The Scent of Illusion (Published under IMMAC)

Chapter 25: Pray Tell and Bite

Trigger warning: May contain sensitive topics such as death, sex, profanity, suicide, self-harm, drugs, alcohol, mental health, sexuality, etc. There might be depictions or references to sexual harassment. Please be guided accordingly and read at your own risk.

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Everything was a blur, a fast-moving image of the cave, the forest, and then the headquarters. There was a struggle, an evident one at that, as the three tried to fight Malloy's men off. With whatever strength they had left, they did their best to protect what they believed in. After all, they went to such lengths just to retrieve the potion in order to find the truth. It would be an absolute waste if they would let it fall into someone else's hands.

Most especially since it was Malloy.

Upon reaching the headquarters, they were all separated from each other. Emilia was brought into a holding room, a similar one to where Aurora was held during that night of Eli's shifting day. There was a single bed that looked decent enough to sleep on, a chair right next to it, a sink that was functioning, and a gray tracksuit to change into. It looked plain but it was more comfortable.

On the other hand, Hayden was in a small cell. He was kept away from the other two as he was the one with the less hostile reaction when they were taken. He only tried to escape when he was reaching for Emilia. He could not help but worry about her, thinking about what she had seen and felt through that signage that she had picked up in the cave. And that was the only thing he cared about at the time. But all he could do was sit and wait for any news.

Meanwhile, Aurora was locked in a cell. She sat on the chair, still in her blood-red dress, a little tattered at the ends but not that it mattered anymore. Getting caught was not part of the plan but it was a bit expected, but not that soon. There were so many things in that cave that they could have explored, things that could have given them any hint of what was happening but that seemed like an impossible feat behind bars. All she could do at the moment was stare at her cuffed wrists with no means to break free. Slowly, she felt herself trying to detach from the situation, keeping herself distracted by inspecting the chains that bound her and noticing the scratches and rust that covered it.

Aurora was so lost in her own world that she did not notice Eli entering the cell. His eyes immediately fell on Aurora's cuffed wrists, sadness ghosting his features at the mere sight. A part of his heart felt like it snapped, looking at her disheveled golden locks, her stained dress, and her worn-out high-heeled shoes. "Oh Aurora, my sweet Aurora." A sigh escaped his lips as he pulled out another chair so he could sit across her.

There was a brief silence that hung over them. It was almost deafening with the way Aurora only stared at her hands while Eli tried to search for a way that could catch her attention, his heart being clenched the longer he looked at her looking like that. But it seemed like his effort was in vain.

"Aurora," he tried to call out to her but her face remained emotionless. With that, he reached out to touch her knee, her skin felt somewhat cold against his warm touch. He could only wonder what was going on in her mind since her face showed nothing but blank features that could be hiding either something good or bad. "Why did you even think of doing this?" he asked, genuine worry coating his voice. "You could have easily just stayed with me and then ran off like this, and maybe I could've helped you." He paused, heaving another sigh. "And maybe we wouldn't end up like this."

He brushed his fingers through his hair, feeling the frustration fester at the pit of his stomach. "I could've kept you safe, Aurora." He let out an exasperated sigh, not knowing what else he could have done to prevent everything that was happening. It all felt like that first night that they met, interrogating her despite not giving anything useful. But, at the very least, she used to talk back to him. That was so much better than the silence that was almost deafening, mocking him that everything he thought he knew, he really did not.

But Aurora did not move or react at all. The only thing that reminded him that he was in front of an actual living woman was the way her chest rose and fell, and her lashes that fluttered every time she blinked.

Eli shifted on his seat, leaning forward as he stretched out his arm to reach for her face. His strong hand rested on her delicate skin, his thumb caressing the apples of her cheek. The scent of her pheromones had become something usual for him, something he was addicted to and wanted to keep on smelling. But it had quite a different effect on him, making him want to trigger her and press her buttons and see what she would do. It was those times that she would react differently, surprise him into an unexpected territory of emotions. He glided his fingers along her jaw, cradling her face in his warm grip. He ran his thumb across her lower lip, tugging it down just a bit, enough for there to be a gap so he could slip in his index and middle fingers.

Normally, Aurora would have some kind of reaction to it, a response that would put Eli on edge but none of that happened. While her eyes moved, glancing at him, her blank expression remained despite her lips wrapped around his fingers. Somehow, that triggered Eli. He was not used to the indifference and it was starting to fester an unwanted feeling in the pit of his stomach. Without much grace, he forced her mouth open with just his two fingers that were tucked inside the warmth of her mouth.

Aurora's eyes widened ever so slightly, a sudden whimper made its way past her gaping mouth. A dark shade of pink, almost red, crept to her lips in utter embarrassment and humiliation as her saliva trickled down the corner of her lips, dripping and coating his fingers and then onto the floor. With a somewhat satisfied smirk on his lips, Eli pulled out his fingers and wiped them on his pants.

The strong scent of Aquilaria Agallocha permeated the air that seemed to close in on them. It was filling Aurora's senses, wrapping her in its familiarity. There was no way that she could deny just how much she had missed his presence, spending the majority of her time at the party searching for the potion that they did not even get a chance to dance.

Strong and warm emotions washed over Aurora in crashing waves, hitting her with all the moments that they shared. Eli was no longer a stranger, some guy who she had sex with in the woods and interrogated her during the night of his shifting day. He had become so much more than that. He is the guy who shot her electronic fetter and set her free, the guy who trained her for the first time, held her gently, and the person she called home for the past months.

"You certainly won't and can't save me this time, can you?" Aurora asked, finally saying something after the long silence on her end. There was a hint of sadness in her voice, a slight tremble that she tried to keep at bay.

Her thoughts were infested with questions and the anxious desperation to know the truth about both the cave and the potion. And the blank expression on her face finally faded, displaying the truth―frustration and irritation were etched on her face.

And Eli could clearly see it. Ever since they started to spend time together, he became more familiar with her facial expressions and the way they would change depending on the triggers.

Carefully reaching out, he cradled her face in his hand as he leaned closer, enough for his lip to delicately graze the tip of her nose, enough for his warm breath to tickle her skin, and enough for their eyes to meet without hesitation. "If you come back to me, I'll go talk to my father and we'll forget that any of this ever happened, okay?"

For a moment, as their eyes lock, Eli felt like maybe there was a chance to fix it. When she tilted her head to the side as if she was about to lean in for a kiss, Eli was ready to accept it.

But the corner of Aurora's lips tugged up to a mischievous smirk before she bit Eli's ear.