Page 18 of Witch's Exile
8
DEJA
If I thought the earth magic was strong at our last house, it seemed to vibrate in every pore of my skin in our new home.
We arrived instantly in a spacious, comforting cabin much like the last one. Only this one was a bit more bare in terms of furniture and books.
"You two should head into town for supplies soon," Ash said to Sal and me in his commanding tone. "The kitchen is bare and this place has a sore lack of reading material."
"And what are you going to do, Your Highness?" I teased.
He didn't smile back but gave me an apologetic look instead.
"I need to return to Hell for a short while."
"What? Why?" I demanded.
"I need to confirm something with Lucifer about a certain hunter friend of ours."
"Seth?" I stepped in closer to him, gripping his shirt in my fist. "What do you need to confirm about him?"
"I don't want to speculate until I'm sure it's true." He stroked my cheek affectionately. "You've got enough on your mind to worry about." His hand skimmed across my lower belly.
I gritted my teeth. I'd had enough of these guys keeping information from me to protect me, but Ash's steely expression told me he wouldn't budge on this.
"Just come back to me soon." I draped my arms around his neck.
"It'll never be soon enough," he said gruffly before lowering his mouth to claim mine.
We kissed passionately, holding onto each other like we wouldn't see each other for weeks instead of mere days. But with him gone and Raum still being a shithead, Sal would be the only one with me.
He stood off to the side politely while Ash and I finished our goodbye, then came up behind me and secured me in his arms while we parted breathlessly.
"Take care of her, Salmac," Ash ordered sternly.
Sal nodded sharply but his cheek pressed against mine as a grin spread across his face.
"Now that she has Air, she'll probably be the one taking care of me," he said.
"Doesn't matter. They want her dead more than you," Ash snapped.
I stifled a giggle. He was somehow especially adorable while in serious commander mode.
"I love you," I blurted out.
Ash lowered his icy gaze to me and his hard exterior softened the way it did just for me. He leaned down and pressed a final, toe-curling kiss to my lips.
"And I love you. I'll be back before you know it, my love."
With that, he stepped away and disappeared before my eyes.
A heavy sigh escaped me and seemed to deflate my whole body. Sal squeezed around me from behind and dropped comforting kisses to my neck and shoulder.
"Wanna go into town and do some shopping, beautiful?"
I nodded, eager for any kind of distraction and Sal gently unwrapped from me to check out the vehicle in the garage. Meanwhile I just stared at the spot where Ash had been standing just moments earlier, hating the feeling that now two-thirds of my heart were gone.
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