Page 105 of Slayer

As I neared the Evernight Library, I felt someone to my left, and turning, I saw Asher. His expression surprised me.

He looked…devastated.

I stopped walking and faced him.

Something unspoken passed between us.

We’d both been through a lot. I grew up a discarded orphan; he had loving parents ripped away from him at a young age. Everyone else who’d gotten runes today seemed fine, but we were struggling. Reaching out, he hooked his pinkie into mine and turned to walk into the library, dragging me behind him.

I followed him without question. I had no idea where we were going, but I trusted him completely. He led me inside and immediately turned right, pushing open the door to a coatroom where students hung coats and boots during winter months. It wasn’t winter yet, which meant the room was empty, silent, smelling faintly of dust and cold air.

The moment the door shut behind us, he spun and pulled me into his arms. I crashed against his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as if he were the only solid thing left in the world. A sob threatened to tear free, and I gripped him like a life raft. His embrace, his scent, the way he held me tight and unyielding, it anchored me back into my body.

“It was a lie,” he whispered into my ear. “Whatever it showed you was a lie.”

“Akari said it’s real to us,” I whimpered, my voice muffled against him.

“Yeah, and we lie to ourselves,” he said gently. “Everything it told you was a lie. We are our own worst enemies. You’re loved. You’re wanted. You’re amazing.”

The words shattered something in me, and I couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped. How did he know exactly what I needed to hear? Did he carry the same fears inside him?

“So are you,” I whispered, and he nodded against my neck, as if he needed to hear it just as badly.

We stayed like that for a long time. There was nothing sexual about it. It went beyond that, beyond desire. It was the most intimate hug I’d ever shared with anyone. When we finally pulled apart, I took a slow, cleansing breath and felt steadier.

“That was hell. No one warns you,” Asher said, and I knew he was talking about the runes.

I nodded. “You might not do it if they did.”

He let out a dry chuckle and reached out, trailing a finger lightly from my wrist toward the edge of my sleeve. I shrank back instinctively, and he froze.

“Oh, sorry,” he muttered. “I was just admiring.”

I rubbed my hands together, grounding myself. “No, it’s okay. It’s just that Akari told me to keep one rune hidden.”

His brow furrowed. “Hidden?”

I chewed my bottom lip, nerves flaring. Did I trust Asher? Akari said I could share it with someone only if I trusted them.

I turned my shoulder toward him and peeled my sleeve up just enough. His gaze dropped, and then his eyes widened. He reached out quickly and tugged my sleeve back down.

“You should hide that,” he said firmly.

Fear crawled up my spine. “Why? What does it mean?”

“It’s a forbidden ascension rune. Something Noctis. I forget the exact name.” He exhaled. “I don’t know as much as Harper and Luna about runes, but I know it’s not desired.”

Forbidden. “Why? What does it do?”

He hesitated, and I reached out and shook him a little.

“Asher, I’m scared. What does it do?”

He swallowed. “They call it the shadow mark. I don’t really know what it does. Just that the last hunter who carried it, Serafina Vale, killed over a hundred hunters.”

Killed hunters? “Why would she do that? I would never do that.” I shook my head, panic rising, wishing I could go back into that room and scrape the mark off my skin.

Asher stepped forward and gripped my shoulders. “You’re not Serafina Vale. But people will think that if they see it. That’s why you need to keep it covered, and I’ll try to find out what I can, okay?”