⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Thirteen

When Lacey finally retired to her room, she went into the walk in closet, changing into her pajamas. She had been about to take her bra off when she heard a sound from the bedroom. Asher was there, sprawled out on her bed. He was laying on his stomach, flipping through something Lacey couldn't see. She left her bra on and threw on a t-shirt and a hoodie.

"Hey," she said, flopping down next to him. Her eyes found what he was reading. It was her notebook. He had flipped to the most recent page, where she had written the list of bad things.

"Asher!" Lacey accused, reaching to yank it out of his hands. She never made it that far, though. He rolled onto his back, holding it far enough that it was out of her reach. She climbed atop his chest unthinkingly, reaching to grab it out of his hands.

"Why am I on a list of bad things? Twice?" He asked in a voice that was laced with menace. It didn't faze her, though. She continued trying to fight her way to the notebook.

"None of your business!" She snapped. In a blindingly fast move, he chucked the notebook at a wall. Before she could go grab it he flipped the both of them so that she was pinned underneath him.

"Tell me," He asked. She remained silent, feeling the weight of his violet gaze.

"Lacey, please?" His voice was softer now, pleading with her to understand. She swallowed, her resolve slowly melting away.

"The first time I wrote it because I don't know what you are. You could be a fairy for all I know," Lacey answered. Her joke fell on deaf ears, though.

"What about the second time?" He asked, his eyes searching hers. She felt the warmth of his breath on her face. The musky smell of his cologne mixed with some of his sweat was intoxicating. Having him this close compelled her to spill all of her secrets.

"The second time was because I don't know what we are. Friends, or more... I don't know. And then there's Ari..." Lacey trailed off. His eyebrows drew together.

"Ari?"

“Or more precisely, you and Ari,” Lacey breathed. His face slowly settled into a mask of understanding.

"There is no 'me and Ari.' There's a me and you, but no me and Ari," Asher stated. Lacey felt her breath hitch in her throat. Her chest grew painfully tight.

"There's a me and you?" She asked.

"Of course there's a me and you, Lace," He answered. He released his grip on her wrists slightly so he could trace the skin of her wrist, making her shiver. She couldn't stand the overpowering need for him in her chest anymore. She lifted her lips to his. His body pressed harshly against hers, making her skin feel as if it were lit on fire. His lips were soft against hers; they were pliant in a good way. Within seconds, the kiss grew more intense. It reminded Lacey of a forest fire- kindling lightly at first before consuming large amounts of land. His lips grew hard, moving against hers. She shoved back with equal power, feeling every brush of his lips send pleasure rippling down her body. His lips went slowly lower, kissing along her jaw. She tried to yank her wrists out of his grasp, but his grip was unrelenting. He kept her wrists pinned above her head, giving him complete control.

"Nope," he said against her jaw.

"But I need to- I want to-" she panted. She wasn't sure what the end of her sentence was. He raised his lips to hers again, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Close your eyes and just let yourself feel," He instructed. Almost instantly, his lips were on hers again. He silenced anything that she had been about to say, along with any thoughts she may have had about him. Just being around him made her dizzy, so kissing him made her practically drunk. He was right. Him being in control was thrilling. It made her adrenalin spike dangerously. She needed more of him. She knew that she would do whatever he wanted, follow him wherever he went in this moment. His lips moved slowly down her neck, placing soft kisses on the skin there. He kissed down the center of her chest. He stared at her chest hungrily. Lacey suddenly wished she had put a shirt on. Just being around him made her so self conscious. His lips slowly traced the edges of the bra. She let out a gasp, her blood heating her skin.

"Ash!" She moaned. Without thinking about her actions, she lifted her hips to his, scissoring her legs with his.

"Lacey, I don't think we should-" he began. She lifted her lips to his mouth, placing hungry kisses there. They moved together slowly, her hips circling with his...

There was a blinding flash of light, and suddenly they weren't in Lacey's bedroom anymore. They were in a bright room, with loud music and laughter. Something about the place felt immediately familiar to Lacey, although she couldn't recall ever being here before. The room was like a giant ballroom, with hordes of dancing people. Tables of food lined the walls. It smelled so aromatic, so perfectly mouth watering. She moved to go try some but a hand slipped around her waist.

"Don't eat anything. It's poison," Asher hissed in her ear. Lacey stiffened almost automatically. He turned her and walked towards the center of the room, where a large, throne like chair sat. In it was a woman with the most bright hair Lacey had seen. Each strand was dyed a different color of the rainbow. Each strand was also curly, like Lacey's hair. Her eyes looked like a color wheel; Her pupils were like a well of a thousand colors.

"Seelie Queen, what brings us to your court?" Asher bellowed. The woman smiled, her bright white lips curling in a seductive grin. Her skin shined like a thousand facets were hidden beneath the surface of the skin.

"Why, Asher, you're here because I've summoned you." Her voice sounded like a waterfall, as if each and every syllable was perfect. The court grew eerily silent when she spoke.

"And why have you summoned us?" Asher returned. His body seemed to radiate anger. The court came back alive when he spoke, as if nothing had happened.

"I have summoned you so that I could speak to Alessia," The queen surmised. Lacey stiffened.

"How do you know my name?" She asked harshly.

"I know the names of all my children," she declared, gesturing towards the large throngs of people. Lacey inhaled a deep breath, her world slowing to a halt. This is a dream, Lacey decided to herself. It can't be real.

"Children?" Lacey choked out. Lights pulsed at the edges of her vision. She was surprised to feel that the nauseous feeling that seemed to accompany her everywhere was now gone.

"You do feel at home here, don't you? Like you've been here before?" The Queen prodded. Lacey nodded mutely.

"That's because you belong here. Here dance your brothers and sisters. This is the kingdom of Faerie," the queen announced, her smile delighted. Lacey breathed heavily. She suspected the only thing keeping her calm and centered was Asher. His silent presence behind her was enough to keep her from fainting.

"Would you like to see your true form?" The Queen asked. She stood slowly, rising until she was just about Lacey's height.

"Stop this now," Asher hissed from behind her. The Queen moved steadily closer, until she was just about a foot away.

"Stop. Stop stop stop stop STOP," Asher growled. Lacey found her feet seemed to be glued to the ground. The Queen had some kind of compulsion on her, keeping her rooted to the spot. The Queen waved her hand, and Lacey felt something settle over her, like a glittery powder. The Queen produced a long mirror and held it out to her, grinning largely. In the mirror, the tips of her hair had been dyed cotton candy pink.

"My hair is pink!" Lacey squeaked. The queen's carefully calm composure dropped, and she looked from the mirror to Lacey.

"No!" the Queen screeched. She threw her foot into the mirror, making it dissolve into glass shards.

"Why have you brought us here?" Asher demanded.

"That was supposed to work. That was supposed to kill you! How could one of my own children possibly be immune to the charms of faerie-" the Queen rambled.

"WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT US HERE?" Asher boomed. The Queen turned to him, her hands clenching into fists.

"I WANTED TO GREET MY CHILD. BUT SHE ISN'T ONE OF MINE!" The Queen screamed. Her scream sounded like nails sliding across a chalkboard. Lacey covered her ears instinctively. The sound registered as the worst one she had ever heard in her life. Asher tugged on her arm, pulling her backwards towards something. The people in the room began advancing towards Lacey and Asher. Their happy, delighted glamors were gone. They now looked like zombies that were thousands of years old, coming to devour their flesh. Lacey screamed loudly. Her screams grew louder and louder until her throat burned. Asher placed his hand on her forehead.