A/N: unedited, sorry...

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"What's wrong?" I ask Ash, his face suddenly morphing into a pool of distress.

He blinks rapidly, as if trying to clear his unwanted thoughts. He turns back to me, trying to mask his unexpected worry. He lifts a hand to my cheek and caresses it softly with the pad of his thumb.

"Nothing, babe. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," he answers, playing dumb, but I know something is wrong. My eyebrows furrow, and I glare agitatedly at him.

"Tell me, Ashton. I don't like being left in the dark, and telling me not to worry makes me worry more. I'm not stupid; I know something is wrong." He sighs, and his wary face softens into a look of compassion.

"I-I don't think I should tell you, Ava. Not with everything that's happened to you. Not after you've finally begun to heal. I can't let you get hurt again; I won't," he pronounces, and my glare vanishes. I shake my head at this statement, my eyes meeting his mesmerizing blue irises.

"And you won't. I know you won't. But Ash, I need to know. What is it that troubles you? I can't help you if you won't let me," I say, grasping his large hand in mine.

"I-I just... I don't-" I cut him off by quickly leaning in to plant a kiss on his lips, catching him and myself offgaurd. His eyes widen a moment before they slowly flutter closed, mine mimicking his movements. I slowly crawl on top of him, not breaking the kiss and shocking him even further, and I straddle him.

Our lips continue to move in a rhythmic sync, fitting together perfectly, as if they were made for each other. His hands are uncertain as they gradually make their way to either side of my hips, resting on them and bringing me down just a little further into him. He's wary, trying not to hurt me or go too far.

I gently push myself agaisnt him, signalling to him that I am, in fact, okay with this. He groans agaisnt my lips, and I take this as my opportunity to slip my tongue into his mouth, deepening our already sensual kiss. Both of us moan simultaneously as our wet tongues collide.

I start to grind myself into him, thrusting and swiveling my aching core agaisnt his already hard dick -- our clothes acting as an obnoxious barrier. He gets my unsaid message and begins to grind himself into me just as vigorously.

And as I'm basking in my state of absolute euphoria, I'm suddenly greeted by the haunting image of the very thing that's been plaguing my nightmares ever since that dreaded day. I immediately throw myself back, crawling backwards to the other end of the couch -- in the opposite direction of the man before me as the images don't falter in their ferocious, psychological torture against my mind.

"Don't worry, little one. I'll make sure to make your first time amazing. I'll even go slow... at first." He swiftly rips off both my bra and my panties, leaving me completely bare, and I'm left shivering from the cold.

He looks at my body like it's the most precious diamond, and I shiver in a mixture of disgust and fear. He's still kneeling above me, and I'm left lying beneath him, unintentionally and without choice. His left hand forcefully grips my left breast, while his right hand begins to stroke himself.

I whimper in pain as he avidly and violently pinches my nipple, and he brings his head down to suck on my my right bud. The cold metal under my skin and the frigid temperatures of the room cause my nipple to harden, but he takes it as a sign of lust and arousal. Though, it's anything but.

Suddenly, he thrusts into me, completely disregarding his earlier promise to go slow. And I scream out in pain.

I begin to cry at the memory, and the tears soon turn into heart wrenching sobs. My body begins to shake and tremble, and I know a panic attack is on its way to greet me like an old friend.

And just as it's about to consume me like all those times before, there's an unexpected mass hovering over me. I can't make out whom it belongs to because the hot, flowing tears are blocking my view.

'Oh God, he's here again. He's come to finish me off.'

I begin to scream and kick at the mysterious form, begging for it to leave me in peace, or to just kill me quickly and get it over with. But the stranger is left unaffected; he doesn't budge. And instead, he's soon grabbing both of my hands -- preventing me from attacking -- and holding down my flailing legs with his knees.

This only makes the panic attack worse, as I'm unable to move and left defenseless agaisnt my faceless assailant.

"Avelyn, calm down," the assailant pleads. "It's just me. It's Ashton. He's not here. He can't hurt you anymore. Please, babygirl, listen to me. You're alright. You're going to be alright," the voice continues to coo, successfully making my fear deplinish and my heartbeat slow down.

And once the tears have ceased flowing, I can finally make out the face that hovers above me.

"A-Ashton?" I ask, needing the clarification in this moment. He releases a breath of relief and slowly lets off of me, his tight grip loosening. And in his beautiful, crystal, blue eyes reside tear drops just waiting for their escape.

"Yes, baby, it's me. I'm so sorry; this is my fault. I knew you weren't ready and-" I cut off his rambling by putting a finger to his lips, successfully silencing him.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Ash. You did nothing wrong. I'm the one who initiated it; I wanted it. Don't blame yourself for doing something I practically begged for," I say, looking deep into his glassy eyes. He nods reluctantly, but I can still see some unease residing. I crawl back into his lap to reassure him, and he goes stiff for a moment, not wanting to hurt me. But I know that he'd never hurt me, so I don't dwell on his apprehension. Instead, I bury myself further into his chest, soaking up is comforting warmth.

He slowly loses his stiffness and wraps his arms around me as I sink my back into his chest. He rests his chin agaisnt the top of my head, and I grab one of his hands in mine, intertwining our fingers.

"I love you, Avelyn," he says abruptly, and I smile at his simple words, my heart warming to match the heat of the sun.

"I love you, too. You have no idea just how much," I reply, the smile still plastered on my face. But that smile begins to falter; I know that something is still wrong with him, and I don't want to put my own dilemmas above his. So I decide to ask once again, hoping for a better outcome this time.

"Ash," I start, and he sighs as if he knows what I'm about to ask.

"Yes, babe?" There isn't any annoyance in his voice, only an underlying tone of caution.

"Please, tell me. What troubles you?" I plead, and he sighs once again.

"Avelyn," he drawls. "I... you...," he groans, unable to form a coherent sentence. The sound rumbles through his chest, and I can feel the vibrations on my back. The words are stuck in his throat, so he clears it, hoping to free them from their figurative glue. And once the words have been freed, they seem to charge out of him, trying to make their permanent escape.

"You have a sibling, Avelyn," he says, and I immediately go still as I try to process his words. As soon as they're registered, I gasp, my eyes widening and my heartbeat quickening.

"I what?" I ask, hoping I heard him correctly.

"You have a sibling," he repeats, and I turn around to face him, eyes still wide.

"Are you shitting me right now? There's no way; Mother and Father never had another kid -- just me." My mind is running wild at the possibilities, but I know that Ash would never lie about something like this.

"I don't know, babygirl," he sighs. "We don't really have any more information than that. We don't even know if they're a boy or a girl. We found a note; someone claimed you as their sister."

"But... why? Why now? Why not years before?" I quiz, slightly hurt by their late appearance, or non-appearance.

'Why couldn't they have come for me before I ever had my first punishment? Why couldn't they have come for me before I was taken? Why couldn't they have come for me before I was broken?'

Ash's hand reaches out to rest on my left cheek, breaking me out of my thoughts and soothing my internal pain. His eyes bore into mine, seeking through my mind so he can know what it is that I'm thinking and claim my worries as his own.

"Like I said, Avelyn, we don't know the details yet. But I promise that we'll tell you when we know. You won't have to be left in the dark," he reassures.

"Thank you," I say softly.

"Anything for you, my precious mate," he replies, undeniable love and adoration lacing his kind tone. My eyebrows scrunch at his new pet name.

"Mate? Why would you call me that?"

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Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been really busy with school, work, and writing my other book, so updates will most likely be a bit sporadic for the next two-ish months. Because on top of school and my job, I'll also be moving soon. One week there could be multiple updates, while another there might be none at all. So I'm very sorry in advance, but I hope that you bear with me anyway. Alright, that's all.

So, as always...

Until next time...

Sincerely,

The Annoying Author Lady