⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Eighteen

Lacey looked up at the one story white house, looking as if her mind had just exploded. What on Earth were they doing here? Were they making a pit stop?

"Ah, its the not-so-safe safe house," Isaiah remarked casually from the backseat. "Nice." Lacey felt her eyes widen, and she wondered if it had been a good idea to trust Asher again. She wasn't even sure if she did trust him. She just knew that being away from him for so long had been painful. As if he could read the insecurities on her mind, Asher turned to Lacey immediately.

"He means that it's a completely normal house. No supernatural wards of any kind," Asher explained as Isaiah hopped out the car door.

"What happens now?" Lacey asked Asher in a low voice.

"Now we lay low for a while." Asher said, taking the key out of the ignition. Lacey saw a flash of red, and she took his hand. His knuckles were still bleeding profusely. His entire body went rigid in her grasp, and she looked up at him. His face composed quickly, but something burned in his eyes with an unusual intensity.

"We need to bandage this." Lacey acknowledged. He nodded swiftly. He drew his hand away from her grip, stepping out of the car. He walked to a small bathroom and she followed, unsure if she was even supposed to walk after him. He picked up the first aid kit from under the sink and began cracking it open. She yanked it from his grip. His head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You aren't bandaging yourself. Sit down," she said.

"Lacey, I can handle-

"You injured your right hand. You're right handed. Sit." she ordered. He raised his eyebrows for a moment before sighing and complying. She began working diligently on his hand, her brows furrowing in concentration.

"I still don't understand what happened to your fist," Lacey said.

"I got pissed." Asher stated simply.

"When you saw me and Theo in the car? You do know we spent a lot more time together," Lacey exclaimed. Asher suddenly tensed, his entire body going rigid. Lacey's eyes flickered to his face before moving back to his fist.

"It wasn't just that. I saw him touch you. Like he... like he owned you. I took it out on the window." Asher ground out through gritted teeth.

"Oh, that." Lacey mused. Asher suddenly gripped the tops of her arms. His grip was slightly too tight, but somehow when she was with Asher, she didn't feel like anything he did physically could ever hurt her. It was a stupid feeling, but it was still there nonetheless.

"How can you be so casual about this? He sexually assaulted you!" Asher hissed, shaking her vigorously.

"What do you want me to do? Get therapy?" Lacey retorted.

"Lacey, you can be upset! He touched you!" Asher yelled at her. Lacey was unsure of how to feel about Asher's outburst. He was clearly angrier about this than she was.

"He's done worse," Lacey said feebly. She tried to slide her arms out of his grasp but he was already moving. His eyes widened and he moved to clutch his face.

"Oh God. Oh God! He...you...Lacey!" Asher gasped. It took Lacey a moment to realize what he was thinking.

"No! Asher, honestly. I was talking about him invading my body!" Lacey gasped. Asher winced almost immediately.

"SON OF A BITCH! YOU TWO-" Asher shrieked deliriously.

"Asher! Jesus Christ! I meant when he invaded my mind!" She groaned. "That is so perverted!" He sagged slightly in relief from her words.

"Thank God," He sighed. He winced slightly. She looked down, realizing he had gripped her arms so tightly he'd reopened the wounds on his fist. She let out a long breath, sitting him gently back down and reworking on his fist.

"You are absolutely insane," Lacey muttered. Her voice was light enough that he knew she didn't mean it. He closed his eyes, as if he was relishing the moment. She let herself concentrate on her work, and not the rapidly increasing pulse of her heart beating in her chest.

"Why did you leave?" Asher asked then.

"I already told you the answer to that," Lacey said quietly.

"Just tell me what was running through your mind."

"I saw the note from your mom and I freaked out. Everything was blurry and the world was spinning... Then Leo found me and I only had two seconds to decide what to do. What I was feeling in that moment made me decide that I couldn't face you. Not if I knew that you didn't love me." Lacey explained, her voice cracking on the last sentence. Asher's eyes flashed open.

"How did you believe it so easily? That I would cheat on you like that?" Asher asked. She knew that he would be mad about her not trusting him. She had known that he would bring it up.

"I saw the paper and I didn't think straight. I just kind of thought that if you were keeping things from me it was because you didn't like me as much as I thought. Because you're assigned to me, for God's sakes." Lacey breathed.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not doing this because you're my assignment?" Asher asked.

"You can't prove that to me. A part of me will always wonder."

"But Lacey." Asher said in a strained voice. Lacey tried so hard to be unaffected by the harsh tenor of his voice, but it burned in her chest. She looked away from him and began working again on his fist. She finished quickly, and he stood almost at the same time. Lacey stretched, her back aching from bending over for so long. Asher inhaled a low gasp, his face hardening instantaneously. The color drained from his skin.