Page 27 of Ashen Souls

“Nothing,” he stammered, his hand flattening over the open pages. “Just an old diary. I needed to find something.”

Before I could take another step, he slammed the cover shut and shoved the black book into the top drawer of his desk, twisting the small brass key. He yanked the key out and jammed it deep into his pants pocket.

My father was often eccentric and lost in his own head. But this kind of paranoid evasion was new.

“And what were you looking for?” I pressed.

“Nothing, Aveline,” he said, forcing a tight, overly bright smile. “Just a work matter. It would bore you to tears. Come on. Let's finally get that coffee and figure out what movie we're watching tonight.”

Jesus.

I had completely forgotten. It was the one night a month reserved for mandatory family bonding in the living room. A predictable routine where we’d argue for an hour over what to watch, only to inevitably surrender to whatever dry period piece Mom or Dad selected. We’d gorge ourselves on snacks, and by the second act, we’d all be drifting off on the couches, full and bored.

9

♫ OMIDO, EX HABIT—DEVIL IN UR EYES

“Back so soon?”

Fuck.

The last thing my brain could process was the muffled drone of artillery fire from a mind-numbingly dull historical drama. The blue glare of the television. The smell of buttered popcorn. I had fallen asleep on the living room sofa.

Which meant that right now, my physical body was lying vulnerable, completely unconscious, wedged right between my parents and my siblings.

That’s… disturbing.

“No,” I gasped. Instead of the rough sofa cushions, my fingers tangled in dark sheets. The familiar red silk slid against my thighs as I scrambled toward the headboard. “I didn’t…”

“Aveline,” he murmured. “I can smell how soaked you’ve been since the moment I promised to suck your clit. You've been dripping for me since.”

He detached from the shadows. The candlelight caught the hard, unyielding lines of his bare chest. He didn't just walk; he stalked, every shift of muscle completely silent. With every step he took, the air in the chamber grew heavier, pressing down on my lungs until I was fighting for a breath.

“Daeren,” I breathed.

A slow smile curved his lips.

“How is the mortal world treating you?” he asked, the gold in his eyes lethal.

“Annoying.” I braced myself against the pillows. “And loud.”

His gaze dropped, a sweep that felt almost tangible.

“I can be both,” he murmured.

“Please don’t.”

“Do you want me silent, Aveline?” The way he laid claim to my name felt like a weight, the syllables vibrating into my skin. “Or do you want me speaking while I fuck you?”

I twisted the sheets between my fingers.

“Neither.” My voice splintered. “Both. I don’t know.”

A low hum resonated in his chest, and the candle flames leaped as if tethered to his satisfaction.

“Honesty. I appreciate that.”

“This is just another dream.” I forced my spine straight. “I hit my head. My brain is misfiring.”