NOT EVEN FIVE minutes after Rania of the Cosmos' memory plays through my head, I'm running down the hall, heading straight for the room Xerxion told me was his. When I reach his room, I hold my hand against the access panel and it opens right away, the doors making a slight clinking sound as they open.
Xerxion knows the door is opening as soon as it opens and as I step into the dark room-blinking my eyes to adjust them to the unfamiliar surroundings-Xerxion rolls from the bed lithely, grabbing one of his swords and gripping it tightly, his jaw clenched and his eyes blazing.
"Rania," he breathes out a sigh of relief when he realizes it's just me, his hands loosen on the sword but only for a moment because then, he really takes in my face. I'm not really sure how I look at this moment, but whatever Xerxion sees makes him clutch his sword tighter. "Is something wrong? Did someone hurt you?" His tone of voice becomes dark as he says that last sentence.
"I'm fine," I assure him. "But we need to go to Earth and find Ithuriel. Now."
Xerxion's eyes sweep over me as he tries to determine whether or not I'm sane. The incredulous look in his eyes reminds me a lot of the way one would look at a person who suddenly asked them to make candy rain from the sky.
"You want to go to Earth to find Ithuriel? Rania, you're still being hunted by the humans," he argues.
"And I can also take care of myself in combat," I counter.
"Perhaps, but what if Ithuriel attacks you. You are very good in combat, but Ithuriel's level of skill is equal to my own. What if he decided to kill you?"
"He won't," I say, shaking my head.
"How can you know that? How can you trust that he won't-"
"I saw one of Rania's memories," I tell him, watching his face carefully. "In the memory, she knew she was going to die soon." Xerxion takes in a deep breath, his eyes holding shock at this new information. "So, she called Ithuriel. She felt like a third party was hunting her and that there would be Illusionists involved. Because Ithuriel's mind is safe from them, she gave him a box and asked him to give it to whoever she merged her soul with. Ithuriel was supposed to give me the box alone, away from everyone else. That's why he kept trying to get me and take off. He was trying to fulfill Rania of the Cosmos' last wish."
The air that hangs between us is heavy as Xerxion processes this. There's only the sound of our breathing, and even that sound is slightly heavy, both of us breathing hard. Adrenaline is coursing through my veins like fire, my heart is pounding. Rania of the Cosmos said that whatever was in that box would somehow help me understand everything. I'm so close to knowing who killed this alien woman who I didn't know but I care so deeply for, I can taste it on my tongue.
"Okay," Xerxion says quietly. "We'll head down to Earth and I'll send out a call to Ithuriel and have him meet us somewhere. Stay here. I'll wake the others." And then, after a quick kiss to my temple, he is off.
As the spaceship lands in the middle of the desert, grains of sand rise up. They dance around us, swirling before falling and becoming indistinguishable from the rest of the sand.
I'm in Xerxion's room and, like always, even when I'm in the most dire of situations, whenever it's just him and me together I can't think of anything else. In this moment, all I'm thinking is that his room smells like him. A scent that makes me want to close my eyes and breathe in deeply, burning that scent into my memories so that, when we are apart if I close my eyes I can come back to this moment and smell this scent again. His room reminds me a lot of him, too. It's neat. A king-sized bed, plain sheets and a window that is a lot smaller than the one in my room. It's big enough to crawl out of if things on the ship went horribly awry, but not any bigger than that.
Xerxion is currently in the bathroom that is connected to his room, showering. He leaves the door cracked, piles of steam spilling from the bathroom to his room. It makes it extremely difficult to concentrate on anything important when all I can think of is going into the bathroom and joining him in that shower.
In fact, I have to force myself not to act on those thoughts. I sit on his bed with my legs tucked underneath me and my hand clenched into fists. I force myself to look out of his small window instead of looking at the cracked bathroom door. We've only just had our first kiss not too long ago. And while Rania of the Cosmos and Xerxion may have been intimate, I, Rania of Earth, am a virgin. How could I not be when Xerxion's face has been in my mind for the last seventeen years? How could I sleep with another man when I felt like I belonged to another man? Even if I didn't think he really existed at the time, my loyalty to him ran deep.
To be quite honest, I've never really had a chance to think about sex. It's an experience I never truly thought I'd ever get to have. Like I've said, Xerxion's claim on my heart was strong even when I thought he didn't exist, and I'm not the type to sleep with someone who I don't love. Not to mention, I never found myself attracted to other men. None of them did it for me. Not the boys next door or the bad boys or even the model-like guys with rippling abs and what women deemed as perfect features. None of them did it for me because I had seen true perfection in my dreams every night.
Because of this, I had pretty much reserved myself to the fact I'd probably never have sex with anyone. It didn't really matter to me, in complete honesty. I have never been ruled by my hormones like most people my age. Perhaps, it's because my soul is thousands of years older than my body.
But now, for the first time, the thought of a sexual relationship was there. The thought had been sparked when Xerxion had pulled that prank on me in the grocery store not too long ago. He had asked me then if I had wanted a sexual relationship with him and, obviously, the thought crossed my mind in that moment. I had been so flustered, though-and he had clearly been pranking me-that it never crossed my mind again. Because, I was thinking that the idea of us kissing, let alone having sex was very far off the mark.
But now, we had kissed. And call me crazy, but I got the strongest feeling that the sexual stuff wasn't too far off the map.
I hear the hissing of the shower water stop and I relax slightly. I won't have to endure this torture much longer. He'll come out, completely dressed and then I'll be able to think a little straighter.
I don't hear the door when it opens, but I see the light from the bathroom spill out and paint the room. I turn around, attempting to talk to him and forget all the pervy thoughts I'd had while he was in the shower but my words die in my throat as soon as I see him.
I curse everything as my heat courses through my veins and my heart races. Xerxion is standing in front of me with nothing but a white towel on and that towel is slung low on his hips. There is very little left to the imagination and Rania of the Cosmos' memories fill that blank very easily. I know exactly what he would look like if he decided to let that towel fall and it makes my mouth water. It makes the heat in my veins burn hotter, like lava instead of blood. It makes the birthmark we share throb, makes the invisible string stretch tight and hum a seductive tune.
I can tell Xerxion feels it, too. The expression on his face is one that I've seen before in the memories I've been given: lust. I can tell that he wants to cross this small distance between us. The thought that he wants me as much as I want him makes me so happy, I feel almost as if I've completely lost my ability to stay grounded. Gravity cannot keep me down as Xerxion's genetically mutated eyes hold mine.
"I need to get dressed. We've landed." His voice is deeper, huskier than I'm used to hearing it. It's the voice of a man wild with lust. Despite his words, he doesn't make any move to head to the dresser and get something to wear.
My eyes are on his until a bead of water falls from his shoulder, trails down his broad chest and down the hard abs of his stomach, disappearing underneath the towel. Swallowing is difficult, but somehow I manage to swallow and return my eyes to his.
Xerxion begins to walk forward and at first, I think he's going over to his dresser to find something to wear. The thought of him dressed disappoints me slightly, but I know we'll have to leave soon. We'll have to call Ithuriel and we'll have to open the box and find out who killed Rania of the Cosmos.
Then, I realize that Xerxion is not walking toward the dresser. He is walking toward me, his eyes trailing along my body in a way that makes his thoughts extremely clear: when he reaches me, he will take me in his arms and make me his completely. I meet his gaze, my eyes answering the silent question his eyes ask. My eyes tell him that no, I do not mind if he wants to press me onto this bed and take me with everything he has.
Before he can reach me, though, a sharp knock breaks through our moment and Xerxion pauses, his face whipping toward the door. A frown falls on his perfect face and a look of extreme annoyance controls his expression briefly.
"Yes?" He calls out, the annoyance in his voice clear.
"We've landed. Do you want us to send the call out to Ithuriel?" This is Amara's voice, muffled through the metal doors but still clear and distinct.
Xerxion sighs and looks at me regretfully. "Yes, you can send out the signal."
There is the sound of departing footsteps. Xerxion and I hold eye contact for a little longer, the heat between us is still strong but this time, we know we will not quell this heat. At least not tonight.
Xerxion sighs a second time and mutters something under his breath. I can't hear everything-he speaks too quickly-but I do catch the words, "...can't catch a break."
This makes me smile.
About twenty minutes later, a golden spaceship is lowering itself from the sky. It's sleek and it looks fast despite the fact that its slightly bigger than the spaceship Xerxion and the others came in. As it lands, sand goes flying and I have to squint my eyes as my hair flies back, curly strands flying across my face every now and then.
I huddle myself in the coat Xerxion gave me. It's much too big for me but it blocks out the cold and it smells so much like Xerxion I can't find it in me to want to part with it.
A few seconds after the spaceship lands, the doors slide open-much like the doors of a private jet-and Ithuriel comes stalking out with Halcyon and Fauvian at his heels. Fauvian gives a baleful glare to Xerxion, Tarina, and Amara, his face distinctly bitter. Halcyon's face holds no emotion as she floats close behind Ithuriel, her eerie, ghostlike movements leaving me feeling as disturbed as ever.
Ithuriel's almost catlike walk stops when he is right in front of me. I feel Xerxion twitch, his instincts probably yelling at him to put himself in between me and the man who he views as a threat to my life. I reach over to pat his arm gently, fixing him with a serious expression.
He frowns, still not comfortable with this but he holds himself still as I turn back to face Ithuriel. Now that I know he won't hurt me, I wonder how I missed it before. There's this weird sense of fondness that I feel for Ithuriel. That fondness was always blocked by the fact I was terrified of him. How could I not be terrified? He's a big, hulking monster of a man with sharp eyes and claw marks scarring his otherwise inhumanly attractive face.
Now that the fear is gone, I only feel the fondness. He is an old friend. A dear friend.
"Ithuriel, I remember." That's all I say.
It's all that I need to say. He nods, something like relief flashing in his tawny eyes.
"I knew you would eventually," he says. "You have no idea how heavy the burden of carrying this was." He looks over at Halcyon and she floats toward me, holding out her hands with her palms facing up. There is a spark of light and suddenly, inside her hands, is the box I saw Rania of the Cosmos give Ithuriel shortly before her death.
She holds out her hands, waiting for me to take it. Her detached look sends chills down my spine and I decide right then and there, I do not trust Halcyon one bit. There is something about the way she looks at me-detached but cunning-that rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps Ithuriel is a good friend, but Halcyon is not.
When the box is in my hands, Ithuriel speaks up.
"It was sealed with Soul Magic, so it will only open for you. A long time ago, you told me you wished to open it alone. Do you still wish to do so?"
I'm looking at the box in awe, surprised that it's more beautiful in person that it was in Rania of the Cosmos' memories. Made of a diamond-like material, it sparkles in the moonlight, setting off different colors as I watch it.
Realizing Ithuriel asked me a question, I look up and say, "It's what Rania of the Cosmos wanted. I have to do this alone."
And then I turn and head back to our spaceship, clutching the box in my hand. No one moves as I walk past them. My eyes meet Rhea's briefly and I see her nod once, her eyes unfathomable. I continue on, stopping only when I reach the doors of the spaceship to look back at Xerxion.
Our eyes meet and he looks like he's in pain. He's so close to finding out the truth, to finding out who killed her. His eyes soften when they meet mine and the thread between us hums as I read the words his eyes seem to be sending me.
Find out who did this so we can avenge her.
And then, I nod once to him before turning and heading into the ship, moving quickly to find somewhere more private to open the box.
I sit in the room I was given holding the diamond-like box in my hand. It's at this moment that I realize, I have no idea how to open it. What am I supposed to do? Concentrate? Hum? Use my abilities?
I turn the box around in my hands, my lips twisting in annoyance. As I turn the box, I see something that resembles the recognition software on the ship, but it's smaller. I press my finger against the icy cold surface and it warms immediately as it tries to figure out who I am.
There's a light click as the box unlocks and the top of it pops up. With a pounding heart and nervousness swirling in my gut, I remove the top and look inside.
Nestled in blue satin is a white piece of paper. But, it's what's written on that paper that makes my heart stop and my blood turn to ice.
Written in Rania of the Cosmos' elegant hand, are two words that make my world cave in on itself.
Find Aida.