Page 58 of Savage Torment

All I know for sure is I'm done being naïve now.

Perhaps this agreement with the wolves and the uncertainty with Blaze could lead to a positive outcome.

Regardless, I feel empowered and strong, like I’m going to take charge today.

Polaris x

My chest feels warm with a lightness I’m not very familiar with as I place my diary back on my nightstand. Just as I turn to look at Asher, he grunts beside me, and I frown.

The guy that was asleep and serene just a minute ago is now riddled with tension. His shoulders are bunched together, his jaw locked tight as his nostrils flare. His fingers wrap around the sheets, distress becoming clearer with every second as he whimpers. The sound doesn't last long, turning to a bark of anger before quickly dwindling back down to a plea.

“Please, please stop,” he rasps, and panic surges inside of me as I gape at him helplessly, desperate to ease his pain.

Shuffling in my spot, I rise up on my knees, leaning toward him as I try to figure out what the hell I should do. I place my left hand on his shoulder and he starts to thrash beneath the sheets, tangling himself up as his pleas get louder.

An intense pain sears through my mind, leaving me dizzy, lightheaded, and overwhelmed by feelings I’ve experienced before.

Fuck, it's happening again.

I groan, my face throbbing as I struggle to breathe. Barely able to lift my head, I lean toward the nightstand, searching for my pouch of sand. My vision is blurred, making the task challenging, but I eventually feel the velvet against my fingertips and delve inside, filling my palm with sand.

I try to remember exactly what I learned in my lesson as I lean back toward Asher, who continues to flail around. I balance myself with my hand on his shoulder as I finally let my eyelids fall closed, the muttered words from my grimoire parting my lips. But this time, it’s not a vision of him or a silhouette of a color revealing what he’s feeling that greets me. Instead, what I see is, what I can only assume, what he’s seeing.

A different kind of pain radiates through my body. Bumps, fists, and kicks—a beating, if that word even suffices. Darkness,despair, and agony consume me completely, and one thing that remains present is a mask with an elongated nose and a sinister cackle that hurts my soul more than anything else.

The Crow.

Nothing about this is pleasant. I can't pinpoint any of it. It's all a flash of scenes, but each is viewed from behind arms locked over my face, shielding me from what I seem to know is coming. Blow after blow, every angle, every limb, all aching from the cruelty and devastation.

The nose of The Crow’s mask comes into view, but this time it gets closer and closer until Asher jolts, moving me along with him. I pull my hand away from him, but it’s a bit too late as he reacts, landing a powerful hit that sends me flying across the room.

I grunt as my back hits the floor. Thankfully, I’m not winded, just shaken as I press my hand to my chest. My gaze immediately darts across the room to where Asher sits on the bed, gaping at me with wild eyes.

“Oh, Silver, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,” he stammers, jumping off the bed and sinking to his knees in front of me a moment later.

“No, it's okay. I shouldn't have intruded like that. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry,” I mumble, acutely aware that I’m over-apologizing, but the look of despair in his eyes reflects his fearforme, and I need him to know it’s not warranted.

He tentatively extends his hand, and the second I place my palm against his, he maneuvers me so that I’m on my knees. The two of us sit face to face, a mirror image of each other as our chests heave with every synchronous breath.

I’m uncertain how much time passes before he lifts his hand to my face, cupping my cheek as his stormy blue and green eyes pierce into my soul.

“I’m not sure what happened,” he murmurs, and I do my best to give him a reassuring smile as my heart races wildly in my chest.

“It's okay. You were just?—”

“You look pale. Are you alright?” he interrupts, lifting his hand from my cheek to my forehead to check my temperature. The more alert he becomes, the more understanding spreads across his features. “I recognize that look in your eyes, Silver. What’s happening?”

I clear my throat, unsure how to explain, but he deserves the truth. “I just… it was… I started to feel dizzy, like…”

“From my energy?” he asks when I can’t quite place it, and I nod.

“I grabbed my sand, but when I closed my eyes to try to focus…” My words fail me again, but he thankfully shows me more patience as I gather my thoughts. I feel as though I’m intruding on something that wasn’t meant for me. I don’t want to make him upset, not after the night we just had.

As if sensing the panic within me, he curls a lock of hair behind my ear as he speaks. “It’s okay, Silver. Whatever it is, it’s okay,” he breathes, soothing me as if I’m the one who was trapped in that torture.

I shake my head. “I didn't see your aura when I closed my eyes like we practiced last night,” I begin, watching his brows furrow. My throat grows even drier, but I summon the courage to blurt it out. “I saw what you were seeing.”

His body becomes rigid, his hand pausing at my cheek as his eyes widen and true understanding dawns. I’m not the only one looking pale now. As I watch the color drain from his face, I nervously rub my lips together and gulp.

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