Yeah. Anyway, he was still kissing her, still pressing his body against hers

She stays silent.

Redcaps skittered past, snarling and waving knives at one another, but they didn't notice them. The second time, a pale woman in a bloody dress floated by. Once they were gone, they fled down a cold, empty corridor with icicles growing from the ceiling like chandeliers, flickering with a soft blue light. Ash finally pulled her through a door with the silhouette of a bone-while tree emblazoned on the front. The room beyond was rather small and sparsely decorated with a tall bookshelf, a dresser made of polished black wood, and an impressive knife collection on the far wall. A simple bed sat in the corner, the blankets pulled tight, looking as if it hadn't been used in decades. Everything looked exceptionally clean, not like a prince's bedroom at all. Ash sighed and finally released her, leaning against the wall with his head back. Blood soaked his shirt, leaving dark stains against the black material.

She suddenly pulled back from him. " We should keep going. ''

She doesnt say anything.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I know."




He pushed himself away from the wall, leaving a smear of red. Removing his tattered shirt, he tossed it on the floor and turned back to Isiea. The wounds on his shoulder and ribs seeped crimson against his pale skin. They should probably be cleaned and dressed before he put different clothes on.

She stared at him, then moved away from the tree.

She just turns away from him.

He let her. This time.



The top drawer of his dresser showed that it held an assortment of weird things: dead flowers, a blue silk ribbon, a glass dagger with an intricately carved bone handle. The jar hed herb-scented cream, nearly empty, and was sitting on a bloodstained cloth. In the kit sat a roll of what looked like gauze made of spiderwebs. A thin, silver chain came out with the kit and slithered to the floor. There were two rings attached to the links, one large and one small. This--this drawer full of odds and ends--was Ariella's, where Ash kept all his memories of her. The dagger was hers, the ribbon was hers. The rings, exquisitely designed with tiny leaves etched in silver and gold, were a matching set. If she ever needed proof that Ash still loved Ariella, here it was.

Yeah. Even if she wanted to date, him, she wouldnt. She doesnt want to be a rebound.