~Elle~
I sat in my makeshift room at the back of the changing room of the Ring. It was larger than the attic that was my former room. It had a single bed, a dresser and a closet where I kept the meager things I owned.
Sometime back when I had first ran away from Fiona, I had snuck back into my old house to take the possessions I had kept hidden from her. I was fortunate that the only things she discovered and destroyed were my mask and school books.
And now, I had a safe haven. I couldn't ask for more.
I reached out to the frame sitting on my dresser, running my finger over the faces of the beloved people in it. It was a picture of my parents. My mother, was cradling me to her chest, her face upturned to my father, her hair wind-blown.
She had a look of pure, unadulterated love on her face as she gazed into my father's eyes. He in turn looked besotted with his two girls, his arm wrapped tightly around my mother's waist and his other hand cradling the back of my head.
It was a moment I couldn't remember but one that I treasured.
I gripped the frame in my hands, careful not to crush it as a wave of pain and sadness washed over me.
It had been a week since I had seen Havoc, a week since his lips touched mine, a week since I had been in his arms. Oh how I ached for his touch.
But I couldn't be selfish. He had a life of his own. I had to understand that. But time had run out and I longed to be in the arms of my beloved one last time.
Taking a deep breath, I placed the frame carefully back onto the dresser and slipped out the piece of parchment that was hidden at the underside of one of my drawers.
I knew my secret was safe within the walls of the Ring, but cautiousness was a habit I could not break.
The parchment was a large, and it spanned over my bed. I smoothed it out carefully, the paper so worn and thin, I was afraid of tearing it. Lines and curves extended from one end of the parchment to the other, leaving no space untouched. It looked like a maze. Fitting for it guarded a treasure beyond price.
My father was a lover of puzzles. When I was younger, he would craft out mazes and puzzles to entertain me. The intricate puzzles, riddles and mazes were a special form of entertainment, something that had no further meaning until today.
The parchment before me was the most challenging puzzle my father had ever gifted to me. And it was only when I was older did I realize it to be a map of some sort.
Now I knew that this was indeed a map, a map to the Library. But this was no ordinary map. It was map that could potentially save me, if I studied it right. Because the Library was nothing as it name suggested. It was a guardian of my father's treasure, a guardian that would destroy anything in its path, except those who could decode it.
It was a death trap.
The map had strange symbols that ran across the lines,and dotted the parchment in a seemingly random manner. There were shapes, figures of animals, numbers. At a glance, it just seemed like random doodling.
But in the remaining time I had, I spent decoding the map. The shap, I discovered, were clues to which path to take. I traced a path with my finger. Somewhere along the line were a group of triangles lined linearly, cutting across a different set of lines.
They symbolized an alternate pathway, a short cut that would help me evade the death traps ahead. But there was a catch. At the end of the trail of triangles was the number four. It was circled and marked with an 'x'.
That meant that there was an indefinite trap ahead for the number four was known to be associated with death or the four elements. I could either take the short cut and risk death, or take it to safety.
Along the other lines, lay other variations of the symbols all leading to one place. A tiny spot at the far end of the parchment. And that was where I knew the chamber that held my father's treasure would be in. The final test, that would challenge me beyond anything I had ever faced.
My hands clenched into fists. I didn't know if I could survive this, but I knew that I had to go on matter what. I could not allow Fiona to set her hands on my father's treasure. It was the only way I could stop her.
But even with that conviction, my shoulders shook as I tried to suppress the sob welling up.
I was afraid.
I couldn't quell the fear within me. I was afraid that I would not be able to stop Fiona, afraid that if I failed, I would not be able to come back.
I was afraid that this would be the last time I could be with the people I loved. Because finally, I had begun to learn to love again. To feel the emotion that coursed through my once ice cold soul.
A knock on the door had me jumping up to roll the parchment quickly, hiding it away in my small carrier bag. Taking in a deep breath, I grabbed my mask off my dresser to settle it on my face before walking over to the door and leaning my ear against it.
"Yes?"
"Angel."
I froze for a moment as his dark, velvet voice wrapped around me. My eyes burned and my hands trembled as I grabbed the doorknob to pull the door wide open.
My knees threatened to cave from under me as I took in the man who stood before me.
Dressed in his favorite outfit- a black shirt and black cargo pants, the man before me was nothing short of gorgeous. And I watched, my heart in my throat, as his eyes lit up when he saw me.
"Havoc..."
My voice trembled as I reached out to cup his jaw, my other hand holding on tightly to his arm. It was a miracle, to have him stand in front of me, within my reach.
I ran my hand along his smooth jaw line, to caress the strong curve of his neck. He shuddered slightly at my touch before reaching out to pull me tight against his chest.
I went willingly into his possessive embrace, my body molding itself to his. Our heartbeats instantly synchronized with each other, each beat sending a pulse of happiness through my veins.
"I missed you so much," he whispered into my ear and I struggled to stifle a sob.
But he missed nothing.
"Hey, what wrong?" he asked me, his voice gentle as he stroked a caress down my back.
I burrowed my face into his chest, savoring his warmth and the feel of him. Oh how I would miss this, miss him.
"Angel?"
I shook my head, telling him without words that I would not answer him. I couldn't trust my voice not to give myself away. Because I couldn't let him know what I was going to do.
I couldn't drag him any further into the grim of my life.
With that conviction in mind, I stepped away from him and looked into his beautiful eyes. I reached up to trace the intricate designs of his mask, wishing that I had more time with him.
"Won't you tell me what placed such sadness in your eyes Angel?"
I knew I couldn't hide it from him. But still I tried.
"I'm fine, just... remembering some things is all."
I couldn't lie to him but neither would I tell him the whole truth.
He looked at me, his gaze piercing as he reached out as if to pull me back to him, but I took that painful step backwards, out of his reach. His eyes clouded in confusion.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just..."
His eyes sharpened at my tone. I knew him now. He was in the mood to question me. And he could be relentless about it. I smiled slightly behind my mask. But that was who he was, a man who steamrolled his was through life; utterly confident and wonderful.
He was the man who I had given my heart and soul to.
"Angel-"
"I need to be going now Havoc," I hastily interrupted. "I have some errands to run, many things to do."
With that parting comment, I grabbed my carrier bag and literally ran pass him, pass the people in the ring and out into the night. I knew that I had to get away from him somehow, so I ran a fast as my legs could carry me, cloaking myself in my demon's glamour. I didn't know if I was strong enough to resist the urge to just stay with him if I was in his presence any longer.
So I flew through the night, desperate to reach the library before he could find me.
But I was naive.
The moment I set foot on the roof of the building opposite the library, I knew that I was caught. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and my body heated as the black tendrils of his aura twined around me. I clenched my teeth, refusing the urge to turn and face him.
"You ran away from me again Angel."
His voice was a purr in my ear, making the inferno within me burn hotter. His heat burned a brand a long my back. I was desperate to spare him, but my feet would not bring me a step further.
"The Library, this was your errand?" he asked, his breath hot against my ear.
I flushed but refused to back down at his intimidation. But my body, it betrayed me, melting into him as he wrapped his arms around me from the back.
"I...You know I have to go in there," I whispered, desperate for him to understand.
Silence but his arms tightened around me. I took a deep breath and tried again.
"I have to stop her and this is the only way. I have to get the treasure before she does."
Havoc cursed under his breath and turned me around to face him. The moment our eyes met, it was like a punch to my gut. His eyes were glowing cerulean, brilliant with anger.
"But you're thinking of going alone aren't you?" he asked between gritted teeth.
I trembled, turning my head away from him to let my hair fall across my face like a curtain.
"I have to."
"Bullshit," he snapped, making me flinch slightly. " That building smells like death. No way am I allowing you to go in yourself."
I snapped my head to face him, anger, fueled by my fear for him thundering in my veins.
"Allowing me? I don't need your permission!" I shouted back, shaking his hold off. "Leave me! I don't need someone who'll hold me back in that death trap!"
Those hateful word that I forced out cut me deep in my heart. And my heart bled further when I saw the hurt in his eyes that was instantly shadowed by a wave of fury. Forgive me, my beloved, please.
"Yell all you want, baby, but I'm following you whether you like it or not," he hissed.
Tears fell from my eyes as I trembled with fear for him. His body was rigid, fury in every line. His eyes sparked at me, but behind it all, the profound emotion, the affection shone though. And I could no longer hold myself back.
I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly as the silent sobs wrecked my body. He was rigid for a moment before his arms came around me, holding me tight.
"Why? Can't you see I'm trying to spare you this horror?"my voice cracked as I held him in a punishing hug. "Please Havoc, just stay. You don't have to go through this with me."
He just nuzzled the side of my face with his and said, "Didn't I promise that I'll be right beside you."
Tears fell from my eyes and I buried my face against the side of his neck, cursing my own weakness.