UP IN FLAMES ➳ S. STILINSKI [02]

[23]

It felt like I had been asleep for years, even the mattress under me was the comfiest it had ever felt - I must've really needed this long sleep. Nestling in, my head lay on something slightly harder than a pillow, but just as comforting and warm. Realising that what I was laying on wasn't familiar, my hand crept up and patted around my head, gently feeling what almost felt like...skin?

"Stiles" I croaked out, waking myself up and knowing exactly who was lying underneath me.

"Yeah?" He whispered back.

"Why are you in my bed?" I mean, I wasn't complaining, but I was curious.

"Well" He started and I sat up, looking at his shirtless torso in the dusk light. "We were worried about you"

My eyebrows cocked. "You were worried about me?" I deadpanned. "Why, exactly?"

"You were a healer" He stated. "You saved that girls life in the parking lot and if that's not the criteria for a new sacrifice then I don't know what is"

"Really?" In my tired state a chuckle escaped my lips. "And I assume you're not forgetting that a literal healer, a nurse, is next door?"

"Isaac and Scott are looking after her" As snores echoed down the hallway, he nodded his head slowly. "Or, they were meant to be looking after her. But I guess we'll all need to be alert for any kind of.."

"-Sacrificial activity?" I finished his sentence. "Got it"

Running a hand through my hair, I pulled the covers back over me and nestled down into his chest again, placing a hand on his stomach.

He tensed up. "What are you doing?"

I didn't open my eyes. "Going back to sleep, it's three in the morning, there is no way in hell I'm getting up just now. Do you have a problem?"

"Me?" He squeaked out. "A problem?"

I blew out a breath and sat up again. "I can lie on the other side of the bed if you're uncomfortable. I know we haven't slept together before, or even slept together before"

"Right" He chuckled before shaking his head and getting comfy, lifting his arm up for me to cuddle into once more. "I don't mind, in fact, I like it" Pausing his cheeks shone a deep red. "I feel safe with you. Next to you"

I'm sure my face mirrored his own as I gently leant forward and bit my lip lightly, trying not to smile too much. "I feel safe with you too"

Quickly dipping down, he pulled me into a passionate but rough kiss, his hands finding their way to my lower back and pulling me closer. Breathing heavily into his mouth, I deepened the kiss and ran my hands through his hair causing him to let out a gentle moan that I had never heard before. It was really sexy.

Before things could get out of hand, I pulled away and shook my head, pointing my finger to my ear and then next door. "We can't"

"I know" He smiled. "I'm just happy to be here with you"

Fixing myself, I lay back down and looked up at him, his chest rose up and down rhythmically. "But we should definitely do that again"

"Oh absolutely. I wouldn't miss it for the world" Placing a small kiss on my forehead, he interlocked his hands with my own, my head leaning gently on his chest as his heart beat synchronised with my own. "Goodnight"

"Goodnight" I murmured before the comforting arms of blissful sleep pulled me unconscious.

****

I was awoken a few hours later by the birds chirping in the trees by my window, the sunlight tickling my cheeks faintly and a whisper of something brushed my nose. "Stiles" The words echoed around me, my hand lifting up and brushing away whatever was covering my face.

"Stop it, it tickles" What was once giggles faded to confusion as I opened my eyes and instead of being faced with the one that I loved, I was surrounded by forest and trees. "What the..."

Around my body lay what I thought was feathers but I soon shot back in horror as millions of dead moths fell from my lap and onto the forest floor. Standing up quickly, I whipped around and scanned my surroundings - soon realising that I was in the Beacon Hills reserve, but something wasn't right.

The trees usually bright and colourful were completely stripped of leaves in some sort of pathway and the dead moths continued down the middle for at least a mile or so, I knew it was for me to follow, and that someone was in danger.

The pathway lead to a large doorway, it was circular, like a vault.

Walking inside I looked around, seeing that it had lead me right to Beacon Hills National Bank, I had been here before when we were fighting Boyd and Cora but it was abandoned now, there was no signs of the Alpha Pack.

Suddenly, the floor beneath me came alight with dancing flames. Looking down I saw that it wasn't the floor but instead my feet, and then my legs, the fire was warm and inviting but not painful, it made it's way up towards my stomach, charred clothes dropped from me as crackling embers filled the room. 

A sharp prick on the end of my finger made my head whip around and to my surprise I was met with Scott, and I wasn't standing in the Bank any longer, but the middle of a road.

"How did I get here?" I shook my head at him.

Seemly understanding, he nodded. "You felt it too?"

"Felt what? I can't even remember getting here - one minute I was in the forest, and then the bank. And now here?" Looking around, I saw that he had biked here. "What did you feel?"

"Deaton called me when I was in class, you were there too but you didn't leave at the same time as me, so I don't know how you got here first"

My clothes were unscathed. "What did Deaton want?"

"He's the next sacrifice" His face fell. "He's been taken"

***

Oooooh, what do we think? I have a really exciting plot lined up for Ashlynn but I'd love to hear some ideas! Hope you're all enjoying the book so far, we still have a long way to go.