⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Fourteen

Lacey opened her eyes and she was still screaming. She was back in her room, standing with Asher. Asher took his hand off of her forehead and wavered slightly before crashing against the ground. His head struck the side of the bed and he collapsed against the floor in a heap. Leo ran up to her room, having heard her scream.

"Lacey!" he called out, his eyes flitting about the room. When he saw her pink hair, and Asher collapsed on the floor, he seemed to kick into action. Lacey sunk to her knees, feeling like the world had just crumbled beneath her feet. Had Asher teleported her here? She didn't care what happened as long as he was alright. The rest of the world slowly faded away and all she saw was Asher. She heard people try to speak with her, but their voices were too confusing to decipher. Lacey was vaguely aware of when Ari came into the room. Ari pressed frantic kisses to Asher's unconscious mouth. Lacey slapped her and screamed bloody murder at the girl. Ari jumped back in surprise. She cradled his head in her lap, her heart sinking in despair. Blood trickled slowly down the side of his face. Whenever someone tried to come near her, she screamed loudly at them. These weren't shrieks of protest- they were gut wrenching, agonized screams from the pit of her stomach. Finally, Leo came and wrapped his arms around her, dragging her away from Asher. Lacey kicked and screamed and fought but Leo was simply too strong for her. Lacey watched as Aida and Ari went to opposite sides of Asher. Ari seemed to be rambling incessantly and Aida tended to his wounds.

Lacey's world came to a shuddering halt when she saw Asher's eyes flutter open. His eyes found Lacey's through the chaos.

"Asher! ASHER!" Lacey wailed loudly, still screaming like a banshee. Asher's eyes widened when he saw her, and fought to stand up. Aida and Ari restrained his bucking body as he tried in vain to get to Lacey.

"Lace!" He called out. She heard him call her name once more before she was dragged from the room and locked into another room. She banged incessantly on the door, trying desperately to escape. When no one so much as answered her she collapsed onto the ground, sobbing heavy, wracking sobs. She wanted so desperately to see him. She knew Ari was probably all over him, and that was only half the reason she needed to see him. She felt like a piece of her had been separated from her body. She needed to see him up, happy, and smiling, as he usually was. Seeing him on the ground like that after he had gotten her out of Faerie was like seeing her heart being ripped out of her chest. It seemed like an eternity before the door opened and Asher walked in, slightly unsteadily. Lacey heard Ari yelling after him in the hallway, but Lacey didn't care. Lacey flew to him, barreling at him instantly. Their arms seemed to wrap around each other at exactly the same moment. She settled her face in the crook of his neck, clutching him tightly enough she didn't ever want to let him go.

"Asher," Lacey sobbed. One arm remained tightly around her waist, and his other hand cradled the back of her head.

"I'm here, I'm okay," he promised. This didn't stop her tears, though. She held him tightly against her. She knew he was probably injured and healing, but she couldn't stand being away from him any longer.

"Shhh, it's alright. It's okay," he reassured softly, slowing stroking her hair as he held her against his chest.

"Jesus, he just wouldn't sit still. He would only stay restrained just long enough for us to put stitches in his head, and then he bolted like a bat out of Hell," Jeffers remarked to Leo in the doorway. Aida shot her husband a death glare.

"You're going to stress her out more," Aida snapped.

"Asher, where did you go?" Ari asked. When she finally came to where her family was standing, in the doorway of the room Lacey and Asher were in, Ari seemed to get immensely furious. Lacey completely ignored Ari, as if she didn't even exist.