One Thousand and Two Lies (Reapers of Beauty Book 2) Page 13

  I wished he'd give me a glimpse of what was hidden deep within.

  What he hid from the world that must have buried him in anguish and immense pain.

  My gaze never left his, as I paid attention to the confliction in those pink jewels that darkened with emotions.

  Desire. Lust. Temptation.

  I was tempting him, and it was a satisfying sight to witness his struggle. If only he could feel how I felt. To experience what he was doing to me. Our magic wanted our unity, and yet, our human counterparts were the barriers between us.

  Biting my bottom lip, I was ready to pull away, unsure if I could stand the energy growing between us that was making it almost impossible to think clearly. I couldn't take a step back, my body wouldn't let me, but the slight tug of my hand, was enough to send the message.

  It was now or never.

  A challenge Ace must have seen in my red eyes. Or pink ones...

  An invitation...

  He closed his eyes for what seemed like forever, but merely three seconds passed before they opened, and his resolve was clear as day.

  He'd accept that challenge… that irresistible invitation...

  And it started with those lips of his that he laid lightly upon mine while the distance between us vanished. Our bodies pressed together, and I let my arms wrap around his waist as he wrapped a comforting arm around me.

  His other hand was deep into my hair, holding my head still as his lips moved with swift ambition.

  My eyes fluttered shut, and my magic rejoiced like we'd unlocked something within us. From Xander to Silas, and now Ace. It almost felt like I was unlocking different doors inside me, and Ace was the third that needed to be open.

  But my soul told me there was still a missing link. Or missing links?

  No matter what was missing, I currently felt alive and whole and took every advantage of enjoying Ace's glorious taste as he fulfilled my pent-up desire for him. If it wasn't for the drop of water that gently fell onto my nose, I would have been lost in Ace's aura.

  We pulled back and blinked, noticing the two bubbles that were descending down onto our noses.

  Um...

  As I glanced around, my jaw dropped at the floating bubbles that held droplets of water and ice in the middle floating all around us.

  Ace pouted his lips, looking a bit embarrassed.

  "The water likes us together," he mumbled.

  I snickered, loving how adorable he now looked. "I agree with the water, but what about the ice?"

  "I think that's you," Ace replied.

  "I didn't do that." I frowned.

  "I think it was unconsciously? Our magic must have done something. Or maybe wind? You're good at the wind element."

  "Oh." I paused, considering the possibility. "That would make sense. Cool wind and water could have crystallized the droplets… that's pretty cool."

  I turned to take in the vast view of the bubbles that held crystals in them, drifting around us and above the lake that still remained in its peaceful glory.

  Ace hugged me from behind, and I shivered at the feel of his lips against the right side of my neck.

  "Xia."

  "Yes, Ace?"

  "Are you fine with dating us? All three of us?"

  "Three… Xander, Silas, and you?"

  "Yes."

  "I am. It feels right to me… and it's not like I care about anyone else's opinion," I confessed. "Why?"

  "We never really asked you, and I don't want this growing into something without your approval." His reasoning made me smile, and I turned my head slightly to see his calm expression.

  "You really care a lot about those who are close to you, but you hide it," I commented.

  He shrugged. "Maybe."

  With a smirk, I kissed him, my eyes never leaving his as he relaxed and kissed me back. This kiss was short and sweet, but the bubbles around us moved closer and began to switch colors.

  We broke apart and examined the shift.

  "It's almost like the element has its own mind?" I mused.

  "Do you think it has to do with the serum?" Ace spoke the words in Japanese, and it took me a second to switch my mindset.

  "Maybe," I replied, now understanding why Ace had switched languages.

  We're not alone.

  I lifted my free hand to pet Ruby who was still fast asleep. With a bit of concentration, I created a little barrier around her and tightened the material to secure her little body in my pocket. I wouldn't take my jacket off, so she'd be safe at least.

  I slowly turned in Ace's hold to look up into his calculative eyes that gave me the impression he was thinking of multiple ways of how we were going to get out of our newest jam.

  "How many?"

  "Fifteen. They're far… but I think that's on purpose." He appeared conflicted as he spoke quietly. "We don't have time to run."

  "Swim?"

  Ace met my gaze and frowned. "You'll get your clothes wet."

  I almost laughed at his cute taunt. "Wet clothes versus staying alive. I think I know which is more important. Ruby will be fine. Can we get back into the forest if we swim?"

  "There's a way, but it's deep. You'll be able to last?"

  "We don't have much of a choice, but I'll try. How long we got?"

  "One minute. You're going to contact the twins?"

  "Already on it," I replied and closed my eyes.

  Knock knock, Bitches!

  "Fuck! XIA! Finally!"

  I almost flinched at the identical voices.

  What do you mean by finally? Actually, we don't have time. Ace and I are in a jam. Fifteen long range. He doesn't think we'll escape on foot.

  "We know! We've been trying to contact you guys for hours. There's a barrier around the whole area. We've been trying to crack it, but the twins aren't having any luck. Silas and Xander are on their way. Dante is closing in from the other side of the forest. Hang tight and don't die. We'll figure shit out."

  All right. We gotta go. Be careful and oh, I kissed Ace.

  Five seconds of silence passed before they went ballistic.

  "OMG XIA! If you die I swear we'll murder your damn ghost! Tell us the deets after!"

  I did flinch this time, and Ace raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him a sheepish smile.

  "They know and everyone’s coming to help. There's a barrier around the area. That's why they couldn't contact us. Dante's apparently approaching from one end, and everyone else is on the other."

  Ace grimaced and glanced from the lake on my left side to the forest on my right.

  "Xia. Concentrate for a second. Which side do you sense Xander or Silas on?"

  "Um..." I trailed off and closed my eyes, not really sure about his request, but I concentrated anyways.

  Don't know how I'm going to sens...oh shit?!

  "My right? Edge of the forest? Like… the entrance. Wow… Xander's mad. Wait… I shouldn't be able to sense that? What the hell?" I opened my eyes and shook off the weird feeling that ran through me. I could actually feel Xander's anger, which was completely new to me.

  How was I able to do that?

  Ace bit his lip, glancing to the lake. "I hope I'm wrong," he mumbled.

  "Wrong about wh-" I began, but we both jumped at the high-pitched noise that made my ears ring.

  We both slapped our hands over our ears and cringed at the intense whistle sound. What the hell is that?!

  The sound went on for a full minute before it came to a stop. I opened my eyes and gritted my teeth, the ringing in my ears contributing to a pounding headache that made its entrance.

  "What the hell was the sound for?" I turned my attention back to Ace but noticed his eyes were still shut and he was shivering. "Ace."

  With a hesitant glance over the lake, I moved to press my hands against Ace's cheeks.

  "Ace," I whispered, and he opened eyes that were filled with fear.

  I acted on instinct, pulling him into a hug as we slowly lowered to our knees. I focused my energy around us,
and it seemed the bubbles that lingered around us began to create a wall, the single droplets began to double in size.

  Now we were surrounded by four walls of ice, protecting us from whatever was planning to strike us.

  "What's wrong, Ace?" I whispered. He bit his lip, his body still trembling.

  "The noise..." he struggled to say just that and nodded, not wanting him to say anything else.

  Is that why he gets upset like when people raise their voice at him? Maybe loud noises were a trigger? Shit… how are we gonna get out of here?

  A loud sound vibrated around us as something crashed into the ice wall that faced the lake. "Fuck..." I cursed and bit my lip, feeling the intensity of fire magic.

  The ice wall already started to crack, and I knew it would only last two more hits.

  "Run," Ace whispered, and I looked back to him.

  We shared a look, one that reminded me of when we'd first set eyes on each other on the roof right before the rain of bullets.

  "I'd never do such a cowardly thing," I vowed and leaned in to press my lips lightly on his. "We'll get out of this."

  "But..."

  "We will. I'll figure something out… I think." My mind started to put pieces of information together.

  That loud noise was on purpose. Meaning someone knew Ace was here with me. They know his trigger… which means they did their research. But it's too fast. How am I going to get us out? We're essentially cornered. The forest isn't safe...

  A second hit crashed into the wall and it began to crack.

  I got a glimpse of the other side, and I narrowed my eyes to see a group of people on the other side of the lake, their hands outstretched and charging the next flaming blast that would surely hit us head-on.

  Ace rested his head on my shoulder, and his irregular exhales reached my ears, making my worry for him escalate. Not good. Not good… Shit.

  MINSU! MINSO!

  "YES?!" they replied, a little shocked by my sudden call.

  We're stuck! There was a loud sound like a dog whistle of the sorts, but it triggered something with Ace and he can barely function.

  "Triggered?!" Minsu questioned.

  "How much time do you have? We're almost through the barrier," Minso coached.

  I don't think we have anymore. We're screwed.

  "Xia just ha-"

  Their dual voice cut off when my body began to grow hot, particularly the left side of my chest. I looked down to see Ruby's body glowing a mixture of green and gold, her red eyes focused on the cracked wall.

  "Ruby?"

  She scurried out of my pocket, dropped to the ground in front of us, and began to hiss.

  Every strand of fur rose up, and I noticed the tremble in my hand.

  What's going on? What is she doing?

  I took a glance at Ace and realized he was out cold, but his body started to glow. A warm golden green glow enveloped my body as well.

  Looking down at the wooden platform of the dock, I noticed the large magic circle that glowed brighter and brighter, until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

  Holding Ace in my arms, I felt the world begin to shift, the motion as if we'd fallen into a spiralling portal and were plummeting at a fast rate.

  I couldn't scream or open my eyes at this point and it wasn't long before my consciousness began to go in and out and the pounding radiating through my head doubled.

  The last thing I felt was my body being lowered to a flat surface, and I caught the sound of what I believed was a sigh.

  "Good work, Ruby."

  My mind went black.

  "Meow.”

  I groaned and rolled over into the soft bedding, snuggling closer to whoever lay next to me.

  Something soft nudged against my left cheek and followed with a licking sensation that made me smile dreamingly.

  "Ruby. Five more minutes," I mumbled, trying to get as much sleep as I could in the allotted time.

  "Guess my research was right. She sleeps like a log."

  The peculiar voice caught my attention, but his words were enough motivation for me to open my eyes.

  Ace's sleeping figure was who I was currently snuggled against, but he was still asleep and I knew that wasn't his remark. He already knew how deeply I slept.

  "I don't sleep like a log," I defended, looking over my shoulder to see the individual who sat in a simple folding chair.

  I stared into his green eyes, my pout turning to a frown as I tried to figure out who he was.

  I've met him… right?

  The emerald green of his eyes was familiar, and the slight hints of gold only tugged at my memory that was failing me.

  He smiled as I continued to stare blankly at him, looking amused by my sluggish response.

  "Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am, Reaper?"

  "Compass!" I declared, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

  "Meow?"

  I blinked my sleepy eyes and yawned, lowering my stare to Ruby who hopped on the unfamiliar bed I was in.

  She walked into my lap and sat down. I tilted my head and noticed the different collar on around her neck.

  "Ruby, this isn't your collar," I mumbled but reached out to stroke her head.

  She began to purr and nestled her head against my hand.

  "Meow!"

  "That's hers," the man stated.

  I looked back at him and pouted my lips while I gave him a defiant look.

  "No. Her collar is red with a gold heart. This is a silver circle. Big difference."

  "Ruby's original collar is that one she's wearing."

  "You don't even know Ruby. Actually, she's mine. I borrowed her and got to keep her, Compass." I picked up Ruby to hug her protectively.

  The man looked confused and he sighed.

  "Can you at least call me Atlas and not Compass? Jeez, just because my name points in various directions, doesn't mean I'm a navigator."

  "That made no sense, and… oh. Right, you're Atlas! The one from the roof."

  The name triggered my memory, and I felt less defensive.

  "How do you know Ruby's name? Actually, that's not important. Where are we? We were on the dock… and we were being attacked. How did we land in this cozy hotel looking place?"

  "I named her Ruby to begin with. Her eyes reminded me of Rubies," Atlas replied.

  "Actually, I named her Ruby. As in me, Xia, her new owner because her old owner disowned her. Her name is Ruby because her eyes are red like mine, which are similar to rubies!"

  "I didn't disown her!" Atlas huffed, looking unamused. "She's the one who left to be a cute stalker."

  "Cute stalker? My roommates found her as a stray!" I fought back.

  "Meow, meow, meow."

  Ruby didn't seem interested in our debate, as she crawled out of my hold and moved to climb up on Ace.

  I returned my gaze back to Atlas, noticing I was in a different set of clothes. Or at least a single black shirt.

  Looking back at Ace, I saw that he wasn't wearing a shirt, but he was wearing a different set of sweats in black.

  "Ruby isn't a stray."

  "Ruby's mine," I argued, giving him a glare. "I'll kill you for her."

  He blinked, figuring out that I really meant it, and he heaved a sigh. "Jeez. You're overprotective."

  "I am not."

  "At least you're feeling better," he muttered as he got up.

  I stared at his 6’7” frame, observing how long his black hair was and intrigued at how it shifted to green and blond.

  His hair length reached his lower waist, and the way his black tank top hugged his muscled biceps garnered my admiration. He wore loose black joggers, and he had a few scars on both arms that caught my interest.

  He reached for a bottle of water that sat on the black dresser and a clear glass with his other hand. Walking back to me, the bottle of water almost crystallized, and he offered me the glass.

  I wanted to hesitate, but the bottle of water had reminded me of how thirsty I was.


  With a quick glance into his eyes, I reached out for the glass, holding it while he undid the cap of the bottle and poured it into the glass.

  After I stared at it for ten seconds, my gut considered it safe, and I downed it all in one go. It didn't completely satisfy me, but it would help me think clearer.

  "Hmm. Guess Amy hasn't figured shit out yet. He's normally fast at these things."

  "Amy? How do you know Amy and the fact she's a he? Did you work with them before?" I inquired.

  "You ask a lot of questions," Atlas pointed out.

  "Anyone in my position of waking up in a different set of clothes, a very neat looking room, and winds up talking to some guy who tries to kidnap people’s familiar companions, would ask a lot of questions."

  "I didn't kidnap anyone." He sighed, giving me a hopeless look. "And you should drink more water. You're going to start acting confused at this rate."

  "I'm not confused, and don't change the subject. Ruby's mine. Why are Ace and I here? Who changed our clothes? And who the hell are you? Are you the one who made that loud ass whistle noise?”

  "That wasn't me. That was done on purpose to knock Ace out."

  "Huh? Why?" I asked.

  "Ace can't handle loud sounds. It's an automatic trigger," Atlas replied.

  "How do you even know that?" I was about to give up on 1001 questions. I already felt like I needed a nap before tackling this conversation.

  "Meow!"

  I looked back at Ruby who was patting Ace's nose gently.

  "Ruby. You're going to wake him up." I tried to reason with the little kitten, but she kept patting his nose until Ace mumbled something and rolled over to face me.

  His eyes opened slightly; those pink orbs looked confused as he blinked a few times. "Xia?"

  "Hey," I replied, reaching out to move a few strands of his hair out of his face. "Are you feeling better?"

  "Kind of. This isn't your room," he pointed out.

  "Oh. Ya. We're with a familiar kidnapper named Atlas," I replied with a shrug. "I'm interrogating him."

  "I'm not a kidnapper and you weren't even interrogating me," Atlas grumbled, sounding like he didn't care anymore.

  Ace blinked a few more times and sat up, his wide eyes focused on Atlas.

  "Hey, Xia. Did I bump my head earlier?"