Peregrination
Chapter 1
The town of Leeves was tranquil and beautiful.
Deep teal eyes swept the area with careful precision as Melyssa slowly
made her way to the gates of the Branch School of Thors, the second one to open
and was an indirect match to the main branch school of Thors in Trista. Originally, she wanted to attend the main
campus, but there hadn’t been room for any more commoners, so she had to settle
for the branch school instead. It was
fine, she supposed, because either way, she would get an education. The branch school was freshly built about a
year ago and had nearly everything else the main school did as far as clubs and
activities went.
Melyssa looked down at her dark blue and silver uniform, the
jacket with the white undershirt, even though only the color of it could be
seen. She had on a white and dark blue
plaid skirt and her dark blue hair was pulled back in a tight neat bun. There was a black belt around her waist that
had her ARCUS II attached to it, which allowed her to do perform various arts
and attacks while in battle the school sent her. Shouldering her bag that had her belongings,
along with her weapon of choice – a cutlass – Melyssa took a deep breath before
finally arriving at the entrance of the branch school of Thors.
Wow, it’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be, she thought, taking a moment to just stand there and take
everything in.
It was hard to believe everything had gone somewhat back to
normal after the fiasco that hit Erebonia about a year ago. Supposedly, the end of the world had almost
happened and, thanks to a lot of people, it had been diverted. However, one person had stood out above all
others and that had been the Ashen Chevalier and Divine Blade of the Eight
Leaves One Blade School of Swordsmanship, Rean Schwarzer. He was an instructor at the branch school and
it made her wonder why he hadn’t gone back to the main school. That was where he originally graduated
from. The infamous Class VII had also
been there to stop the end of the world disaster from happening, which had been
at the hands of the deceased Chancellor Osborne.
Rean was also the dead Chancellor’s biological son, so that was
a little intimidating in itself, even though the Ashen Chevalier was NOTHING
compared to his biological father. He
had been raised by the Schwarzer family – Baron Teo Schwarzer, who was a very dear
friend of Osborne’s. Apparently, when
Rean was just a little boy, he had been adopted by the Schwarzer family and his
father had received ridicule because of it.
And it was all thanks to Giliath Osborne. The newspaper had a ton of information for the
public after the crisis and the war had been stopped with the Calvard
Republic. Melyssa knew eventually she
would come face to face with the Ashen Chevalier since he was an instructor
here, but she had NO idea what the Goddess was about to do to her…or whose
class she was about to enter.
The Ashen Chevalier, he wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to
that. He didn’t feel necessarily worthy
of the title that had been bestowed upon him.
Rean Schwarzer hadn’t ended the Erebonian Civil War by himself, but he
had been hailed as a hero, as if the others had contributed nothing when the
fact of the matter was, he wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without
their help. They had saved him after
all, finding him the way they had.
The class Melyssa entered was Rean’s class, he was the homeroom
teacher of Class VII: Special Operations. It had started out as a type of
social experiment, a politically charged one, and gone through some ups and
downs, though he knew the fact that it had been reinstated spoke volumes of its
benefits and merits. The class itself was a combat class when broken down into
basest of terms and only those who had shown a high aptitude with the ARCUS II
were accepted.
Oh Goddess, Aidios save me, Melyssa
thought, stopping momentarily to look at the Ashen Chevalier himself, in the
flesh, before quickly averting her gaze to look at her schedule, making sure
she was in the correct room. She even
backed out to look at the number sign next to the door attached to the wall and
shut her eyes. Yes, yes it was. Goddess,
why am I in HIS class of all classes, she thought, once again entering the
room and took a seat near the door with her eyes still down.
“Good morning, Instructor.”
“Morning, Instructor.”
“Hey.”
“Ash, do you REALLY have to be so RUDE with our Instructor?”
“Forgive me, Wild Filly, for giving a damn in the first place
and greeting him.” Ash Carbide remarked, rolling his pink eyes and fingered his
short spiked blonde hair. He was a
second year, along with Juna Crawford, Kurt Vander and Altina Orion, who was
related to two of the most famous army generals and lieutenants in the Empire.
“SERIOUSLY?!”
Kurt shrugged when Juna shot him a dark look, holding his hands
up. “He greeted him, you can’t expect more than that from him and you know
it. Ash is Ash, Juna.”
“UGH!” Juna growled, not amused and folded her arms tightly in
front of her chest. “Unbelievable. Hey,
where’s Allie and…”
“The party has officially arrived, boys and girls!”
“Please kindly refrain from calling this a party, Crow.” Altina
ordered in her usually subdued, robotic voice, though her eyes lit up at the
sight of the Instructor. “Good morning, Instructor Rean.”
Who in Aidios’ name were all these people? Were these her classmates? She recognized Juna Crawford and Kurt Vander
instantly, knowing they were second years and the girl with the long silver
hair was known in the Empire as the Black Rabbit. She had worked in the Intelligence Division
for a while before making her way to the Branch School of Thors and apparently
was in Rean Schwarzer’s Class VII: Special Operations. Soon, everyone was seated with the Instructor
at the front to greet everyone. Some new
and old faces combined – the class one was put into was the one they stuck with
until they graduated from Thors, after all.
“Settle down.” Rean
instructed firmly, keeping his tone even as his light fuchsia eyes swept over
his students. My students, Goddess help me. He thought, though he kept
those thoughts from showing on his face. He had fought with some of them, knew
them as his comrades -such as Crow- and now he was their instructor. Another
wave of not feeling right for this washed over him and he shoved it aside,
knowing that was his own inability to accept that maybe he was worthy
poking at him.
“Yes, Instructor.” Crow’s tone was almost serious, just enough
sarcasm and humor edging the two words to let Rean know he was amused. He
dropped down behind one of the long tables and folded his hands behind his
head, lacing his fingers together.
Rean was tempted to pinch the bridge of his nose and managed to
refrain.
Next, Crow propped his feet on the table.
Altina was prompt in shoving them down.
Rean dismissed Crow with a brief eye roll, taking in the faces
he did not know. One student, a young woman, looked like she was lost.
Lost was an understatement.
Melyssa was OVERWHELMED and had her hands folded in her lap, staring
straight ahead. Nothing – NOTHING –
could have prepared her for being in THIS class with THIS instructor. Melyssa had to pull herself together and
stayed perfectly calm, cool and collected on the outside, but on the inside,
she was screaming and a complete mess.
“One at a time, we’re going to do this like we did last
year. Stand up, announce who you are and
then I will explain what your curriculum will be for this year. Juna, you are the class president, so please
start this off.” Rean ordered, gesturing with his hand to her, who was also a
treasured comrade of his. Juna, Kurt,
Altina and…Crow, who was his best friend and had recently decided to come back
to school to fully graduate. He only had
one year to do and then he would be taking a job in the branch school as an
instructor himself…as scary as that thought was.
“Yes, Instructor.” Juna stood with her vibrant pink hair pulled
back in a high ponytail and let her light green eyes drift around the
classroom. “I’m Juna Crawford from Crossbell City.”
Kurt stood up next. “Kurt Vander from Heimdallr.”
“Do I really have to do this?”
“Ash, come on now, be a good sport.” Rean chastised with a soft
smile.
“Ugh, fine…” Ash stood up, rolling his light pink eyes. “Ash
Carbide from Raquel.”
Rean’s eyes moved to the dark blue haired girl. “You’re next.”
Melyssa swallowed hard and nodded, rising from her chair with
her hands clasped in front of her. “I’m Melyssa Brackett from the Jurai SEZ.”
SEZ stood for Special Economic Zone.
That gained everyone’s attention, including Crow and Rean’s.
“Really?” Rean glanced back at Crow, who simply shrugged his
shoulders before his attention went back to Melyssa. “I wasn’t aware we would
have students from that far abroad, but welcome nevertheless.”
“Thank you, Instructor.” Melyssa sat back down and could FEEL
eyes on her, but ignored it for the moment.
“Altina, please?”
“Yes, Instructor Rean.” Altina stood up with a stoic expression
on her face. “Altina Orion from Ymir.” She currently lived with Rean’s parents
on the off season and they had somewhat adopted her as one of their own, thanks
to Rean. He was like a big brother to
her these days.
“What happened to Musse?”
“Unfortunately, she had obligations to attend to back home and
won’t be finishing her schooling.” Rean informed the class, gesturing to the
back at Crow. “All right, your time to shine.”
The moment Melyssa turned her head to look back at the man, who
stood from the desk and heard his name leave his mouth, it took every ounce of
willpower not to bolt out of that room.
Crow Armbrust wasn’t dead.
Crow Armbrust was ALIVE!
And more importantly than that, Crow Armbrust did not recognize
her and if he did, he didn’t let on they knew each other from Jurai.
Crow was complicated.
Well, not really, but the circumstances surrounding him were interesting
to say the least. He had ‘died’, sort
of, and his memories had not come back with the rest of him. Not at first, it
had been odd, which was an understatement. With the return of his memories had
come the return of his proper personality, much to the chagrin of everyone who
had been foolish enough to miss him.
“Crow Armbrust, and I’m a gift from the Goddess here to make all
your dreams come true.”
NOW Rean pinched the bridge of his nose while the others just
stared at Crow in disbelief.
“Aidios, save us.”
“I second that.”
“Can I third it?”
“Hey man, I think it’s cool and I’m the second gift from the
Goddess.”
Juna rubbed her temples, shaking her head at the fact they had
not only Crow, but now Ash to deal with in the same class. “Instructor, is it
possible to be transferred out of here?
I’m going to end up killing one or both of them before this year is
over, just a fair warning.”
Kurt bit his bottom lip, knowing how temperamental his
girlfriend could be and shook his head. “Come on, Juna, we’ll survive somehow.”
“Ooooh lover boy to the rescue!” Ash crowed, laughing along with
Crow since they were both seated in the back. “You’re full of shit and you know
it, Wild Filly. You wanna be in the same
class as me.”
“Instructor Rean, I think it’s time to start class.” Altina
deadpanned.
That was a wonderful suggestion!
Melyssa stayed quiet during the exchanges and had to bit her bottom lip
at how alike Ash and Crow were. Ash was
a mini-Crow – they had two of the same type of personalities in the same class. Melyssa had to fight the urge to look back at
Crow and instead focused on the information Instructor Schwarzer was unloading
on them.
All things considered so far, Rean personally thought that
Juna’s comment about ‘killing one or both of them’ wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe he could incorporate it into the
curriculum or something, since they did do a lot of ‘hands-on’ training so to
speak. Not actually killing Ash or Crow,
but if the pair got to be too aggravating maybe he would use them as the props
or something in a physical lesson. He
almost smiled at the thought…almost. He had to keep his face straight, he was
supposed to be the instructor, so instead he focused on laying out the
information everyone would need to know and what they could expect from this
class going forward.
“Any questions?” He asked finally, his kind gaze landing on the
student from abroad, “Miss Brackett?” She still looked a little overwhelmed.
Her teal eyes snapped up to meet fuchsia and, thank the Goddess,
she had been paying attention to everything he said. Why was he singling her out, though? Was it because she was the newbie in a class
that knew each other very well?
Probably. The other students who
had entered had left right away, so she was the ONLY new student of the Ashen
Chevalier. It was…unnerving, to say the
least.
“A-Actually, um, regarding the club stipulation…how long do we
have to choose one before one is chosen for us, Instructor?” If the students
didn’t choose a club, they would be helping the Student Council with various
tasks, just like Rean had done during his years at Thors main school.
“One week. And tomorrow
is a free day for you all. You get one
free day a week, so take advantage of it and you can even go into Heimdallr
with permission.” Rean remembered his first day in the old class VII and could
understand why this girl was very uneasy. “Take your time. Explore the school and your
surroundings. You’ll all figure out a
club you want to be part of. That
includes you too, Crow. No exemptions.”
Juna, Kurt, Altina and Ash were already part of clubs from the previous year
and would more than likely continue with them. “And please help your fellow
classmates if you see them struggling.
Teamwork is the key here.”
“A.C.,” Crow said, amusement dripping from his tone, though
there was no malice in it.
“A.C.?”
“Ashen Chevalier.”
Crow KNEW he hated being called that, how uncomfortable it made
him. The unworthy part he tried keeping
to himself.
“Anyway, A.C., is all about teamwork.” To the point where some
people called it abnormally strange, to put others before oneself and work with
them the way Rean did. Crow smiled
slightly at the flicker of exasperation that danced briefly across his friend’s
face.
“Yes, I am, and one day I will properly explain why.” Rean said
patiently, giving Melyssa what he hoped was a reassuring smile, knowing the
first week could be overwhelming and confusing. “If you have any questions or
need guidance, feel free to come see me.”
Crow bit his tongue.
“Juna, if you would?”
“Yes, Instructor.” Juna stood up with a soft smile, already
deciding she would do what she could to make Melyssa feel welcome in Class VII:
Special Operations. As the class
president, she felt it was her obligation to do so, wanting everyone to get
along. “All rise – bow.”
Everyone did as they were told, surprisingly even Crow and Ash,
before class was officially dismissed for the day. The first day allowed the students to get
acclimated to the school grounds and to find everything they needed. Tomorrow was
a free day, so after that, it would be full class sessions and regular
schooling.
Military academies were strange, indeed.
Chapter 2
“So, Melyssa, have you…huh?” Juna frowned, seeing the dark blue
haired girl had left already and raised a slow brow, looking over at Instructor
Rean.
He simply shrugged, noticing how fast Melyssa had left and could
feel Crow’s eyes on him, not surprised when the man approached him. “I have no
idea who she is, Crow.” He said before the man could utter a word. “Does she
sound familiar to you at all since she’s from Jurai?”
There was a very good reason Melyssa bolted and it was due to
the fact she was in the same class as Crow Armbrust…and who her instructor
was. Why did it bother her so much to
have the Ashen Chevalier as her instructor, though? Melyssa didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward
him or anything, but it was…overwhelming since Rean Schwarzer was a hero to the
Empire and so many others for everything he and his comrades did over the past
couple of years.
“I’m going after her.”
“Juna, I’m not sure that’s a good idea…” Kurt sighed when she
simply walked out with Altina following suit, shaking his head.
Ash clapped him on the back. “Don’t sweat it, man. Girls are girls, and you know how Wild Filly
is. She’s a mother-hen.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me.”
Juna was also class president and that, coupled with her
mother-hen tendencies, she was someone who looked out for everyone, especially
new students. She knew how overwhelming,
confusing and even lonely it could be.
She couldn’t imagine coming from abroad and not knowing a single soul.
Crow shrugged his shoulders after running his fingers lightly
through his silver hair, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Rean.” His tone was
serious for once, red eyes on the students who were still exiting. “Maybe? I left that place and its memories a long
time ago.”
“Well, even if you are not a familiar or friendly face to her,
someone from her home may help if she’s having problems.”
“Do-gooder.”
Rean smiled softly, shaking his head. “As if you’re not, beneath
the sarcasm and jokes.”
Crow muttered under his breath, but didn’t argue it either.
Deep down inside, Rean always knew Crow was a good person, both
inside and out. After hearing Crow’s backstory
with his grandfather and how Chancellor Osborne, how the Empire, destroyed
everything the man worked his entire life for, made Rean realize not everything
in the world was black and white. Crow
wanted revenge for his grandfather, who had died in his home due to a broken
heart the people of Jurai and the Empire had caused. It was almost as if he gave up the will to
live and Crow had been the same way, but Rean, along with the rest of THEIR
Class VII comrades and friends, snapped him out of it. Rean had a meeting with the other teachers in
the teacher’s faculty office, so he went off to attend while Crow was left to
his own devises. He only hoped Melyssa
gelled well with everyone in the class or else…things would become complicated,
especially since they had to link with each other in order to pass the combat
portion of schooling.
Only time would tell.
~!~
Melyssa spent the better part of the day walking around Leeves,
taking in the different shops and everything the town offered. She was trying to get her mind off Crow, off
being in the Ashen Chevalier’s class, and instead focused on figuring out what
kind of club she’d join. Or be forced
to, rather. There was a list of them in
the student guidebook and, honestly, most of them didn’t sound too bad. Once she finished, Melyssa made her way to
the dorm she would be staying in and found her room, her name plate on the wall
right beside it. That was
interesting…there was another girl by the name of Monique she would be sharing
with, but she wasn’t in Class VII.
Altina and Juna were sharing a room as well, so she assumed the boys
were the same as far as rooming with each other. Setting her belongings down on the bed, Melyssa
reached up to let her hair fall out of the bun she had it in and groaned at how
good it felt to let it all down. It was
long, went to her waist and she kept it up to keep it out of her face and way
in general.
It wasn’t long before her roommate, Monique, came waltzing in
and they introduced themselves. Monique
was in Instructor Towa’s class, who was also a well-known name throughout the
Empire. Towa Herschel. She graduated from Thors main school 2 years
prior and now worked in the branch school…and she was a sweetheart, very
helpful and attentive to any student who had a question for her. Monique was lucky, but everything happened
for a reason and Melyssa would suck it up and deal with the hand the Goddess
dealt her.
“So, you’re in Class VII: Special Operations, eh? What’s the Ashen Chevalier like anyway?”
“I-I really don’t know.
He’s fine, I guess, very informative.” Monique sounded like she was a
huge fan of Schwarzer’s and Melyssa really hoped her roommate didn’t start
gushing over him to her. “We should go eat before it gets too late.”
“Yeah, the kitchen is only open for another hour. Come on, I haven’t ate either.”
Nodding, the girls made their way to the kitchen area of the
dorm for supper.
Monique WAS a huge fan of the Ashen Chevalier, an admirer for
sure and she was very open about it. She
kept her questions to herself while they navigated to the kitchen to get a bit
of supper, knowing food needed to come first and her roommate seemed overly
quiet. “Homesick?” She asked gently as they got their dinner, knowing some
first time students tended to get that way, even those who weren’t that far
from home. It was the change, being in a
new, strange place on top of being surrounded by and living with people one did
not know. “I promise, it does get easier.” She flashed a reassuring smile,
looking for a quiet spot to sit before her eyes landed on none other than Rean
Schwarzer sitting with Crow Armbrust. “Oh my…” Maybe near the pair, not RIGHT
NEXT to them, but… close enough.
“No, it’s just a new place and I’ll get used to it before long.”
Spotting them instantly, Melyssa just followed Monique’s lead
and sat down at the table behind them.
That was fine; she would endure it for her new roommate, who would
probably become a good friend of hers.
Maybe. Then again, the way
Monique was eyeballing the Ashen Chevalier…no, definitely not. However, they were roommates and she would do
her best to get along with the woman.
Another good thing was she couldn’t see Crow, he was out of her eyesight
and it made it easier to swallow the food in front of her. The food wasn’t half-bad either, so that was
another plus as she popped a fry in her mouth.
Rean had instantly noticed the two women. It was a bit hard not to be aware of Monique,
she kept glancing over at him every other second with what would normally have
been an attractive blush in her cheeks, if not for the fact that she was… in
awe of the ‘Ashen Chevalier’. Or making
him sort of uncomfortable. She reminded
him A LOT of Musse, actually.
“Don’t. You. Dare. Laugh.” He muttered, staring determinedly
down at his bowl of soup.
“But it’s so adorable.” Crow was using his peripheral vision to
watch Monique, finally shaking his head. “You seemed flustered, Ashen
Chevalier.”
“You know I don’t like being called that.”
The problem he had with Crow was that they were friends; the
student / teacher relationship was virtually non-existent outside of the
classroom. He glanced down the table,
realizing who else was with Monique. The
new girl who had seemed like she was drowning today, overwhelmed by everything. Miss Brackett, that was her name. Melyssa Brackett. She seemed quiet, focusing on her food while
Monique talked her ear off. He didn’t
know if Monique would be good for Melyssa or drive her mad.
“Oh, and did you see the shops around town? They are so cute! Oh, did you hear there’s a hot spring type
baths RIGHT HERE in the dorm?!” Monique was a chatterbox and always had been,
grinning while stealing glances at the very handsome Rean Schwarzer. “I really
wish I wasn’t a student. He’s even more
handsome in person.” That part she whispered loud enough for Melyssa to hear.
“Uh huh.” Melyssa was on the verge of getting a headache and
stood up from the table, having finished her food in record time. “I think I’m
going to go to the lower level and get some practice in…” It’d been over 24
hours since she pulled her cutlass out for a workout.
“Oh…okay…”
“Melyssa, there you are!” Juna jogged over to them, breathing
somewhat heavily and actually placed a hand on Melyssa’s shoulder while
catching her breath.
“What’s wrong? Is
everything all right…Juna?” Thank the Goddess she remembered the girl’s name.
“I’ve…been looking all over…for you.”
“Juna, I told you not to run so fast.” Altina chastised,
standing beside the pink haired girl and folded her arms in front of her chest.
“Breathe in through the nose, out the mouth…”
“I don’t need you to tell me that, Allie!”
Melyssa blinked, clearing her throat and wasn’t sure what to say
to this high-spirited, somewhat temperamental girl. “Do you need some water or
something?”
Rean couldn’t help being worried over Juna and had made his way
over, clearing his throat to gain everyone’s attention. “Juna, what
happened? Are you hurt?” Pure concern shimmered
in his fuchsia eyes over his student, friend and comrade.
Juna gave him a confused look before becoming exasperated,
nodding while also nudging him away as politely as she could. “Of course, I
am!”
Rean was overly helpful, overly concerned about people, and
tended to put others first to an extreme.
It was one of the things that both drew people to him and made them
question his sanity. He was the guy who
would quite literally give someone the shirt off his back. Her emerald eyes crinkled at the corners as
she flashed him a warm smile before giving her attention back to the matter at
hand.
“I need to speak to you, Melyssa and you Monique.” She then
looked around, her lips pursing. “You as well, Crow.” She imagined this little
mix-up of hers, that she was now correcting, was not going to go over all that
well since it seemed that Monique and Melyssa were becoming chums.
Frowning, Melyssa took a step back and listened as Juna informed
them that there had been a mix-up with Monique and Crow’s rooms. “So, you’re
saying…” Wow, the Goddess really must’ve hated her for doing this! Oh Aidios save me, she thought,
finally meeting Crow’s intense crimson gaze for the first time and steeled
herself for his reaction. “Crow is my actual roommate instead of Monique?”
“I mean, well, this IS a military academy and they did away with
girls only and boys only rooming last year.” Juna didn’t know how Melyssa felt
about this. It was hard to read the
first year. “So Monique, you will be rooming with Ash instead of Ash and Crow
together.”
“Oh, okay…” Monique didn’t see a problem with it and smiled,
shrugging nonchalantly.
Rean stood back, silently watched and listened, as an instructor
should, wondering what was going through the navy haired girl’s head at the moment
upon this mix-up.
This was… interesting, even Crow was at a loss for words. He knew all about the integration of the
genders, how the old rules had been turned over in favor of more progressive
policies. To be fair, he hadn’t expected
them to have an effect on him either, not really. Pushing away from the table, Crow rubbed the
back of his neck, not sure what to say.
Usually, he had a sarcastic or amused comment for everything, but the
way Brackett’s face had gone stiff and blank, he was guessing right now was a
terrible time to attempt humor.
Ash, on the other hand, did not have any of those issues at all.
“Wow, this integration thing is awesome.” He flashed Monique a very wicked
smile. “So, I’m a cuddler.”
“You have your own beds.” Juna said flatly, folding her arms
over her chest. “Don’t be lewd, Ash.”
“I’m being polite and informing her of my sleeping habits. I
also sleep in the nude.”
Monique’s eyes were wide and her cheeks pink as she considered
him, glancing at Rean, who seemed concerned though not necessarily for her.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She said finally, her voice coming out demure.
“Ash…” Rean’s voice held a note of warning.
“So… roomie…” Crow decided to focus on his new roommate, who was
still looking… stiff. “I don’t snore, if that helps.”
Ash was more vulgar than Crow, which was very HARD to top since
Crow did have his lewd side. Rean had
seen it one too many times, especially when they were classmates in old Class
VII. He STILL remembered the concert
they performed with everyone at the Military Academy festival and the ‘notes’
he had written for the girls’ costumes.
Just thinking about it now made him silently groan and he really hoped
Crow minded his manners with Melyssa.
“Please don’t call me that.
Melyssa is fine.”
“I kinda like Mel, I’m gonna start calling you that instead.”
Ash informed her, not giving a damn what anyone thought and folded his arms in
front of his chest.
This man had NO filter at all. “Okay…”
She couldn’t focus on Ash right now and instead looked back at
Crow, her new roommate. He didn’t
recognize her at all and something twanged in her heart. He was supposed to be dead. Yet, here he was alive, in the flesh, in
front of her and now they had to share a room together.
“Actually…” Rean really didn’t want to throw Crow under the bus,
but he also felt he had to be truthful with his student. “You do. I roomed right across the hall from you for months
and yeah, you DO snore.”
“Oh woe is me! Whatever
shall I do with the snoring? Maybe I’ll
get some earplugs? Just, uh, stay in
your own bed and we’ll be fine.”
Juna raised a brow, along with Monique. “Did you just crack a
joke?”
“No, I mean yes, well…people do that from time to time, don’t
they?” Melyssa cracked the barest hint of a smile and kept swallowing down her
nerves. “But I meant the last thing I said – stay in your own bed, roomie.”
Her joke fell flat, she definitely needed some help in the ‘how
to make jokes’ department and maybe even line delivery. Crow made a mental note to give her some
pointers. Not only were they roommates,
-Goddess how did THAT happen, this kid must have done something wrong to
someone at one point in her life to wind up with him- but they were from the
same town. He had a reputation to
maintain.
“Just remember you said that, Brackett,” He said sweetly,
his red eyes however weren’t sweet, they were borderline wicked. “You may
change your mind.”
Chapter 3
“Aidios, I’m so sorry.”
Juna pat Melyssa’s shoulder a bit awkwardly, already foreseeing
someone winding up with a murder charge.
Pairing Ash and Crow together had been ideal, they could actually
tolerate each other. Probably because
they were practically identical in humor and lewdness.
This was… a potential disaster.
“Well, um, it was fun while it lasted, but I need to go grab my stuff
and Crow needs to do the same thing.” Monique spoke up, avoiding eye contact
with Ash, her new roommate, for the time being.
He was hot, no question about it, but this was a military academy and
she had to behave herself.
“Sure, I’ll help you. Thanks
again for telling us, Juna.” Melyssa left the cafeteria with Monique to help
her gather her things. It was also the
perfect escape from Crow, at least for the time being.
Goddess, how was she supposed to share a room with HIM?!
“Are you sure you’re all right with this arrangement? Maybe you could talk to…”
“It’s fine.” Melyssa cut her off, shaking her head. “If this was
the real military, there wouldn’t be sex-orientated rooms assigned. It would be mixed and that’s probably why
they changed the rule last year.
Probably want us to be used to rooming with the opposite sex before
going into the actual military, if we decide to.”
Monique didn’t think of that way and had to admit, Melyssa made
complete sense. “Hmm, good point. Well,
if anything unsavory happens…”
“Don’t worry, I can handle myself and Crow Armbrust. I’m more concerned with you and Ash. He’s…intense.” That was putting it mildly.
“Watch yourself. I know we barely know
each other, but…be careful around him.”
“Just like you said, I can handle myself too.”
Why did Melyssa feel sad to lose Monique as a roommate
suddenly? Granted, she was a chatterbox,
but it wasn’t to the point of being annoying, unless she gushed about the Ashen
Chevalier. “Thanks again for…inviting me to eat with you and talking. It was nice.”
Monique waved her off with a grin. “We’ll have plenty more times
to do that. And I’ll try to dial down my
gushing on Instructor Schwarzer.” She sighed dreamily.
I almost feel sorry for Ash…almost, Melyssa thought, knowing Ash would get the full brunt of the
gushing now.
Ash would definitely be getting it. Or maybe not.
Monique thought about implications of gushing about her crush on the
Ashen Chevalier to Ash of all people… maybe she’d have a lot more practice on
‘dialing it down’ than she had anticipated.
“Well, on the bright side,” She said as she began packing up the
very few items she had managed to unpack, glad she had been procrastinating
today. “At least… mmm, well Crow’s a hero, right? Mostly.
That’s got to mean something.” Not that she anticipated needing a ‘Hero’
here, but… one never knew.
“Crow is a loud, obnoxious boy in a man’s body.” Altina said from
the open doorway, folding her arms over her chest when the other two women
turned to look at her. “He’s also on his way here, I figured I’d give you a
head’s up. It turns out, there were several mix-ups similar to yours.”
Of course, because this new ‘program’ of integration was still
being rolled out. She got the mechanics of it, but that didn’t make it any less
weird. She supposed by the end of the
year it would all seem normal and all right, which would mean the program had
been a success.
“Altina, right?” She looked like a child compared to the rest of
them, but…the Black Rabbit was anything but human. She moved and acted human, but was a robot
when all was said and done. Still,
Melyssa smiled at her, not judgmental in the slightest and grabbed a bag and a
box of Monique’s. “Thanks for the head’s up.”
“No problem. Here.”
Altina grabbed a box as well, following them out of the room. “The name plates
will be changed as well. Instructor Towa
is not happy about this mix-up.”
“What did you mean Crow is a hero, Monique?”
Both Altina and Monique stopped to look at Melyssa with raised
brows. “You DO know he was one of the many who helped stop the end of the world
from happening, right?”
“He’s also known as the Azure Chevalier while the Instructor is
Ashen.” Altina added, nodding at the bewildered expression on her classmate’s
face. “You did not know?”
“Jurai doesn’t get all of the news from the Empire, so I only
heard of the Ashen Chevalier. Didn’t
realize there was more than one.”
“Crow is from Jurai. Did
you know him?” Juna walked up to them, joining the fray and took the box from
Melyssa to help out as they arrived outside of Ash and now Monique’s room,
opening the door.
Melyssa didn’t want anyone to know her history with Crow
Armbrust, so she had no choice except to lie. “No. Jurai isn’t exactly a small place and not
everybody knows everybody.”
“True.”
“Cannot deny that analysis.”
“You hadn’t even heard of him though? That just seems odd.”
Altina commented after a long moment before shrugging and dismissing it. Maybe Melyssa didn’t know him personally but
given the events from not so long ago at the very least Altina would have
thought she’d at least know OF him. “Well, I’m going to my room and-”
“Okay ladies, I’m here, the party can start.”
Crow had arrived, with a leather bag over his shoulder. Clothes and other items poked out from the
unlatched top, he had just sort of crammed everything into it before heading
this way. His red eyes swept over the
trio, finally landing on Melyssa. Rean had warned him to behave, she already
seemed ‘nervous’ enough being so far from home and overwhelmed from her first
day. Crow had told him to stuff it, she obviously wasn’t a paper doll who was
easily pushed over if she had been accepted into the academy.
Feigning ignorance was the way to go when it came to her
classmates, Melyssa decided, leading the way out of the room. Of course, she knew what Crow had done, who he
was, including his time in the Noble Alliance and the Imperial Liberation
Front’s leader, C. He was the Azure
Chevalier, who nearly lead the Noble Alliance to victory, but Rean had beaten
him and stopped the civil war. That was
also where she’d heard Crow had lost his life while trying to save the former
Crown Prince Cedric, one of Erebonia’s greatest treasures. These days, however, Cedric was an Enforcer
of Ouroboros and had denounced his claim to the throne after the Twilight’s
curse was stopped.
What she DIDN’T know was HOW he was alive if he’d been
pronounced dead two years ago.
Sighing, Melyssa still had some unpacking to do and it looked
like Crow really needed to organize his belongings as well. Juna and Altina took off to go to their room and
Ash had arrived moments before Melyssa and Crow left, both girls sharing a
subdued expression on their way.
Arriving at their door, Melyssa opened it and went to her side, taking
her Cutlass out to set it on the bed. A
fellow swordswoman, there were plenty of them in the academy, but she’d been
following the path of the sword for several years now. She was still an amateur and hadn’t reached
her best, but hopefully, this place would help her reach her goals.
In theory, Crow should have graduated quite a while ago, but he
had a few personal issues. Being a
slacker was one of them, he was prone to avoiding homework and ignoring
assignments until the very last minute.
There had also been the fighting and wars, the death thing, all very
detrimental to a young man’s education.
He flashed Melyssa what was meant to be a charming smile, knowing this
was either going to be a GREAT year or a very awkward, terse one. He wasn’t one for any kind of weird situation
or feeling like he had to be on tenterhooks, though.
“So, what part of Jurai are you from, Melyssa? It is Melyssa, right?” He had been calling
her Brackett, both Juna and Rean had informed him that he needed to attempt
going along to get along.
Her eyes slid over to him, seeing absolutely no recognition in
his eyes, just pure curiosity. He was
trying to make conversation with her, which Melyssa found to be out of his
comfort zone. Turning, she sat down on
her bed to fully face him and draped her long hair over her shoulder, knowing
she would have to humor her new roommate.
Avoidance wasn’t an option anymore with Crow.
“Yes, it’s Melyssa. And
the south side. Born, raised, bred…I’ve
never been outside of Jurai until now, so it’s been a little overwhelming.”
There was no point asking him the same thing because anyone who lived in Jurai
would know who Crow was. Even if it was
only because of his grandfather being the last mayor of Jurai before the Empire
annexed it.
“Brackett….” Crow raked his brain, trying to place the name. It
was familiar but it was also a common enough surname in a place with a
population of around 150,000 people. “Mmm, I know a few Bracketts.” Sort of,
maybe, it had been years and he had been… angry and dismissive back then. “None
as pretty as you, of course. I’d
remember a beautiful woman such as yourself.” He had gone from cordial to a
combination of playful and seductive.
His back was to Melyssa as he unceremoniously dumped his
belongings out onto his new bed, eyeballing the contents that seemed to go
everywhere. He had crammed more things
into the bag than what was probably possible and as a result, a few items went
rolling off said bed. He dropped to his
hands and knees and gave chase to said items, right beneath her bed and out
between her legs.
“Got it.” Crow peered up from the floor at her, sliding the rest
of his muscular yet sinewy body from beneath her bed, the small ball in hand.
Calling her beautiful made her blush a little because she didn’t
expect to hear something like that from him.
Crow was a sweet talker, it seemed. “Well, this isn’t awkward at all.”
Melyssa’s face felt as if it was on fire, the blush clear as day
in her cheeks and instinctively clenched her thighs together. Oh Aidios, she was wearing a skirt! Melyssa immediately grabbed her pillow and
planted it on her lap, folding her hands on top of it.
“Next time, just ask and I’ll climb under there to get it for
you. And if you’ve heard of the name
Brackett, well – my family owns a fishing company in the south part of Jurai.”
Her entire family were full of fishermen while the women stayed home cleaning
and cooking. She definitely didn’t go
down that road and was determined to be something more in Erebonia.
Fishmongers, her family was a bunch of fishmongers, also not
unusual given Jurai’s location and he racked his head again while staring up at
her. He hadn’t bothered getting off the
floor, not yet anyway. He was amused with her putting a pillow on top of her
lap, as if that did anything to help from this angle, though he was a gentleman
and kept his practically glowing red eyes on her flushed face. Deciding to stop tormenting Melyssa, Crow
gracefully got up onto his feet, tossing the ball from hand to hand as he now
stared down at her, taking in the way her eyelashes practically brushed against
her cheek when she blinked up at him with those teal eyes.
“So, Crow Armbrust, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Since his introduction
earlier had been a bit… unorthodox, he flashed her a smile and held out a hand.
Clearing her throat, she set the pillow to the side on the bed
and stood up, taking his hand to shake it gently and firmly. Those crimson eyes of his made her stomach
tighten slightly and a warmth spread throughout her body. Somehow, Melyssa managed to stay composed
because even his touch felt familiar to her, no matter how much time had passed
since they last saw each other.
“Melyssa Brackett, it’s nice to meet you too, Crow.” Maybe this
wouldn’t be so bad after all. Again, she added in thought, slowly
pulling her hand out of his. “So, do you have any recommendations on clubs I
should check out for our free day tomorrow, fellow Juraian?”
“Oh I don’t know… I guess it depends on what you’re interested
in.” Crow went back to finish unpacking.
He eyed his clothing and turned towards the dressers, spotting something
that looked feminine on top of one and assumed she had picked hers already.
“There’s cooking club, gardening, uh… photography, if that’s your thing.” He
snorted, beginning to half-heartedly fold his stuff before putting it away.
“Swimming, the reading club, there’s a chess club…” That one sounded boring
personally. “Oh, fencing too.” Which she might be interested in, he had spotted
her cutlass. “Or…” Crow snorted wickedly, glancing back at Melyssa over his
shoulder. “There’s also a fishing club.”
“Yeeeahhh, you’re not funny, Armbrust. And you have a mess on your hands.” Melyssa
rolled her eyes, wondering if fencing would be up her alley. Then again, she wasn’t much of a fencer, more
of a slasher. “Cooking – no, gardening – definitely not, photography – uh-uh,
swimming – maybe, reading club – no, chess club sounds downright boring. And I’m definitely staying away from
fishing. So, what club are YOU going to
join? It’s mandatory, so you have to
pick one unless you plan on helping the Student Council.” Without realizing it,
she began helping him sort through the mess of clothes on the bed and other items,
standing by his side.
“Yeah, there’s no way they’ll stick me on or anywhere near the
Student Council,” Crow snorted derisively at that. Hero he might’ve been hailed as of now- after
all the stuff he’d done that was probably not very heroic to the general
populace-, Student Council material he was not. “I already know what club I’ll
be signing up for.” She was folding his laundry, Crow raised an eyebrow, not
entirely sure how he felt about her sorting through his unmentionables as if it
were the most natural thing in the world.
At Melyssa’s questioning look, he grinned. “Paranormal.” Which meant
he’d be able to slack off to his heart’s delight.
“Paranormal, eh? I didn’t
take you for someone who believed in the afterlife, but guess you learn
something new every day.” Melyssa looked down at the shirts she folded and
glanced at the dresser, wondering why she started doing this in the first
place. “Sorry, you just looked like you needed help sorting through this
mess. I can stop if you want.” Crow
shrugged, telling her it was fine and Melyssa continued doing it, beginning to
fold his shirts and buttoned up flannels. “You like games. Of all kinds.” Hell, he even had a chess set!
“Why don’t you join the chess club since you have your own set? Seems you like games.”
“I like gambling.” He corrected her after a moment. “Chess is
all well and fine and most of us know how to play.” It was a ‘gentleman’s game’
after all, notwithstanding the logic and patience it taught. In some cases, it was also used to teach
tactics for war, that had come in handy he supposed. “Do you play Blade?” He
asked, dismissing Melyssa’s apology with a wave of his hand. “I have a deck.”
He loved the game and he had taught several children how to play, both out of
amusement at their eagerness to learn the gambling game, on top of he had a bit
of a soft spot for kids.
“I’ve heard of it, but no, never played it. Never really had time.” Honestly, Melyssa had
played a few games with Crow when they were kids and she stopped all of it when
he left Jurai behind to pursue his revenge. Not even a goodbye, he just
left, she thought, finishing up his shirts and saw him pluck out the deck
of Blade from the semi-organized pile on the bed. “Maybe you can teach me
sometime how to play.” Taking a chance, she looked up at him the same time he
looked down at her, a tentative smile crossing her face. “I don’t gamble
though, fair warning.” Goddess help her, she was gambling right now and didn’t
even realize it.
Crow wasn’t sure what was going on behind those teal eyes of
hers, but it made his own light up with something he didn’t readily try
assessing. “Sure you do, you just don’t know it yet.” He teased gently, unaware
he was sort of reading her subconscious mind.
A knock on the door made him step out of Melyssa’s immediate
space, turning to glance over his shoulder.
Chapter 4
It was Rean, coming in to check in on the pair.
He knew Melyssa’s first day had probably overwhelmed her and
tossing Crow into that mix…could send her running back to Jurai. “Everything
okay in here?” He asked, trying to keep from sounding too concerned.
“Instructor.” Melyssa had a feeling Rean was here for Crow since
they were best friends, according to Juna and Altina.
Melyssa tried slowing her racing heart and went back to her side
of the room, picking up her Cutlass.
What did Crow mean? Did he mean
more than just actual gambling or…Melyssa shook her head, pushing those
thoughts out of her mind.
Rean noticed it instantly and stepped inside the room since Crow
was here, raising a brow. “You’re a swordsman, Melyssa?”
“Swordswoman, actually, and yes I am, Instructor.” Melyssa had
turned back to face him, her Cutlass in hand still in its sheath.
“Interesting choice. So,
you follow the path of the sword?”
“I guess, yeah. I’m
nowhere near the level you are though with the Eight Leaves or the Arseid
way. I’m an amateur, at best.”
“How long have you trained with the sword?” Rean inquired,
folding his arms in front of his chest with his own tachi attached to his side
in its own sheath.
“Five or six years. I
never went to any kind of schooling or anything. I’m mostly self-taught.” That was another
reason why she enrolled in the military academy, to hone her skills as a swordswoman.
“Ah…”
There was nothing wrong with being self-taught though there were
things she would have undoubtedly not been able to learn on her own, which was
where the academy came in. Many students
had prior experience either via the way Melyssa had learned or through private
tutors and lessons courtesy of their families and brought that knowledge with
them. Considering this was a military
academy, he imagined some prior knowledge and/or experience, or at least the
aptitude, was something recruiters hunted for in their potential recruits.
“Perhaps you will spar with me one of these days, I could assess
your skill level.” And offer advice tailored just for her.
Goddess, here he goes, Crow
thought without any malice as he plopped on the edge of his bed, fingering a
pile of folded clothes as he watched Rean and Melyssa. Rean just couldn’t help himself, he was
overly… mother-henish and concerned about everyone.
Melyssa knew this would be an incredible opportunity to spar
with a Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves and felt honored at the
invitation. Saying something like it
would be an honor probably wouldn’t bode well with him, however. “I would
appreciate any help you can give, Instructor.” That sounded better and not so
Monique-ish. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you about my amateur skill level,
though.” He was a Divine Blade and would demolish her in a sparring contest in
no time flat, but…it would still be a great learning experience, nevertheless.
“Everyone has to start somewhere and from the way you carry
yourself, I have no doubt that you are not an amateur.” Rean said with a slight
smile, bowing his head at Melyssa in acknowledgement of the compliment.
The back of Rean’s neck was flushed, which meant he was
embarrassed, he was such a sissy sometimes. “I’m not too bad with a sword.” He
offered with a cheeky grin. “I’m always up for giving out pointers to beautiful
women.”
“Aidios…” Rean muttered, then shook his head. “By the way,
Melyssa,” He made sure to emphasize her name. “You don’t HAVE to call me
instructor all the time. Rean is fine
when we’re not in class.”
A double-saber wasn’t the same as a Cutlass or tachi. It was in the sword family, however, and
Melyssa wondered what it would be like to spar with Crow. He was probably even more entuned with
sparring and fighting than Rean since he was older.
“I don’t know if I’d be comfortable referring to you by just
your name, Instructor.”
This was the Ashen Chevalier and he was so…nice and friendly,
not at all cocky or arrogant. On top of
that name, he was also a Divine Blade.
No, no she couldn’t be casual with him, especially not on the first day
of school. Maybe one day she would get
to that point, possibly after graduation.
“Oh, how late is the training room open in the dorms?”
“It’s accessible up until curfew.” Rean answered, his shoulders
drooping slightly at her insistence in calling him ‘Instructor’.
However, he also understood she wasn’t comfortable, he got
that. He wouldn’t push the issue and
would just have to swallow the wince and flinches he’d probably do whenever he
heard it from her after class hours.
Poor Rean, he was stuck in this loop of being over-caring and wanting to
be normal, but he was the Ashen Chevalier and royally screwed. Crow didn’t have that problem at all, but he
was more outgoing and inclined to not be cornered by his issues…like being
polite and helpful.
“We can spar in here, Mely.” He wasn’t sure if he liked calling
her that.
Melyssa could read people pretty well and could tell Rean was
not comfortable being referred to as Instructor. “Thank you…Rean.” That felt
very weird to say as she grabbed her bathroom bag and slung it over her
shoulder. It had her bath wear in it
and, luckily, the bathing areas WERE designated for men and women separately.
“Pick the time and place, Armbrust, I’ll be more than happy to spar with you
and your…double-saber.” Winking, she headed out of the room to go take a
much-needed bath, feeling a little more comfortable in her skin. Maybe having the Ashen Chevalier as an
Instructor wasn’t horrible, after all.
“So… she’s interesting.” Crow said once Melyssa had vacated the
room. “Also, I get the point of the integration of the dorm rooms, but WHY are
bathrooms still… as we all know, when in war, privacy is a luxury.”
“You know, if not for the fact that I DO know you, I’d say you
have a valid point. As it is, I do know
YOU and I know your reasons aren’t… polite.”
“They are very polite.” Crow was tempted to point out that Rean
had interrupted what could have been a perfect getting to ‘know you’ moment
with Melyssa, but didn’t. “I’m not harassing her, promise.”
Rean had to admit, it didn’t look like Crow was up to his old
tricks and nodded, deciding to give his friend and student the benefit of the
doubt. “All right, all right, I believe you.”
Even in the military, men and women bathed separately unless
they were in the field somewhere. Every
facility for the military had designated bathrooms and bathing areas, showers
included. Now sleeping arrangements, on
the other hand, were mixed genders. It
was backwards the more Melyssa mulled it over in her head while she bathed,
washing her body and hair in the steaming hot water. It felt amazing, truly, especially being in
here alone. She had just stepped out of
the bathing room, fully dressed once again, when Ash rounded the corner, a
towel slung over his shoulder.
Was it rude to simply walk past him without saying a word? Melyssa felt no ill feelings toward him and
they were classmates… “Hi.” What else was she supposed to say to him? “Well
goodnight.”
Ash had opened his mouth to reply to her ‘hi’ and then she was
dismissing him, his mouth spread into a wide grin at that, unsure of what else
to do. He went with his usual fallback:
he cracked a joke. “You don’t have to rush off, you can stay and help me.” He
teased, unlike Crow he had no intentions of toning himself down for anyone and
he would never pass up the opportunity to flirt, maybe even seduce, a beautiful
maiden such as Melyssa. His pink eyes
sparkled wickedly at the look that flickered across her face. “I could really
use help getting my back.” He was going to get slapped.
No. Filter. Melyssa shouldn’t have been surprised and
folded her arms in front of her chest. “Should’ve went with my gut instinct and
said nothing. And I’m sure the water in
there is hot enough to where you won’t need to worry about your back. Trust me on that.” She draped her wet hair
over her shoulder, freshly brushed, but she would probably have to braid it
before bed. “On another note, are you getting along with Monique or do you miss
Armbrust yet?”
“Nope, and what does hot water have to do with a good back
scrub, beautiful?” Ash asked, carelessly flipping his hair back off his
forehead. Melyssa was getting annoyed, she was just great at hiding it, that or
she had the patience of a saint. “You tired of Crow yet?” Considering Crow
wasn’t exactly a gentleman… maybe she was already hardened to the jokes and the
flirting, that was no fun. His lips
pursed into a half-pout at the thought of Crow already immunizing the new girl
against their crap on the first day.
“And here I thought you were going to call me Mel. Now it’s beautiful?” Melyssa chuckled,
leaning against the wall and didn’t look the least bit annoyed. In fact, amusement shimmered in her teal eyes
while staring up at him. He was much
taller than her and she couldn’t begin to guess how tall, at least a couple
reges. “No, Crow is fine. And you should
invest in one of those long back scrubbers.
I’m sure you can do a far better job than I ever could. Better get in there before the dorm is
completely shut down for the night.”
“I don’t know, I think I’m willing to risk it since you’re being
gracious enough to allow me the presence of your company.” Ash mimicked her
stance and leaned into the wall as well, side pressed against it as he stared
down at her intently. “You don’t seem as tense as you were earlier.” His mind
automatically jumped to a lot of X-rated thoughts about how she had gotten
relaxed, clearing his throat. Maybe it was time for that shower, maybe he’d
also skip the hot water part and enjoy it just a smidge past lukewarm. “See you
tomorrow, beautiful.” Mel was nice and all, but… Beautiful suited her.
“It’s a free day tomorrow, but I’m sure we’ll see each other
around either in town or on campus.”
It was almost as if a lightbulb clicked in Ash’s head and she
grinned, waving at him before walking away to head back to her and Crow’s
room. Instructor Rean had left and Crow
was on his bed, shirtless, with a book in hand.
Melyssa immediately averted her gaze from him and made her way over to
her bed, beginning to braid her hair like she wanted to. Once she finished, she changed into her night
clothes, a shirt and pants, making sure not to show Crow anything in case he
glanced over at her. Sliding under the
blanket, she grabbed the student guidebook and began reading through it,
wanting to familiarize herself with the school grounds, rules and anything
else. In no time, her eyes closed and
she was fast asleep with the book laying on top of her.
Crow had been watching from the corner of his eye, noticing how
Melyssa had made sure to avoid him seeing even the slightest bit of skin. He had no such issues himself though he had
mentally decided that he would not be sleeping in the nude anytime soon, as a courtesy
to her. Also, Rean had pointed out that
this integrated, progressive social experiment had several factors that
contributed to its success. Such as not
doing anything that might be consider sexual harassment. The teasing already border lined that,
sleeping naked probably would be a nail in his own coffin. He had stripped down and changed into a pair
of plain sleeping pants and once he was sure she was asleep, he rolled onto his
side to shut off the lamp, dog earing his book and set it aside before laying
on his back and folding his hands beneath his head.
Soon enough he was asleep as well, thoughts of the fishmonger’s
daughter drifting lazily in his mind.
~!~
Before the sun rose over the horizon, Melyssa was up, dressed
and ready for the day, pinning her hair back in another tight bun. Crow slept peacefully and she caught herself
staring at him for a minute or two, but luckily, he hadn’t awoken. After making her bed, Melyssa grabbed her
Cutlass and left the dorm with key in hand, heading downstairs to the training
room. She was used to getting up this
early to train in Jurai, so it wasn’t foreign to her to be up at the crack of
dawn. Unsheathing her Cutlass, she gently
ran the tip of her finger over the blade and nodded, satisfied with how sharp
it was. Her parry was off, so she
proceeded to practice, thrusting her arm forward and back, along with her
footwork. Both needed A LOT of work,
including her striking angles, which to her were also poor.
For someone who was self-taught, she wasn’t bad at all. Crow had informed him that her family
apparently was in the fishing business, so Rean didn’t really know if that
would have afforded Melyssa the opportunity for private lessons or if she
mimicked things she had seen. He noted
her footwork and her blocking, she needed some pointers, but she definitely had
the making of a proper warrior. Goddess
forbid she ever actually need to apply her current skillset and future
knowledge on the field, but… it WAS a military academy after all. They weren’t teaching the students this stuff
for nothing.
“May I join you?”
Naturally, she jumped at the sound of his voice and snapped her
head to the side, breathing a little heavy with little beads of sweat on her
forehead. “Instruct…” She stopped herself, clearing her throat and sheathed her
Cutlass as Rean stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Rean, I didn’t
see you standing there.” How long had he been watching her? Usually, Melyssa could sense when someone was
nearby, but she’d been so focused on training, she hadn’t sensed another
presence in the doorway. “Sure, if you want to.” Free day, they weren’t in
school and he preferred to be called by his first name, so she would try to
oblige him. One thing was certain, the
Ashen Chevalier Divine Blade had a powerful aura about him that did not match
his personality or attitude at all.
Since it was in theory an off day, Rean hadn’t bothered in dressing
in his instructor’s uniform but instead had pulled on his trusty, comfortable
old jeans and a black shirt, his equally comfortable brown boots on his
feet. His Tachi was sheathed, for the
moment, he had come to exercise and focus before breakfast and then found
Melyssa practicing herself. He had been
taking mental notes. Nodding, he walked
towards her, each step confident until he stood opposite of her, one hand
dropping to the hilt of his sword, fingers curving around it.
“We do have bokkens available.” He said after a moment,
referring to the wooden swords generally used when evaluating and sparring with
newcomers.
“Bokkens aren’t used in the battlefield and I’m comfortable
sparring with our actual weapons, as long as you are.” Unsheathing her Cutlass,
Rean did the same with his tachi and she watched the stance he gave. There was no hesitation, no openings – it was
flawless and perfect. Goddess be with me and help me get through this, she
silently prayed, determination burning in her teal eyes. It was an honor and privilege to spar with a
Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves.
“Begin!”
Their swords clashed together as they began moving around the
room, Rean automatically getting the upper hand. Melyssa did her best to evade his attacks and
focused on blocking, slashing at him a couple of times. They were easily evaded by Rean, but she
showed temerity and strength in her own moves, not giving an inch, not giving
up. Giving up would be the day she put
her Cutlass down and walked away forever, which would never happen. Eventually, Rean struck her down and Melyssa
dropped to her knees, admitting defeat after a long, hard sparring bout with
her Instructor. The power this man
possessed was uncanny and insane – she really did have a long way to go before
she could even TOUCH him.
“I-I’m okay, I just need a minute…”
Chapter 5
Nodding, Rean stepped out of her immediate space, sheathing his
Tachi. Bokkens were NOT used on the
battlefield, well… not traditionally, he had seen people with no skill use them
as clubs basically and that was effective enough. The fact that she didn’t want to use the
lesser weapon, he respected that, having heard her tone and knew it wasn’t
contempt so much as she wanted to wield her own and become its master.
“With formal training, you will be a formidable force.” He
informed her once she had regained her breath, his own steady and normal,
though a faint sheen of sweat on his face indicated he had put in his fair
share of effort.
Slowly, she rose to her feet with a nod of appreciation,
sheathing her Cutlass and grabbed her towel to dab at her neck and face. “I’m
pleased to see the Divine Blade lives up to his name. You’re definitely not all hype and seeing the
Eight Leaves One Blade swordsmanship in action, firsthand, is an honor.” It was
one of the most prestigious swordsmanship techniques in Erebonia, along with
the Arseid. Rean extended her a water
and she accepted it, taking a small pull because downing it would only do more
harm than good. “And I could tell you were holding back, Rean. You don’t have to sugarcoat anything with me;
I know I need A LOT of work and training.
And I’d appreciate your honest opinion – I want to know the areas I need
work on and I need to hear your criticism too.”
“I was holding back because you wouldn’t have gotten any
practice in if I treated you as a fully trained opponent. Nor would I have been able to assess
anything.” He said with a slight smile, his fuchsia eyes twinkling
good-naturedly. Stepping back, he sipped
his own water with his now sheathed Tachi at his side before reaching down and
peeling off his slightly damp t-shirt with one hand, using it to mop what
little sweat was on his face away. “You should take dancing lessons.” He said
after a moment. “It would help you with your footwork.” Most men thought it was
a joke, learning to dance, but the best in their craft had grace, skill, and
the ability to move on the battlefield without tripping on their own two feet.
This man was chiseled out of stone and had muscles rippling for
days. Melyssa noticed the scar on his
chest, but didn’t say anything and instead focused on her water, on anything
except the bare chest of her Instructor.
She was in a simple white short-sleeved tunic and black leggings, her
usual training clothes.
“Is there a dance club I could join then?” Why wasn’t she
surprised at his nod? “Dancing, huh…” Granted, Melyssa would have never thought
to join a club like that or to even entertain the notion of it. He was right, however, it would help with her
footwork. “I was trying to find a club that could help me hone my skills and if
you say dancing will do it, I’m willing to try.” The worst she could do was
fail at it and find something else.
Rean smiled down at her, nodding his head. “There are other
countries who incorporate sword dancing, or even spear, as part of their
military exercises. The different styles
were used to focus on things such as speed and strength,” He draped his shirt
over his bare shoulder, unaware she was purposefully avoiding looking at his
bare chest as he took a step towards her. “Other styles were meant to improve
agility and flexibility, and focus is incorporated into everything.” Learning
how to hone those abilities and then apply the knowledge in the heat of a
moment was something they also tried teaching, but until one was in a position
of life or death… that was something all the training in the world couldn’t
necessarily prepare for.
Why did he have to move closer to her? She could smell the sweat and his own scent
wafting through the air mixing with her own.
Melyssa smiled back at him genuinely, appreciating all the advice he
gave. “I understand…Rean. Thank you for
taking the time to spar with me and teach me today.” He must have had so many
other things going on or to do being an Instructor and whatnot, even if it was
a free day. “And don’t worry about Crow.” Now there was a slight twinkle in her
teal eyes while his brow arched in question. “He was a perfect gentleman last
night and didn’t do anything unsavory.”
Ash, on the other hand…lewd comments or not, he was very
intense, even more so than Rean. Melyssa
would be steering clear of him as much as she could, which would be difficult
considering they were in the same class together. Honestly, he should have been more concerned
about Ash than Crow.
“I don’t worry about Crow.” Rean said quietly. “He’s loud and
can be obnoxious but he knows when to stop.” Crow had proven many times that he
was a loyal friend and even he knew when to back off from a lady. “And I’m sure
if he did do something… unsavory,” His lips twitched into his own smile. “You
would be able to handle him, you don’t seem as lost as you were yesterday.” In
fact, she seemed more at ease and he was noticing she had a sense of humor.
“Did you have any problems acclimatizing last night?”
Then why did he show up last night at their dorm if he wasn’t
concerned about Crow, someone he actually KNEW?
This man made no sense in what he did and if he was worried about HER
enough to do a dorm check…Melyssa immediately dismissed the thought and chalked
it up to Rean checking on all of his students. “Not really, no. And I was overwhelmed yesterday
because…well…” Her eyes lowered from his, which was a mistake because now they
were locked on those tight, muscular abs. “I didn’t think I’d be in your class
out of them all.” She looked back up at him, their eyes locking. “It was
overwhelming becoming a student of the Divine Blade of Eight Leaves.” Then,
Crow being in the same class threw her for an even bigger loop. That was something she couldn’t tell Rean,
however. “I know it has something to do with being a match for the ARCUS II
unit.” She remembered being tested for it during registration, like all the
others. “Just didn’t expect it to happen, so I apologize if I was…quiet or
standoffish yesterday, sir.” Oh Aidios, if he didn’t like being called
Instructor, would he have a problem with that term as well?
Rean had shown up last night because being told one had the
wrong roommate and were actually rooming with someone of the opposite gender…
well, that could throw anyone for a loop.
Factor in she had seemed a bit overwhelmed yesterday, checking in on her
had seemed like the right thing to do. “You showed exemplary aptitude with the
ARCUS II, Melyssa, which was why you were accepted and placed in Class VII:
Special Operations.” Which was both an honor and a compliment to the student’s
abilities. His cheeks flushed a bit,
realizing what she had said and smiled awkwardly, a hand moving back to rub his
neck. “I’m not… I- it’s not that big a deal, really.” It sounded lame even to
him, but there it was.
“You really need to learn how to take a compliment, Rean. It IS a big deal to some nobody commoner like
me from Jurai, who came to Thors, HOPING to hone my skills well enough to be
half a decent swordswoman. You should be
proud of your accolades and what you’ve accomplished and done for Erebonia as a
whole. And that’s all I’ll say on the
matter.” Finishing her water, she tossed it in the nearby trashcan and picked
up her bag, shouldering it. “I think it’s time I check out that dance club you
recommended. Go enjoy your free day and
hopefully, we can spar again sometime.” Saluting him, Melyssa left the training
room and pulled her guidebook out to figure out where exactly the dance club
would be located on campus.
“Hey, Melyssa, wait,” Rean took off after her, gently catching
her by the elbow and stopped her from getting too far. “You might, and I hope
you don’t take this the wrong way, want to take a shower first.” They hadn’t exactly gone light and she had
given it her all, she was a beautiful mess. Not that he would say that outside
of his head, he had already shown how awkward he could be. “If you haven’t
eaten breakfast yet, you probably should.” Now his brows drew together in
concern, the ‘helping’ thing coming out in force. “I’m heading to the kitchens
now, if you’d like to join me?”
As if on cue, almost as if he was a mind reader, her stomach
rumbled with life, reminding her she had not eaten yet today. “Okay, but…don’t
take this the wrong way either, you really should put your shirt back on.” The
last thing she needed was rumors starting about her and the Ashen Chevalier.
“N-Not that you’re ugly to look at or anything…I mean that’s not what…” Oh
Goddess, she was babbling now and her cheeks were flaming red. “Never mind,
lead the way and I’ll shower after we eat.”
Hopefully, the walk down to the cafeteria would give her ample
time to make her cheeks return to normal and Rean would put his shirt back
on. It took Rean a moment to realize his
scar was probably bothering her. It was
a bit on the unsightly side, but he was so used to it by now that it didn’t
generally garner his notice unless someone else drew attention to it. Without a word, he pulled the shirt back on,
keeping his strides short so she wasn’t running to keep up with him.
“My apologies.” He said after a moment. “I didn’t mean to make
you uncomfortable.” If he had been Crow, he would have jumped all over that
‘not that you’re ugly to look at’ comment.
He wasn’t Crow, he figured she was saying it to save him face.
“You didn’t, but I just don’t want the school getting the wrong
impression, that’s all. I mean, you ARE
my Instructor and being shirtless with your student…do you understand what I’m
saying?”
The realization dawned on his face and she simply smiled, hoping
he understood it had NOTHING to do with how he looked or the scar on his
chest. If anything, that scar made him
sexier and she immediately dismissed that thought out of her head. This was her Instructor! They walked inside the cafeteria, grabbed
their food and chose a table in the far back, both sitting in front of each
other. Her tray consisted of a bagel
with freshly cut up fruit and a couple slices of bacon with eggs.
Eggs, fish and toast were on the menu for him today, along with
a cup of tea and a glass of juice. To be
honest, he hadn’t given any consideration to how it would look, him walking
alongside of her being shirtless. Given
that men and women were now being roomed together, if people were going to
gossip about him being in a training room with a young woman -sans a shirt-
then this program was doomed already.
Rean sat opposite of Melyssa, focusing on his tray, wondering idly what
the regulations involving students and instructors were. He had probably been told them, or told of
them, he just couldn’t remember off the top of his head.
New question: WHY was he wondering about them?
~!~
It’d been two weeks since the sparring session with Instructor
Rean. Melyssa had also followed his
advice and joined the dance club. They
met three times a week, for two hours, including free days, and it was hard at
first because Melyssa had ZERO rhythm.
However, with a little guidance from the dance teacher, everything began
falling into place. All the classes had
been doing was homework and learning the ways of the Empire, what they wanted
the students to know and learn. There
were a few quizzes and a test would be next week, but Instructor Rean assured
everyone they would start Combat Link training after their test next week. That was something to look forward to since
there was little action so far in the academy.
Melyssa kept up with her training, always getting a few hours in
the early morning hours and a few hours at night, which followed with a hot
bath. She also practiced her dance steps
in the dorm when Crow wasn’t around and tonight was no exception. With her back turned, Melyssa began practicing
after doing an hour of studying, her training already done for the evening as
well. Mentally, she counted 1-2-3 in her
head and shut her eyes, focusing only on her footing while breathing in and out
evenly.
The Combat Link training was not something Crow was overly
looking forward too, though he also knew it was necessary. It was one of the ARCUS II functions,
allowing for partners to link up for attacks and it boosted said attack. There was talk of bonds between people having
an effect on it. A Link Buddy… could be
fun though no one in their right mind would want to have to suffer his
inappropriate sense of humor in times of battle. He walked into the room he shared with
Melyssa, a deck of cards in hand and came to a halt, his jaw dropping. She was… dancing. With her eyes closed. He pocketed the deck and silently approached
her after closing the door quietly behind him.
She was mouthing numbers, counting and after a second, he swept in to
take her hand in his, speaking the numbers out loud as he easily fell into step
with her.
Her eyes snapped open as soon as she felt a presence in front of
her and a hand take her own, shocked teal locked on deep crimson. Crow was…dancing with her. This was the first time he’d caught her
practicing dancing and, instead of announcing himself in some obnoxious way, he
was helping her. Hesitantly, she placed
her free hand on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist to pull
her closer as they continued moving around the dorm room, no music, and the
counting had trailed off, leaving only silence.
“Didn’t peg you for the dancing type. You’re good at it.” Melyssa commented,
breaking the silence between them and remembered what Rean told her.
It helped with the footwork of a skilled swordsman/woman. Still, this was CROW and the last thing she
ever expected was for him to know how to dance.
Now technically, Crow wasn’t purposefully trying to help, he would
never. That was all Rean’s shtick. Deep down, he also knew that wasn’t true, he
was prone to being useful and helping out when the mood took him, but he wasn’t
one to admit it or toss the fact around freely.
His best friend had the market obsessively cornered on ‘helpful’. He had heard, through said best friend, that
Melyssa had joined the dancing club to help with her footwork for swordsmanship
-such as it was. Smart idea, of course
he knew Rean had probably suggested it, but Rean was too modest to say so.
“I had to take lessons.” Very, very briefly. Duke Cayenne had been more interested in
using him as a tool than as adopted kin.
Of course, at the time, Crow hadn’t cared about being ‘used’, his
motives had been sort of aligned with the Duke’s.
Chapter 6
Thirteen.
He was thirteen when he left Jurai, merely a boy, and now he
stood in front of her a grown man.
When his grandfather died, Crow had holed himself up in the
house for days and then, one night, he left.
Vanished by jumping on a boat instead of taking the train that stretched
all the way to Heimdallr. She’d been 10
and they’d grown up together; Crow was her best friend and protected her when
they were in school from others that picked on her for being in a fishmonger
family. It’d been a long six or seven
years and she had also grown considerably, sprouting into a beautiful young
lady instead of the little girl with knobby knees and acne.
Melyssa had heard all about his association with Duke Cayenne
and the Noble Alliance, his status as the Azure Chevalier, and especially when
he sniped Chancellor Osborne, who miraculously survived the attack. The last thing she heard of Crow was he died
trying to save the former Crown Prince Cedric Reise Arnor by helping the Ashen
Chevalier. For the longest time, Melyssa
hated the Ashen Chevalier because she was convinced he was the reason, Rean
Schwarzer, for Crow’s death. But Crow
was alive and it was still a mystery to her and all she wanted to do was ask
him one question.
How?
How was he alive and dancing with her?
There were so many things she wanted to ask him too, such as why
did he leave Jurai? No, better
question. Why didn’t he come to her and
why didn’t he have the decency to say goodbye at the very least?
“I keep forgetting you’re a swordsman yourself.” Melyssa
congratulated herself for keeping her voice calm and steady, not giving away
any indication just how livid she was at this man.
The worst part was she couldn’t bring herself to ask him all of
this questions or to even tell him the truth!
He didn’t remember her anyway or recognize her, so what was the point?
When Crow had left Jurai, he had been a bitter, raging youth
with only one thing on his mind.
Revenge. He hadn’t cared about
anyone or anything outside of his own pain and machinations of revenge. Any friends he had had, he discarded when he
walked away, drowning in his grief and rage equally until he could see nothing
before him but red.
“I’m pretty good at making people forget, aren’t I?” He made it
a cheerful question, but the truth was, it was more of a statement.
“Well considering you have your double pistols…yeah, it’s easy
to forget you also wield that double saber.” A weapon from the Dark Ages,
though she didn’t know much more than that about it. “And I’m sure you’re
unforgettable to those close to you, Crow.” Those words left her mouth before
she could stop herself and Melyssa cracked a small smile to ease any tension
between them. After all, he was the one
who forgot about dear friends and people who meant something to him,
apparently. Still the same as ever, she thought, continuing to move with
him and didn’t once pull her gaze from his. “So, since you know how to dance,
how am I doing so far? Am I nailing it
or is it hopeless?”
“Oh, one day, many years from now, you’ll possess a tenth of my
skill.” Crow injected a note of arrogance he had learned from none other than
Duke Cayenne himself into his tone. He
was smiling though, his red eyes sparkling with good natured humor. “You’re
doing fine, though you also seem more relaxed now than when you were doing it
solo. You were trying too hard and
dancing is like fighting… you can learn the basics, learn how it’s supposed to
go and all the styles, the bells and whistles, but it’s best when it comes
naturally.”
She rolled her eyes at his arrogance and giggled softly, letting
him twirl her once before pulling her back into his arms again. “In my defense,
I had no choice except to do it solo. I
don’t have a dance partner…or didn’t. And
it helps when you’re dancing with someone with actual skill too.” Those were
valid points she knew he wouldn’t be able to dispute, even though he would
probably try. “I have noticed my footwork when I’m practicing has gotten a lot
better, though. So the dancing is
helping with my swordsmanship, if anything.” The only thing Melyssa was not
looking forward to was performing at the upcoming academy festival later in the
year because it was required for the dance club to give a performance.
“So…. I imagine that there will be other opportunities for you
to display this new skillset of yours,” Crow teased, deciding to ignore the
compliment she had given him because he wasn’t sure how to respond to it
outside of being arrogant again. “Like the festival.” He was looking forward to
that actually, raising an eyebrow down at her when she sucked her bottom lip in
between her teeth. “I’m guessing you’re not looking forward to that?” They
still had quite a way off from all that, plenty of time for her to get better. Though, given how she was still dancing with
him without any issues, he was going to assume she’d be spectacular by then.
“I’m a swordswoman first and foremost, so I almost feel like I’m
betraying the way of the sword by being in this club. Performing in front of other people is
completely different than simply doing it within the club or…with others
privately.” With you, she added in thought, another pierce tearing
through her heart.
Melyssa would never admit it outside of her own head, but she
missed Crow, which was why she hadn’t stopped the dance. Goddess help her, she wanted to freeze this
moment in time and stay like this with him forever. And at the same time, she wanted to hurt him
for causing her so much agony over these past couple of years, making her
believe he was dead.
“Thank Aidios, it’s not for a while and hopefully, I’ll be
decent by the time the actual performance rolls around.”
“You can have other passions besides the sword, it’s not
betraying anything.” He couldn’t imagine feeling that way, well… he could,
though he had viewed himself as the one being betrayed. There was a major
difference between a person being betrayed and a… passion. “You are more than
decent, you really don’t have enough confidence in yourself. That or you’re trying to be modest, which…
doesn’t work.”
He twirled Melyssa again, bringing her back against him a little
more aggressively, his free hand dropping to the curve of her waist. That move made their chests collide and
Melyssa could feel his hand burning her skin.
Her tank top had gone up a little, just enough to expose that little bit
of skin on her waist. Along with that,
her hand had moved from his shoulder and now had a hold of the back of his neck
gently.
“I’m not trying to be anything.
The only reason I joined the dance club was to get better with my
footwork…” Melyssa decided to turn the tables on him while they merely stood
there, not moving after the twirl. “Let me ask you something, current dance
partner, what are YOU passionate about?
What fuels that fire inside of you, Crow?”
“I already told you, gambling.
I’m a gambler, Mel.”
He was a betting man, a gambling man, and he spread his bad
habits to the local kids. They adored him,
their parents not so much. Blade was an
addicting game and so was Vantage Masters, which he had gotten pretty solid at
playing. Pomto, on the other hand, could
go straight to Gehenna. But the
addiction part aside, it also taught valuable lesson about math, logic, reading
body language and whatnot. There was
more to gambling than just winning and losing.
“The last thing I was passionate about… hurt a lot of people.”
Crow said finally, knowing his actions had done a lot of harm and, at the time,
he hadn’t cared because vengeance had been his only driving force.
I know it did and I’m on that list of people you hurt, she thought, not believing his answer for a second. Gambling was not something to be passionate
about. It was just an excuse to hide what
truly kept him going, what raged the fire inside of him. “I shouldn’t have
asked and I didn’t mean to bring up your past.
I’m just…curious about you, I guess.
Curiosity killed the cat as that old saying goes.” Her hand on his neck
slid back down to rest on his shoulder to give it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe it’s
because you’re from Jurai. Maybe that’s
why they put us together in the first place…” That wasn’t a comforting thought,
but she couldn’t deny the coincidence either.
“Probably, since you’re new and I’m not. Maybe they thought that it’d make you feel
more at ease and less homesick.”
Crow jumped on the change of topic, flashing her a smile that
came more easy than what he felt at the moment.
He didn’t know why, but something about her, or maybe about this moment,
was putting him on alert. Like something
was tugging at him. He shoved it aside,
tamped it down and then began laughing.
“You know the rest of that saying, right? Curiosity may have killed the cat, but
satisfaction brought it back.”
“Yeah and I’m not nearly satisfied, so my curiosity will
continue until it is. However long it
takes, roomie.” Melyssa tapped his nose with her finger and stepped back
to give them both breathing room, knowing she had probably overworked her body
after all the training and dancing she’d done. “Thank you for being my dance
partner and helping me. I tell you what
– on our next free day, how about we spend a couple hours playing that Blade
game of yours? You can teach me and show
me why games and gambling are your new passion in life.”
As much as she loathed Crow, only half of her felt that way and
the other half wanted to be as close to him as possible. Her heart was split in two, along with the
slew of different emotions pulsating through her because of him. Something was brewing in her beautiful teal
eyes and Crow felt something tugging at his gut, something almost familiar but
not quite. He sometimes wondered if he
had come ‘back’ normal or if maybe all his memories hadn’t been properly
restored, or maybe his brain hadn’t catalogued them all yet.
“I’ll hold you to it.
Maybe we could get off-campus for a bit, yeah?” He suggested, letting
her have her space and brushed a stray lock of his silver hair back off his
forehead.
“Yeah, Heimdallr isn’t that far from here by train. A half hour, at best. We could definitely go for a couple
hours. I suppose sacrificing a day of
training and actually relaxing for a change wouldn’t be so bad.”
What was she saying?!
Crow had cast some kind of spell on her because she wasn’t thinking
clearly! Melyssa couldn’t go back on
what she said, however. She had just
inadvertently made plans with Crow, to hang out with him outside of campus,
outside of their dorm room.
“And I’ll hold you to that.
Now, it’s time to get back to studying because we have a very important
test coming up.” Grabbing her book, Melyssa plopped on her bed and blinked when
Crow joined her moments later, both sitting side by side. “Wanna study
together, I take it?”
“Oh no, I’m just here to supervise.” Crow began laughing, though
he had also cracked his book open. “I should’ve graduated by now, I know all of
this, or most of it, I’m just a slacker.” He had goofed off and around instead
of applying himself and it had landed him right back in school. Of course with the war and everything else
going on, his focus had been a bit all over the place. “I could use a
refresher…” He admitted, sprawling out onto his stomach and patted the space
beside him. “I won’t bite.” Hard.
Shaking her head, Melyssa shifted to lean back against her
headboard with her legs sprawled out while Crow took the other side of her bed.
“Just admit you wanna study with me, Armbrust, it’s okay.” Supervise, sure, she
added in thought and started reading the book, or tried.
Crow was very distracting, but she was determined to get some
studying done and to rest her legs. They
had danced for an hour straight without realizing it – it didn’t seem like that
long, but it had been according to the clock.
Oddly enough, it was comforting having Crow study with her.
I’m supposed to be mad at him, damn it, she mentally chastised herself, flipping a page and shook all
other thoughts out of her head.
They both wound up falling asleep with Crow ending up shifting
to sleep beside her instead of on his stomach.
Somewhere during the night, his arm draped over her stomach and she
turned to where they were spooned together with his nose buried in her hair.
~!~
Crow woke up in the typical manner most men did. With an erection. His usual routine was to go to the bathroom
to relieve himself and it tended to go away.
This morning was nothing typical.
He hadn’t woken up with anyone in quite some time, so it was
disconcerting, his face being buried in a mound of loose, sweet smelling hair
and a soft, curvy body pressed tightly against his. This wasn’t relieve it in the usual manner
and call it a day, this was- Gehenna. It
was Gehenna! It took him another long
moment to realize he had fallen asleep and, at some point during the night,
they had gotten into this position. By the steady, even breathing from Melyssa
he was assuming she was still asleep.
Hissing softly from clenched teeth, he shifted ever so slightly, trying
to put some modicum of space and decency between them.
Not even 10 minutes later, the alarm went off and her hand
clenched in a fist to pound down on it, her eyes slowly opening. The textbook she’d been reading was on the
floor beside the bed and…something wasn’t right. This presence…someone was in bed with
her! In lightning quick speed, Melyssa
was out of bed with her unsheathed Cutlass and pointing it at… “CROW?!” Slightly
disheveled and half-asleep, Melyssa swallowed hard at the sight of him and her
breathing quickened, immediately looking down at herself to make sure her
clothes were still intact. Oh thank Aidios, she thought, the grip on her
Cutlass not wavering while she continued staring at him, her heart pounding in
her ears. WHAT IN AIDIOS’S NAME WAS HE
DOING IN HER BED?! “Goddess, I could’ve seriously hurt you!!”
Slowly, she lowered the Cutlass at her side and tore a hand
through her hair, cheeks several shades of crimson now. Redder than his eyes boring back at her. She also needed to learn how to breathe again
because waking up to another person in her bed, especially Crow, hadn’t been a
pleasant feeling at all.
Chapter 7
“No.” Crow informed her, his eyes fastened on hers. He nodded
down and watched as her gaze fell down to his own extended arm. He didn’t make
it a habit of carrying his guns to bed, but he wasn’t above a small, deadly
sharp knife and it was currently pressed right against her thigh, where her
femoral artery was. “If I had thought you were actually going to attempt it,
I’d have gotten you first.” But he hadn’t, which was why his dagger was still
in its slim sheath. “And…” Since she was pulling away, he lazily tossed said
dagger onto his own bed, moving so he was standing. “We fell asleep while
studying. I don’t remember much after
that fifth paragraph you made me reread twice.”
“Shit, that’s right.” Melyssa muttered, closing her eyes as the
memory of studying with Crow filtered through her mind. The dance they shared beforehand. The promise of playing Blade together and
going to Heimdallr to get away on a free day. “You were on your stomach and…you
know what? It doesn’t matter.”
Sheathing her Cutlass, Melyssa turned and began pulling her
clothes out for the day, glancing at the clock.
Crow was on his stomach when she fell asleep, so why did they wake up
with him right beside her? If he woke up
during the night, why didn’t he go back to his own bed?
Overthinking it will only cause more harm than good, just let it
go, Melyssa, she mentally chastised,
pulling her skirt on before removing her pants from beneath and tossed them in
her hamper. She’d never gotten dressed
so fast in her life and simply pulled her hair up in a high ponytail instead of
the usual bun.
If he had woken up, he had no recollection of it. Crow figured things he did either half-awake
or totally asleep, he shouldn’t be held accountable for because…. Subconscious
did what it wanted whether he wanted it or not. Crow did not feel the sense of
modesty she did and simply peeled off his shirt from the day before along with
his pants, tossing them both into his own hamper. He was wearing the current in-style type
men’s underwear, stretching his arms over his head before dropping a hand to
scratch his bare abdomen.
“Not mad at me, are you, Mel?” He winked at her. “I did say I
was a cuddler.” Just like Ash had with Monique.
She was used to seeing Crow in his boxer/briefs because the man
had no modesty, whatsoever. It wasn’t
nearly as big of a deal for a man to change in front of a woman as a woman to
change in front of a man. Well, almost
woman. She was 17, but her birthday was
in a few weeks and she would be 18. Not
that Crow knew that and she wasn’t big on birthdays, so she would keep that
little nugget of information to herself.
To answer his question, truthfully, yes she was mad at him, but not for
waking up in the same bed together.
“You did, I just didn’t think we would ever be in that
position. I didn’t mean to freak out on
you.” That was as close to an apology as he would get because saying the words
‘I’m sorry’ to Crow did not set well with her.
She went to head toward the door and Crow stopped her, his hand on her
elbow pulling her back to turn to face him, staring up into his crimson orbs.
“I’m not mad at you, Crow…” Not for this anyway.
“Well, last night you were relaxed and today you’re tense, so…”
He knew a big part of that was waking up in an almost stranger’s
arms, complete with body parts poking at her.
Nobody would like being woken up in such a fashion unless it was with a
lover and they were not lovers. His mind
strayed for a moment or two, considering that possibility and then shook his
head, stepping away from her.
“I need caffeine.” He was obviously still half-asleep. “I’m
sorry, I won’t let it happen again.
Unless,” His mischievous smile appeared. “You want it too.”
Her cheeks were on fire again and she could no longer remain eye
contact with him. “I…” Melyssa had to snap out of this reverie when it came to
Crow and she stepped back, his hand falling from her elbow. “I need to go. I’ll see you later.”
Grabbing her bag, shoes and Cutlass, Melyssa flew out of the
room while hopping to put her shoes on, already having her knee thigh-high
stockings on. She grabbed an apple and
granola bar from the cafeteria and then made her way to the training rooms in
the basement, really needing to get a session in. Melyssa was tense, coiled and knew some
training would release that and relax her further. It would hopefully also get Crow off of her
mind.
Crow let her go, pretty sure he had lit a fire beneath her pert
backside and groaned, closing the door before turning to flop down onto his
unused bed. “Goddess….” It came out a curse more than anything as he fisted the
top blanket in his hands. What was it about Melyssa that made something in him
twinge, something poke at his mind, urging him to… what?
He wished he knew.
~!~
“One, two,” Rean was practicing his own ‘sword dance’, focusing
on his strength at the moment when Melyssa came in. He wore black loose pants and no shirt, a
bandana around his head to catch sweat as he focused on each precise move.
“Three, four…”
He didn’t notice her. He
was completely focused and concentrated on his training, his footwork almost
mesmerizing. Melyssa did not want to
bother her Instructor, so she stepped back out silently and checked the other
training room, not seeing anyone occupying it.
There were four in total, thankfully, so she set her stuff down,
practically swallowed her food and began her training.
~!~
“Melyssa, wait up!” Juna jogged to meet her friend’s fast
walking on the way to campus from the dorms. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, why?” Melyssa was usually a master at hiding her
emotions, but today wasn’t a good day for that. “I’m just tired. I studied a lot for the test last night.”
Blatant lie. It did NOT help matters to
walk in on her Instructor, shirtless either, right after dealing with her
morning fiasco with Crow. Training
seemed to be the only thing that cleared her mind of all distractions and now
she had to step away from it to attend classes.
Juna wasn’t sure if she believed Melyssa, eyeballing her almost
shrewdly and shrugged. “If you need to talk about anything, you know I’m here,
right?”
“Yeah, thanks. So, did
you get any studying done?”
“Ugh, I feel like my head is going to explode with all the stuff
we have to remember.” Juna groaned, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. “I
thought being a second year would be easier, but no such luck.”
Sometimes, Melyssa had to remind herself she was only a first
year in a class FULL of second years.
She was the only first year who acclimated well with the ARCUS II unit
in the entire school. “Yeah, but hopefully, it’ll pay off once the testing is
done.”
“Goddess, I hope so.”
~!~
Testing was over with and the scores would be posted in the next
couple of days. Tomorrow was a free day,
but today, just as Instructor Rean promised, it was time to finally start
Combat Link training. Everyone in the
class was used to it because they’d gone through it during their first
year. So naturally, all the attention
was focused on Melyssa, who had NO idea what Combat Link training was. It was a refresher for everyone else in the
class and, quite frankly, she was a little on edge about it. They were on the outskirts of Leeves, where
they could find monsters to attack and practice on. Not only that, but Principal Le Guin had
instructed Rean to take Class VII: Special Operations off the campus grounds
for practice because coming up they would going out on their first field study.
“Okay Melyssa, why don’t you try linking with…Crow. Since he looks ready to fall asleep from
boredom.” Instructor Rean announced, gesturing both of them forward and pointed
over at the group of monsters they had to vanquish for the Principal. “Remember,
complete trust is needed to form a link with your partner. Are you two ready to do this?”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“Born ready.”
“Good, we’ll leave it to you then and if you need help, I’ll
jump in. I want to see how you two
perform together, though.” This would be a cakewalk since they were roommates,
which was also why Rean had selected them.
Or rather, he had selected Crow for this exercise with Melyssa, eyes
narrowed slightly.
Unsheathing her Cutlass, the ARCUS II glowed as blue circles
formed beneath them from it, initiating the combat link. Melyssa hadn’t seen much of Crow since the
morning they woke up together in bed and nearly cut each other down. She couldn’t focus on that right now, or
their past, or anything except the monsters in front of them. So far, she had linked well with Juna, Kurt,
Altina and Instructor Rean, and now it was time for a true test with Crow. Ash would probably be next if this went
well. Crow had linked up before and knew
there were certain things that made it possible.
He frowned when nothing really happened, glancing at her. “You
sure you’re doing it right?” He asked flatly, already knowing she was, his eyes
taking in the blue circles beneath them.
“Let’s… try again.” Rean said after a moment, knowing one of the
reasons Links failed were due to not having a strong enough bond. Given that neither Crow nor Melyssa had said
anything negative about the other… He figured they had at the very least made
it to the friendly stage.
They were definitely friendly, but the problem with combat
linking with Crow was simple. Melyssa
didn’t trust him. She wasn’t stupid and
understood what it took to be able to link with another person. It was about trust and she didn’t have that
with him. The ARCUS II apparently could
read that much and that deep about a person.
She was able to link with everyone else in the class, besides Ash, and
that was only because she hadn’t tried yet.
Crow was practically a master at combat linking, so it all rested with
her.
Goddess, I have to make this work, please just WORK, Melyssa silently prayed, closing her eyes briefly to try to find
some kind of trust for him deep down inside.
“There! There we go, it’s
working!”
Nodding, Melyssa felt the link between them, though it was
weaker than the others. Still, it was
working enough to dispatch these monsters. “Okay, you ready, Crow?” A few
seconds later, they were in the fray and thick of the fight with her slashing
and parrying techniques while Crow stuck with his double pistols. They found an opening, went in for the
kill…and suddenly, the combat link broke, snapped like a twig, between them
while they were still fighting.
“Oh no!”
“It broke?!”
“Instructor!”
“Shit, they’re in danger!” Ash growled, swinging his halberd
above his head ready to charge in.
“No, let them handle it.” Rean ordered, though that was the last
thing he wanted to do.
What he truly wanted to do was rush in and save them, but first
of all, they had to learn. Second, Crow
was a formidable warrior, it was just insulting to his best friend if he came
in and ‘saved the day’. This was about
them having to learn how to trust each other and right now, they needed that
trust. Putting others, or more like
leaving them, in danger wasn’t something Rean was used too and it went against
his helpful, concerned nature to sit this one out, but he did, stepping back to
watch.
Ash could only stare at Rean like he had lost his mind.
Melyssa ducked just in time before a claw could pierce her side and slashed the
enemy, killing it instantly. She
couldn’t focus on Crow or anyone else; the only thing she could think about was
surviving and destroying the enemies coming at her. Crow had his own share to worry about and she
had hers. It was surprising that
Instructor Rean was allowing them to handle this on their own, but she wouldn’t
have wanted it any other way. Finally,
the last enemy fell with Crow blasting it with his double pistols and Melyssa
immediately looked around, making sure that was the last of them. There had to be at least 20 of those bird
monsters! Breathing heavily, Melyssa and
Crow looked at each other before both putting weapons away as the class joined
them.
“Are you okay, Melyssa?!” Juna could not believe Instructor Rean
didn’t intervene, even if Crow was with their first year student! It was dangerous and reckless, what in
Aidios’ name was wrong with him?!
“No, I’m not fine, not really.” Melyssa was fine health wise,
but mentally and emotionally, she was a wreck on the inside. “Crow, I’m
sorry. It’s my fault this happened
and…I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure it never happens
again.”
“Everyone but Armbrust and Brackett, head back.” Rean ordered,
ignoring the look Juna shot him and steeled himself. “Now.” His tone made it an
order.
Muttering under her breath, Juna reluctantly stepped away,
turning to head back as told. Just as Ash
thought, Juna was now thinking the same thing: Rean had lost his mind!
Considering Rean and both new and old class VII had been through
worse and other than she was scared, Rean considered this to be a success. Granted, his own heart was beating a furious
tattoo in his chest, but… as Crow had pointed out many times, one could learn
everything there was from books and practice.
However, one would never know truly whether they were made for the
battlefield until they actually stepped foot on it. Neither looked injured and Crow seemed amused
while Melyssa may have been borderline panic, or she was still dealing with the
adrenaline rush.
Ash was thinking the same thing Juna was because their
Instructor NEVER did anything like this with them during their first year. He almost felt sorry for Melyssa.
There was a very good reason why Melyssa was on the verge of
panicking because she had screwed up that combat link between her and
Crow. And it was because she knew the
truth of the matter – her trust with Crow didn’t exist because of the
past. She resented him, which only made
trusting him nonexistent. Granted, she
hadn’t MEANT to do it, but it happened, nevertheless. Instructor Rean didn’t look amused compared
to Crow and she simply stood there with her arms at her sides, fighting the
urge to lower her head. Maybe Instructor
Rean would kick her out of Class VII and she could be in a class that had more
than just her as a first year. There was
no way she could tell the truth, how she truly felt about Crow Armbrust or
reveal their past together. Somehow,
Melyssa would have to find a way to make a combat link with Crow work, if she
even lasted in this class.
“So, there’s obviously a lack of trust between the two of you.”
Rean said finally, not entirely sure on which end it was coming from or maybe
some weird combination of both. “Crow, you already know from experience what it
takes for the Combat Link to work and be successful.”
“Experience doesn’t mean trust.” Crow countered after a long
moment, sounding a hint amused, a dash arrogant, and a sliver of annoyed.
“Trust is usually based on experience with the person you’re linking with. We’re not very familiar with each other, it
happens.” He wasn’t sure if it was her, him, or both, but… that had failed spectacularly.
“I know just how to get that trust there. You two need experiences, together, to build
trust and faith in each other.” Rean smiled slightly. “We’re going on a field
study.”
Chapter 8
What would a field study accomplish?
Then she realized what Instructor Rean said about needing
experience together, to build the trust and faith. Would that work? Would that be enough? “The whole class?” She
questioned in a soft voice, feeling about two feet tall at the moment with both
Azure and Ashen Chevaliers staring at her.
“Yes. The whole class,
BUT there’s a stipulation.” Rean folded his arms in front of his chest, knowing
Crow wouldn’t have a problem with what he had in mind. It was the only way. “You two are going to be
at the front of the line. And you can
only link with each other or work on linking with each other.”
Melyssa’s teal eyes grew wide as saucers while staring at their
Instructor like he’d lost his mind. “But…” Her gaze moved to finally look at
Crow, seeing the thoughtful expression on his face while he stared back at
Instructor Rean. “Okay…” What the hell else was she supposed to say? Thanks but no thanks? That wasn’t an option! “Where are we going
for this field study?”
“You will find out with the others next Wednesday. I’ll announce it after your first practical
exam. And you two WILL be partners for
that as well.”
Aidios save me, Melyssa
thought, seeing how determined Instructor Rean was to make this work. Something told her he’d dealt with broken
Combat Links before.
“Well, if it makes you feel better, Melyssa,” Crow turned to
look down at her after Rean started walking away, rubbing the side of his neck
as he flashed her a crooked smile. “The best place to start bonding usually is
on trips and stuff.”
Of course the trips Class VII had taken in the past had been
done during the war and everything. It
had all been crazy and they had been in a lot of life or death situations. Trust was built very quickly when one was
responsible for other people’s lives and vice versa.
“Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that.
You’re not the one who messed this up.”
Melyssa knew it was her own personal animosity and anger at Crow
that prevented them from forming a combat link.
There had to be a way to swallow it or stuff it down and she would have
to do it. Instructor Rean was adamant
about keeping them on the front line for a while until they could form a combat
link together. This…was not going to be
easy to do. Another question plagued
her: Did Crow trust her? Maybe he also
had trust issues when it came to her, despite them being roommates. Maybe it was both of them that were
responsible for the failed Combat Linking.
Crow began walking along the path they had followed out here, keeping
his stride easy and slow because he wasn’t exactly in a rush. He knew that swarm of bird monsters was
probably the worst of it out here and Rean wasn’t that far ahead, so they were
relatively safe.
“I’m fine, thank you.” She was concerned for him and thought she
was the problem, she was… not what he was expecting. She had been pretty confident when in action.
“You’ve got some skills, Mel, dance club is paying off.” Did he trust her? He hadn’t really thought about it and now he
was asking himself a lot of questions. “I guess we got some issues to work
out.”
“Yeah, I guess we do.” Melyssa kept walking with him back to
campus, not sure what else to say and wasn’t surprised to see the rest of Class
VII waiting for them when they arrived.
“What happened? Is
everything okay?” Juna asked, eyeballing both Melyssa and Crow and then looked
at the Instructor.
“Yeah, Instructor Rean just wanted to talk to us alone for a
minute. No need to worry.” Melyssa
cracked a small smile at her fellow classmates and looked back at Crow. “We’re
going to figure out what’s holding us back from linking.”
“Instructor Rean, I don’t agree with what you did today.” Juna
spoke up, placing her hands on her hips.
She was NEVER one to sugarcoat anything or hold her feelings back,
proving it to him time and time again. “You are the Instructor and I understand
that, but you put Melyssa in danger today.
Crow and Melyssa weren’t ready for that onslaught and I don’t agree with
it.”
“I’m in agreement with Juna, Instructor. It was careless and reckless.”
Ash simply snorted, shaking his head. He also didn’t agree with the decision not to
help their fellow comrades, but there was no point in arguing with the
Instructor. “It’ll go in one ear and right out the other, ladies. You know it and I know it. He did it for a reason, we just gotta deal
with it.”
“I don’t care what the reason is! We’re a TEAM and I don’t care how much of a
warrior Crow is either! It was WRONG not
to let us help them when there were that many enemies!” Juna snapped, her light
green eyes full of fire and her brows were down.
“All right, all right, that’s enough, Juna. I don’t agree with it either, but…they’re
both fine and unscathed. That’s what
matters here.” Kurt, once again, was the voice of reason in Class VII. “No
sense in reading our Instructor the riot act.”
Rean was simply staring at them all with an unreadable
expression on his face, which was either good or bad. Wow, Juna had quite the temper on her and was
that regret flashing across Rean’s face?
Melyssa felt bad for him and decided she had to speak up before Juna
verbally castrated him.
“Juna, I appreciate the concern.
I appreciate all of your concern and I know we’re a team, but…” Her eyes
slid over to Instructor Rean briefly and then Crow, before moving back to her
fiery-tempered friend. “I agree with what he did. And I can hold my own in a fight, I’m not
helpless and Crow isn’t either. We took
care of the problem and…we have some stuff to work on and we will. I think I speak for Crow too when I say he
agrees with what the Instructor did today as well. If it was really dangerous, you know he
would’ve stepped in.”
“Yeah well…” Juna sighed heavily. “Look, you’re a first year,
Melyssa, and…”
“And what? You’re telling
me the Instructor has never left you to your own devices? To your own battles?”
Juna thought back to their first year – it was CRAZY, to put it
mildly, and there were quite a few times when Instructor Rean would leave them to
go do various tasks for the government he didn’t want them involved in. “Yeah,
he was insane and ran off on his own on more than one occasion. We ended up chasing after him every time too
because we wanted to be helpful and…”
“So you disobeyed him?”
“Well…yeah…” Juna’s cheeks tinged pink. “For a good reason
though! You have no idea how stubborn
Instructor Rean is! He feels like he has
to take the whole world on by himself and he can’t ask for anyone’s help!”
“The circumstances were…”
“They were shit.” Ash remembered those days all too well and was
still paying penance for what he did to the Emperor, thanks to the Twilight and
the curse that befell Erebonia. “That’s why me and Musse had to jump in and
come to the damn rescue every time!
Couldn’t let you three have all the fun, after all.”
Juna growled, not appreciating being reasoned with and felt Kurt
wrap his arm around her shoulders, leaning into him. “Everything was messed up
back then. This is different…”
“Believe me, if I had a real problem with it, I would have
confronted Instructor Rean about it myself.” Melyssa assured Juna, grunting
when the pink-haired woman tossed her arms around her neck to hug her
tightly. She winked over at Instructor
Rean, hugging Juna back and broke it after a minute.
“I’m not apologizing because it was still wrong, but…I’ll let it
go this time as Class VII’s president.”
Everyone chuckled at that, including Instructor Rean.
At least he’s not angry with Juna’s outburst, Melyssa thought, actually afraid for her fellow classmate and
friend for a few minutes.
“Look, at the end of the day, Rean’s making the tough calls and
in charge because the powers that be know he’s been there and back again, just
like the rest of us. Not everyone is as
lucky to have a group in times of war and battle.” Crow said evenly, pointing
out that they had been exceptionally lucky in that they’d had each other. “It’s
also fairly insulting to think we couldn’t have handled it.” This was not good
for Melyssa’s confidence, them thinking she didn’t have it and his ego wasn’t
overly pleased with their lack of faith in his own abilities. He had been a
terrorist, been on both sides of the coin, he had this. “She was chosen for
Class VII because of her potential skills and her adeptness with ARCUS II, give
the woman some faith.”
That surprised Melyssa to hear from Crow and she smiled
genuinely at him, hoping he meant everything he said. “Crow…”
“Gotta admit, she was damn good with that Cutlass out
there. She could probably give me a run
for my mira, actually.” Ash winked at her, chuckling when she rolled her eyes
in response. “Oh come on, beautiful, you know you’d love to go one on one with
me.”
“Ash, stop being an ass!”
“I’m not, Wild Filly. Oh,
I guess she didn’t tell you about our little rendezvous in the bath a couple
weeks ago, eh?”
“WHAT?!”
“That’s not…” Melyssa knew what he was doing and could feel her
cheeks tinging red, holding her hands up. “We ran into each other on my way OUT
of the bath and he asked me to wash his back for him. I turned him down and apparently, it hurt his
feelings.”
“Hey, wait a damn minute!”
“Oh, look at Ash’s face turn red!” Juna cackled, draping an arm
on Melyssa’s shoulder. “See, that’s what happens when you’re all talk,
Carbide.”
“For the record, I will go one on one with you anytime,
anywhere, any place, Ash. Just be sure
you’re ready for it because I won’t hold back when we finally do clash.”
Melyssa forewarned him, showing she still had plenty of confidence in her
abilities.
“Don’t get too cocky now, beautiful,” Ash winked at her,
recovering quickly even though the red was not as quick to recede from his
face. He had to regain his footing here, the first year was making him look
bad. “Just because you held your own this time, with Crow’s help, doesn’t mean
you’re ready for a stud of my caliber.”
Crow face palmed himself, shaking his head and clucked his
tongue. For as bad as he could be, Ash
always, ALWAYS managed to make him look like some kind of saint or something.
“Give it a bit more time, moron,” He drawled finally, his red eyes narrowing
slightly. “I guarantee she’ll wipe the floor with your face.”
“Like I said, be prepared and completely ready both mentally and
physically.” Ash was very cocky and someone needed to knock him down a peg or
three. Melyssa would be happy to do it
because one thing she didn’t do was allow her ego to go to her head the way he
did. It would be an interesting battle
between them, especially since he could extend that scythe ax of his quite a
long distance. It was a special chain
scythe ax – a weapon she’d never seen in her life until coming to Thors Branch
School.
“Well, I think we’ll call it a day here. Good work today, everyone. I’ll go report our success to Principal Le
Guin.” Rean informed them, dismissing his class just outside of the school and
headed inside the building.
Melyssa frowned, watching him disappear inside and turned to
face Crow, who had also watched Rean’s retreating form. “Thank you, Crow, for
what you said.” Reaching out, she took his hand to give it a gentle squeeze
while staring into those crimson eyes. “Listen, there’s…”
“You guys can talk later.
Right now, I’m taking you out for some gelato and we’re going to talk,
along with Altina. Girls only.” Juna
looped her arm through Melyssa’s and guided her away from the school toward
Leeves, Altina falling into step on Melyssa’s other side.
I can’t tell him, not now, maybe not ever. I’m such a coward and I know we won’t be able
to link up together until I come clean about knowing him. Damn it, what am I supposed to do, Melyssa glanced back at Crow, showing the different emotions in
her eyes flaring back at him before turning her head to stare straight ahead,
nodding at whatever Juna was saying to her.
“Quite the spitfire you have on your hands, Azure.” Ash
commented, watching the girls walk off and nudged his old roommate. “Damn
lucky, Monique is like a wet blanket that is in lust with the Ashen
Chevalier. She’s lucky I haven’t duct
taped her mouth shut yet in her sleep.”
Kurt chuckled, shaking his head. “Maybe if you wouldn’t try
womanizing every girl you come across, you’d have a better reputation with
them, Ash.”
“Oh shut up!”
“There you go, womanize her and shut her up with some-”
“I thought about it.” He didn’t even need to finish that
sentence, a lewd grin spread across Ash’s face because he could see where this
was heading. “But then she’d probably bite it off out of some weird loyalty to
her true love.” Monique’s little obsession was borderline scary
sometimes.
“Both of you shut it.” Crow snorted, running his hand down his
face as he headed back towards the academy. “Leave my roomie alone, Ash.”
“Aw, someone has feelings for the new girl?”
“No, but I do have to live with her.” That felt wrong, even to
him.
~!~
“So, what is going on between you and Crow?”
“I sense distress from you whenever you’re around him, Melyssa.”
Altina admitted in her soft robotic voice, taking a bite out of her gelato.
Melyssa looked back at Altina and then Juna, seeing so many
burning questions in their eyes. “It’s…complicated. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
Would it be terrible if she confided in these two? Would Juna and Al be able to keep her past
with Crow a secret? She hadn’t known
them very long, but they were classmates and Instructor Rean did inform them
they would feel like family. This was
her new family while she was away from Jurai.
“Something is obviously troubling you, Mel. You can tell us, we won’t say a word to
anyone.” Juna promised, taking a bite of gelato with a satisfying groan. “This
is really good.”
Melyssa had barely touched hers.
She felt conflicted because she had lied to Juna and Altina, to
everyone, even their Instructor.
“She doesn’t trust us.”
Juna frowned, wondering if that was true. “Allie…”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you both. We wouldn’t have been able to Combat Link if
I didn’t. I just…like I said, what’s
going on between me and Crow is complicated and I have to work through it…on my
own. I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything
more than that.” Melyssa knew she was being vague, but if she told them the
truth about her past with Crow, she ran the risk of him finding out.
“Just tell me one thing: He hasn’t done anything to you, right?”
Juna wanted to make sure her friend was comfortable and safe with Armbrust.
“Because if he’s hurt you…”
Only emotionally and mentally,
Melyssa thought sadly, tears filling her eyes while she looked down at the
half-melted gelato in her hand. “He hasn’t done anything to me physically…” Her
voice cracked and before she could stop them, a few tears slipped down her
cheeks.
Now Juna was alarmed along with Altina, both placing a hand on
her shoulders. “Melyssa…”
“It’s nothing. It’s
nothing, I’m fine. Really. I know it seems like he’s done something to
me, but he really hasn’t. It’s all on
me, it’s in my head and I just need to deal with it.” Quickly wiping her tears
away, Melyssa stood up from the bench they occupied and set her gelato down,
knowing she had to pull it together. “When I’m ready to tell you both
everything, I will. I’m gonna go for a
walk and clear my head a bit. Thank you
for the gelato.” Sniffling, she took the napkin Juna handed her and headed off,
needing a moment to herself without people breathing down her neck.
“What do you think happened with Crow, Juna?” Altina asked, once
Melyssa was out of earshot.
“I don’t know…and I want to find out, but…I think for now, we
should leave it be and just watch and see what happens.”
“Agreed.”
Chapter 9
“So, you and Brackett have some issues.”
Crow had been wondering when Rean his best friend, and not Rean
his Instructor, would make an appearance.
He had been out on the grounds, laying beneath a tree and pretending to
study when Rean had strolled up. He
didn’t even bother with the pretense anymore, just chucked the book aside and
sat up, drawing his knees up.
“Well, there’s a lack of trust there, apparently.” He said after
a moment, hearing and feeling Rean settling into the grass alongside of him.
“Pretty ballsy move today, Ashen Chevalier.”
“You know I hate being called that, Azure…” Rean shot back, with
much less bite. “I don’t know if I liked how I handled it.”
“Which means you handled it perfectly since your first instinct
is to usually mother-hen everyone to death.”
Rean sighed, feeling conflicted after what Juna had to say to
him, along with Altina and even Ash. “I knew you could handle it. You’re older than me, after all and more
experienced.” Crow should have been an Instructor or in the military by now,
but because of the path he chose to follow, he was behind. “Melyssa is only a
first year, however. Even with you
there, I…” Sometimes, he really hated being an Instructor. “I’m supposed to
protect my students and today, I didn’t do that. You can say I handled it perfectly, but…I
don’t think I did.”
“You were fine, Rean.
Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Forget what Juna said. She’s
inexperienced compared to us, don’t forget.”
“Maybe…” Rean wasn’t convinced and looked up at the night sky
since the sun had set on the horizon.
Stars were peeking out one by one, glittering back at them. “Did
something happen with you and Melyssa?
Whether it be good or bad, I want to try to help you both succeed and in
order to do that, I need to know what all has happened between you two.”
“Why does it feel like we’re getting that question?” Crow didn’t
even know what had possessed him to say it because nobody had asked him that.
As far as he knew, no one had asked Melyssa that either. Maybe people were
thinking it and it was finally starting to seep into his brain. “Just because
we’re from the same place doesn’t mean anything, and I’ve actually been on my
best behavior with her.” Because even he knew this co-ed dorm thing was meant
to gear them for the actual army and things of that sort, all it took was one
idiot to muck things up. “Nothing has happened between us.” Other than a dance…
and falling asleep in the same bed.
Not that he said that out loud.
“Well, obviously something did to make her not trust you or vice
versa. I’m willing to bet it’s on her
end, though.” Rean admitted, looking down at his gloved hand and pulled them
off, sliding them in one of the pockets of his white coat. “She’s hiding
something, Crow. I can feel it and sense
it.” That made the silver haired man’s head snap up as those fiery eyes met
his. “I’m serious, I don’t know what it is or how I know it, but…the way she
acts around you is different than the others.” He had a sixth sense about
people and always had ever since he was a boy, even before his training with
Master Ka-Fai. “You can’t deny that, my friend.”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s my impressive reputation that makes
her act so weird. Just like she does
with you.” Crow reminded him of how Melyssa had acted upon discovering that her
Instructor was none other than the Ashen Chevalier. She had been overwhelmed and stiff with him
at first. “Regardless, she doesn’t act like she dislikes me and I think prying
isn’t the way to go.” Not from Rean or anyone else anyway.
Him, yeah, he was going to pry later in the privacy of their
bedroom.
“Maybe. Not by all of us, I imagine after today if we all
converge on her, it’ll be overwhelming.”
“You don’t say.”
Once again, Rean knew what he had to do and it would be hard to
relinquish the responsibility on someone other than himself, but it was also
for the best. “Very well.” He stood up from the grass and took his jacket off,
tossing it over his shoulder. “I’ll leave it to you, Crow. This is between the two of you and nobody,
not even me, has any business interfering.
I will make sure nobody else does either.” He looked back down at his
best friend, comrade, and former rival with hesitant, sympathetic fuchsia eyes.
“If you need my help, you know where to find me.” Leaving Crow alone with his
thoughts, Rean made his way back to the dorms for a bath and then he had to
finish grading the tests.
“So dramatic.”
Crow shook his head, watching his friend disappear and whistled
through his teeth. They were in times of
peace and yet, they had to go seeking issues.
Find problems to solve, lives to fix!
It was as if nobody knew how to be content with just… being, and not
fearing for lives or anything of that nature.
Digging up drama, that was what he was going to call it, and all because
he and Melyssa hadn’t been able to link.
Sighing, he grabbed his book and reluctantly pushed himself up onto his
feet.
Dinner first, then the roommate.
Melyssa did her nightly training, showered, ate and went back to
the dorm, feeling marginally better after a long walk around Leeves. Crying also helped. For over a month now, she had kept a lot of
emotions bottled up inside and they had finally come out. Melyssa remembered the last time she cried
that hard for that long and it was the day her mother came to her, telling her
Crow was dead. The Imperial Chronicle
had made it seem like the Ashen Chevalier, Rean Schwarzer, was the real hero,
however, while Crow had been painted a villain.
She had run out of the house down to the docks, by the boats, and
screamed out Crow’s name to the point where her vocal cords were on fire.
For 2 years, she thought Crow was dead and mourned him every
single day he was gone; countless nights spent crying herself to sleep, missing
him. She really, truly thought one day
he would come back to Jurai and they would be reunited, but such wasn’t the
case. Now here they were as roommates
and he didn’t even remember her. She
wasn’t worth being part of any of his memories and it hurt her more than
anything in the world. It was almost as
if he’d wiped his memories of Jurai completely from his mind. Maybe that did happen to him; maybe his
memories had been wiped since he was in the clutches of Duke Cayenne for the
better part of his teen years. Luckily,
after the shower, her tears managed to dry up and the puffiness in her face was
gone, for the most part. Leaning back
against the headboard of her bed, Melyssa had cracked open a book, something to
do to get her mind off everything that happened that day. That was until Crow decided to return to
their room for the evening.
Crow had, against rules, bundled up his dinner in a sack and
brought it with him after roaming around almost aimlessly. His friends, his peers, today had brought to
attention some of the things that had been nagging at the pit of his stomach,
though he hadn’t given them names yet.
There was something going on and he couldn’t exactly place it. Melyssa seemed perfectly normal with him and
he had racked his mind over their encounters.
The only thing he could think of that would make her not trust him was
the incident where she had woken up to him in the bed with her. Panic had made her reach instantly for her
Cutlass. It didn’t seem like that was
the entirety of it though, but it was the best he had come up with.
“More studying?”
She looked up from her book at the sound of his voice and
cracked a small smile, shaking her head. “Not tonight, I’ve done so much
studying for that test we took, I decided to give myself a break.”
Tomorrow would be the same thing, though she did have dance club
to attend. Melyssa could feel the
tension between them, even though they were speaking cordially to each other
and she was sure Crow could feel it as well.
She folded the page she was on in the book and closed it, setting it
aside to give Crow her undivided attention for the moment.
“A break with a book?” Crow dropped down onto his bed, sorting
out the contents of his sack after spreading out the linen napkin he had
snitched for a little bed picnic. “I have cards, want to play Blade?” He
offered, popping a piece of cheese in his mouth and flashed her a closed-lip
smile, so he wasn’t showing off the mouthful of food. He then extended the flask of whatever it was
they had been serving with supper towards her. “I figured maybe,” He said after
swallowing. “That we could talk about today.”
One thing hadn’t changed about Crow and that was his love for
games. It did surprise her he wanted to
discuss what happened during their outing with the class. The broken Combat Link. “I wasn’t sure if
you’d want to.”
Slipping from her bed, she moved over to Crow’s side and sat
down on his, being careful not to disrupt his dinner. Why didn’t he eat in the cafeteria like
everyone else? While he ate, she took
the cards and began shuffling them to give her something to do, bracing and preparing
herself for the inevitable talk. Crow
didn’t chow his food down like he was starving, which he was, battling always
left him ravenous. Instead, he took his
time, knowing that rushing into this conversation was going to lead to it
getting all mucked up.
“Yeah, I want too, just not with the entire class breathing down
our necks.” Because they had all been nosy, overly curious and concerned. He got it, he did, but that was a lot of
pressure and potential embarrassment he didn’t want for a conversation like
this. “So… we sucked at linking.” Next was a grape, he offered the bunch to
her. “And usually being unable to link comes from a lack of trust, no proper
bond.” So, which of them was it or was it a combination of both?
Taking a grape from the bunch, she popped it in her mouth and
nodded, setting the Blade cards aside. “Well…” Melyssa really didn’t know how
to start this off because deep down, she knew what the issue was. Why don’t
you remember me – were those words really that hard to say? Knowing Crow, he would brush them off and it
wouldn’t be a big deal to him since they were only kids. “You’re the expert
with this, so how do you propose we fix this?
And before you mention what happened a few weeks ago, waking up together
in bed, that didn’t bother me. It
shocked me and it scared me at first, but I really don’t believe that’s the
reason for the Combat Link breaking between us.
And I thought we did form a bond the night we danced together.”
“I thought we did too.” Crow admitted, his brow furrowing in
thought as he lay out the rest of the food on the linen napkin. Crackers, apple slices and grapes, some diced
cheese and summer sausage. It was a
light supper and considering he had snuck it out in a sack, he hadn’t been keen
on bringing something that would be messy or spill. “But obviously it wasn’t
strong enough for us to remain connected today, and I know I could feel how
weak that Combat Link was today.” He was honestly amazed they had even gotten
it up that much.
“Yeah, I felt it too and it was my first time linking. Everyone felt so much more powerful…well,
besides Ash.” Only because they hadn’t gotten the chance to try linking
together because of the issue with Crow.
Melyssa didn’t have a doubt in her mind she would be able to link with
Ash perfectly fine because she didn’t have a past history with him. “Let me ask
you something, hypothetically,” She paused, hoping she worded this right and
took a deep breath. “Could a past history with someone you’re trying to link
with affect the combat link? I was going
to ask Instructor Rean about it, but it slipped my mind.” Since Crow didn’t
remember her, she didn’t think it would hurt to ask him this question instead
of their Instructor.
“I guess, if it was a bad history.” Crow frowned, mulling over
her question. “I have a history with a lot of people, and not all of it good.”
Because of the stuff he had done out of encouraged and misguided
vengeance. He had been blinded by a lot
of things and not cared about who he had hurt for a long time. “So,
hypothetically, since this conversation is about us, is that question related
to us?” He flashed her an awkward smile. “Because I would like to say I’d
remember you, but I don’t.” Not really, even though there WAS something nagging
at his gut. Something begging him to
remember, he was beginning to wonder if he had gotten everything back.
“No! No, of course not!”
Melyssa hadn’t meant it to come out so forcefully and cleared her throat,
snatching the cards to start shuffling them again. “I was just asking for
academic purposes, that’s all. I was
reading up on it a bit because it does bother me we can’t link and it didn’t
say anything about that in the book.” Lying had become second nature to her and
Melyssa hated it, but knew it was a necessity. “I know people only remember
those who mean something to them.” Obviously, she didn’t mean a damn to Crow or
his brain was fried by Duke Cayenne. “I have another question for you,” She
looked up at him, meeting that fiery, intense gaze and felt her stomach
tighten. “Do you feel you can trust me?
We really don’t know each other that well, so it wouldn’t surprise me if
you didn’t…”
“I thought I did.” But right now in this moment he wasn’t so
sure because it felt wrong, what she had said.
He would never accuse a person of lying, not if he wasn’t 100% sure they
were, but something felt off right now with her. “Your question, your
hypothetical question, doesn’t feel like it’s something out of the textbook,
Melyssa.” He admitted finally, wishing he could pinpoint what was going
on.
He felt close to discovering something, learning what this
nagging thing was. Not hungry anymore, Crow popped a piece of sausage in his
mouth, chewing automatically though it tasted dry, his eyes locked on her. He was not going to drop this subject easily
and Melyssa regretted asking it. Maybe
Instructor Rean or one of their other classmates would have been a better
option.
“Sounds to me like you’re conflicted, so maybe it’s on both of
us after all the Combat Link didn’t work.
I thought it was all on me, but…like you said, it takes trust to make it
work.” There wasn’t complete trust between them, more on her end than his, but
Crow had this confliction in his eyes, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
“Still up for a game of Blade?”
“Sure.”
He was all smiles again, not bothering to tell her the reason he
was conflicted because it was like he could practically feel her telling lies.
One thing about gambling, if you had a ‘thing’ for it like he did, was honing the
ability to read people. Any gambling man
worth his salt learned how to read tone, eyes, body language, it was how one
won on top of luck and a bit of skill.
However, it would be rude to press the issue and he had a feeling she
had already gotten enough from the girls and would probably hear it all over
again from them.
“You deal.” While he put away the remnants of an unsatisfying
supper.
“How many cards each?” Crow informed her and she began dealing
them out, setting the game up the way he instructed. “You do realize you’re
going to have to walk me through the first couple of games before I’ll be able
to actually play, right?”
She listened and paid attention, nodding when he asked if she
understood. It was pretty straight
forward, not as complicated as she initially thought. After four hands with Crow winning them all,
Melyssa was ready to get down to business and watched him deal the cards.
This reminds me so much of when we were kids, she thought, picking her cards up one at a time. We didn’t play
Blade, but there were other card games we played together and he’d always beat
me. “I should start calling you the card master.” She commented, once he
beat her yet again and shook her head.
“Oh Goddess, please don’t…. that sounds like some sort of cheesy
villain name.” He practically begged, his mouth turning down into a pleading
frown. It was bad enough, his other
‘nicknames’, the Azure Chevalier came to mind. “Besides, once you get the hang
of it down, and realize that you’re doing more than playing cards, you’ll be as
good as I am.” Probably not, but close, she was an exceptionally bright woman
who picked things up quickly he had noticed.
When she actually gave him a slight smile, like ‘Card Master’ was going
to stick, he narrowed his red orbs at her. “Card Mistress.”
Her teal orbs narrowed back at him playfully. “That doesn’t fit
me and you know it, Armbrust.” She muttered good-naturedly, looking down at her
cards and tapped her chin slowly, trying to decide how best to play this. It was a very close call this round, but Crow
managed to squeak by her and she groaned, tossing her hands up in the air.
“Okay, that’s it, my ego has taken enough of a beating tonight.” Hopping off
the bed, Melyssa bowed to him mockingly with a twinkle in her eyes. “You are
indeed a card master, but I’ll keep that little nickname between us. Maybe it’ll help grow our bond more, hmm?”
“Hardly, I don’t like it, so I don’t see it furthering any
bond.” Crow snorted derisively. “Unless you want us to have a terrible bond without
any trust.” He even threw in a mock pout, puckering his lips in a way that
would have made other women swoon.
Melyssa just fixed him with a ‘look’ and rolled her eyes at him, letting
him know in no uncertain terms that she didn’t find him as cute as others would
have.
“Tough, I happen to LIKE the nickname for you. It suits you, oh gaming genius.” Melyssa would
not be easily dissuaded and winked at him before heading back over to her side
of the room. “Hmm gaming genius or card master…I think I like card master
better, honestly.” Crow’s groan made her laugh as she sat down on her bed and
looked over at him, seeing he was STILL mock pouting. Silence ensued between them for a few minutes
and she finally settled down, covering up to snuggle against her pillow.
“Goodnight, roomie.” It had been a VERY long day and Melyssa was actually
looking forward to their free day tomorrow.
“Sweet dreams, fishmonger.” He singsonged before dropping down
into his own bed, reaching over to shut off the lamp between their beds.
He shuffled around in the darkness, shedding his clothing and
kicking it off the bed and onto the floor.
Crow was nice enough to make sure it wasn’t on her side, where’d she
would step into a pile of denim in the morning.
Lacing his hands beneath his head, he looked up at the ceiling, his gaze
thoughtful and all hints of humor and smiles gone.
Hypothetical his ass…
Chapter 10
“Five, six, seven, eight!”
Melyssa finished the routine, getting better with each practice
she had with the club and currently dabbed sweat off her chest. She had on a black sports bra and cotton
shorts, the normal wear for dance. It
was a lot easier to move around in than the uniforms or regular clothes,
according to her teacher. A throat
clearing from the doorway made her turn her head, a slow brow raising at the
sight of Ash, of all people.
“What are you doing here, Ash?” She asked, draping the towel
around her neck and walked up to him, folding her arms in front of her chest.
“Wait, let me guess, you came to give me the time and place for our one on one
bout, right?”
“Well, right now would be a great time, you look all warmed up
and ready for me, beautiful.” Ash teased in a lusty drawl, though he also
winked down at her in a purely friendly manner.
With as much as he flirted with her and came onto her, he knew it was
never going anywhere and that was just fine with him. There were plenty of other fish in the sea
who wanted a piece or two of his luscious backside. “Actually, I came to give
you this.” He held out a piece of paper. “Altina and Juna have been handing
them out to Class VII, it’s for the field study we’re taking.” To work on trust
and bonding and Combat Linking. “What you need to bring, blah-blah-blah.” He
used his free hand to wipe away a bit of sweat rolling down her neck, catching
it on a finger. “Mmmm.”
Melyssa made a face, wondering what was wrong with a guy who
actually liked tasting sweat off someone else. “Gross, Ash…” She groaned,
smacking his hand away when he tried doing it a second time and read over the
paper. They were leaving next Friday and
would be gone the entire weekend. And
they were going to… “No…” Rean Schwarzer had LOST HIS MIND!! Jurai…they were going to Jurai for their
field study! I’m in trouble. I am in
serious trouble right now, she thought, needing to learn how to breathe and
could see the questions swirling through Ash’s pink eyes. “Thank you for
bringing this to me. I need to shower
and get dressed now.” Everybody else had already left and she had stayed behind
to do a cooldown session of stretches.
If she didn’t come clean to Crow before the field study…Melyssa really
hated the Ashen Chevalier at that particular moment.
She had said no and he had seen the panic flashing across
Melyssa’s beautiful yet now pale face, so naturally, Ash was beyond curious.
“No, what, beautiful?” He asked curiously, not sidestepping out of her way when
she moved to pass him by, instead stepping into her, which forced her to step
back into the room. “You got this look on your face, don’t you want to go home
to Jurai? You’re not homesick yet?” Crow
was from Jurai as well.
There was a mystery here, he could practically feel it in his
bones.
“No, not really. I’ve
only been here a month and a half.” Melyssa was shocked at how calm she
sounded, even though her face was FULL of panic and uncertainty. Ash was a lot bigger than she realized too, he
towered over her and it didn’t take much to keep her in the dance room. “I
haven’t been away long enough to get homesick.” Tossing her bag aside, Melyssa
scrubbed her hands down her face and whipped the towel from her neck, dropping
it on top of her bag. “It’s fine, just…a little unexpected, that’s all.” This
was NOT a coincidence. Rean had either
already put the puzzle pieces together or this was his way of getting answers,
by sending them on a field study to the place where it all began for her and
Crow. What am I going to do, she thought, trying to find some way out of
this, out of going to Jurai.
“You said no, that’s beyond unexpected.” Ash pointed out,
wondering who she thought she was fooling. Her tone was calm and collected, but
she couldn’t as easily disguise the panic written all over her face. “Rean
thought since that’s where you both are from, if you two are in familiar
territory, you may be able to bond easier there.” With all of the rest of them
present, so no pressure.
Ash was kind of looking forward to seeing how this played out;
things had been quiet since the war ended.
He was highly intelligent for a man who acted the way he did. She had caught him a few times reading a book
on their free days and they all had to do with something related to the
academy.
“Of course, he did.” Why would Rean tell Ash something like that
in the first place? “I take it there was a meeting without me and Crow
invited?”
Now Ash was the one who looked sheepish and she shut her eyes,
clenching her fists. Their Instructor
was very sneaky to do something like this, considering it had only happened
yesterday. Rean worked fast and now
Melyssa had to find a way to break everything to Crow, to forcefully jog his
memory.
“Wonder how Crow is going to react to this.”
“No clue, probably with a lot less fuss than you, or maybe he
already knows, he and Rean are best friends. I’m only giving you a head’s up
because Rean is under the impression that everyone is going to pester you and
Crow since you two together are the only ones who had issues.” Rean wasn’t
wrong. Ash was about the only one who
wasn’t going to bother them simply because he knew he would get to see it
played out. “If people haven’t started bugging you already.”
Which, they had. Melyssa
had been asked questions by nosy girls yesterday while Rean had gone straight
to Crow to ask what was up.
“You’re wrong, Ash. WE
haven’t linked up together yet. We
didn’t get a chance to because of what happened between me and Crow.” Melyssa pointed
out, unable to deny she hadn’t been questioned about what happened by
others. Juna and Altina were just
worried about her and she understood that.
She had no idea what kind of agenda Ash had, however. “I think we should
find that out right now. Do you have
time to come to the outskirts of town with me?” It wasn’t that dangerous and
they could handle a couple monsters by themselves. “It’s your free day, so you
can turn me down if you want. I just
have to shower first.”
“Rean will have our asses.” Ash warned, not that he overly
cared.
He wasn’t a pushover and he didn’t see an issue between them
linking up. He doubted there would be
one, she seemed to trust him well enough and he didn’t have any trust issues
when it came to her. She was a spitfire
sure, but what was a little girl like her going to do to him? He had seen her ability without a Combat
Link, so there was no lack of trust there on the battlefield either.
“I’m game, meet you out by the gate in 30?”
“Rean will get over it.
And from what I’ve heard from Juna and Altina, this won’t be the first
time you’ve gone against the Instructor’s wishes. AND it is a free day, so if we’re allowed to
go to Heimdallr by train for it, we shouldn’t have a problem being able to go
just outside of Leeves for a little extra training.” Melyssa picked her bag up
and shouldered it, hell-bent on doing this exercise with him to see if they had
trust issues as well. “See you out there.”
Then, she hauled her cookies to the shower room to wash up from
her dance practice, not believing the sudden turn of events. Jurai.
They were going to Jurai and she had to find a way to either avoid
seeing her family altogether, because they would recognize Crow right away, or
tell Crow about their past he’d forgotten.
On her way out of the building, 25 minutes later, Melyssa was
stopped by none other than the Instructor himself, with Ash nowhere to be
found. “Instructor.” What was he doing here?
Had Ash purposely set this up?
She was going to maim the bad boy if that was the case. “Is everything
all right?” Thankfully, her anger had diminished for the time being after a
relatively cold shower.
“I wasn’t sure if you had gotten one of these yet,” Rean flashed
her a piece of paper, watching her teal eyes flicker to it and seen both
recognition and resignation on her face. “You have.” Frowning, he let go of her
arm and stepped back, surveying her. She looked like she was going off-campus.
“I thought it would be easier for you and Crow, being in familiar territory.
Maybe you two can find things to connect with there, you know, familiar
locations, history, things like that.” Yet… he now felt like maybe he was
making a mistake.
“Ash told me already. I
figured you were the one who sent him here, but then again, it could’ve been
Juna.” Sometimes that girl took her responsibility as class president of Class
VII a little TOO seriously. “May I ask you a question, Instructor?” Rean
nodded, gesturing for her to continue. “Are we going to Jurai because of this
issue between me and Crow? Is that the
only reason?”
Rean cleared his throat, not sure how to answer. “Well, it’s a
field study and…”
“That’s not what I asked you.” Her voice had turned somewhat cold.
“I’m asking you if you chose this location because of Crow and I.”
There was no denying it. “Yes, but as I told you…”
“Then I hope you’re prepared for the outcome of this excursion, Rean.”
Now her eyes were narrowed, the anger slowly filling them. “You know something,
don’t you? You either figured it out or
you’re doing this to find the truth as to why there’s trust issues between
us. I get Crow is your best friend and you
want to help him, but meddling ISN’T always the best solution.” That felt great
to say to him, actually. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going out on the
outskirts with Ash for some training practice.
Do you have a problem with that, sir?”
“Well, I…no…” Rean was dumbfounded, taken aback by the amount of
anger and animosity directed at him.
“Good.” Melyssa started walking away and then stopped, turning
back to face her Instructor. “I haven’t been forthcoming with you or anyone in
Class VII when it comes to Crow. And
there’s a VERY good reason for that.” Now tears filled her eyes as her teeth
gnashed together. “He doesn’t remember and I wanted him to remember on his own
and now, thanks to you, I’m going to have to force him to remember
everything. So thanks for that, Ashen
Chevalier.” She stormed away before he could get another word out, shredding
the paper he gave her because she already had one stuffed in her bag.
What the hell was THAT about?
Goddess… Rean could only watch as she huffed away, wondering just what
on earth she was talking about. He was
assuming they were just having standard trust issues, but now…now Melyssa had
opened her own can of worms and spilled some beans she apparently hadn’t wanted
spilled. Now he had an issue, did he go
talk to Crow about something he didn’t obviously ‘remember’ or did he go explain
the situation to Melyssa who… no, scratch that last one. Ashen Chevalier, and he had noticed how awe
and reverence had become scathing and sarcastic, or not, he wasn’t dealing with
a pissed woman tonight.
Eventually, the truth would come out and Melyssa’s temper had
flared at the wrong time. She jogged all
the way from campus to Leeves, holding her hand up in a one minute gesture to
Ash, who was waiting for her by the fountain.
Dropping her bag off in the dorm room, she grabbed her Cutlass and
jogged back downstairs to finally join Ash, breathing a little heavy.
“Sorry I’m late. The
Instructor showed up to give me that paper you already did. You ready to do this?”
“Born ready, beautiful.” Together, they headed out for their
training session. Trust and having a
bond was what made a Combat Link powerful and work, so this was the perfect
opportunity for both of them to kill two birds with one stone.
Neither saw crimson eyes watching them walk away to the
outskirts of Leeves or the way they narrowed to slits.
“So, is that all Rean wanted?” Ash asked once they were on their
merry monster hunting way, finally out of sight of the campus and town.
He was totally oblivious to the fact that them taking off
together had garnered Crow’s attention, or that Melyssa had in fact been on
Crow’s mind a lot lately, more so than any other woman had before. Since she already knew there had been a
meeting that she and Crow hadn’t been invited too, Ash saw no reason to try being
secretive or any such nonsense. It was
just insulting to Melyssa’s intelligence, especially since she was the one who
had discovered the bit about the meeting.
“Yeah, and to tell me the reason why we’re going to Jurai. Basically, the same words you told me came
out of his mouth.”
If the Ashen Chevalier wanted to tell her anything else, she
didn’t give him the chance since she told him exactly how she felt about this
whole upcoming field study. They walked
for a bit and finally found a group of monsters that didn’t look too tough, but
they still had to be on guard.
Unsheathing her weapon, Ash did the same thing as they approached the
group to gain their attention, which didn’t take much. Their ARCUS II glowed simultaneously as Ash
and Melyssa began forming the Combat Link with each other, the blue circles
forming beneath their feet. The link was
strong and powerful, not at all weak like it’d been with Crow and Ash merely
smirked at her before going in for the first shot. She followed suit, doing double attacks to
quickly vanquish the monsters they had found.
It felt good to let some of her aggression out, which was another reason
she wanted to do this with Ash too.
Of course they had no problems linking! For all his playboy ways and smart assed,
vulgar remarks, Ash was a reliable partner to have on the battlefield and most
people knew it. They also knew where
they stood with him. If one was a hot
female, they were getting hit on, though he understood no meant no. If one was a guy, they got heckled until you
either beat his ass or became his buddy.
It was a great fight, there was nothing like the surge of adrenaline
from taking down monsters, never mind the fact that they were also doing the
wary travelers who came this way a favor by lessening their chances of getting
eaten. Melyssa was showing a lot of
aptitude with that Cutlass, she would have been a good warrior to have during
the Civil War and all that entailed for that.
Chapter 11
The dancing club had really helped her footwork and she dropped
into a split, allowing Ash to slash at the final monster, which was bigger than
the others, before parrying it, killing it instantly. It was the final one and she felt somewhat
vindicated, definitely better than earlier.
Also, it was a relief to know she could link with Ash without any
problems too. She wouldn’t always be
able to link with JUST Crow; everyone in Class VII was a team and it took
teamwork and trust to be successful on the battlefield.
“Well, that was fun.” She commented, turning to face her partner
and watched Ash’s scythe ax reel back in from the chain it was connected
to. It really was a fascinating weapon,
she’d never seen anything like it and it suited him.
“That was great!” Ash was running on adrenaline right now, his
face flushed from the excitement of a good battle and he hadn’t missed the way
Melyssa’s teal eyes had focused on his scythe axe. He smiled slightly, brushing sweat off his
forehead with the back of his hand and walked towards her, lips parted slightly
as he inhaled deeply. “You are fantastic, you know that, beautiful?” She was
glowing practically, experiencing the same rush he was no doubt, and he had
seen that split she had done without even thinking about it, just dropping down
gracefully as he had come forward with the killing blow. “We work pretty good
together, don’t we?”
“Yeah, better than I thought we would, honestly.” Melyssa beamed
back at him, sheathing her Cutlass as the blue circles beneath them evaporated
for the time being. They only appeared
when the ARCUS II sensed danger in the area and they had vanquished what little
monsters were around here. “You’re not half bad yourself there, Carbide.”
She had flushed at his enthusiastic compliment and wiped some of
the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, her breathing returning
to normal. This man flourished in the
battlefield and his eyes were alight with pink fire. It was breathtaking; Ash was a gorgeous man,
tall, strong, arrogant, but something told Melyssa, if any of their classmates
were in a pinch or in danger, he would have their backs in the blink of an
eye. She didn’t realize how right she
was in thinking that because Ash had been the one to step up to try to help her
and Crow yesterday, only for Rean to stop him, along with the others.
“Don’t I know it, beautiful.” Laughing, he winked one of those
pink eyes down at her, reaching out to tuck a damp strand of hair that had
gotten loose from her style back behind her ear. “I’m famished now, let me buy
you dinner?” Was it dinnertime? Oh well,
his stomach was hungry NOW and not about to wait. “Something besides cafeteria
or dorm food.” He didn’t move away from her, though he did pull his hand back
from her face, not about to push his luck just yet, not when she was still
coming down from a battle high. The last thing he needed was her taking a hand,
or something even more vital, off because he had gotten touchy feely at the
wrong time. “What do you say?”
“Okay, but on one condition,” Melyssa looped her arm through
his, showing her playful side as well. “I’M buying you lunch since it’s a
little after noon. You did me a big
favor coming out here to test the Combat Link with me, so this is the least I
can do.”
This was a great way to increase their bond and trust with each
other as well by hanging out. She already
had a pretty tight bond with Juna and Altina, not so much with Kurt, but she
would get there eventually. Ash
pretended to mull it over before reluctantly agreeing to the condition and he
was rewarded with another brilliant smile from her.
“So, I’m curious, what club did you decide to join?” He liked to
read a lot, so her guess would have been the Literature club.
“I will never tell.”
It wasn’t much of a secret that he was a book geek; he liked to
read and his reading tastes were varied on a variety of topics. Most people when they initially found out
were surprised that he liked to read, he didn’t exactly give off the impression
of a well-educated guy and he knew it.
Holding out his elbow, Ash smiled down at her when she took it, the pair
of them strolling back towards town together in a leisurely fashion.
“Are you feeling better about this field study?” He asked
quietly, knowing the whole thing had gotten her dander up.
She sighed softly, the pensiveness returning to her face. “No,
but…I’m going to have to face the music sooner or later.”
Melyssa didn’t know how or where to start when it came to
telling Crow about their past together.
They were kids, she was 10 and he was 13 when he left Jurai, but even
with how young she was, her heart had gone with him. He was the reason why she had picked up the
Cutlass and began following the way of the sword in the first place. It may have been at a young age, but a lot of
others who followed the path she did started out as early as 6 years of
age.
Rean, for example, started when he was 8-years-old in the Eight
Leaves One Blade swordsmanship. It
wasn’t unheard of, but Crow was the main reason why she wanted to pursue the
way of the sword, hoping one day she would cross paths with him. That was until she was 15, almost 16, and
heard of his death, which made her train harder than she ever had in her life.
“It’s happening whether I want it to or not, so I’ll just have
to grin and bear it. Now, where do you
want to eat?” They had choices from vendors on the street to small diners and
cafes.
Ash gave her the moment she was silently asking for, looking
around the semi-busy streets and finally pointed to a tavern a bit tucked out of
the way. Perfect place for some privacy;
all the drunks wouldn’t be in just yet, they’d still be out earning the coin
for their ale. Ash guided the way
inside, it wasn’t a total derelict place, but no respectable lady would be
caught here after dark. As it was,
plenty of people, men and women, were enjoying lunch. Well, maybe four or five, enough to make it
acceptable for Melyssa to be in here without fear of scandal as well as few
enough to give them peace.
“Is this okay, beautiful?”
“Yeah, just remember I’m underage, so I can’t drink like you.”
Not yet anyway, but it would be soon since she turned 18…next
week. Her birthday. They would be in Jurai for her birthday. Melyssa had completely forgotten about it
until now, immediately pushing that thought to the side for the moment. Ash simply winked down at her as they picked
a booth near the back of the tavern and took their seats. The place had a calm ambiance about it, but
she had a feeling at night, it was bustling with a lot of drunks.
“So, why won’t you tell me what club you joined? Are you ashamed of it or something?” She
asked, after their order was taken.
Ash had ordered two pints, nobody was going to question her, not
with him and rules were meant to be tweaked, bent and broken anyway. Melyssa
hadn’t questioned it, she was probably assuming they were both for him. “The
Literature Club, as you assumed, if you really, really must know.” He
pushed his chair back to give his legs some breathing room, crossing one ankle
over the other. “I considered Student Council, but…” He grinned when she
snorted, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. “My thoughts exactly. I wasn’t
really interested in any of the clubs, but since I like to read,” He shrugged
nonchalantly. “It seemed the best fit.”
“I figured that was the one you’d choose, or be forced to
choose.” It was mandatory or else he wouldn’t have joined anything, more than
likely. “You don’t have club today?” Most of the clubs did their activities and
whatnot on the free days since the rest of the week was booked with
classes. Some had their meetings after
school too, but for the most part, they waited until the free days for the
longer sessions.
“Later on tonight. I may
or may not attend, don’t know yet.”
“I see.” The pints were set down before them and she immediately
pushed hers across the table toward him, shaking her head. “Ash, I said I’m
underage and you could get in big trouble for giving me alcohol.” She chastised
softly, watching him roll those pink eyes and dropped her own to the peanut she
grabbed, cracking it open.
“I’ll get a slap on the wrist, maybe my butt cheek if it’s a
saucy wench and you’ll be reprimanded for allowing me to influence you in such
wicked ways.” Ash drained his pint with gusto, licking away the foam residue left
behind on his upper lip. He did it
slowly, however, winking when she glanced at him. “Here.” He nudged the small
menu towards her. “Nothing major, but it’s all good.” Most pubs didn’t serve a
full-scaled menu because it wasn’t the point of a pub; this one had basics and
they were all delicious. Unless you were drinking copious amounts, then they
were coming right back up. “Other than you wanting to improve your
swordsmanship, was there any other club you had considered besides dance?” Not
that he would argue that it hadn’t been a good idea, she was light and graceful
on her feet.
“Not really, no. I was
actually considering helping the Student Council, believe it or not, before…well…”
Melyssa recalled her first sparring session with Rean, where he had recommended
dance club to her to work on her footwork. “Instructor Rean told me about it,
said it could help me with my footwork.
He sparred with me and…I took him up on the recommendation.” She sounded
begrudging, the tone of her voice, wishing it hadn’t been Rean who guided her
toward the dance club. Getting help from
the Ashen Chevalier, the meddler was more like it, didn’t set well with her
anymore. Crushing another peanut, she
dropped the shells in the nearby ashtray before popping some more in her mouth.
“Hate admitting it, but he was right and it has helped my footwork a lot.”
“Rean’s not a bad guy, he’s just interfering and overly helpful,
even when you don’t want him to be.” As Melyssa had discovered and from the
looks of those poor peanut shells, she really, really wished Rean was less
helpful. “Actually, everyone is interfering, me included.” He admitted, pausing
a moment to give the server his order and waited while she did the same before
continuing. Ash had been the first one
to initially rush to try helping out Melyssa and Crow during that battle when
they couldn’t link up. “I think it comes from everything that happened over the
war, and all of us having to work and fight together.” He knew it did, that
forged bonds, and apparently made them all interfering, mother-henning biddies.
“And I’m the outsider none of you really know, so you’re being
cautious about it.” Melyssa added in a mutter, hating how they all had these
tight, strong bonds with each other and she had been planted in Class VII:
Special Operations as a stranger. “I understand it, I really do and I know Rean
is only looking out for Crow’s best interest.
They’re best friends and that blurs the lines between their friendship
and being Crow’s Instructor.” It was a good and bad thing; there was a lot of
grey area when it came to Crow since he was older than Rean and more
experienced. “BUT thanks to his meddling, he’s now opened up a whole slew of trouble
for me and he doesn’t even realize it.”
That intrigued Ash. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say I’m not as innocent as you may think and the way
I came to Thors is…unconventional.” Melyssa had a rebellious streak a mile long
and she didn’t want to return to Jurai until she had proven herself at Thors to
her family.
“Oh no, you opened that can of worms yourself, so you have to
spill.” Ash ordered when it looked like she might shut up again. Nobody says
things like that unless they WANT at least SOMEONE to know about it. “How’d you
get into Thors? It’s a pretty straight
forward process. You’re recruited,
apply, paperwork is signed, you come… how’d you manage to screw that up,
beautiful?” He wasn’t sure if she was biting her lip because she wasn’t sure if
she should tell him, or if she was amused, maybe a little bit of both. “Out
with it you saucy little minx, what’d you do?”
It was both. Both
amusement and uncertainty mixed. “I don’t know if I should tell you,
Carbide. You might go spread it all over
campus and then I’d have to have that one on one session with you the hard
way.” She smirked, popping a peanut in her mouth and leaned back against her
chair, folding her arms in front of her chest.
Ash stood up and moved his chair over to sit beside her, towering over
her just like he did when they stood face to face. “Are you trying to
intimidate me? Because I regret to
inform you, it’s not working in your favor.” Teal eyes were locked on intense
pink and they were BOILING with curiosity as his arm wrapped around her chair
to press her closer to him. “Want a peanut?”
“Nope, do you want a nut?” He shot back with a cheeky wink, his
entire body posture nothing except relaxed, nothing intimidating about it.
He knew he was a big man, tall especially, but unless he was
royally angry, he knew he didn’t come across as intimidating to most people.
Probably because he was always cracking jokes and grinning lewdly. It was hard taking a young adult seriously
when they were prone to spouting off about tits and asses.
“I think you already know I won’t go spreading it all over
canvas, Melyssa,” For all his many faults and how he teased her, he was
probably also the most observant when it came to her, which was weird.
“Why do you want to know so badly? Why do you care?” All joking aside, they were
two serious questions and that uncertainty was back in her eyes again.
“Because this shit has been bottled up inside of you for a while
and it’s not good to keep it locked up.
Besides, you wanted to build trust with me and bond, right?” Ash shot
back, taking a swig of the second beer that was supposed to be hers. “You’re a
comrade and having you in distress isn’t good for the class as a whole. I’d be doing the same damn thing with Juna
and Altina if they were as torn up as you are.”
Would confiding in Ash really be that bad? Her eyes lowered from his to look down at her
clasped hands in her lap, knowing he made sense. “I didn’t get in illegally, if
that’s what you’re wondering. It was
just…unconventional.” Ash remained quiet, allowing her time to muster up the
courage to tell him the truth. “My parents forbade me from coming to the
academy. They said it was too dangerous
and a proper lady should get married, have a family and stay at home. They wanted me to help run the fishing
company they’ve ran in Jurai for the better part of 50 years.” They really were
fishmongers. “I started training with my Cutlass at age 10 and I didn’t stop,
no matter what my parents said or thought.
I trained myself because they refused to let me get a proper trainer for
swordsmanship. They were completely
against it and I fought them tooth and nail, refusing to give up what I wanted
to do in life. The way of the sword has
been my passion for the better part of 7 years and when I told them I wanted to
come to Thors to expand and hone my skills, they said no. They denied me. So…I ran away from Jurai and I haven’t been
back in over a year. I had outside help
to make it into Thors, after I applied, with costs and whatnot and…that’s
pretty much the story.” Slowly looking up at him, Melyssa saw the shock
registered on Ash’s face and she couldn’t help giggling, though it came out
more nervous than amused.
It took Ash a long moment before that kind of settled in and
then comprehension dawned on his face. Mirth filled his eyes as the corners of
his lips turned up into an amused grin. “So, you forged your parent’s
signatures to get in?” Melyssa shook her head and Ash raised an eyebrow, now he
was REALLY curious. “Okay, how’d you get into Thors? Who was the outside help?”
The server was on her way back with their food, so he moved his chair, a
little, giving them some space between each other but he didn’t return to his
original spot. “Not going to tell me, are you?” Man, she was going to be in for
it when she returned to Jurai and by chance ran into her folks.
“Nope, I can’t tell you or anyone. I have been sworn to secrecy and I won’t go
back on my word.” No matter what, Melyssa would not betray her outside help and
focused on the delicious burgers heading their way. “At least you know a little
more of the mystery, though. Now, it’s
time to eat.”
Picking up her burger, Melyssa dug in with gusto, a lot hungrier
than she thought. Between dance club and
then going out on that training session with Ash, with just a small breakfast
consumed, she was practically ravenous.
However, she didn’t scarf her food either and had to admit, the tavern
was amazing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah… he
inwardly thought, helping himself to his own burger. He got it though, she had promised someone to
not spill about involvement and he wasn’t going to press her on that. Melyssa had already struck him as someone who
was fairly honorable and he’d let this ‘mystery’ go. Besides, now that people knew that there was
something going on, they would figure it out themselves eventually or go
digging for clues. Ash would just sit
back and watch it all unfold.
“Here, wench.”
He tossed a linen napkin at her, using his own to blot his
mouth. Delicious but messy, and just the
right amount of grease. Nothing that was
dripping down his hands, but he could taste the deliciousness they had fried
the meat in. As promised, Melyssa made
sure to pay for the meal with her own mira, including the two beers and water,
before they made their way out of the tavern.
“I don’t know about you, but I feel a lot better after that.”
Lighter too, for her. Some of the weight
was lifted from her shoulders after confessing part of the reason why she was
afraid of going back to Jurai again. “Now, I’m going to give you a hug and I
don’t want any funny business. Just hug
me back.” Wrapping her arms around his torso, Melyssa gave him a squeeze and
pulled back, nodding at him. “Thank you for today. Really.
Go enjoy the rest of your free day, I’ve taken up more than enough of
your time.”
Chapter 12
Crow’s fiery red eyes flashed almost pure crimson for a moment
and he honestly had no idea what was eliciting the reaction from him. He had absolutely no reason to find the idea
of Melyssa and Ash so… disgusting and wrong, but he did. Would he feel the same if it were Rean? Of course not, Rean wasn’t a wanton
philandering jackass who would break his roommate’s heart.
Keep telling yourself that, buddy. He mentally scolded himself.
Melyssa was squirming now because Ash had pulled her, so her
back was to his chest. “Now why,” He whispered in her ear, the corner of his
mouth that was visible to Crow hitched firmly up into a grin. “Does he seem
almost… jealous? Hmm?”
“Considering he sees me on a nightly basis and we share a room
together, why would he be? I don’t think
that’s it.” Ash was not making this situation any better by positioning her the
way he did. She shrugged, gently but
firmly pulling away from Ash to put space between them. “And Carbide, kindly
stop trying to insinuate something is going on when there’s not. We’re classmates and friends, that’s it.” She
wanted to make that crystal clear to him in front of Crow, so there was zero
confusion in the future.
“Hey, it’s none of my business what you two are.” Crow said it
carelessly, but he couldn’t stop the relief that washed through him at
Melyssa’s assertion. She was too good
and way too smart for the likes of Ash Carbide.
The fact that she was making it perfectly clear that there was
nothing going on between them made Ash curious about how she felt about Crow.
“You’re breaking my heart, beautiful.”
“I’ll break your face.” Crow offered cheerfully, balling up one
fist and gave it a playful shake. His
mood was quite a bit better.
“Oh come on, Ash, I’m sure there are LOADS of girls in this
school that would love a shot at the bad boy.
I’m here to strictly hone my skills as a swordswoman, nothing more –
nothing less.” It was nobody’s business how she felt towards Crow, quite
frankly, and she wasn’t about to give Ash any more ammunition in that
territory. “Now, if you ever want to dance together again, like we did earlier,
or against each other, you know where to find me. Come on, Crow, I’m not leaving you two alone
with each other.”
She’d given Ash PLENTY of ammunition. Her panic about returning to Jurai earlier,
he hadn’t forgotten that ‘no’ that had escaped her, the somewhat scathing
attitude about Rean instead of the near reverence she usually possessed. Ash
was going to let discretion be the better part of valor today and back off, she
had given him plenty to consider and mull over.
“Well then, beautiful, I’ll leave you to it, I’ve got business
to attend and Crow seems delighted to let you boss him around.” I’m not
leaving you two alone with each other, she was a lot like Rean and the
other girls in class, he wondered if she even knew it.
“Shut up, Ash.” Crow muttered, his eyes narrowing as Ash walked
off, laughing no less.
That was just who Ash was as a person and she was getting used
to it slowly but surely. Maybe spending
the day with him wasn’t the best idea or confiding in him regarding how she’d
gotten into Thors, but…trust had to start somewhere. Melyssa thought back to her ‘talk’ with Rean
and rubbed her temples, wondering if Crow knew anything about it. It seemed Rean would go to him, but then
again, maybe not. She was still
contemplating if telling Crow was the right thing to do, to jog his memory
about a past he obviously wanted to forget.
Would it do more harm than good?
Melyssa didn’t know what to do and blinked when Crow snapped his fingers
in her face, jolting her out of her deep thoughts.
“What?”
Melyssa didn’t have to worry about him spilling the beans or
using the information she had laid out on him against her. Ash was a jackass sometimes, lewd and vulgar,
but when someone confided in him, the secret pretty much stopped there. He wasn’t one to spread stuff like that. Now petty gossip, sure, but not something
like what she had told him.
Time would prove that to her.
“You are so lost in thought right now, I think you might need a
road map.” Crow informed her, searching her eyes intently. “What’s going on,
Mel?”
“Sorry, I have a lot on my mind right now.” That was an
understatement. Not only did she have
Crow to worry about, but going to Jurai would mean she’d more than likely see
her parents again after over a year of zero contact. Melyssa felt like a twisted pretzel and her
brain was going in all kinds of different directions, while her heart was torn
on what to do. “It’s nothing you need to worry about…” Suddenly, it was like
something SNAPPED inside of Crow. He
grabbed her hand and dragged her to the nearest exit of town, her teal eyes
widening. “Crow, what in Aidios’ name are you doing?! Let me go!” She managed to yank her hand out
of his vise grip and he responded by bodily lifting her over his shoulder,
making her jaw drop. “PUT ME DOWN, CROW ARMBRUST!!” Melyssa was strong, but he
was a lot stronger than her and tightened his hold around her waist to prevent
her from squirming or slithering away.
Once they were on the outskirts, he dropped her on her backside in the
grass and she glared up at him, immediately getting to her feet. “What the HELL
is wrong with you?! Who the HELL do you
think you are?!”
Melyssa had attracted quite a bit of attention with her
shrieking, never mind him carting her out of the town like she was a rucksack
of flour or something. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing for me to worry about! Rean told me what you ranted at him.” He said
in a much calmer voice than what she was using. “You’re hiding things from me,
so what the hell is wrong with YOU?” What in Gehenna was she hiding from him?
“What is it you think you’re going to have to force me to remember?” His eyes
searched hers intently. Did she even
know his story, about how he died and what his ‘return’ from death had
entailed?
“So you thought manhandling me and dragging me out here would
make me tell you?” Damn it, Rean Schwarzer, she thought scathingly,
really hating the man right now for not keeping his nose out of her
business. Gritting her teeth, she unsheathed
her Cutlass and held it out to him threateningly, shaking her head. “If you
want to know so badly, you’ll have to beat the truth out of me, Armbrust. Just know, I’m NOT that weak little girl you
used to know and I won’t go down easily.
So come on, what weapon will you use?
Your double-saber or pistols?” It didn’t matter to her, she was ready
for this and didn’t need a Combat Link to battle.
“You’re not ready for Class VII.” Crow said flatly, stepping
away from her and folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t know what your
damage is, inviting someone to beat you.”
He could kill her, beating her seemed a little mundane compared
to what he could very easily do to her.
Some weak little girl he used to know, he racked his brain, trying to
place her. A fishmonger from Jurai,
there were so many and to be honest, much of his early life had been red washed
due to his grief and rage.
“I’m not going to fight you because you have a chip on your
shoulder.” Did she want to lose her spot in the academy? This was a good way for that to happen and he
was ready to graduate finally and be done with this.
“So manhandling someone and dragging them off is considered to
be perfectly fine, but when that person decides to fight back, it’s a violation
of whatever code Class VII and the academy has?
That’s good to know. Thanks for
enlightening me and, just so you know, I DON’T have a chip on my shoulder.
You’re the one who does from the looks of it.” Sheathing her Cutlass, Melyssa
took a deep breath and figured she had nothing left to lose at this point.
“Jogging your memory may do more harm than good and I was deciding if I should
or not. I was deciding if it was even
worth it since you don’t remember me. I
don’t know what Duke Cayenne did to you or how you’re alive, since last I heard
before coming here, you were dead. You
had died trying to save the former Crown Prince Cedric…with the Ashen
Chevalier.” He was staring at her now through narrowed crimson eyes. “Yet somehow,
miraculously, here you are in the flesh.
Makes me wonder if you were dead in the first place or if that story was
fabricated to protect you somehow. You
wanna know what I’ve been hiding from you, Crow? I’ve been hiding the fact that we grew up
together in Jurai. My family was close
to your grandfather and we were best friends.
My Mom was practically a mother to you and you fished a lot with my
father. Cynthia and Roger Brackett and
they own Brackett & Co in Jurai.” It was the largest fish company in Jurai.
“You left Jurai when you were 13. You
left without a word, no goodbye, nothing.
And I missed you, I missed my best friend, the only one I grew up with
since we were little. And then I find
out you died and I mourned you for almost 3 years, wishing there was something
I could do to prevent it from happening, wishing for you to come back to
life! And the only thing I had my mind
set on was getting better, stronger, faster, so one day I would cut down the
one who I thought took you from me.” That bit she hadn’t told Ash about, only
that she had started training at age 10. “Imagine my surprise to come here and
I’m not only thrust into Rean Schwarzer’s class, but find you alive and
well. And when you looked at me with
that blank expression on your face and no recognition in your eyes, well…I
decided there was no point bringing it up.
You obviously don’t care about your past in Jurai or the people you left
behind after your grandfather died because of your revenge on Chancellor
Osborne. So there you have it, that’s
what I’ve been hiding from you, Crow.
Satisfied? Did it jog anything up
there?” She tapped her temple harshly with her finger, not even feeling the
tears pouring down her cheeks. “Hey, I guess you’re right, maybe I DO have a
chip on my shoulder after all.” Turning, she walked off down the path, just
needing some time and space from him after saying all of that.
She definitely had a chip on her shoulder and absolutely none of
that made any sense to him. He
remembered his childhood, right? So where
were those teal eyes, he wouldn’t have forgotten them, would he? Frowning, Crow debated if he would chase
after her and decided against it. Obviously, they were going to have to have a
proper, calm discussion, they were roommates; there just wasn’t a way to avoid
it, but first… he needed to talk to Rean, work some things out.
He HAD gotten back all of his memories, right?
Rean, along with the rest of Class VII, were waiting at the same
entrance Crow carted a bellowing Melyssa off in. He frowned, not seeing Melyssa anywhere and
Crow was pale, looking very troubled.
What had happened? He assured the
townsfolk everything was fine and quickly gathered all of Class VII here,
questioning Ash vigorously on what he’d done with Melyssa for the day. It was only when he spoke to an elderly woman
at the entrance did he find out Crow had carted a young lady with dark blue
hair through the west exit. Instead of
going after them, Rean trusted Crow and it was obvious he had to hash things
out with Melyssa, especially after what she’d said to him earlier.
“Crow, where’s Melyssa?”
“She took off…after telling me what’s been bothering her. I forced it out of her.” Crow sounded distant
and weary, which wasn’t a good combination for him. “She told me what’s going
on and…I need to talk you privately, Rean.”
“Sure…” Rean looked at Juna and Altina, both nodding before
taking off through the entrance.
“Ash and Kurt, stay here and wait for them to return,
please. I’m going to talk to Crow alone
and if anything happens, you can reach me on the ARCUS II.”
They both nodded. “Yes, Instructor.” Kurt watched Rean and Crow
walk away and his eyes moved back to the entrance, wondering if leaving the
girls out there alone was really the right thing to do.
Ash snorted, waiting until Rean and Crow were out of sight
before making his own decision and took off out of the entrance.
“For Aidios’s sake!”
~!~
Melyssa had no idea how long she’d been walking, but she finally
stopped at a nearby stream to take a breather, wiping the tears away from her
eyes. Sitting down in the grass, she
drew her knees up and buried her face in them, unable to stop crying. That had been A LOT to unload on Crow all at once
and she was trembling from the aftermath of it, knowing he probably hated her
now.
Duke Cayenne is responsible for everything Crow has done and I
will make him pay someday, she silently vowed,
not moving an inch and stayed there by the stream, the sound of the water
calming her down little by little.
“You DO know the girls are looking for you, right?”
Finding her had been interesting. Ash did not consider himself a ‘tracker’, others
were better at it then he was, but… even he hadn’t missed some of the signs of
where Melyssa and Crow had been. He
probably should let someone know he had found her via the ARCUS II, but…she
still looked a little blotchy from the crying jag she had obviously had.
“Mmm, they’re still about ten minutes out from finding you.”
Altina would figure it out quick, she was almost mechanical in her
processes. Dropping down into a crouch
beside her, he peered into her face. “What happened, beautiful?”
“Ash…” Fresh tears pooled in her eyes and she couldn’t hold them
back as she shook her head, turning her head to stare back at the water. “How
did you find me?”
Even her voice was rough from all the crying she’d done and she
hated how it cracked. She felt his
finger glide down her cheek, trailing the tear streak and it made her look back
at him. There was nothing lewd in his
touch like there’d been earlier and there was nothing except concern in his
eyes.
“Crow manhandled me, took me to the outskirts of town because I
told him not to worry about what was on my mind. And he became angry over it. I challenged him to beat the truth out of me
and he said I didn’t belong in Class VII.” That hurt more than she cared to
admit. “Maybe he’s right – maybe I don’t.”
Chapter 13
“You challenged him to beat the truth out of you?” Ash
echoed, wondering if she was out of her mind.
Nobody beat the truth out of their friends, their family, and it
made him wonder where on earth she had picked up that idea. “He’s wrong.”
Ash KNEW Crow was wrong.
She was wrong too, for issuing a challenge like that, but he had a
feeling it had stemmed from her heart and emotional duress and not her
mind. Who wasn’t a victim of falling to
their own heated moments?
“You do belong.”
“I was angry that he manhandled me and then threw me over his
shoulder like a sack of potatoes before dropping me on my butt in the
grass. My temper got the best of me.”
Melyssa was only human. She wasn’t
perfect, far from it and had made plenty of mistakes in her relatively short
life. “And the way he was acting towards me, yelling at me, I figured he wanted
to fight, so I thought I’d beat him to the punch.” Wiping her tears away with
her hands, Melyssa moved her legs to where they were sideways instead of bent
up. Even in her distress, she was
mindful there was a man here talking to her and she didn’t need to flash her
panties at him. “Why do I belong, Ash?
I’m an outsider to you all.
You’re this tight-knit group because of everything you’ve been through,
you’re all second years and I’m…nobody.
You’re wrong, I don’t belong in Class VII. It was a mistake, regardless of what the
testing says.”
“You sound like Rean.” He commented off-handedly, taking her
hands in his, ignoring the wet on her palms from wiping away her own tears.
“Thinking you’re not good enough when you are, more than good enough,
actually.” She made a face, he was guessing Rean was still a touchy subject.
“Beautiful, when it comes to Crow, you’re mysterious and I don’t know if it’s
on purpose or not, but you’ll say something and then let it drop, and that
makes everyone curious.” Luckily for her, she hadn’t done it with many people,
just those who tended to be a bit more observant than the average person.
“Whatever it is you have going on with Crow… I have to ask, Melyssa, do you
know about recent events with him?”
“You mean being miraculously alive when he was pronounced dead
almost 3 years ago? No, I don’t.” She’d
already told Ash about how she’d gotten into Thors, without divulging who her
outside help was, so would it be terrible to tell him about her past with Crow?
“I know he was C in the Imperial Liberation Front – the leader of it. I know he left Jurai when he was 13 without
so much as a goodbye to a 10-year-old girl he grew up with, who claimed to be
his best friend. I know he was working
directly with Duke Cayenne and the man warped him into the monster he became
and fueled his revenge for Chancellor Osborne.
And I heard he died trying to save the former Crown Prince Cedric, along
with the Ashen Chevalier. I thought he
was dead, so imagine my surprise when I walk into this school and I’m thrust
into Class VII – Rean Schwarzer, The Ashen Chevalier’s class – and there’s
Crow, sitting in the back alive and well.
And he looked at me with absolutely no recognition in his eyes – he
doesn’t remember me. My parents
practically took care of him when his grandfather was busy being the Mayor of
Jurai and we grew up together. Yet, he
doesn’t remember any of it.” The look in Ash’s eyes and the way his face
somewhat fell made her heart clench almost violently. “I’m assuming you have
the missing pieces of the Crow puzzle, right?”
“I do.”
It was curious though, one small bit of what she had said. It was insignificant he supposed, but it would
also explain why Crow didn’t remember Melyssa when she so very clearly
remembered him, perhaps even idolized. …who claimed to be his best friend. She hadn’t said who HE claimed, which left it
open to interpretation and if Crow not recognizing her one whit… yeah.
“Crow didn’t remember anything when he was brought back, he had
his skills, but not his memories.” He tapped the side of his head, staring down
at Melyssa intently. Her wording aside,
he was wondering if it were possible that Crow hadn’t come back with ALL his
memories, it would explain a lot.
“Brought back?” Now Melyssa was confused and it showed on her face,
her brows drawing together. “What do you mean like…back to life?” Was that even
possible to do?
Ash nodded, not releasing her hands and squeezed them gently.
“Look, it’s a long shitty story, so I’ll try to cut it down to the gist of what
happened. There was this place called
the Black Workshop and the leader, Black Alberich, was working alongside the
Chancellor. They were known as the
Gnomes. This was all during the end of
the world bullshit that went on last year.
The Twilight. Crow was resurrected
temporarily under the control of Alberich as the immortal Azure Siegfried. He lost all of his memories of the past and
worked under the Gnomes’ command. With
me so far?”
All Melyssa could do was swallow hard and nodded, not saying a
single word.
“When the Twilight began, something must have triggered Crow to
regain his memories because he wound up helping us. Well, he wound up helping Rean…” Ash
shuddered, remembering the Black Workshop and how they’d found the Instructor,
who had been completely consumed by the darkness inside of him.
“Wait, what do you mean help Rean?”
This really was a lot to tell a first year, but she wasn’t an
ordinary girl and she had a connection with Crow from the past. He felt she deserved to know the truth.
“During the Twilight, Class VII – old and new – tried to stop the Chancellor
and we failed. Rean was taken captive
into the Black Workshop and we discovered he was a sacrifice for the Twilight –
for what the true motive was. The
Rivalry is what they called it and it pitted the Divine Knights against each
other to gain the ultimate Great One’s power.
That was what Chancellor Osborne, Alberich and everyone who was
responsible for bringing on the Twilight aimed for, even the Society of
Ouroboros.”
“Oh Goddess…” Ouroboros was BAD news and had been around the
Empire long before Class VII originated.
They also had some of the most powerful beings in their alliance as
well. “So that’s why the Divine Knights are gone, right? Is Crow still immortal or…?”
“No, Crow was supposed to disappear along with the Knights, once
the Rivalry came to an end. Thanks to
the Great One’s power, though, along with Valimar, the Ashen Knight and Ordine,
the Azure Knight, they stopped Crow from disappearing with them, along with the
Chancellor and the other awakeners that were kept in the world as
immortals. Rean’s friend, Emma
Millstein, her grandmother, Rosalie and Vita Clotilde also helped with magic of
their own. Since Crow wasn’t an immortal
that long, he was able to be saved, but now I’m wondering if he didn’t regain
all of his memories back.” That was quite the mouthful and it was the best way
he knew how to explain what happened to Crow. “If he doesn’t remember you, it’s
probably due to the immortality.”
That was…a lot. Melyssa felt
like her brain was going to explode or possibly implode and she had no idea
what to say to any of it. Crow was an
immortal being, that was spared, but he hadn’t regained all of his memories. Crow had died and was brought back to life as
someone named the Azure Siegfried…she couldn’t imagine what he’d been through
during that time and even before that with Duke Cayenne’s influence.
“Thank you for telling me, Ash.
It makes sense to me now why he doesn’t remember me or any of his past.”
Now, she felt lower than dirt for being so angry at Crow not remembering her
and hadn’t given him the benefit of the doubt.
“Well, I’m telling you this for a reason, beautiful. Don’t be so hard on him, I understand why
you’re carrying a lot of anger with him, I would too if I had been forgotten by
my best friend.” Ash would have been livid actually and probably thunked some
memories right back into the friend’s head; he was unforgettable for Goddess’
sake! “But most people don’t go through what he did, so maybe a small
exception.” Smiling, he held up his fingers, making a ‘tiny bit’ gesture with
his thumb and pointer finger. “I bet he’s beyond confused now…” If she had
unloaded on Crow, he was probably totally lost since he obviously didn’t
remember her. Ash wished he could have
witnessed that blow-up, just to see the birdies of confusion swirling around
Crow’s empty head.
In spite of what happened, she managed to crack a small smile at
his humor and nodded, knowing Ash was right. “I guess I have been carrying
around a lot of animosity and anger towards him without realizing it.” Until
now. “I was hurt at first and then that hurt festered into something cold and
ugly.” Her eyes moved back to the stream, her heart hurting for an entirely
different reason now. Crow had been
through so much and suffered things she would only see in her nightmares. Then there was Rean…she had unloaded on him
earlier as well and now the guilt was peeking through. “How am I going to face
either of them again? I said some pretty
horrible things…”
“The same way I faced Instructor Rean after unloading on him.”
Both Ash and Melyssa’s heads snapped to the side, staring back
at Juna and Altina. Ash did warn her
they would be here relatively soon and he hadn’t been lying. “What do you mean,
Juna?”
“I’m originally from Crossbell.” Juna informed her friend and
walked over to sit down, Altina following suit. “When I first found out I was in
the Ashen Chevalier’s class last year, I had A LOT of animosity and anger
towards him because of what happened in Crossbell with the annexation by the
Empire.” Crossbell was officially freed of the Empire and everything had
returned to the way it used to be after the Twilight, thankfully. “He was on
the side of the Imperial government in Erebonia, who ripped away Crossbell’s
independence.”
“Oh, I heard about that.” Why would Rean side with the Imperial
government?
“We ended up going on a field study to Crossbell and…let’s just
say I said some things that weren’t nice.”
“Oh man, she let him HAVE it.” Ash chuckled, grunting when Juna
smacked his arm. “What? That was
brilliant to witness!”
Juna rolled her eyes, directing her attention back to Melyssa. “My
point is we ALL make mistakes and say things we don’t mean. We’re only human and from mistakes is where
the lessons are taught. I learned a very
valuable lesson from that trip and I made amends with Instructor Rean. He’s one big ball of forgiveness, you just
have to have the courage to talk to him and don’t be afraid to tell him how you
feel.”
“If he can forgive me for being in the Intelligence Division and
kidnapping his sister, Elise, I’m sure he can forgive you for yelling at him.”
Altina quipped, cracking the barest hint of a smile herself.
Wow, they all had issues with Rean Schwarzer in the beginning,
it seemed, and Melyssa suddenly didn’t feel like she was alone. “What about
Crow? I-I share a room with him and I
don’t know if I can face him right now after what I said…”
“Courage.” Juna stood up and extended her hand, pulling Melyssa
to her feet. “Crow is a lot like Rean, though he’ll never admit it. I’m sure if you sit down with him, calmly and
rationally, and talk, everything will be worked out. I don’t know your connection to Crow, but
we’ve all sensed it since the moment you stood up in class to introduce
yourself. Crow looked at you with this
faraway expression on his face and when we questioned him about it, he shrugged
it off. Even if a person loses their
memory, it doesn’t mean they’ll completely forget people who meant a lot to
them because they’re instilled in the heart.”
“Don’t make me throw up, Wild Filly. Ugh.” Ash had stood up with them, folding his
arms in front of his chest. “Just talk to him and see what happens. No sense in avoiding him and I meant what I
said,” Now his pink eyes were locked on red-rimmed, swollen teal. “You DO
belong in Class VII. He said it out of
anger and I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
“Affirmative.”
“Come on, it’s getting late and we need to head back if we’re
going to make it before nightfall.
Instructor Rean is worried sick about you and Kurt is waiting for us at
the entrance still.”
“Okay.”
~!~
“They’re coming.”
Crow had been almost flat and overly calm since earlier, Rean
didn’t like it at all. It reminded him
of when Crow had been resurrected as Azure Siegfried. As Azure, Crow had been very quiet and
introverted, which was his opposite as a general rule, but he had also been
prone to resolving with violence which was not a good thing. Maybe some things from the resurrection and
the memories being restored processes had carried over from ‘Azure’ to Crow
while at the same time, things of Crow’s had never come back fully. It was a lot to wrap his aching head around.
“I see them.” He stood up from his place on the steps to watch
the group approaching the academy gates.
Crow stood as well though his entire body language screamed hesitance,
as if he was considering going inside and avoiding another explosion.
“Thank Aidios.” Kurt breathed, rushing over to Juna and the
others with Rean and Crow following behind. “Everything okay?”
“No, but…it will be.” Juna smiled at her boyfriend and reached
up to brush his light blue hair from his eyes. “You worry too much.”
“For good reason.” Kurt kissed the top of her head, thankful
they all made it back unscathed.
Ash had his arm around Melyssa’s shoulders in a purely platonic
way, knowing she needed someone to lean against on the trek back to Leeves.
“Found our spitfire.” He winked down at her, dropping a kiss on top of her
head. “Schwarzer, I know you told me to stay behind with Kurt, but…”
Rean held his hand up, already knowing what Ash was going to
say. “I knew you wouldn’t follow orders anyway, Ash. I’m glad you didn’t.” His eyes turned
hesitant as they landed on Melyssa, who looked like a train wreck. “Melyssa,
are you all right? Physically, I mean.”
First and foremost, he had to ask that question and folded his arms in front of
his chest.
She swallowed hard, slowly nodding her head. “Y-Yes,
Instructor.”
Juna, Kurt and Altina stepped back and Juna pulled Ash away
forcefully as well, knowing Melyssa had to do this alone.
“Good. Well, it’s getting
late, so why don’t you all head to the dorm for some rest?” Rean suggested,
turning to walk away and blinked when a hand came out to grab the sleeve of his
jacket.
Courage. Goddess, please
give me courage to do this, Melyssa silently
prayed, and released Rean’s jacket, clasping her hands in front of her. He was even MORE intimidating than before and
her nerves were already on edge from her confrontation with Crow earlier. “I
was wrong for the way I treated you earlier today, Rean. I’ve been…burdened with a lot of animosity
and anger ever since school started and I took it out on you. And I’m sorry. I will understand if…if you want to send me
to a different class and I won’t resent you for it either. The way I’ve been acting is inappropriate,
disrespectful and rude, not at all how a member of Class VII -no, of Thors –
should act. I have nobody else to blame
for my actions and I take full responsibility for them and I’m prepared for the
consequences.” Melyssa blew out a shaky breath, doing everything in her power
to hold her emotions in because she hadn’t cried this much since she found out
about Crow’s death.
One of Crow’s eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly from his
place off to the side, his arms folded over his chest.
His face was otherwise blank.
Chapter 14
Rean smiled down at her, reaching out his hand with his palm up.
“Apology accepted, Melyssa, and I appreciate how hard it must be for you to do this.”
Apologies were always hard to give, especially when one had an audience. The others had left to give them privacy, not
Crow. But then again, Crow was not
himself right now. “And you do belong in Class VII, I won’t be sending you
away.” At her surprised look, he chuckled softly. “You are not the first to
have a go at me and you’ll probably not be the last.”
Juna instantly came to mind with her story. And then there was Altina, who had a very
messy past with Rean on her own. “Thank you, Rean.”
She took his extended hand and shook it gently but firmly,
relief flooding her body from head to toe.
Juna and Ash were right; talking was all it took and Rean was a ball of
forgiveness. He was almost too good for
this world with how gentle and kind he was, despite all the rumors and things
she’d heard about the Ashen Chevalier.
Her eyes moved to Crow, who had a faraway look on his face and Melyssa
knew she owed him, more than anyone else, an apology. Where did she even begin though? He didn’t remember her or any of their time
together as kids before he left Jurai.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Rean said after a long, fairly heavy
moment of prolonged silence, stepping away from Melyssa and glanced back at
Crow. “Perhaps you two might want to talk inside, where you don’t have to worry
about others eavesdropping.”
Because after today, he knew that Crow and Melyssa were
officially ‘gossip’ material, throw in a healthy dose of everyone who had seen
her out and about with Ash. He didn’t
envy the trio. Well, maybe he wished the
misery on Ash, it would serve him right for provoking reactions just for his
own devious amusement. Nodding, Crow
opened the door, holding it for Rean and Melyssa, his eyes guarded as she
slowly walked by him. He had messed up
today by losing his cool and carting her off, and he knew it.
It was her fault because she wasn’t honest with him. She’d kept the fact they knew each other in
Jurai a secret from everyone and it had come back to bite her. The entire walk to their room, Crow remained
behind her and Melyssa simply put one foot in front of the other. She went to pull her key out and stopped when
Crow’s hand came into view, sliding his own in the slot before turning the
doorknob. Stepping inside, Melyssa went
straight to her bed and sat down on it, exhaustion slowly seeping in. No, she would not be able to sleep until she
said something to Crow, having learned her lesson not to keep things bottled up
or secrets. No wonder the Combat Link
failed between them!
“I should’ve told you everything from the start.” Melyssa spoke
up, breaking the tense silence between them. “I know you don’t remember me
and…I resented you for it because I didn’t know the full story.” Thanks to Ash,
she did now. “I’m sorry for everything…for yelling at you and acting the way I
did today. I should’ve went about it a
different way and treating you horribly should’ve never happened.”
Crow remained silent, rolling her words over as he began
shedding his clothes. He stopped at his
pants, finally walking around to stand before her. When Melyssa didn’t raise her head up but
stared down at his bare feet and the floor, he slowly knelt down until his face
was in her line of vision, red eyes searching her face intently.
“I’m sorry,” He began quietly, the words coming out a bit stiff
at first. “That I lost my temper and manhandled you, there’s no excuse for how
I behaved and how I treated you.” Like she was a common criminal or some lowly
wench, it had been undignified, but his words weren’t stilted, his tone apologetic
and low. “I’m sorry I don’t remember you, or our friendship.” That came out
sorrowful and a little bitter. “I wish I did.
Sometimes it feels like it’s just barely there, right out my reach, but
begging me to recall, and I don’t.”
“Crow…”
Sniffling, trying to hold back the tears pooled in her eyes,
Melyssa did the one thing she wanted to do since seeing him again. Alive.
He wasn’t buried six feet under in a grave on the outskirts of
Heimdallr. He was here in the flesh and
she could feel all the animosity and anger at him melt away. She tossed her arms around his neck and
hugged him tightly, shutting her eyes to relish the feeling of being in his
arms again. Granted, they were A LOT
bigger, muscular and strong these days, but he was still the Crow she grew up
with.
“You have NOTHING to apologize for. I was being a stubborn idiot not telling you
the truth. Nothing else matters except
you’re here, alive and well. And I know
you don’t feel the same way, but I really missed you. When you left Jurai, I was devastated and I
didn’t understand at the time why you would leave without saying goodbye.”
Pulling back, she cupped his face in her soft hands as the tears poured down
her face. “But I do now. The past is the
past and it can’t be changed, so we just have to move forward and make new
memories together, and with Class VII.”
Friends, they had been friends and she had to of been rather
young when he left. Crow wondered how
children could be such good friends and then dismissed that thought as callous. If anything, Rean and the rest of Class VII
-past and present- had taught him a lot about just how strong, how powerful
friendship could be. It was a disservice
to people to assume children couldn’t experience those bonds as strongly as
their elders.
“Help me remember, Mel.” He asked quietly, bringing his own
hands up to cover hers as he searched her eyes intently. “I feel it there, help
me.” That tugging whenever he looked at her, something begging him to recall.
“Don’t cry…” His hands moved, fingers sliding up her cheeks to cup those tears.
Was Juna right about memories forgotten remaining in the heart
of that person? And how was she supposed
to help him remember? “You used to call me Lyssa. Everyone else called me Mel or Mels or Mely
and you apparently wanted to be different than the rest, so you called me
Lyssa. And I used to call you the game
master because you loved playing games.
We played chess, cards, board games, any game you could get your hands
on, you sat me down to play it.” Crow continued wiping her tears away while her
arms remained draped around his neck. “When your grandfather would work late,
you’d come stay the night at my house with my parents and we’d end up sitting
out on the roof to look up at the stars.
You knew how much I loved looking at them and we would talk for
hours. Pretty sure we even fell asleep
up there a couple of times.” That made her chuckle a little, pulling back
enough to grab a tissue since her face was a mess. “You were my best friend and
my favorite person in the world. And you
protected me from any of the other kids who called me fishmonger or made fun of
me because of what my family did for a living.
We were friends for 5 years before you left Jurai, I was 10 and you were
13. I know it’s a bit of an age gap, but
you never once minded hanging out with me.” Probably due to the fact her
parents were Crow’s full-time babysitters since his grandfather, his guardian,
worked a lot as the Mayor.
Crow didn’t remember any of that, not really. He had memories of fishmongers, of a woman
with a nice singing voice and memories of being irritated that at his ‘age’, he
had needed a sitter. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, moving so he was sitting on the
edge of the bed beside her. “Maybe when we go back to Jurai, something will
help trigger these memories. Your
mother…. Does she sing?” Or was that another woman he was thinking of, he
kneaded his forehead with the heel of his hand.
“Wait, what? What did you
say?” When Crow asked the question again, the biggest smile crossed Melyssa’s
face and she nodded, taking his hand away from his forehead. “Yeah, she
does. Not professionally, but she always
sings whenever she cooks and cleans.
Don’t push yourself, Crow.” The fact he had these little signs, these
little tweaks of memories, told her they weren’t completely gone. “When it’s
meant to happen, it will, and I’ll be right here to help you any way I can.” I’m
never leaving you again, not after finding you, she silently vowed, leaning
her head against his shoulder. “I’ll answer any questions you have at any
time.” Looking up at him, in those fiery eyes, she leaned up to caress his face
with the back of her hand. “You’re not alone.”
“I know.” Crow hadn’t felt alone in a long time, but ever since
Melyssa had come into his life, something had been gnawing at him. creating an
ache he couldn’t place and now tonight he knew why there was that burgeoning
hole. Something WAS missing, something
crucial, and perhaps the last few pieces to his childhood… he had, on some
level, been alone and so had she. “I don’t have any questions… right now.” He
added with a sly smile, because he already knew once everything settled and was
processed, he’d bombard her with a million things.
~!~
Wednesday rolled around, two days before the trip to Jurai, and
today was their first official practical exam.
Melyssa had trained in the morning before class, not deviating from her
routine and felt so much better ever since her explosion with Crow. There was a lot of revelations in that one
day and she felt ten pounds lighter ever since.
Now, they stood on the academy field in front of Instructor Rean, who
was explaining what they would be doing.
Crow looked a lot better too, seemed more cheerful and playful, even.
“All right, as I said, teams of two and Crow and Melyssa, you
two will be teamed up for the foreseeable future until you can form a Combat
Link with each other.” Rean reminded them, not winking or cracking a smile
because right now he was their Instructor.
Business before pleasure. “Now then, you two step forward and we’ll get
started.” He snapped his fingers as soon as they did and a metal robot appeared
out of nowhere.
“What in Aidios’ name is THAT?!”
Crow chuckled at Melyssa’s shock. “It’s an artificial
intelligence robot that can be set to any difficulty. Courtesy of the Black Workshop.” The
government now had full possession of it and both Thors Military Academies had
gotten a hand full of them.
“Weapons ready. And
begin!”
At first, they were able to form a Combat Link, but it fizzled
after about 2 minutes, but Rean still saw it as progress. The stronger their bond became, the better
they would get until they could keep the Combat Link going until the battle
ended.
This was basically a controlled exercise in a controlled
environment and after his last, spontaneous, decision which had resulted in
Crow and Melyssa fighting without being linked up or without any assistance…
Rean figured he should probably walk the straight and narrow for a few classes,
especially during testing. Juna might
have his head on someone higher than his position’s platter if he didn’t. He might have been the Instructor, but his
students, his friends, were not afraid to point out when he was making a
bad decision.
“Ha!” Crow crowed once the battle was over, raising his hand for
Melyssa to slap. “Now THAT is how it’s done!”
“Yes!” Melyssa’s hand connected with his and their fingers
squeezed together briefly before releasing, both sheathing their weapons. Crow had decided to battle with his
double-saber this time around and Melyssa had to admit, he had amazing form
with it. The pistols were fine and
everything, but seeing him wield that double-saber warmed her from the inside
out for some reason. “Even though we didn’t link up that long, it still worked
briefly, so hopefully, it’ll get stronger with each battle we do together.”
“It will.” Rean stated confidently, clapping each of them on the
shoulder before gesturing Juna and Ash forward. “All right you two, your turn.”
“Hell yeah, time to shine!” Ash swung his scythe ax with a grin,
winking at Juna, who rolled her eyes at him in response.
Melyssa and Crow got back in formation to watch the rest of
their classmates battle the robot like they had.
Even with Juna’s eye roll, she and Ash were able to link
up. Regardless of whether women trusted
him on a personal level given his habit of being vulgar, they all knew he would
have their backs in a fight.
Crow, being fairly tall, hung back at the edge of the circle,
eyes on the fight. Every now and then,
he met Melyssa’s teal gaze and he would flash her a smile that she instantly
returned. That nagging, lingering
feeling was still there, but he knew what it was now and it wasn’t as annoying
as before. Now, it was mixed with
something else, a warmth he couldn’t describe but it was a nice feeling. He
wasn’t alone anymore. He had never thought of himself as being alone, well, not
in recent times, not since the death of his grandfather. But that loneliness
feeling had been edged out with anger and hate, the desire for revenge,
everything else had fallen to the wayside and been his path to this point.
Never again would he be alone and if he tried running off on her
again, she was going to hunt him down and string him up by his toes. That was a funny image in her head and
Melyssa had to stifle a giggle, instead clearing her throat while Kurt and Altina
linked up. Ash and Juna had destroyed
the robot in record time, but once again Kurt and Altina prevailed as the
fastest time. Once they were finished,
Rean congratulated everyone on a job well done, commending them all. One day, when they could do a proper Combat
Link, Melyssa had not a doubt in her mind her and Crow would reign and beat
even Kurt and Altina’s time.
“Now, we need to discuss our upcoming field study to Jurai.”
Rean announced, handing Juna the papers to pass out to everyone. “There’s been
a sighting from Ouroboros that we’ve been asked to look into while we’re
there.” He didn’t want Crow and Melyssa thinking he had picked Jurai simply
because of them because that wasn’t the case. “As most of you know, Ouroboros
is to be taken seriously and we’re to report to Principal Le Guin for anything
we discover. We leave out at 6 AM Friday
morning and we’ll be gone for 2 days and return Sunday evening sometime. Any questions?”
Nobody had any, at least none they were voicing and Crow looked
down at Melyssa when she joined him at his side. Ouroboros was a ‘secret’ shadow type society
and they were behind several of the years recent events, in some way or form,
manipulating things behind the scenes.
Even him to a degree. Vita came
to mind. His death for Cedric. He frowned, repressing a shiver. He remembered that vividly.
“Dismissed then.”
Chapter 15
“Do you have any questions?” Crow asked, forcing the dark
thoughts back as he glanced back down at Melyssa.
“No, but…”
Melyssa made a vow not to keep anymore secrets from Rean from
now on and she had one more she had to tell him about. Ash already knew this and she could feel Crow
following her, not minding if he overheard it.
Juna, Kurt, Altina and Ash had taken off to do club meetings or whatever
was on their agenda since school was over for the day. “Instructor?”
She walked up to him, feeling that nervous energy all over
again. Why did it only happen with
Rean? Melyssa couldn’t figure it out and
shoved it aside, needing to be brave and have courage.
“I need to talk to you about the upcoming trip to Jurai. Do you have a minute?”
“Of course.” Rean’s eyes flashed to Crow.
Nodding, Crow excused himself, taking off with the rest of the
group. He was curious of course, but if
it was something he NEEDED to know, someone would tell him. He had already
exploded once on Melyssa, he was learning how to be patient and these days he
found he possessed a LOT of patience.
Maybe it was because the ‘big’ secret had been told.
Rean shook his head at how fast Crow had taken off, not missing
the way the other man looked back at Melyssa.
Giving her his firm attention, he smiled down at her. “Walk with me?” He
extended his arm to her, raising an eyebrow when she hesitated. “You’re not
still on pins and needles with me, are you?”
“Would you believe me if I said no?”
“No.”
Melyssa looped her arm through his, really hoping Rean wasn’t
angry at her after she told him what was on her mind. “It’s only been a couple
days since…everything happened, so it’ll take a little longer before I don’t
feel nervous around you anymore.”
“Understood, so what’s on your mind?”
While they walked, Melyssa explained to him what happened
between her and her parents in Jurai, just like she’d done with Ash. They stopped walking the field and she turned
to face Rean, seeing all the questions burning in his fuchsia eyes. “I was
sworn to secrecy, so I can’t tell you who my outside help is, but…you deserve
to know the storm you’re about to walk in when we go to Jurai on Friday. I promised I wouldn’t keep anything from you
anymore and, if you want, I can ask my outside help if it’s all right to
divulge their name. I want to make it
clear that I’m not here illegally though.
I just got in…unconventionally.”
“Unconventionally is right…”
Rean whistled, wondering just why this girl thought it was all
right to bring drama into their lives now that everything was so peaceful. He inwardly smiled, not meaning the thought
maliciously, he supposed this was what ‘normal’ was when not fighting monsters
or working to save an empire. Drama and
crazy students, gossip and… a lot of things he had probably been guilty of as a
student himself now that he thought about it.
She definitely had her share, but he was assuming it was for all the
right reasons.
“Jurai isn’t exactly a small place.” Well, it was… just not THAT
small. “Do you really think we’ll run into your parents?” He asked quietly,
curiosity needling at him about her unknown sponsor. Whoever it was, they had to be someone with
some power to get things done, he really hoped it was all above board.
Oh, it was and if Rean knew who helped her get into the academy,
he would’ve probably hit the ground at her feet. “That’s why I’m telling you
this because…well, Juna told me that you’re trying to help Crow with his
memories and that place, my parents, has A LOT of memories for him. I just don’t want to cause any problems on
this field study, so I think it would be best if we steered clear of my
parents’ house and the fishing company.
If not, I’ll deal with it, but I already know they’re not going to be
happy to see me after I ran away to join Thors.” Her birthday was Saturday, so
they would be in Jurai when she turned 18 and she knew if she saw her parents,
it would be brought up. They were there
for schooling, not for any other reason and everyone had to stay focused. “I’m
sorry…again…”
Her eyes lowered from his, feeling conflicted and the fact they
were out here, alone, made her a little on edge too, though she tried to hide
it. Rean didn’t know what to say to her,
pulling back to rake both hands through his hair. He wasn’t even bothering trying to be her
instructor right now because she needed a friend.
“Do you want to see your parents?” He asked finally, wondering
if she was homesick. That would be
conflicting, for her, being homesick, but at the same time having to be
concerned about how they would react to what was tantamount to her having run
away. “Does Crow know about this? I know
we all want to help him, but if there’s going to be issues, I know even he
would want to avoid that.” Or at least wait until they had private time or
holidays to visit on. “Hey,” She looked ready to cry and Rean reached out,
gently cupping her chin in the palm of his hand. “It’s not so bad.” He smiled
down at her, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“I-I don’t know if I want to or not. Half of me does and the other half is
terrified because they were against me coming here. I haven’t seen them in over a year…” Pull
yourself together, this is your damn Instructor, Melyssa mentally chastised
herself, taking a deep breath and managed to keep the tears at bay. “No, Crow
doesn’t know about it, but…Ash does. I
told him the day all hell broke loose while we were getting something to
eat. He’s…not easy to dissuade, I’m
finding out…” The weird part was he was incredibly easy to converse with, even
with his lewd behavior. “I’m going to tell Crow about it tonight. I was hoping he’d stick around to hear this
with you, but he took off rather quickly…”
“Crow is still figuring out things with you.” Rean said with a reassuring
smile, wishing there was something he could do to set her at ease. She had always been a little odd in his
presence but it had increased since her blow-up and subsequent apology. It was water under the bridge as far as he
was concerned, he just wished she’d believe that. “It’s a little… odd that you
told Ash all of this.” It was beyond odd, actually. “I know it’s not any of my
business,” His cheeks were slowly tinting pink, but he forged on. “But are you
and… Carbide a, um, thing?” Because that would just be the weirdest and most
unlikely thing ever. Ash flirted with
every woman under 60 and over 18 and his brand of flirting was borderline
indecent as a general rule, so seeing Ash with anyone for longer than a few
days would have been a miracle.
Did Rean Schwarzer just ask her, his student, about her LOVE
life?! “WHAT?!” Melyssa did NOT mean to shout that, but the question came out
of left field and legitimately shocked her.
She slowly backed up from him as his hand left her face, teal eyes wide
as saucers. “Goddess, no!” Her cheeks had gone from slightly flushed to crimson
red in a matter of seconds as she shook her head almost violently. “No, no,
no…we’re just friends!” What was wrong with two classmates having a bite to eat
and one confiding in the other? Granted,
they were the opposite sex, but she felt NOTHING towards Ash besides
friendship. “I know it may seem like it at times, but I promise you, there’s
NOTHING there and Ash will tell you the same thing. He doesn’t feel anything for me. I just…confided in him because I was upset
after I yelled at you outside of my dance club.” Goddess, she hoped she wasn’t
lying because Ash was incredibly hard to read. “Let me put your mind at ease,
Rean. The only love I have in my life is
my sword.”
Oh Aidios, her cheeks were on FIRE right now. She had already broken her vow not to lie to
Rean again, but there was NO WAY Melyssa could tell him her heart belonged to
another. It had been claimed by the very
man who couldn’t remember who she was and she didn’t see him relinquishing her
heart anytime soon.
She was cute when she was flustered and Rean could tell he had
flustered Melyssa quite a bit. She was
shouting at him again. He wasn’t taking
any offense to it because he knew she was flustered and he wondered if he was
crossing a line by asking. It wasn’t his
fault he wasn’t much older than his students, was it? Complicated, this teaching thing. “I was only
asking, Melyssa, you don’t have to deny it so hard.” He teased gently, though
he wouldn’t deny it was a relief, knowing she wasn’t dating the vulgar
Ash. Rean doubted any woman would be
able to date the philanderer for very long.
Her eyes narrowed at him slightly as Melyssa folded her arms in
front of her chest. “You’re amused with this, aren’t you?”
He was only a few years older than her; the age gape really
wasn’t that big between her and Rean.
Two years for them and three years with Crow. One year between her, Ash and Kurt and she
had no idea how old Altina actually was.
That was a grey area.
“So, what about you then?
Do YOU have a special lady in your life, Rean?”
The tables had turned and now HE was the one who looked
flustered, his face tinging pink. If he
could ask her personal questions, why couldn’t she reciprocate? He really didn’t act like an Instructor at
all.
“No, I don’t.” Rean had plenty of opportunities, there was no
shortage of adoring fans out there who would love to be his ‘special
lady’. Monique immediately came to mind
and he shoved that right back out, no way was that ever happening. “Too many
women want the Ashen Chevalier, so for now, I’m content to live vicariously
through my friends until the right girl comes along.” He didn’t act like an
Instructor when not instructing because of the age, it was hard, after classes
were over, being the ‘teacher’ when all he wanted was to be the ‘friend’.
Alisa Reinford, Laura Arseid, Emma Millstein, Fie Claussell,
Towa Herschel -she was one of the current Instructors of Thors Branch School-
were just some of the women Rean had bonded with over the past couple of
years. Everyone thought he would choose
Alisa, a beautiful blonde with a stacked body and glowing red eyes. Then, there was Laura with her gorgeous,
insanely long blue hair -lighter than Melyssa’s- and deep burnt amber
eyes. She followed the way of the sword
and everyone thought her and Rean would make a great couple as well. Emma was a witch with flowing dark pink hair
and blue eyes – again, another choice candidate for the Ashen Chevalier. Fie was beautiful in her own way, a former
Yaeger, who was now a Bracer and helped citizens all throughout Erebonia,
alongside their former Instructor, The Purple Lightning, Sara Valestein. Towa was cute in her own way with brown hair
and eyes, very short and Rean had helped her immensely while she was the
Student Council President during their tenor at the Thors Main School. Rean had been drowning in a sea of beautiful
women and, yet, he was single, which made no sense to a lot of people and their
colleagues.
“I’ll be honest with you, I thought you and Instructor Herschel
were together.” Melyssa had caught them together a time or two walking around
Leeves. “I guess you can’t judge two people of the opposite sex by simply
looking at them.” Just like her and Ash had been judged, apparently, just for
simply being spotted together in town.
Rean’s problem was that he ‘bonded’ with a lot of people due to
his nature. He wanted to help everyone,
he was concerned for everyone, and he took on other’s problems as if they were
his own. That tended to lead to a lot of
bonding and a lot of lonely nights, even though there were plenty of offers and
assumptions.
“No,” He shook his head. “I’m not with anyone.” Man or woman,
there were people he was attracted too for sure, but so far not enough to
warrant pursuing something serious. He
was hoping that would change soon, lonely nights were getting old.
“If I were you, I’d keep that fact under wraps, especially from
people in the school.”
Monique would JUMP at the chance to be with her adorable Ashen
Chevalier. Melyssa giggled at the face
Rean made and looped her arm through his again as they began walking the
grounds. It was weird, Rean was very
easy to talk to, even more so than Ash.
The nervous energy she felt earlier had evaporated and she looked up at
the stars peeking out one by one, the moon half shaped in the sky.
“I never realized how beautiful this place is. You graduated from the Thors Main School in
Trista, right? What’s it like
there? Is Leeves similar?”
“Mmm, yes and no. No two places are exactly alike. The main
school was…. a little different, more traditional than this one, but not so
bad.” Rean said after a long moment, pacing himself slowly because this was
nice, and relaxing. “Yeah, by the way, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t let
anyone know about my relationship status, them speculating but unsure keeps me
a bit safe…” Monique came to mind, he grimaced.
Nice girl she was sure, but she was so in love with the Ashen Chevalier
and his ‘deeds’ that she tended to overlook the man.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” This reminded her of
the morning they sparred together and how Rean helped her decide what club to
pursue. There was something about Rean
Schwarzer she couldn’t quite put her finger on and it had nothing to do with
him being the Ashen Chevalier, a hero of Erebonia. “Maybe one day I’ll see
Trista for myself. I heard it’s a
beautiful little town.” She stopped and turned to face Rean, a soft smile on
her face. “You really are completely different than what I made up in my
head. If someone else was in your
position, they would be flaunting their status all over the place as being the
Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves or the Ashen Chevalier. And you don’t…and that’s very admirable. But I also think you should embrace who you
are instead of hiding from it. You are
who you are and you should be proud of your accomplishments and what you’ve done. That doesn’t mean you have to flaunt the
titles or whatever, but instead of looking sheepish and down when someone
refers to you as the Ashen Chevalier or Divine Blade, you should keep your head
up, Rean. I know it can’t be easy and I
can only imagine what you’ve been through to obtain those titles, but you
should wear them with pride and honor. I
just thought you should hear that, even if it’s from your first year student.”
“And I appreciate it, Melyssa, and you are not just my first
year student but my friend as well,” Even if they didn’t always see eye
to eye or had some weird, awkward moments. “Maybe one day I will, but not just
yet I don’t think, there are still too many people who… see me as larger than
life and as someone to be revered.” Which made it awkward to even acknowledge
the other title. Goddess, even she had been that way at first, in awe of the
Ashen Chevalier and he had felt a bit bad because of how overwhelmed she was on
those first few days with him, and then Crow -not that he had known it at the
time-, and being in Class VII. “If I was out of line for asking about you and
Ash, I apologize.”
Chapter 16
Hearing being called one of Rean’s friends made something inside
of her tingle and Melyssa didn’t understand why. He barely knew her and, yet, he referred to
her as his friend, not just his student.
Hopefully, the nervous energy she felt with Rean would be gone for good
after this talk and stroll with him.
“No, you weren’t. I
understand why you asked.” It was just the way society worked – a man and
woman, boy and girl, couldn’t hang out without the subtext of dating. “And for
the record, I consider you a friend as well, Rean.” That didn’t mean she would
start treating him differently whenever he was in Instructor form, however.
Wrong. A man and a woman
could hang out without there being the subtext of dating. Them, for example, they were hanging out and
nobody would bat an eyelash or assume anything.
Ash was in a league all of his own and most people assumed he was
‘dating’ any woman who actually spent time in his company, given the way he
‘worded’ things. “I was concerned for you, that’s why I asked. Ash is… a good guy, most of the time,” He
added quickly with a playful smile, glancing down at her as they continued
their leisurely stroll. “Other times, I have to reprimand him for running his
mouth and saying things that are one day going to land him in serious trouble
even he can’t weasel out of.”
She laughed, not able to deny Ash was very vulgar, lewd, crude
and borderline sexual harassment waiting to happen. “He is a good guy, but
definitely not my type. I made it clear
to him – he can flirt all he wants with me, but it won’t lead anywhere.” Rean
really did worry a little too much about people, Crow had been right about
that. “I do appreciate the concern, though.” They had turned to head back
across the academy field since it was getting late, heading back to the
dorm. On the way, Rean invited her to
have some gelato with him at one of the vendor stands and they found a bench by
the fountain in the middle of Leeves. “What flavor did you get again?” It was a
weird flavor, not vanilla or chocolate swirled like hers.
“Uh, it’s lemon flavor.” Rean offered her a small spoonful and
waved it at Melyssa, smiling when she hesitated. “I’ll make weird noises and
baby talk it until you try it.” He teased, his eyes sparkling when she finally
opened her mouth, watching those soft pink lips close around the spoon. “Good,
isn’t it?” He pulled it away when she was finished, helping himself to another
spoonful. “Want another bite? What kind
did you get?” Rean peered down at her, shifting closer without even thinking
about it.
“Vanilla and chocolate swirled – my favorite.”
Melyssa found herself compelled by those fuchsia eyes and held
her own spoon out, letting him sample hers like she did with his. Just like he had done, her eyes watched his
lips enclose around the spoon to take in the vanilla, chocolatey goodness
before pulling back. What was
happening? Why was she suddenly getting
butterflies in her stomach? It wasn’t
anywhere near as strong as when she was with Crow, but…there was definitely
something there.
“What do you think?”
“Delicious.” Rean ran his tongue along his bottom lip, making
sure to catch the corners and not miss a bit of that gelato. “I may have to get
that kind the next time we do this.” He said it easily enough, without
thinking, and flashed her another grin.
They were almost shoulder to shoulder now, sitting so close, and he
realized this was the most relaxed Melyssa had been around him. “You know,” He
hoped he wasn’t jinxing it by saying it out loud. “This is… nice, I don’t think
we’ve ever just talked like this.” He knew they had never hung out either.
Truthfully, she couldn’t agree with him more and took another bite
of her gelato. “You’re right, we haven’t and this is really nice. I don’t remember the last time I did
something like this.” Granted, she had lunch with Ash, but…it wasn’t relaxed
and fun like it was with Rean. And Ash
didn’t make her heart pound in her chest and warmth spread throughout every
portion of her body. “I like hanging out with you, Rean.” Just him, not
Instructor Rean or the Ashen Chevalier or Divine Blade of Eight Leaves. Just him, the man, stripped down with that
gorgeous smile and hypnotic eyes. “And I wouldn’t mind doing this with you
again.”
“You’ve had a crazy week, haven’t you?” Rean chuckled, more like
crazy term so far. She was by far the
most exciting thing happening in his life right now, now that he knew what was
-mostly all- going on with her. “I like hanging out with you too, Melyssa. I think we should do it more.” He bent down
so he could see her face properly in the star and moonlight, close enough where
their noses were almost brushing together. “Maybe after this field trip to
Jurai, we could hang out again, what do you think?”
He was so close, she could smell the lemon on his breath from
the gelato and his own scent, some kind of musky cologne. He was her Instructor and Melyssa should have
pulled away from him, but she couldn’t.
This was wrong on so many levels, but Melyssa found herself nodding and
smiling, teal mixing with fuchsia.
“I’d like that, Rean.” Was it wrong to want to hang out with her
Instructor alone? No, he wasn’t an
Instructor – not right now in this moment, eating gelato with her. It was a man and an almost woman sharing a
moment together under the moon and stars. “And…I wouldn’t mind sparring with
you again too.” Without realizing it, her voice had lowered and turned a little
husky, along with his. “I had fun with you last time, believe it or not.”
Even as oblivious as he could sometimes be, that was a change in
her voice that even Rean could not miss. He wasn’t sure if she had noticed the
way it had changed, gotten a little velvety, but every last bit of him did.
“Well, you’ve definitely improved since then.” He had noticed that during their
practical exam earlier with the combat robot.
Her footwork had improved drastically, the dancing was only enhancing her
already considerable natural ability with her Cutlass. “I look forward to it
and hopefully,” His own voice had deepened a timbre. “It’ll be soon.”
Danger, danger! Walk away
NOW! There was an alarm ringing in her head
that Melyssa couldn’t ignore and she slowly pulled back, finally breaking their
eye contact. “Just let me know the time and place and I’ll be there.” Her voice
had returned to normal and it felt as if her heart would fly out of her chest
at any second. “Thank you for the gelato and the walk. Goodnight, Rean.” Melyssa squeezed his hand
and stood up from the bench, tossing her half-eaten melted gelato in the
trashcan before heading to the dorm. What
in Aidios’ name am I doing?! He’s my
Instructor and…Crow’s best friend! Crow
is the one I want to be with, right? For
Goddess sake, he doesn’t even remember me, how could he possibly want me to be
with me? Melyssa frowned, not
understanding where these new feelings she developed for Rean were coming
from.
It didn’t make sense, but it was
obvious they had a connection…a STRONG connection.
To an outsider looking in, someone
who would have been privy to her thoughts, being in love with Crow would make
little sense to most people. Children
didn’t fall in love at eight, nine, or ten years old, right? Not true, eternal love. Usually that was puppy love, the stuff time
and space made seem sweeter and more than what it really was. It was also irrational to think that a
childhood ‘sweetheart’ would return the affection after all that had happened throughout
the years.
Someone like Rean would have probably
understood it though, and offered to help her any way he could because he was
that kind of guy, even if it meant he was shoving aside his own feelings. Where had that come from? Rean watched, with a somewhat dopey smile, as
Melyssa disappeared into the dorm finally, shaking his head as he pushed
himself to his feet. There was something there, here, between them and he
wasn’t sure exactly how strong this ‘something’ was, but he definitely wanted
to explore it.
Maybe it was impossible for children
to fall in love with each other, or one falling in love with the other. Crow had been instilled in Melyssa’s heart,
however, and she was never able to fully shake him. Even when she thought he was dead, he still
remained in her mind and heart; not a day went by she didn’t think about him
and wish for him to be alive. However…as
people grew and became adults, things changed, feelings changed and she
couldn’t deny the connection between her and Rean.
Walking into the room she shared with
Crow, Melyssa stopped at the sight of him sleeping with his arm over his eyes,
shirtless in just his boxers, his chest rising and falling steadily. He really was a beautiful man, but then
again, so was Rean. Shutting the door
and flipping the lock on it quietly, Melyssa walked over to her bed and kicked
her shoes off, doing everything in the dark.
She didn’t want to disturb Crow’s rest.
Quickly changing into her nightclothes, Melyssa slid under the covers
and laid down, staring up at the ceiling.
Crow hadn’t meant to fall
asleep. He had come in and figured he
and Melyssa would talk before they went to bed.
It was what they had done the past few nights since they had finally had
it out and talked about their mutual past, even if it wasn’t mutually remembered. He wasn’t forcing anything, he just asked her
questions, seeing if anything stuck or jogged his memory and she’d ask him
questions about his time in the war and things like that. Even though some things he had been ashamed
of, it was still alarmingly easy to talk to her, and she never judged him, even
for his darker deeds. Crow thought maybe
it was because she had known who he was prior to his life turning to crap. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he hadn’t
thought Melyssa would be out so long with Rean either.
~!~
The bath really was heavenly in the
dorm.
Melyssa sighed in contentment and
shut her eyes, having her bathing wrap on just to be on the safe side. This was a public bath for the women after
all. The steam rose around her and it
was comforting, relaxing and she could feel the soreness and aching of her
muscles deteriorate.
“Mind if I join you?”
Her eyes snapped open at the sound of
an all too familiar voice, slowly looking up at none other than her Instructor.
“Rean…” What was he doing in the women’s bath?! “T-This is for the women…”
Rean smirked, wearing just a pair of
bathing shorts and stepped into the hot water to glide over to her, his arms
slicing through the water. “I know.
Don’t worry, I locked the door.”
“B-But…” The smell of him was
infiltrating her senses once again and her mouth turned dry, those fuchsia eyes
burning through her. “I-I’m not sure…” He was her Instructor for Goddess sake!
“Rean, I…”
Rean pulled her flush against his
body and his mouth descended on hers hungrily, his arms wrapped around her to
prevent her from escaping.
“Well, well, isn’t this interesting.”
She broke the kiss instantly and
looked up at the sight of Crow staring down at them while Rean began kissing
down her neck. “C-Crow…” How did he get in here if the door was locked?
“T-This…”
He waved her off, sliding into the
water and pulled her away from Rean. “My turn for a taste, partner.”
~!~
Snapping her eyes open, Melyssa
jumped slightly in bed and looked around the room, slowly sitting upright
breathing heavy. In front of her, Crow
was still sound asleep and Melyssa was caked in sweat, glancing at the
clock. Four A.M. flashed back at her and
she scrubbed her hands down her face, swallowing hard. Water, she needed a drink of water and
quietly left the room, heading to the bathroom.
What in Aidios’ name was THAT dream about?!
That dream was telling her that she
needed to try spending some quality time with a member of the opposite
sex. Or at least that’s how a female
friend would have interpreted it. Altina
would say that obviously Melyssa had feelings for both men. Monique would encourage her to try for Crow.
“What are YOU doing up so early?”
All Ash had been doing was getting a
drink of water and MAYBE finishing off this book, leaning against the hallway
wall wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and those were dangling dangerously
low. He snapped his book shut and tucked
it beneath his arm, eyeing her curiously as he stepped away from the wall. The lighting was really dim but he had been
warned to not go wandering during ‘evening hours’ because he was
‘interruptive’, he called bullshit.
“You look flushed, beautiful.”
Goddess, save me!
What was Ash doing up this early and sitting in the hallway for? She was half-asleep, but her adrenaline was
pumping through every vein in her body from the dream. “Yeah…bad dream.” No, no
it wasn’t a bad dream. It was a VERY
good dream, in fact…a naughty dream too since Rean was her Instructor. “I just
came out for some water. I’m a little
parched.” Ash held his hand up in a one second gesture and retrieved her a cup
of it from the men’s bathroom, handing it to her. She took it, feeling a little confused and
muttered a ‘thanks’ before downing it, her breathing slowly returning to normal
along with her heartrate. “Didn’t think anyone would be up this early. Do you do this often, Ash? Wait for damsels to leave their room, so you
can offer them your help?” She smirked, though it wouldn’t surprise her if that
was his actual motive.
Ash flashed her the book cover.
“Actually, I sneak out here to read when I can’t sleep.” He informed her with
an easygoing grin, not at all bothered by her comment and he wouldn’t have been
bothered by her thoughts either. He did
have a reputation and he had earned every last bit of it. “Monique gets pissy
if I have a light on after hours, says it interferes with her beauty sleep, so…
I come out here, where the light is already on and people are usually asleep.”
He pat the space on the floor beside him. “Come join me, I’ll even read slow so
you can read along with me. Or you can
tell me about this bad dream of yours if you want.”
Chapter 17
Was that really a good idea?
Rean already thought they were
together, or had, which was why he questioned it. How many other people assumed it? More importantly, why did Melyssa care so
much? Ash was a nice guy, friendly with
a little flirtatious twist. There was NO
way she could tell him about her dream, but going back to bed wasn’t an option
either.
“All right, I’ll join you for a
little while.” Sitting down beside him, Ash held the book out to where she
could read it and she merely leaned her head on his arm, drawing her knees up
with her back against the wall. “My dream really wasn’t a nightmare. I lied.” She confessed quietly, already
feeling her cheeks tinge pink as Ash looked down at her, her teal eyes slowly
looking up at him. “I really don’t know if I can even describe it, honestly.”
Hmm, if it wasn’t a nightmare, but
she had come out of her room with flushed cheeks and elevated breathing. Ash’s
mind immediately went to ‘sex dreams’.
He knew he had them, though his usually also meant he had the lovely erection
to go with it, being a man sometimes sucked.
Couldn’t sport wood and claim nightmare at the same time as a general
rule.
“Well, how did it make you feel
then? Can you describe that?” He asked,
though he had given his attention back to the page, figuring it would take some
pressure off of her and she might be more inclined to talk.
“Heated, shocked, overwhelmed…” How
else was she supposed to feel after having a dream about both Rean and Crow
kissing her? “I’ve never had a dream like it before.” Was fate trying to tell
her something? There was no way she
could have anything intimate or romantic with Rean Schwarzer because of his
status within the academy. She was his
student! “Have, um, have you ever had an intimate dream before, Ash?” Melyssa
asked, pulling back from his arm since she was more awake now and those pink
eyes gazed down at her with his patent lewd smile. “Dumb question, never mind.”
That was not a dumb question, but the
smile he had flashed had probably not been the brightest idea, not that he
could help it. It had been his first,
automatic response to her asking a question.
Her question had been the answer to his own about what kind of dream she
had had, obviously not the nightmare spiel she had tried saying at first.
“Of course, I have since before
puberty.” He said finally, keeping his tone even and casual, as if this was the
most natural thing in the world to be discussing at 4 something in the morning.
“I think everyone does, beautiful.”
“Not everyone…” She mumbled, rubbing
her temples with her fingers, trying to understand where this dream sequence
stemmed from. Granted, she had an
incredible night with Rean and then she couldn’t get the dance with Crow out of
her mind either. It was like her heart
was split in two between them and now her subconscious had taken over. “Rean
asked if you and I were together because I told him the other reason why I’m
hesitant about going to Jurai. And I
told him you already know.” Her parents forbidding her from joining the
military academy and pursuing the way of the sword. “And before you ask, no,
the dream wasn’t about you, so get that smug look off your face, Carbide. I just figured I’d warn him before the trip,
so there’s no surprises there. I still
haven’t told Crow yet.”
At one point or another, everyone had
a sex dream or a ‘wet’ dream, it was just a part of life, especially when you
were going through puberty or finally starting to figure out things on a sexual
level. Melyssa was obviously
inexperienced and Ash was tempted to offer her… well, an education. Maybe not a hand’s on education, but… he’d
offer her advice and knowledge. Yeah,
that would probably NOT go over well.
“Wait, stop… if it wasn’t about me,
and I’m really, really hurt, beautiful, because I thought we hit it off…” Ash’s
smile widened. “It wasn’t about our dear Instructor now, was it?”
Ash could read her like a book and
she hated him for it. However, Melyssa somehow
managed not to turn completely red at the mention of Rean and shook her head,
scoffing. “Are you kidding? He’s our
Instructor, that would be terrible!” There was no choice except to lie. She nudged Ash, rolling her eyes at the
feigned hurt on his face. “I’m not telling you who it was about, but it was my
first time…experiencing a dream like that.” Another confession was bubbling up
inside of her and she could feel Ash pulling it out with that intense gaze of
his. “Look, I’ve never had a boyfriend before or any kind of intimacy. I’ve devoted my life to the sword and honing
my skills. Never had time for anything
else. Dance club is the first hobby I’ve
had outside of swordsmanship.”
“You have led an incredibly sheltered
life and as your friend, I insist on you letting me help rectify this tragedy.”
Ash said it seriously, but when she nudged him with her elbow, he began
laughing -softly so they didn’t wake anyone up.
Rean, he would bet money she had dreamt of Rean. He supposed she wasn’t the only girl to do
so, he knew Monique did and wrinkled his nose.
She had woken him up with HER moaning and other things in her bed,
disgusting. “So it’s only now that you’re finding interest in the opposite
gender?”
With her thinking Crow was dead,
Melyssa had completely consumed herself in her swordsmanship and put everything
else on the backburner. “Honestly?
Yeah. I must be some kind of
mutant or something.”
Considering she was turning 18 on
Saturday, Melyssa hadn’t found any interest in men until she came to the
academy. Then again, she hadn’t really
been around many men in her life besides her father and grandfather. The boys at school in Jurai weren’t anything
to look at, nothing compared to the academy.
“And no, you’re not helping me
rectify it either.” There was no way Ash would be her first kiss – Goddess no!
“I’ve never given it much thought as far as having a boyfriend or being in a
relationship. Probably because my
parents kept pressuring me to get married instead of following the way of the sword. I rebelled against what they wanted me to
do.” Because I
had to find my own way, my own path, even when I thought Crow was dead, she added in thought, scrubbing a
hand down her face.
“How are you supposed to get married
without any experience in life whatsoever?” Ash asked, though to be honest, it
wasn’t unheard of. Going from kid to
wife or husband was a way of life for many people, especially in smaller
countries. That was just ridiculous,
going from one extreme to the other without any middle ground, any life
experience between the two. “I have a question.” His tone turned serious. “If
not for thinking Crow was dead, would you have picked up a sword and become so
devoted to learning this path?” Would she have gone down another road
basically?
Wow, she couldn’t remember Ash ever
getting this serious with her, even his eyes looked serious and it made a lump
form in her throat. “I picked it up shortly after he left Jurai to pursue his
revenge on the Chancellor. He told me
about it the last night we were together, how he wanted Osborne to suffer for
killing his grandfather and Jurai. I
wanted to follow him and I thought, one day, we would reunite somewhere in the
empire and fight side by side.” She sat up more, remembering the first day she
picked up her Cutlass, which she took very good care of. It was her grandfather’s – he supported her
decision, but couldn’t go against her parents, or more importantly, his
daughter. “I may have picked it up because of Crow in the beginning, but the
more I practiced and self-taught myself, self-trained, I discovered I loved
it. My passion for it grew day in and
day out, night in and night out. My
grandfather built some contraptions for me to practice with since my parents
wouldn’t let me receive proper training for it, so he did what he could to help
me. So, in a way, Crow lead me down the
path I always felt I was meant to go.” The way of the sword. “And when I found
out Crow died because of Duke Cayenne, I vowed to get revenge for my best
friend. I also wanted revenge against
the Ashen Chevalier because I firmly believed Crow died because of him. I didn’t know the entire story and now that I
do, I don’t feel that desire for revenge anymore.” Crow was alive and that was
all that mattered to her at the end of the day.
“I pray, that others fall out of
desire for revenge as quickly as they fall into it.” Ash said seriously,
wondering if Melyssa realized how special she was. She was about the only female he talked to
like this most of the time. Sure, he
could hold proper conversations with others, but… more often than not, he was
flirting and being… well, himself. “Revenge is what got Crow where he is now.”
And that wasn’t exactly 100% himself
either, he had come back missing some key bits apparently. Revenge for his grandfather. She had wanted revenge for Crow. Those were slippery slopes to be on and he
was glad she had managed to come out of it before she wound up jaded and broken.
She frowned, lowering her eyes and
couldn’t deny what Ash said. Crow wasn’t
in a horrible place these days, but he had gone through pure hell in order to
arrive here…with only some of his memories. “I know it was wrong to feel the
way I did. The only reason I came to
Thors is because of my outside help I told you about. They sort of…convinced me to come here to
hone my skills. I had no idea what class
I would end up in or anything. Actually,
I wanted to go to the main school, but they didn’t have room for any more
commoners, so I was sent here.”
What would have happened if she’d
been sent to the other school? Would she
have discovered Crow was alive or would she have drifted down the road of
revenge further? That was a very
unsettling thought.
“Now it’s my turn to ask you a
question, Ash. Do you do this with a lot
of people, talk to them about their problems or their feelings? Because you’re good at it, just so you know.”
“What do YOU think?” He asked
derisively, adding in a snort just to emphasize his feelings on that ridiculous
idea. “No. No I do not. Most people think I’m nothing more than some
vulgar, handy with a weapon, brick wall.” Since he was a bit of a big guy, all
muscle. “Why would I want to change how people perceive that? They might give me more responsibility or put
me in positions I don’t want to be in.” Crow was not the only slacker in Class
VII, Ash had cornered his own fair share of that market. Admittedly, when people -the select few of
them anyway- did find out he was brainy, as well as brawny and not just a
lecher, he did enjoy seeing the surprise on their faces. “Besides, I like you,
beautiful.” He winked one pink eye at her, knowing he had given her food for
thought with that revenge bit. That was
insightful, even for him and he knew it. “Now, I think,” Ash stood up, bending
down to help her to her feet. “I’m ready to go back to bed and try squeezing in
a couple more hours, how about you?”
She liked him too, as a friend. Ash meant it that way too, Melyssa could tell
and slowly shook her head, hugging him briefly around the waist. “Just know that
if you ever need to talk about something, no matter how small it is, I’m here
for you too. This isn’t just a one way
street. I’m not going back to sleep, I
think I’ll take a quick shower and then go train downstairs for a while.”
She was too restless to sleep,
especially after that dream and the upcoming trip to Jurai tomorrow
morning. Ash responded by kissing the
top of her head and headed back to his room with book in hand, waving over his
shoulder at her. Quietly, she went back
to her and Crow’s room to grab her bathing bag and clothes, jumping nearly out
of her skin when the light flipped on.
“Shit!”
And there was Crow with a pistol out, his fiery red eyes wild
and his hair sticking up every which way.
He had the most jacked dream. “What are you doing?” He demanded gruffly,
realizing he was almost pointing the business end of his weapon at her and put
his hand down, shaking his head. He was
sitting upright in his bed, the lamp between beds the light he had flipped
on. Crow took her in, noting the stuff
in her hands and then glanced at the time, finally putting the gun away. “’m
sorry.” He muttered, drawing his knees up beneath the sheet he was under and
ran his hands through his hair, making it stand up even more.
“Crow?” Melyssa dropped her stuff
instantly and slowly moved toward him, being cautious because he could lash out
at her at any moment. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She wasn’t the only one that had
messed up dreams apparently, but his had been a nightmare. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind. Once she was at his bedside, Melyssa slid her
fingers through his haphazard hair and those crimson eyes looked up to meet
concern-filled teal. Were those tears in
his eyes? Her heart splintered at the
turmoil she saw in them and without thinking about it, her arms wrapped around
his neck to hold him.
“It’s okay…you’re okay…”
“Off me,” He ordered in a half-husky, half-growl tone of voice,
shaking his head as she extricated herself from him. “I just pulled a gun on
you and you’re hugging me?”
Even half-asleep, he knew that made no sense, this woman was out
of her mind. He could have shot
her. He closed his eyes against that
image, crimson blood pooling out of her chest, the light dulling to nothing in
her usually vibrant teal eyes.
Unsurprisingly, Melyssa didn’t move from his bed, just sat on the edge
of it and stared patiently at him.
Groaning, Crow dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, wiping away the
tears that he was refusing to acknowledge.
“I haven’t had that dream in years.” He muttered, finally
looking at her again.
“You don’t have to talk about it, if
you don’t want to. And I’m not going to
ask about it. I just want to make sure
you’re okay.”
Melyssa wanted to reach for him, at
least take his hand or touch him in some way, but she refrained. He didn’t want to be touched or coddled right
now and she understood that. The
paleness was slowly disappearing and the color had risen back in his face, so
that was a good sign.
“I’m here if you do want to talk about
it, though. I always have time for you,
roomie.” She winked, trying to get him to at least crack a smile and frowned
when he just continued staring at her.
Was the dream about her? Was it about the past? No, he didn’t remember her, so why would he dream
about her?
Chapter 18
“It smells like fish.” He informed
her finally, knowing that probably made no sense at all unless she thought he
was taking a jab at the fishmonger thing, her family, which he wasn’t. Slumping back against the headboard, Crow let
his hands drop in his lap, just staring at Melyssa. “In my… dream, it always
smells like fish, and salt… and rancid water, like… water in a barrel that’s…
briny. Someone is trapped in this dark
place, and it’s small, and she’s crying for help, but it gets weaker and
weaker. I’m trying to find her and I
don’t, I never do, and the crying stops, but the smell gets stronger. I think she died.”
Fish…salt…water…that all linked to Jurai
since it was just off the ocean, which was how the city originally made trades
and whatnot. Melyssa didn’t move from
where she sat and honestly had no idea what to say either. He dreamt of a girl crying out for help in a
dark place and he thought she was dead.
What in Aidios’ name had this man been through these past few years to
make him dream something like that?
“She died in the dream, you mean?”
He nodded and she clasped her hands
together tightly in her lap. It would be
pretty presumptuous to think it was her since Crow had no memories of her,
but…the environment and surroundings of the dream, again, reminded her of their
home. It was a little too convenient
and, as far as she knew, Crow didn’t have any other friends that were girls in
Jurai.
“Do…do you know who the girl in your
dream is? Have you been in that kind of
situation before in real life?”
“I don’t know, it feels real. It smells real.” Crow said after a
long moment, considering it as he studied her. “I’ve had the dream for a long
time and maybe once I knew it, or what it went, but… this is the first time
I’ve had it since I’ve, um, come back.” Fish and brine, a barrel, dark and a
young child crying. “To the best of my knowledge, I have never been trapped in
a fish barrel. You tell me, fishmonger’s
daughter, have I?” She may know since she knew things about him he had
forgotten.
Trapped in a fish barrel…Melyssa’s
brows drew together because something zipped through her mind, a very faint
memory…
~!~
“Help me!! Please!!
I’m scared!!” The five-year-old little girl screamed at the top of her
lungs, the darkness surrounding her.
“Hold on, I’m…trying…”
A boy’s voice could be heard through the barrel and he was struggling to pop
the top on it.
“PLEASE!! MOMMY!!
DADDY!!”
The silver haired boy
gritted his teeth, having a wrench in hand and sweat rolled down the sides of
his face. “Hold on! I’ll get help!”
“HELP ME!!” The little
girl was near hysterics by now since she was sitting in very old water and it
smelled horrible in here, like rotten fish.
~!~
Her eyes snapped open when she felt a
hand on her shoulder, bewildered teal eyes wide while they stared into confused
crimson. “W-What was that?” She whispered, more to herself than Crow and rubbed
the back of her neck. “Sorry, sorry…I just…” What was she supposed to say? The truth. “Crow…” She swallowed hard,
wondering how he would react to what she was about to say. “T-That…dream…I
don’t think it’s just a dream. I think
it’s a memory…from Jurai.” At 5-years-old, little girls didn’t have the
greatest memory, but certain events stuck with even the youngest. “I’m not
sure, mind you, but I just…something just struck me when you told me what the
dream was about and it felt like a memory.”
If that dream, that nightmare, he had
wasn’t a dream but a memory replaying itself out in his head, the Goddess had
the oddest sense of humor. He was
dreaming about an event of a girl he didn’t remember. An event she didn’t remember, but she
remembered him. He felt the weirdest
sensation, not exactly déjà vu, but something very close to it.
“In my dream I can’t get to her and
the screaming just… tapers off.” But obviously, Melyssa was alive and well, and
not pickled and brined in a fish barrel. “What do you remember?”
“The flashback I just had was of a
little girl in a barrel, screaming for help.
Screaming for her Mom and Dad.
It’s dark, so I couldn’t see who the little girl is. And a little boy’s voice is telling her he’s
trying and he’s straining to open the barrel the little girl is in. I don’t even know if it’s a barrel, but…there
is water in it.” Her hands began to tremble and she clenched them tightly in
her lap, taking a few deep breaths to slow her suddenly racing heart. “Does
that sound like your dream? I mean there
are similarities…” That vision had come out of NOWHERE, only when Crow
described what his nightmare was about. “I DO know that those fish barrels are
used to transport fish across the ocean in Zemuria for trade.” That hadn’t stopped
in Jurai. “So the water in them smells really bad.”
“You sound like you’re describing
something you saw and not experienced.” Crow pointed out, like it was a dream
she had had as well. He idly wondered if
she had any siblings or something, emphasis on had, and swallowed hard. Where were these grim thoughts coming from?
“I need water.” He muttered, his throat suddenly parched and tossed back the
sheet, revealing nothing beneath but his sleep shorts. “I don’t know… it just
smelled briny… and was dark and dank, and I wasn’t in there, but… maybe I was.”
He didn’t know, it was starting to fade. “Maybe when we go to Jurai, things
will become clearer.”
“Maybe…sorry, it was…I don’t know if
it was…I mean…” Groaning in frustration, Melyssa stood up as well and grabbed
her bag while Crow pulled pants on. “I’m gonna shower and then go train
downstairs until class starts. If you
need me, you know where to find me.”
Crow looked like he needed time alone
and, honestly, Melyssa was thrown after that vision or memory she’d had. Was it her in that barrel? Her parents would know, but she hadn’t spoken
to them in over a year, so that wasn’t an option to question them.
“Oh…” She stopped and turned to face
him, suddenly remembering what she’d told Rean and Ash already about Jurai. “My
parents don’t know I’m here. I told Rean
last night and I was hoping you’d stick around to hear everything, but you
didn’t, so I’m telling you now. That’s another
reason why I’m hesitant about this upcoming trip to Jurai. I really don’t know if I want to see them,
but…if it’ll help jog your memory, I’m willing to grin and bear it. I’ll leave the decision up to you and we’ll
talk about it later.” Then, she left the room and went to take a much-needed
shower.
What in the blue realms was up with
this woman and either walking out without a word or walking out and leaving a
guy hanging? Crow could only stare at
the door, scratching the top of his head before going to get that glass of
water. Why didn’t her parents know she was here? Wasn’t that kind of a requirement for getting
into Thors to begin with? Groaning, he
filled a bottle and retreated back to the bedroom, already knowing he wasn’t
going to get anymore sleep, but he lay down anyway, making sure the drawer his
pistols were in was locked this time, not about to EVER greet her with one
again. If it was going to cause her
distress, he had no problem in holding off on that visit.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t go to
Jurai on his own.
She hadn’t meant to rush out on him,
but…having a pistol pointed at her and then hearing Crow’s dream, nightmare,
whatever he wanted to call it, somewhat scared her. There was no way she could tell him that,
though. The last thing she wanted to do
was push him farther away or put more space between them. Standing in the middle of the training room,
alone, Melyssa held her Cutlass in a stance that did not leave any
openings. Her guard was up and she
closed her eyes, feeling and hearing each swing of her weapon. Complete and total concentration, she just
wanted to escape for a while in training and could tell her footwork was much
more fluid.
~!~
Friday morning arrived sooner than
Melyssa would have liked as she boarded the bullet and bomb-proof train, the
Derfflinger, that would take them all the way to Jurai. It would take around 6 hours to get there, so
Rean instructed everyone to eat breakfast before take-off. Melyssa hadn’t talked to Crow because he was
gone by the time she arrived back at the dorms last night. He didn’t return until late and she was
already asleep by then. It was like
they’d swapped places with him being out late and her in the dorm. Finding her room – each student had their own
on the train – Melyssa set her bag down and looked out the window, watching the
scenery fly by.
“Melyssa.”
She knew that voice anywhere and
turned around, smiling at the sight of none other than Principal Aurelia Le
Guin. “Good morning, General.”
“How many times must I tell you not
to call me that, child?” Aurelia chastised playfully, walking up to stand in
front of the student. “How are you getting along with Class VII thus far? Are you comfortable with them and the ARCUS
II?”
“Yes, General.”
Aurelia decided not to hound her about
using the title since she had been a General for the Noble Alliance during the
civil war. “Good, I was just checking up on you. You haven’t told anyone how you came to be
here, right?”
“I have, but I did not mention your
name at all. I gave you my word and I
stand by it. Nobody will find out you’re
the one who helped me get into Thors.”
Aurelia smiled at that, proud of the
girl standing in front of her and patted her shoulder. “Very well, thank you
for being discreet and keeping your word.
That’s very honorable. I will
take my leave then. Rest up, Class VII
has a very busy day ahead of them when we arrive in Jurai SEZ later today.”
“Yes, General.”
Rean, who had been standing in the
narrow hall, guiding the students to their rooms, had spotted Aurelia stepping
into Melyssa’s room and then coming out.
He didn’t think overly much about it since she also visited a few other
students, knowing she was just checking in and getting a measure of everything. This was Class VII’s first excursion of the
year and after everything that had happened last year, and what they were also
investigating while in Jurai, he would have been surprised to NOT see her. Once everyone was in their compartment, he
made his way down to his own, halting to knock on the open door to Melyssa’s
and grinned when she glanced over at him.
“Nervous?”
“A little, yeah.” The nervous energy
she used to feel with Rean wasn’t there anymore and it made her feel a little
more at ease. “You can come in, you don’t have to hover in the doorway.” Rean
looked a little sheepish and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. That erotic dream with him and Crow suddenly
sprung to mind and Melyssa cursed her brain for bringing up something like that
at the worst time. “I take it you were worried about me, Rean?” Why else would
he be hovering in her doorway with a pensive smile on his face? “I won’t be
distracted during the field study, I promise.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t
worried,” He admitted, sitting down beside her, though he was mindful enough to
leave space between them.
This wasn’t like the other night when
they had had gelato together. This was
an official school trip and he was here as her Instructor, he could probably
wind up in a sling being in here with her with the door shut. He also would probably get out of it because
he was still fairly popular and revered as the Ashen Chevalier, but it wasn’t
in Rean’s nature to capitalize on things like that. “You look a little
flushed,” He leaned in towards her, bringing his fingers up to press against
her forehead. “Are you all right?” His hand moved to the back of her neck.
“You’re warm, but not burning hot.”
She swallowed hard at the feeling of
his hand against her forehead and then her neck, that nervous energy back for
an entirely different reason. “I-I’m fine.
Really.”
Melyssa firmly pushed the image of
Rean and Crow in the back of her mind, needing to focus. There was a very good reason why she was
flushed and warm to the touch…and one of them was currently in her room. Those fuchsia eyes were full of concern and
confusion, making her stomach tighten.
“Just thinking about what I’ll say
when I see my parents again. I think…we
should go see them and see if we can’t jog Crow’s memory. He remembered something, I think, in a dream
and he said he’s been having the same dream on and off since he left
Jurai. I know my parents won’t be happy
about it, but…Crow is more important and I want to help him any way I can. What do you think, Rean?” Oh goddess, she
managed to avoid an awkward situation with her Instructor with the change in
subject.
“Now, I think that’s a good idea,
but…” There was a but because this was a class field study and he had to think
about the entire class. Crow’s memory
issues had not been a problem up until Melyssa informing a few people that Crow
did not have all his memories back. He
didn’t have his memories of her. “It will also depend on how much time we
have. We have to investigate Ouroboros since we’ll be in the region.” When he had initially
planned the trip, he had thought that being in familiar territory would help
the pair bond, he had gotten a lot more than he had bargained for. “You two
together will be able to make that excursion, but the class as a whole… I don’t
know yet.”
“Right, I understand completely.”
There was a mystery here with Crow’s
nightmare and Jurai and it was obvious Rean didn’t know anything about it. If they didn’t have time during this trip,
they would simply have to come back to Jurai another time together…outside of
the academy. Her face turned serious as
she turned to fully face Rean, clasping her hands in her lap. The flush was gone for the moment and she had
cooled down.
“What exactly are we investigating
with Ouroboros? You never did tell us
the specifics.”
Chapter 19
“That’s because I didn’t have all the
specifics at the time.”
Rean was glad she wasn’t taking what
he had said personally. That was the
downside to being both the teacher and the friend, as an Instructor he had to
put the class as a whole first. Now, if
by chance this thing with Crow and Melyssa also somehow tied into Ouroboros,
that would be a whole new ballgame, but what were the odds?
“There’s been some odd occurrences in
Jurai, political mostly, but some are economical, and if not checked, they have
the ability to destabilize the zone.” Which was something Ouroboros would do,
it was one of their specialties, destabilizing areas and causing chaos.
Why would she take it
personally? Business came first and she
understood that. Helping Crow was a
priority, but not at the top of her list when it came to the academy. Ouroboros was very dangerous and if they were
trying to destabilize Jurai, something had to be done. What worried her was Rean saying there were
political issues within Jurai since it was an economic zone through the
Imperial government. There wasn’t a
Mayor or ‘leader’ or anything, just the Railway Military Police, headed by
Major Claire Rieveldt and the Imperial guard in general. “Do you know which
member of the Society we’re investigating?” Melyssa was almost afraid to ask
since they were all dangerous, but two stood out to her above all else.
“Enforcer No. 0 Campanella, the Fool
and Enforcer No. 1 McBurn, the Almighty Conflagration.”
Those were the topmost dangerous
members in Ouroboros and nobody had seen or heard from McBurn or Campanella
since the Twilight was stopped. “Oh wow.”
“Yeah, wow, so first we need to
determine if there is active Ouroboros presence in Jurai, and then we’ll
address how we determine what exactly they are up too.” Which… was a lot for
one weekend, and he knew time was the enemy here because it wasn’t like they
could just go out and start asking a million questions.
Rean also knew that their presence,
Class VII, was going to raise some questions anyway. A lot of them had been a part of the civil
war and other bits in one way or another.
They would be working from sunup to sundown for the three days they were
in Jurai. There would be no stone left
unturned, there wouldn’t be any time for excursions outside of the field study
unless…it was after the day ended.
“If it’s political, that’s definitely
going to raise eyebrows and suspicions.
You don’t think Ouroboros is trying to start another civil war between
the Nobles and the Imperial government, do you?” During the first civil war,
Ouroboros worked closely with the Noble Faction, which created the Noble
Alliance.
“It wouldn’t surprise me. While we’re
at peace, it’s still new and one wrong thing could set it all sliding back.” Rean
admitted with a heavy sigh. “There’s a lot of tension and bad blood on either
side, stirring that up wouldn’t be too hard, but Ouroboros will be cunning
about it.”
Considering they had operated for
centuries in the shadows, they had this down to an art. He rather admired the ability they had and
the power they wielded from said shadows, but it was the same admiration he had
for a deadly beast. Rean appreciated the
raw power, he recognized it had to be put down.
“We’ll figure it out. This is Class VII and we have the best
Instructor with us. We won’t fail.”
Melyssa winked, trying to ease the tension a little and wondered what Crow was up
to.
She wanted to go talk to him, but at
the same time, she didn’t want to bother him.
That’s all she felt like lately was a big bother to Crow, for some
reason. Things were complicated and she
almost wished she hadn’t said anything to him about them knowing each other as
children. He hadn’t been standoffish
with her or distant until the revelation.
Maybe he really didn’t want anything to do with his past, including the
people he knew like her. It would break
her heart if that was the case and Melyssa immediately stopped going down that
dark road, needing to stay positive.
As if reading her mind, actually it
was more of her face, Rean decided to ask about her and Crow. “How’s it going
with Crow?” She confirmed it was that with the way her face shifted. “Not so
good?” He draped his arm back along the seat rest, staring down at her
intently. “He doesn’t remember anything, does he?”
And maybe he never would, he wondered
if Melyssa had acknowledged that yet or even started preparing herself for that
potential outcome. If Crow never
regained those memories, regained his knowledge of her, how would that affect
her? Concern shone in his eyes.
“I wish I wouldn’t have told him who
I really am. Before I did, he was
carefree and friendly, but now…I don’t know.” Melyssa sighed heavily and leaned
back against the seat, this time reading Rean’s mind without realizing it.
“Maybe I just have to face the cold truth of the matter. Crow may never get his memories back of me,
of his time in Jurai, and I have to accept that. It’s reality.” She looked up at Rean, seeing
the relief flash across his face at her words. “Don’t worry, I won’t fall apart
over it. He’s alive and I can always
make new memories with him.” As long as he wanted to make them with her anyway.
“He’s distant towards you, isn’t he?”
Rean asked curiously, not surprised to see her nod almost helplessly. Yeah, that would suck, having that closeness
prior, but then… yeah. He shook his
head, looking out the window for a moment before back down at her. “Maybe he’s
trying to remember things.” He suggested finally, knowing Crow would come
around -if ever- when he wanted and on his own terms; that was just how Crow
was. “Well if you need anything, I’m always here, Melyssa. Someone to talk too, hang out… shoulder to
cry on.” His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled again. “I’m not just
your Instructor.”
Her very desirable Instructor that
she had erotic dreams about. They were
the reason she refused to go back into the bath at the dorm and stuck to
showers instead. “Thank you.” There were just SOME things she could NOT confide
to Rean about, such as what she’d already told Ash. Never had a boyfriend, never even kissed a
guy before…she really was a mutant. “Please don’t say anything to Crow about
this. I don’t need him losing focus on
the field study. When we get back to Leeves,
I’ll talk to him about it, but not while we’re in Jurai. Will you do that for me, friend?” Now she
cracked a smile back at him.
“I’m not going to say a word to him,
I doubt anything I would say would help the situation.” Rean promised easily
enough. “Now, on the other hand, if he comes to me and talks about the
situation, I’m not going to send him away. I’m his friend too.” His best friend
actually and the way she nodded told him Melyssa understood. “You’re flushed
again.” He used his hand on her forehead once more, frowning slightly before
leaning in. A second later, his lips
were firmly pressed against her forehead. “Mmm.”
“I-I meant about how I feel…”
What was he doing?! Melyssa didn’t move an inch, frozen in her
seat and her breathing had quickened a little, along with her heartrate. What was it about Rean Schwarzer that made
her insides quake?
“Rean, um…” Her mouth was dry and her
throat had locked up, causing her vocal cords to stop working temporarily. He pulled back and their eyes locked, their
lips mere not even an inch apart. “I don’t…”
A knock sounded at her door, jolting
both of them apart and she stood up instantly while Rean went to the
window. Sliding open the door, a pair of
deep crimson eyes stared back at her and Melyssa felt actual relief flood her
at the sight of Crow. Crow stood there,
his eyes moving back and forth between the pair. Melyssa’s cheeks were rosy and
Rean’s eyes were slightly dilated, his lips parted just a fraction.
“Am I interrupting?” He asked curiously,
his tone light and friendly, though fire was now simmering in his red eyes.
“No, not at all, we were just
discussing the trip.” Rean grinned broadly, stepping back to make room. “I was
actually getting ready to leave, I need to check in on a few others before I
finally find my own room.” He sidled past Crow and out the door.
Melyssa did not dare watch Rean leave
and stepped aside for Crow to enter, the door closing behind her. She really had to get a hold of her emotions
and had to wonder if Rean was about to kiss her before Crow decided to
interrupt them. Why would he press his
lips to her forehead? She wasn’t sick or
anything…Melyssa could not figure him out and pushed it out of her mind, her
focus going back to Crow.
“Hi.” That sounded lame and she could
tell Crow wasn’t amused to find their Instructor in here alone with her.
“What’s on your mind, roomie?”
Rean kept doing it because she kept
flushing and the only reason he could think of for that was sickness. Or perhaps embarrassment, but what would
Melyssa have to be embarrassed about. It
occurred to him that he would like to see her flushed under certain
circumstances and he cleared his throat, slipping into his room.
“Just wanted to check in on you, it
feels weird, having my own room.” Crow laughed, moving to take Rean’s seat
though he didn’t sit as close. “What’d the Instructor want? Something about why we’re there?”
There was that laughter, that
carefree attitude Crow had prior to finding out who she truly was. “He came to
check on me because he knows I’m nervous about going to Jurai. He also told me the members of Ouroboros that
are possibly in the region.” She sat down next to him, resting her hands in her
lap and slowly looked at him, into those crimson eyes. Melyssa could have confronted him right here
and now, but like she told Rean, she wanted Crow’s focus to be on the field
study. “We really have our work cut out for us for our first field study.”
“Yeah, we do.”
So that meant, even if it wouldn’t
have caused issues between her and family, they weren’t going to have the time
to go exploring for those missing memories.
Crow wasn’t sure if he felt disappointed or relieved. He didn’t know why the disappointment was
there, when Melyssa obviously treasured their childhood friendship, so… what
was his deal?
“So, I’m sure you think I’ve been a
royal jerk lately.” Ever since the night he had pulled his pistol out on her.
“And I’m sorry.”
“No.
I’ve never thought you were a jerk, Crow. But…I’ve come to the realization that you may
never regain the memories of us. And I
regret telling you who I really am because it’s just made things awkward
between us.”
He wasn’t spontaneous like he’d been
the night he danced with her in their room or fell asleep spooned up against
her. Melyssa missed those moments and it
was all because of her big mouth and belief Crow would somehow regain the
memory of her. She’d been selfish,
inconsiderate and wrong to tell him or anyone, for that matter.
“You seemed like you wanted to be
left alone, so that’s why I haven’t bothered you.”
“I’m trying to remember the things
you want me too.” He said after a moment, frowning slightly. She regret telling him. “I always had this
weird feeling around you, like a nagging in my gut, trying to tell me something
and now I know what it is. I just wish I
could remember. I guess… it feels
different now around you because you remember some kid and I don’t…” Obviously
it was coming back, slowly, and things like that nightmare he had had proved he
had memories that were there deep in his subconscious.
"But I know you aren't a kid anymore. And I certainly
don't see you that way either." Melyssa grabbed his hand and set it on her
skirt covered thigh, teal eyes full of warmth and plea. "The past is the
past. I just...I miss the connection we had before I told you who I
am. I don't want anything to change or
be different with us. I want to get to
know you all over again. I am glad you
still kept your love for games, though. But I want to get to know you in
the present, right here and now, instead of living in the past. I will still help you and answer any
questions you have, but I also want us to move forward." Goddess, she
hoped she didn't sound pushy or manipulative.
Crow was somewhat confused.
She was angry with him because of their past, his ‘death and
resurrection’, and then she was sad because he didn’t remember anything about
their childhood together, and now she wanted to move on and not dwell on the
past. He was beyond confused
actually. His palm was also tingling as
he looked down, realizing where she had set his hand and acted instinctively,
his fingers flexing and tightening for a moment before relaxing. He was about
two seconds away from caressing her or something, realizing this was the
closest they had been with each other in a while. He really had been distant lately.
Melyssa wasn’t angry anymore.
She was sad, but that would pass in due time. Crow being distant made her realize that
pushing him to remember the past and putting this pressure on him just drove
him away. When he squeezed her thigh,
her hand on top of his, Melyssa felt the muscles jump instinctively, her cheeks
flushing all over again. What was going
through his mind right now? He didn’t
speak a word and had flexed his fingers, but she had no idea what that
meant. What was Crow trying to tell her
without using words?
“Are you okay?” She asked softly, after several minutes of
silence flew by between them. “Please, say something, Crow.”
“I don’t know. Yeah, I
guess.”
He pulled his hand away, knowing she was too virginal to realize
that that was a pretty intimate gesture. Well, maybe she did know, there were
rumors about her and Ash Carbide, which he didn’t believe for a second because
she had better taste than that. She was
HIS friend, after all. However, he also
knew he couldn’t really assume anything about her experience with intimacy,
even though everything about her screamed virgin in big, flashing letters.
Goddess, where did those
thoughts come from? He had been musing about the distance between them
since she had revealed what she knew about him, about them being friends in
Jurai. How her parents had basically
babysat him and then he had been thinking about Melyssa not as a friend, but as
something else entirely. As a woman… a
woman, it dawned on him almost stupidly because he couldn’t believe he was
surprised by this, he was interested in on a physical level.
Chapter 20
Something else was bothering Crow and
Melyssa didn’t have the faintest idea what it could be. Just the tone of his voice alone told her he
was anything except all right. There was
nothing she could do for him – he had to help himself before anyone else could.
“No, you’re not. It’s okay, I won’t ask.”
Maybe grabbing his hand to hold it
was presumptuous of her. It had been a
natural reaction since he’d come to finally talk to her. Was he bothered by the fact she ran away from
home and hadn’t seen her parents in over a year? Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t
discussed it because she had walked away before he could question anything. Why did things have to be so complicated?
Nope, he wasn’t bothered in the least
that she had run away from home and hadn’t seen her parents. That was her business. He was amused by it actually, and rather
admiring of her gumption. She had known what she wanted, she knew she had to
find alternative means to get it, and she had gone for it, consequences be
damned. Nobody had been hurt in the
process, besides said parents maybe on an emotional level, and she was getting
an education and working towards acquiring her dream. Not many people could say that, ever.
“I’m not going to worry about the
past.” He informed her, the decision just kind of clicking in his head as he
stared intently down at her, turning sideways in the seat so his body was
facing hers. “I’ve been trying to make myself remember and feeling like I’m
letting you down,” Which he had been, by being distant. “And I’m done with
it. If it happens, it happens.” Crow
gave her his patent smile, eyes staring intently into hers. “And we have enough
to worry about with Ouroboros in Jurai without adding more fire to the flames.”
“We do, yes.” Crow probably knew
members of Ouroboros better than anyone since they had been his allies during
the civil war. He more than likely had
inside information that would help Class VII figure out what exactly they were
doing and after. “And you’re not letting me down, Crow. You never were. I’m sorry for putting so much pressure on
you. I didn’t realize I was doing it
until now.” He was fine just the way he was and maybe it was a blessing in
disguise he didn’t remember her or the past. “Instructor Rean did say if we
have time, we can go see my parents, if we want.” More than likely, it would
have to be at night after the investigating for the day is over. “He also said
Ouroboros has something to do with the political nature in Jurai and that
worries me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me… Ouroboros
likes to destabilize economic zones that are already fragile and everything is
fragile right now.” Jurai was small, but it was also a focal port and provider
of certain goods, so casting Jurai into chaos would have a rippling
effect. Maybe not overly major -at
first-, but that was how the ‘secret’ society worked, in the shadows and with
long-term goals instead of short-term gains. “Then there’s the fact that we’re
at peace and all it’ll take is a few well-placed daggers, figuratively
speaking, to disrupt that…” He sighed, pushing silver hair off his forehead.
“This is going to be an interesting field study.”
They still hadn’t been able to form a
proper Combat Link with each other either.
Rean was determined to get them to do it, so they would be hunting down
Ouroboros linked together. Melyssa went
to say something else when her room began to shake and an explosion suddenly
went off.
“We’re being attacked!!”
“Everyone, head to the back of the
train!!”
That could be heard through her room
door and both Melyssa and Crow were up instantly, racing out into the
hallway. Another explosion hit and it
sent them both flying back into her room to the opposite wall. The train was…tilting…they were falling!
“CROW!” She cried out, knowing they
were being ambushed and more than likely, it was from Ouroboros.
Screaming ensued as the train
plummeted from the tracks and down into the water, exploding half of it and the
other half began to sink. Crow tried
breaking the window and finally managed to succeed as they both swam out of it,
but Melyssa caught her arm on a shard, slicing it open.
Crow the student was gone and the man
who had led the terrorist organization was out in full swing. One arm went around Melyssa, dragging her
away from the sinking train. He didn’t
bother with surfacing, the train sinking would drag them and everything around
down with it. Eventually, he surfaced, glancing down to make sure she had a
pulse and pressed his hand to check. “You okay?” His voice came out strained,
gruff, oblivious to the fact that she was bleeding.
In the light, he could see she was
pale and attributed it to what had just happened. Coughing and gasping for air, Melyssa
couldn’t answer him at first, but the noises she made told him she was
alive. Crow didn’t let go of her as he
began swimming towards land. Her arm was
throbbing, searing with pain from the cut and she was losing blood slowly but
surely. Eventually, they made it to dry
land and Melyssa crawled on her hands and knees, upheaving water she had
consumed. She heard something rip and
slowly turned her head to see Crow wrapping her arm in some kind of cloth.
“W-What in Aidios’ name just
happened?” She stammered, coughing more while he finished tending to her wound
the best he could. “C-Crow, are you hurt?”
“No.”
He wasn’t even in shock and a small
part of him felt bad for the other people from the train. Some of them wouldn’t have made it, some may
drown, and he would bet a lot of them were in shock right now, struggling to
make it out of the water. It occurred to
him that some of their classmates from Class VII may have not made it if they
were in the initial explosion range on the train. He couldn’t think of that, not right
now. Right now he had to focus on their
survival.
“Is there anything else?” He asked
once done with her arm, beginning to take stock of her limbs before cupping her
face and checking to make sure she wasn’t in shock.
Rean, Ash, Juna, Altina, Kurt…they
were nowhere to be found and Melyssa could already feel the tears boiling in
her eyes. Her throat felt like it was
locking up, the shock of the attack draining out of her. Goddess, pull it
together, she
mentally chastised, shaking her head when Crow asked the same question again
regarding if she had any other injuries. “W-We have to…we have to move. We have to find Rean and everyone else…”
Thankfully, her Cutlass was still strapped to her side and Crow had his
double-saber and pistols. Slowly getting
to her feet with his help, Melyssa wiped the tears away that streamed down her
cheeks and took a few deep breaths. “W-We need to find out where we are too…”
“No, you need to stop and breathe.”
Crow informed her, standing with his feet spread apart, his eyes were on her,
but he was listening to the sounds of people screaming and crying, stuff in the
water, it was a disaster. “We also need to assess which side of the lake we’re
on and stay cautious. Whoever planted
the bomb may be lurking and waiting to pick off survivors.” Which would make
helping anyone disastrous because then they were targets. Ouroboros would be
expecting people to help others, it was a weakness of good people.
What if they were dead? Rean…Ash…Melyssa immediately pushed that
thought firmly out of her mind, refusing to succumb to despair so soon. There were others that had surfaced from the
train, but they had gone to the other side of the lake. “Okay…” Reaching up,
she scrubbed her hands down her face and through her loose hair, the tail she
had it in halfway out. Melyssa didn’t
care about how she looked and pulled her Cutlass out, nodding at Crow. Her arm was killing her, but she’d suffered
worse pain than a cut and would be fine. “All right, lead the way then. I’ve got your back.” This wasn’t good since
they couldn’t form a Combat Link yet, but then again, there was no time like
the present to practice.
Rean, Ash and most of the rest were
not new to battle or situations like this.
Granted, nobody was ever actually prepared for a train to explode and
send them careening over a bridge, but… they had survived a lot of other
extreme, dangerous situations and come out the other side. He wasn’t overly concerned for them so much
as the people on the train who were just civilians. This was a great way for them to build a
bond, trust, survival situations usually were, but he had a feeling this was
not what Rean had been thinking of.
“This way, we’re going around the
long way.” And low, out of sight because he liked their heads on their
shoulders.
She was a first year and Crow was a
second year, not to mention he used to be the leader of a terrorist group. Melyssa trusted him enough to follow him and do
as she was told, thankful her legs hadn’t been damaged in the explosion. They trekked from the lake and headed through
the wilderness, cutting down monsters they ran into. Thankfully, they weren’t too strong, so they
didn’t even need to use a Combat Link to demolish them. The ARCUS II was waterproof, apparently,
because it still worked perfectly. They
finally managed to get to the top of the hill they trekked and could see the
bridge completely destroyed where the train had been attacked.
“Goddess…” She whispered, covering
her mouth with her hand and her eyes were wide in horror at the destruction.
Shaking his head and sending water
everywhere, Crow silently echoed her, his wide red eyes taking in
everything. If there had been anyone
near the explosion site on the train, they were dead and he felt his heart
lurch at the thought of his friends being dead. “Come on.” He ordered grimly,
eyes searching the path ahead. When she
didn’t immediately move, Crow turned to take Melyssa gently by her shoulders,
bending down until his forehead rest against hers for a brief moment. “We got
this.” He whispered, brushing his nose against hers. “Okay?”
Swallowing hard at the intensity in
his eyes, Melyssa exhaled shakily and nodded, believing what he said. They were alive and they had to keep moving,
not able to stick around this area for fear of the attackers still
lurking. The smell of smoke from the
fire and faint screaming of people echoed up at them as Melyssa clutched the
front of Crow’s jacket. At least he was
with her and hadn’t perished in the explosion.
“We have to keep moving.” She reached
up to touch his face with her hand briefly before pulling back. “This is Twin
Dragon’s Bridge, so no more than likely, if anyone from Thors survived, they
would head in that direction to the 4th Armored Division. We should head there first, unless you don’t
think that’s a good idea?”
“It is… but what about the
civilians?” Crow asked quietly. “There are survivors and I think Rean will be
down there helping.” And hopefully, in his rush to aid people, keep his wits
about him and not make himself too big of a target. “We can split up.” He
offered finally, torn on what to do.
This was the problem with having friends and caring about other people,
sometimes the survival thing, which usually required being selfish, was tested
because one had developed feelings and empathy for other people. “You can go
ahead and see if anyone else is there, and get more help, and I can go down and
start… dredging the lake and aiding the wounded.”
This idea was horrible and she didn’t
want to be away from Crow. How did Crow
know Rean was even still alive? He was
talking like he KNEW and it unnerved her, if she was honest. He was more worried about the civilians and
other members of Thors, that much was obvious.
Frowning, Melyssa looked around and then back up into his eyes, finally
finding her voice.
“What if Ouroboros is around here
somewhere, waiting to attack? Are you
sure splitting up is the right thing to do?” At his firm nod, Melyssa felt her
heart plummet to the depths of her stomach and stepped back. “Fine, be careful
and I’ll try to be back as soon as I can with help.” Alone, with an injured
arm, was going to be LOADS of fun to trek through the wilderness surrounding
them.
“If you can’t do this, Melyssa, then
stay here and stay hidden. I’ll be right down there and we can keep in
communication with the ARCUS II.” Crow said with more patience than he was
feeling.
Though, as he stared down at her, he
could see the panic in her eyes. This
was what Class VII was about at the end of the day, what the Academy was
training them for and moments like this, which nobody ever hoped for, tended to
weed out who truly belonged and could make it and who could not. His heart ached for her, but at the same
time… others had to come first, the people who weren’t trained to defend
themselves, who may have more than an arm wound.
“No, I said I’d go and that’s what
I’m going to do. I’m not helpless and
I’m not a damn damsel in distress either.
I got this.” Granted, she didn’t know the area very well, but she would
figure it out somehow, someway. “Someone has to go inform the 4th
Armored Division what happened, so they’ll send reinforcements here to help.”
Crow was cold-blooded when it came to
situations like these, she was quickly discovering and she didn’t know if she
liked it or not. Rean was completely
different from him for sure, but then again, she wasn’t with Rean right now to
survey how he handled this situation.
Maybe he was just as cold.
“See you soon, Armbrust.” Winking,
she headed off down the hill while he went another direction, both parting ways
to do their duties as military academy students.
Coldness and being level-headed,
rational, was an automatic reaction from him, given he had been doing things
since he was a teenager. Leading
terrorist organizations, fighting battles... He had been thoroughly prepared
which was sad though currently useful. Crow
headed down towards the lake, going faster since he didn’t have to worry about
Melyssa. There was absolutely no
surprise at all finding Rean dragging people up onto shore.
Rean blinked water out of his eyes, breathing
heavily as he surveyed Crow coming at him. “Where’s Melyssa?” He demanded,
accepting the one armed hug before they both turned back to the lake.
“She headed for the 4th
Armored Division.”
“Altina did as well.”
“Juna and Kurt are trying to locate
Ash right now. He’s missing.” Rean
informed Crow before once again diving into the water, pulling another body up
to shore moments later.
Death didn’t bother him too much
since they had been surrounded by it during the civil war as well as the Twilight.
Chapter 21
If Melyssa had an inkling that Rean
was actually alive, she would have jumped for joy. However, if she knew Ash was missing, she
would have had a meltdown. “Shit, I need a minute…” She muttered to herself
when she walked for a while, or so it felt like, and leaned back against a
tree, staying in the wilderness and out of sight.
Following the railroad tracks was a
surefire way of being blasted off them or attacked. Hissing at her arm, she pulled the soaked
bloody piece of cloth away to survey it.
The bleeding had stopped, but one false move and the wound would
reopen. She had managed to bypass
monsters, knowing fighting alone wasn’t the best idea since she was
injured. Ripping off some of her jacket,
she rewrapped her arm and took a deep breath before continuing on.
Not even two seconds later, Melyssa
was tripping on what could have been a log, but after a second look, it was not
a log. She landed on her knees, catching
herself with her good arm and turned her head.
Laying there was Ash, breathing but unconscious, a large knot on the
side of his head and dried blood down his face.
Or, he had been unconscious. He
was starting to stir, moaning as pain tore him from that knot on down. The last thing he remembered was harassing
Monique, cracking a joke before turning to enter his room and he had felt a
change in… everything, right before a blinding light and a scorching heat had
engulfed him, then nothing.
“ASH?!” Melyssa hadn’t meant to shout
his name, but she hadn’t expected to run into anyone far into the woods either.
“Oh Aidios…”
He was hurt and she had just tripped
over him, which couldn’t have felt good either.
A groan came out that sounded low and gruff, his eyes slowly
opening. What was Melyssa supposed to
do? There was no way she could call for
help because they were too deep into the woods.
“You’re alive…thank goddess…” As much
as she wanted to hug him, she really needed to help him first. “C-Can you sit
up?” More than likely, he had a concussion. “How the hell did you make it all
the way out here?” Was he headed for the 4th Armored Division at
Twin Dragons Bridge?
“Here?” Ash echoed weakly, confusion
lacing his soft, cracking voice. He began pushing himself up into a sitting
position only to stop, hissing in pain. “Something is wrong with my arms,
Melyssa.” It came out a puzzled whine, his teeth gnashing as he pushed himself
up anyway, his pink eyes closing as if he could shut out the pain. It took him a moment to realize what was
wrong. They were singed. His arms and his back, now that he was
conscious and everything was registering, had been burnt. “What happened?” He
asked, wishing he had water as he met her stare finally, noting how pale faced
she was and frowned. “Are you hurt?” The pain was becoming bearable as he began
categorizing what was hurting, what may have caused it and whether or not it
was an immediate life or death situation.
“D-Don’t worry about me.” Goddess
help her, she was trying to remain strong and vigilant, but the tears began
falling before she could stop them. She
had to get a hold of herself and took a shaky breath in and let it back out
slowly. “Ash, the train…it was attacked and…there were explosions. People are dead. I-I’m on my way to the Twin Dragons Bridge to
get in touch with the 4th Armored Division. Crow stayed behind to help civilians and…I
don’t know if the others are okay.
You’re the first one I’ve found alive since leaving the wreckage…”
He was pale and the blood on the side
of his face broke her heart. There was
no way he could go with her, but she refused to leave him in this state. What was she going to do?
“T-There’s a stream about five
minutes from here, let me go get some water.
It should be clean enough to drink…”
“No,” Ash’s hand shot out, it was
shaking and it wasn’t something he could control just yet, but his grip was
strong enough to stop her, briefly anyway. “Just, give me a minute and we can
go together.” His other hand came up to his head when Melyssa raised her
fingers to ghost it, feeling dried, sticky blood there and grimaced. He
probably looked worst then he felt, he hoped anyway, he felt pretty crappy
right now. “What happened to your arm, beautiful?” His eyes, which were finally
focusing properly and the glossiness wasn’t as bad, zoomed in the makeshift
bandage wrapped around it. “Ouroboros attacked the train.” He said after she
explained about the glass, shaking his head. “Somehow they found out about us…
unless there was a very important passenger aboard none of us knew about.”
“That’s what Crow thinks. He’s almost positive it was Ouroboros. Something big is going down in Jurai for them
to attack us on the Twin Dragons Bridge railway.” Not only would the 4th
Armored Division be there at the tower, but so would the RMP. “Ash, you’re
injured more than I am…” That didn’t stop the stubborn man from rising to his
feet in front of her, using the tree as leverage with his free hand. He still had a hold of her arm and she had no
choice except to get to her feet as well. “Instructor Rean told me there’s
something going on regarding the politics in Jurai and he believed…believes…”
She immediately corrected herself, refusing to believe Rean was dead and wished
she could clean Ash up even a little bit.
So, the question was, did Ouroboros
attack because of Class VII coming or had there been a high profile target
abroad the train? It wasn’t ego to
assume that it could have been Class VII, the students of the class had gone to
war and won, so… their enemies knew most of them weren’t just students. They were a threat.
“Afraid for Rean?” He asked, almost
conversationally as he forced her to move with him or drop his overly large
ass. “He’ll be fine, he’s been through worse.” He laughed, it came out a little
raspy. “I can’t really think of anything worse at the moment but I know there’s
something. It’ll come to me eventually…
which way?” His sense of direction was addled, he was relying on Melyssa a lot
more then he was trying to let on.
“I’m worried for everyone, Ash, not
just Instructor Rean. And it’s down here
a ways, just hang onto me.” Melyssa was stronger than she looked, her petite
frame having a muscular, feminine build to it.
She didn’t look grotesque, but her strength wasn’t to be passed over
either. “I got you, come on.” Together, slowly, they began trekking back down
the hill through the woods, the sound of running water coming to their ears
within five minutes of walking. Once
they arrived at the stream, Melyssa managed to help Ash to the water and they
sat down to drink their fill. “Okay, I’m going to start cleaning your face
off.” Tearing some of his shirt off without hurting him, Melyssa dunked it in
the stream and then proceeded to straddle him, his legs not singed like his
arms were, and started wiping the blood from his face.
“Ow, ow, mind the knot, wench,” Ash
whined, ducking his head when she actually got said knot. He knew, rationally, it needed to be cleaned
and checked for damage beneath the blood and he probably looked a hot mess, but
OUCH. “Hey,” He displayed quickness that he shouldn’t have possessed in his
current state, rolling so he was hovering over her, shielding her. “Ssshhh…” He
bent down, his lips hovering against her cheek as the sound of someone coming
became clear over the sound of the stream.
Ash wasn’t sure if it was friend, foe or some random person, but he
wasn’t risking a thing right now.
Ash was covering his entire body with
her own, moving his arms while his face remained right next to hers, so she was
completely out of sight from whoever was approaching them. Goddess, please don’t
let it be Ouroboros, Melyssa
silently prayed, holding her breath while her face was buried in Ash’s
chest. Ash could more than likely feel
how fast her heart was racing and pounding against her chest, fresh silent
tears spilling down her cheeks. She was
legitimately scared to death and wanted to protect him, but Ash still showcased
tremendous strength, even in his current condition.
“What the-”
“Ash!”
A second later, Ash was being pulled
up by a half-naked, soaked and sweaty Rean with Crow right beside him. Crow looked down, blinking when he realized
who Ash had been on top of and stooped to help Melyssa onto her feet. She looked terrified. She should have been halfway to the 4th
by now. Crow studied her, looking for any new damage and nodded when he found
none.
“Don’t squeeze me!” Ash yelped,
instantly covering his mouth. “Where are the others?”
“Looking for you, and heading to the
4th. Responders are on the scene, so we left.”
“I-I found Ash unconscious and helped
him down to this stream for some water…and to clean him up a little.” Being
found in THAT compromising position should have been the last thing she worried
about, but this wasn’t just any men.
Crow and…Rean. Rean was alive! Melyssa couldn’t break down right now and cry
out to the Goddess, to Aidios, for sparing him, needing to keep her head on
straight. “What are you two doing here?
I thought you were staying behind to help the civilians, Crow?” Did he
not trust her to make it to the 4th Armored Division?
“When the responders came, Rean said
we should try catching up with everyone else.” Crow said with a shrug. “Also, we
have no way of knowing if we’re the targets or not.”
“If we were, the longer we stayed,
the more likely the attackers would have become alert to our presence.” Rean
explained, his eyes taking in Ash and Melyssa slowly, cataloguing their bumps,
bruises and cuts. “There’s enough responders there now… we shouldn’t be
needed.” A hint of worry laced his tone.
“So…
cleaning him up, huh?”
“Yes, Crow, I had to help him. He’s my friend and…” Melyssa looked back at
Ash, the lump on his head rock hard and she could only imagine what he’d
whacked it on. “I care about him. I care
about all of Class VII. Have you guys
heard from Juna, Kurt or Altina yet?”
“Altina was on her way to the 4th
Armored Division. Juna and Kurt…no…”
Rean was worried sick for his missing students, but they had to keep the faith
they weren’t dead like so many others. “I’m sure they’re fine…”
Rean didn’t sound convincing and
Melyssa shared a worried look with Ash, knowing he had the same thought process
going as she did. “I’m glad you guys came after us because I wasn’t going to
abandon Ash to keep going to the tower.
Now that you’re here, we can bring Ash with us and get him proper
medical treatment.”
“Juna and Kurt were out looking for
Ash.” Rean said quietly.
“So, has anyone tried raising anyone
else on ARCUS or did we all forget how to use them?” Crow asked curiously,
obviously they had all forgotten since even he hadn’t thought of it. He had mentioned using it to stay in touch
with Melyssa earlier, but… that was about it.
“Let’s walk and talk at the same
time.” Rean suggested, sliding an arm around Ash’s waist. “Crow, you can try
getting through to them, please.”
The problem was they were in the
middle of the woods and nowhere near an area that would gain a signal on the
ARCUS II. Sure enough, Crow couldn’t
make a call out to anyone or send a message.
Melyssa was on the other side of Ash, his arm draped around her
shoulders to help Rean guide him through the woods. Their posse, all of Class VII, had
miraculously survived somehow, someway, and now they had a huge problem on
their hands to figure out why the train had been attacked. Did Rean have any injuries? His white coat was singed, torn and had black
soot on it, but other than that, he seemed to be perfectly fine. Ash had to stop a few times to catch his
breath, his head pounding from the concussion he had.
“I wonder how much farther the tower
is…”
“Not much.” Rean said softly but
cheerfully, ignoring the weird look Melyssa tossed his way.
“Yes, he’s always like that.” Ash
grunted, knowing that was probably weird for her.
Rean sounding like they were at a day
in the park for a picnic. It was
something he did to try to keep morale up.
Some people it irritated, others… when they heard him speaking in that
tone, it calmed them down, made them less prone to freaking out.
“It should be coming into sight once
we clear this line of trees.” Rean had cause for being cheerful, the end was in
sight. That was cause for celebration, right?
As soon as they cleared the trees, a
huge tower stood before them that held part of the RMP and 4th
Armored Division. They were on high
alert, tanks already rolling out and the railway had, to no one’s surprise,
been shut down. They managed to make it
up to the bridge and were stopped instantly by security.
“It’s the Ashen Chevalier! Please, please right this way, sir.” The
soldier instructed and blinked when the big man Rean had a hold of, along with
a petite dark blue haired girl, dropped to one knee. “We need medical attention
immediately!”
“Right away, I’ll inform Lieutenant
General Craig of the Ashen Chevalier’s arrival!”
Melyssa had no idea who these people
were, but she was thankful Ash would finally receive the medical help he
desperately needed.
“REAN! CROW!” An orange haired man came bolting
across the bridge, his hair pulled back in a small tail. “Oh, thank Aidios
you’re safe! We’ve been so worried! Alisa and Laura are here too! Emma is on her way!”
“Elliot, must you gallivant off without
a lick of sense?” A green haired man came walking up next, holding a shotgun
with a grim expression on his face. “Thank the goddess you’re all right, Rean
and Crow. We heard about the explosion
and immediately came here.” He pushed his spectacles up his nose since they had
slid down a little, clearing his throat.
Melyssa recognized the green haired
man instantly as Machias Regnitz, the son of the current Governor of Heimdallr
and the orange haired man as the sensational Elliot Craig, a well-known musician
throughout Erebonia. He was also the son
of the Lieutenant General Craig, who was also known as Craig the Red in the 4th
Armored Division. Judging by the way
these two men knew Rean and Crow, she was venturing a guess they were former
members of Class VII from the Main School.
“I wish we could have reunited under
better circumstances.”
“Same here. Have the others made it?”
“Altina, Juna and Kurt are inside
talking to my Dad.” Elliot rubbed the back of his neck. “We were told you’d
stayed behind to help civilians and my Dad immediately sent out reinforcements
to assist.”
Oh thank the Goddess
they’re okay, Melyssa
thought, not leaving Ash’s side even as the medical team rushed out to bring
him into the tower for treatment.
“Well that explains why the
responders got there so fast.” Rean said with a nod. They had been on the scene so fast that, if
he had been thinking properly, he would have been concerned about their initial
attackers sneaking in under the cover of being responders.
Now he knew the why’s and the how’s,
this was the perk of having friends.
Chapter 22
“She needs her arm looked at.” Crow
ordered, gently but firmly holding Melyssa’s now slipping bandaged arm up.
“Battlefield dressing without the battlefield equipment. Infection is a concern.” He flashed her a
slight smile. “And I’m sure Rean needs looked at too. He was hiding a slight cut on his side.”
Rean scowled. “Shut up.” It was a
scratch, literally. He growled at Crow
when he, the ‘Ashen Chevalier’, was immediately carted off. “And her, don’t
forget Melyssa.”
“Mel!” Juna rushed over to her friend
as soon as they were inside, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hugged Melyssa tightly and then pulled
back when the woman hissed out, her eyes moving to her bloody arm. “Sorry!”
“It’s okay, it’s not as bad as it
looks.” Melyssa had to cover her arm with her hand since the wound had
reopened.
“Instructor Rean, I’m so glad you
made it here. I saw Ash, is he going to
be all right?” Altina, with her robotic, angelic voice, was concerned for all
of their class, as well as the others from Thors, already knowing some of them
hadn’t made it out alive.
“He’ll be fine. Come on, we need to get bandaged up.” Rean
didn’t want Melyssa to lose any more blood and they were each guided to their
own rooms for medical attention.
Sure enough, fifteen staples later,
the wound was closed and dressed, with a shot of antibiotics for added
measure. It would scar and Melyssa
didn’t mind because it was a battle wound.
Being in a military academy wasn’t all wine and roses – there was war,
death, fighting and she would probably receive plenty of scars in the years to
come. Also, she had a cut on her cheek
she didn’t even realize, so they put a few stitches in that one too. Fortunately, it wasn’t deep enough to scar
like her arm.
Rean had had the same issue, some
stitches and a shot of antibiotic for his ‘scratch’, which he hadn’t even
gotten in the explosion. He had gotten
it diving for people in the lake afterwards, pulling survivors to shore. He had been stupid and brushed against
wreckage. After they were all tended
too, they were taken to the cafeteria for food, drinks and basically a
debriefing. Rean took stock of the
class, nodding before giving his attention back over to the speaker.
“So, it was Ouroboros.”
“That hasn’t necessarily been
confirmed yet, but all evidence thus far points to them. Traces of the bomb have been found, not
enough to give a proper lead, but based on what we know of them, this tech is
right up their alley.”
“My Mother is looking into it right
now and Sharon is investigating what’s left of the bomb. They want to make sure it’s not Reinford
Factory related.” Alisa informed everyone, her golden blonde hair pulled back
on one side with a flower barrette and a look of pure concern on her beautiful
face. “Granted, all of the Factories are under the Imperial Government’s
control, thanks to Prince Olivert.”
“That’s good, but…that also means
someone could have sold the bomb on the black market again to Ouroboros.” Not
everyone in the Imperial Government was squeaky clean.
What about Jurai? That was where they were headed and, yet,
nobody seemed concerned about it.
Melyssa was a first year, so she simply sat there, nibbling on her food
and drink and listened, sitting beside Juna with Altina on her other side. Ash was sedated currently since he was badly
singed from the explosion and he had a bad concussion. They made sure to keep him awake long enough
before putting him out to let his body rest and recover. Unfortunately, he would be left behind for
the time being until they could find a way to get him back to Leeves for the
duration of his recovery. He would be
out of commission for a while.
“If this was Ouroboros, does Sharon
have any leads on who it might be, Alisa?”
“No, but she’s harbored a guess it’s
McBurn, the Almighty Conflagration.”
“That is correct, my lady.” Sharon
entered the room, wearing her purple maid’s uniform and bowed to everyone. “And
it wasn’t a bomb like we thought. The wreckage
shows no signs of bombs and…judging from the impact and how the train is
scorched, I’m positive it was McBurn that did this. He used his magic, I could sense it while I
was there.”
“The fireballs…” Elliot groaned,
putting his head in his hands. “So, there were no bombs at all?”
“No, Master Elliot.”
Magic did this? Magic killed countless people and was capable
of this type of destruction? Melyssa
felt sick to her stomach and pushed her food away, unable to keep quiet any longer.
“Is he linked to what’s happening in Jurai right now?” All eyes turned to her
and she squared her shoulders. “There’s a reason the train was attacked heading
straight for Jurai. Instructor Rean told
me something happened with the politics in the city and that’s why they were
sending us there to investigate. Jurai
is a Special Economic Zone, strictly ran by the Imperial Government, so there
shouldn’t be anything going on with the politics there. McBurn and Ouroboros did this to stop us from
doing our field study and investigating and I think we’ll find our answer if we
continue onto Jurai.”
Everyone who didn’t know the newcomer
looked at her curiously before glancing to Rean. Rean shifted in his seat, clearing his
throat. “We’ve known for a while that Ouroboros has been back at it, trying to
destabilize the peace while it is still new, still fragile. Tension is still there between the classes,
the people, and all it takes is one incident to set everything off again.”
“And Jurai?”
“Jurai is small and out of the way, but
it’s rife with tensions right now. Also,
it’s an important central of trade and exports, Jurai is the perfect place to
launch this destabilization attack.”
“And if they knew Class VII was
coming…” Crow groaned, letting his head drop.
It all made sense as Machias stared
at Rean’s student with interest. “Crow said something that I cannot get out of
my mind.” Now all eyes were on Machias. “The Ashen and Azure Chevalier on the
same train headed for Jurai SEZ…it would make sense why the train was attacked.”
Crow was right on the money as far as someone important being on board the
train. It was the two heroes of
Erebonia, though Rean was more acknowledged than the former leader of the
Imperial Liberation Front. “Excuse me, miss, but what is your name again?”
“Melyssa Brackett, Mr. Regnitz.”
“Oh please, call me Machias. There’s no need for formality.” Machias waved
her off dismissively. “I agree with what you said. The only way to determine what exactly is
transpiring in Jurai is to investigate it ourselves.”
Melyssa shared a look with Crow, who
managed to lift his head up long enough to acknowledge her before dropping it
again. She knew what his issue was now
and Rean was doing the same thing, both men looking distraught. It was because of them the train had been
attacked due to what they’d done for the empire in the past. They would no doubt blame themselves for all
the death and injuries that happened as well.
Exactly, Melyssa was right on the
money, Rean’s guts where churning at the thought of all that death and
destruction being caused by him and Crow.
If they had known, they could have… avoided it, gone a different way,
with less civilians present. All those
casualties because of magic so powerful everyone’s immediate thought was
massive bomb of some sort.
“For now, I’ll have you all escorted
to your rooms so you can rest. The trip
to Jurai will have to continue tomorrow.”
Rean was already foreseeing them being
there longer than the initial two days. Nodding, he slowly pushed himself up,
looking around at his students and friends. “Everyone up.”
The place had a lot of rooms, so they
each received their own. Juna and Kurt
asked to bunk together because she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He had gotten injured as well, but it was
nothing compared to Ash and Melyssa.
Just a cut over his right eye and she wanted to keep an eye on him. She invited Altina to join since the room had
multiple beds in it. Each room did, but
people had the option to share or not.
Everyone had a change of clothes waiting for them, though they were
under clothes for the Imperial uniforms the soldiers wore. Better than nothing. Melyssa walked into one of the rooms and sat
down on the bed, not surprised when Crow didn’t join her. He probably needed to be alone or he was
staying with Rean. Not wanting to be
alone right now, Melyssa changed into the fresh clothes and went to go check on
Ash.
Sedated or not.
Crow was already there, busy with a
marker and writing on Ash’s palm. He
cracked a grin when he spotted her coming in, his red eyes twinkling with mirth
for the first time in hours. “Just giving him a note to let him know… how much
he failed.” He joked, knowing if the positions were reversed, Ash would have
done the same to him except it would probably have been scrawled all over his
face. After hearing his friend was going
to be ‘fine’ after some rest, he had felt relieved and then annoyed. Ash was a jerk, making him worry so damn
much. “Can’t sleep?” He asked quietly when she sat opposite of him on the other
side of Ash. “It’s lucky you found him you know, he could have died from the
concussion.”
“He must’ve been on his way here and
passed out. He doesn’t remember and I really
didn’t have a chance to ask him much.”
Melyssa didn’t know what would have
happened if Ash died from this and she didn’t want to. Whether she liked it or not, he was a big
part of her life and her new best friend.
They could sit and talk in the hall at 4 AM about everything, including
her lack of intimacy. Taking his other
hand, Melyssa merely held onto it and looked up into his sleeping face, tears
stinging her eyes.
“You better not die on me,
Carbide. You hear me? You still owe me that one on one spar.” Her
watery eyes moved to Crow, her heart doing a funny leap in her chest when those
red eyes locked with hers. “I didn’t want to be alone, so I figured I’d come in
here and keep him company for a while.” Despite all she’d been through that day,
Melyssa was restless.
If she hadn’t stumbled over Ash, he
could have wandered and passed out from his concussion. He could have tripped and broken his
neck. He could have done a million
different things, so the Goddess had meant for Crow and Melyssa to part
ways. Crow firmly believed that, that he
had been meant to send her towards the 4th, regardless if she had
made it or not.
“He won’t die, they said he’ll be
fine and they’re monitoring him.” Because one wasn’t, technically, supposed to
sleep with a concussion. “His head is harder than both of ours combined.”
“Can’t argue that.” Melyssa cracked
the barest hint of a smile, briefly, before it disappeared. She wasn’t sure if she should say something
to Crow regarding the discussion from earlier. Maybe it would help, then again, maybe it
wouldn’t. “You and Rean are not to blame for what happened, Crow. You may have been the targets, but we don’t
know that for certain yet.” Not until they made it to Jurai and started the
investigation or McBurn told them himself. “For all we know, Thors in general
could have been McBurn’s target, not just you and Rean. Just because you’re the Ashen and Azure
Chevaliers doesn’t mean you were the only ones targeted. I don’t think anyone blames either of you for
what happened, only the one who actually blew up the train.” Melyssa kept her
voice low and quiet, not wanting to disturb Ash, even though a foghorn blown in
his ear couldn’t wake him up right now. “I just…thought you should know that.”
“You know, I hear you and I know
you’re probably right… But it still feels almost personal.” Crow said quietly,
knowing if he was feeling this way then Rean was feeling a thousand times worse
because Rean was one body away from being female. “But you do make a great
point, the entirety of Class VII was on the train and most of us were involved
in the wars to one degree or another, and we’ve all served our roles for the
greater good…” Combined, Class VII was a formidable force.
It was personal, there was no way to
deny it, but Melyssa didn’t want Crow and Rean to blame themselves for
something that was out of their control.
She decided a change of subject, somewhat, was in order. “I want to
thank you for what you did for me, Crow.” Now he was confused, raising one
silver brow at her. “You saved my life.
I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for you and your quick
thinking and reflexes.” More than likely, she would’ve gone down with the rest
of the wreckage. “And I know you saved me back when we were kids from that fish
barrel too. I don’t know how you managed
to pry it open, but…I know that girl in your dream and the flashback memory I
had was me. You’ve saved my life twice
and…I don’t know how to begin repaying you.
I mean it.”
“That’s what friends do, Melyssa,”
Crow got up and walked around to crouch beside her, gently placing his hands on
her knees when she turned in her chair so her body was facing him. “I know you
would have done the same for me, for anyone really,” Because Melyssa was that
kind of person, tough as nails and a good heart to match it. Staring at her
intently, he also realized she had the brains to go with the toughness that was
tempered by her kindness, and… he was really looking at her now, taking in her
teal eyes, she also had the beauty. “I’m just glad you went when I asked you
too, who knows if Ash would have been found if not by you.”
“Crow…” He was giving her way too
much credit for finding Ash when he wasn’t far behind with Rean. They would have found him if she hadn’t;
Melyssa had no doubt about that. “I didn’t want to leave you,” She paused
briefly, placing her hands on top of his on her knees, her eyes lowering almost
in shame at the confession. “But I also knew how important it was to get help
as quickly as possible. We didn’t know
at the time if Rean or the others were alive and I knew you couldn’t turn your
back on those who needed help.” She looked back up at him, fresh tears brimming
her eyes. “I just found you again after all this time and I nearly lost you
again with that attack…”
“Yeah, I know.” He smiled slightly,
hoping it conveyed that he understood. “One of the things about being in Class
VII is learning that sometimes, we have to put others before ourselves. And tonight, it paid off, with you finding
Ash the way you did.” Reaching up, Crow brushed the tears off her cheeks with
his thumbs, moving so his head rested against hers. “You’re not going to lose
me again, Melyssa, I promise you that.”
Chapter 23
Melyssa couldn’t hold back and wrapped
her arms around his neck, hugging him close to her. His arms encircled her waist to pull her
against him right off the chair and she went willingly. Her face buried in the side of his neck,
breathing him in and his hands caressed her back up and down soothingly.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,
Crow.” She murmured in his ear, knowing nobody could ever promise not to
perish. They had a perilous journey
ahead of them that would be full of twists and turns, especially since
Ouroboros as at the head of their enemy. “Will you sleep with me tonight?” As
soon as those words came out of her mouth, Melyssa pulled back from the hug
with wide eyes. “I-I mean in the same room since there’s multiple beds and I
just don’t wanna stay in there by myself tonight.” Goddess, her cheeks were on
fire and she could not look Crow in the eyes at the moment, those words coming
out in a rush.
Wow… Crow was amused, he had been
about to inform her that he was making a promise he could easily keep. He was starting to think he was invincible at
this point. That was also his arrogance
talking and sometimes, he had enough ego to go around and then some. However, she had just… sent his brain into a
spiral of terrible, lewd thoughts.
“I’ll sleep with you tonight.” He had
been doing so good with her, not cracking the jokes and the flirting.
Until now.
“Goddess, that’s NOT what I meant!”
Melyssa groaned, flustered and touched her cheeks with her hands, shaking her
head. “It came out wrong.”
He started laughing at her and she
smacked his arm, beginning to chuckle with him.
This also did her heart good because he hadn’t been cracking jokes with
her lately and the sound of his laughter was addicting. She missed it a lot. Technically, they HAD slept together once
before, but…Melyssa knew he didn’t have an innocent thought process with her
mouth mistake.
“You can stop laughing at me at any
time, roomie.”
“Oh no, my soon to be lover,” He
teased, loving the way roses blossomed in her cheeks as she brought her palms
right back over them, her mouth open. “I don’t think I will.” Though, he would
be escorting her out of here before they got in trouble for being so loud in
the medical room, even though Ash probably wasn’t waking for anything anytime
soon. “Come on.” Smirking, he pulled her towards the door, lacing his fingers
through hers. “Pick up your jaw, Melyssa… mmm, our luggage didn’t survive the
train, did it?”
Soon to be lover?! Melyssa was mortified and it showed plain as
day on her face. She would not dignify
him with a response, he was worse than Ash! “No, it didn’t hence why I’m
wearing the under clothes of the Imperial army right now. They should have given you some too. You didn’t find any in the room you chose?”
Melyssa questioned, letting him lead her wherever he wanted and tried to get
her cheeks to stop burning. “And I’m not your soon to be lover, so get that out
of your head now, Armbrust.”
“Sorry, Lover, you’re the one who put
it there.”
Crow was almost as bad as Ash, there
was a reason people said the pair were very much alike… because they were. He just didn’t usually go out of his way to
be as vulgar as Ash, or heckle the women as much. He liked his good looks the way they were and
not slapped across the wrong side of his face.
“Besides, you should be used to this,
what with how much you and Carbide hang out.” He said it nonchalantly, not
phased in the least. “And they did, but I ignored it.” He had showered however
and dressed in the pants, not bothering with much else because most people had
gone to bed and he was feeling rebellious after that hit on their lives.
“How many times do I have to say
nothing is going on between me and Ash? We
are just friends and since when is it a crime for a girl to hang out with a guy
anyway? Aren’t we supposed to be
creating bonds with our classmates?”
Melyssa could tell deep down it
bothered Crow, even if he was trying to hide it with humor. It probably didn’t help she had gone to sit
with Ash either. She also noticed Crow
was shirtless, but had tried everything in her power to ignore the warmth
spreading through her body, especially when she hugged him earlier.
“Ash does tease me, can’t deny that. Didn’t realize how much you two are alike
until now.”
“Then you’re the only one and I’ve
fooled you too well.” Crow teased, running the pad of his thumb along his
bottom lip. He was feeling rather amused
now at her defense against her friendship with Ash. “I never said anything
about you and Ash and anything going on between you, Melyssa.” He informed her
once she was done. “I said you should be used to the teasing since you hang out, anything else isn’t my business,
but thank you for telling me anyway.” She was flustered way too easily.
“That’s not…never mind.”
Crow was messing with her on purpose
and she was flustered from her mouth mistake earlier. He was just adding fuel to that particular
blaze and she had to get over it. This
was what she wanted, after all. She
wanted the teasing to return, the impish gleam in his crimson eyes doing her
heart good. It was a miracle he hadn’t
been injured during the crash, not one scratch on him. Maybe he was invincible or the Goddess was
smiling down on him.
“You’re right, I should be used to
the teasing, just not from you.” She sat down on her bed, knowing neither of
them were tired, even though they should have been dead to the world by now. “I
found a deck of Blade cards here. Wanna
play a few hands with me?”
Shrugging one shoulder, he tugged off
the jacket he had pulled on, but never closed to sort of give himself some
semblance of decency when he had gone down to the infirmary. “Sure.”
He dropped the jacket on the extra
bed, the one she hadn’t obviously claimed and then tugged his pistols, which
had been in the inner holsters of said jacket, out. After a moment of considering them, he lay
them inside the nightstand drawer before dropping down on the bed with her,
watching as she shuffled. He knew exhaustion
would kick in soon enough, when they least expected it, because that was how
things worked after a night like they had had.
“How are you feeling?” He asked
quietly, eyes on the cards once Melyssa began shuffling. “And not just
physically.” He doubted a fishmonger’s daughter had THIS kind of excitement in
her average day to day.
“Scared. Uncertain.
Relieved that we all somehow survived the attack.” Melyssa stopped
shuffling and began dealing the cards out, trying not to think about all the people
who had lost their lives today. “I’m worried about Jurai. Whatever is going on there is linked to
today’s attack and…I have a feeling when we finally get there, it’s going to be
a horrible situation. Tornado.” She
picked one of his cards off, so he couldn’t use it and he reciprocated with a
Mirror, which reversed their cards. It
was nice to be able to play cards with Crow again since they hadn’t done it
much lately in the dorm. “What about you?
How are you feeling?”
“Relaxed actually.” At her puzzled,
raised eyebrow, Crow gave her a small smile before returning his attention to
the game. “I know it sounds weird but there’s something…. Cathartic about
coming out a situation like that, mostly unscathed, but most importantly alive. It… I’m alive, I know I shouldn’t be and I
know there are people who died, but knowing that, it’s relaxing as odd as it
is.” Of course, it also meant that there would be another incident since the
job hadn’t been finished, but surviving in a situation you weren’t supposed to
also was life affirming.
This man really had been through
smoke and fire to be relaxed after what happened today. Melyssa didn’t know how to feel or react to
what he said, so she kept playing the game.
He beat her, of course, and she handed the cards over to him, their
fingers brushing together. Instant
electricity. That warmth was back,
stronger than ever, along with the pull and something suddenly dawned on
Melyssa. She had never kissed a man
before. She could have died without
experiencing a simple pleasure like that!
Jurai held a lot of mystery and danger – was she really prepared to
leave without at least having her first kiss?
And why was she thinking about this suddenly? Crow dealt the cards out for the second hand
and Melyssa picked them up, trying to get her mind focused back on the game.
Crow knew the way he thought was
confusing to people, but after the life he had led from 13 on up… anytime he
came out of the flames relatively okay, he was relaxed once the battle
adrenaline wore off because it meant he was alive for another day’s fight. It was weird and he knew it. “You looked like
you swallowed a lemon or something, the way your lips pursed.” He informed her
as he picked up his own hand, eyes narrowed in on her lips, watching as her
tongue darted out to wet them.
“I do?” Melyssa hadn’t realized what
she was doing while deep in thought and tossed another card down, only for Crow
to counter it. “You really like using Mirror, don’t you?” His smirk told her
the entire story as she sucked her lips on before chewing on her bottom one,
trying to contemplate how to turn this game around. It definitely was strategic and she was
improving, but he still had her number. “You keep staring at my lips now. What gives, Crow?” She demanded, after catching
him a third time looking at them and touched them with her fingertips. “Are
they really that fascinating to you?”
“Yeah, when you keep puckering, pursing
and licking them, it really draws attention to them.” He said in a matter of
fact manner and without a hint of shame as he continued staring at her. Also,
he had noticed her improvement with Blade so he had decided to introduce some
new tactics. There were ways to influence the game that had absolutely nothing
to do with the cards. And she did keep doing those things, which was damn
distracting. “You have a perfect little cupid’s bow mouth, Mel.” He informed
her, the corner of his lips curving upwards when her teal eyes met his.
“What? It’s a compliment.”
“I have a what?” Melyssa blinked,
once again touching her lips and tossed her head back to stare up at the
ceiling. “Okay there, you can’t see them now.” She couldn’t see the game they
were playing either, so it wasn’t exactly a win-win. Crow was laughing at her and it made her
cheeks redden all over again. “Yeah, that’s not going to work either.”
Chucking her cards at him when he
continued laughing at her, Melyssa went to stand up and he stopped her, pulling
her right back down to sprawl on top of him.
Shifting, Melyssa wound up straddling his lap on the bed and their eyes
were locked, teal and crimson swirling together. Her hands were on his bare shoulders, feeling
his muscles rippling beneath her touch and her heart was pounding in her
ears. He leaned forward, their lips
almost touching and Melyssa couldn’t hold back the confession bubbling on her
tongue.
“I…I’ve never…” He was making it very
hard for her to focus let alone talk and her pink tongue slid out to wet her
dry lips again. “I’veneverkissedsomeonebefore.” It was all said in a rush of
mumbled words, really hoping she hadn’t just misread the moment.
Even Crow had to stop and blink, his
lips still dangerously close to brushing hers as he took a minute to separate
out her jumbled rush of what he initially thought was gibberish. “Never?” He
echoed finally once he had realized what she said, his red eyes widening when
she nodded to confirm, her cheeks a brilliant shade of red. “Time to fix that,
it’s a crime somewhere, a woman as beautiful as you having never been kissed.”
He informed her before sealing his lips to hers.
If he got slapped, he would have
deserved it and he knew it, but the temptation had been too great. Her lips were soft and pliant beneath his,
and he was cautious not to introduce tongue because then he’d really get
slapped. Goddess, she’d probably nail
him anyway. At first, she tensed because
she hadn’t been expecting Crow to actually kiss her. It wasn’t rushed or hard either, it was
gentle and felt really good. That spark
she felt just brushing their fingers together had ignited into something more,
the fire between them obvious.
Slowly, Crow pulled back to break the
kiss and Melyssa kissed him again, this time taking the plunge. Kissing felt amazing and the fact it was
Crow, her childhood best friend and favorite person in the world, made it that
much better. The taste of him incredible,
indescribable and made her heart thunder against her chest harder. Her hands had moved from his shoulders to
wrap her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened and she gasped as soon as
his tongue touched hers for the first time.
That gasp was followed quickly by a moan as her fingers buried in his
hair, both getting lost in each other.
Melyssa tasted divine and it really
was a shame that she hadn’t been kissed before now though at the same time,
Crow was immensely pleased that HE was her first kiss. It made something in him purr, almost in
victory. For someone who hadn’t any
experience in kissing, she was damn good at it, she was eager and unafraid,
which did delightful things to his body.
It had been a long time since someone had gotten his attention like this
or at least it felt like a long time.
His hands dropped to her hips, positioning her tightly against him,
pretty sure she could feel the erection he was sporting brushing against
her. Suddenly, Melyssa was tossed off
Crow to plant on the bed with him bolting off it, cursing violently. She had no idea what just happened and stared
up at him with wide teal eyes and swollen lips, her body trembling.
Did she do something wrong?
Was she not a good kisser?
“Crow…”
“Shit, shit, shit!”
Crow had been so engrossed in the
moment and then her confession had made him act without thinking. She was UNDERAGE and he was kissing her! What in Aidios’ name was wrong with
him?! They were in the same class, but
she was a first year and he was a second year because of his stupidity and
moronic choices in life. That still did
not excuse the fact he was an ADULT and she wasn’t.
“Crow…”
Just the sound of her confused voice made
something lurch painfully in his chest and he couldn’t turn to face her, slowly
shaking his head. “This is wrong, Melyssa.
It’s a mistake.” His voice was gruff, harsh and low, his teeth gritting
together. “I’m sorry, I need some air.”
Before she could stop him, he left
the room and all she could do was stare at the now closed door, rejection and
sadness overwhelming her. What had made
him go from kissing the daylights out of her to…rejecting her? Unbeknownst to Crow, it was after midnight on
Saturday and it was officially her birthday…her 18th birthday. And it was turning out to be the worst
birthday of her life with the attack and now the rejection from Crow, the man
who had stolen her heart and her first kiss.
What in the Goddess’ name was WRONG
with him? Crow kept raking his hands
through his hair, not caring who or what was out here with him. Logically, the watch was out here and if they
were doing their jobs, they weren’t paying him any attention. She was a minor… by law anyway. He was taking advantage of whatever emotions
she harbored from their childhood, or nostalgia, or whatever and she had no
idea what she was doing, but he did.
After a few minutes, it belatedly occurred to him that he had probably
left her a hot mess, confused beyond belief and he groaned, knowing he couldn’t
go fix it.
Not right now.
Chapter 24
The following morning, Melyssa woke
up to an empty room with Crow nowhere to be found. She had cried herself to sleep and now she
was up, the feeling of rejection overwhelming her. Never again would she put herself out there
for a man. No, all she needed to focus
on was the way of the sword, like it had been since she was 10-years-old. Tossing the blanket off her, Melyssa stood up
and made the bed before brushing her hair back in a messy bun on top of her
head. She washed her face in the
bathroom quickly before walking to the cafeteria in the tower for something to
eat.
I’m such an idiot for
thinking he liked me as more than a friend, she thought, mentally chastising herself while
grabbing a tray to put some food on it.
After she ate, she would go check on
Ash.
“Over here, Melyssa!” Rean waved a
hand at her, watching as she began automatically coming his way only to halt
when she spotted Crow beside him. Rean
had slept like a log last night once he had managed to fall asleep anyway. Crow looked like crap, he had bags under his
bloodshot eyes and his hair looked like he had electrocuted himself. “Hi.” He
grinned when she hesitated by the table, her eyes sweeping over Crow before
dismissing him. What had he missed?
“What the…” She walked away and dropped down with Juna and Altina.
Crow grunted, dropping his head on
the table, nearly face planting himself in his tray of untouched food.
Juna and Altina both shared a look
with each other while Kurt continued eating his food, trying not to look
concerned. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Melyssa plastered on a
fake smile for her classmates and poured syrup over her hotcakes and scrambled
eggs. “Just thought I’d sit with you guys for a change.”
Juna didn’t buy that lie for a
second, narrowing her eyes and decided she would be grilling Melyssa for
information later on.
Melyssa didn’t mean to be rude to
Rean, but there was no way she could sit at the same table as Crow. She wanted nothing to do with him unless it
had to do with class. Never again would
she get personal or close to him, not like last night/earlier that morning. After eating almost half of her breakfast,
Melyssa wasn’t hungry anymore and tossed her food away before heading off to go
check on Ash. She couldn’t stand being
in the same room or breathing the same air as Crow Armbrust right now, her
appetite completely gone.
“Okay, what in Aidios’ name is going
on?”
“Juna, she does not want to talk
about it. Please refrain from
questioning her.” Altina ordered, looking back at their Instructor and then
Crow, raising a brow.
Kurt was staying the hell out of
this.
Rean had not missed any of that or
the way Crow kept raising his head up as if to check on Melyssa’s current
whereabouts. “Okay, what did I miss?” He demanded, his tone borderline turning
that question into a demand, contemplating pulling out the ‘Instructor’ card if
Crow didn’t answer.
Crow actually answered. In a very soft, miserable tone, he explained
what had happened last between him and Melyssa.
He also mentioned the underage thing, knowing if Rean had him expelled
or something, he would have totally earned it.
However, laying out his sin made him feel a little bit better.
Rean’s jaw was in his eggs. It did occur to him that Melyssa had
celebrated a birthday, wasn’t it today?
He didn’t tell Crow. Aidios… what a mess.
The only reason why Rean would know
it was her birthday was because of her application. Every applicant was required to put their
birthday, address, where they were from, things of that nature. Melyssa didn’t care so much about today being
her birthday as she did being rejected by Crow.
She couldn’t even look him in the eye, how were they supposed to form a
Combat Link now when he made her nauseous?
Plopping down in the chair, she stared at Ash, willing him to wake up
and cried to the silence of the room, not wanting anyone else to see her break
down. Ash would have no doubt given her
hell for it if he was awake, but he wasn’t.
If anyone walked in, she could pass it off as being upset about Ash and
the wreck instead of the horrible rejection and shot to her self-esteem. Becoming an adult sucked, she wanted to go
back to the way things used to be before Crow decided to kiss her and then call
it a mistake.
Crow had had the same thoughts. He’d come sit with Ash, give himself
something to do, something to ‘focus’ on when all it meant was he could berate
himself more. Rean hadn’t said much, he had seemed overly shocked
actually. Crow had totally missed the
speculating look on his friends face and the internal debate Rean had been
struggling with.
Rean could have probably totally
absolved all Crow’s guilt about the age thing, -not the bailing and hurting her
feelings bit, that was all on Crow- but he hadn’t. He didn’t know why. It was a simple fix to a fairly simple
mistake and Crow would have only had to apologize and explain himself, maybe
everything could have been salvaged.
But he hadn’t and he didn’t know why.
One look at Melyssa had Crow freezing
in place, his red eyes widening as he took her in. He cleared his throat, opening his mouth to
say something and then turned and walked right back out, his entire face going
as red as his eyes. How was he going to make this right?
“Shit.”
Melyssa wanted to punch him as hard
as she could in his mouth, feeling her rage starting to consume her. The sadness was slowly being replaced with
anger and resentment. Standing, she
wiped her tears away and leaned down to brush her lips against Ash’s forehead
softly.
“I don’t know when we’re leaving, but
I’ll make sure to come and say goodbye before we do. Hang in there, Ash.” Narrowing her bloodshot,
swollen eyes, Melyssa walked out of Ash’s room and headed out of the tower,
being stopped by the soldiers blocking the entrance.
“Don’t go too far if you’re heading
out to the woods.”
“Will do, thanks.”
The ARCUS II was working now as well,
so if Rean or any of her other classmates needed her, they would be able to
contact her. Melyssa needed to get away
for a while, alone, with just her Cutlass and the sounds of nature surrounding
her. She moved about 7 minutes from the
tower and stopped, finding a small clearing big enough to let her train and
practice her moves. This was also a
great way to burn her anger and resentment away.
Rean was alerted to Melyssa leaving
the gates and going out towards the forest.
He was alerted because technically these were his students and he was in
charge. That weight had hit him hard
this morning upon waking. These
students, his friends, were his charges, he was supposed to protect them and
get them there and back again safely. He
had epically failed. One of his
students, his friends, was in the medical ward right now with a concussion and
they had no idea what Ash’s state would be once he woke up. Sighing, he let Juna know what he was doing
before slowly following after Melyssa.
Right now was not a good time to go outside the compound alone, not
after that attack. After grabbing his
Tachi, he took off out the gates and went in the direction he had been told
she’d gone.
It didn’t take long for Rean to find
her.
Melyssa had stayed right where she
was supposed to and had her eyes closed, feeling the grass beneath her bare
feet. It was how she trained in Jurai
and the nature surrounding her helped.
That was until she heard footsteps and spun around, her Cutlass
colliding with Rean’s Tachi. The sound of
the weapons clashing echoed around them and Melyssa pulled back first, sweat
beading on her forehead, neck and arms.
Her bandaged arm still looked fairly new, though she would have to
change it out before they left for Jurai.
“Time to leave?” She questioned,
keeping her tone even and sheathed her Cutlass.
“No, and you’ll need that.”
Rean gave her exactly three seconds
before lunging forward, feeling the blade of her Cutlass coming up in a
defensive stance as he brought his Tachi down, steel clashing against
steel. He didn’t say a word, just went
on the offensive, putting her through her paces. She had improved and he noticed the changes
instantly, the way she moved her feet, she was dancing and would be formidable
when on the battlefield. He was hoping
that moment came later rather than sooner though it wasn’t looking that way.
Why was he doing this? If
he thought for a second she would talk, Rean was dead wrong. She refused
to talk about being rejected by the man she thought she loved. Maybe she didn't. What was love
anyway? She didn't know the first thing
about it and being told kissing her was a mistake...letting out a roar of rage,
an orange aura surrounded her as Melyssa sent a shockwave at Rean, sending him
flying backwards to land on his backside. Her eyes went wide as the
orange aura disappeared and she shut her eyes tightly, trying to reign her
anger in.
Rean didn’t want to talk to her about what had happened with
Crow. He was still busy sorting out why
he hadn’t done the right thing and told Crow about Melyssa’s birthday, about
her status as a legal adult. Hitting his
butt on the ground from that attack, from her, had him stopping for a
moment. Seconds later, Rean was back on
his feet, knowing that had not been a planned attack. If it had been, she would have flattened him.
“With control,” He informed her as they clashed again. “That
would have been near perfect.” As it was, his butt was dirty.
“Rean…”
She went to help him and jumped back
when he swiped his Tachi at her, almost nicking her arm. Obviously, he wasn’t that hurt from her
attack or else he would have stopped this.
They continued dueling for a while until he got the upper hand on her and
forced her to a knee, surrendering.
Melyssa was breathing erratically with sweat coating her reddened face,
her heart pounding vigorously in her chest.
She had no idea how long they’d gone for, but Rean was breathing heavy
as well with an equally crimson face and sweat.
“Damn…” She grunted, slowly looking
up at her Instructor – no, her friend – and slowly sat back in the grass,
keeping her Cutlass firmly planted into the ground. “I-I think I’m okay now…”
“Yeah?” He used the sleeve of his
shirt to wipe sweat off his face, frowning and just peeled the thing off. It was damp from that workout and he knew he
was red and breathing heavily. “You gave me a run for my money this morning,
Melyssa.” Rean grinned at her, pride and admiration in his tone. “That was a
decent shockwave, once you learn how to control it, you’re going to be phenomenal.”
He was guessing she had come out here this morning to work out whatever issues
she had going on, thanks to Crow being a bit of an idiot. Crow was just being stupid. For someone who was so smart and could be
such a smooth talker with women, he had mucked this up royally. He dropped down alongside her, tossing his
shirt around the back of his neck.
Shirtless again.
Melyssa did everything in her power not
to look over at her gorgeous, now half-naked Instructor. However, Rean chose for her and reached over
with his fingers to turn her head until their eyes met. “I’ve been working on
that move for a while now, even before I entered Thors. It finally came together today, for some
reason.” Her anger and hurt could have had something to do with it. “Listen
Rean, I don’t want to go into detail, but…something happened between me and
Crow and I know you instructed us to keep trying to form a Combat Link together,
but…” Not after last night, there was no way it could happen. “I don’t think
it’s going to work with us and we need to be as powerful as we can going into
Jurai.” That was a fact, especially with who they were going up against. “Would
you mind terribly if we shelved this Combat Link issue until we’re back in
Leeves? Please?”
All things considered after last
night’s events, Rean thought that was a very practical and reasonable
request. Everyone needed to be at their
best and on alert, not distracted by personal matters. “Yes, that’s fine. You’re right, we do need to be at our best
and on point. I’ll have Crow partner up
with someone else and you can partner with me.”
Now that he was thinking rationally
and she had made the point about needing to be as powerful as they could be, he
reconsidered his stance on informing Crow about Melyssa’s birthday. It wasn’t right to leave his friend hanging
in misery though whether or not Crow and Melyssa could salvage anything… that
wasn’t on him or his business. Or at
least, that’s what he was telling himself.
“Partner with you, huh?”
Melyssa was intrigued, thinking he
would send her with Juna or Altina or even Kurt, but he had chosen himself
instead. It was interesting and she
wondered where Rean’s frame of mind was.
Suddenly, she thought back to the train before the attack and how close
they’d been to kissing…or maybe it was all in her head. Then again, she was just a first year and a
weakling compared to the others in Class VII, so maybe Rean wanted to keep her
close to him for that reason.
“That’s fine with me, whatever you
want to do, Instructor.”
He saw no reason to break apart other
partnerships that were working well, such as Juna and Kurt for example. Once Ash was back on his feet, he could partner
with Crow. For now, with her still
‘learning’ the ropes, so to speak, and with them having as much on their plate
as they now did, it was just best to not take any risks.
“It’ll be easier for everyone
involved, and you and I already work well together.” He flashed her a grin,
finally getting up onto his knees. “Come on, let’s get back. We’re going to
have to be going soon and they were saying before I left that Ash was waking
up.”
“H-He is?! Oh thank Aidios!” Melyssa didn’t take Rean’s
hand and plucked her Cutlass out of the ground, up on her feet in the blink of
an eye. She quickly pecked Rean’s cheek
with a bright smile, all traces of sadness gone temporarily. “Thanks for the
sparring bout!” She called over her shoulder, running as fast as she could
through the woods towards the tower with Rean trailing behind.
Nothing else mattered.
Nobody else mattered.
Ash was waking up, which meant he was
definitely going to be all right. After
what happened with Crow, Ash was the only man she could fully trust since her
feelings for Rean were up in the air at the moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but she
didn’t trust herself to be around him for a long period of time, not after the
walk under the stars with the gelato or the near kiss on the train. There was no way she’d miss the chance to say
goodbye to someone she did consider to be her best friend since Ash had been
there for her more than anyone in Class VII.
Chapter 25
As soon as she walked into the medical
room, two things made her stop. First,
Ash WAS awake and eating, he was also laughing and trying to wave off the nurse
with the one hand that wasn’t busy shoveling food into his mouth. Second, Crow was there, sitting on the end of
the bed, doing card tricks with his own Blade deck and grinning as if he didn’t
have a care in the world. He had plenty
of cares, he was just hiding them and genuinely happy that Ash was awake.
“Beautiful!” Ash laughed when he
spotted her, gesturing her to come in. “Come tell this fine nurse that I’m 100%
ready to get back to it.”
“Mr. Carbide…”
“And… Crow tells me you’re the reason
I’m still here. Says you found me last
night.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she
stared at him, hardly believing he was already awake laughing and cracking
jokes, not to mention eating. She walked
toward him, not caring if Crow was in the room and hugged him, being mindful of
his injuries. “I’m so, so glad you’re all right.” Melyssa mumbled against his
neck near his ear, feeling his arm wrap around her to hug her close. Pulling back, she stared into his pink eyes
and touched his face gently with her hand. “You scared the hell out of me. And I did find you, but Instructor Rean and
Crow are the ones who really helped us get here.” She didn’t bother telling Ash
about how he’d rolled to cover his body with hers to protect her by the
stream. Apparently, he didn’t remember
any of it and that was fine by her. “You should be thanking them, not me.”
“The way Crow tells it, if not for
you finding me in the woods, I probably would have been out there overnight and
nobody would have found me until this morning.”
And then he would have been damn
lucky if he hadn’t died or something, or been found by the enemy. As far as he was concerned, Melyssa had saved
his life and until that debt was repaid according to him, he would basically be
her slave. Ash pulled her down onto the
bed with him, settling her in his lap and grinned when she began protesting.
“So, when do we head out for Jurai?”
He asked, as if he hadn’t been burnt and concussed the prior night.
“Rean said today.” Crow said quietly,
his eyes ghosting over Melyssa who was not even looking at him. She was staring at Ash intently.
“You’re my friend…no…” Melyssa shook
her head, her eyes only for Ash and she did not care what anyone, especially
Crow, had to say or felt. “You’re my best friend and I’m just glad you’re
okay.”
Even with the singed arms and the
knot on his head, he was still very handsome and his personality hadn’t changed
a bit. Melyssa had absolutely no qualms
sitting sideways on his lap in the bed and rested her head gently against his
chest. Just his arms, neck and legs had
gotten singed and, luckily, none of it would scar.
“And I don’t know if you’ll be able
to come with us…” Ash immediately pressed his finger to her lips, silencing her
and stopped her from what she was about to say.
Oh boy, Ash was going to be stubborn
about this, she could already tell.
“Of course he will.” Rean’s amused
tone announced his presence and when three pairs of eyes turned to him, he was
dressed in his own clothes. “Our luggage, most of it,” He quickly amended as he
walked in. “Was recovered. It is all in the cafeteria, waiting to be reclaimed
and the casualties were… not as bad as we had originally thought.” He came to a
stop at the side of the bed, taking in the way Melyssa was sprawled across
Ash’s lap. That had to suck for Crow, given the pair were apparently kissing
and whatnot the night prior.
Yeah, yeah it did. And Crow had no one but himself to blame.
“By the way, before I forget again,”
Rean bowed to Melyssa. “Happy birthday.” Then he held out his hand to Ash.
“Good to see you’re up, Carbide, we’re going to need you.”
Crow’s eyes widened. Wwwwwwwwwwwwwhhatt????
“Whoa, wait, WHAT?!” Ash was now
staring at Melyssa, who had crimson cheeks and her eyes were lowered. “Today is
your birthday?”
Oh, did she loathe Rean Schwarzer
right about now because he had just done and SAID that in front of Crow!
“Y-Yeah…” Why couldn’t he do that whole birthday spiel in private when they
were sparring together earlier in the woods?
Rean was an evil man and she cleared her throat, refusing to look at
Crow. “And I wasn’t PLANNING on telling anyone, especially given the situation
we’re in.” Teal eyes shot a glare Rean’s way before they immediately softened
at the shock on Ash’s face. “Please don’t make a big deal about it.”
“Fine, then tell me how old you are.”
Ash demanded, pulling her up further against him and wrapped his arms around
her waist. “Because if you’re legal, we can have some FUN, beautiful.”
And now her face looked like a
tomato. “Keep on dreaming, Carbide. I’m
sure you’ll get the message sooner or later.” She patted his uninjured cheek
playfully three times, making him growl. “I’m 18, all right? I’m officially a miserable adult like the
rest of you.”
“Hey, there’s nothing miserable about
me, beautiful.”
She was legal. She was fricking legal
and he had totally ruined any chance at anything, friendship included, because
he had been kicking his own ass about defiling a minor. Crow swallowed hard and
pushed himself up. “Happy birthday, Melyssa.” He said quietly, proud of how
even his tone was before walking out of the room. He was going to go see if any
of his luggage had been recovered and maybe drown himself.
“I’ll go find the doctor and see what
he says about getting you out of that bed.” Rean said, excusing himself as
well.
Crow had a lot of nerve to wish her
anything or even speak to her after what he did. Ruining her very first kiss, on her
birthday…he hurt her and Melyssa would not be forgiving and forgetting anytime
soon. She looked back at Ash, who had a
questioning look on his face and simply smiled back at him.
“You’re right, there’s absolutely
nothing miserable about you.” Would Rean really allow Ash to travel with them
so soon after the attack? Ash seemed
like he was fine, but it would take time and effort to rebuild his strength and
time was against them right now. “I’m going to go retrieve my bags, and yours,
and bring your stuff here, so you can sift through it and see if anything is
salvageable, all right?”
“Or… you can hang out with me a
little more.” Ash informed her, wrapping his arms around her and squeezed tight
enough to show he wasn’t an invalid. He
felt as fit as a fiddle and ready to go.
Of course, a knock upside his head or something would probably prove him
wrong and lay him out on his arrogant ass but… it was a risk he was willing to
take. “I couldn’t help but notice… there’s some tension between you and Crow,
beautiful.” His playful tone was gone, concern creeping in. “Everything
okay? What’d I miss while I was out?”
Just like that, the tears were back
and she couldn’t stop them even if her life depended on it. “No.”
She shook her head slowly, clasping
her hands tightly in her lap and felt Ash hook his finger beneath her chin
until watery teal met concerned pink. He
was the only one she could confide in, not even Juna or Altina had the kind of
connection they did. She meant what she
said, Ash was her best friend, just like Crow had been once upon a time. That wasn’t the case anymore since he didn’t
know her and she didn’t really know the type of person he was these days.
“He kissed me and then called it a
mistake. And it happened last night,
which is why I’m crying like a baby when I should be controlling my emotions
better.” The sparring match with Rean didn’t release all of her emotions
regarding the situation, apparently. “I just need to focus on Jurai right
now. Everything else can wait.”
“Well yeah, it can, but it won’t.”
Ash said reasonably, the complete opposite of Rean on this. Rean had given into her observation that they
needed to be powerful going into Jurai, but Ash already knew she wasn’t going
to be able to shelve it. Not completely
and once she and Crow were on home turf, it was likely to get a lot worse if it
wasn’t handled sooner rather than later. “Well, beautiful,” He said slowly,
knowing waiting would likely to lead to the issue festering and becoming worse
than what it was. Granted, nobody had ever called kissing HIM a mistake and he
had never been dumb enough to say that to a woman, but he could only imagine
how it felt. “Why’d he call it a mistake?
Did he say why?”
“No.
He just said this is wrong and it’s a mistake and he needed air and he
walked out. We had just gotten back from
visiting you, actually, and I asked him if he’d stay with me in the same
room. I didn’t want to be alone.” That
wasn’t unreasonable given what happened to them. “We started playing Blade and
the next thing I know, he’s kissing me…and I’m kissing him back. And then he stops it, says that and walks out
on me. And if it’s because of my age,
he’s an asshole and he never should have kissed me in the first place.”
Scrubbing a hand down her tear-stained face, Melyssa wiped them away angrily
and took a few deep breaths. “My first kiss and it was a mistake. Great, huh?”
Ash let out a low whistle, freeing
one hand to reach back and rub his neck as he considered her. Crow had royally cocked this one up and even
Ash didn’t know how the other man was going to fix it. Considering how hung up Melyssa had been on
Crow… yeah, he could only imagine how hurt and embarrassed she must have
felt. If it was about her age… hmm. In the heat of a moment or something, sure,
he could see a kiss happening, but just from playing cards… and then to
backtrack.
“I’m sorry, Melyssa.” He said
quietly, pulling the sheet up as much as he could to begin wiping the tears off
her face. “That is not how a first kiss should go.”
Melyssa pulled the blanket away from
her face and shrugged, hating how this affected her. “It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do to change it and I
have to move forward. It was a mistake
and it never should have happened.” Once again, Ash had caught her in a
vulnerable state and managed to pry the truth out of her by being…him. “It’s
okay, really. I don’t need to be
distracted by something like a guy right now anyway. And it sounds like Instructor Rean is pulling
strings to get you out of here, so you can come with us. Are you sure you’ll be all right to do it?”
She still had no idea how they were getting to Jurai, knowing taking a train
was out of the question.
“Yeah, I’ll be right as rain, don’t
you worry about me, beautiful.” Ash said dismissively, shaking his head at her.
“I don’t think we’ll be attacked like that again, not so soon after the first
time. Another attack would mean more civilian casualties and even Ouroboros
knows that would draw attention to the rocks they like hiding under.” One
attack, the majority of the population might think some rogue terrorists or
something. Two, on the same people,
eyebrows would be raised and then the manipulation thing Ouroboros specialized
in was going to be harder to pull off. “I’m not planning on getting knocked in
the head again, now that we know they’re watching us, I’ll be more alert.”
Gently, he moved her so she wasn’t directly on his lap. “Are you going to be
able to shelve things and get through this trip to Jurai?” Since that was where
she and Crow had met and been friends.
“Yes.” She answered without
hesitation, knowing her personal feelings toward Crow would have to be put on
the backburner until they returned to Leeves. “I did ask Instructor Rean one
favor.” When Ash just raised a brow, she cracked a sad smile. “I’m not linking
up with Crow for the duration of the investigation while in Jurai. We all need to be at our best and he agreed
with me. Crow and I don’t have a great
compatibility with Combat Links and the last thing we need to do is bring the
entire class down with our issues. So,
Instructor Rean said I can link up with him.
We didn’t know if you’d be coming with us, so I think he’ll have you
link up with either Altina or Crow.” Melyssa congratulated herself for saying
Crow’s name without cringing or flinching.
It just proved she was a professional and would be able to move forward
to help Jurai. “Jurai is my home and I will protect it any way I can.”
“I’ll probably link up with Crow, he
and I don’t have issues.” Well, not on his end, Crow may wind up having issues
with him, but that was neither here nor there.
Crow was going to have to fix his own
mess and Ash was friends with both Crow and Melyssa; he wasn’t going to be in
the center of this mess, but he wasn’t going to shut either one of them
out. Though… maybe he’d heckle Crow a
little bit, once he was out of danger with the concussion -in case Crow thudded
him- over this because it WAS hilarious, Crow’s foot in mouth mistake. Crow had panicked and overreacted, badly,
which was NOT usual for the man, so apparently… Crow had some issues with
Melyssa, maybe even feelings for.
That was not surprising. “All right,
now I’m really going to grab our stuff to see what all can be salvaged. I’ll be back with yours.” She leaned forward,
kissing his forehead gently. “And you get some more rest. I mean it.” Ash merely rolled his eyes at her
as she slid out of the bed, looked back at her friend and headed out the door
to go see what had been recovered.
Luckily, she had a waterproof bag, something her grandfather had bought
for her before she ran away from Jurai.
Of course, he’d been discreet about it…and Melyssa suddenly wondered if
her family was all right.
If Jurai was being taken over by
Ouroboros, were the citizens safe?
Chapter 26
Rean wasn’t concerned about Jurai
being taken over by anyone.
Ouroboros would be lurking in the
shadows and manipulating events in Jurai, not outright seizing anything. Even though tensions were high among the
classes and everyone else, people were still also united by the fact that they
had all come out of these wars alive and with peace. It was a tentative situation and could go
either which way. After speaking with the
lead doctor about Ash and learning he would be able to come with them, -as if
anything would stop Carbide- he had gone to the cafeteria to oversee the
sorting of bags, making sure Class VII found their things, if they were here.
“He’s cleared to leave with us.” He
informed when Melyssa came in.
“Good, he’ll be happy to hear that.”
Melyssa began sifting through the bags and pulled Ash’s out, setting it aside.
“I told him I’d bring him his bag, so he can look through it.” Rean nodded and
she continued looking for hers, thankful she had her name on it. He tapped her shoulder and she turned, seeing
her bag in his hand. “Thank the goddess…” It didn’t look too worse for wear,
none of them did really and she took it, setting it down. “That was pretty
sneaky what you did in Ash’s room, you know.
You could’ve wished me a Happy birthday out in the woods earlier, but
you chose to do it while Crow was in the room.” Now Rean looked sheepish and
she folded her arms in front of her chest.
“Well, in my defense, you weren’t
going to tell him and-” Rean, who was not usually mischievous in the way Ash
and Crow were, had a decidedly impish grin spread quickly across his lips
before vanishing just as quick. “It was good for him to have that reality check. Crow doesn’t usually overreact and panic that
way.” He was curious if Crow was just overwhelmed by this young woman, who had
come waltzing in claiming to know him and then struggling to remember her.
“It’s not very often someone is able to catch him off guard like that, I had to
take advantage.”
“Hmm…so you used me to get one up on
your buddy, in other words? I didn’t
think you were that type, Rean.” She stepped up to him, that impish gleam
shimmering in his eyes and she let a slow smirk curve her lips. “So, between
you and me, he freaked out because of my age, right?”
“Well…”
It was understandable, she supposed,
though Crow also shouldn’t have assumed what her age was. Or he could have asked before stealing her
first kiss. Either way, it was pathetic
and she didn’t like the feeling of being called a mistake simply because of her
age.
“Rean, we’re past being hesitant
after you decided to out me.”
Rean sighed, nodding. “Fine – fine,
it was because of your age. He freaked
out because he thought you were underage and he’s an adult.”
“Hmm…thought so.” Picking her bag up,
Melyssa shouldered it and winked at him. “Thanks for telling me. At least now I know and the unknown won’t bug
me anymore.”
“You shouldn’t let it bother you
anyway. It’s not on you or anything you
did, Melyssa.” Rean said earnestly, reverting back to his usual serious and
concerned demeanor, staring down at her intently. “You are a beautiful, vibrant
woman and one bad experience,” Yikes though, the first kiss part of that whole
debacle was a killer. “Shouldn’t ruin… anything for you. We’re not all total fools like he is.” Well,
now it sounded like he had just put himself on the market and offered himself
up to her. Goddess, maybe he had.
“Altina, right there is yours.” He called past Melyssa, pointing to said bag.
“Everyone should be ready within the next hour.
Let Carbide know, please.”
It was her very first kiss, so of
course it bothered her a little. And did
Rean just…no, Melyssa immediately dismissed that instantly and nodded at her
Instructor. “I will, thanks.”
She waved to Altina on her way out of
the cafeteria with her and Ash’s bags in hand, heading back to his room. On the way, she ran into Juna and Kurt, who
both wished her a happy birthday. Juna
hugged her, promising they would do something once they were back in Leeves and
out of this mess with Jurai. Melyssa
agreed to it and let them be on their way to grab their belongings while she
stopped in the room she occupied to quickly change. She had just taken her shirt off, leaving her
in a skirt and bra, when the door opened and her eyes locked on hesitant
crimson. He was the LAST person she
wanted to see or talk to right now; the pain of his rejection was still too
fresh and she needed time to get over it before they could have a discussion
about what happened.
Turning right around with her back
facing him, Melyssa picked her shirt up and began pulling it over her head,
thankful none of her clothes smelled funky.
See, this was how Crow knew the Goddess had a wicked sense of
humor. This moment right here. What were the odds of him walking in just as
she was UNDRESSING? Only a cruel,
jokester Goddess would allow this misery.
“I’m sorry.” He apologized, first for
walking in. He should have knocked even
though, technically, this was his room as well.
Crow had kind of forfeited that invitation last night when he had left
her there on the bed, confused and miserable after stealing her first kiss. “I
shouldn’t have barged in like that, Melyssa.” But here he was and it was only
going to get more awkward because he wasn’t leaving until he had at least
apologized for his major mistake last night.
Walking around until they were face to face, he took a deep breath. “I’m
sorry, for freaking out on you last night.
I shouldn’t have, and I should have asked your age and permission to
kiss you.”
They were really doing this right
here and now. Rean must have talked to him
about this and pushed Crow to apologize before they had to leave for
Jurai. Did he mean the apology? Did she care?
She wasn’t sure what to feel any more towards him and grabbed her
jacket, slipping it on.
Jurai needs you and
you don’t need this drama crap getting in the way of saving your home, she rationalized in thought,
plastering on a smile and patted his shoulder in a purely platonic way. “It’s
fine, don’t worry about it. I think it’s
better if we just stay friends and roommates like we have been and forget this
ever happened.” They had to find a middle ground with each other before
returning to Leeves. “Instructor Rean said we’re leaving within an hour, so I
really have to go give Ash his bag.”
Nobody had pushed Crow to come in and
do this. He had gotten his stuff loaded
onto their new transport and taken a minute to sort his head out, trying to
think of how he was going to word things without offending her or making it
worse. Apparently, he had not thought it
through long enough or there just was no fixing his mess-up. His grandfather had been wrong, apologies did
not always fix things.
“Ash was being released when I passed
by the infirmary.” He offered slowly, aware she was sort of extending an olive
branch and he would be a fool not to take it.
Just friends and roommates… he wasn’t
sure if he could go back to those things, though. Everything had been weird, different, since
she had opened Pandora’s Box between them with the memory thing, with being mad
at him for not remembering a childhood she had apparently cherished. Crow didn’t see anything returning to any
semblance of normal soon.
“I AM sorry, Melyssa.” He said
softly, reaching out to place a hand on the bag to stop her when she went to
shoulder it. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like it was a mistake.”
“I know and I forgive you, roomie.”
She even gave him a smile to show there were no hard feelings. “Come on, let’s
go find Ash to give him his stuff and then we need to get to the bus.”
They were taking an orbal bus to a destination
unknown, where they would board a flying aircraft known as the Courageous
II. It was Prince Olivert’s private
airship and Rean had called in a favor to his friend. Olivert assured him they would arrive safely
in Jurai and had been planning on bringing the Courageous II to them even
before Rean’s phone call. Melyssa
grabbed Ash’s bag, along with hers, and left the room with Crow, finding Ash in
almost no time…and he was fully healed.
“Whoa…”
“Emma performed some kind of healing
spell on him.” Juna informed them, her hand clasped in Kurt’s.
“She is a witch and she can perform
powerful spells.” Altina added her two cents, eyeballing Crow and Melyssa, who
seemed friendly, but there was something…wrong between them. She could sense it.
“Oh okay.” Melyssa hadn’t met this
Emma person yet, but if she could fully heal Ash to make himself look like
brand new again, she was one hell of a witch. “Here’s your stuff, Carbide. You might wanna go change really fast before
the bus gets here.”
He smirked, squeezed her shoulder and
took off to change in the nearby bathroom.
“We could have used her last night.”
Crow remarked offhandedly, shaking his head as Ash took off.
Hell, having a witch last night would
have prevented the few casualties they’d had, all of which had been regular
people, none of the actual intended targets.
That was kind of depressing, actually.
They, Class VII, had been the intended targets and none of them had
gotten anything beyond hurt. He thought
Ash’s concussion might’ve been the worst of it.
“Here, I’ll take your bag and put it
in the undercarriage.” He offered, extending a hand.
“Hurry up, guys,” Rean ordered, standing
off to the side supervising his students. “We’re on a schedule!”
Emma Millstein had saved countless
lives from the wreck, which was why there wasn’t nearly as many fatalities as
there should have been. She had gotten
there as quickly as she could. A witch
could only move so fast, just like everyone else. She wasn’t Vita where she could snap her
fingers and be in a place a few seconds later.
That was not how her witchcraft worked.
“No, I got it. Thanks.”
Melyssa tossed her bag in the compartment
before boarding the bus, Crow following suit.
He didn’t sit next to her and she was relieved, still feeling awkward
around him. Hopefully, the awkwardness
would fade away after a while, but right now, they were on their way, finally,
to Jurai. Melyssa took the window seat
and stared out, hoping her parents and grandfather were all right. She would soon find out. The investigation would still happen, but it
was no longer a field study, so she planned on going to see them, alone, once
the opportunity presented itself.
Crow and Ash soon had several others
engaged in a game of Blade while Rean was reviewing some things with Juna, who
as class president was his ‘second in command’ so to speak. When he ran out of things to go over, and she
insisted they were done repeating it, he leaned back and surveyed the others,
noting nobody was sitting with Melyssa. She was still staring out the window
and it made him wonder if she was asleep, he couldn’t see her face. Quietly, he moved until he was sitting beside
her, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
“Everything okay?”
Melyssa turned to look at her
Instructor and the turmoil was clear in her eyes. “Crow and I talked, so you
don’t need to play mediator with us anymore.” She assumed that was why he was
asking if everything was all right and leaned her head back against the seat.
“And no, everything isn’t okay. I’m
worried about Jurai…about my parents and my grandfather.”
Why was it so easy to talk to Rean
and why did she enjoy doing it? Melyssa
knew it was wrong to be attracted to her Instructor, but how could something so
wrong feel so right? He was always there
for her when she somehow needed him the most, just like earlier in the woods
with their impromptu sparring session.
“Do you think McBurn and Campanella
would hurt the civilians?”
“Not this soon I don’t, it would be
tipping their hand and instead of dividing the people, it would bring them
together.” Rean said slowly, though doubt began lacing his tone. “Unless they
made it look like someone else did it.
The ending of the Twilight curse was a bad deal for them, they didn’t
get anything that they were aiming for… so now they’ll have to achieve their
means in other ways.” Seeing the concern shining in her teal eyes, Rean gave
Melyssa what was meant to be a reassuring smile. “I think if citizens were
winding up injured, or missing, we would have heard a report about it from our
sources.”
That was true. So why did Melyssa have a sense of dread wash
over her? “This is my home, Rean. I
haven’t been there in over a year and…I’m scared of what’s happening to it.”
Jurai was beautiful and prosperous, thanks to the Imperial Government, and she
wanted to keep it that way. “Look, um, now that we have a minute to talk one on
one, without me being upset, I need to tell you something. I’ve had a run-in with McBurn before. It’s the reason why I was…invited to join
Thors and the person who helped me get in…saved me from him. He almost killed me.” Twice now. “I’m not
assuming he was after me with the train attack, but…it’s awfully coincidental
too. I know I should have told you this
sooner, but…” A lot happened in a very short period of time and Rean was too
busy running around, trying to do all he could to help.
All Rean could do was stare at her,
wondering where this information had been the day he had mentioned this trip
AND Ouroboros in the same sentence. “Melyssa,” His voice was now ‘leader’ and
‘Instructor’, his eyes slightly narrowed as he gave her his entire focus. “That
was information I should have been made aware of a while ago.” He informed her
quietly, wondering WHY she had a history with McBurn, or a run-in as she had
called it. “What do you have to do with McBurn?” He asked, keeping his voice
down, so nobody would overhear them just yet.
If that entire train had been attacked because of HER and it could have
been prevented... His stomach lurched at the thought, a wave of nausea washing
over him.
Chapter 27
“Nothing. I don’t know him at all, only that he’s part
of Ouroboros and he’s incredibly dangerous.” She sighed heavily, hearing the
change in Rean’s voice and felt her own stomach flip. “I was in the wrong place
at the wrong time. Members of Ouroboros
had attacked Crossbell at the time…” Now Rean was staring at her with wide eyes
and she swallowed hard, lowering her eyes from his. “Of course you would have
heard about it since it was a major headline in the Imperial Chronicle. Anyway, I was staying in Crossbell when that
attack happened and…McBurn went after civilians. I was one of them and I tried to fight him
off, but…I couldn’t. Just before he
could burn me alive with that fire magic of his, I was saved and dragged to
safety and the person responsible for me being in Thors was responsible for my
rescue. And when I woke up, we talked
for a while, I told them what my goal was and they offered me a spot at Thors
Branch School in Leeves…and I took it.
Apparently, they were very impressed with how I tried fighting McBurn
off. I don’t think I did anything,
however.”
“You tried fighting back, how many
people ran? That right there makes all
the difference and is why you were recruited.” Rean asked tiredly, slumping
back in his seat as he mulled over her words. “Odds are, McBurn doesn’t even
remember you and it was a coincidence.” He said finally, hoping he was
right. But for the life of him, if
Melyssa was telling him everything pertinent to this, then there was nothing
overly ‘special’ about her in that situation other than she had fought back.
“Anything else I should know about before we get there?”
“I think it was a coincidence too and
I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I
never planned on telling anyone about it, but then I heard who attacked the
train and figured I’d better tell at least my Instructor.” Melyssa didn’t want
him thinking she was purposely hiding information from him when that wasn’t the
case at all. “I’m sorry…”
Turning her head to stare back out
the window, she thought back to that day in Crossbell that changed her life
forever. It was all thanks to the Golden
Rakshasa too. Aurelia Le Guin had saved
her and then commended her for being brave enough to go up against McBurn.
~!~
“Why did you do it? Why did you unsheathe your sword and go after
someone much more powerful than you?”
“Because I wanted to protect myself
and the others around me. If he was
cutting anyone down, it might as well have been me instead of innocent
civilians.”
“So, you’re not innocent?”
“Far from it. I ran away from home and I’ve been trying to
find my way ever since.”
“I see.” Aurelia had dabbed her mouth
with her napkin while they had dinner together. “What are your ambitions, your
goals, in life? What do you hope to
accomplish?”
“Following the way of the sword and
honing my skills. I want to be the best
swordswoman in Erebonia one day. I know
I was foolish to think I could go up against McBurn, the Almighty
Conflagration, but…sometimes, you have to take a risk to get to where you want
to go.”
“Maybe so…” Aurelia leaned back
against her chair and contemplated the young girl in front of her. “I have a
proposition for you, Melyssa Brackett of the Jurai SEZ…”
~!~
Melyssa would never forget that
dinner as long as she lived and she owed everything to Aurelia for giving her
this amazing opportunity. Now her
homeland was in danger from the same man who had nearly killed her twice and
she vowed, right then and there on that bus, not to let it happen again. McBurn would not win in the end, no matter
what she had to do or if she had to sacrifice herself to achieve victory.
“Okay, you two have been sitting here
long enough in silence, looking mopey.”
Rean snapped out of his own thoughts,
realizing he and Melyssa HAD been sitting there for a while, not saying
anything. He didn’t know what she was
thinking, but he had been reflecting on what she had told him and what he knew
of McBurn and the incident at Crossbell. “Ash, I’m almost glad to see you.” He
joked, taking in his friend/student/comrade.
It was like he hadn’t been wounded at all; magic was a beautiful thing
when used properly.
“Almost,” Ash winked one pink eye
down at Melyssa. “What’d I miss? Why are
we so gloomy?”
This time, Melyssa decided to keep
the truth to herself. “No reason, just thinking.” There were a lot of reasons
why they should look gloomy after all that had happened on this trip thus far.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” She managed to wink back at Ash and turned her
gaze to stare out the window again. They
had another hour ride before arriving at the destination where the Courageous
II was waiting for them.
~!~
Running down the street, Melyssa
heard screaming from all different directions and turned the corner, stopping
at the sight of a terrifying man dressed in red. He had blue and red hair and spectacles, a
sinister smile on his face. There was a
fireball in his hand as well, floating above it, while the people in front of
him begged for mercy. Melyssa had no
idea what made her do it, but she unsheathed her Cutlass and prepared to fight
him. Hopefully, she would give the
people a chance to escape him.
“HEY!
Why don’t you pick a fight with someone who can give you an actual
challenge?”
The man slowly turned around to face
her and Melyssa felt fear grip her insides, those intense eyes of his searing
into her very soul. “Oh really now? This
is interesting. And just who are you and
what makes you think you’re worth my time, girl?”
Even his voice sent shivers down her
spine, but Melyssa had to stay strong and could see the people running away
from them. “Because I’m stronger than I look and I may go down, but not without
a fight, Red Man.”
He chuckled wickedly, taking a step
toward her. “Red Man? So you have no
idea who I am?”
“No, should I?”
“Anyone with a sword should know who
I am, girl. I am McBurn, the Almighty
Conflagration and Enforcer #1 of Ouroboros.” The fireball just continued
floating and he was impressed her eyes hadn’t left his for a second. Her stance wasn’t half-bad either, if he was
honest. “What’s your name, girl?”
“I’m not telling you that.”
“Hmm fair enough.” McBurn didn’t
waste a second and tossed the fireball right at her, watching her dodge it with
ease. “Let’s see how much I have to turn up the heat to take you out.” Melyssa
prepared herself for the inevitable, dodging three more fireballs, but one had
gotten her by surprise, blasting her back.
McBurn came toward her, stalking her like a predator going after its
prey and grabbed her by her neck, beginning to throttle her. “I’m going to burn
you alive, girl.”
“Screw…you…” Melyssa had passed out,
not knowing what happened except when she woke up, she was in a different bed
with The Golden Rakshasa staring back at her from across the way.
~!~
Melyssa jumped when she felt a hand
on her shoulder, not realizing she had fallen asleep and looked up to find Rean
hovering over her. She looked around, trying
to blink the sleep out of her eyes and nodded when he informed her they had
arrived at their destination. Standing,
she walked off the bus in somewhat of a daze and grabbed her bag, slinging it
over her shoulder before stopping dead in her tracks at the HUGE crimson red
flying contraption in front of her.
“Oh wow…” They were going to Jurai in
THAT?
“That is the Courageous II,” Rean
said, giving the airship an admiring look. “It is…-”
“Awesome.” Ash slung his arm around
her shoulders, pulling Melyssa into him as he stared at said ship as well.
“It’s awesome. You don’t get motion
sickness or anything, do you, beautiful?”
“Quit heckling her, Carbide.” Juna
ordered, walking up alongside them with Kurt at her side. “You’ll hardly even
know you’re hundreds of miles over the ground.” She flashed Melyssa a smile.
“Usually.” Kurt amended, sweeping his
hair back out of his eyes.
Crow was standing behind everyone,
remaining silent as he just took in the Courageous II.
“All right everyone, fall in line.”
Rean ordered, watching as Class VII assembled into a neat line, ready to
‘march’ so to speak. “We’re already behind schedule.” By a lot actually. “I
don’t want anyone getting too comfortable, this will hopefully be a short
flight.”
Each class boarded the Courageous II
one by one, the first year students in awe while the second years just
grinned. They were on this once before,
most of them anyway. The ones that
weren’t were also in awe, naturally.
Melyssa couldn’t believe the size of this aircraft, trying to take
everything in while continuing to walk until they arrived in the captain’s
room. There he stood, in all his crimson
glory, alongside his wife, who was a former Bracer of Crossbell – Prince
Olivert and Princess Scherazard, who was formerly known as the Silver
Streak. Her hair was pure silver, long
and beautiful and she was lethal if provoked.
She wasn’t the average princess and had on an outfit that most nobles
would balk at. Showing some cleavage,
stomach, arms…yet she looked completely comfortable and Olivert had a bright
smile on his face, an eyepatch over his left eye. He had lost it during the Twilight a few
years ago, when he’d nearly lost his life on the first Courageous.
“Rean baby, it’s been too long,
hasn’t it?” Olivert beamed, walking over to hug his friend and wrapped an arm
around his shoulders. “Come on, you know you missed me. And here I am, coming to the rescue of my
precious friends yet again.”
Elliot, Machias, Emma and Alisa
laughed at Rean’s blushing face, shaking their heads. “You haven’t changed a
bit, Your Highness.” Alisa giggled, amused that Rean always seemed to be the
center of attention wherever they went.
“And why would I, lovely Alisa?”
Olivert winked at her before heading over to Machias and Emma, the impish gleam
in his eyes telling them they were in for a world of trouble. “So, a little
birdie told me you two got hitched not long ago.”
“W-Well…um…” Emma was red as a cherry
now, the diamond on her left ring finger stating the obvious. “We didn’t want a
huge ceremony, Your Highness…”
“We just wanted it to be us and that
is why we went to the courthouse to have my father do it.” Machias grabbed his
wife’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “Some people do not wish to have
extravagant, lavish weddings like yours, Your Highness.”
“Touché, I can respect that.” Olivert
shook Machias’ from hand with a soft smile. “I hope you accept our sincerest
congratulations, however.”
“O-Of course, Your Highness. Thank you.”
Machias grinned at Emma at how
flustered she was and kissed her cheek. “It’s all right, my love. This is Olivert and you know how eccentric he
gets.”
“True.”
Ash dipped his head down, so his
mouth was by Melyssa’s ear. “In case you haven’t noticed, our illustrious
Prince is not… normal by regular nobility standards, by any means.” And that
was an understatement when it came right down to it.
However, ‘regular’ nobility was a
dying breed, the aristocracy was evolving and hopefully for the better. This ‘us
VS them’ mentality hadn’t done Erebonia any favors. As long as the focus was off of him, Rean
didn’t care what the Prince was talking about or to whom. One day, he was going to be regarded as a
normal person. His gaze moved to
Melyssa, flashing her a smile.
This wasn’t former Crown Prince
Cedric, it was his older brother, who could not take the throne due to his
blood not being pure nobility. Olivert’s
mother was a commoner. Cedric and
Princess Alfin, their dear sister, was of pure noble and imperial blood, so
they were eligible to take the throne from their father, Emperor Eugene III,
someday. Olivert would forever be just a
Prince and he was perfectly fine with it.
Melyssa cracked a smile back at Rean, nodding her head to acknowledge
what Ash was saying.
“Now, I do recognize a lot of faces
here, but there are a few new roses blooming among us!” Olivert waved his hands
dramatically while he spoke and groaned when his wife popped him upside the
head. “My darling rose, what was that for?”
“Stop being YOU and make the
announcement.”
“Woe is me, taking all of my fun
away!”
Scherazard rolled her eyes, though
she had a smile on her face, still not believing she had agreed to marry this
buffoon. Love made people do crazy
things, she supposed. “What my husband is TRYING to say is welcome to the
Courageous II and feel free to explore the ship to your heart’s desire. We should be in Jurai within 2 hours.”
Everyone vacated the room besides a
few and Melyssa stuck to Ash’s side like glue, not having a clue where she was
going. He pointed out the different
rooms to her – there was even a game room with tables to play Blade on and pool
– and they had their own gourmet kitchen.
There were shops too to upgrade accessories and whatnot. This was insane how much was packed into one
ship. This ‘ship’ was like a floating,
mobile city in the sky with how many people were aboard it, all of them
hustling and bustling as if this was perfectly normal for them. And it was.
Ash was comfortable enough to talk to a few people he recognized from
his last time aboard the Courageous II, seeing some new faces as well.
“Well, what do you think of her?” He
asked finally, coming to a halt at the back of the ‘ship’ and leaned on the
railing, looking out at the sky.
“Overwhelming.”
It was still hard to believe Ash was
back to himself, strength included.
Emma’s magic was incredible and terrifying at the same time. She thought witches were just myths, but now Melyssa
was quickly discovering the myths and legends of Erebonia were real. The sky looked incredible from this high and
the air was crisp and fresh. It made her
a little heady.
“She’s beautiful, there’s no doubt
about it. I’m just curious where this
beauty is going to land since Jurai doesn’t have an airport of any kind.”
Unless the Imperial government had built one in the last year, which was a
possibility.
“You worry too much, let Olivert deal
with that.” Ash laughed, glancing over at her before turning his gaze back out
onto the sky. “The first time I was on this ship, I got airsick and dizzy from
the view up here. The idea of it, you
know? Being up so high and at the mercy
of this beast. I always thought I did
better with my feet on solid ground.” He confided in her. It was always a marvel at how easy Melyssa
was to talk too and now it felt natural; maybe it had something to do with her
basically saving his worthless hide last night. “Are you ready to see Jurai
again?” He wondered how that would work with Crow, knowing that relationship
was not bouncing back anytime soon.
“Yes.
I know we have an investigation to do, but I plan on going to see my
parents and grandfather once we’re done with it. No matter how late it is that we finish, I
have to go there and see with my own eyes they’re all right.” Crow was the last
person on her mind right now, her parents and grandfather at the
forefront. Rean did not make her feel
better about the situation and after having that flashback dream with McBurn…Melyssa
had an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn’t quite ignore.
“How are you feeling, Ash? Really? No pain?
The magic took it all away, right?”
“No pain, really – really.” He
chuckled, shaking his head down at her. “You better watch it, beautiful, pretty
soon you’re going to turn into a worrywart, just like Rean.” He chided,
reaching out to gently cup her chin, letting her see in his face and pale pink
eyes that he was teasing her and meant no harm. “You’re too young to be giving yourself
wrinkles already with those frowns, Melyssa.” Bending down, he brushed his lips
against her forehead, laughing when her teal eyes widened. “There you go,
smile!”
He didn’t blame her for worrying
about her family, however, not after the events of last night. Though, he was hoping that if anything had
happened in Jurai, they would be informed of it. News like that had to spread, right? With Jurai being on the far east, news from
there didn’t spread nearly as fast as if something happened in Heimdallr. Ash was right; there was no point in worrying
when no news had come to her. Or maybe
she was starting to feel guilty for running away from home and not seeing her
family in over a year. Whatever the
case, Melyssa plastered on a smile for Ash and left him to gaze out into the
sky while she went back in, having more than enough fresh air.
Chapter 28
“There you are!” Juna called out,
rushing over with a cupcake in hand and it had a candle stuck in the middle of
it. “Since we can’t properly celebrate your birthday, I improvised. Where’s Ash?”
“O-Outside…”
What was Juna doing? Melyssa balked when Altina pulled out Claimh
Solais, her weapon, and proceeded to float her right to the kitchen while Juna
went to retrieve Ash. Rean, Crow and
Kurt were waiting for them when Melyssa was dropped right on her feet in the
middle and Altina made Claimh Solais disappear.
“Did you REALLY have to do that,
Altina?”
“Yes.
You would have ran if I didn’t.”
“This really isn’t necessary…we have
more important things to worry about…”
“Life is too short, Melyssa.” Kurt
spoke up, usually the quiet one, but he had to say this much. “After what
happened yesterday, every birthday should be celebrated to some extent. And you are 18 now, correct? That is a huge milestone in one’s life.”
“Exactly.” Juna and Ash walked inside
and she still had the cupcake in hand, extending it to the birthday girl. “Now
stop fighting it, let us sing Happy Birthday to you, blow the candle out and
we’ll all have a cupcake. It’s
harmless.”
Sighing, Melyssa decided if it made
Juna happy, she would suffer through this and took the cupcake, watching Rean
light it. They all sang to her and then she
stared at the candle when Juna ordered her to make a wish. Shutting her eyes, she wished for Jurai’s
safety and prosperity, as well as her family’s before blowing it out, all of
them applauding her.
“See?
That wasn’t so bad!”
“No, it wasn’t.” Melyssa hugged Juna
with one arm. “Thanks, Juna.”
Then, they all sat down together as a
class and ate their cupcakes.
After their cupcakes and people
started wandering off to rest before they landed, Rean gently pulled Melyssa
aside. “Here, I have something for you, birthday girl.” He pulled a small
packet from his pocket, wrapped in brown paper with twine string. He had been
browsing the vendors, seeing if there was anything he or his may need before
they hit Jurai and spotted this small trinket.
Rean had, and not on purpose, cut
Crow off. He had been approaching
Melyssa, hoping to try mending fences again when Rean had swooped in. He knew Rean wasn’t trying to block him or
anything, but it sure felt like.
Melyssa stared at the brown package
with wide eyes, not expecting any gifts, especially one from her Instructor.
“Rean…” He pressed it to her hand and she took it, her eyes staring at it for a
moment or two before looking back up into his fuchsia eyes. “What is this?”
“Open it and find out.”
Hesitantly, Melyssa looked back down
at the present and pulled at the string, unraveling it to reveal a brown
box. Rean opened the lid for her to
reveal what it was and she felt the breath temporarily leave her body. It was a beautiful midnight blue stone that
had little stars embedded inside of it.
It reminded her of the night sky and her love for stargazing. It was on a silver chain and Rean took it out
of the box to step behind her, moving her hair to the side to clip it on around
her neck.
“It’s so beautiful.” She pulled her
hair out of the chain once he finished and turned to face him, fingering the
stone. “Thank you.”
“Now, before you think it’s just for
pretty…” Her reaction was beyond what he had been hoping for. Rean had been concerned she would find it
overwhelming or inappropriate, so the expression on her face when she had seen
it… relief had coursed through him. “It has a protection spell imbued in the
stone.” Not one that would guarantee 100% safety, but it would help rebound
minor spells and whatnot, help her avoid incoming harm. Enchantments were tricky. “Also, it reminded
me of the sky that night we had gelato, which made me think of you.”
Rean wanted to protect her and
remembered their night under the stars with gelato, which told her he enjoyed
it as much as she did. She felt that
all-too familiar warmth course through her body and her heart filled with a
feeling she couldn’t describe. The
protection spell was more than likely done by his witch friend.
“So, as long as I wear this, it will
protect me?”
“Not completely, but it will help a
great deal.”
She wanted to ask him why he would
give her such an amazing gift, but Melyssa refrained. This was her Instructor and, no matter what she
felt towards him, they couldn’t be together.
It wouldn’t be appropriate and the last thing she wanted to do was cause
him problems within the academy. Still,
she hadn’t forgotten that night with the gelato or the walk they took together
under the stars on the academy field.
Why was she having an overwhelming urge to press her lips to his? Maybe it was because she now knew what a kiss
felt like, even if it was a tarnished memory.
Rean was like a forbidden fruit she desperately wanted to taste.
“You truly are one of a kind and not
who I thought you were at all, Rean. I
will cherish this always and never take it off.”
“Who did you think I was?” He asked,
puzzlement lacing his voice before it dawned.
Or at least he had just hit an assumption. The Ashen Chevalier, a stuffy
‘hero’ or something. “Ah, never mind.”
Hopefully, now that she knew him, the
man beneath the moniker… things wouldn’t ever be awkward between them
again. Not like when she had first met
him and realized who her Instructor was, though that awkward had mostly been on
her end. She had been overwhelmed that
first week and he had instinctively gone out of his way to help trying to ease
her into everything.
“Anyway, I’m glad you like it, it
looks good on you.” She made it look lovely, but he knew better than to say
that out loud.
She blushed at his compliment, her
cheeks infusing with pink and looked down at the necklace again, loving how the
little stars shimmered in the stone.
There was no way she could let him walk away without giving him
something in return. Without hesitation,
she stepped up and hugged him around the neck, feeling his hesitation, but she
didn’t care.
“Thank you for thinking of me.”
Pecking his cheek, Melyssa turned and
left the kitchen, leaving him standing there with a shocked expression on his
face. Rean stood there long after
Melyssa had vacated, unaware that he had moved his fingers up to the spot where
her lips had kissed his cheek. Goddess, he was in a lot of trouble when it came
to that woman and that’s exactly what she was – a woman. A beautiful, smart, brave young woman who had
attracted his attention as more than just a friend. His mind threw up a bunch of rules and regulations
that he would be tossing aside and willfully breaking if he pursued this,
pursued her.
As his friends would probably tell
him…. some rules were worth breaking over the right person.
The only question was: Would Melyssa
allow him to break those rules?
~!~
On the outskirts of Jurai, the
Courageous II landed and everyone disembarked exactly an hour and a half
later. They had a little bit of a trek
to get to the actual city, but it wasn’t anywhere near as far as what they had
to walk yesterday. Melyssa grabbed her
bag and shouldered it, along with everyone else, Rean instructing his students
to fall in line. When they arrived in
Jurai, it would be all business and he wanted to make sure they were prepared
for absolutely anything. Prince Olivert
promised to come back in 3 days to pick them up and bring them back to Leeves
since the trains were all shut down for the time being.
“Now since this is familiar territory
for Melyssa and Crow, I’m asking you both to take the lead and I’m depending on
you both to guide us around Jurai when we get there for the investigation.” Rean
informed them, watching both nod and he did the same before they all departed
for Jurai.
With each step she took, that dreaded
feeling pulsated through Melyssa and she did her best to ignore it, putting her
focus into destroying some monsters they ran into on the way to Jurai. Crow hadn’t been to Jurai in years, so being
asked to be a guide seemed silly to him. Equally silly was asking him to do so
alongside of Melyssa, who was keeping him at arm’s length, not that he blamed
her, even after his apology. He had ruined not only her birthday, but he had
stolen her first kiss without even asking anything he should have and then
immediately afterwards made her feel like complete shit for it.
“This place seems familiar.” He said
softly after dispatching another group of monsters, surveying the territory.
“Did we come here as children?”
Melyssa looked over at Crow, along with
the others, immediately swallowing down that spark of hope. “Yeah, we did.” She
gestured to the nearby tree. “We used to climb this all the time while my
grandfather would fish in the river.” There was a river just beyond the trees,
not far away from where they had played as kids. “Sometimes, your grandfather
would join him, Crow.” She informed him in a soft voice, the memories of them
swinging on the branches and their laughter echoing in her mind. How she wished Crow could experience the
nostalgia she currently was. “Anyway, we’re almost to Jurai. About 10 more minutes or so and we’ll be at
the gate.”
They used to play here and climb this
tree as children. Crow could vaguely
remember his grandfather fishing, though he didn’t recall Melyssa or coming out
here with her. He knew she wasn’t lying,
he did have a feeling associated with this area, happiness and joy for the most
part. Falling in step with Melyssa, he
kept his pistols out, the inner joy tampered with something else as each step
took them closer to the gates of Jurai.
“Something feels wrong.” He said it
quietly, just to her, not wanting to upset the others over a feeling.
Maybe it was just him.
“I feel it too.”
There was a very uneasy feeling
surrounding the outskirts of Jurai, so Melyssa could only imagine what it felt
like on the inside. She shared a
concerned look with Crow and then looked at Rean, who had an intense expression
on his face. He must’ve felt something
was off as well. However, once they
arrived at the gates of Jurai, the Imperial soldiers allowed them inside
without any issues.
The town was…lively.
There were people everywhere
shopping, walking, talking, and there were smiles. This was the ‘richer’ part of Jurai, but the
further they would venture in, those smiles and the cheerfulness would
vanish. There was still parts of Jurai
that suffered from poverty and economic hell.
Right now, the rich, the nobility that lived in Jurai, looked as happy
as clams and that did not set well with Melyssa. Jurai was a city bathed in commoners, but
ever since Jurai had been made a Special Economic Zone, the nobility had slowly
but surely edged its way in.
Now, after the civil war, the issue
between the classes was supposed to -in theory- ebb as the classes were
encouraged to mingle a bit more, lessen the stigma between them. That was in theory, but the reality was one
couldn’t force people to stop acting the way they had been taught, by people
who had been taught the same. This was a
problem that had lasted generations and it would take generations more to fix
it.
“I’d say this isn’t so bad.” Crow
said wryly, having holstered his pistols once through the gate though he still
felt the urge to have his fingers wrapped around one. “But it still feels
wrong.”
“So, what exactly are we looking
for? How do we start this
investigation?” Juna inquired, once they found a quiet spot in between uptown
and downtown Jurai, staring at their Instructor expectantly. “You said it was a
political issue, correct, Instructor?”
“Yeah, Prince Olivert gave me more
information on the way here and I can share it with you all now.” Rean rubbed
his hands together, knowing this would not be easy for Crow and Melyssa to
hear. “Heidel Rogner is trying to vie for power in Jurai.”
Heidel Rogner was from one of the
Four Great Houses – the Rogner family, who was very well-known in the city of
Roer, where Alisa and the Reinford family were from. He had hired jaegers during the civil war to
capture Irina Reinford, Alisa’s mother, and Class VII had saved her and
restored order in Roer. Before Heidel
could be sentenced however, the Noble Faction had saved him, or rather Duke
Cayenne had, and since he had a lot of power back then, nothing was ever done
about Irina’s kidnapping. It had
infuriated Alisa and now…he was trying to steal power from the Imperial
government in Jurai.
“From what His Highness was told, the
nobles are slowly but surely taking over Jurai and there’s an upcoming election
for a mayor of the city.”
“But…how can that be?” Melyssa
demanded, her eyes wide and looked at Crow, shaking her head. “No, that’s
wrong. Jurai’s last mayor was Crow’s
grandfather – Mayor Armbrust. The Imperial
government has complete control over Jurai, so how can there even be an
election?!”
“Emperor Eugene III decreed that
Jurai needs a leader of some sort instead of the Imperial government running
it.” Rean could understand why she was upset, but at the same time, he had to
remain neutral. “Prince Olivert isn’t happy with his father’s decision, which
is why there’s a lot more Nobles here than there was a year ago.”
“Aidios, help us…” Melyssa whispered,
not believing these sudden turn of events. “Who is he competing against,
Instructor?”
“THAT…I don’t know yet. Prince Olivert didn’t either, but Scherazard
thinks it’s another one of the Four Great Houses. And here’s the worst part – Ouroboros is
backing Heidel Rogner in the election.” Rean did not like the look that crossed
over Crow’s face, knowing this was a very serious situation they’d just stepped
into. “The election is one week from tomorrow, so Prince Olivert is hoping we
can somehow put a stop to it before then.
He said if we need to stay here longer than 3 days, it’s not a problem
and Principal Le Guin has already signed consent on it too.”
Melyssa felt nauseous, looking around
at all the people walking and talking, not believing what was happening to her
home. If Ouroboros was backing Heidel
Rogner, his competition did not stand a chance and was in danger of becoming
extinct.
Chapter 29
“So, we need to find out who his
opposition is.” Crow said quietly, digesting all of that.
Politics, he hated politics, that was
what the war was basically all about.
The nobility had NOT agreed at all with the policies Osborne had set in
place, with the royal family backing him, no less. They hadn’t wanted to lose their prestige,
their influence, everything that separated them from the ‘lower classes’.
“And they’ll probably need protection
of some sort, including family.”
“And…” Ash hated this, he really
hated it because it was just a terrible thought, but it also was not out of
Ouroboros depth of depravity either. “We need to keep our ears open for anyone
who is voicing against Rogner and supporting the other candidate, enough loud
voices usually are heard and Ouroboros will want to stifle them.”
One person immediately came to the
forefront of Melyssa’s mind that would go against both Heidel Rogner and
Ouroboros. “M-My grandfather.” All eyes turned to her and that dreaded feeling
in the pit of her stomach surged almost violently. “My grandfather was close to
the last mayor of this city. He’s always
been a FIRM believer in the traditions of Jurai and the power belonging to the
commoners. I-If this is all true…and he
spoke up against them…” Keep it together, don’t think the worse yet, she mentally chastised herself,
taking a slow, deep breath.
“Are your parents also
traditionalists?” Juna asked, remembering Melyssa telling her about her
grandfather living with her Mom and Dad.
“Yes.
My grandfather instilled the traditions into his son, my Dad. They own the biggest fish market in Jurai, so
they’re pretty well known throughout the city.” Melyssa felt a hand on her
shoulder and looked up at Ash, nodding to let him know she was all right. “If
we’re going to find out who Rogner’s competition is, my parents and grandfather
would more than likely know. I-I’m not
trying to sway us in the direction of my family because I’m worried about them
either. I truly feel they will have the answers
to our questions because of their influence and involvement in Jurai.”
It made sense. Kurt couldn’t deny it. “Then lead us to the
fish market as long as it’s all right with you, Instructor. They should be there right now, correct?”
“I would assume so, yes.”
“It’s up to the Instructor then.”
Altina spoke up. “I agree with Melyssa.
This is our best lead and I do not believe she is doing it for personal reasons.”
After all, that wouldn’t be very professional of a student of Thors Branch
School.
“So, when I called you a fishmonger’s
daughter, that wasn’t entirely accurate.” This was not the time for jokes and
he wasn’t even joking, Crow was being absolutely serious. “You’re THE
fishmonger’s daughter.”
Someone who had influence, potential
power, and backed the power belonging to the commoner’s. That was like… nobility with a soul and his
eyes narrowed at Melyssa thoughtfully.
Friends with his grandfather, who had been a very, very busy man. Busy enough that the few precious memories he
had of said busy man were highly cherished.
If Melyssa was being honest and he had every reason to believe her, he
had spent more time with her family than his own.
“Hey, I told you my family took care
of you as a child while your grandfather was busy being mayor. Did you think I was fabricating some
elaborate story or something? The fact
is we didn’t just grow up together, Crow, we were RAISED together too. My family took care of you, clothed you, fed
you, bathed you, made sure you got to school on time with me…you even had your
own room at our house. And yes, I’m a
lonely child…and you were like their adopted son.”
Not only had he broken her heart when
he ran away from Jurai, but her parents had been devastated as well. Her grandfather also because he had spent a
lot of time teaching Crow how to fish.
So many memories and he didn’t remember any of them…it was a hard pill
to swallow, but at least she didn’t feel any animosity or anger towards him
anymore. Crow raised an eyebrow down at
her, wondering if she realized how she sounded.
He hadn’t been questioning anything,
simply making a statement.
“Let’s go.” Rean ordered, before
either could say anything again.
He was already seeing a headache
forming. Maybe he should have asked his
witch friend to see about restoring all of Crow’s memories since either he
hadn’t come back with them all or he was purposefully blocking them out. Melyssa lead the way, each step feeling
heavier than the next, but she had to be brave.
What if something happened to her
family? What if Ouroboros had already
struck? What if they were too late? It took everything in her power not to panic
as she lead them to the biggest fish market in Jurai. The big sign in front of them read Brackett
& Co. in big bold black letters.
Melyssa froze at the sight of an older woman with dark blue hair,
braided over her shoulder, cleaning the windows on the outside of the
market. This was it. At least her mother was safe and sound. It’d been over a year since they last saw
each other and Melyssa pushed down, fought back, the barrage of emotions
threatening to overwhelm her. Instead,
she slowly walked toward the woman and cleared her throat, gaining the woman’s
attention.
“Hi, welcome to Brackett &…”
Miranda Brackett’s words died on her lips the moment she looked away from
cleaning the windows, staring back at her own daughter. “Goddess…Mely, i-is
that you? Is it really you?” Tears
instantly began sliding down her cheeks as soon as the young lady in front of
her nodded her head. “Oh, Aidios!!
You’re alive, you’re alive and you’re back!!”
Melyssa grunted when her mother threw
her arms around her, hugging her close and she could feel how badly she was
shaking. “M-Mom…”
“I prayed, oh I prayed to the Goddess
every night for your safety! I had no
idea what happened to you, if you were alive or dead all this time! Aidios has answered my prayers!” Miranda was
beside herself, not caring who saw her because her baby girl had finally made
it back home safe and sound.
“M-Mom…” Melyssa tried again and
finally had to break free from her mother’s grip, placing her hands on the
woman’s shoulders. “Please stop, okay?
I-I’m not here for…a family reunion.
T-This is my Instructor at Thors Branch School, Rean Schwarzer…and these
are my classmates. W-We need to talk to
you, Dad and Papa. It’s urgent.”
Miranda frowned, finally noticing the
uniform her daughter sported and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes
wide. “Y-You’re the Ashen Chevalier, aren’t you? And you joined his class at Thors?”
“Yes, he is and yes, I did and we
don’t have time for this. Where is Dad
and Papa?”
Miranda swallowed hard, her face growing
pale at the mention of her husband and father-in-law. “Mely…”
That dreaded feeling was in her
stomach again. “Mother, where’s Dad and Papa?” She tried asking again, only for
Miranda to completely break down and began crying. “Mom…”
Miranda shook her head, unable to
find her voice and wrapped her arms around herself.
“MOM!”
“Whoa Melyssa, calm down…”
Melyssa shoved Ash away when he tried
to touch her, tears of her own already sliding down her own cheeks. “Mom! W-Where’s Dad and Papa? A-Are they all right? A-Are they here?! DAD!
PAPA!!” She rushed past her mother into the shop, not sensing anyone
else in here. “DAD!! PAPA!! WHERE ARE YOU?!” She shouted out, taking the
stairs two at a time and felt a coldness take over her racing heart, flinging
every door open. They were nowhere to be
found. “Goddess no, please…”
Miranda’s husband, Robert, had been
captured a month ago and she had no idea where they were keeping him…or if he
was alive. Robert had done exactly what
Melyssa feared, spoken his mind, along with her grandfather, Thomas, and they
had paid the price for it. Thomas had
been killed as a ‘warning’, by Ouroboros, and when Robert pursued his goal of
protecting Jurai, despite what happened to Thomas, that had been the final
straw for them.
Miranda gestured everyone to follow
her inside before telling them what happened, not wanting it out in the open
for everyone to see. She didn’t trust
anyone right now in Jurai and the only reason their business was still going
because they were the largest fish market in the city. Some of the smaller ones had already been
shut down. People were terrified for
their lives and some had even left Jurai to start new lives elsewhere.
Melyssa listened from the top of the
stairs and felt her heart shatter in her chest, not believing her Papa was
dead. He hadn’t died an old man either
in his bed peaceful or because of some disease.
He was MURDERED…by Ouroboros.
Now, they had her father captive or he was already dead as well…and her
poor mother was all alone to deal with this.
She thought back to Crossbell, to her encounter with McBurn and wondered
if it really was a coincidence after all.
No, it had to be because McBurn didn’t even know her name and called her
‘girl’.
It had to be a coincidence – a wrong
place, wrong time scenario, right?
Unless of course McBurn had known who
she was, whose daughter she was, whose granddaughter she was and then the
coincidence was out the door. Knowing
all this now, again after the fact, had Rean’s mind playing catch up as he
began sorting this all out. Fishmonger,
when he had heard that, he had thought of a small family, small business,
commoner type of deal and Melyssa’s family was not exactly common. Not if they were the largest supplier in
Jurai.
“Crow, Ash, I want you two down by
the docks to check out the warehouse.” Because a fishery, a business, this size
would have to have a place down at the docks as well.
Miranda felt something akin to hope
flaring as action was FINALLY being taken over this.
“On it.”
Miranda’s head also shot up at the
name Rean Schwarzer said, her eyes wide. “Crow?
Crow Armbrust?”
Was the Goddess smiling down on her
today or making a mockery of her? The man
had silver hair and crimson eyes – there was no mistaking it, this was the same
boy she had cared for and practically raised.
However, she did not see any recognition in his eyes as he stared back
at her and Miranda was somehow not surprised.
“Never mind, we’ll talk later.”
Crow merely nodded and followed Ash
out the door.
“Juna, Altina and Kurt, I need you to
go around town, discreetly, and start questioning people on the possible
whereabouts of Ouroboros’ hideout. More
than likely that’s where they’re keeping Robert Brackett hostage.” Rean was all
business, determined to help this family and stood, his eyes moving to the
stairs.
“What about Melyssa?” Juna asked,
worry lacing her tone for her friend.
“Let the Instructor deal with it.”
Kurt knew they had to put the
investigation first, but that didn’t mean Melyssa had to be involved, not until
she was in a right frame of mind again.
Finding out her grandfather, who she adored, was killed by Ouroboros,
because of a Noble, and then her father was taken hostage…it was a lot for
anyone to take in, especially on their birthday.
This was the worst birthday of her
life.
As far as Rean concerned, right now
the best place for Melyssa was here with her mother. Firstly, it allowed her to grieve in peace
without the pressure of having to hold everything together for an
investigation. Second, if anyone came
through that door with ill intentions, it would rouse her and grief would be
channeled into something else, which was a win-win. Crouching down by her, he reached out and
placed a hand gently on her shoulder, his heart breaking at the tears and
brokenness in those teal eyes.
“I want you to stay here until I come
back, watch over your mother and take some time.” He ordered softly. “Okay?”
Melyssa understood why he was doing
this, leaving her out of the investigation and just nodded, not able to find
words. She should have been here all
along instead of being selfish, trying to track down a man, who didn’t even remember
her. Her Papa was dead and she wasn’t
here to try protecting him. She was off
at a military academy or sleeping in the woods being stubborn and bullheaded.
“Rean…” She grabbed his arm when he
went to stand up, watery teal meeting concerned yet determined fuchsia.
“Please…please save my Dad.” In her heart, she felt he was still alive and she
would hold onto that hope as long as she could. “Please…I-I can’t lose him
too…”
Rean’s first instinct was to promise
that he would and he even opened his mouth to say as much, but then he shut it,
his lips compressing into a thin grim line. “I will try.” He said finally,
letting her hear the truth in his tone.
He wasn’t promising anything because he didn’t want to have to
disappoint her if he couldn’t keep his promise, not after the day she was having,
the news she had heard. Rean couldn’t
bare being the one to break her again by not living up to his word. “I’ll be
back.” He whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead before getting up
and stepping down to look at the remaining students. “We’re moving out.” He was
going to, however, leave a few of the second years behind to keep an eye on the
place from a distance.
Crow and Ash would be the ones to stay
behind, after they returned from the docks and warehouse, but that would take a
while. Altina told Rean she would stay
behind to keep an eye on Melyssa and her mother, while Juna and Kurt went with
Rean to try to find the whereabouts of Ouroboros’ hideout. Rean wasn’t taking any chances, wanting this
place and family protected. Melyssa felt
worthless just sitting at the top of the stairs with her head in her hands,
showing weakness.
What was she proving by sitting here,
wallowing in pity?
Her Papa couldn’t be brought back to
life…not like Crow had. He was
gone. Forever. Her Dad was in danger and she should have
been out there with the others, grilling people for information. Instead, all she could do was sit here and
cry, now understanding why she’d had a feeling of dread wash over her the
moment Rean announced they were going to Jurai for their field study.
Papa, I’m so sorry I
wasn’t here to protect you. I love you
so much and I miss you. Dad, please be
safe. Goddess, please protect him and
keep him safe until we can get to him, Melyssa silently prayed, clasping her hands tightly in front of her.
Chapter 30
Crow had navigated himself and Ash to
the docks, the warehouse and fishing district by memory, feeling things
surfacing in his mind as feelings were connected by visuals now, even
smells. The saltiness of the ocean air,
the fishy smell that seeped into everything, including their hair and
clothes. He could hear people laughing
and talking, haggling as people conducted business and of course, children
running here and there. It made him feel
nostalgia, envisioning himself and Melyssa doing that, running back and forth,
laughing and playing tag here. This was
horrible timing, the return of some memories while they were conducting not
only an investigation of Ouroboros, but also a murder and kidnapping. Again, the Goddess had a wicked sense of
humor.
“There.” He raised a finger and
pointed to the warehouse. “There’s a side entrance we can take, maybe less
people will see us.”
Ash could tell Crow was somewhat out
of it while walking toward the docks and warehouse. He just hoped the man snapped out of it if
they had to battle. Heading to the side
door, Crow picked it with ease and opened it, both slipping inside
undetected. Crow froze instantly because
the warehouse was lined up with closed barrels and Ash noticed it, frowning.
“What’s up? Does this place have a connection to you
too?” He didn’t mean to pry, but it was obvious Crow was experiencing some
serious memory issues at the moment. “Come on, try to focus and look around.”
Crow was definitely having a memory
issue right now, his red eyes firmly fastened on those barrels.
~!~
“Help me! Someone help me!”
“Lyssa?” Young Crow
asked, approaching the brining barrel hesitantly. They had been playing hide and seek. He had been the seeker this round and this
was… confusing. “Are you hiding in there?”
“Crow?! Help, it’s hard to breathe in here!”
“Hold on, I’ll get
help!”
“Don’t leave me, Crow,
don’t leave me!”
He grabbed the top of
the barrel, the lid, and tried prying it off.
How’d she get in there?! “I can’t, it’s stuck!”
~!~
“Hey Armbrust, get your head in the
game!” Ash popped the silver haired man upside the head, seeing Crow had been in
a zone of some sort. What in Aidios’
name was going on in his head?
~!~
“Melyssa, we are headed to your
family home next door. I recommend you
join us and not leave your mother alone.” Altina informed her classmate two
hours later, remaining at the bottom of the steps to look up.
It was nightfall and it looked like a
storm was rolling in. Her mother had
already closed up the fish market and was waiting for them by the
entrance. Melyssa nodded silently, descending
the stairs and followed them outside, waiting for her mother to lock up. Together, they ventured to the two story
house that was right next to the fish market and Melyssa stopped to stare at
it. Even in the darkness, it looked the
same, but there was a cold feeling about it now that Papa was gone and Dad…she
immediately dismissed that train of thought, refusing to believe he was dead as
well. They would find him and bring him
back home safely, no matter what she had to do.
Miranda looked back at her daughter
and wanted to hold her close, but she could tell Melyssa didn’t want to be
bothered right now. “Come on, I’ll make something to eat for everyone. There’s plenty of room for you all to stay
here.”
Altina just nodded, walking inside
and Melyssa slowly followed, closing her eyes to breathe in the scent of
home. It made her want to cry all over
again seeing her Papa’s favorite chair with his smoking pipe on the table
beside it.
Crow and Ash returned while the storm
was in full force. Crow had remembered
something else, storms coming in off the ocean were downright dangerous at
times. Nobody was in the market, so he
automatically veered towards the large house next door.
Miranda screamed when the back door, the kitchen door, flew open. “Crow!” She
shrieked, a hand flying to her heart when she seen the silver haired youth come
in like so many times before, shaking water out of his hair alongside his
friend, who was just as wet. “It was locked!”
“You leave the spare key in the same
place still.” He said slowly, feeling almost shy under the look she was giving
him. Some things were coming back or he
just felt like he knew, like he had always known, but not everything, not yet.
Melyssa overheard that and stared at
them wide-eyed, her Cutlass unsheathed, ready to cut down any intruder. She had been sitting in her Papa’s chair with
a cup of tea in hand, freshly showered and in her pajamas for the evening. The moment the back door swung open, she was
up with her Cutlass unsheathed and Altina had brought out Claimh Solais, which
had terrified her mother. Was Crow’s
memory coming back?
It doesn’t matter, he
doesn’t want you and you need to move on, she reminded herself, sheathing her weapon and Altina waved her hand
as hers disappeared.
“I’ll get you boys some towels. Stay put.” Miranda ordered, rushing into the
bathroom to grab them and handed one over to the blonde while she proceeded to
towel-dry Crow. “I didn’t know if you’d remember me, boy. Pleased to know some memories are returning.”
She had asked Rean about Crow after he left with Ash and Rean had told her
about his memory loss, not going into much detail. It was enough to know Crow didn’t know her or
Melyssa or anyone from Jurai besides his deceased grandfather. “All right, get
your hair really good and then you can sit down for some hot soup.”
Ash smirked at the mothering from the
older woman and Crow’s cheeks were tinged red, his pink eyes moving to look at
Melyssa. Even with the shower she’d taken,
her eyes were still red and swollen from all the crying she’d done, though the
tears had stopped. He really didn’t know
what to say to her, so he just winked, letting her know he was here if she
wanted to talk.
All Melyssa did was nod back at him and
sat back down in her Papa’s chair, sipping more of her tea just as flash of
lightning lit up the house.
Crow remained silent as this woman
coddled both him and Ash like they were little boys instead of grown men. He glanced at Melyssa from time to time,
unsure of what to say to her. Offer his
condolences? He knew how trite and
worthless those were, he had been in her position himself years ago. It was one of the key factors that had led
both him and her to this point, a loved one being murdered. He needed to tell her he was sorry for her
loss, and Miranda as well, but every time he did open his mouth to speak, he
wound up spooning more soup instead.
“She’s exhausted.” Miranda murmured,
brushing a strand of hair from her daughter’s sleeping face and covered her up
with a blanket that was on the back of her father-in-law’s chair. It was his favorite and she remembered the
countless times he would snuggle Melyssa up with it to watch the fireplace.
“Happy birthday, my sweet girl.” Kissing her forehead, she went to lift Melyssa
up to carry her upstairs to her bedroom, when a hand landed on her shoulder.
“She can’t sleep in this chair, her back will kill her in the morning…”
“I know, ma’am, don’t worry. I’ll carry her up for you.” Ash offered,
already lifting Melyssa in his arms to cradle her against his chest. She didn’t move and he nodded at Miranda,
following her up the stairs to Melyssa’s bedroom.
Rean and the others weren’t back yet,
but Ash had gotten a message from their friends a short while ago, letting them
know not to wait up.
~!~
Jurai was turning out to be shady.
On the surface, a lot of things
looked normal, very peaches and cream and the people seemed happy. As they had explored and tried to
investigate, without being overly obvious and attracting too much attention to
themselves, – that was a bit hard since he was the Ashen Chevalier – he had
noticed a few things. A lot of the
adults were so ‘happy’ it seemed faked, forced, and then undercurrents of
tension seeped into the stilted conversations.
The ‘death’ of one of their own, on top of the disappearance -because
nobody was calling it what it was, a kidnapping- had people clamming up, afraid
they or a loved one would be next if they voiced their concerns, or voiced out
against the opposition. This town was
under a silent type of oppression.
By the time he made it back, the
storm was in full rage and he was drenched from head to toe, taking in the
house. Every light was off, he doubted
anyone was awake. Rean had sent others back
hours ago, knowing they weren’t getting anywhere else tonight, not with this
storm, but he had wanted to go investigate a few locations. He had known that with the storm going on,
they would be empty and he had been right.
“Rean?”
Melyssa had slept for exactly two
hours and was woken up by a nightmare, unable to go back to sleep. She had padded downstairs quietly and curled
up in her Papa’s chair again, silently crying.
Crow and Ash were in his old room, Juna and Kurt were roomed together in
another, Altina in her own and Rean would be sleeping in Thomas’s old
room. Melyssa stood up from the chair,
seeing him standing there sopping wet and held her finger up in a one second
gesture to go retrieve towels. Her
mother had done a load before going to bed, apparently, because they were
freshly washed and folded.
“Here, take your jacket off and I’ll
hang it up.” Her voice was a low and soft monotone, gruff from all the crying
she’d done. It was after 2 in the
morning, Juna and Kurt had gotten back after she’d fallen asleep and someone
had carried her up to her bed.
“Look away.” He ordered through
chattering teeth, trying to keep from being loud.
Rean was SOAKED, even his underwear, and
he began shedding his clothes right there in the kitchen. He spotted a barrel -what was with these
people and their barrels- loaded with what looked like Crow’s jacket, wet
stuff. Ah, he got it. He began carefully adding his stuff, each
piece as he removed it, knowing it would all have be laundered, or at least
dried before being put back on. His
fingers hooked into the waist of his pants, eyes moving to her, making sure she
wasn’t watching. After the horrible few
days she had had, standing here in her mother’s kitchen, seeing him naked would
probably traumatize the poor woman.
Obeying, Melyssa had hung up his
jacket and then walked back to sit in her Papa’s chair, letting Rean dry
himself off with the towels. The
fireplace wasn’t on, so she sat in the dark and stared straight ahead, trying
to commit the smell of the chair to memory.
It smelled just like her beloved grandfather. She could hear Rean chattering and shuffling
of clothes, or towels, whatever, the chair blocking her view completely. As tempted as she was to sneak a peek,
Melyssa knew better and touched the starry night stone around her neck. Only in her fantasies and dreams would she
ever see Rean naked because he was her Instructor and it was wrong to lust
after someone of his caliber. Wrapped in
that overly large towel, Rean came out and groaned softly. No fire.
He bet it would have felt good right about now, warming him. Even his bones felt chilled, the wind
whistling outside reminding him of just how bad it was out there.
“Why aren’t you in bed, Melyssa?” He
asked quietly, settling himself on the floor at her feet, making sure there was
towel beneath his naked butt.
Then again, maybe that was a stupid
question. If he had been in her shoes
and gotten the news she had, sleep would be the last thing he wanted to
do. Rean knew he’d want to be out there
searching for killers and kidnappers, raining down vengeance, which was always
a slippery slope.
“Had a nightmare and couldn’t fall
back to sleep.” Melyssa quietly answered and stood up from the chair, stepping
over him to get to the fireplace.
The logs were still fresh, so she
took a match and lit it, stoking it a little with the poker to get it
going. When she turned around, Rean was
slowly being bathed in the firelight, bare from the waist up and that scar on
his chest made her stomach flip and her heart race. It was just like their first sparring
session, only she knew he was completely naked beneath that towel.
“You were out late.” She moved back
to him and instead of sitting in the chair, she took the spot beside him,
drawing her knees up. “Did you find out anything?”
“Some,” Rean said slowly, scooting up
closer to the fire, aware she was moving along with him. He stuck his hands
out, hissing as the warmth crashed over them. “Thanks, this feels heavenly.” It
was like dunking himself into a very hot bath at the end of a long, cold day.
“Most people are too afraid to talk. I
didn’t notice it when we first came in, but… a lot of these smiles and the
cheer, it’s fake, especially amongst the commoners. They’re scared.” As they should be, he
supposed, cocking his head to the side as he watched the flames. Rean started to ask her about her nightmare
only to be interrupted by his own stomach, his cheeks flaming just as hot as
the fire. “Sorry.” It had been a long day, he had been busy from the moment
they had arrived and he could already see the next few days would be just as
bad.
Melyssa cracked the barest hint of a
smile at his gurgling stomach and knew what she had to do, rising back to her
feet. “Stay here by the fire and I’ll warm you up some soup my Mom made.”
Before he could stop her or argue,
Melyssa was already on her way to the kitchen.
Rean would more than likely come down with a cold unless he got really
lucky. He was DRENCHED and she had seen
just how sopping wet his clothes were.
Luckily, they had an orbal washing machine and dryer, an invention the
Reinford company came up with several years ago. While the soup was warming on the orbal
stove, she tossed his clothes, along with others, into the washer and started
it up. They would need fresh clothes and
her mother had done more than enough for them already. Melyssa would grieve in her own time, but
right now, she had one primary focus and that was finding and rescuing her
father.
Ten minutes later, she brought out
the soup and handed it over to Rean, cautioning him to be careful because it
was hot.
Chapter 31
Rean didn’t plan on catching a
cold. He planned on practically baking
himself on this fire until any chance of a cold was burnt away. When she came out with the soup, his nose had
him shifting to look at her, his stomach gurgling again to remind him that he
was famished and hadn’t eaten all day.
“You are an angel, you know that?” He
cradled the hot bowl between his finally warming palms, shifting his body so he
was sitting facing her as Melyssa sank back down onto the floor with him. “Did
Crow and Ash say if they found anything out down at the docks?” He asked,
raising the spoon up to start blowing on the soup, pretty sure he was going to
risk the burn because he was starving.
“No, I’m not an angel. I’m…I’m nothing. And I don’t know because I was too busy
wallowing in my grief to pay attention when they returned. I ended up falling asleep in my Papa’s chair
and someone carried me up to my room.
You’ll have to ask them in the morning.” Melyssa couldn’t meet his eyes
and instead stared into the fire, the grief threatening to overtake her once
again. She wasn’t here. She wasn’t here to protect her family and she
felt worthless because of it. “Tomorrow, I’m going on the investigation with
you, Rean. I’m going to help any way I
can because, if I stay here and keep wallowing like this, I’m going to be swallowed
whole in my grief. I need to continue
the way of the sword and we have a job to do here.” I’m coming, Dad, I promise, she silently vowed, wiping a stray tear from her
cheek angrily.
Rean was silent, using the now cooled
enough to eat without scalding his mouth soup as means to occupy himself, so he
didn’t have to reply. Instead, he
thought about it, about her, about this situation. She had run away from home after fighting
with her parents. He could not even
begin to imagine the guilt she must feel now, coming home to find out a loved
one was dead and another had been kidnapped.
It had to be shredding her inside and here she was trying to put on a
brave, stoic face for him.
“You can cry.” He said softly once he
was done with the soup, setting the bowl off to the side, so it was out of the
way. “Melyssa, you can cry as much as you want, as much as you need too. It’s the desire for revenge and vengeance
that you can’t succumb too.”
He moved closer to her, cupping her
face with his palm, his thumb moving to catch another tear. Crow had done that and look where it had
landed him. She had too much potential
to throw it away on things like vengeance, no matter how much she DID deserve
it. Another tear fell and then another
as they kept filling her eyes, the shame and guilt ripping her apart from the
inside out.
“I-I have to be strong. My Papa wanted me to pursue the way of the
sword and supported me. The Cutlass I
wield was his and he gave it to me.” It was more special to her than ever now
that he was dead. She pulled away from
Rean’s touch, using both of her hands to wipe the tears away. “No, I’ve cried
enough. When this is over and my Dad is
safe and sound, I’ll find time to mourn my Papa. Now isn’t the time or place, not when my Mom
is in danger now.” With her father gone, Ouroboros could sweep in at any time
and take her mother next. Whoever killed Papa will pay and I’ll cut them down myself, another vow she made silently, knowing
Rean wouldn’t like hearing those words come out of her mouth. She was angry and had every reason to
be. Melyssa would channel that anger and
pain into being helpful, productive and strong instead of succumbing to it
completely like Crow had.
“There is strength, Melyssa,” He said
quietly with conviction, knowing she heard every word he said clearly. “In
acknowledging and embracing what some may view as weakness. It’s one of the things that separates us from
those in Ouroboros, one of the things that keeps us from becoming LIKE
them. The tears mean you loved your Papa
deeply, I’d be concerned if you didn’t cry.”
He was also concerned that too many
people thought they had to bottle it up and carry on, avenge their dead, and it
lead to accidents, innocents getting hurt.
Or led the grieving down a path they might not be able to come back
from. Again, Crow came to mind and he
realized that it was because the situations here were so similar. It had been his own grandfather that had been
murdered, same as hers. Same town. Same political positions. Close family friends. They were cursed, it seemed.
Slowly turning her head to look back
at him, Melyssa didn’t see her Instructor in the firelight. This was Rean Schwarzer, her friend, who was
trying his best to comfort her. The
tears glittered in her teal eyes and she shut them tightly, beginning to cry
all over again.
“I…miss him…so much…” Her voice
cracked as she buried her face in her hands and Rean pulled her against him
this time, keeping his grip firm while his cheek rested on top of her head.
“I-I never should’ve left home…I-I could’ve protected them if I hadn’t been so
selfish and stubborn about wanting to reunite with Crow! And look how well THAT turned out. The man doesn’t even remember me, us, nothing
of Jurai! Please Goddess, Aidios,
whoever is listening up there, please take this pain away…please give me
strength to save my Dad…” If Melyssa lost him, she didn’t know if she’d be able
to go on with her own life since she blamed herself entirely for her
grandfather’s murder. “T-This is my fault…I’m so sorry, Papa…”
Her tears were now soaking Rean’s
chest because she had moved her hands from her face in order to wrap her arms
tightly around his waist. He wanted her
to cry and let it all out and that was exactly what she was doing. Patiently, Rean listened to her crying and
her pleas, her prayers to the Goddess to help her through this and ease the
hurt. It was a sad song that he was sure
the Goddess had heard a thousand times before and he wondered if it hurt Her
any less or was She indifferent to it by now?
All Rean did was hold her, occasionally moving a hand to stroke her
hair, silently letting her know that he was here and he was listening, being
her literal shoulder to cry on because that’s what you did when you cared about
someone. After a long while, her words
tapered into cries and eventually those also faded into something ragged and
heavy, as if she had cried herself hoarse and maybe she had.
“Melyssa?” He murmured, his lips
brushing the shell of her ear.
Her breathing was ragged from both
crying and sobbing, shivering when she felt Rean’s breath and lips on her
ear. Why did that feel good? Melyssa didn’t want to move, pretty sure she
had soaked Rean’s chest and now her tears had dried into his skin, along with
the rain outside, thanks to the fireplace.
Slowly, she pulled back to look up at him, those fuchsia eyes burning
down into her, piercing her very soul.
Goddess help her, she really needed to check herself when it came to
Rean because all she wanted to do was kiss him.
“Rean…” She croaked out softly, her
voice hoarse and the moment he began leaning down, she pulled back, sniffling.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…break down on you like that…” As much as she wanted to
explore these feelings for Rean, it was wrong and she couldn’t pursue anything
with her Instructor.
“No, it’s fine, I think I kind of
gave you permission.” He smiled slightly at her, taking note of the way her
tears had dried on her face, the firelight making those tracks glisten almost.
“That’s what I’m here for, if you ever should need me, Melyssa. I want you to
remember that.”
Because in the days to come, she’d
probably need a friend and why was he thinking of himself as something that
could potentially be more than her friend?
She was his student and he knew she’d had feelings for Crow. After Crow’s idiot move, he wasn’t sure where
she stood with the man, however.
“Thanks.” Melyssa rose to her feet and
sat in her Papa’s chair, putting some space between her and Rean. “I think I’m
tired enough to catch some more sleep.
You really should do the same, Rean.” Squeezing his bare shoulder, she
stood up from the chair and scrubbed her hands down her face. “My Mom set you
up in Papa’s old room, if that’s all right.” He nodded and she did the same,
feeling a lot of confliction when it came to Rean. Then there was Crow…and she couldn’t even
deal with him right now, not with everything else that was coming at her.
“Goodnight.” Padding up the stairs, Melyssa turned the corner to go to her room
and froze at the sight of Crow standing in the hallway. He had a faraway look on his face and she
took another step, this time making his head snap to stare at her with those
fiery eyes. “If I woke you up, I apologize.”
“No, you didn’t. A branch hit the window and it startled me
out of my dreams.” Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing since he had been
having the weirdest dreams, though at least this time, it wasn’t anything to do
with her being in a fish brining barrel.
He reached out and hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing
gently. “I remembered that, the barrel bit I mean, Lyssa.” He flashed her a
tentative smile, knowing his behavior with the kiss stealing and immediate
panic attack afterwards had not left them on good terms.
“It’s not…wait, what?” Melyssa’s eyes
widened, her hand slowly coming up to cover her mouth. Did he just call her Lyssa? Nobody else ever had – it was Crow’s special
nickname for her growing up. “What did you call me?”
“Lyssa…”
There was a hint of recognition in
his eyes and familiarity when he said it a second time. Now, she wanted to cry for an entirely
different reason, but instead, she placed her hand on top of his and squeezed.
“You remembered what you used to call me.
You’re getting your memories back?”
Was this real? Or was she dreaming again? Maybe she fell asleep against Rean and she
was still in front of the fireplace with him.
She pinched her arm, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming and she
wasn’t, feeling that small zip of pain.
This was both the last thing she needed to be told and the best thing in
the world.
“Crow…”
Reaching out with a trembling hand,
she touched the side of his face with newfound admiration in her own eyes. He was another person she couldn’t lose. Now that he was regaining his memories, maybe
Crow would finally remember just how close they used to be prior to him leaving
Jurai.
“Lyssa,” He said it again, it felt
both familiar and weird, the way it just rolled off his tongue, but the way she
smiled again when he used the nickname he had given her as a child… it was
worth it. “I’m sorry I forgot everything, I don’t… the memories ARE coming
back. So many things snapped into place
today or they felt familiar and I just knew… knew things, like where to go and
what to look for, where.” It was an odd feeling, having memories he possessed,
but couldn’t access just suddenly be there.
Despite what she found out and
everything happening, Melyssa could not stop the smile that crossed her face
when he called her ‘Lyssa’. “It’s not your fault.” Melyssa meant that with
every fiber of her being.
It was Duke Cayenne’s fault. It was the deceased Giliath Osborne’s fault
for blackmailing Crow’s grandfather.
Duke Cayenne did not help matters at all by manipulating him into
building his hatred for Osborne either.
She didn’t hesitate and wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him
tightly, tears falling for an entirely different reason now. They weren’t sad. They were full of happiness that she was
slowly but surely getting HER Crow back.
“I’m just glad you’re coming back to
me and remembering. That’s all that
matters.”
Considering how he had taken her
first kiss without asking permission or her age, and then how he had acted
after it had belatedly come to him about her age… the fact that Melyssa was
willingly touching him again had something stirring inside of Crow.
“Melyssa? Are you-” Rean had been finally moving to his
room, Papa’s room, which he had learned was downstairs. He had heard her and come up to check, turned
and hesitated, coming to see if everything was all right. She was standing there with Crow, looking
much happier than when she had been downstairs. “All right?”
Rean was in nothing but a towel. Crow’s red eyes widened for a moment before
narrowing. “You got in late.”
“The storm had me delayed.” He kept his
voice down, not wanting to wake anyone. “I thought you may have called for me.”
He inclined his head at Melyssa. “Good night.” Right back down the steps he
went, holding tight to the towel with one hand.
As much as she wanted to go after
Rean, it felt as if her feet were glued to the flooring and her arms would not
release Crow. All she had done was turn
her head to look at their Instructor/friend and now she was looking up at Crow,
who had an unreadable expression on his face.
Was he…irritated? Why?
“I was already downstairs when he
came in from the storm and I started the fireplace for him and warmed him up
some soup.” There was no way she was telling Crow about her breakdown on
Rean. Some things were better left
unsaid. “Are you okay, Crow?”
Crow’s face went blank for a moment
before he gave her a half-smile, nodding his head. “Yeah, I’m fine, Lyssa, just
tired is all.” It had been an extremely long day and he was going to pass back
out, hopefully without any more strange dreams or branches hitting his window.
“Try to get some sleep.” He shoved a naked, minus a towel, Rean right out of
mind, knowing it wasn’t his business when it came to Melyssa and Rean, not that
there WAS anything going on there.
That would probably violate some rule
or something since they were student and Instructor.
There was NOTHING going on between
her and Rean and there never could be, not until she wasn’t his student
anymore. That was two years from now and
there was no way he’d wait for her. Why
was Melyssa even thinking along those lines in the first place?
“You too. Goodnight, Crow and…welcome back.” Squeezing
his arm, she walked into her room and shut the door, pressing her back against
it.
He may have stolen her first real
kiss and hurt her feelings with the rejection, but her heart was wide open for
him now that his memories were returning.
Touching the stone around her neck, Melyssa knew she was in trouble
because she also had forbidden feelings for her Instructor. She couldn’t deny the chemistry and attraction
she had with Rean, not to mention their connection.
There was definitely something there,
she just didn’t know what it was yet.
Chapter 32
A few hours later, Melyssa finally
gave up and slid out of bed, smelling something fantastic coming from
downstairs. Her eyes shut and she
relished the smell – Mom’s home cooking.
It’d been over a year since she smelled it and her stomach rumbled with
life since she didn’t eat dinner the previous night. She’d been too upset and crying always put a
damper on her appetite. Walking down the
stairs, Melyssa could hear her mother in the kitchen and pushed open the door,
watching the older woman jump slightly.
“Sorry Mom, I didn’t mean to scare
you.” She looked around the kitchen, familiarizing herself with it and
remembered the countless baking sessions they had in here together. “Do you
want some help?”
Miranda bit her tongue, almost asking
if Melyssa remembered how to cook. It
would have been her teasing, but it felt wrong, especially after yesterday and
the sad news she had to break to her daughter. “No, I’m nearly done.” She
nodded her head at the table. “The Ashen Chevalier has been up for a while, he
set the table.” Having Him setting her table… she clicked her tongue, knowing
such work was beneath a man like that, but at the same time, it showed that he
was still humble. “Here.” Miranda turned, wiping her hands off on the apron at
her waste before reaching for a freshly baked biscuit, turning to hold it out.
“I’ve changed the recipe a bit, what do you think?” If someone would have told
her, after a year of nothing, she’d be discussing biscuits with her daughter,
as if nothing had happened, she’d have whacked them with a fish.
Carefully, Melyssa took a bite out of
it and shut her eyes, relishing the flavor and the taste of it. “You haven’t
lost your touch, Mom. It’s delicious.”
She devoured the entire thing and then hugged her mother, fresh tears stinging
her eyes. “I missed you, Mom. I’m sorry
about the way I treated you yesterday. I
know it was a shock to you to see me after all this time and…”
“Quiet, Mely.” Miranda soothed,
hugging her daughter back and tears of her own began sliding down her cheeks.
“I’m just…so glad you’re safe and alive.
We were all worried about you when you ran away and we didn’t know what
happened to you. None of that matters
anymore though, you’re here safe and sound in my arms again. I love you so much, my girl.”
“I love you too, Mom.” Melyssa slowly
pulled out of the hug, wiping her mother’s tears away and Miranda did the same
to her. “And I promise you, we’re going to find Dad and bring him back. I know he’s still alive, I can feel it.”
Miranda nodded with a small smile. “I
can feel it too. Are you absolutely sure
this is the path you want to follow in life, Melyssa? You don’t have to do this because of Crow…”
“It’s not just about Crow
anymore. I love swordsmanship, Mom. I love battling and honing my skills. It may have started out because of him, but
I’ve evolved past that and I managed to get into Thors Branch School based on
my talents.” There was no way she could tell Miranda the other big reason for
being accepted. “I know you don’t like what I’m doing, but I hope you can
accept it and respect my choice.”
Miranda sighed resignedly, seeing her
daughter’s mind was made up and there would be no changing it. “All right then,
I support you. I should have done that
from the beginning.” She touched Melyssa’s face tenderly with her hand, kissing
her forehead. “Just promise me you won’t run away again and you’ll come visit,
once everything is settled.”
“I promise.” Melyssa hugged her
mother again, this time a little tighter. “Thanks, Mom.”
That was the scene Rean walked in on,
having gone outside bright and early to check out any damage to the house from
last night’s storm. It was clear and
beautiful out, he could hardly believe that there HAD been a storm and a fierce
one at that. Miranda had done everyone’s
laundry bright and early, he had woken up to clean clothes on the end of the
bed. He had slept like a log, after
spending an hour trying to get comfortable in the dead man’s bed.
“Morning, Melyssa.” He greeted her,
wearing his pants and shoes, no shirt yet.
He had been gathering up branches and debris and putting them into a
pile for Miranda. “No damage, ma’am, the roof is solid as well.” She must have
had a good luck charm last night because he had seen some serious damage to her
neighbor’s property. Given everything
that had happened to this family, thank the Goddess for small mercies.
Shirtless. Again.
“Thank you, Mr. Schwarzer. I appreciate all your help this morning.”
“Morning.” Melyssa wasn’t sure if she
should call him Rean or Instructor, so she just stuck with the standard
greeting. She was still in her sleep
attire, shorts and a tank top, deciding to change after breakfast and a shower.
“I’ll go wake everyone else up since breakfast is almost done.” Unable to
resist, her eyes slid over Rean’s shirtless chest on her way out of the kitchen,
heading for the stairs. He needs to stop being shirtless around me, she thought on her way up and
decided to see if Juna and Kurt were awake yet first. She tapped on the door, heard cursing through
it and blinked, deciding to back up. “Breakfast is ready, you guys.”
“Be right there!” Juna squawked,
cursing more. “Where are they?!”
Whatever they were doing, Melyssa did
NOT want to know and she went to the next room.
Altina was already awake and headed downstairs, walking past her with a
nod of her head. Finally, it was time to
knock on Crow and Ash’s door and Melyssa did, waiting to see if she heard
anything.
“Stop… cuddling me…”
Crow was awake all right. One bed, a large bed, but Ash was all up in
his business. Crow was a cuddler by
nature, Melyssa had found that out the hard way, literally, his hard-on had
been pressed up into her. He was
learning he did not like being on the receiving end of that.
“You’re so warm.” Ash muttered, his
eyes closed and sighed. Then he frowned,
cracking one eye open. “Oh man…” He was cuddling Crow… then he shrugged and
closed his eyes again, yawning.
Yawning right against the back of
Crow’s neck. He shuddered and wrenched
free. “We’re coming, Lyssa.”
Once again, whatever THEY were doing,
Melyssa did not want to know and turned as a red-faced Juna and Kurt came out
of their own room. “Good morning.” She greeted, walking past them to head
downstairs with Juna mumbling under her breath the entire time.
Obviously, Melyssa had interrupted
something between them. At the table,
Rean sat still shirtless and Melyssa decided to help her mother set the rest of
the food on the table. When she
returned, all the chairs were taken besides the one across from him, which
coincidentally was ‘her’ chair from when she lived here. Great.
“I call shower first when we’re done
eating.” She announced, setting the platter on the table and sat down beside
Crow, her mother at the front.
“Fair enough, beautiful.” Ash winked
at her, happy as a clam and hungry, not fazed in the slightest he had spooned
another man.
“After everyone is fed and ready to
go, we need to discuss what we’re doing today.
I have some ideas in mind, but let’s eat first.” Rean informed his
students before everyone began digging in.
Rean had already showered, so he had
no problem in letting her call dibs. He
noticed everyone was eating heartily, including Melyssa, which was good. What was not good was how she was very
determined to stare directly into her bowl and not even look up, that puzzled
him and he kept glancing up at her throughout the meal.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs.
Brackett.”
Ash was charming Miranda, foregoing
the vulgar jokes because one, this was Melyssa’s Mom. Two, she was grieving and her husband was
missing. Three, she looked like she
would bean him with a cast iron skillet if he mouthed off to her or something.
“The bed was very comfortable.”
Crow nearly choked on a biscuit,
shooting his friend a dark look.
Ash simply winked one pink eye at
him.
“You’re welcome and please, call me
Miranda. No need for formalities, Ash.”
Miranda smiled back at him, sipping her tea and continued eating, glancing at
her daughter. “Mely, slow down before you engulf your plate too, dear.”
“Sorry…”
Melyssa was famished and the fact
this was her mother’s cooking just made her want to ingest as much as she
could. Also, there was a very damn good
reason why she wasn’t looking up at SHIRTLESS Rean. The man was lean, chiseled out of stone and
Melyssa did not need to give off any inclination she thought of him as more
than her friend and Instructor. Whenever
she did look up, it was always at someone else.
“Juna and Kurt, how did YOU guys
sleep last night?”
Juna and Kurt both lowered their
heads and turned red, making everyone raise curious brows. “Very well, thank
you.” She was going to KILL Melyssa when they were alone, wondering if she’d
overheard anything.
“Yes, quite.” Kurt cleared his throat
and sipped some water.
“They must have been practicing
because I heard a lot of noise from their room last night.” Altina chimed in at
the perfect time, that same robotic angelic voice sounding almost innocent.
“Oh REALLY now?” Ash was intrigued,
his focus on the couple. “And what pray tell were you two ‘practicing’?”
“NOTHING!” Juna and Kurt both shouted
out at the same time.
“Sparring.” Crow added without
missing a beat, giving them a smug smirk and knew, if not for the fact that
they were guests in Miranda’s house, Kurt would have probably tossed a piece of
sausage at him.
Rean was shaking his head, clearing
his throat to let his students know it was time to knock it off. They were guests in this house and he prayed
they HADN’T been doing what everyone was assuming. Miranda was eventually going to strip that
bed and she’d probably smell something… he inwardly groaned.
“Eat.” He ordered, winking at Melyssa
when she finally glanced his way.
After a rather uncomfortable and
amusing breakfast, Melyssa helped her mother clean up the table, alongside Juna
and Altina. Then, she headed upstairs to
grab her belongings she would need for her shower. Crow and Kurt was still being heckled by Ash
and Rean had finally put a shirt on, thankfully, when she came back downstairs
where the shower was located. Starting
the water, Melyssa shut the door and undressed before stepping under the
sprays, letting the heated water wash away everything from the past couple
days. There were a few people they could
talk to still that may give them a clue as to where her father was being
held. Melyssa would have to talk to Rean
about it, unless he’d already questioned the people she had in mind. One way or another, today they had to make
some progress because she was not leaving Jurai until her father was back home
safe and sound.
Given the circumstances they had
arrived to find, Rean had already sent word that Class VII would likely be
extending their trip to Jurai. With the
delay they had experienced, they were already behind schedule and the current
political climate, the murder and kidnapping… they couldn’t, in good conscious,
leave after only a few days. They were
going to have to see this thing out and ensure the safety of Jurai’s citizens,
as well as ensure that this did not spread outside of Jurai and into the rest
of the Empire. If possible, Rean was
hoping to prevent another civil war right here and now.
After her shower, and some more
soul-searching, Melyssa asked if she could speak to Crow outside for a minute
alone. “I think we should try to Combat Link again.” She blurted out, not
meaning to do it so…bluntly, but time was not on their side and she more
connected to him now. “I think my problem was the memory loss and now that
you’re getting them back, little by little, we may be able to link up finally. I don’t want to give up on us or avoid each
other just because there’s a bump in the road.” The kiss came to mind. “I’m not
saying we go out there in the battlefield or investigation and try to
experiment.” Rean wouldn’t go for it. “But maybe tonight after dinner, we can
go to the woods and try, like I did with Ash in Leeves. We need to be a well-oiled machine going
against Ouroboros and whoever else is behind the scenes. What do you think?”
Here she was, extending him an olive
branch. Crow just stared down at Melyssa
for a moment, taking her in. She looked
better than she had yesterday, more at peace with herself and the situation
around them. He wished he had been able
to do that all those years ago. But
wishing wasn’t going to get them anywhere and he nodded.
“You’re right. We can do that.” It would definitely have to
be done in whatever ‘spare’ time they had because Rean would need all hands on deck
for this investigation. “So… are we good, Lyssa?” He asked quietly, knowing he
couldn’t take back ruining her first kiss or that moment, but he could try to
make amends for it.
Tilting her head, Melyssa was
confused by his question at first and then it dawned on her what he was
referring to. The kiss. The rejection. Why didn’t that bother her now? Was it because Crow was regaining his
memories? It felt so good hearing him
call her Lyssa again and seeing actual recognition in his eyes when he looked
at her instead of a blank slate.
“Of course we are, Crow.” She reached
up to smooth away some of the silver hair hanging in his eyes and cupped his
face tenderly. “Don’t worry about what happened, let’s just move on from it,
okay? Please?”
Don’t worry about it, easier said
than done. Now that his memories were
starting to return, it seemed stupid that he had forgotten her birthday and
equally stupid that he had spazzed so hard.
Though, now he was also wondering if maybe deep down he had panicked because
he had known her as kids. Maybe he felt
he was doing something that he probably shouldn’t with the girl who had been
raised practically as his sister.
“I’m trying, Lyssa.” He smiled, a
hand moving up to cover hers. “I really did make an ass of myself though,
didn’t I?” He grinned when the look on her face changed into something amused
and definitely agreeing with his statement.
“Yeah, you did, but…it’s okay. It was in the heat of the moment and
everybody makes mistakes. I am glad you
were my first kiss, though. At least it
wasn’t with a complete stranger.” Then again, she wouldn’t have minded if Rean
had been her first kiss and she immediately dismissed that train of thought. HE’S YOUR INSTRUCTOR, STOP IT, she screamed at herself internally, pulling her
hand away from Crow’s face and kept the smile on her face. Melyssa really needed to get a hold of
herself when it came to these developing feelings for Rean because she still
had feelings for Crow as well. “Feel better now? Because I sure do.”
Melyssa was glad that he had been her
first kiss, even if he had royally mucked it up with his panic attack and
thorough humiliation of her right afterwards.
Crow’s eyes lit up and he felt his heart beating just a little bit
faster as he let her words wash through him. “I do.” He said quietly, letting
his own hands drop down to take hers, lacing his fingers through hers and
squeezed gently even as he moved to fill the space between them. “I’d like a
do-over on the kiss, Lyssa.” He admitted, feeling a bit vulnerable because she
could very easily shoot him down. She
didn’t immediately pull away however, so he took that as a tentative
invitation, leaning down slowly until his nose was almost brushing hers. “May I
kiss you?”
Chapter 33
Now Melyssa’s heart was beating
furiously in her chest and her breathing had turned a little heavy, her teal
eyes wide at his request. They were
outside of her house, in the open, with people walking past them to head to
work or the markets Jurai offered. If
she rejected him, Melyssa was afraid Crow would shut down again and that was
the last thing she wanted. Before she
could answer, however, a voice sounded behind them and Melyssa silently thanked
the Goddess for small favors.
“Are you two done yet? We need to have a meeting.” It was Ash, brash
and blunt as always with arms folded in front of his massive chest.
“Y-Yeah, we’re done.” Melyssa felt
Crow release her hands and step back, not realizing her throat had become bone
dry in the short span of time. She
needed time to sort her feelings out and Crow had put her on the spot at the
worst possible time. “We’ll talk about this later.” She murmured to Crow,
letting him know she wasn’t trying to ignore his request and followed Ash
inside the house for the meeting.
Ash had the WORST timing of anyone he
had ever known, himself included, Crow thought as he followed the pair
inside. He had not missed the way she
had hurried, as if she was afraid he might actually kiss her and wasn’t sure
how he felt about that. Maybe after the
first time and his actions immediately afterwards, she wanted nothing to do
with him in that way and he didn’t blame her.
Crow stepped into the house, noting that the majority of Class VII had
assembled in the living room and Rean was standing before the now cold
fireplace, patiently waiting it seemed on them.
“We’re splitting into pairs again.”
Rean informed them once everyone was there, his fuchsia eyes raking over his
students. His friends. The distinction in situations like this was
important because it was not only a teaching moment, but a dangerous situation
and they WERE his friends, his family.
“Mr. Schwarzer, with all due respect,
I don’t need protection and I’d rather all of you being out there finding my
husband.” Miranda requested, grateful to finally have some help with this
horrible situation.
“No Mom, what if they come for you
next? You need to be protected.” Melyssa
interjected immediately, shaking her head.
“Instructor would not allow that.” Altina
chimed in, nodding over at Rean, who already had a look on his face that
mirrored what she said.
“Damn straight, we’re not gonna leave
you to defend yourself. Even if
Schwarzer allowed it, I wouldn’t.” Ash stated defiantly, pink eyes narrowing at
the older woman, who had done so much for them already.
Melyssa smiled at Ash appreciatively.
“Instructor, if I may…” Kurt even
rose his arm, watching Rean nod his head, giving him permission to continue.
“Juna and I shall stay here and guard Mrs. Brackett since we ventured out with
you yesterday. You can take, Ash, Crow,
Melyssa and Altina with you this time around.
It may help that Crow is regaining his memories of this place as
well. Perhaps he’ll know some contacts
you haven’t thought of?”
“Ash and Crow are going back to the
docks.” Rean said after a moment, unaware Crow and Melyssa had made up. He knew they had been talking last night and
then again this morning, but with their inability to link up properly, he
preferred them to work with different people and a large group was going to
attract even more attention then what they already were with this
investigation. “Melyssa and Altina-”
“I think I should go with Crow and
Ash.” Altina interrupted in her soft, robotic voice. “I would like to visit the
docks.”
“This isn’t that kind of field trip,
Altina.” Ash shook his head at her.
“She goes.”
Altina nodded her head at Rean while
Ash grumbled.
“Melyssa, you’re with me.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Their inability to link up would
hopefully be settled later that night after the investigation was over
with. What was it about the docks that
had Rean so interested, though? If Ash
and Crow couldn’t find anything yesterday, what made him think they would
today? Maybe bringing Altina would give
them more room for exploring as well?
“Thank you, Kurt, for volunteering to
keep my Mom safe.”
“It really isn’t necessary…”
“Yes it is, Mom. Ouroboros is extremely dangerous and we’ve already
lost Papa…” That was very hard for her to say, but Melyssa managed to do it,
clearing her throat. “And Dad is missing, I’m not about to lose you too.”
“Agreed.” Crow wanted to show his
support however he could for this family he was slowly but surely remembering.
Spending the entire day with Rean
would be interesting…and Melyssa would hopefully work out whatever these
feelings were for him before her Combat Link practice session with Crow later
on.
The investigation at the docks had
been somewhat hindered by Crow’s memories resurfacing and causing him to
halt. It had provided useful too as he
had remembered little things, little ways of getting around or inside of
buildings without being seen, but… Rean knew Altina had a keen eye and given
that the docks was where a lot of business went down, it would also be a good
place for shady dealings. She was likely
to pick up on those. Not many people
took her to be an insanely intelligent, deadly force because of her angelic
looks, but she was.
“We’re going to the… upper class
areas of Jurai today.” Rean informed Melyssa once Ash, Crow and Altina had
vacated, Ash still grumbling under his breath. “We know the commoners are
scared, I want to see the nobility.”
It made sense since there was a great
deal of nobility in Jurai these days.
There was no hiding who Rean was because he was well-known throughout
the empire. Most of the nobility hated
him for putting a kibosh on Duke Cayenne’s reign of terror and that was only
because he was FOR the nobility. “I am ready when you are, Instructor.” Melyssa
walked over to her mother and hugged her, kissing her forehead. “You’re in good
hands, Mom. We’ll be back later on.”
“Just try not to be TOO late and be
careful.”
They both nodded before leaving the
house, Melyssa sending a wink to Juna and Kurt on her way out the door to let
them know she trusted them to protect her mother. Not only were they classmates, but they were
friends and they had to trust each other to get through this.
“We’re going to probably be out
late.” Rean laughed as they headed towards the first section of Jurai they had
come in when arriving, where they had noticed all the upper class dwelling.
It was a stark difference between
that area and where they were currently and he was pretty sure the majority of
those changes were new. He had forgotten
what being ‘mothered’ was like. Miranda
was definitely a mom, treating them as if they were precious children instead
of warriors and learning warriors, which he liked actually.
“Now tell me what you remember about
this area and the people here. Anyone
you remember that is noteworthy?”
“It wasn’t like this before. All the nobility wasn’t here a year ago when
I left.” Melyssa kept her voice down to where only Rean could hear her and he
had looped his arm through hers. They
were in regular clothing instead of their Thors uniforms to stay incognito as
much as possible. “There are several new shops here too and I’m betting their
run by the nobility as well.” She discreetly pointed them out, which consisted
of two jewelry stores, a clothing store and another store that wasn’t labeled,
but people kept coming and going out of it, carrying bags. “All of these used
to be markets to help sell goods Jurai receives by trade or from fishing and
hunting.” The woods were a great resource for furs and hides. “I just can’t
believe how much has changed in the span of a year…”
“So, all of this, including the
buildings are new, within the span of a year?”
Rean wanted to be sure he was
understanding this correctly, raising one brow when Melyssa shook her head no
and explained. The old shops had been taken over. All of this within a year,
buying out, or more likely forcing out, shop owners and setting up news
businesses… he just couldn’t fathom such drastic changes within a year.
“Let’s go into the unmarked shop.”
That seemed weirdly out of place, a
shop that had no indication of what goods it sold but people were going in and
out. Keeping her arm tucked in his, he purposefully
strode that way, each step sure and confident.
He couldn’t hide who he was, so he would play to the role, which meant
confidence and keeping his head up proudly.
Melyssa kept her head up as well,
though on the inside she was enraged by all the changes Jurai went
through. This was NOT the Jurai she grew
up with and loved. She knew money spoke
volumes, especially in this day and age, so it wasn’t unheard of that the
nobility would force the commoners out of their businesses by throwing a bunch
of mira their way. Stepping inside the
unmarked shop, Melyssa swallowed back a gasp and looked around, not believing
what was being sold. Weapons of every
caliber hung on the walls, along with shields, staffs to perform magic, ARCUS
units, and accessories, both big and small and for both men and women. Jurai had NEVER had a shop like this.
Sure, they had a weapon and
accessories shop, but this was…on a whole different level. There were other things to buy as well such
as home décor, souvenirs, clothes…Melyssa looked up at Rean and could see the
pensive expression on his face, wondering what was going through his mind. She COULD harbor a guess and one of those
questions was why was all of these weapons being sold to nobles and commoners
freely? Some of these weapons should
have been outlawed since the Imperial Army, RMP and Provincial Army, which was
basically an army for the nobility.
“This is crazy.” She whispered,
letting Rean guide her wherever he wanted to go while her eyes took in
everything in horrific amazement.
This was highly illegal or should
have been. Rean took his time, his hand
moving to rest on the small of her back, as if he was being considerate when it
reality he didn’t trust anyone here. He
felt something prickly, raising the hair on the back of his neck. Nobody needed
THIS kind of firepower, not the average citizen anyway, not unless they were
planning on a coup or… a war. He
swallowed hard, glancing down at Melyssa and could see she was entertaining the
same thoughts. It was mixed so casually
with everyday wares and nobody seemed to be batting an eye. He wondered if
Jurai was only the beginning, how many other places were starting to become
like this?
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the
FAMOUS Ashen Chevalier!” A fiery redhead came bouncing up to them with a smarmy
grin on her face, almost indecently dressed.
The Sanguine Ogre, Shirley
Orlando. She was the cousin of Randy
Orlando, who was one of the Instructors at Thors Branch School, currently. Randy and his students were in a nearby city
investigating and Melyssa would bet the same thing was transpiring there as it
was in Jurai. Shirley was also the
daughter of the leader of the Jaeger corps known as the Red Constellation. They were the most lethal Jaeger corps in Erebonia. As if that wasn’t enough, she was also
Enforcer No. XVII in Ouroboros. This was
a terrifying woman and Melyssa could FEEL the power oozing out of her pores,
her eyes moving to look up at Rean. He
didn’t seem fazed, only surprised to find a member of Ouroboros out in the open
like this. Melyssa wanted to demand
where her father was, but that wouldn’t be a smart idea, given the
circumstances, so she kept her mouth shut.
“What’s the matter, Ashen, cat got
your tongue?”
Rean, in a childish moment, almost
stuck it out at her, but refrained, slowly raising an eyebrow. “No, Shirley, I was just thinking that with
business being so good, you may be able to afford decent attire finally.” He
said coolly, letting his upper lip curve into a sneer before his face smoothed
out into something neutral.
She was out and about brazenly; Jurai
had definitely been taken by the enemy and they were feeling secure in their
power. She wasn’t someone he wanted to
tussle with in a shop. Shirley wouldn’t
care about collateral damage, she was quite mad.
“I know, right?! Business is BOOMING!! Daddy is so proud!” This was her pride and
joy, this shop full of all kinds of goodies only the nobility could afford. A few commoners came and went, but for the
most part, it was nobility buying up everything.
“Rean.”
“Oh, I do believe you remember the
FORMER Crown Prince Cedric. Did I tell
you we’re engaged?” Flashing Rean her blood red stone on her left ring finger,
she draped an arm around Cedric’s neck and gave him a smacking kiss on the
cheek.
Cedric had been part of Osborne’s
insane Twilight curse, the Phantasmal Blaze plan, and he’d gone toe to toe with
Rean and Class VII. Because he wasn’t an
Immortal, he didn’t die once the Rivalry was settled with Rean being the
victor. Instead of going back to the
empire and begging his father for forgiveness, Cedric joined the Red
Constellation and Ouroboros instead and renounced his title as Crown Prince of
Erebonia. He was now simply Cedric of
the Red Constellation Yaeger corps and an Enforcer in training for
Ouroboros.
One day, he would take over as the
leader since he was marrying the current leader’s daughter.
“It’s…been a long time, Rean.” Cedric
didn’t look happy or sad, his face completely stoic while Shirley boasted about
their engagement. He did love her, but
his spirit had been crushed once the Chancellor died.
“Not long enough.” Cedric was almost
as crazy as Shirley and he didn’t bother making introductions with
Melyssa. Chances were, she already
recognized him, a quick glance down at her wide teal eyes informed him this was
accurate. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
“That’s so sweet!” Shirley chirped,
fluttering her eyelashes at them both.
“Apologies, I meant condolences.”
He was channeling his inner Ash and
Crow. The mighty had fallen far indeed
and considering he was former royalty, Cedric knew better than anybody that
what was happening here in Jurai would not stand, it could not. It wasn’t going to set the tone for the
country as a whole.
“And WHO is this LOVELY, delectable
morsel on your arm, Schwarzer, hmm?” Shirley stepped up to Melyssa to wrap her
arm around the girl’s shoulders and pouted when she stepped back.
“Don’t touch me.” Melyssa ordered,
tensed and coiled, fighting the urge to reach for her Cutlass, but Rean stopped
her by wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Oohhh, forgive me, I didn’t realize
the lady was taken already. Very cute,
and I bet there’s a hellcat in there waiting to be released.” Shirley liked
women and slid her tongue out to wet her lips, giving her best sultry look.
“Just know, if the Ashen Chevalier can’t satisfy you, I damn sure will give it
my best shot, dollface.”
Melyssa shuddered involuntarily,
unable to suppress it and tightened her jaw, clenching her teeth. They have to know
where my father is. There’s no way
Shirley will tell us, but maybe Cedric will, if we can get him alone, she thought, her eyes moving to the
uneasy looking young man.
“I suppose congratulations are in
order for you as well, Rean.” Cedric was used to Shirley’s eccentric behavior
and eyeballed the dark blue haired girl with interest. “Didn’t realize
Instructors could date their students, though.
Was that rule thrown out in Thors?”
Melyssa’s jaw dropped. How the HELL did he know she was Rean’s
student?! She wasn’t wearing her school
uniform! That told Melyssa one thing:
They were being spied on. “W-We’re not…”
“Oh please! No need to be modest!” Shirley cackled, her
eyes practically dancing with mirth. “This IS the Ashen Chevalier, after all,
so I’m sure he can get away with breaking rules. He WAS always a rulebreaker, after all. Isn’t that right, Schwarzer?”
Chapter 34
“When it proves expedient.” Rean
allowed with a nod of his head, acknowledging the truth in her words. He kept his arm firmly around Melyssa,
feeling her body shaking in silent fury against his and hoped she would let her
cooler head prevail. Shirley was
provoking her on purpose. He had reached
the same conclusion she had, they were being spied on and took a calculated
risk. “This is Melyssa, Melyssa Brackett.” He said it casually, his eyes
sweeping from Shirley to Cedric.
Something had flickered in Cedric’s eyes, it was gone almost as soon as
it had come, but he had seen it.
“Brackett…Brackett…doesn’t ring a
bell.” Shirley was lying through her teeth, an evil smile crossing her face
while Cedric had given himself away. She
didn’t notice it, too busy enjoying provoking the daughter of the fish market
owner they had in their clutches at the moment. “Where are you from, Melyssa?”
Calm down, losing your
temper is not going to help matters, she mentally coached herself and the smile had returned to her face,
the trembling ceasing. Shirley was
testing her to see if she would lie and Melyssa wasn’t about to be caught in
that trap. “Here, actually. Born, bred
and raised Jurai. You may have heard of
my family’s business, Brackett & Co.?
It’s the largest fish market in the city.”
“Ah yes!” Shirley snapped her
fingers, surprised the girl had been forthcoming with that information, even
though she already knew it. Her trap
hadn’t worked. Bummer. “It was a
PLEASURE meeting your family.” Her eyes gleamed almost viciously, her voice
dropping an octave. “Especially your grandfather, he was A LOT of fun to talk
to. My condolences on his death.” She
didn’t mean a word of it, turning to look at Cedric. “McBurn COULD have went
easier on that old geezer, but once he gets started, it’s hard to pull him out
of his…aura.”
McBurn killed her Papa…Melyssa felt
her heart crumble in her chest all over again and she had to fight back tears,
not believing how callous this woman was being talking about her family.
“How is your dear mother coping
anyway? I heard your father disappeared
and nobody has heard from him. Tragic,
really.” Shirley sounded bored, studying her red painted talons and shrugged.
“Do send my regards to her, won’t you?”
“We will.” Rean said before Melyssa
could, his eyes flashing with fire at how callous Shirley was, knowing hearing
this was breaking Melyssa.
He was proud at how she was handling
herself, however, and would tell her so when they were not here. Right now, all he wanted to do was draw his
Tachi and remove her head from her shoulders, knowing he would be doing the
world a favor. Rean was not a man to
harbor such thoughts, not usually, but here he was, seriously considering it.
“Perhaps you’d return the favor and
send McBurn my best? He’s going to need
it.” Because he wasn’t going to try talking Melyssa out of killing the man when
they came face to face, again.
Shirley snorted at the Ashen
Chevalier’s bravery and rolled her eyes, shrugging. “Suit yourself. Just make sure you’re prepared to be
BURNED. Remember, you play with fire too
much and you will get scorched. Just
some friendly advice from me. Do look
around and buy anything your heart desires.
I’ll even give you a discount.” She snapped her fingers. “Cedric, come.”
Obeying like a dog, Cedric trudged
behind Shirley and looked back at Rean, giving him another look that told him
they needed to talk.
Melyssa couldn’t stand being in the
shop a second longer and walked away from Rean to step outside, closing her
eyes to breathe in the fresh, salt-water air from the ocean. McBurn…McBurn killed her Papa and more than
likely had her father in captivity. Was
Crossbell really a coincidence or did he know who she was? She couldn’t break down, not now, not when
they were just starting the investigation.
She had to remain strong, diligent, cautious and on guard, taking
several deep breaths to slow her racing heart and to keep the tears at
bay. Later…she would break down later
when she was alone in her room, not here and not now.
“If they’ve been planning this coup,
McBurn knew who you were last year, you were a target.” Rean had caught up with
her and was speaking in low whispers, his eyes still rolling from the cheesy
‘burn and scorch’ comments from Shirley.
Which brought them back to the speculation that maybe the train attack
hadn’t been a coincidence either. She
was very likely a target. “I need to get Cedric alone.” As long as Shirley was
around, that wasn’t going to happen and she wasn’t about to let herself be
distracted by him.
“He knows something. And I have a feeling McBurn has my Dad.”
Melyssa was sure of it, especially
after that conversation with Shirley and Cedric. She turned to look up at Rean, not able to
deny anything he said. Crossbell and her
run in with McBurn…were they looking for her?
Is that why Ouroboros attacked Crossbell, or was it just partially the
reason? What about the train? Was that because of her? Melyssa felt so much turmoil and guilt
overwhelming her, but she had to stay strong.
“Where to next, Instructor?” When
Rean just stared down at her, she folded her arms in front of her chest. “We
have to continue, right? I’m fine, don’t
worry about me right now. We need to
focus on the task at hand, so where to next?”
“An early lunch, we need to talk.”
Rean felt like a complete tool for his current train of thoughts, but… they
needed to talk and he would lay it out for her.
Shirley had expressed interest in Melyssa and that was about the only
way to get her out of Cedric’s eyesight, which meant he could swoop in and talk
to the former Crown Prince without that mad wench interfering. “Let’s hit a
street vendor and find a quiet place.” He wasn’t going into a pub or café; he
didn’t trust anyone in this town to not eavesdrop.
After they bought a fish sandwich
from a vendor with a drink, Rean guided them toward the docks that were on the
nobility side of Jurai. They sat side by
side and she listened to what he had in mind, his plan. Cedric had the information they needed on the
whereabouts of her father, but he wouldn’t tell them with Shirley breathing
down their neck.
“So, you want me to occupy Shirley
long enough for you to talk to Cedric?
What makes you think he’ll tell you where my Dad is?” She asked, pure
curiosity in her tone and already knew there was only one way to ‘occupy’ the
Sanguine Ogre. Were her skills up to par
and strong enough to withstand Shirley’s onslaught? There was only one way to find out. “Never
mind, I’ll do it.” Anything to help rescue her father, even if it meant putting
her own life on the line.
“He knows something and the look he
gave me when Shirley was guiding him off.
I think Cedric has bitten off more than he can chew with Shirley. Today was a GOOD day for her.” Rean said
seriously, nodding when Melyssa gave him a curious look. “She’s a maniac, and
that’s putting it nicely and mildly.” She was a freaking lunatic, a mad dog who
is just barely on a leash. “I doubt Shirley will try to engage you in
combat. That is not… what she’s after
from you.” His face flushed, from the tips of his ears down to his neck,
glancing at the fish sandwich and cleared his throat. “If you’re not
comfortable with any of this, just say the word. I don’t want to put you in a situation you
can’t handle.”
Melyssa raised a slow brow at the way
his face flushed and she suddenly realized what exactly Rean was referring
to. He wanted her to… “I’ll figure it
out, Rean. I can handle her.” There was
NO way she would engage in any lascivious activities with Shirley, but…she also
knew how much The Sanguine Ogre loved to fight.
She was a Yaeger queen, practically, and Melyssa wouldn’t be able to
submit her, but…that didn’t mean they couldn’t engage in a sparring session.
“You just focus on getting whatever information you can from Cedric and leave
Shirley to me.” Squeezing his shoulder, she took another bite out of her fish
sandwich and stared out at the water, really hoping McBurn didn’t hurt her
father. Please
Papa, watch over Dad until I can get to him, she silently prayed, shutting her eyes as a gust
of wind blew over her and somehow, she knew it was her Papa letting her know he
was.
Rean was silently praying to the
Goddess, his own gaze out on the water now as the blush slowly receded. She was a virgin who had her first kiss
stolen and here he was, asking her to flirt with a madwoman so he could gather
information. If he could have, Rean
would have switched places with her, but Shirley wouldn’t fall for it and even
if she did, she wasn’t interested in anything except harassing him and
eventually trying to take his head off his shoulders. By the time he was finished, she was too and
they just sat there in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, he stood up, brushing his
hands off on his pants and held out a hand for her.
Looking up at him, Melyssa slid her
hand into his and felt that rush of warmth flood through her body and the
connection with him strengthen. “Rean, I need to ask you something as a friend,
not as my Instructor.” If she didn’t ask this now, there probably wouldn’t be a
better time later on. “I heard what Shirley said about it being against the
rules for an Instructor to date a student in Thors.” Keep it together,
don’t blush, don’t give any indication you are interested in him, she mentally coached, not releasing
his hand. “I was just curious if she was lying about that or not, just to get
under your skin. Is it true?”
“It’s frowned upon.” Rean answered,
staring down at her intently, his fuchsia eyes curious. “Students and teachers
have been known to start… expressing interest in each other, but generally wait
until the student has graduated before cementing anything. Well,” He stopped, shaking his head. “Most of
them. There have been a few incidences
where relations were entered and just not made public until after the
fact. Since nothing can be proven…” He
shrugged, not sure how else to explain it. “Why?” His heart rate had picked up
exponentially.
Hers was up as well and she had no
idea why she asked him a question like this.
No, that was a lie. She knew
why. Melyssa had feelings for him and
they had grown ever since the night they ate gelato together under the stars,
after walking the academy grounds. There
was something about Rean…something special and it had nothing to do with his
titles or the fact he was a hero of Erebonia.
She liked him…for him, just the man.
“No reason, it just caught my
attention and being a first year, I was curious if she was lying about it or
not.” Melyssa had another question for him, but she wasn’t sure if asking it
was the right thing to do. Screw it. “What are your feelings on it? A
student and Instructor dating each other?
Do you think it’s right or wrong?”
“I think that it depends on the
couple.” His first impulse had been to say wrong because, technically, it was
wrong, but not necessarily from a moral standpoint so much as an ethical one.
“Sometimes an Instructor may take advantage of a student and pressure him or
her, which is one of the reasons the rule is there in the first place. I think, however, that there are couples who
are exceptions to that rule and they’re the ones who wait until they can
formally be together.”
“Very diplomatic answer, Instructor.”
Melyssa teased, trying to lighten the mood and could see the slight smile curve
his lips. “All right, back to business.
Thanks for teaching me something new today.” Winking, she looped her arm
through his as they walked away from the dock back toward town. “So, do you
want to put this plan into action now or wait a couple hours? If we don’t wait, I fear Shirley will get
suspicious right off the bat. What do
you think?”
“Oh she will, which is why we’re going
to continue our tour of the noble section.” He hated calling this part of Jurai
that, but it was the truth since there was nothing BUT nobility there. When they had been coming in, they hadn’t
been able to tell anything was wrong outside the gates. Jurai had looked peaceful and inviting and now
they knew that couldn’t be further from the truth. “We’ll also need to get word
to the higher-ups, Jurai is in violation of a few laws and treaties.” Though…
he frowned, stopping to look down at her thoughtfully. “What if it’s not just
Jurai?” What if all levels were being infiltrated again? Rean wasn’t sure if Erebonia could handle
another civil war so soon after the last one.
“I thought that too…and something
tells me it’s not. Jurai may not even be
the beginning of whatever is going on.” Then she had a thought and gestured to
his ARCUS II. “Machias’ father is the governor and acting Chancellor of
Heimdallr, correct?” Rean confirmed it with a nod. “If something is going on
within the empire, surely he knows something about it. Maybe you should call and ask your friend for
some help, to see if can find out any inside information. He is part of the judicial inspectorate,
after all.” Basically, Machias went all over Erebonia to observe certain people
and places, investigating them in his own way.
It was like a light bulb went off in Rean’s head at her suggestion and
he held his hand up in order to make that call.
“I wonder when the last time he came
this way was…” She had a brilliant idea and when he had a moment later tonight,
he would make that call. “I think Jurai was the beginning, it makes a lot of
sense. For the most part, Jurai is
isolated and small enough to serve as a… sort of testing grounds. If whatever this is, this takeover, can be
implemented here smoothly, they may try applying it on a larger scale in some
of the bigger regions.” If they hadn’t already, he mentally added, seeing from
the look on her face that she was thinking along the same lines. “Come on.” He
looped his arm through hers, heading back the way they had originally come.
“Let’s get going.”
For the next three hours, they
explored and investigated the upper side of Jurai, the nobility all looking
smug and happy. There wasn’t one face
that looked scared or unsure or timid.
They finally made their way back to Shirley’s shop and Rean nodded at
her, both parting ways while she stood outside of it. Taking a deep breath, Melyssa stepped inside
and went on the hunt for the redhead. It
did not take long to find her or her cackling, annoying voice.
“Shirley.” She called out, watching
the redhead slowly turn until teal locked with blazing blue.
“Well, well, the fly has found its
way into my web. And what brings you
back here, little girl?” Shirley sauntered up to her, flicking a piece of dark
blue hair from Melyssa’s face.
“I have a proposition for you, if
you’re interested, Sanguine Ogre.” Melyssa placed her hand on her unsheathed Cutlass, a cold smile
crossing her lips. “If you are, meet me outside of the gates in 5 minutes.”
“And where is the great Ashen
Chevalier hiding, hmm? Do you really
think I’ll fall for a trap like this?”
“No, I don’t and he’s elsewhere. I came alone.” Melyssa could lie with the
best of them. “I just want it to be you and me, one on one.” She stepped up to
the redhead. “No distractions, no witnesses…” Sliding a finger down Shirley’s
top, if one could call it that, that cold smile grew. “I figured you’d enjoy
some alone time with me and we could work up a
sweat together.”
Now THAT was the way to Shirley
because she didn’t have a doubt in her mind that this little chit wasn’t even
half the warrior she was. She could tell
by her stance, some things the body tended to give away if one hadn’t spent
years training it to obey even the smallest of thoughts. There was potential there for sure, but it
wasn’t fully realized yet.
“Oh sweet thing, you didn’t really
want a fight… you want to tumble with me.” She cooed, winking knowingly at the
younger woman. “You will DEFINITELY work up a sweat, I promise you that.”
“Whatever you wanna call it, just
meet me and bring your best. I’ll be
waiting, hope you don’t disappoint.” Melyssa turned and walked out of the
store, heading for the outskirts of Jurai.
Her heart was pounding in her ears and she hoped that was enough to lure
Shirley out here away from prying eyes and ears.
Don’t let me down, Rean.
Chapter 35
Instead of exiting out the gates,
there was another passage she took to get to the woods, which was out of
sight. Once she was far enough away,
Melyssa said a quick prayer to the Goddess and waited, not unsheathing her
weapon yet. Instead, she began to do
some dancing exercises to loosen her muscles up, keeping her ears and senses
open in case Shirley did take her up on her invitation. Suddenly stopping in her tracks at the trees
rustling, in lightning quick speed, she had her Cutlass out and clashed it
against Shirley’s weapon, which was an orbal chainsaw that could shoot flames.
“Sneak attacking your opponent really
is a tacky way to go, you know.”
“Unfortunately for you, precious, the
real world doesn’t operate on the Thors principle of honor and other such
stupid nonsense,” Shirley informed her with a smirk, forcing Melyssa back and
snorted when the other woman assumed a defensive stance after coming to a halt.
“The real world is going to bite you in the back, without any warning, and
strike you down. You of all people should know that. The world isn’t fair.”
Only the strong survived and she knew that Rean would not teach his precious
Class VII how to fight to survive, but how to fight with honor and temper it
with mercy.
The fool’s way of dying.
“Fight fire with fire, right?” She
dodged a few more attacks with ease, once again taking her stance and didn’t
leave any room for an opening. “I know better than most the world isn’t fair
and, sometimes, you have to break the rules to succeed.” The orange aura began
surrounding her as Melyssa allowed it to consume her, her eyes glowing orange
instead of teal. “I may not be able to defeat you, Sanguine Ogre, but I won’t
go down without a fight either. So come
on, show me why you’re an Enforcer in Ouroboros. Show me why you are feared!” Sending a
shockwave back at Shirley, she was thrown back several feet and Melyssa went on
the attack, their weapons clashing together as they began to dance.
Oh, her little kitten had claws!
That just lit Shirley’s blood on fire
as she began upping the pace of their little dance. Soon enough, they were both sweating, as she
had promised and to her, this was foreplay. “You sweet, precious thing, you
fight like you have a chance of winning.” She taunted, flipping her hair back over her shoulders before
shaking out her arms, rolling her head from side to side to crack her neck.
“Well, now that I’m limbered up, I think I’ll show you a few things Rean
Schwarzer only wishes he could.”
Rean didn’t fight that way. It was demeaning, cruel, and he was still in
his right frame of mind. Currently, he
had cornered Cedric and was coaxing information out of him. Cedric couldn’t lie to Rean and still thought
of him as a friend, deciding he owed the man one and divulged the information
Rean needed. Sure enough, McBurn was the
one who held Mr. Brackett captive. They
would have to go through the Almighty Conflagration in order to save him.
The sheer strength Shirley possessed
was unworldly, ungodly, and it terrified Melyssa. She could easily strike her down if Melyssa
made ONE mistake and so far, she had dodged whatever Shirley through at her. Doing a dodge roll, she slashed at Shirley
and cut her leg, making the Sanguine Ogre hiss out angrily. Like she said, she wasn’t going down without
a fight and she already had burns on her arms from the fire attacks thrown at
her. Rean knew exactly where she was, so
she just had to keep going until he arrived to pull her out of the fire,
literally.
“Throw whatever you want at me, I can
take it!” She went to block an attack and Shirley threw a second fire attack,
sending Melyssa soaring through the sky to land on the ground with a sickening
thud, knocking the wind out of her. “Damn…” MOVE, you have to move now, her mind screamed at her, her body reacting
instinctively as Shirley brought down her weapon in a killing blow, barely
missing Melyssa.
“Oh you are SO much fun, Brackett!”
Shirley was right back on it, forcing Melyssa to remain on the ground, using
her own body weight as leverage to force their weapons lower, basically
attempting to take off Melyssa’s head with her own Cutlass. “Look at how sweaty
you are.” She purred, bending down so her own neck was pressed against the
blades and stuck out her tongue. “I’m dying to taste you.”
Rean was on his way with the
information and his Tachi out. He
arrived on the scene and halted, giving his mind time to digest this. Shirley was licking Melyssa’s forehead, with that Cutlass dangerously close to Melyssa’s
neck. Snapping out of it, he sprang into
action.
“Go…to…GEHENNA!!” Melyssa gritted out
through clenched teeth, using all of her strength to keep her own weapon from
slitting her throat.
Shirley laughed like a hyena and
Melyssa could feel her arms weakening, knowing it was only a matter of time
before she was killed. Just as the
tiniest slit formed on her throat, Shirley was suddenly tackled to the ground. Melyssa managed to turn her head, watching
the scene upside down.
“I-Instructor!” She rasped out, doing
a kick-up and ignored the pain she was in, seeing him and Shirley doing
battle. The Divine Blade of Eight Leaves
against The Sanguine Ogre. Melyssa
managed to join in, linking up with Rean and together, they managed to force
Shirley to back off.
“Oh, this is too precious!” Shirley
spat, gritting her teeth madly as she surveyed them both. Melyssa was barely a threat, made weaker by
their battle, but with the Combat Link… her eyes narrowed at Rean, noting his
stance. “Ooohhhh, you’re mad because I made a move on your girl.” She
singsonged, reaching up to wipe saliva off her mouth.
“Woman.” He corrected in a flat tone,
though he shifted so his body was poised between hers and Melyssa’s, Tachi
ready to strike.
“That’s really
precious.”
He didn’t say a word, his eyes
fastened on her. “Raise your weapon and shut up, Shirley.”
Rean’s backup he set in place, before
talking to Cedric, arrived at that moment.
“Now Rean, how many times do we have
to tell you NOT to do things on your own?”
“Seriously, you’re an idiot.”
“How dare you try to start this party
without your favorite, gorgeous Instructor and one of your best friends?! I feel so unloved!”
“Idiot.”
Both Sara Valestein and Fie Claussell
jumped into the mix, coming out of nowhere, standing in front of Rean and a
dark blue haired girl they both assumed to be one of Rean’s students. “Sorry
we’re late, but you know how it goes with us women.”
Shirley balked at the Purple
Lightning and Sylphid, eyes alight with both excitement and annoyance. “Of
course, you just HAD to ruin my fun, didn’t you?!”
“As much fun as this is, I’m afraid
we’ll have to call it a day on this particular dance. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to go
four-on-one now, would it?” Sara grinned viciously back at the redhead,
glancing at her partner, who had her gun swords drawn already.
“Unless you wanna dance with us? That’s fine by me.” Fie shrugged, in the
perfect fighting stance and had gone several rounds with the Sanguine Ogre in
the past.
Whoever these two women were, Melyssa
was grateful for their arrival because she wasn’t sure if Rean would be able to
withstand Shirley’s onslaught, Divine Blade and Ashen Chevalier or not.
Rean had tussled with Shirley a time
or two and was confident in his ever growing abilities. However, given the circumstances in Jurai
right now, he wasn’t sure what the effect of taking Shirley out would be. He did know leaving her alive would probably
come back and bite them in their butts sooner rather than later.
“Run back to your masters.”
Shirley gnashed her teeth, but did
dance backwards. She didn’t know if they
would be able to beat her, but even to her, a four-on-one fight didn’t have
promising odds. “This isn’t over.”
“Of course, it’s not, but for now,
we’ll have to end the party.” Sara sounded almost sad, holding her orbal gun
and orbal sword, one in each hand, a purple aura surrounding her, along with
purple lightning.
They called her The Purple Lightning
for a reason.
“And just when I was ready to have
some fun.” Fie clicked her tongue and sheathed her gun swords as Shirley took off,
both turning to stare at Rean and the dark blue haired girl. “Glad we made it
in time.”
“Is she okay?” Sara asked, concern
lacing her tone and could not believe Rean allowed one of his students, a first
year at that, to deal with a veteran warrior like Shirley.
“I’m fine.” Melyssa stepped past Rean
and extended her hand to the purple haired woman. “Thank you for saving us,
Miss Valestein.”
Sara smiled, shaking her hand. “Call
me Sara.”
“You’re hurt.” Fie pointed out,
stepping up to look at her slashed arm and nodded. “Not badly though, you’ll
survive. I’m Fie Claussell, former
classmate of Rean’s and a good friend of his.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Melyssa Brackett.”
“Well Melyssa, I don’t think you
should’ve baited the Sanguine Ogre into a fight.”
“I know, but…it was the only way to
keep her occupied…” Melyssa suddenly looked at her Instructor, teal eyes full
of hope. “Please tell me it wasn’t for nothing.
Did he tell you where my Dad is or not?”
“It wasn’t for nothing.” Rean assured
with a grim smile, the back of his neck slowly flushing as Sara and Fie gave
him looks that definitely weren’t amused.
He already knew what they were
thinking and inwardly sighed. They
weren’t wrong to think it either. Rean
shouldn’t have put Melyssa in that situation, she was way over her head and he
was sure she now knew it, his eyes moving to the thin slice on her neck.
“I apologize for putting you in that position.
As your Instructor, it was wrong of me.” As someone else, someone who wanted to
ensure there would be no second civil war, it had been necessary.
“No, Instructor, don’t
apologize. It was the only way to get
Shirley away long enough for you to talk to Cedric. You got the information we needed and that’s
all that matters. Believe me, I’ve been
through worse than this.” Melyssa assured him, not wanting Rean to beat himself
up over this very necessary plan.
It was a success, even if she nearly lost
her head in the process.
“Wait, Cedric? Renounced Crown Prince Cedric?” Sara
demanded, her eyes widening when Rean nodded his head in confirmation. “Oh
Goddess…”
“That little cutie is here? We haven’t heard anything about him since the
end of the Twilight.”
“He’s here…and he’s part of the Red
Constellation jaeger corps.”
Both Sara and Fie looked at each
other, blinking. As Bracers, they had
gone several rounds with various Red Constellation members and they hadn’t seen
Cedric in any of the fights once. They
were keeping him hidden away for a reason.
Rean cleared his throat, knowing he
had to drop another bomb on his former Instructor and friends. “He’s also
engaged…to The Sanguine Ogre herself.”
“WHAT?!” Sara and Fie both shouted at
the same time, their jaws now dropped.
Melyssa just nodded, backing up what
Rean said.
“So, where is my Dad,
Instructor? Is he all right? Is he safe?
Is he even alive?” Melyssa fired the questions off left and right,
worried about her father and could tell Rean was hesitant to tell her the
truth. “Just tell me, please.”
“He’s in a warehouse about an hour
from here. It’s abandoned and it’s
heavily guarded. McBurn is keeping an
eye on him and Cedric said, as far as he knows, your father is in good health.”
Rean explained, his face carefully neutral as Melyssa took in all of that
information.
“McBurn…McBurn has my Dad?” How in
Aidios’ name were they supposed to rescue him from a monster like him?!
“Okay…how about we head back to my house for now to check in on my Mom and we
can talk to everyone else about this, Instructor?” They needed to devise a plan
and now that two Bracers were here in town, thanks to Rean, they had a better
fighting chance, hopefully.
“So, all this is a rescue mission?”
“No, but saving her father is a
priority.” Rean said as they all began walking back towards the gates. Rean, Sara and Fie were all on alert, hands
on the hilts of their various weapons. “What’s going on here does tie into the
Brackett’s.” He admitted thoughtfully, though he was gathering it was their
influence and the former ‘Papa’s’ outspokenness and friendship with the prior
mayor that had made them targets. “What might your father know?” He asked
suddenly, stopping to look at Melyssa. “About anything besides fish.”
“You mean about Jurai? Everything and anything you want to know,
pretty much. He was good friends with
the last mayor of Jurai, Crow’s grandfather.
Our grandfathers were best friends and grew up together, actually.” Just
like her and Crow had and now they were both in the Goddess’s hands, hopefully
reunited. “Anything regarding politics and history about this city he will
know. My Dad is a fountain of
information.” If anyone could help them reverse what was going on in Jurai, it
was her father. “The sooner we rescue him, the sooner we can hopefully stop
this takeover Heidel Rogner is trying to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Heidel Rogner is trying to become
the next mayor of Jurai, even though it’s a Special Economic Zone.”
“How is that possible?” Sara was
confused, folding her arms in front of her chest. “The only way that could
happen is if…”
“The nobility rises up against the
Imperial government.” Rean finished for her, watching the realization dawn on
both Sara and Fie’s faces.
“So, you’re telling me we might have
another civil war on our hands if this isn’t quelled?”
“Yes.”
Sara and Fie looked at each other
again before turning back to Rean. “Fine, we want in. Us Bracers have a duty and that’s protecting
all citizens of Erebonia, including Mr. Brackett. That’s our first priority as Bracers, so the
sooner we rescue him, the sooner we can get some answers to the many questions
we have.”
“I’ll answer to the best of my
ability any questions you may have now, and once we rescue Mr. Brackett, he can
fill in the gaps.” Rean offered, glad they weren’t the only ones who had
recognized the looming possibility of another war, one the country would not
recover from so easily.
“We heard there was an accident on
your way here.”
“McBurn attacked the train we were
on.” Now they knew it was no mere coincidence.
Either he had been targeting Melyssa or looking to send a message. Maybe both, probably both, she would have
been the best way get the ‘point’ across.
“We heard about that. There were minimal casualties, thanks to Emma
and Rosalie.” Fie frowned, not believing they were involved in that horrific
train crash only two days ago. “You’re very lucky to be alive right now. I heard the train and the railway were destroyed
completely.”
They had no idea just how horrific or
how close they’d been to losing one of their own. Ash,
Melyssa thought sadly, the guilt beginning to eat away at her all over again. Is it my fault he
nearly died? Am I responsible for all
the death that happened? Did McBurn know
who I was in Crossbell during that attack?
I need to tell them my last secret and I just hope Aurelia understands.
There was no point hiding anything
from Rean or her classmates anymore, not when they were in the midst of trying
to prevent another civil war from happening.
She remained quiet during the rest of the trek back to the house,
deciding a shower was in order since she was filthy and somewhat bloody from
her fight with Shirley.
Chapter 36
Once back at Miranda’s, Melyssa took
off for the shower and Rean remained outside, pacing as he checked his ARCUS
II, viewing status updates. He wouldn’t
risk a call, not out here, not when he knew this house was being spied
upon. It was a giant target. McBurn could very easily finish the job
because he likely knew they were all there at night, Melyssa included and she
was definitely a priority target to McBurn due to her family.
We can’t stay here. He thought morosely, the realization
dawning on him just how much danger they were all in being here.
While Melyssa was in the shower,
Crow, Ash and Altina returned from the warehouse and docks. It was just past 5 PM and Miranda was busy in
the kitchen, cooking. She didn’t see the
condition her daughter was in when they walked inside, only Juna and Kurt. Juna didn’t freak out, just guided Melyssa to
the shower room immediately while Kurt received the rundown of what happened
from their Instructor. Juna was NOT
happy to learn Rean had used Melyssa as bait against the Sanguine Ogre and had
nearly gotten her head sliced off with her own weapon. Thankfully, Sara and Fie had arrived just in
time to save them both or they would’ve been demolished, at least Melyssa would
have. Once Melyssa stepped out of the shower
room, freshly dressed, Juna proceeded to doctor her up since she had cuts on
her neck, arms and a new one just above her eye.
Crow took one look at her and knew
something had happened, his crimson eyes moving to Rean and then back to
Melyssa. What in Aidios’ name happened
during their investigation today?
Rean wished someone WOULD berate him
for the decision he had made. It wasn’t
like him and he knew it. He also knew
they had gotten vital information and learned some new things today, but at what
cost? Was using people to get further
information about this looming civil war worth it? Maybe it would save lives, but did that
matter when he was condemning his own soul and compromising his own morals and
principals?
“It’s what makes you a good leader,
you know.” Crow said softly, having watched the emotional play going on his
friend’s face.
“What does?”
“Worrying about your decisions, if
you did the right thing.”
Rean’s shoulders slumped. “That
doesn’t help.”
Crow was probably in a very unique
position to see both the ups and downs of leadership, from both sides of the
coin. “No, it wasn’t meant too. Obviously, you did something you regret.”
“I put her in danger. She could’ve died because of my
‘leadership’.” Rean kept his voice down and hoped Crow didn’t hate him for what
he did to Melyssa today. He explained
what happened during the investigation and his plan to retrieve the information
from Cedric, while keeping Shirley occupied. “I wanted her to flirt a little,
but…Melyssa went overboard and challenged her to a fight instead. I shouldn’t have agreed to it, but…” He was
desperate and could not bring himself to say those words, lowering his eyes in
shame. “I’m not leadership material, I never was.” Maybe becoming an Instructor
wasn’t the right thing to do.
“She’s a lot tougher than she looks,
Rean.” Sara had overheard their conversation and smiled, joining her former
students. “How many times do you think I beat myself up over the decisions I
made as your Instructor, hmm? I put you
all in danger COUNTLESS times and do you know why? Because it taught you and strengthened
you. It kept you on your toes and
vigilant. Maybe I went overboard a few
times, but I NEVER regretted a single decision I made for Class VII. Look at all of you now – you’re flourishing
and it’s because of those experiences as a class. So, stop beating yourself up over it. She’s fine and this isn’t ballet. She understands there’s risks involved, as we
all do, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to save her father. Honestly, she reminds me a lot of you when
you were my student.”
“Uh huh.” Then why had they all been
giving him doubtful, ‘what you’d do’ looks, because they thought the same thing
as him? “Regardless, on our way back, I had a thought and it’s a sobering
one. We can’t stay here.”
“No, because all of us, your students
are enclosed in one space, how many nights have you stayed?”
“Last night.”
“Staying another would be begging for
an attack.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Crow stroked his chin thoughtfully,
finally clearing his throat. “I know where we can stay. There’s an abandoned
warehouse on the docks, Ash and I got in there today with Altina.”
Only Juna had given him those looks
while everyone else simply had questions written on their faces. They simply wanted to know what happened and
Rean had told them. Juna was a
mother-hen type and had been giving Rean flack since day one, though in the
end, she agreed with a lot of his decisions.
It was just the type of person she was and they accepted her for it.
“Really? Is there a kitchen and shower there?” Eating
and bathing were a must and Crow nodded, assuring them it had everything they
needed.
“Even the lights work. We were shocked and Altina said she can fix
anything that may be wrong. We checked
it out and it even has beds.”
“Must be for fisherman coming off the
ocean from long voyages.” Melyssa intervened, overhearing Crow’s idea to move
from her home to the abandoned warehouse. “There should be enough beds for
everyone, though there won’t be privacy.”
“Fine by me. We’ll round everyone up…after we eat.”
Miranda wouldn’t be able to bring all
the food over to the warehouse, so they would have a nice dinner and then head
over once the sun set.
Melyssa pulled Crow away from the
others, smiling up at him. “Are you still up for tonight’s Combat Link training
together?”
Crow stared down at her, blinking his
surprise. Now that Rean had pointed out
the likelihood of the house being attacked during the night, the last thing on
his mind had been the Combat Link training. “It’ll have to be after we’ve
relocated and privacy is going to be hard to come by unless we slip outside.”
Which they would have too, the last thing either of them needed was an
audience. He really hoped Rean was
working out the logistics of moving them all without being spotted, having a
feeling they were going to have to go in pairs to make them less likely at
being detected. “Are you up to it after the day you’ve had?” He asked quietly,
reaching out to trace the tip of his finger along the cut on her throat. She
had been dangerously close to losing her head today.
She touched his hand and nodded,
seeing the concern swimming in those crimson orbs. “Yes. And I meant after we’re relocated and everyone
is safe in the warehouse. We can sneak
out and go to the outskirts of Jurai to do the training.”
They also needed to talk about the
kiss he asked for earlier. She didn’t
forget about it and it had been on the forefront of her mind. Maybe that was why Shirley had gotten the
upper hand on her because she didn’t have a clear head.
“Don’t worry about me, okay?” Melyssa
squeezed his hand and released it, jumping when a flash of light suddenly
engulfed the house.
“What in Gehenna?!”
“GOODNESS!”
“Sorry, sorry!” It was Emma
Millstein, alongside her familiar, Celine, who had shiny black fur and a blue
bow around her neck. “I figured this was the easiest way to get here.”
Melyssa had to do damage control
quickly, seeing her mother was in shock after watching someone just appear in
the middle of their home unannounced. “M-Mom, this is Instructor Rean’s friend,
Emma Millstein and, um, well…she’s a witch.” That wasn’t the way to say it, but
Melyssa really didn’t want her mother panicking.
“A w-witch???” Miranda didn’t know
what to think or believe anymore, thinking witches were just part of Erebonian
legends and myths. Witches were REAL?
“I-I think I need to sit down a moment…”
Melyssa immediately grabbed a chair
for her mother, setting her down in it before she collapsed and retrieved a
glass of water for her.
“Sorry.” Emma frowned, not meaning to
scare the older woman and looked down at Celine.
“I told you we should have used the
front door, Emma!”
“T-The cat…is…talking???” Miranda
promptly fainted, her glass of water falling to the floor.
“Shit!”
Emma narrowed her eyes down at
Celine, who just stuck her tail up in the air obnoxiously. “Honestly…”
Sighing, Ash moved to lift Miranda
off the floor with ease. “I’ll just go put her to bed for now.” He muttered,
carting her up the stairs as if she weighed nothing.
This poor woman was not EVER going to
recover from all this mental trauma she had been and was still going
through. Ash was honestly surprised she
hadn’t lost her mind yet. Now he knew
where Melyssa got her moxy from. Crow
had almost smiled at the cat is talking bit, but this was definitely not the
time for that. Sneaking out later with
Melyssa seemed like both a good and bad idea.
Given everything that had happened today and Rean’s own issues in
letting her do something dangerous, he felt like he might be pushing the limits
on his friend’s patience, if they were caught doing this, after Melyssa had
nearly died at Shirley’s hand.
Fortunately for him, Emma’s presence distracted him from his thoughts.
“Not that I’m not grateful to see
you, but why are you here?” It was always good to have a friendly witch up your
sleeve.
“Well…”
“I called her.” Fie shrugged,
thinking it was no big deal. “Didn’t expect her to POP up out of nowhere like
this, but…whatever. She’s here now and
she’s going to help us.”
Melyssa raised a brow. “What do you
mean?”
“I can do a transportation spell from
here to the warehouse with all of you.” Emma had done several of them during
the civil war and Twilight. “I’ve mastered doing it and Celine will help me
with her own power too.”
“I suppose I could.” Celine huffed,
rolling her eyes at Emma volunteering her services without her consent.
“Wait, so…you mean…”
Fie cracked the barest hint of a
smile. “She’s going to make it to where we don’t have to figure out a way to
travel to the warehouse in a large group or separated groups. One spell and bam, we’ll be there, safe and
sound.”
Could Emma really do that? Melyssa was in awe and looked at Ash when he
came downstairs from laying her mother down in her room. “Should we wait until
my Mom is awake or…?”
“The sooner we do this, the better.”
Sara chimed in, everyone nodding in agreement. “Don’t worry, Emma’s done this
before and we all trust her ability.
Your Mom will end up in a bed, sleeping soundly in the warehouse with
the spell.”
“Should we gather the food she
cooked?”
“I’ll get it.” Juna offered, dragging
Kurt and Altina with her to help.
Melyssa walked over to Ash. “Didn’t
take you for the knight in shining armor type, Carbide. Thank you for helping my Mom.”
“Don’t think I did it for good
reasons, beautiful.”
Ash winked down at her, looping his
arm around her slender waist and drew her into his side. He had been behaving since they arrived in
Jurai. Now that they had a better idea of
what was going on, as well as a witch joining them, even if only briefly, his
spirits were lifting and a return of his wicked tongue was in order.
“I’m thinking about spiriting you away
to bed next.” His tone was light, teasing and he made sure to keep it down, so
he didn’t overly embarrass her. “After the day you’ve had, you look like you
could some pampering.”
He was definitely back to his normal,
crude self and it did her heart good to hear it, even if he made her cheeks
tinge pink. “I’m fully capable of pampering myself, thank you.” She nudged him
with her elbow in the gut playfully, giggling when he doubled over, acting like
she’d just given him a killer blow. “Good to have you back, Carbide. I was starting to worry if your near death
experience had taken away your personality.” She pecked his cheek and his lips
brushed against the bandage over her right brow.
“All right, everyone ready to go
then?” Emma asked, pulling her orbal staff out and everyone responded with a
firm ‘yes’, giving her the green light to start the spell. “Celine, I’m
counting on you.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Celine
muttered, though she began to glow along with Emma and they both chanted, their
eyes turning amber gold.
“Hang on, this will feel weird and
you could lose your footing if you’re not careful, beautiful.”
“Got it.” Melyssa didn’t move away
from Ash, relying on his strength and grip.
A few seconds later, everyone in the
house disappeared. Sure enough as soon
as they appeared in the warehouse, Melyssa lost her footing and Ash was right
there to catch her, keeping her steady against him with both arms around her
now. He grinned down at her, pale pink
eyes gleaming wickedly.
“You sure about that pampering,
beautiful? I’ll bunk with you tonight.”
He caught her hand when she went to mock slap him, pressing a kiss to her palm
before letting her go. “It’s good to see you smile, Melyssa.” She hadn’t
exactly had a lot to smile about over the past few days, not that he blamed
her. Finding out not only was her
grandfather dead, but her father had been kidnapped by someone like McBurn… he
was worried she’d never smile again.
“You were worried about me, weren’t
you?” Now it was Ash’s turn to look sheepish for a change and she turned to hug
him, standing on her tiptoes to do it.
He still had to bend a little since she was short compared to him. “I’m
okay, I promise.” Ash hugged her back, a little tighter than necessary and she
didn’t mind it, slowly pulling back to tap his nose with her finger. “Don’t
ever change, Carbide. You had me worried
too, you know.”
They had a connection that was
different than with the others. It
wasn’t romantic and it wasn’t platonic either.
Melyssa found Ash very attractive, but she didn’t feel that intimacy
with him like she did with Crow and…Rean.
Crow wanted to kiss her while Rean informed her of the rule in Thors
where Instructors and students were frowned upon for being together. It confused her because Melyssa honestly
didn’t know who or what she wanted anymore besides rescuing her father. Ash was…Ash and he had taken over the best
friend role in her life, always there for her when she needed someone the most.
Him?
Change? It would never, ever
happen, no matter how many times someone tried to beat common sense and manners
into him. “My head is hard enough to take, don’t you worry about that,
beautiful.” Ash rapped his knuckles on it, grinning before turning his
attention to Miranda who had been ‘popped’ in, still asleep and on a bed just
like Emma had said. “We really need one of those, you know, around all the
time.” He said admiringly, his eyes sweeping over the witch once she had
finished along with her familiar.
Celine fixed her eyes on him,
narrowing them.
“Or maybe not…”
“Is everyone all right?” Emma asked,
once the spell subsided and looked around, seeing nobody was missing limbs or
anything.
“No matter how many times you do that,
I’ll never get used to it.” Fie commented, shaking the effects off.
“Same here.”
“Hey, at least we all arrived in one
piece.” Juna was already setting up the table with the food Mrs. Brackett
graciously cooked for them all.
Melyssa walked over to check on her
mother and kissed her forehead, covering her up with the blanket that was
already on the bed. More than likely,
she would sleep for the rest of the night, the dark circles under her eyes
speaking volumes. She wasn’t sleeping
well and Melyssa knew it was because of her father being gone.
We’re gonna get him
back, Mom, I promise. We know where he’s
at now. Just hang in there a little
longer, she
thought, feeling a shadow fall over her and a hand planted on her shoulder.
“She’ll be all right, Lyssa.”
“I know.” Melyssa squeezed Crow’s
hand back in return, feeling his chin rest on top of her head gently. “Are they
done with the food?”
“Yeah, let’s go eat.”
Melyssa nodded, letting him guide her
away from her sleeping mother to the long table to eat dinner with everyone.
Chapter 37
Dinner was mostly quiet as the
realization of why they had moved locations began finally sinking in. Rean was somber looking as he listened to
Emma and Celine quietly discussing the possibility of putting up some kind of
protection spells around the warehouse.
Crow just focused on his plate, eating the food even though he really
didn’t have much of an appetite. From
time to time, he would glance at Melyssa, who kept giving her mother worried
looks.
“She’ll be fine, Lyssa.” He assured
quietly, reaching across the table to rest his hand on hers, squeezing gently.
Truth be told, Melyssa didn’t have
that much of an appetite either, but she had to keep her strength up. She had to take care of herself or she wouldn’t
be any good to her father. Tonight, she
would try to link up with Crow again and then tomorrow, they would all come up
with a rock solid plan to rescue him.
Having two Bracers and a witch on their side would help
tremendously. Something was nagging at
Melyssa, however, and she couldn’t ignore it any longer.
“Instructor?” All eyes turned to her
as Rean looked up from his plate, teal locking with fuchsia. “Principal Aurelia
was one of the leading Generals of the Noble Faction in the civil war, wasn’t
she?”
“Correct…” Rean’s eyes narrowed as he
set his fork down on his plate. “Why do you ask, Melyssa?”
“I’ve been thinking about the attack
in Crossbell and…I think you’re right. I
think I was more of a target than I thought.
And I think my rescue from McBurn might’ve also been staged as well.”
Now everyone’s interest was piqued, especially Rean’s. His eyes were burning a hole through her and
Melyssa clasped her hands in her lap.
“Wait a minute…McBurn? Crossbell?
What are you talking about, Melyssa?” Juna demanded, a fellow civilian
of Crossbell herself and felt her brows rise almost to her hairline.
“Lyssa?”
“Ash and Instructor Rean know this
already, but with everything that’s going on in Jurai with the nobility, I feel
you all need to know this information.
About a year ago, during the attack of Crossbell, I had a run-in with
McBurn. There were other civilians with
me and I told them all to run, that I would stay behind.” Her hands began to
tremble at the memory of being in that monster’s presence and feeling his sheer
fiery power. “I almost died at his hands, but someone intervened and helped
me.”
“Who?”
Melyssa was about to go back on her
word, but she had no other choice in the matter. “The Golden Rakshasa, Aurelia
Le Guin.”
Silence stretched throughout the
dinner table, everyone’s eyes widened and their jaws dropped to their plates.
“W-Wait a minute…”
“WHAT?!”
“So that’s who helped you get into
Thors, eh?” Ash had finally gotten the last piece of the puzzle, the one she
had been sworn to secrecy on. “The Principal helped you get in.”
“Yes.
She said I had potential and when I told her why I left home, she
offered to help me with my acceptance into Thors. I thought I was gonna go to the Main School,
but there wasn’t any room for commoners, so they sent me to the Branch School
instead.” Melyssa explained, scrubbing a hand down her face because the
evidence of all this being a huge setup was mounting. “I asked the Instructor
that question because I’m wondering if Aurelia is still working with Ouroboros
even now. And if that’s the case, then…”
“Shit.”
“I was sworn to secrecy by
Aurelia. She said she didn’t want anyone
to know because she didn’t want others treating me differently, thinking I
didn’t earn my way into Thors, when that’s not true. I just had a…different way of getting in, but
I still had to take all the tests required.” That was why she wound up as the
only first year student in Rean’s Class VII with the ARCUS II unit. “I trusted
her, but…I don’t know if I do now and that’s why I’ve decided to come clean
about my connection with her.”
“But…Aurelia was on that train…” Juna
pointed out weakly, glancing at Kurt, who had a stoic expression on his face.
“And she came out unscathed,
untouched.” Kurt practically spat the words out, gritting his teeth.
Rean let his head drop to the table,
knowing that the pieces all fit, it was all THERE. “And she’s been privy to
most of this information because we’ve been keeping her in the loop.” He said,
his voice coming out muffled due to being face planted on the tabletop.
“Even today’s info?” Crow asked, his
tone flat and emotionless, but his fiery red eyes were telling a different
story.
“There hasn’t been time. But if she’s working with Ouroboros, she’ll
know about Shirley and Cedric.”
“So, she put you here,” Ash said
slowly, frowning slightly as he stared at Melyssa. “In Thors… I wonder if she
was using you ‘running away’ as a way to control your family or something.” And
eventually the control stopped working, hence the grandfather’s death and the
kidnapping of her father.
“No, she didn’t.” Miranda had
overheard everything and sat up in bed, walking over to the table. “My husband
and I didn’t know what happened to Melyssa.
That’s why it was such a shock to see her again after over a year.” Her
eyes lowered as the memory of what happened to her father swept over her. “My
father was killed because he tried stopping Heidel Rogner from starting
petition to have a new mayor in Jurai.
Heidel promised even more money and prosperity since he’s a family
member of one of the Four Great Houses.
A day after we buried him, my husband was kidnapped from the docks and
that was almost 6 months ago. If this
Aurelia is working with the enemy, she is keeping it under wraps and quiet.”
“So then, why go after Melyssa in the
first place?”
“The only thing I can think of is I’m
their daughter and they wanted to use me as leverage against Papa and Dad to
sway their choices.” Melyssa couldn’t think of any other reason since her
family wasn’t nobility, but they did have the biggest fish market in the city.
“But then why would McBurn try to kill me in Crossbell?”
“Unless that was staged, like you
said with Aurelia.” Ash folded his arms in front of his chest, seeing Crow and
Rean were being quiet for the moment. “It could’ve all been staged to get you
to trust Aurelia, so she could get you into Thors and keep you under her thumb
and surveillance.” That made a lot of sense now that he thought about it. “And
if things didn’t go their way, she could’ve easily used you as bait against
your family.”
“Why did…why did they kill Papa then
if that’s the case? Killing him defeats
the purpose of using me as bait…”
“Because they still have your Dad and
your grandfather had a lot of influence within Jurai. They saw him as a danger and eliminated it.”
Miranda sounded saddened, but also reserved and could feel her heart breaking
at the thought of never seeing her father or potentially her husband again.
“Come to think of it…” Sara looked at
Rean suddenly, knowing he had the same thought going through his head as she
did. “Didn’t the Principal send you to Jurai specifically with your class,
Rean?”
“She did?!”
“Oh man…”
“Goodness…”
Melyssa hadn’t even thought of that
until now and pushed her plate away, her appetite officially gone. “Goddess…”
It was really true – Aurelia had to be working for the enemy and they had
fallen into her trap!
Rean buried his own face in his
hands, shaking his head. “I went to her about Melyssa and Crow not being able
to effectively use the Combat Link.” He said through his fingers, fuchsia eyes
shut tight as he recalled that conversation. “I told her I wanted to take them
out on a field study and put them in situations to build trust. She was the one
who suggested taking all of Class VII as a way to remove pressure from the
pair… and that Jurai would be a good place to start because Crow and Melyssa
were both from here.” And then, afterwards, she had discussed the ‘rumors of
Ouroboros’, he had been played like a cheap fiddle.
“SON OF A BITCH!” Ash roared,
standing up so fast, his chair went flying and his pink eyes were nothing more
than fire. “THAT BITCH USED US!!”
Melyssa had NEVER seen Ash’s temper
flare until now and it was somewhat frightening, if she was honest. She had no idea Rean had gone to Aurelia or
the fact Aurelia had ‘suggested’ they come to Jurai to help work on the Combat
Link between her and Crow. Her Papa was
dead, her father was being held captive by the very man who was probably
working closely with Aurelia in the first place!
“ASH, calm down!!” Juna shouted,
standing from her chair as well and didn’t know what she could say to Melyssa
at the moment. “Losing your head is not going to help matters!”
“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN!!” Ash was
beyond pissed off and needed air, storming out of the warehouse, slamming the
door behind him so hard, the walls rattled.
“I-I’ll go talk to him…” Melyssa was
already headed toward the door when Crow stopped her, turning her to face him.
“Lyssa, that’s not a good idea…”
“I’ll be okay. He won’t hurt me.” Ash was there for her
several times and it was her turn to do the same for him. “Just…leave us alone
for a little while and let me talk to him.” Extricating her arm from his grasp,
Melyssa made her way outside and spotted Ash on the dock, staring out into the
ocean. Emma had cast a protection spell
within a 500 arge radius, along with an invisibility spell, so they wouldn’t be
spotted out here in the open or heard. “Look, I know you probably hate me right
now and I don’t blame you one bit for it.
You should hate me and my family for everything that’s happened. It’s because of me that you nearly died in
that train attack…and I know this doesn’t make it right, but…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ash, and if I could take it all
back, I would. I never would’ve gone to
Thors and turned all of your lives upside down like this had I known I was just
being used as a pawn.” Maybe she really didn’t belong in Thors, after all.
“Stop being such a martyr, Melyssa.”
He said flatly, not turning to look at her, his hands landed behind his back in
a guard stance as he stared at the ocean. “It’s not YOU, it’s your family and
their influence.” Being the most influential fishmonger had bitten her in the
backside. “And even then, it’s not their fault that people can’t accept how
things are. The fact that we were
betrayed…” He clenched his fists. “And so many have gotten hurt….”
Melyssa didn’t know what else to say
to him, wishing she could be there for Ash the same way he was there for
her. She wasn’t making things better by
apologizing, apparently. What if he
didn’t survive that train attack? What
if she had lost him or anyone in their class, all because she was the target?
“Being that it is my family makes me
just as responsible as them, Ash. I’m
not being a martyr, I’m stating simple facts.
I’ll leave you alone and if you want to talk, you know where to find
me.” Pulling her ARCUS II out, she sent a quick message to Crow to meet her on
the outskirts of Jurai, which wasn’t far away from the warehouse. There was a back entrance and Emma’s spell
would reach that far, so they would be in the clear to practice linking. After what she just discovered, Melyssa
really needed to blow off some steam.
But she was wrong. She and her family weren't at fault for any
of these events. They were just as much
victims of Ouroboros as the rest of Jurai.
The only thing that made them special was their influence within the
commoners. Ash hadn't known how to say
that, but he was thinking it and figured he'd try explaining himself better
when he wasn't tongue-tied from anger.
Crow met her shortly. He had to sneak away almost, catching Rean’s
eye on the way out and had gestured about needing air. Rean currently had his hands and mind full
with this new information. Melyssa had
found a clearing, sat down and cried, trying to get it all out before Crow
arrived. She could hear him approaching
and wiped her tears away, drying them up because now wasn’t the time to break
down.
“Glad you came.” She managed to crack
a smile that did not touch her turmoil-filled eyes and had pulled her hair back
in a messy bun. It had been down for the
majority of the day and she couldn’t handle it on her neck anymore. “Ready to
do this? There’s a pack of monsters just
beyond those trees we can surprise and try to link up on.” She unsheathed her
Cutlass, ready to lose herself in battle for a little while.
Crow started to nod only to stop,
bending down as he really stared into her face. “You’ve been crying.” He said
quietly, reaching out to trace the now dried track her tears had left behind in
their wake. “The day finally starting to get to you, Lyssa?” She looked tired,
but also determined and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that the Combat Link
wouldn't work this time.
Not that Crow felt up to testing this
theory out in the middle of a heated battle with someone like Shirley.
“I don’t want to talk about anything
else except training right now. I’m
fine, really.”
Melyssa could be stubborn when she
wanted to be and they had to get this taken care of before they decided to go
into battle together against Ouroboros.
She had gotten a taste of what Shirley was capable of and she already
knew McBurn was downright lethal.
Pushing everything else in the back of her mind for the time being,
Melyssa focused primarily on Crow and her feelings for him. Calling her Lyssa, his memories returning and
how happy she was to finally be reunited with him after all this time. It didn’t feel like a reunion until
yesterday. The monsters spotted them and
she nodded at Crow, the blue symbols forming beneath their feet. She glowed orange while he glowed blue, both
nodding at the same time before leaping into action.
I trust him and I
believe in him, I believe in us and what we have is strong enough to overcome
anything,
she thought, cutting down one monster
and then going after another while Crow did the same thing. So far, the Combat Link remained intact and,
surprisingly, despite what happened and what they discovered, both could feel
it growing stronger with each passing second. “Crow, now!” She shouted,
activating the special Combat Link attack and did the splits, just like she did
with Ash, allowing Crow to make the finishing, deadly blow on the last monster.
Chapter 38
That had been exhilarating.
Once Crow realized that the Combat
Link WASN’T going to fail, he had felt some weird rush coursing through
him. The fight had gone from almost
uncomfortable and stilted because he had been concerned the Link would fail
again and then into an almost graceful dance.
They moved in sync, slashing down their enemies, and he swore he could
almost feel the trust flowing through them.
He stood there, surveying their fallen enemies, his breathing mildly
ragged and enjoyment flowing through him.
There was nothing like a good fight, a clean cut, black and white,
proper fight. He looked at her, his lips
curving into a smile.
They did it. It worked.
Melyssa’s breathing was ragged as well, her teal eyes glowing in the
night and the sheer adrenaline and euphoria from linking with Crow was
incredible. She looked at him with a
smile of her own, sheathed her Cutlass and began laughing, the sound full of
relief at finally being able to Combat Link with Crow.
“We did it. We did it!”
Waiting until he put his pistols
away, Melyssa closed the distance between them and tossed her arms around his
neck, feeling him spin her around in circles.
His own laughter was music to her ears as she held him close, both
relishing in the moment for all it was worth.
Pulling back, Melyssa gazed into those crimson orbs with newfound
affection and adoration and stroked his face tenderly with her fingers.
“I have an answer to your question
from this morning.” She paused for dramatic effect and to wait for the
confusion to leave his eyes, for his brain to catch up with what she said. “My
answer is yes.”
Crow’s brain was not the only thing
to catch up, his body did too as it registered what she was saying. May I kiss you? He had asked her that this morning
and they had been interrupted.
Not even thinking twice about it, he pulled
her into his arms and firmly against his strong, lean body, inclining his head
to capture her lips with his. That night, only a few short nights ago but it
felt like another lifetime, replayed through his head, the good parts. The
kissing and laying out on the bed, how she had felt against him as she eagerly
returned those kisses. This was ten times better and when Melyssa parted her
lips for him, he took the invitation, sweeping his tongue against hers.
There was no hesitation, fear or
uncertainty this time around and Melyssa completely immersed herself into the
kiss, following her instincts. Crow was
such an amazing kisser and the way he held her against him, she could feel the
passion in his touch and definitely with his lips. Melyssa buried her fingers in his hair again
as they tasted each other and she could feel their bond strengthening even
more. The fact he wanted to kiss her
just sent her soaring to new heights, letting out the softest of moans.
This felt so good, Melyssa never
wanted it to end and felt her heart thundering against her chest. For years, she had missed him being in her
life, always thinking about him. Not a
day went by Crow Armbrust wasn’t on her mind and he’d instilled himself in her
heart as children. She didn’t realize
it, but all those feelings poured forth in this kiss and it made them both
tremble. There was also one other
intense emotion in that kiss and it was love – pure, irrevocable love for him.
Crow felt it. He had been getting lost in her kiss, how
eager she was and how good she tasted, how good she felt pressed against his
body and then this. The intensity rocked
him to his very core and sent him spiraling into a bunch of things he didn’t
understand, other than panic. Not panic
so much as he was startled and mildly concerned. He knew he felt lust for Melyssa, he knew he
cared about her intensely but this was… something he had never felt from
anyone, let alone his childhood friend, the girl who had been like a sister to
him. Slowly, the kiss broke between them
and Melyssa saw the barrage of emotions flood over Crow’s face. Was he not happy with the kiss? She supposed it would be better to be told
the kiss sucked as opposed to rejecting her.
“Crow?” Even her voice was unsteady
and husky, her tongue sliding out to wet her swollen lips.
“It’s getting late, Lyssa. We should head back before they send the
search party after us.” Crow’s voice sounded weird, even to his own ears, while
staring down at his childhood friend.
This girl – no, woman – was supposed
to be a sister to him since they’d been raised together! And here he was kissing her, touching her and
holding her like a lover. It was…wrong. It had to be wrong. How could something so wrong feel so right,
though?
“Come on.”
“Crow, I don’t understand…” Melyssa
wasn’t leaving with him until he explained what was going through his head.
“I-I know I’m inexperienced and I’m not very good at kissing…”
“It’s not that.” He cut her off,
sounding gruffer than he meant to and groaned at the flash of hurt in her eyes.
“Look, it was nice – great, even. You’re
not a bad kisser and…I’m not trying to reject you again or hurt you, but…”
“But what? What is it?” She stepped up to him, searching
his eyes and could feel her chest tighten.
“It’s wrong. Us doing this is wrong. It feels wrong. We’re practically family and we’re kissing
each other.” Crow didn’t know how else to explain it, scrubbing a hand down his
face. “I shouldn’t LIKE kissing a girl I grew up with and who was practically
my sister.”
It felt like her heart might explode
at his words and Melyssa didn’t know what to feel or how to respond to that.
“Your…sister?” Was he serious? It was
obvious what she felt for him he did NOT reciprocate. “Why would you…ask to
kiss me again then?”
“I didn’t know how I felt at the
time, but now I do and…we can’t do this, Lyssa.
I just want to remain friends with you.
I care about you too much to screw it up because of a relationship that
may or may not work out.” Crow knew he was being harsh with her, but this was
how he truly felt and he hoped she understood. “Please don’t hate me for this…”
“I don’t.” Melyssa’s voice changed to
a calmer tone, digesting every word that came out of his mouth and could feel
her heart shattering. It wouldn’t help
to tell him how she felt because Crow’s mind was made up. This was how he truly felt and she couldn’t
fault him for his honesty. “It’s all right, Crow, really. I never want to lose you again and, if that
means I have to keep you in my life as strictly a friend, so be it.” Reaching
up, she smoothed away some of his hair from his forehead and leaned up to kiss
his cheek. “Thank you for being honest with me.
I don’t think of you as a brother and I probably never will, but…you are
one of my best friends and that will never change, no matter what.”
“Good.” Crow’s smile was filled with
both uncertainty and relief.
The resurgence of all his memories
had also brought back old feelings. He honestly
did view her as a little sister and now it was at war with the desire he had
felt for her. The desire would lessen
and, hopefully, so would the feeling of sickness in his stomach, of guilt.
“You’re too important to lose,
Lyssa.” He bent down and kissed her forehead, chastely. “I’m sorry for letting
it go this far.” But now they both knew.
She knew how he felt and he knew it would take a long time for him to
stop thinking of her as a sister, if ever, it would be cruel to pursue
anything.
“We wouldn’t have known unless we
gave it a shot. No need to apologize.”
She looped her arm through his to show there truly were no hard feelings as
they began walking back toward the city. “You are right though, it is getting
late. We’d better head back.” Once
again, she was swallowing her feelings down, along with the ache in her heart,
and she could only hope it went away sooner rather than later. The walk wasn’t full of tension like it
probably should have been and Melyssa was not surprised to find Ash still at
the docks. “I’ll be in shortly, go rest up.”
Crow nodded, heading off toward the warehouse and watched Melyssa go to Ash,
shaking his head. He was an idiot.
Instead of speaking, Melyssa simply
sat down to dangle her feet off the dock and stared out into the ocean while
Ash remained standing there. She shut
her eyes, letting the ocean breeze flow over her and also allowed silent tears
to slide down her cheeks. There was no
way she could cry in front of Crow, but Ash had already seen her tears once
before and she trusted him enough to show vulnerability. Her tears were from a broken heart, the death
of her Papa, her father being in danger, all the people who died in the train
attack, discovering Aurelia’s betrayal…she had every reason to cry and holding
her emotions in would only make her feel worse.
After a long silence other than the
sounds of the waves breaking against shore and docks, Ash slowly moved so he
was sitting beside her but with space between them. From the corner of his eye, he caught her
reaching up to wipe at her face, a glint of something on the tip of her nose
catching his attention before it dropped.
Tears. She was crying. He didn’t know why she was crying, but he did
know she had every reason in the world too given the current circumstances
involving her family. Sighing softly, he
reached over and took her hand, gently enveloping it in his and squeezed.
I’m such an
idiot! What in Aidios’ name was I
thinking?! Even with his memories, he
never felt the same way I do. He thinks
of me as a damn SISTER! A SISTER!! At least he was honest about how he felt and
didn’t string me along or reject me again.
I am done with intimacy. I need
to focus on saving my Dad and following the way of the sword. I need to hone my skills and stop worrying
about kissing guys or the ridiculous notion of love! Melyssa couldn’t say any of that out
loud and appreciated what Ash was trying to do, but she didn’t want to be
touched right now.
She didn’t want to be coddled or
comforted, she just wanted to be left alone.
Pulling her hand out of his, she squeezed his shoulder to let him know
she silently appreciated him being here for her and stood up from the dock,
wiping away the remainder of her tears.
Reluctantly, she walked back into the warehouse and went to the bathroom
to shower.
Ash had gotten absolutely none of
that. If she had wanted to be alone, she
wouldn’t have come to an occupied dock.
As it was, he figured she was checking in on him and would be calling it
a night. Speaking of calling it a night,
he needed to as well, tomorrow was going to be insanely busy and it would be
all hands on deck. All those hands
needed to be well rested. When he made
it to the warehouse, there was no sign of Melyssa, he assumed she had gone
inside, but Crow was standing there, leaning against the building under the
cover of mostly darkness.
~!~
Melyssa was the first one up in the
morning, even before her mother and the sunrise. She made some coffee as quietly as she could
and walked outside to lean against the building, needing the caffeine rush.
“What are you doing up this early?”
Melyssa turned her head, raising a
brow at Emma’s familiar sauntering towards her. “Oh, Celine, right?”
“Hmph, glad to see you remember my
name.” The glossy black feline planted right beside her, licking her paw. “And
yes, it’s Celine.”
“I should be asking you the same
thing. What are YOU doing up this early?”
Melyssa countered, sipping her coffee now that it was cool enough without
burning her tongue.
“Patrol duty. Also, I went to go stake out where your
father is being held captive.” Celine looked up at the girl when her head
snapped to stare at her wide-eyed. “They haven’t moved him yet, but we should
act fast. Also, Rean was correct in the
assumption of attacking your family home.
It was ransacked last night or this morning.”
That was unsettling to hear. “Great.”
“I don’t think they stole anything,
they just destroyed some furniture, from what I could tell through the window.”
Closing her eyes, Melyssa wasn’t
surprised and continued drinking her hot beverage. “Thank you for telling
me. Do you want some milk or something?”
“Hmph, no need to thank me and I’m
fine. Just…keep your wits about you and
your head on straight or else you may end up really losing it.” Celine walked
away, leaving the girl with that bit of advice.
The mission had been to capture and
or kill, depending on who it was and the circumstances. It may have been hard to capture someone if
another person got involved, deaths happened.
As it was, the Brackett house was totally empty and there wasn’t a sign
or anything telling Shirley where the old lady, her teasing spawn, and those
idiots in Class VII had gone off too.
Shirley had ordered her ‘minions’ to go off and find those
do-gooders. Now that Rean had enlisted
help – how was THAT fair? -, they all had to go before they actually
accomplished something.
“Is that coffee?” A yawning Rean
asked, approaching the area Melyssa was in, running a hand through his sleep
tousled hair, wearing nothing but a pair of sleeping pants and a lazy
grin. Even with everything that had
happened yesterday, he had slept like a log and woke up feeling… refreshed,
actually.
“Good morning, Instructor.”
Melyssa looked up and instantly
regretted it, immediately averting her eyes back to the ocean, nodding. “I made
a huge pot about an hour ago. She made a
vow not to focus on men anymore and, even if she wanted to be with Rean, she
couldn’t. He was her Instructor and she
had to keep reminding herself of that.
Thors had that policy for a reason.
“Emma’s spell seems to be working
flawlessly.” The entire warehouse was invisible and the protection spells
helped with sounds and whatnot, even smells.
Chapter 39
Rean nodded, busy fixing himself a
cup. “She said that other people are going to be able see a warehouse and it’ll
still be abandoned, but they can’t see us, or our stuff. She said it would be weird if a building
people had seen suddenly ‘disappeared’.” Magic was very useful, though he had
also seen firsthand how scary and dangerous it could be when used by the wrong
person for the wrong reasons. “I asked her,” He turned back to Melyssa, leaning
against the counter with the mug between his palms. “What keeps people from
coming inside and she said they feel sick when they try and a disgusting odor
wafts to them.” He wrinkled his nose.
“Interesting. Definitely useful though, can’t deny it.”
Melyssa figured now would be the best time to tell him what Celine did earlier
before she came back inside. “Emma’s cat, Celine, did a patrol run and…you were
right.” Rean raised a brow, wondering what she was referring to. “Someone
ransacked my house last night/this morning and Celine said things were
destroyed. I’m surprised they didn’t
just burn the house down, honestly.” She looked back into her coffee cup,
drawing her brows together. “Also, Celine went to the location of where my
father is being held and said they’re still there and he’s okay for now.” That
could change in the blink of an eye, however. “Oh, one more thing, I don’t know
if Crow told you or not, but…we linked up last night. We can Combat Link now, so we won’t be
holding the class back anymore.” There, he knew everything now.
First thing in the morning, he had
just started sipping his coffee, and now Rean was simply staring at her with
his mouth slightly open while his mind played catch up. That was a lot of information to lay out on a
person in one breath. “You and Crow went out last night?” He knew there was a
ward in place to protect them, but pushing their luck like that seemed foolish,
like they were testing it and daring fate to come slap them down for their
hubris. Evidently, Emma’s spell had
worked above and beyond what he had anticipated since everyone was all right.
“Melyssa,” He said softly, not surprised by the other news, it wasn’t
information he hadn’t already counted on, drawing closer to her. “You’re going
to give me gray hairs, you know that?”
The barest hint of a smile tilted her
lips as she stared back at him and took a slow sip of her coffee. “Oh I am,
huh? I don’t think you’re THAT old yet.”
They were only a few years apart in age, but it didn’t seem that way. “We knew
how far we could go. Emma said the spell
went 500 arges all the way around the warehouse and that included the back gate
of Jurai.” Surprisingly, there were no soldiers at the gate, but then again,
this was the ‘lower class’ part of the city. “I felt something change yesterday
with Crow when some of his memories were restored. Something clicked, so I asked him if we could
go practice Combat Linking, like I did with Ash on the outskirts of
Leeves. I just didn’t want anything
holding us back, no weaknesses. Besides,
that’s why we came here in the first place, right, Instructor?” Standing, she
went to go refill her cup and stifled a yawn.
“You know the situation, the
parameters of the mission have changed.” Rean said in response, his tone
patient as he watched her.
How late was she out last night? Better question, why did it bother him on
some level he shouldn’t acknowledge that she was out late with his best
friend? Obviously, there was something
there between the two and they had made amends after the disastrous first kiss
incident back at the 4th Armored Division. He wondered if they had made more than amends
and instantly squished that down, it was none of his business unless she or
Crow wanted to tell him. Besides that,
he was her Instructor and had no business prying in her personal life when he
couldn’t do anything about it, about them.
Goddess, where did
that come from?
He blinked, turning away from Melyssa to clear his throat.
“I know that, but now everything is
solved with the Combat Linking and we can move on.”
They were out late and Ash had been
too when she joined and then left him on the docks. It wasn’t anyone’s business what her and Crow
were doing, but she felt the need to inform Rean. He was their Instructor and since he was
worried about their lack of linking, she wanted to ease his mind about that at
least. It was obvious Crow hadn’t
discussed anything with him, or told him what transpired between them. A sister…she was a sister to Crow and she had
to accept it and move on. She sat back
down at the table and began sipping her second cup of coffee that morning.
Crow had come back from their
practice at linking and short lived kissing session, hung out until Ash had
come back and talked to him for a few moments before heading right to bed. He hadn’t had time to talk to anyone since
Rean had been in the land of the dreamers by the time he had gotten inside. Rean left her to her thoughts, busy scrounging
up something for breakfast. Today they
were going to try to liberate her father as well as bring down the Ouroboros
connections that were fueling the nobility in Jurai.
It was time to set Jurai free.
“Now, now Mr. Schwarzer, out of the
kitchen and let me cook. You all need a
hearty breakfast to get your strength and stamina up.” Today was the day they
would hopefully bring her beloved Robert home. “Shoo, you’re not needed in
here.”
Melyssa chuckled as Rean bolted out
of the kitchen, knowing better than to try to make food with her mother around.
“Mom is a bit of a kitchen hog, if you haven’t noticed. She loves to cook, the more people the
better. It also keeps her mind off
what’s going on with Dad.”
“Melyssa dear, will you come here a
moment?”
“Coming, Mom!” She walked past Rean
to go see what her mother wanted.
Rean had learned really quick not to
get underfoot with Miranda unless she needed help. Her idea of a man helping in the kitchen was
basically taking orders and holding towels for her to use to dry her
hands. He shook his head when he spotted
Crow was up, sort of, looking like he hadn’t slept a wink.
He had, just badly. Crow had some weird dreams and most of them
revolved around Melyssa. “Do I smell coffee?” He asked with a yawn, swinging
his legs out of the bed.
“You do, it’s in the kitchen area,
with Miranda and Melyssa.” He sipped his own, slowly raising an eyebrow as Crow
considered it. “Something wrong?”
“Nope.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” Rean remarked,
refilling his cup and could already smell whatever Miranda was cooking for them
in the kitchen. “Come outside with me for a minute.” Crow followed him
reluctantly with his own cup of coffee and they went to the docks, where Ash
had spent most of his night, stewing. “I told you not to bottle your emotions
up. That gets you into trouble, so
what’s going on?” This was his best friend and former rival, they knew each
other inside and out. “I need you focused today because we’re going to liberate
Mr. Brackett. I need your mind clear and
Melyssa already told me what happened between you two last night. For the record, not smart to sneak out, but
I’ll save the lecture for another time.
She told me you guys linked, which is good, but…something else happened,
didn’t it?”
Crow sometimes hated Rean and it had
nothing to do with their former rivalry.
He hated that Rean was so perceptive.
He hated that Rean had a mother-henning streak a mile wide that made him
prone to butting into other people’s business.
“Rean, it’s really none of your
business and it won’t affect today’s mission.
Melyssa and I are good.” And they were, she had said as much last
night. He knew she probably said it to
spare hurting his feelings as well as eliminating any awkwardness between them,
but he felt like most of it had been resolved.
Eyeballing his friend for a minute,
Rean finally decided to back off and trust Crow was telling him the truth. However, ‘good’ implied they weren’t together
as a couple…and WHY was he thinking along those lines in the first place?! “All
right, fine, new topic. Celine told
Melyssa this morning about her patrol last night and apparently, Ouroboros
struck the house. So either they were
looking to take more hostages, kill us or…”
“Send a message.” Crow finished, his
tone even and crimson eyes narrowed.
“They’re still keeping Mr. Brackett
in the same location, but if we don’t liberate him today, they could move him
since they’re on the hunt for us.” Rean was thankful to have friends like Emma,
Sara and Fie. “Emma already told me she’s coming with to cloak us with a spell,
so we can get in and, hopefully, get out unscathed. I also called Machias and he’s doing research
and investigating in the other cities to see if the same thing is happening to
them that’s happening here.”
“Do you really think that’s a
possibility?”
“I think Jurai was the test subject,
test zone, to see if it COULD be implemented.” Rean said thoughtfully. “Jurai
is small enough that it wouldn’t be overly hard to start infiltrating the
higher levels and wiggling in, and it’s isolated enough that not many people
outside of the gates would realize what was going on, even when passing
through.”
“And obviously it’s been working
here. If Aurelia hadn’t tipped us off,
we wouldn’t have ever known.” Crow said dryly, wondering WHY she had tipped
them off. She had to be very confident
in Ouroboros’ ability to take them all out.
Joke was on her.
“When we liberate Mr. Brackett, he’ll
have the answers to the questions we have.
Melyssa said he knows everything about Jurai, inside and out. He’ll know what is actually going on and what
Ouroboros’ main goal is. It’s more than
just making Heidel Rogner the new mayor.” Rean didn’t believe Ouroboros would
do all of this just to make one man have power in a city. There had to be an ulterior motive somewhere
hidden beneath the surface. “We need to do this at night, so we’ll rest up
during the day and strike once nightfall hits.
It’ll be easier and we won’t be detected. We can use the darkness to our advantage.”
“And what do you plan on doing about
Heidel Rogner himself?”
Rean smiled wickedly, which was very
out of character for him and his fuchsia eyes twinkled. “Don’t worry, I already
have that covered.”
Crow smirked as well. “Angie?”
“Bingo.”
Angelica Rogner, the niece of Heidel
Rogner, would be taking care of her DEAR Uncle for them once Mr. Brackett was
rescued. “She’ll be here by nightfall.”
Rean personally thought that if they
were able to put one man in charge here in Jurai, Ouroboros would try doing the
same elsewhere. It was like a controlled
experiment and in one of the most prominent areas of trade and commerce as
well. Regardless, whatever their plans
were, they had to be stopped here and anywhere else they may have already been
put into action. He hoped Brackett would
be able to clear this up for them as well as point them in their next
direction. First they had to rescue him
and then they had to run Ouroboros out of Jurai.
“All right, let’s head in. Miranda should have worked her magic by now
and everyone else needs to hear Celine’s news.”
~!~
“Leave it to the kitty cat to help us
with this.” Ash snorted, after listening to everything Rean reiterated to
everyone at the table.
Miranda had made pancakes, eggs,
sausage and bacon with coffee, milk and juice.
Emma had managed to bring her kitchen with her in the transportation
spell since the food would go bad if not cooked/eaten. Miranda had requested it and Emma made it
happen with her magical abilities. They
were a lot stronger and precise these days compared to when she first met Rean
and the rest of Class VII.
Celine hissed, baring her teeth at
him. “Do NOT call me that! My name is
Celine, get it right!”
“Whatever, kitty cat.” Ash winked at
the familiar and rolled his eyes. “So, what’s the plan then? And what in Gehenna are we gonna do about Le
Guin?” He did NOT like being betrayed and wanted to rip the Principal’s head
off her shoulders.
“One thing at a time, Ash.” Rean
didn’t blame the man for being angry at the betrayal, but they had to
prioritize saving Mr. Brackett first. “We’re relaxing for the day and when I
say relaxing, I MEAN relaxing. No
sparring, no exercises, nothing.
Tonight, we will liberate Mr. Brackett and use the darkness to our
advantage.” Just like he’d told Crow earlier. “And we’re all not going because
Emma’s magic won’t be able to keep up.
Sara and Fie, I only need one of you to come with us, the other can stay
here to watch over everything, so let me know which one of you will come with
us. As far as the main team, it will be
myself, Crow, Ash, Fie or Sara, Altina and Melyssa, along with Emma. I’m counting on Juna and Kurt to keep an eye
on things here with either Sara or Fie until we return with Mr. Brackett.”
“Yes, Instructor.” Kurt did not mind
being left behind and he understood why Melyssa was going. This was her father and she would no doubt
fight if Rean didn’t choose her to go.
“Do you REALLY think that’s a good
idea, Rean?” Juna couldn’t keep her mouth shut any longer and shook her head,
folding her arms in front of her chest. “Melyssa is a first year, inexperienced
and this is a very dangerous place you’re going. Don’t you think either Kurt or I would be
better suited to deal with this?”
Juna had a point.
“I really don’t care if this is her
father we’re liberating or not. You
shouldn’t put her in harm’s way AGAIN.”
Now Melyssa’s dander was up and her eyes
narrowed across the table at Juna. “I appreciate your concern, Juna, but I’m
fully capable of handling myself and I’m not as weak as you think, even if I AM
a first year.” Technically, she should have been a second year, but she had
joined Thors a year late than the others.
“You’re still inexperienced and it’s
stupid for the Instructor to add you to the mix when you’re just a liability.”
Juna ignored Kurt’s warning look and pursed her lips tightly together. “You and
Crow can’t even LINK together, how are you NOT a weak link in Class VII?”
Now Melyssa was smiling coldly as she
set her fork down on her plate and stood up. “Not that it’s any of YOUR
business, but Crow and I took care of that problem last night. We linked up, we’re good to go. And I don’t think Instructor Rean appreciates
you, his student, dictating what he should or should not do. He did not put me in harm’s way
yesterday. It was his plan, yes, but I
could have said no and I didn’t.
Why? Because I believed I could
keep Shirley occupied and I DID IT.”
Chapter 40
Juna snorted, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah, with the help of two Bracers and our Instructor, otherwise you would’ve
lost your damn head! Whether you believe
it or not or want to admit it or not, Rean put you in harm’s way yesterday and
he was foolish to do so, all to gain information on YOUR father’s
whereabouts! This isn’t about you! We SHOULD be focusing on how best to liberate
the city from the nobility instead of worrying about rescuing your damn
family!”
Melyssa could feel the animosity
oozing from Juna and she knew what it was really about. The train attack, Crossbell and the fact she
was used as a pawn by being inserted into their precious Class VII by the
Principal who betrayed them. Juna no
longer trusted her and didn’t want her in the class, that much was
obvious. As far as Juna was concerned,
Melyssa was the enemy just as much as Aurelia in this situation and that was a
horrible reality to face. As soon as
this was over and done with, Melyssa planned on leaving Class VII and possibly
Thors altogether.
“As much as I hate saying it, Melyssa
does have less experience then the rest of us.” Crow held up his hands when
Melyssa gave him a look. “But on the other hand, if they attack here, we also
need stronger people to keep the place, and Mrs. Brackett, safe.” Because Juna
had made a good point, Melyssa nearly died yesterday. “It makes sense to bring
Melyssa and leave you two here.”
“You’re saying that only because
you’ve known her since pre-puberty.”
“No.
We need experienced people here and Melyssa isn’t going to be any good
to anyone if she doesn’t get to see her father is all right with her own
eyes. You want to focus on helping
people? Then we need to get Brackett out
and get intel from him, this is our best bet.”
Was Crow saying this because he truly
agreed with Juna or because of what happened between them last night? “Take
Juna or Kurt then. I’ll stay here with
my Mom and everyone else to watch over things.
I know what this is really about.” Her eyes locked on Juna. “You don’t
trust me because of how I got into Thors.
You’re thinking I could be involved with Ouroboros and I’m betraying all
of you, right?”
Juna lowered her eyes, unable to deny
what Melyssa said and slowly nodded.
“Well, there you have it. Excuse me, I need some air.”
Her appetite was gone and Melyssa
could not look any of them in the face right now, wondering if everyone thought
the same way as Juna. Probably. If they didn’t trust her, there was no way
she could go into battle with them.
Trust was everything when it came to Combat Linking.
Juna looked up at everyone, who
simply stared back at her and she stood up as well, grabbing her plate. “She
can’t be trusted and you know deep down I’m right. Everything that’s happened is too coincidental
with her. The attack on Crossbell, the
train attack by McBurn, Aurelia ‘helping’ her get into Thors…she’s dangerous
and I don’t trust her. You’re all fools
if you do.” Not caring she just said that in front of Melyssa’s own mother,
Juna walked into the kitchen to drop her plate in the sink and then began
cleaning.
Ash, Crow and Rean all exchanged troubled
looks as everyone else began quietly discussing what Juna had just said.
“And how much information did she
withhold until she ‘felt’ it was the right time?”
“She only told us, or Rean, because
it would have come out…”
“Maybe Juna is right.”
Rean kneaded his temples. The logic was there as much as he hated to
admit it. There were a LOT of
coincidences and Melyssa HAD hidden quite a bit of information, only divulging
what she needed too and when she wanted.
He groaned, pushing away from the table to go after her.
“She’s not a traitor.” Crow said
flatly, folding his arms over his chest.
“I trust her.” Emma spoke up, all
eyes turning to her and it stopped Rean from walking out the door. She smiled at him softly and pet Celine
behind the ear, the memory of her time in Class VII washing over her. “I
withheld information from Class VII when we were classmates. A lot of information. They didn’t know I was a witch until the
civil war began. For nearly 7 months, I
kept the information hidden until Laura, Jusis and I had to escape from Thors
and we wound up in Laura’s hometown, where we knew it was safe.” She stood up
from her chair, the smile still on her face. “Despite having that deep secret,
NONE of our classmates ridiculed me and their faith and trust in me never once
faltered. I was sworn to secrecy from my
Clan not to say a word about who I really was, where I came from or the fact
I’m a witch. It was for my own safety as
well as the Hexen Clan. When Rean was
taken away in Valimar, the Ashen Knight, with only Celine by his side, he
could’ve given up and went on with his life.
He nearly DIED because of me, because I withheld the truth from him
being an Awakener for so long. Instead,
he picked himself up and traveled Erebonia SEARCHING for his classmates, his
friends and comrades and when he found me and Laura, he embraced me and he was
understanding and kind, along with the rest of Class VII. When we went toe to toe with my sister, Vita,
they all stood behind me and gave me the strength to persevere, to win against
her and to make me believe in myself and my abilities as a witch. Just because people don’t divulge all the
information about themselves to you does NOT mean they are untrustworthy. Why would Melyssa go around saying she was part
of Crossbell’s attack? Why would she
tell you the Golden Rakshasa helped her get into Thors, when it’s really
nobody’s business to begin with? She
didn’t withhold the truth on purpose, just like I didn’t. It was because of circumstances beyond our control. You all need to stand behind your classmate
and give her the strength and courage to continue on this journey. Because let me tell you something, without
encouragement and TRUST and loyalty, you have nothing. Her father was kidnapped, her grandfather was
brutally murdered and her family home was destroyed just last night. How do you think that makes her feel? How do you think she’s feeling right now,
knowing people who she trusts and believes in don’t feel the same way about
her? Juna, what you said to her was
uncalled for, disrespectful and horrible.
As the former Class VII’s president, I am ashamed of how you’ve behaved
this morning, especially saying such despicable things in front of Melyssa’s
own mother. As THIS Class VII’s
president, you really do have a lot to learn about respecting your peers and
classmates, regardless of what they hide from you or where they come from.”
Celine purred, agreeing with
everything Emma just said. “You really have grown up, you know that?”
Emma smiled down at her familiar and
lifted her up. “We all have, but some of us still have a lot to learn. Rean, I will go talk to Melyssa and I think
you need to sit your students down and INSTRUCT them on what WILL happen tonight. You are their Instructor, not their friend
and you need to stop blurring the lines.”
Rean swallowed hard, not remembering
the last time Emma was THIS passionate about something and could only nod,
watching her leave the warehouse.
“That girl has A LOT of nerve saying
what she did!!” Juna was fuming, gritting his teeth to the point of gnashing.
“She doesn’t-”
“She’s absolutely right in everything
she just said.” Fie interjected, standing as well alongside Sara. “Come on
Sara, let’s leave the Instructor alone with his students.”
Sara followed, both deciding to help
Miranda in the kitchen since Juna had come out when Emma began her lecture.
“No, she doesn’t trust us. If she
trusted any of us, she would have told us the truth from day one instead of
lying and hiding things.” Juna spat once it was just her, Rean and the rest of
Class VII. “And obviously nobody thinks highly of you, Rean, if you’re being
told off about being our friend. You
were our friend BEFORE you were an Instructor and-”
“Sit down and shut up.” Rean ordered
flatly, knowing Juna had a point about the friend thing, but Emma had a bigger,
more valid point.
He cared too much about his students,
his friends, and it was costing them all.
Things were going to have to change, HE was going to have to
change. He was their teacher, their
mentor, not their friend… not even Melyssa’s.
~!~
“Melyssa? May I talk to you for a minute, please?”
She turned to see Emma and Celine
walking towards her, wondering what the witch and her familiar wanted. “Sure.”
There was no reason not to talk to Emma and she scooted over to make room on
the dock.
“I know what Juna said bothers you
and I don’t blame you at all. I just
kind of…blew up in there, in my own way, and I want to tell you the same thing
I just told the rest of your classmates.” Emma looked down as Celine jumped on
her lap and began stroking her fur.
“Okay…”
Reiterating what she said, except
without the harsh tone to her voice, Emma explained her role in Class VII, as
well as what she kept from her own classmates.
Melyssa listened intently, not interrupting her and felt her eyes grow
larger and larger. Emma’s situation
sounded almost exactly the same as her own.
“I wasn’t…trying to keep anything
from them on purpose.” Melyssa began to cry, knowing it may have seemed that
way, but it wasn’t. “I swear on the Goddess, on Aidios, on my own Papa’s grave,
I did not hold back any information purposely from them.”
Emma’s heart broke as she wrapped her
arm around the girl’s shoulders, pulling her close. “I know you didn’t. Like I said, there was no reason for you to
tell them about your connection to Aurelia and your reasoning for getting into
Thors. It really was nobody’s business
except yours and hers. You didn’t know
Aurelia had ulterior motives and was using you.
Rean didn’t either. Nobody
did. And you can’t beat yourself up over
circumstances that are OUT of your control.
You are a good person, I can see it and feel it.”
“Crow betrayed your Class VII though,
so how can you trust anyone from Jurai after that?” Melyssa wiped her tears
away, feeling Emma tense slightly and slowly looked up at her.
“I honestly don’t have an answer to
that and I wish I did. I guess that’s
just what happens when you put your faith and trust into someone. Rean fully believed in the good in Crow all
these years and, in all the time we battled him, even when he was in the Noble
Faction and the leader of the Imperial Liberation Front, even when he was the
main villain, Rean never once lost faith in him.” She pulled back to wipe away
more of Melyssa’s tears with her thumbs. “Remember this, Melyssa, once a member
of Class VII, ALWAYS a member of Class VII and that’s how we felt about Crow,
even after his betrayal. When Rean found
out what the old Chancellor did to Crow’s grandfather, he understood why our
friend went down the path he did. All
Crow could see was red and Duke Cayenne manipulated him into becoming C. He was just 16 when he became an Awakener
with Ordine, the Azure Knight. He was a
kid still and my sister manipulated him as well by guiding him down the path he
traveled. In a way, a lot of what Crow
did wasn’t entirely his fault. I know
everyone is responsible for their actions, but…there are gray areas and Crow is
one of them.”
“So, you still fully trust and
believe in him, even after he betrayed all of you?”
“Yes.”
The only difference was Melyssa
hadn’t betrayed anyone and didn’t know how important her information was at the
time. All she thought was Aurelia had
saved her life and helped her obtain her goal, which was honing her skills as a
swordswoman. She didn’t know about Crow
being alive and she had no idea McBurn had ‘attacked’ her in Crossbell to set
Aurelia up to ‘save’ her. It had all
been one elaborate, drawn out plan that was slowly coming to fruition and it
was all because of her family. Even Rean
didn’t know Class VII was being set up to come to Jurai because he had trusted
and believed in Aurelia.
They had ALL been betrayed and
tricked.
“I just…want to save my Dad and help
my city, however I can.”
Emma nodded, understanding where she
was coming from, hearing the conviction in her tone and looked out at the
ocean. “Rean said you are coming along tonight and that’s what’s going to
happen, regardless of what Juna or anyone else says. You need to be there with us and I will help
save your father however I can with my magic.”
“But…”
“No, Melyssa, you have to prove to
them you are who you say you are. You
have to prove you are trustworthy and you are reliable. The only way to do that is to be in the thick
of the fight. Actions speak louder than
words. So do it, prove it to them and to
yourself that you BELONG in Class VII and you can be trusted and relied upon.”
“What if he changes his mind?”
Emma smiled again, slowly shaking her
head. “He won’t. I know Rean better than
most.” They had several intimate moments together in the past, but had never
gone past friendship and her heart belonged to another – her precious Machias.
“Now, dry those tears up and relax as much as you can because tonight won’t be
an easy task. It will be the most
challenging thing you’ve had to do and you need to be completely focused and
ready. Prepare yourself.”
Melyssa nodded, taking a deep breath
and stood up on the dock to face Emma. “Thank you for the talk, Emma. I’ll never forget this.”
Emma watched her walk away and hoped
Rean got his students in line before nightfall or else this would turn into an
absolute nightmare.
“Do you really think Rean can separate
himself from being their friend to being their Instructor?” Celine asked,
watching Melyssa as well. “He’s having a hard time with it.”
“He’ll have to learn how to or else
tonight will turn into an absolute nightmare for all of us.”
Chapter 41
Crow did not like the ‘new’ Rean and
it had only been a few hours.
Rean had informed them all of how
things were going to go down and the tone of voice he had used had made it
clear he wasn’t playing around. When
Juna had spoken up to protest, Rean for the first time, as an Instructor, had
disciplined a student. Emma had really
gotten under his skin and Crow knew the part of Rean’s nature that was
concerned for everyone was going to take the criticism to heart, thinking that
being friends with them was doing them a disservice, as well as potentially,
putting them in danger. Emma was a
jerk. Mostly because when Crow had gone
to Rean to ask him if the joke was over, Rean had given him the flattest look
and said it wasn’t a joke.
Juna kept her mouth shut for the rest
of the day, not believing Rean had actually disciplined her by making her do
100 pushups in front of everyone. Then,
she had to write an apologetic letter to HIM, which was even more
humiliating. That was the last time she
opened her mouth and expressed how she truly felt to their Instructor. He was no longer their friend, thanks to HIS
witch friend for sticking her nose in their business.
Juna hated Emma with a passion.
Rean had come to Melyssa after a few
hours and told her she would be joining them for the excursion that night. She had nodded, told him she understood and
that was that. No joking around or
anything – Rean was all business.
Melyssa kept to herself for the rest of the day and hung out with her mother,
who stayed in the kitchen. Her mother
was very upset with the way Juna had spoken to her and Melyssa assured her it
was all right and not to worry about it.
Then, she went back outside on the outskirts of Jurai, alone, to do some
self-training. Even though Rean
instructed everyone to relax, this was her way of doing so. She really missed her dance class, so she
also did some of that as well, practicing what she’d learned thus far from it
and watching her footwork. Tonight, her
father would be rescued and brought back home, or rather, as close to home as
they could get since their actual home had been ransacked and turned upside
down.
Emma, for the most part, was proud of
herself for opening Rean’s eyes and making him realize, as an Instructor, he
could not be a friend, especially in a tense, dangerous situation like
this. She didn’t care if Crow was upset
with her or not. All that mattered was
that Rean was finally being the Instructor she knew he could be and she was
proud of him.
Joke was on Emma, Rean didn’t care if
she was proud of him or not, regardless of their past. He knew most of Class VII was expecting this
‘mood’ to dissipate and drop once this mission was over and he knew it
couldn’t. It had to be this way, for
their own sakes. He followed Melyssa out
to the woods, frowning as he watched her practicing.
“I said to relax.” He informed her
curtly, folding his arms over his chest. “You’ll wear yourself out before
tonight and be of no use to anyone, Melyssa.” Which would give people like Juna
another reason to go off and then he’d have to force her to do five hundred
push-ups, after tonight because he didn’t want to wear HER out.
Whatever Emma had said to him had
completely changed Rean. Telling him
this was how she did relax wouldn’t bode well, so she just sheathed her weapon
and nodded. “My apologies, Instructor.
You are right and I want to be at my best tonight. I’ll just sit out here, if you don’t mind and
relax.” Her tone was even, not callous or sarcastic. Just obedient to a fault and just to prove
she would do as he instructed, she sat down in the grass and drew her knees up,
wearing leggings beneath the skirt she had on.
The pendant around her neck felt like a weight, but she would leave it
on until they returned to Leeves since it was meant to protect her in dangerous
times.
“No, you’ll come back and assuage
your mother who is worried about you, as is Crow and Ash.” Rean’s heart broke
at the sight of her sitting there, but he kept his face composed in a neutral
expression. “Besides, you’re giving them more to gossip and gripe about.” By
them, he meant Juna and anyone who was foolish enough to agree with her logic.
“If you hide away and let them see you are bothered by their words, it makes
what they say seem true to the others.
You need to carry on as you always have, Melyssa.” With your head up high
like the warrior I know you are, he mentally pleaded, unaware that plea was now being conveyed in his
fuchsia eyes as he stared down at her.
I don’t give a damn
about the gossip and they can gripe about me all they want, Melyssa thought, knowing she had no
choice except to obey her Instructor’s orders and stood up from the grass,
dusting herself off. “As you wish, Instructor.” She already spent time with her
mother and wouldn’t be able to stop her from worrying. That was just the type of person her mother
was. I’m not
hiding away, I just want to be alone, but apparently, that’s a crime too.
Melyssa walked past him out of the
clearing and back to Jurai, to the warehouse, not waiting for Rean to walk back
with her. Keeping their distance was the
best way to get through this and she already planned on resigning from Class
VII as soon as they were back at the Branch School. Hopefully, she’d be placed in a different
class, one that actually trusted her and didn’t give her so many personal
issues.
"You can't run away, you
know." Ash stated conversationally when Melyssa came inside. He drew her to the side, seeing her shoulders
slump and tugged her down onto the couch, draping his arm along the back of it
until his fingers traced the back of her neck. "All it'll do is make them
think they're right and they're not." He bent down, brushing his head
against hers. "Also I would miss you something terrible and you would miss
me too."
Did Ash still trust her though? “I’m
not running away.” Not yet anyway.
Truthfully, she would miss him
too. He was the LAST person she ever
thought she would befriend and have a connection with because of his crude
personality. However, Melyssa also HATED
how well he could read her, like now, and she couldn’t lie to him, even if her
life depended on it.
“But if I DID run away, yeah, I’d
miss you too.” She conceded, leaning her head against his and draped her arm
across his stomach, not minding his fingers on the back of her neck. It felt good and comforting, at least she had
one person in class on her side. “I’m curious,” She pulled her head back enough
to look up into his pink eyes. “Why exactly would you miss me, Carbide?”
“First of all, if you say you’re not
thinking of dropping Class VII, you’re a liar.
The others may not be able to see it or read you, but I can.” Ash would
never fully understand why they knew each other so well, but they did. They hadn’t even known each other that long,
but they just got each other, it was interesting but also refreshing. “Second,
I’d miss you because you’re the only woman I enjoy talking to normally.” The
rest… he was a bit sexist and he knew it, but he tended to see sex when he
looked at most ‘normal’ women. Ash did
have the utmost respect for warriors and knew they’d take his head off if given
half a chance for running his mouth.
“I hate how well you can read me.” Some
people just gelled really well together and they did. Their personalities were completely
different, but somehow, she connected on a higher level with Ash than anyone
else in her life, Crow included. “I just don’t want to make anyone
uncomfortable. I shouldn’t even be in
Class VII. I was planted in it for this
plan of Ouroboros. I thought it was
weird how I was the only first year to be put in Class VII and now I know why.”
She lowered her eyes from him while she spoke, fingering the starry pendant
thoughtfully. “I…don’t think I belong here, at least not in this class, Ash.”
Melyssa kept her voice down to where only he could hear her since there wasn’t
any privacy, no walls to walk or hide behind.
Juna hated her and didn’t trust her a
lick, Altina had kept her feelings to herself, Kurt hadn’t said a word or
voiced any kind of opinion and Crow…Crow hadn’t said anything to her either
that entire day. Ash and Emma were the
only ones who reached out to her to talk.
Rean ordered her to come back or else she still would’ve been out there,
practicing and wearing herself out before tonight.
“You may not think so, but you’d
probably be the only one.”
“If you really shouldn’t be in Class
VII, if you didn’t have the potential, Rean would have seen to it on the very
first day that you were removed.” Ash informed her chidingly. “You have people
who believe in you, Melyssa, now it’s time to believe in yourself. Don’t let what Juna said get you down.” He
tugged on a lock of her hair, smiling impishly. “Besides, you know Crow don’t
think so, he’s been arguing with everyone who dares say anything against
you. Him getting his memories back seems
to be a good thing for you two.” His pink eyes studied her thoughtfully. “Was
it? A good thing?”
“For him, yeah. I mean, I’m happy he got them back and I’m
sure more will surface the longer we’re here…” Melyssa didn’t know how to
explain what happened with Crow and wasn’t sure this was the best time to do
so. It seemed they were being left alone
to talk and she trusted Ash explicitly. “It just…didn’t work out the way I
hoped, I guess. But it’s okay. I know now how he feels about me and we can
move on and continue to be friends.” Ash nudged her, his way of ordering her to
stop beating around the bush and tell him what happened. “He asked me yesterday
morning to kiss me again, to do it over, and we ended up doing it last night,
after we linked up successfully…and he called me his sister. He doesn’t think of me as anything except a
sister.” Then, she had to deal with being berated by Juna this morning, on top
of everything else that had been thrown her way the past couple of days.
“Please don’t say anything about this.
I’m only telling you because I trust you.”
Ash hadn’t said anything to anyone
else about the Twin Dragons tower incident and he wouldn’t say anything about
this new bit of information either. “Maybe kissing you wasn’t… the same as it
had been at the tower.” He said after a moment, keeping his voice down. “He
didn’t have his memories then… and now that he does…” He imagined the first
kiss had been exciting and Crow had been hoping to feel that again and whatever
else, not the sister part. That was
gross.
“It does make sense, as much as I
hate admitting it. We were raised
together and he even used to call my Mom his Mom. My Dad his Dad. I just…I guess I missed him so much for so
long that maybe my feelings got mixed up as well. I didn’t feel weird like he did when we
kissed either of the times, but he did on both occasions. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Melyssa would
never get that first kiss back either.
That memory would always be with Crow, a man who thought of her a sister
and nothing more. “Anyway, what’s done is done and I just need to focus on
saving my Dad and my city. I’ll deal
with everything else once we’re back in Leeves.”
“You need to remember that you don’t
have to deal with it alone.” Ash reminded her, tapping his fingers against her
forehead with a click of his tongue. “As for our new Rean…”
He wasn’t overly amused with the very
sudden, abrupt change in their friend, but he knew Emma’s words had stung
something deep in Rean. Rean would view
it as he wasn’t teaching them all properly, or making sure they would be able
to survive, if he wasn’t playing Instructor but friend. Friends didn’t always make the right
decision. Emma was a jerk.
“Once he gets his own issues sorted,
he’ll find that balance again, though I think he’ll probably be like this if we
ever do another rescue mission again.
Emma got in his head as only she can.”
“She told me she…snapped, in her own
way, earlier this morning when she came outside to talk to me. I’m not sure how to feel about his change in
demeanor and attitude, but…it is what it is.”
Melyssa had NOT divulged how she felt
for their Instructor and would take that to the grave. Not even Ash would know that information and
she would give no inclination she felt more for Rean other than
friendship. It would never work between
them anyway and she really didn’t need to feel rejected twice.
“I DID hear about what he did to
Juna, though.” Was it wrong she felt a hint of pleasure at Juna’s humiliation
and discipline? Probably. Melyssa didn’t care; the pink haired woman
made it clear they weren’t friends and she didn’t trust Melyssa. “Would you
hate me if I decided to transfer to another class after this is over, Ash? Could we still be friends?”
“Sure, and no I wouldn’t hate you.”
Ash mulled it over, knowing what he was about to say was going to make him
sound like a royal asshole, but he was willing to take that risk. He had always been honest with her and he
wasn’t about to change that up now, not when so many other things had rapidly
changed in Melyssa’s hectic life. “I’ll probably respect you less.” He informed
her, his face serious and he didn’t miss the hurt that flashed through her teal
eyes. “I think whatever reasons you have for transferring… aren’t good enough
and you shouldn’t make decisions today of all days. Wait until after tonight and after things settle
down.”
Ouch.
That did hurt to hear, especially from Ash, a lot more than she cared to
admit. “You’re right. I don’t need to be
thinking about this right now.”
One thing about Ash was he never
sugarcoated anything with her and told her the truth flat out. It was one of the things she respected most
about him, aside from his amazing combat ability. It was just after 1 PM and she hadn’t gotten
a lot of sleep the previous night, so when she fell asleep against Ash, nobody
batted an eyelash. He didn’t move
either, instead lifting her to sit sideways on his lap with her head resting on
his shoulder.
Her mother had come over with a
blanket to drape over them and kissed her daughter’s forehead, whispering to
Ash a quick ‘thank you’ before heading back into the kitchen. If Miranda didn’t know any better, she would
have thought Ash Carbide had feelings for her daughter, just from the way he
held her against him and talked to her.
They definitely had a tight bond, a connection, and she hoped Ash
treated Melyssa right because she did deserve to be happy.
Rean, outside of instructing his
students, kept to himself. He lay in his
bed, ate, and outwardly appeared to be doing the same thing he had told them
all: relaxing. His mind wasn’t letting
that happen, even when he closed his eyes.
He felt like dirt. Not with
Juna. Juna had deserved her punishment
and then some for sowing dissent the way she had. A lot of them had betrayed someone at one
point or another, and yet they all had been given second chances.
Melyssa hadn’t done a thing wrong
other than keep a promise, it was her timing that had been terrible, but even
then, it hadn’t warranted the scrutiny she had received. Her mistake had been her loyalty, he knew how
that went, he had always believed in Crow, even when Crow had turned on
them. But here they were now, best
friends. Well, former… or however this
worked and Rean groaned, kneading his forehead.
Tonight wasn’t coming fast enough.
Chapter 42
Waking up several hours later, in
Ash’s arms, with him sleeping as well, startled Melyssa. She didn’t remember falling asleep. They had been talking, or rather him
convincing her not to leave Class VII and…that was all she remembered. Maybe she was more tired than she
thought. Carefully, she extricated
herself from his arms and covered him back up with the blanket, kissing his
forehead.
“I owe you one, Carbide.” She
murmured quietly, not wanting to disturb him and went to take a shower.
Before long, with dinner consumed, it
was finally time to put the liberation of her father into action. Rean explained to them what would happen and,
one by one, each of them were encased in a lavender glow. It was an invisibility and detection spell,
which would help them immensely. The
only problem with this plan was not being able to warn Mr. Brackett of the
spells, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it. Melyssa had her hair pinned back in a tight
bun and her game face on, more than ready to do this. That nap with Ash had rejuvenated her and she
was full of energy, ready to unleash Gehenna on Ouroboros for hurting her
family.
Rean had very carefully explained
everything. They would go in using the
buddy system because that was how Combat Links worked. Given how Ash seemed to be the only one
Melyssa was on proper speaking terms with tonight -not that he blamed her-, he
paired them. If anyone had to switch
out, he prayed she was near him or Crow because he wasn’t sure where Altina
stood and Kurt had been quiet. Juna was
a definite no, there was no trust there between them anymore. That was actually kind of amusing when he
thought about it. The original intent of this mission had been to BUILD trust
between Crow and Melyssa, which had been achieved. In the process, trust had been broken between
Melyssa and others. Time would prove she
was no traitor and hopefully things would be able to be mended between
everyone.
Leaving the warehouse, Melyssa and
Ash stayed close together while following Rean and Crow. Kurt, Sara and Emma were behind as backup and
Emma was their saving grace. Silently,
thanks to Emma’s magic, they made their way through Jurai, passing by both the
fish market store as well as the Brackett’s home. Melyssa didn’t glance at them, her eyes
straight ahead and her face stoic.
Nobody spoke, just walked and soon, they made their way to the nobility
part of Jurai.
“Okay, we’re about halfway there now,
right Celine?” Rean asked, once they were through the front gates of Jurai and
on their way deeper into the woods going west.
“Yes, for the 100th time,
Ashen.” That was her little nickname for him. “Just keep going west and you
will come across an abandoned church.”
“Goddess…” Everyone stopped to look
at Melyssa and she frowned, lowering her eyes from everyone. “It’s Jurai’s old
Septian Church. The Imperial government
built a new one in town and this one shut down soon after. I used to come here as a child and it’s been
abandoned for years.” It was also very disrespectful Ouroboros was using it as
a hideout and to hold her father captive.
“So how much farther is it?”
“About another mile.”
“Let’s go, we’re making good time.”
Everyone nodded, pressing onward and
Ash reached down to squeeze Melyssa’s hand, letting her know he was here for
her completely.
Considering how little respect Ouroboros
had for anything, Rean wasn’t surprised at all by their using a church as a
hideout. “Melyssa,” He halted, forcing everyone else to stop as well and
gestured them in so they didn’t have to talk overly loud and risk being heard.
“We need to know everything you remember about the church.” He said, his tone
letting everyone else know he wasn’t debating this or the stop. “What you
remember about the way in, other doors, the layout… anything that stands out
and that you can remember.”
No pressure there, Ash thought, coming up to stand
behind her.
“Ouroboros seeks out the live relics
the churches safeguard.” Crow said after a moment, shifting from one foot to
the other. “This church has been abandoned, but there still may be something of
use there.”
“Or they’re just bastards who are
squatting and we need to evict them.”
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in
Melyssa’s head and her gaze shifted from Rean to Crow, wondering if he would
remember. It didn’t seem like it.
“There’s an entrance in the back that leads to below the church, where there
used to be Sunday School for kids. Crow
and I used to attend here and we can get to the top of the church that way,
unless they are below.”
“They are.” Celine affirmed, waving
her tail slowly back and forth. “They are definitely holed up downstairs and I
don’t remember seeing a back entrance, so more than likely, they don’t know
it’s there either.”
“That’s our way in, Rean.” Sara drew
her gun and sword, nodding her appreciation at Melyssa. “Good memory, you’d be
a great Bracer.”
“Thanks?” Melyssa didn’t know whether
to take that as an insult or a compliment as Rean began leading the way again,
all of them heading deeper into the woods.
Ten minutes later, they had finally
arrived.
“It’s overgrown.” Crow said, moving to
crouch besides Melyssa. “No wonder they didn’t find it.” Even in the darkness,
by the light of the moon and stars they were able to make most everything out.
The ‘abandoned’ church had been left to nature and slowly, she was reclaiming
the land. “If you didn’t already know it was there…”
“And you two do.” Ash chuckled
softly. “So how do we get in?”
“We’ll have to get through that brush
and the ivy…” It wouldn’t be hard to use a sword to hack it down though it was
potentially nosy. “Unless magic can handle that?”
“Emma?” Rean looked at their witch.
Nodding, Emma stepped forward with
Celine, leading the way toward the back through the very tall grass and brush,
until they arrived at the back entrance.
Chanting, her purple hue engulfed the outside of the church, which
wouldn’t be noticed by Ouroboros since they were inside. When the hue was gone, the church was no
longer overgrown by nature and the back door stared them in the face.
“Wow…” Melyssa could only blink,
realizing just now how powerful Emma actually was. “That’s…”
“Scary as Gehenna.” Ash finished in a
mutter, making a mental note NOT to piss the witch off in the future.
Sara chuckled, used to seeing Emma in
action by now and winked at her.
“I unlocked the door as well, so it
should open easy enough without much noise.” Emma informed them, watching Rean
step forward with his Tachi and, sure enough, with a small yank on the rusted
handle, it opened.
“Wait.” Melyssa stopped them from
advancing, chewing her bottom lip. “Don’t you think it’s a little strange
there’s NO guards out here? I know the
church was overrun with nature, but…knowing Class VII is in town, wouldn’t they
want to guard this place a little more carefully?”
Sara frowned, that observation not
crossing her mind until now. “Now that you mention it, that is a little weird…”
“Celine, when you came here last
night, were there any guards out front or anywhere patrolling the church?” Emma
asked, looking down at her familiar.
Celine shook her head. “No.”
Melyssa felt her stomach tighten and
her heart began racing a little faster than normal, that same feeling of dread
washing over her as it did while on the train. “S-Something’s not right here…”
“Only one way to find out. Your call, Instructor.” Kurt folded his arms
in front of his chest, awaiting orders.
They couldn’t turn back now, could
they?
Rean felt it in his gut, something was
off, something was wrong here. The whole
thing felt wrong. Even opening that door
felt wrong. Ouroboros had their own
methods of detection and preventing themselves from being found and yet… this
was easy, too easy. But Mr. Brackett was
here and if they turned back now, they might lose their one and only chance to
rescue him. This felt like a trap and
Ouroboros was likely waiting to kill them all as soon as they entered.
“We go forward.” He said finally,
knowing this was going to be a moment he looked back on and regretted,
providing they made it through this. “Crow and Carbide, on point. Melyssa, you need to remain behind Carbide.”
Since they were in theory Combat Link partners.
He trusted Crow and Ash to have his back because he would take the lead,
that was his job as Instructor. “Emma… if we have to beat a quick retreat?”
“I will do my best to make sure all
fingers and toes arrive with the rest of your bodies.”
Celine growled uncertainly.
Rean stared at Celine. The lack of a quip or snarky comment was what
made that feeling of dread intensify.
Taking a deep breath, he felt the other two men fall into place behind
him, and stepped into the church.
“I got your back, Mel.” Ash assured
her in a whisper, wanting to assure her he wouldn’t let anything happen, if he
could help it.
Melyssa nodded, not trusting her
voice at the moment and one by one, they entered the church’s basement. In the distance, they could hear voices, but
they were too faint to make out.
However, the closer they trekked down the corridor, the clearer they
became.
Dad! Melyssa’s mind shouted, hearing him
and clutched the handle on her Cutlass, ready to battle and save him. As soon as they turned the corner, Rean
stopped everyone as they pressed against the wall and only him and Crow watched
the scene unfold before them.
“For the LAST time, Robert, when are
you going to stop being stubborn and give us what we want?” Mariabell Crois
demanded, who was also the third Anguis of Ouroboros and one of the
Grandmaster’s main hands. She was
incredibly powerful, her weapon a lethal blood red staff with turquoise jewels
in it. Her magic was deadly and could
instant kill anyone.
Robert Brackett looked at the blonde,
his eyes narrowed with his hands clasped behind his back. “I already told you,
when you live up to your end of the bargain, I’ll live up to mine.”
“Or perhaps I should just end you
here and now. That would solve all of
our problems now, wouldn’t it?” She took her staff and hooked it beneath his
chin, her eyes glowing wickedly down at him. “I am SURE the Grandmaster would
understand if I cut down one of his Enforcers for betraying us.”
“I didn’t!”
“Oh?
Then why haven’t we been able to catch your precious daughter, hmm? What was her name again? I forget…”
“Melyssa.” A dark, sinister voice
echoed around the room as footsteps thundered on the wooden floor. “That
precious morsel that escaped my fire in Crossbell. I never forget a face as lovely as hers. And if it wasn’t for that damn Golden
Rakshasa saving her, I could be having fun with her right NOW.”
Robert gritted his teeth. “Leave
Melyssa out of this! I already told you,
she’s not a danger to the plan! Heidel Rogner
has this sham of an election in the bag and you said I only had to sacrifice
one of my family to make it happen!”
“True.” Mariabell couldn’t deny that,
studying her nails. “Your father was a threat to us, so we had to extinguish
him. It’s as simple as that, but now
that your daughter is on the WRONG side, along with your wife, well…”
“They have nothing to do with this,
Mariabell!” Roger grabbed her by the throat and yanked her against him,
gritting his teeth. “They don’t even know of my involvement or suspect
anything, and as far as I know, they think the Golden Rakshasa is working with
us! It’s all going according to plan, if
you’d just be patient a little longer.”
McBurn yawned obnoxiously. “This is
boring me. We done with this meeting
yet?”
Emma, get us out of
here NOW! Rean sent to
her telepathically, a trick she had taught him a few years ago after they
graduated from Thors.
Emma nodded, glancing down at Celine.
Rean stepped through Crow and Ash to
get to Melyssa who had gone stark white.
Her father… he had betrayed them, sacrificed his father… he was giving
them something in exchange for something.
But if he had already ensured this election had happened… why were they
still keeping him? What else did they
want from him? More importantly, what
was it Roger was getting from the Ouroboros?
“No.” He mouthed, wrapping one arm
around Melyssa, pinning her arm and Cutlass to her side.
They were not prepared for this at
all and the heightened emotions, the shock was not going to do any of them any
favors. Drawing her into his body, he
bent down and rest his head on hers, feeling Emma’s magic washing over
them. Melyssa was trembling like a leaf,
tears stinging her eyes, but they hadn’t fallen yet. She was in complete shock and didn’t even
notice them disappear out of the church to transport back to the
warehouse.
Her own father…had her grandfather
murdered, his father? Her own father was
an Enforcer of Ouroboros?! Melyssa
couldn’t have heard that right or there had to be some mistake…NOTHING MADE
SENSE ANYMORE! How long had this been
going on? Her mother didn’t have a clue
and thought he’d been kidnapped, but he had orchestrated his father’s murder! Did that mean her father set up what happened
in Crossbell as well? Aurelia was innocent,
she hadn’t betrayed them and…Melyssa began glowing orange, her anger overtaking
every other emotion in her body.
“ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” She shrieked out
at the top of her lungs, blowing Rean and everyone else back several feet.
Then, she unsheathed her Cutlass –
the Cutlass her Papa gave her – and tossed it to the side, ripping off her belt
with her holder attached. Murder,
betrayal…she felt all of it. Thankfully,
they had made it back in time before she completely lost her temper.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!”
“Lyssa!” Crow was scrambling to his
feet, his back and his butt throbbing from that unexpected landing.
Miranda had not been asleep, she had
been sitting with the others, waiting anxiously for news on what had
happened. From the explosion her
daughter emanated, she knew nothing good and her heart sank in fear for her
husband. Was he dead? That was the only logical conclusion she
could reach. Her eyes widened, a hand
moving to her mouth as Melyssa tossed her things aside, things she had loved
and ran away for, the ability to learn how to walk that path.
“Robert, is he?” She couldn’t even
finish the word, moving to her daughter, tears glistening in her eyes.
Rean shook his head no, watching helplessly
as Melyssa shoved Crow away from her.
“GET AWAY FROM ME!! DON’T TOUCH ME!!”
Melyssa dropped to her knees and
wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach, screaming out her pain, agony,
sadness…everything she felt came spilling out.
Her father, a man she looked up to and loved with all of her heart and
soul…he was in the enemy camp all along.
Slowly, the orange aura surrounding her faded as Melyssa heaved her
breathing, tears pouring from her eyes like two rapid streams.
“W-Why? Why, Aidios?
Why my family? Is this punishment
for leaving, for pursuing the path of the sword? Am I being punished? D-Dad…D-Daddy, why? WHY?!” Clenching her fists tightly, Melyssa
drove them down onto the hard flooring and remained on her knees, not caring who
heard her. “McBurn wanted to rip my spirit out piece by piece and he’ll get his
chance. Tonight.” Jumping to her feet,
Melyssa grabbed her Cutlass and went to Emma, who looked downright terrified.
“Send me back! SEND ME BACK THERE
NOW! I have to know! I have to hear it from his mouth why he did
this!! Why he had Papa murdered and why
he wants Heidel Rogner to be mayor of Jurai!!
I HAVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!”
“M-Melyssa, you have to calm down,
please…”
“NO!
I AM DONE BEING CALM! I AM DONE
BEING RATIONAL!! I’M GOING TO KILL
HIM! I’M GOING TO KILL MCBURN AND ALL
THE OTHERS FOR DOING THIS TO MY FAMILY!!
I’M GOING TO KILL THEM ALL!! AND
NOBODY IS GOING TO STOP ME!!”
Emma knew what she had to do and
closed her eyes, waving her hand while casting a quick spell.
A second later, Melyssa dropped like
a sack of potatoes, her Cutlass skidding to the floor.
Chapter 43
Miranda had no idea what happened,
but one thing was certain, she had NEVER seen her daughter lose her temper
quite like that and it petrified her.
Emma had been terrified for Melyssa,
not herself or anyone else. Melyssa’s
ability was frightening, but not honed.
The day she got it properly under control and learned how to wield it,
she would be a formidable ally, or foe.
In a rage like that, however, people got hurt or lost their life, this
was better. A dreamless sleep.
“Move her to the bed.” She ordered,
watching as Ash and Crow came forward. “She won’t wake until morning.”
Rean was already putting her Cutlass
away, where she couldn’t get to it upon waking.
So much for not walking the path of
vengeance.
It was all a dream, right? If only.
If only it was just a horrible nightmare that wasn’t true. Melyssa slowly opened her eyes the next day
and it all came flooding back, including her father’s betrayal. Everything.
Her father was an Enforcer in Ouroboros.
Her father, the man who helped give her life, orchestrated her run-in
with McBurn in Crossbell. And he also
was responsible for the murder of her beloved Papa. She stared up at the ceiling for what seemed
like hours, remembering screaming at Emma to send her back to that church.
Melyssa wanted answers.
She wanted to know why. As much as she wanted to curl up in a ball
and cry her eyes out, Melyssa had a duty to protect her mother, who was on
Ouroboros’ hit list. One other thing
that hit her like a ton of a bricks all over again was the fact Aurelia did not
betray her…and she had broken her promise to the Golden Rakshasa by telling
everyone about how she truly got into Thors.
Shutting her eyes, instead of getting out of bed, she simply turned on
her side to face the wall and didn’t move.
Honestly, she just wanted to go back to sleep instead of facing
everything that had bombarded her.
Rean had informed Miranda of what had
happened and what they had overheard. He
hadn’t wanted too, nobody wanted to deliver that news, but the woman had
hounded him all night and he hadn’t slept a wink. He had finally told her, grimly delivering
the news of her husband’s betrayal, the orchestration of her father’s death,
all of it. He was the world’s largest
heel right now, having listened to the woman’s muffled sobs of grief and rage
throughout the night as Crow sat with her, crying his own silent tears.
“She’s awake.” Ash said quietly when
he seen Melyssa stir, but not move from the bed, nodding when Rean acknowledged
him with a bob of the head. He moved to
brew another urn of coffee, not many were hungry today.
The events of last night had drained
them all.
Dad…why? Why would you do this? Why would you kill Papa and betray us like
this? Melyssa
couldn’t stop those questions from doing a replay in her head as silent tears
fell from her eyes to splatter on her nose and arm.
She didn’t make a sound or move an
inch, feeling the bed dip. It was her
mother, she knew the woman’s touch anywhere and Melyssa knew she was just as
heartbroken, if not more so. This was
the love of her life; Robert and Miranda had been sweethearts in school and
were childhood friends prior to developing feelings for each other. Her mother told her the story of the little
boy that helped her escape a near-death experience from a horse when they were
just 6-years-old. It was a love story
like no other…and it had all been a hoax.
“Mely, you must eat something.”
Miranda didn’t want her daughter to run herself down and not take proper care
of herself. “Please…”
Slowly, Melyssa pushed herself up
from the bed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, finally
looking up at her mother. Her eyes were
swollen, red-rimmed and bloodshot from crying and her mother instantly pulled
her into her arms for a tight embrace. I’m so sorry, Mom. I’m so
sorry this happened to you, to us, to Papa. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words and
started crying all over again, her heart wrenching sobs echoing around the
warehouse.
“That’s it, my girl, that’s it…let it
all out. It’s all right, I’m here.”
Miranda crooned, stroking her daughter’s back and hair soothingly, her own
tears falling.
Today, they would grieve and wallow,
but tomorrow, Melyssa would pick herself up, dust herself off and continue on
this journey she chose to follow.
“So what next?” Everyone was leaving
Melyssa and Miranda to themselves, to grieve together.
Juna had even gone to Rean,
apologizing grimly. He had told her not
to bother Melyssa right now, she could apologize another time. That was probably an awkward, bitter pill to have
to swallow, to have been so wrong and so vocal and damning with
accusations. Yesterday’s pettiness had
been tiring, especially when coupled with the information they had learned last
night.
“We regroup. Brackett isn’t a priority for rescue
anymore.”
“No, now he’s a priority for intel.”
Ash nodded his head, arms folded tightly over his chest. “And I’d imagine those
two women inside are going to want to string him up.”
“I still can’t believe he’s an
Enforcer in Ouroboros.” Sara was STILL dumbfounded, trying to wrap her head
around what they overheard last night in the church. “And by the sound of it,
he’s been an Enforcer for a LONG time.”
“So then, where was he during the
civil war? Why wasn’t he in the Noble
Faction?” Crow spoke up, leaning against the wall with his eyes staring
straight ahead. They were nothing except
red fire. “I heard NOTHING about Brackett and I was the leader of the Imperial
Liberation Front. Cayenne didn’t mention
him once, nobody did.”
The Noble Faction had worked closely with
Ouroboros during the civil war, which had transformed them into the Noble
Alliance. Both groups coming together
for one cause, though Cayenne had plans of his own not a lot of the members
knew about. Crow did, but at the time,
he had been consumed with hatred for Chancellor Osborne and wanted him to pay,
to suffer, for what happened to his grandfather.
Those were very good questions and
nobody had answers to them.
“He was biding his time and waiting.”
It was Fie’s turn to speak, her voice low and almost stoic. “Just like Zephyr
did with the Boss.”
He had died during the Rivalry in the
Twilight with Rean when their Divine Knights clashed against each other and
Rean had won. The Boss, Rutger
Claussell, Fie’s adopted father, had been an Immortal and once his Divine
Knight was defeated and consumed by the Ashen Knight, Valimar, he was too.
“I thought the Boss was dead all that
time and it turned out, he had died, but had been resurrected as an Immortal.”
That was a very good point. “Why
would he bide his time and wait, though?”
“And why is Ouroboros on the side of the nobility? Hardly any of them are nobles themselves.”
Juna added, wanting to help the class any way she could and pushed aside her
guilt for how she treated Melyssa at the moment.
“We need answers and the only way to
do that is bringing Robert Brackett in for questioning.” Sara made it sound so
simple, but since he was an Enforcer of Ouroboros, he was incredibly powerful.
“And how do you propose we do that?”
Altina asked, knowing even her amount of power wouldn’t be enough to subdue
him. “I do not think we will be able to capture him. The success rate is .05%.”
“Not to mention his allies within
Ouroboros.” Emma frowned, remembering what McBurn had said about Melyssa and
shuddered. They couldn’t let the girl
anywhere near that monster going forward.
Rean already saw how this had to play
out and he shared a look with Emma, raising an eyebrow when she began shaking
her head no. You’re the one who said we are not friends. They are the
students. He informed
her via their telepathic link. Right now, they are neither. We need him and she is the clearest
way of getting to him.
For all his faults, it did sound like
Robert Brackett loved his daughter and hadn’t wanted her harmed. Rean was going to have to gamble it, glancing
at Ash and Crow. They were going to beat
his head into mush when they heard this idea and he wouldn’t blame them a bit,
but Melyssa was likely the only one who had any chance at getting close to her
father.
“WHAT?!”
“You can’t be serious!”
“REAN!”
“Even I think you’ve lost your mind!”
“NO!”
“Yes.” Everyone turned with wide
eyes, staring back at a freshly showered and awake Melyssa. “I agree with the
Instructor and I’m willing to take the risk in order to get answers from
my…from Robert.” She couldn’t bring herself to call the man her father,
ignoring the twinge of pain in her heart. “My Mom is in danger as long as this
goes on and she deserves answers too.” Nobody could argue that logic. “Whatever
you want me to do, Instructor, I’m ready.”
“Melyssa, you don’t understand…”
“McBurn, right?” Melyssa had no idea
what the monster wanted with her other than he wanted to rip her spirit out
piece by piece. She still wanted to take
this risk to talk to Robert and get the answers to their questions. “I can’t
worry about him or what he wants to do to me.
I have zero chance against him, I know that, but I don’t think Robert
will allow any harm to come to me, judging by what he said last night.” Those
were the exact same thoughts Rean had prior to her announcing her presence.
“When it comes down to it, my Instructor is ordering me to do a task and as his
student, I won’t disobey.”
“This is BULLSHIT! You’re putting yourself at risk AGAIN!” Ash
growled, not liking this idea one bit and wanted to shake some sense into her.
“You’re not thinking clearly, Melyssa!
Tell her, man!” He directed that at Crow. “Tell her this isn’t right and
she shouldn’t do this!”
“I’ve known Lyssa all my life and
telling her anything is like beating your head against a brick wall once she
has her mind made up.” Crow said after a long while, frowning as he stared down
at her. “I wish you wouldn’t, though.”
Ash was going to swing on BOTH his
friends. “No, I forbid it!”
Emma shifted from one foot to the
other, shaking her head. “Rean, this is not what I-”
“Then you should have stayed out of
it and kept your opinions to yourself.” Rean shot back flatly. “This is the
best chance we have. Altina, what’s our
probability?”
Altina refused to answer, not
agreeing with this and therefore, she would keep her mouth shut.
“Hey!
It’s not Emma’s fault you can’t separate being an Instructor and
friend! Don’t take your frustrations out
on her, Rean Schwarzer!” Celine snapped, hissing at Rean and ignored Emma’s
baffled expression. “Perhaps we’ve overstayed our welcome, Emma. Obviously, he thinks he can do this without
our help.”
“Celine…” Emma’s voice held warning,
knowing her familiar was just trying to protect her. “That’s not very nice and
we can’t abandon our friend.”
“What friend? That’s not our friend. That’s not the Rean Schwarzer we know! All because you voiced an OPINION, he has to
cop an attitude with everyone? All
because you CRITICIZED him? The BOY needs
a thicker skin if he’s going to continue being an Instructor, that’s for
sure. I’m done helping him until he turns
his attitude around.” Celine walked away with her tail up in the air, clearly
irritated by the sudden turn of events.
Emma sighed, shaking her head sadly
and looked back at Rean, who didn’t look pleased with what Celine had to say.
“I’m sorry, I’ll talk to her and we will help you through this. She’s just upset. Excuse me.” She took off after her familiar,
hoping Celine didn’t leave the protection barrier.
Crow and Ash both let out
simultaneous whistles, not expecting Celine to go off on Rean. They had been through A LOT together. She had been the one to protect him and save
him when he had to escape from Thors at the start of the civil war – the same
day he had become the Ashen Knight’s Awakener.
Celine had used her mana and magic to heal him way up in the Eisengard
Mountains, which hadn’t been too far from his hometown, Ymir. She stuck by his side and helped him navigate
and pilot Valimar, training him essentially.
One thing Celine NEVER did, however, was sugarcoat how she felt and let
her feelings be known, be it good or bad.
It was obvious she didn’t even agree with Rean’s plan to use Melyssa as
bait.
“Instructor, I do need my Cutlass
back WHEN I meet with Robert. I need to
protect myself somehow.” Melyssa informed him, ignoring what Crow, Ash and even
Celine said because it didn’t matter.
Her own wellbeing did not matter right now, not when so much was at
stake. Jurai and her mother, among
everyone else and all the citizens within the city and possibly others, were
all in danger. “I’m in my right frame of mind now and I will try not to let my
temper get the best of me again.” Following the way of the sword would help her
channel her anger and emotions into being a fluid swordswoman.
Rean honestly didn’t care what anyone
thought of him right now. Whichever way
he turned or how he did things, he was going to hear he was wrong and it wasn’t
anything he wasn’t used too, so he wasn’t bothered by it now. Emma couldn’t have it both ways, where she
chided him for being irrational and friendly and then upset because he WAS
being rational and suddenly putting HER friend in danger. He mentally pinched the bridge of his nose,
knowing doing it physically would invite more words and he wanted everyone to
shut up.
“I’ll get your Cutlass, and we’ll go spar.”
He informed her, ignoring everyone else.
After last night, Melyssa NEEDED a
good, hard sparring session and the Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves was the
perfect partner. “As you wish, Instructor.” She watched him walk inside the
warehouse and wasn’t surprised when both Ash and Crow were on her like white on
rice.
“You can’t do this, Melyssa! It’s dangerous and I won’t let you get hurt
again! You nearly lost your damn head!”
“You can’t protect me from this,
Carbide.” Melyssa narrowed her eyes at her friends, wishing they would be on
her side just once. Rean was doing the
right thing, whether they realized it or not. “I know it’s dangerous, but what
YOU don’t understand, what NONE of you are comprehending, is Jurai is in
DANGER! My mother, the only family I
have left, is in DANGER! And we need
answers! We need to know what in Gehenna
is going on here and I NEED to know why my own father is an Enforcer of
Ouroboros!”
“That’s a selfish damn reason to put
yourself in harm’s way on purpose!!”
“Fine, then I’m selfish. When it comes to my family’s involvement in
this, you damn right I’m VERY selfish and NOBODY is going to stand in my way of
finding out the truth! So BACK OFF,
Ash!” He’d gotten in her face and she shoved him back none too gently, her teal
eyes cold and full of determination. “I have to do this and you won’t stop me!”
“Her reasons aren’t selfish.” Crow
said quietly, hating that he understood where she was coming from.
If ANYONE could understand what
Melyssa was going through right now, it was him, but she had done something he
hadn’t. She had listed off other reasons
BEFORE her own, he had never bothered with any of that. It had always been about HIS revenge, HIS
pain and nothing else.
“Jurai IS in danger and she is
probably the only one who can get anywhere close enough for answers.”
Ash beaned him before stalking off,
throwing his hands in the air, cursing under his breath.
“I still don’t want you doing this,
Lyssa.” Crow muttered, cupping his bleeding nose. “But I understand why you’re
doing this.”
“At least you understand. Wish he did too.”
As much as it hurt her to watch Ash
stalk off, Melyssa couldn’t go after him.
She had to remain focused and steadfast in her goal, which was doing
everything she could to save Jurai and protecting her mother. Melyssa loved Jurai with everything inside of
her – it was her home, part of her, and she didn’t want to see it crumble under
the nobility and Ouroboros.
Chapter 44
Rean came out a few minutes later and
gestured her to follow him, both headed to the back entrance gate of
Jurai. It was the same place she had
been practicing yesterday when he stopped her and ordered her to relax. It had been for nothing since they hadn’t
gotten into a battle at the church. He
had a hold of her sheathed Cutlass in his hand, in its holder, while they
walked and once he stopped, she did too, waiting for him to hand her weapon
over for the sparring.
Studying her for a moment, Rean lightly
tossed the Cutlass towards her, watching as her hand wrapped around the hilt
and caught it without hesitation. He
took the defense stance, raising an eyebrow at her. Even when she got close enough to her father,
there was no guarantee she was getting back out. McBurn might try to kill her, or worse and
there were things worse than death, especially a woman. She was going to have to fight like her life
depended on it and it did.
A second later, he had swung his
Tachi, the blow meant to take her head off and she parried it.
This was a test. Rean was testing her to see if she could hold
her own against someone of his caliber.
Granted, he wasn’t on McBurn’s level – nobody was. He was truly a terrifying species and she was
convinced he wasn’t even human either.
Melyssa fought back, keeping her focus and channeling her strength, each
move precise and fluid. No words were
spoken between them, just the sounds of their weapons clashing together echoing
around them in the clearing.
Melyssa loved the sound of swords
clashing, it always sent tingles throughout her body and lit a fire inside of
her. Rean went to swing his Tachi again
and she did the splits, nailing him right in the stomach like she did with the
monsters she faced with Ash and Crow. Luckily,
Rean dodged out of the way and she was on her feet instantly, slamming her
Cutlass against his Tachi as they stood there, both trying to gain strength on
the other before pushing back at the same time.
Her adrenaline was pumping now and she felt exhilarated, not believing
she had stood her ground against the Ashen Chevalier and Divine Blade of the
Eight Leaves. They both stood there,
their weapons in their hands, breathing heavily and sweat caked their bodies
from head to toe. Without realizing it,
they had sparred for two hours straight, having a lot of aggression to let out.
Not saying a word, – he couldn’t, he
was breathing too heavily – Rean peeled off his soaked shirt, using a small dry
corner to mop at his face before tossing it aside. He took her hand, tugging her down onto the
ground with him, sheathing his Tachi and letting it rest on the ground
alongside them. Melyssa was just as red
and sweaty as he was, her breathing just as hard as his. He didn’t think she’d manage to survive if McBurn
tried to kill her, but she wouldn’t go down easy either.
Melyssa had no idea why he wanted her
to sit with him in the grass, but she wasn’t against it either. She had sheathed her Cutlass and set it down
in front of her, trying to catch her breath.
Maybe they should have brought water with them before starting this.
“Thanks, Instructor.” She finally broke
the silence between them, placing her hands in her lap and took a few more deep
breaths, the redness in her face slowly subsiding. “After what happened last
night, I really needed this.” Even though he had changed his demeanor to be
more strict with his students, deep down, Rean was still the same man she had
gelato with under the stars. The same
man who gave her the starry pendant around her neck for her birthday. “And it
looks like you did too.”
“Yeah, I did. We did.” Rean admitted, his brow furrowing as
he dropped backwards into the grass with a grunt. “Emma means well, but she
can’t have it both ways.” He ran a hand down his face, groaning.
Rean shouldn’t have said that out
loud. He was supposed to be the
Instructor and she was a first year who could not be his friend, should
not. Crow was going to beat him down
after the end of the school year, he knew because Crow had already warned him
it was coming.
“I’m sorry, that was out of line.”
Melyssa looked down at him, the sun
peeking through the trees making his sweaty skin glisten on his chest,
including his scar. “Why was it out of line?
You’re just being truthful. I
think what Emma was trying to say was not to let any of your students argue
against your decisions. I don’t think
she meant for you to completely change who you are and how you treat us.” She
looked away from him and began plucking at the grass thoughtfully. “Juna was
out of line saying what she did to you.
She constantly rebels against what you want to do with Class VII, what
YOUR decisions are and that’s not how a student should act. She was being disrespectful towards you and
the entire class as a whole. I think you
can be both Instructor and friend, but you have to learn how to balance
both. You can be a friend, but don’t let
your students walk all over you and dictate to you how things SHOULD be
done. You are the teacher, we are the
students and that’s why I’m not fighting against anything you want to do. I trust your judgment as my Instructor and
they should too, regardless of what you’ve been through together. They need to believe and trust in your
judgment and decisions, Instructor.” Looking back at him as he sat up a little
to lean on his elbows, softer teal eyes met burning fuchsia and it made
Melyssa’s stomach clench. “I know I do.”
“I’m not good at balancing that line,
Melyssa.” Rean confessed what everyone already knew and then being called out
on it in front of everyone. Emma had
basically called him out and forced his hand, had he been saving face? “Can I tell
you something?” He asked, moving to sit on his knees, closer to her, their
faces only inches apart. “As a friend.” A sheepish grin tugged the corner of
his lips when she gave him a nod. “When the war was going on, it was the same
then. No matter what I did, or how hard
I tried, I was always being told I had to do this, or that, or be this, or be
that and to be honest… it sucks.” He had thought that would end… no, not
really. “I can’t be one or the other and I probably should have made Juna do
500 push-ups because that was REALLY out of line.” He blinked at the look on
her face, the sheepish grin broadening. “Us ‘heroes’ worry and have the same
‘little people’ problems.” Hero was a horrible word and he hated it.
“Then stop listening to what everyone
else says. Stop listening to criticism
or what others think or believe.” Melyssa reached up to cup his sweaty face in
her hands, her eyes not leaving his and could feel that strong connection to
him all over again. “What do YOU believe, Rean?
What do YOU want to do? You have
to do what YOU feel is best, even if people don’t agree with it. That’s what being an adult is all about –
making choices and sticking to your guns on those choices. Do you understand what I’m saying?” He could
be their friend OUTSIDE of class, but once IN class and IN the battlefield, he
had to be their Instructor. “Don’t let anyone change you just because of an
opinion or ridicule.”
“You sound just like your Mom.” Rean
informed her, smirking when she blinked and then kissed her.
He was going to wind up getting his
head knocked off and he knew it, sending crazy signals. First being her friend, then cutting that off
-for less than 24 hours, he had totally aced that- and being the ‘Instructor’,
and now… now he didn’t know. All he knew
was that she was gorgeous, still pink and damp, her breathing still somewhat
labored and her lips were begging him to try them, pink and luscious. She tasted sweet, almost like cherries, but
not quite, and he was dying for a proper taste, his tongue swiping against her
lips as he felt her hands coming up. She
was probably going to box his ears.
Or take his head off with her
Cutlass.
This had to be a dream. Any second, Melyssa was going to wake up in
the warehouse, in her bed, instead of out in this beautiful clearing with
Rean. She didn’t wake up and the shock
quickly wore off as she kissed him back, her hands leaving his face to wrap her
arms around his neck. It did not
register in her passion hazed brain who exactly she was kissing. Rean wasn’t just a friend. He was her INSTRUCTOR. She was kissing her Instructor and it felt
incredible, especially when she opened her mouth for him to properly taste her. They were still on their knees and her
fingers had delved in his black hair, soft moans somewhat muffled by his mouth
on hers. This kiss was completely
different from the ones she shared with Crow.
There was so much more fire and passion with Rean than Crow…and Melyssa
finally heard the alarm bells ring in her head.
They had managed to cut through the passion haze and Melyssa pulled
back, her hands pressed against his sweaty chest, the kiss breaking.
“W-Why?” She stammered, not pulling
away from him and even if she wanted to, his arms were encircled around her.
“R-Rean…” Goddess,
forgive me, he’s my Instructor and I want to kiss him again. Not waiting for an answer or for him
to get his own thoughts in order, Melyssa kissed him this time and felt herself
completely melt against him.
There was the why. Because there was something here. He had been feeling it for a while, but
always dismissed it. Ever since that
night they had eaten gelato under the stars he had been looking at Melyssa in a
different light and he knew it was wrong.
Rean was taking advantage of her youth and adoration for the Ashen
Chevalier. He was the reason they had
rules in place at Thors, so students COULDN’T be taken advantage of. When she had asked him that question, his
heart had begun singing, but he had shut it down quick, knowing… he was losing
his train of thought as her lithe, tight little body pressed against his.
“Goddess… you’re killing me.”
Melyssa didn’t care about his titles,
only the man behind them and she had felt the connection with him since the
night in Leeves. He was so down to earth
and listened to what she had to say, offering his own opinion without any
judgment. She could not feel his arousal
since they were still on their knees or else that would have freaked her out,
more than likely. Melyssa had never felt
a man’s erection before and how she wished Rean could have been her first
kiss. She heard what he said and slowly
pulled back, both of them breathing raggedly now.
“I-I am?” How was she killing
him? Her lips were swollen, along with his
and the desire coursing through their eyes spoke volumes.
Aidios, she was a
virgin. On some
level Rean had already known that since Crow had sort of stolen her first kiss
and her reaction to Crow's immediate issues afterwards. However, her innocent question and the way
the curious confusion in those darkened teal eyes had him groaning in a
combination of lust and 'oh crap'. "I've been trying not to think of you
as anything, but my friend and student, Melyssa," He breathed, his palms
wrapped gently around her upper arms. "Goddess help me, I want you."
Even SHE knew what that meant and
Melyssa felt her cheeks heat up, the roses blooming in them. “I want you too,
Rean…” Her hands continued caressing his broad, muscular shoulders and chest,
feeling his grip on her tighten slightly. “I’ve been feeling it too,
this…connection, whatever it is, between us since the night we ate gelato
together under the stars in Leeves.
You’ve invaded my thoughts and my dreams…” Before he could kiss her
again, however, Melyssa’s demeanor changed and she hated herself for being the
rational one. Someone had to be,
however. “But as much as I want you, I know it’s not possible.” Not right now
anyway. “You’re my Instructor and I’m your student…and you just admitted you
have a hard time separating being a friend and Instructor with Class VII. If we tried being together, your judgment
would be clouded and you wouldn’t make the right decisions for the greater good
of the class and Thors. And I won’t
break the rules in Thors, no matter how much I do want you.”
Her education and the way of the
sword had to come first. She pecked his
lips, seeing the sadness in his fuchsia eyes and extricated herself from his
arms, putting space between them.
Sometimes, Melyssa REALLY hated being the voice of reason, but she also
knew she did the right thing by stopping this before it went any further.
"Head back inside." It was
in theory an order, but came out soft and husky. "Please." Rean
whispered when she didn't immediately go. "I'll follow shortly."
He needed a moment by himself to get
both his body and mind in order.
Rejection, even with her valid reasons, felt terrible and his body
hadn't caught on just yet. When he finally
heard Melyssa’s footsteps fading away he slumped down, letting his head
hang. Melyssa wanted to go back to him,
to jump in his arms and to say to hell with the rules, but…she couldn’t. Jurai and her mother were too important not
to have their full focus and attention on.
Maybe when they returned to Leeves,
after this situation was solved…Melyssa shook her head, knowing it wasn’t
possible. Rumors would be flying around
about Rean and he didn’t need to deal with that. She also didn’t need others, including her
own classmates, thinking Rean was going easy on her just because they were in a
relationship. No, it would be very messy
and complicated.
I’m sorry, Rean, I
really am. Please don’t hate me for this, she silently prayed, taking her
time to get back to the warehouse and instead of going inside, she opted to sit
out on the docks. Goddess, I hope I didn’t just make a huge mistake with him.
And now Melyssa knew how Crow had
felt. Sort of. Having what they deemed a valid reason didn't
necessarily mean the other person would see it that way. Kind of like when he had thought she was
underage and he was taking advantage.
Crow was beneath the docks with a line out, bare from the waist up. At the end of the line was a net Miranda had
put out the day before and even though that woman had gotten the worst possible
news ever she had still sent him out to 'bring in their supper'. Grunting, he pulled himself up onto the dock,
his red eyes wide in surprise when he saw her and went right back down.
That right there told Melyssa that
Crow wanted nothing to do with her and she was surprisingly fine with it. She hadn’t spotted him beneath the dock
fishing or else she would’ve headed right back into the warehouse. Walking in, Melyssa didn’t greet anyone and
went straight to the shower room to wash away the intense sparring and make out
session with Rean. She stepped out
twenty minutes later, clean and changed, laying back down in her bed since her
appetite was gone. It should have been
increased from the sparring, but after everything she’d been through
lately…Melyssa shut her eyes and was asleep within minutes.
Damn it, Crow inwardly cursed himself
when he surfaced and Melyssa was nowhere in sight. He had come up, one hand holding that net,
with all those heavy fish and seeing her there had shocked him. It was an embarrassing moment, but she wasn’t
there to witness him in all his red-faced glory. By the time he lugged the fish inside,
Miranda informed him Melyssa had already gone to bed. He spotted Rean coming in, raising an
eyebrow.
“You smell like fish.”
“I need a shower.”
Chapter 45
Two days had passed since her
sparring/make out session with Rean and Melyssa had kept completely to
herself. Everybody except Melyssa and
Miranda weren’t on board with Rean’s plan.
Even Sara, Fie, Emma and Celine were against it. Still, Melyssa was done waiting and walked up
to Rean, who was sipping a cup of coffee.
“Instructor, have you decided when
we’re going to put your plan into action?” She asked, sitting across from him
at the table and met his eyes. Rean
hadn’t said more than two words to her in the past two days and she knew it was
because he needed time to get over her rejection.
However, the longer they stayed here
and waited, the more at risk and in danger they remained.
“Tomorrow.”
Rean nodded, having gone out and
scouted the abandoned church with Crow’s help since Crow was familiar with the
area just as much as Melyssa was. He had
thought about confiding in Crow, but that felt weird, being rejected by the
girl who Crow had rejected. Also, none
of Crow’s business. Since he had done
the ‘not friends, Instructor only’ bit, Crow was giving him the cold shoulder. Not that that had meant anything when they
had gone to scout.
“More than likely, they suspect we
were there.”
Given the huge spell Emma cast in
order to clean up around the church, as well as make it easy to get through the
back entrance, that did not surprise Melyssa at all. “They’re on guard now,
more than ever, aren’t they? Have you
found a way to contact Robert? Or is
that going to be part of the plan tomorrow?”
“Emma is going to cast a spell
tonight that will send a message directly to him. We’ll need you to write a note to him, asking
to meet privately wherever you want and then we can work on formulating a
plan.” Rean’s voice remained even and low, taking another sip of his coffee
while staring back at her.
“All right, she’ll send it tonight
I’m assuming and hopefully, Robert will contact me soon after to set up a time
and place.”
Rean nodded, glad they were on the
same page and stood up from the table. “When you’ve written the note, give it
to me and I’ll give it to Emma to do the spell.”
“Yes, Instructor.” Melyssa went to
find a piece of paper and pen to write the note to her father, wondering how
she was going to word this.
Miranda set out paper and pen from
her satchel, sinking down onto the couch alongside her daughter. She had been informed of the plan and simply
nodded, not knowing what else to say.
What could she say? Her husband was
a murdering, traitorous bastard who had knowingly put their daughter in danger.
He had MURDERED his own father! When
Melyssa simply stared at the paper, obviously struggling with what to say or at
least how to say it, she dropped a kiss on the side of her daughter’s head.
“You got this, darling, I know you
do.” She encouraged quietly.
In his own way, Robert had set
Melyssa on this path, with Thors and the sword training.
Looking back at her mother, Melyssa
nodded and looked back at the blank sheet of paper, shutting her eyes
briefly. She knew exactly what to say
and what would make him want to meet her.
Putting the pen to paper, Melyssa began to write from her heart and
tried to keep it short, simple and to the point.
Dad,
I know the truth about
you. Mom does too. You owe us an explanation. Meet me tomorrow night at our house and
explain yourself. You owe me that much
after sending McBurn after me in Crossbell.
And I am asking you to come alone.
Melyssa (Your Mely
girl)
“Does that sound okay, Mom?”
Miranda read it and kissed her
forehead softly, nodding. “He’ll show up.” The confidence in her voice almost
startled Melyssa, but then again, Miranda knew Robert better than anyone, or at
least, she thought she did.
“Hope so.” Standing, Melyssa folded
her note and walked over to where Rean sat, extending it to him. “It’s ready,
Instructor.”
Now, the waiting game began once Emma
sent it.
Waiting sucked. Rean was able to be patient or at least put
on a good show, but everyone was now on tenterhooks. Emma had Celine watching over the Brackett
house, the familiar would be able to let them know if anyone went there. Given that Ouroboros used traps and set-ups,
he wouldn’t be surprised if they expected an ambush. Sure enough, before they heard anything back,
Celine sent word via Emma that some ‘fishermen’ had shown up at the Brackett
house. She also sent word when they
left, adding she would check to make sure they hadn’t left any parting ‘gifts’.
Miranda wasn’t going to lie, she was
getting nervous, but she was hiding it.
These young people, some of them barely more than children, all seemed
antsy as well.
~!~
Robert received the note in his
sandwich, of all places. He had gone to
take a bite and noticed something white sticking out of it. Setting it down, he pulled the piece of paper
out and unfolded it, reading what it said.
There was no doubt in his mind this was his daughter’s handwriting. His heart actually sank at her harsh words –
Miranda knew the truth now about him.
The love of his life…she knew everything and he now knew the meeting
with McBurn and Mariabell last night had been eavesdropped on. Crushing the note in his hand, Robert decided
he would humor his daughter, only because he did miss her and maybe he did owe
her an explanation.
“See you tomorrow, Mely girl.” He
rumbled to himself, alone in his room, and proceeded to finish his sandwich.
~!~
“Tomorrow… she’s to go alone.” Not
totally, Emma would see to that.
Having a witch was damn useful, as
long as she wasn’t offering her personal insights to the group at large. That was best done in a one on one
environment where people weren’t put on the spot. Rean wasn’t surprised when Ash opened his
mouth to say something only to grit it shut, his teeth gnashing audibly. Ash was not having a good time with all of
this. Being friends with someone, being
close as Ash and Melyssa were, was both a good and bad thing.
The bad was currently playing out.
“And where will the rest of us be?”
Juna asked after a moment of silence, almost leaning into Kurt. She was still
feeling awkward after her outburst and accusations, but… she couldn’t focus on
that. There would be plenty of time once
this situation was handled.
“Two of us will go with her, but stay
in the shadows and wait to see if she needs backup. I need people we can count on and rely on
without letting EMOTIONS get in the way.” That was a clear shot toward Ash, who
could not seem to accept Melyssa being used as bait against her father to
gather intel.
Emma gestured to the necklace Melyssa
had on. “This will also protect her.
It’s a magic shield, of sorts.
She can hold her own in a swordfight, but if magic comes into play, the
pendant will protect her from harm and instant death.”
“So, how are we going to know what’s
said?”
Emma once again gestured to the
pendant. “Not only is this a magic shield, but I’ve enchanted it to where it’s
a recording device, of sorts.” Magic really was amazing and she had really
honed her skills over the past few years. “Everything that is said between them
will be recorded and when she’s back here, we can listen to it and go from
there.”
Rean had been right when he gave this
to her for her birthday – it really was a protection charm.
“What if McBurn shows up?” Kurt spoke
up, usually the silent one of the group, but he had to voice his concerns. “You
heard him last night, Instructor, he wants to get his hands on Melyssa.”
“And you heard my father tell him to
leave me alone.” Melyssa recalled coolly, swallowing down her own nerves for
the moment. “I don’t think he’ll bring anyone with him since I’ll be going
alone.”
“So…who is going with for the
backup? Bracers are excellent for this
kind of thing and I think it should be three people instead of two, especially
with who we’re dealing with.”
Rean stroked his chin, nodding at
Sara’s advice. “Fine, three can go, but that’s it. I’m going and so is Emma, so that only leaves
one spot open.”
“Why not allow an investigator to
assist you?”
Everybody turned to see none other
than Machias Regnitz standing in the doorway.
“Machias…” Emma immediately ran to
him, tossing her arms around his neck and passionately kissed him, missing her
green haired man fiercely. “H-How did you know where to find us?!”
“Well, considering my fiancée IS a
witch and taught me a few tricks, it was not hard to deduce, my love.”
“Oh, please!” Celine rolled her eyes,
sauntering over to them. “He ran into me while I was out patrolling in Jurai
earlier and asked where we were located.
I’m the one who lead him here.”
“And you didn’t tell me?!” Emma was
going to strangle her familiar.
“Hmph, I don’t need to tell you EVERYTHING,
Emma.”
“Besides, it is a nice surprise, is
it not? Celine filled me in on
everything already and I have news of my own to share regarding what is
happening in Jurai.”
Rean gave Machias his attention.
“Yes?”
Crow didn’t like this plan
either. It was stupid. Robert killed his father, he knowingly put
Melyssa in danger with McBurn of all people, and they were going to HOPE that
he was coming alone because Melyssa was.
She had way too much faith in a man who had already killed one of his
own. Crow felt traitorous thinking that,
but he couldn’t help it either.
Sometimes, it seemed like Ash was the only sensible one of them all and
that was saying something. Even charms
could be broken. Emma’s magic was
strong, but if magic was the end-all, be-all, then there would be no need for
conventional weapons or people like them.
“You were correct in your
assumptions, Rean.” Machias walked over and handed a slew of paperwork to his
friend and comrade. “That is the evidence I’ve collected in the past few
days. Jurai is not the only city they
are targeting. There has been activity
going on in Heimdallr and my father is looking into that, as well as Legram
and…Ymir.” That made Rean’s head snap up, his eyes wide. “Your father has been
receiving visits from Heidel Rogner quite a bit lately. He’s just a Baron and if the nobility truly
wanted to overthrow him and take over Ymir, they could with Ouroboros’ help.”
Ymir was Rean’s hometown. “Oh,
Aidios…” Emma murmured, taking some of the paperwork to look over it with Fie
and Sara.
“Why hasn’t the Bracer Guild been
informed of ANY of this, Machias?” Sara demanded, slapping the papers on the
table harshly. “It’s OUR responsibility to protect the civilians!”
“I do not have an answer for you,
Sara. I wish I did. All I know is something is afoot and Jurai is
only the beginning. Have you found out
anything while you have been here?”
“Actually…” Rean launched into the
explanation of everything that had transpired in Jurai, including finding out
Melyssa’s father, Robert Brackett, is an Enforcer in Ouroboros.
“Goddess…that’s…that’s ABSURD! And you are, or rather your student, the
man’s daughter, is meeting with him tomorrow evening?” Machias looked down at
Emma, seeing the worry in her eyes and then looked back at Rean. “Surely you
have a plan, yes? Enlighten me, perhaps
I can strategize and help out.”
So Miranda brewed yet another pot of
coffee, starting to warn everyone that they were going to be stopping all day
tomorrow to relieve themselves due to how much they were drinking, and set out
a giant platter of sandwiches and other easy to grab finger foods. She had to keep busy, trying not to pay TOO
much attention to the ‘war council’ as her mind kept referring to it as. Her daughter was going to be in such a dangerous
spot and she knew that all it would take was… no, not thinking of it. She was going to have this warehouse looking
pristine and not so abandoned by the time she was done, cleaning was putting
her on auto mode.
With Machias in the fold, everyone
felt a little more at ease because he was a terrific strategist. He agreed with the plan to have backup,
but…he managed to convince Rean, without stepping on his toes as an Instructor,
to allow someone to go with Melyssa…someone who was like a son to Robert
growing up. Crow. He was part of the Noble Faction at one
point, so Machias was confident he wouldn’t be seen as that much of a threat to
Robert. Rean was hesitant to do it, but
in the end, he agreed and the team that would be backing them up, in case
everything went awry, would be Rean, Emma, Machias and, surprisingly, Ash.
He had listened to the new plan
unfold and felt better knowing Melyssa wouldn’t be meeting her father
alone. That was what bothered him the most
and Crow going with her put his mind at ease.
Ash requested to be on the backup team and Rean was hesitant to add him
to the mix, because of his attitude, but he promised to behave and not act
rashly. He also apologized for blowing
up over the plan, which left a bitter taste in his mouth, but Ash knew if he
had a chance in Gehenna of being added to the backup team, he had to concede he
was wrong.
“Not to be a Debbie Downer,” Crow
said after a moment, hesitating because this WAS a good plan and he all on
board with going. “I know we all think he sees me as a son, but he also saw
Papa as a father and we know how that ended.” He kept it down though, because
that was Miranda’s father-in-law and he frowned at the look on Melyssa’s face.
“You know I didn’t mean it to be a jerk, Lyssa.” He said quietly. “I’m… I’ve
flipped both sides enough to know that I’m not usually considered to be a
trustworthy person.” If Ouroboros trusted him for even a second, it made him
question how they had so much power.
“I understand how you feel, Crow.”
Machias nodded, acknowledging what Crow said and nobody could dispute it. “But
if one of us were to go with her, they would see it as more of a threat than
you going. I’m sure they are aware of
your education within Class VII at the moment, but like you said, you have
played for both sides. Out of all of us,
you are the best candidate and…you trust each other, correct? You can link up now?” Rean had confided in
him about his worries regarding Crow and Melyssa back at the Twin Dragons
tower.
They both looked at each other and
nodded. “We did it a few nights ago and it was a success.”
“Good, then if things go amiss with
your father, the two of you can link up and defend yourselves until the backup
arrives. Knowing Ouroboros, Robert will
not be alone, so we’ll have to stay a ways back.”
“How will you know what’s happening
inside my house then?” Melyssa asked, blinking as Machias pulled out two
contraptions to set on the table. They
were very small.
“These are a new invention the
Institute of Technology in Roer has come up with and I’ve been using them in my
investigations. One of you will stick
one in your ear and Rean will get the other one. He will be able to hear everything that is
said and if we feel the danger is too much, we will move in.” Machias
explained, seeing the sheer bewilderment and amazement on everyone’s faces at
the table.
“I can enchant them to where all of
us can hear what is being said, if you want.” Emma offered, winking at her
husband and felt him squeeze her hand beneath the table.
“That would be a great relief to my
mind.” Miranda said gratefully, nodding her head in acknowledgment at Emma.
True, hearing her husband’s poisonous
words and excuses would only shatter the broken pieces of her heart further,
but… as long as she was able to know what was going on with her daughter in
real time, she would deal with that agony privately and at a later time.
“All right, so everyone knows what is
going on, how we’re going to do this, and what our back-up plan is?” Rean
asked, looking around at everyone assembled, not surprised by all the solemn
nods he received. This ‘weekend
excursion’ was turning out to be beyond what they had initially signed up for.
“Any questions?”
Everybody shook their heads, all
their questions answered and they understood what would go down the following
night. The meeting was adjourned with
everyone going to do their own thing.
Thanks to Emma’s magic, she was able to put up ‘walls’ to give everyone
privacy within the warehouse. Emma and
Machias went to her room for some alone time with Celine venturing outside to
do her usual patrol. Emma had convinced
her to help them out, understanding her familiar’s frustration, but also
acknowledging her wrongdoing when it came to challenging Rean.
Chapter 46
Waiting until everyone was settled
down for the evening, Melyssa left her bed and made her way to Rean’s door,
pushing it open. There he was, his hand
on the handle of his Tachi, bare from the waist up, with a lit candle in front
of him. He was in the Eight Leaves
stance, his eyes closed and she watched the Tachi slice through the flame, not
touching the candle. Melyssa shut the
door, making him whip around to see who was in his room and walked up to him,
pushing his Tachi to the side gently.
“If something happens to me tomorrow
night, I don’t want any regrets. And my
one regret is pushing you away, Rean.” Very softly, Melyssa leaned up to brush her
lips against his, her hands pressed against his chest and sighed at the feeling
of them, of him.
Admittedly, Rean’s first impulse was
to shut her down. Tomorrow was going to
be insane enough without the added distraction of her. Of losing her after… if this went that far,
his mind refused to compute that possibility.
Then there was the concern that she was doing this for the wrong
reasons, he knew how that went before a major ‘battle’, making impulsive ‘this
may be my last night’ decisions. Then the
rest of him was shutting himself down, knowing if he pushed her away now, she
would take it badly and he would never have this opportunity again. Never mind that she was likely to regret it
after she did survive tomorrow and realized what she had done, and with
who. He draped an arm around her waist,
pulling her into his body, his lips feathering hers.
“I didn’t mean what I said in the
clearing.” Melyssa spoke against his lips, kissing him again, this time a
little harder, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I was scared…and I still
am because you’re my Instructor. You
said Thors frowns upon students and Instructors being together and I don’t want
to cause you any problems.” It would be a huge liability for him to be with
her. “It was…wrong of me to use your judgment against you, for what I said
about you having problems separating Instructor and friend among us. You proved tonight you won’t let your
personal feelings get in the way of what needs to be done and I should have
trusted that from the beginning. I just
never thought someone like you would want someone like me.” A nobody from
Jurai, whose father was an Enforcer of Ouroboros. “I rejected you out of fear
and I’m sorry, Rean.”
“Apology accepted and I appreciate
it.” He rumbled, blinking down at her as he moved back to sit on the bed. Rean pulled her with him, her legs
automatically straddling him as she sat on his lap. “And someone like you?” If
she couldn’t feel how much he wanted her, the way his body was beginning to
shake from desire and restraint, the erection he was sporting in his loose
pants… the woman had to feel it. She
shifted and he groaned, trying to focus as she explained, reluctantly, what she
had meant by ‘somebody like her’, shaking his head. “Melyssa… most of us start
out as ‘nobodies’. Or in my case,
nothing much was expected of me because…” He shrugged slightly, he had been
sort of nobility. “You are… astonishing, you work twice as hard and come from
less, including less resources, and you are making something of yourself. How could I not want a woman like that?”
Their differences were major and they
were cut from different cloths of life, different families. Rean was the son of a Baron and his
biological father had been Chancellor Osborne while she was born and raised as
a fishmonger. She didn’t even know who
her father was because he had kept this secret with Ouroboros away from them
all these years.
“I don’t…” This was hard to say and
she swallowed hard, shifting again because she could feel him through the leggings
she had on. “I’m not experienced when it comes to…this. All I’ve done is kissing and…it was only with
Crow and you.” Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment at her confession. “I
figured you’d want a woman with more experience and someone who is older…” Not
one of his students.
Rean raised one curious eyebrow,
wondering if she thought he was worldly or something when it came to matters of
the heart and the bed. Did he give off
that aura or something? Or was she
assuming because of his many titles? Rean was suddenly feeling very pressured right
now, wondering if he was supposed to be some stellar lover or something.
“I’m not… overly experienced myself,”
He admitted, feeling color blooming in his cheeks and was grateful for the
candlelight, anything brighter and it might show.
He had been intimate before, but not
excessively so.
It suddenly dawned on Melyssa what he
was saying, what he was confessing to her and her teal eyes grew wide in
perplexity. HOW was this man not
experienced when it came to intimacy? “So, you’ve never…” He shook his head
immediately, not allowing her to finish that question and her hands rested
gently on his shoulders. “You’re such a great kisser, though. I thought you’d had at least a few women in
your bed before…”
Something new blossomed inside of her
and Melyssa couldn’t figure out what it was, but it made her connection, her
need for Rean, much stronger and intense.
He had been intimate in regards to kissing, making out… he had even gone
down on a woman and vice versa only once, that was not exactly a world of
experience nor was he a knowledgeable lover.
He was sort of amused, sort of chuffed, that the Ashen Chevalier had
such a reputation. Or he was assuming so
anyway, given her reaction to him.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to live up to that unearned reputation, not
if the way Melyssa was looking at him was any indication. He reached out, running his fingertips down
along her cheek, his thumb finally brushing against her lips.
Instinctively, she pressed her lips
against the tip of his thumb and they both shivered at the contact. It made Melyssa feel more at ease knowing he
was almost as inexperienced as she was.
They could learn together, if Rean wanted to be with her long term. How would that work once they were back in
Leeves, back at the academy? Melyssa
didn’t want to think about any of that right now, knowing it would end up being
a problem, but first, they had to protect Jurai.
“Rean…” She breathed his name and
softly kissed him, no sense of urgency in it this time, opening her mouth to
let him taste her again.
Rean would retire, step down, do
something… just because she was his student… she was also of legal age, didn’t
that count for anything? He had before
saw the necessity for that rule, but he had also said there were exceptions to
it. Rean felt like they were an
exception, which startled him because that meant he was thinking long term and
not just a night. Maybe not so
startling, he had known for a while he wasn’t the one night kind of guy. Gripping her gently beneath the upper thighs,
Rean shifted Melyssa, not wanting her to crush his erection or scare her with
it, grunting when her body responded by arching.
The kiss broke when he shifted her and
Melyssa frowned, hoping she didn’t do something wrong. “I-Is everything okay?”
Her breathing was slightly ragged and
her chest rose and fell from how hard her heart pounded. That was the type of effect Rean had on
her. He nodded, pulling her back against
him and captured her mouth this time, moving to where they were lying in his
bed. Rean hovered partially over her and
Melyssa welcomed it, both unable to get enough of each other.
“I want to stay with you tonight,
Rean…” She murmured, arching her neck as his lips sealed to her skin, his
strong hands gliding down her sides to lift her leg to hook over his. In a way, he had her pinned to his bed and
Melyssa was at his mercy.
“Are you sure?” He asked just as
softly, kissing down along her collarbone, moving material aside so he had
access to her soft, lightly scented skin.
Was he wrong for wanting to do
this? She was going to face potential
death tomorrow, seeing her father, the man who had murdered her beloved
grandfather… no. Melyssa knew everything
that was at stake, what she was going to be up against, and she was still here.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to
stop… once we reach a certain point.” Which was his way of letting her know if
they got to the point of proper sex, his control was going to be iffy.
“Then don’t stop. Go all the way with me.” Melyssa brought him
down for another searing kiss, gasping in his mouth with his hand delved
beneath her leggings and panties. “Yes…yes, Rean, touch me…” Her panting and moaning
got louder as he began thrusting his fingers in and out of her, his mouth
sealing to her neck again.
“Mmm kill me…if you can.” Suddenly,
it wasn’t Melyssa he was with, it was the fiery redhead Shirley beneath him and
her chainsaw weapon came up, slicing his head clean off. “Or maybe I’ll just
kill you. Nighty night, Ashen
Chevalier...”
~!~
Rean bolted upright in bed, drenched
in sweat and immediately clutched his neck with his hand, making sure his head
was still attached. It was an insane
feeling, pretty sure he was missing his above head, it even felt like he had
been sliced on his neck and then sporting an erection. That went away very quickly as he rolled out
of bed, peeling off his damp shirt and sleeping pants, wearing boxer-briefs
beneath. Pretty sure everyone else was
asleep at this hour, he crept out of his room, needing some fresh air and maybe
a stiff drink. Definitely needed the
stiff drink, was there any alcohol in this warehouse? His hand at his neck, he moved to the kitchen
area.
Fortunately for Rean, Sara brought
the booze with her since she knew there wouldn’t be any liquor. She had a bottle of booze in one hand while
reading a book by firelight, not wanting to disturb anyone by turning the
warehouse lights on. They were very
bright. She turned her head to see Rean
trudging toward the kitchen and cleared her throat, raising a brow when he
actually jumped.
“Whoa there, hot stuff, what’s got
you all jumpy this morning?” She asked, turning in the chair to look at him and
rose from the table, the smile on her face turning to a frown. “Rean, what’s
wrong? Are you okay?”
“Morning?” So people were going to be
getting up and he was out here in his boxers, soaked in sweat from that night
terror and pretty certain his penis had confusion issues because it wasn’t sure
what the Gehenna had just happened. “Bad dream.”
He glanced at the time, EARLY
morning, nobody would be up for a while. Grunting, he retrieved his own bottle,
figuring he would drink a bit and then he’d try going back to bed for a few
hours. Looking at Melyssa today was going to be all shades of awkward on his
end. Sara raised a brow when he cracked
open a bottle and folded her arms in front of her chest.
“Since when are you a heavy
drinker? Not that it doesn’t do my heart
good to see you kick one back, but…” She recalled several times when he was a
student he would berate her for drinking too much. It was cute in its own way. Now to see him actually knocking one back
was…disconcerting. “You’re drenched in sweat…it must’ve been a horrible
dream. Wanna talk about it?” She wasn’t
surprised when he shook his head. “Come on, you know you can tell me anything
and if you keep it bottled up inside, eventually, it’ll come roaring out.”
Heavy drinker from one bottle and
only a few sips? Rean sometimes forgot
that Sara was an odd one, which was saying something when you took in the
entirety of their motley crew. “Wrong, it will not.”
Rean had had plenty of nightmares in
his time and they did not come ‘roaring out’.
Women were so strange. Feelings
and terrible thoughts, those tended to come out roaring and always at the worst
of times. His thoughts meandered to the
one woman who was currently on his mind.
Melyssa. She had turned into
Shirley in his dream, he frowned slightly, turning his head away from Sara.
“I’d rather not, thank you.” He
muttered, shaking his head.
“Hmph, suit yourself.”
Sara wouldn’t press him and leaned
back in her chair to start reading her book again, halfway through her
beer. She didn’t sleep much these days,
only when her body physically told her enough was enough. Fie was sleeping like the dead, as usual,
with not a care or worry in the world.
Flipping the page, Sara noticed Rean was staring at the door to
Melyssa’s room and raised a slow brow.
Something was going on there, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it
was.
“Worried about your student,
huh? I admit, I’m not totally on board
with the plan, but I do feel better knowing Crow is going with her now.”
“That in itself is a gamble, it’s
Crow.” Rean said without any malice, his fuchsia eyes moving to Sara and then
back to the fire. “He’s flipped so many times, not many trust him and I doubt
Ouroboros will either.” He was betting they would probably try to take him out
before he could get them first, or offer him a job. Rean trusted Crow with his life, he was
gambling Melyssa’s now based on their history and growing up together. “His
presence may have the opposite effect of what we want.”
“Then why don’t you go with her
instead?” Sara smiled when Rean’s eyes snapped from the fire to look at her and
she merely shrugged. “Think about it, kiddo.
You’re the Ashen Chevalier AND, more importantly, her Instructor. She’s your student. It would make more sense for her Instructor
to accompany her than Crow.” She wanted to say that during the meeting, but
also didn’t want Rean thinking she was stepping on his toes. This was his class and his decision and she
respected it. “I think it would go down a lot smoother if you went with her
instead of Crow because of his past, as you just mentioned. Up to you though, I’m not trying to tell you
what to do.”
“I’m more of a liability than he is.”
Rean smiled humorlessly, shaking his head.
He had already thought about it, but he had also always been on the side
of what he considered to be ‘right’. He
was a target, he imagined there was a bounty of sorts on his head with
Ouroboros. “He also knows Robert, if he was considered a son by the man, he may
be of more use to Melyssa than I.” He’d wind up getting her caught in the
crossfire at best. “No, it is best Crow goes, Emma will have it so we can hear
what is happening in live time and move in if needed.”
“You just said Crow is as much of a
danger to go as you are. Are you sure
Crow is the right person to go with her?
What about another student, one of her classmates? That blonde seems to be protective of her…”
Sara immediately dismissed that idea and shook her head. “Never mind, he’s TOO
protective of her. Crow will have to
do.” Standing, she tossed her now empty beer bottle in the trash and grabbed
another one before walking over to stand in front of Rean. Lifting his chin with her hand, she leaned
down to kiss his cheek in a purely platonic way. “You’re doing great as an
Instructor. You’re giving me a run for
my money, just so you know.” Then again, Sara was never one to be an
Instructor…Bracer work was more up her alley. “Everything will be fine and work
out.” Ruffling his hair, she grinned at his groan and sat back down at the
table.
Rean wasn’t entirely sure he was cut
out to do this instructor gig either, there were too many restrictions and he
was learning he wanted some freedom. Of
course, what he wanted it for... He did require talking to Melyssa. That dream had terrified him, the end of it
anyway, but up until that point… But she had also rejected him. He rubbed his forehead with the palm of his
hand, drained his beer and got up to throw away the empty bottle.
“I’m going back to bed. Thanks for the talk, Sara.”
“Anytime.” She waved at him, watching
as he walked off.
Chapter 47
Before they knew it, morning and
lunch had come and gone.
The sun was setting on the horizon
and it was time to move out. Melyssa had
braided her hair to hang over her shoulder, wanting it out of her face and had
a dark blue skirt on with white leggings beneath and a dark blue and white
short-sleeved shirt that had a V neckline.
Crow was on edge, she could feel the tension from him and wished there
was some way to alleviate it somehow.
When it was time for them to depart, Melyssa stuck the ear bud in her
ear Machias presented and Rean had the other one, their eyes locking. She hadn’t meant to reject him, but…she was
scared and now wasn’t the time to get involved with her Instructor when her
hometown was in danger. When they were
ALL in danger. Together, she walked out
of the warehouse with Crow and headed toward her family home, both ready to get
this over with.
Crow was definitely on edge. They were walking into the literal lion’s den
and even with the protection and security measures in place, there was still a
lot that could go wrong. He sighed as
the Brackett house finally came into view, stopping to look down at her.
"Whatever happens in there, whatever is said, you can't lose your temper
or your control, Lyssa." He was already slipping into 'battle mode', his
face slipping into something serene and resolute.
“I know, and I won’t.” Melyssa had to
remain cool, calm and collected in order for this to work, in order to get the
answers to her questions. Regardless of
what her father said, she would not lose her temper. Control is part of the
way of the sword. You’ve already
disgraced yourself once by losing your temper, do not do it again, she mentally chastised, nodding at
Crow to continue on.
His entire demeanor had changed – he
was back to being the cold-blooded killer C, the leader of the Imperial
Liberation Front. Right now, Melyssa
needed that cold-blooded killer within him if they were to survive whatever
came in this meeting. Arriving at the
house, neither were surprised to find the door was open and nightfall had
arrived. Looking at each other one last
time, they stepped inside.
Crow had a million and one recovered
memories of this house. Of this family,
his family. Of him and Melyssa. Of Miranda cooking and putting them to bed. Of Robert telling them stories about the
‘olden times’ in Jurai and how far it had come from those early days by the
fire after a long day down at the docks.
He had been taught how to be a ‘man’ by Robert, and it turned out he was
learning more than just that. He was
learning how to be… something terrible, something traitorous. His mind wanted to start pinning Robert for
HIS bad decisions and he shelved all that, knowing it wasn’t true.
They stepped inside, the door closing
behind them.
“Hello, my children.”
Dad, Melyssa gasped in her head,
congratulating herself on not actually saying it, but the emotions in her eyes
were clear as day.
He looked perfectly fine and healthy,
not a scratch on him. This was the man
she had looked up to, besides her Papa, the one who gave her life. She wanted to hug him and had to remind
herself he was the enemy. Robert had
dark blue hair, just like Melyssa, and acidic green eyes. Miranda had the teal eyes, which is where
Melyssa got her eye color from. She was
a mixture of both people, though she looked more like Miranda than Robert.
“Mr. Brackett.” Her tone was all
business, not a hint of love or adoration anywhere in her voice.
Even Crow seemed surprised, though he
remained silent and just nodded stiffly at the man.
Robert was looking his daughter over,
satisfying himself that she was indeed all right. She had grown quite a bit in a year, and not
just physically. The mental changes were
very present, the adult’s stance and the inkling of a promising warrior was
announced in her stance. She was
perfectly calm, even her teal eyes, eyes that her mother possessed and he had
stared into for hours, were even, not giving a thing away. His gaze shifted to Crow, not surprised at
all that there was nothing given away in those blank eyes and expressionless
face. He hadn’t seen Crow in years, but
he had heard the stories.
“My, my how you have grown.” He
murmured, not surprised Crow was now taller than him.
“Cut the chit-chat, POPS, we’re not
here to hear your mediocre one-liners.” Crow folded his arms in front of his
chest, not taking his eyes off the older man for a second.
“Considering you haven’t seen me in
over a year, I had to grow up sometime, father.” Calling him ‘Dad’ was not an
option and Melyssa managed to keep her voice even. “You know why we’re here, so
Crow’s right, why don’t we skip the formalities and get down to business? You’ve been lying to Mom for YEARS about who
you really are. You’ve kept the fact
you’re an Enforcer in Ouroboros for years away from the woman you supposedly
love. You…” She could feel her emotions
rumbling through her and shut her eyes, managing to hold them back. “You had
Papa killed. Forget about me and Crow,
this is about Mom. So, I really have
only one question for you – Why?” That summarized everything she needed to ask
him in one small, yet loaded, word.
Robert wasn’t surprised by the
question, but he really didn’t know how to go about answering it. He decided to go with the simple approach. “I
have been a member of Ouroboros since I was a boy. Around Crow’s age when he decided to leave
Jurai and everyone behind, after his grandfather’s death.” He walked over to
stare into the lit fireplace, the house cleaned up and looking normal from the
ransacking Shirley and her minions did a few nights ago.
“So…”
“Before I met your mother, yes. You don’t know this about me or my side of
the family, Mely girl, but…you have Noble blood in you.”
That made her take a step back, the
calm demeanor she had going on shattering into pieces. “W-What?! What are you talking about?”
Robert heaved a sigh, turning to fold
his arms in front of his chest. “You heard me correctly, Melyssa. I am a noble and you are a noble by birth
being my daughter.”
“But…then how did you…?” Melyssa’s
mind was blown and she couldn’t form words due to her shock.
Crow stepped in. “How did you become
a fishmonger then, if you are nobility?”
“Thanks to the Imperial government,
my family was stripped of their nobility years ago. The Emperor, at the time, had decreed that
all nobility was to be ruled under the Four Great Houses. What you DON’T know is there were once FIVE Great
Houses. House Brackett of North Ambria,
to be exact.”
“N-North Ambria…”
“Oh my Goddess…” Sara whispered,
covering her mouth with her hand and couldn’t believe what Robert Brackett was
saying. “I KNEW his last name sounded familiar!” North Ambria used to be her
home before the salt disaster struck.
“Quiet and listen!”
“Yes, before North Ambria was turned
to salt, House Brackett ran that part of the country. The Emperor stripped our family of its title
of nobility, simply because we were part of North Ambria. He believed we were the cause of the disaster
happening, which is not true. Now, North
Ambria was also where Ouroboros originated from.” Again, not many knew of this.
“The Grandmaster swore to my father to wreak havoc and vengeance on the Imperial
government and promised revenge for what happened to the Brackett family. There was no reason to strip the family, but
since our home was destroyed…the Emperor swept it under the rug and called it a
day. My father died shortly after and I
was taken in by the Grandmaster and raised into Ouroboros. I was 10 at the time of his death and my
mother, your grandmother, killed herself to join him. She couldn’t live without him and it left me
an orphan. Papa wasn’t my biological
father, therefore, he wasn’t really your grandfather. He raised me from a boy and he was also a
member of Ouroboros, something Miranda did not know.”
Melyssa’s heart broke for her father,
for her family, and part of her was angry at the Imperial government for
allowing this to happen and not fixing it. “Dad, I…I had no idea…”
“Of course you didn’t, Mely
girl. Why would I tell you something
like that? Not even your mother knows, though
I’m sure she will now once you tell her.” Robert sighed again at the thought of
his beloved Miranda. “When I met your mother, I was 16 and full of so much
anger and resentment at the Imperial government. I did little jobs for the Grandmaster and…my
hands are stained with blood, I won’t deny it.
However, when I met your mother, she was 16 as well and…she opened my
eyes to a new world, to the light Erebonia had.
Her father didn’t bat one eyelash at me when I met him for our first
date. Two years later, we were married
and took over the fish market that used to belong to her father. And I stopped my ways with Ouroboros for a
time, but whenever they came calling, I would tell Miranda I had to go on
business excursions in order to deal with whatever Ouroboros and the
Grandmaster asked of me.”
“So then why…why did you have Papa
killed? Why do you want to help Heidel
Rogner, of all people, take over Jurai?
If you’re nobility, Dad, why haven’t YOU tried taking it over instead?”
Melyssa didn’t mean for the questions to fire out of her mouth one right after
the other, but she couldn’t help it.
“I didn’t want Papa to die. I loved him like a son to a father, but I had
no choice.” Robert frowned, actual tears forming in his eyes.
“And why is that?” Crow demanded,
staying right by Melyssa’s side and didn’t show her affection because it would
show weakness to the enemy in front of him.
“Because he wouldn’t back off! He wouldn’t stop badmouthing Heidel Rogner to
the people! He nearly destroyed the
election, Melyssa!” Robert shouted, his own anger and pain surfacing as he
tossed his tumbler into the fire. “They told me I had a choice – they would
kill one of their own to send a message or…Miranda would die. I couldn’t let my beloved die, so I had no
choice. I spoke with Papa before it
happened and he told me to choose him and to save Miranda’s life. So I did.
I watched McBurn…burn him alive in the middle of the square and I could
do nothing to stop it. I had to hold
onto Miranda because she wanted to run to him and I still hear her sobs in my
ears to this day. She still didn’t know
I was involved, so when I disappeared later that night, I wondered if maybe she
had an inclination it was my fault it happened.
That I killed a man she deemed a father.”
Melyssa blinked, huge tears sliding
down her cheeks and felt her heart clench with pain, staring at her father
while he cried as well. “So it’s true then.
Papa died because he tried to stop the election from happening.”
She wiped her tears away angrily, but
managed to keep her temper in check and didn’t bother looking at Crow. He wouldn’t show his emotions like her. Naturally, her Papa chose his own daughter to
be saved instead of himself – he had sacrificed himself and died in the most
horrible way by the most horrible man in existence.
“Why did McBurn come after me in
Crossbell, Dad?”
“He wasn’t supposed to come after
you. And I still don’t know why, but he
KNEW you were there when Crossbell was invaded.” Ouroboros had been thwarted in
their plan to take over Crossbell City and Robert hadn’t been there at the time
since they hadn’t contacted him. “Ouroboros deems you a threat because you ran
away from home to pursue the way of the sword.
They thought you and Papa had this plan to take over Jurai once you were
of age and I tried to tell them it wasn’t true, but the Grandmaster didn’t
believe me. He…put a bounty out for you
and sent McBurn to do the job in Crossbell.
I begged and pleaded with the Grandmaster to listen to me and we struck
a deal – McBurn would leave you alone if I joined up with Ouroboros again. So I did, right after Papa was killed…”
Robert had to protect his girls somehow, someway, even if it meant they would
hate him forever. “I never wanted this for you and Mom, Mely.”
“But…McBurn is still coming after
me. I overheard him say he wanted
to…strip my spirit away piece by piece…”
“You showed him spirit that day in
Crossbell when you planned on sacrificing yourself for those civilians. He saw something in you and now…he has an
obsession that I’m trying desperately to quell.” Robert suddenly walked over to
her, taking her by the shoulders. “You have to get out of Jurai. You have to go back to Leeves and don’t come
back here again, Melyssa. Tell your
Instructor, Rean Schwarzer, this is only the beginning and I’m powerless to
stop it. Please, I can’t lose you or
Miranda and take her with you. Get out
of this town before the election or you will all die.”
Crow finally understood what was
going to happen and felt sick to his stomach. “Ouroboros plans on destroying
Jurai, don’t they?” It wasn’t a question.
He could tell just by the way Robert held onto Melyssa he wasn’t
lying. Jurai really was in danger in more
ways than one.
“Right after Heidel Rogner is made
the new mayor, destruction will follow and you can’t be here when that
happens!”
Rean, what should we
do, Melyssa thought, wishing she could
telepathically communicate with him the way Emma did. She wasn’t a witch though. “Dad, we can stop
Heidel Rogner, but you’ve got to tell us everything you know…”
“LISTEN to me, Melyssa, you can’t
stop this! Disaster is coming and if you
don’t leave Jurai, you WILL die! Just
like everyone in North Ambria did when that disaster struck! This is all part of the Grandmaster’s plan
and it can’t be stopped!” He shoved his daughter back toward the door, pointing
at her and Crow. “Crow, you know I’m not lying about this. You’ve been on the other side before and you
KNOW how dangerous the Grandmaster is.
When I say Jurai is done for, you know I’m not lying to you. And when I say NOTHING can be done to stop
this disaster from happening, you KNOW I’m not lying about that either.”
Chapter 48
“Enough.” Crow slashed the air with a
hand, shaking his head. “None of that matters, none of what you did is
excusable.” He knew how that went. “You’ve had chance after chance to alter
your course.” A lifetime as a matter of fact. “And you haven’t.” He unsheathed
his pistols, one in each hand. “You will tell us what you know and WE will
decide if the disaster can be stopped.” He didn’t even look at Melyssa, knowing
emotion was getting to her because this was her father. “Now, Mr. Brackett.”
“I just told you everything I
know. When Heidel Rogner wins the
election, Jurai will be destroyed. I
don’t know anything more than that. The
Grandmaster only tells his Anguis the deepest parts of his plans, not
Enforcers.” Mariabell, for example, was an Anguis of Ouroboros and would know
every single thing that was planned once Heidel took over as mayor. “You can
try to shoot me if you want, Armbrust…” Robert suddenly took out his own gun,
which was bigger than both of Crow’s pistols combined. “But I bet I’m a quicker
and better shot than you.”
“No!” Melyssa jumped in front of
Crow’s pistols, her own Cutlass unsheathed. “You won’t hurt him, Dad!”
Protecting Crow was a priority of hers because Melyssa had lost him once. She would not lose him again by the hands of
her own father. “Are you telling us the truth?
Is there no way to stop this disaster from happening?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Then surrender now.” Crow stepped
forward so Melyssa wasn’t shielding him, glancing down at her out of the corner
of his eye. He was the more experienced of them, she needed to think logically
and not be a martyr. “Submit to an interrogation.” And unlike Ouroboros, theirs
wasn’t painful or invasive. Unless the witch could probe someone’s mind and
then… that was all on her and Celine.
“Come on Crow, talk him down.”
If Crow could talk an Enforcer into
turning himself in… Rean looked heavenward, praying the Goddess was on their
side. So far, everything had gone relatively smooth. He was waiting for the
wrench to be thrown.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
The hairs on Melyssa’s neck stood up
as a wicked, sensual voice echoed around them.
Even Robert looked shocked as none other than Mariabell appeared before
them with her staff in hand. “Naughty boy, Robbie, coming here all by your lonesome
and not telling us what was going on.”
The spell he cast around the house
must have worn off and he kept his eyes firmly on his daughter and Crow. “I can
handle this, Mariabell…”
“Oh sure you can, that’s why you just
gave away some of our plan.” Mariabell shook her finger at him and waved her
wand, forcing him to drop to his knees. “This is why the Grandmaster only
trusts the Anguis with ALL the information.”
“Stop! Dad!!”
“Stay back, Melyssa!” Robert ordered,
grunting since Mariabell was causing him a great deal of pain at the moment.
“Go! Get out of here! Leave Jurai now!”
Mariabell cackled wickedly and
snapped her fingers as the front door blew open with McBurn stepping inside. “Now,
now, why would you want them to leave the party so soon, Robbie?”
Melyssa clutched the handle of her
Cutlass, really hoping the backup was on the way because they were going to
need everyone to get out of this alive. “McBurn…”
“Ahh so you DO remember me, sweet
thing. How very precious.” He hissed out, stepping toward her
and raised a brow at Crow. They had been
comrades at one point during the civil war, but now they were enemies. “You do
know I can destroy you in the blink of an eye, boy. Back off, this is between me and Mely girl.”
“D-Don’t call her THAT!” Robert
gritted out, crying out in pain when Mariabell increased the pressure in his
stomach.
McBurn laughed wickedly, ignoring
Robert’s mundane order and kept his attention firmly on the one who held his
interest captive. “How I’ve longed to see that spirit again. Come on, Melyssa, show it to me, so I can
extinguish it with my flames! Or perhaps
you need a little motivation…”
“CROW!”
They were on the move. Emma was cursing a blue streak at her own
wards and everything else she and Celine had done to ensure the safety of Crow
and Melyssa failing. McBurn and
Mariabell, and he knew there would be more if required, those… that pair was-
“Shirley!”
“Now, now, you weren’t invited to
this party!” She giggled, blocking the route with her own backup. “This is
official business, Ashen Chevalier... And YOU’RE not invited.”
“I say we take her head off.” Ash
growled, gnashing his teeth in frustration.
Hadn’t he said this was a bad idea?
Yes, yes he had! Here they were,
bad idea realized!
Machias really hoped the rest in the
warehouse, aside from Miranda, were listening in because they needed help NOW!
Crow had gone FLYING and hit the wall
with a thud, temporarily having the wind knocked out of him.
“MCBURN, LEAVE HER ALONE!!”
“Sorry Rob, can’t do that.” McBurn
developed a fireball in his hand and threw it at Melyssa, not surprised when
she dodged it with ease. “Now precious, don’t go dying on me yet. We’re just getting started.”
Melyssa was going to die and she knew
it, but that didn’t mean Crow had to join her.
McBurn wanted her, nobody else and she could use that to her advantage.
“I won’t fight you.” She proved it by dropping her Cutlass to the floor and
could tell that wasn’t what McBurn expected, a flash of surprise in his cold
eyes. “I don’t stand a chance against you and I know that. You can have me, I won’t fight you. Just please let my Dad and Crow go.”
“MELYSSA!!”
Rean overheard that and immediately
started trying to get past Shirley’s forces, needing to get to the house now.
“MELYSSA, DON’T!”
“I’m sorry, Rean…” Melyssa pulled the
ear bud out of her ear and dropped it to the floor, smashing it with her boot
to cut off communication. I have to protect Crow, she thought, glancing over at him while he still had a hold of his
back, trying to catch his breath.
“L-Lyssa…”
“W-What are you doing?!” Mariabell
squawked when her magic was suddenly stopped by a snap of McBurn’s fingers,
allowing Robert to get to his feet.
“Deal.” McBurn growled, turning to look at Robert, who was still holding his
stomach and helping Crow to his feet. “Leave now before I change my mind.”
“M-Mely…” Robert coughed, tears
forming in his eyes while staring back at his brave, insane daughter.
“M-Melyssa…”
“GO!” Melyssa cried out, her eyes
locking with Crow’s before he was removed from the house by her father, leaving
her alone with McBurn and a peeved Mariabell.
And then she died.
At least, that’s how it was playing
out in Rean’s head. He skirted around
Shirley and her posse, leaving behind others under Ash’s charge as he and the
rest continued towards the house. “I want Brackett apprehended!” He shouted
sternly, catching Altina’s nod.
Rean was going to smack Melyssa’s
head off her shoulders for being a fool, sacrificing herself… McBurn was going
to kill her and laugh the entire time.
She was DEFINITELY out of Thors, definitely out of Class VII! His temper was rising with each thought. She surrendered her weapon it sounded like
and cut communications with them, jeopardizing this entire operation… He got
what Emma had meant now, separating emotions from this.
Rean was terrified.
“Oh, here comes the hero to the
rescue!” Mariabell announced, standing there with her staff and her eyes were
glowing wickedly. “Hate to break it to you, Ashen Chevalier, but you’re too
late.”
Melyssa was nowhere to be found and
neither was McBurn.
“WHERE IS SHE?!” Rean roared,
swinging his Tachi at Mariabell and she simply disappeared, appearing a second
later behind him.
“Wouldn’t YOU like to know.” Another
swing and a miss. “You know, you really should work on that temper of
yours. I think you should chalk this one
up to a loss and move on. You’ll never
find her.”
McBurn wouldn’t kill Melyssa, but he
would make her BEG for him to kill her before all was said and done.
“By the way, it was all a ploy, you
know.”
“What are you talking about?!” Rean could
feel his heart pounding faster while Mariabell and him circled each other,
their eyes locked.
“Oh you know, the whole story of us
wanting to destroy Jurai.” She cackled wickedly, swinging her staff in his
direction as little icicles formed. Rean
barely managed to miss them. “We planted it in Robert’s head. You see, Jurai isn’t the city we’re
targeting. Heidel Rogner isn’t even
here!!”
Rean frowned, not understanding what
was going on anymore.
“Poor baby, you still don’t get it,
do you? Melyssa is who we wanted,
Schwarzer, and now that we have her, we have no reason to stay in Jurai. It will go back to being a SEZ and we’ll move
on with our main plan.” One he would never discover, not unless he continued on
this path as one of Thor’s Instructors. “If I were you, I would watch the rest
of your students VERY carefully from here on out. You never know which one may stab you in the
back next. You know, like Crow did.” She
waved three fingers at him. “Toodles!” Mariabell evaporated into thin air, her
laughter echoing around Rean.
Other than the obvious, what was so
special about Melyssa? She was a decent
swordsman, but prone to being overemotional which negated the fighter
aspect. She was… half nobility of a dead
and long forgotten house apparently, but he couldn't see what that mattered
anymore. This had all been a ploy to get
her here, but why? Rean couldn't
understand as he simply stood there, his mind failing to grasp the situation.
~!~
“Melyssa Brackett.”
Melyssa was shoved none too gently in
the spotlight that shone above her, teal eyes wide with fright and
curiosity. McBurn hadn’t laid a hand on
her and simply brought her to an undisclosed location. Now, she was in the presence of a black
cloaked man, or was it a woman?
Slowly, the hood came off and
revealed a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and dark purple eyes. “You are
quite the beauty, aren’t you?”
“W-Why am I here?” Melyssa stammered,
swallowing hard as the rather petite girl came toward her. She was taller than the cloaked girl, but the
power emanating from her set alarm bells off in her Melyssa’s head instantly.
“Who are you?”
“Mmm, I am known as the
Grandmaster. That is all you need to
know for now. I have a proposition for
you and that is why I’ve asked McBurn to bring you to me.”
Melyssa could not believe THIS was
the Grandmaster and squared her shoulders, trying to be brave. “Okay, what is
this proposition?”
She had to admit she was mildly curious
and on the way here, Mariabell had explained the whole setup to get Thors Class
VII from the Branch School to Jurai. She
also explained how McBurn had gone off on his own to attack the train, which
was not authorized by the Grandmaster.
However, since he was an Enforcer, and Enforcers could do whatever they
wanted, it was a grey area.
“I want you to be trained to become
an Enforcer, Melyssa. Join Ouroboros and
maybe one day, you’ll become one of my Anguis.”
“And if I don’t?”
The Grandmaster chuckled and shrugged
her shoulders, turning to sit back down in her chair. “Well, that would be your
prerogative, but l must warn you, McBurn will not let you go easily. You could either train under Mariabell and
the others…or become his toy to play with until he breaks you completely.” Her
eyes flashed demonically. “Now, what shall it be?”
Enforcers could do whatever they
wanted, according to Mariabell, as long as they didn’t interfere with the
Grandmaster’s plans. That would
definitely work in Melyssa’s favor. As
much as she longed to be back with Class VII, she knew that wasn’t an option or
a choice anymore.
“Very well, I accept your offer,
Grandmaster.”
“Great! Mariabell will start your training tomorrow
and, since you’ve been so obedient, I will ensure McBurn leaves you alone.”
At least that was one less thing for
her to worry about.
~!~
They had no idea where Melyssa had
been taken and their only source of information was Robert Brackett. Crow was all for taking his toes off and
working his way up. Ash was also on
board with that. Miranda was also
considering it. Her daughter had been
lured into a trap and as far as she was concerned, her husband had been the
cause of it.
"Where would they take
her?"
“The Grandmaster.” Robert couldn’t
believe he hadn’t seen it sooner, the reasoning behind coming to Jurai in the
first place and scrubbed a hand down his face. “I should’ve known something was
up after Crossbell’s incident.”
“Why would the Grandmaster want
Melyssa?”
“I don’t know.” Robert grunted when
Miranda slapped him across the face harshly, tears in her eyes.
“TELL ME WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS!!”
“I DON’T KNOW!” Emma and Celine had him
bound by magic, so Robert wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “I have my
suspicions, but I don’t know if they’re true.”
“And that is???”
“The Grandmaster wants to make
Melyssa an Enforcer of Ouroboros. Either
that or…” Robert couldn’t bring himself to say it and another slap from his
wife made him loosen his tongue. “McBurn will torture her until she begs for
death. It’s one of those two options,
but either way, you won’t see Melyssa again for a long time.”
“YOU DID THIS!! YOU DID THIS TO US!! I HATE YOU!!” Miranda snapped, slapping him
multiple times until she was physically pulled away from her husband to go sob
and cry. “MELYSSA!!”
Robert shut his eyes at his wife’s
painful wail, his own heart aching because he had done everything he could to prevent
this from happening. And he failed
spectacularly.
“Rean, we have to find her. We have to find her before she’s either
turned into an Enforcer or they kill her!”
However, deep down, everyone knew it
was already too late.
"But why?" Ash demanded
awhile later after having raided the beer. Tonight was one of those nights.
"What's so special about her?" Besides what they all already knew but
that was about her character, her promise.
Overall, nothing stood out as
spectacular.
They all knew she would be sooner
rather than later, but… he groaned, dropping his head on the table.
Chapter 49
Two years went by in the blink of an
eye, or so it felt like.
Melyssa stared in the mirror, her
hair nothing more than dark blue corkscrew curls that went to the middle of her
back. Mariabell knew how to do hair,
that was for sure. She was now the age
of 20 and had blossomed into a beautiful, vivacious woman…with a deadly twist. Ouroboros wasn’t as bad as she thought it’d
be. They helped her hone her skills as a
swordswoman, but the Grandmaster also gave her another weapon.
A crossbow.
It was the perfect combination – a
Cutlass and a Crossbow. It did not take her
long to get the hang of the Crossbow, just her aim, and even then, all she did
day and night was train. McBurn would
pop in from time to time, asking her questions and gave her some helpful tips,
but that was about it. The Grandmaster
had kept her word not to allow McBurn to harm her. Melyssa also had one other stipulation for
the Grandmaster, which she accepted, and that was not harming a single person
she loved and cared about. She wrote the
names down, handed them over and they were 100% safe from Ouroboros. Crow had been the first name she wrote down,
followed by her mother, Rean, Ash and the rest of her Class VII and old Class
VII. As long as they didn’t interfere with
Ouroboros’ plans, all was well and, so far, they hadn’t.
Tonight was an annual ball in
Crossbell City the Emperor threw every year as a way of celebrating the
prosperity of his reign over the empire.
It was also Crossbell City’s anniversary of joining with the empire. Melyssa was instructed to attend by the
Grandmaster and she was to gather intel regarding the new mayor of Crossbell
City. Ouroboros was interested in
Crossbell City because it was the one place they wanted to take over more than
any other city in Erebonia. It held
tradition and the Grandmaster had a special place in her deviant heart for
Crossbell as a whole.
Wearing a strapless black dress,
Melyssa slid her hands down the curves of her body and had to admit, she didn’t
look half bad. She left her hair down,
did her makeup and had her weapons stashed, in case she needed them. This would be her first mission in Ouroboros
and the Grandmaster instructed her to do this alone, wanting to see what she
was made of. There would be no fighting
or plotting, tonight anyway. Around her
neck was a string of diamonds, her nails painted black and she also had diamond
dangling earrings on with black two inch heels on her feet.
“Are you ready for this?”
“Yes.” Melyssa answered without
hesitation, allowing Mariabell to fluff her hair and spray it down a little
more.
“Just remember, you’re only gathering
intel. If you need me, you know how to
contact me.” Mariabell thought of Melyssa as a little sister and had taken her
under her wing. She was very easy to
train, not needing to do much to break her in.
“I understand, Mariabell. I won’t let you or the Grandmaster down.”
“Good.” Mariabell kissed her forehead
with a smile. “Go on now, and try to enjoy yourself for a change.”
Melyssa didn’t understand the concept
since the past two years – well, the past 10 years of her life, really – had
been about following the path of the sword.
She still did it in Ouroboros, just a little differently than
others. Walking out of the hotel,
Melyssa slid into the waiting orbal limousine that would take her directly to
the newly built palace the empire created over the past two years. It was also the grand opening of it, but
nothing compared to it to Valflame Palace in Heimdallr. Still, it was beautiful nevertheless and the
color was a crystal white that reminded her of snow.
Promising not to harm ‘her’ or the
‘old’ Class VII was easy enough.
There was a new generation in Class
VII, though the Ashen Chevalier had become… almost stern. Emma had given him the best advice ever. Don’t let your emotions get in the way, don’t
be friends with them, they are students and nothing more. Rean knew that meant he needed to protect
them when required, but that was both his job and a moral obligation, nothing
more and nothing less. Caring had gotten
him nothing but a gaping hole in his chest, a sense of failure that had never
gone away and a few other issues he didn’t bother with.
He had failed Melyssa. She was either dead or captive
somewhere. Rean knew how much she had
despised Ouroboros and what they stood for. He knew McBurn had had a thing for
her. He still, to this day, did not
understand why Ouroboros would go to such extravagant lengths to get their
hands on one girl, who wasn’t overly remarkable at first glance. She had been stellar, and he knew that, but
from an outside eye, a casual glance… cut from the same cloth as so many
others.
What about her… it was slowly driving
him mad.
Melyssa hadn’t fought against
becoming an Enforcer because she didn’t want to be tortured to a slow death by
McBurn and she wanted to protect her loved ones. Simply training with them to become an
Enforcer protected her…and Enforcers had A LOT of leeway. If this went off without any problems, if she
was successful, her training would be completed as an Enforcer and Melyssa
would be able to go out into the open world as she pleased.
Granted, she had despised what
Ouroboros stood for, but after learning about them, she realized they were just
outsiders that had gotten dealt horrible hands of fate. Just like her family had in the North Ambria
disaster. Her father hadn’t been lying
about any of it; the Grandmaster had shown her the cold truth of what happened
to her family and they had indeed been stripped of their nobility title. There was a reason McBurn had chosen her, had
told the Grandmaster about her, and slowly but surely, she was proving her
worth to Ouroboros through her training.
“You are reborn as Lysa, The Orange Flame.”
The Grandmaster had decreed, once her training was completed and shortly after,
this mission was given to her.
Walking inside, Melyssa – no, Lysa –
took in the scenery briefly and swiped a glass of champagne from one of the
waiters to take a sip. She would blend
into the crowd and eventually make her way to the new mayor of Crossbell City.
Attending this party was not on
Rean’s list of things to do but he was obligated. Just like his current students were
obligated. Crossbell had so much history,
it was considered a ‘field excursion’, which Rean had told them flat out the
last field excursion he had gone on had ended in disaster. Needless to say, his current students didn’t
think he was a very happy man. And that
they were going to wind up in some fight or something. But here they were, all dressed in their
academy best and he was certain he had spotted some of his former students, not
that they all kept in touch very much.
That trip two years ago had been a disaster and every one of them had
felt at fault to a degree and Ash… Ash who had never been on board with the
plan to begin with had ripped him and Crow apart.
Ash did more than rip Crow and Rean
apart – he left Class VII and finished out his schooling with Instructor
Herschel. He wanted NOTHING to do with
Rean Schwarzer ever again, cutting all ties with Class VII. Ash didn’t realize it at the time, but
Melyssa was more than just a friend to him – she was so much more than that. He loved her.
She confided in him, he confided in her – they got each other. Now, she was gone and it’d been two
heartbreakingly long years since that horrible night. For all he knew, she’d been burnt alive just
like her grandfather.
Robert Brackett was nowhere to be
found and had escaped Class VII’s interrogation overnight, thanks to Miranda,
who released him. Emma had broken the
magical bonds because they had tied him up and Miranda had been the one to
release him. When she was interrogated,
all she said was he would find out what happened to their daughter. Rean couldn’t really do anything to her, so
he let her go and Miranda left Jurai to start her life over.
It was almost as if the Brackett
family never existed, truthfully.
“Need some assistance?”
Melyssa turned to see none other than
Jusis Albarea, heir to the Albarea House, which was one of the Four Great
Houses and…one of Rean Schwarzer’s best friends. It was best to steer clear of any Class VII
members for the time being and Melyssa could only hope they didn’t recognize
her right away. “No, Mr. Albarea, but thank you for the offer.” Then she
thought about the reason she was here. “Actually, could you tell me who the new
mayor of Crossbell is? As a citizen of
Crossbell, I’d like to shake his hand and wish him well.”
“Certainly. There he is now, actually.”
Turning, Melyssa felt her eyes widen
slightly at the sight of none other than Machias Regnitz. HE was the new mayor of Crossbell City?! Machias was being swarmed with people at the
moment, so there was no way Melyssa would be able to get close to him.
“Thank you for pointing him out. Have a good night, Mr. Albarea.” Bowing her
head, she made her way through the crowd, staying in the shadows of the
ballroom as much as she could. The
Grandmaster would not be happy to hear of this sudden turn of events since
Machias was a former member of Class VII. Shit, if he gets in the way of the Grandmaster’s plan, Machias
will be in danger. What am I going to
do? More importantly, what COULD she do?
Nothing. She couldn’t do anything. She was going to have to hope that Ouroboros
upheld their end of the promise and left her ‘friends’ alone as the original
agreement had been. Anyone with common
sense and experience with Ouroboros would have told her to find a way to fight
her way out or die trying because Ouroboros couldn’t be trusted. The devastation at Crossbell before, the
train attack and murder of innocents… and now, Juna felt like maybe she had
been sort of right two years ago about Melyssa because it seemed to run in the
family.
Her own mother had released a
potential informant.
Rean didn’t talk to Juna very often
because sometimes, it made sense. He was
bored. Alert but bored as he stood
against a wall, keeping an eye on his students, hands laced behind his back.
Ouroboros wouldn’t leave Machias
alone, not when he had this much power over Crossbell City. Melyssa had sent a message to Mariabell,
informing her of what she discovered.
That was all she needed to do was find out who the new mayor was. It had been kept under wraps until tonight –
it was Machias’ ‘unveiling’ and he had to give a speech. Beside him was his wife, Emma Regnitz, a
witch of the Hexen Clan. Melyssa cracked
a small smile, seeing them together as husband and wife. She finished her glass of champagne and set
it down on the nearby table, feeling her phone go off again.
Eliminate him.
Melyssa’s blood ran cold at those
words staring back at her, knowing it was a direct order from the
Grandmaster. They wanted Machias
eliminated…and since she had made a deal with them, they expected her to carry
out the deed. There was always a
loophole when it came to Ouroboros.
Cursing under her breath, Melyssa slid her phone back in her clutch and
mulled over her options, not realizing who had come over to her side of the
ballroom. Due to her corkscrew curls,
her face was hidden from the way she was standing against the wall.
Melyssa should have known from the
get-go Ouroboros would only keep their ‘promises’ so long as it was
convenient. She was too deep into the
organization now for it to really matter.
She would have no choice except to carry out her mission or else they
would leverage other people against her.
Once one was in and committed, it was for life, whether they liked it or
not.
Crow begged to differ.
Rean wasn’t paying anyone but Machias
and Emma attention, moving closer to hear the speech properly. Machias as the new mayor, that indeed was a
momentous occasion and he managed a small smile, seeing how happy Emma looked
in this moment.
After Machias gave his speech without
any issues, everyone applauded him and it was time to dance. He guided his wife on the dance floor,
pulling her into his arms and it was as if the world fell away, leaving just
the two of them. As an Enforcer, even
though this was her first mission, Melyssa also knew she didn’t have to
necessarily carry out the orders given to her.
They would punish her, yes, but it wouldn’t be the first or last time an
Enforcer disobeyed the Grandmaster. Just
as she was about to make her escape, a tap on her shoulder made Melyssa turn to
stare at Jusis Albarea.
“A lovely lady such as yourself needs
a dance partner.” He bowed, dressed to the nines in a black tuxedo and took her
hand to softly kiss the back of it. “May I have this dance?”
This was such a bad idea, but Melyssa
found herself nodding and allowed Jusis to guide her onto the dance floor,
leaving her clutch behind at the table.
“You really are quite beautiful. What is your name?” Jusis asked, once they
began to waltz together to the music.
“Lysa. Lysa Reynolds, sir.”
Jusis chuckled, twirling her and
pulled her back against him. “No need for formalities, just call me Jusis.”
Melyssa felt a blush creep up into
her cheeks at his request and she cracked a smile. “Very well…Jusis.”
“You should be having fun.” Emma
chided when she spotted Rean, guiding Machias over towards the poor wallflower.
She untangled herself from her husband, linking their arms together as they
moved towards Rean. “It’s a party, Rean, smile.
Machias, make him smile.”
Machias flashed a grin large enough
for them all. “Be that way my friend, don’t smile. I see how much my success means to you.” He
was teasing though rewarded with a small, tight smile from Rean.
Rean hadn’t smiled properly in two
years. Fuchsia eyes moved past them,
spotting Jusis and nodded when his friend bobbed his own head at him before
giving his attention back to his corkscrew haired dance partner.
Emma’s attention went to her as well,
raising a slow brow. “Who is that dancing with Jusis?”
Machias tilted his head, folding his
arms in front of his chest. “Not sure. I
know he did not bring an escort with him this evening. Perhaps he found someone who can tolerate that
brash arrogance and mouth of his.” He grunted when Emma smacked his arm,
rolling his eyes. “You know we chide each other all the time, my love.” Machias
and Jusis had been in a friendly battle for years, always trying to one up each
other.
Chapter 50
“You two will never change, will
you?” Emma chided, feeling a sense of déjà vu wash over her as Jusis twirled
the dark blue haired woman on the dance floor, both of them laughing.
“You are quite the dancer, Jusis.”
Melyssa complimented as he pulled her into his arms again.
“You are not horrible yourself,
Lysa.” Her name rolled off his tongue and he smiled, which didn’t happen often
from the youngest Albarea heir. “Shall we retreat for a moment to grab a
refreshment?”
“Sure.” Melyssa was parched and took
his extended arm, walking off the dance floor with him.
“She looks familiar.” Emma commented,
her eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she watched Jusis and the young woman walk
off. “Do we know her?”
Machias shrugged, not entirely sure
how to answer that other than honestly and risk his witchy wife’s wrath. He
inwardly smirked at her narrowing eyes, pretty sure she had caught that
telepathically. Celine would have found it amusing.
“I can’t say.” If he did know her, it
would have been from a time before his wife and those kinds of women were never
something one brought up in polite company.
Emma’s eyes really narrowed. “Rean?”
He gave her a onceover, shrugging.
They had just taken a sip from their
champagne flutes when Emma and Machias joined them. “I suppose congratulations
are in order, Regnitz.” Jusis smirked, watching his friendly adversary narrow
his eyes.
“I do not need your congratulations,
Albarea. But I appreciate the sentiment.”
His eyes moved to the woman, who had her back turned to them. “So, are you
going to introduce us to your friend?”
“My what?” Emma gestured to the woman
and Jusis cleared his throat, seeing Lysa was busy having a few snacks along
with her champagne. “I would not call her my friend…”
“Then why were you dancing with her?”
Emma pried, folding her hands in front of her and smiled tightly at Jusis.
Melyssa slowly turned around, after
swallowing the food she ingested and held her flute in her hand. “Because we
don’t really know each other. We just
met tonight and he was kind enough to ask me to dance with him.” She smiled up
at him and then turned her attention back to Emma and Machias.
“Congratulations, Mr. Mayor.” She extended her hand, acting perfectly cool,
calm and collected as Machias shook it gently but firmly.
“A pleasure, and you are?”
“Lysa. Lysa Reynolds.”
“She recently moved to Crossbell
City.”
“Oh really? And where might you have originated from,
Miss Reynolds?” Machias was curious about her, though he didn’t know why.
“Heimdallr.” Melyssa figured that
would be the safest route to take since the city held over 800,000 people
within it. “Your father was and is an outstanding mayor and I know you will do
him proud as mayor of Crossbell City.”
Emma raised a brow, suddenly
wondering if maybe she had assumed too much about this woman. “Of course he
will.” She looped her arm through her husband’s with a smile. “Nobody else is
better for the job than Machias.”
“Why thank you, dear.” Machias kissed
the top of her head gently.
They really are a
great couple and they love each other so much, Melyssa thought, taking a sip of her champagne
while Jusis, Machias and Emma talked amongst themselves. She decided to make a retreat, heading toward
a dessert table for something sweet.
Rean however felt more than just a
passing bit of ‘maybe’. He felt a
tugging and he didn’t like it. Rean
didn’t like passing feelings or any feelings for that matter. Life was much simpler, less complicated when
he just focused on doing his job and not much else. Innocent civilians didn’t die and people
didn’t disappear while focused on just the basics. He made his way to the dessert table, eyes
roaming the offerings. Gelato. He snorted, moving to examine the offerings
and found the flavor Melyssa had liked.
He blinked when the woman Jusis had been dancing with reached for it
too. Nothing else looked good to her,
but Melyssa always had a weak spot for gelato.
It was her favorite – chocolate and vanilla swirl. She picked it up with a spoon and turned,
nearly colliding right into none other than Rean Schwarzer.
“Oh, my apologies!”
Her spoon had flown out of her hand
to land on the floor and she went to bend down to grab it, but Rean beat her to
the punch. Rean…how she missed him these
past 2 years. Melyssa had to push her
own feelings aside and cracked a smile when he handed it to her.
“Thank you.” Calling him anything, even
Mr. Schwarzer, would give her away and she could not reveal who she truly was
to him.
She was familiar, sort of. Rean had seen many beautiful women over his
lifetime, being sort of nobility meant he had grown up surrounded by them.
“You’re welcome.” He offered her a smile that felt stiff, as if his mouth had
forgotten what to do in this kind of situation. “That’s a good flavor, Miss?”
She was wearing make-up like it had
been air painted on and thanks to Emma, he now knew that women had a lot of tricks
up their sleeves to make themselves look like someone they were not. He found that sort of thing devious. Crow, the last time they had seen each other
and not squabbled, which had been well over a year, had seemed amused with the
idea.
“Lysa. Lysa Reynolds.” Melyssa extended her hand to
him without hesitation, knowing showing the slightest bit would make him
suspicious. Rean slid his into hers,
firmly shaking it and she smiled softly at him, feeling that familiar spark
shoot up her arm. “And you are?” That question surprised him as their hands
left each other and she took a bite out of her gelato, savoring the taste of
it.
Pretending she didn’t know who he
was…Melyssa didn’t know if that was the right thing to do or not. She figured maybe it would put Rean’s mind at
ease a little since his smile was tight.
Anyone who didn’t know him automatically raised his suspicion because
Rean didn’t go to very many places where he wasn’t referred to as the Ashen
Chevalier. That title still irked him,
but now it was for all the right reasons.
He had always thought that he wasn’t a hero and the title wasn’t
deserved, the accolades he received weren’t deserved. Now, after the events in Jurai, what he had
always thought was now a cold, hard truth.
He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t the
Ashen Chevalier. He was just… an
Instructor.
“Rean.” He didn’t offer his last
name, spooning his own bite of gelato into his mouth.
Rean always had a problem with his
titles – the Divine Blade of Eight Leaves and the Ashen Chevalier. Some things never changed, apparently. “It’s
nice to meet you, Rean.”
He was eating gelato and she recalled
how he’d never had it until the night they walked under the stars
together. Those memories were better
left in the past because she wasn’t that girl anymore. A lot had changed about her over the past 2
years being captured by Ouroboros. Now,
she was an Enforcer and Rean would hate her if he knew the truth. He just nodded back at her while eating his
gelato and she could see he wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
“Have a nice night.” It was time to
make her exit from this party. Melyssa
had stayed long enough and didn’t want to linger too long for fear of someone
recognizing her.
There had been too many close calls
already.
“Not leaving so soon, are you dear?”
Emma was right there to intercept, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. “The party
has only just begun and Jusis was looking for you, Ms. Reynolds.” Something
about this girl, no woman, seemed familiar and it was bothering her that she
couldn’t place it. “You just said you moved to Crossbell City recently?” She
asked politely, glancing past the woman to find Rean watching them almost
curiously.
For him, that was the most expression
she had seen in a year and she felt a moment’s sadness wash over her.
Jurai had not gone down the way
anyone had planned, at all.
“Oh, he was? I figured he’d be sweeping the next damsel
off her feet.”
Melyssa felt butterflies erupt in her
stomach at the way Emma was staring at her.
The witch was very perceptive and Melyssa had to be careful a spell
wasn’t cast on her or something. She did
not trust Emma and kept enough space between them that was both comfortable and
necessary.
“Yes, I did. Lived in Heimdallr most of my life and
figured it was time for a change. Man
troubles, you see.”
“Ah, bad relationship then?”
“You could say that.”
“What part of Heimdallr, if you don’t
mind me asking?”
“The Leica District.” It was the
first one that popped in Melyssa’s head.
Emma narrowed her eyes slightly. “The
Leica District. So are you familiar with
the Vander school then?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it, but never
ventured there.” Melyssa didn’t appreciate all the questions, but rushing out
of there wouldn’t be wise either. “I did work for the Imperial Museum for about
a year, however.” It was the only place in Heimdallr she was completely
familiar with.
“Oh really?” Emma smiled broadly,
seeming more at ease and genuine now as she really considered the other woman.
“Did you like it there? I always found the place to be stuffy. Well, I always
did admire the Star Bell, but that might be because I’m partial to the
Crossbell area.” She laughed, shaking her head, gesturing back towards the
party. Whatever odd feelings were slowly
disappearing, she had spent years on edge and focused, now it was time for
another round of peace. No matter how
temporary it was. “Oh, and how is dear Ravan?”
“As far as I know, fine. We haven’t spoken since I left the museum.”
“Oh!
Does Dorothee still work there too?
She’s one of my best friends from Thors.”
Melyssa had to take a risk with this
and nodded, keeping the smile on her face. “I’m not sure, but when I worked
there, she did. I didn’t talk to her
much.”
Emma chuckled, gesturing Rean over to
join them while she kept the conversation going. “She’s definitely different,
that’s for sure.” She would never forgive the ‘romance’ novels Dorothee used to
write, almost all of them involving only men. “Ah Rean, have you met Lysa
yet? She’s from Heimdallr and recently
moved to Crossbell City. She used to
work in the museum in Leica District.” There, he was caught up now.
What was Emma trying to do? Melyssa smiled at him tentatively, seeing
they had both finished their gelato. “Yes, we did briefly. Hello again, Rean.”
“You worked at the museum?” Rean
asked, nodding to acknowledge Emma’s inquiry if they had met yet. “When, which
part? I spent quite a bit of time there last season and I don’t recall seeing
you at all.” He had finished his gelato and gotten himself a glass of
champagne. He wasn’t a big drinker, never had been and that hadn’t changed, but
a glass or two of something here and there. “Oh, this is disgusting Emma.” He
made a face after taking a sip.
“Ash said the same thing. He’s around here somewhere.”
Rean’s face went carefully
neutral. He hadn’t seen Ash since
graduation and Ash had repeatedly made sure Rean knew exactly what he thought
of him. Crow had been a target of Ash’s ire as well.
Ash was here? That wasn’t good because if ANYONE would
recognize her, it would be him. Maybe.
“I worked mostly nights, after hours.” Melyssa answered, trying not to snicker
at his reaction to the champagne. “It’s not so bad.”
“A little bitter, but that’s how
champagne is supposed to taste.”
“That’s why they put strawberries and
other types of fruit in it, more than likely.”
Emma nodded at Lysa’s observation.
“Good point, I never thought of it that way.”
Shrugging, Melyssa finished off her
champagne and set the flute down on a tray that came her way. Three was her limit; she couldn’t be drunk in
case she had to make a run for it.
Rean was not thinking about ‘making a
run for it’, that was just cowardly and unbecoming a man of his ‘stature’. What he was thinking was about making a
discrete exit because discretion was the better part of valor. In other words, it was better to avoid a
potentially dangerous -and danger came in many varieties- situation than to
confront it.
Ash was a dangerous situation waiting
to unleash.
“You and Ash still haven’t
reconciled?” Emma asked, having noticed the shift in Rean’s entire demeanor,
even though his face was still schooled into a very neutral, very calm
expression. Some things he just couldn’t
hide, especially from someone who was a good friend.
“It’ll happen eventually, our
friendship is just… taking a break.” He said diplomatically.
Because of me and what
I did, they’re no longer friends, Melyssa had to fight back the sadness engulfing her and had a feeling
Rean was about to call it a night. “Well, it’s been lovely meeting all of you,
but I really must be going. Give my best
to the new mayor, Mrs. Regnitz.” She curtsied with a smile and turned, making
her way up the stairs that would lead to the exit.
That had gone a lot smoother than she
thought it would and lying had become second nature to her, as it did with
every Enforcer of Ouroboros. Turning,
once she was out of sight, Melyssa pulled something out of her clutch and held
it in her hand, blinking tears away. Her
good luck charm, the pendant Rean gave her for her birthday. She always carried it around with her,
remembering what he said about its protection.
I won’t hurt any of
them. I don’t care what they do to me
anymore, but I WILL protect them with all I have. Slipping the pendant back in her
clutch and closing it, Melyssa cracked a sad smile at the slowly fading people
that were once her friends and comrades before making her way out of the
building.
“I should really start bringing
Celine to things like this, that woman was… odd.” Emma said at the end of the
night.
She hadn’t allowed Rean to ‘slip
off’, but instead forced him to remain and she had done so by reminding him he
had an obligation to his current students who were here under his
supervision. She had felt mildly bad
using that against him, because she now tried keeping her opinions and
observations to herself. The
‘Instructor’ she had wanted Rean to be was now his core personality and she hated
it, she missed her friend.
“She seemed familiar.”
“Everyone seems familiar to you.” He
replied without looking at her, watching as the ballroom was tidied up. His own
students were in the process of helping secure the place, ensuring everyone was
out and everything was sealed off.
Chapter 51
“You did not follow your orders,
Lysa.”
“I won’t hurt any of them. I already told you that.” Melyssa stated with
conviction in her tone, standing in front of the Grandmaster. “I found out who
the new mayor is, that was all that was required of me.”
“Until you were ordered to eliminate
him. He’s a threat to us…” The
Grandmaster tapped her chin with her finger, contemplating what to do with her
new Enforcer and suddenly, an idea popped into her head. “You told them you now
resided in Crossbell City, correct?”
“Yes, but…” It had been a lie;
Melyssa really didn’t live anywhere and traveled from place to place with
Ouroboros.
The Grandmaster smiled wickedly, her
eyes practically glowing. “That was a brilliant story on your part…and one we
will bring to fruition.”
“What are you saying?”
“You will reside in Crossbell City
from here on out and keep an eye on things regarding the mayor. And IF he gets in our way, you WILL do as you
are told.” The Grandmaster ordered, folding her arms in front of her chest.
“I won’t do it.” Melyssa stood her
ground, not flinching or moving, besides her head snapping to the side, when
the Grandmaster backhanded her.
“You will.”
“No!” Another backhand, this time to
the other side of her face. Once again,
she did not move and kept her hands clasped behind her back.
The Grandmaster scowled, not appreciating
being defied, but she also expected this from Melyssa – no, Lysa. “Stubborn
girl! You would really go against me,
us, for the sake of protecting Machias Regnitz?! What has he ever done for you?!”
“He’s on the list of people you swore
never to hurt, if I agreed to become an Enforcer…”
“IF none of them intervened in our
plans! Read between the lines, Lysa!”
Melyssa didn’t dare lower her eyes
from the Grandmaster and squared her shoulders, not budging. “You can torture
me or have McBurn do it, but I will NOT go against any of them.” They’re still my
friends and I care about them, all of them, she added in thought, knowing better than to say
it aloud.
The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes,
her jaw clenching at the disobedience of this girl, but she had to admit, Lysa
had fire. McBurn had been right to
recruit her, even if it was against her will. “I am sure McBurn would LOVE to
get his hands on you…” She tried once more to instill some kind of fear into
her Enforcer, to shatter that wall she built over the past two years.
“So be it, then.”
“Hmph, very well.” The Grandmaster
turned and moved to sit back on her chair, crossing one leg over the other.
“You will be my eyes and ears when it comes to Machias Regnitz. Do whatever is necessary to get close to him,
find out his agenda for Crossbell City and report back to me directly. You don’t have to eliminate him, but you WILL
be my spy. Are we clear?”
Melyssa didn’t have a problem with
that, even though it would still be hurting Machias in a way. At least it wasn’t physical and she could
accept these terms. “Yes, Grandmaster, I can do that much.” She agreed
reluctantly, bowing her head and already planned on protecting Machias against
Ouroboros, if and when it came down to it.
“Good, you’re excused.” The Grandmaster waved her hand, watching the newest
Enforcer leave and a devious smirk curved her lips. She’s proving to be more useful than she could ever realize.
Now, Melyssa REALLY had to find a
place to live in Crossbell City and fast.
~!~
“I dislike Crossbell.” Ash announced,
staring at the city alongside Crow Armbrust, his pink eyes narrowing as he took
it in. The city was rapidly expanding it
seemed and he could already see the future growth under Machias’ ‘mayoral’
rule. He snorted, shaking his head as
they set off on the road leading into the city.
“You dislike everything.” Crow
retorted with an easy grin, though his red eyes were hard.
He knew why Ash disliked
Crossbell. Anything to do with Melyssa
or what they knew of her past, Ash disliked.
Ash was also convinced she was alive and probably in no good spot, most
likely due to the fact that Ouroboros had never sent a gloating message about
her demise, or her head in a basket, something along that nature.
For once, the Grandmaster was a
lifesaver and had set up an apartment for Melyssa to live in. It was on the commoner side of the city,
which she didn’t mind since, in her eyes and heart, she was a commoner. Regardless of what her father had told her
about the Brackett dynasty. Brackett was
no longer her name. Lysa Reynolds was
and she had to start living in the present and owning that name.
Deciding to keep her hair in corkscrew
curls, since that was how she met Machias and Emma once again, Melyssa thought
about also dying her hair and dismissed it.
No, that would give off warning signs to the perceptive witch. Besides, she loved her hair the way it was
and didn’t want to change it just because she had to spy on her former
comrades. Stepping out of her orbal car,
Melyssa starting grabbing bags out of her vehicle, having gone shopping to grab
some things she needed for her new apartment.
Ash had been relocated to Crossbell
for some assignment for his job. He had
accepted on the grounds that he point blank never had to step foot in
Jurai. It had been a cold, startling and
then intensely painful realization, discovering he had loved Melyssa. She had clicked with him, gotten him on
levels he hadn’t known existed and he knew it was the same for her. Maybe not the love part, but he had thought
that if things hadn’t gone sideways, maybe she could have fallen for him. Once she had gotten past Crow and Rean
anyway, the woman had men lining up for her affections, he had found it
hilarious.
In retrospect, not so much.
A gust of wind suddenly blew past
her, taking one of the very light bags with it and she groaned, cursing under
her breath. “Damn it!”
She dropped the rest of the heavier
bags on the sidewalk and began chasing it down, wondering where this wind came
from. The weather report didn’t call for
winds of Gehenna today! Turning the
corner, she plowed right into a brick wall, or so it felt like and Melyssa
stumbled backward, taking the brunt of the impact. She’d been through a lot worse and slowly
looked up at the hand clasping her light bag until pink met perplexed teal.
“Oh Goddess, I’m so sorry!” It was
Ash Carbide…and Crow, both staring at her with wide eyes. “T-That’s my bag, I
was chasing it because of the WIND!” She shrieked out that word, immediately
pulling her skirt down when another gust came up to try to blow it up.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to wear a
skirt today.
“You should probably take care that
the rest of you doesn’t blow off.” Ash drawled lazily, not bothering to hide
the fact that Mother Nature had just delivered a spectacular if not brief view
of this woman’s panties. He slowly
dragged his eyes up from her legs and waist view, she had that skirt firmly
down now and was probably glaring daggers at him, finally looking into her face
and blinked. “What’s your name?” He demanded with a lot less finesse then he
normally possessed.
“Ash…” She did look very familiar and Crow found himself scrutinizing her as
well. Now he wanted to know her name as
well, frowning at himself.
Goddess, please don’t
let them recognize me,
Melyssa silently prayed, taking a tentative step back from both of them.
“Lysa. Lysa Reynolds…” She tilted her
head slightly, playing the part flawlessly.
Her heart was thundering in her chest
and she could only hope they didn’t hear it.
Over the past two years, Melyssa had learned to hold her emotions in, to
not show them and the only thing they could see in her eyes at the moment was
confusion. She took her bag from Ash
without him handing it back, tucking it under her arm.
“And who are you two gentlemen?” She
inquired, figuring it was only fair since Ash was being rather cross with
her. Not that she blamed him, but Melyssa
had a role to play.
Crow had his memories back, as much
as sometimes he wished he didn’t, and his eyes were still locked on her
face. He was mentally removing make-up,
undoing that corkscrew hairstyle. He
wanted to say Lyssa, but refrained and the only thing that made him do so was
the fact that there was absolutely no recognition from her at all. He could see nothing in those eyes that even
hinted at familiarity.
Ash made the introductions with a wry
smile, glancing up at the apartment building. “Just moving in?” He asked with
more politeness than he was feeling at the moment. At her nod, his grin widened. “I’m in the
same building.”
WHAT?! Melyssa’s mind screamed while she
remained calm on the outside, her eyes widening in honest surprise. “Oh,
really?” What in GEHENNA was she supposed to do now?! Ash was living in the same building as her?!
“I am too.” Crow announced, finally finding
his voice and waited to see what her reaction would be.
I am so screwed! Melyssa smiled at them both, both of
her brows up now. “Wow, what a coincidence then! How long have you two been staying here? I wouldn’t mind getting to know my new neighbors,
after all. I’m on the second floor.”
“So are we.” Crow and Ash replied
simultaneously.
This had to be some kind of joke,
right? BOTH of them were not only in the
same building, but on the same FLOOR as her?! “Well, at least I know some of my
neighbors will be tolerable, so that’s a good thing.” She began picking her
bags up from the store, the one still beneath her arm and frowned when they
began helping. “Oh no, that’s not necessary, you guys. I can get them, they’re not heavy…”
“What kind of gentlemen would we be
if we didn’t offer a beautiful woman such as yourself our assistance?” Crow
asked with what was meant to be a charming smile but it came out crooked.
“Besides, we have nothing better to do, do we Ash?”
“Nothing pressing at the moment I can
think of.” Ash replied easily, eyeing her car. “Might as well pop the boot,
these muscles are for more than just show, sweetheart.” He hadn’t called a
woman beautiful since Melyssa and he doubted he ever would.
Truthfully, she was just as strong as
them, but since they were adamant about helping her, she’d play the damsel card
for a little while. “Thank you both.” Melyssa opened the door for them to enter
and followed them up to the second floor, pulling her keys out. “Ah here we
are, number 7.” Luckily, she hadn’t started unpacking yet and didn’t have much
to begin with. Ouroboros had taken care
of making sure she had furniture, including a bed, prior to moving in. “Come on
in, boys.” She held open the door for them to enter with the bags. “You can put
them on the kitchen table.” Closing her door, Melyssa retrieved some water from
the fridge and tossed them each one since it was warm outside.
Ash was trying not to laugh, sharing
a look with Crow. “So, neighbor,” He cleared his throat impishly. “Ms. Reynolds,” She wasn’t married so that was a
plus, if he decided to really lay on the charms, he wouldn’t have to worry
about a pissed off husband or wife coming after him. “I am right across the
hall from you.” He had ‘moved in’ last week and by that he meant he had sent
his stuff on ahead and he was just now getting here physically.
“And I am right next door to your
left.” Crow added, studying her face intently as he took a slow sip of the
water. “Thank you.”
At least Ash hadn’t lost his sense of
humor and charm factor. Granted, they
both seemed…hardened since the last time they saw each other. She knew it had to be partially due to what
happened in Jurai with her disappearance.
“Good to know. I suppose if we need to borrow something from
each other, it won’t be difficult to ask, right?”
They shook their heads and she winked
at them before downing half her water, setting it down on the counter. This was so strange pretending like she
didn’t know who these two men were. One
of them she had protected with her very life and the other had become her new
best friend while in Class VII.
No, you can’t start
thinking about the past. You have to
stay in the present. The past doesn’t
matter anymore. “Don’t
hesitate to ask me for help should you need it. I owe you both for helping me out today.”
“Oh trust me, we won’t, or at least I
won’t.” Ash winked at her, laughing when Crow made a face. “It won’t be for a
cup of sugar or anything so boring.”
“No, ten to one,” Crow drawled,
knowing that Ash had definitely been hardened since the events of Jurai. “It’ll
be for dinner and a show.”
Ash had hated him for the longest
time before coming to accept that it hadn’t been HIS call, the most he could do
was be there with Melyssa, the call had been Rean’s. Rean should have known better. Melyssa was too inexperienced, too emotional,
and overly prone to putting others before herself, just like Rean. Ash despised Rean. Rean seemed all right with that because Rean
despised himself.
It'd been a very long time since
Melyssa was given any attention by a man – McBurn did not count, he was not a
man and barely human at that. She felt
her cheeks flame up a little and shook her head, putting some of the bags on the
other side of her small kitchen on the counter. “I don’t think that’s a good
idea, but I appreciate the thought.” Going out with either of these two men
would not be a smart idea. It made her
wonder if they already knew who she really was or if they were suspicious of
it. “Anyway, I hate to kick you two out, but I do have a lot of unpacking to
do. And since you two recently moved in,
I’m sure you have unpacking of your own to get done.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Ash moved to
intercept, gently placing himself between her and the bags, the smile still on
his face. “Why not?” He asked curiously, cocking his head to the side. “Why
wouldn’t it be a good idea?” He hadn’t seen a ring of any kind on that finger
and there was no trace of a line either.
It might have been a good idea for
her undercover role to have included a relationship or something to fend off
unwanted suitors. Melyssa was a
beautiful woman, even though in her ‘role’, she may have to use those womanly
charms.
“All right, down boy.” Crow tugged his
friend away, giving Ms. Reynolds an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid you should
get used to it, Lys.”
Chapter 52
Did Crow mean to call her Lyssa and
stopped himself at the last second? Or
did he really mean to call her Lys? Why
was Melyssa even questioning something so idiotic at the moment? Ash was pushy as ever and she suddenly
recalled what she told Emma, the reasoning for her moving from Heimdallr to
here.
“It’s all right, but he asked a
question and I’ll give him an answer. I
moved here because of trouble with my ex-boyfriend. I don’t wanna get into the whole mess, since
I don’t know either one of you from a hole in the ground, so we’ll just leave
it at that.” Translation: She wasn’t interested in dating anyone right
now. Sure, she’d use her womanly charms
when the situation called for it and it didn’t at the moment.
Even Ash knew when to back off, his
smile slipping into something grim. “Trouble with an ex?” He repeated, clicking
his tongue. There were some lines even
he wouldn’t cross, not now anyway. He
had grown up, somewhat. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Me too. If by chance he ever shows up, just remember
you have two big neighbors right next door.”
“And right across the hall.”
Crow was already moving towards the
door, knowing they had worn out their welcome with their new neighbor for the
moment. “Remember, if you need to borrow a cup of sugar.” He laughed, winking
at her before stepping out into the hallway.
He left the door open, his way of telling Ash it was time to get out of
there.
“I’ll keep that in mind. It really was nice to meet both of you and
thanks again for the help.” Melyssa extended her hand to Ash and those pink
eyes seared through her once again as he shook hers, the spark clear as day
between them. Carbide, you’re handsome as ever, my friend. They pulled away at the same time and
she watched Ash reluctantly leave her apartment with Crow, closing the door
behind them. That was too damn close. Melyssa shut her eyes, letting out a shuddering breath and ignored the
bags on the table for the time being since her stomach was in knots. How was she supposed to carry out her mission
of being Ouroboros’ spy with them living so close to her? I’ll figure it
out. First, I need to figure out a way
to get close to Machias without revealing who I am and take it from there. Maybe there’s a spot available at his office
or something.
“So, do you think it’s her?” Crow
demanded, once they were inside Ash’s apartment and out of ear shot. “Or do you
think we’re being paranoid and it’s wishful thinking that it’s her?”
“I think if we bleached that crap off
her face, we’d have a better answer.” Ash said solemnly.
Now, normally, he appreciated a
woman’s effort in making herself look beautiful. He knew that took time, patience and a lot of
work and not many men seemed to appreciate it, he was usually one of them. Crow actually felt the same way, but he would
never word it like that. To someone’s
face anyway.
“If it is… why is she hiding and
lying?”
“I don’t know, maybe she has
amnesia.” Ash was rifling in his refrigerator. “We obviously have precedence for
it.” He gave Crow a onceover. “Though, yours was brought on by dying.” If she
had been in the hands of Ouroboros… that could have happened and he swallowed
hard, passing over a beer.
“Or she may be working for them…if it
is her.” Crow didn’t want to say that out loud either, but…it was a possibility
they couldn’t ignore.
He saw the way Ash looked at him and
shrugged; he’d been there before and had been manipulated into becoming C by
Duke Cayenne, all because of his hatred and animosity towards Osborne. Ouroboros could have warped her, washed away
her memories and maybe she really didn’t know who she truly was. The possibilities were terrifying and
endless.
~!~
The Goddess must have been on her
side because Melyssa looked in the paper the next day and spotted a job that
would link her directly to Machias. He
was looking for a new secretary. Emma
still went off to do her own thing, but she supported him from wherever she was
and they got together when they could.
It was a unique marriage they had.
Melyssa thought about it for all of two seconds before getting dressed
and going to apply for the job in person.
She had black dress pants on with a
crisp white buttoned up, short-sleeved blouse and black pumps on her feet,
looking as professional as possible. She
even pulled her hair back on either side with clips to keep it out of her
face. With clutch in hand, she walked
out of her door and turned to lock it up just as the door next door opened,
with Crow stepping out.
It would be rude not
to greet him, at the very least. Melyssa smiled at him, draping her clutch over her shoulder from the
chain it was attached to. “Good morning, Crow.” She greeted cheerfully and
walked past him, needing to get to City Hall.
“Good morning, Lys.” Crow greeted amicably,
falling into step alongside her. From
head to toe, he was dressed in black and while it couldn’t be seen, he was
packing his dual pistols. “You’re looking sharp this morning.” With her hair
pulled back and not distracting from her face, it was easier to really study
her.
“Yes, she is.” Ash appeared on her
other side, the trio stopping on the sidewalk. “You look ready to go work.” Was
she a clerk or something? He smirked,
one half of his mouth raising in amusement, she could be a naughty secretary.
“Here’s hoping.” They both looked
down at her questioningly and she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m
heading off to apply for a job, actually.
Need to pay the bills somehow, right?” That was a horrible joke to make,
but these two made Melyssa nervous because she couldn’t tell if they knew the
truth or not.
“Where are you headed?”
“If you’re looking for a job, the mayor
is looking for a new secretary.” Ash really wanted the naughty secretary
fantasy to become reality, his pink eyes twinkling. “You look to fit that build
in that getup.”
“I know, that’s where I’m headed now
to apply for the secretarial position.
See you guys later.” Melyssa headed toward her car, pulling her keys
out.
“Poor girl.” Crow remarked, watching
as she got into her orbal car, closing the door behind her. “She’ll be easier
to keep an eye on.”
“That is true.” Ash stroked his chin,
turning and walking away alongside his friend. “And it gives a legit excuse for
the background check I’ve already run on her.”
“You’re jumping the gun?”
“Color me curious. I’m surprised you didn’t do it first.”
Crow huffed, flipping his silver hair
back out of his face. He was long overdue for a haircut. “I thought about it.”
He admitted, not overly surprised that Ash had beat him to the punch. “Not that
you can tell her that you’ve done it right out the gate, she’ll still have to
wait the three days or so for everything to be done.” Working for the mayor
entailed a lot of questions, a background check, some testing… it was insane.
Thanks to a little hacking by
Ouroboros, the background check would come back clean as a whistle with her
name as Lysa Reynolds. It would even
have her previous job listed in the museum in Heimdallr and there was a
specific person there who would take the call for reference. Everything would come back as it should,
Ouroboros wasn’t the most dangerous entity in Erebonia for nothing. They could slink in and out of places without
detection and plant spies wherever they wanted.
Class VII was smart, but Ouroboros was always one step ahead of them.
“All right, wait here please.” The
secretary stood up and walked off to the mayor’s office, knocking on the door.
“You have another applicant interested in the position, sir.”
“Wonderful, send them in right away.”
Machias needed to get this position
filled as soon as possible and so far, none of the other applicants rose to his
standards. Imagine his surprise when the
woman from the party walked in…the woman who reminded a lot of Class VII of
Melyssa Brackett. Crow and Ash had
already called him on the ARCUS II, informing him where she was living. They were his spies, essentially.
“Miss Reynolds, correct?”
Melyssa smiled at him with a nod.
“Yes, Mr. Mayor.”
“Please, just call me Machias.” They
shook hands and he gestured to the seat in front of his desk, sitting down
himself to look over her application. “Ah, you worked for the museum in
Heimdallr. Emma told me about that.”
I’m sure she did, Melyssa thought, not surprised by
that and kept the smile on her face. “I worked there at nights doing paperwork
and cleaning. I admit, I don’t have a
lot of experience with secretarial work, but I’m a fast learner and I’m sure I
can handle anything this position is required to do.”
“If.” He said softly, implying her
getting it was an if.
First she had to meet his approval, then
she had to pass the background checks, then she had to pass Ash and Crow’s
questions, and finally, Celine. Anyone
the cat did not trust or like was an automatic out, hence why finding people to
fill positions was so hard. Celine had
taken Jurai as badly as everyone else, the poor feline.
“So, tell me about some situations at
the museum that you believe would be relevant to you working here, Ms.
Reynolds.”
“Nobody’s background check is that
clean.” Crow said after a moment, shaking his head. “She didn’t even get in
trouble as a kid.”
Melyssa went through the standard
interview, explaining what she did at the museum, which was basically filing
paperwork, cleaning and polishing artifacts and anything else the curator
needed help with. Machias listened,
trying to find ONE loophole, one flaw in her explanation, and couldn’t find
any. Maybe Lysa really was Lysa. Maybe she wasn’t Melyssa, after all. He informed her she would be going through a
series of interviews that day and if she passed them all, he would hire
her. She was the best person for the job
thus far, unless someone else came along.
“Please, come in here for your next
interview.”
Melyssa stepped inside the room and
was greeted by none other than her new neighbors. “Okay, I’m starting to wonder
if you two are stalking me now.” She joked with a smile, walking over to sit
down in the chair, a long table separating them.
“Nope.”
Crow smiled sweetly, shaking his
head, wondering if Machias was out of his mind to hire her right out the gate
before the official paperwork came back.
If he was already handing out free passes to this woman, then that just
made her all the more suspicious. They
were going to have to have Emma make sure nothing witchy was going on besides
her.
“We work here.”
Ash drummed his fingers on the
tabletop, studying her thoughtfully. “We’re security, you have to get through
us and your background check before you’re allowed to accept any offers of
employment.”
“Understood, so then why am I in here
for an interview when my background check hasn’t come back yet?”
“Because we want to see if you’re who
you say you are.” A feminine, familiar voice echoed around the room.
Melyssa jumped when a black cat
landed on the table in front of her. Celine! I should have
known she’d be here lurking around. “What in Goddess’s name is THAT?!” She jumped out of her chair,
blinking at the TALKING cat in front of her. “T-That cat is TALKING!” She even
pointed for added shock flare, teal eyes wide.
Both Crow and Ash looked at each
other and then at Celine, who also looked a little bewildered by Lysa’s
reaction.
“You know what? I-I’m just gonna go. I-I don’t think I’m qualified for a position
like this…” Acting scared was the only way to get through this and she stepped
back when the cat stepped one paw toward her, still on the table.
She was truly terrified of
Celine. What in Gehenna was going
on? Was this Melyssa or not? Celine couldn’t deduce it and she knew Emma
was counting on her. “Suit yourself then.
I take it you’ve never seen a talking cat before?”
“N-No, no I haven’t and…I’m a little
terrified right now to be completely honest…” Melyssa was terrified, but not
for the reasons she was saying out loud.
Celine would be able to tell who she really was if she took this
position, but at the same time, she had a job to do for Ouroboros.
“Look, I’m not going to hurt you,
lady. Just…cool your jets and come sit
back down. I just have some questions
for you.” Celine coaxed, not wanting her to leave quite yet and gestured with
her paw toward the empty chair. “Come on, show us a little bravery.”
Reluctantly, Melyssa moved back
toward the chair and scooted it back before sitting down, not wanting to be
anywhere near the cat. “This is really weird being questioned by a talking
cat…”
What was weird was that this SMELLED
like Melyssa, but didn’t ACT like Melyssa.
Celine’s tail flickered back and forth slowly, musing on it. She knew Crow had died and then been
reanimated sort of without all his memories, it had taken years and triggers to
get them back. Or she had been
brainwashed, or… there were a lot of ‘or’s’, actually, and she wasn’t about to
process them all just right now.
“Not really.” She purred, licking one
paw idly. “What’s weird is your reaction to it.” The world was inhabited by
monsters, how was a talking cat so out of the ordinary? “I’m offended.” She
sniffed.
“Celine.” Ash’s tone held a note of
warning.
“If her background clears, hire her.”
So they could keep a closer eye on her at the very least.
Not EVERY civilian in Erebonia was
privy to the knowledge of monsters, only those that were involved with the
army, jaegers or Bracers. Regular
civilians, like she was pretending to be, did not know about witches or talking
cats, for example. “I-I didn’t mean to offend you, but…I’ve just never seen a
talking cat before…and it shocked me.
I’m sorry…” She was apologizing to a talking cat…to Celine…Melyssa had
to fight with everything inside of her not to find this amusing. “So, is that all? I was under the impression this would be an
interview, but none of you have asked any questions…” Or maybe they wanted to
get her enclosed into a space to study her more thoroughly and carefully, which
did make sense.
“Not at the moment, no. And I don’t accept your apology.”
Celine hadn’t changed a bit. “All
right then, I won’t take up anymore of your time.” Melyssa went to stand up
again when the door opened and another familiar voice reverberated around them.
“I have a few questions, actually.”
It was the Ashen Chevalier, Rean Schwarzer.
Chapter 53
What in Gehenna was Rean doing
here?! Wasn’t he an Instructor at the
Thors Branch School still or had he changed professions? Ash did NOT look happy to see him and Melyssa
had turned her head to look at him, following his every step until he was in
front of her, looking intimidating and handsome as ever.
“Hello again, Rean.” She greeted
softly, clasping her hands in her lap and knew instantly this was not a
conventional, everyday interview.
“Ms. Reynolds.” He inclined his head
towards her.
Rean was here as a personal favor to
Emma, who had wanted his opinion on any potential new hires because she didn’t
trust her ‘darling husband’ to not be distracted by a pretty face. Machias wouldn’t cheat, not on his wife, but
that didn’t mean the man wasn’t immune to beautiful women either. Also, Emma had wanted a hardened opinion on
man or woman, anyone who might be working closely with her husband because she
no longer trusted people.
He didn’t blame her and didn’t
either.
Emma must have asked
him to come here for the interviews, Melyssa deduced in thought, feeling as if she was under a
microscope. Four pairs of eyes were
staring at her and she knew what they were doing. They were hoping she’d crack under the
pressure and it wouldn’t happen. Her
training in Ouroboros made her immune to pressurized circumstances and
situations. “You said you wanted to ask me some questions, so fire away. I’m an open book.”
The smile remained on her face, not
faltering and her demeanor did not change.
Despite everyone in the room, she remained calm, minus her little
‘freak-out’ moment with Celine earlier.
That would be the reaction of any NORMAL civilian seeing a talking cat,
however, so Melyssa thought she played it flawlessly.
Celine had jumped up to perch on
Rean’s shoulder, whispering in his ear.
Which was very uncomfortable and
ticklish, it took all of his many years of training and experience to not swat
the cat off of him because her damn whiskers were going to make him sneeze. “I
want to discuss your time at the museum.” He informed her finally, hands behind
his back. “I’m sure you’ve already discussed this with the mayor, but I want you
to tell me, what exactly are your duties there?” He listened as she recounted
what she had already told Machias, raising an eyebrow. “How does that qualify
you to be a secretary to the mayor?” His tone was neutral, waiting for her to
reply.
Her tone was just as neutral and
professional. “As I told you and the mayor, I don’t have a lot of experience in
the secretarial field, but I am a fast learner and it doesn’t seem all that
difficult to answer telephones, file paperwork and use the computer. Honestly, I applied for this job because I
need to pay my bills. I need a job, like
every other civilian in this city. I’m
good with paperwork and multitasking, as well as the computer. Now, let me ask you a question, if I’m not
qualified for the position, then why would the mayor have all of you interview
me?” That caught Rean off guard and she smiled at him serenely. Melyssa wasn’t wearing anything indecent or
showcasing any part of her body, so she wasn’t using womanly charms to get her
foot in the door.
Celine had to admit, this woman was
sharp as nails and she shrugged when Rean looked at her, not sure what to think
or believe. “Don’t look at me, she’s asking YOU the question, Ashen.”
“I’m just honestly surprised she’s
asking it, I would have thought it was obvious.” Rean said, already dismissing
the woman who looked somewhat like Melyssa.
She was either really good at lying and being dim or she genuinely was a
beautiful idiot, which was a type found everywhere. “I don’t think you’re
qualified, but Machias does. It’s our
job to ensure you’re not a danger to anyone or lying.”
“You do realize this is for more than
just answering telephones, yes? You’ll
have to deal with members of the press and a million other things.” Ash
drawled, rather enjoying this.
“She’ll be trained on what to do, if
she gets the job.” Celine began licking her paws again, acting disinterested.
“I’m aware, yes. The mayor went down the list of duties I’d
have to perform for him since, if I’m chosen, I’ll be the main person everyone
goes to for appointments, interviews and anything else related to the
government.” In a nutshell, she would be Machias’ personal assistant, not just
his secretary. That would mean she’d be
privy to any information involving his job, which meant everything he planned
on doing while in this position. “And once my background check comes in, you
will see I am not a danger to anyone.”
Did she look dangerous? No.
Was she dangerous? Yes. Not to Class VII, however. Getting this job, this position, would ensure
she’d be able to protect Machias from Ouroboros, should they act, as well as
being the Grandmaster’s spy. Melyssa
wouldn’t be telling the Grandmaster everything, only what she felt the woman
needed to know to sate her.
“What do you think?”
Rean shrugged one shoulder, sharing a
look with Crow. Ash wasn’t giving him
the time of day outside of what society deemed polite and not a speck
more. He didn’t fault the other man.
“Machias will hire her. She’s not the
most qualified who has been interviewed, but she’s not the least either.”
“But?” Celina prompted with a yawn.
“I don’t trust her.”
Ash snorted, shaking his head and
gestured at the ‘her’ in question. “She’s right there, you know.”
“I. Don’t. Trust. You.” She looked
too familiar, sounded too familiar and, yet, she was all wrong. He bowed to everyone present before walking
out. He’d let Emma know what Celine had thought as well as his own, perhaps
slightly askew, perceptions.
Rean was NEVER this straightforward
before and Melyssa had no reaction or response to what he said. That was how he felt and more than likely, he
would go to Machias and Emma, tell them his thoughts, and she wouldn’t get
hired. She turned to look at Crow and
Ash, both having completely different expressions on their faces. Ash looked downright outraged while Crow had
an unexplainable expression on his face and Celine continued staring at her.
“Wow, if the mayor treats other
civilians like this, I’m wondering if he’s up to being in this position of
power.” She did not feel bad saying that because any other normal civilian
would have been irate at being treated like this. “That was very
unprofessional. Have a nice day.” She
walked out of the room and out of the building, getting in her car to drive
back to her apartment.
“Rean’s not wrong.” Crow said once
she was gone. “She is… wrong, even Celine thought so.”
“Not the point.”
“Besides, if she can’t handle dealing
with Rean, she’s not going to make it with the press. They’d eat her alive, so really… he did us a
favor.” Though… it would make it harder to keep an eye on her, but on the other
hand, there was no way she was Ouroboros.
That or they hadn’t trained her well enough to know that positions like
this required some serious patience and PR knowledge.
“Still not the point.”
“You’re not going to be pleased with
him even if he had given her a pass.”
“Also not the point.”
No, Rean was a prick towards her and
very unprofessional. No other civilian would
have been treated the way Lysa had been and Machias was not happy with his
friend. He informed Rean to go back to
Thors Branch School, remove the stick from his backside and not to contact him
until he turned back into the old Rean.
This was not the Rean he wanted as a friend and comrade. Rean could not think clearly for the past two
years since Melyssa had disappeared off the face of Erebonia. He had voiced his concerns to his wife and
what did she do? She had Rean come to
INTERROGATE a potential employee, a Crossbell City citizen!!
Emma needed to stop sticking her nose
in his business because HE was the mayor, not her. This was HIS decision, ultimately, regardless
of what others said or thought. Machias
had separate meetings with Crow and Ash, ignoring Celine because the cat would
be bias from the beginning. Celine was
always on Emma’s side, whatever Emma wanted to do, she was for it. Machias no longer trusted Emma’s opinion
because it was also bias. Everyone
needed to move on – what happened in Jurai was awful and he understood that,
but this was business and he would do what was best for business.
Miss Reynolds was hired with an
apology and promises she would not be subject to that ever again. Machias had a city to run through the democratic
process and would not be distracted by his meddling wife because she felt
something was ‘off’ with this young woman.
Machias hadn’t known Melyssa long, but even he could tell this was not
her, these women were both very different personality wise and there were
things that one just couldn’t change.
Not to mention, it was ridiculous, this theory about Ouroboros and
Melyssa.
Why send someone they all knew?
It made absolutely no sense.
Since Rean had absolutely no
intention of going back to Crossbell, not even if Ouroboros decided to come out
and play, he informed Machias it was now officially HIS problem and he OWNED
the fallout.
~!~
To say Melyssa was stunned at the
phone call was an understatement.
All she could do was accept the
apology, as well as the position, and showed gratitude for being given this
opportunity. Was this Ouroboros’
doing? How could it be? The Mayor was the one who did the hiring and
Machias had faced off with Ouroboros in the past. Hmm…it made Melyssa wonder if Ash or Crow had
something to do with it since it was obvious Rean didn’t want her anywhere near
City Hall. Rean knew something and he
made that quite clear by stating he didn’t trust her.
That hurt a lot more than Melyssa
would ever admit. Machias gave her the
rest of the week off and expected her bright eyed and bushytailed that
following Monday morning at the office at 6 AM sharp. Melyssa assured him she’d be there and the
call ended with her feeling conflicted, sipping her glass of wine. Things were panning out in her favor…too
much, and she was starting to wonder if someone else wasn’t behind the scenes
pulling strings.
A knock at her door roused Melyssa
out of her thoughts and when she got up to peer out the peek hole, there stood
Crow Armbrust. He smiled when she opened
the door, fiery red eyes narrowing in on the glass of wine she was drinking,
taking in the lipstick stain on the rim of the glass and cleared his throat,
eyes moving to meet hers. “It’s considered bad form to drink alone, Lys.” He said
by way of greeting, not moving to enter her apartment because she hadn’t
offered him an invitation, just hovering in the hallway. “So, I wanted to talk
to you about today.” Today had been odd and awkward, even by their standards.
“Yes well, after the day I’ve had, I
needed a drink.” Melyssa remarked, wondering what exactly he wanted to talk to
her about. “I suppose you are right, though.
Come in and I’ll pour you a glass, if you want.”
She opened the door wider for him to
enter, stepping aside and shut it behind him, setting her glass down on the
coffee table. Moving to the kitchen, she
grabbed another wine glass before heading back into the living room, sitting
down on the couch. The bottle of wine
was already on the coffee table, she hadn’t been kidding when she said she
needed a drink.
“So, do you want one or not?”
“Sure.” He shrugged, watching as she
filled his glass before topping her own off.
Bringing it up, Crow sniffed it, taking in the aroma and smiled before
sipping the liquid, letting it coat his tongue. “Rean isn’t always a bastard.”
He said it abruptly, carefully setting the glass down. “You just physically
remind him of someone he lost a few years ago, I don’t think he knows how to react
to you.” She looked tired, like it had been a long day and given her morning,
he bet the rest of the day had dragged on.
“Really? I do?”
Melyssa felt her heart clench
painfully in her chest at that revelation.
It was her fault Rean was the cold person she saw today…and at the
party. He had completely changed and he
wasn’t nearly as warm as he used to be.
He has to realize I
had no choice. If I didn’t go willingly,
they would have taken me by force and killed Crow and my Dad. I had no choice… Melyssa thought sadly, not realizing
a hint of sadness entered her eyes as she took a slow sip of her wine. “Just
because I remind him of this person doesn’t MAKE me that person though,
Crow. Do I remind you of this same
person?”
Something had changed in her demeanor
and it made him curious, maybe as curious as she was about if she reminded him
of this long lost friend. “Nope.” Crow smiled at her easily, leaning back
against the couch and draped his arm along the back of it. Personally, he
thought Melyssa should have told them to stick it up their ass and let the die
fall where they may, but it didn’t matter now, none of it did. “She was kind of
an idiot; you don’t seem like you are.” He said after a moment, reaching for
his glass and took another slow sip, red eyes fastened on hers. “And I mean
that in the nicest way possible. She was
a good friend, but an idiot.”
"I see. Sounds like you don't agree with whatever she
did." Crow shook his head and Melyssa had to swallow more hurt down. I did it for their own
good, to protect and save them, including you, Crow! McBurn would have burned them all
alive, just like her Papa. She knew what
she did hurt them, but hearing and seeing the aftermath was heartbreaking. Even though she was an Enforcer, that didn't mean
she wasn't human. "So, what did you want to talk to me about from
today? Or was that it?" There was
no reason to keep talking about her.
"Mostly to apologize about Rean
and sort of explain that he wasn't always a major jerk."
Rean used to be friendly and caring,
to the point where he would put others over himself. Crow supposed that Rean
hadn't enjoyed the shoe being in the other foot so to speak, being forced to
watch someone sacrifice themselves.
Gehenna, maybe Rean’s problem was that she had beat him to it.
Chapter 54
Melyssa nodded in understanding,
setting her wine glass down and clasped her hands in her lap, moving her gaze
away from him. “Well, I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,
no matter how tragic the situation is.
One thing that happens leads to another thing and so on and so
forth. I’m sure whatever this woman did,
she had her reasons and I can tell she meant a lot to you, not just Rean and
Ash.” Now Crow was staring at her and she cracked a smile back at him. “You say
she’s an idiot, but at the same time, she may not have been and you just feel
that way about her because of what she did.
Just an observation.” He could take it however he wanted, but Melyssa
felt a little better after saying that much. “And since you came here to
explain Rean’s actions, I feel I should inform you that tonight, Mayor Regnitz
offered me the position and I’ve accepted, so we’ll be working together on the
same team from here on out.” Again.
"She was young and afraid and
totally not right for the path she wanted to walk." Crow had immediately
dismissed her commentary on Melyssa. "As for working the same team, Ash
and I protect the mayor. He's our
priority and you are a secondary." He tried wording that nicely, but if it
came down to her or the mayor, she was technically collateral damage. Not that they wouldn't try saving her because
they would.
Damn, that was very harsh and Melyssa
wanted to rage at him since she had sacrificed herself to save HIS life. However, she remained calm and nodded
stiffly, standing from the couch. “Understood, and that’s the way it should
be. I think we should keep things
professional between us. So, visiting me
after hours at night won’t be happening again or sharing a drink. As I told your friend, Ash, I’m not
interested in men after what I’ve been through.
I think it’s time for you to leave now, Crow.” She tried wording that as
nicely as possible, but it wasn’t her problem if he took it wrong.
Tonight, she would go out in the
middle of nowhere and train with her Cutlass, really needing a workout. That was another reason why she was
dismissing Crow rather abruptly. Picking
the glasses up, she carried them into the kitchen and set them in the sink,
rinsing them while he made his way to the door.
Crow was smiling, nodding as he made
his way to the door. "I look forward to working with you, Lys." He
said amicably, obviously not bothered by her abrupt dismissal. "For the
record, I don't think she's stupid for the sacrifice. I think she's stupid for not running the
first chance she got after the fact." He informed her right before he
walked out.
The next work week would be
interesting for sure.
Easy for
him to say, he wasn’t forced against his will to join Ouroboros. He willingly joined forces with them only
because he was C in the Imperial Liberation Front. Completely different scenario, the jackass!
Melyssa didn’t have a chance to
escape because she had trained day in and day out, night in and night out, for
the past two years. She also stayed
because she made the deal with the Grandmaster to protect her friends and
family, including that jackass that just left!
None of them had any idea what she’d been through and what she
endured…it took her two years to finally EARN freedom, which was why she now
lived in Crossbell City. Walking into
her bedroom, Melyssa quickly changed into her training clothes and moved to the
bathroom, washing her face of the makeup mask she wore.
Looking in the mirror, Melyssa
finally recognized herself and pulled her hair back in a messy curly ponytail,
pushing everything that was said to her down to her gut. She would use it in training tonight,
channeling all of her pain and angst, all of her emotion into the swings of her
Cutlass. Her crossbow wouldn’t need to be
trained on since it was point and shoot – she had excellent aim. Grabbing her Cutlass and fastening the belt
around her waist, Melyssa opened her window that lead to the fire escape and
slid out of it, being as silent as the dead.
The last thing she wanted to do was
alert Crow and Ash of her outing, in case they were here specifically to spy on
her. Making it to her vehicle, Melyssa
hopped in and drove off, heading to an unknown destination at the far recesses
of Crossbell City. It was way outside city
limits, about 30 minutes or so. Pulling
over and hiding her vehicle, Melyssa made her way through the trees until she
came out in the middle of a clearing, under the stars and moon. Unsheathing her Cutlass, Melyssa began
swiping and parrying, shutting her eyes while practically dancing in the
moonlight.
A deadly dance at that.
“Something troubling you,
Melyssa? Or is it Lysa now?”
She froze, sweaty from her training
and didn’t bother turning around, recognizing that voice anywhere. “Trying to get
some training in while I’m undercover.
What do you want, McBurn?”
“You are being awffffulllly friendly
with your old buddies.” He commented, beginning to slowly circle her, watching
as she ‘trained’. “I’m pretty sure that was Armbrust that came out of your
apartment tonight.”
As if she wasn’t being watched. This was her first true assignment and it was
smack daub in the middle of her old friends.
She had already gone against the Grandmaster once, refusing to take out
a target. The Grandmaster might trust
her, he didn’t. Anyone who sold out
people for the foolish notion of ‘saving’ them would sell out the next group
for some reason or another.
“Having a little reunion are we?”
“No.” Melyssa stopped training and
turned to face him, her teal eyes cold and focused. “I’m not the one who chose
the apartment, so it’s not MY fault it wasn’t checked out beforehand. Because if it was, you or whoever made the
arrangements would’ve seen both Armbrust AND Carbide are my neighbors. Can’t really do anything about it,
McBurn. And I was told to get close to
the mayor, so again, I did exactly that.
Not my fault those guys are his security guards, though the Grandmaster
should’ve seen that coming. They are all
part of Class VII. I’m following orders
and doing what I’m supposed to do, so why don’t you bugger off and bother
someone else? I’m not interested in your
games, Almighty Conflagration.”
“You don’t have a choice, my little
spitfire.” He snorted, stepping right into her swing and wasn’t surprised at all
when Melyssa reigned it in right before slicing his head in two. “Bet you’d
love to do it, wouldn’t you? Cleave me
right down the middle.”
If only she had the balls to attempt it
two years ago, she might have been leading a different life. Well no, no she wouldn’t have. Two years ago Melyssa wasn’t even a fraction
of the woman she was now, the fighter she was now. Goddess help her, she hated this man with
every fiber of her being! He killed her
Papa because of her father, who had disappeared completely. Not even Ouroboros could locate him and she
knew that was frustrating the Grandmaster to no end.
“You don’t miss much, do you?” She
watched as he wrapped his hand around the sharp blade and PULLED it toward him,
blood oozing from the deep cut on his hand. “Why are you here, McBurn? Haven’t you done enough to me? Haven’t you made me SUFFER enough? Why don’t you just end me right here and now
like you should’ve done two years ago?!” She ripped the Cutlass from him,
wiping his blood off of it on her shorts and groaned, glad they were black. “I
still don’t understand why you wanted to recruit me into Ouroboros. You said you saw spirit inside of me during
the attack of Crossbell City, but that’s not enough to go through all that you
did. You took me away from people I love
and care about, all to force me into becoming an Enforcer or your damn toy to
play with! Don’t you think I deserve an
explanation now that I’m an Enforcer?”
McBurn chuckled wickedly, clenching
his hand tightly and the cut was gone in mere moments, thanks to his magic.
“Because I was hoping you WOULD become my toy to play with, but you surpassed
my expectations. You’re special, there’s
something inside of you that pulsates with life and I wanted to slowly
extinguish that fire, but you just HAD to be a martyr. You just HAD to sacrifice yourself in order
to protect those you love and care about.” He mocked her, stepping right up to her again and gripped her chin
as her Cutlass was pressed against his throat. “Do it, you know you want
to. Take your revenge, precious.”
“Stop it!” Melyssa whispered, not
trusting her voice at the moment and still, even after two years, felt that
same dread and fear whenever she was around this monster. “You don’t make any
sense. There has to be a reason why the
Grandmaster ordered you to recruit me.
And one day, I will find out the truth, just like one day, I WILL cut
you down for what you did to me and my family.”
“What YOU did to you and your family,
just like what your FATHER did to you and your family. You’ve always had a choice, Melyssa, and you
insist on always making the wrong choice.” McBurn sneered, not impressed with
her little outburst, even with as quiet as it had been. She was too emotional back then and even now,
with the right provocation, she would be again. “All it takes is one slip-up
from you, girl… and I’ll be waiting for it.” She would eventually be his toy.
As for the ‘reason’, he wouldn’t
tell, he rather enjoyed seeing her losing her mind.
Because she was human, unlike him, and humans sported emotions, no matter how
in control they thought they were. She
wasn’t losing her mind, not even close. “You’ll never have me unless you kill
me first. Get it through your head,
asshole.” Melyssa gritted, shoving him away and breaking the hold on her chin.
“You know as well as I do, if I didn’t choose to go with you that night, Crow
would be dead right now and the others too.
Maybe I was an idiot, but at least my friends and family are safe and
that’s all I care about. Makes me wonder
what YOU care about, McBurn. Oh wait,
you don’t because you’re NOT HUMAN.”
“The only reason Armbrust is alive is
because others have machinations for him, not because of you, precious girl.”
McBurn informed her, his lips curving up into a very cruel smile. “The fact
that you were willing to offer yourself up for nothing… what kind of
‘evildoer’,” He even air quoted that word with his fingers, sarcasm dripping
from his tone. “Would I be?” He then brought those fingers up to press against
his lips, eyes widening. “But you didn’t know that, did you, Orange Flame?” He tucked his hands behind his
back, turning to walk away from her, showing her he didn’t fear her at all by
presenting his back to her. “It’s interesting how you fret over those who don’t
care about you at all, but you were the reason innocent civilians died on that
train and you didn’t shed a tear.”
“I’d rather be an Enforcer than your
damn toy any day of the week, No. 1.”
Melyssa had dealt with the guilt of
those people dying, even though Emma had saved a great deal of them with her
magic, as well as her grandmother, Rosalie.
If it wasn’t for the Hexen Clan, a lot more lives would have been lost
at the hands of McBurn. Ash had nearly
died because of him…and her eyes narrowed at the memory, a lump forming in her
throat. They all could have died,
including her, and it was all because Ouroboros had targeted HER.
“And why would I shed tears for
people I don’t know or care about?
That’s the way of Ouroboros, isn’t it?
Care only about yourself and nobody else? Well sorry, I can’t do that, even if they
don’t care about me anymore, I damn sure will protect my family and friends
from the likes of YOU. I didn’t offer
myself up for nothing; I have their protection because of the Grandmaster. I don’t think she would be too happy with you
coming here and baiting me either since part of that deal was you would leave
me alone. I suggest you obey her orders unless you want to get on
her bad side. Unlike you, I AM following
my orders while you think you’re untouchable.” The only other being who COULD
take McBurn down was the Grandmaster and possibly Campanella, though that would
be a close call.
McBurn was laughing, not even bothering
to turn to face her as he shook his head. “For someone so young, you’re so
confident of yourself, of your place… too bad as always, you’re wrong. There are a few lessons yet to teach you, my
dear, though with that thick head of yours… I’m doubtful they’ll take.” What
she assumed about the Grandmaster and what the truth was were two different
things. If Melyssa disobeyed another
direct order, she was just another body to be disposed of and the Grandmaster
KNEW Melyssa had a soft spot for these do-gooders. “You’re already failing the
test.” He informed her, walking off. “Enjoy your session.”
Melyssa could feel the rage inside of
her threatening to come out, the orange aura that looked like flames
surrounding her. Anger…anger was her
enemy. Anger was what drew this power
out of her. Mariabell had taught her how
to quell it, how to cease it and channel it into her swordsmanship. For the most part, Melyssa could control it,
but McBurn always found a way to bring the worst out of her. A test…the Grandmaster was testing her and
she was failing? Driving her Cutlass
into the ground, Melyssa dropped to one knee and still had hold of the handle,
squeezing her eyes shut.
This was not the life she
wanted.
She didn’t want to be an
Enforcer.
She didn’t want to be someone’s
toy.
And she absolutely would NOT harm
anyone from Class VII or her own family.
Her mother had disappeared and the last she heard, she was nowhere to be
found. Either she was in hiding…yes, she
was in hiding, Melyssa would not believe anything else. Soon, the orange aura disappeared and her
eyes opened, not seeing McBurn anywhere.
She was alone again, not sensing anyone in the area and slowly rose back
to her feet, pulling her Cutlass out of the ground.
Rean hates me and so
does Crow. I know they all do, so
telling them the truth isn’t an option.
I will protect them in my own way, even if I am an idiot. It was time to go home for some
sleep; Melyssa had to go to City Hall in the morning to fill out paperwork,
even though she wasn’t starting until the following Monday.
Chapter 55
“So have we decided yet?” Ash asked,
shuffling the cards lazily as Crow set down two bottles of beer at the table.
“About?”
“If it’s Melyssa.”
“She looks like Melyssa, beneath all
that make-up, and the weird way of dressing.
But she doesn’t ACT like Melyssa.”
Well… Crow HAD also gone out of his
way to bait her, noting the minute changes in her tone, the way she had said
things. Nobody offered ‘opinions’ on
situations they weren’t up to date on in polite society, not unless they knew
something. His time with Ouroboros, with
the Duke, had taught him a few things.
“I’m… mostly sure, maybe.” Where he
tended to wind up hitting the wall was the fact that his Lyssa had spent all
that time trying to get him to remember her.
He could not, WOULD not, believe her so cruel as to fake purposefully
not knowing him.
~!~
Makeup covered up the dark circles
beneath her eyes, thankfully.
Melyssa walked up the steps at City
Hall, ready to get this paperwork done and over with. She stayed out way too late last night,
barely got 2 hours of sleep and was running on pure adrenaline. Once she arrived on the mayor’s floor, an
assistant of his asked her to wait since he was in a meeting at the moment. Machias told her to come in the morning, but
he didn’t specify what time. Melyssa
nodded and walked over to sit down, really hoping she could make it through
this without falling asleep. Ash
and…Crow would be here since they were security guards, more than likely right
by the Mayor’s side. Her eyes widened
very slightly and briefly when Aurelia Le Guin stepped out of the double oak
doors about 20 minutes later. Melyssa
immediately lowered her eyes to her lap and hoped the woman didn’t recognize or
approach her.
Aurelia had been the one to bring
Melyssa into Thors, she had been the one to find the girl after the attack in
the very city they were in now, impressed with her courage and fiery
determination. Aurelia Le Guin was not
an idiot. She spotted the young woman
sitting there with her eyes lowered and raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the
now closed oak doors and frowned.
A second later, Ash Carbide had come
out, running a hand through his hair as he blinked his pink eyes. “That went
well.”
“At least I didn’t threaten him.”
“You sort of did.”
“As one old friend to another.” Her
attention had been drawn away, momentarily.
“The mayor will see you now.”
Ash nodded at Ms. Reynolds, waiting
until she had slipped through those doors before following her.
All Aurelia could do was stare at
those now shut doors.
Melyssa had looked up when she heard
Ash’s voice, locked eyes with Aurelia and could NOT hide who she truly was,
even through the makeup. Even through
the façade of Lysa Reynolds. The woman
was too smart and wasn’t called the Golden Rakshasa for nothing. She had been around for a while and Melyssa
could only hope she went back to Leeves and left her alone.
“Good morning, Mr. Mayor.” She
greeted, shaking Machias’ hand and took a seat in the chair in front of his
desk. The same seat Aurelia had occupied
mere moments ago. “I know you said sometime this morning, but I figured the
sooner we get this done, the better.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Miss
Reynolds.” Machias didn’t waste time and handed over the paperwork for her to
fill out. “If you wish to take it home and do it, feel free, or you can do it
here and we will have it filed today.”
“No, I’ll do it here.”
It was a little nerve-wracking having
Crow and Ash watching her, along with Machias, but Melyssa managed to do
it. It took her a little while since
there was a lot of paperwork to get through.
Finally, she finished and jumped when she felt hot breath on her ear,
not realizing Ash had moved to hover over her shoulder. DIRECTLY over her shoulder. This man really didn’t understand the concept
of invading someone’s personal space.
He’d always been that way.
Standing, forcing him to step back, she handed over everything to the
mayor and waited for him to sift through it all, making sure she didn’t miss
any I’s that needed dotted or T’s that had to be crossed.
Ash had been analyzing her
handwriting. He knew she had studied
with Crow a time or two at Thors. Not
with him, however, though she had caught him reading out in the hallway during
the early AM hours. He had told her, at
the time, that it was the only way he could get peace and quiet from his
roommate, Monique, as well as maintain his reputation.
Well, he had told MELYSSA that, not
Lysa Reynolds.
Machias finally nodded, passing
everything over to his temporary assistant.
The woman was retiring, hence the need for a new one. Personal assistant, personal secretary, he
had ‘inherited’ this woman when he had gotten the job. She had agreed to stay on long enough for him
to hire and train a replacement.
“This is Mrs. Willias, she’ll be
training you over the next few days and… I’m afraid etiquette is one of those
things she’ll be instructing you on.”
“I did him too, for the media.” Mrs. Willias
informed her replacement with a kindly smile.
Melyssa breathed a sigh of relief
upon hearing that, shaking the woman’s hand with a smile of her own. “Thank you
so much. I look forward to working with
you.” For however much longer she would be here.
“Likewise. Be prepared, I can be rather stern, as
Machias will tell you.”
Machias nodded emphatically and even
saluted the older woman.
The women laughed in response and
Mrs. Willias made her way back to her desk to file the paperwork from her new replacement. She had to admit, Lysa was easy on the eyes,
had the look and with a little training, she would be a shoo-in for the
media. As long as she learned how to
speak to the media and handle them, she would do fine.
“Well, if that’s all that you need
from me today, Mr. Regnitz, I’ll take my leave and let you get back to your
duties.” Melyssa shouldered her purse, stepping back when Ash invaded her
personal space again. “Okay look, we barely know each other and I’m not
comfortable with your hot breath on my ear constantly. You do realize how rude that is to do to
someone, right?” Not to mention, it sent shivers down her spine and she could
not deal with that with everything else going on.
“You might as well get used to it and
you really are going to have to learn to toughen up. You have to have a harder skin for when the
press comes at you.” Ash informed her with a wry smile, shaking his head at her
exasperated huff and eye roll. “Besides, when Machias,” He knew the guy
personally and only ever referred to him as Mr. or ‘Mayor’ when out in public
or at events. Ash wouldn’t ever get so
formal and stuffy that it became an all the time thing and he had even warned
Machias he’d put his scythe ax up his backside if his ego got too inflated.
“Goes out, you go with him and you both will be sandwiched between Crow and I.”
“I’m aware of that, but that doesn’t mean you have to breathe directly on my
ear like you were earlier and just now.” Melyssa narrowed her eyes back at him,
folding her arms in front of her chest. “And believe me, Mr. Carbide, I DO have
a thicker skin than you could possibly imagine.
I just really don’t want your awful breath on my skin. Good day, gentlemen.” She directed that
toward Crow and Machias before heading out, hoping that was enough to keep both
men at bay. As much as she hated being a
bitch to them, it was the only way to keep them at arm’s length, so she could
do her job for Ouroboros.
“I give her a week before she’s eaten
by the press.” Crow made sure she could hear him as she walked away. “If she
can’t deal with you, there’s NO way she’s going to handle those vicious
hounds. She’ll wind up screwing Machias
over.”
“Well, maybe he’ll get someone to do
the speaking instead of her. He could
probably hire someone better for that.
She just needs to be his assistant, not his mouthpiece.”
“If you two are quite finished.”
They both flashed Machias sheepish
grins.
“Go stand somewhere and look
imposing, stop harassing my new hire.” He ordered, waving his hand.
“Actually, I’m going to go through
the building, it’s time for my rounds.” Crow said, glancing at the clock on the
wall.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Melyssa
did not let out a shriek until she was in her car with the windows rolled
up. Suddenly, the passenger door opened
and Melyssa went to open her mouth, when a sword was pressed against her side.
“Drive, Melyssa, and don’t say a
word.”
AURELIA! Melyssa swallowed hard and nodded, knowing
Aurelia would not hesitate to cut her down here and now. She drove off as instructed and instead of
going to her apartment, she was ordered to take them somewhere they’d be completely
alone. The only place she could think of
was the clearing from last night. No
words were spoken between them until Melyssa pulled over on the side of the
road, not hiding her vehicle like last time.
She did not remove her hands from the wheel and stared straight ahead,
wondering what Aurelia planned on doing with or to her.
“Most people think you’re dead.”
Aurelia said conversationally, her eyes focused straight ahead as well, hands
folded gently in her lap. “Or, those like Rean, believe you to be a captive of
Ouroboros. Clearly, you are neither.”
Her relaxed posture began shifting, something another warrior would recognize
as a readying change. “So… the question is, why did our Melyssa Brackett come
back, to Crossbell of ALL places, and is now working for the mayor?” Because
that wasn’t suspicious at ALL given what they knew of Melyssa’s abduction. So help her Goddess, if Melyssa was a
traitor, as much as it would pain her to do so, she would cut the girl down now
and regret it for the rest of her days.
“Are you going to strike me down or
give me the opportunity to explain?”
“I want an explanation and then I’ll
see how I feel after that.”
“Fair enough.” Melyssa removed her
hands from the wheel and rested them in her lap, not looking at the woman. “Two
years ago, I was taken captive by Ouroboros, as you pointed out. The Grandmaster gave me a choice – become an
Enforcer or…I would become McBurn’s toy for him to play with and torture until
he decided to kill me. I told the
Grandmaster I would become an Enforcer, under one condition.”
“And that would be?”
“All of Class VII, old and new, at
the time, were to remain unharmed, along with my mother.” She didn’t give a
flying fig about her father, not after everything he’d done. He was the reason her Papa was dead, even if
he didn’t strike the man down himself. “Their protection in exchange for my
cooperation.”
Aurelia remained quiet, listening to
her explanation. “Go on.”
“I was ordered to find out who the
new mayor of Crossbell City was. After I
reported the information, I was then ordered to eliminate Machias Regnitz at
the party that just happened a week ago…and I defied the Grandmaster. I made it clear to her I would not harm
anyone in Class VII, no matter what they did to me. So instead, she sent me here as a spy for
Ouroboros and ordered me to get close to the mayor. This is the first freedom I’ve had in two
years, so I agreed to do it, but I’m also doing it to stay close to Machias in
case Ouroboros strikes.” Now, she looked at Aurelia. “I want to protect him any
way I can. And I’m not planning on
telling the Grandmaster anything, only small things that Machias plans to do
with Crossbell City. She wants to know
what direction he plans on taking the city now that he’s mayor. And I don’t have a clue why Ouroboros is
targeting Crossbell City, though I’ve got my guesses, as I’m sure you do
too. So, to summarize, I’m supposed to
be here as a spy of Ouroboros, I’m technically an Enforcer not following orders
and I’m very much alive, living an entirely new identity to hide who I used to
be. I’m not the same Melyssa Brackett I
once was. She died two years ago when I
started training and Lysa Reynolds was born.”
Aurelia was silent for a very long
time, considering all of that. The first
freedom she had and instead of running for help from the people who cared about
her, she had decided to play the role to continue protecting them. Or at least, that was the story she was
telling. She knew quite well how people
could be turned by Ouroboros, Crow was a prime example. But Crow was also an example of hope and
redemption as well.
“I’ll be watching, Melyssa Brackett.”
She said sternly, finally turning her gaze onto the younger woman. “For now,
I’ll leave you be, but one false move and I will finish what McBurn started in
Crossbell.”
It was obvious Aurelia was no longer
the Thors Branch School principal and she now resided in Crossbell City as
well. Did Ouroboros know that? “I
understand and if I do make a false move, I won’t even fight you. I’ll let you cut me down.” It would be a
mercy killing compared to what Ouroboros would do to her. “I hope you believe
me when I say I don’t want to be part of that poisonous group. I don’t want to be an Enforcer. And I’m here to protect my friends from the
very group who forced me into their world.
I hate them all, Aurelia, and I want them all to pay for everything
they’ve done. I have to play this close
to the chest and that’s why I will not tell anyone else who I really am.”
“Why not come to us?” Aurelia asked,
which was really the glaringly obvious question. “Crow has gotten out
successfully and maintained his independence.”
Crow had finally learned to trust his
friends. Ouroboros was beyond adept at keeping
one step ahead, but they had also been proven that they were not
infallible. With patience and
determination, Ouroboros COULD be beaten and they could be sent scurrying back
to the shadows where they belonged.
“You don’t have to keep living this
lie, you’ve taken on a great burden, sacrificing yourself for your friends.”
She took a deep breath. Aurelia knew how
much it had hurt Melyssa, Crow’s ‘death’ and then lack of memory, she wondered
if Melyssa had considered how much that had hurt Crow, losing his childhood
best friend after finally ‘remembering’ her properly. “And if you choose not
too, if you insist on continuing with this,” Which while honorable was also
foolish. “Then don’t ever let them know the truth of who you are, some damage…
can be made worse.”
Rean came to mind.
Chapter 56
“I don’t know how.” Melyssa dropped
her voice to a near whisper, tears finally building in her eyes. She missed Crow so much while she was gone
and the others, especially Ash and Rean. “They all hate me for what I did,
especially Rean. What they don’t
understand is I had no choice that night.
McBurn would’ve killed everyone and…I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t have their blood on my hands! For whatever reason, the Grandmaster wanted
to recruit me. I’m the reason for the
train attack. I’m the reason why we went
to Jurai in the first place. And they
won’t tell me why. Even after two years,
I STILL don’t know what makes ME so damn special!” She hit the steering wheel,
letting a few tears slide down her cheeks and wiped them away angrily. “I don’t
want to keep living this lie, this life, pretending to be someone I’m not,
but…” If she revealed who she truly was, their protection would be gone because
Ouroboros would come for not only her, but her friends and her family as well.
“Melyssa… have you considered that if
McBurn really wanted you dead, or Crow, he would have done it by now? He’s had plenty of opportunities.” But her
tone was gentle, knowing that Melyssa had been a young, naïve woman who had
feared for her friends and family.
Ouroboros -McBurn- had exploited that, made her believe if she didn’t do
it, everyone would die. They were
predators, preying on the good hearted and it made her sick because Melyssa had
been exceptionally good hearted. “You’re giving them power over you and not
trusting your friends and their ability to protect themselves. You do them a great disservice, just as I
imagine they have done to you.”
If anyone spoke complete truth to
her, if there was one person in Erebonia she trusted MORE than her friends and
family, it was Aurelia. This woman had
saved her in the very city they were currently in. She was right. Ouroboros had all the power because of
Melyssa fear of losing someone else she loved and cared about. Papa’s death had rocked her and then finding
out her own father was an Enforcer of Ouroboros…Melyssa hadn’t been thinking
clearly that night. As much as she hated
admitting it, her mind was focused on protecting her mother and classmates, by
any means necessary.
“They – no, Rean trusted me that
night to keep my head on straight and I failed him. I failed and all I had to do was find out the
truth from my father.” Well, they hadn’t failed in that mission, but…the
aftermath was a huge failure. “What should I do, Aurelia? How do I even begin coming clean and getting
my life back?”
“Honesty is usually the best policy.”
If Crow or Ash didn’t at least
suspect then they were not as smart as she usually gave them credit for. Admittedly, Melyssa looked very different, a
lot had changed about her in the past two years and it showed in the way she
carried herself. One thing she would
grudgingly give Ouroboros credit for, they had turned the young woman into a
warrior. It was visible in Melyssa’s
posture. Not that she approved of
turning a human into a living weapon for sordid purposes. Rean had left Crossbell last she knew. Rean was not… Rean and hadn’t been since that
tragic night.
“May I ask you a question? About the nature of your relationship with
Schwarzer?”
Why in Gehenna did butterflies
suddenly erupt in her stomach at that question?
She knew why. It was forbidden
for students and Instructors to be together and…that kiss she shared with Rean,
in the clearing, had never left her memory.
“Sure, you can ask me anything,
Aurelia. I will be completely honest
with you.” There was no reason to lie to her about anything since Aurelia had
instantly pinpointed who she was. It made
her wonder if Crow, Ash and even Machias knew the truth, which was why the boys
were giving her such a hard time. That would make sense, the heathens.
It would make sense and given how
some things about them had changed over the last two years, hardened so to
speak. Crow especially would be prone to
harassing her, poking and prodding to get a reaction out of her.
“Were you two romantically involved
on any level?” She asked bluntly, her usual way of asking anything with no
sugarcoating.
If Melyssa and Rean HAD been involved,
it would explain so much about his drastic personality change. She knew a part of it was due to his
over-caring nature. Rean had felt like
he had failed everyone, mostly Melyssa and that had had an effect on him but
she didn’t think it would be THIS drastic.
Melyssa was quiet for a minute,
trying to think of how she wanted to word her answer. “We weren’t in a
relationship, but…we did have a moment where it would be considered ‘romantic’,
I guess.”
“Romantic, how?” Aurelia pressed,
wanting all the facts and narrowed her eyes at the pink tinge overtaking
Melyssa’s cheeks. “Did you two…?”
“No!
No, Goddess, no! I-I’ve never,
um…” Why was this hard to talk about?
Even after two years and she was an adult now, talking about sex always
made her flush and made her nervous. “It was a kiss. We shared a kiss and I told him it was wrong
and I wouldn’t break the rules of Thors Branch School. And that was it.” It also happened the day of
the catastrophe because later that night, all Gehenna broke loose and she was
taken by Ouroboros. “I won’t deny I was attracted to him and I know I shouldn’t
have been because I was a student and he was my Instructor. That’s why I put a stop to it before anything
else could happen…and I don’t think he took it very well.” Maybe that was why
he came up with the idea to put her in danger in the first place by using her
as bait.
Now that she thought about it, as
much as it hurt, that made a lot of sense.
“Being cut off or being rejected?”
Aurelia asked immediately, already knowing Rean wouldn’t hold being ‘cut off’
against a woman. She doubted he had a
thimble full of experience himself.
Being rejected on the other hand… that was a whole new ballgame, but she
didn’t see Rean putting someone in danger on purpose for rejecting him. “No,
don’t answer, it doesn’t matter. Suffice
to say, I know, knew, him well enough to say with all confidence that Rean did
NOT put you in danger’s way lightly or out of spite.” And now it was killing him
slowly.
“How did you know I was…never mind.”
That was a dumb question. Aurelia could
read between the lines and, somehow, she could always read Melyssa like a book.
“I would hope he wouldn’t. Even in the
short amount of time we knew each other, I trusted him to protect me as an
Instructor would.”
Rean was more than that to her,
though. Melyssa wasn’t sure what he was,
but it definitely went past a student/Instructor relationship. Was it love?
She didn’t know. She thought she
loved Crow for the longest time and he had put a kibosh on that. Then there was Ash…and her feelings were all
jumbled when it came to him.
“I trust your judgment more than
anyone, Aurelia. How should I go about
doing this? Who should I tell first?”
“Crow.” Aurelia said without even
needing to think twice. “After everything you did to bring his memories back
and how hard you worked to get to where you were, in honor of him… He hides it
well, but your disappearance affected him almost as greatly as it did
Rean. Crow is also the one most likely
to understand as well as help you break free of your chains with Ouroboros.”
Since he obviously had the most experience there. “Providing he isn’t already
aware of who you are and is just waiting on the right time to confront you.” Or
for her to finally admit it to him.
Sometimes, Crow Armbrust made
absolutely no sense to anyone, not even her.
Melyssa shut her eyes, looking away
from Aurelia and opened them to stare out the window, confliction rearing its
ugly head. “What if he wants nothing to do with me?” Her voice had gone quiet,
the trouble and fear evident in her voice.
“That’s a risk you will have to take,
Melyssa. I never said this would be
easy. Maybe he will be angry with you
and cut you off for a while, maybe he will tell everyone who you truly are,
or…maybe he’ll understand since he’s been in almost the exact same position you
are now.” That made Melyssa look back at her and Aurelia cracked the barest
hint of a smile. “There really is only one way to find out.”
Was it a risk she was willing take,
knowing Ouroboros was lurking and spying on her? McBurn had made it clear she was being
watched. The apartment had been set up
by Ouroboros, so more than likely, they had some way of keeping tabs on
everything she did. If she did tell
Crow, she would have to take him someplace away from the apartment building,
like she did with Aurelia. Granted,
Aurelia forced her to do this, but Melyssa didn’t fault her for it at all. Driving back to Crossbell City, she dropped
Aurelia off on the corner where her apartment building was, which was on the
other side of the city and went to her own.
Melyssa had a lot of thinking to do, deep down knowing what the right
decision was already.
“You look fantastic.”
“Don’t mind him, he got punched.” Crow
laughed, half carrying Ash up the sidewalk just as Melyssa got out of her now
parked car.
“She does look fantastic, like a
secretarial play doll…”
“He got punched hard. Someone came at Machias, who decided he
wanted an after-hours drink at his favorite pub.”
Crow shook his head, hoisting Ash up
when the pink eyed bonehead tried walking by himself. Machias was more than capable of defending
himself, but he wasn’t technically supposed too, he was in theory supposed to
have pristine, white hands, hence the bodyguards. Machias had been lamenting the loss of a
‘good and proper’ fight after Ash and Crow had stepped in.
“He wasn’t even targeting Mach, it
was just a random drunk… with a mean hook.” Ash muttered, shaking his head and
his hair shifted, revealing a lovely little bruised knot. “I’m fine.” He
shrugged his friend off of him, standing perfectly still. “Ow…”
“No, you’re not fine because you
can’t even walk straight.”
Melyssa quickly joined them and
draped Ash’s arm around her shoulders, looking up at him. This reminded her so much of when she found
him in the woods, burnt and bloody.
Together, they had gone down to the creek for some water and Crow and
Rean had found them in a…precarious position.
Ash had shielded her completely with his body, thinking it was whoever
had attacked the train coming to finish the job.
“Come on, one foot in front of the
other now. If you’re good, I’ll doctor
you up myself and maybe even kiss that knot on your head.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,”
He muttered, blinking wearily down at her and then flashed her a lopsided grin.
“Up to my place. His still isn’t unpacked.” Crow said, leading
the way inside and for once, they even took the elevator. Soon enough, between him and Lysa, Ash was
parked on his couch and Crow was in the kitchen, making an ice pack.
“You should get me a beer.”
“You should shut up and let Lys
finish cleaning that knot on your hard skull.” Crow shot back with a snort, but
he did get himself one, cracking it open quite audibly.
This reminds me so
much of the better days. I’ve missed
these two so much. Melyssa
shook herself mentally while continuing to clean up Ash’s wound, slapping a
bandage on it and kissed it, just like she said she would. “There, all
better. I told you if you were good, I’d
do it.” She smiled at him genuinely, seeing the twinkle in those pink eyes and
had to look away, cleaning the mess up from the first-aid kit. If I tell them
together, Ash will completely flip out.
Aurelia is right, if I’m doing this, it has to be Crow first, one on
one. I owe him that after forcing him to
remember me and then I left him…I hurt them all. “Crow?” She took his hand to pull him
further into the kitchen while Ash continued grumbling in the living room. “I
need to talk to you, but we can’t do it here.
It has to be somewhere…secluded.
I know a place on the outskirts of the city. Will you come with me tonight, after Ash is
sleeping?”
Now the good mood was gone and replaced
with caution, his fiery red eyes searching hers intently. “Any particular mode
of dress?” The question was casual, but the look on his face was not.
A ‘stranger’ wanted to take him to a
secluded place on the outskirts of the city… at night. Now, normally, he would have had a joke about
a beautiful woman and all that, but… she wasn’t exactly giving off the come
hither vibe right now. Crow had been
ambushed and lured into traps one time to many to fall for it again thanks to a
pretty, familiar place.
"No…" Melyssa did not blame him for being on guard and
skeptical. She was springing this on him out of nowhere.
What if this was a mistake?
What if this completely blew up in her face?
Was Aurelia right in believing Crow could help her reclaim her
life and leave Ouroboros? Don't lose your nerve now! "Midnight,
meet me at my car and... if you change your mind, I'll understand." She
stepped closer to him, searching those crimson orbs for any indication she
should back out of this idea. "Keep this between us. For now. I will see you tonight."
Right there was another bell ringing
an alarm in his head. Keep this between us. Right there, he could already envision his lifeless body being found
in a ditch outside of Crossbell somewhere.
Chances were, he’d be naked and his bank accounts drained. He made a mental note to not take any
personal items with him, like his wallet.
Crow was going to be stingy in death.
Bobbing his head to show he understood, he swept back towards Ash, who
was looking tired.
“You’ll live.” He pressed the beer
against the knot.
“I wish I wouldn’t, this hurts.” He
grumbled.
“Get some rest, Ash. I will see you guys later.”
Melyssa left the apartment and went
to her own, hating how twisted her stomach felt. It was in knots and it was only going to
intensify until she had the talk with Crow later that night. Food was not on the agenda, but she had to
eat something. Salad and small sandwich,
it was. She was also bringing her
Cutlass and crossbow, not taking any chances, just in case he wanted to fight
her after he heard what she had to say.
Chapter 57
The minutes, the hours, ticked by
very slowly.
Agonizingly slow.
Melyssa nearly cheered when the clock
struck 11:55 and she made her way down to her car, once again going out her
window. She was in training gear, again,
just in case, which consisted of shorts and a tank top, both molding to her
body and black. Melyssa also did
something else to alter her appearance and straightened her hair, braiding it
over her shoulder. The only thing that
was different about her was her ‘makeup’.
What nobody knew, not even Aurelia, was Melyssa wasn’t wearing actual
makeup. It was a mask Mariabell made for
her that made her face look absolutely flawless and perfect. Too flawless and perfect. She hadn’t removed it…yet. A little after midnight, Crow finally made
his way down and left the building, heading towards her.
“You’re late.” By 10 minutes.
“No, I’ve been watching you from the rooftop
over there.”
Crow pointed at the building behind
her, across the street. And he had
circled back, come downstairs and now here he was, fashionably late. He had been scouting her, watching what she
was doing, seeing if there was anyone with her, or if she had contacted
anyone. He had been scanning the area
for others who might have the same idea as him, rooftop perch. Crow was alive for a reason and that involved
being smart and sometimes even a little paranoid. He shrugged when she raised one of those
perfectly sculpted eyebrows.
“A guy can’t be too careful. I don’t know you.”
He knew Melyssa Brackett, he had no idea who the Gehenna this woman was.
“Hmm…yet you took the gamble and came
to meet me anyway, after spying on me.” Opening the passenger door, she didn’t
take her eyes off of him the same way he didn’t her, tapping her fingers on the
top of it. “Well come on then, Mr. Armbrust, care to take another gamble? I don’t think you’ll regret it and we’re
burning the night away.”
They really didn’t have a lot of time
to be sizing each other up and picking at each other. Melyssa slid behind the wheel and fired her
vehicle up, waiting patiently for Crow to decide whether he was coming or
staying put. A minute later, he
reluctantly slid in the passenger seat and shut the door, buckling up. Another minute later, she drove off down the
street and headed to the outskirts of the city, a million and one thoughts
rushing through her head. She could only
imagine what Crow was thinking and feeling at the moment; he was completely on
guard with her and tensed, coiled, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Instead of going to the same spot McBurn
found her the previous night – it was technically two nights ago now – Melyssa
went in the opposite direction, having a second spot in mind where she knew
they would not be disturbed.
“You’re not in any danger, if it
makes you feel any better. There’s no
ambush or attack waiting for you, no traps of any kind. And once you hear what I have to say, you will
understand why we had to go to these extremes to…talk.”
A gamble would have been coming
straight to her WITHOUT surveying the situation. The woman was either baiting him or he had a
thing for beautiful idiots. He knew he
had a thing for beautiful, baiting idiots, his eyes studying her thoughtfully.
“Maybe.” He agreed without agreeing,
his eyes on the side mirror, half expecting to find someone trailing them. the
sad part was, he wouldn’t be sure if was for her, him or them both. “For
someone who is so paranoid about speaking in the city, you’re very free with
your words in the car.” What if her car was bugged or something? What she was saying wasn’t anything definite
to anyone who might casually overhear, but someone who knew what they were
looking for?
Dead giveaway.
“The car is safe, the apartment
building isn’t and where we’re going is safe as well. And secluded.” Melyssa reasoned, focusing on
her breathing because she didn’t want to give anything away yet.
She still had no idea how she would
do this, reveal to him what he either already knew or suspected. Unless, Crow didn’t have a clue. No, he was smarter than that and Aurelia had
pinpointed her right away at City Hall.
The rest of the ride was made in silence until they arrived at their
destination. Not saying a word, they
both stepped out at the same time and Melyssa lead the way through the trees
into the wooded area.
“This should be far enough.” They
were about 20 minutes on the outskirts of Crossbell City and a quarter moon was
in the sky with a few clouds and stars. “I want to show you something,
Crow. And after I do, I’ll explain
everything.” She slowly turned to face him, waiting for him to nod once.
That was good enough for her. Taking a deep breath, Melyssa reached up and
began pulling what looked to be a layer of skin right off her face, starting at
the hairline and working its way down.
It literally looked like she was peeling her own face off, that’s how
real the mask was. Beneath it was the
real Melyssa, makeup free, with slightly dark circles beneath her eyes, a
slight scar on her cheek from the train attack and other little imperfections,
unlike the mask had. It even had ears
that mirrored hers perfectly, so there was no sign it was an actual mask.
Crow was silent for a long moment,
realizing what he and Ash had mistaken for make-up and contouring -things they
had learned about thanks to girls like Monique and Juna, women were weird- was…
not make-up. It had been that mask. It had been what had thrown them off, made
them semi-doubtful this was Melyssa.
“That’s just creepy, even by our
weird standards, Brackett.” He said after clearing his throat. His suspicions, hesitations aside, had been
confirmed and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hug her or throttle her first.
“Why?” He asked finally, his shoulders slumping. “No, where, where have you
been and why show yourself now?”
She said she would explain everything
to him and she meant it, lowering her eyes to the grass below. “With Ouroboros
training to become an Enforcer…against my will.
For two years, I was locked away and trained day in and day out, night
in and night out, with no freedom. The
Grandmaster wanted to recruit me and before you ask, no, I don’t know why. She won’t tell me, nobody will, and I’ve
asked several times. All I was told was
McBurn saw spirit in me and it was enough to convince the Grandmaster to come
after me, to get me into their ranks.”
Tears filled her eyes, remembering
that night she was taken away from everyone she loved and cared about. “He
would’ve killed you had I not agreed to go with them, Crow. You were knocked out, temporarily, you
couldn’t even stand. And Rean was on his
way and…I had no choice. I had to
protect you, Rean, my Mom, everyone, even my loathsome father.” They still
didn’t know Robert’s whereabouts. “The Grandmaster made a deal with me. I told her I would become an Enforcer, if she
stayed away from all of Class VII, old and new, at the time, and my mother. I insured everyone’s protection before agreeing
to anything. It was either that or…” She
shuddered violently, wrapping her arms around herself. “McBurn would do with me
as he pleased…I would have become his toy and he would have broken me in ways
that would’ve made me beg for death.”
Blinking tears away, she moved to sit
down in the grass, drawing her knees up to her chest. “Fast-forward two years
later, my first assignment and mission was to find out who was Crossbell City’s
new mayor. When I discovered it was
Machias, I reported the information to Mariabell, one of the Anguis’ of
Ouroboros and the Grandmaster ordered me to eliminate him. I refused.
I went to her and I told her I would not harm any of you, no matter what
happened to me. She could give me to
McBurn after everything, I didn’t care, but I would not harm my friends and
family. So, she decided to make me her
little spy within Crossbell City and ordered me to get close to the mayor, to
Machias, and report back everything I found out regarding his plans for
Crossbell City. Ouroboros wants to
eventually take it over and they were relying on me to relay any juicy
information they could use to their advantage.”
“Thing is I wasn’t planning on doing
anything like that. The reason I went
for the secretarial job was to be close to Machias to protect him, in case
Ouroboros struck. I didn’t realize you
and Ash were here, but even with you two and Machias, you wouldn’t stand a
chance against Ouroboros.” That was an unfortunate fact. “I also agreed to be a
spy to get away from them, to get to freedom again and then…I ran into an old
friend today and she convinced me to tell you everything. I was…hesitant to do it, but I trust her more
than most in this world and she did save my life, so I know she wouldn’t steer
me wrong. I know I hurt you and everyone
else, Crow, and I’m not looking for forgiveness. But I refuse to be Ouroboros’ puppet any
longer and I want my life back! I want
to be Melyssa Brackett again, not this puppet named Lysa Reynolds! I hate it, I hate wearing the masks and I
hate who I’ve become because I’ve never condoned lying and that’s all I’ve been
doing since rejoining society. Until
tonight…I feel free for the first time in two very long years.”
Crow was silent again for a very long
time, wondering if he had dreamt the last decade of his life. Huffing, he dropped down into the grass, just
staring at her. He had been a terrorist,
the Azure Chevalier, and all that other jazz and she had absolutely no faith in
his, or Rean’s, abilities to do anything apparently. That was just downright insulting. Add that to the guilt that she had so
strongly felt the need to protect them, seeing no other way, no other choice…
he didn’t know which way to go, what he should feel right now.
“I get your reasons.” He said
finally, grudgingly. Rean would have
done the same and Crow had always been the first to admit that Rean was a
jackass. “I’m really pissed with you though, Brackett.” She had MADE him
remember, for NOTHING except misery and pain.
Melyssa heaved a sigh, not knowing what
she expected, but at least he wasn’t trying to take her head off. “I know. And I’m sorry for making you worry about me
these past two years. If I could have
reached out to you, I would have.” She couldn’t; they had her under lock and
key for two straight years, which was how long it took to complete the Enforcer
training. “I don’t blame you for being pissed at me, Crow. You have EVERY right to be. And I know nothing will ever be the same
again between us.” Not even close, not even a fraction. “Just so you know,
though, it wasn’t that I didn’t have faith in your abilities or Rean’s to turn
the tides of what happened. No matter
how GOOD you two think you are with a sword and your guns and your
double-saber, you are NOTHING compared to McBurn or any of the Ouroboros
Enforcers or their Anguis’s. I was there
for two years straight, I saw how much power they have and it’s frightening,
Crow. I do not regret what I did that
night in Jurai to protect and save you and everyone else. You would have died; they don’t pull punches
and they don’t show mercy unless they get what they want. And what they wanted, for whatever reason
that night, was me. This all happened
because of me…and I still don’t have a damn clue why. It keeps me up at night, I don’t sleep very
well and it will probably haunt me for the rest of my life, knowing the train
attack happened because of me and us going to Jurai in the first place was all
for Ouroboros to get their hands on me.
It’s my fault and it’s my cross I have to bear, nobody else.”
“Well good, you bear it.” He snarked,
looking away from her and rest his head on his knees. “You do remember, I
survived a few wars, right? Some pretty
life and death situations?” She was terrified of McBurn and he couldn’t even
begin to imagine it because he knew what she was afraid of. What any woman was when it came to a man like
McBurn and that reason alone would have probably been enough for her to
surrender quietly, as long as THAT didn’t happen. “You going to tell Ash?” He
asked finally, quietly, looking more like the youth he still technically was,
and tired. He felt like a lost, tired little boy.
She had forced him to remember and
then in one painful night, he had lost everything he had regained.
“I want to. I want to tell him everything, like I just
did with you, but…” Melyssa knew she would sound like she was being a martyr
with what she said next, but it HAD to be said. “Ouroboros is still out there,
Crow. They’re lurking in the shadows and
they’re watching me, testing me, waiting to see what I’ll do. That’s why we couldn’t stay at the apartment
building to have this conversation. They
set the apartment up for me to live in and it was my job to find a way to get
closer to Machias to relay information to them.
And if they find out I told ANYONE who I really am, they will come and
they will destroy without batting an eye.
Crossbell City will be turned to ashes.” This group absolutely terrified
her and for good reason. “Machias made a mistake when he took this position
because he’s right in Ouroboros’ crosshairs now.”
“No, Machias knows that sometimes you
have to take a stand to do what’s right.” Crow informed her, his fiery red eyes
narrowing. “So, even though you just said you don’t want to lie anymore and you
want to be YOU again, you’re going to keep on lying and being… her?” She made
no sense. “The reason… organizations like Ouroboros get stronger, Melyssa,” He
said quietly, evenly. “Is because there are hundreds of people like you in
their ranks, terrified to make a stand.
Sometimes you have to throw it all to the wind and risk it.” He had
actually learned that from Rean because he had thought Rean was insane to
constantly go up against Ouroboros and yet… Rean was still alive. “You need to
let them know you’ve been compromised.” He informed her after another long
moment of silence.
Chapter 58
Grabbing him by the scruff of his
t-shirt he had on, Melyssa shook him none too gently. “No, I…I need your
help! I don’t know what I’m doing
anymore, Crow! I don’t know how to get
out of this and I damn sure don’t want to be HER anymore!” Melyssa didn’t
release his shirt, just pressed her forehead against his chest and let the
tears flow. “And I’m not telling them anything because I’m not part of
Ouroboros anymore! I…I…I just want to be
myself again! I want my life back!” Calm down, for the
love of the Goddess, calm down, Melyssa! She shut her eyes and channeled it all, breathing
in and out slowly, trembling from head to toe.
Slowly, she opened them to look up into those crimson eyes of her
childhood best friend. “Taking a stand against them means suicide, you know
that, right? You know we won’t stand a
chance by ourselves with just you, Ash, Machias and myself.” Even Emma, with
her magic, wouldn’t be enough. They
would need everyone, both old, new and newer Class VII, if they hoped to stand
a chance against Ouroboros. “I’ll take a stand as long as I’m by your
side. Yours, Ash’s and…Rean’s.”
If she was to die, at least she would
be with those she loved and cared about.
Crow began laughing at her, at this situation, at how absurd it
was. She had just said she ‘wanted’ too,
but Ouroboros was still out there.
Melyssa hadn’t changed, she was still emotional, but he supposed after tonight,
he couldn’t say a thing about it.
“You can’t ask for anything,
Melyssa.” He said gently, prying her head up. “All you can ask for is a chance
to explain.” And Ash would forgive her, mostly.
Rean… was not the same, he’d probably turn them away before they had a
chance to open their mouths. “And I’m sorry, but if you’re thinking of anyone
besides me and Ash, people are going to question your loyalty.” Just like his
had been questioned until he had proven himself, multiple times. “It isn’t that
easy, Lyssa.” The old nickname came out easily enough.
This was why she didn’t want to say
anything, to show who she truly was. It
was hopeless. Rean wouldn’t forgive
her. Ash, maybe. The rest of Class VII, both old and new, she
had no idea. Releasing his shirt
abruptly, she stepped back and swallowed down everything she felt, just like
she was taught to do. “I’m sorry for wasting your time and mine, then. Even though I had no choice that night unless
I wanted your blood and everyone else’s on my hands…you know what? It doesn’t matter anymore. What’s done is done…and I’ll find a way out
of this myself or die trying.” Slipping the mask back on, Melyssa ignored
Crow’s shudder as she transformed back into Lysa Reynolds. “It’s late, we need
to head back.”
Melyssa lead the way back to the car,
no other words spoken between them. Her
loyalty would be questioned – of course it would, even though Crow’s hadn’t
been. Everyone welcomed him back with
open arms, despite him being a terrorist!
Whatever, I’m done
trusting others and I need to start trusting myself only. Aurelia, you were wrong this time.
Crow was quiet for most of the trip
back to the city, finally shifting to look at her. “I don’t know what you want,
Lyssa.” He said finally. “You can’t expect me to not be mad, or for other
people to fall at your feet and understand.
Well, I understand and I know others would too, but that doesn’t change
anything. Class VII is among the best,
we all are, and a girl who nobody knew tells us all we’re dead without her
making sacrifices. Can’t you see it from
everyone else’s side?” And why was she guilt tripping him with her ‘even though
I had no choice’ stuff? He had enough
guilt from that night without her throwing it on him even more.
“I don’t want anything from you or
anyone else, Crow. I made my bed and I
will have to lie in it. I do see it from
all of your sides, just like I saw it from your side when I found out you were
alive, that you weren’t dead. Your
memories were gone and I was very understanding about it, after getting over
the initial shock of seeing you alive.
Despite everything you’ve done, you were forgiven. You were a terrorist and they all forgave
you, which is why I thought, if I revealed the truth to you, you would help me
make them see why I did what I had to do.
But I was wrong, and so was my friend.” Now, there was a risk Crow would
tell all of Class VII who she was and then Ouroboros would find out. Melyssa was living on borrowed time and she
knew it, pushing her fear and anxiety aside while driving them back to the
apartment building.
“I am TRYING to be understanding,
Melyssa, but you are making it very difficult.”
She was expecting him to bow at her
feet, profess his gratitude and tell her everyone else would fall in line. She kept pointing out she had saved them by
sacrificing herself. It was hard to be
understanding when she was basically throwing that fact in his face, she was
guilt tripping him into whatever.
Ouroboros had really taught her well.
That was an unkind thought and he shoved it aside immediately.
“You don’t KNOW about how or why I
was forgiven because you weren’t THERE.” She was in Jurai, doing whatever she
did. “I want to help you, but you can’t expect people to just fall in line
immediately, that’s not how human nature works and Rean is completely different
from before!”
“I DON’T WANT EVERYONE TO FALL AT MY
DAMN FEET!! I’M NOT EXPECTING
FORGIVENESS!! I JUST WANT OUROBOROS GONE
AND WITHOUT ALL OF US UNITED, IT WON’T HAPPEN!!
WE’RE ALL IN DANGER, CROW, ALL OF US!!” Melyssa screamed back at him,
gritting her teeth because he wasn’t seeing the big picture. He wasn’t seeing just how DANGEROUS and
LETHAL Ouroboros was. “And maybe I would’ve been there had you not ran away
when you were 13 to pursue a mad, ridiculous goal of killing the damn
Chancellor!! If you didn’t become a damn
terrorist and kill COUNTLESS people for your own gain!! It’s just crazy how I’m not a terrorist, and
I did what I had to do to protect those I love and care about, but yet, I’m not
good enough for forgiveness, not when it comes to the GREAT Azure
Chevalier!! Well, screw you, Crow! SCREW. YOU!” That actually felt really,
really good to say and Melyssa didn’t realize how much pent up anger she’d had
when it came to him and what he did.
Somehow, she managed to make it back to the apartment building, after
both raged at the other, and she cut the ignition. “The ball is in your court
now. Do with it what you want. Goodnight.” Stepping out of the car, she
headed inside, feeling emotionally and mentally drained.
Crow spent the night making calls
after thinking about what she had said.
She was right. Two years of
nothing and her joining Ouroboros meant nothing in the grand scheme of things
and she did deserve forgiveness. They
all had to be united and that meant they all needed to get over themselves and
listen to what she had to say.
Obviously, Ouroboros was a bigger problem than any of them realized and
Melyssa was the person in the know.
Bright and early, the majority of Class VII, the former Class VII
anyway, had been updated on the situation, even Rean. Rean was coming, they all were. They all knew not to go to the apartment, or
come together. He imagined within a few
days, the city would have been infiltrated by Class VII.
~!~
That following early morning, there
was a fist pounding on Melyssa’s door.
She did not want to be bothered and tried ignoring it, putting a pillow
over her head. Nope. It didn’t work. What in Gehenna was going on?
“Hold on!” She shouted out, still
half-asleep and nearly forgot to put her mask on. “I’m coming! Hold your damn horses!” Melyssa had no idea
where the damn fire was as she trudged to the door, flipping the deadbolt to
unlock it. “Whoever this is, it’s 6 in the damn morning and someone better be
dying!” She opened it and was instantly awake at who was on the other side.
Ash Carbide, recovered mostly from
his knot from yesterday, was standing there.
The knot had gone down quite a bit though the area was bruised, he was
hiding it with a bandana, his hair peeking out from over it. He grinned down at her, pink eyes twinkling
impishly.
“You need to get dressed, Ms.
Reynolds,” He said by way of greeting. “Remember, I promised to buy you
coffee.”
Of course he had done no such thing,
but thanks to Crow, he knew her apartment was bugged and Ouroboros was
listening in. She looked pissed, it was
early, but he had been up for a while. He
had done nothing but slept yesterday once getting home, he was AWAKE and full
of energy now.
“I’ll wait, meet you outside in 20?”
If she acted like she didn’t know
what he was talking about, if she was being watched at that moment, it would
look suspicious. Crow told him. “Oh Goddess, sorry! I forgot
about that. Yeah, 20 minutes and I’ll be
ready.” He nodded, sauntering away and she shut the door, heading to her room
to get dressed. Ash knew. Goddess, her stomach was already in knots
again. Pull
yourself together, Melyssa!
Pulling out an orange skirt with a
pink and orange top, she quickly dressed and then did her hair, just pulling it
back in a messy bun piled on top of her head.
The mask was still perfectly in place, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t
be for long once her and Ash were alone.
Taking a deep breath, she slipped her sandals on and headed outside,
looking perfectly calm on the outside, but on the inside, she was a mess.
Ash was waiting there, beside his own
ride, arms folded over his muscular chest.
His eyes raked over her, taking in all that orange and then focused on
her face. A mask. She was wearing a freaking mask that made her
look perfect. Crow had already informed
him that he would no longer trust ANY woman who looked overly perfect because
now he was creeped out. Ash didn’t blame
him, the thought of it WAS creepy.
“My lady.” He stepped aside,
gesturing to the orbal car.
She plastered on a smile since they
were in public and walked over to him, curtsying to him in a playful manner.
“Quite the gentleman you are, Mr. Carbide.” Melyssa’s nickname for him was
simply Carbide, but she couldn’t call him that, not out in the open like
this.
Slipping into the car, he shut the
door for her and Melyssa buckled up, staring straight ahead. The smile was gone as soon as they drove away
from the apartment and Melyssa prepared herself mentally and emotionally for
the verbal thrashing she was about to receive.
She didn’t dare ask where he was taking her either, keeping her hands
clasped in her lap. Her weapons were
with her, just in case; Melyssa never left the house without her Cutlass, at
the very least.
“Take the mask off, beautiful, it’s
creepy now that I know what it is.” Ash ordered once they had turned out of the
city, in the opposite direction of where she had taken Crow. Crow had told him everything and Ash had
pressed for every last detail, filing it all away. He watched from the corner of his eye, while
focusing on driving, as she reached up and began peeling it away, feeling his
stomach roll. “That is…not right.” He also got Crow’s ‘never trust perfection’
thing again, it was unsettling. “So I know you already recapped with Armbrust,
do it with me.”
“Why?
He told you everything already.”
“I want to hear it from YOUR mouth.”
Melyssa sighed, the mask laying on
her lap and Ash reached over to fling it in the backseat, acting as if it just
burned him. She frowned at his reaction,
not blaming him and agreed it was very creepy.
While he drove, she reiterated everything she told Crow, her reasoning
for going with Ouroboros that night in Jurai.
How she was forced to become an Enforcer, unless she wanted McBurn to
turn her into his personal toy.
“Just like I told Crow, I’m telling you
the same thing: I don’t know why they targeted me. I don’t know if it’s because of my Dad, or
what. They wouldn’t tell me and I asked
several times. All I know is McBurn said
he saw spirit in me and he went to the Grandmaster about it. The Grandmaster ordered him to recruit me, by
any means necessary, which is why the train was attacked on the way to
Jurai…and why we were directed to go to Jurai in the first place. It was all because of me and I don’t know why.”
There, he had all the details, all the information and she couldn’t meet his
eyes, instead staring out the window while he continued driving.
How far were they going to go?
“Okay, so you’re special.” Obviously,
she had survived two years with Ouroboros and was now back, willing to risk her
life yet again to lay it all on the line for them, to do the right thing.
“We’ll figure out the why later, or maybe we’ll never know. Either way, you’re here now.” He took a side
road, a dirt road, flashing her a look over the seat. “I’m not stopping by the
way, not for a while.”
Good thing they had the day off,
though since Machias was now apprised of the situation, Ash was pretty certain
he would be lenient about things. He
hadn’t seemed overly surprised by the Ouroboros spy in his office either. Now she was a little nervous because Ash
wasn’t verbally castrating her. In fact,
he sounded downright understanding and…happy.
Was that happiness? Maybe
relief? Melyssa looked at him, trying to
figure out where they were going and knew Ash wouldn’t hurt her. He would never do anything to hurt her.
“I’m no one special, Carbide. I don’t know what I am anymore or who I
am. And I don’t want anyone falling at
my feet,” Crow’s harsh words flowed back to her from the previous night. “I
don’t deserve forgiveness. I just want
Ouroboros gone.” More importantly, she wanted to destroy McBurn for everything
he did to her friends and, especially, her family.
Well, she was going to get it whether
she wanted it or not. If she was still
alive and had been targeted multiple times by Ouroboros, then she was
special. Crow had told him all about her
meltdown, she was completely different today.
“We all do.” He said quietly, turning
his attention back out the windshield.
It would happen. They would all be stronger together instead
of apart and he knew people may have issues falling in line and taking orders
from her, but she knew what the what was on the inside. Melyssa was their best bet when it came to
formulating and executing a plan.
Chapter 59
Crow made it clear to her not to
expect anything and all she could do was ask for help. He wasn’t wrong, as much as she hated
admitting it. At the very least, Ash
seemed to be forgiving and he was one of the most important people in her
life. They had only known each other
almost two months before all Gehenna broke loose, before everything fell apart
and disaster struck.
“I am sorry…for making all of you
worry about me. I told Crow if I
could’ve reached out, I would have, but they had me under lock and key for two
straight years. It was in some kind of
labyrinth, underground and I didn’t even see the light of day until I was
ordered to attend that party the Emperor threw to celebrate Crossbell City’s
liberation, the anniversary, and that was also the night Machias debuted as the
mayor. But I’m NOT sorry for what I did
because at least you all survived and are alive.” Melyssa wanted to make that
crystal clear.
“I understand.” Ash said with a nod,
reaching over to take her hand and gently squeezed, knowing actions would help
cement the words. “Emma and Celine aren’t too far away, Emma put up some
protective wards around an old cabin to make sure we aren’t found and nobody
can spy on us. Did Crow tell you that
everyone is coming over the next few days?” All in pairs or solo, and never
from the same direction. Now that it was
verified Ouroboros was in Crossbell City, none of them wanted to risk coming in
with the others.
Taking her hand, without any
hesitation, to comfort her, stirred something inside of Melyssa. Ash was always there for her, since day one,
even with his lude behavior and remarks.
Crow was supposed to be the one to do this, not him, and yet, here she
was, in a car, with Ash holding her hand like it was the most normal thing in
the world to do. It felt downright
foreign to her.
“N-No…”
It was 7 AM in the morning, 6 AM when
he came banging on her door and he ushered her out straightaway. She didn’t have time to talk to Crow or
anyone. Crow actually did it. He told EVERYONE, so that meant…Rean. Rean knew the truth. Emma and Celine knew…everyone knew and they
were coming. Was she about to have a
panic attack?
You told Crow the ball
was in his court and to do what he wanted, you fool! What did you think was going to happen?! Did you really think he wouldn’t tell the
others, especially his best friend?
Rean… Pulling
her hand away temporarily, Melyssa dug into her purse and pulled out the starry
night necklace, also never leaving anywhere without it. “I guess it’s safe to
put this on for now, then.” Clasping it around her neck, Melyssa shut her eyes
to relish the feeling and took Ash’s hand again, once mentally and emotionally
preparing herself for what was to come.
“You worry too much.” Ash laughed
once he had pulled up to what looked like a ‘rustic’ log cabin. Emma was here, he spotted her ride parked off
beneath some trees. “Did you feel the shift in the atmosphere when we came
in? It apparently is a friend or foe
system, it’ll let us in because it recognizes us. Anyone hostile, it deters.” Emma had upped
her game after the events of two years ago, the spells and protections she had
used for that night had sort of done what they were supposed to, but she had
been disappointed in the results.
They all had been.
Melyssa nodded, feeling a wave of
nausea hit her, but as fast as it came, it was gone. That had to be the magic barrier and
protection Emma put in place. “Yeah, I did briefly.”
Ash continued smiling at her and she
had no idea why he was so happy. This
wasn’t a happy affair, at least not to her.
She was literally about to walk into the lion’s den and Emma could
probably vaporize her in two seconds, if she wanted to. The witch was powerful – frighteningly
powerful. Hesitantly, she stepped out of
the car once Ash did and looked up at the log cabin, her mask left behind in
the backseat. There was no reason to put
it on here.
“Well, well, so it is true, then.”
Celine said by way of greeting, sashaying out of the door Emma made for her and
sat down on the steps, her eyes unreadable. “It really is you, isn’t it? I thought I smelled your scent during that
interview process, but I wasn’t 100% sure.
I really must be getting rusty in my old age.”
“You’re ancient, kitty cat, get over
it.”
Celine hissed at him.
“Yeah, it’s me, Celine. It’s…nice to see you again, you know, as me…”
“Hmph, I suppose it’s nice to see you
again too. And just a little friendly
advice, you really need to work on your lying skills. They suck.” Celine was straightforward and
blunt as ever. “Come on in, Emma has been waiting on you two to arrive. Crow should be here soon and Rean is on his
way. He’s leaving his new Class VII
behind since they’re all first years, but he did contact Juna, Altina, and Kurt
and they’re coming too.”
Oh great, Melyssa thought, really not wanting
to deal with Juna since they hadn’t been friendly with each other.
“Yay!
Machias said you were familiar or that you seemed familiar, and I KNEW
there was something about you the night we ‘met’ at that party.” Emma bounced
over, looking pleased with herself, which she was. “That mask… Crow told us all
about it, is creepy.”
Ash nodded his agreement. That was a main theme here, they all found it
creepy. Now they were all going to be
paranoid that anyone they looked out might be wearing a literal second skin.
“Gross, it’s gross.” He muttered, reaching up to tousle his hair, trying not to
think about it too much.
“Did you bring it? I would love to see it and Altina is already
talking about trying to copy it.” Emma pulled a face, shaking her head. Altina saw ‘practical’ purposes for something
like that.
“You want to SEE it?” When Emma nodded
enthusiastically, Melyssa shrugged and walked out of the cabin to retrieve it
out of the car. Ash was groaning,
ordering her not to do it, but she brought the thing in anyway. “Here it is. I have 5 more at the apartment. Mariabell said I needed ‘options’ for makeup
and whatnot, depending on what I wore.” She made a face, handing it over to
Emma, who looked completely fascinated by it.
“Okay, that is creepy. Wow.” Celine pawed at the mask and couldn’t
believe how THIN it was with all that detail. “Did she make it with magic? I don’t sense any coming from it…”
“No, I don’t know how she made
them. I didn’t watch her, she just gave
them to me and said they would hide my imperfections.” Like the faint scar on
her cheek, for example.
“Just imagine it, there’s a creepy,
face making factory out there and there are probably hundreds of Ouroboros
agents wearing these things.” Emma said after a moment, feeling it. It was very
lifelike, that was kind of morbid, what if they were harvesting and then preserving
the faces of dead people? She could see
that happening. “It’d be perfect if it allowed you to imitate other people, but
this contours to your bone structure.” Which was why Melyssa had seemed
familiar, but at the same time, she had been totally different. “Altina is
going to love this.” Altina was beyond weird but useful, so they all tolerated
her weirdness.
“At least someone will.”
Melyssa couldn’t believe they were
standing here, having a friendly conversation about her mask. That was what she called it, but she had no
idea what exactly it was. That was what
Mariabell referred it, so she had just stuck with the term.
“Damn it, Emma, thanks for the
nightmares I’m going to have about Ouroboros agents running around wearing
those damn things!” Ash growled, not appreciating the mental image the witch
gave him and shook his head. “You’re never wearing those again, Melyssa.” He
ordered, turning his attention on her. “We’re burning them…after Altina gets
her fill.”
Melyssa didn’t want to start a fight
or argument with Ash, so she just nodded to keep the peace and tucked the mask
back inside her purse for the time being. “I’ll give it to Altina when she gets
here.”
"She'll have four more back
home." Emma reminded him with an overly innocent smile, snickering when he
growled at her.
"Rean won't make it today. I think Altina will be the first. Everyone is going to trickle in slowly, so we
don’t arouse suspicion." Change of subject, before he threw up. If they could do that with faces... What
about bodies?
Good, gives me more
time to prepare myself to face him again. “That’s good. We’ll have to
head back into the city tonight and…” Ash shook his head firmly and Melyssa
frowned, suddenly noticing all the beds that were in the cabin. “Wait, we’re
STAYING here?”
“Hiding out, actually. Machias is coming too. He’s already given an emergency notice to his
staff and they will handle things while we slowly reunite and figure out what
we’re going to do.” Emma explained, seeing the fear cross Melyssa’s face and
wished there was a way to ease them. “You’re safe here, Melyssa. And Ouroboros is going to find out sooner or
later you are no longer with them. Might
as well rip that band-aid off as soon as possible.”
Ash had brought her under false
pretenses, but then again, she hadn’t asked him where they were going. IDIOT, YOU’RE AN
IDIOT! “I’m just
gonna step outside for some fresh air.”
“Just so you know, if you try to
leave the barrier, it will electrocute you.” Emma made sure they would ALL be
trapped here. Nobody was running away
anymore.
“Got it.” Melyssa left the cabin and
sat down on the steps, burying her head in her hands. They’re going to know
now. If they didn’t before, they will now
and McBurn will be hunting for me. I
have to be prepared.
Crow had also mentioned that she had
seemed sort of wishy washy on the whole ‘being her true self’ and ‘not lying’
last night… Crow was a good friend, she would appreciate it in time, they were
sure. Crow wasn’t on board with the
whole group showing up and shacking together, however, he had been very vocal
against that. Why was it when things
like this happened, people thought the best source of action was to become a
giant fricking target? He would never
understand it. Terrorists were
successful because they operated in small packs and never put everything in one
basket.
Personally, Melyssa would have agreed
with Crow…on the whole shacking up together idea. This was a bad, BAD idea all the way
around. Melyssa wasn’t liked by a lot of
Class VII and she knew it. She didn’t
get along with Juna, for one. Emma was
freaking her out by treating her like a normal human being. Ash was…Ash.
Altina had arrived and only said a couple words to her before flying
off, without the barrier, with the mask in hand to ‘examine’ and ‘study’ it
with Claimh Solais. Nightfall came,
along with dinner, and Melyssa barely ate anything before heading back outside. She’d been secluded for so long and the stars
were beautiful, twinkling down at her.
She heard the door open and close, already knowing who was coming to
join her.
“I’m not going to change my mind, you
know.” Melyssa spoke, continuing to look up instead of at Ash. “And I’m not
going to do anything stupid by running off and getting myself electrocuted
either.” Crow still hadn’t arrived, which was making everyone on edge since he
was supposed to be here by now. She
wondered if Ouroboros had gotten their hands on him again and immediately
dismissed that thought, knowing worrying themselves silly wouldn’t solve
anything.
“They told you about the barrier
then?”
Rean raised an eyebrow when Melyssa
whirled around to gawk at him, taking in her proper face. He had flat out told her before he didn’t
trust her and now he knew why. Her face
had been wrong, her voice had been wrong, she had just been all wrong. Now, now she was right. His fuchsia eyes took in her face, noting the
scar and reached out, cupping her cheek for a brief moment before pulling it away.
“Crow’s been in touch, he ran into a
work related issue with Machias.” He said quietly, taking a step back to give
her space.
What was he doing here?! Emma said he wouldn’t be here tonight, didn’t
she? Melyssa knew she didn’t hear the
witch wrong, so either Emma lied or Rean decided to surprise them all with his
appearance. “Oh.” She could not think of anything else to say to him, her own
eyes guarded.
However, touching her cheek sent that
familiar warmth throughout her body. The
same warmth she felt every time they sparred together. That night they walked the academy grounds
and ate gelato together. The necklace he
gifted her currently around her neck for her birthday…all those moments flooded
through her and she couldn’t stop the tears building in her eyes.
Don’t cry, don’t you
dare cry! Blink them back, stand
strong! This is not the time to get
emotional! “Emma
warned me, in case I tried making a run for it, earlier. Are Crow and Machias going to be all right?”
“Yeah, they’ll be fine. Some of
Machias’ proposed policies are pissing off some of the older families here in
Crossbell, nothing we haven’t heard before.” Rean dropped down into the grass,
shaking his head before laying backwards, folding his hands beneath his head.
“Two years, Melyssa,” He said quietly, his eyes on the stars now. “I was so
scared that they killed you.” Or worse, given that McBurn had shown an
unnatural, predatory interest in her.
Rean wasn’t sure if he was relieved she had been alive and training with
Ouroboros or not, which was not a good thought and he kept it to himself.
Ash had gone back inside, leaving
them alone and his words cut right through her heart, hearing the pain in them.
“Sometimes, I wish they would have.” Melyssa sank down on the grass beside him,
still giving him plenty of space and she finally let those tears fall, drawing
her knees up to her chest. It was the
same position she sat in while talking to Crow and explaining everything. “I
couldn’t reach out to anyone, Rean. They
had me underground in some kind of labyrinth.
I didn’t see the light of day or the stars at night for two years…I was
isolated and I trained from sunup to sundown.
And it was either become an Enforcer or…McBurn’s toy. I chose to protect myself…and all of
you. That was my deal with the
Grandmaster. None of Class VII, old and
new, or my mother would be harmed. She
accepted and my training started.” That shudder…she couldn’t suppress it just like
she couldn’t with Crow the previous night. “I’m sorry for worrying you…” She
couldn’t look at him, her heart felt as if it might explode from all the
anguish, pain and guilt it was filled with.
Crow had already explained all of
this. She had pulled the same move that
Rean himself would have if the positions would have been reversed. All the logic against ‘why’ and knowing
better than to cave because caving and not standing, and sometimes dying, for
the right thing meant Ouroboros was not only winning the short game, but the
long game. But he would have made the
same move. Rean had been sick and torn
up for two years, knowing HE had put her in that position. He had used her as bait because of McBurn’s
unnatural obsession with her and if he hadn’t… she wouldn’t have been taken.
Chapter 60
“You have to stop blaming yourself for
what happened, Rean. None of this is
your fault. It’s nobody’s fault except
Ouroboros.” And mine since I’m the reason they came in the first place. “I know that’s what you’ve been doing
these past two years. Blaming yourself
for me being taken and thinking you used me as bait. I’ve got news for you, even if you didn’t
instruct me to meet with my father, I was going to do it anyway. I wanted answers for what he did to Papa and
my Mom, to our family. It was personal
for me and I shouldn’t have let my emotions get the better of me, but I
did. I didn’t care what the consequences
were. And I don’t regret saving Crow, my
Dad and all of you because, had I not gone, McBurn would have destroyed all of
you in front of me. He would have made
me watch, he’s told me so on many occasions.” She wiped her tears away, finally
looking up at the stars. “So please…please stop blaming yourself for what
happened. Nobody knew what was going to
happen and we couldn’t have known it was all an elaborate plot by Ouroboros to
begin with. You know that.”
“Sure, Melyssa,” Rean gave her a sad,
twisted little smile and shook his head. “I’ll stop blaming myself when you
stop feeling guilty over everything.”
He wasn’t surprised when she blinked
and then looked away from him. Yeah,
exactly. It was always easy to tell
people ‘don’t feel bad, don’t blame yourself, etc.’, but the truth of the
matter was it wasn’t as easy to STOP feeling those things. Her own mother had helped her father escape
that night, nobody had gotten answers to any of their questions. Not her, not him… and now her family was
missing in action.
“You know, you could run. We could help you disappear.” She didn’t have
to do this, fight this again, because she had a lot more than the rest of them
to lose this time around.
She started laughing at that
ridiculous suggestion and immediately shook her head, the smile on her face
full of sadness. “No.” Her voice changed, a darkness tinging it. “This is my
fight more than anyone else’s. Like I
told Crow, it’s my cross to bear. They
forced me to become an Enforcer. They
took me away from everyone I ever loved and cared about. They isolated me for TWO years from the
world, all to try to turn me into a killer of their making. They KILLED my Papa, took my father and
forced my mother out of her home, forced her to start her life over. They have destroyed COUNTLESS lives and have
shed way too much innocent blood. And
you’re telling me I should run away like a coward? I’d rather die than be a coward, Rean. If I die, at least it will be on MY terms and
not as their damn puppet.” McBurn would die; she would find a way to kill him,
no matter if she went down with him.
Melyssa was just one of many with the
same story in Zemuria. Rean imagined
this played out a lot more often than people knew. Ouroboros just had that kind power, that kind
of grip on the country. Her fight more
than anyone else’s… he smiled sadly, looking away from her.
“It doesn’t change the fact that
we’re all here again. Gathering in a
large group again, preparing to go up against them… again.” She would have
help, her friends, backing her in a way they hadn’t before. “When this is all over
with, what will you do, Melyssa Brackett?” Hopefully not put back on one of
those atrocious masks.
That was a question she didn’t know
the answer to. “I really don’t know, to be honest.”
She didn’t expect to survive this
battle. McBurn would be gunning straight
for her and they could use that to their advantage. The Grandmaster wouldn’t be involved, she
always left it to her Enforcers and Anguis’s to take care of the job for
her. To clean up the messes she made.
“Haven’t thought that far ahead, just
taking one day at a time.”
Following the way of the sword wasn’t
an option. She had tainted it the moment
she agreed to become an Enforcer of Ouroboros.
It hurt her, but she had enough pride and honor in the sword not to
pursue that path any longer.
“What about you, Rean Schwarzer?” Now
she looked at him, the dark tinge in her tone gone. “What will YOU do?”
Rean fell silent again as he
considered that. He had no desire to
teach anymore. He knew he couldn’t be
‘friends’ with his students, and he had never been good at towing the line with
friendly and friend, he cared too deeply and it bit him in the backside. Kind of like two years ago. He had no interest in joining a faction. To be honest, Rean was tired of fighting, of
waging war against Ouroboros. He felt
weary and he wasn’t even that old.
“Would it be selfish of me to say I
want to retire?” He asked finally, resting his head against his kneecaps, legs
drawn partially to his chest. “With everything going on, I know there really
isn’t… it isn’t an option, not when there’s always another battle looming,
another crisis to deal with, but sometimes, I think I’d like to just… put my
Tachi up and call it a day. At least for
a while.”
“So do it. That’s not selfish at all. You’ve given more than enough of yourself and
your time to the fight, Rean. Like you
said, there’s always going to be another crisis, another battle…that doesn’t
mean you have to be involved in all of them.
You’re a person too.”
A person, a man, she loved.
Not a day went by she didn’t think
about him while she was gone. However,
she knew in her heart she could never have him; there was too much damage done
between them. “I would not blame you one bit if you retired to your hometown
and spent the rest of your days soaking in a hot spring.” None of them were
that old, honestly, but after everything they’d been through, Rean and Crow
especially, they had definitely aged a lot more than they should have. “I gave
up the way of the sword two years ago…and I’m not going back to it after
this. Maybe I’ll put my Cutlass and my
Crossbow up.” That made Rean look at her with a raised brow and she shrugged.
“They said swordsmanship wasn’t enough for me, I needed something more, so I
was forced to train with a Crossbow. It’s
not bad, actually, but nothing compares to my Cutlass.”
She wouldn’t be able to follow the
path of Eight Leaves One Blade. Not many
people could, to be honest. It’s style
was open to those who wielded katanas, or Tachis, it would have been interesting
to see a Cutlass practicing that path and, currently, he could count the known
practitioners on both hands, only because he would need that sixth finger. But there were other practices open to her,
ones less stringent on honor and he looked away, considering that. Was her
honor tainted because she had joined Ouroboros? If it had been done for noble
reasons, and one legitimate, coerced reason. No woman wanted a McBurn in her
life. “Crossbow is a ranged weapon.” He said finally, offering her some ‘Instructor’
Rean. “It makes sense to be trained on one, assassination is a thing with
Ouroboros.”
There was no way she’d ever follow
the Eight Leaves One Blade. That wasn’t
the path she wanted to follow in the first place. The way of the sword was simply honing skills
with a sword and putting full devotion, time and effort into it. Everything.
There were other paths in the way of the sword she could follow, but she
wouldn’t. Melyssa believed she was
tainted for good now that she was an Enforcer of Ouroboros. Nothing would be able to cleanse her.
“I know. And no, I’ve never assassinated anyone. They wanted me to with Machias, but I told
the Grandmaster no. That was why she
made me a spy instead and sent me to live in Crossbell City.”
Laying back in the grass finally,
Melyssa stared up at the stars like Rean had, her hands as her sides. For once in the past two years, she felt
completely relaxed and didn’t feel the need to look over her shoulder. Was that Emma’s magic? Emma would have told her no it wasn’t. It was simply Melyssa finally relaxing and
letting her guard down for the first time in two years. That was probably a very magical feeling
after being a captive of fear for so long.
Her magic helped of course, in terms of keeping them off the grid and
protected, but it was for tonight only.
Crow had sent word that they would NOT be congregating like the last
time. Machias had to continue on as
mayor, he and Ash as security and the safest thing for Melyssa to do would be
carry on business as usual while they formulated a game plan.
Crow didn't want to be part of a
giant bullseye.
Rean didn't say a word. He just took her hand in his and squeezed
gently. Her heart began to pound harder
and faster, like a beating drum, and it wasn’t fear she felt. This was something different, something she
couldn’t quite comprehend. Melyssa
turned her head to look at him the same time he did and their eyes locked, teal
mixing with fuchsia. Goddess, what was
this feeling? What was this warmth
inside of her? Why did she feel it every
time she was near Rean? That kiss
filtered through her mind, that memory in the clearing, the way his lips felt
against hers, the way their sweaty bodies aligned together and the taste of
him. It was a taste she had committed to
memory. Looking away from him, Melyssa
clasped his hand in return and moved to lace their fingers together, once again
staring up at the stars.
“I missed you while I was gone,
Rean. Not as my Instructor or even my
friend…but as something else. You never
left my mind and I kept the memories with you I have close. They were the only thing that got me through
the isolation and constant darkness. Ash
and Crow helped too, but…it was mostly you.”
Idly, Rean had to wonder if she knew
how Ash felt about her. Rean had been
devastated by the events of that night and Ash's devastation had rivaled
his. They hadn't been on friendly terms
until… well, they still had their own issues they would eventually have to sort
out. All of those issues centered around
the woman beside him. He rolled so he
was on his side, staring down at her, not letting go of her hand.
"I missed you too." He did
not miss the dream he had had of her that night though.
Now he wondered if it was a
premonition of sorts.
No, she didn’t have a clue how Ash
felt about her and she didn’t want to know.
The man she wanted to be with was beside her and Melyssa knew deep down
she loved him. She loved Rean Schwarzer. She had fallen in love with her
Instructor. Ash was her best friend and
he would always be a huge part of her life, along with Crow, but her feelings
for Rean went deeper than friendship.
“You did?” He affirmed with a nod and
she reached her hand up to caress his face gently, after turning to lay on her
side to face him. “Rean, that day in the clearing…I was scared. I was scared of how intense my feelings for
you were. I never meant to hurt you or
reject you. That is the only thing I
regret is how we parted ways that day.”
Rean shook his head, catching her
hand and held it to his cheek. "It doesn't matter anymore Melyssa, I did
understand your reasons. At that exact
moment… that was ego and other issues." Like his body informing him that
being cock blocked sucked and then he had that terrible, messed up dream that
had actually woken him up and had him soaked in sweat. "Once we get you
free from them… Then there may be time for us."
“We have time for us right now.”
Scooting closer to him, her lips were mere inches from his and Rean pressed his
forehead to hers, his arm wrapping around her waist. “I don’t know what the
future holds for us or if we’ll even survive what’s coming. But I DO know we shouldn’t waste the time we
have and we should live for the moment.
As far as I’m concerned, I AM free of them because I will never go
back…”
“You have to. For now, until we come up with a plan.” Crow
had made a good point that they couldn’t just all band together and become one
huge target. “You should continue wearing those masks and being Lysa Reynolds
until we find a way to stop them for good.
That also means being Machias’ secretary and that also means pretending
you are still on Ouroboros’ side.” It would all be temporary.
They wanted her to wear those masks
still? They wanted her to still be Lysa
Reynolds? “But Crow said…” She was more confused than ever and pulled away from
Rean to sit up, her brows furrowed. “What was the point of this then? What was the point of Ash bringing me all the
way out here and what’s the point of you being here if we’re just gonna go back
to the way things are?” I’m such an idiot! Why
did I think this could be solved in the blink of an eye? Nothing is ever that easy or works that
way! Then why did Crow berate me the way
he did?
“No, Machias knows
that sometimes you have to take a stand to do what’s right.” Crow informed her,
his fiery red eyes narrowing. “So, even though you just said you don’t want to
lie anymore and you want to be YOU again, you’re going to keep on lying and
being… her?” She made no sense. “The reason… organizations like Ouroboros get
stronger, Melyssa,” He said quietly, evenly. “Is because there are hundreds of
people like you in their ranks, terrified to make a stand. Sometimes you have
to throw it all to the wind and risk it.”
Narrowing her eyes, Melyssa could
feel her temper rising, remembering Crow’s words as they penetrated through
her. “I won’t be me again until this is all over. I’ll have to keep lying and being this puppet
named Lysa Reynolds until we can stop them.” What made her think she was broken
free of Ouroboros by simply telling Crow and coming here? “Crow said to throw
it all to the wind and risk it. That’s
what I did…and it means nothing since I have to keep lying anyway.” She really
hated Crow right now.
"To be fair to Crow, it wasn't
his idea. He wanted to just throw
everything to the wind and risk it, a full out confrontation." Rean
admitted with a frown, knowing it probably didn't make her feel any better.
"Machias is the one who said no.
He's afraid Ouroboros will put citizens in the crossfire or accelerate
whatever plans they have for Crossbell if we come out swinging and you're
batting for us."
That did sound more like Machias than
Crow, she begrudgingly admitted, only to herself. “I don’t blame him,
honestly. It’s a smart strategy,
especially for all the citizens of Crossbell.
They’ve been through enough to last them several lifetimes.”
So, until this was completely over,
she had to continue being Lysa Reynolds and wearing the masks. She couldn’t be herself like she desperately
wanted to. And she definitely couldn’t
be with Rean like she wanted to either.
“I’m on your side, regardless of what
that mask shows, Rean. I will never hurt
any of you. I should head back tonight,
with Ash, to keep this going…” Melyssa didn’t want to leave though, already
feel the tears building in her eyes and looked away from him.
“Yeah, you probably should.”
Why had he come early when they were
only saying goodbye again? Rean didn’t
like this feeling, he didn’t like feeling, period. He had done so well, isolating himself off
and building those walls because he had known after the last time, he couldn’t
do it anymore. He couldn’t keep caring
and over investing himself in people, or her, it had shredded him. Yet here he was, with her, and they were
putting the greater good ahead of themselves.
Without another thought, he rolled so he was hovering over her, arms
braced on either side of her head, his eyes searching Melyssa’s intently. A second later, his lips were on hers.
If they were parting ways again, it
would be with a promise that this wasn’t done between them.
Goddess, was this really
happening? Melyssa returned the soft
kiss that quickly exploded into something more…something fiery. It’d been two years since she felt his lips
on hers and she longed for it, even having dreams about it. Every night she woke up and he wasn’t there,
a piece of Melyssa’s heart would shatter.
Now, it was slowly piecing itself back together again because this was
real, this wasn’t a dream. Her fingers
delved in his black hair and the moment his tongue swiped across her lips, she
gave him the invitation. The taste of
him…it was just like before, like she remembered, maybe even better. Melyssa didn’t want to leave him. She didn’t want to be away from him ever
again. As soon as they had to break the
kiss for oxygen, Melyssa kept him right where he was by wrapping her legs
around his waist, pinning him against her.
“I…I love you, Rean.” If he didn’t
feel the same way about her, it was all right, but this may have been her only
opportunity to say the words. “Not as the Ashen Chevalier, not as my former
Instructor, not as the Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves or a friend. I love you for YOU, the man behind all of
that.” She pressed her lips against his, very softly and tenderly. “And I’ll
always be waiting for you.”
Rean had to discreetly pinch himself
because that dream popped into his head.
Two years ago and he was still worried he may be having a repeat
experience. Melyssa turning into
Shirley, a sword at his throat, no thanks.
She loved him… and not for his titles, which were useless and he had
proven many times that he didn’t deserve them, but for him.
“This will be over soon.” He
whispered against that finger, kissing the side of her mouth when she moved it,
and then they’d be able to be together. “I love you, Melyssa Brackett.”
He really did. She could see it boiling in his eyes and feel
it in the way he held her and kissed her. “We have tonight. I’m not leaving you, not yet.” Ash would
probably want to stay over as well, just to get away from everything and they
could travel back in the early morning. “Let me stay with you tonight, Rean.”
He nodded, wanting the same thing and she kissed him again, this time harder
and deeper, both getting completely lost in each other. “Come to the back with
me. I want to be completely alone with
you.”
There was a small area she had
ventured to earlier that day and, unless someone came to hunt them down, nobody
would think to go back there. Rean stood
up, extending his hand to her and Melyssa took it, pulling him toward the back
of the log cabin. Once she was sure it
was safe and they were alone, Melyssa released his hand and lifted her shirt up
over her head, tossing it to the side.
She then stepped up to him and pushed his white jacket from his
shoulders, unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt before removing it as
well. Softly, tenderly, her lips began
gliding across his chest scar, their toned bodies pressed firmly together.
Before, two years ago, Rean had known
she was a virgin because she had told him outright her only ‘experience’ had
come from those disastrous moments with Crow.
He had to wonder, with how confident she appeared to be, if her virgin
status had changed. A gentleman didn’t
ask, however. He would chalk it up to
the fact that she was a more confident woman, her training would have seen to
that.
“Melyssa…” It came out a soft hiss as
she began kissing up along his collarbone, settling his hands on her hips and
pulled her lower half flush against him, letting her feel the erection he was
now sporting, thanks to her.
“Rean…” It came out a breathy moan
and she looked up at him, feeling his lips softly caress hers. “I’ve dreamt of
doing that to your scar for the past two years.” She smiled somewhat
sheepishly, her cheeks reddening. “I’ve always thought your scar was very
sexy.” Slowly, she gliding her fingertips down it, enjoying the effect she was
having on him. Good, she didn’t want to
be the only one who burned with desire. “I want to try something else, if you
don’t mind?” Now Melyssa sounded more like a virgin and she lowered to her knees,
pushing on his shoulders to make him go with her. “Lay on your back.” Once he
obeyed, she straddled him and began tracing that scar with her tongue, gliding
her nails down his sides.
Chapter 61
Of all the things to have an
attraction for, his unsightly scar was NOT the first thing Rean would have
guessed. The weight of her body and the
feel of her legs straddling him, this was what he imagined both heaven and
Gehenna felt like, a strange combination of the two, pleasure and pain. The pain was coming from the pleasure,
wanting to take over and lay her down in the grass and do to her what she was
doing to him.
He wanted to kiss all over her body,
he could just imagine tracing his tongue down along the- “Goddess, Melyssa!”
She had working those kisses downwards.
Judging by the tone of his voice,
Melyssa surmised he enjoyed what she was doing to him and kept going, getting
lost in kissing down his chest. This man
had an amazing chest and he was chiseled out of stone. When her lips touched the waistband of his
boxer/briefs, she finally looked up at him and a hint of fear entered her
gaze. Did she really want to go
further?
She wanted to make him feel good, but
at the same time… “I-I’m not sure how to do this, Rean…” Goddess, she was
ruining the moment between them with her trepidation. Again, she couldn’t help it being a virgin
and never even experiencing foreplay. “D-Do you want me to…um…”
Well, that answered the question he
had been curious about but not curious enough to be a total bastard and
ask. Melyssa Brackett might have possessed
some confidence, but the woman was still a virgin. Why that made him smile and feel a bit
relieved was beyond Rean, but he was chalking it up to his own minute
experience in the bedroom.
"Only if you want too." He
even managed to say it softly and without too much need in his tone, which did
come out slightly strained.
Actually, this would probably go
smoother if she were more relaxed. He nudged
her up, sitting up and drew her legs around his waist, beginning to kiss down
the column of her throat while his fingers moved to caress the bare expanse of
her stomach. Goddess, his lips felt
incredible on her neck and her fingers instantly delved in his haphazard hair,
gripping it. Her head tilted back,
giving him full access to her neck and she was glad she had braided her
hair. It kept it out of the way.
“Rean…”
She felt his fingers at the clasp of
her bra and she pulled back enough to look into his eyes, silently giving her
approval with a nod. Melyssa trusted him
completely and felt the bra loosen moments later before he pulled the straps
down her arms until her breasts were exposed.
Rean set it down beside them and began kissing down her neck and throat
again, moving to the other side and his warm hands massaged her breasts, her
nipples already hardened. There was
warmth pooling in her panties, a wetness and she may have been a virgin, but
Melyssa knew what that meant. She was
ready for him to claim her, hopefully forever and not just this starry night.
Rean moved the palm of his hand to
the small of her back, guiding Melyssa until she was leaning away from
him. Even with his own minimal
experience, he knew to go with what felt good and natural, his confidence
surging when he heard her breathy gasp as his mouth replaced his hand, plucking
her hardened nipple with his lips.
Anything with her would feel this way, he hadn't felt desire for another
woman in a long time. He moved to her other
breast, paying it the same attention.
What was he doing to her?! That warmth in her body had erupted into
full-blown flames! Melyssa felt like she
was on fire and couldn’t pull her eyes away from him, watching his mouth and
tongue circle her nipple. Why did that
feel so good? From the way he expertly
kissed and touched her, Melyssa guessed he wasn’t a virgin like her. That was fine. It didn’t bother her; at least one of them
would be experienced when it came to actual penetration.
Everyone thought, at one point, Rean
would end up with Alisa Reinford, but they never made it happen. Rean went his way to Leeves to become an
Instructor and Alisa remained in Roer as one of the Reinford Companies
executives. They had been sweethearts,
somewhat, throughout the civil war, even when they were forced to part ways,
but after all was said and done, they were never able to come together.
Eventually, Rean lay her down in the
grass, moving so he was hovering over her with his weight braced on his elbows.
"Is this all right?" He asked in a husky rumble, his own body
quivering from both what he was doing to her along with anticipation of what
was coming. He'd probably use his Tachi to remove a head from shoulders if
someone interrupted them right now and it wasn't a life or death situation.
At Melyssa’s nod, he worked his way
lower.
She watched him, her eyes nothing
more than a deep turquoise liquid smoldering down at him. Her mouth was dry and she lifted her hips
when he began pulling her shorts and panties lower. Rean was going to completely expose her and
she wanted it, the cool night air doing absolutely nothing for her heated skin
and blood.
“Rean…” Her thighs were trembling as
he began descending those lips and tongue further down, starting at the crease
where her legs pelvis met before doing her inner thigh. What is he…oh
GODDESS!! Melyssa shut
her eyes at the first feeling of his tongue against her nethers, her body
breaking out in a thin perspiration.
She couldn’t speak, her moans however told Rean what he was doing was
right on point.
Now this Rean had done before once or
twice and with a woman who had had no issues in 'teaching' him how to pleasure
the opposite sex. It had been awhile,
but it was a bit like riding a bicycle, he picked it back up quickly. Melyssa tasted divine and he found himself
working her into a frenzy just so his greedy self could keep lapping at her
sweet juices, she was almost getting him drunk.
"Mmmm…." He rumbled, adding
a single finger to the mix to stimulate her further, though he was mindful not
to go to deep, hard or fast, feeling her body tensing around the single digit.
“R-Rean…” She gasped out, feeling
something stirring inside of her, building, and she knew it had to be an
orgasm. Her first ever orgasm. Melyssa hadn’t completely erupted for him
yet, but she was on the brink and clutched his hair in her fingers, bowing her
body to where he had to hold her down with his forearm. “Rean!” Her soft cry
echoed in the night, not caring who heard her and felt that hot flood leave her
body for him to devour. That feeling was
euphoric, better than she could have imagined and Melyssa wanted to experience
it again. “Aidios…oh Aidios, I can’t…breathe…”
Good, that was good. It meant he had done his job and done it well. Rean pulled his face out from between her
quivering thighs, licking lips clean of her essence while he stared up into her
flushed face, his own fuchsia eyes dark with his own desire. He gave her about thirty seconds before he
buried his face right back, running his tongue up her slit and then sucked her
clit between his lips, feeling her body tending all over again. He could easily become addicted to the taste
of her as well as the feeling of her fingers entwined in his hair.
By the time her third climax tore
through her body, Melyssa was at his mercy and trying to scoot away from him,
shaking her head. “N-No more…No more! I
c-can’t take it…” Rean growled, pulling her back to feast on her some more and
she was so sensitive, it almost hurt. “Shit!
Rean, please!” She was a sweaty, trembling mess, wondering where the
hell he learned these incredible skills with his tongue. “I-I’m gonna pass out
if you keep going like this…”
Didn’t he remember she was a virgin and
this was her FIRST time experiencing foreplay?
Using her strength, she wrapped her legs around him and rolled to where
he was on his back, with her pussy faceplanted right on his mouth. Melyssa hissed out and pulled back, scooting
down his body until her mouth met his, tasting herself on his tongue. That was new and it made the fire inside of
her rage powerfully.
“Mmm, my turn, Schwarzer…”
Rean almost whined because he was
nowhere done, he had found a new favorite snack. Her pussy was even better than that gelato
they had had so long ago. Then he
realized what she meant and folded his hands behind his head, so he didn't try
reaching for her and taking control of the situation again.
"As my lady wishes."
He flashed her a smile, his gaze
taking in her flushed, damp face and felt pride surging through him. He had done that. Definitely more relaxed, Melyssa was
determined to make him feel as incredible as he made her. She made her way down his body, once again
paying special attention to his scar, before moving lower, feeling him shiver
beneath her.
“Cold?” She smirked when he growled
out a firm ‘no’ in response.
When she arrived at the waistband of
his boxers again, there was no hesitation as she hooked her thumbs in and
pulled them down. She wanted him as
naked as she was – completely. His cock
stood at full attention in front of her and Melyssa only felt a fraction of
nerves before firmly pushing them away.
Gripping it in her hand, she began to stroke it and looked up at Rean,
watching his face intently to see if he enjoyed this or not. Then, Melyssa lowered her head to taste his
cock on her tongue for the first time.
Now Rean didn’t know if it had been
the same for her, but he had a moment’s flash of worry as soon as her tongue
touched the head of his cock. He was a
pretty clean guy, he knew men who did not bathe unless absolutely necessary and
even then they had put up a fight, and he had scoured himself today, but still…
what if he tasted funny, or smelled funny, or… his eyes rolled into the back of
his head when Melyssa’s mouth just engulfed the tip, setting every little nerve
ending there on fire. Worry was gone,
pleasure was rapidly taking over and the fact that she hadn’t pulled away or made
some weird, disgusted noise helped to ease all that anyway.
“Aidios, Melyssa…” He dug his fingers
into his own palms, more than tempted to bury them in her hair but he didn’t
want to rip anything out.
Melyssa moaned around his cock,
giving it a humming sound and she didn’t realize what that did to Rean. She didn’t realize it sent vibrations
throughout every part of his body. The
way he reacted and the noises he made…he tasted delicious, far better than she
could’ve imagined. Going on instinct,
Melyssa began licking him up and down like a popsicle, suckling gently on the
tip and tried not to scrape him with her teeth.
Then, she finally took him as far in her mouth as she could, feeling the
tip of his cock reach the back of her throat and luckily, there was no gag
reflex. Pulling back, she did it again,
and again, and soon, her head was slowly bobbing up and down.
Now this was going to kill him. Rean could feel his balls tingling and
tightening, an orgasm not delivered via his own hand building and he knew it
was going to be a major one. “If you keep doing that,” His breathing was
labored, his voice lower and huskier than usual. “I’m going to cum.” That was
his way of warning her that it would also happen right down her throat,
especially if she kept deep throating him the way she was.
Add in the humming and it was going
to be explosive and potentially drown her.
Her response was to hum again, his eyes flying open to meet hers and he
couldn’t for the life of him look away.
That was a beautiful, mesmerizing sight, her head bobbing up and down on
his cock, her lips pursed around him.
Those darkened teal eyes of hers fastened on his face and all he saw
there was lust, knowing it was echoed on his own. Just before Rean reached the point of no
return, she pulled back and released his cock from her mouth, kissing the tip
of it softly. If this was to be their
one and only night together, Melyssa didn’t want to waste a golden
opportunity. If she was going to die, she
didn’t want to go to the other side as a virgin. And she wanted Rean to be the one to claim
her innocence. Couldn’t very well do
that if he erupted in her mouth, as much as she wanted him to. Crawling up the length of his body, Melyssa
kissed him tenderly and rubbed her nose against his, their eyes locked once
again.
“I want to feel you explode inside of
me, not my mouth. Make me yours, Rean,
please…”
First thought was: what in the
Gehenna?! He had gotten her off MULTIPLE
times and she pulled away just at THAT point.
Rean inwardly was groaning because being right there on that edge and
then jerked backwards viciously had not felt nice at all. Every man experienced blue balls at one time
or another, the only thing that prevented his potential disaster was her
slithering up his body like the evil serpent she was, and his eyes focused on
her, brows drawing together.
“In this position?” He asked, his
voice a low rumble as his hands moved to her hips, gently kneading them even as
he felt her soaked pussy brushing against his straining, begging for release
cock. “I can’t… promise it will last.” At all.
She had no idea what she’d done to
him and raised a slow brow, hoping she hadn’t done something wrong. “Would you
rather I finish what I started and not…”
Melyssa blinked when he brought her
mouth down on his, crushing their lips together and slowly, he began guiding
himself inside of her. She gasped in his
mouth and pulled back, her whole body tensing and Rean kept eye contact with
her. Goddess…that felt so weird and
amazing at the same time. It felt like
she was being filled to capacity and it fascinated her how he managed to fit
himself inside of her. When he reached
her wall and began pushing through, the pain set in and she shut her eyes,
digging her nails into his chest.
“Don’t…stop…” Melyssa gritted out,
knowing it would hurt a lot more if he stopped midway through and with one
sharp thrust, harder than he probably meant to do, he broke through her
barrier. “Shit!” It was more surprising than painful, surprisingly enough.
Rean’s hold on her hips had tightened
and he was trying to mind it, knowing his grip had to be painful though he had
enough sense to use his fingertips and not his fingernails. “Don’t. Move.” He
ordered, sweat beading again on his forehead as he stared up at her, his teeth
grit.
Goddess she was like a hot, wet
velvet glove wrapped around him, almost crushing him, and he swore he could
feel her pulse going a mile a minute and it was coming from her pussy. She probably needed a moment as well, she
needed to adjust; he had not missed the surprised look that had flitted across
her face. It burned. That was the most surprising part about
having her virginity taken – the incredible burning, searing sensation. It wasn’t painful so much as…startling. Melyssa did not move, just like Rean
instructed and she was flushed from head to toe, her body coated in sweat much
like his. They must’ve sat there,
adjusting to each other for a good five minutes before Rean finally moved and
the burning sensation had subsided.
“Rean…oh Goddess…” She moaned out,
the feeling of him fully inside of her, moving, pulsating, taking her breath
away.
It felt incredible, indescribable and
she experimentally moved on her own, rolling her hips against him. The hiss escaping him told her she was doing
something right, so she did it again and moaned louder when his hips thrust up
to meet her. It was slow, rhythmic and
neither wanted this moment to ever end.
“T-This feels so good, Rean…Goddess,
don’t stop, please…” Sliding her hands up his chiseled arms, their fingers
laced together as she began to slowly ride him.
Virgin, she was a virgin, he kept
reminding himself even as she began riding him like she had done this
before. He knew he was, had been, a virgin,
but he was projecting confidence and going with what felt natural, she was
probably thinking similarly about him.
Her being on top was nice and it was a beautiful sight, her lean body
moving on him, her tits bouncing in time to what they were doing, but he wanted
to return the favor again, slowly sitting up so her legs dangled over his hips
and growled at the new feelings this position brought.
“Better.” He cupped the back of
Melyssa’s head, bringing her face to his so he could kiss her.
It was all on instinct. Maybe she was just a natural at sex, though
she had fumbled a few times. Rean had to
be an expert with the way he moved and exuded confidence in his abilities. She kissed him back with equal fire, once
again those fingers of hers burying in hair to pull him as close to her as she
could.
“Rean!” She gasped out as he began
thrusting in and out of her in this position, snapping his hips back and forth,
and all she could do was try to move with him.
They were in sync together, moving as
one and she pressed her sweaty forehead to his, both completely lost in each
other. This was the PERFECT way to do
this. With her, beneath the stars and
moon, with the sounds of nature as their background music. Accompanied of course by the sounds coming from
them, her breathy moans and soft gasps of his name, his own lower, more
guttural grunts.
“I love you.” He murmured against her
lips, snaking one hand between their bodies to begin manipulating her clit,
adding to the pleasure she was feeling.
In response, he felt her tightening around him, her body quivering even
more if it were possible.
“Goddess, I love you too, Rean…” It was
another breathy moan and her hands gripped his shoulders, her body tensing,
coiling, that burning sensation had returned, but it was in her belly this
time. She now understood what this was
and whimpered, the sensation of his fingers on her clit combined with his cock
driving in and out of her, making love to her, was overwhelming to her senses.
“Rean!” Melyssa cried out, already beginning to flood him as the wave crashed
over her intensely, sending her over that edge.
Somehow, someway, he managed to ride her orgasm and kept thrusting,
increasing the tempo, doing it harder, faster and driving deeper. Before she knew it, her world had spun around
and she was on her back with him on top, lifting her leg to spread her even
wider, if it was possible. “REAN!”
Rean’s face was contorted both with
passion and in concentration, focusing on getting through this orgasm of hers
even though his body was already waving the white flag. She felt too good, spasming around him like that,
and mildly alarming because the way she had clamped down, repeatedly, had made
him fear he wasn’t going to get his dick back. “I’m close,” He gasped, hardly
able to breathe and that only added to everything, his heart pounding a furious
beat in his chest. “MELYSSA!” It was a roar a second later as he flooded her
this time, filling her to capacity.
“REAN!” Melyssa shrieked out, her
voice echoing around them, mixing with Rean’s bellow, as he exploded harshly
inside of her, making her entire body shudder.
While still inside of her, Rean began
chuckling and the sound was pure evil, malice, and he looked up at her with red
eyes instead of fuchsia. His hair wasn’t
black, it was blue and red combined and a smirk curved his lips. “I told you,
Melyssa, I would have you one day.
Mmm…delicious.”
A second later, he snapped his
fingers and they were both engulfed in flames.
Chapter 62
Melyssa jolted upright, letting out a
strangled gasp since the scream was caught in her throat, her body caked in
sweat. She looked around, seeing she was
in the log cabin Ash brought her to and a quick glance at the portable orbal
clock told her it was just past 3 AM.
Rean…where was Rean? What in
Gehenna kind of dream was THAT?!
Frowning, she shakily stood to her feet, needing some water. She still felt as if she was on fire, from
both the lovemaking in the dream and being set ablaze, literally.
Is Rean even
here? Emma said he wouldn’t be here
until tomorrow, which is technically today, sometime. Why would she have a dream like that
about Rean, only for it to end in a nightmare?
Was that her subconscious warning her to stay away from Rean? She didn’t know and sucked the water down
before filling the glass again, trembling slightly.
“You look like crap.” Ash said from
his place at the table, cocking an eyebrow when Melyssa let out a startled gasp
and offered her a sheepish smile. He
surveyed her through the dim lighting, frowning slightly. She was covered in sweat, her face was red
and flushed… she looked shaky and he imagined him giving her a mini-heart
attack hadn’t helped anything at all. “You okay, Melyssa?” He asked, pushing
out of his chair and stood up, walking slowly over to her to stare down at her
intently. “Nightmare?” He had those, a lot, it was one of the reasons he didn’t
like to go to sleep. At her hesitant nod, he smiled and reached out to tuck a
strand of her damp hair back behind her ear. “You want to talk about it?”
Tears filled her eyes and Melyssa did
something out of the ordinary, out of character…she clobbered Ash with a tight
hug around his waist, burying her face in his chest. There was no way she could talk to him about
the dream she just had, even if he was her best friend. They had a long way to go before they were
back to the way things used to be and she knew that. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her
close and Melyssa shuddered again, trying to push McBurn’s face out of her
mind.
Rean had turned into McBurn…what in
Aidios’ name did THAT mean?
Frowning, Ash dropped his head to
rest on top of hers, feeling her body shaking against his and he could feel the
fear in her. “I’ve got you.” He said softly, soothingly, rubbing his hands
slowly up and down her back in a comforting manner.
What she had dreamed about, it had
obviously messed her up. Probably
something to do with her time with Ouroboros and preparing for round two
against them. If he were in her shoes,
he’d probably feel the same way since the last time hadn’t exactly ended on a
high note.
“I-I’m sorry…” She whispered, her
voice stammering from all the different emotions she currently felt. “I-I don’t
deserve to be comforted and held by you.
I’m a terrible person and I hurt you and so many others. I don’t have the right to cry or carry on
like this.”
Melyssa felt his arms tighten around
her and Ash lifted her to where she had no choice except to wrap her legs
around his waist, her face burying in his neck instead of his chest since they
were eyelevel now. Even though she felt
like she wasn’t deserving, Ash still gave her what she needed at that moment and
clung to him for dear life, his warmth seeping into her skin. If she hadn’t learnt by now that they were
all fairly big on forgiveness, the woman would eventually. He sat her on the counter, pulling back
enough to eye her face.
“You do deserve it.” Ash informed
her, leaning to the side to draw cool water from the sink and retrieve the
still clean washcloth he had gotten out earlier with the weird notion of maybe
occupying himself with dishes. He had
never gotten past getting out the cloth, dishes were not his thing. “Everyone
deserves forgiveness,” He began gently washing her face, knowing the cool water
would also help with any potential swelling from her crying so much. “Well,
most of the time. You haven’t killed
anyone, so you’re ahead of the game, beautiful.” He had meant it as a joke, but
he could see it hadn’t helped, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“You’ve always taken care of me and
you’ve always been there for me, even now.” Melyssa didn’t understand why and
chalked it up to Ash being a decent human being. She cracked a small smile at him to show she
appreciated what he was doing and took the tissue he handed her next to blow
her nose. “Thank you.” She murmured, feeling him lift her off the counter to
set her on her feet in front of him again. “Ash…I-I don’t want to sleep alone
after that horrible nightmare. Can I lay
with you? I probably won’t fall asleep
again, but…having you near makes me feel better for some reason. Please?”
That, under any other circumstance,
seemed like a bad idea for various reasons.
First and foremost, Rean was coming and he didn’t need Emma gossiping
about anything she might see, such as Melyssa coming out of his room or
something, to everyone else. But he also
knew he couldn’t deny this woman a thing, even if he tried, and right now he
was trying.
“Yeah, of course.” She was going to
be the death of him, he had never been this way around a woman before; she
brought out the calmer, nicer side of him that was for sure. “Come on,
beautiful.”
Nodding, she took his hand and let
him guide her to his room. Emma had once
again used her magic to make the log cabin have far more rooms than it did
normally. Once inside his room, Melyssa
waited for him to climb into bed and joined him, wanting to be on the outside.
“Thank you.”
She turned, snuggling into the pillow
and they both lay there, facing each other, each in their own thoughts. Maybe she wasn’t meant to be with Rean, not
if that dream was any indication. She
hadn’t seen him in 2 years, and until she did she wouldn’t know if those
feelings she harbored from when she was his student would surface or not. Then there was Ash Carbide…strong, masculine,
devilishly handsome and always there for her, no matter what. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin
their friendship by trying to be something more, however.
The simple fact of the matter, for
Ash anyway, was that when Melyssa was around, he was a very different person
and he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. He was devilish, lewd and flirtatious when it
came to other women, her not so much.
Ash rarely was, if ever, and instead he found himself being her friend,
a real friend. Something he had only ever
done with other men because usually his eyes and mind tended to stop right about
chest level on a woman. Or had. He simply watched her face, she was tired, it
was obvious, but afraid of sleeping and eventually, he reached out to place his
hand, palm down, on her side.
“Get some sleep, beautiful,” He
murmured softly. “Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day.”
“You mean today.” Melyssa corrected
him with a smile, yawning and could already feel her eyes drooping
heavily.
Damn it, she didn’t want to fall
asleep and have another nightmare again.
Ash looked tired as well, and she didn’t want to deprive him of
sleep. Maybe she would leave him alone
to sleep once he fell out, just so she wasn’t keeping him awake. However, in no time at all, their eyes both
closed and Ash pulled her closer to him with her head resting on his
chest. Melyssa was out like a light
minutes later, her breathing even and steady.
The next morning, Ash woke up to
Celine sitting at the foot of the bed, staring down at him and Melyssa while
licking her paws. “That’s creepy.” He muttered, bringing a hand up to rub sleep
out of his eyes.
“What’s creepy is the fact that
you’re fully clothed with a woman in your bed, Blondie. I’ve heard the stories.”
“Get. Out.”
He reached beneath him to pull the pillow
out from under his head, tossing it at her.
Celine took off and he snorted, letting his head drop back down,
glancing at Melyssa who was curled in the crook of his other arm. Sighing softly, Melyssa slowly opened her
eyes, after feeling the jolt from Ash and looked up just as those pink eyes
lowered to meet hers. Ash. She was in Ash’s bed and she glanced down,
seeing she was still fully clothed. It
wasn’t another dream and she was really with him, not Rean. Why did it feel wonderful being with Ash in
his bed, sleeping in his arms?
“What time is it?” She asked in a
sleepy voice, not moving to sit up yet as Ash settled back down with his arm
draping around her waist again.
“No idea, sun is up though and I
imagine Celine was in here to wake us up.” Though, he’d be having words with
her later about doing it in such a creepy fashion, the evil haggish cat. He pulled his arm out from beneath her,
slowly moving to sit up and ran both hands through his hair. “We can’t all stay
here for long, if you’re gone too long, it’s going to raise eyebrows.” Unless
she was getting out of Ouroboros permanently and then they’d have to run that
risk. Ash turned his pale pink eyes down
on her, raising one. “Crow should be here, maybe Rean too.”
“We should head back this morning,
then, after the meeting.” Surely there would be one.
There had to be a reason Ash brought
her here and she had to find her mask too.
Altina was hopefully done with it.
Melyssa was not looking forward to wearing it again, but she had to do
what she had to do until they came up with a SOLID plan to take out Ouroboros.
“Um, thank you for letting me stay
with you.” She pecked his cheek, slid out of bed, stretching her arms in the
air and the mouthwatering scent of food wafted in the air. “Someone’s cooking.”
"Yeah… and no problem, truth be
told that was the best sleep I've had in… two years." Ash admitted,
rolling out of the bed and instantly regretted it. Morning wood was a thing and
he actually covered himself when her eyes dropped down to his crotch. "So
yeah… about breakfast…" And a cold shower, maybe slap it around a little.
"Shower first." He smiled awkwardly.
The dream came back to her, even
though it was with Rean and not Ash and she wondered what it would be like to
be with Ash in that way.
Intimately. Would it ruin their
friendship? “Go shower and I’ll make sure to snag you a plate.” She winked at
him on her way out the door, her nose leading her toward the kitchen. However, on the way there, she froze at the
sight of Crow and… “Rean.” He was here, in the flesh, and she immediately
pinched herself to make sure this wasn’t an illusion or another dream of some
kind.
"Brackett." He said
cautiously, bobbing his head at her.
Crow had explained the mask thing, which was incredibly creepy. He had instinctively distrusted her before
and he didn't feel it right now.
Crow rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Caught him coming in from the west a few hours ago." He yawned.
Still ice cold towards
me, I see. Not that I blame him. “We need to have the meeting as
quickly as possible, so Ash, myself and Crow can get back to the city.” Altina
came flitting in from her room with the mask in hand. “I’m going to need that
back, Altina, just until we can figure out a way to stop Ouroboros for good.”
It was time to go back undercover again and pretend she was working for the
enemy. “I will tell you everything I know about Ouroboros and answer any
questions you have, but then we really have to leave.” Her tone was even and
purely business as she took the mask Altina handed to her and decided she
wouldn’t put it on until after the meeting.
“Machias is taking a personal day
with me, at our love shack.” Emma said with a wicked grin. “He got in late last
night.” As mayor, he was occasionally allowed to do so, though he also knew not
to be pushing that card too much since he was very new at this job. “Something
about a barfight downing one of his guards.”
“That was Ash, he took a knock to the
head.” Crow snorted, accepting the cup of coffee Emma passed him before passing
it onto Rean, taking the next mug sent his way.
“I bet Machias is loving that, being
expected to sit on his ass and not defend himself.”
“He said he feels like a… pussy.”
“I still should go back to keep up
appearances. No doubt Ouroboros is
probably wondering where I am right about now.”
“Aren’t Enforcers allowed to do
pretty much whatever they want?”
“Yes, but there are exceptions and
one of those is a newbie like me.” Melyssa retrieved a cup of coffee, pouring a
hefty amount of creamer in it and sat down with her mask in her lap. “If Ash
doesn’t want to take me back, I’ll find another way. I’m going to have to come up with a reason
for being gone overnight instead of staying at my apartment, though.”
“Will it look suspicious if she goes
back with him?” Altina asked, sipping her own mug and set one down before Ash
with a shy smile.
“If Ouroboros honestly trusts her to
do anything they say when it comes to us, or expects us not to see through that
mask… then we ought to be ashamed for letting them beat us so easily.” Rean
said sternly, his fuchsia eyes moving to Melyssa.
The fact that they had sent her into
their midst with only that mask… it had been a clever distraction for sure, but
that was all it had been, a distraction.
Crow had seen right through it and it had raised red flags with everyone
else. Considering Ash and Crow were the
Mayor’s main bodyguards…Altina made a valid point.
“Then I will go back alone. Altina’s right, and with the mayor taking a
sabbatical, there’s no way his trusted bodyguards wouldn’t let him go alone.”
She watched both Crow and Ash groan in unison, smirking in her coffee cup.
“Don’t worry about me, I can find my own way back and I’ll simply tell them I
went to Heimdallr to see an opera or something.
I’ll figure it out.”
“Sounds reasonable enough.” Emma
concurred, knowing she was right when it came to the mayor and his bodyguards
being inseparable. “I’m warning you both right now,” She directed this at Ash
and Crow. “I BETTER get some alone time with my husband.”
“Done.”
“Got it.”
Wow, Emma still has
that intimidation factor when the situation calls for it. “I’ll eat, shower and leave, then,
unless you have something else you want to discuss, Schwarzer?”
Chapter 63
Rean’s fuchsia eyes were very
conflicted as he stared at her, realizing she was holding what he had said
against him. I don’t trust you. He didn’t know what to tell her to be honest. He still wasn’t sure if she would have come
clean about anything if not for Crow calling her out on it. Rean didn’t trust her. She had been with Ouroboros for two years and
regardless of what she said, there was no way she had come out of it completely
herself and ready to join back up with the good guys, not straight out the
gate. He narrowed his eyes at Crow, who
seemed to be reading his mind and snorted when Crow simply shrugged with a
sheepish smile.
“No, not at the moment.” Not with her
present anyway, not just yet.
“What exactly was the purpose of
everyone coming then?” Celine asked, sounding bored.
“Ask Crow.”
“I see. Well, just so you know, my former Instructor,
I did not tell Crow because he saw past the mask.” She read his mind and
narrowed her eyes at the look on his face, her upper lip starting to curl. “I
told him who I really am because of an…old friend. An acquaintance of YOURS, I’m sure.” Now he
was staring at her hardening and she smiled coldly in return, slipping her mask
back on in front of everyone. “You can thank Aurelia for convincing me to come
clean to Crow. I can tell you don’t
trust me, though, and without trust, we can’t work together. So, I bid you all adieu.” This was a mistake
– a COLOSSAL mistake. “Emma, drop the magic barrier. I’m leaving.”
“But…”
“Drop. The. Magic. Barrier. Now.” It
wasn’t a request and the witch sighed before waving her hand, the barrier gone.
“Thank you for wasting my time coming here, Schwarzer. MUCH appreciated.” She bowed mockingly at him
before storming out of the log cabin, doing everything in her power to hold
back tears. Screw him! He doesn’t
know what it was like these past two years!
He has no idea what I went through!
He can go to Gehenna, for all I care!!
“Crow, the next time you call a
meeting like this, make sure you know what you’re doing first.” Emma scolded,
walking into the kitchen to start putting food away since it was obvious nobody
was hungry anymore.
“How was I supposed to know she
expected him to fall in line?” Everyone else had, it was true so maybe she
thought Rean would as well, and forgave her readily, but Rean still hadn’t
forgiven himself. “I can’t MAKE her understand where he’s coming from just like
I can’t MAKE him understand her!”
“The fact that she manipulates the
way she does tells me I’m not bothering with anymore of this.” Rean was already
on his own way out the door. “From my understanding, she’s friendly with
everyone who trusts her and instantly accepted everything she says. She’s not
with the one person who doesn’t immediately roll over and accept what she says
as gospel, which is a huge red flag. Work with her if you like, I won’t.” And he was gone. Without trust, we can’t work together…. Of course he didn’t trust her, she
did things her way because she saw no other choice and had saved everyone and
now it was her way or nothing. Crow, Ash, Emma, Altina and the rest could kiss
his backside, he wasn’t going through this again because Melyssa said so.
“REAN SCHWARZER!!” Emma was
done. Emma was fed up and had stopped
him with magic, holding him completely and firmly in place. He was floating in the air and she tightened
her fist, bringing him back inside the log cabin. “Shut your mouth and listen
to me right now. That girl is scared and
it took her A LOT of courage to come to Crow!
She doesn’t think she’s worthy of forgiveness from anyone, so you giving
her the cold shoulder IS NOT HELPING!
This isn’t you! This isn’t the
Rean Schwarzer we know! You have changed
and not for the better! Even Alisa has
noticed it and it stops NOW! I know what
happened in Jurai two years ago devastated you!
We were ALL devastated, but did you ever stop to THINK that maybe, just
maybe, Melyssa did what she did to save all of us?! You think it was easy for me to learn she
SACRIFICED everything, her own life and FREEDOM, for two years with those
psychos, in order to save and protect us?!
NO! It wasn’t! But let me tell you something, that is the
most UNSELFISH woman I’ve ever met in my life and she is MORE than worthy of my
forgiveness! She’s worthy of all of our
forgiveness!!” Now, she was really angry and her face turned beat red. “HOW CAN
YOU FORGIVE CROW FOR EVERYTHING HE DID TO US, BUT NOT HER?! SHE DIDN’T DO A DAMN THING TO YOU EXCEPT
PROTECT YOU AND ALL OF US!! CROW WAS A
MURDERER, A TERRORIST AND EVEN TRIED KILLING US ON MORE THAN A FEW OCCASIONS
AND YET, HE’S WORTHY OF YOUR FORGIVENESS, SO WHY ISN’T SHE WORTHY OF IT?! WHY ISN’T SHE TRUSTWORTHY?! SHE HAD TO WEAR THAT MASK TO PROTECT HER
IDENTITY BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT OUROBOROS TOLD HER TO DO!! SHE’S NOT GOING TO GO AGAINST THEM UNTIL
THERE’S A PLAN TO TAKE THEM DOWN!! SO
YOU CAN SIT THERE AND YOU CAN BE ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY WITH YOURSELF AND YOUR
COLD, DEAD HEART BECAUSE THAT’S ALL YOU’VE BECOME!! YOU’RE A SHELL OF YOUR FORMER SELF AND WE
WON’T TOLERATE IT ANYMORE!! AS CLASS
VII’S FORMER PRESIDENT, I ORDER YOU TO GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF AND WAKE UP
BEFORE YOU END UP LOSING THIS FIGHT FOR GOOD, MR. ASHEN CHEVALIER!!” Releasing
him, Emma stormed out the back to breathe because she had NEVER exploded like
that before.
Everyone was completely silent with
dropped jaws and wide eyes.
Rean still left.
~!~
“I can’t make him do anything.” Crow
said later in the day to Ash, sighing because he knew this was his fault.
He knew Rean had changed and he
wasn’t saying a word about that because he wasn’t entirely sure he blamed the
guy. Rean had cared for Melyssa, she had
been under HIS protection, and things had gone so far south, it made the man’s
head spin. It didn’t make him right, but
it also didn’t necessarily mean he had to be like the rest of them and do the
open arm thing. Crow began laughing.
“It is a little funny, you know? Rean went out of his way for ALL of us and now
that he’s finally doing what we’ve all been telling him to do for years, to
stop over caring and just… handle himself, we’re shitting on him.”
“Yeah well… it sounds like if he’s
not on board, Melyssa isn’t either.” Why she felt like they NEEDED Rean, it
wasn’t exactly like one man was going to make the difference here. Rean had already proven his leadership skills
were sorely lacking. “I don’t know why she cares.”
“Because she did it for him and he’s
shitting on her. Everyone is shitting on
everyone.”
“Well, I figured out what made Emma
lose her temper earlier, gentlemen.” Machias walked up to them, looking both
sheepish, scared and excited all at the same time. “She is with child. MY child.”
“Get outta here!” Ash grinned,
wrapping his arm around Machias’ shoulders. “Really?! She’s got a bun in the oven?!” No wonder her
hormones were going haywire and she exploded on Rean the way she did.
“Yes, which also means…”
“She’s out of the plan.” Crow
finished for the man, not blaming him one bit. “Powerful as she is, there’s no
way we can risk her and your unborn child.
We won’t put them at risk.”
“I could not help overhearing what
you said, Ash, regarding Rean and…I wish I could deny everything, but the truth
of the matter is, he is not the same he once was. He’s…colder, distant, he barely talks to any
of us anymore, try as we might. I think
it would be best if we cut him out of the picture as well, completely.”
Now Ash was beaming. “Sounds like a
great idea to me, boss! We need to
celebrate with some drinks!”
“Who needs him?”
Crow shook his head, feeling briefly
like the world had gone mad, but there it was.
Rean had been a hero once, but he had also understood things like
self-sacrifice and putting others over yourself. He had used to be a team player. If he couldn’t understand or even bring
himself to care about Melyssa and why she had done what she did, then that was
on him and they didn’t need him. They
needed to fully trust one another and that meant trusting someone’s judgment,
just like Melyssa would do if one of them ever decided to make that call.
The ‘my life for yours’ call.
That was how it worked.
“Apparently not us.”
Ash was a bit skeptical of Crow’s
dismissal. Crow and Rean had once been best
friends, but… then again, they had seriously drifted apart over the last two
years. Melyssa had been Crow’s family
for most of his life, so to speak, even though he had forgotten about her for a
while because of being an immortal.
“There is darkness in Rean now.”
Altina joined the fray, sitting down with her musical yet robotic voice. “It is
sad to see how far into the depths he has driven himself. This is worse than when he was taken captive
by his own father in the Black Workshop, when we had to save him. He had gone berserk and that was MILD
compared to how he feels now. I do not
comprehend why he has changed so drastically.
It is almost as if he has given up the will to live.”
“Or maybe the will to fight.” Machias
correctly gently, heaving a sigh. “I have asked Sara and Fie to converse with
him, but to no avail. They will
not. Rean has alienated everyone he has
ever loved and cared about…and we do not really know why. It has to be more than just what happened in
Jurai, I suspect.”
“As you said, Machias, he has lost
the will to fight. That sums it up
perfectly.”
“I do admit, he was the leader of
Class VII for a very long time, and perhaps we have asked too much of him. Perhaps being the leader is what drove him to
the deep despair he is in now.”
“We kept asking him to stop being…
him.” Crow pointed out. “How many times did we give him shit for being in our
business, or putting himself first?”
“A lot but to be fair, he was always,
always thinking of everyone else except himself, putting everyone before
himself. So he flipped and finally did
what everyone told him to do.” Ash shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the look he
received. “Hey, we wanted him to back off and now Melyssa is the new Rean.”
“Maybe,” Machias shook his head,
dismissing it. “We have other things to be worried about. Rean will either pull
himself out of this darkness or he’ll drown in it, that will be up to him. He knows we’re here.”
“Well, no, Melyssa and your wife kind of… let him have it.”
“He knows better… and Emma is
pregnant, it doesn’t count.”
“She is right in what she said,
however. Without trust, they cannot work
together. There has to be trust and that
is gone between Melyssa and Rean because of what she did.” Machias was on
Melyssa’s side, but that was because he understood where she was coming from,
just like Emma. “I regret to inform you that I heard from Laura and Alisa and
they will not be assisting us. They have
their own duties to perform. And I
cannot seem to get a hold of Elliot, so more than likely, he has sided with
Rean on this matter. That leaves us,
Sara, Fie and Toval of the Bracer Guild, Gaius from the Nord Highlands, Jusis
of Barehard, Millium, Altina and a few others.
I have tried contacting the unit in Crossbell City, but they are underground
in hiding again, so I am not sure how reliable they will be.” The numbers were
on their side, just not the experience and power.
“With active Ouroboros in the city,
they may not trust anyone in places of power, not even you, Machias.” Crow
sounded almost apologetic, hoping Melyssa was prepared for the lifelong twinges
of guilt that came with redemption.
She only needed redemption if she had
done something bad. Joining Ouroboros,
even for pristine reasons, would still leave her with that… aftertaste, he
already knew it would. There was just
something tainted about that organization, something that left an almost slimy
feeling on one’s skin after even being in close proximity.
“It wouldn’t be the first time
they’ve managed to lure our people over to their side.”
Which was kind of one of Rean’s
points, not that he was there to say it nor would he be.
“You should send Emma away.” Ash was done
with this ‘his side, her side’ thing; he didn’t care about Rean’s trust
issues. They already had enough on their
plate without adding drama. “So she’s not caught in the crossfire.”
“But of course, young Ash. It’s
already been taken care of.” Rosalie, the leader of the Hexen Clan and Emma’s
grandmother, walked up to them, looking beautiful as ever. She had extremely long blonde hair and fiery
red eyes. “To think, my granddaughter is making me a great-grandmother
already.” She sighed almost wistfully, clasping her hands together. “In her
stead, I will be taking her place and fighting alongside all of you. I hope you find this acceptable.”
Emma was not taking any chances,
refusing to lose her husband and father of her unborn child. Not to mention, Rosalie was A LOT stronger
and powerful than Emma. They all knew it
too, both Crow and Ash bowing to the older woman respectfully. Emma could be scary powerful, they were well
aware that Rosalie was way past that point.
Her presence emanated power and demanded respect.
“Of course.” Ash said solemnly,
straightening his back finally and nodded at Machias, who looked both amused
and concerned.
Yes, he was concerned. He got the reasons for Rosalie being here,
he’d feel like complete crap if his pregnant wife’s grandmother got caught in
the crossfire somehow. But he was trying
to squash that because it was rather disrespectful of Rosalie’s abilities.
Too bad grandmother wasn’t here when
Rean was being a complete tool because the old woman would have set him
straight.
Chapter 64
“Where were you?”
“Out.”
“Doing what?”
“Investigating, doing my job.”
“You mean figuring out the mayor’s
whereabouts?”
Sometimes, things just seemed to fall
into place for Melyssa. “Yes. I was
concerned when I heard he took a sabbatical.
That witch is his wife, so more than likely, they are in a place I
cannot access.”
The Grandmaster eyeballed her newest
protégé, wondering if she was telling the truth or not. “Very well.” She
decided to give Melyssa the benefit of the doubt since she was, so far, doing
as told. “McBurn tells me you had a…moment with him. He claims you are being too friendly with
Crow Armbrust and Ash Carbide.”
“Of course he did. He seems to think I’m still on their side
when that’s not the truth at all. I work
with them, Grandmaster. I have to be
SOMEWHAT friendly towards them in order to keep up this spy façade.” Melyssa
folded her arms in front of her chest, a stoic expression on her masked face.
“Unless you’d rather I blow this operation because of McBurn’s concerns?”
“Hmm…he’s looking for an opportunity
to make you his still, it seems. I will
have a talk with him and I assure you, he won’t bother you again during this
operation…unless absolutely necessary.”
Melyssa bowed to the Grandmaster.
“Thank you. I won’t let you down.”
“See that you don’t.”
Melyssa left the Ouroboros compound,
which was on the outskirts of Crossbell City, deep in the woods. She muttered something under her breath, the
ground glowing beneath her and soon, she was transported back to her apartment,
inside. Of course, she was lying to the
Grandmaster about being on their side, but like Machias said, she had to keep
up the act until they figure out a way to destroy Ouroboros for good. It would take time, she was prepared for the
wait, even though she hated her masks.
McBurn wasn’t amused with how
everything did always seem to fall into place for Melyssa. When she had defied the Grandmaster, she had
gotten off easy and the Grandmaster still trusted the woman around her ‘former’
friends, even when the defiance had been due to a former friend. He was concerned that Melyssa was a type of
witch because he was well aware how things just seemed to go ‘well’ for her.
The Grandmaster was losing her touch,
losing her grip. She needed to be
replaced before that little witch wormed her way into a position of power she
had no business being in. That little
witch belonged under his thumb, and other parts.
If McBurn so much as TRIED taking her
out, the Grandmaster had NO problem sending him to the depths of Gehenna. She was A LOT stronger than any of the Anguis
and Enforcers she personally chose. This
was McBurn’s fault for bringing Melyssa into the fold in the first place and
the Grandmaster knew the ONLY reason he did it was because he wanted her for
himself. Not happening. McBurn would toe the line and follow her
instructions…or he would be replaced.
“McBurn, you are under NO
circumstances allowed in Crossbell City from here on out.” The Grandmaster held
her hand up when he went to speak, snapping her fingers. His mouth was instantly sealed shut, unable
to pry them open even with his own magic. “I will silence you completely, if
you do not follow my instructions. You
will NOT enter Crossbell City, nod if you understand.”
He did, reluctantly, with narrowed
eyes.
“Good boy. I will send you somewhere else for the time
being and Mariabell will take over your duties in Crossbell City. Nod if you understand.”
Again, he did.
“Lysa is no longer your concern and
you will put her out of your mind, if you know what’s good for you. She is not your toy to play with and I know
that is why you brought her to me in the first place. You thought she would screw up and then I
would hand her over to you.” The Grandmaster was not stupid and folded her arms
in front of her chest. “If you wanted her as a toy, you never should have
recommended her to become an Enforcer.
That was your mistake and you need to deal with it. Now, I’m going to unseal your mouth and you
are going to walk away without a word.
Nod if you understand.” Once he did, she snapped her fingers again and
he could pry his lips apart finally. “Your new assignment will be Jurai. Off with you now.”
The Grandmaster had proven his point.
Everything just naturally fell into
place for that tart, even when everything should have been logically stacked
against her. Even as he marched away,
biting his tongue, McBurn felt hatred bubbling and taking over the desire. Melyssa Brackett was a natural born witch,
there was no other explanation, and Jurai was the perfect place to start
investigating this witch’s origins. He
had to wonder how many other people she had charmed, who had fallen under her
sway.
~!~
Ash and Crow were back in Crossbell,
back on the clock and Machias had returned as well, reluctantly. Emma had been relocated so she would be safe,
along with their unborn babe, and out of potential fallout’s way. Humming, Ash let himself into his apartment,
knowing Melyssa should be home in hers.
He had to wonder what she had told her Grandmaster, considering she had
left with him the other day, were they dating now? At least, was that the story she had
given? Probably not. He was a bit surprised to find he had been
somewhat hoping, or something.
“Ugh…”
Since she was working closely with
Ash, the Grandmaster didn’t question her on it.
Either that or the Grandmaster didn’t know she had left with Ash. Maybe there weren’t spies around Crossbell
City all the time. Maybe she was
paranoid when it came to her apartment.
Just to be on the safe side, however, she didn’t remove the mask until
at night since sleeping with it tended to break her out. Fingering the small diamond necklace around
her neck, Melyssa wondered if Ash was back yet and contemplated going over to
see him. For some reason, she couldn’t
get him out of her head and sleeping in his arms at the log cabin had been
amazing.
Friends, we’re just
friends and it has to stay that way. I
won’t lose him too.
It was bad enough she had lost
Rean. She had come home, had a crying
jag and threw away the starry night necklace he gave her for her birthday. Melyssa didn’t want anything that reminded
her of Rean Schwarzer, trying to mend her broken heart as fast as possible.
It wasn’t until the next workday that
Ash and Crow saw Melyssa.
She looked exactly like she had the
day she had come in for an interview for this position, mask included and now
that they knew what the hell that was, it was creepier than before. “Machias
has a full schedule today.” Ash informed her when she stepped off the elevator
and onto Machias’ office floor, standing guard right at the entrance way.
Crow was in the office with Machias,
doing yet another sweep for bugs, or anything that hinted at magic. The stakes on this game had grown
exponentially. But yet they all had to
keep pretending everything was normal, business as usual, and go on like they
DIDN’T know a damn thing.
It was infuriating to say the least.
“Awesome, should be a fun-filled day
then.”
Melyssa smiled at them, looking
pristine and perfect in a blue buttoned up blouse and a white and blue polka
dotted pencil skirt with white pumps on her feet. She had gone shopping for some ‘proper’ work
wear since Machias was gracious enough to give her an advance on her
paycheck. Thrift stores were a thing and
she had found some cute outfits for under $100.
“Ah, there you are, dear. Glad you’re on time. Now come along for your training.”
Melyssa blinked at the older woman
and remembered she had to be trained on etiquette, what to say and, more
importantly, what NOT to say. “See you guys later.” She waved at them before
being whisked away, her arm securely looped through the older woman she would
be replacing.
Ash gave her a half wave before
resuming his post, eyes ahead on the elevator, which was the only official in
and out of this part of the building, for Machias’ safety. He had totally forgotten Melyssa was being
trained today, she was still a new hire, this was her first official day,
right? It seemed like so much time had
passed since the day she had come in for her interview until today, it was
insane.
“Anything?” He asked softly when Crow
came to join him.
“No, but I’d imagine they’ll expect
something to show up within the next week.” Since she was technically
Ouroboros’ spy.
~!~
“We’re safe here, right?”
“Yes, my office is a complete safe
zone, so you can take the mask off if you’d like, Melyssa.”
Nodding, Melyssa peeled it off and
let out a huge sigh of relief, setting it down in her lap. Her training went well enough and she now
understood the basics of what her job for the Mayor would entail. “I spoke to
the Grandmaster on Sunday. I was
summoned to their hideout, which is deep in the woods on the outskirts of the
city. I can direct you there, but I warn
you, it’s HEAVILY guarded. I wouldn’t
recommend going there unless you plan on attacking them with an army of your
own.”
“Understood.” Machias was already
seeing how having Melyssa on their side would prove beneficial. “What did the
Grandmaster want to know? What did she
ask you?”
“My whereabouts on Saturday. I told her I was searching for your
whereabouts since you took that small sabbatical. She did not question me leaving with Ash,
however, so I’m assuming she doesn’t know or doesn’t care.”
“Interesting…” Machias stroked his
chin thoughtfully, looking at Crow and then Ash. “Do you gentlemen have any
questions for her?”
“Remember how we thought things were
almost too easy before?” Ash had been thinking about this all day, trying not
to dwell in the past, but there were some similarities that were beginning to
crop up that he simply could not ignore. “How some of it felt way too easy?”
Like getting into their hideout, getting Roger to agree to a meeting… hiding in
one giant cluster of people in a warehouse… and Ouroboros had wiped the floor
with them both physically and with magic. “This kind of feels that way.”
Ash made a very good point. “You
think they’re setting us up? Do you
think they know I’ve switched sides? I
would hope the Grandmaster wouldn’t, but…she has proven to be one step ahead of
us in the past.” Or ten, rather. “She DID send McBurn away to Jurai and
promised me he wouldn’t interfere in my work from here on out. Apparently, he went to her complaining about
what I said to him, the last time he visited me and…she took my side on
it. He’s been in Ouroboros a lot longer
than me and he’s stronger…” Now she was worried, chewing her thumbnail
nervously. “I don’t know what to believe, honestly, but we can’t rule out the
fact she may already know of my treachery.”
McBurn was very powerful and they all
knew it, to send him away was a big thing and could go either way. Melyssa had already defied the Grandmaster
once by refusing to assassinate Machias.
Of course that had also been partially because it was against the deal
she had made with Ouroboros, but… they all knew for a fact that Ouroboros didn’t
play fair and couldn’t be trusted.
“I’ve known you for a while,” Not as
long as Crow obviously but enough to know that things did not just fall into
place naturally for Melyssa. The woman
actually had the worst luck out of anyone he had ever met. “You usually don’t
catch breaks.”
“I know. And I still have no idea why I was recruited
in the first place. I don’t know what’s
so special about me that the Grandmaster is putting me above one of her top
Enforcers.” McBurn was No. I while she was No. XVII, way down the totem pole.
“I didn’t feel anything different with her during our meeting.” It was
weekly. She had to report to the
Grandmaster directly with any new information regarding Machias. “Now that I’ve
started this job for you, Machias, I’m going to need you to give me some kind
of information to tell her at my meeting next week. She’s going to get suspicious if I don’t have
something to tell her.”
Machias nodded, eyeing her
thoughtfully. Nobody had ever figured out
why Melyssa had been targeted outside of McBurn’s lust and even then… for
Ouroboros to accept her offer -not that they were trying very hard to keep to
their end if they had ordered a hit on him-, not much made sense. “I’ll have
something for you, nothing major.” Because while he trusted Melyssa, he’d have
been a complete fool to reveal anything major intended for Crossbell while she
was technically Ouroboros. And some
things were just need to know, they were all playing a dangerous game here and
there were a lot of lives at risk.
“I don’t want you to tell me anything
major. The less they know, the better.”
Melyssa was in complete agreement with Machias and she preferred him not to
tell her anything major either, just in case.
She never knew what kind of magic the Grandmaster would perform on her
at a moment’s notice. The woman could
probably read minds, knowing her. “Miss Wakaba wanted me to give you this to
look over. It’s the schedule for next
week’s meetings.” Each major city, like Heimdallr, would be visited by their
leaders, such as Machias’ own father, Governor Regnitz. “You will have meetings
with each individual to discuss mending rifts between Crossbell and the
Erebonian cities and if you need to change anything, let me know and I’ll switch
some things around to make it more convenient for you.”
Machias nodded, frowning when Crow
cleared his throat. “What?”
“She’s going to have to give them a
copy of your schedule.” Crow pointed out a bit apologetically, but it was very
obvious. She had access to the mayor’s
schedule, Ouroboros would know that and expect a copy as well, which meant his
and Ash’s workload would likely increase. “As much as I hate saying it, if she
doesn’t, it’s going to look suspicious.”
Ash groaned, shaking his head. He hadn’t thought about it, but then again,
he wasn’t a former terrorist either, or former Ouroboros affiliate or whatever
Crow had been. “He’s right…” He hated his friend right now. “I guess this means
we’re going to have to go above and beyond for your precious, mayoral
backside.”
“Already way ahead of you. Here.” She handed over another schedule, one
that she wouldn’t have to show Ouroboros and smiled at their confused
expressions. “The schedule I gave you will make them think your appointments
are at those times, but really you’re going to have your meetings in the
privacy of your home later that evening.
With a little help from Rosalie, Ouroboros won’t be able to see them
arriving or leaving your home.” Magic truly was a beautiful thing and having a
very powerful witch on their side was proving very effective. “And Rosalie even
made it to where, if I go over to Ash or Crow’s apartments to discuss
something, they won’t know either. She
cast a spell on all three of our places, so there’s some kind of invisible wall
that Ouroboros won’t know about.” This way, she didn’t have to keep her mask on
and she would also be alerted whenever someone from Ouroboros showed up.
It was some kind of magical security.
Chapter 65
“So, if fixing this stuff is THAT
easy, and we can handle issues THAT easy with magic, why the fuck are we
bothering?” Ash asked curiously, reaching back to scratch at the nape of his
neck.
If Ouroboros was going to be duped
that easily, then why were they all gearing up like they were going to
war? He shook his head, missing the good
old days when it was just a bunch of straight forward fighting. Give him his weapons and a monster any day,
at least that all made sense. Not to
mention at least he felt useful then, right now all he was doing was pretending
to be a guard.
“Don’t look at me.” Crow shrugged,
shaking his head to get his silver hair out of his eyes, grinning down at
Melyssa with another shrug. “So what other tricks do you have up your sleeves,
Lyssa?”
“On the contrary, Mr. Carbide, magic
DOES have its limitations, just as regular weaponry and anything else in the
world.” Rosalie appeared before them and waved her hand, making sure they were
completely alone and couldn’t be overheard. “The only thing I have done is
ensure Machias has a safe place to have these meetings. Magic doesn’t fix everything, believe it or
not. And it wasn’t Melyssa’s idea, it
was my own, so if you’re not comfortable with it, you need to take your
discrepancies up with me. I’ve afforded
you the opportunity to be able to meet secretly without Ouroboros knowing. That does NOT mean everything is solved.” Not
by a long shot. “Or, as you so eloquently put it, fixed.”
“Ash, you know as well as I do that
magic only goes so far. I know you’re
not a fan of magic to begin with.” He HATED anything related to the
supernatural world, actually. “But for now, this is the best thing we can
do. Going forward, we will still need to
prepare ourselves and be on guard. At
least in our apartments, we don’t have to worry about being eavesdropped on
anymore. Or rather, ME being
eavesdropped on by Ouroboros.”
Ash didn’t say a word. His position on magic was quite clear and for
Rosalie to just pop up with a ‘magic doesn’t solve everything’, but she had
appeared out of nowhere and sealed all these places… yeah… no thanks, he was
good with concrete ‘can’s’ and ‘can nots’ instead of this ‘be awed but there
are limitations, sometimes’ thing. It
was too confusing. He was the asshole
because he had asked a curious question, note to self, don’t do that again.
“Define discrepancy, apparently I’m
an idiot.” He remarked wryly as he stared at the ancient witch.
“You are an idiot.” Crow agreed cheerfully,
ruffling his friends hair and dodged a punch. “But we still love you.”
Rosalie grinned, her crimson eyes
sparkling and floated over to where Ash was, tapping his nose with the tip of
her finger. “I like this one. So much
spirit and fire. And I am sure you are
aware of what ‘discrepancy’ means. You
do read enough, so you are very knowledgeable.
I am sure you can figure it out for yourself, handsome.” She squeezed his
backside for good measure, giggling when he jumped and floated away again. The 800-year-old witch could have fun when the
situation called for it.
Melyssa could not keep the laughter
in, though she tried by biting her knuckle and Crow was howling.
“Discrepancy is generally a lack of
similarity between two things, generally facts.” Ash was very well read and
about the only one who knew it was Melyssa. “For example, you popping in
magically to say magic isn’t a cure-all is a bit of a discrepancy.”
Crow’s jaw dropped. “Who ARE you and
where’s Ash?”
“You were probably meaning something
along the lines of my ‘thoughts or concerns’ and just jumbled the words.” She
wasn’t going to like him for much longer; he folded his arms over his chest,
raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t hex me when you get him…” Crow
was backing away from the situation, wondering if Machias had a dictionary.
“For what now?!” What the HELL had he
done the first time to get reamed? He
got this time, sort of, but damn it, he was tired of this occult bullshit! “I’m
going to get coffee. Crow… you’re on
watch.”
“Uh… maybe bring back a few extras…”
“Sure… Rosalie, still take an ungodly
amount of sugar in yours?” He got now why she needed it, the woman was salty
and he grinned when she gave him a look.
Ash supposed at her age, she was allowed.
“I’ll, uh, go with him.” Melyssa
pulled the mask back on, heading out the door and jogged to catch up with Ash.
“I figured you could use some help bringing the coffee back. You only have two hands, you know.” She
looped her arm through his as they continued walking, a smile on her ‘masked’
face. Melyssa didn’t know Rosalie the
same way the others did, only because she didn’t go to war and fight side by
side the witch or any member of Class VII. “You really don’t like witches, do
you?”
“It has nothing to do with whether I
like them or not.” Ash said after a long moment, glancing down at her
thoughtfully. “It has to do with the fact that people are told magic isn’t a
cure-all, but then others like to show off their magic by that floating thing,
or just showing up out of nowhere. It’s
misleading. As for Rosalie, the older
she gets, the more her mouth runs. That
or I’m getting hit with the ‘can’t have a different opinion’ or ask questions
brick.” Apparently, her brains were on the way out, though he didn’t voice
it. He hadn’t even been being mean when
he had asked the others that question, he had been genuinely curious. “Rosalie
is a brilliant witch.” He admitted, grudgingly.
“For the record, I’m on your side,
but…she is an 800-year-old witch, so I really didn’t want to go against what
she wanted to do.”
Melyssa knew that was cowardly, but
she was also thinking of self-preservation.
Ash would understand that, surely.
This was the first time they’d been alone since the log cabin and
Melyssa was glad to see their connection was as strong as ever. At least, that’s how it appeared to be.
“What are you doing tonight after
work? Since Rosalie spelled our
apartments, maybe you can come over and hang out? I could make dinner and we could watch a
movie or something? What do you think,
Carbide?”
“Maybe, we’ll see how the rest of my
day goes.”
If he had to deal with another verbal
smackdown over nothing, he might actually be piss-poor company and take his bad
mood out on her. That was something Ash
never wanted to do, not to her. He
stopped walking, staring down at Melyssa and sighed, wishing she wasn’t wearing
that damn mask.
“I hate that thing.” He muttered,
watching her raise one eyebrow slowly and was tempted to tap her cheek. “What’s
for dinner, beautiful?” He hadn’t even known she could cook. “And what can I
bring?”
“Just yourself is plenty. And I was thinking spaghetti since it’s easy
to make and filling.” She would never eat gelato again as long as she lived,
but there were plenty of other delicious desserts out there to consume. Rean destroyed her love for gelato,
unfortunately. “And I promise I won’t wear it tonight, if you come over.”
Melyssa knew Rosalie didn’t mean to
give a verbal smackdown to Ash. She was
just pointing out that magic wasn’t an end-all, be-all like others
assumed. However, she also saw it from
Ash’s point of view since he was not a believer in magic at all, even with all
he’d seen in Erebonia. Maybe that’s why
he hated magic so much in the first place.
“Just make sure to let me know before
we leave, so I know whether or not to make it or just stop to get something on
the ride home.”
“I will.” Verbally because he knew
her communication methods were probably being watched. Unless of course, Rosalie had done something
there. Magic made things seem to be too
easy. It was easy to disguise and hide,
but then… why wouldn’t Ouroboros expect something like that to begin with?
“Beautiful,” Another thought had occurred to him, though he half expected her
to have already had a counter in place or something. He needed whatever luck she had rubbed off on
him. “They know Machias is married to a witch, a powerful one,” Because in her
own right, Emma was. “They’ve got to be expecting the magical wards and stuff
on his office.” And they would expect her to work around it or something,
wouldn’t they?
If not, how were they always a step
ahead of the rest?
Melyssa honestly didn’t know what to
say to that observation because it was true.
Ouroboros knew all about Machias and Emma being married and Emma’s
origins. The Grandmaster hadn’t said
anything to her about the magical wards, so either she didn’t care or…she had
another trick up her sleeve. That was
disconcerting.
“That’s probably why they’re having
me be their spy in the first place.” Normally, Enforcers weren’t dubbed as
spies, but she was a new Enforcer and had to ‘prove’ herself. “I’m their only
way of finding out exactly what’s going on within the system of Crossbell.” Not
that she planned on telling them anything more than what Machias ordered.
“They’ll expect you to learn and
report back all of this.”
And she wouldn’t, Ash could see it in
her teal eyes. She’d report only the
smallest of things and the bare minimum, which he knew was going to trigger
warnings if they weren’t already on high alert.
Sending her out into the field, her first time, against the people she
had negotiated safety for, this was a test.
This was Ouroboros testing her loyalty, throwing her up against the very
people, friends, she had bargained her life away for.
“You’re playing this close,
beautiful.” He forewarned quietly, calmly, his pink eyes narrowing ever so
slightly as he stared down at her.
“I know, and I’m prepared for the
consequences, whatever they may be. I’m
not going to worry about it right now.
Whatever Machias tells me to tell them, I’ll do it. The Grandmaster knows it’s going to take time
to get any legitimate information from the Mayor and she even told me to take
my time, to be thorough and diligent.” Melyssa could see the worry in his eyes
and it was for her, not them. She
reached up to stroke his face tenderly with the back of her hand, cracking a
smile. “You worry too much, Carbide.
Your hair is gonna start turning grey if you keep this up.”
“And it’s all your fault for being
such a damn difficult woman, you know that?” He shot back without missing a
beat.
Nevertheless, he also stepped away from
her, putting a respectable amount of distance between their bodies as they
resumed walking. Her Grandmaster may
have other spies present that Melyssa wasn’t aware of; he wouldn’t put it past
the shady organization, having spies to monitor their spies. Being a network of liars and evil pricks came
with a lot of inner-fighting and backbiting, he supposed. Ash would hate to have to live with that kind
of paranoia, wondering who was going to stab who from behind next. Them being close enough that way probably
looked intimate, more than was likely allowed or maybe they thought she was
sleeping her way to information. Ash
glanced back down at Melyssa, a little sharply, wondering if THAT was a method
Ouroboros used and if she had been taught seduction techniques.
Not in the slightest. That was something Mariabell did, the
seduction technique, but she was a drop dead gorgeous woman. When Vita Clotilde was in Ouroboros, she
would do the same thing. That was how
she had gotten Crow roped into listening to Duke Cayenne and she manipulated
him into going to where Ordine, the Azure Knight, slept under the city of
Ordis. Melyssa wasn’t anything like
those Anguis, she preferred to use her sword, her wits and smarts in order to
obtain the information she needed.
“I’m not THAT difficult…” She mumbled
good-naturedly, already knowing he was speaking the truth. “You got a sourpuss
look on your face, what’re you thinking about?”
“I’m just thinking that you’re
walking a fine line and going to get hurt.” That was a lie, but also true. He HAD thought about it before just not right
now. Ash wasn’t about to tell her what
he HAD been thinking, she might deck him for it and he’d probably deserve it.
“Here we are.” He gestured to the open double doors, the cafeteria. “Let’s get
coffee.”
He and Crow checked in with the
employees down here regularly, just in case.
Poisoning was a thing and a possibility.
It wouldn’t surprise him at all if Ouroboros had planted someone in the
kitchens or something in an attempt to poison Machias since Melyssa had
declined to take him out.
As long as none of you
get hurt and you stay safe, that’s all I care about, especially you, Ash. Melyssa followed him over to the
coffee, watching him smell everything and knew why he was doing it.
Poisoning. It wouldn’t serve Ouroboros purpose or the
Grandmaster’s objective to try poisoning the Mayor, not when they needed vital
information only the man could provide.
Being the Mayor’s secretary would give Melyssa access to all of that and
more. During her training, she’d been
shown all the different files where each client of Machias’ went, along with
scheduling, phone calls and whatnot. It
was a lot to take in, but she pulled through and tomorrow would another round
of training.
Once they were out of the cafeteria,
Ash passed her the drink carrier before popping his head into the first men’s
restroom they passed. Once he had
determined it was empty, he came back out, took Melyssa by the wrist and pulled
her inside with him, flipping the deadbolt that wasn’t supposed to be used
unless it was an emergency. He set out
each cup, which was labelled for who it belonged too and popped the top of
each, pulling a vial from his pocket. Sniffing only went so far and, to be
honest, not many people used poisons that were detectable via smelling, or even
tasting. The most effect poisons, and
ones he would assume Ouroboros would be smart enough to use, were odorless,
tasteless and would kill someone before they realized it. He pulled a small vile out of one of his many
utility pockets and poured a drop or two from it into each cup, just in case.
“My new motto is don’t trust anyone.”
Wow, Ash was not messing around or
taking ANY chances, not that she blamed him.
She watched as that substance dripped into each coffee and looked around
the bathroom, just making sure they were completely alone. “What is that
stuff?” She asked, curiosity getting the better of her and rolled her eyes when
he simply responded with ‘my secret’.
Melyssa didn’t take it to heart and
nodded to show she understood why he wouldn’t tell her. Hell, Ouroboros was capable of absolutely
anything and if they found out she was playing for the other team, she would be
in trouble. Deadly trouble.
“Ready to go back?”
“Yep.”
Now he was satisfied that nobody
would be dying from accidental ingestion of poison today and he capped the
coffees again, putting them all back in the carriers. Rean wouldn’t have done this, poured an
antidote or more to the point, a neutralizer, into these cups with her
present. Rean would have been concerned
she’d develop a counter. Ash wasn’t a
mistrusting douchebag, well… not totally, anyway. He unlocked the door and poked his head out,
making sure they were in the clear before stepping out into the hallway.
“Wouldn’t do to have your reputation
sullied so soon, ma’am.” He teased, knowing it would have appeared like they
were doing naughty things in there to most people.
Rean was a douchebag and wouldn’t
know someone was helping him if it bit him in the backside. All Melyssa had done was save him and
everyone from sure death. Hadn’t she
come clean to Crow? She didn’t have to
and could have taken on Ouroboros on her own.
Aurelia helped convince her that she did have friends out there that
would help take them down. She thought
Rean would be part of that friendship circle, and maybe more, but he had shown
his true colors. He had changed, not for
the better and had alienated every single person who ever gave a damn about
him. Not just Melyssa, but all of Class
VII…besides a few like Juna and Kurt.
They were on his side, naturally, and she’d never gotten along with
Juna, so that wasn’t a huge surprise.
“Uh huh.” She smirked back at him and
headed back to Machias’ office with him.
“Just say the word and I’ll besmirch
your reputation so thoroughly, it’ll be the talk of Crossbell for at least 100
years.” Ash actually said it casually, with barely the smallest hint of
something wicked.
That mask did absolutely NOTHING to
hide her blush and Ash bit back a smirk.
Two years ago, at Thors, he had refrained from flirting with her. He had kept his lewd and crude comments to
himself because she hadn’t been the kind of girl he had been chasing. She had actually been a friend. She still wasn’t ‘that’ kind of girl, not
something for a night of fun, but… she was more than a friend to him now.
“If only I’d let you besmirch me,
Carbide.” Melyssa remarked in a tease, nudging him gently and silently wished
he would follow through with what he said.
She wouldn’t mind having her
reputation besmirched if it meant being with him. What in GEHENNA was she thinking?! Melyssa took one of the coffees and sipped
it, giving her something to do besides turn into a tomato under his intense,
sultry gaze.
“Though, we never did have our
sparring session and I’m still holding you to that one day.”
“Well, given we’re technically
batting for different sides, that day may come sooner rather than later.”
It would wind up being a legit
sparring session. He wondered how far
Melyssa would go to maintain her cover now that she was back in the fold of the
‘good guys’, so to speak. He already
knew he wouldn’t go the full mile, he would hold back out of fear of hurting
her. WHAT THE GEHANNA WAS HE THINKING?
“Hey, we’re here.” Thank Goddess, he
was losing his mind obviously. “Ladies first.” He gestured towards the door
with his head.
“Wait, Ash, hold on.” Melyssa stopped
him from opening the door and looked up at him, pure concern and confusion in
her eyes. “I’m not on their side anymore.
We’re not batting for different sides at all.”
Did he really believe that? Did he truly believe she was still on
Ouroboros’ side? Why did it hurt to know
that was what he thought? Maybe it
wasn’t a good idea to have dinner together and watch a movie, after all. Did Ash trust her or was he just going along
with this because of Machias?
“Never mind, let’s get inside before
the coffee gets cold.” Opening the door, she walked inside with Ash following
and plastered on a smile to hide her disappointment and sadness.
Ash had seen her do that with Rean at
the cabin. He had seen her do it two
years ago. Just walk off without letting
someone explain themselves. He got Rean;
Rean was a dick. He, on the other hand, had
put in technically. He KNEW where her loyalty was, but that didn’t mean she
didn’t have a part to play either.
Sighing, he rolled his eyes and followed her inside, figuring he’d
explain it to her later over dinner, providing she didn’t start giving him the
cold shoulder and cancel because of a misunderstanding.
“Coffee…”
“Yay, you have useful purposes.” Crow
teased, looking up from the map Machias had given him to study. Old tunnels and whatnot beneath Crossbell, he
wasn’t looking forward to going down in them.
“An escape route, that’s clever. I know Heimdallr has them too, right?”
“Correct. My father has them maintained for security
and emergency purposes. We used them
when we were Class VII, actually.” He remembered that vividly and how they had
actually faced a bone dragon, thanks to dark ages device that brought it to
life by one of Crow’s former comrades – Comrade G. He was dead now.
“You know you can’t tell them any of
this, right?” Crow wanted to make sure she was aware of it and chuckled when
she rolled her eyes. “Just checking, Lyssa.”
“Uh huh.” Time was what it would take
to prove to them whose side she was on.
Chapter 66
After they had coffee and mulled over
the maps Machias had dug up from Crossbell City’s archives, it was time to call
it a day. She walked out with Ash,
leaving Crow and Machias behind. Rosalie
had left right after they did to get coffee, not a fan of it. “So, what time
should I expect you for dinner? I
figured you’d want to go home and clean up first. I know I do.” And to get this stupid mask off
her face.
Rosalie was a godsend, truly.
“Yeah, I’ll be over in about an
hour.”
Ash figured he could wait long enough
to shower and clean up before explaining earlier had been a misunderstanding
and that he did trust her. They all did
or she would have been kicked out of Crossbell by now, or run out,
whatever. Right now, in the middle of a
crowded street, was not the time to discuss such things.
“You know what I mean,” He laughed
when she gave him a look, they still had to make it back to the apartment
complex. “I’ll bring wine, if that’s okay.” Spaghetti and wine, perfect
pairing. “Or dessert if you prefer.” Why did this feel like a date? Or was that all in his head?
“Bring both, just…no gelato. That’s all I
ask.” When Ash gave her a curious look, she shook her head, not wanting to go
into details about it out here in the open.
Maybe later she would explain. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Slipping into her car, she drove off
while he did the same, both heading in the same direction. Ash didn’t directly follow her and veered off
toward another direction. He was
probably going to get the wine and dessert he planned on bringing over. She giggled, shaking her head and continued
onto the apartment since she already had everything to make spaghetti. No matter what, she was planning on making it
tonight, whether Ash showed up or not.
Ash was indeed going to get wine and dessert,
wondering why she didn’t want gelato.
Gelato was delicious. Rean had, a
few years ago, given it to him and Crow after trying it while ‘out and about’. He had wanted to share and… those were good
times, Ash shoved them out of mind. He
went with cheesecake, couldn’t go wrong with cheesecake and he had them put the
topping, strawberry, on the side in a to-go container just in case. It occurred to him that he knew a lot about
Melyssa that most people probably didn’t, but when it came to the basics, like
her favorite foods, or type of music she listened too, he was clueless. Well, maybe it was time to rectify that
tonight. He picked up a bottle of red,
sweet wine and headed home for a shower, pretty sure he was overthinking
everything and should squash the nerves.
Why was he nervous?
It was just Melyssa!
Because it WAS Melyssa.
After a quick shower, Melyssa didn’t
bother putting the mask back on and started dinner. She had actually started the sauce while in
the shower, letting it slowly simmer, after browning the ground beef to put in
it. In a simple sky blue summer
sleeveless dress, something comfortable and freeing, Melyssa had pulled her
hair up to pile on top of her head, not wanting any hair in the food. That would not be appetizing. She had just finished setting the water on
the stove to boil for the noodles when a knock came at her door. She knew who it was as she bounced over to
open it, the smile on her face slowly fading away at the sight of Crow instead
of Ash.
“Oh hi, what are you doing here,
Crow?”
“I came to see how you’re doing after
today.”
Today had been… well, a part of it,
had been awkward and tense. Rosalie had
the effect on people sometimes and she and Ash had a history of butting heads
when they were put together in tense situations. Something smelled delicious and he inhaled,
letting out a groan.
“Is that your Mom’s recipe?” He asked
curiously, seeing her nod and grinned, his eyes sweeping over the dress. Her hair was still damp, she had just gotten
out of the shower and she looked… beautiful.
Without the mask, her ‘flaws’ standing out, she was gorgeous and real.
“Am I interrupting something, Lyssa?” He asked after a moment, beginning to
feel a little uncomfortable because now he realized she had stopped smiling at
the sight of him and greeted him with an ‘oh hi’, not exactly what he had been
expecting.
The smile was back on her face as
Melyssa gestured him inside by the arm, closing the door behind her. “Wait,
what? No, noooo, no, no, no, I was just
making dinner for me and Ash. I invited
him over for dinner and a movie tonight to hopefully rekindle our friendship…”
There was an unreadable look on his Crow’s face and Melyssa didn’t know what to
think about it. “Why don’t you join us?
We’re friends and there’s plenty here for all of us. I was just boiling the water for the
noodles. Ash is bringing wine and
dessert, so if you wanna run home and grab a beer or something, you’re more
than welcome to.” Now she was rambling like an idiot.
Ash and Melyssa, having dinner, that
just didn’t sit very well for some reason.
Maybe it was because he was protective of Melyssa since she was like a
sister to him. Or maybe it was because
he was protective of Ash since he was like a brother to him. Or maybe it was because of reasons he wasn’t
about to dwell on tonight.
“You sure? I don’t want to interrupt anything… and to be
honest, you didn’t look very pleased that it was ME at the door.” Now he knew
why, she was expecting someone else.
Ash. That was just… odd, it was
ODD.
“I’m sorry, I just thought you were
Ash since I’m expecting him…”
Melyssa didn’t mean to be
disappointed at who was at her door and frowned, seeing the hesitation on
Crow’s face. She recalled the two kisses
they shared and then he had rejected her because he thought of her as a
‘sister’. It hurt her, Melyssa would not
lie because she thought for sure she would end up with Crow…once she discovered
he was really alive. It was like the
universe had literally pushed them together, but then…there was Rean and
Ash. Rean turned out to be a colossal
disappointment and a downright bastard, but Ash had forgiven her and stuck by
her, no matter what. So had Crow, but
then again, she was ‘family’ to him and nothing more.
“Why are you looking at me like
that?”
Crow finally stepped inside since she
gestured him in again, raking a hand through his silver hair. "I don't
know what to think about the idea of you and Ash." He held up a hand when
her teal eyes widened and her mouth opened. "I'm not saying there IS you
and Ash, but the idea is the first thing that popped into my head and it's… I
don't know. I also know it's not my
business."
Well, she DID ask him and he had
given her a straight, blunt answer. “Crow, there’s nothing going on between me
and Ash. I don’t even know why you care
considering you said you thought of me as family and nothing more. But now you’re standing here saying this
stuff to me, and it makes me wonder if you really meant it or if you were
just…scared of being with me, for some reason.
So, which is it? Are you being
overprotective and in brother mode or is there another reason why you don’t
like the idea of me and Ash together?”
She was just as blunt and
straightforward as he was.
He knew he could give her a logical
crap answer about them getting involved being stupid, given everything going
on, but she'd see through his shit. "I don't know, maybe a little of both.
" He wasn't going to lie. "And I care because you and Ash are both my
friends, but if there's nothing going on than it doesn't matter."
“And what if there is? Or there ends up being something between me
and Ash?” Melyssa folded her arms in front of her chest, trying extremely hard
to keep her voice calm and neutral, but there was a hint of annoyance in her
tone. “YOU decided you didn’t want me, Crow.
YOU told me you saw me as a ‘sister’ and nothing more, do you remember
that? Do you remember rejecting me? And now that I’m showing the slightest
interest in someone else, you’re going to come at me with this shit? You know what I think? I think you don’t know what you want, even
after the past two years I’ve been gone.
I think you were scared back then, though I have no idea why. And I think you’re STILL scared and unsure of
what you want right here and now and I don’t have time to play games. I don’t know how I feel about Ash
either. And I don’t know how Ash feels
about me. I DO know he’s become my best
friend. I know I was in love with you
two years ago, but I’m not now. And I
know I had feelings for Rean back then, but those are gone as well. That’s what I know and I’m not going to let
fear hold me back from being happy, regardless of who it’s with. I gave you your chance, twice, and you chose
your path. You wanted to be just friends
and I respected it, even though it nearly killed me because I thought you loved
me too…as MORE than a sister.” Walking past him, she opened the door again just
as Ash went to lift his hand up to knock. “I changed my mind. You ARE interrupting us and I’m done with
this conversation, brother.” That was her way of telling him to get out of her apartment.
Crow got it loud and clear. “I hope
Ash is never honest with you.” He informed her on his way out.
Everyone who was honest with her got
torn to shreds and he had seen it with others.
If they voiced their opinion, or told the truth, how they felt or viewed
something, and it contradicted her or was ‘bad’, they got torn. Rean immediately came to mind and he
dismissed it.
“What’d I miss?” Ash asked, holding
the wine tucked beneath his arm, the cheesecake on his palm and the other hand
raised still like he was going to knock. “Or do I not want to know?” He
probably didn’t want to know, he wasn’t getting involved between any crap
between Melyssa and Crow. Ash hoped she
wasn’t cutting more people out though, she kind of needed them.
Crow could voice his opinions all he
wanted, but the SECOND she did the same thing, voiced HER opinion, it was
considered ripping people apart? Talk
about a double standard and a double-edged sword! What was she supposed to do? Stand there and listen to Crow’s crap about
how he wasn’t comfortable with what happened between her and Ash? That he MAY have feelings for her that were
more than thinking of her as family? The
man REJECTED her and maybe she did still have some ill thoughts and feelings
towards him.
First Rean and now Crow – was Ash
next?
“Tonight’s not a good night to do
this, Ash. I’m sorry, I just want to be
left alone.” She closed the door in his face and flipped the lock on it,
finally allowing the tears to flow down her cheeks. Hearing the pot boiling with water on the
stove, Melyssa walked over to turn it off and tossed it all in the sink, not
caring if she made a mess.
I hope Ash is never
honest with you.
Those words struck her hard, like a knife straight through her already mangled
heart. Maybe leaving Ouroboros wasn’t
the right thing to do, after all. I don’t trust you. Another stab right in the heart and she could hear Rean’s words echoing
in her mind.
Nobody trusted her; Aurelia was dead
wrong on that assumption, even after she explained everything. It didn’t matter. That was why Rean refused to help them
because he didn’t trust her. She had
saved these ungrateful people and sacrificed her own freedom for them AND THEY
DIDN’T GIVE A DAMN!!
“I’m done.” Wiping her tears away,
Melyssa decided it would be strictly business between her and all of Class VII
from here on out. Enough was enough, she
could not take anymore and, honestly, Melyssa was afraid of having a nervous
breakdown.
Ash had absolutely no idea what he
had missed and he kept reminding himself he wasn’t getting involved.
Tomorrow at work was going to suck
majorly.
Crow had already decided he was going
to be polite and if Melyssa wanted to continue her overreacting bitch fit, that
was on her. He wasn’t going to let her
inability to let other people say what was on their mind, or admit when they
weren’t sure about something, without stripping them down, interfere with who
he was or what he did. Melyssa was
turning into Rean 2.0, she had the savior complex and had sacrificed herself
for everyone, people were all siding with her.
If she didn’t check herself now, she’d keep on the same path where Rean
was currently.
Bitter and alone.
Maybe tomorrow he’d try talking to
her, definitely not tonight though.
She was his family, whether she liked
it or not.
~!~
“My Lysa, did you honestly think I
didn’t know what was going on? I have
spies all over Crossbell City, not just you.” The Grandmaster smiled at her
newest Enforcer, steepling her fingers together. “Obviously, you have learned a
few things, I’m assuming?”
“Yes.”
“Such as?”
“Nobody trusts me. All I have done is protect them and…they
don’t trust me because I joined up with Ouroboros and became an Enforcer.”
Melyssa spoke quietly, honestly, her head remaining bowed.
“Of course they don’t, child. Do you know why? Because you haven’t been through what they
have. You haven’t gone to war with them
by your side. Rean Schwarzer has always
had a hero complex and when he couldn’t fulfill that role, it destroyed him.”
The Grandmaster knew all and saw everything, including Rosalie Millstein’s
interfering ways, which was a little troublesome, but nothing to be TOO
concerned about. They had dealt with the
witch once before and would have no problem doing it again. “Will you allow
this to destroy you? If you wish to pull
out of Crossbell, I will have no problem sending you elsewhere.”
Melyssa thought about it and shook
her head, slowly looking up at the Grandmaster. “I will stay and fulfill my
duty as Enforcer No. XVII, Grandmaster.”
She smiled. “Go then, child.”
Melyssa nodded, bowing to her and
walked out, waiting until she was driving off from the compound to text
Machias. It’s done.
Machias had ordered her to go to the
Grandmaster for her next meeting and convince the woman, or whatever she
claimed to be, that Melyssa was 100% on their side. There was a rift going on between her, Crow
and even Ash. She had hardly spoken to
them for the past week and Machias could feel the tension thick in the
air. He figured doing this would help
ease it a little since they still had no idea how to take Ouroboros down for
good.
Crow had tried talking to her and she
was giving him the cold shoulder.
The Grandmaster wasn’t wrong, Melyssa
HADN’T gone to war with any of them and that was something that tended to build
trust, being in the heat of constant battles where one’s very life hung on the
line and they HAD to rely on their partner.
It was easy for them all to say they trusted her, but truth was, they
had no choice but to trust her and hope she was playing this straight. Even for
all her guff and bullshit, Crow knew she was because at her core, Melyssa was a
good person.
Even good people had sticks up their
asses at times.
Get back safe.
Chapter 67
Honestly, Melyssa didn’t know what
the right thing to do was. She was
conflicted because it seemed the Grandmaster and most of the Enforcers/Anguis
did legitimately trust her. Whereas the
people she had only spent a short amount of time with didn’t. Did she trust them in return? Melyssa couldn’t answer that question and it
troubled her. Maybe it would be best to
just stick with Ouroboros since she knew them far more and better than Class
VII.
Stopping her car, Melyssa stared
straight ahead out of the windshield and shut her eyes tightly, gripping the
steering wheel tightly in her hands.
What was the right decision? What
was the best thing for her to do? It
seemed the Grandmaster already surmised she was playing both sides, but the
woman hadn’t condemned her for it either.
Maybe she wanted to show Melyssa who her TRUE friends and family were
the hard way.
“You know, the Grandmaster took you
in and cared for you like one of her own.” Mariabell had appeared in the
passenger seat of Melyssa’s car, a soft smile on her face. “And we haven’t
treated you THAT badly, I don’t think.
We’re not as bad as people claim we are.
We’re just…powerful and CAN be bad if the situation calls for it.”
“Why was I chosen, Mariabell? I’ve asked this question so many times and
I’ve never gotten a clear answer.” Melyssa looked over at one of her trainers
and…friends. Was Mariabell a friend of
hers? “I was isolated and couldn’t see the light of day or the starry night sky
for two years straight.”
“Because you were in training. That’s how it was for me too. And I’ll tell you something, I LOATHED the
Grandmaster for it for the longest time.
But eventually, I opened my eyes and realized it was all done for my own
good, to make sure I fulfilled my training as an Enforcer. And then, I was bumped to an Anguis shortly
after that.” Mariabell had no reason to lie to her or keep anything from her.
“As far as why you were chosen, I don’t know.
I really don’t know why I was chosen either besides my magical
abilities. With you…it has to do with
that orange aura you have whenever you power up. Maybe that’s the ‘spirit’ McBurn was talking
about when he referred you to the Grandmaster.
And you have to admit, your skills as a swordsman have improved
exponentially since you joined us. Can
you honestly tell me Rean Schwarzer would’ve given you that kind of training,
that kind of dedication?”
Melyssa frowned, lowering her eyes.
“No.” It was the truth. Rean had sparred
with her, sure, but she hadn’t been with Class VII that long before Gehenna
broke loose. “I just don’t want them to get hurt. They don’t trust me and that’s fine, but…I
still want to protect them for some reason.”
“So do it. You’re an Enforcer now. You can do whatever you want and make your
own rules…as long as it doesn’t interfere with the Grandmaster.”
Now Melyssa was confused. “But I
thought I had to be a spy in the mayor’s office?”
Mariabell shrugged with a smirk.
“That was a test to see where your loyalties truly lie. And we’re pleased to see that you came to us
and told us what was going on. So now, the
Grandmaster has informed me you can do whatever you want and…” She reached over
to pull the mask away from Melyssa’s face. “You don’t need these anymore since
Class VII knows who you really are now.”
“I-I don’t?”
“Nope, and you can go back to being Melyssa
Brackett instead of Lysa Reynolds. The
world is your oyster, my dear.”
“Why do I feel like this is a trap?”
Mariabell shrugged, a purple glow
outlining her frame. “Maybe it is…maybe it isn’t.” Then, she was gone.
What in Gehenna just happened?
~!~
“McBurn is in Jurai, riling up the
nobility again.” Machias was saying to Crow and Ash when Melyssa showed up for
work, nodding once at her. “We knew he had been sent there, but… what is the
point?” Seriously, why was it such a bad thing that the commoners and poor got
a leg up? “I wish we could abolish nobility and be done with it.” He muttered
under his breath, then flinched. Melyssa’s family had been nobility once and
then stripped of it and their names stricken from the record. He still didn’t fully know or understand the
circumstances behind it.
“That’s not surprising considering
that’s where the Grandmaster sent him. I
wonder what the endgame is, though.” Melyssa walked over and slapped a brand
new application on top of Machias’ desk, making him look up at her. Her UNMASKED face. “Lysa Reynolds is no
longer your employee and has left the building permanently, so if you want to
hire ME and keep up my training, the name is Melyssa Brackett from now on. And don’t worry, the Grandmaster already knows
and is the one who gave her approval for me to stop wearing those hideous
things since I told her what was going on.
Just like you wanted me too, Mr. Mayor.” She winked, feeling happier
than she had in a long time because now she no longer had to pretend to be
someone else. She could be HERSELF,
mostly. “I’m starting to wonder if you had this planned all along,
Machias. You really are a sly devil, if
that’s the case.” And smart as a whip to outwit the Grandmaster.
Machias, Ash and Crow were all staring
at her, the real her. The lack of a mask
had all three men relaxing without being aware they had been tense to begin
with. The mask thing was really, really
disconcerting.
“As much as I would love to be able
to claim that was my grand scheme all along, Melyssa,” Machias bowed his head
to her with a slight smile. “You give me far too much credit, we all know I’m
more of a fighter than a thinker.”
“Which explains why you got THIS
job.” Crow snorted, walking over to stare down into Melyssa’s teal eyes. “So
what was the mind game she tried playing with you?” He asked curiously, knowing
one had been laid out because he had had the same thing, a few times, happen to
him.
“It wasn’t a mind game at all. I told her what was going on, like Machias
wanted me to, and then Mariabell paid me a visit and told me I didn’t have to
be Lysa Reynolds anymore. I didn’t have
to wear the masks anymore. I burned them
all, by the way. They are HISTORY.” It
felt damn good to do that too and she’d done it out in the middle of nowhere,
in the woods in a clearing, so she wouldn’t start a major fire. “She did tell
me she has spies all over Crossbell City and she knows I’ve been friendly with
you all. And surprisingly, she seemed
fine with it, so I couldn’t begin to tell you what her endgame is either. Oh, and Mariabell told me since I passed
whatever this test was the Grandmaster gave me, I can pretty much do whatever I
want as an Enforcer now, as long as it doesn’t intervene with the Grandmaster’s
main plans. I don’t think they’re after
Crossbell anymore, unless they want you to let your guards down. It’s hard to say, she’s not easy to read.”
“No, Lyssa, there was something
else.” Crow said quietly, studying her meticulously. “For me, one of the times
anyway, it was about Class VII not being my friends at all. Why would they trust me? I was a terrorist, a spy…”
His cheeks flushed, remembering how hard
it had been to earn trust back after turning his back on them, again. Rean had been the only one who had welcomed
him back with no questions asked and Rean had been called a fool for it. Now Rean was… not here, not welcoming anyone…
and he felt a moment’s twinge of guilt because nobody had even tried siding
with the guy who had always taken care of them without question. Guilt had to go, no time for it. When she shook her head again, he nodded and
let it go.
“It’s good to see your proper face again, outside of safe zones.”
In a way, the Grandmaster DID
question her regarding Class VII trusting her, but they didn’t need to know
that. There was no reason for it. If they didn’t trust her, she wouldn’t be
here and she knew it. Then again, maybe
they were keeping the enemy close – her.
It didn’t matter, they had bigger fish to fry and had a plan when it
came to Rean. He wasn’t himself…and she
wondered if Ouroboros had something to do with it.
From how everyone spoke about him,
including Emma, Rean was the most forgiving, understanding and trusting man in
Erebonia. Now, it was almost as if he
didn’t trust a single person and there was a darkness inside of him. She really needed to talk to him one more
time, to see if she was right in her assumption when it came to Ouroboros. Again, they didn’t need to know what she was
planning outside of city hall, though she was contemplating asking Ash or Crow
to accompany her to Leeves on Saturday – their next day off.
Ash was still playing the ‘mind my own
business and focus on the matters at hand’ game. Neither Crow or Melyssa had volunteered
information about that night and he had managed to squash his curiosity and
refrained from asking. If they wanted
him to know, he’d tell them, though admittedly, he had been more than a little
tempted to bean Crow a good one for ruining what was potentially a date with
Melyssa.
The rest of the day was business as
usual with Crow accompanying the treasurer to the bank while he stood guard at
the office door, Machias was getting ready to leave for the night. He had stood there, watching as she worked,
listening to her conversations and been bored out of his mind. When Melyssa finally ended her last phone
call and stood up, signaling she was done with the end of her workday, he
flashed her a hesitant smile when she glanced at him.
Melyssa smiled back with a small nod,
knowing Ash hated Rean because of what happened to her in Jurai. The man could not understand why their
Instructor would use her as bait with her own father. She understood why Rean did what he did, and
didn’t fault him for it either.
Something isn’t right
with him. I can feel it and I don’t know
why. I was a bitch to him, even though
he wasn’t nice to me. He doesn’t trust
me and that’s not like Rean at all, not according to what Crow told me. Crow was only putting up with her
because of their job, but they were tense with each other, so there was no way
he’d go with her to Leeves. I’ll just go alone. I can
handle myself and…I can handle Rean. She hoped. The man wasn’t called
the Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves or the Ashen Chevalier for nothing. It doesn’t
matter. I have to try. Maybe wearing the mask threw him off or
something.
“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s a bad
idea.” Ash observed, having been watching her face intently.
He had always, from day one, been
able to read Melyssa like a book.
Granted nowadays it was a bit harder, her training with Ouroboros had
made it so it was near impossible because she kept her face stoic and still for
the most part. Her not wearing a mask
anymore helped him look for facial cues and then there were her eyes, those
stunning teal eyes that showed so much emotion if she wasn’t actively
concentrating on hiding it. At her
politely puzzled, raised eyebrow, he grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
“You got this look, like you’re
planning on doing something you maybe shouldn’t. Your jaw squared up.” Which meant she had
reached a decision.
“Yes, I have and you won’t approve of
what I want to do, so I’m not telling you what it is.”
Ash would try to stop her, convince
her not to do it, but in her heart and her mind, Melyssa knew she had to do
this. Traveling to Leeves to talk to
Rean Schwarzer had to be done. Mariabell
said she could do whatever she wanted now that she no longer had to hide her
true identity from the world. Enforcers
weren’t on tight leashes and going to talk to Rean wouldn’t interfere with
anything the Grandmaster had planned.
“I’m taking a trip for the
weekend. I’ll be back sometime Sunday
evening, just so you’re not growing greys worrying about me.”
“I already am growing greys because
of you. I’ve been tearing them out on a
regular basis since the day I met you.” He informed her, pink eyes narrowing
slightly. “Business trip or pleasure?”
Ash knew it was none of his business,
but damned if he could keep himself from asking. When Melyssa just shrugged one shoulder, he
felt like snatching her up. Except then
he’d have to explain why he was assaulting a coworker, or being assaulted by
one.
“Want some company?” He offered,
already knowing she would shoot him down.
“Now see, I WAS going to ask you to come
along, but when I tell you what I’m going to do, you’re probably going to blow
a gasket and take half of Crossbell City with you.” Now his eyes were pink
slits and she groaned, taking his hand to pull him into her office. Being the Mayor’s head secretary had perks.
“I’m going to see Rean.” Before he could blow his stack, she covered his mouth
with her hand and her teal eyes pleaded with him to hear her out. “Ash, I have
to talk to him. Just one more time. Something is wrong with him…and I don’t think
it’s…I don’t think he’s in control of it.
From what Crow told me, he used to be the nicest, most trusting, most
dedicated, most FORGIVING person in Erebonia.
How he was acting at the log cabin has been bothering me and…I think
Ouroboros might have something to do with it.
And since I know you’re still angry and bitter towards him for what
happened in Jurai, I didn’t want to burden you with my trip to Leeves. It wasn’t his fault for what happened. NOBODY could’ve known the true purpose of
Ouroboros being there.” Her. “You have to forgive him. You have to forgive him the same way you
forgave me. I’m the one responsible for
what happened in Jurai, not him. And
since I’m back to my old self again, and I can pretty much do whatever I want
as an Enforcer, this is my new path.”
This woman WAS going to be the death
of him and his hair! Ash was pretty sure
he could FEEL the greys coming in, covering his natural color and his pink eyes
were beginning to border on an almost red color as he continued staring at
her. He grabbed her hand and slowly
pulled it away from his mouth, having had the childish thought of licking her
palm and was glad that impulse had left as quickly as it had arrived.
“You’re right…about Rean.” He
admitted grudgingly, snorting when her eyes widened in shock. “Crow’s been
saying the same thing.”
Except nobody listened to Crow. Crow and Rean had been best friends and it
had taken Crow a long time to get over what had happened in Jurai. How Rean had used Melyssa as bait, but what
went down at the cabin had gotten the gears in Crow’s head turning.
Chapter 68
“He has?”
Why didn’t he say anything to her
then? Melyssa realized it was her fault
for driving the rift between them because of what she said. She didn’t mean to go off on him the way she
did and she regretted a lot of what came out of her mouth.
“Shit.” Pulling her ARCUS II out, she
sent him a quick message that she needed to talk to him as soon as
possible. If Crow was having the same
thoughts as her when it came to Rean, the same worries, chances were something
definitely wasn’t right. “Thank you for telling me about Crow, Ash. I had no idea, but…I don’t blame him for not
telling me after I was a horrible bitch to him the night we were supposed to
have dinner and hang out.”
He couldn’t stop himself this time.
“What happened that night? What did you
say to him?”
Melyssa bit her bottom lip and
reiterated everything that was said between them, including Crow’s parting
words. “I don’t know why I snapped at him the way I did. I guess part of me is still sore at him for
rejecting me or maybe leading me on.
Because he kissed me once, then fled back at the Twin Dragons tower. Then he asked to kiss me again and then fed
me that crap about only seeing me as a sister.
Yet, he questioned me about…us, me and you. He just sounded…I don’t know, jealous
maybe? It set me off and I have to
apologize to him. All he was doing was
trying to tell me how he felt and I cut him down. And we’ve barely said a word to each other
since that night.”
In fact, she barely said a word to
anyone besides Machias over the past week.
Ash was noticing a pattern. She
had sliced Rean down too. At the time,
Ash had thought Rean was being honest, brutal and cold about it, but he had
been giving his honest opinion and thoughts.
Rean had gotten shredded for his troubles.
“Tearing people apart was never
really like you either.”
Once he’d overlook, but shredding
Crow… just seemed odd. Even after that
disastrous kiss after the equally disastrous train trip, she had forgiven Crow.
“If this is occult related, I want a free pass on my magic hating ways for
LIFE.” He would even keep like… half of his thoughts to himself on magic, but
when he DID unload, he wanted free reign and no repercussions. Magic was evil and outside of Rean maybe
being hijacked, or another amnesia thing like Crow had, magic was the only
logical explanation.
“What’s happening to me, Ash?”
Now she was scared. This scared her because she didn’t realize it
at the time, but she had shredded both men verbally. First Rean because of his lack of trust and
then Crow…because he voiced his opinion on the possibility of her and Ash. What was going on?
“You’re right. This isn’t me.
I’ve never been one to shred anyone or cause anyone pain.” Unless she
was in physical combat, but emotional and mental hurt…that was new for her.
“What did they do to me? What did they
do to Rean?” It had to be Ouroboros’ doing, but she didn’t know HOW or what
kind of spell or magic they used. “I’ve been a mean, cold bitch lately…and I’m
just now realizing it. Maybe Rean isn’t
the only one who has changed for the worst.
I have too…and I don’t know why.”
“Well…”
Ash mulled it over and could pinpoint
where these changes showed, thankfully, few and far between. Or at least, they had been, until he found
out about Crow just now. Ash had to
wonder how many other people she may have done that too without suspecting,
without realizing, what she was doing.
“You’re not as bad as he is, which
says that whatever is happening, it isn’t something that happens at a fast
rate. Something is likely triggering
it.” Fuck. “We need a witch.” Ash sighed, hating his life right now because
their current witch on call was that beautiful hag, Rosalie. “Do you still want
to go see Rean and try talking to him one more time or do you want to get a
magical expert’s opinion?” He asked quietly, knowing how important this would
be to her. Not only for her own sake
because it seemed to be happening to her, but also because Melyssa and Rean had
been… close.
His heart lurched.
“Why not do both?” Rosalie appeared
in front of them with a flourish, a smirk curving her lips. “Yes, every office
in this building is directly connected to me and Machias knows all about
it. Emma wanted me to do it.” She rolled
her eyes at her pregnant granddaughter’s insistence. “For added protection,
according to my lovely Emma.”
Ash had jumped out of his skin and
was clutching his chest, muttering under his breath incoherently.
“Rosalie, can you really tell if
something is going on magically with me and Rean?”
“Hmm, the most I can do is try,
dearie. Like I said before, magic cannot
solve everything, but if magic is involved, I should be able to tell you that
much.”
“Okay, do it.” Rean was in trouble
and Melyssa wanted to do everything in her power to help him, as well as
herself. “Please, I need to know if Ouroboros is responsible for this and if it
is magic-related, they are.”
“Very well…Carbide, if you’re going
to have a stroke, please leave the room.” Rosalie winked at him before turning
serious, her staff in hand. “Let us begin then.”
Yeah, Rosalie was still a bitch. He wished that was magic affecting her, but
no, it was 800 years of walking the earth.
Ash had a very rude thought about her using magic to ensure she remained
beautiful and kept those breasts perky.
He was not stupid enough to say that one out loud.
“So, no conversation here is
private?”
“Nope.”
Too bad magic couldn’t fix her
personality. He didn’t like the idea of
private conversations, such as the one he and Melyssa had been having, being
aired for everyone to hear. Or her. Mostly her. “Can you check Rean if he’s not
present?” He asked curiously, because if she could, he was calling bullshit on
magic not being able to solve everything because that would be pretty damn
impressive. “Or are you going to use Melyssa as your deciding factor?”
“No need for Rean to be here when I
already have a piece of essence from him.” She waved her hand and appeared a
lock of hair, with a neat bow on it to keep the strands together. “Emma
retrieved it before he stormed out of the cabin. Any part of his body can be used, but hair
will give me a definitive answer.
Melyssa…”
“On it.” She took a pair of scissors
and cut the very bottom of her hair, just a few strands long enough for Rosalie
to work with.
“Thank you, I’ll fix your hair for
you, if you’d like, once we’re done here.”
She smiled genuinely at the witch.
“Thank you, Rosalie.”
“Now then, silence is required for
this to work and I need full concentration.
Step back both of you.” Rosalie commanded, not missing Ash instantly
pulling Melyssa out of the circle she formed. “Oh Goddess, I call upon thee
needing answers…” Her eyes turned pure black, looking demonized and Rosalie’s
hair began swirling while both locks of hair began to glow. “Reveal unto me the
truth!”
Then, she began chanting in tongues,
her staff also glowing brightly and both locks of hair had turned from a white
glow to black. Melyssa frowned, knowing
that couldn’t be good and felt Ash wrap his arm around her shoulders, pinching
her lips together to keep from speaking or making a sound. Rosalie looked down at the locks of hair
pulsating black and snapped her fingers, the spell ending as everything
returned to normal.
“You are tainted, dearie. You and Rean…and there is something binding
you two together.” She turned to face the woman, all traces of humor gone. Now, she also was concerned. “Is there
something you both share?”
“Well, we, uh, kissed…”
Rosalie shook her head, waving that
off dismissively. “I mean an object of some sort, a talisman or something? Whatever this is – it’s very dark magic and
your assumptions were correct on who is responsible for tainting you and Rean.”
“You mean…”
“Ouroboros and more than likely, if I
know the Grandmaster as well as I think I do, it was done while you were in
their midst for those two years. Do you
recall if they took anything from you, anything that would link you to your
former Instructor?” Rosalie raised a slow brow when Melyssa instinctively
reached up to touch her neck and stepped forward, narrowing her eyes on the
spot.
“A necklace…they didn’t know I had
it, though. I took it off and kept it
hidden away from them. He gave it to my
for my birthday…”
“Where is this necklace now?” Rosalie
demanded, keeping her voice low and even. “That could be the talisman, what did
you do with it, girl?!”
“I-I threw it away! I didn’t want any memory of him after what
happened at the log cabin and…” Melyssa watched Rosalie’s eyes slam shut and
she felt Ash’s grip on her tighten slightly. “I-It’s probably in the city
garbage by now…”
There was NO way in Gehenna she was
traversing through garbage!
“Rosalie, is there any way to break
the spell?”
“Since Rean is tainted as well, that
means he must have a talisman either similar to yours or…it’s the same thing
he’s been holding onto.” Rosalie had seen this before, hundreds of years ago,
and she could not believe Ouroboros was still performing this type of black
magic. It was a slap in the face to all
witches within Erebonia and she gritted her teeth. “One of those necklaces must
be destroyed completely to break this darkness that has overtaken both of
you. You’re linked to him, Melyssa, and
as long as one of those talismans are active…you both will never know true
peace again. So, you can either traverse
through the city garbage and try to locate YOUR talisman, or…”
“Go to Leeves, find Rean’s and
destroy it.” Melyssa finished for her, already knowing what her decision would
be. “Are you certain that’s all that must be done to cleanse both of us? Both of them don’t have to be destroyed?”
“Only one. I’ve seen this before, but it was a very long
time ago and it’s extremely dark, black magic from the Dark Ages. The Grandmaster must’ve found your necklace
and infused it with black magic, girl.
Since Rean has a replica or something resembling it, it fused with him
as well.”
“Goddess…”
“Why would Rean have one?” Ash asked
curiously, ignoring the look Rosalie shot him, focusing on Melyssa. “It was
meant for protection, right? Did he say he had one for himself at the time?”
Rosalie scoffed when Melyssa shook
her head, shaking her own. “Maybe he had it and kept quiet about it for his own
reasons. Affairs of the heart, young
Carbide, are usually more dangerous and secretive than Ouroboros.”
Yeah, there had been something brief
between Rean and Melyssa. Rean was a
romantic at heart, even though he would put someone’s happiness with another
person above his own, he was just that way. “Fine. Leeves it is.” Because nobody was tromping
through Crossbell’s sewage.
“I advise you only take one person
with you, dearie. So either Crow or Ash,
one of them should stay behind to protect Machias.” Rosalie knew she was
putting the woman on the spot with choosing, but at the same time, it had to be
done. And priorities had to be met,
which was protecting the mayor or Emma would have an absolute coronary.
“Besides, if all three of you go, it will look suspicious.”
Rosalie made a point and, as much as
she wanted to ask Crow, they were on the outs currently. Ash had always been there for her, through
everything, and never once blamed her for anything that happened. He hated Rean and Crow didn’t, but…she
trusted him more than Crow at the moment.
“I want you to go with me, Ash. I trust you completely and I know you want to
help Rean as much as I do.” Even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud. “Please?”
Melyssa knew she didn’t love Rean or have feelings for him that were more than
friendship anymore.
No, they had passed onto someone
else…someone with pink eyes, a good heart and a lewd sense of humor.
“I also advise you to leave
immediately. The longer the talisman is
active, the more damage will be done.”
“Are you sure?” Ash asked quietly, feeling
a bit like Rean at the moment because he was doing something stupid, putting
someone above himself. “Crow and Rean have been best friends for years.”
To him, it made more sense for Crow
to go, it had been Crow who had brought this to HIS attention because Crow
cared more, even with them being on the outs.
Ash, after learning he had been in love with Melyssa and admittedly he
was an idiot sometimes, had not been very kind to Rean for that bad judgment
call. When she just nodded, he flashed
her a smile.
“All right.”
“Both of you need to leave. I will take care of everything here. I will tell Machias and Crow what is going
on. There isn’t time to spare.” Rosalie
instructed, disappearing with a flourish in front of them.
“I’ll never get used to that shit.”
Ash muttered, grunting when Melyssa took him by the hand to lead him out of her
office.
“We’ll stop at the apartment first
and grab our things.”
Melyssa had one thing on her mind and
it was helping Rean, breaking this dark link they had between them. She wanted to restore Rean to who he used to
be and she wanted to be the old Melyssa again.
There was a darkness tinging her for the past two years and she didn’t even
know it until today. On the way to the
apartment, with Ash driving, Melyssa looked over at him and squeezed his hand.
“Thank you for coming with me,
Ash. I wouldn’t be able to do this
without you.” It was the truth; she was too cowardly to face Rean alone, not
after their last altercation.
He gave her a quick smile before turning
his eyes back to the road, returning the squeeze. “I still think Crow would be
better, but we’ll play this your way.”
Rean hadn’t been under any dark
influence during that time two years ago, that had all been Rean. He knew
logically that decision to use Melyssa as bait had torn the other man, went
against everything he stood for. Rean
had been facing a lot of crap from them all during that time too, especially
when Emma had shown up and challenged him.
His lips turned down into a frown.
Maybe he did need to go.
Chapter 69
This was not going to be easy.
They couldn’t just walk up to Rean
and ask to talk to him. Rean had ‘washed
his hands’ of everything and everyone, all because of this darkness. He wouldn’t listen to reason, so Melyssa had
a plan on how to help Rean…without him knowing until the talisman was
destroyed. Once they are at the
apartment, Ash retrieved his belongings and she did the same thing, both
packing light. Just a few outfits and
toiletries, nothing more.
Around an hour later, -Melyssa had
spent some time making them lunches to take on the road, so they didn’t have to
stop- they were on their way to Leeves and she decided to discuss what she had
in mind. “So, Rean isn’t going to talk to us willingly, you know that,
right? He wants nothing to do with us
because of the darkness tainting him.
So, I think what we should do is one of us needs to distract Rean while
the other searches his place for the talisman.
Once it’s destroyed, Rean will return to himself and we can THEN explain
to him what happened. What do you
think?”
“I think I’m going to have to be the
one to distract him, and that’s even if he opens the door to us.” Ash had been
thinking about this as well, his brow furrowing in thought. “If it’s gotten
worse, he may want to fight.” And darkness or not, Rean was one of the best
swordsmen there was in Erebonia. His
equally famous temperament and tendency to show mercy were NOT there. “And he
won’t be tempered by his… usual judgment.” Which would make him cold,
calculated… utterly ruthless. “I’ll keep him occupied, one way or the other,
you find the damn thing, you’ll know better what to look for than I will.”
Honestly, if something happened to her and Rean came to his senses… Ash did NOT
want that on his conscience when he knew it could have been prevented.
“No, Ash,” Melyssa shook her head
instantly, already knowing he wasn’t on par with Rean’s swordsmanship. She had trained for two straight years,
underground, isolated and honed her skills.
Ash had an ax scythe and he wasn’t a swordsman like her. “I will distract him. His anger is going to be towards me, for what
I did. For sacrificing myself for
everyone and going with Ouroboros, becoming an Enforcer.” She knew she was
right about this and could see Ash ready to argue. “I can handle him and I
won’t let him strike me down. YOU look
for the necklace or talisman. Do you
remember the necklace he gave me? It was
the starry night one, so he either has something similar to it or it’s the same
thing. Find it, destroy it and don’t
worry about me. I got this.”
“You’re doing it again.” Ash said,
his lips thinning. “Putting yourself in the way, sacrificing. I’ve fought against and with Rean, I know his
tactics better than you.”
He wasn’t exactly useless in the
field with his scythe ax that he had been using for years, opposed to a few
years training. He had been acknowledged
by the Imperial Army and the Bracers, to name a few, for his battle
prowess. Granted, some of it was sneaky
and underhanded, but Ash played to win.
He hadn’t survived Hamel at the tender age of three just to be struck
down by the empire’s softest man.
“If that’s how you want to play it.”
He agreed finally, his tone softening.
This was her show, he’d follow her
lead.
Melyssa did not need to be
saved. She didn’t need to be
protected. She wasn’t a damsel in
distress and she was swordsman, just like Rean, following the way of the
sword. Frowning, Melyssa suddenly felt
that darkness for the first time, that animosity building inside of her at his
words. She shut her eyes, blocking out
the horrible thoughts flittering through her mind and clutched Ash’s hand,
probably harder than she meant to.
“I don’t mean to…emasculate you or
act like I’m sacrificing myself.” She spoke carefully, trying to find the right
way to say what was on her mind. “I appreciate you offering yourself as the
distraction, but I truly feel I would be best for it because of what’s
happening to Rean and I. I know you know
him better than me when it comes to combat and his tactics because you’ve known
him longer. I hope you don’t get mad at
me for saying this, Ash, but…you have a lot of animosity and anger towards him
and I’m afraid if I let you do this, you won’t have a clear head and you will
end up getting hurt.” With a swords master like Rean, one HAD to have a clear
head to face him. Please don’t be mad at me, Ash.
“As much as I appreciate the thought,
beautiful, it’s kind of a moot point when I’m not the one tainted by that
talisman and we’ve seen how it affects you around Rean.”
Ash saw where she was coming from, he
did, but logically… he wasn’t the one who was going to wind up hurting Rean,
she was. She had totally unleashed on
Rean in a way that had made even him sit back and shut up. He knew Rean was under some sort of evil sway
and had no intentions of hurting the man, just keeping him distracted.
“And I know you’re not trying to
emasculate me. You’re just a lot like
Rean, when you’re not evil anyway. You
put everyone above yourself and that’s… it.” She and Rean could have been
siblings.
She couldn’t deny that, but at the
same time, her mind was made up and since he said he’d follow her lead, there
was no reason to keep discussing this.
It would just piss her off more and that was where the darkness stemmed
from inside of her. Whenever she became
pissed off, she lashed out at the person responsible and she didn’t want to do
it to Ash.
“I understand where you’re coming
from, but I’m politely disagreeing and we’ll just have to agree to disagree on
this subject.” She would be the one to challenge Rean and hoped Ash meant what
he said. Remain
calm, it’s the darkness that makes you lash out. You have to be stronger than the
darkness. You can’t let it devour you. With Rean, she would have to be
COMPLETELY calm, regardless of the harsh words that came out of his mouth.
Ash was fully expecting her to mess
this up and he would never say it out loud.
He had heard the tinge of anger in her voice, knowing she was likely
struggling with keeping that darkness in check.
Knowing about it was the best thing for her, it gave her a defense
against it. He just hoped she was going
to be strong enough to keep it up when she went against Rean. Ash hoped something would break through to
Rean to keep him taking her head off, he knew the man had loved her at one
point, maybe deep down he still did.
“We’ve got this.” They just needed to
get through this weekend one moment at a time, without her temper spiking. He was afraid that if Ouroboros knew SHE knew
about this… they could worsen it somehow.
~!~
Leeves.
It was better than she remembered,
lively in a small town sort of way. The
lino flowers were gone since it was getting to be fall weather, the summer long
gone. She looked around, breathing it in
and landed her gaze on the same bench she shared with Rean under the stars,
eating gelato. Pulling her gaze away
from it and pushing that memory in the far recesses of her mind, Melyssa and
Ash headed toward the school. More than
likely, Rean would be there. What they
didn’t expect was meeting with Towa Herschel, who informed them Rean had
returned to Ymir over a month ago and resigned as an Instructor to Thors Branch
School. She wished them well and was on
her way, not questioning why they needed to talk to Rean or anything.
“Ymir it is, then?”
“Ymir it is,” Ash sighed, raking a
hand through his blonde hair, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Truth be told, I’m
surprised Rean didn’t resign a while ago.
I heard rumors he was becoming… difficult.” One of the most ruthless,
coldest instructors at Thors. At the
time, he had attributed to that bullshit from Emma about separating the
students and friends line, on top of what had happened in Jurai. “Have you ever
been there?” He asked, turning away from the school, his eyes raking over the
old, familiar grounds and felt something tugging at him, nostalgia maybe.
“No, but I will now.” Melyssa sighed
and headed toward the car with Ash, stopping to look at him. “How about we rest
here for tonight?” The sun had set on the horizon and nightfall had
arrived. They’d been going for over a
day straight and she knew they were both running on fumes. “We’ll get a good
night’s sleep and then head out in the morning to Ymir. Are you okay with that?” The look on his face
told her all she needed to know and she reached up to stroke his face with the
back of her hand. “You’re exhausted, Carbide.
Let’s find a hotel.”
“Yeah, you mean an inn.” Ash shook
his head, remembering the time he had taken her to a pub. Not exactly the normal, or appropriate, place
for a young lady, but it had also been at lunch time, so the social norm was a
bit more relaxed. She was a grown woman
now… nobody would bat an eye. “I know just the place, beautiful.” He grinned
down at her, reaching out to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pulled
Melyssa into his side. “You trust me?” At her nod, he began laughing, guiding
the way down the familiar streets and lanes.
It was the same pub he had taken her
for lunch when they were classmates.
Talk about a rush of nostalgia.
At the time, she had been conflicted what to do about Crow and she had
spilled her secret to Ash…well, part of her secret. She smiled up at him with sparkling teal eyes
and they walked inside together, being seated almost right away. Was it a coincidence it was the exact same
booth as last time? It was more lively
than the last time in here, but that was because it was dinnertime instead of
lunch.
“What will the lady be having?”
“A beer and can you send over some of
those delicious chips with salsa?”
“Absolutely, and you sir?”
Ash ordered the same plus a proper dinner and then
he ordered a dinner for her, laughing when Melyssa gave him a look. After the waitress left to get their drinks
and put their order in, he leaned forward to take her hands, squeezing gently.
“The last time we were here, you wouldn’t have a pint with me. For the first, and probably the last time
ever, I can say something positive about Ouroboros, they gave you some taste.”
He began laughing when she pinched the inside of his wrist, squeezing again.
“I’ll get us a room while we’re here, they have an inn above the pub and an
add-on off to the back.” He pushed away from the table and left her there,
returning a few minutes later with a sheepish smile. “So… about that room… I
did get it. The last actually.”
It was her turn to laugh, the sound
musical and cheerful for a change. “How convenient. Well, I guess it wouldn’t be the first time
we’ve shared a bed together and it probably won’t be the last.” Did she just
actually say that out loud? “T-That’s not what I meant!”
Damn it, she was flushing with embarrassment
and took a long swig of her beer, shaking her head. Why was she always a flushed mess when it
came to Ash Carbide? He knew exactly
what to say and what to do to pull it out of her. Granted, she’d been flushed with Rean a few
times, but most of it had been after sparring with each other for a long period
of time.
“Never mind, we’re sharing a bed and
we’ll leave it at that.”
“Hey, they assured me it had double
beds.”
Ash was doubtful however because the
owner had been a little shifty when making that claim. Chances were, it was a single queen sized bed
and he hoped Melyssa didn’t mind the fact that he had totally forgotten to pack
any sleeping bottoms. He had planned on
just going commando, but now… he cocked an eyebrow, figuring they would cross
that bridge when they got there.
“Sounds good to me.” He leered at her
playfully, toasting her with his beer. “I hope you remembered that I’m a
cuddler.” Morning boner… he definitely remembered that and inwardly groaned.
“Yes, I remember and maybe I’ll wake
up on top of you. You never know.” She
teased, taking another pull from her beer and chomped on a chip, enjoying this
little back and forth they had going on.
It was always like this between them,
the playful banter. She definitely wasn’t
the shy woman she used to be and had built a little self-confidence while with
Ouroboros. Melyssa knew she was
beautiful enough to net a decent looking man, though Ash was drop dead
gorgeous. She wondered briefly what
color those eyes of his would change if he was turned on and immediately pushed
that thought away.
Cuddle me all you
want, big boy, I don’t mind. WHAT IN
GEHENNA IS WRONG WITH ME?! Were these thoughts part of the darkness or was her lust finally
seeping through after all this time? They
were finally alone, one on one, with no one to interrupt or stop them.
Ash was completely unaware of where
her thoughts had taken her, but the way her eyes widened for a second told him
it was probably something amusing. For
him at least, maybe not so much for her.
He pulled back when the waitress finally returned with their meals,
eyeballing the generous sized platters and his stomach rumbled.
“I don’t remember you being such an
avid flirt before, beautiful.” He commented and picked up his napkin, setting
it within easy reach. There was a lot he
didn’t remember, like the confidence.
“I was always too shy to do it back
then and maybe it’s this liquid courage that’s making me more flirtatious.”
She shrugged with a smile, pouring
sauce over her steak and potatoes, feeling almost ravenous. They only had sandwiches and chips on the way
here and a very small breakfast from a rest stop vending machine earlier that
morning. Ash hadn’t wanted to stop until
they made it to Leeves and she hadn’t argued against it. It just took a little longer than they
thought it would to arrive.
“It’s nice to see some things have
not changed, such as your flirtatious ways, Carbide.”
Chapter 70
“Those will never change, though you still
hold the honor of being the one and only woman I have toned it down for.” Ash
toasted her with the bottle of ketchup he was about to use to liberally douse
everything on his plate. “I probably would have for my Mom too.” Or maybe he’d
be less of… him and more of a proper gentleman.
He wasn’t dwelling on that, he hardly had any memories of her. Ash popped a steak fry into his mouth,
letting out a moan of sheer pleasure. “See, aren’t you glad I ordered for you,
beautiful?” He asked after swallowing, because he wasn’t getting backslapped
for a lack of manners.
“I WAS going to order for myself,
after we got our drinks, but you jumped the gun on me. Not that I’m complaining. Steak is delicious.”
She popped a piece in her mouth, also
groaning at the taste. This place hadn’t
changed – it still had the best food in Erebonia, in her opinion. They completely engrossed themselves in their
meal, asking for seconds on their drinks and when it was all said and done,
both were very satisfied. Their hunger
had been sated and they were laughing over stories from the past.
“Okay so, do you remember when I
stumbled out of my room at the dorm and you were in the hallway reading? I never did tell you why I was up that early,
did I?”
“Nope.”
“Do you want to know now? I don’t know if you’ll find it disturbing or
amusing. Maybe both.”
“Hit me.”
Melyssa proceeded to tell him about
the erotic dream she’d had in the baths with both Rean and Crow, shaking her
head.
Ash just sat there eating his food
and listening with an impressively calm face, though by the end of her little
dream tale, he was smirking. "That explains why you were so flushed and a
bit… damp." She had a damp face and beads of sweat on her neck. He remembered that vividly, he had thought he
was the only one up at that hour.
She leaned in a little closer to him,
since it was getting rather loud in the pub and slid her hand on top of his.
“That was then, and I don’t feel that way about them anymore, Ash. Crow made it clear we’re family and Rean…well,
I think it was just an infatuation more than anything. He was my Instructor, it was like he was a
forbidden fruit of sorts.” She had a very nice buzz going on and felt a little
braver, taking another slow sip of her third beer. Lightweight, she was. “I wonder what YOUR
fantasies consist of…”
"Drunken orgies consisting of
hundreds of lovely, depraved ladies and only me." He said without skipping
a beat, wondering if she was still a virgin or if that had also been taken from
her during her time with Ouroboros. Ash
had a lot of fantasies, a lot of them lately consisting of her and usually
ended with them cumming together. He'd
woken up a time or two with his dick in his hand and cum everywhere.
“Mmm, sounds kinky.” She giggled in a
low, seductive voice, playing with his hand now, his fingers, that confidence
inside of her threatening to explode out. “And what would you do if I was one
of those many, many women, Ash?” Her mouth was watering and she could see the
desire burning in his pink eyes, her teals nothing more than darkened turquoise
pools. “Better yet…” She stood up from the table, not releasing his hand and
smiled when he followed suit. “Why don’t we go up to our room and you can SHOW
me what you would do, hmm? You’ve got my
curiosity peaked, Carbide.”
At that point, Ash totally lost his
cool and the last swig of beer he had taken from his pint went everywhere. His cock was informing him that this wasn't a
drill, it was legitimate go time and then the other part of him was a bit
concerned that she was under the influence of the curse. Ash did not want to be at the other end of
the drunken mistake stick.
That was disgusting! Ugh! Melyssa
could not believe he just spewed beer all over the table and HER! “Wow…” She
had sobered up DAMN quick and narrowed her eyes, tempted to splash the rest of
her beer in his face. Instead, she did
an about face and stormed upstairs to where the bedrooms were located. SON OF A BITCH! Her mind screamed, yanking her shirt
off and then peeled her bottoms off, starting the shower immediately. She didn’t want to smell like a damn
brewery! What in Gehenna had gotten into
Ash?! He doesn’t
want me. If he did, he wouldn’t have
ruined the moment by spraying beer on me from his mouth! Was that the darkness talking or was
she legitimately pissed off?
Ash had NOT meant for that to happen,
but for sweet, innocent Melyssa Brackett to say something like that to HIM, of
all people… it had just happened! He
knew there was potentially something between them, but that had gone from a
dinner that hadn’t happened to ‘show me your fantasies’ and even HE was putting
the brakes on. His dick was protesting
and threatening to grow arms just for the sole purpose of bitch smacking him
silly. What if it wasn’t her or even
being drunk? What if it was whatever was
tainting her?
No… that caused rage, not lust. Maybe alcohol had loosened her up because he
knew she wasn’t fall down drunk.
Growling, Ash took off after her, needing to fix this. He let himself into their room and heard the
shower going, stripping out of his clothing.
Well, either she was going to forgive the faux pas or she was going to
knock him out.
Her eyes were closed when she heard
the curtain open and the cold water she was under turned warm, followed by only
a little cascading over her shoulders.
Melyssa had two choices with this scenario. She could either backhand him right out of
the shower or turn around to face him in all his naked glory. If he was undressed…and a quick brush of his
cock against her backside gave her that answer.
“So, is spewing beer at a woman part
of your foreplay regimen or am I just that lucky exception?” His large hands
planted on her hips and she leaned back against him, keeping her eyes closed
with her arms folded in front of her chest.
“You are the unlucky exception. I usually use champagne and I have a fountain
trick that would knock your socks off,” Ash’s mouth was right by her ear,
gathering she wasn’t going to send him flying through a wall or something, his
lips curving into a slight smile when he heard her laugh softly.
Maybe. He was pretty sure she had laughed, it was
hard to see her face since she wasn’t facing him. However, he had a great view of her partially
bare chest, her arms covering and pushing them up at the same time. His cock pulsated, right against the curve of
her luscious ass.
“I’m sorry, that was… a total dick
move from me.” Even though he hadn’t meant to do it. “I did not mean to ruin
the mood.”
Melyssa wanted to stay mad at him,
but he always broke right through her walls and made her smile. She could have had the crappiest day ever and
Ash was the only one who could get her to smile. Her eyes opened when she felt his cock
against her backside and her stomach tightened because he wasn’t a small man by
any means.
“I suppose I can forgive you this
once and besides,” Pausing, she turned to face him and slid her hands up his
massive, muscular chest, smoldering teal eyes gazing up into smoky magenta.
“You do deserve a chance to make it up to me, so you better make it count.”
Crooking her finger at him, Ash lowered his head until their lips finally met.
Ash was going to go with: Not a
virgin. He also wasn’t going to say
anything out loud because she could and would snap his cock right in half as it
was in the perfect state for it – state being rock hard. That was okay, he’d rather not be the one to
have to introduce her to sex – admittedly, part of him did feel disappointed –
and it also meant he didn’t have to be the poor guy who ‘set the bar’. His palms kneaded her curvy hips, drawing her
in against him so she felt his cock brushing against her nethers.
“I think I can make it count, beautiful,”
He rumbled, brushing his lips against the corner of her mouth, denying her that
kiss at first.
“A-Ash…” Melyssa wrapped her arms
around his neck, burying her fingers in his now wet hair and pressed her chest
against his, her body trembling. “Goddess…” Her eyes nearly rolled in the back
of her head at the feeling of his lips sealing to her throat and she lulled it
back, giving him full access. “W-Wait…wait!” She felt him pull back to stare
down into her eyes and his forehead pressed against hers, their bodies still
aligned. “Ash, I-I have to…tell you something…” What is he going to think when I tell him I’ve never done this
before? He’s going to think I’m some
kind of freak! “I’ve
um…shit…” Now she was the one who was ruining the moment. “I’ve never had sex,
okay? I-I know the confidence has to
come from whatever this darkness is inside of me because I’ve NEVER be this
forward. I don’t think anyway. I don’t know, but…I just…wanted you to know
in case I absolutely suck at this.”
Well Gehenna… Goddess strike me down
now, Ash pleaded, not entirely sure what
to do now. He cared very deeply for
Melyssa and he knew it, but he also knew once this darkness was gone, there was
a very good chance things went back to how they had been before. Especially if she honestly believed that the
confidence was coming from the darkness.
The part of him that wanted to claim her for his own, make her his, and
fuck her until she saw stars didn’t care WHERE it came from. The other part, the side that cared for her,
didn’t want her making decisions while under the influence of magic.
“Do you want me to stop?” He asked
finally, his voice coming out husky and low.
Truthfully, she didn’t know the
answer to that question. Half of her wanted
to stop because she didn’t want to destroy their friendship and bond, but the
other wanted him intimately. Reaching
around him, she shut the water off and pulled the curtain open, stepping out to
extend her hand to him. Ash took it,
letting her guide their wet backsides out to where the bed was and she gently
pushed him to sit down on it. Straddling
him, Melyssa cupped his face tenderly in her soft, wet hands and passionately
kissed him, finally tasting him for the first time and it was instant fireworks.
“I want you, Ash. I don’t ever want to lose you again.” She
kissed him again, this time harder and deeper, her body feeling as if it was
engulfed in flames. “Please don’t stop…”
This was not the darkness, the evil
magic working and worming its way through her.
That only brought out the negative things, emotions, and there was
nothing negative about any of this. Not
unless she went to town and bit off his junk or something. Ash shuddered violently at the thought. Luckily for him, Melyssa seemed to take it as
a sign of desire and he kept kissing her, his large hands roaming her back and
down further, cupping her luscious, pert backside. She felt perfect, straddling him and fitting
against him like this. He could feel
every plane of her body, every curve and eventually moved his mouth down the
column of her throat, wanting to taste her everywhere.
That was a great idea.
A second later, Ash had flipped her
and pinned her onto the bed. Melyssa let
out a gasp of surprise, not expecting him to do that or to feel his mouth work
its way down the length of her slick body.
She watched him, her mouth going dry when his face became eyelevel with
her glistening sex.
“Ash…” She moaned out, burying her
fingers in his hair as his tongue slid up the crease of her legs and across her
pelvis before doing the same thing to her other leg. “Goddess…oh Aidios…”
She had never felt the touch of a man
like this, let alone experienced foreplay.
Tonight, that would all change and who would have thought it would be
with Ash, of all people? It was almost
mesmerizing watching his face bury between her thighs and her fingers tightened
at the first touch of his tongue against her clit.
Ash was unknowingly reenacting the
dream she had out at the cabin about Rean.
By the time he had gotten to her clit, she was soaked and he growled
against her flesh. If he pulled away
right now, he knew he would have her juices running down his chin. She tasted delicious and he was thanking the
Goddess he hadn't totally blown his chance.
That dream went through her mind while Ash devoured her and, very
discreetly, she pinched herself to make sure this wasn’t a dream. That little zip of pain told her it was very
real and she was with Ash, naked, wet and more than ready to hand over her
virginity to him. She had thought she
wanted it to be Rean, or even Crow, but the more she got to know Ash, the more
she realized she wanted it to be him.
“Ash, baby…” She breathed out in a
breathless moan, clutching his hair harder and immersed herself completely into
what he was making her feel with that amazing tongue of his. “Goddess, that
feels so damn good…make me cum, make me cum for you…”
Virgin, she was a virgin. Ash had to keep reminding himself of that
fact because the way she talked and acted, writhing beneath his tongue and
lips, her fingers fisted in his hair… the words coming from those sweet,
devilish lips… he knew confidence could be deceiving. He was a prime example of that.
“Mmm, when I’m ready, beautiful.” He
rumbled up at her, his eyes wide and lusty when she tilted her flushed face
down to look at him.
He deliberately licked his lips,
letting her see him relishing in the taste of her and he had been right, the
bottom half of his face was soaked.
Gently, Ash slid one large finger between her silky folds, keeping his
eyes trained on her face for signs of discomfort. That was definitely different, but it didn’t
hurt necessarily. It was just TIGHT with
pressure, but no pain.
“Oh Goddess…” She slammed her eyes
shut and hissed out when he pushed the digit in a little further, the pressure
building and there was a burning sensation as well. “A-Ash…” Her hand flew down
when he began adding a second finger and her fingers wrapped around his wrist,
stopping him. “N-No more…please…”
Melyssa bucked her hips when he
ignored her plea and slid that second finger inside of her, making her cry out
softly. It wasn’t too painful, but her
walls instantly clamped around his fingers in a tight vise and her breathing
turned labored within seconds. If she
couldn’t take two fingers, there was no way she was going to take his
cock. Ash liked to boast and he knew he
shouldn’t, but a lot of people thought he was just building himself, his cock
was not… normal sized. He was a big man
with the corresponding large appendages.
Melyssa would need more prep, he dived back into her pussy, using his
mouth along with a single finger to get her going again. Ash had not missed the tightness or the way
her entire body had seemed to clamp down around him, just envisioning that
wrapped around his dick had him throbbing in greedy anticipation.
Chapter 71
An hour later, Melyssa was sure she wouldn’t
be able to survive actual sex with Ash because he kept pleasuring her with just
his tongue, lips and even his teeth, along with his fingers. She was sensitive down there, to the point
where she was burning up from the inside out.
Ash was driving her to the brink of insanity and the wetness of her skin
wasn’t from the shower earlier – it was sweat from being worked up and
climaxing repeatedly. When Ash slid two
fingers inside of her again, she didn’t buck as badly or hiss, her walls still
tightening around them.
“A-Ash…” She choked out, trying to
sit up to pull him on top of her, begging and pleading with him to end their
torment and end the burning. “If you don’t get up here and make love to me,
I’ll go find someone else who will!
You’re driving me crazy, I can’t take it anymore! Please!”
Ash was chuckling wickedly as he
slowly, and he was excruciatingly slow about it, kissed his way up Melyssa’s
heaving body. “You can go find anyone you like, beautiful…” He drawled once he
had reached her parted lips, kissing her and let her taste herself on his
tongue for a brief moment.
“But he’ll never compare to me.” He was guaranteeing it.
This would always be her first memory
of sex, he was pretty sure anyway, and it would be very hard topping what he
had done to her for as long as he had.
Ash kept his fingers inside of her, being lazy and crooking them every
so often, once she wasn’t clenching and spasming so much, just to set her off
again as his eyes studied her face intently.
“What was that about making love to
you?” He murmured, feathering his lips against hers.
There was that arrogance he was
infamous for and it didn’t annoy or anger her.
It turned her on. She whimpered
against his lips, completely at his mercy and her body trembled while he
continued thrusting those fingers in and out of her slowly, methodically.
“Ash, p-please…please, I’m…oh
Goddess…” His fingers felt incredible, so she couldn’t imagine how HE would
feel, when they finally arrived at that moment. “I’m burning up, you’re making
me…burn…” In the best way possible or the worst, she wasn’t sure yet.
Melyssa cupped his face in her hands
to bring his lips further to hers, passionately kissing him as he hovered over
her. During that kiss, Ash had swiftly
replaced his fingers with his cock and she gasped in his mouth, not expecting
the GIRTH of this man. He was a lot
bigger than she thought and her hands clutched his shoulders while he buried
his face in her neck, his mouth right by her ear, urging her to relax.
How in Aidios’ name could she RELAX
with this…THING inside of her?!
So, that had been beyond sneaky of
him, but she would have tensed BEFORE he was in and he knew a lot of women
clenched and made it damn near impossible to slide in as it were. Tension made it tight and kind of sealed
things off, especially given his size. “Just breathe, beautiful,” He whispered,
rubbing her hips gently with his palms, trying to calm her down, help her
relax. “Breathe, Melyssa…” Before she passed out, but the heavy breathing and the
racing heart… was making things constrict rapidly around his already straining
cock and he mentally coached himself to relax as well, not get overeager.
Breathing was easier said than
done.
A LOT easier said than done,
especially when Ash was FILLING her completely and then some. Holy Aidios, how was he fitting inside of
her? He didn’t stop either and kept
slowly sliding inside, coaching her through it and once he arrived at her
barrier, he locked eyes with her.
Melyssa could get lost in those magenta orbs for hours, days, months,
years…all of the above. He ordered her
to count to three and she’d barely reached two when his hips snapped forward in
a smooth, fluid thrust, shattering her barrier and finally claiming her
innocence.
“Ash!” She cried out in surprise, the
pain not as bad as she thought it’d be.
Melyssa had been through much worse in her life, so this was nothing,
but it was a great deal of burning. He
was fully sheathed inside of her and she clung to him, breathing in through the
nose and out the mouth, while he kissed along her neck and throat, holding her
close to him.
Goddess, I wanted this
for so long…I thought about him so many times, not just Rean and Crow. Tears formed in her eyes from the
intense emotion suddenly flooding over her. I missed him so much, my best friend and now he’s here with me,
like he always was. A lot of my thoughts
were consumed with Ash…I think, no…I KNOW I love him. Please don’t let that be the darkness
talking. Please Goddess, please let what
I feel for him be completely real and all me. “T-That wasn’t as bad as I thought
it’d be…pain wise. Come here.” He was
holding back and she could feel it, sense it, and the fact he didn’t want to
hurt her or wasn’t greedy made her heart explode with even more love for
him. It had to be love, this wasn’t just
lust. “I’m ready when you are, Carbide…”
“You sure?” Ash’s voice was coming out
low and raspy, his teeth gritting together because he was holding himself back.
His arms trembled from both desire
and holding himself off of her as much as he could, knowing just how easily he
could crush her tiny little body. She
was so damn small, it was amazing because Ash knew just how dangerous this
woman could be. Looks were definitely
deceiving when it came to Melyssa Brackett.
Two years ago when they had first met, if someone would have told him
about everything they would go through, he would have laughed them to Gehenna
and back. When she nodded again, he
kissed the corner of her mouth before beginning to move, not pounding her into
oblivion but taking his time, making love to her.
The burning sensation slowly tapered
off and all that was left was the incredible feeling of his cock sliding in and
out of her at a slow, rhythmic pace, her soft moans resonating around
them. This man nearly died because of
her and Melyssa had never forgotten it, remembering vividly how she’d found him
in the woods. Even with the burnt skin
and injuries, he was still the most handsome man in Erebonia. She had stayed by his side, mostly, during
his recovery, visiting whenever she could.
It had only been a day and thanks to Emma’s magic, he was back to himself
with not a scratch on him. Throughout
the past two years, Ash had really changed physically. He was more built, chiseled, far more than
Rean and Crow and she could feel his strength as well. They had both changed, but Ash had always
remained in her mind and her heart, never forgotten.
“Goddess! Oh Goddess, Ash!” Instinctively, she lifted
her legs, only for Ash to grab the back of one of them to bend it up, driving
deeper and harder inside of her. She was
already sensitive from all the foreplay and could already feel an orgasm
building, doing her very best to fight it off, to push it away, not wanting
this to end anytime soon. “You feel so good inside of me…” Melyssa spoke
against his lips during another heated kiss, her nails digging into his huge, broad
shoulders.
“Let go, beautiful, just let go and
give it all to me…” Ash urged her, sweat beading on his forehead as he stared
down into her face. He wanted this
image, this moment, all the sights and smells, her sounds, burned into his mind
forever. If this was their one and only
time together, he NEVER wanted to forget it. “Trust me.” He whispered when she
shook her head no, smiling slightly.
She could climax more than once,
unlike men, and he would definitely enjoy giving her orgasm after orgasm,
knowing how sensitive her body would get after each one. How that fine line between pleasure and pain
would build and eventually peak. THEN he
would cum too. Whether she wanted to or
not, Melyssa climaxed minutes later and milked his cock for all it was worth,
crying out his name louder. It wasn’t a
shriek, but it was damn close. Ash
growled approvingly, riding through that first orgasm and finally picked up the
pace, wrapping his hands around her wrists to yank her up flush against his
body. His cock was still settled deep
inside of her and her arms encircled his neck, his hands moving from her wrists
to her hips.
He was on his haunches with her
thighs draped over his and Ash began moving her up and down his length, making
her bounce. He was showing her what to
do, what he wanted her to do, and Melyssa couldn’t deny him. This position felt even better, if that was
possible and she tossed her head back, her body moving on pure instinct as her
breasts bounced up and down, along with the rest of her body.
“L-Like this, baby? D-Does this feel good for you?” She panted,
wanting to make sure she was doing it correctly, so he received pleasure as
well.
Truth be told there wasn't much she
could do any better.
Even if she had lay there like a dead
fish, Ash probably would have enjoyed it.
Maybe. A large part of this was
the connection between them, he had never felt this way about a woman in his
life until Melyssa came along. She was
so different from any woman he had met before and he knew, deep down, he wanted
her to be only his. But they couldn't
make promises right now because there was no guarantee they could keep them.
"Mmm, just like that,
beautiful…"
If she had it her way, it WOULD be
only him from here on out. Melyssa
didn’t know if Ash was a one woman man, though.
That was a tough call. He had a
very lewd sense of humor and he was very flirtatious with anything with
boobs. Maybe he had changed since
Thors. Melyssa didn’t want this to be a
onetime thing between them, but if it was, she would accept it and they could
go back to being friends…hopefully. No,
deep down, she knew they had crossed the line and there was no going back to
just being friends after she gave him her virginity. She watched his face contort and could tell
his end was coming soon, her nails gliding down his chest while bouncing on and
off of him faster, driving his cock deeper and harder inside of her.
“I-I’m close…I’m close again…” Oh it
was there, right on the very edge and she pressed her forehead to his, lacing
her fingers around his neck. “Cum with me, Ash, I want us to cum together…”
Nodding, Ash began letting go of
himself, releasing himself from the self-imposed restraint, which felt like
heaven. He had been trying to ignore the
telltale signs of his impending climax.
The tingling and tightening in his balls, the way his stomach had
tightened, along with every muscle in him.
As if gearing up for a Charlie Horse or something, and just let go,
exactly like he had told her to a while ago.
“Almost there, Melyssa,” He whispered
hoarsely, tightening his hold on her as his movements became less focused, less
controlled, working now on meeting both their ends instead of worrying about
making her cum gallons for him. “Fuck, fuck, I’m there!”
Her name escaped him in a roar as he
unloaded his seed deep in her receptive body, feeling Melyssa climax yet again,
right along with him. Letting out a
string of curses, Ash felt her inner walls constricting and spasming around his
cock almost violently. The eruption was
mind-boggling and explosive, and even those words didn’t do it justice. She shrieked his name out this time, feeling
him fill her to the absolute brink with his hot seed. Ash grabbed her, leading her down on the bed
with a soft thud, landing on the side of her with his arm still around her
waist. She was on her back, staring up
at the ceiling and trying to learn how to breathe again.
“Goddess…” She managed to roll on her
side to face him and scooted closer, draping her leg over his with their chests
almost touching and her hand on his face, caressing his cheek lovingly. “Ash…”
What she wanted to say died on her lips and all Melyssa could do was kiss him,
slow and sensual, tasting him and herself all over again.
She had no idea what he wanted from
this, if anything, so she wouldn’t put herself out there first. That was smart, with everything looming ahead
of them, knowing they still had to contend with Rean, Ash wasn’t sure what he
would say, do or even think, if Melyssa had sprung those three little words or
some variation of them. He was forcing
down his own words, knowing saying anything coming right after incredible sex
was a bad idea because people were usually riding high on the chemicals created
during the act. He knew he cared deeply
about Melyssa, but what if she didn’t feel the same? No, better to keep that all to himself and
just ride this out, see where they stood when all was said and done with Rean,
Ouroboros… the world.
“Mmm…” He pressed his forehead
against hers, smiling against her lips. “Are you okay?” Her first time and he
was not a small man, he imagined she was going to feel it soon enough. Gazing into his eyes full of concern for her,
just like they always were, Melyssa held him close to relish the feeling of him
against her.
She did NOT expect to say the next
words that flew out of her mouth. “I love you.
I love you, Ash.” Melyssa blurted out, not meaning to do it and covered
her mouth with her hand, teal eyes wide.
Oh shit, his eyes were wide as well and she could feel that rejection
looming its ugly head over them. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said it, but…I
love you and…Goddess, I didn’t think this would EVER happen…” She covered the
side of her face with her hand, tears stinging her eyes as her body slightly
trembled. What in Aidios’ name was she
thinking blurting THIS out?! “I’m sorry, please don’t look at me…” Her voice
cracked and she blinked, tears sliding down her cheeks from both embarrassment,
fear and uncertainty.
Wow, she was making it even more
awkward and worst, if that were possible, given she was trying to curl into a
tiny little ball. Ash didn’t know what
to say as he ignored her ‘don’t look at me’ and continued staring down at her. Had she said that to Rean, or to Crow? He was unsure how to proceed, she was young
and new to all of this; he had seen the blood on her inner thighs. Ash realized HE was making this worse and
rolled onto his side, pulling her into him and wrapped his arms around her
trembling body, resting his head on hers.
“Calm down, beautiful.” He whispered
softly.
No, she’d never said those words to
Rean and Crow, not outside of her dreams anyway. Dreams didn’t count. Real life did. The soreness and slight pain was starting to
set in and Melyssa buried her face in his chest as Ash held her close. She slowly opened her eyes after a little
while, feeling his hands rubbing her back soothingly and took a deep, shaky
breath.
“I thought about you a lot while I
was gone. And I missed you so much. I thought about you the most, Ash. You’ve always been here for me, through
everything. You never blamed me for what
happened, not even Jurai or the train attack.” Both were because of her, but he
refused to blame her for them. “You’re the one who kept me going while I was with
Ouroboros, trapped, alone, isolated, for the past two years. It’s not because you just made love to me
either. I’ve felt this way for a while,
whether you believe it or not. And I
truly believe this is me and not the darkness talking. I know I shared a couple moments with Rean
and Crow, but…there’s a reason things didn’t work out with them. There’s a reason I’m here, tonight, with you
and not them. And I only want to save
Rean because he is a friend of ours and he needs our help. There’s no romantic feelings for him
anymore.”
Chapter 72
For Jurai, Ash had blamed Rean
vigorously. He knew that with command
came a lot of bull and making tough calls, but as far as he was concerned then
and even now, today, that had NOT been the right call. Who Melyssa had been two years ago… she
shouldn’t have had any say in how that had gone down. It had been personal and she hadn’t been
thinking clearly. Rean had… he inwardly
squashed all that, knowing there was no point in dwelling on the past.
“Are you sure?” He asked, meaning
about Rean and Crow. “Even once this darkness is removed? He’ll be back to the Rean you’ve known.” And
it bothered him, unable to keep it from his tone.
Melyssa looked up at him with a soft
smile and shook her head, zero hesitation in the words that came out of her
mouth. “No, because I firmly believe the darkness inside me isn’t speaking for
me right now. Rage is what brings it out
of me and there’s absolutely no rage with you.” She pushed him to make him roll
on his back and she straddled him, ignoring the soreness in her thighs. “I.
Love. You. Ash. Carbide.” With each word, she pressed a firm kiss to his lips,
wanting him to understand she meant what she said. “When I found you half-dead
in the woods, I’ve never felt fear like that in my life. And when you were unconscious, all I wanted
to do was do everything in my power to wake you up. Because I couldn’t imagine my life or even a
day going by without you in it. And I’ve
never said these words to another man.
Not Crow. Not Rean. You are the only one those words flew out of
my mouth for, and you’re the one I refuse to live without. Period.
I could’ve easily chosen someone else to take my virginity, to be my
first, but I wanted it to be with someone special and someone I know I
love. And if you don’t feel comfortable
saying them back, I won’t hold it against you.
At least you know where I stand and where my heart is.” With him, in his
clutches, where it always had been since the day they met, more than likely.
“You are never what I expect, you
know that?” Ash said it almost admiringly, shaking his head as he kissed the
tip of her nose.
A minute ago, she had been crying and
begging him not to look at her and now she was professing her love and explaining
it to him. This woman kept him on his
toes and he imagined she probably always would.
She was giving him a questioning look and he began laughing, softly,
scooting further down the bed so he was properly level with her face, she was
so damn tiny.
“You are the only woman… I’m this way
with, and I never understood why until that night in Jurai.”
He had been overthinking this, he had
known that night, when Rean had come back without her… it had hit him then full
force. Ash had been in love with Melyssa
Brackett then and now, two years later, he was pussyfooting around it. He had to ask himself why and he knew it was
because he was afraid of losing her again.
“I love you.”
He would risk it, because he WASN’T
willing to risk losing her to his own inaction.
Ash could, or would, deal with it if he lost her to circumstances beyond
their control, but not due to himself not being able to man up. She wasn’t expecting him to say it, to
actually hear those words come out of his mouth. Ash had always been different around her for
some reason and she never understood it, until now. How long had he felt this way? How long had she felt this way? The questions didn’t matter because she
refused to question any of it. They
loved each other, they professed it and that was all that mattered, not the
circumstances leading them here.
“I want to be with you, out in the
open, for the world to see, Ash. No
hiding it. Like I said, since I’m an
Enforcer, I can do whatever I want and I don’t think being with you will bother
the Grandmaster. And if it does, we’ll
deal with it. What do you say, you with
me, Carbide?”
“Eventually, Ouroboros will mind.” He
said gently, knowing that was an unavoidable fact. Unless they thought that she would be able to
sway him to their side. They were always
recruiting and if able to get someone into the fold from the ‘other team’, they
probably considered that bonus points. “I’m just that big of a pain in the ass,
beautiful.”
It did bother him however… that she
was talking about being an Enforcer so easily.
Like she WASN’T planning on actually getting the Gehenna out of the
organization. He could see it if she
were planning on being a double agent, working to tear it down from the inside.
“But for now,” He didn’t want to
think about it, not right now, not with her in his arms. “I’m content like
this, with you, and everything outside that door doesn’t need to exist until
tomorrow.”
“I need a shower, lover. Care to join me?”
Ash was up on his feet with her in
his arms instantly, her legs wrapped around his waist. They kissed on their way to the bathroom and
her lips sealed to his neck while he started the water. By the time they were under the soothingly
hot shower sprays, Ash was already hard and inside of her again, holding her up
with sheer strength. It didn’t hurt
nearly as much as the first time, but she was still tight as a velvet glove to
him.
“Oh, Ash…”
He was going slow, holding himself
back again and she knew it was because this was her first night having
sex. Hopefully, as time went on, she
would really be able to experience what Ash was really like in bed. Not that this wasn’t bad because it wasn’t. She enjoyed it immensely and it felt amazing,
but she wanted him to lose control and open up to her completely.
Not happening, not on her first night
of sex. Ash already knew tomorrow she
was going to be sore in places she would think couldn’t be sore because that
was a giant, delicious muscle that had never been worked out like this. He hoped tomorrow was an easy day of
traveling for them or his poor woman was going to hate him for a bit. Maybe he’d pop down to the chemist and get
her some healing salve. Providing he
could keep away from her longer than a few minutes.
Ash was already learning that sex
with Melyssa could be addicting.
Indeed, it was and she was not
complaining at all. They ended up falling
asleep in each other arms, completely naked, and she woke up with Ash’s cock
probing her backside. She was
deliciously sore, but it was nothing compared to the soreness and aches she
felt during her two year training. This
was a cakewalk. Looking over her
shoulder, half-asleep, she met Ash’s lips in a very soft kiss before he began
fingering her clit, stimulating her. Her
body was waking up very quickly as he lifted her leg to drape over his, her
back pressed against his chest and he slid home inside of her.
“Mmm, you’re turning me into a sexual
deviant, Carbide…and I like it.” She purred, feeling his lips on her neck and
his deep chuckle in her ear, his hands gripping her breasts and tweaking her
nipples between his thumb and forefingers. “Goddess, that feels so good…” Who
would’ve thought morning sex could be this exquisite? Maybe she was just as addicted to Ash as he
was to her because they could not get enough of each other.
If Ash had his way, they wouldn’t
leave this bed until check-out and even then, he was sorely tempted to rent the
room for another night. Even as he was
making love to her in the morning light, rocking in and out of her body, he
knew he didn’t want to break this spell between them by going to find
Rean. So much could go wrong and his
heart tightened, even as he moaned as she rocked back against him, realizing he
was afraid of losing Melyssa, again.
“I love you, beautiful.” He rumbled
in her ear, beginning to trail kisses down the column of her throat.
She smiled, those words penetrating
through her like a hot knife through butter and she began meeting him for every
thrust. “Mmm, I love you too, Carbide…”
Her arm hooked around his neck,
fingers burying in his hair and her panting and moaning told him all he needed
to know. She turned her head enough to
look up into his eyes and his mouth captured hers, both using each other for
oxygen. Melyssa was already planning on
asking him to stay here another night.
One more night wouldn’t break anything.
The darkness wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Rean, especially
since he was holed up in Ymir. She
wanted to stay here, naked with him in bed, with his cock buried to the hilt
inside of her for hours on end.
“Harder, baby, just a little harder…”
Since she hadn’t complained of any
pain, she was probably used to pain if he were honest given two years of
extensive training, though perhaps not THERE, Ash smirked. “New position, my
little sexual deviant in training.” He informed her, reluctantly pulling out of
her receptive body which elicited moans of loss from them both. A moment later, Ash had rolled her onto her
stomach, his large hands on her hips guiding her up onto her hands and knees,
putting her delectable backside right in his line of vision. “Now THAT is a
gorgeous sight…” He informed her, running his palms down until he was caressing
her cheeks, lightly slapping each side before guiding his cock back to her wet
slit, rubbing the head up and down teasingly. “Want this, beautiful?”
“Goddess, yes, give it to me, Ash…”
Her fingers clutched at the sheets on the bed, nails digging into the material,
a cry escaping her once he plunged back into her hot depths. “Yes…YES!” She
didn’t care who heard them this early in the morning and felt him begin pumping
in and out of her receptive body, going right along with him for the ride.
This position made her feel
EVERYTHING tenfold and her eyes nearly rolled in the back of her head at how
incredible it felt. Why hadn’t he done
this position with her from the beginning?
Maybe he wanted to get the ‘cherry popping’ done and over with first,
which made sense. Ash pushed her face
down into the bed, his hand on the back of her neck and she turned to where her
cheek pressed against the mattress, allowing him to take complete control of
this. If there was better sex out there
than this, she never wanted to find it and doubted it existed. She was more relaxed, not so tense and tight
because now she knew what to expect and this position, with his size… Ash was a
bit more considerate than that.
From here on out, she could enjoy
this position to her wicked heart’s delight because he would NEVER tire of
watching his cock sliding in and out of her deliciously tight little body. He was panting against her skin, keeping her
head gently but firmly in place as he powered in and out of her and used his
free hand to snake beneath her body. His
fingers returned to manipulating her clit, adding to the sensations and he
could feel her beginning to quiver and tremble around and against him, groaning.
“That’s my girl.”
“Only…yours!” Melyssa gasped out in a
choked cry, the intensity of her climax crashing over her taking her breath
away.
Ash, once again, didn’t cum with her
and instead rode that orgasm out, increasing the tempo of his thrusts to make
them more powerful. The sound of flesh
smacking flesh echoed around the inn room and neither cared, voicing exactly
how they felt in that particular moment.
Ash forced two more orgasms out of her and on the third, he finally gave
in and flew over the edge with her.
Their names came out of each other’s mouths in sync and Ash had yanked
her up to where her back was against his chest, still pumping his cock in and
out even after the explosion. Melyssa
was nothing more than a hot, sweaty mess, her chest rising and falling rapidly,
her breathing ragged and she had never felt more alive in her entire life.
“I didn’t think…this could get better…but
I was wrong…” She took another deep breath, feeling Ash guide them down on the
bed with him spooning against her again, those strong arms encircling her to
hold her. “Damn, Carbide…”
“Just you wait…” He laughed
breathlessly, burying his face in her hair and sort of regretted it because his
cock gave a half-hearted twitch when he inhaled her scent. Very half-hearted, he needed at least 5
minutes of recovery time. “There’s so much more.” And it did get better, and he
planned on introducing her to all the pleasures and delights of sex. “Mmm, do
we have to leave today?” He knew they did, he shouldn’t be selfish. Well, actually, they could, why not?
It wasn’t like another day would make
much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.
Rolling over on her back to look up
at him, she slowly shook her head and brought his mouth down on hers for a very
soft, tender kiss. They needed a little
bit of recovery time. “Let’s be selfish for one more day. One more day won’t matter.” She was being the
selfish one and didn’t care, not when it came to being with the man she loved.
“Who knows when we’ll get a chance to do this again, to be together completely
alone like this?” Another kiss, this time deeper and a little harder. “Let’s
stay here together, just like this, and to Gehenna with anyone else or
anything. I want to feel and experience
more, just like you said.”
“Mmm, my kind of woman,” He kissed
her again before reluctantly pulling away from her, his eyes searching hers
intently. “You sure?” At Melyssa’s nod, he rolled out of the bed, looking
around for his bag. A second later he
was shimmying into a pair of pants, not bothering with wearing anything beneath
them or buttoning them right away, turning to face her with a t-shirt in his
hands. “I’m going to go rent the room for another night and order up for some
breakfast, and put in a standing order for lunch and we can go down for
dinner. I promise not to spew beer on
you today.”
Melyssa giggled softly at that
reference and pulled him by the waistband of his jeans, kissing his taut,
muscular stomach before looking up at him. “You more than made up for that
little incident. All is forgiven,
lover.” Crooking her finger, she waited for him to lower his face until his
lips met hers and broke it as he began pushing her down on the bed again. “No,
no, we need sustenance first and then you can have your way with me again.”
Scooting back from him, she pulled the sheet over her to create some kind of
distance between them and Ash growled, his pink eyes flashing. “I’m hungry for
food, feed me!”
“Bah!” He mockingly threw his hands
up into the air with a growl though he was smiling, showing he was teasing and
playing with her. “Sustenance it is then, beautiful.”
He was going to make SURE she had
plenty of carbs, she was going to need the energy to get through today. Lots of energy and breaks for power
naps. Whistling, Ash tugged on his shirt
before exiting the room, knowing if she kept giving him those knowing bedroom
eyes, he’d wind up starving them both just to feed other, much more carnal
appetites.
Chapter 73
One thing about Ash Carbide – he had
one HELL of a sexual appetite and Melyssa was learning that very quickly.
In the span of two days with little
to no sleep, they had sex over 20 times.
Bed, shower, wall, floor…even in the bathroom at the inn’s
restaurant! Melyssa was new to sex, so
it didn’t bother her at first, but being sleep deprived because of Ash and his
need to have his dick inside of her, made her somewhat cranky. Still, she didn’t want to burst the bubble
between them, so when they finally left the inn and headed toward Ymir, it was
a nice reprieve for the time being.
Within five minutes, she was out cold with him driving, even leaning the
seat back in order to be more comfortable.
Ash had been living on bread and
butter, figuratively, for the past 6 months after Machias had decided to run
for mayor and then won the damn position.
It was nearly impossible to get laid when you were stuck protecting a
married man, who did not party because his wife had his balls in her
purse. Melyssa telling him she loved him
and then initiating sex had unleashed the very cranky, very deprived sex addict
he had not been properly satisfying with his hand. He let her sleep, knowing he had worn her out
but the perk to that was that she wasn’t freaking out the closer they got to
Ymir.
If Melyssa had an inkling of a clue
that Ash Carbide was a sex addict, she NEVER would’ve gotten involved with
him. However, she didn’t know a thing,
completely oblivious. For now. Eventually, she would find out the cold truth
about Ash, whether he told her from his own mouth or…she found out through
actions. It would happen, no matter
what. Melyssa woke up once they reached
Ymir, feeling surprisingly relaxed and couldn’t believe how beautiful the town
was.
“Wow.” She murmured in awe, stepping
out of the orbal vehicle and looked around, remembering Rean telling her about
the hot springs here. “Okay, so where should we start? You’ve been here before, right, Ash?”
“Yeah, the Schwarzer residence is
over there.” Ash pointed at the biggest house in the town, remembering the last
time he was here.
“Come on then, no time to waste. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back
to Crossbell City.”
“Whoa, beautiful,” Ash took her hand,
stopping Melyssa from taking off and pulled her back gently. Using his free hand, he caressed the side of
her face, shaking his head. “Getting in, as we are, isn’t happening.” Rean
technically came from nobility, sort of, it was weird. A lot of lineage when it came to nobles was,
he was finding out. He had never been so
pleased to just be an orphan. “We need to clean up and dress a little better or
we’ll never get past the butler.” He had nearly been refused entrance upon his
first visit, if not for the fact that he wasn’t exactly a shy man, he might
have been mortified at how that had gone. “Come on, we’ll duck in this shop and
use their facilities to freshen up.” Maybe get in a quickie.
Melyssa followed him into the shop,
looking down at her clothes and didn’t think she looked too bad. She had on a skirt with leggings and a shirt,
wasn’t that dressy enough? Then, Ash
showed her a dress that looked more…noble, she guessed, and he grabbed a crisp
long sleeved dress shirt with some pants to change into. No sooner had she gotten her clothes off,
leaving her undergarments on, Ash was in there with her.
“W-What are you doing in here?” This
was a WOMEN’S dressing room! He had
snuck in and…she lost all train of thought as his lips began trailing down her
neck. “Ash…” Her back pressed against the wall and before she knew what was
happening, he had moved her panties to the side enough to slide his dick inside
of her. Aidios,
help us if we get caught! “Oh, Goddess…”
The idea of getting caught was half
the fun and, by the way she stimulated for him, he was betting she had cottoned
on to the fact that they could indeed get caught. “Mmm, best be quiet,
beautiful.” He rumbled softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t
want to get caught in here, do you?”
Could be fun, could be mortifying,
but going to jail was not going to get them to Rean any quicker either, so he
silenced them both by capturing her lips with his. He knew he hadn’t been seen by the store
clerks. They had gotten busy when some posh older woman had come in, requesting
to see a very specific ‘bonnet’.
If he knew there was a chance of them
getting caught, then why take the risk?
Did this kind of thing turn him on?
Apparently so and her tongue dueled with his while he continued
thrusting in and out of her, bouncing her backside off the wall. Ash pulled her away from the wall to hold her
with his pure strength, making her rise and fall on and off his cock. Her nails dug into his shoulders, clinging to
him while they continued kissing and getting lost in each other. Her pussy was sore from all the sex they’d
had over the past two days, but somehow, she was pulling through and moved her hands
up to bury in his hair.
“Ah fuck, beautiful!” Ash hissed when
she actually tugged on his hair, his eyes lighting up with magenta fire as he
stared at her, his gaze rather intense.
That was something he did enjoy,
having his hair pulled, and it tended to freak some women out who thought that
wasn’t something anyone should enjoy. A little pain with the pleasure went a
long way when it was done with the right person, in the right environment and
under the right conditions. This was probably not the time to be exploring that
since this was supposed to be a quiet, quick little affair. He guided Melyssa
up and down his shaft, showing that these muscles weren’t just for other’s
viewing pleasure, his eyes remaining locked on hers as he made her rise and
fall faster and faster.
“I’m close, Melyssa.” He hissed,
giving her a head’s up. “Touch yourself.”
“W-What?!” She gasped out softly and
felt Ash take her hand to guide it where he wanted it to be. Right on her clit, stroking it. Muffling their moans again, their lips
slammed against each other’s and Melyssa could feel her climax building
rapidly. The sensation and combination
of stroking her clit with her own fingers and Ash’s dick gliding in and out of
her was too much for her to handle. THERE! Her mind screamed, feeling her pussy tighten and flood all around him,
milking him for everything he was worth and more, her fingers tightening even
more in his hair.
Seconds later, Ash exploded inside of
her, once again filling her with his seed and his roar was muffled by their
tongues dueling together. Ash did not
stop thrusting until his body physically stopped him and she felt him leave her
body, still holding her trembling form in his arms as the kiss slowly broke
with them breathing heavily. He had
Melyssa do to herself what he tended to do, stimulate her from outside. He knew women had two ‘hot zones’, the G-Spot
which was inside her delicious pussy and then she was able to orgasm via clit
play.
He had been angling for BOTH, wanting
her first quickie and first time having sex in public to be intense and
memorable. Ash had a feeling a lot of
things they were doing were memorable.
That was good, he wanted her to have as many good memories of him as he
did of her. So far, his favorite and not
related to sex was of that morning at 4 when she had come out into the hallway
while he had been reading a book.
Reluctantly, he set her down on her trembling legs, watching as Melyssa
leaned back against the wall and moved to the other wall, not that there was much
room in this little cube to begin with.
“Sorry, beautiful, I couldn’t
resist.” He wasn’t sorry at all and his playful smile made it known.
“Uh huh…” Melyssa was trying to breathe,
already knowing her face and other parts of her body were flushed and
sweaty. That would NOT be a good look to
have walking out of here. “Okay, get out of here before we’re really caught,
Carbide.” She hissed out, shoving him none too gently and really wished she
could get her cheeks to stop burning. “Go!
I’ll meet you out there. I need
to cool off first and try this damn dress on.” He snickered, yanking her
against him to passionately kiss her one last time before reluctantly making
his exit. Ugh,
I’m all wet…down there now! What in
Aidios’ name has gotten into him? Shaking her head, Melyssa proceeded to try the dress on while
feeling…squishy, which wasn’t comfortable at all. I’m going to maim him.
Thank the Goddess for public
restrooms. Ash used the men’s room to
wash himself, having absolutely no shame in using the soap dispensers to clean
his junk. Reluctantly, he washed away
the scent of him and her both combined.
Showing up at Rean’s family home would probably go over a lot better if
he didn’t smell like Melyssa and sex.
Though… his eyes flashed wickedly as he began drying himself off, it
would be amusing for him if Rean did catch that scent, did realize that Melyssa
was now HIS lover. That was the spiteful
side of Ash, the man who had been in love with her unknowingly two years ago
and then lost her because Rean had made a bad call. He stuffed that side down, knowing it
wouldn’t help. There would be plenty of
time later for dealing with all that, once this darkness business was resolved.
Melyssa had taken the dress off,
needing a smaller size, and walked out of the dressing room, spotting Ash
coming out of the public restroom. I have to clean myself up.
This feeling is just horrible! She actually had to take her panties off because of how wet they
were.
Slipping into the women’s restroom,
she wiped herself up the best she could, using some water. Thankfully, she had panties in her bag out in
the car, so she would slip some on once they were out of here. Once she finished and felt better downstairs,
besides the soreness, Melyssa went to the dress rack to pull the next smaller
size and then went to the register, setting it down. Ash joined her, setting his clothes down as
well and they paid before exiting the shop.
“How about we go find an inn, take a
shower and get dressed up before heading over to the Schwarzer’s to ask about
Rean?” Hopefully, he was there and they could solve this quickly. “I really
need a shower after…what we just did in there…and to clean myself up properly…”
Her body parts weren’t as easily
accessible as his was since his was on the outside. Ash nodded, pointing to the one and only inn
in Ymir, the Phoenix Wings. Given it was
the only inn in town, they did some serious business, but even if there had
been competition, Ash doubted they’d suffer overly much as the Phoenix Wings
boasted indoor AND outdoor hot springs.
They’d get a room for the night and once this business with Rean was
done, come back here and he’d introduce her to those hot springs. Given how much sex they had since he had
popped her cherry, he bet a nice, relaxing dip in those springs would perk her
right up and help her relax.
While walking to said inn, he began
explaining the history of it to her.
Indoor and outdoor hot springs…she couldn’t
imagine what those were like, but they had business to take care of here
first. They got a room and headed up the
stairs to it with Ash unlocking the door.
He kissed her, backing her up while kicking the door shut and guided her
down on the bed, his hard cock pressed into her.
“Ash, we don’t…mmm…” She was about to
say they didn’t have time for this, but his lips on her throat and his fingers
stroking her through the thin leggings she had on made all rational thought fly
out the window.
They just had sex at the dress shop
and now he wanted to go again, already removing her clothes, as well as his
own. Within minute, he was inside of her
and lifted her from the bed to slam against the nearest wall, thrusting in and
out of her at a hard, fast pace. Her
voice would be hoarse before they even made it to the Schwarzer’s at this
rate! Ash was honestly surprised that
she was constantly ready for him, she was always wet and accepting when he slid
home. He had no idea that while turned
on, Melyssa was also getting extremely sore from all the sex they’d had over
the past two days. She was new to sex
and he was giving her a very thorough introduction. She hadn’t spoken up contrariwise to his
sometimes not so gentle loving, but he definitely remembered her telling him
not to hold back after those first few times.
He also had no idea that sex all the
time was NOT what Melyssa had meant.
“You are the perfect woman for me,
you know that, beautiful,” He panted in her ear, his strong palms moving to her
breasts, using his body to hold her against the wall. “Goddess, I love you…”
After this, Melyssa was calling for a
break because Ash was exhausting her physically and mentally with all this
sex. It felt good, yes, but his appetite
was insatiable and it was wearing on her.
The way he told her how much he loved her, however, made her body
instantly respond on an emotional level because she did love him too.
“I love you too, Carbide, so much…”
She moaned out, gripping his hair tightly and she felt his dick pulsate inside
of her, throb, his thrusts coming sharper and deeper. There was something feral that came out in
Ash whenever she gripped or pulled his hair and she couldn’t quite put her
finger on why it stimulated him so much. “Ooohhhh I’m cumming, I’m cumming!”
She cried out in both pain and pleasure because it actually HURT to climax from
all the sex they’d had.
Ash heard the pain in her tone and
came a second later, hearing Melyssa gasping as he filled her with his
seed. Confusion and concern warred with
the climax, making for the strangest orgasm of his relatively short life. Slumping against her, pinning her to the
wall, he began kissing down the side of her throat, cooling off and could feel
how hard her heart was beating in her chest, frowning slightly.
“Are you okay, beautiful?” He asked
quietly, pulling his head back far enough to look into her still darkened teal
eyes.
Telling him how she truly felt wasn’t
an option, not while he was still spurting inside of her. However, if he tried having sex with her
later, which would more than likely happen, Melyssa would have to turn him
down. She needed time to recover, at
least a day, and she hoped Ash would understand when that time came. Bringing his mouth to hers, Melyssa softly
and sensually kissed him, keeping her fingers in his hair.
“I’m fine, lover. But I could really use that shower now.” He
chuckled, agreeing and carted them both into the bathroom to clean up.
Chapter 74
Arriving at the Schwarzer mansion,
Melyssa felt a little intimidated by it and hoped the dress she picked out
would suffice. It was a simple,
sleeveless dark blue that showed off her shoulders and clipped around her
neck. The front was slightly shorter
than the back, resting just above the knee with a high waist. Her hair was swept up on top of her head in
spiral curls – Ash insisted she get it done professionally at the salon The
Phoenix Wings provided. It took a while
since her hair was so long and now it was nearing dinnertime instead of
lunchtime. She really hoped they weren’t
imposing, but this was very important and she walked up to the door, alongside
Ash, who knocked on it.
Rean, please be here.
Dinnertime was the perfect time
because he was a war buddy of Rean’s and Ash knew that etiquette was going to
demand they show courtesy to him, for at least dinner. He had explained this reasoning to her on the
way over, but she hadn’t seemed convinced.
Sure enough, at the door after introducing himself to the butler and
then waiting while the message was relayed, they were invited in… for dinner.
“Told you.” He whispered as he guided
her inside, hand splayed on the small of her back.
Hopefully, the darkness in Rean
hadn’t totally taken over and made him act unsociable here as well. One of them would have to distract whoever
was hosting and the other search the place, without getting caught. This was not the apartment scenario they had
originally envisioned.
“Welcome to our home once again, Ash
Carbide.” Teo Schwarzer greeted with a bright smile, his eyes moving from Ash
to the woman he did not recognize. “And who is this charming young lady?”
“Melyssa Brackett, sir.” She stepped
up to him with a smile of her own, extending her hand.
“Ah yes, Rean has told us a lot about
you.” Teo didn’t have his guard up or anything, pure trust in his stance and in
his eyes as he shook her hand gently and firmly. “This is my lovely wife,
Lucia.”
“Pleasure to see you again, Ash, and
to meet you, Melyssa. Our son has told
us so much about you. I’m glad to
finally put a name with a face.”
Rean told them about her? When?
Why? Melyssa felt Ash step up to
wrap an arm around her waist, shaking both Teo and Lucia’s hands.
“Is Rean here? We were hoping to chat with him for a bit
since we’re in town.”
Melyssa didn’t expect Ash to reach
out like this and wondered what his game plan was, keeping her face neutral
with the smile.
Ash had to play by society rules and
channel his inner manners that Rean had tried beating into him, mentally
snorting. He had grown up… a lot
different than Rean, that was for sure.
Maybe that’s why he considered Crow his best friend -Rean also claimed
the same thing- because Crow came from a sort of similar background.
“Rean’s been indisposed…”
“Really?” Ash’s eyes widened,
glancing down at Melyssa. “Is he ill? He
seemed fine when he seen him in… was it Crossbell?” At her nod, he nodded as
well.
“Actually, when he returned from that
trip he was… out of sorts.”
Lucia glanced at her husband and then
back to the young pair. “Perhaps seeing old friends may do him some good.”
“Perhaps you’re right, dear.” Teo
nodded, gesturing with his hand to the stairs that lead up to the second floor.
“Truth be told, we have been worried about our son, so if there’s anything you
can do to snap him out of this…funk he’s in, we’d really appreciate it.”
“Yes, we’ve tried having a doctor see
him, but…it didn’t…go so well.”
Frowning, Melyssa couldn’t hold the
truth back from these two, not Rean’s parents, and ignored the look Ash shot
her. He knew exactly what she was going
to do. “I know what’s wrong with your son, Mr. and Mrs. Schwarzer.”
“Melyssa…”
“Ash, these are his parents and they
deserve to know the truth.”
“You know what’s wrong with Rean?”
Teo felt relief flood his body at the young woman nodding her head. “Please,
tell us.”
“Yes, I want my son back, not
this…shell of a man that has given up his will to live.” Lucia felt tears fill
her eyes and listened as Melyssa explained everything regarding the spell from
Ouroboros and the darkness consuming her son currently.
“There’s a necklace, a talisman, and
if we can find it and destroy it, the spell will be broken on both Rean and I.”
Melyssa finished, taking a deep breath and waited to be kicked out of the
Schwarzer mansion by his own parents.
Who would believe something this
insane?
These people would because they had seen
and heard a lot over the years, especially once their son became actively
involved in affairs of the country. Rean
had always been a kind-hearted, good boy and it had developed into him being an
outstanding young man. So seeing him the
way he was now… it broke their hearts.
“You have our permission to search
for this necklace. Are you positive he
has one?” Lucia asked, frowning as she tried recalling seeing Rean with a
necklace, a talisman, anything of that sort.
“It’s our best lead right now, ma’am.”
Ash said sincerely, a bit relieved that that had gone over so well. “It would
be best if he didn’t know we were here, doing this.” Because who knew what he
would do in his current state.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
Ash and Melyssa whipped around to
face the man of the hour with slightly wide eyes. He was eavesdropping on us.
That wasn’t like Rean, but at the
same time, she probably would have done the same thing. What was this feeling inside of her, this
sudden warmth? She frowned, the
connection with him much stronger, but it was also tainted with darkness.
“Rean…”
“Ash, you honestly believe this
ridiculous accusation that we’re linked and tainted with darkness?” Rean didn’t
and it showed clear as day on his face, his arms folding in front of his chest.
“You wasted your time coming here.”
“Rean…” Her eyes suddenly zeroed in
on what was around his neck, peeking out of his shirt slightly. It was enough to know he was wearing the
talisman and she recognized the starry night necklace anywhere. Shit, he’s wearing
it! How are we supposed to get it away
from him? “All right,
how about we do things your way, my former Instructor?”
“Melyssa…” Ash’s tone held warning,
not liking where this was headed.
“As an Enforcer of Ouroboros, and a
former student of Thors Military Academy Branch School, Class VII: Special
Operations, I, Melyssa Brackett, challenge my former Instructor, The Ashen
Chevalier and the Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves, Rean Schwarzer, to a duel. If I win, that necklace around your neck is
mine.” She had unsheathed her Cutlass, pointing it at him with a stoic
expression on her face.
“And if I win,
which I guarantee you is exactly what will happen, what do I get?” Rean’s tone
was full of arrogance and certainty, sounding completely out of character for
the once humblest man in Erebonia.
“Then I will allow you to do whatever
you wish to me. Whether that’s cutting
me down, letting me go, capturing me, whatever you want.” Melyssa knew it would
be an offer he couldn’t refuse, not if he once felt anything for her and she
knew she nailed it at the look his fuchsia eyes took on. “What do you say,
Ashen Chevalier?”
“You should have remained in your underground
chambers with Ouroboros, traitor.” Rean informed her flatly, the look in his
eyes not exactly loving at all.
He had spent two years with this
talisman, something he had never shown her because at the time, he hadn’t
wanted to seem overeager or overwhelming when he had given her hers. With all
the negative emotions in his life since then, it had been basically feeding the
darkness, allowing it to creep in and settle within him.
“Rean…” Ash wasn’t liking this at
all, his eyes moving between the pair. “Melyssa, he’ll try taking your head.”
“As is my right, she challenged me
and I accept.” Rean snorted and then looked at his parents. “Not in here,
however, Mother may not appreciate your blood staining her rugs and freshly
polished floors.”
That stung to hear him call her a
traitor and Melyssa could feel the anger slowly welling up inside of her. “The
only traitor here is YOU, Rean Schwarzer, and I’m going to prove it when I save
you, once again, from yourself. You’ve
betrayed everyone who ever loved and cared about you, including yourself and
you turned your back on your morals, on EVERYTHING you stand for! It ends tonight and if it means taking my
head, so be it. Lead the way.” Melyssa
had a plan and it was risky, but it would be worth it if Rean wound up saved in
the end.
“Rean, my son, please don’t do this…”
Teo didn’t recognize his own son, his heart breaking at the cold, calculated
expression on Rean’s face.
“I’m not your son, how many times do
I have to say it?! I am that bastard’s
son, the one who nearly destroyed Erebonia for his own selfish reasons! Who entrapped me and FORCED my power to
become out of control, all for the sole purpose of the Twilight!” Rean snarled,
unsheathing his Tachi and pointed it directly at his adopted father. “Stay here
with Mother. Let’s go, Brackett.”
“It’ll be all right.” She murmured to
them, not taking her eyes off Rean and kept her voice quiet. “I’ll bring him
back.” Or
die trying. Melyssa
followed him out the door, with Ash behind her, and they left the town itself
to go to the outskirts. It was a little
bit of a trek, but they finally arrived at the same grounds Valimar, the Ashen
Knight, had once stayed during the civil war whenever Class VII would come back
to Ymir to recuperate from various travels and missions. Please stay out of
this, Ash. This is something I must do
myself. Goddess, give me the strength to
save him. “One thing
before we begin, Ashen Chevalier, I’m NOT the same girl who was your student
two years ago, so you better not hold back on me…unless you want YOUR head
taken.”
Ash groaned, burying his face in his
hands and wondered why Melyssa felt the need to declare such stupid things to a
man who obviously did not CARE about her. “Love…” He moaned through his
fingers, splaying them so he could see her, shaking his head.
Rean was laughing coldly, pretty much
wondering the same thing Ash was, though he wasn’t calling her ‘love’ either.
“Love, hmmm? Ash, I hope, for your sake,
you don’t honestly love this idiot.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “I despise
you, Brackett, and everything you stand for, traitor. You WERE right, you NEVER belonged at Thors,
you NEVER belonged to Class VII and all you’ve done is cost people their lives
and put them through suffering since the day you showed up. WHY would I take it easy on YOU?”
Ash stepped back, giving them their
space as they began circling each other and it became clear from Rean’s
posture, he had every intention of ending this quickly and mercilessly. Please Aidios, protect
her from this madness that has taken him.
“Just remember, Schwarzer, if it
wasn’t for me, all of you would’ve died that night in Jurai. I saved your lives and sacrificed MYSELF and
MY freedom for you worthless assholes!!” That was the darkness talking and Melyssa
felt the rage slowly consuming her, an orange aura surrounding her while Rean’s
was red. “Enough talking, let’s dance, Instructor.”
Their blades clashed together moments
later with both not giving an inch, their footwork on point and their eyes
never leaving each other’s. Melyssa
remembered their sparring sessions vividly and, deep down inside her heart, she
could FEEL something pulling at her, both egging her on and fighting against
doing this. It had to be done. It was the only way to save them both from
this spell the Grandmaster had put on them.
“Melyssa!!” Ash went to intervene,
but she shook her head, shoving Rean back with her Cutlass as his feet skidded
the ground.
He had nicked her cheek with the tip
of his Tachi and blood slowly began spreading from it. “STAY BACK!! I GOT THIS!!”
Channeling her anger and every
emotion she felt at that moment, Melyssa brought her Cutlass down to send an
orange shockwave at Rean. It blasted him
back, but he managed to stop it from completely obliterating him, using his own
power and strength to combat it. He sent
a move back at her and she flew back on the ground, grunting since the wind had
been temporarily knocked out of her.
Rean was on her like white on rice, however, and she began holding his
Tachi back with her own Cutlass, remembering her duel with Shirley in
Jurai. This was the exact same position,
only she was stronger and Melyssa saw the necklace dangling.
This was her chance.
If she could get it off him and get
it to Ash…Melyssa took the risk and took one of her hands, gripping the
talisman. It took away from the strength
of holding Rean back and her neck was sliced as she yanked as hard as she
could, the cord the talisman was on giving way.
She tossed it, barely holding Rean back and felt tears fill her eyes,
really hoping Ash knew what to do because she was seconds away from being
beheaded.
I’m sorry, Rean. I’m so sorry for everything, please forgive
me for putting you through this.
Ash caught that necklace and promptly
dropped it, bringing his booted foot down on it as hard as he could. He did this repeatedly, pretty sure he had
tears coming down his face because he knew she was going to die if she wasn’t
dead already. Please, please, please… it’s over, let this be over!!
Coming back to his senses was not a
pleasant thing.
Rean had been so livid with Melyssa,
beyond anything he had ever felt before and intent on taking her head off and
now… now it was all fading away and horror was taking over. He had his Tachi to her neck and was
preparing to deliver that killing blow.
His clearing fuchsia eyes widened in alarm and with the same speed he had
used to disarm her, he had TOSSED his sword away.
“Melyssa?” Why did his voice sound
weird?
Everything sounded weird, he had a
rush of blood thundering in his ears, making everything else sound far
away. Dropping to his knees, he peeled
off his sweat soaked shirt, using it to begin wiping away the blood from her
neck. It wasn’t deep, thank the Goddess,
a bit more pressure and he would have taken her head off.
Chapter 75
Something SHATTERED inside of Melyssa
the moment that talisman was crushed beneath Ash’s boot.
She couldn’t explain it, but all the
anger, animosity and negative feelings she had since returning to their lives
vanished into thin air. Her eyes slowly
opened, staring up at Rean and Melyssa smiled genuinely for the first time in
over two years. Despite her neck being
cut by his Tachi and the duel they just had, Melyssa felt overwhelming
happiness and relief flood her from head to toe. It was almost as if she was waking up from a
very long, tumultuous dream that was full of twists and turns.
“Rean.” Even her voice sounded
different, just like his.
Was that really how deep the darkness
had been embedded into them? How long
was the darkness inside of her, was it the entire two plus years? It wouldn’t surprise her if that was the case
and she placed a shaky hand over his while he continued applying pressure to
her neck.
“I-I’m so, so sorry, Rean. I-I never meant for…any of this to happen,
especially to you…” Not holding them back like she would have before, Melyssa felt
the hot tears pour down her cheeks and reached up with her other hand to wipe
his own away with her thumb.
Goddess, this was HIS fault! He had bought that talisman, those talismans,
from a merchant on the airship. Rean had
thought giving her some extra protection at the time, when she hadn’t been able
to link up with Crow, on top of what they had been going to do in Jurai, was a
brilliant idea. He had never expected
this… not even in his most horrific nightmares.
“Ash,” He gasped, turning his head
towards the other man who was just staring at them with an unreadable look on
his face. “Get help.”
Reluctantly, Ash nodded and headed
for the town, hoping whatever damage Rean had done could be healed with minor
issues. He also hoped that the gaga eyes
Rean and Melyssa were giving each other were gone by the time he got back. He had a dark and heavy feeling of his own
building in his chest and it wasn’t caused by any evil magic or demonic
talismans. Melyssa didn’t bother looking
away from Rean, not caring about anything or anyone else except him at the
moment. She knew he was worried, the
concern etched in his soft fuchsia eyes.
The anger wasn’t there. The animosity and hatred was gone. It did her heart good to see him back to
normal and she felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her own heart and
shoulders.
“You’re okay now, Rean…and so am
I. We’re both going to be all right.”
The spell was broken and the darkness
was gone, out of their systems. Crow was
right when he said something was off about Rean and she suddenly realized all
the cruel things she’d said to him. It
all came flooding back to her and she began crying, burying her face in her
hands. How could she be so cruel to so
many people?! The things she said to
Rean that day at the log cabin also filtered through her mind and she began
hiccoughing, which in turn didn’t help the cut on her neck.
Rean had barely missed her carotid
artery.
“Stop, stop it!” He shushed, his tone
soothing, a lot different than only moments ago when it had been cold and
cruel, out to purposefully hurt her. “You have to calm down or you’ll aggravate
the wound further.” He sincerely hoped Ash hurried up. He may have missed the carotid artery, but
that didn’t mean her getting worked up was going to help things, no… it’d make
her blood pump faster and spill out faster.
Rean settled himself on the ground properly, carefully pulling her up so
she was elevated, the wound above her heart properly, with an arm braced
beneath her upper back to keep her in this inclined position. He stared down at Melyssa, watching as she
began breathing easier, her eyes locked with his and smiled sadly, tenderly.
How many times was this woman going
to save him?
“Rean…”
A flash of red erupted in front of
them and both turned to look up at none other than Rosalie. “As touching as
this is, Schwarzer, I really need to heal her before she bleeds to death.” The
elder witch declared, walking over with staff in hand and lowered to Melyssa’s
level, pulling the shirt away from the wound. “You were very lucky, girl. Hold still.”
Melyssa obeyed, swallowing hard and
felt Rean clutch her hand to rest over her racing heart, a warming sensation
spreading over her neck. She could hear
Rosalie chanting softly under her breath, her hands glowing a bright blue and
slowly, the wound began to close. Ash
didn’t go back to town because of the nature of Melyssa’s injury, having a
better idea. Instead, he made one phone
call and hoped it went through. It
wasn’t a normal call on the ARCUS II either and when he returned, he saw
Rosalie had indeed come to the rescue, again, with her magic to heal Melyssa.
“All right, that should do it.”
Rosalie looked from Melyssa to Rean, narrowing her crimson eyes at him. “Give
me your palm.” She ordered, smirking when Rean immediately obeyed and closed
her eyes, checking to see if the darkness was indeed gone. “Yes, destroying the
talisman worked. You both are free and
completely yourselves again.”
“Thank the Goddess…”
“Mmm, her too.” Rosalie pursed her
lips, turning to glance at Ash and nodded at him. “For once, Carbide, smart
call.”
His response was to both thank her
verbally and flip her off as he slowly made his way to the pair on the ground.
“You’re welcome.” She snorted,
surveying the situation and gave another nod. “I’ll be on my way, I’ll report
back to Machias and let him know the mission was a success. And Crow,” She added as an afterthought. Crow had been antsy ever since Melyssa and
Ash had left.
A second later, she had disappeared
as quickly as she had arrived.
“You okay, beautiful?” Ash asked,
kneeling down beside them, his eyes searching over her intently before glancing
at Rean.
Rean was obviously back to his normal
self, he had tears in his eyes.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I feel…different. I can’t really explain it.”
Slowly taking Ash’s hand, Melyssa
rose to her feet and felt him pull her into his arms. She didn’t want Ash’s arms around her,
however, she wanted it to be Rean holding her.
That was a terrible thought to have, especially after she JUST confessed
her love for Ash. Not to mention, he had
taken her virginity! Was that all the
darkness? Could the darkness infuse
those phony feelings into a person? She
didn’t know, but Melyssa felt obligated to be with Ash, no matter what her
heart screamed at her.
“We should all head back, get some
rest and something to eat. Rean, your
parents are worried about you, so you should go see them as soon as possible.”
If Ash had any inkling of what Melyssa
was thinking, he would have taken her head clean off, Rosalie be damned. When he had asked about her feelings being
something motivated by the darkness, she had been vehement in her persistence
that it was directly from her. Ash had
always been the lewd, crude flirt, the playboy, worse than even Crow Armbrust,
and yet this one single woman had managed to tame HIM, make him WANT to be a
one woman man. He had lost her once and
the idea of losing her again, because she was a fool, would have destroyed him.
“Yeah…” He nodded his head, giving
Rean a strained smile. “You should probably apologize to your parents,
actually… do you remember anything from these past two years?”
“All of it.” Rean croaked, wiping
tears off his cheeks and turned his head up towards the sky. He had been a horrible little beast, the
things he had said, the things he had done, all to people he cared about. “I am
so sorry for what I said to you, to both you.
Especially you, Melyssa. I didn’t
mean any of it.”
Her heart shattered at the sight of
him, wanting to go to him and hug him close, to give him some kind of comfort,
but she stayed steadfast in Ash’s arms. “I know you didn’t, Rean. You weren’t yourself because of the horrible
spell. I said terrible things to you as
well, and Crow…”
She sniffled, wiping tears away from
her eyes. Her heart was breaking because
Rean was who she truly wanted to be with.
It’d always been him and now she was stuck with someone she used to
consider her best friend.
“Everyone will understand, once they
know what’s going on and I do believe Machias has already contacted all of
Class VII to inform them. Just take one
step at a time, like I have to, and eventually, things will get back to normal
for both of us.” Melyssa hoped she could also transfer her feelings from Rean
to Ash and knew it would take time to make it happen.
It had to, she couldn’t bear the
thought of hurting Ash.
“Yeah.” Rean agreed though he didn’t
sound very hopeful, going to retrieve his Tachi.
He had almost used his extensive
training to kill someone he cared very deeply about. Rean felt like he should burn this weapon and
never pick up another one again because he was undeserving. Sheathing it, he fell behind them, letting
Ash lead the way back into Ymir with his arm securely around Melyssa. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know
that those two were together, it was in the way Ash held her, cradled her
gently against him, and that did not make him feel any better. Though, he also knew two years was a long
time, and when he and Melyssa had finally met again, he had not been very kind.
As long as she was happy.
Melyssa was happy now that the spell
was broken and both her and Rean were back to their normal selves. She could finally be herself with Ash and
there was no spell or darkness tainting what they had together. She did love him; how could she not? That didn’t mean she couldn’t love another
man, however, and that love for Rean, as much as she wanted to act on it, had
to be stuffed down.
Ash was her man now, the one she was
with.
They all arrived back in Ymir and
Rean immediately went to his parents’ house, his home, while Ash lead Melyssa
back to The Phoenix Wings. Having a
near-death experience put a lot of things into perspective and apparently, rose
Ash’s libido considerably. The moment
they were back in the room, he had her pinned to him with his mouth on hers and
she could feel the desperation in his kiss and touch. He was scared of losing her and Melyssa
surmised he was probably pretty angry at the risk she took.
So instead of pushing him away, she
gave into him, allowing him to divest her of her clothing, and she did the same
to him, before letting him have her any way he wanted. She was his now; she made her bed and she
would lie in it and be content with Ash Carbide, regardless of who her heart
really longed for. Afterwards, and he
had been gentle with her after that semi-brutal kiss, Ash held her beside him,
caressing and stroking everywhere he could touch. He had been mindful of her body, knowing
today had been draining, and he had made slow, sweet and tender love to her.
“I could have lost you again…” He
murmured in her hair, feeling her shaking her head. “You have no idea… how hard
those two years without you were. It felt today… like it was going to be like
that again.” Because Rean had nearly taken her head off and WOULD have if not
for that talisman being broken and then catching himself just in the literal
nick of time.
She slowly rolled to lay on her back
to stare up at him, stroking his face tenderly with her hand. There was no darkness tainting her anymore;
Melyssa had fully returned to who she used to be and it showed in her pure teal
eyes. “Ash…” He loved her so much and she could see it in his eyes, leaning up
to softly brush her lips against his. “You won’t lose me again. I’m here, I’m right here with you and I’m all
yours, just like I said.” Melyssa slid her fingers through his hair, feeling
his forehead rest against hers and breathed him in. “I’m sorry for worrying you
and being gone those two years. Being
away from you for two years was terrible for me too, but I promise, as long as
the Goddess and Aidios keep me alive and well, you’ll never lose me.” Another
kiss, this time deeper and a little harder. “I love you, Carbide.” She truly
did. She meant every word that came out
of her mouth and she felt the need to say it to him again, now that she wasn’t
under a spell.
Ash nodded, brushing his lips against
the corner of her mouth and groaned when his cock gave a half-twitch. “Don’t…
it’s not ready yet.” He muttered, hearing her giggle and rolled Melyssa onto
her back, staring down at her intently. “I love you, and it’s all behind us…
you’re finally back to being you, here with me now, and we’re going to get
everyone together properly this time and send those worthless fucks back to the
rocks they belong under.” He didn’t consider her to be Ouroboros, not really.
Maybe her loyalty to the organization
had been because of that darkness.
“Yes, we will. I will never again call myself an Enforcer or
be a puppet on a string for them again.
I am a woman who wants to follow the way of the sword, not be someone’s
lapdog and errand girl.” There was conviction in her voice, not animosity or
anger like there had been before. “Ash, there is something we need to discuss,
though, and you’re not going to like it.” His eyes became guarded and she
softly brushed her lips against his. “Not about us – about Rean. I know you blame him for what happened in
Jurai, and that’s your right, but…if we really are getting everyone together to
take out Ouroboros, you need to make amends with Rean. As much as I know you’ll hate hearing this,
we need him, lover.” He went to protest and she pressed a finger to his lips,
rubbing her nose against his. “Do it for me then, if you won’t do it for
yourself. Please?”
Chapter 76
“It was the wrong call.”
Even with him loving Melyssa aside,
it had been a stupid call tactical wise.
One didn’t let an untrained, new, barely legal girl make demands and
take the lead! Ash didn’t care WHO the
person was, that was just suicide and she had paid for Rean’s foolishness, and
her own. He groaned when she turned
those teal eyes on him full force, having a feeling she had probably suckered
the other man in the same exact way.
“Fine.” He muttered grudgingly,
growling playfully immediately afterwards when she smiled slightly. “But only
because I love you.” He would try to make amends at least, knowing she was
right, for this fight they all had to be on the same page.
He wondered how that would work with
Crow and Rean.
The men would make amends in their
own way and she wasn’t concerned about Crow at the moment. Ash had more ill feelings toward Rean because
of her and she didn’t feel right about that. “You are right, okay? It was the wrong call, but at the same time,
I was the ONLY one who could talk to my Dad.
None of us knew the true intentions of Ouroboros that night either. You can’t fault Rean for going with his gut
instinct. He’s human, he makes mistakes
like everyone else and I know he was supposed to protect me as his
student. I get why you’re upset, but you
need to look at the other side of things.
And I know you haven’t because you’re biased because of me.” He lowered
his eyes and she knew she hit the nail on the head, keeping her voice soft and
low, no pressure at all in it. “At the very least, just try to understand where
he was coming from. You don’t have to be
his friend, but he IS a vital asset to bringing down Ouroboros. We need him.” I need him. “Emma didn’t help matters by berating him either. Rean was trying to do what she advised and it
backfired.” Horrifically. “He’s beating himself up and he’s been doing it for
the past two years. Enough is enough,
Ash. We all need to band together and
fight as one or Ouroboros will chew us up and spit us out.”
“You’re right,” He sighed, rolling
onto his back and draped his arm over his eyes, shaking his head. “You better
mark this moment on your calendar, beautiful, because I will NEVER say it
again.” Ash huffed when she lay out on his chest, feeling her fingertips
drumming on his chest and moved his arm.
He peeked down at her, his pale pink eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Satisfied?” She nodded and he nodded too, yawning.
Today had been… draining, on an
emotional level and he idly wondered if Rean had made amends with his parents,
knowing he had said some very hurtful things to them prior to the ‘duel’.
“Oh, you’ll say it again because 9
times out of 10, the woman IS always right.” She laughed at the snort he gave
and kissed along his broad, muscular chest, nuzzling his warm skin. “We can
talk to him tomorrow.” Rean needed time to talk to his parents and possibly
make some apologetic phone calls. They
would go talk to him tomorrow and she rolled, pulling Ash with her and felt his
arms wrap around her waist to spoon up against her. “I love you, Carbide.” She
murmured through a yawn, lacing their fingers together and closed her eyes, her
exhausted body succumbing to some much needed rest.
Melyssa smiled when she heard him say
it back in her ear, just before sleep completely claimed her.
~!~
Rean spent a good portion of the night
talking with his parents, repeatedly apologizing for the things he had
said. He didn’t even know how to explain
it. He knew exactly what he had said and
done, he remembered the past two years quite clearly, but… it hadn’t been
him. It had been, but it hadn’t. Those weren’t even things he felt, he never
thought Melyssa was a traitor. Now that
his mind was his own, he understood what had happened to her. She had been kept locked away, without
friends, without family, without light… that would break anyone until they
started caving, doing what they were told, and he knew it. Yet he had called her traitor and hurled
insults at her, tried to kill her… Rean did not sleep very well at all that
night when he finally went to bed, knowing others might forgive him, but it
would take him a long time to forgive himself.
~!~
The following day, after some
delicious morning sex, courtesy of being woken up in a most sensual way, Ash
and Melyssa made their way to the Schwarzer mansion. They were greeted instantly upon arrival and
she was hugged tightly by Lucia and then Teo, both thanking her immensely for
what she did for their son. Melyssa did
NOT expect the beyond warm welcome from Rean’s parents and something in her heart
surged and broke at the same time. They
were very good people with hearts of gold, she could clearly see that. Lucia hugged Ash next and Teo shook his hand
before guiding them into the sitting room while Lucia went to fetch Rean.
“I’m not going down there, Mom.”
Lucia smiled sadly at her son,
shutting the door and walked over to sit beside him on the bed. “Sweetheart, we
all know it wasn’t really you. It was a
curse you were put under and you didn’t know about it.” She placed a hand on
her son’s shoulder, her heart breaking at how he carried himself. “Rean, is
this just about the curse or something else?”
Rean shook his head, tears in his
eyes. “No, Mom…I can’t…” He stood up from the bed to stare out the window,
fighting them back. “I can’t talk about it…” Melyssa was with Ash Carbide, of
all people, which was something Rean STILL couldn’t wrap his head around, no
matter how hard he tried.
“I see.” Lucia didn’t move to comfort
him further and stayed on the bed. “It’s her, isn’t it? Melyssa, right?” She watched her son’s
shoulders slump and smiled sadly. “She was under the spell as well, yes?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, why don’t you talk to her
about it? Tell her how you feel…”
“I can’t do that.” Rean was an
honorable man and would never move in on someone else’s territory. “She’s with
Ash now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.
I can tell.” Rean shut his eyes, resting his forehead against the window
and took a deep, shaky breath. “No matter what I feel for her, I just want her
to be happy and I won’t take that away from her. I’ve put her through enough.”
“You’re in love with her, aren’t
you?” Lucia made it sound more like a statement than a question, rising from
the bed. “Sweetheart, if you don’t tell her, it will eat you up inside and you
will never find true peace and closure.
You really should tell her, regardless if she’s with someone else.” That
boy downstairs, no offense, was nothing compared to her beloved son. A hero of Erebonia, among other titles he’d
earned. She was exceedingly proud of
him. “They are downstairs and said it’s urgent they speak with you. What do you want me to tell them?”
“COME ON, SCHWARZER,” It was Ash’s
voice booming up the stairs, echoing through his door. “WE DON’T HAVE ALL DAMN
DAY! STOP WALLOWING UP THERE AND COME
TALK TO US!”
Teo bit his lip to keep from
chuckling. Ash was always
straightforward and it was something he admired about the young man.
Groaning, Rean pulled his head away
from the window only to smack it against the pane a second later.
”TODAY, REAN! YOU CAN HIDE AND CRY LATER!”
“I wish I had taken his head off.”
Not really, but… it was both good and bad that Ash hadn’t apparently changed
one little bit over the past two years.
He was still obnoxious as ever. Obnoxious and with Melyssa, which was
something Rean couldn’t fathom. He could
see her with Crow, but Ash… Ash? It made
no sense.
“You don’t mean that. I’ll tell them you’re coming down in five
minutes, dearest.”
“Mom…”
“Breakfast in five, Rean.” She ruffled
his hair affectionately before walking out.
“All right, Ash, that’s enough. If he doesn’t want to talk to us, we can’t
force him. Maybe he just needs more
time…” Melyssa stopped him from going up the stairs, shaking her head with her
hand wrapped around his bicep. “No.
Forcing him won’t make matters any easier. Let’s just leave and maybe we can make
another trip down here soon.”
“I told him to come down for
breakfast in five minutes, but I don’t know if he will or not. He’s pretty devastated.” Lucia informed them,
walking down the steps and kept a soft smile on her face. However, deep down, she wanted to berate the
harlot that broke her son’s heart to pieces.
At the same time, Melyssa had saved him, which made her feel torn. “You
two are more than welcome to join us for breakfast.”
“No, that’s fine.” Melyssa pulled Ash
further away from the stairs, lacing their fingers tightly together. “We need
to get going back to Crossbell City, but if Rean wants to talk to us, please
tell him to call.”
“Will do. Drive safely.” Teo nodded, folding his arms
in front of his chest and waited for them to walk out before turning to look at
his wife. “What was THAT about, Lucia?”
“Our son is in love with that
girl. And if he doesn’t want to talk to
her, we shouldn’t force him into it. She
made the right choice to leave him be.”
Ah, young love, thou art a bitch at
times.
Goodbye Rean. Melyssa looked up at the house before
slipping into the orbal car, ignoring the way her heart ached, shoving it
aside. Ash slid behind the wheel and she
grabbed his hand instantly, lacing their fingers together again before
accepting a soft yet passionate kiss. “Mmm, I love you. We should stop by Leeves again on our way
back and stay at that tavern.”
“Or we could stay here for another
day or so, enjoy those hot springs.” Ash chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows at her
before looking back out the windshield.
At her soft no, he sighed, knowing she didn’t want to linger in Ymir
because of Rean. “He’ll come around, beautiful, you know he will. He’s always had an overly kind heart, give
him time to sort this out and he’ll be up our asses mother-henning us again in
no time.”
At 4 minutes and 57 seconds, Rean had
come downstairs to breakfast, only to be told Ash and Melyssa had already left.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but they told me
to tell you to call, if you want.”
Rean simply shook his head and
trudged back upstairs, knowing he missed his opportunity to talk to them. He did need time to sort everything out in
his own head, Ash had been right about that much.
~!~
Three months passed by in the blink
of an eye.
Machias welcomed the REAL Melyssa back
with open arms, along with Crow, who had hugged her so tight, she thought he
popped something in her back. Rosalie
had told them what happened, what Rean almost did and she understood Crow’s
reaction. He wasn’t mad at Rean, nobody
was. They were under a Dark Ages spell
and it was broken now. Rean was back to
his old self and so was she, no darkness influencing or manipulating them.
However, there was one person who had
changed significantly throughout the past three months and that was Ash. Melyssa didn’t understand it, but Ash had
become…distant recently and she couldn’t figure out why. The first month straight of their new
relationship, they had so much sex, she physically couldn’t handle anymore by
the beginning of the second month and told him so.
“Ash, please, just one day…I just
need ONE DAY without sex! We can do
something else, but I really need you not to touch me for one day…”
Ash had snorted, rolled his eyes and
stormed out of her apartment to go to his own, muttering something about being
rejected.
Ever since that day she ‘rejected’
sex from him, or turned him down, things had been rather…tense between
them. They still had sex, but Ash had
gotten rougher and rougher with it, then afterwards would question her about
her feelings.
“Do you still want me? Do you want out of this? Am I not good enough for you, Melyssa? Do you not love me anymore?”
Those questions had been flying out
of his mouth a lot in the last two weeks and Melyssa was at her wits end. Every time she responded the same way. Yes.
No. Yes, he was good enough for
her. Yes, she loved him and nobody else. Or so, that’s what her brain said, but her
heart spoke a different story. Still,
she was loyal and faithful to Ash, wanting to make this work between them. She had even gone as far as planning a
romantic dinner for them in her apartment, after a hard day of work at City
Hall and shopped for the occasion.
It was their three month anniversary
and she wanted to do something special for him, as stupid as it sounded. Who celebrated a three month anniversary,
after all? Melyssa had bought a
see-through dark blue negligee that didn’t leave much to the imagination and
bought oils and had the entire apartment lit up with candles. She had even had her hair done up in a ton of
a curls on top of her head and put some makeup on, just enough to enhance her
natural beauty.
He walked in, looked around and she
couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth. “What is all this,
Melyssa? Why are there candles lit everywhere
and why are you wearing THAT slutty shit?
Take it off, I don’t like it.” Ash had ordered, sat down and propped his
feet right on the coffee table, something he knew she HATED him doing.
She wondered briefly if the darkness
had somehow made its way inside Ash and had Rosalie check, secretly, but no,
this was just his personality. This was
who he was. She had been completely
heartbroken and finally took a plate of spaghetti she had made, her mother’s
recipe, and hurled at him as hard as she could.
It landed on his arm and she screamed at him to get out of her
apartment, not caring who heard her at this point. She had planned this amazing night for them,
hoping to make things right, hoping to mend their relationship and he would
give her a chance to explain her side of things.
No, he was a complete and utter
asshole and she was done trying to make things work with him.
“You’re nothing, but a sex addict,
Ash Carbide!! All you want is sex, Sex,
SEX and I’m SICK OF IT!! I asked you for
ONE DAY, ONE DAMN DAY, to recuperate because it was HURTING me to have sex with
you!! And you took it to heart! And then you started getting rougher with me
whenever we do have sex! Do you know
what today is? It’s been three months
since we started this travesty of a relationship and I’m DONE trying to make it
work! DONE! GET OUT OF MY APARTMENT, YOU EGOTISTICAL,
SELF-CENTERED, SEX ADDICT ASSHOLE AND DON’T COME BACK!!”
Chapter 77
Crow, in his apartment literally right
next door, heard Melyssa BELLOWING and RAGING and sort of came running, banging
on the door. It opened on its own, he
stepped in, realizing she had been in the process of opening it and kicking Ash
out. Well, he had always thought the
idea of them was weird and it had never set right with him, he was a bit sorry
that they were fighting.
“Fuck OFF Armbrust.” No, SHE was
fighting, he was trying to make sense of what had just happened. “She doesn’t
need you protecting her from ME!”
“I think you may need protection from
her if you don’t get the Gehenna out.”
That was the damn truth because she
was LIVID and, if steam could pour out of one’s ears, it would’ve been at that
moment. She was standing there, still in
the lingerie she had bought, the candles still lit all around the apartment and
Ash was COVERED in spaghetti from the plate she flung at him. Tears poured down her cheeks and she punched
him as hard as she could when he went to grab her, right in his mouth.
“Get. Out. I NEVER want to see you
again besides at work.” Her voice was deceptively calm and low, her teal eyes
hard and cold while staring at the man she had given literally everything
to. And he didn’t care. HE DIDN’T CARE! “You can go play with
yourself or, better yet, find someone else who will put up with your sex
addiction because I AM DONE!”
Sex addiction? Wow.
Crow kept his mouth shut. He was
all for sex, all the time, every day, whenever and wherever, but… that was
every man’s dream. The reality was: it
would be exhausting and chafing was a real thing, not to mention
dehydration. Damn it, there was other
stuff out there that needed to get done!
Though, now it explained why Melyssa had seemed so tired lately. He raised one eyebrow at his friend, who was
holding his mouth, spaghetti sliding down his tomato stained face.
“Out.”
Ash shook his head and turned,
shaking himself just to purposefully fling spaghetti everywhere before
leaving. He made sure to slam the door
shut behind him, his last ‘say’ as it were.
Crow immediately went to Melyssa, catching her before she fell and held
her up, his hands beneath her armpits.
He simply stared down at her, sorrow filling his red eyes as she cried
even harder. This was the last person
she wanted to know what was going on between her and Ash. Now that her body was ‘exposed’ for the most
part, because of how revealing the lingerie was, Crow could see the bruises she
hid beneath clothing.
Thighs, upper arms, hips and if he
saw her butt…it looked like Ash had beaten and abused her. She also had bite marks on various parts of
her body as well. Melyssa couldn’t help
crying her heart out against Crow, her face buried in his chest and felt his
arms wrap tightly around her. It wasn’t
until an hour later, she finally spoke in a low, raspy voice, both now sitting
on the couch with the lights on and the candles blown out.
“Today was our three month
anniversary…and I wanted to do something nice for him because we’ve been
fighting a lot lately. He walked through
that door, took one look at everything and asked what it was and ordered me to
take the lingerie off I bought specifically for him. All he cares about is bending me over and
screwing me, Crow. I can’t…I can’t do it
anymore…I physically can’t handle it anymore and I’ve tried telling him, but
all he kept telling me was I’d get used to it because of my virginal mindset.”
She snorted, wiping her nose with the tissue Crow handed her while talking to
him. “I thought I loved him, but I’m starting to realize the spell is what drew
me to be with him. After that spell
broke, I didn’t feel the same way I did about him…and I know his sex addiction
didn’t help matters. Still, I did
everything I could to make this work because I didn’t want to believe that damn
spell could…influence my feelings for someone.
I do feel love for him, but…” She started crying again, burying her face
in her hands. “I’m starting to realize I was never IN LOVE with him…and I tried
making this work out of guilt because I’m the one who told him I loved him
first. I never should’ve started
anything with him in the first place! I
don’t know what I was thinking!”
It made sense, about the spell. It had brought out the negative things she
was feeling and thinking, it had drawn her towards negative things as well and,
from what he could see, and what he now knew, Ash had been a very, very
negative thing. It was so strange
because they had seemed to of been the best of friends prior to getting
together. He had told her right out the
gate he hadn’t liked the idea of them and he hadn’t even known why, maybe
because of this.
“Do you need to see a doctor?” He
asked, trying not to stare, but it was hard.
She was in next to nothing and looked like she had had her ass beaten.
“W-What?!” That had snapped her right
out of her despair and she stared at him wide-eyed, suddenly realizing why he
was asking that question. “Hand me a blanket, please. And no, I don’t. It was all consensual, he didn’t…hurt me that
way or anything.”
Ash DID hurt her, but more on an
emotional and mental level. Granted, her
vagina was thanking Aidios and the Goddess for not being pounded into oblivion,
but that was something she would keep to herself. Crow wrapped the blanket around her and she
looked up at him with fresh tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry about what I said that
day. It was the spell, Crow, I hope you
know that. I would never say something
like that to you just because you voiced your concern about me and him. You were right.”
“Yeah I know, but that’s my curse,
usually being right and others ignoring me.” He joked, getting why she wouldn’t
want to be seen, not if it was consensual.
Crow was well aware that there were
people out there who had some interesting kinks in the bedroom. Though, he was guessing Melyssa did not share
Ash’s. It seemed like she had tried,
but… some people just didn’t like being abused during sex, or bent over all the
time.
“Why don’t you get a shower and I’ll
clean this mess up?” His tone made it clear he wasn’t leaving her, not
tonight.
Crow didn’t trust Ash to not come
back, which felt weird because for two years, Ash had been his almost best
friend.
Knowing better than to argue with
him, she nodded and stood up from the couch the same time he did, reaching up
to hug him. “Thank you.” She whispered in his ear before sniffling on her way
to the bathroom, knowing her carpeting would be ruined because of the spaghetti
sauce.
Oh well, she didn’t care and it
wasn’t her apartment anyway, technically.
Leaving the blanket behind, Melyssa closed the door behind her and her
scream was muffled by a hand over her mouth and her back was pressed against a
rock hard chest. Just the smell alone
told her exactly who was in her bathroom and it also told her the witch’s
warding had failed. After the horrible
night she had with Ash, this was the LAST thing she needed.
“Don’t make a sound or I will burn this entire apartment
building to the ground, Melyssa.” He threatened in a very low voice, hearing
the sink running in the kitchen and smirked wickedly. “You thought you were
slick, didn’t you? Having that old hag
witch cast a spell on this place to ward out intruders. Luckily for you, I know how to break through
such spells, which is why I can now come and go as I please, precious.” His
hand moved up to wrap around her throat, squeezing ever so gently. “I must
admit, I wasn’t overly pleased with the idea of you and Carbide.” The bruises
on her body, the stuff he had overheard, those two were over, but not before
Ash had gotten more than his fill of her. “If I would’ve known you were into
the darker side of life…”
Her body went stiff as a board at his
words as Melyssa calmed her breathing down, knowing exerting herself would not
be in her best interest. “I’m not, and I don’t care if you approved of me and
Carbide. I’ll be with whoever I want,
asshole.” She kept her voice low, gritting her teeth and gasped when he began
to squeeze her throat to slowly cut her air supply off. Struggling would only accelerate the
inevitable, so Melyssa did everything in her power to stay perfectly still and
calm against him. “W-What’s…the matter…McBurn?
Jealous?”
“Of a little slut giving out her favors?” McBurn snorted,
shaking his head.
Obviously, Melyssa enjoyed this sort of thing because she was
intent on provoking him to violence. He
wasn’t one of the most dangerous entities in Ouroboros, in the COUNTRY, for
nothing. Violence, brains… fire, he was
deadly and had remained alive for a reason when he was one of the most infamous
men alive.
“And now you’ve finally grown a spine.” The hand not around her
throat moved to said spine, running a slow finger up it, feeling her shiver.
“And kicked Carbide to the curb… all because he didn’t appreciate your little
slut show… well, my dear,” He buried his face in her neck. “I appreciate it.”
Panicking would take away more oxygen and she had to conserve as
much of it as possible since he was currently cutting hers off. The teal fire in her eyes, however, told him
everything he needed to know or he could assume all he wanted. The fact of the matter was McBurn didn’t have
her the way he wanted her. She had grown
considerably strong while training to become an Enforcer of Ouroboros and now
she was one – just like him. He was not
an Anguis, just an Enforcer just like her.
They were on equal footing, as far as the Grandmaster was
concerned.
Didn’t the Grandmaster demand McBurn to leave her alone? Had he gone rogue? That wouldn’t have surprised her since McBurn
had been against her becoming an Enforcer in the first place instead of his sex
toy. Ironic how he was the one to point
her out to the Grandmaster for her ‘potential’ and, yet, he hadn’t gotten what
he wanted in the end.
“Then why…are you here?” She managed to ask, coughing a little
when he let her breathe, just as she began to see spots before her eyes. Oh Aidios, it hurt to feel the oxygen RUSHING
back into her body and his hand remained on her throat, but he wasn’t squeezing
to cut her air supply off anymore. At least I’m not yours…and I never will
be, no matter what you do, asshole!
“Oh, checking in… you do realize nobody trusts you? Not the Grandmaster, who has set you up to
fail and you are doing spectacularly and not your friends. You’re only Machias’ secretary because he wants
to keep you close.” The old adage, keep friends close and enemies closer held
true. He ran his nose up along her neck
to the shell of her ear, inhaling her scent. “I can’t wait until you stumble,
I’ll be waiting to snatch this pert ass,” His hand dropped down, squeezing her
backside. “Up.”
“Keep dreaming. I’ll end it before you EVER lay a hand on
me.”
Was it true what he said?
Did nobody trust her? The
Grandmaster had given her A LOT of leeway, so she assumed the woman, or
whatever she was, did. Machias
and…Crow. Melyssa felt a twinge in her
heart at the possibility of not having his trust, especially after all they’d
been through together.
“I refuse to fall for your mind games, McBurn. I know what you’re trying to do and it’s not
going to work. I know who trusts me, I
know who my friends are and I know where I TRULY belong. And something tells me the Grandmaster did
NOT give this order for you to come see me.
I know she ordered you to stay AWAY from me, as a matter of fact, which
tells me you’re doing things without her consent. So if you’re going to kill me, be done with
it already or leave.”
“You really are a trusting, naïve, stupid little bitch, aren’t
you?” He sneered, an undercurrent of humor in his tone. “You think everyone
trusts you and you never once have honestly stopped to question why everything
just falls in place for you, why people bow to your ideas and whims, even the
Grandmaster.” Ouroboros was notorious for turning on people, including their
own and she thought she was above that, just because she thought she was
‘special’. “You’re on borrowed time, Melyssa.” He kissed her neck before
disappearing the same way he had come, she wasn’t the only one with friends in
magical places.
“Hey, Lyssa,” Crow was at the door, knocking. “I thought I heard
someone in there, are you-” He blinked when it flew open, taking in the faint
red marks around her neck. “What happened?” He was already withdrawing a
pistol.
She was naked, completely naked,
since she had taken the lingerie off and did not care, feeling incredibly
vulnerable. Her weapons were in her
bedroom, far away from her, and she had been bombarded in the bathroom, of all
places! Crow tossed a towel at her while
checking the bathroom, both of his pistols withdrawn, but there was nobody
there.
“He’s gone.” She whispered, not
trusting her voice at the moment since it would be scratchy from being
throttled by McBurn. She quickly wrapped
herself up in the towel and clutched it tightly, tears temporarily blurring her
vision.
“Who?
Ash?”
No, because Ash had left to go into
his apartment and there was no way into this damn bathroom! Not conventionally anyway, it would take a
magician, or someone who practiced magic and Crow’s eyebrows drew together as
he finally turned to stare down at her.
He inhaled deeply, instantly regretting it because he KNEW that
distinctive scent.
“McBurn.” He growled, his eyes
flashing a dangerous, fiery red. McBurn,
who had a thing for Melyssa and had for years, that bastard had gotten in past
Rosalie’s wards. “Come on.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, guiding
her out of the bathroom. “We need to get out of here.”
Chapter 78
“W-Wait! I need my…weapons…” Oh man, that hurt to
shout and she regretted doing it, not meaning it to come out forcefully. “A-And
I need to get dressed first. Please?”
Crow nodded, ordering her to keep the
door open and she didn’t have a problem doing that. He thought of her as only family, a sister,
so she didn’t think he would sneak a peek while she was dressing. How could McBurn get past an 800-year-old
witch’s wards so easily? Was he always
able to do that and just waited for the opportune moment?
I need to stop analyzing
everything, get dressed and leave with Crow. Everything else could be sorted out later, but one
thing was certain: they could NOT stay in this apartment building anymore.
Crow was on his ARCUS II, letting
Machias know over a secure, encrypted connection what had happened. He didn’t bother saying what they were going
to do next. Machias was well aware
they’d take off, it was what any smart person would do when confronted with a
rogue McBurn. When Melyssa came out
dressed, with her weapons and a bag over her shoulder, he nodded.
“I got my weapons and my wallet,
let’s get out of here.” Crow had a bag in a stash here in the city, on the way
to one of his safehouses.
Crow was a firm believer in the
paranoid survived and right now, he was paranoid. Lacing his fingers through hers, he pulled
her from the apartment, trying not to walk overly fast, they needed to sort of
appear casual. Wherever they were going,
she trusted Crow explicitly and tried not to let what McBurn said bother her.
You’re on borrowed
time, Melyssa. What
did that mean? Was he going to kill her
at the ‘right’ time or whenever he wanted to?
Was Ouroboros going to do it? Nobody trusts you.
What he said about Machias really
bothered her because she wondered if it was true. Did Machias give her this job only to keep
her closer? They slid inside her orbal
car and Crow took the wheel while she buckled up in the passenger seat, their
stuff in the backseat. In no time at
all, they were on their way from the apartment building and toward some unknown
destination.
“Machias is down in the sewers, Rean
is in town and they went to clear out a nest.” Crow informed her, once the
lights of Crossbell City were in his rearview mirror.
He knew Melyssa and Ash had gone to
Ymir to deal with Rean and break that spell.
Rean had remained holed up in his hometown for a while before coming
back and immersing himself back into his old life. Too bad Ash hadn’t been under a spell… it
would be easier to deal with the idea of his friend having… issues.
“The work on the sewer, the repairs
and then blocking off the older tunnels is supposed to start soon.” This she
already knew since she had to give that press conference. Obviously, she hadn’t divulged the other aspect,
about using parts of it to bottleneck Ouroboros and other shady characters, who
dealt beneath the city in their illegal deals and whatnot. “When he comes out,
he’ll call and properly debrief.”
“Do they need our help?”
How big was the nest? Would they be able to handle it with just
them? Melyssa didn’t feel the
butterflies at the mention of Rean anymore, which told her the feelings she had
for him when he was her Instructor had disappeared. Maybe it was also partially due to the fact
she had been with Ash. Crow shook his
head at her question and she left it at that, instead turning her head to stare
out the window.
“Did you tell Machias about McBurn’s
visit?” She wasn’t surprised at Crow’s nod and she clasped her hands in her
lap, not believing what a nightmare this night turned out to be. “Where are we
going?”
“I have a safehouse.”
Being on both sides of the good/evil
equation, Crow currently considered himself to be chaotic good. Meaning he did some weird, random stuff that
sometimes made no sense except at the end of the day, he knew which side to
toss his lot in. The side that wasn’t
going to try killing him for being a deserter, thanks mostly to Rean’s kind
heart and potentially equally soft head.
That wasn’t very nice of him, considering Rean had been his best friend
for years, but one thing about Crow was he called it like he seen it.
“And I don’t know the size of the
nest, but between the two of them, I’d imagine they got it.” Machias probably
needed to vent and blow off steam, anyway, not being able to get his hands
dirty due to his position on top of Emma expecting triplets… Crow would have
lost his mind by now.
“Yeah, if the Divine Blade of the Eight
Leaves and the mayor can’t handle a simple nest, we’re doomed.” Melyssa tried
to make it sound like a joke, but it came out stoic. She wasn’t in a joking mood, for obvious
reasons. “Sorry, that was terrible.” Just keep your mouth shut, Mel, for Aidios’ sake!
At least Rean wasn’t holed up in Ymir
anymore feeling sorry for himself, so that was good. He was in Crossbell City – when did that
happen? Had she been so wrapped up in
the crap with Ash she didn’t notice?
Melyssa vowed right then and there to NEVER get so wrapped up in a man
again that she neglected the world around her.
It was dangerous, especially under her circumstances.
“Yeah, it was shit, just sit back and
relax, Lyssa.” Crow glanced at her, reaching out to take her hand and squeezed
once in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. “You don’t have to try
entertaining me or keeping conversation, you’ve got the best excuse in the
world not too.”
McBurn’s creepy ass in her
shower. He felt like he had creepy
crawlies going up and down his spine, resisting the urge to shudder like a
little girl. Silence reigned for the
rest of the over an hour long ride and eventually, Crow pulled off road,
steering through countryside until reaching trees and went right through those
as well.
“Don’t freak.” He advised, the trees
giving way to black, a tunnel, and he went through that too.
Now she grabbed his hand this time and held it, teal eyes wide in both wonder
and a little fear because she hadn’t been expecting this. Crow went ALL OUT for his safehouse, didn’t
he? The tunnel was long and it took a
good five minutes to get through it before they entered a clearing. In the distance, she could see a cabin and
her brows drew together, wondering if anyone knew about this place besides her
now. Was it warded to prevent Ouroboros
from entering? Did Ouroboros even know
about it? There were so many questions
she wanted to ask, but all Melyssa did was sit back and take in the scenery
because it was breathtaking.
“So, unlike Carbide, I am a firm believer
in using magic to do whatever I need it to do.” Crow informed her, knowing he
could trust her with his secrets. Not
only because they had grown up together, but because at heart, Melyssa was
turning out to be like him, someone who wanted to LIVE, to survive. “I know a
guy, he’s kind of… unconventional and Rosalie would hate him.” Crow liked him
because obviously Rosalie’s wards weren’t as good as they should have been,
given her age. “Place is warded and only he and I know about it, he’s across
the sea… so I doubt anyone would find him… should be safe.” It WAS safe, unless
they had been followed.
That made her breathe a little
easier, even though some guy she didn’t know warded the place. If Crow trusted him, so did she. That was one thing about Crow she’d never
lost and that was her trust and faith in him. “Thank you for telling me.” She
murmured just as the car came to a stop in front of the cabin. They grabbed their belongings from the
backseat and she went to head for the door when Crow stopped her. “What are
you…? Ouch!” He had just sliced her hand
with his double-saber and kept hold of it while doing the same to his hand,
pressing them together moments later.
She felt something wash over her, a warmth she couldn’t describe and
Crow nodded before pulling her toward the front door. “Okay, mind telling me
what the Gehenna that was about just now, Armbrust?” Melyssa demanded once they
were inside and Crow pulled out a first-aid kit to treat their cut hands.
“See, Rosalie’s magic is all well and
fine, but sometimes, you gotta toy with the darker shit and blood magic is
sometimes,” At her look, he rolled his eyes, but mentally conceded the point.
“A lot of the time, frowned upon, better?
Anyway, with this ward, it’s based on DNA recognition, mine to be exact
and whoever I pass it on and share with.
If I hadn’t done that, you’d be dust right now. Now the barriers, the wards, will recognize
you as part of me and let you through.” A little extreme? Maybe.
But McBurn wouldn’t be getting to her here.
Blood magic?
She looked down at her hand and then
to his, realizing what he’d done. They
shared blood now and the wards wouldn’t vaporize her into dust.
“That’s…wow. That’s definitely a security
measure I never would’ve thought of.” Crow trusted her completely or he never
would’ve brought her here or shared his blood with her to let her past the
warding. It did her heart good to know
at least he trusted her, but she didn’t know about the others. Damn that McBurn
planting doubts in my head like this! “Thank you, Crow. Here.”
He was struggling with wrapping his
hand with the bandage and she took over, doing it for him. This place was not only beautiful, but it was
HUGE and she couldn’t imagine how many bedrooms it had. It definitely looked smaller from the
outside…was that magic too?
“Give me the grand tour.”
To be honest, the place resembled a
tone down version of the Thors Academy, though not as massive. It was one of the few places Crow had felt
totally safe and comfortable, so it made sense that his safe house would be an
imitation of the real thing. “Sure, but as we go on, you’re going to laugh.” He
cautioned her, bringing her bag along as he headed further inside, the lights
coming on automatically as they walked.
On the bright side, there was no sharing rooms or anything like that
since it was only them. When she began
realizing what she was walking through, he laughed at the look on her face.
“This is JUST like Thors!” She
exclaimed, looking around in both amusement and awe, wondering how he managed
to have something like this built without anyone knowing.
Then again, he was C – the leader of
the Imperial Liberation Front. A terrorist
group that could never seem to be found unless they WANTED to be found. She supposed it made sense he’d have
something like this far back in the woods.
“This is…incredible, Crow.” Stopping,
Melyssa looked up into his crimson eyes and every other thought vanished from
her mind. It was almost as if her
worries had vanished the moment she stepped through the door.
“Yeah, sometimes, I guess.” Crow
shrugged, idly ruffling his own hair, staring down at her. He was expecting her to laugh and he hadn’t
missed the amusement in Melyssa’s tone, though she hadn’t laughed. “It felt
safe and it’s a safehouse, I’m a dork sometimes. It’s a lot smaller and I didn’t put
everything in, the grounds are gone and I only include one dorm with only a few
rooms…” Because Thors was HUGE and this safehouse was… not.
It just felt that way.
“It’s the same design as the dorms.”
There was no way that was a coincidence.
Melyssa wanted to laugh, but she just didn’t feel very humorous after
everything that happened tonight. “So, which room can I use?”
He gestured to the one they were
standing in front of and opened it, revealing one bed, a dresser and a desk
with an orbal radio on it. Crow informed
her his room was across the way, if she needed anything. As much as Melyssa didn’t want to be alone
tonight, she knew asking Crow to stay with her wasn’t an option.
I’m a sister to him,
family. She reminded
herself, cracking the barest hint of a smile as he set her bag on top of the
bed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Make sure you do.” He said
seriously, watching as she set her bag down before gently pulling her so she
was standing before him.
His hands wrapped around her upper
arms, keeping her at arm’s length as he studied her. This just hadn’t been a good night for Melyssa,
in any capacity and he inwardly sighed, wondering how much more the Goddess was
going to allow to be tossed in Melyssa’s lap before finally saying enough was
enough. He bent down, brushing his lips
against her forehead, his eyes closing for a moment.
“I mean it, if you need ANYTHING,
even a damn glass of water, come get me.” He doubted he’d sleep, not after
tonight, after Ash and then McBurn.
He’d probably be up all night
meditating or practicing his stances.
~!~
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Lyssa, you’re safe now.” A younger
Crow crooned to her, holding her while rubbing her back soothingly. “You’re
outta that barrel now, no need to cry anymore.”
“I-I was so scared…so
scared no one would find me…” Melyssa whimpered, her face buried in her best
friend’s shirt with her arms wrapped tightly around him. “T-Thank you…thank
you, Crow…”
The boy chuckled, kissing
her forehead softly. “I’ll always be here for you, Lyssa, never forget that,
okay? I’ll always protect you from
anything and anyone. They’ll have to go
through me to get to you.”
That made her smile as
she looked up at him and kissed his cheek, wiping her tears away. “I feel safe
with you, Crow.” She sniffled, letting him swipe the rest of the tears from her
cheeks. “Okay, I feel better now. Come
on, let’s play catch or something.” She was properly bathed after getting out
of that nasty barrel and dressed in fresh smelling clothes, thanks to her
mother.
“I’ll race ya!”
“You’re on!”
~!~
Why did that memory suddenly pop in
her head?
Melyssa felt the emotions overflowing
inside of her and tossed her arms around his waist, her tears beating down on
his chest. “I-I don’t want to be alone tonight, Crow. I-I know it’s asking a lot, but…please, don’t
leave me alone in this room.” Her voice cracked, her vulnerability showing and
the old Melyssa, before she became a warrior, was seeping through. “I feel safe
with you.” Just
as I always have, even when we were kids and he saved me from that fish barrel.
Honestly, Crow had been waiting for
this. Sure, she was a big and bad
Ouroboros Enforcer, but… that only went so far and her time with Ouroboros hadn’t
shown her any real combat or situations where she needed to steel her nerves,
outside of training. She was still
almost as green as the day she had joined Thors. She was still just as softhearted as she had
been, always beneath the exterior and he wrapped his arms around her, resting
his head on top of hers.
“Of course not, Lyssa. Come on, you can sleep in my room and I’ll
take the chair.”
That wasn’t his game plan at all, he
doubted he’d sleep and when he did, and he was here, it was usually in that
damn chair. Something about sleeping upright, facing the door, especially if he
was in hiding helped calmed his nerves.
She was stronger and she had been put in life or death combat situations
during her training. Ouroboros did not
half-ass anything when it came to training their people and only the strong
survived. However, right now in this
moment, she was that girl he had befriended, thanks to their grandfathers.
“I don’t want to sleep. I’m not tired.” Surprisingly enough. “How
about we play some Blade or another game?”
Melyssa pulled back to look up at him
and that smile on his face warmed her from the inside out. He loved his games, that much had not changed
about Crow, even with everything he endured and suffered. They hadn’t played Blade together since that
night at the Twin Dragons tower, when he kissed her after they played a few
rounds and then left her high and dry because he didn’t feel the same for her
as she did him.
That was fine; it was in the past and
she didn’t fault him for anything.
Chapter 79
“Let me go see if I have a deck and
scrounge up some food, I’m famished.” Her spaghetti dinner that she had made
for her and Ash’s anniversary had wound up all over Ash and the floor,
obviously, she hadn’t eaten. “Why don’t you get set up in here,” He was guiding
her to his room, which was like Thors so far as the set-up and the
personalization was… all him. This was
his main safehouse. “And I’ll go grab a deck and something for us to eat. I think I have… canned goods.”
“Okay.” Melyssa stopped him again,
hugging him around the neck this time and closed her eyes, sniffling softly.
“Thank you for letting me stay in here with you.”
She pulled back and watched him leave
the room, taking a minute by herself to look around. Melyssa decided to change into her sleepwear
as well, pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt since it was cold outside. Luckily, there was no snow on the ground
here, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get any during their stay. However long it would last, she didn’t
know. When Crow returned, she was
sitting on the bed and staring at a photo of her and Ash, her head snapping up
when the door closed. Immediately, she
put her phone away and took the bowl Crow handed her, which had vegetable soup
in it.
“Smells good.”
“Ought too, even I can’t screw up
microwaving something.” He joked, though it fell flat and maybe he shouldn’t be
cracking jokes either.
Crow dropped down in his chair,
surveying her thoughtfully. He had
rushed to her apartment in his day clothes, not bothered getting anything other
than his weapons and wallet because this place was stocked with a basic
wardrobe. He’d change after eating,
balancing his own bowl on his knee.
“You look like you might cry.” He
said after a long silence, mostly silence, the sounds of them eating their soup
was about the only noise outside of breathing. “Thinking about him?” When he
went into work, -he had no intention of hiding here, just living here since the
apartment building was obviously compromised- he was going to bean Ash.
“I miss how things used to be between
us. He was always so thoughtful and kind
to me, never rubbed me the wrong way. We
had such a deep connection and bond as friends…” Melyssa wished she could turn
the clock back and never got involved with Ash intimately. “It was constant,
Crow. He constantly wanted to have
sex…and it got to the point where it physically HURT to do it. He even pulled me into the offices at work
for quickies, it was almost as if he couldn’t get enough…or I wasn’t enough for
him.” That made her eyes lower to the soup and teardrops splashed into the
liquid, her voice full of regret and pain. “We were better off as being just
friends because he obviously has an addiction I can’t sate.”
Obviously, and that was a lot more
then Crow had ever wanted to know about either of his friends, ever. He made a mental note to bring in a maid
service on the sly at work to disinfect the entire damn building, not wanting
to sit down in a spot they had been doing the nasty. “I’m sorry it didn’t work
out.” He offered finally, not knowing what else to say other than Ash was
obviously a fool, if it was the second reason, because any man would be lucky
to have Melyssa.
If it was the first… he winced.
“Yeah…I wish it would’ve never
happened in the first place. I’m such an
idiot to let a spell control me like that.”
Melyssa set her bowl of half-eaten
soup on the bed and drew her knees up, burying her face in them while wrapping
her arms around them tightly. Things
would never be the same between her and Ash again. More than likely, he hated her because she
hadn’t been good enough for him in a relationship. Her ARCUS II went off and she pulled it out,
frowning at the video staring back at her.
It wasn’t playing, but she could clearly see Ash and another woman
staring back at her.
Without preamble, she pressed the
play button.
“Oh – oh Ash, oh baby
that feels so damn good! Your cock feels
amazing inside of me!”
“Yeah, doesn’t
it? Mmm, I’ve wanted to fuck you since
the moment I saw you.” Ash growled, pounding the cleaning lady at City Hall
relentlessly…on top of Melyssa’s desk. “Fuck that bitch, she was never good
enough for me and I took pity on her, which is why I fucked her in the first
place!”
The woman laughed
wickedly, nodding her head while gripping the desk as tight as she could. “Mmm
yeah, she didn’t look like she was very fun in the bedroom and she’s definitely
not good enough for a man like you…Goddess harder, pound me, Ash!”
Ripping back on her
hair, he lifted his leg to plant his foot on the desk to really drive deeper
inside of her receptive body, controlling every aspect of the session. “Spread
them thighs wider for me…”
Crow overheard it and had moved to
sit beside her, both watching the despicable footage in front of them. Melyssa was trembling from head to toe,
unable to pull her eyes away from the footage or drop her ARCUS II, shutting
her eyes the moment he bellowed out another woman’s name in his climax. The cleaning lady at City Hall, of all
people…
“He never loved me.” It wasn’t even
half a DAY and Ash had already found someone else to screw! They didn’t even properly END their
relationship because he had hurt her so badly with what he said, after she had
TRIED surprising him with a romantic evening. “Dropping the ARCUS II, Melyssa
bolted to the bathroom and barely made it, emptying the contents of the soup
right into it.
Wow, with a jacked up face and
everything, Ash had issues. Crow wasn’t
even trying to speculate on their sex life if Ash was already out banging
another woman. This had nothing to do
with Melyssa being enough, not really, this was Ash having a breakdown or
something. He idly wondered if the Dark
Ages spell had some effect on Ash because they had spent a lot of time together
during those two years and Ash hadn’t been… that way. Ash had barely looked at a woman until
Melyssa had come back into their lives.
Maybe he was just addicted to Melyssa… no, because he had been plowing
the cleaning lady.
Once she was done emptying her
stomach, Melyssa didn’t go back to the bedroom and instead went to the sitting
room. She just wanted to be alone right
now, the offer of playing Blade long forgotten.
Burying her head in her hands, Melyssa curled up in a tight ball on the
couch, crying and sobbing her heart out.
Ash hadn’t waited more than a few hours before finding someone else to
satisfy his needs.
His nose had been jacked up in the
footage and he was breathing a lot heavier than usual due to it being broken, thanks
to her fist. She wanted to do A LOT more
to him and shut her eyes, trying to block out the pain and anguish as much as
she could. He used her for sex and she
let him do it; she gave him her virginity and she could never get it back. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep and
didn’t feel Crow cover her up with a blanket or anything, dead to the world.
~!~
Ash had absolutely zero regret with
what he did with the cleaning lady. He
hoped that miserable bitch was crying him a river somewhere for making him feel
like he wasn’t enough. Then not wanting
to properly satisfy him, even though he had fucked her good and proper. He had taken her under his wing, been her
best friend, TREATED her different than any other woman and her response was to
be a manipulative, lying bitch during their relationship. She had never loved him, she had regret being
with him, letting him take her virginity and the more he had tried bringing
them closer, the more she had pulled away.
Even this cleaning lady, with his broken, jacked up face, had JUMPED on
the opportunity to ride his dick.
~!~
Machias had given Melyssa a month off
to cool down and for this whole breakup to blow over. He needed Ash more than her, as much as he
hated admitting it. She was his
secretary and could do work from anywhere, so Crow set her up an office within
the cabin to do her work in. Faxing was
a thing, email also and Machias didn’t have a problem having her lay low for a
while. In fact, Crow insisted on it,
especially with McBurn back in the picture and Ouroboros breathing down their
necks. He didn’t tell ANYONE where she
was, no matter how many times Ash demanded him to. Crow had finally had enough and belted Ash in
the face, ordering him to never say Melyssa’s name again or else he would be
sent to the morgue in a body bag.
Once that month passed by, Melyssa
started feeling like her old self again with training and even cooked meals for
when Crow came to the cabin. He visited
a couple times a week since it was a rather long drive to get here and called
her every night on the ARCUS II to check up on her. At first, she wasn’t comfortable staying in
the cabin by herself, but the more she did it, the more she came to understand
this was what she NEEDED. Being alone to
clear her mind and heart since Ash had corrupted it, along with the Dark Ages
spell, for the past two and a half years.
“Yes, brother dearest, to what do I
owe the pleasure of this call?” Melyssa answered her ARCUS II with a smile,
staring back at Crow through the screen, who rolled his red eyes at her. “You
do realize you call me at LEAST five times a day, right? Not that I’m complaining or anything.”
“Hey, if I don’t, Emma sends me a
message reminding ME not to be a jackass!” Crow was half-joking. Emma DID remind him via messaging frequently
not to be a jackass because she was NOT happy about what Ash had done, but he
was calling because he wanted too. “I just don’t… I want to make sure you’re
okay, SIS.” He even stuck his tongue out at her, crossing his eyes and everything.
“So, I spoke to Rosalie, and she wants to try this thing on your apartment.”
Eight hundred-years-old and this was the first she had considered using blood
magic, he shook his head, but kept his comments to himself. “She’s also
thinking about employing it elsewhere, I guess there’s been some activity down
in the sewers. It’s been holding up the
repairs needed to get the citizens what they were promised.”
Emma had called her frequently from
wherever she was, making sure she was all right and asking if she needed
anything. Even Rean had reached out, in
a purely platonic way, wanting to assure her they were all thinking about her
during this difficult time. It was weird
that Machias hadn’t fired Ash from his bodyguard duty, but at the same time,
the man was a powerhouse. Sex addict or
not, Ash was an asset to bringing down Ouroboros, once the time finally came.
“I’m willing to try anything at this
point, but I gotta admit, I’m liking it here.
This cabin is peaceful and there’s not the city noise like there is in
Crossbell.” That was good news that the sewers were being taken care of and
Machias hadn’t pulled back on anything. “Do they know what kind of activity?”
Nobody had known Ash would be like
this.
Sure, he had been suggestive and lewd
over the years when it came to women, but where Melyssa was involved, he had
been an entirely different man. They
were all still trying to figure out how to address this ‘new’ Ash and,
honestly, if not for Crow vouching -Melyssa had video proof- nobody would have
believed it because nobody would have wanted to. This was just that out of character for the
man, especially when it came to her.
Then there was the fact that Ash knew a LOT and could potentially do
some damage.
It was an ugly situation.
“Some people have been caught down
there and there have been several monster nests, of the very gross kind.”
Ash could do and be with whoever he
wanted because Melyssa wanted nothing to do with him. Not after that video footage was sent to her,
which they still didn’t know who had sent it.
They thought it was Ash being a dick at first, but Machias had looked
into it and it hadn’t come from Ash’s ARCUS II.
The only way she would ever talk to him again was work-related, but
other than that, never again would she have late night talks with him. Never again would she go to him for advice or
share a laugh. No more teasing. No more leaning on his shoulder for comfort
whenever she had a bad day. Those days were
gone and she had accepted that over the past month.
“Sounds juicy.” She laughed when Crow
groaned, ordering her to never say that again. “Well, at least you haven’t been
bored and been kept on your toes while in the city.” When will you be back
here? That
question came out of nowhere and luckily, she didn’t say it out loud. “So,
anything else you want to report?”
“No, not really.” Machias had given
her leave to take all the time she needed and that cabin was a good distance
away, so making the trip back and forth daily wasn’t exactly feasible given his
long hours. “Rean was brought in as a consultant, since we can’t exactly hide
the Ashen Chevalier’s presence.” Rean was also even tempered and slow to react
in a negative way to anything, so he was good for the actual mayoral duties,
which involved peopling. And… handy with
his Tachi. “I’ll be coming out tomorrow, spend the weekend there. Rean is going to cover for me this weekend;
Machias has some dinner and ball he has to attend.”
That made her frown. “Wait, there’s a
dinner and ball going on and you’re not attending?” Wait, didn’t she read
something about that in the paperwork that was sent over? “Hold on.” Was that
what Machias had referred to when he said ‘social gathering’ the last time they
spoke? “Hmm…” Sure enough, it was a ball to help raise funds for Crossbell City
and the construction going on beneath with the tunnels. This would be the perfect opportunity for
Ouroboros to strike, if they planned on taking over Crossbell City. “Don’t
bother coming here, Crow. Because I’m
coming back to Crossbell City and attending this event.” She was already off
the bed, knowing she could shop early in the morning for a dress and be ready
by the evening. “Wanna be my escort?”
Chapter 80
“Do you even have an invitation?” He
groaned, running a hand through his hair and actually exhaled in relief when
she paused before admitting she did not.
Machias probably hadn’t bothered since she was on downtime, thanks to
Ash. “I… have one, and a plus one.” He admitted just as diffidently, puffing
out his cheeks. “Meet you at my place?” He was going to have to dig out formal
clothes or something, inwardly cursing. “My attire is black, with red and white
accents.” He said finally, practically feeling her smiling. “In case you wanted
to match or something…” He sounded like such a dork right now.
“Well, look at you trying to be all
formal and everything!” Melyssa teased, laughing at the look on Crow’s face.
“Oh come on, it won’t be so bad and I promise I’ll get all gussied up too.”
Red. She would wear red. Last time it was black, so this time she
would go for a bolder color. “I’ll call Machias and…” Crow told her not to
bother, he would inform the man and told her to get busy on the road since it
was over an hour drive back to the city. “I’ll meet you at your place
tonight. See you soon, brother dearest.”
Winking, she ended the call on the ARCUS II and immediately began packing her
bag, trying to think of where she could go to buy a dress in the morning.
This was a formal event. Crow wouldn’t be embarrassing not only
himself, by showing up in casual wear, but Machias and the office. He was an employee of the city, technically,
he HAD to represent it properly. That
was something that had been instilled in him throughout this gig and he knew
Rean would heckle him mercilessly.
Gehenna, he could probably get away with wearing his formal attire from
Thors, though it had been over two years since the last time he had worn that. Groaning again, he headed for his bedroom to search
for said formal wear. While she was in
the city, if she wanted to redo the warding, they could get on that too. He had already had Rosalie come do his
apartment.
Coming back to the city tonight was a
mistake.
A huge, fat mistake.
There he was, with a different woman,
ravishing her against a car just outside of the apartment building they
shared. Melyssa recalled Ash doing that
to her a time or two, ravishing her outside of the building, until she had to
force him to take her upstairs to one of their apartments. Public indecency was a thing and she kept
reminding him of that, but Ash didn’t care.
Women were objects to him and nothing more, she was seeing that
now. However, Melyssa would not let it
get her down and knew she couldn’t run away forever. She had to come back and get back to work, to
help protect Machias and put an end to Ouroboros once and for all. Walking past them, Melyssa didn’t care if she
was noticed or not and made her way up to Crow’s apartment, squaring her
shoulders.
Ash hadn’t noticed her one bit. One good thing about that farce of a
relationship with Melyssa was he had gotten his libido back. When she had been taken by McBurn two years
and some change ago, everything had died for him, including his sex drive. It had come back plus some once he had gotten
with her and he had forgotten how much FUN sex was, when done right, and with
the right person. Obviously, she
couldn’t hack it in the bedroom, not with a man like him. He was a bit grateful
their relationship was over because he wasn’t ready to settle with one woman,
not anytime soon and it had taken her to realize that.
Crow opened the door on the second
knock, grinning when Melyssa tried walking in only to be sent backwards, watching
as she stumbled before catching herself. “Hand out.” The best part of this was
the fact that door to door salespeople got the SAME treatment, he had only felt
bad once when a kid had come calling to sell cookies for a school fundraiser.
A second later, their blood had been
mixed again and she was through the barrier.
That jolted her a little and she
needed a minute to get her equilibrium back on track. “Blood magic is nothing
to mess with, is it?” She muttered, once she felt everything was back to normal
again and finally turned to face Crow. “Thanks for waiting up for me. Traffic wasn’t too bad getting here.”
There was no way she would mention
seeing Ash with another woman outside of the building. There was no reason to and…surprisingly, Melyssa
did not feel any heartache or sadness.
It was all gone. It made her
believe that much more her love and what she felt for Ash had been the spell,
not her.
“Are you sure it’s okay that I stay
with you? I don’t want to put you out,
Crow…you’ve done more than enough for me already…”
Blood magic was definitely not
anything to mess with and Crow knew these wards were the NICER side of the
blood magic spectrum. Rosalie was new to
this type of magic, which seemed odd given her age, so her repelling factor was
nowhere near as strong as the ones at his hideaway, which was a good thing
since… populated apartment building.
Though, at least it only repelled once the door was open and a person
was standing in the threshold, he’d imagine he would get in serious trouble if
it did it to everyone who knocked.
“You’re fine, I already remade the
bed for you, so it’s nice and clean.”
Truth be told, he slept a lot on his
couch, unable to sleep in his bedroom.
Maybe it was because he knew right across the hall, Melyssa was supposed
to be there and she wasn’t. All because
McBurn had gotten through the original wards and been waiting for her.
“No, I can’t take your bed…” Melyssa
noticed the blanket and pillow on the couch, which looked like it’d been slept
on quite a bit. “You sleep on the couch when you have a bed? You make no sense, Armbrust.” That was just
who he was, though. “All right, all right, I’ll take the bed and stop being
stubborn. I’m gonna use your bathroom
and then I’m heading to bed. I need to get
up early and go dress shopping for the event.”
They said goodnight to each other and
she grabbed her bag, taking it with her since it had everything she
needed. If blood magic would keep McBurn
out of her apartment, then she would come back to Crossbell City and stop
hiding away in the cabin. There had been
talk of employing blood magic at the office but then… Machias dismissed
it. He had taken up the offer on his
personal home, but he had been the one to point out that, if the mayor of
Crossbell City was slashing citizens, then sharing blood with them, before they
came into his office, it was going to look suspicious, if not downright
gruesome. Dropping down onto the couch,
Crow reached for the remote to his TV, idly flipping through channels until he
found something that wasn’t going to overly bore him. Mostly, he just listened to Melyssa moving
around in his bedroom and then in the bathroom, wondering if Ash was kicking
himself in the backside for losing her.
He knew he would’ve been.
~!~
The following morning was chaotic, to
say the least.
There had been an explosion down in
one of the tunnels, but it was minor once checked out. Crow, Ash and Rean had gone down there to
investigate, along with Machias and a few others, Rosalie included. Turns out, some idiot kids had snuck down
there and set off a small bomb for kicks, but nobody had seen who they were, so
there was a search going on at the moment.
Melyssa had found her dress, though
it had taken a few hours to do so. She
had gotten her hair done professionally, a ton of spiral curls and it looked
like a crown of blue on top of her head.
She had added diamond pendant clips to each side since there was a
diamond pendant in the middle of her sweetheart shaped bosom. The dress was strapless, flowed down to her
ankles, chiffon material and clung to every curve of her body. Melyssa had also gotten some dangling diamond
earrings and a diamond choker to match, along with her nails done, painted red.
Her makeup wasn’t heavy, just thin black
liner with foundation, a bit of highlighter and red gloss. Staring in the mirror, she had to admit she
cleaned up pretty nicely and slipped her silver heels on she’d also purchased
that had diamond studs on the front of them.
Hearing the knock on her door, since she was in her apartment, Melyssa
made her way over to it to answer and smiled at the sight of Crow staring back
at her.
Crow had gone with his non-Thors
formal suit. It was a three piece:
slacks, waistcoat and jacket with ‘rolled up’ cuffs and three silver buttons
running up each cuff. The undershirt was
silver – he had nixed the white because it had looked terrible and now he was
glad he had – with a deep red waistcoat.
The slacks fit him perfectly and he had been so glad he had a holster
built discreetly into the design for one pistol. Inside the breast of his jacket, a pocket for
his Blade deck, in case he got bored.
His red eyes widened as he took her in, letting out a slow whistle. Her make-up was minimal and he got why
instantly, those diamonds were the accent piece and she was dripping in them.
“You’re gorgeous.” He breathed and
‘gorgeous’ was an understatement.
“You don’t clean up so bad yourself,
Armbrust.”
He was sexy, especially in that red
waistcoat that really brought out his eyes.
For once, he didn’t have a bandana around his head and she reached up to
fix the collar of his coat a little. It
was her excuse to touch him, her hands smoothing out the invisible wrinkles and
could feel his muscles ripple beneath the material. The earrings in his ears just made him even
sexier…and WHY WAS SHE THINKING ABOUT HIM THAT WAY?!
He doesn’t think of
you as anything more than family, a sister, remember that, you fool! “Let me grab my clutch and we can
go.” Flashing him a smile, she grabbed it from the kitchen table and shut the
door behind her, locking it before taking his extended arm. “I guess I chose
the right shade of red, eh?”
“You did, we’re a matching set.” He
laughed, knowing better than to openly gawk her.
Crow had said she was like his sister
and, at the time, after kissing her RIGHT after getting bombarded by ALL his
memories, she HAD felt like a sister. It
had taken him a long while to get all of that sorted out, reconcile the ‘new’
Crow with the ‘old’ and his current feelings for Melyssa with how he had felt
about her during their childhood. If he
had been the sort to see a therapist, they would have had a FIELD DAY with him.
“My lady.” He flashed her a charming
smile, bowing at the waist before extending his arm to her. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
Melyssa had stuffed all of her
feelings for Crow down the moment he told her all he saw her as was a sister –
family. He did not have any romantic
feelings for her and it hurt, at the time, but eventually, she got over it,
especially being captive by Ouroboros for two years. That would make any other problem cease to
exist. However, now that they were
spending more time together, whenever it was allowed, Melyssa could feel those
old emotions and feelings bubbling back to the surface. No, she wouldn’t allow them to. She had lost Ash already; she could NOT lose
Crow and would rather have him in her life as a friend than nothing at all.
Unaware of her issues, he had his own,
Crow led her out of the complex and to the waiting car. It was one of the Mayor’s posh orbal cars,
they were arriving in style tonight. “When we get there,” He said quietly once
they were seated and the car was in motion. “You’re going to see a lot more
soldiers and tanks than usual. Rean
upped the security.” Rean was paranoid, especially after that bomb thing even
though it had probably been kids. Rean
was also afraid of losing people, especially after he had finally gotten them
back after the Dark Ages spell. “Rosalie will be there as Machias’ own date.”
And eyeballing for any stray magic, and McBurn, not that they would say that
out loud since nobody wanted Melyssa to be paranoid.
“Got it.” McBurn, in other words.
She wasn’t surprised Crow hadn’t said
that name aloud and nodded at his warning, smoothing out her dress with her
hands. Why was she nervous? This wasn’t a date with Crow – they were just
going as friends. One bad thing about
having her virgin taken was Melyssa experienced how great sex was…and her body
was craving it. She didn’t know how to
relieve herself either because Ash had always been there to put the fire out,
so to speak. Being alone in that cabin,
all she could do was workout, train, sleep and read…and she thought a lot about
Crow while there too.
Silence reigned as they were driven,
Crow watching the scenery out the window at the sunset. He missed… anywhere but here. Crossbell City was nice enough, but long
term, not so much. He hadn’t really made
his home anywhere in particular, always traveling whenever he had wanted – or
wherever duty had called him. He
supposed he had gotten used to that life, being on the go, and settling was
starting to grate on him. Crow imagined
Melyssa was just glad to be out from underground. When the mansion came into view, he groaned.
“Remember that festival in the
village when we were kids? And your Mom
decked me for not having any manners?” At her nod and slight smirk, he frowned.
“Don’t you DARE deck me in public.” Because the manners hadn’t improved at all.
“Just TRY to be on your best
behavior, all right? I won’t deck you…in
public.”
She would, however, deck him once
they were alone if he embarrassed her or acted a fool. This was part of their job and they had to be
responsible and on guard. Mostly. He rolled his eyes at her and she did the
same thing at him, sticking her tongue out in the process.
I just hope McBurn
doesn’t show up tonight. Please Goddess,
keep him away.
That wasn’t happening. McBurn was there, but he was under a
disguise, thanks to a little magic from Mariabell. Well, he had to FORCE her to do it –
torturing a person really got the blood flowing and she had finally agreed once
she’d suffered enough pain at his hands.
He was currently outside, smoking a cigarette and his eyes zeroed in on
the woman stepping out of the orbal limousine with Crow Armbrust, the Azure
Chevalier and his former comrade.
How very interesting.
Arm in arm, Crow and Melyssa made
their way inside and she laughed at something he muttered in her ear.
McBurn inhaled deeply, his eyes on
Melyssa, though he was wearing a pair of tinted glasses, he doubted from this
distance he would even notice. Does it really count as torture with Mariabell? She DOES like that sort of thing. I wonder if my delectable little Melyssa
does. He’d find
out soon enough.
Contrary to what Crow said about his
manners, he possessed them and they were on full display tonight. He bowed to the right people, shook hands and
kissed them on the right women. Making
sure to say the social pleasantries and ask the right questions when small talk
arose before moving through the receiving line.
Finally, he sneered at Machias once they reached him and Rosalie.
Machias was smirking. This was
HILARIOUS.
Chapter 81
Melyssa had to admit, Crow was doing
a fantastic job with his manners and the way he spoke so elegantly had thrown
her for a loop. He was the leader of a terrorist group, so I’m sure he had to learn
to adapt to surroundings pretty quickly. Her eyes landed on a particular man standing across
the way in dark orange tinted glasses and she’d noticed he’d been eyeing her
throughout the night. They had only been
here two hours and there were several more to go with the band playing. “Excuse
me for a moment.” She murmured to the people they were conversing with and left
Crow to deal with them while she made her way toward the snack table.
Sure enough, her prey had made his
way over to her, but she didn’t acknowledge him and took a bite out of the mini
crab cake on her plate. All he did was
make a plate of his own, knowing better than to say anything or do anything
here. He was dangerous, not stupid. This little party was crawling with witches
and former Class VII students, on top of Machias’ personal trio of bodyguards,
as well as city militia. No… maybe
before he left he would do something, something fun, something that’d send
everyone screaming in a panic as well as send a message to his little Red Bird.
“Mmm, delicious.” He popped one of
those crab cakes in his mouth as he walked by her, his voice completely
different from his usual speaking tones.
All she had to do was smell him. McBurn had this particular smell that he
always left behind whenever he left.
Smoke. She could smell it from
the man that did not look like McBurn, but she also wasn’t stupid and knew
there were spells out there that altered looks.
Narrowing her eyes, she finished her crab cake and tossed her small
plate away before heading off to find Crow.
“Excuse us for a minute, won’t you?”
She politely guided him away from another couple and smirked when he thanked
her, both heading toward the dance floor. “Dance with me.” It wasn’t a request
as she rested her hands on his broad shoulders, teal eyes locked on curious
crimson.
Melyssa opened her mouth to tell him
why she had asked him to dance and realized she didn’t want to ruin this
night. They deserved one night where
there was no drama and they didn’t have to worry about Ouroboros crap. Damn it, now wasn’t the time to think about
how amazing this felt!
“So, I take it I saved you from
insufferable boredom just now?”
“Actually, I was really, really close
to getting a phone number. It turns out
they’re brother and sister.” He laughed, catching her hand when she brought it
off his shoulder to deck him, bending down to kiss her forehead before resuming
the dance. “Just because you’re on the fence doesn’t mean the rest of us are.”
He had actually been dating a girl for a while, it hadn’t worked out because
she was too clingy and Crow did not like having someone up his ass all the
time, not even a lover. “Were you bored?” He asked curiously, his eyes straying
from her face to Ash, who was covering Machias and looking at her out of
narrowed eyes.
He snorted inwardly – Idiot.
“Maybe a little, and you ARE supposed
to be my escort for the evening, so I figured I’d at least get a few dances out
of you.”
Melyssa had not paid any attention to
Ash tonight, not even glancing his way or saying one word to him. There was no reason to. He made his bed and he would lie in it,
though she did miss her friendship with him.
That wouldn’t go away anytime soon.
Ash wasn’t on her mind tonight, it was the man she was in the arms of,
who she was dancing with, laughing with and her forehead tingled from his soft
kiss.
“I missed you, you know, while you’ve
been here in the city. That cabin is too
big for just one person and the quiet was slowly beginning to drive me insane.”
It reminded her of being in Ouroboros, isolated. “That’s another reason why I
decided to come to this event tonight, just to get out of the cabin and back to
reality.”
Melyssa looked good, Ash would admit
it, if only in his head. She looked
gorgeous actually and he would bet money that her and Crow’s matching accents
and attire had been intentional. Crow
and Melyssa, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that since he had loved and
mourned her for two years, only to have a relationship ruin what had been the
best friendship of his life. Then, he
had acted like a petty fool and he inwardly sighed, knowing the damage was too
much to repair, even if he knew where to begin.
“Well, the cabin wasn’t meant to be a
permanent home, Lyssa.” He reminded her with an easy grin, shaking his head.
“It’s meant to be a safehouse and you can come back now. Rosalie can ward your apartment just like she
did mine.”
“I would like that and I don’t mind
if it’s blood magic.”
Melyssa was willing to do whatever it
took to keep McBurn out of her apartment and life. Ash was wrong in his assumption – they didn’t
plan on matching like this, it was just the Goddess’s way of doing things. Being in Crow’s arms like this made her feel
safe and secure, like nothing in all of Erebonia could hurt her. He had always been her protector and probably
always would be.
“Crow, I…I don’t know how to begin to
thank you for everything you’ve done for me this past month. I was a mess and you were there for me, like
you always have been. I just…I just want
you to know that I don’t take anything you do for me for granted. I don’t take our friendship for granted and I
never will. And I’m always going to be
here for you, for anything, no matter how big or small. Okay?”
Crow had told her what colors his
formal wear was, specifically, in case she DID want to match. He had told her over the ARCUS II, whether
she had done it intentionally was on her, but they looked stellar and he knew
it. She looked sensational and, if not
for the whole thing where she had called him ‘bro’, he would have definitely
complimented her tits.
“That feels like a break-up line,” He
commented dryly, though he was smiling to show he appreciated the sentiment.
“Are we breaking up, Lyssa?” He teased, dipping her.
“Can’t break up when we’re not
together, Armbrust.” Melyssa remarked with a smile of her own, going with the
flow. When Crow brought her back up, his
hand on the back of her neck, her hands planted on his chest and their noses
were practically touching. That felt
exhilarating and, for some reason, her body was ignited with fire. “And for the
record, any woman who does break up with you is out of her mind.” I wouldn’t have it in
me if he was mine.
Why was she different than the other
women out there he’d been with? Why did
things have to be strictly friendly between them? They continued dancing together and talking,
teasing each other. At this exact
moment, if Melyssa would have asked him that, he would have given her the
perfect example.
Her and Ash.
Melyssa and Ash had the PERFECT
friendship, the very definition of best friends and then they had gotten
together in a proper sexual relationship.
Just LOOK at how that had turned out!
Crow could only imagine how it would wind up between them given their
history of botching kisses, which was all on his end. The song changed to something faster and Crow
began laughing when she tried getting off the stage floor, pulling her back and
led her in the fast paced steps.
“Come on, put some wiggle in your
hips, woman.”
There was a HUGE difference between
Ash and Crow. Crow was not a sex addict
like Ash. It was because of his
addiction that everything fell apart between them AND…it was also the Dark Ages
spell. They had a lot against them from
the beginning, whereas Melyssa and Crow did not. At all.
Two botched kisses and Crow telling her he only saw her as family, as a
sister. If she would’ve known what he
was thinking at that moment, she would have told him exactly that. Right now, she was laughing and dancing right
along with Crow, having fun for the first time in what felt like forever. Nothing else mattered except being crazy and
having fun in this specific moment.
She didn’t know if he was, she hadn’t
known about Ash until it was way too late.
However, fortunately for everyone Crow ever got involved with, he was
NOT a sex addict. He enjoyed sex, but he
didn’t prioritize it over everything else.
He also liked personal space and being left to his own devices, which
was one of the smaller reasons he hadn’t stayed with her at the cabin. But Melyssa knew all that about him, she had
grown up with him. Currently, he was
enjoying this, enjoying himself, letting loose with her in a way that they
hadn’t in years.
“Let’s get a drink!” He shouted over
the loud music after three more dances, reaching up to loosen his collar. It had gotten hot in this mansion, though
people also seemed a bit more relaxed.
Machias wasn’t throwing a boring,
stuffy party, that was for sure.
“Okay!”
Melyssa followed him off the dance
floor, clasping his hand and a little bit of perspiration had formed on her
body from all the dancing. Her neck, arms,
chest and face were glistening and luckily, her makeup hadn’t been ruined. She helped him get the waistcoat off, hanging
it over the chair at their table and took a glass of champagne he handed her,
along with a bottled water. Going for
the water first, Melyssa downed it and sat down, needing to rest her feet for a
bit before taking a sip of the champagne.
Crow followed her lead, not about to
get himself dehydrated by drinking the alcohol first after that vigorous
workout. Waistcoat and suit jacket were
off, he had undone his collar and rolled up the sleeves of his silver
shirt. Crow was pretty comfortable and
there were others doing the same.
“Machias can throw a party.” He
laughed, leaning forward so she could hear him without him having to yell at
her. “Are you having fun?” She looked like she was, she was grinning broadly
and it did his heart good, seeing her finally letting her hair down after what
had happened a month ago between her and Ash.
“I’m having a fabulous time.” Melyssa
assured him, her teal eyes sparkling and continued sipping her champagne
slowly.
She didn’t want to get too tipsy
since she hadn’t drank alcohol in a while, not even during her mourning breakup
period with Ash. Speaking of Ash…she
glanced over and saw him standing against the wall with his arms folded in
front of his chest, her face softening.
Why did she have to have a bleeding heart for him?
“I’ll be right back, Crow.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond
and stood up, making her way over to where Ash stood. What he did to her was still fresh in her
mind, but…she didn’t want things to end on a sour note between them. She figured she would extend the olive branch
to try to mend their friendship, at the very least.
“I need some air, it’s hot in
here. Will you come with me? We need to talk, Carbide.” She extended her
hand to him, teal eyes searching his. “Please?
No funny business, I promise.”
Given what he had done to her, how
things had ended, that video that had been sent to her that he had promptly gotten
his ass kicked over by Machias, no less… if there was any funny business, Ash
wouldn’t have blamed her one bit. He
took her hand, letting her lead the way out onto the balcony and inhaled the
crisp night air, moving away from her to lean on the railing, overlooking the
grounds. Snorting, Ash tore a hand
through his hair before glancing over at Melyssa when she leaned beside him.
“We should have never gotten
together, beautiful.” His voice was quiet and even. “It fucked up a good thing.
I fucked up a good thing.”
“No, Ash, it wasn’t just you.”
Melyssa waited for him to look at her and she smiled sadly, her eyes lowering
from his. “It was me too.”
“How do you figure that one?” Ash was
confused, raising a brow at her.
“Because…as much as I don’t want to
admit this, I don’t think I ever loved you.
I mean I loved you as a friend for sure, but as far as BEING in love
with you, I wasn’t. It was the spell I
was under with Rean that drew me to you, for some strange reason. I still don’t know the logistics of what
happened, but Rosalie sat down with me and explained what exactly the Dark Ages
spell did to both Rean and I. When I
asked if the spell could…manifest false feelings of love into someone for
another, she told me it could. And I
believe it did with you.” Melyssa figured being brutally honest with him now
wouldn’t hurt anything since their friendship was fractured to pieces. “I owe
you a huge apology, Ash. I said things
to you that I never should have, that weren’t meant for you. Those feelings were meant for someone else
and, after the spell was broken, I realized I didn’t feel the same way I once
did for you, but I didn’t want to believe it.
I wanted to try my best to make it work between us because I didn’t want
to believe a spell could influence me like that. And it did.
And…I think that’s why you kept asking me if I still wanted to be with
you, still wanted you, over and over and over again. Maybe because deep down, you knew the
connection between us had severed the moment the spell was broken. So, if anyone is to blame for this, for
what’s happened between us, for how it fell apart in shambles, it’s me, not
you. And I hope you can forgive me for
what I’ve put you through someday.
Because I miss my best friend…the Ash Carbide who would tease me, but be
there for me in an instant. I hope one
day we can fix this and go back to being friends again because I don’t want to
believe I’ve lost you forever out of my life.
I never want to lose you, you’re too important to me.”
He had asked her, several times, if
she thought it was under the Dark Age spell’s influence that she had fallen in
love with him. She had reassured him
constantly and he didn’t feel half as bad now about his sexual addiction. More importantly, not telling her about it because
she had been lying to him as well.
“I should have warned you,” He said
finally, his voice coming out gruff, sullenly, as he looked away from her.
“About my issue with sex, I hadn’t been with anyone for a while, two years
actually…” Because after she had been taken, he had realized he loved her, or
maybe it was misplaced love, either way it no longer mattered. “I thought maybe
it was gone and then… then it wasn’t. I
should have listened to you when you asked for time and a break, and I
didn’t. I’m sorry, Melyssa.”
Chapter 82
“I am too, for lying to you about how
I really felt after the spell was broken.” Melyssa reached out to touch his arm,
those pink eyes moving to look down at her and she longed for the mirth they
once held. All she saw was sorrow and
pain – pain she had caused him. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Ash. I never wanted to hurt you.” Her voice
cracked, tears stinging her eyes and she had to look away from him, taking a
deep breath. “What’s done is done and we can’t change any of it, but…we can
move forward and start over and rebuild our friendship. Maybe get it back to where it used to
be. Are you willing to do that or…has
too much damage been done between us, Carbide?”
“I think we both need time, Melyssa.”
He said finally, knowing there was no way their friendship was going to bounce
back to how it had been anytime soon, if ever to be honest. “This is a good
start.” And he was done with fucking anything that gave him a second look,
which was a lot of women – and some men if truth be told – because the idea of
sex was losing its appeal again. “I think I’m going to get help, for this…
addiction.” Admitting that cost him some pride points with himself, but he also
knew it was for the best. “I don’t want to repeat what happened with you ever
again.” Because he had hurt the person he cared for the most, he never wanted
to put another soul through that.
“Moderation goes a long way,
Carbide. Maybe it wasn’t an addiction,
maybe you just deprived your body of what it wanted for so long, it all
just…came rushing out or something.” That was a possibility, right? Melyssa watched him slowly shake his head and
she left it at that, turning to stare out into the city lights twinkling back
at them. “I don’t regret being with you, Ash.
I hope you know that. My only
regret is how it ended between us and the fact I didn’t tell you how I truly
felt after the spell was broken.”
“Same here, I had a lot of fun with
you, beautiful.” Ash sucked in a breath and turned to fully face her, not
believing how sexy and exquisite she looked dripping in diamonds. “How about
one more for the road, hmm? You look far
too beautiful tonight not to be kissed by someone.”
Melyssa looked back at him, seeing he
was serious and didn’t stop him when he took her hand to pull her into his
arms, those pink eyes boring into hers.
Her body was crying out for him and she knew why because his touch was
familiar. “One more for the road.” One more kiss wouldn’t hurt anything.
It was a goodbye kiss, something to
give them closure. She softly sighed the
moment his lips met hers, the kiss slow and sensual, her arms encircling his
neck to press her body against his. Her
body wanted him, but her brain and her heart did not, which was a very
conflicting, weird feeling. It broke all
too soon, both pulling away mutually and she reached up to wipe away some of
the red gloss from his lips with a soft smile.
“See you around, Carbide.” Then, she
walked away from him and did not look back, feeling better about the future
between them after that talk.
What. The. Actual.
Fuck. Was all Crow could think. He had spotted Melyssa talking to Ash and
against his better inner advice, he had sort of followed and watched. Wow.
He didn’t know what to think or how to feel at that kiss they
shared. It had been hot, steamy, slow
and very sensual. He stepped out of
sight when Melyssa came back inside, waiting a few moments before joining Ash
on the balcony. Crow didn’t say a word
for a while, just stared at his friend.
“If she takes you back and you hurt
her again, I’ll remove your head from your shoulders.” He said it softly, but
the ice underlining his tone was plain.
Ash was pretty sure that would never
happen, but just nodded anyway. “I’m not good enough for her, man. And she made it clear she wants to be
friends. That was just closure for us…”
Why was he explaining this to Crow, of all people? Then, Ash looked over at Crow and could see
the FIRE in the man’s crimson eyes, suddenly understanding. “She’s free as a
bird, but it won’t be long before someone snatches her beautiful ass up. If I were you, I wouldn’t wait too long.” He
clapped Crow on the shoulder and headed back inside, feeling a little better
about things now that he had a talk with Melyssa.
Crow shook his head, deciding he
would remain out here for a while. Ash
had that all wrong, but then again, Ash obviously wasn’t the brightest or else
he wouldn’t have lost her to begin with.
He wasn’t looking to date or bed Melyssa, that would just be wrong on a
lot of levels. He was looking out for
Melyssa, not wanting her heart broken again or just hurt, period. She was his sister practically, she had just
called him ‘bro’ the other day. He knew
he had been the one to lay down that groundwork once he had gotten all his
memories back and she had graciously forgiven him for leading her on.
All wrong, Ash was wrong.
Right?
No, Ash was not wrong because, no
matter how much Crow wanted to deny it, his feelings for Melyssa were not in
the family category. That was why he
voiced his concern about her being with Ash.
That was why he offered her a place to stay, to get her mind back on
track after everything fell apart with Ash.
That was why he was always there for her and why he’d made himself
heartsick, like Ash, when she was taken over two years ago. That was why he forgave her for deceiving
them with Lysa Reynolds and those hideous masks. That was why every relationship he’d been in
since reconciling with Melyssa had failed…because they weren’t HER.
Everywhere he turned, Melyssa was
always on his mind and in his heart. He could
deny it all he wanted, but fear is what made him say the things he did the last
time they kissed. Getting his memories
back, he felt disgusted with himself to lust after someone he had grown up
with, but they weren’t blood and it took him a while to come to grips with that
realization. She was much more than a
sister to him – she was something else entirely.
No, Ash was NOT wrong and if Rean
Schwarzer’s sister, Elise, could be in love with her own adopted brother, then
why couldn’t Crow be in love with the woman he had dubbed his best friend when
he was a kid?
Crow switched off with Rean, taking
his turn to guard Machias and it was a welcome relief because now his head was
every which way when it came to Melyssa.
He knew he was probably making things overly complicated, but right now,
he had a job to do so he shoved her to the back of his mind, focusing on
Machias and potential threats. He’d deal
with everything else later.
Rean, cheerful and pleasant as
always, went to greet his former student. “You look stunning.” He said warmly,
taking her hand to drop a kiss on the top of it.
“Rean…” Melyssa didn’t expect him to
approach her, figuring he would avoid her after the Dark Ages spell
fiasco. She smiled at him nevertheless
and stood up, giving him a platonic hug. “It’s so good to see you again.” As
himself, completely, and she could tell he was truly Rean by the look in his
fuchsia eyes. “How’ve you been? You
clean up nice as well.”
He was dressed in a crisp white shirt
and black pants with his white trench coat on, his hair haphazard as
always. There were a lot of things she
wanted to say to him because she knew the spell was her fault. If she wouldn’t have caved to Ouroboros, to
McBurn’s demands, and went with him, the Grandmaster never would’ve put the
spell on that charm he had gifted her.
Rean stared down at her intently,
studying her eyes and then flashed her his signature ‘it’s okay’ smile, true
warmth in it. “Don’t even worry about things from the past, there’s no changing
them now.” He informed her, taking her hands in his and squeezed gently. “And
it all worked out in the end, right?” He had dealt with his own issues during
the past few months, working through the guilt from the things he had said and
done while under the influence of the Dark Ages spell, as well as the lingering
issues from that night in Jurai. “I’m sorry I had to swap out with Crow; I seen
you two dancing, it looked like you were having a blast.”
“Yeah, I haven’t had that much fun in
a long time and it felt nice to be able to do something like that.” Melyssa
admitted, her voice soft and had nodded at what he said regarding the
past. Nothing could be changed. They all had to just move forward and keep
pressing on. “And don’t apologize. I
know Crow has a duty to perform and he danced with me, spent time with me, so
I’m good.” It was fun while it lasted and she didn’t want to be clingy. When Rean asked her to dance with him, since
he hadn’t had a chance to that evening, she obliged and let him guide her to
the dance floor, their stance nowhere near as close as it had been with Crow.
“You really do look good, Rean. You look
like you’re happier and more content now.
It’s nice to see you back to your old self again.” Don’t ever change,
Schwarzer. You are fine just the way you
are.
“Thank you. You are also looking much better since the
last time we saw each other.”
She had been ragged and he had nearly
taken her head off, though he didn’t flinch at the memories like he would have
before. That had not been him and he
knew it, accepted it now. The path went
ever forward, ever winding and he would never discover where it went if he kept
glancing back at the past. Not that he
was all peaceful and whatnot, he was the one who had beaned Ash when he had
found out what had happened between him and Melyssa.
Nobody had expected that, but… there
it was.
That was a memory she really wanted
to forget, his Tachi at her throat and nearly taking her head off with it. Nightmares plagued her after the spell was
broken and Ash had been there to chase them away…with sex. It was always sex with him. She would wake up screaming and crying and he
would coax her into ‘forgetting’ about it by having sex. Melyssa had gone along with it because she
did want to forget that horrible memory and the feeling of his Tachi against
her carotid artery. Thankfully, she was
no longer afraid of Rean, but it had taken time to get over and she hoped he
finally found the happiness and love he deserved.
Surprisingly, however, even with the
spell broken, her desire for Rean had vanished over the past two years while
she’d been isolated with Ouroboros. She
had gone from kissing him and having sex dreams about him to…nothing. Melyssa felt nothing for him besides
friendship, the same way she did with Ash once the spell broke. It confused her because she was certain she
wanted to be with Rean, but now…she didn’t.
Crow. The one man she would never be able
to have was the one she wanted to be with the most. That was a very bitter pill to swallow.
“You look like you just swallowed the
most disgusting thing ever.” Rean remarked, his fuchsia eyes sparkling with
amusement as he studied her. “Your mouth puckered in on itself and your nose
did this little twitch and pulled in.” He imitated it, beginning to chuckle
when she lightly slapped his shoulder, spinning her in a slow circle as a waltz
came on.
It was a very stark difference from
the earlier music, the earlier dancing and, truth be told, this was more his
style. He was trained to dance, it had been
part of his noble upbringing, learning how to dance. Like he had told her years ago, it was great
for footwork when it came to swordsmanship.
“What crossed your mind?”
“Some things are better left unsaid,
my former Instructor, and I’m having too much fun to ruin it with my
thoughts. Don’t worry, they’re not about
you.”
He twirled her again and she danced
right along with him, meeting his footwork, remembering how much fun dance
class had been. The few times she had
gone, anyway. One thing about Rean was
he did not pressure or push people to say what was on their minds. If they wanted to talk about it, they would
and this definitely wasn’t the time or place to discuss such things. Honestly, she didn’t know if she COULD talk
about what was on her mind with Rean because it had to do with his best
friend…who was also her best friend.
“Have you ever wanted to be with
someone so badly, but every time you tried, it just...never worked?” Maybe she
would go the hypothetical route since she longed for some advice.
Rean nodded, shutting his eyes
briefly because there was one woman he longed for. There hadn’t been for a while because of the
spell he’d been under, but now that he was back to himself, she had been on the
forefront of his mind lately. “Yeah, actually, I have.” He twirled her again
and brought her back against him, wondering where this question stemmed from.
“Who is it? If you don’t mind me asking, that is…” Please don’t say me,
please don’t say me!
“Alisa.” Rean smiled sheepishly,
knowing it was impossible because of who she was, but…he could not get the
blonde off his mind.
It’d been that way throughout their
years at Thors Military Academy. Their
first time meeting had been outside of the train station and then…they had a
rather unfortunate second meeting that resulted in his face planted in her
bosom with her on top of him. He
shuddered at that memory because she had hauled off and slapped the taste out
of his mouth, then held a grudge against him for a couple months afterwards, until
they had to do their first field study together.
“I haven’t…talked to her in a while.”
“So, why don’t you? You’re back to your normal self again and I’m
sure she understands what happened. You
won’t know unless you try, Rean.”
Rean wasn’t very good at approaching
people, even though he’d done it with Melyssa. “You really think I should?” He
sounded doubtful, looking down into her teal eyes and could see the certainty
there.
“Something tells me she’s been
waiting for you to call her. No time like
the present, but don’t force yourself into it.
If you’re not ready, you’re not ready.”
“I’ll do that.” Rean said after a
long moment of silence, just waltzing with her, nodding his head. His mind was made up and now he’d get it
done, maybe things would work out this time with a lot less awkward from him.
“And you should probably speak to Crow.” He smiled wickedly, a bit unusual for
him when her startled teal eyes flew to meet his. “I remember you telling Ash,
and myself, about that disastrous kiss.
At the military base after the train incident.” He had gone out himself
to find her sparring in the woods away from said base.
Heaving a sigh, she couldn’t deny it and
hated how well Rean could still read her, even after all the time they were
apart. “It wouldn’t do any good, Rean.
He doesn’t think of me that way.
I’m a sister to him. Family…”
Melyssa frowned, seeing him slowly shake his head and tilted her own, confusion
lacing her eyes. “Why are you shaking your head? He told me himself it felt like he was
kissing his own sister when he kissed me…” He twirled her again, his way of
giving himself time to think, apparently, and brought her back against
him.
They were talking softly, so nobody
else could overhear them and she was thankful for that.
Chapter 83
“You were gone for two years, Mel.”
Lowering his head so his mouth was by the shell of her ear, Rean spoke
softly. To people who didn’t know any
better, they probably looked like lovers or something. “Neither Crow nor Ash
spoke much to me during that time, they blamed me for what happened in Jurai.”
Crow and Ash, however, had become better friends though he imagined that was on
the out again. “That’s a long time for someone to think about everything and
realize what they actually feel.” And he knew, from reconnecting with Crow, and
them discussing her, that Crow’s feelings were not the sibling type.
Her eyes widened at Rean’s words and
he pulled back to nod at her, the realization dawning on her. Had Crow spoken to Rean about his feelings
for her? What if he rejected her
again? A third time…Melyssa didn’t know
if she could handle it.
“So in other words, you’re telling me
to take my own advice?” He chuckled with another nod, continuing to dance with
her and Melyssa didn’t know if she had the courage to do it.
There was always that fear of
rejection and her love for Crow had spiked exponentially ever since the spell
was broken. She had been with Ash at the
time, which was why she didn’t go straight to Crow. And then Crow came to her rescue the night
she had broken things off with Ash…in a rather violent way and he had whisked
her away to his cabin, his safehouse, because of McBurn.
“If you’re not ready, you’re not
ready, so only do it when you’re sure.”
“Okay.”
“For the record, Crow hasn’t said one
way or another the way he’s felt about you.” Rean informed her, not wanting to
give Melyssa any false impressions or false hope, just in case he was wrong. He knew, deep down, that he wasn’t, but…
there was always that one percent. “But the way he does talk about you… it’s
not a brotherly feeling. I, out of all
people, would know.” Since he was in that spot himself.
He and Crow were a lot more alike than
they had probably noticed. Maybe that’s
why he had kept giving Crow chance after chance, even after he had turned his
back on them multiple times. In the end,
it seemed to have paid off, but he also knew if push came to shove, Crow would
put himself first and survive.
Yeah, because DEAD didn’t do
jack. Crow didn’t mind being a hero, but
he drew a line at being a martyr.
That right there, hearing those
words, told Melyssa all she needed to know.
She would not be talking to Crow about how she felt and would stuff her
feelings down as far as she could.
Risking that one percent chance he really didn’t feel the same way about
her as she did him – it wasn’t worth losing their friendship over.
“I understand, Rean. Thank you.
And thank you for the dancing.” They danced a little longer before both
decided to take a break and Rean went off to make a call on his ARCUS II. More than likely, it was to Alisa and Melyssa
smiled, hoping it all worked out for them. I have to let him go. I
can’t keep pining for someone who doesn’t want me as anything more than a
friend. I have to move on from you,
Crow. Without
realizing it, she had downed another glass of champagne and was on her fourth
or fifth, she had lost count and was feeling pretty tipsy.
At least the strawberries tasted good
going down.
Rean hoped she understood that 1%
chance against her, and the 99% for her, was worth the risk. That was a gamble he would take and, in fact,
he WAS going to take it. He’d rather
know outright than live life alone and in fear because he couldn’t make a move
based on a -1% chance. Nothing worth
having came easy – wasn’t that how the saying went?
By the time Ash took over for Crow,
Melyssa was… “Wow.” She was giggling at something someone was saying and swaying. He came up behind her, slipping his arm
around her waist to steady her and smiled when she looked up at him. “Having
fun, Lyssa?” He asked quietly, trying not to chuckle when she nodded her head
exuberantly.
“I’m having a BLAST!”
She had been dancing and took another
break to talk to one of the many bachelors of Crossbell City. He was cute, black hair and brown eyes, but
definitely not her type. There was no
harm in a little flirting and she was feeling very flirtatious at the moment.
“I see you were let off your leash,
Armbrust.” She giggled, leaning against him and enjoyed the feeling of his arm
around her waist. Melyssa didn’t realize
it, but she was snuggling against him as he guided her around slowly. “Whoa, I
think I need some air.” She was suddenly feeling lightheaded and felt him guide
her out toward the veranda, the same place she had her talk with Ash
earlier. As soon as the cool night air
blew over her, Melyssa moaned softly and shut her eyes, relishing in it. “Mmm,
that feels so nice…”
Well that sucked, she had been
batting flirty eyes at every guy and then he showed up and she was potentially
going to puke. He stood away from her,
watching as Melyssa leaned over the same balcony railing she had been on
earlier when she had shared that kiss with Ash.
Ash, who was now with Machias and had said there wasn’t anything going
on. Ash, who was now offering sage
advice and Crow had figured eventually, he’d tell Ash to shove it because
obviously, Ash needed to use his own advice given how spectacularly his
relationship with Melyssa had crashed and burned.
“You going to make it, Lyssa? Or is time to take you home and tuck you in
with a glass of water?” He teased, wondering how many glasses of that champagne
she had to get her toasted.
She wasn’t going to vomit, not
feeling nauseous at all and smiled while leaning against the railing, just
taking in the cool night breeze. “I’m fine, Crow. Just got a little lightheaded in there and
heated from the dancing, probably.” Melyssa was just buzzed, not full-on drunk
and could remember her own name still, so that was a plus. “I had such a great
time tonight. I really needed this after
everything that’s happened. I talked to
Ash and we’re going to slowly start building our friendship back up. We never should’ve gotten together in the
first place and he said those words, not me, just so you know. And then I talked to Rean and danced with him
and he was a perfect gentleman, as always.” While she spoke, she slowly twirled
and laughed, leaning back against the railing again. “I wonder how far up we
are right now…”
“Don’t try to find out.” Crow advised
dryly, wondering if she honestly thought she and Ash would ever be able to
rebuild their friendship.
Considering how balls up that had
gone, he thought they would be lucky if they could eventually call themselves
casual acquaintances at best. That had
been a train wreck from beginning to end from the sounds of it. She had gotten screwed, no pun intended,
royally when it came to first love and lover.
“I have no problem in staying out
here.” He dropped down into a lounge chair, reclining back and watched her,
lacing his hands behind his head. “Twirl again.”
She flashed a huge smile at him and
did it again, coming closer to him without realizing it.
“Again.”
Melyssa obeyed his command, doing it
again with her arms rose in the air and didn’t stop until…she was forced
to. She stumbled, losing her footing and
planted right on top of Crow in that lounge chair, both grunting at the
contact. Her teal eyes were full of
mirth and sparkled with happiness, her laughter filling the air.
“Oops! I guess I twirled a little too much, huh?” The
dress prevented her from straddling him, so she was literally laying on top of
him, sprawled, her hands resting on his broad shoulders and his hands were on
her sides from catching her when she stumbled on top of him.
Seeing her twirling about had reminded
him of when they were kids. “Remember that dress your mother made you wear for
the summer festival? Lots of petticoats
and a big skirt? You hated it… until you
realized you could twirl in it and it would flare out.” He had enjoyed watching
it then too, though, now his enjoyment was stemming from things besides the
‘neat’ factor. “Maybe you should act your age, Miss Lyssa.” He teased, rolling
his eyes when she scoffed and settled his arms around her lower back, feeling
the full weight of her body sinking into his. “You smell like strawberries.”
Roses bloomed in her cheeks at what
he said and she actually leaned her head down to sniff him, closing her
eyes. Crow always had this distinctive
smell about him that made her weak in the knees and her heart race. She couldn’t quite put her finger on the
scent all this time, but now she could.
“Leather.” Melyssa scooted up a
little further to settle more into him and their noses were practically
touching. “I couldn’t think of what you smell like. It’s always the same, but I could never
figure out what it was and it drove me crazy.
Now I know what it is and it’s leather.
You smell like leather, Crow.” It was intoxicating and she could feel
her heart beating a little faster in her chest being in this position with him,
teal locked on crimson red.
“Leather?” He echoed, wrinkling his
nose. Leather smelled terrible, when it
was being made into something anyway, and fresh leather had a horrible
scent. Broken in leather, on the other
hand, which he was hoping what she was thinking, was in a class of its own.
“Mmm, from the way you said it, I’m going to guess you like it.” He smirked
wickedly. “But it’s your BREATH that smells like strawberries.” He was guessing
from the champagne and Crow purposefully angled his head so he could smell her
face, brushing his nose down to her neck before reclining again. “The rest of
you smells warm and spicy.”
“I enjoy the smell of you. I always have. It’s comforting and soothing.” And makes me want to
kiss you and beg you to make me yours. Wow, she was SO glad she didn’t say that out loud and that wicked smirk
of his made her heart skip a beat.
The warmth flooded right down to her
nethers and she could already feel her panties dampening. This wasn’t good. This was a bad position to be in because
those feelings for him were rising to the surface quickly.
“The champagne I was drinking had
strawberries in it.” Oh Goddess, just his nose feels amazing on my skin and I long
for his lips on mine again. “Spicy how, exactly?”
“Mmm, I’m not sure how to describe
it… like ground cinnamon… and cloves.”
It was an incense, or a spice for
baking depending on who asked, and there really weren’t words for it, she
smelled delicious. Maybe it was a
pheromone thing, like body odor for humors, certain people were attracted to
others based on what they perceived said other smelled like. After a moment, he moved his hands to her
hips, feeling the heat from her body beneath the material of her red dress and
began rubbing in slow, circular motions.
“You ready to get back in there?” He
asked, bringing his face out of her neck.
“No.” Melyssa breathed, her entire
body lit on fire from feeling his hot breath puffing against her throat.
It did NOT help his lips had brushed
against the corner of her mouth while pulling his face out of her neck and that
sent a shiver straight down her spine.
Her brain was slightly fuzzy from being tipsy, but there was no way she
was hallucinating what he just did either.
Was Rean right? Did Crow’s
feelings go beyond thinking of her as a sister, as family?
Goddess, forgive me
for what I’m about to do. The smell of him was all around her,
permeating the air and Melyssa was searching his eyes, looking for ANY
indication he did not want her. All she
saw was red liquid pools and they were sucking her in, on the verge of drowning
her. “Crow…” Then, Melyssa did the one thing, the ONLY thing, she had longed
and dreamed of doing for over two years and softly pressed her lips to his,
kissing the man she truly did love.
The last time they kissed, he had
asked her if they could do it, and afterwards he had a lot of regret the moment
their lips touched. There was none of
that this time. Crow didn’t feel sickened
because she was his ‘sibling’, he didn’t feel grossed out. What he did feel was a slow rising erection
as he softly returned the kiss, not moving to deepen it or grope her. He just enjoyed it for what it was, a slow,
leisurely kiss that was starting a slow, leisurely burn.
A slow burn, indeed.
Too bad her body wasn’t slowly
burning, it was already ignited and the flames were licking away at every part
of her body. His lips felt wonderful
against hers and Melyssa was waiting for him to push her away, to tell her this
was wrong and she was his sister, his family.
In the back of her mind, she was expecting it and instead, he was
returning the kiss she gave him. A soft
moan escaped her, a shiver rushing through her and her nails were slightly digging
into his shoulders.
This felt right.
Melyssa knew why because she loved
him and it wasn’t a love manifested from a Dark Ages spell. It was true, raw love, something she had felt
since she was a kid. Crow was the reason
she was here today. He was the reason
she took up the way of the sword and trained, went to Thors, all of it. And when he was dead, part of her was as well
because living without him had about killed her. Somehow, she had managed to go on and when
she discovered he was alive and well, her love for him grew tenfold, even after
he rejected her.
Melyssa decided to convey all of that
into this kiss, since it very well be the one and only opportunity she
had. All the feelings she’d stuffed down
all these years for him came rising to the surface as she deepened the kiss,
conveying to him everything she felt.
Love, pain, anguish, happiness, passion, desire, need, want, lust,
uncertainty…it all came pouring out and even when she needed oxygen to breathe,
she did not break the kiss.
She wanted it to last forever…no, for
eternity.
Ash had definitely noticed how much
Melyssa had had to drink and he felt like giving her a warning when he seen her
eyeball Crow. He couldn’t, obviously, he
was busy with Machias and trying not to be bored as the mayor sat at a table,
discussing some current event with some rich people. Best of luck. He thought, hoping it worked out
for them.
Chapter 84
Wow, she was overloading him, but
Crow didn’t break the kiss, taking each feeling she was pouring forth as it
came. He was returning it, knowing some
things didn’t need to be said, they could be felt, especially when they came
from the soul and the heart. Words
between people like them, who knew each other so well, were sometimes pointless
anyway.
It was all lust with Ash, a dark lust
from the spell she was under. Her kiss
with Ash was NOTHING compared to this one with Crow. And she really wasn’t THAT drunk that she
didn’t know what she was doing. Melyssa
didn’t want to talk, she just wanted to feel and opened her mouth when Crow’s
tongue swiped along her lips, moaning at the first taste of him in over two
years. He tasted like blackberries and
she wasn’t sure if it was from the food and drinks at this event tonight or
what, but it made her hungry for more.
Why is he kissing me
like this if he thinks of me as a sister? That question had the WORST timing of popping into
her head and it made Melyssa break the kiss, severing the moment between them,
her cloudy passion-filled turquoise orbs staring down into liquid red fire.
“I-I’m…” It was hard to breathe after that, she needed a few seconds to take in
some gulps of air. “I’m not your sister.
And I never was.” She pressed a finger to his lips, shaking her head.
“You kissed me back and I know you enjoyed it as much as I did…and I KNOW you
would never kiss me like you just did, unless you felt something for me
too. We’re not family, you’re NOT my
family – you’re something far more and you always have been.” Rean, I really hope
you’re right about this and the risk is worth taking.
“Just shut up, Lyssa,” Crow chuckled,
his voice lower, grittier than it usually was. “You always overthink
everything.” And she had since they were kids.
He popped his hips up, letting her feel the erection he was sporting in
these slacks that hid absolutely nothing.
They were designed for formal events, not hiding stiff dicks because
polite gentlemen did not sport wood at formal events. Thank the Goddess, he wasn’t a gentleman.
“That’s not from thinking of you as a sister, I haven’t thought of you that way
in quite some time.”
It had just taken him a bit to sort
out those feelings and thoughts, after getting his memories back full force,
and within days she had been taken. His
words brought a huge smile to her face and she leaned forward to softly kiss
him again, this time cupping the side of his face. She purposely wiggled a little to feel his
erection, making him groan against her lips and Melyssa pulled back, rubbing
her nose against his.
“Take me back to your place,
Crow. As much as I want you here on this
lounge chair, I don’t think it would be wise for us to get caught at a work
function. And…I’m going to need help out
of this dress.” She spoke softly against his lips and felt his hands reach down
lower to squeeze her backside through the dress, reluctantly pulling back to
get off him, so he could stand up as well.
Oh sweet Aidios, Ash inwardly groaned
as Crow and Melyssa made their leave, hand in hand. Was Crow trying to hide an erection? He needed brain bleach. Casual acquaintances for sure, he wasn’t sure
they would ever be able to repair their friendship because of the things he had
done, only time would tell. He just
hoped she wasn’t making a repeat with Crow that she had with him, so far… she
was off to a terrible start on that. He
met Rean’s eyes, frowning for a moment before shrugging.
Rean had a ‘they’ll be fine’ look on
his face and Ash just nodded, hoping so.
Crow had a lot going for him.
For starters, he wasn’t Ash.
She was never in love with Ash
either. It was the spell planting that
seed in her mind, making her believe it was Ash she loved, when really, it was
Crow all along. Maybe things were messy
and complicated, but she didn’t care.
Rean had given her some advice…the same advice she had given him and she
hoped he had taken it the same way she did.
Alisa deserved to know the truth of how he felt just like Crow deserved
to know how Melyssa felt for him. Life
was too short and they never knew what the future held with Ouroboros lurking
in the shadows.
The moment they were in the orbal
limousine on their way back to the apartment, Crow pulled Melyssa on his lap to
sit sideways and they devoured each other’s lips for the duration of the
trip. By the time they made it back to
the apartment complex, both Crow and Melyssa’s lips were swollen and they were
both breathless. Whatever kind of tipsy
she had been at the party, that was long gone.
Now, it was just all her without any kind of impairment, no matter how
slight it had been.
“Come on.”
He guided her out of the orbal
limousine, wrapping his arm firmly around her waist to keep her almost trapped
at his side. There was no way he was
letting her go, not after they had just gotten each other so thoroughly worked
up. Crow had undone his collar
completely, the top of his shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest, and he did
not feel bad in the slightest that the windows of that posh orbal limousine had
been fogged up. Her arm was firmly
around his waist, going with him without any hesitation, without a doubt in her
mind. They made it up to his apartment
and she watched with bated breath as he opened the door, looking back at her.
“Last chance to back out, Armbrust.”
His response was to yank her flush against his body and kiss her breathless
again, backing her into his apartment until he could kick the door shut.
Melyssa melted against him, burying
her fingers in his hair as he pressed her back against the door, flipping the
lock on it just to be on the safe side.
Crow was never too careful these days and she didn’t blame him. They broke the kiss and he spun her around to
where her hands planted on the door, feeling and hearing his hand guide the
zipper of her dress down. It wasn’t his
hand doing the unzipping, however, it was his teeth and she noticed it because
his hands were planted firmly on her hips.
That made her panties dampen further, especially when he began kissing
his way up the length of her spine.
“Crow…”
Flipping the lock was habit, anyone
who tried entering that door and hadn’t been ‘accepted’ by the ward, via his
blood mingled with theirs, would go flying backwards. He pitied any burglar who tried burgling here
tonight. That was a lot harder than it
looked, using teeth to unzip a gown, but the way her voice had dropped to a
husky, seductive pitch and her body had quivered ever so slightly, told him it
was a move that did some wicked things to her.
He made a mental note to keep it in the section repertoire, just not to
overuse it. Crow began gently bunching
the material in his fists, pulling back to watch as it slowly came down and
seen her wiggle her shoulders until it dropped to her waist, leaving her bare
back in his line of vision. When Melyssa shifted just a little, turning to look
at him, there was a side view of her breasts, the curve and his mouth began
watering.
Not bothering to remove the rest of
the dress quite yet, Crow continued his way up her back until he arrived at her
shoulders, gliding his lips and tongue on her soft skin. Melyssa lulled her head back as soon as his
lips attached to the side of her neck, her hand instantly reaching up to bury
in his hair. His strong, warm, calloused
hands cupped both of her bare breasts and she hissed out at the slight tweak of
her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.
No, being with Ash was NOTHING
compared to this – the amount of passion and intensity between her and Crow was
off the charts. Her neck was completely
bare, thanks to her hair being up in that crown of curls on top of her head, so
Crow had free reign to her flesh. He was
going to make her burst into flames before this night ended, she simply knew
it.
All she had to do was ask him nicely to
fuck her good and proper and he would, he was polite that way. Since she didn’t, but DID give him a lot of
soft sighs, lusty moans and even a grunt when he smacked that firm, begging for
it backside, he continued on torturing her.
She’d call Uncle when she had enough.
Taking her by the hips, he guided her away from the door before running
his hands up along her arms until his fingers circled her wrists, leaning his
upper body into hers. Now her lower half
was away from the door and she was almost bent over.
That dress was coming down and he was
having a snack.
Melyssa was drowning in a sea of lust
and ecstasy, her eyes opening to watch her dress being pulled all the way
off. She stepped out of it, kicking her
heels off as well, leaving her clad in just a deep red thong that matched the
dress. Crow growled in her ear, his
hands squeezing her luscious backside and continued devouring her neck. He muttered something about snack time and
she didn’t fully catch it, her mind cloudy and hazy. Whatever he wanted to do to her, she was up
for it and her thong was soaked in the front.
She’d been soaked the moment she kissed him on that lounge chair on the
veranda at the party and the way he made her feel just lit her ablaze further.
“You have too many clothes on,
lover.” Turning in his arms, her hands began unfastening the buttons of his
shirt and kissed her way down with each button undone until it was removed
completely. “Mmm, that’s more like it…”
His response was to whip her right
back around and plant her against that door, growling as he dropped to his
knees so said luscious backside was right in his line of vision. Crow brought
both hands down to palm each cheek. “Bend back over and quit turning around,
Lyssa.” He ordered, lightly slapping each cheek when she made a sound halfway
between a chuckle and a giggle.
At least she listened and now she was
properly exposed to him, he could see how wet the crotch of those thongs
were. Smirking he ran the top of his
finger along her covered slit, pretty sure he could feel her quivering. She was more than quivering. She was trembling with anticipation and
feeling his finger sliding up and down her soaked thong, right on her clit, did
not help matters any.
“I just wanted to make us even,
couldn’t very well be the only one naked.” What in Aidios’ name was he…OH GODDESS!!
She was bent over and he had slid her thong down enough to hang around
her ankles, keeping her in that position.
Melyssa could not see what he was doing, but she DAMN SURE felt it the
moment his hot breath puffed against her aching sex. “Crowww…” Was he on his
knees or something behind her doing this?
Every other thought and question flew out of her mind the moment he
began flicking his tongue on her clit, his hands planted firmly on her cheeks
and her hands were on the door, nails digging into it. “Oh Goddess!!”
She WAS the only naked one, he was
still in his slacks and his dress shoes and his shirt was still tucked, hanging
down his waist and legs. He was kneeling
behind, his neck angled so he could eat her out from behind. The way she had
tensed almost in this position told him Ash had not been very imaginative for a
sex addict, he inwardly cringed. Crow
kept his hands firmly on her hips, feeling Melyssa shaking and hearing her
moans as he worked her over with his tongue.
Flicking at her clit before tongue fucking, his reward were her
delicious juices coating his tongue each time.
Ash had been decent at foreplay,
whenever he had the patience to do it, but nothing like this. He always wanted to get down to business
instead of building up to it. This was
new and exotic for Melyssa, and she was thoroughly enjoying feeling Crow’s
tongue jet in and out of her, in this position.
Her thighs were trembling, the insides of them coated with her juices
and she stood up on her tiptoes briefly, only for Crow to bring her back flat
on the carpet. He had full control of
her and she didn’t mind it a bit, savoring everything he offered and wanted to
do to her.
“CROW!” She bellowed out his name, her
orgasm crashing over her and she completely surrendered to him, her hot juices
flowing right into his greedy mouth.
And he was at the perfect angle for
this, right into his greedy mouth and down his greedy throat. The wet noises he
made as he sucked and slurped her dry were very appreciative, this was his new
favorite flavor and he had half a mind to go grab a vial out of the kitchen and
bottle some up for later because she was delicious. Crow let her go, laughing
breathlessly as she turned to slump against the door and stare down at him.
Melyssa was red and covered in a fine sheen of perspiration, he adored that
look on her. His own face was glistening from her juices and keeping his eyes
locked on her, he purposefully, slowly licked his lips.
Melyssa was mindful enough to step
out of her thong, so she didn’t go tripping once she could actually walk. Her thighs were shaking and her legs were
pure jelly after that intense orgasm.
This man was in a league all his own and if there was a better lover out
there, she did not want to find him.
Ever. No, there was nobody better
than Crow and she knew that deep in her heart.
That smirk on his face lit her on fire all over again and she bent down
to capture his mouth, tasting herself on his tongue. He rose to his feet, towering over her and
pressed her back against the door.
Melyssa reached down, beginning to stroke him through the pants he had
on and giggled seductively at his growl.
“These…need to come off…” Just to
emphasis her point, a flick of her wrist unfastened those pants and her hand
delved inside, feeling his warm piece of flesh wrapped around her hand. And he was very well-endowed, even more so
than Ash had been, surprisingly.
Chapter 85
Thank FUCK she was not a virgin.
Crow would not have had the patience
and now he didn’t have to worry about her being overly afraid of his
well-endowed appendage. Maybe some
trepidation over taking it but… not outright fear. “Keep doing that, Lyssa, and
you may regret it.” Because his loads were not average either.
Crow would wind up white washing something of hers, he wasn’t above doing it to
her pretty face either. He pulled her
hand out of his pants, beginning to slide the slacks down and stepped out of
both his shoes and the pants. Standing
before her in all his naked glory, Crow watched as her eyes instantly dropped
to his cock. As much as she regretted
Ash being the one who took her virginity, she was actually grateful she wasn’t
one with Crow. He seemed to know exactly
what he was doing in the bedroom and when it came to being intimate with a
woman. Her tongue slowly snaked out to
wet her slightly still red lips as she stared at the masterpiece before her.
“You are a beautiful man, lover.” She
smiled softly, stepping forward to press soft kisses against his chest and once
again stroked his cock with her hand, gliding the pad of her thumb across the
tip of him. “I want you…deep inside of me, Crow…” She wasn’t above begging,
continuing to caress his chest with her lips and tongue. “Please fuck me…”
Those seemed to be the magic words he wanted to hear her say because his red
eyes ignited with pure fire.
Sweeping her up off her feet, Crow
carried Melyssa back towards his bedroom, directly to the bed. The bed he rarely used because he tended to
sleep out on the couch. Fresh, crisp
cotton sheets because he was a practical man and when he lay her out, he had to
pull back to stare at the image. Her
hair was still up in that dark blue crown style, her beautiful skin was
practically glowing and he reached over to flip on the bedside table lamp.
“I feel like I should pray,” He
informed her in a rumble, crawling over her body to hover over her, brushing
his lips against hers. “Because I am about to devour
you.”
“Pray all you want, but I want you to
devour me whole, Crow. Every. Last.
Inch. Of me.” With each word she spoke, she emphasized with a kiss to his
cheeks and neck, caressing his muscular bare chest. Melyssa loved the feeling of him hovering
over her like this and gasped when she felt his cock brush up against her
dripping sex. “Because I want to devour every last inch of you and make you
feel as amazing as you’ve made me.”
She moaned as his lips captured hers,
feeling him continuing to probe her teasingly and she returned the kiss with
equal passion, fire, and vigor. This was
it. This was the moment she longed for,
what she dreamed about while imprisoned with Ouroboros, what kept her going
night after night…the hope that one day, she would be reunited with Crow, tell
him how she felt and they would be together because he wouldn’t see her as a
sister. He would see her as a woman, who
desired him and return that desire. That
was exactly what he was doing and he hadn’t even claimed her as his completely
yet. Crow saw her as a woman, oh yes he
did! She was laying here naked, he could
feel every inch of her very womanly body pressed into his. Melyssa was wet, he was rubbing the head of
his cock up and down her slit, teasingly slipping just the tip into her and the
sounds of her longing mewls had his own body trembling.
“Mine.” He whispered, sealing his
lips to her neck as he slid home inside of her receptive, tiny body. His teeth clenched because it felt like a
velvet glove had grasped at him and was sucking him in further with no
intention of ever letting go. “Fuck!”
Her eyes nearly rolled in the back of
her head at how exquisite he felt sliding inside of her, thankful he didn’t
stop until he was fully sheathed. It
would’ve hurt since she was TIGHT and she hadn’t had sex in almost two
months. The combination of his lips on
her neck combined with his cock inside of her…Melyssa was once again drowning
in ecstasy, clinging to Crow to hold on for dear life. If this was a dream, she did not want to wake
up from it ever again. They didn’t move
for what seemed like ages, but it was only mere moments and she gasped when he
slid almost all the way out of her before plunging back in.
“Oh, Crow…” She moaned out, her tone
pure lust and love mixed. “Goddess…oh Goddess that feels so good…” Sex really
was amazing and she had missed it, but she wouldn’t sleep with just
anyone.
The wait was well worth it to be with
Crow, finally.
Crow could hear something in her
tone, something besides lust and he wasn’t focusing on it. He was attracted to her, no man in his right
mind wouldn’t be that was for sure, but during sex was not exactly the right
time to be thinking with the heart. Sex
made everything complicated due to hormones and chemicals, focusing on THAT
tone was better saved for when he wasn’t having a rush of pleasure that might
taint anything he said in the moment.
Instead, he focused on how she felt writhing beneath him, the way
Melyssa’s hips rolled upwards to meet each of his long, smooth thrusts and the
way his name fell from her lips in breathy moans.
“Lyssa,” He was pulling away from
her, pulling her with him, his lips finding hers again. Crow wasn’t a sex addict, but he wasn’t a
minute to win it kind of guy either and their first time together was going to
be memorable. “Ride me.”
This was more like it, giving her the
reigns, the power, and she would not disappoint him. One thing Ash did was teach her well about
what to do and what not to do when it came to riding a man. She had nearly bent his dick their first time
she rode him and there was no way in Gehenna she would allow that to happen
with Crow. Practice made perfect and she
wasn’t an expert by any stretch, but she also knew what she was doing too. Slowly, she began rolling her hips in a
gyrating motion, back and forth, and caressed his sweaty chest, leaning down to
slide her tongue up the length. He
tasted delicious and looked even better, his large hands gripping her hips
before moving around to squeeze her backside.
Then, they moved again to her breasts, massaging them in his palms like
he had at the door while teasing and tormenting her neck.
Soon, the pace was too slow for both
of them and Melyssa began bouncing on and off his cock, her breathy moans
turning to erratic breathing and gasps of ‘oh Goddess’ and her lover’s
name. Crow would have cringed if he knew
about the dick bending and he would have been a bit panicked if he was at risk
for that. Penile fractures were no joke,
a man’s dick was not meant to bend that way.
Crow was not a silent lover by any stretch, he was very vocal in calling
out her name. Giving out dirty words of
encouragement, singing her praises as she rose and fell on him, his own hips
coming up to meet her each she came down, loving the sounds of their flesh
slapping together.
“Mmm, you have any idea how gorgeous
you look, riding my cock, all sweaty and breathless?” He asked huskily when she
slowed the pace again, giving them both a moment to breathe before it was back
off to the races.
She laughed breathlessly, leaning
down to brush her lips against his and traced his with the tip of her tongue,
slowly rolling her hips again during the cooldown period. “Mmm, I could say the
same about you, lover. You look
exquisite and you smell incredible…” The leather scent was very much there and
she couldn’t get enough of it. “However, I think I’d look even better if you
fucked me from behind…” That made his eyes widen a little because they were
rather dirty words coming from her.
Truth be told, it was her favorite position because she felt EVERYTHING
ten times more and she wanted to feel Crow pounding her, forcing her submit to
him. “Or I can make you cum while riding you, either way is fine by me.”
Melyssa would climax either way and softly kissed him, tasting him again while
continuing to ride his cock.
No man in his right mind would
complain about pounding a beautiful woman from behind. There was nothing quite like watching his
cock sink in a woman with the bonus view of a delicious ass. “Off me, wench,
show me that gorgeous ass.” Crow ordered, watching with an amused smile as
Melyssa very eagerly got off of him and assumed the position, wiggling her ass
at him. Wasting no time himself, Crow
got up behind her on his knees, admiring her unblemished backside while using
one hand to rub the tip of his cock up and down her wet slit. “Want me, Lyssa?”
“Mmm, what do you think?” Melyssa
remarked, gasping when he smacked her right cheek and asked her the same
question again. “That’s a dumb question…” Her left cheek was smacked and he
still had not slid home inside of her.
Obviously, he wanted the correct answer and she groaned when he slid
just the tip of his cock inside of her before pulling back out again. “Tease!”
She hissed between her teeth, both of her cheeks being smacked to make her backside
rosy red. “Yes, damn it, yes, I want you, Crow!
Only you! Now fuck me!”
Once again, her eyes nearly rolled
back in her head at the feeling of him plummeting home inside of her. Deep red nails dug into the bedding,
especially when he pushed her down to where she had to turn her face to press
her cheek against the comforter or else she would’ve probably suffocated. As much as she did enjoy the slow lovemaking,
there was nothing quite like being pounded and they both needed it at that
moment.
“Crow, yes, harder!!”
“Good girl.”
They had made love, outright fucked,
done the lazy thing, now it was down and dirty.
Not that it would be like this every time because it wouldn’t; sometimes
sensual and slow was the way to go, other times it was a quick tumble. There were so many varieties when it came to
sex and that was even providing they did this again. Something told Crow they would. Ash Carbide could sit and spin, the fool,
letting this delectable pussy go because he was an insecure clown with a weird
addiction. As far as she was concerned,
Crow would be the ONLY man she slept with from here on out.
He was the only man she wanted,
nobody else compared.
“Yeah, oh yeah! Right…there!” Don’t stop! Please don’t
stop! “I’m
so…close…” She was so breathless, she could barely speak, gasping for air and
felt Crow bury his fingers in her hair to pull her up, her back pressed against
his chest.
Melyssa met him for every powerful
thrust, fisting his silver hair and turned her head enough to where their lips
could meet. His free hand slid down the
length of her sweat slick body until his fingers came in contact with her
quivering sex, crying out against his lips.
This far surpassed anything she’d ever done with Ash, even though sex
with him wasn’t bad, but this was on another level entirely. The feeling of her pussy tightening and
clenching around him in quick, rapid fire movements had Crow’s head reeling,
knowing when she did explode around him it was going to be like nothing he had
ever experienced before.
“Fuck, cum for me, Melyssa!” He urged
once he was able to speak, his lips brushing against her pulse point. Her heart was going a mile a minute, it
seemed, and knowing he was the one doing this to her sent a direct jolt to his
cock. Giving him another surge as Crow
pounded her harder, his fingers worked her clit, urging her towards that
climax. “I want to feel you cumming…” He nipped up along the column of her
throat, his lips finally tugging on her ear lobe.
There was no way in Gehenna or any
other realm in or outside of Erebonia that could STOP her from climaxing, not
with all the different sensations Crow made her body experience. His cock and fingers, along with his hot
breath on her neck and ear…she was gone.
GONE! Hook, line, and sinker, it
was OVER.
“Oh Goddess, CROW!!”
Her body succumbed to what it wanted
most, that hot coil within her springing free and his name roared out of her
mouth with absolutely NO shame. She didn’t
give a damn who heard them at this rate and felt her hot juices flow freely,
her pussy clenching and wrapping his cock in a warm, tight cocoon, making him
hiss out in her ear while he kept pounding in and out of her, riding right
through her orgasm. It just made her
fingers tighten in his hair more, almost painfully, and her head lulled back on
his shoulder, her breath nearly gone.
Crow was going to get at least one more out of her before he even
THOUGHT about whitewashing her with his cum.
His body was protesting this idea a lot; he wasn’t an innocent virgin
nor was he a sex addict, but it had been a few months for him and having this
beautiful woman writhing and falling apart for him…his balls were begging for
release.
“One…more…” He grunted, letting up on
his grip of her hair, not wanting to rip those dark blue tresses from her scalp
and felt her head nodding against his, her body starting to move again even
while trembling and spasming. “That’s my girl…”
Whatever this man wanted, she would
do her absolute best to give him and he wanted her to climax again, to shatter
against him again. There was no way she
could deny him a single thing at this moment and, honestly, Melyssa NEEDED
another orgasm. This would overwork her
body, no doubt, but it would be worth it and she would sleep like a rock.
“Y-Yes…Y-Yes!! One…more…”
Honestly, Melyssa didn’t want this to
end and would die happily with this man jetting him out of her. What better way was there to go? NONE!
It would not take long to build another one, which was the beauty of
being a woman. Women could climax all
day and night long, with the right man and if they could keep her
stimulated. Crow was doing MORE than
that because she was still SOAKED after the multitude of orgasms he gave her
already.
“T-Together! Cum with me, Crow!”
Her wish was his command; there was
no way he could deny that request, not when it fell so beautifully from those
luscious lips. “Almost there, Lyssa…” He grunted, his rhythm falling to the
wayside as he focused on them both getting off together. His movements came harsher, along with his
breathing, everything in his body tensing and tightening. A few moments later, he was bellowing her
name loud enough for people the next few blocks down to hear. “MELYSSA!” He had
absolutely no care who heard him right now.
McBurn could be standing outside the
door for all he cared.
“CROW!!” She croaked out, her throat
dry from all the panting, heavy breathing, moaning, and screaming she’d
done.
Her body erupted along with his, the
orgasms slamming together absolutely delicious.
It was a moment unlike any other and she closed her eyes, savoring it
and drinking it in. Crow did not stop
even after exploding inside of her, thrusting until his body physically made
him stop and his dick went limp, sliding out of her. Together, they both collapsed on the bed with
his arm still around her, on their sides, trying not to pass out from exertion.
Oh dear Goddess this woman was going
to kill him!
Crow lay there with his forehead
pressed between her shoulder blades and his harsh pants as he struggled to
regain his breath, which probably felt like spurts of hot against her damp
skin. They would definitely need to
change the bedding before falling asleep.
He smirked slightly, that meant they had done it right. Once his heart rate evened out, Crow began
kissing her shoulders, finally rolling onto his back, and groaned as cool air
assaulted his own damp skin. He moved
his arm when Melyssa rolled over, feeling her palm coming down on his chest and
cupped it, smiling slightly.
Yeah, no more of that sister/brother
crap.
Screw changing the sheets, Melyssa
was not moving from this bed or his side for a while, already feeling the
exhaustion creeping up. The darkness was
threatening to swallow her whole and she welcomed it with open arms, snuggling
further against him. She draped her leg
over his before falling fast asleep, no words needing to be said between them. That was the beauty between Crow and Melyssa
– they didn’t need to talk or convey their feelings through words to understand
each other. Melyssa felt the love from
Crow radiating throughout the entire bout and fell asleep with a smile on her
face while her heartrate and pulse slowly returned to normal.
Chapter 86
Crow, when left to his own devices
and able to sleep properly, was not an early riser. Granted, he usually kipped on a couch these
days, but he was also up fairly early, not this morning. This morning, he slept in way past any decent
hour and he unconsciously made her stay with him. Every time Melyssa moved, whether awake or
asleep, his arms would tighten around her and drag her back against him,
eventually trapping her with his thigh draped over her legs.
“Okay, fine…” He growled when she
finally informed him nature called, smirking as he cracked one eye open.
“Morning…or afternoon?”
Melyssa giggled softly, turning her
head to look back at him and then at the clock, her eyes widening. “Oh wow,
it’s definitely afternoon.” Two o’clock, to be precise.
She couldn’t remember the last time
she slept in so late and groaned when her bladder threatened to relieve with or
without her consent. Pecking his lips
quickly, since they both had morning -or was it afternoon in this case?-
breath, Melyssa made a beeline for the bathroom and had to bite back a groan at
how good it felt to relieve her bladder.
She washed her hands and decided to brush her teeth while she was in
here, really not wanting Crow to smell her stank breath when she properly
kissed him good morning. Once she was
done with that, still naked, she laughed when she opened the door and it was
Crow’s turn to make a beeline for the toilet.
“You know, if you needed to pee, all
you had to do was tell me and, I don’t know, let me go for two seconds, silly.”
Her stomach gurgled and she groaned again, knowing neither of them had much
sustenance at that party the previous night.
“No, I am the master of my bladder.”
He informed her from the bathroom, the door not shut all the way. Crow finished his business and brushed his
own teeth, reaching down to scratch his abs as he walked back out, not bothered
in the slightest by his nudity. “Want to go down to the coffee shop? It’s the place that has those pastries that you
love.” He was even willing to put on pants, moving to search his dresser for a
pair and shrugged, tugging on a pair of black sweats. Crow was feeling chill as anything today and
had no real desire to do anything except getting back in that bed.
Getting back in that bed would put
them in another round of delicious sex and, as much as she wanted it to happen,
they needed to eat first. And talk,
maybe. Maybe not. There was no pressure with them and she
smiled at his thoughtfulness, leaning up to brush her lips softly against
his. That felt amazing to be able to do,
without any repercussions or fear of rejection.
“Sure, I could use a walk and we
really need coffee.” He nodded in agreement and she grabbed her bag, setting it
on the bed while Crow finished getting ready.
Pulling out a pair of red slacks and
a black and red long sleeved top, Melyssa quickly dressed, throwing her bra and
panties on first. She had just finished
putting her socks on when Crow came up from behind and wrapped his arms around
her waist, kissing her bare neck. Her
hair was in shambles up on top of her head, some of the curls having come
undone from their activity. Turning, she
captured his lips in a full, proper kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck,
feeling him pull her flush against him.
“Mmm, now we can go, if you’re
ready.” Shoes, she needed shoes and out of this room before they didn’t leave
it.
Crow had no intention of staying in
the bedroom for another round of sex.
Unlike Ash, he didn’t feel the need to constantly fuck someone, no
matter how delicious the sex had been.
He slid on a pair of leather boots, wearing a black long sleeved shirt
and his hair had actually been combed, some deodorant and he was good to
go. Lacing his fingers through hers, he
snagged his keys and wallet before leading the way out, his eyes instantly
moving to take in both ends of the hallway out of habit.
She did the same thing. They couldn’t be too careful and couldn’t get
too wrapped up in the euphoria of being together. That was when the enemy would strike and they
both knew it. Walking out of the
apartment building, hand in hand, felt different, but in a good way. There was nothing bad about how she felt
toward Crow and there probably never would be.
Melyssa could not wipe the smile off her face if her life depended on
it, even if McBurn were to show up…okay, no, she wouldn’t be smiling, even with
Crow here, but still, ALMOST nothing could wipe her smile away. She felt at ease and content with her life
for the first time in…ever.
Of course, McBurn seen them, he had
gotten himself a comfortable little hidey hole under an alias and paid with
money outright, leaving no paper trail, just for the sole purpose of keeping
tabs on his little Orange Flame. Who was
no longer with Mr. Carbide but Mr. Armbrust.
It seemed she was fucking her way through her former Class VII
classmates, one cock at a time. She had
never pulled that with Ouroboros, but then again, she had also been under
duress. Perhaps she would have found
those two years beneath ground more tolerable if she had explored her slut
tendencies then. He snorted, pulling
away from the window and resumed his late lunch, making a note of the time.
“Mmm, oh my Goddess, no matter how
many times I eat here, the food NEVER disappoints!” Melyssa groaned in delight,
taking a bite out of her blackberry pastry puff and sipped her cappuccino with
vigor. She had also gotten a donut and
two other different flavored pastries…at Crow’s insistence. Melyssa smiled at him across the small table
they sat at, not reaching for his hand or anything because he was too busy
stuffing his own face. “Thank you for suggesting we come here. I take it you love this place too?”
“I don’t know about love, I know it’s
convenient and I like it.” Crow remarked, after licking his fingers clean, a
coffee black before him and a box filled with a lot of deliciousness he was
planning on burning off later. Keeping
his body looking this good came with some hard work and dedication. “There is a
delicatessen a few blocks from here, I LOVE them, they make this sandwich… I’d
live on it, but I’m pretty sure I’d die from overeating.” He considered the
next pastry, grinning slightly. “Though, to be fair, I’ve never tried anything
here except the sweets…”
Crow took a hefty bite out of that
pastry he grabbed and there was cream filling in it, so he got a big dab of it
on the corner of his mouth. She laughed
and leaned over since the table was so small, swiping the bit of cream away
with her tongue and lips. “Mmm, that’s actually really good.” He did the same
thing to her, swiping away a bit of blackberry from the corner of her mouth and
it made her shiver. She took a sip of
her cappuccino and they proceeded to eat, both just enjoying being together
without any hidden agendas or plans. It
was nice to just be able to do something like this together. I love you. Melyssa had learned her lesson and
she would NOT prematurely say those words again like she had with Ash.
Spell or no spell, that had been a
huge mistake on her part.
“You got an interesting look on your
face, Lyssa.” Crow commented after a while, having been watching her while he
sipped his coffee, just enjoying the moment.
It seemed lately Machias and work occupied his mind, the situation with
the sewers and then McBurn adding himself to the long list Crow just didn’t
want to deal with. This was nice,
sitting down in a café, enjoying a very late breakfast and coffee with her.
“What’s on your mind?” He held up a hand, grinning slightly. “Wait, if it’s
anything office related, I don’t want to know.”
“The office is the LAST thing on my
mind, Crow, I assure you.” Melyssa didn’t realize she had been gazing at him
lovingly for the past 5 minutes until he spoke up. “And there’s really nothing
on my mind. I’m…happy and content. I haven’t felt like this in such a long
time.” He nodded in agreement, feeling the same way and she finally reached for
his hand to hold, smiling when he laced their fingers together. “So, I pose the
same question to you: What’s on YOUR mind?”
“The office.” He deadpanned, though
there was mirth in his red eyes, a smile spreading across his lips when Melyssa
snorted and gave him a look. “No, honestly, I’m just enjoying this moment. Feels like it’s been ages since I’ve had
proper downtime, or at least used it for shit other than work or training.”
Crow used to have a life and he was realizing now, as he got older, that was…
vanishing and he was becoming singularly focused and overly tense. “This is
nice, being here like this, with you.” He gently squeezed her hand.
“Yeah, it is.”
Melyssa decided she had to do
something in order to show him last night wasn’t just a onetime thing. That might’ve been what was on his mind as
well. Scooting closer, she leaned forward
to softly kiss him, wanting no doubts between them anymore. It was gentle, no urgency, no hunger, just a
simple, soft kiss to let him know silently they were no longer friends – they
were something more. It was up to him,
the ball was in his court and she smiled against his lips when his arm wrapped
around her waist to press their chests together, deepening the kiss ever so
slightly. The message was received loud
and clear – they were together and, if she had it her way, nobody would tear
them apart, not now – not ever.
“How about we go for a walk to burn
some of this off? There’s a park down a
ways from here that I visit frequently and at least the sun is out, so it
shouldn’t be too cold.”
“Burn it off?” He teased, already
reaching for his wallet to get money to pay for their rather rich and unhealthy
meal. So worth it, it had been delicious
and filling. “I think we’re actually at a deficit with calories right now after
last night.”
Crow was rewarded with roses blooming
her cheeks and his grin broadened.
Nobody would ever accuse him of being a constant gentleman, that was for
sure. Though, he was done with the
flirting and fooling around with other women.
Even if this didn’t last between them or nothing except sex came of it,
as long as he was with Melyssa in any capacity, it would be ONLY her.
As much as Melyssa WANTED to order
him not to see other women, she knew it had to be ultimately his decision. If all he wanted was sex from her, it would
break her heart and she wouldn’t be able to do it. Hard as it would be, she would walk away and
leave him to do whatever he wanted. It
was a risk to be with the man who had been her best friend since childhood. They practically grew up together and now
they made love and, no matter how much they didn’t want things to change,
they’d have to.
Together, they left the shop and
headed toward the park, enjoying the cold walk while talking and laughing,
mostly at Crow’s jokes. Crow was
regaling her with his time at Thors before her arrival. He had taken to teaching kids how to gamble,
how to play Blade, it hadn’t exactly endeared him to a lot of parents, but… he
would be the first to admit he was never going to win any popularity contests.
“You know, Lyssa, it just occurred to
me that we know about each other’s childhoods,” Since they had grown up
together that was obvious. “And everything after you joined Thors, but there’s
that gap…” The time between him leaving Jurai and her coming to the
Academy. She had sort of filled in the
blanks, but it had been about a paragraph of information.
“Oh, you mean the dark years?”
Melyssa chuckled at his raised brow down at her and she shrugged in response,
looking away from him to stare straight ahead while they continued walking.
“That’s what I refer to them as. The
dark years because they were dark without you in my life. There’s really not much to tell,
honestly. Shortly after you left, I started
training, against my parents’ wishes, but my grandfather was the one who
encouraged me to continue doing it. I
told him the reason and he said it was a noble reason. To follow you, to follow the way of the sword
in hopes that it would lead me to you.
And then…I found out you died…” She shut her eyes briefly, painfully,
recalling the day she found out and let out a shuddering breath. “I cried for
days. I wouldn’t get out of bed. My grandfather is the one who knocked some
sense into me, literally, by sparring with me on the fifth day, dragging me out
of bed by my upper arm and shoved the Cutlass in my hand. ‘You’re not doing
anybody favors staying up there, moping and crying yourself sick! You gotta get back up, Crow wouldn’t want
this for you! Stand up and FIGHT!’” She
mimicked her grandfather’s words as best she could, smiling sadly because she
missed him dearly. “He was the only one who stood by my side and respected what
I wanted to do with my life. He’s the
main reason why I continued the way of the sword after I found out about your
death because, honestly, I wanted to give up.
I just wanted to give up everything because my whole goal in training
was to one day meet up with you, to show you I could do what you did…to be your
equal. And to be your partner and help
you bring down that horrible Chancellor that took everything away from
you. I hated him as much as you did,
Crow, believe it or not…and I wanted him to suffer for causing you and your
grandfather pain.”
To anyone else, that would sound desperate
and pathetic, crazy, and obsessive, but Crow knew better than anyone just how
grief could twist a person. He was a
prime example of it, though if he were honest, he was glad that fate had
intervened and swept her off that path.
Crow did not want to be responsible for being the reason she had lived
her life for everyone but herself, for him… that was a terribly heavy weight
and her choices since that last time in Jurai had been… he pushed it all out of
mind, refusing to dwell on the past.
“He’d be proud of you.” He stopped to
reach out and pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. “You do know that,
don’t you?”
Maybe it was obsessive and desperate
of her, but at the time, Melyssa didn’t care and only had one goal in
mind. Reuniting with her best friend,
the one who made her world better by being around him. Her world sucked without him in it and it had
for years, especially the ones she thought he was dead.
“I don’t think he would be.” Melyssa
shook her head, disagreeing with her love and heaved a sigh. “Willingly going
with Ouroboros and willingly agreeing to become an Enforcer…No. He would’ve shamed me and asked me what in
Gehenna I thought I was doing. I just
hope after we’ve finally dealt with them, with McBurn especially, he’ll forgive
me for everything else I’ve done these past few years like the rest of you
have.”
Chapter 87
Well it wasn’t like Crow could cast
stones or anything, not with the laundry list of misdeeds he was guilty
of. Running a terrorist organization,
batting for Ouroboros, repeatedly betraying his friends…he knew he was damn
lucky Rean hadn’t run him through after the last time. Aidios only knew he would have deserved it,
but Rean’s own kind, forgiving heart had spared his life and he had been on the
straight and mostly narrow ever since.
However, he was also the first to admit that if push came to shove, he
was going to save his own skin first and everyone else second, he wasn’t doing
anyone any good dead. Again.
“He’s forgiven you, he knew you and
you did what you did for good reasons, Lyssa.” He draped his arm around her,
pulling her into his side for a hug.
“I hope you’re right about that.”
Melyssa hugged him back, feeling him kiss the top of her head and looked up at
him, deciding she wanted to know everything he was willing to tell her about
those dark years. “What about you, Crow?
I don’t know…what happened to you after you left Jurai, really. Where did you go? Where did you end up? Did Duke Cayenne recruit you right away or…?”
He shook his head, squeezing her again and they began walking while he talked
quietly about everything he endured after leaving Jurai at the age of 13.
It was odd, revisiting those years
and with a much cooler head. Three, four
years ago Crow’s retelling would have been tainted by anger and
bitterness. He wouldn’t have been
telling her anything objectively at all.
But after everything that had happened since she had come to Thors up
until now… it was easier to see things how they had really been, how angry he
had been and how he had let it ruin not only his life, but also others. “How
was my pain,” He mused as they neared the park. “Any more important than
others, Lyssa? Others have suffered as
much, if not more and they didn’t become monsters.” Her, for example.
“Grief affects everyone differently,
Crow. And you were just a boy. You didn’t know any better and Duke Cayenne,
at least to me, sounds like he manipulated you into becoming C.” That was how
she heard it, but then again, Melyssa could’ve been biased when it came to
Crow’s background and history. “Everyone deserves forgiveness, even you, and I
know you’ve more than made up for what you did.” He DID help Crown Prince
Cedric and had sacrificed his own life, his wellbeing, everything to save the
boy. “Thank you for telling me about what you went through. I have a much better understanding why you’ve
done the things you’ve done.”
“So do I, isn’t that something? Not that I look back and condone it, though…”
Crow was honest enough to admit this and grinned sheepishly down at her. “I
also know if given a do-over, I probably would do it all over again without a
thought because that’s the kind of person I can be.” He looked around the park
they had just entered, nodding. It was
quiet, thankfully, without many people. “I bet this is lovely in the
summertime. I miss Jurai, Lyssa, even
the smell of fish. This place, Crossbell
City, it always seems so busy. Except
for this place.”
“I miss it too. It was so peaceful and I miss sitting on the
dock late at night, under the stars and moon, watching the water.” Her love for
the moon and stars never faded away and she looked around the park, realizing
why she came here so often. “I think that’s why I come here because it reminds
me somewhat of home. The peacefulness it
has, anyway.” Granted, in the distance, orbal cars could be heard driving by to
get from point A to B, but other than that, not many people visited this old
park. There were other nicer ones, but
she loved the classic feeling this place had. “When this is all over with
Ouroboros and I’m finally free completely, I’m going back to Jurai. There’s no other place in Erebonia I’d rather
live and spend my days and nights than there.”
“I don’t know if I can go back…” So
many bad memories were there and some were very fresh. He had regained his memories in Jurai, ALL of
them, only to lose the reason he had gotten them back. Jurai sounded beautiful, sounded like a good
idea, but he was sure that nostalgia was a driving force behind that. “I
suppose I won’t know until I’ve tried though… you know what I’ve always wanted
to do? Take a boat and just sail the
ocean. All my travels and that’s the one
thing I really want to do. We should one
day.”
She caught that ‘we’ and smiled
widely, reaching up to caress his face with the back of her hand. “You know
what? I think that’s a terrific
idea. We can live on the boat and stop
at any ports we need for refreshments or if we just want off the boat for a
couple days here and there.” Life at sea would not be so bad, not with Crow and
her teal eyes twinkled with glee at the thought of spending the rest of her
days and nights with him on a boat, sailing all over Erebonia. “Wherever you
go, Crow, I’m with you all the way. I
won’t lose you again.” Not when we’ve just gotten together and I’m the happiest I’ve
ever been. “As
far as I’m concerned, YOU are my home now.”
“Well that’s not vaguely weird at all
now, is it?” He laughed and then his eyes glinted wickedly. “Do you remember
that summer you followed me everywhere I went?
You even tried coming into the bathroom with me and your Mom had to
inform you of the etiquette between boys and girls.” That had been a FUN
summer; he had just started hitting puberty and it had been right before his
grandfather had been murdered. “The point,” Crow was laughing because she was
tinting pink and knew he was being a bit of a jerk, but it was meant
good-naturedly. “Is that even then, we had a tendency to do EVERYTHING
together.”
That was the summer he had learned
that girls could be cute.
“Ugh, don’t remind me of that! Every time I did it, my Mom would sit me down
for a scolding and they got longer…and longer…and longer.” Melyssa groaned
jokingly, smacking Crow’s arm and he caught her hand to kiss the back of it,
pulling her against him. “Do you remember every year your grandfather would
throw a party to celebrate Jurai? I was
8, I think, and you actually asked me to dance with you because none of the
other girls would.” She giggled softly, it was during the summer he had been
nostalgic over. “You stepped on my feet so many times, I had to show you how to
dance properly.” Her mother had given her dance lessons early on, which was why
she was a natural in dance class at Thors Branch School.
“Ugh… want in on a little secret, my
dearest little Lyssa?” Crow hopped up onto a snow covered bench, walking across
it slowly as he stared down at her. “My grandfather MADE me ask you because the
other girls were AFRAID of me.” Because he had been a bit of a troublemaker, on
top of the ‘head honcho’s’ grandson… something about his eyes always burning
bright or some such nonsense.
Then he had gotten older and women
had sort of started tossing themselves at him.
Thank the Goddess she hadn’t been around for THAT, his own cheeks
flushing red this time. Crow had been
awkward at first, kind of like Rean.
Unlike Rean, however, he had learned how to flirt back really
quick. Figuring one good turn deserved
another, he sighed and told her about that, figuring she deserved a good
chuckle.
Melyssa listened, laughing at his
story of the first time he’d been awkward with a woman and shook her head. “I
can’t even picture that. You’re always
so…sure of yourself and cocky.” Borderline arrogant at times as well. She could NOT see him being anything like
Rean, but yet, here he was, telling her this story and it reminded her A LOT of
Rean’s awkwardness. Perhaps they were a
lot more alike than she realized. “And why didn’t you tell me you asked me to
dance because your grandfather forced you?
Geez, that memory is tainted now, thanks a lot, Armbrust!”
“Because I was EMBARASSED, Brackett, at being forced to ask my SISTER to
dance.” Crow scoffed, dropping down onto the path in front of her and folded
his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow. “Besides, it sounds like you’ve
gotten a good laugh from it for years, about time you’re set straight.” He
smirked, though the sister thing no longer held true.
One did NOT fuck their sister the way
he had fucked her last night, oh Gehenna no!
Not unless they were a sick and twisted individual, which he was
not. A second later, he was eating a
snowball, his eyes wide and mouth dropped at the giggling Melyssa.
“That’s for calling me your sister!”
Melyssa couldn’t help laughing, that was until a snowball came back and hit her
square in the cheek. Now Crow was the
one laughing while she stared at him in bewilderment. Did he just…HE JUST HIT HER WITH A DAMN
SNOWBALL!! “Oh that’s it!” She picked some snow up, balled it up and tossed it,
nailing him right in his hair. He
groaned about his hair being all wet now and she laughed harder, jumping, and
dodging the next one. “Crow, no, don’t!” He had lifted her by the waist and
planned on planting her in the snowbank nearby. “Please, I’m sorry!”
Of COURSE he had retaliated and
nailed her with a snowball!
Had she honestly thought that would
go unchecked? That he WOULDN’T return
the favor? No, she knew him way better
than that, he hadn’t changed THAT much since their youth. “Are you REALLY? Prove it.” Crow challenged, his eyes lighting
with that fire and she didn’t disappoint.
She grabbed his face with her snow
covered hands and kissed him, setting the rest of him on fire. A second later, however, he had planted her
in that snowbank anyway. Because he was
sort of a gentleman, he went with her.
Mostly because she dragged his ass down with her.
“You ass!!” Melyssa laughed, plowing
his face with snow since he decided to join her and they rolled to where she
was on top of him, both laughing.
This time, Crow took the initiative
to kiss her first and rolled them again with him on top, her arms around his
neck pressing against him. It would not
surprise her if the snow beneath them melted into a puddle because now she was
on fire. His cold lips were warmed up
instantly with hers and they became lost in each other, right there in the
snow, in the middle of the deserted park.
“Yeah, I’m an ass,” He agreed in a
husky rumble when the kiss finally broke, a bit surprised that they WEREN’T
laying in a puddle of warm water because he was a bit hot under the
collar. Crow was betting Melyssa was
too, she had those bedroom eyes going on again and he smiled down at her,
bending down to brush his red nose along hers. “But in my defense, you threw
the first snowball, I was just retaliating.” Extensively, but he wasn’t one to
do anything half-assed whether it was fighting, fucking or anything in between.
“Okay, okay, fine I concede to that.”
Melyssa had started it, but it’d been
worth it to see the shocked look on his face.
And they had fun, so that was a plus as well. She smiled, her teal eyes glittering up at
him and gasped softly when he touched his cold nose against the side of her
still warm neck. Her entire body felt as
if it’d been dipped in molten lava, but his cold nose could still be felt.
“Admit it though, it was fun having a
snowball fight with me. That’s something
we’ve never done before.” Jurai did not get snow since it was on the ocean and
the temperature never dropped below 50 degrees.
“I’ll admit nothing, that wasn’t a
snowball fight.” Crow snorted, though he was pushing himself off of her and
extended his hands to help Melyssa get up to her feet.
Right now, they were both toasty, but
he knew once that wore off, they were going to be freezing in their now wet and
icy clothes. And children did this
regularly for fun, he wasn’t sure why.
Three minutes of fun for fifteen of potential frost bite on the nethers
didn’t seem like an appropriate trade-off.
“I don’t know about you, but hot
chocolate sounds good right about now, and a hot shower.” He wiggled his
eyebrows down at her.
“Mmm…both sound like a great idea.”
She brought his mouth down on hers, kissing him a little harder with more
passion and fire, pulling back only when they needed oxygen to breathe. “Shower
first, definitely shower first.”
Crow nodded, wrapping her arm around
her shoulders as they left the park to head back to the apartment. Her cheeks were rosy red, along with her
nose, and his was the same way, but they were anything but cold. It was so easy being with Crow and it made
her wonder if it was TOO easy. No, I’m not overthinking it, not this time, and I will just go
with the flow and whatever happens, happens.
Of course, it was easy, they had
known each other all their lives and even with the miscommunication issues
they’d had, not to mention his death, and subsequent memory loss, and her being
stuck underground for 2 years…. things tended to work out. When it was right at least. Considering how late they had slept in, this
had been a great way to wake up and shake off the sluggishness.
“Not going to lie, cooking tonight
isn’t high on my list of shit to do, Lyssa.” He informed her, watching his
breath ‘fog’ the air before his nose as they walked.
She smiled back at him, shaking her
head slowly. “Don’t worry about cooking.
I’ll take care of it.” He raised a brow down at her and she snuggled
into his side, the cold finally seeping into her bones during the walk. Being close to him was keeping her somewhat
warm, thankfully. “I can whip up something fast. I was thinking of making chili tonight for
dinner.” He groaned because he knew it was also one of her mother’s famous
recipes she used to make in Jurai. “We’ll shower, have some hot chocolate and
then I’ll start making it. It will be
done in a few hours after I let it simmer and by then, we’ll be ready to chow
down.”
Crow could think of several ways to
kill the time and he didn’t bother mentioning them to her. Melyssa might be offended if he actually said
‘Blade’ first, sex afterwards, inwardly chuckling. He was a man with a healthy appetite, but he
didn’t need sex all the time either. Not
to mention, he didn’t want to wear out the novelty within a short time frame,
nothing like constant humping to burn out a good thing. That was what had happened with her and Ash,
minus the part where she didn’t love Ash and Ash was a dick.
“Sounds good.”
After a hot shower together, with no
sex, just a lot of touching from washing each other, Melyssa made them a big
pot of hot chocolate, using her coffeemaker.
It was something her mother used to do for her and Crow whenever they
would jump into the ocean on a chilly day.
Chilly days came few and far between for Jurai, so it wasn’t often, but
when she did, it was delicious.
“Here you go, I even put marshmallows
in it.” She grinned, holding her own cup, and sat down on the couch beside him,
drawing her feet up to tuck beneath her butt.
The warmth of the cup alone made the cold begin melting away. “I started
the chili too.”
“Mmm, delicious.”
His palm was bandaged from being cut,
so he could get into her warded apartment.
Fortunately, it would never be a problem again for him to enter hers and
vice versa. After what had happened with
McBurn, there would be NO repeat, hence the blood magic. Crow was glad he wasn’t someone who saw
things in shade of black and white, but also saw the grey areas or else they
wouldn’t be here like this right now, she’d still be in hiding. Fortunately for him, she was just as
practical as he was.
“You know, you could have asked me
for help. I can pretend to cook too.”
“Oh no, no, no, no, you just sit
right there and drink your hot chocolate and let me do the cooking.”
She recalled the ONE time at Thors he
had nearly burned the dormitory down because of his horrible cooking skills. That hadn’t been pleasant and the smell
lingered for DAYS. No thanks, she was
good, especially since this apartment wasn’t the biggest.
“And yes, this is delicious.” Melyssa
took a sip of her hot chocolate and then another when both of their ARCUS II’s
went off simultaneously.
That wasn’t good.
It never was.
Crow answered his while she took both
of their cups to the kitchen, overhearing Rean on speakerphone telling them
City Hall was on FIRE!
Chapter 88
“On my way.”
Crow was already up, hanging up and
turned to look at her. The fact that the
place was on heavy security, with the top technology and magic to prevent
things like from happening and it STILL happened…in the winter. McBurn was a logical, reasonable guess. “I’ll
let you know what’s going on when I get there.
Rean says there’s an odd smell.” Which was what she had said about
McBurn, his nose wrinkled. “Unless you’re coming?”
He never thought that maybe Melyssa
needed to stay put, where she was both safe and not a distraction for them, or
that this was a way of drawing her out from behind the wards. She wasn’t a damn damsel in distress and
could hold her own! She didn’t need
anyone protecting her or telling her to stay put! Melyssa wanted to fight just like the rest of
them and already had her Cutlass and Crossbow in hand, shoes on.
“Damn right, I am. I know who this is.” McBurn – neither of them
needed to say the name. “We need to end this once and for all, Crow. I’m sick of being in hiding and constantly
living in fear of him.” Crow nodded in agreement, knowing she was right. This was no way to live and she was DONE
hiding. She had no idea what Ouroboros
had in store for Crossbell City, but one thing was certain: McBurn had plans of
his own and this was his way of drawing her out. “He’ll be gunning for me.”
There wasn’t a doubt in her voice or mind.
“Yeah, I know. We’re idiots bringing you into the thick of it.”
Crow said cheerfully, slipping across to his own apartment to change and equip
his own weapons. Anyone with a lick of
common sense would have made the target stay safe, but not them. Between him and Melyssa, common sense was a
rarity and he could already HEAR Rean sniping and fretting at them for her
coming along, his grin grew wider. “Let’s nail that sucker, he needs to GO.” He
was practically giddy.
In fact, Rean had just sent a text
telling Crow not to bring her. Somehow,
he doubted Crow cared because Crow sent back a thumb’s up and a smiley
face. He hated his best friend
sometimes.
~!~
“Do NOT make me burn Crossbell City
to the ground, Melyssa Brackett!!”
Those were the first words they heard
upon arrival and there he was, in the flesh, bathed in a fiery, red and black
glow. It was a powerful aura surrounding
him and she swallowed hard, unsheathing her Cutlass. McBurn wasn’t alone either.
He brought backup, a little…INSURANCE
policy to make sure Melyssa didn’t try to run from him. “Melyssa, we need to
have a conversation and I’m not leaving until we do! Someone’s here who wants to say hello to his
daughter, after all!”
“Dad.” Melyssa muttered, feeling
something cold and hard forming in her stomach while she stared up at him from
a distance. Even this far, she could see
McBurn with her captive father, his hands bound behind his back and his
face…she had to steel herself, no matter how much it hurt her to see him in
this predicament.
“Melyssa, don’t act irrationally this
time.” Rean warned, watching her nod and he nodded in return, his Tachi
unsheathed. “He wants to talk to her. We
should at least hear what he has to say and then we can engage him.”
“Why must you jump in the heat of the
moment, Rean?” Machias pinched the bridge of his nose while Ash simply
shrugged, shaking his head.
“Rean’s right. And besides, I want to hear what the Almighty
Conflagration has to say. My father is a
dick, but I still love him and I don’t want to see him die by that asshole’s
hands.” Not after what happened to her grandfather.
“You are far kinder than you should
be.” Crow informed her, glancing down at her with a curved lip. “The last time
we did the talking thing, it ended badly.” Which was about as close to ‘don’t
be stupid again’ as he was getting.
Bleeding hearts…he rolled his fiery eyes and stepped away, shaking his
head when Melyssa just gave him a look. “You and Rean are more than welcome to
parlay with the pair of them, and I’ll just gracefully bow out here because I’m
not watching this again.” His duty was to Crossbell, not her and if she was
going to put stupid first…He wasn’t spending another 2 years in mourning. “This
is exactly like Jurai, Lyssa.”
“Crow…” Melyssa frowned, wishing he
didn’t see it like that, but she knew she couldn’t change his mind either.
“Okay, City Hall is at risk, along with my father and the civilians of
Crossbell City. I don’t want this to be
like Jurai again…and it WON’T be because I’m not bowing down to him like
before.” She was stronger, an Enforcer of Ouroboros, as much as she detested
that title, and another Enforcer was encroaching on her territory, calling her
out. “If you have any other ideas, I’m all ears.” Her eyes conveyed the truth
to him and she wanted to reach for his hand, but now wasn’t the time to show
affection towards each other. “What do you think we should do about this?”
Machias, Rean and even Ash turned
their attention from Melyssa to Crow, wanting to hear what he had to say.
“Well for starters, Roger is a
scumbag.” Crow stated flatly. “The last time you went to talk to him, you wound
up underground for 2 years and he REFUSED to tell us anything. Rean said he refused to tell YOU anything, so
why are you even considering doing this all over again? This is McBurn using a daughter’s love to get
you close to him. I say Roger is
collateral damage and our target is taking out McBurn. If we can bring Roger in alive, great, if
not…oh well.” He knew it was cold, but she wanted to know what he thought and
this was about putting everyone, HER, over Roger’s stupid ass…again.
Wow, that was cold of him and Melyssa
realized, at that moment, just how much of ‘C’ was bred into him. The leader of a terrorist group, who nearly
destroyed Erebonia…all for revenge. This
was her father and, no matter what he’d done in the past, he loved her and he
was great to her and her mother. They
never knew his secret being connected to Ouroboros and he never wanted them to
find out. He also took care of Crow when
he was a little boy…so for Crow not to feel ANYTHING towards him…it hurt her on
the inside.
“Crow, with all due respect, that is
her family and…you’re being very harsh when speaking about her father. My own has done things I am not comfortable
or happy with, surely, but I would never sacrifice him to the likes of McBurn.”
Machias spoke up, seeing the heartbroken expression cross Melyssa’s face
briefly before it was gone again. “We do not want this to turn into another
Jurai incident, you are right about that, so we should come up with a solid
plan before moving forward.”
Just because your
family abandoned you and left you with your grandfather doesn’t mean I’ll
abandon my family, Crow. Melyssa was glad she hadn’t said that out loud and squared her
shoulders, refusing to let the emotions dictate her actions this time around.
“We take Robert Brackett alive, if possible.
I have a lot of questions and he has the answers. I know he does. Including what Ouroboros’ ultimate game plan
is with the city. We find a way to save
him from McBurn and get out of there.” Because there was no way they could take
McBurn down, not with just the four of them.
Not even all of Class VII united would be enough, she feared.
That was just how powerful this man
was.
“You figure it out.” Crow shrugged
one shoulder carelessly, swinging a pistol on his forefinger before holstering.
“Just tell me where to aim.”
This was going to be exactly like
Jurai with her telling them what they were doing and everyone falling in
line. She had questions back then and
that had played out so well, unless Rean was lying about Roger refusing to
answer anything during their ‘meeting’.
He knew for a fact Roger didn’t answer anything AFTER the fact.
“Fine, I will. Just follow my lead.”
This would NOT be like Jurai. For one, they had more backup and two, she
wasn’t a scared little girl anymore. She
was a trained Ouroboros Enforcer, skilled and deadly, much like McBurn. The only difference was she didn’t have
powers like he did. She didn’t come from
whatever dimension or hellhole he did either.
Holding her Cutlass in one hand and her Crossbow in the other, the five
of them made their way toward the front of City Hall. Crow was on her right, Rean was on her left
with Machias and Ash in the back, their weapons also unsheathed. Melyssa congratulated herself for not jumping
back or flinching when McBurn appeared before them, at the top of the steps,
holding Robert by his hair roughly.
“I see you haven’t learned your
lesson from the past, precious.” McBurn crooned, tightening his grip on Robert.
“Here to try to save dear ol’ Daddy this time?”
“We both know that won’t happen, so
let’s cut to the chase. You summoned ME
here and here I am, so what do you want, McBurn? What is ALL of this about? You wanted my attention, I just hope you’re
prepared for the consequences of getting what you ask for.” Not a hint of fear
was in her eyes, her voice, her tone or her body language, her eyes not leaving
McBurn either. She was poised and ready
to strike at a moment’s notice, Crow and Rean having their weapons ready as
well.
“Mmm…feisty today, are we?”
“No, just sick and tired of your
bullshit.” Ash yawned out, being smarmy as ever.
“What he said.”
“If you’re trying to get back into
her panties, Carbide, I’m afraid Mr. Armbrust has already fulfilled that
position.”
Crow cocked an eyebrow and then
shrugged when he was given a few curious looks.
He didn’t say a word, however, McBurn was talking enough for all of
them. As far as he was concerned, he was
here for the dirty work and if things went south, he was aiming for Roger
first. Crow had been a terrorist before
and now he was willing to do some shady shit for Melyssa, whether she liked it
or not. He’d just not say it out loud.
“Believe me, I had my fill of her,
something YOU will never achieve, asshole.” Ash shot back with a smirk and he
could tell that did NOT make McBurn happy in the slightest. Good.
He hoped that fiery asshole crawled back in the hole he came out of.
“And not that it’s any of YOUR
business who’s in my panties, it’s NEVER going to be you, McBurn. I want NOTHING to do with you and, if that’s
the only reason you summoned me here and lured me out with this little ‘show’ of
yours, you wasted your time.” She smiled coldly at him, deciding pissing him
off was the way to go because then he’d get emotional and make a mistake. One mistake was all they needed to make a
move. “And why is Robert here anyway?
Did you really think using my father as leverage was going to work in
your favor?”
“You little bitch!” McBurn hissed
out, looking down at Robert, who had a plea in his eyes that were directed
towards his daughter. “You have NO idea what this man has done to you, do
you? Why don’t you go ahead and tell
her, Robbie? Tell her the deal you made
with me ALL those years ago.”
“What are you talking about?” Just
what in Gehenna did her father do now? “Dad?”
“N-No! Y-You can’t…have her…s-she doesn’t…s-she’s
not…” Robert was having a hard time talking and grunted when McBurn threw him
on the ground at his feet, his hands still tied behind his back.
“I could always break you the hard
way, in front of her, if you don’t loosen that tongue of yours, Robbie. TELL. HER.”
Well now that was curious and
obviously McBurn was trying to get into her panties. The only thing Crow could compare him to was
that schoolyard bully, who didn’t know how to properly vocalize his feelings,
so he tugged the girl’s pigtails and taunted her relentlessly. However, given the way Melyssa was staring at
them, Crow felt her words about using ‘my father as leverage’ was indeed going
to work because for all her words, she had a kind heart, it was going to be her
downfall. Kind of like Rean. His best friend and his eventual woman…he had
a type.
Not this time. “I don’t care what it
is.” Her bleeding heart grew colder over those past 2 years and she backed
away, still holding her weapons. “Let’s just skip the formalities and the
explanations and get down to brass tactics, shall we? You’re either going to kill him or torture
him and we both know how much you LOVE torturing people, McBurn. Whatever ‘deal’ you two made together, I’m
not part of it and it doesn’t involve me.”
“But it does…more than you realize,
pet.” He pressed his boot against the man’s neck and they heard a slight
crack. It was sickening. “There was one
bone. I can break them all and end him
here and now, slowly and agonizingly, unless you do ONE SIMPLE THING and that’s
LISTEN and SHUT YOUR MOUTH.”
Melyssa was resigned and looked at
her father, waiting for him to talk through the pain he was in. “Get it over
with and tell me, so we can move on with this.”
Robert heard the resignation in his
daughter’s voice and grunted, knowing his neck would be screwed unless he came
clean. “Promised him…you. In exchange
for leaving the rest of the family alone.
Y-You were supposed to be his…when you turned 18…promised your…hand…in…”
“Marriage.” McBurn finished for him
with a wicked cackle.
Melyssa looked back and forth between
them and started laughing – outright LAUGHING – wondering if they were
serious. They were! “Well THAT’S not
happening!”
It was Ash who recovered first after
Melyssa was done with her laughing jag and silence reigned. Rean and Machias both looked disgusted and
shocked. Crow was standing there as if
he was totally bored, though Ash did NOT miss the dark amusement in those near
blood red eyes, that didn’t bode well.
“So, all of this bullshit is because you
can’t get laid like a normal guy?”
Machias brought a hand up over his
mouth.
“Seriously, what kind of sick
pedophile accepts a LITTLE GIRL as a future bride? You really are a million shades of messed up,
aren’t you?”
“Did you NOT hear the old man say
when she’s 18, piss ant?!” McBurn couldn’t BELIEVE the audacity of these
people! They were laughing at him!! The aura around him flared up and his eyes
narrowed to slits at Melyssa, who was laughing all over again at Ash Carbide’s
crack. “Laugh it up, but you belong to ME, Melyssa, and nobody can change
it! We did a blood oath on it, so if you
don’t become mine, your father DIES!”
Chapter 89
“And you think I care? Granted, we wanted to save Robert to question
him about some stuff, but…no, I’m not sacrificing myself ever again. I learned my lesson the hard way,
McBurn. If you want me, you’ll have to
kill me first.” Melyssa had a lot of conviction in her voice, the laughter gone
and she pointed her Crossbow at him. “In fact, I’m done talking.” Then, she
shot him right in the arm with an arrow and it went clean through his bicep.
At which point, McBurn finished
snapping Roger’s neck with his foot.
“NO!”
That was Rean. Crow didn’t even feel the littlest bit
bad. Roger had SOLD his little daughter to
a mass murderer to save his family, which had worked out GREAT considering he
had murdered his own father-in-law and Melyssa was technically his ONLY
child. Wow. He thought HE was messed up in the head
sometimes, but THAT took the cake. Crow
would never ever question his morals or anything else for the rest of his life,
that was for damn sure. McBurn was
coming at them, with fire beginning to flow everywhere.
Machias was thankful he had ordered
the entire city block evacuated and then barricaded, trapping them all in a
‘square’ of sorts. Hopefully, the SOS he
had sent would bring in the rest of the group because they weren’t able to take
down McBurn by themselves.
“NO!” Melyssa began emanating an
orange aura around them all, ignoring the shocked expression on Crow’s face
because her eyes were glued to McBurn.
He could not break through her
barrier and she smiled coldly at him as he threw fireball after fireball at
them. No effect. It took her a while to figure out exactly
what her ‘power’ was that had him so captivated and, with Mariabell’s help, she
had understood what she could do. It
took a lot of practice, hours upon hours, but she had mastered it and hadn’t
needed to use it…until now. Each
fireball made her grunt a little as she kept her focus and shut her eyes,
channeling her strength into the ‘shield’ of sorts. She was called the Orange Flame for a
reason. Her orange flames would prevail
over his red ones, even if it took her life in the end.
Her fire, inner and outer, and he had
seen potential when she was a wee one, which was about the only reason he had
accepted Roger’s pathetic little proposal in the beginning. Admittedly, McBurn had popped in to eyeball
her over the years, keeping tabs on his eventual property and it had been a pleasant
surprise to find that Melyssa Brackett was growing up to be a beautiful, if not
headstrong, young woman. Of course, he
continued monitoring her growth in potential, noting she had been smart, even
as a child, and the beauty thing on top of everything else had been the only
reason he hadn’t reneged and just killed them all. Sparing a man’s ‘family’ of technically three
via accepting a very delayed payout…hadn’t seemed very appealing after the
first few years.
“Oh come now, Melyssa,” He taunted, more
amused by her attempt to harm him than anything. She had grown in her talents that was for
sure, but she’d never surpass him. “The man sold you off to save him and your
mother, how mad are you really?”
Grief, pain, anguish, love,
sadness…it all flashed in her eyes, wave after wave, though she was more
heartbroken over her grandfather’s death.
Yes, she loved her father, but…the man had been a scumbag from day
one. Who in Gehenna SOLD their only
daughter to their enemy?! Promised her
hand in marriage at such a tender age?!
Robert Brackett died with a lot of regrets, she assumed, but that wasn’t
her problem and she had to fight to live now.
“I hate you with every fiber of my being,
McBurn, with everything inside of me.
For EVERYTHING you’ve done to me and my family! And you WON’T take away the family I’ve built
with these people, not unless it’s over my dead body! You’ll have to kill me first!” Without
realizing it, she was using her own life force, her very wellbeing, in order to
protect them from the fireballs McBurn kept tossing at them while taunting her.
And he knew it. McBurn was able to read Melyssa like a
book. No matter what she said or how
dramatic she got, and boy this woman fit in with the rest of Class VII both
past and present on the dramatics. He
could read her clear as day. She was
weakening herself because she thought they were targets when all he was doing
was patiently working on ‘killing’ her battery, so to speak.
“Uh huh, keep talking, precious bride
of mine.” The Ashen Chevalier was zoning up, he spotted him and Carbide forming
a Combat Link and inwardly snorted, that was just precious.
It had never worked in the past and
it wouldn’t now.
Suddenly, everyone was blown back,
including McBurn, by a ferocious gust of wind.
Or that’s what it felt like, but it was power. Sheer power. “That. Is. ENOUGH!”
Melyssa blinked, feeling weak after
exerting so much energy with that shield and looked up at none other than the
Grandmaster, who was bathed in a yellow glow.
“So, we finally find out the truth,
McBurn.” The Grandmaster shook her head sadly while staring down at her dead
Enforcer…his life taken at the hands of another Enforcer she had recruited long
ago. “I have speculated and wondered for years why you had such an…interest in the Brackett family. I could not put my finger on it and neither
could the others, not even my lovely Anguis.
But you have finally played your hand and revealed what this was all
really about. Why you wanted this girl,
the Orange Flame, recruited in the first place.
Lying to me, assuring me she wanted this…” That pissed her off because
NOBODY could manipulate the Grandmaster…until now.
“You’re done, McBurn.” Mariabell
appeared beside the Grandmaster while the other Anguis followed suit. “You have
stained the name of Ouroboros with your pitiful plan and you have DISRESPECTED
our Grandmaster.”
“Why do you think I was always on
Melyssa’s side, McBurn, hmm? Why do you
think things seemingly fell into place for her in Ouroboros and why I INSISTED
on her becoming an Enforcer?” The Grandmaster was not stupid, not by a long
shot and she smiled coldly at her fiery Enforcer. “Because I KNEW something
more was going on with you…and I wanted you to get to the point where you
finally lost all sense of rationality and you have. And that’s why you tracked down Robert
Brackett, thinking you could use him as bait against Melyssa…to FORCE her to be
with you.” She shook her finger, tsking beneath her breath. “You convinced me
to invade Jurai because you wanted to kickstart the Noble Faction back up again
and form another Alliance. I did as you
requested…but I always had my doubts about WHY and now I know. I know EVERYTHING. Just like you convinced me we should take
over Crossbell City because it would put us in ‘GREAT’ power.” She snorted,
rolling her eyes. “Why do you think we haven’t made a move on Crossbell
City? Again, I didn’t believe your intentions
and I wanted to weed out what you truly desired.”
That made sense because, with all the
security measures and everything else, a war with Ouroboros should have broken
out long ago.
“Machias Regnitz, I apologize for
putting a hit out on you. Again, my
foolish Enforcer convinced me it was the right thing to do and I will NEVER
make that mistake again.” The Grandmaster could admit when she was wrong from
time to time, nodding at Mariabell, who walked over to where Melyssa lay.
“Stay still, you used up a great deal
of your energy with that shield of yours.
I’ll help you.”
“W-Why?”
Mariabell smiled softly. “You’re one
of us, Melyssa. Whether you want to be
or not, once you become an Enforcer, it’s for life.”
“B-But…I-I want to be happy…I-I want to
go on an adventure and not be bogged down by Ouroboros…”
“What makes you think you can’t?”
“Melyssa, if you wish to relinquish
your ties to Ouroboros, as an Enforcer, I suppose I can make an exception given
all that’s happened. However, I want you
think long and hard about this decision.
Don’t make it now. Just because
you are an Enforcer with Ouroboros does not mean you can’t live your life and
have adventures. Mariabell is getting
married here soon and she is going to cut back on her Anguis duties because she
wishes to have a child.” The Grandmaster turned to face Rean Schwarzer, the
Ashen Chevalier and Crow Armbrust, the Azure Chevalier. “Wielders of the Divine
Knights, you do not need to worry about the safety and security of Crossbell
City any longer. Ouroboros is pulling
out of this city, Jurai, and others to go back to where we belong for the time
being. We are not your enemy as of
today. Maybe in the future, but today,
there is no reason to fight. Unless of
course, you wish to do battle.”
“YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM
ME!! I WAITED FOR HER FOR TOO
LONG!! YOU HAVE LOST YOUR TOUCH, OLD
WOMAN!! IT IS TIME FOR A NEW LEADER!!”
“And it is time for you to go back
where you came from, McBurn.” Snapping her fingers, a portal opened up and she
flicked it, watching his body fly into the vortex before it closed. “He was
sent back to his own dimension and will never be able to enter Zemuria
again. His punishment is eternal
isolation for everything he has done.”
“So…he’s…gone?” Melyssa was having a
hard time talking while Mariabell continued pumping magic into her to help
replenish her life force. “H-He won’t be able to get out of t-there?”
“Not without my permission and I will
not give it.”
“I can’t be the only one who thinks
this is way too easy.” Ash said after a very long silence, his pink eyes
narrowing when Rean simply stared at the Grandmaster, obviously studying
her. Rean was going to accept whatever
the Gehenna the woman had just said. He
side-eyed Melyssa, that woman…was extremely lucky because everything did fall
in place for her. Whether via divine
intervention or someone else pulling the strings because it wasn’t just
Ouroboros who fell in line when it came to her.
They all did it too.
“Oh, she’ll keep her word,” Crow said
lazily, shrugging one shoulder when the Grandmaster’s eyes turned to him and
mockingly bowed. “For now.” When it became convenient to break it, she would.
All that bullshit over Melyssa,
Ouroboros was stupid. He would have cut
her off and kept McBurn, just because that was where the power was and Melyssa
was an unknown when it came to where her loyalty lied concerning
Ouroboros. Fortunately, he wasn’t in any
position where he had to worry about making calls like that. Being a retired terrorist suited him, Crow
didn’t think he had the stomach for it anymore.
“I made my decision long ago,
Grandmaster.” Melyssa informed her, her eyes moving from the woman up to Crow,
those red orbs boring down at her. “I started this journey because of Crow,
because I wanted to reunite with him.
I’ve loved him since we were kids and…I just want to be free to go on
adventures with him and sail the seas. I
don’t want to be an Enforcer and I never did.” There was no point hiding the
truth since the Grandmaster was obviously on her side. “He’s my home. He’s where I belong.”
The Grandmaster and Mariabell both
nodded at each other, understanding the young woman very well. “All right then,
close your eyes, Melyssa.” Mariabell instructed, waiting for her to do so and
closed her own, pressing two fingers to her temple to begin chanting under her
tongue. Breakth
thy bonds and free her burden, no more suffering, no more yearning. No longer an Enforcer, she is free as a bird,
the bonds are no more.
Melyssa gasped out sharply, feeling
something leave her body and her eyes flew open, glowing pure orange for a
split second before they returned to normal.
“Whoa, what the fuck did you do to
her?!” Ash demanded angrily, watching Crow, the true love of her life
apparently, rush to her side. Deep down,
he always knew it’d been Crow. Everyone
did. “Is she okay?!”
“She’s free now. The bonds between her and Ouroboros are no more
and she can live however she desires.” The Grandmaster waved her hand as
Mariabell came to her side and they both cracked a small smile. “Until we meet
again, Class VII. Farewell for now.”
Then, they were gone.
Melyssa would sleep for 3 days
straight to recover her life force as well as recover from severing her bond
with Ouroboros.
~!~
Selene was called in to monitor
Melyssa because nobody had any experience with this or idea of what had
happened, besides what the Grandmaster had said. Most of them were taking that with a grain of
salt because… Ouroboros…it was Ouroboros.
They took shifts sitting with her, keeping her body in Machias’ office,
letting her sleep on a couch in the corner.
It was the easiest place to watch her since Rean, Ash and Crow were all
bodyguards and Crow stayed the night in City Hall, a bit amused with how quiet
it always was once the doors closed. He
was on high alert that first night, waiting for someone to come finish the job.
Obviously, nobody did.
It was the third night when she
finally began stirring and he was there, sitting on the edge of the couch,
brushing her dark blue hair because life continued whether she were awake or
not. This was how he knew he loved the
woman. “Lyssa?” He asked softly, watching her eyelashes beginning to flutter,
hoping whatever the Grandmaster did hadn’t caused any lasting damage or changed
anything about her core self.
“Crow?” Melyssa felt as if she was
waking up from a dream and looked up at him, smiling softly at the worry in his
eyes. It did her heart good that he was
the first person she laid eyes on upon awaking.
He continued brushing her hair, nodding and she let out a huge yawn,
trying to wake up. Where was she? “What
happened? The last thing I remember was
Mariabell casting some kind of spell on me…or doing something…” She yawned
again, really needing some caffeine and had NO idea how long she’d been out
for. “What time is it?”
“The better question,” He said
calmly, shifting her so she was leaning against his chest, setting the brush
aside. “Is what day is it? What year?”
At her gasp, he grinned and kissed the side of her neck, wrapping his arms
around her and squeezed gently, relief in the gesture. “Just kidding, it’s been
3 days.”
Chapter 90
“You’re an idiot.” Celine informed
him, leaping from the desk to the couch’s arm, blinking her eyes at Melyssa.
“The Grandmaster had Mariabell separate you from Ouroboros. From my understanding, it was quite the
show.”
“Your eyes went pure orange.” Like
her entire body on the inside had been in flames.
“They did?” Melyssa felt weak,
but…not in a bad way, in the way that happened whenever someone slept for 3
days straight. At least, that’s what it
felt like. “They really did it, then.”
“Did what?” Celine cocked her head.
“They took the power out of me by
severing the link between me and Ouroboros.” Melyssa understood what happened
now, waking up a little more and sat up with Crow’s help. “When you become an
Enforcer, there’s a ceremony that’s performed and they inject this…power inside
of you. It’s not MY power that I
was…born with, I guess. The Grandmaster
said I have some kind of power inside of me that can create a shield and that’s
what I used to fend off McBurn’s magic.
The problem is it uses up your life force and…I exerted myself, which is
probably why I couldn’t handle the severing without passing out.” Slowly, she
looked up at Crow and leaned back against his chest, her hands coming up to
squeeze his forearms. “I’m sorry if I scared you or worried you.”
“Nah, you know me, nothing worries
me.” He joked, though the truth was shining in his red eyes as he stared down
at her.
Well, that explained quite a bit
about her and that shield. Now that he
knew it basically ran on her like she was a human battery, however, he hoped
she never used the damn thing again. Her
life wasn’t worth the time it bought. Or
maybe some time with Rosalie was required, maybe the ancient witch with the perky
breasts -and he’d love to know who she had sold her soul to for THAT bit of
youth- could help her learn how to use this shield more effectively with less
risk to herself.
“Sure, that’s why your entire head of
hair is white.” Celine snorted, licking her paw. “I’ll let Rosalie know you’re
awake.”
“Thank you, Celine. Sorry for being such a troublemaker.”
“Yeah well, I’m used to it. I look after a troublemaker myself, you
know.” Celine winked her cat eye at the girl before hopping down to go inform
Rosalie what was going on.
That left Crow and Melyssa alone and
she felt his lips brush against the top of her head, his arms tightening around
her slightly. He was afraid she would
disappear again or fell back out, she could feel it. Melyssa knew him well and sat up more to turn
around to face him, staring into his crimson eyes. Then, she leaned forward to press her lips
against his and moaned at the first touch of him, the sound super soft. Three days, she had gone three days without
this man, right after they had finally gotten together too. It was three days too long and she pulled
back, rubbing her nose gently against his.
I love him so
much. And I know he heard what I said to
the Grandmaster, but I won’t bring it up first.
When he’s ready to talk about it, he will. “Three days, huh? I really am a troublemaker…”
“You are.” He agreed with a grim nod,
those soft kisses having set his blood to a low simmer, though the part of him
that actually loved her and not just loved to fuck her, informed him that
Melyssa had been asleep for 3 freaking days.
She needed food and drink, along with
a shower because sponge baths only went so far.
Actually, maybe she needed to sit in a shower and let the water run over
her, he could wash her hair and whatnot.
Crow wasn’t sure where her strength was at right now. Three days asleep wasn’t overly taxing,
nothing bad would happen to the body in that short amount of time, but given
what had PUT her in that state, that was potentially a whole new ballgame.
“Rosalie will be coming. You should probably let me baby you a little
bit more before she starts poking around in you.” Figuratively speaking.
“As long as it’s you doing the
babying, I don’t mind enduring it. But
first…” Melyssa kissed him again, this time with a little more passion and
fire, tasting him for the first time in 3 days.
What Crow didn’t realize was the
reason she had slept was her body just needed time to recover from all the life
force she used in that shield she produced.
Mariabell’s magic had helped with that and she felt…energized,
actually. It was weird since she’d been
asleep for 3 days, but it didn’t FEEL like three days.
“Okay, now I’ll behave and let you
baby me.” She grinned, giggling at his growl, and hugged him around the neck,
feeling his arms encircle her to return her embrace. “What do you want to do
with me first, Doctor Crow?”
“Not that.” He said it sternly,
amused when she instantly recoiled and then she realized the mischief in his
eyes and he was a bit surprised when she lashed out with a quick rap to his
forehead. “Touché…Still not that. Yet anyway.”
He grumbled, rubbing the spot with the heel of his hand. “You haven’t eaten or
drank anything in 3 days, so let’s start there.
You want something from the cafeteria or the vending machine?”
Crow was already up, moving to
Machias’ water cooler to get her a cup of cold water. He also had fresh clothes for her because he
had left long enough to pack her a bag, knowing Melyssa wouldn’t take kindly to
being left in the same attire she had gone to City Hall in that night to
confront McBurn. That had just ended…
badly, and good.
McBurn was gone.
She wasn’t talking about sex! The cheeky jerk! Melyssa couldn’t wipe the smile off her face because
she knew what else had happened and remembered it vividly. McBurn was GONE. History.
He would never bother her again and she could be free to do whatever she
wanted in her life. All she wanted to do
was be with Crow. Wherever he went, she
would follow because she would not lose him again.
“Actually, I really need a
shower. Three days sleeping…yeah…”
Melyssa probably stunk to high heavens and bit back a groan, sipping some of
the water he handed her.
“Yeah, you do. I’ve been sponge bathing you and that only
goes so far.” Crow was rifling around in the bag he had brought her from her
apartment, not feeling an ounce of shame as he pulled out underwear along with
a bag of toiletries. He had even been a
gentleman and gotten her the boring underwear, a plain cotton set. “I’ll have
you know, I was a perfect gentleman and did not ogle and/or grope you while you
were unconscious and I did your nethers.” Because he wasn’t letting his woman
get swamp ass or crotch, he was way more considerate than that. “I’ll walk you
to the showers.” Which were in the lower levels, with the cafeteria, how
convenient for him. “And then while you’re doing that, I’ll make you something
light to eat, yeah?”
“Crow…” How was Melyssa supposed to
tell him she felt perfectly fine? “Look, I appreciate your concern and all
you’ve done for me, but…I don’t know how to say this…” She looked pensive
suddenly, chewing her thumbnail and decided to just come out and say it. “I
feel fine. I don’t feel…weak or
anything. It’s hard to explain, but I
feel…energized for some reason. Like I
could run a marathon or take on a whole slew of monsters by myself. It’s weird, right? Tell me it’s weird and I shouldn’t feel like
this after sleeping for 3 days straight…” Whatever Mariabell had done to her,
it revitalized her.
“Lyssa, hate to break it to you, but
I have functioning eyes and I can see you’re perfectly fine.” Crow informed her
quietly, said functioning eyes raking over her. “Your entire body is
practically thrumming with energy, doesn’t change the fact that you haven’t ate
and you need a shower. Rosalie will
probably be able to tell you why you’re bouncing around like a fully charged
battery, but I can’t. Magic is way above
my paygrade.” He utilized it, obviously, but he wasn’t able to explain how it
worked or anything like that and he didn’t abhor it the way Ash did. Grinning at the look she gave him, Crow began
guiding her out of the office.
“It must have something to do with
the spell, Armbrust.” Rosalie had arrived, her staff in hand and looking
bewitchingly beautiful as ever with her long blonde hair and a smirk on her
lips. “Welcome back to the land of the living, dearie.”
“Thanks…and you mean the severing of
the bonds?”
“Well that, but…Mariabell DID siphon
her magic into you to save your life because you had used a great deal of your
life force with your…power.” Rosalie explained, sounding almost bored and
stifled a yawn. Emma was due any day now
with the triplets and she had been running around like a chicken with her head
removed, trying to get everything ready for their arrival. “A shower and food,
you’ll be right as rain. You do need
sustenance, no matter how GOOD you feel right now. It may wear off.”
“Okay.”
“Good girl for not arguing. I’ll be off then.” Rosalie disappeared in
front of them and Crow proceeded to guide Melyssa to the showers like he
originally planned on doing.
Melyssa had to admit, a shower felt
AMAZING after three days of sleeping.
While she was in the shower, Crow was
both whipping up something even HE couldn’t mess up while explaining what
Rosalie had said to Rean via the ARCUS.
The idea that Mariabell, who was certifiably insane, had actually SAVED
Melyssa’s life was both a good thing and a worrisome one because things like
that…usually had to be repaid later on down the road. Mariabell wasn’t generally one to do
something out of the goodness of her heart.
Not unless she and Melyssa had become the best of friends or
something. Now there was a disturbing
thought, though… maybe that was how people viewed him and Rean since he was
technically a former terrorist. By the
time she walked into the cafeteria, Crow had microwaved leftovers and was
setting it out, enough for both of them since his appetite had picked up.
A turkey sandwich and some soup that
looked like chicken noodle. She smiled
at his thoughtfulness and leaned down to softly brush her lips against his.
“Thank you.” Sitting down, she waited for Crow to join her since he had a
setting for himself and together, they began eating. Food tasted amazing after three days without
it and she sucked down her water. Crow
got up to get her refill before she could, ordering her to stay put. “If
there’s ginger ale, I’d love some of that too.” Melyssa began eating again,
finishing her sandwich, and had dipped some of it in the soup, which was
delicious.
Crow rifled, finally finding a few
bottles and carried them over to her, setting down the water first followed by two
ginger ales for her and one for himself.
He dropped down at the cafeteria table, sitting opposite of her, and had
made himself some as well. Crow had
skipped the soup in favor of a few bags of chips. Now that he thought about it, he slid one to
her. She probably needed her sodium
levels balanced out after that 3 day power nap his lovely little battery
charger had taken.
“Rean will be here in a few hours,
there’s no point in moving you until morning, nobody but us knows you’re here.”
“We’re in City Hall, right?”
“Yeah, in Machias’ office part,
actually. It wasn’t scorched by McBurn.”
“Got it. Whatever you want to do, Crow. I’ll comply.” Melyssa winked at him, feeling
a lot better about everything now that McBurn was gone for good and she was OUT
of Ouroboros completely. She was not an
Enforcer anymore. “When we’re finally released out of here, there’s somewhere I
want to go.” She informed him, after she was done eating and didn’t know how
Crow would react to this, but she felt it was something she had to do. “And I’m
hoping you’ll go with me.”
Crow raised a brow and couldn’t help asking the obvious question. “Yeah, I
will, but where do you wanna go?”
“McBurn is gone and I’m no longer an
Enforcer of Ouroboros. I want to do what
we said we were going to do.” That day in the park, the same night she had been
set free and McBurn had been exiled from their world. “I want to go on an
adventure with you and sail the seas to travel all over Zemuria.”
Crow smiled widely, remembering that
conversation vividly because he had also been thinking about it, long and
hard. While she was out for those 3
days, all he’d been thinking about was them running away together, telling
Class VII and everyone to screw themselves and to live the rest of their lives
the way they wanted. He didn’t realize
Melyssa had the same exact mindset he did.
Taking his hands, Melyssa laced their
fingers together and stared deep into his crimson eyes, so much love swirling
through them. “I just want to be with you, Crow. No matter where we go, what we do…I know
finding my Mom should be a priority, but…I have a feeling she’s going to remain
in hiding. And I’m done worrying about
her. I know she’ll be fine.” She had
survived this long, after all.
Crow smirked, knowing she meant every
words he said and leaned forward to softly brush his lips against hers. “Wanna
hit the road then, Lyssa? Just you and
me?” They could go to Jurai, grab a boat from there and then begin their
sailing adventure together.
By the time Rean arrived, all that
was left behind was a note from Crow, explaining where he’d gone with
Melyssa. He smiled, in spite of
everything that had happened, shaking his head and knew they truly were meant
to be together. Melyssa’s heart had
always been with Crow and he was happy for both of them, glad she had taken his
advice to tell Crow how she felt. Rean
really did enjoy happy endings and folded the note, slipping it in his back
pocket and went to inform everyone Crow and Melyssa had taken off.
~!~
A week later, Melyssa was standing on
the deck of a beautiful boat they had acquired in Jurai from a retired
fisherman. They had gotten a hell of a
deal and she was wearing a cream colored sundress, leaning on the railing. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist from
behind and she smiled, leaning back against him as they watched the sunset
together.
“I forgot to tell you something,
Lyssa.” Crow figured it was now or never and the setting practically screamed
at him to do it.
“Hmm?
What’s that, love?” Melyssa felt his lips brush against her neck and his
arms tightened around her slightly, making her smile. “Don’t leave me in
suspense, Armbrust.”
Just as the sun began setting over the
horizon, Crow turned her around to stare down into her beautiful teal eyes and
cupped her face tenderly in his strong hands. “I love you too.” Then, he kissed
her and Melyssa’s heart exploded with newfound love for him, kissing him back
with equal passion.
Any other obstacles that were put in
front of them would be knocked down.
That was what their life revolved around, overcoming impediments, and
eventually finding their way to each other.
The path had taken a lot of twists and turns with Melyssa thinking she
was in love with Rean Schwarzer and even Ash Carbide, thanks to a dark
spell. Ultimately, however, her heart
belonged to Crow Armbrust and nothing would EVER change that fact. No matter where life took them next, whether
it was finding her mother somewhere in Zemuria or simply settling down with
Crow somewhere, Melyssa was ready to take the journey WITH him.
Never again would she take a
peregrination without the love of her life beside her.
The End.