Chapter 123 Human Roadblock
Chapter 123 Human Roadblock
Rhys shook his head so hard he almost toppled off the barstool
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on my hand as he reached for it again.
‘Stop it!‘ I snapped, yanking it back. ‘Don’t touch me.‘
He looked so damn pathetic.
He opened his mouth–to apologise, maybe–but all that slurred out was, ‘You’ve got to lisss…‘
I gave him a shove. Not hard.
But he still went down like a sack of wet laundry, collapsing sideways off the stool and hitting the floor with a thud.
‘For God’s sake,‘ I muttered.
He made no effort to get up. Just sat there, back against the bar, legs splayed, head drooping onto his chest.
Yvaine poked him with the tip of her high heel. ‘He’s not dead, is he?‘
‘Still breathing… I think.‘ I leaned down for a closer look and nearly toppled over myself.
The room swayed. Suddenly, there were two Rhyses swimming in my vision.
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‘Whoa, Mira.‘ Yvaine caught me, steadying me with an arm. “Told you that drink would hit hard. Should’ve taken it slower. Come on, sit down.‘
She led me to a sofa and sat me down gently. ‘How many fingers am I holding up?”
I shook my head, trying to blink the haze away.
The room doubled again. Everything had a weird, delayed echo to it
I wasn’t drunk, but I was definitely not sober.
“Time to get you home,‘ Yvaine decided.
Suddenly, Rhys snapped awake.
His upper body lurched forward as he made a grab for my ankle. ‘Mirabelle, I…‘
I kicked him. The motion sent another dizzy wave through me.
Rhys rolled over, then started wriggling along the floor like a worm.
Yvaine kicked his leg. ‘Move aside.‘
Rhys didn’t. He sprawled out wider across the floor like a human starfish.
His hand slithered out again, reaching for my ankle. ‘You can’t leave. You can’t just walk away from me like this…‘
I stood up–well, more like swayed upright–and raised my foot to stomp on his hand. But the floor kept shifting under me.
‘Yvaine,‘ I said, blinking hard.
‘Him? Want me to kick him for you?‘
‘No. Just… are you seeing what I’m seeing?‘
‘Seeing what?‘
Black coat. White T–shirt. Grey trousers.
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He looked just like any other bar patron, except for the face.
That face stood out anywhere.
He stepped closer.
I reached out, the motion throwing me off balance.
He caught me.
‘Ashton!‘ Yvaine’s surprised shout confirmed I wasn’t hallucinating.
Ashton’s solid warmth double–confirmed it.
‘What’s going on?‘ he demanded.
‘What are you doing here?‘ Yvaine asked at the same time.
‘Let’s get out of here,‘ I said, lagging behind.
Yvaine picked up the explanation. ‘We came out for a drink. Just a quick one. I was going to get Mira home right after. I know she’s got dinner plans with you. But then this guy‘—she jabbed a toe at Rhys–‘rolled in drunk and miserable and started pouring out his soul. Mira wouldn’t give him the time of day, so he lay down on the floor and tried to roadblock us.”
‘I got a text from Cassian. He told me Mira’s here.‘ Ashton answered Yvaine’s earlier question before turning to me. ‘Can you walk?‘
‘Yes,‘ I said, attempting a demonstration.
Not a straight line, but definitely forward–ish.
The world was still moving through gauze. I could hear everything and see everything, just not all in the right order.
Rhys was still flopping about on the floor.
Ashton wrapped an arm around my waist and stepped over him-
And planted a foot down on Rhys’s outstretched arm.
Rhys let out a sharp yelp.
Ashton glanced at Yvaine. ‘You said she only had a quick one.‘
Yvaine shrank under his inquisitorial gaze. ‘Well, yeah, two glasses, tops. But it was a rather strong blend.
She added sheepishly, ‘I told her to go slow.‘
‘I’m fine,‘ I mumbled ‘Hold up your hand I’ll count your fingers
Ashton’s voice dropped another ten degrees. ‘What’s your address I’ll drop you oft
Yvaine backed away ‘Nah, no need I’m good, really I can walk ally. And this place is owned by a friend. Don’t worry about me, just take care of Mirabelle.”
Ashton gave a curt nod
Everything blurred again, I was scapped off the floor
My vision swam upwards until I was looking up at his chin, lightly usted with stubble
Mirabelle.‘ Rhys groaned from the floor. ‘I need to talk to you
Ashton walked right over him.
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Rhys yelped, curled into a ball, but still managed to cling to Ashtons ankle with one hand.
Ashton calmly stomped down on it. Ground it into the floor.
Rhys howled.
The cool evening air slapped some clarity into me as we stepped out of the bar.
I blinked a few times. Things sharpened a little.
Ashton slid me into the back seat of the car, then climbed in after me.
That was when I noticed he was wearing indoor slippers.
The drive was quiet.
The car felt like a tomb, only the hum of the engine filling the silence.
I wasn’t sure when I nodded off. But eventually, the awkward seat angle woke me again.
I kept sliding off the leather.
So I inched closer to Ashton and dropped my head on his thigh.
It was a hard pillow, but better than sliding into the footwell.
From this angle, all I could see was his Adam’s apple and the underside of his jaw, clenched tight.
The car braked suddenly.
I almost rolled right off him, but his hand shot out and caught me.
‘Drive slower,‘ he barked at the driver.
‘Sorry, boss.‘
I clung to his arm, waited for the nausea to roll past, then squirmed a bit, trying to find a more comfortable spot.
The knees were hard and digging into the back of my neck.
The thighs were solid as granite.
I shifted higher up.
His hand clamped down on my hip.
A warning: stop wriggling.
His other hand brushed my hair back from my forehead, then beg gently massaging my temple.
It felt nice.
I made a pleased little hum to let him know he should keep doing that.
My eyes fluttered shut, lulled by the
I might have fallen asleep again, if not for
‘Do you still have feelings for him?‘
Pressure of his fingers.
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