Asher (Ashes & Embers 6)

Finally, I see the pink fabric of her shirt about twenty feet away.

“Ember! I’m coming!” I jump into the water, and fuck, it’s freezing.

I take deep, even breaths to stave off the chill and wade toward her...praying and begging with every horrific moment that passes.

She has to be okay.

Choking back sobs, I pull her limp body from between the large rocks she’s wedged against and cradle her head in my hands.

“I’m here, baby. You’re okay.” I smooth wet hair from her face to reveal her beautiful eyes staring blankly past my face, to the sky above us. Lifeless. “You’re okay.”

My body trembles with chills as I carry her to the edge of the river and gently lay her on the ground before climbing out of the river to kneel beside her. A new flash of fear wafts over me when I see her lips and skin have started to turn a pale blue. I swallow hard over the lump in my throat as blood begins to seep from the back of her head onto the dirt around her.

“Ember...” My voice is a raspy whisper as I reach for her wrist to check for a pulse, but the uncontrollable shaking of my body makes it impossible to feel even a faint beat.

I’m frozen, clinging desperately to her hand, pressing it to my chest as if my own insanely beating heart can somehow bring her back to life. Our entire life together bolts through my mind. I’m paralyzed by it. Every moment of our fairytale, crazy, whirlwind love story flips by like the pages of a book.

Our first kiss.

Our first date.

Our first time.

Our wedding.

Our child.

Our bands.

Our home.

Our millions of slow and frenzied kisses and hugs.

Our everything.

We promised each other forever. There’s no way in hell forever ends here like this.

No. Fucking. Way.

“Move.” I’m shoved aside, the force almost pushing me back into the river. Dazed, I stare at the hiker we saw earlier who’s now leaning over my wife. Pushing his fist into her chest. His mouth on hers. For a quick moment I want to bury my fist in his face for violating the most precious gift in my life.

Ember and I have only ever kissed each other. It was our promise when we fell in love so young. Our sacred gift to each other. Our bodies and our hearts would always only belong to us.

“Get your ass off this mountain and call 9-1-1!” he yells, snapping me back to reality. “Now!”

I have no memory of running down to the main road with my arm dripping blood and nearly getting run over as I jump in front of a car to flag it down. I don’t remember the frantic emergency call I made, or the ambulance coming.

All I remember is the love of my life begging me not to let her go, and the promises I made.

And then broke.

“Ash?”

Hours ago, I forced everyone to leave the hospital. They left slowly. Reluctantly.

My brothers. My friends. My parents. My grandmother. My daughter.

God. I should be with Kenzi right now, but I can’t leave Ember’s side. The look in Kenzi’s eyes as she walked out the door still haunts me.

I’m not at all surprised my best friend, Toren, is still here.

He crosses the dim private room to where I’m sitting in a hard plastic chair, hunched over the side of Ember’s bed. He touches my shoulder and leaves his hand there. “I’m here.”

I nod, not taking my eyes off my wife’s bruised and swollen face. Not letting go of her hand. Not moving an inch away from her.

“Your parents took Kenzi home with them. She’s scared and confused, so we thought it’d be best if she stayed with them.”

I nod again. I don’t want my fourteen-year-old daughter to see her parents like we are right now—bloody and broken.

Tor squeezes my shoulder. “Let me take you home.”

I shake my head, my eyes still glued to Ember’s face. “No.”

“You’ve got blood all over you. You’ve been here for over twenty hours. You’re exhausted and hungry and—”

“I’m not leaving her.” I raise her cold hand to my lips to press a kiss against her wedding ring.

She’s always loved that.

“Asher...you gotta get some rest.”

I squeeze Ember’s hand tighter, watching her for an eye blink, a tiny twitch of her lips—anything. “No.”

He lets out a deep sigh. “Then I’m not leaving, either.”

I’d moved past the point of total exhaustion hours ago and am now in that zombie-like autopilot mode that takes over where nothing seems real anymore. I keep thinking this must be a horrible dream and I’ll wake up any second and everything will be back to normal.

But with every minute that ticks by, the awful reality of the situation crashes in.

I’m wide awake. Ember is asleep.

Both of us trapped in a nightmare.

Three Days Later

“Mr. Valentine, I’m going to respectfully request you go home and rest. I assure you, your wife is in the very best hands.”