Chapter 835: On A Mission

Tomorrow was D-day. The Ascension of Death.

In other words, they had only today to put things in order and prepare for the competition.

Violet trained with Asher as usual, pushing every ounce of herself into it, knowing tomorrow held the very real possibility of her blowing up the entire Fae realm if things went wrong. Or more specifically—

if her mother died and Baron won.

Annequin had been around for the first half of training, serving as the unfortunate scapegoat and forcing Violet to fight under pressure without losing control.

But as soon as her session ended, she had practically fled the scene, muttering something about helping Prince Lucen secure the location for tomorrow’s competition.

Whatever her obsession with Lucen was, no one was complaining. If anything, it seemed to keep her on her best behavior.

At this point, they could only pray Lucen did not break her heart. No one wanted to know what Annequin looked like during heartbreak.

But that left Violet alone with Asher, who spent the next few hours drilling her harder on control, discipline, and manipulation of her powers. There was no room for mistakes.

And Violet proudly executed every move perfectly, and then some. It was safe to say she was far more aware of her powers now, and it would take much more than pretty distractions and sweet words to make her lose control.

"That is enough training for today," Asher finally said.

He lowered his stance and looked at her with the same unreadable calm he always wore whenever he slipped into strategy mode.

"While learning to control your powers is important, you also need rest. A well-rested mind controls emotions better. And for you, Violet, that is extremely important."

He stepped closer.

"I want you to be as unruffled and unmoving as a mountain from this moment onward until the end of the competition tomorrow."

"Are you sure about that?" Violet asked, anxiously running both hands through her hair. "I think it’s better if we just keep training. It keeps my mind busy and I don’t have to think about how messed up everything is right now."

She was, of course, referring to Roman and Griffin. They still had not contacted them.

And that was beginning to concern her more than she wanted to admit.

"And that is exactly why you need to still that racing mind," Asher told her. "Working your body to exhaustion will only put more strain on your thoughts."

His eyes softened. "For once, forget about Roman and Griffin. You can feel them through the bond, right?"

Violet nodded. That was the only thing keeping her from completely unraveling.

She could still feel them.

Their souls were tied tightly around hers through the bond, warm and alive, a steady reassurance at the edge of her panic. Still, it wasn’t enough.

She threw her hands up.

"But what if they’re in trouble?" she blurted. Then her face changed. "What if they didn’t return home because the portal threw them into an entirely different realm? What if they’re fighting for their lives right now?"

She looked up at Asher with wide, horrified eyes, her thoughts already spiraling into the worst possible scenarios.

"Hey." Asher took her face in both hands, grounding her instantly. "We are called Cardinal Alphas for a reason," he said. "We are powerful, and we’ve survived dangerous situations long before your arrival, my love."

His thumbs brushed her cheeks. "For all we know, they’re caught up in the chaos in Aster City and haven’t had the time or...."

He paused, frowning.

"Or they lost the stone."

The possibility landed at the exact same time for both of them.

Violet’s eyes narrowed. After all, Roman was sloppy, and Griffin was not exactly the brightest strategic mind when chaos was involved.

She made up her mind almost immediately.

"We’ll reach them another way."

"Yes," Asher said. "You’re right. So you focus on the competition tomorrow. And you win. It would be devastating if you ended up dying tomorrow, Violet. That would be a far worse fate for your mates."

Violet’s eyes flared with power. "That won’t happen."

"Good," Asher breathed. "Now go wash up. Then we’ll meet Alaric for lunch."

"Huh?" Violet was surprised by the sudden change.

"I’m pretty sure Alaric has been working himself like a machine and hasn’t gotten proper food into his system," Asher said. "That way, we can also check on his progress with the device."

Violet brightened immediately.

"That’s a nice idea!"

Then, without warning, she launched herself into Asher’s arms.She stood on her toes and kissed him briefly on the lips.

"I’m so glad I have you, Asher Nightshade."

"I know, baby girl," he murmured with a smile.

Then he leaned in and kissed her back.

This time longer, deeper and hungrier.

Perhaps it was the danger hanging over them and the very real possibility that one or both of them could die tomorrow, but

Asher was more passionate than usual.

What Violet didn’t know was that the larva inside him had begun to lower his inhibitions, subtly affecting his personality.

Hence why Asher, who was usually rigid and painfully disciplined, had been more playful than usual.

So when Asher’s hand slid down to her backside and pressed her more firmly against him, Violet had to be the one to break the kiss before things escalated.

She stared into his beautiful slitted eyes, now darkened with lust. Then her gaze dropped to his slightly swollen lips.

Violet couldn’t help brushing her thumb across them.

"Soon," she whispered. "Soon, you’ll have all of me."

"Can’t wait," Asher murmured back.

Then Violet stepped away, smiling.

"I’ll be done so fast, you won’t even miss me."

And with that, she broke into a sprint.

Asher chuckled softly, watching her hurry into the palace to get ready.

But the second Violet disappeared from sight, the smile that had been on his face vanished completely, replaced by a determined gleam in his eyes.

Like a man on a mission, Asher began to move. Baron’s command was still clear in his head.

Find a way to get that device by all means necessary.

He had to obey. He had no choice. Obeying Baron was all that mattered.

So Asher moved through the palace corridors without a destination. Just walking, watching, observing, and waiting for the right opening.

Then finally, a Fae servant caught his attention.

Asher stopped. "You," he said.

The servant turned. Except the second his eyes met Asher’s, the compulsion took hold. His body stilled and his expression blanked.

Asher’s lips tilted slightly at the side when he realized it worked.

The High Fae might have been impervious to his compulsion. But the common Fae?

Apparently not.

"Come here," Asher commanded.