Blind Faith (Book 1)

Chapter 27

Ash

Ash had a restless sleep, which was to be expected, after such a magical day with Emma. Pure emotional heartache and longing for her had become unbearable with vivid memories, tastes and smells. His sensors were in overdrive. His cheeks burned with every thought of their time together.

To clear his head, he crawled out of his bunk, got dressed and walked outside. As the sun clipped the mountains, that cut impressively into the valley, there was just enough light to reveal the path he had walked with Emma yesterday.

The dampness from the early morning rain sparkled on the undergrowth, and any moisture hit by the sun's rays evaporated in a hazy mist. He loved the change to autumn, especially the icy crisp mornings when the air was fresh on his face. It was a great way to wake up with small tingles crawling across his cheeks.

His Gabriel bodyguards followed him outside and shadowed him twenty yards behind. Emma had insisted they stay close enough for his protection, but far away as was possible to give him some normality. Even from twenty yards, he could still feel their eyes on his back. At least he had become accustomed to his two shadows, they didn't make his skin crawl as much anymore.

As he followed the same route as yesterday, his mind began to stray back to last night and the cosy hut they had settled in. It was mind-blowing and as much as he tried not to smile he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear and walk with a new spring in his step, a new day, a new man.

Fresh hope...when did I last feel like this...

After a few minutes, the path dipped downwards and the trees dispersed to reveal the sweet little hut, the love shack, his and Emma's little haven from the dark world they walked. Part of him still could not fathom that they had spent the entire day together, and in each other's arms. Talking about everything and anything...when they weren't kissing. It still felt like a dream or someone else's memory.

The secluded building was built on a raised ledge above a meadow below, overlooking Lake Derwentwater in the distance. The structure was a little run down, ivy and wisteria running amuck, winding their tendrils all over, eating into the brick and wood. The roof leaked badly, as they had found out in the evening. But Ash and Emma had found a dry corner and snuggled up together to watch the rain draw in from the mountains, as the darkness descended leaving only the emerald glow from Emma's eyes for guidance. Ash needed nothing else.

He hesitated about entering the tiny structure, without Emma, but as he neared, he caught movement from within. He stepped up his heart full of hope and peered through the grubby glass window, only for his chest to sink, revealing a despondent Aimee inside.

She sat on the window seat reading a heavy brown book. He watched her for a moment, engrossed, her eyes focused and shifting along with the words. She appeared to have taken some time with her hair today, as it was not as wild as normal. But what struck him the most, was how relaxed and normal she looked, especially the secret smirk, that slipped on her face every few seconds. She wasn't downhearted as he first suspected, she looked content, her natural beauty easily revealed in this environment. It made Ash smile, and he could see she was happy and he didn't want to ruin the moment.

But as he moved to leave he couldn't hide the nagging of his consciousness and the twisting of his gut, that Aimee troubled him most, about his new relationship with Emma. He had learned from Leon that she had returned empty-handed, that the Daemon had eluded her, and she was desperate to talk to Emma.

On finding out Emma was with him, she had nearly broken the Gabriel soldier's arm who had relayed the news, before storming off to lock herself in the Chapel for the rest of the evening. So Ash dreaded seeing her, he couldn't imagine how she would react at knowing what he was doing with her sister. His face burned at the memory but also brought a new warmth within his chest that he had been missing from his life for a very long time. He did not want to lose that.