Ash

Thank you guys so much for the nominations!!! Here is the update I promised :) (it's not edited btw so feel free to point out glaring mistakes)

******

I stand completely surrounded by guards, my face burning under their harsh gazes. I try to ignore the way they nudge each other but then I overhear a few words and wince.

"That's enough!" A booming voice growls.

I glance up at Queen Zari. Her eyes are flaming red as she glares down at us. "Ash come with me please," she says, her voice instantly softer.

I start to head up the stairs with a small sigh.

"—dragon hunting filth," someone spits and I flinch.

"What did I just say?" Queen Zari snarls, suddenly in the guard's face.

He whimpers slightly and backs off, casting his gaze to the floor. "Please forgive me," he murmurs.

She waves her hand. "Get out of here," she snaps.

The guards vanish in seconds, leaving me alone with the Queen. She sighs heavily, turning to me. "I'm sorry Ash, they're still stuck in the past, they don't know how to move on," she says.

I nod slowly. "It's fine, I don't blame them. What did you call me here for?" I ask, desperate to change the subject.

"I need you to bring a few messages from my son and I, they'll be going to the wolves."

I follow her to her office, subconsciously rubbing my neck. They'll forget about it eventually, Cassiel says.

Maybe, but not anytime soon, I mutter.

"So we just have a few letters for you to bring and then when you come back I have a new job for you."

My interest peaks. "What new job?"

She smirks as she walks into her office. I recognize her son lounging on the couch inside but not the young woman sitting on the desk. From her scent I'd guess she's a witch, a powerful one too.

The Queen sits in the chair behind her desk and the witch moves to the couch. "I just spent the last few days bringing six juvenile dragons back to the territory. They're restless from staying within the Circle but I think if they start training then they'll behave a lot better."

"Okay, and?"

"I want you to teach them Ash. I've seen you fight, you're trained better than every single one of the guards and you are excellent with various weapons. Also these dragons are just kids, the oldest is barely 20 so they don't remember what it was like and they won't know anything about your history," she explains.

I shrug a little. "I guess. Finally put those skills to good use I suppose," I murmur.

She smiles at me. "Good, you can start as soon as you get back. Kaine?"

I turn as her son stands and hands me a small stack of envelopes. "So there's one in here for my brother and another for my sister. And there's also one for my father and for a family friend—do you know Taylor?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I will ask one of your siblings," I tell him, taking the stack.

"Thanks Ash," he grins, clapping me on the shoulder before disappearing, the witch following close behind him.

I start to leave but the Queen stops me. "In that letter I offered Jaxon the chance to come to the Circle, if he decides to return, can you do me a favor and travel with him? He's only made the trips a few times and if he were to get lost or attacked—I don't think I'd be able to live with myself."

I nod immediately, my eyes widening at the fearful look in hers. "Of course, I won't let anything happen to him," I assure her.

She smiles. "Thank you Ash, I'll see you when you get back."

*******

"Get up! You're wasting our time!"

I jerk awake as sharp pain shoots through my hand. I gape at my bleeding palm, then at the sneering man holding the dagger. "Next time I say get up, you better fucking get up or you're going to lose a finger!" he spits.

I nod quickly, cradling my stinging hand against my chest. I tear off part of my shirt and tie it but it doesn't staunch the bleeding much. I quickly gather up my pack and scramble to my feet.

"Let's go, scouts spotted two of the lizards a few miles back, heading straight for us," he grins.

I clench my jaw against the pressure behind my eyes. "How long until they reach us?" I ask in a shaky voice.

Taryn sneers at me again. "Just a few minutes, why? Are you scared?" he taunts.

I swallow hard, shaking my head.

"Are you sure? You're not gonna go running to them, are you?"

I shake my head again.

"That's right 'cause you know what they'd do to ya? They tear you apart, just like you tore apart their brothers," he growls.

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod firmly.

He smirks before turning his attention to the path below. We stand with three wolves on a ledge in the cliff-side that overlooks the main path.

I squint and spot two figures in the distance—a man and a young boy, not much older than me. They trudge along the dirt road, lugging only a single bag each.

"Can you see them devil?" I glance at Taryn's narrowed gaze before slowly nodding. His eyes harden and he grins. "Then kill them."

I take a deep breath and grab the longbow resting near my feet. I notch one of the dark silver arrows, taking care not to touch the cold iron arrowhead. I pull the drawstring back, hissing at the sting as the bow presses hard into my wounded hand.

I grit my teeth against the pain and look along the arrow. 'Cassiel give me strength,' I ask my dragon.

I feel my muscles stiffen and I pull the string back farther. I see the man and the boy just above the arrowhead. I hesitate for a moment but Taryn's growl forces me back into reality. I feel a tear slip down my cheek as I point the bow into the sky and release the arrow.

My heart clenches in my chest as I watch the arrow pierce through the man's neck. The boy screams and collapses to his knees as the man falls onto the dirt. I stare down at the ground as the wolves around me guffaw.

They're never going to forgive me.

****

I slowly open my eyes, sucking in a shaky breath. I sit up with a groan, cracking my aching neck. I sigh heavily as I look around at the makeshift camp.

A blanket and drawstring bag make up my bed in the scratchy grass. A patch of burned grass rests where the fire was and the entrails of a rabbit sit in a small pile next to it.

It is going to be so nice to live in an actual house, I'm tired of these mountains, I think with a small half smile.

You didn't show too much enthusiasm when Queen Zari was telling you about it.

Yeah I know, she just makes me nervous, I admit. I pull myself to my feet and pack up my stuff into the bag before swinging it over my shoulder.

I walk along the last few miles of the path and then across the slick rock that replaces the dirt path. The normally red and gold leaves of the forest are starting to turn brown and shrivel, a few trees are already bare.

I find myself holding my breath as I cross into the werewolf territory. I've done it many times before but it still sends a chill down my spine and fills my chest with a cold dread.

A few guards block my way almost immediately.

I raise my sleeve and present my wrist to them. They scrutinize the symbol burned into my skin for several moments before speaking. "You're a messenger for the queen?" One asks.

I nod. "I have letters for the Alpha's family," I explain.

"You better be gone by sundown and if you cause any problems in your time here you will be put in the pack's prison," he growls as they step aside.

"Yeah I got it," I murmur. I walk past them, growling under my breath and shaking my head. It's been 20 years since the massacre, when are they going to move on? I mean the dragon that did it is their leader now.

They're wolves. They're stubborn and major drama queens, they're not going to let this go for centuries, Cassiel says.

I sigh a little and walk through the territory until I reach the Alpha's house. I knock on the door and a young man answers.

His curly red hair instantly reminds me of the queen. I catch the scent of a dragon and realize this must be Jaxon. He looks so different, I mutter to myself.

"Hey—it's Ash, right?" he asks.

I nod. "Uh yeah, I have some letters for your family, they're from Queen Zari and your brother," I tell him, pulling them out my bag.

He holds the door open and waves me inside. "Come on inside, we're having breakfast right now," he says.

I take a small step back. "Oh, sorry but no thanks, I don't want to intrude—"

"No not at all! Come on in!" he says brightly.

I nod a little and walk inside, gaping at the massive house.

Jaxon's hand on my shoulder jerks me back into reality. He heads down the hall and I anxiously follow behind him. I hear several voices coming from what I assume is the kitchen and I stick my head around the corner.

Jaxon sits down with two girls at the counter and Alpha Daerius is wearing a floral apron and cooking what I think are pancakes. He glances up at me and smiles. "Hey Ash, did Lyza send a message with you?" he asks.

I nod, walking into the kitchen a little. "I've got ones for you, Jaxon—another one for Jaxon, Maia, and Taylor," I read off of the letters. He walks over to me, wiping off his hands on the apron. I hand him the stack of letters and he distributes them to Jaxon and the two girls—Maia and Taylor I'm guessing.

They all rip them open and start reading. I lean against the wall, staring at the floor. This is so awkward, I murmur.

"Thank the gods! I am so going to the Circle!" Jaxon exclaims suddenly, leaping to his feet.

"Wait you're going to the circle now too?" one of the girls sighs heavily.

Jaxon ignores her and starts reading through his second letter. His eyes go wide. "Kaine found his mate and she's the fucking Witch Queen that mom told us stories about!"

Hey look at that I was right.

"Okay I am definitely going to the Circle, I want to see this," he says then turns towards me. "Ash are you heading back to dragon territory?"

"Yeah, your mother asked me to travel with you if you decided to return," I explain.

"Awesome, are we leaving tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry but I have to leave werewolf territory by tonight or the border guards are gonna come looking for me."

"Yeah they're pretty strict and a little racist when it comes to security," the blonde girl mumbles.

Jaxon snorts. "They're assholes. So we can just leave today then, I'll go pack my stuff and then we can head out."

********

I tap my foot impatiently, internally begging for him to finish up his goodbyes.

"Tay are you going to be okay?" he asks the blonde.

She sighs with a small nod. "Yeah I'm supposed to see Shawn later tonight, he felt really guilty about what he did and he wants to make it up to me so we'll see what happens I guess. If it goes well then I'll probably spend tomorrow with him too cause he has to go back to his pack soon. It's right next door though so it'll be okay," she rambles, staring at her hands.

He chuckles a little, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head. He hugs his sister and the Alpha as well before finally turning to me with a nod. "Let's go."

I sigh and start heading back towards the border. The guards glare at me as I pass but they don't stop me again. They bow a little to Jaxon who just rolls his eyes in response.

I feel relief wash over me as we leave werewolf territory. Jaxon seems to be fine which surprises me a little. Even a dragon that's grown up with werewolves should still feel uneasy while living on their territory.

As we reach the dirt path I realize he is walking beside me now, throwing glances my way every few minutes. Finally I can't take it anymore. "What?"

He shrugs. "Nothing. I'm just curious as to why you became a messenger, you don't exactly seem to enjoy it," he says.

"Yeah I didn't choose it," I mumble.

"What do you mean?"

I sigh. "The Queen assigned me this job because no matter where I go, I don't get along with anyone so she thought it would be safer if I just keep moving," I tell him.

"How can you not get along with them? You're so quiet—I can't see you causing problems with anyone."

"You're a talker, aren't you?" I groan.

He shrugs. "Only around interesting people, plus you're easy to talk to—even though you don't really talk back," he mumbles.

"Sorry."

"So why don't you get along with anyone?"

"I used to be a dragon hunter," I admit. His eyes widen and he gapes, stopping dead in his tracks. He raises his hand making me flinch and panic. "Look I'm so sorry I know I'm a horrible person for doing it but I didn't have a choice and by the time I knew better I had already done so many things that everyone was trying to kill me and—"

"Woah woah—Hey! Ash I wasn't gonna hit you and I'm not judging you either! I'm just a little shocked, I thought all dragon hunters were wolves," he says quickly, holding his hands up in surrender.

I swallow hard, taking a deep breath. I glance nervously at his hands before turning away and starting back down the path. I curse at myself, digging my nails hard into my palms.

Jaxon jogs to catch up to me but he doesn't say anything else until night starts to fall. "I think there's a cave up here that my mother usually has us stay in," he says and I immediately shake my head.

"No caves. Please I can't stay in a cave," I mumble.

"Uh okay, where then?"

"I'm sorry it's just—the hunters would always have us hide in caves to ambush and—" my voice cracks and I bite my cheek. Jaxon looks at me with eyes full of sympathy and I clear my throat. "I usually just sleep down by the river."

"Okay, river it is," he says with a small smile.

We find a big area of grass just a few meters from the river and I spread out a blanket and use my bag as a pillow. I lay down on the blanket, frowning when I realize Jaxon is watching me again from his own makeshift bed. His eyebrows are furrowed as he looks at me.

"What?" I ask, shifting uneasily.

He sighs. "What did they do to you? I mean I've never seen a dragon look so terrified and anxious about everything."

"I'm sorry if it's annoying you," I murmur. "Like I said I don't get along with anyone. The dragons hate me, the wolves despise me, and all of the other creatures want me dead. Your mom is the only one who actually cared enough to help me."

"You must have been really well known as a hunter if everyone hates you."

I nod numbly, biting my lip. "I lost track of how many creatures I killed. But at one point it was at least one a day. The hunters even started blowing a horn to let them know I was coming to kill them," I tell him, my face twisted in shame.

Jaxon just looks at me sadly, his head tilted a little as he offers a small half smile.

I turn away, pulling off my shirt that now feels as though it's strangling me. My head throbs and it aches deep inside my chest. I lay on my stomach, burying my face into the blanket and gripping it tightly.

I hear Jaxon swear under his breath and raise my head a little. His eyes are locked onto my back—wide and staring. "Oh my gods," he breathes.

I follow his gaze and realize he's staring at the hundreds of scars that completely cover my back, shoulders, and arms—my body a living tapestry of old wounds. I quickly flip the blanket so that it covers me, my cheeks burning.

"Ash I have no idea what you went through but if you ever need anyone to talk to I'll—"

"Please stop," I croak. "I know you're trying to help but, please just stop."

********

Sooooo this chapter is kinda depressing but I think this book has been a little too happy and flirty lately so it was a little necessary.........

I got a lot of comments asking for like four different POVs and they're all pretty much tied. So PLEASE VOTE AGAIN!!!!!! Whose POV do you want for the next chapter???? I NEED AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO VOTE SO I CAN DETERMINE A WINNER!!!!!