Kato

Ashton’s POV

I wish I didn’t have to push her, I can see how hard this is for her, but I know we need to work this out. When I suggested running away from it all, I pictured exotic beaches or tropical rainforests, not the inside of a tree that we can barely move in. I’m starting to feel a bit claustrophobic, but I don’t want to worry Ava more.
“Ok, so how many men did you see exactly?” I ask
“Only a handful, about 5” She says.
“Thats good, any weapons or obvious skills?”
“I don’t know what they were, they all looked human. They were all heavily armed, except him, he doesn’t need weapons.”
“Who is he?” I ask carefully
“I’m not sure what he is, but he chased and hunted my parents and I. Anywhere we went and tried to be happy, he would turn up and burn it all down and then we’d be on the run again. I.. I thought he was dead, but if he is not.. it means that my parents most certainly are.” Her voice breaks and a tear rolls down her cheek, fuelling my anger.
I wipe it away gently “I swear to avenge them, he will regret ever making you cry”
“You cant, he is special, he has some kind of magic and he is very cruel with how he uses it. I remember him catching me, he cut my arm and it was like time slowed down, what should have been a moment of pain before the adrenaline kicked it to numb it, felt like hours of pain, like the knife was moving in slow motion and the searing pain would never end. I know that doesn’t make sense, but that’s what it was like.”
“That bastard! He deserves to die for hurting you, as an innocent child even. Why did you think he was dead?”
“I..I..” She is looking down at her hands scared, her fear is different this time, there is shame and confusion mixed into it. “The last time I saw him, he was hanging from a tree, a vine wrapped around his neck” she confesses.
I realise that she thinks she did that and she is ashamed and scared to tell me. I pull her face up and make her look into my eyes. Her beautiful doe eyes could never be those of a killer, but they had definitely seen things a child should not have had to. “Hey, that wasn’t your fault, your magic was just trying to protect you, a child so young could not have controlled it. He was the adult, fully in control of his magic and abusing its power to hurt you, it’s only a shame that he managed to escape” She hugs me close and cries.
Ok so now we have to think of a way around this guy who has some kind of time magic. The cogs slowly click into place in my head.
“Kato?” I ask hoping i’m wrong.
She shudders against me and I feel her nod against my chest. I do my best not to shudder too. This man is the monster in all of our bed time stories, stories from my father that I know are far from fiction. He eluded my father for years and took the thing he loved most. My fists clench, I straighten my back. He will pay, for everything he did to Ava and to our kingdom.
“Is he still here?” I ask my voice unwavering and my resolve strong.

Ava’s POV

His strong voice and comfort helps me pull myself together. Part of me is happy to have confess and have him accept me despite what my power is capable of. I touch the tree to look and answer his question. I relax, I can see that they have passed through, the opposite way from where the scouts went. Relief washes over me as I realise that Ezra is safe from his torture for now at least. Still we need to find him soon.
Once I'm happy that we are safe I remove us from the tree. I'm not really sure how I do it, but I'm glad this magic stuff seems to work on instinct. 
"Which way did he go?" Ash sounds angry, livid even. His voice is much harsher than I have ever heard. 
"That way" I point and answer on command without wanting to. 
He storms off in that direction. 
"Wait!" I call, but he doesn't listen. I don't know what has gotten into him. 
"I'm going after him, you stay here and stay hidden" he says not even glancing back at me. 
Oh no, he can't, I can't let him. I run after him and see him trip over a branch. Having the forest on your side definitely helps. He is starting to get up but I jump on him and pin him to the ground. He struggles trying to push me off, but I wrap vines around his wrists and ankles to keep him down. 
"Let me go!" He barks 
"Listen to me!" I counter.
"I have to kill that bastard" 
"I have no objection to that, but just not yet." 
He relaxes a little "why not?"
"Because this is the best opportunity to rescue the scouts while he is out" I explain, leaving out the part where I don't think he could actually kill Kato. 
He frowns, but stops struggling "fine, now let me up" 
"Patience is a virtue" I say as I enjoy straddling him in this vulnerable position. I lean in and kiss him gently and I feel him harden against my crotch. I trail kisses down his neck and expose his chest to continue my descent. I stop at his belt buckle and look at his eyes, all the anger has left him, in its place is pure desire. I feel myself becoming aroused at the thought of having my way with him. I wink at him and using every ounce of my self control I jump up releasing him from the binds. He lays still on the ground. 
"Ok, I changed my mind, tie me back up" he says a cocky smile on his face. 
"Come on, we have a job to do" I say, filing this position in my memory for later. 
"Don't be a tease, there was another type of job you were about to do" he seems genuinely disappointed. 
"Just a taste of how well you will be rewarded for completing the mission." 
"At your service princess" he stands to attention and bows dramatically. I roll my eyes, but play along. 
"Why thank you my prince" I do my best to curtsey. When I look up expecting to see him laughing at my clumsy curtsey, instead he is frozen, his face unreadable. 
"You ok?" I ask confused at his sudden seriousness. 
"Yes, let's go rescue some scouts" he says seeming to regain his joviality.