D E S E R T ❁ D E S I R ES// A.BAY

AN EVENING DRIVE

---Lidia's POV---

"Where the hell did you get your license, a poker game?!" The car jolted as we made a sharp turn, the hands around my waist, holding me firmly. 

Why is it that I always find myself in these situations? Racing against a clock, running, fighting, and more recently (and by recently, I mean currently) a high-speed car chase with a mob of brainwashed people right on our tail.

"Who said I had a license?!" The car side swiped a market stall.  

"GOD DAMN IT JONATHAN!" I yelled at him.

Maybe we should start a few hours back. Before we got in the car......

Left and right books laid strewn across the floor. Apparently, there hadn't been enough time to put them all back on the shelf before Evie left for Hamunaptra. At least the piles on the floor were somewhat grouped by alphabetical order. I rolled up my sleeves and began sifting through the piles on the floor. Someone was bound to have written something down about all this at some point, right? Give me a crumb and I'll find the cake. I had amassed a decent sized pile when Ardeth had walked in.

"You didn't waste any time getting started I see."

"Well, we don't have any time to waste at all I'd say. I figured there might be something in this library that could help. Spells, hexes, peanut allergy, something." I couldn't help the sigh of frustration that passed my lips. "What's Terry doing?"

"Elder Bey is getting a message to the commanders. We hope we can get enough men here to push the creature back towards the desert and away from the people." Ardeth had leaned against the table where I had placed my books, arms crossed across his chest. 

"That's a three-day trip Ardeth, what if they don't make it in time?"

"We don't have many options. Unless we find a way to stop him ourselves, there's no telling how far we'll have to go." There was a spreading bloom of anxiety in my chest. I was usually good at handling these kinds of situations, but there was more to lose this time around. It's different when people you care about are directly involved. My hand reached up to rub my uninjured temple, attempting to rub some of the tension out my face. Ardeth gently grabbed my free hand and pulled me closer to his post on the tables edge. "We're going to get through this, just like every other time."

"This isn't just a regular mission Ardeth. I never had to do this without the organization behind me, and I never had so many people I care about at risk because I fucked up!" I couldn't help the stray tears that raced down my face.

"You're not alone Lidia. We will kill this creature no matter what it takes. You may not have the Guardians support, but you do have mine. We'll get out of this alive, all of us."

"B-but what if-?" There was no room for discussion. Ardeth had pulled me even closer and pressed his lips to mine. My hands fell to his chest as he surrounded me in his embrace. All I could focus on was him. His gentle touch that made me feel delicate when I felt like I was anything but. The way his warmth felt like sunlight peeking in through a cloudy day. When he pulled back, he took my chin in his hand, bringing my attention to his eyes.

"Are you calm now?" he asked. I couldn't help the little snort that escaped me. Calm? He kisses me like I'm so precious to him and he asks me if I'm calm? Calm???

"I don't know. Maybe you should do that again, just to be sure. A triple check wouldn't hurt either." He chuckles at my comment.

"There's my Lidia. I need you to be the warrior I know you are and fight. Do not shed tears as if we lost the battle already." I hate how I'm putty in his hands, and he knows it too. If there wasn't some undead mummy running around trying to bring about the end of the world, I'd do things to him on this table that would make the devil clutch blush.