Page 46 of Tear Me Down (Descent to Darkness Trilogy #2)

“Ashia loves all of your shades, Serena, and her world wouldn’t be complete without you in it.

After these past two weeks, that’s been made abundantly clear.

I suppose you have to decide for yourself if you can love all of hers in return.

I do. Every color of her sadness, her anger, her excitement.

She brings so much pigment to my life, that there’s not an ounce of grey area anymore.

My world is so much brighter because of her, and she’ll never dull in my eyes.

” Serena’s face softens at my words, and I think I’ve finally gotten through to her on some level.

“In Ashia’s universe, you are her orange.

Every level, every variation, and now you’re the same for mine, because you are a part of her.

” She looks back down at the ground, but her tears seem to have finally subsided.

“I don’t know how to trust you…” she admits.

“You don’t have to yet,” I reply honestly, and she nods her head as if that somehow was what she needed to hear.

“Has Ashia ever done anything to cause you to doubt her?” She shakes her head.

“Then at least trust her , and me and you can go from there.” Serena nods and wipes her tears away before pulling out her phone.

“She’s called so many times…” she mumbles.

“Yeah, things have been rough for her,” I admit.

“Zeke is her brother. We found that out when he asked for information on his biological family,” I spit out, hoping that the knowledge will fully bring Serena back to her.

This probably isn’t the right time, and Ashia may be upset that I told her the information instead of letting her unveil it, but Serena needs another push.

While guilting her into talking to Ashia may not be a good way to make it happen, I hope it gets the job done regardless.

She snaps her head in my direction with wide eyes and in complete disbelief.

“What? Mark and Jenny had a son?” she almost yells, and I nod as she gestures to the house. “And it’s Zeke? Of all people?” I nod again.

“Yeah, we didn’t really believe it at first either. If you would’ve been around, you wouldn’t have had to hear it from me.”

I expect her to roll her eyes and lash out at me again, but she surprises me by whispering a defeated acknowledgement.

“I know…” She takes a deep breath and shakes her head again before looking back at the house.

I watch as her eyes wander the decrepit structure, trying to piece it all together and gather her resolve while her thoughts race at a mile a minute.

“Can you take me to her?” she asks softly, sitting up straight and wiping her eyes for the last time.

I nod, feeling a villainous victory, and stand first, holding my hand out to help her up.

Surprisingly, she takes it and lets me help her rise from the ground, obviously trusting me enough to touch the darkness she’s refused to accompany herself with.

Walking a little in front of her, I lead her to the car—opening my passenger side door and letting her get in before I shut it and seal her fate.

I take one last look at the hell house, vowing to have it torn down the first chance I get, and hop into the driver’s seat.

The moment my phone connects to the car, a text pops up from Zeke.

We’re at the Attic in the training area. She said she wanted to hit something, and that if I didn’t want it to be me, then I’d better take her.

Chuckling to myself, I put the car in reverse and back out, feeling the anticipation of the evening creeping up my neck.

The ride to the Attic was quiet, except for details of Zeke’s birth and adoption.

Ashia is going to tell her everything anyway, and I’m sure she just wants to be prepared before they see each other again.

I’m honestly not too sure how this is going to play out, but I’m hoping they at least try to talk things out.

Getting her here was the first step, and unfortunately past that, there’s nothing else that I can do.

The rest needs to be figured out by the two of them, but I’m going to make sure that Serena will at least give her the chance.

I let Serena into the training area from the back, expecting to see Ashia beating into Zeke’s hand, but I’m shocked to see that isn’t the case.

I spot her immediately—sitting against the far wall with Daisy lying next to her.

She still has her working vest on, so I assume Darnell just brought her back from her daily activities.

The dog’s head is where it has been since they joined us, in her lap nuzzling into her stomach, and Ashia is leaning against the wall, petting away at her softly.

Her eyes almost immediately find mine, obviously sensing me near—having the same effect on her that she does on me, but I can see the shock in her features the moment her gaze moves to Serena.

She freezes, almost like she saw a ghost and doesn’t believe she’s real, but then she gently moves Daisy and stands up—looking like she wants to break out in a sprint in our direction.

For a split moment, I think I’ll have to push Serena in her direction, but she takes a large, confident step instead, striding across the room to Ashia like she was just as desperate to see her.

Just when I think they’ll keep going, Ashia comes to a halt and grits her teeth, looking at Serena like she has a thousand things to say and is trying to choose.

Serena stops as well, but shockingly, her stance is less tense.

After a few breaths, and the tension between them settles, Ashia is the first to speak .

“I know I did something you don’t agree with…” her voice cracks, and her bottom lip quivers a little, but she bites it for a split second, forcing it to stop. “But I deserved better than that,” she forces out.

They continue to stare at each other, like a showdown that only they recognize.

A million words are silently moving between them, and while I’m not sure even God himself could comprehend their connection, it’s clear they both do.

This moment is comparable to a set to twins, or some type of twisted, psychic connection, and a part of me wishes I could understand it myself.

Serena’s shoulders finally slump, and she releases a sigh that this time, thankfully, is void of any hostile energy.

“I know…” she replies softly, and I assume that acknowledgment was all Ashia needed.

I know she’s been dying and begging for a chance to have Serena in front of her again, but I’m damn proud of those few words before my woman breaks.

Serena may deserve more confrontations than that, and she might get them eventually, but that tiny standoff is a huge milestone for Ashia, and I’m damn proud of her for it.

With one first small step from Serena, they both start to move towards each other again.

The moment they get close enough, they throw their arms around each other and squeeze, both instantly crying and clinging like they’ll never let go again.

A sob escapes Serena’s mouth, and I can see her grip strengthen around Ashia’s torso.

“I’m sorry…” she mumbles, barely loud enough for me to hear it, but it’s like an announcement to Ashia, and her hold tightens as well.

After a brief moment, Ashia lifts her head to look up at me, and I can’t help but grin at the gratitude on her face, as if all of her problems have vanished with this one hug.

She mouths ‘ thank you ’ and the look on her face is enough to make my chest flutter.

I mouth an ‘ I love you’ back to her before I make my way across the training area and over to Zeke, then I turn back and look at them.

Just in that small amount of time, the girls have sat back down on the floor, with Daisy right back on Ashia’s lap, and they’re talking away, gesturing with their hands and looks of disbelief on their faces.

Zeke nudges me with his shoulder and looks over to them.

“You’re a good man, D.” I just shake my head and continue to watch from afar as some of the tension finally leaves her body.

A wave of relief crashes over me with every swipe of their hands, and while Zeke’s statement might be the farthest thing of the truth, seeing the relief and rejuvenation on her face tells me one thing.

I may not be a good man, but I certainly am for her.