The clinic's antiseptic scent hit her as soon as they stepped inside, and a kindly nurse promptly directed them to the consultation room.
"The doctor will see you both shortly," the nurse explained with a smile before closing the door and leaving Wish and Ash alone in the cramped consultation room. Wish perched on the stand-by table while Ash pulled a chair closer, stretching his long legs out as he resumed his habit of studying her with that unmistakably strange look.
Attempting to distract herself, Wish began scrolling through her phone. However, after a few minutes, she felt compelled to ask, "Why do you always look at me like that, Ash?"
His dreadlocks fell carelessly over his ebony skin, and intricate, almost ominous tattoos adorned his arms.
"Look at you," he replied simply.
"Yes," Wish pressed, leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest, her face reflecting both boredom and quiet exasperation. "Do you find my face so repulsive that you have to gloat over it at every opportunity?"
"Woah," he chuckled and rose from his seat. "Chill, Hourglass. You're never ugly."
Wish found his response perplexing.
"I'm…I'm not?" she stammered.
"You're actually the complete opposite," he countered.
Her cheeks warmed with self-consciousness as his muscled hands rested on the soft cushion of the examination table, cradling her legs as his face drew uncomfortably close.
"You have no idea how desirable you are…" he murmured, his eyes darkening as they trailed over her lips before exploring the rest of her body unabashedly, accompanied by a small, knowing grin.
"…and desirable to me as well."
Her mind raced. What did he mean by desiring her? Didn't he have a girlfriend he was so infatuated with? What in the world was happening here?
"Your charm is so irresistible that sometimes I can't imagine what it would be like to have you pinned under me—with my passion consuming every inch of you. I'd be the first to break down your defenses and show you what true pleasure feels like… Wish," he said, his tongue playfully flicking over his lips in a manner both repulsive and enticing.
"Can you imagine what that would feel like?"
He leaned in further, his voice dropping an octave below its usual tone as she stood there, rendered speechless and dazed by his advances. Her heart hammered in her chest as one of his hands brushed gently over her thigh, sending shockwaves of mixed repulsion and forbidden desire coursing through her.
"Your curves, adored by my lips, could be our secret—Haley never has to know. You could be my hidden treasure, and once I sign with a solid record label—Hollywood Records, to be exact—I'll make you mine, and mine alone."
Disgust and conflict warred within Wish as she trembled at the implications of his words. The idea of her best friend's boyfriend laying claim to her, after everything Haley had sacrificed for him, filled her with a sense of dread. It wasn't simply a shameful act; it was a betrayal that could crush her conscience for the rest of her life. She had already been cursed once for a mistake, and attracting the wrath of her best friend by tampering with her boyfriend was unthinkable.
Ash merely smirked, finding her resistance almost amusing.
"Are you scared? Don't be. You can't deny there's a spark between us, Hourglass."
"I love what I see in you, and I know you feel the same about me," he continued, his mouth inching closer to hers as she fought to stop him from making a choice they'd both regret.
His movement halted abruptly when the door swung open at the perfect moment.
Wish exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she was holding as Ash was forced to withdraw. Her eyes fluttered shut briefly in relief as a tall figure in a pristine white coat entered, accompanied by a stethoscope draped around his neck. His shoulder-length dark red hair was neatly tied back, with stray strands framing his face in an almost seductive manner. With his hands tucked deeply into the pockets of his lab coat, he exuded an air of cool authority and intimidation.
Wish met the doctor's steady gaze, noting how his hair and features eerily resembled those of the mysterious figure from her dreams. The doctor slammed a white manila folder onto the table, flipped it open, and began scribbling notes with an intensity that intrigued her. Ash edged away, leaning against the farthest wall in the room, his eyes still locked on her—a silent signal that he wasn't finished.
Curiosity piqued, Wish moved closer to the edge of her seat to catch a glimpse of what the doctor was writing. He snapped the folder shut just as she managed to see a few hurried scribbles—he even had her name written down without asking. Settling back into her seat, she watched as the doctor's gaze softened. Soon, the sky outside darkened with a sudden, heavy rain. He began his examination by taking her blood pressure. Every time his gentle touch on her arm sent a shiver through her, sparks of sensation mingling with her growing uncertainty.
"Tell me if it starts to hurt," he instructed as the cuff tightened around her arm. A deep, warm sensation filled her chest as he spoke, his eyes never leaving hers. She nodded silently, though her curiosity burned to know what the reading was—only for him to prevent her from peeking.
"Your blood pressure is dangerously high," he announced, quickly releasing the cuff and then leaning in to place the stethoscope against her chest to listen to her heartbeat.
"Beautiful…" he murmured, his voice low and dreamy enough for her to catch every word, as a shadowy smile crept across his handsome features.
What?
"Your heart rate is unstable too."
Ash moved from his spot on the wall as Wish looked around in confusion.
"Can you tilt your head a little so I can see that bite mark on your neck?" His voice was as ethereal as the rest of him, echoing the tone that had haunted her dreams in that eerie graveyard.
"S–sure," she managed to reply.
His eyes darkened as he beheld the exposed mark—a claim upon her skin that he seemed determined to study. The atmosphere shifted immediately, and his gaze remained fixed on her neck. He offered a warm smile, then, catching her off-guard, leaned in so closely that his face nearly brushed hers. This time, his proximity was not as suffocating or repulsive as the closeness of her bestfriend boyfriend; instead, she found herself oddly drawn in, wanting to lose herself in the depths of his dark blue eyes without restraint.
"Tell me," he coaxed, his voice intimate and inviting, "now that you've seen that mark on your neck…how do you feel?"
Wish gulped, caught in his spell as her mind went blank and her mouth opened and closed like a fish caught on a line. The intensity was overwhelming, and she felt utterly enchanted by him.
"Like…" she hesitated.
One look from him was enough to embolden her honesty, and with a sudden rush of vulnerability she blurted out, "...I want to be madly kissed by you."
Her confession, impulsive as it was, escaped without thought. A faint blush spread across her delicate face—a blush that, to his ancient heart, confirmed he had found his perfect mortal bride, his queen, whose blood was as divine as the rarest vintage. The thought drove him wild; all he could think of was her—his perfect little mortal bride and queen.
….Mine for eternity.
Her eyes widened as she saw a playful smirk spread over his blood-colored lips.
"If that's how you feel…I think I might have a remedy for that. Just give me a moment."
He pulled away slightly, granting her space as Ash tensed, visibly perturbed by the doctor's steely glare.
"Further examinations on Miss Wish will be conducted once you leave," the doctor stated coolly, though his tone was laced with a temptation to rip out Ash's heart and drain him of every drop of life.
"What other examinations do you need to perform to determine why she has that bite mark on her?" Ash demanded.
"You need not worry about that," the doctor replied sternly, "because all you can do is worry and make foolish moves—and you will pay dearly for every misstep."
Ash stared at the doctor in shock and indignation.
"What did you just say? Are you threatening me because I wanted to kiss my girl…my girlfriend?" he stammered, offended by the murderous look the doctor now cast his way. Wish's mouth dropped open in disbelief at how low Ash could stoop to justify his actions. Fortunately, the doctor's expression betrayed his own incredulity. He fixed his gaze on the would-be rockstar from head to toe.
"I refuse to believe she is entangled in any relationship with you. No, her standards are far too high for someone like you," the doctor declared, taking slow, predatory steps toward Ash. The air in the room shifted as Ash, suddenly feeling small, was forced against a wall by the imposing presence of the dangerous doctor. "My girl will not be bullied into submission by the likes of you."
Both Ash's and Wish's eyes widened in shock—as if they were looking into the bottom of a water bowl.
"Wh–wha–what? Your…your girl?" Ash stuttered.
The doctor nodded solemnly and fixed his gaze on Ash with an intensity that made his heart race.
"That's right," he said, then, in one swift motion, he struck the wall behind Ash with inhuman strength, leaving a deep, ugly dent.
"If you force her to do anything against her will, you will pay with your life."
Ash trembled like a frightened child trapped in a haunted castle, his eyes filling with a deep, raw red as his original gaze reemerged.
"She cries, you die. Or you'll be smashed into a million pieces like the wall behind you. The choice is yours, based on how you behave with her."