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HOME IS…

ASHER

I stared at the phone, frowning.

“What did she say?” Layne asked.

“She met Jonah. Oh, she also wanted me to remind you to give Jimmy his next dose,” I said, handing her the phone. We walked toward Jimmy’s room.

“Hey, Asher?”

“Yes?”

“You pissed her off last night, didn’t you?” Layne asked, frowning.

I scratched my chin. “Yeah, I did.”

“That’s good,” Layne said. “You know, some people are pushed by hope, some by anger. Diya’s unstoppable when she’s mad.”

I frowned, eyeing her twisted smile. “And what does she do when she’s really mad?

“She usually kills the ones who push her that far,” she said, looking quite excited.

“So, you want her to kill me?” I asked, shooting her a glare.

“Nah, I don’t think she will.”

“Oh, wow. Thanks for the reassurance,” I said, crossing my arms.

She laughed. “I actually really like you, Asher. And she does too, but she’ll ask you to run when this is over. Don’t.”

“I’m too far gone to run,” I said with a sigh, studying her face. “The more I look at you, the more I miss Riley.” And Vincent. It was strange to miss that asshole, but I did.

“Diya said you found Riley…”

I nodded.

“She was in the woods—her feet torn up, her dress in tatters. There were long lines on her skin like she’d cut herself with a knife. The rope around her neck was digging into her skin until…” I closed my eyes. No matter how much I wanted to forget, I never could. “I should’ve gone to her sooner. She must have hated me for leaving her behind. Just like how you blame Declan.”

Her jaw tightened. “It’s not the same. You didn’t know what she was going through. Dex did,” she said. “You’re not him, Asher.”

“Thanks, you know, for everything,” I said.

She gave me a small smile. “Of course. Now come on. Let’s go check in on our mess of a friend.”

She opened the door, and Jimmy looked up, eyes unfocused.

“Hey Jimmy,” Layne said, and he shrunk back, eyes glazed, and wide. “Even drugged, his instincts are good,” Layne said, looking around, before plunging the syringe behind his ear. Jimmy whimpered.

Smiling, she turned to me.

“All done.”

Later that evening, when everyone had gone to bed, I sat in my room, waiting, staring at the clock. It moved like a fucking snail.

I missed her, her smile, her voice, the way her lips would tilt down whenever she got mad. She was angry when she left.

She made me want things I had never thought about. She made me want things I’d never let myself think about before. Something simple. Something that wasn’t full of chaos. And it scared me.

Ever since I found Riley’s body, my life has been driven by rage. It consumed me, shaped every choice I made, and left no room for anything else. But when I met Diya, something changed. The anger was still there, sharp and unforgiving, but it didn’t control me anymore.

With her, the darkness settled into a soft gray. The roar in my head became a whisper.

For the first time in years, I wanted something beyond revenge, something close to normal, whatever that meant for someone like me.

When the clock chimed one, I stood up and walked out, carefully following my usual path.

A few minutes later, I was standing outside Diya’s cottage. The light was on—she always left it on, for me.

My heart was a mess when I raised my hand to knock.

Before I could do it again, the door opened.

She stood there, her honey-brown eyes bright and eager.

“Asher,” she breathed, and then her smile withered. Her lips dipped into that familiar frown, and I wanted to fall to my knees and ask her to keep me. Forever.

“Did you find anything?” I asked.

“Nothing much,” she said quietly. “Jonah looked angry. He didn’t want to be there.”

I stepped inside and sank onto the couch. She followed, sitting close beside me.

I leaned closer instinctively, my head filled with the scent of her. She looked at me, eyes wide. Before I could say something, Layne walked out of the kitchen, balancing a tray in her hands.

“Here,” she said, setting the tray down. “Keep calm, drink chai, and then… plan murder.”

Smiling, I took a cup. “Thanks.”

“Vincent doesn’t like Jonah, does he?”

I nodded. “Jonah has always been odd, but I still can’t wrap my head around the fact he might be the one I’ve been hunting for.”

“What now?” Layne asked.

“We wait. I’ve got a feeling he knows it was me. If he gets more worried, he’ll mess up more.”

“I’m tired of waiting. I want this to be over.”

I want to go home with her.

“When it’s over,” Layne said, “we’re going to Trina’s restaurant to celebrate.”

Diya’s eyes narrowed.

“What—”

“She’s an amazing cook,” Layne added, ignoring Diya. “You’ll love it.”

“Why would he come with—” Diya frowned, clearly not impressed.

“Can you give us a minute, Layne?” I asked, and Layne gave me a wink before strolling off, leaving me alone with Diya.

“Little Poison.”

“What now?”

“I take back what I said last night. The debt? It’s not over. And it never will be.”

“What the fuck are you talking about—”

I pressed a finger to her lips. “I saved your life. Without me, you’d be dead. So… this,” I said, motioning to her.

She looked at me like she was two seconds from punching me.

“All of this… your heart, your body, and you… are mine. Forever. You can’t run from that.”

She blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. I want more, I want everything. I look at you and I see a whole world, past this moment, past a year, past ten years.”

“Asher, you…”

“Let me get this out,” I said, taking a deep breath. “After Riley, there has only been darkness, and then you came. And now, there’s no home for me, not without you, Diya.” I took her hand in mine and kissed her palm. “I want to belong to you. I want to be yours .”

“Okay,” she murmured, eyes full of promises. “Because you make me feel the same way,” she said. “Even though it feels totally insane. I didn’t want this at first… I was scared to believe something like this could happen to me. But not anymore.”

My heart was pounding as I looked at her. She gave me a small nod, answering the question I hadn’t dared to ask out loud.

“But tell me, Diya Sharma,” I said, grinning as I gently pushed her onto the couch, “have you ever actually been sane?”

“No.”

“Then let’s be insane together,” I whispered. “I want to kiss you… here…” I traced a finger over her underwear.

“Layne is…” Diya breathed.

“Layne is going for a jog,” I heard Layne’s voice from somewhere, and I thanked her inside my head when she streaked past us and out the door.

I kissed Diya’s throat, my fingers finding her clit.

She groaned. “Asher…”

“Yes?”

“If you had killed me then…”

“I think I never would have killed you.”

“That’s what you say now,” she said, jerking up when I pushed two fingers inside her pussy. “Ah, Asher…”

I started to move, slowly, softly, in and out, my thumb circling her clit. She clenched around my fingers.

“Are you ready, darling?”

“Yes, yes,” she gritted out, eyes half-closed, tongue between her teeth. I pulled her by her hair, and crushed my lips against hers, as my finger worked in sync with her heartbeat, soft and steady, faster…

She groaned and whimpered before she screamed.

“I want you, Ash,” she said, pulling me up from the couch, and yanking me toward her bedroom. She pulled off my shirt and pushed my pants down. “Just like this…” Her fingers ran down my body. “Why are you so fucking perfect?”

I laughed.

“I have wanted this since the day you caught me.” She breathed, her fingers gliding down my spine. “Like this.” She pushed me to the mattress and straddled me. “Like this.” She wrapped her hand around my throat with a smile.

“Yes,” I said, my voice a low whimper.

“Like this.”

She moved lower, and then I was inside her. I closed my eyes with a groan.

She rode me until my breath came out in broken gasps. I gripped her hips as she moved frantically, pushing me until the edges blurred, until I heard her scream. I waited for a second before I flipped us. She moaned when I slammed inside her, my body straining over hers.

“You…” I said with a thrust. “Are.” Thrust. “Mine, Little Poison.”

She panted, eyes closed. “Okay. I’ll be yours as long as you fuck me like this.”

Laughing, I pressed a kiss to her closed eyes.

“I’ll do even better.”