“Come down. Now.” His face becomes closed off like he’s an entirely different person, almost as if he’s camouflaging something.
Then I recognize that somber look in his eyes.
Fear.
Pure, raw fear.
He doesn’t want me to jump.
Why the hell is my heart thumping at that?
Stop it. Don’t celebrate. Don’t you dare celebrate.
“If…” I clear my throat. “If you don’t want me dead just yet, can you let me search for my sister first? I’ll do whatever you want once I find her.”
He says nothing.
“Please…” I soften my voice.
He grabs me by the wrist and pulls me down so hard I shriek, thinking I’ll topple over the edge.
Instead, I land in the midst of strong arms. Steel limbs crush me to his chest, his embrace nearly suffocating and yet so…warm.
Asher is warm when he chooses to be. It’s just that he rarely allows that part to shine through.
My cheek lies against his chest muscles and I inhale him, the sandalwood and citrus, the warmth and the safety.
The need to cry hits me out of nowhere.
But why?
Why, Asher, just why?
He places both hands on my cheeks and wrenches me away from his warmth to hold me at arm’s length. “Don’t you dare fucking do that again, understood?”
My lips tremble, but I say nothing.
“What happened to what you said? The part about how I don’t deserve for you to sacrifice yourself for me or anyone else?” He shakes me hard as if he’s jamming those words inside me. “Snap the fuck out of it.”
The need to throw myself into his embrace again becomes overwhelming like an actual presence with thoughts and feelings, but since I can’t do that, I focus on my other purpose. “Are you going to let me search for my sister?”
“For fuck’s sake.” He wrenches himself away from me and I flinch backward as he turns, facing the endless buildings and their lights.
His shoulders hunch with tension, and I don’t know how to make it better—not that I should.
“So?” I press instead.
“Fine.”
A breath heaves out of me as I try to get my chaotic feelings in check. If he leaves me be, I’ll be able to focus on finding Reina.
Then, when I give her back her life, I’ll pay whatever price Asher wants of me.
“But you’re not doing it alone,” he continues.
“What?”
He turns around, his expression less agitated than earlier. All tension has left him, replaced by a calculative streak.