Asher was awake, but when she did, his place in the bed was empty. She felt the spot, it cold to the touch and she frowned. He must've been gone for awhile. Rubbing her eyes and sitting upward, Scarlett peered toward the bathroom, thinking maybe he'd be in there, but it was empty.

Scarlett got to her feet and padded over to the door, careful for it not to creek. Although nobody but Ash and her slept on this side of the house, she was still worried about waking someone. As Scarlett walked through the silent house, she worried about what she might find. What if Asher was hurt? What if something horrible happened? A scream stopped her in my spot. It sounded like it came from the basement, which was weird, because Hunter told her the basement was just storage space, nobody actually goes down there.

Scarlett hugged herself for a moment, feeling the softness of her silk nightgown against her arms. After a moment of thinking, she decided to investigate further. Scarlett opened the basement door just as another scream erupted. She took a couple of steps downwards and she flinched at the scene in front of her.

A man was tied to a chair in the center of the room and Ash was standing over him, his knuckles bloodied. Asher took another swung, punching the man until blood spewed from his mouth. The man spat the blood onto the floor, his gruesome smile was coated in red. "She's such a pretty thing. I can just imagine the noises she'd make if she would take a real man like me."

"Don't-" Asher threw another punch, "-talk-" and another, "-about-" and another, "-her."

The man took a moment to recover, let out a loud groan. "It's a pity they want her."

"Who?" Asher snapped, gripping the man's hair and pulling hard. "Who wants her?"

The man chuckled, malice dripping from it. "You'll have to kill me because I'm not telling."

"Tempting," Asher replied, letting go of the man's hair. "But I think I'll keep you here. We'll see how long it'll take before you crack."

The man thought about this, likely pondering his options. "How about this, I tell you why she's so special, and you let me go? Seems like a fair trade."

"Not a chance," Asher spat, walking circles around the man. "She was bitten. End of story."

The man ignored Asher completely and began talking to himself rather than Asher. "She is wanted, she is desired, she is destined," the man stopped for a moment and then looked up at Asher. "Tell me, what do you know of her parents?"

Scarlett's eyes widened at the question and she took a step back, causing the step to creek under her weight. Before she could see if Asher heard her, Scarlett left as quickly and quietly as possible, racing to their room and getting situated in bed before he could suspect she ever left the room.

Scarlett threw the covers over her and shut her eyes, trying to even out her breathing, but her breath caught in her throat when she heard the bedroom door open. Asher walked quietly to his side of the bed, the weight of his body causing the mattress to dip slightly. Scarlett could tell he was facing her because she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Scar, are you awake?"

When Scarlett didn't reply, he kissed her cheek lightly, so light, it felt like a feather brushing against her skin. But no matter how gentle Asher was to her, Scarlett couldn't get the images of him beating that man and the fact that he looked like he enjoyed it, out of her head.

***

The next morning, Ash shook her awake. "Scarlett."

"No," Scarlett mumbled, rolling over. She had been awake for most of the night and hardly got any sleep. She had no intention of waking up anytime soon. "I'm sleeping."