| CHAPTER 20 : YOU WANT YOUR BROTHER BACK |
A pained gasp came out my lips when I came back to my senses as if suddenly thrown from the sky to earth. I found myself looking at a pristine well-ironed suit covering a lean chest. My eyes travelled up and I found myself staring at a gentle smile, two green deep-set eyes, and long shaggy brown hair.
Realizing I was in the person's arms, I stepped back with a yelp.
He looked to be in his late twenties with slight subtle and mature lines.
"What - where am I?" I looked around to see a room that appeared to be an office. A large desk was placed neatly in the corner of the polished shining room with a huge flat screen across the wall. The window covered the entire wall, showing the night sky outside. Grey plush carpet covered half of the floor and the high ceiling lights hurt my head.
"Here, have a seat." The man placed his hand on the small of my back guiding me to the leather chair in front of his desk before he himself took a seat in front of the desk.
I placed a hand on my forehead, giving it a little massage, groaning quietly. Everything hurt and ached.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Water?" he offered sliding a glass towards me.
I nodded gratefully and gulped down the whole thing in three goes. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before finally looking up at the man.
"Where am I? How did we get here?"
"You can call it teleportation," He smiled, showing crinkles on the corner of his eyes, "Hi, I'm Ace. Pleasure to finally meet you Ezlynn Richardson."
"Am I supposed to know who you are?" I asked in confusion. He didn't look familiar in any way possible.
"Maybe if you know the name Ace Brooke, then I think, yeah."
My eyes went wide slightly in realization, but I didn't have time to react well because of still being breathless of previous events, "Ace Brooke," I said in a breathy voice, "You do something with fashion and...something."
He smiled, "Nice to meet you."
"What did you do to King Alpha?"
"Just paralyzed him for a while." He replied without blinking, the same smile on his face.
I frowned, "Why?"
"He was about to kill you."
I raised my eyebrows, "So? He wasn't about to kill you."
"I expected a thanks from you to save your life."
"Temporarily," I stated, "King Alpha finds me again, I'm gone like the wind."
Before he opened his mouth, I interrupted abruptly.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Before we get into more talking or whatever you want to do, first tell me if your human or some psycho supernatural freak." I demanded.
His smile widened, "Why don't you take a guess?"
"No thanks."
"Witch."
"Huh?"
"I'm a witch."
"Huh?"
He smiled, folding his fingers together and placing them on his desk, patiently letting me connect everything.
"As in King Alpha's nemesis witch?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
As in the witch who put my fate in King Alpha's hands? As in the witch who tried to destroy werewolves? As in the witch Katia's afraid about?
"Not really," he responded, "I'm on the other side where I have nothing to do with King Alpha."
"Meaning?"
"I'm an individual witch - actually a warlock, we're classified like that - with a few companions. We're warlocks. King Alpha's enemies are the witches."
"Derek and Rowena?"
His expressions shifted just a bit to show hardness before he composed himself, "Probably. All I know is that a few rogue witches try to mess with him all the time."
"Rogue?"
"Witches who don't belong to any fixed group or any part of a proper coven. They do as they wish and go as they wish without any leader or ruler."
"Like how King Alpha rules his werewolves?"
"Exactly. If any werewolf from his part misbehaves or goes against the normal rules for all supernatural creatures, he has the right to execute them."
"So you're the...king of witches?"
A grin came on his lips, "Yup."
"You don't look like a king."
He looked a bit offended, "Why not?"
"You look much more formal. More...business-y type."
"Don't judge until you've seen me on my throne and in my true form."
I furrowed my eyebrows, "True form?"
He waved a hand towards himself, "This is just a face for the human world."
"You mean as a disguise?"
He gave a nod then gave an abrupt and quick sigh, "We're wasting time."
"We?"
"I don't usually save people no matter who they are. Not directly. Not in a thousand years."
"I'm honoured." I bit sarcastically.
"You should be. Now if we're done with the introductions, I'd like to finally get to the point."
I crossed my arms against my chest, frowning, "You didn't save me to save me. You saved me because you want something from me."
He smiled, "Smart girl."
"You're wasting your time. I've got nothing."
"Oh but you do." He slightly leaned forward. "See, the only person who can go in and out of Saludom is you."
"Saludom?" I asked in confusion. "Your fantasy world?"
He narrowed his eyes, "The mansion you lived in."
I frowned in confusion, "It has a name?"
He nodded looking a little pissed off. I guess this guy doesn't really have the patience he shows, "Yes, it does. That's not the point. You're the only one who can go in and out and who isn't in King Alpha's rule. I want you to get something for me."
"You mean to steal something."
He shrugged, "Whatever you want to call it."
"And why would I do that?" I tightened my crossed arms.
"You want your brother back, don't you?"
My mouth parted and my hands loosened. A smirk curled on his lips.
"You're the blue suit man," I said.
"That was my VP."
"Where's Collin?" I demanded, fisting my hands.
"In a small coma." He replied.
I glared hard at him.
"Get me what I want, and you get your brother back."
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Lucretia's crown."
"Huh?"
"I want Lucretia's crown."
I blinked, "Not to be mean or...anything, but I don't think you'll look good with a female's crown. I'm not a sexist but good looks-wise, I don't think Lucretia's crown will look good with your," I waved a hand towards his body, "attire."
If eyes could actually blaze fire. "I don't want the crown for that."
"Then for what more could you want a crown for?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to contain his impatience, "I think I know why King Alpha wants to kill you."
I glared.
"Why I want the crown is none of your business. You want your brother back, get me the crown and I'll let him go."
"Hold up, mister. I need proof that Collin is here. I won't just walk into a death trap with you lying behind my back."
"Very well."
He opened a drawer from his desk, rummaged through it and came out with a small remote. He pointed the remote and I twisted in my seat to look behind me at the flat screen.
A button was pressed and the flat screen blurred to life. It displayed a blue background at first before the image became clear. More like a video. Or whatever.
My eyes widened with my breath stuck in my throat. There were cameras. The cameras showed Collin lying on a hospital-type bed, with chains shackles around his limbs. My chest swelled looking at my brother after such a long time. I forced myself not to cry. Two tubes were inserted into his wrists.
"What are those tubes?" I claimed in a slight panic.
"Just something to keep him down." Ace replied.
I looked back at him; anxiousness obvious on my face.
"You'll give him back if I get the crown?" I asked.
"Indeed."
"But I can't go back! You know I can't. King Alpha will have my head!"
"I can take care of that."
"How?"
"I can give you protection."
I scrunched up my face, "A condom will save me from King Alpha?"
"Not that protection!" He yelled and then abruptly ran a hand down his face multiple times muttering 'calm down, calm down, calm down' before looking back at me.
A sigh came out of his lips before he rubbed his temples a few times before speaking, "Ezlynn, I can give you protec-" he immediately shook his head as if saying 'nope, not gonna go through this shit again', "-a barrier from every Lycan. They won't be able to touch you in the tiniest bit after you activate the barrier."
"How?"
"I can put it on you, but it can only happen if you're willing to."
"Does it have any dangerous...side effects?" I asked with uncertainty.
He shook his head, "Only that you've sealed a deal with me. if you failed to keep up with the deal, the barrier disappears, and you'll be available to all wolf's touch." He shrugged. "Including King Alpha's."
"For some reason, I don't trust you."
"You don't trust anyone." He stated.
"Let me get this straight, you're somewhat one of King Alpha's closest enemies, you kidnap my brother and keep him chained, you bring me here to this luxurious office without even damn hell asking me if I wanna be the damn hell here, then you want me to steal a crown - Lucretia's crown - Queen Lucretia's crown in exchange for this flimsy barrier thing you're gonna give me?"
He raised a bored eyebrow at me, "You want your brother?"
"Yes."
"Get me the crown."
"Or else...?"
He shrugged, "Your brother dies, and King Alpha has the whole freedom to kill you whenever he wants."
"Fine. Put the stupid barrier on me." I grumbled after a while.
A wicked satisfied smile lined his lips.
He stood up rather too quickly from his chair.
He snapped his fingers and almost immediately the lights went out. I shrieked at the darkness which was soon lightened up by candles placed at every corner of the room. My body slightly quivered in fear and apprehension of what was gonna happen. Ace was still seated in front of me with his green eyes blazing with his wicked grin. I clutched my hands together already regretting every decision I made.
The candles illuminated only parts of his face making him look every bit of the devil type.
"Are you ready?" Ace asked, his voice excited and dark.
"No."
He grinned, "No one ever was."
"You know what...I'm just gonna- yeah I'm just gonna head to Taco Bell or something."
I gasped at the invisible force which pulled me back to my seat. I squirmed and squirmed but wasn't able to get up or lift my butt even a centimetre off the seat.
Ace gave me one last wicked smile and closed his eyes. He murmured something under his breath before his eyes flew open.
My mouth fell open at the switch knife and a silver plate placed on the table. This sure wasn't here before.
I looked back up at Ace. His eyes blazed a glow which terrified the crap out of me.
I want this to stop.
I don't want this anymore.
He kept chanting.
"Give me your hand." He suddenly spoke to me, holding out his hand for me to place mine.
"Um...no?"
He snatched my hand.
"Hey!"
He opened my hand, palm facing up, tightly clutching it from underneath.
I gulped as he continued chanting.
He picked up the switch knife from the table, murmuring with closed eyes as he brought the knife closer to my palm.
My eyes widened, "What- no no no! what are you doing!?" I tried pulling my hand away, but he held it firmly in his grip, not seeming to hear my cries.
He sliced my palm open, and a cry came out so loud, I didn't even know it was mine. White-hot pain shot up my palm, radiating quickly throughout my entire arm.
The darkness in the room seemed to fall heavy on my shoulders with the fire blazing like a monster on the candles. Ace squeezed my hand and finally let it go.
I tried putting my hand down which was now filled with dark blood pouring out the open cut, but my hand froze above the table and wouldn't move an inch.
"Why can't I move my hand?" I asked, panicked.
Ace didn't answer and instead, brought the switch knife to his palm. With one quick movement, he slashed open his palm too.
A sob erupted from my mouth.
"Please stop."
He kept chanting.
He brought his open sliced palm and placed it on top of mine, connecting our cuts. I hissed and cried painfully when his palm roughly slid over my open flesh. He pressed onto my palm as if trying to mix our blood.
More cries came out of my mouth, but it was all useless. Ace kept murmuring and chanting.
A few more minutes. I told myself. A few more minutes, bish, stay strong.
Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Torture, that's what I was going through. Torture to save me from my own death, to save my brother, to get answers. I can do this. Just a few more seconds.
Finally, Ace removed his palm from mine, blood smudged everywhere, eyes opened fully and blinked at me.
He sat back properly on his chair and grinned.
"All done."
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Date: 25 July 2021