Deep Burn (Burned Duet 2)

“It is,” Asher agreed, coming up behind me. His palm drifted over my shoulder and down to my elbow. “And it’s all ours for as long as we need it.”

I stared out of the glass and didn’t move my gaze off the dock, already able to see myself sitting out there with Asher beside me. And I knew then that this was the right thing for me—for us. We needed time. Time away from everyone. Time to just be Asher and me.

Time to just…be.

ASHER

The heaviness of the equipment strapped to me had beads of sweat rolling down my cheek. No one ever told you how heavy a Marine’s uniform was, but it was the gun I held in my hands that weighed the most. The damage one gun caused could be catastrophic, so I knew only to place my finger on the trigger if I was fully prepared for the outcome. I didn’t take it lightly—I never took it lightly.

The heat of the day had slowly waned into a cool night, but that didn’t mean it felt anything but scorching hot. The wind whipped through the partly open windows of the Humvee, and I relished in the sensation as it flowed over my skin, giving a tiny bit of relief.

“Room is secure,” Jax informed from opposite me. I’d heard the update over my comms, but nodded at him anyway. The command center was our only eyes, and we were now only a minute away from entering the hostage situation we’d been called in to help with.

My leg bounced the closer we got, and once we were far enough away that we couldn’t be seen entering, we all jumped out of the vehicle in our usual formation. The sky was a mixture of red and orange as the sun set, promising another heat-intensive day tomorrow.

I took my place second in the formation, and Jax held his hand in a closed fist in front of me. It was only seconds, then he booted the door open, and I rushed inside with my gun raised. Shouts ricocheted around the brick-built room as I concentrated my attention on the man and woman in front of me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to take in all of his features, but I was distracted by the woman he held. She squirmed, trying to get away from him, but he held on tighter.

“Asher,” she called. It was a voice I knew, but I couldn’t quite place it. “Help me, Asher.”

“He can’t help you now,” a rough voice said from behind her, and I stared back at him. “He’ll never be able to help you.” He smirked at me, and my blood boiled. My finger shook over the trigger. “Can’t you see he’s broken too?”

“Please, Asher. Please!”

My heart raced in my chest, so fast I thought it would push its way out of me any second. The voice was becoming clearer and clearer, and then it hit me—hit me so hard I stumbled to the right. “Elodie?” What was she doing here? Why was she in—

The room faded out. The brick turned into painted walls, and the concrete floor turned to carpet. A carpet with a red stain. A bloodstain. What the hell was happening? Where was I? What was—

“Asher!”

I flung my head up, my eyes widening as I watched Knox rip Elodie’s clothes, baring her to him—to me. His fingers scraped across her stomach, leaving behind trails of blood.

“No! Stop!”

“Asher?” A hand clasped my shoulder, and I jumped, my own hand flinging out to capture whoever was touching me. “Asher, it’s me, Elodie.” Sweat dripped down my forehead, my breaths were coming quick and fast, and it took me several seconds to concentrate on Elodie’s face.

“Elodie,” I breathed out. I loosened my grip on her, but I didn’t let go completely. I tried to put all the pieces together as fast as I could and took in the room around me. Shelves from floor to ceiling were on the far wall, and there was a bed in the middle of the room. The same bed I’d slept in every time we stayed at the lake house.

We were at the lake house.

Elodie was safe.

It was just a dream—just a dream.

“Sorry.” I cleared my throat and shuffled to the edge of the chair I must have fallen asleep in.

“It’s okay,” Elodie replied and moved back to sit on the bed. The early morning sun was starting to push its way through the gaps in the blind, and my head pounded. “You were calling my name and…” She trailed off, leaving her words hanging in the air.

I scrubbed my hand over my face, trying to wake myself up completely. It wasn’t like I could tell her what my dream was. She had enough on her plate to deal with, so I wouldn’t add my shit to it too. My two worlds had collided in my brain, and I had no idea how to deal with any of it. Elodie wasn’t the only one who needed a break from the world—so did I.

“Asher?” I pulled in a breath and turned to face Elodie. Her navy-blue eyes shone with worry, and I hated seeing the look on her face. It was almost as bad as when the pain pushed through on her features. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” I stood and stretched my arms over my head, trying to push out the soreness in my muscles. I’d had no intention of sleeping anywhere but near Elodie, and although we’d slept in the same bed at my mom and dad’s house, I didn’t want to push it here. I wanted her to feel safe around me, so I’d opted for the chair, no matter how many times she’d said she was fine on her own. I wanted to be close by in case she needed me.

Yet, it had been me who had a nightmare.

“You don’t look it,” Elodie commented, but I didn’t reply. I didn’t have an answer for her because I wasn’t willing to open up that part of myself to her. I couldn’t tell her about all

the bad things that had happened in my life. I couldn’t explain to her what I’d witnessed as a Marine and what haunted me every night.