I had never really seen people as beautiful before. The only thing that had even come close was the forest, but when Ashton chuckled with glistening eyes, illuminated by a pink sky, my whole mentality seemed to change.

It wasn't just his appearance that I adored, but his mind too. The way he made stupid jokes to try and make me feel better, and then giggled to himself afterwards despite how awful they were. The way he hummed along to crappy music that seemed a lot less crappy when it was accompanied by his voice. The way he still had not left me, despite how difficult I was.

I was falling in love with him. I was completely baffled at how the universe had ever managed to produce something as wonderful as Ashton, and how I had managed to become a part of his life.

"Stop staring at me," he smirked, his fists gripping the steering wheel and his eyes never leaving the road. He had offered to take me home once I had talked to him about my mother and Josh. He agreed to stay with me, though. I didn't think I could face that house without him.

"I'm not," I lied, blushing. I leaned my head against the cold window in an attempt to cool my face down, watching as the rain slid down the window so effortlessly. It hadn't stopped raining since I had gotten my powers back, and I had a feeling that it wouldn't for a while.

He opened his mouth to reply, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. Something was wrong. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach.

"Ash-"

It was too late. The car was zig-zagging across the road, and when it finally stopped, it was headed straight for a giant tree. Ashton was desperately trying to steer us away, but it didn't affect the car in the slightest.

Everything was too loud. He was shouting, and I was screaming, and the car was crashing. And then there was silence.

My breathing was coming out in gasps, tears sliding down my cheeks as we finally came to a halt.

"Are you okay?!" Ashton asked, clicking his seatbelt off immediately.

I nodded, unable to disguise my panic. I wasn't hurt, but I was terrified. "Are you?"

He exhaled heavily, squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds. "I think so."

"What just happened?"

He shook his head with wide eyes, trying to open the car door. After a few pushes, it fell open, and Ashton crawled out, instantly running to my side. I unbuckled my own seat belt with trembling fingers and clutched him as he opened my door and pulled me out as gently as he could in his frantic state.

"Are you hurt?" He asked again, his eyes glancing up and down my body.

"No," I confirmed again. "What happened?"

Ashton's eyes danced around his surroundings hesitantly. "I think somebody else was controlling the car."

It didn't take long for it to click. "You mean Josh?"

He nodded, running a shaky hand through his waves. "I couldn't control it at all, and cars don't just start going in a completely different direction. Maybe he knows that you got your power back."

"Maybe," I agreed. "We should go back to Anna's. Hopefully he's had his fun for today. We'll call the breakdown company when we get back."

As if in reply, Ashton laced his fingers through mine, looking around once more to make sure that he couldn't see anybody and slamming the doors shut without a second glance. A wave of terror engulfed me as I realised that it still wasn't over. Josh was still playing games with us, and we were still letting him. I wondered if he would ever stop.

I knew a shortcut through the forest that lead us back to Anna's, and the walk home was silent, though I could see Ashton glancing at me every now and again to make sure I was okay. I wasn't, but by now I had learnt to hide my feelings, and I could tell that he was just as shaken up as I was. I tried to keep as close to him as possible, expecting Josh to pop out of the trees at any second with his malicious smirk and hooded eyes. He didn't though, and somehow we managed to get back to Anna's, shivering from both the heavy rain and fear.

I was in a daze as Ashton told the group what had happened. Most of them tended to stay at Anna's overnight now, seeing as it was still summer and we had agreed to stay close in case Josh decided to come back. It seemed as though we would be living at Anna's for the next couple of weeks.

"Are you okay, Lilah?" Leah had sat beside me when I was lost in my own thoughts, and her concerned voice had broken me out of them.

I nodded and bit my lip, my hand still locked in Ashton's from the other side of me. "I just hoped it was over."

"We all did. I don't understand why he's still doing this. He has what he wanted."

I shrugged, putting my head in my hands. "He'll never stop. There will always be something else that he wants."

Leah sighed, her eyebrows knitted together as she rubbed my back soothingly. "This won't last forever."

"What if it does?" I whispered.

Leah hesitated, because she too knew that it was something we had to consider. Josh was broken, and his corrupted emotional state combined with his dark powers made him one of the most dangerous people we could ever face.

"I'm going to run you a bath, Lilah," Anna suddenly said, causing me to snap my head up in confusion. "You're shivering."

I nodded gratefully, forcing myself to smile slightly at her kindness. Maybe she wasn't as bad as I had thought. She lead me up her carpeted stairs, offering me some spare pajamas and a few warm towels as she turned the hot water tap on.

Without warning, she pulled me into a tight hug, and I instantly relaxed slightly.

"I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. I just want you to know that I'm here if you need me, even if you don't like me."

"I do like you," I admitted, pulling myself away to prevent her from getting wet. "And thank you. It means a lot."

She smiled warmly. "I'm really glad that you found Ashton, you know. He really does care about you, and you seem so much happier when you're with him, even when all of this is happening."

"Yeah. I don't know why he would even want to put up with me to be honest." I chuckled slightly.

"You're not as bad as you think. Just stop pushing us away, because none of us want to see you hurt again."

I was lost for words. I had never really considered the coven to be my friends, yet suddenly we were more than that. They had risked their lives for me. I didn't want to be cold towards them anymore.

It felt nice to finally get in the bath and feel the hot water seep into my skin, but I would much rather have Ashton's warmth around me instead. Even so, I finally felt relaxed, and when I returned downstairs, I was thankful to find that the fire was on and dozens of fleecy blankets were spread over the floor, Ashton wrapped in one of them in front of the orange glow.

I sat beside him and he instantly held half of the blanket out, so I shuffled closer to him and leaned into his chest, thankful to hear that his heartbeat was steady.

The fireplace was old, and on the mantelpiece there were photos of Anna as a child and little fairy ornaments that reminded me of her, with long blonde hair and green eyes. It was comforting. I wondered if Josh had a mantelpiece wherever he lived, where his adoptive parents had put his childhood pictures on display, showing their pride to any visitors. Probably not.

"Are you okay?" He asked as I sighed.

I nodded, smiling gratefully as he handed me a mug of hot chocolate. "Are you?"

"Honestly, no." His green eyes sparkled with tears, but none fell. "I just wish this could be over. I hate seeing you so upset all the time. I wish you could just be safe."

"I'll be okay." I tried to assure him the best I could, and it seemed to work as his tensed muscles softened against me. "We'll find a way to end it. You won't be getting rid of me anytime soon."

"Damn," he teased.

I laughed slightly. "You'll just have to learn to endure my presence."

"I'm not sure I can."

He kissed my forehead as if reassuring me that he was joking. It felt like a fire had been set in my heart and my lungs. I couldn't breathe. I didn't care.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I was falling for Ashton, and I no longer cared if I would get burnt. It was worth it to feel like this, even for a short period of time. I just wished that it could be under better circumstances. 

AN: hola I thought I would add some cute scenes bcos I wanted to show how her relationship with everyone is developing. According to my calculations there's six chapters left and an epilogue. I might do a sequel but at the minute it's not looking likely, I'd like more readers first.

I'd just like to say thank you to anybody still reading this. I've never even got as far as planning the ending to a book and I can't believe how committed I've been like am I ok probs not my emotional state is deteriorating

Anyway I'm just happy I still have a few readers and I hope you all still enjoy my chapters bcos I don't lol

That's it so thanks love u bye