He considered it a win that he managed to get almost a hundred feet off the road before it got stuck. Come winter, passing drivers would easily spot it, but no one would see it now.
They both climbed out, and Asher used a rag he found under the seat to wipe everything the best he could. When he finished, he tossed the rag into the woods and closed the door.
Brie stood at the front of the car. Asher’s gaze fell to the box in her hands as she studied it.
“Don’t you think it’s time to open that?” he asked. “We have to know if we have to go back there.”
He was right; she had to open it, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. If it didn’t contain the stone, all of this would become a bigger mess.
Sensing her hesitation, Asher gave her another minute before asking, “Would you like me to do it?”
A part of herdidwant him to do it so she could put off her disappointment if it wasn’t in there, but she’d never passed off the responsibility of the stones before, and she wasn’t going to now.
“No,” she muttered.
She walked to the front of the car, took a deep breath, and lifted the fake book over her head. Clenching her teeth, she smashed the metal box off the tree the bumper now rested against.
The impact jarred her hands and arms as the metal screeched. The box bent and twisted and almost tore free of her hands, but she held on to it. She bashed it against the tree one more time, and something tumbled out of it.
Brie bit her lip as it landed between her feet, but she couldn’t look at it right away. She was too afraid it would be baseball cards or whatever else kids were into nowadays.
As he studied the stone resting between Brie’s feet, Asher didn’t make a sound or move. It was violet and about the size of an apple. Even though the stone Brie described sounded nothing like the one in Willow’s sword, he’d been expecting something like it.
These stones were supposed to do something to push the demons back, and Willow’s sword turned them into ash. However, this stone didn’t look like it could harm anyone, and it hadn’t done anything to the kid who found it.
He had no idea what these stones were supposed to do, but they certainly didn’t look lethal. One look at Willow’s sword, and it was clear it was a killer before it started dusting her enemies.
When Brie finally dared to look down, the box tumbled from her numb fingers as a sound of choked delight escaped her.It’s there! It’s the eight stone! I have it! I HAVE IT!
As she stood there, shaking and on the verge of tears, Asher couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms and cradling her. He rested his chin on her head as her body molded perfectly against his. She felt so right in his arms, like it was exactly where she belonged, and it was where he wanted her.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Brie remained unmovingin his grasp as a feeling of contentment and need crept through her. She hadn’t expected his embrace, but the second his arms enveloped her, she welcomed the warmth and security of his touch.
She was so lost in the sensation of his chest against her cheek and the beat of his heart beneath her ear, it took her a couple of seconds to respond. By then, an awkwardness crept into his body and he started to pull away.
She should let him go, she shouldn’t encourage this at all, especially when she’d seen his death screaming toward them, but she couldn’t let him go. Unable to stop herself, she wrapped her arms around him and dug her fingers into his back. He relaxed again as she clung to him.
It had been years since she was touched with such tenderness that she’d forgotten what it felt like. A rush of emotion poured through her, and she was horrified to realize tears burned her eyes.
She had no idea if those tears were for herself, for him and his approaching, untimely demise, or because she’d located another stone. And it didn’t matter why while he was holding her.
Asher rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes as he breathed in her sweet scent, absorbed her warmth, and lost himself to her. It had been a long time since he’d held another in this way. Demons and Savages had a way of interfering with his social life, but it had never been exciting.
Unlike Nathan and Logan, the elders had never decided on a wife for him; they would have eventually, there was no stopping that, but he’d never had the obligation of a fiancée or family. While he’d been with a handful of women, he never had an ongoing relationship with anyone.
And while he’d seen a couple of those women for a brief period, he’d never really cared about them. He couldn’t let himself develop feelings for anyone when he barely got to see them and when the elders would choose a wife for him one day.
So, he’d maintained an emotional distance from them, and they hadn’t minded, but holding her, something stirred inside him. Something he’d never experienced for a woman before. It was more than desire; it was something profound.
He had no idea what it meant, but he welcomed it as he inhaled her floral scent and savored how her hair tickled his chin. He’d never noticed such details about a woman before; however, he found himself trying to memorize every minute detail he could about her.
When her hand slid up his back, his mouth went dry as blood flooded his cock. He should pull away, so she didn’t feel his arousal, but he couldn’t bring himself to move when all he craved was getting closer.
His fingers slid up to cup the back of her head. The silken hair of her ponytail brushed his hand as he lowered his head until his lips brushed her ear.
Brie should tell him to stop or end this herself, but instead of doing either of those things, her fingers dug deeper into the muscle of his back as his breath warmed her ear. Her breasts swelled and ached as yearning spread like wildfire through her body.
