by June Leung
“I can put up a clock if you want. But I doubt a window is possible with an underground dungeon.”
Lia nodded. Does he really feel something for me or is he after my power? Maybe I shouldn’t have wandered around… I don’t even want to know.
“I was thinking about my power. I kind of got tired of it, not to mention it giving me lots of trouble. Would it help if I give you my power? You can take people’s power, right? Will Evelyn stop hunting me down?” She frowned deeply, bracing herself for the answer.
He searched her eyes as if trying to figure out something.
Was that too obvious?
He sighed. “I won’t say I don’t want your power, but more than anything, I want you by my side. What were you thinking about?”
Is it too quick to doubt him?
She sheepishly looked down. “I don’t know, sometimes I can’t shake the idea that you’re getting close to me just for my magical power.”
He pulled her into a tight embrace, resting his forehead on hers. His warm breath on her lips. She could see herself in his eyes, lost in his gaze.
“I don’t have any other plans for us other than keeping you safe and hopefully beside me. Your magical power will be good to have, but it’s not my concern anymore. The power chose you. Getting to know you is the best thing that has happened to me. I doubt I want anything else. But for what I’ve done to you, I know trust takes time.”
But you said…
Lia kept searching his eyes. Her arms ran up his back subconsciously as she hugged him back. Closing her eyes, his lips warm on hers, he kissed her with great passion, stealing the breath from her lungs. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer.
When she pulled back, he was beaming, stroking her hair. She snuggled by his side and he wrapped his arms around her, lying on the bed.
She let out a sigh of comfort, smiling wide. It felt great to be close with him. The thought of what she heard remerged. She flinched. He flicked his eyes to her.
No way, he can’t know I heard something…
“I’m scared. Evelyn sounds terrifying. Someone you don’t have absolute confidence in beating.”
He gave a wry smile. “I will do everything I can to beat her. It is going to be fine. Don’t forget, she is after you, scared of your potential. You are more than you know you are.”
“Really?” she asked. Was he joking? His face was too serious to be playing around. She gulped audibly.
“As if it is not evident enough by me appearing for the deal with you in the first place?”
“How am I supposed to be that strong like you said? I sure don’t feel that way.” She frowned.
“Take your time. I will keep you safe until you can fend for yourself. Evelyn did mention giving me some time, but whether she keeps her word or not, I am not going to leave you alone.” He kissed her gently, rubbing her side, the touch sending a shiver down her spine. “Now get some sleep, will you? You must be tired.”
Lia nodded. Yes. More so after hearing your meeting…
He pulled the cover over her body, tucking her in.
“Adrian… are you leaving?”
“I can stay if you want.”
She grabbed his wrist, tugging him. “Yes, please. This dungeon is a bit scary.”
He chuckled, nodding. At once she wrapped her arms around him, feeling his warmth. It may be scary outside, but he would be there for her.
Chapter 24
Lia
The dream in Lia’s mind slowly faded into the darkness of her closed eyes. Before she fully woke up from her sleep, she stretched, reaching out both her arms and resting them on the blanket beside her.
“Grr…” The blanket stirred. Lia flinched.
Did the blanket learn to talk without me knowing? She snapped her eyes wide open. Adrian was staring at her with half-opened eyes, smiling lazily.
He stifled a yawn, snuggling closer. “Getting up early, huh? You know you don’t have to tell me when you get up.”
She grinned. It still seemed unreal for her. He really was there and didn’t leave her. It had been so long before they started trying something between them. She caressed his cheek. There must be a dumb smile on her face which she couldn’t control.
“I am not used to waking up with you next to me. It’s impossible for me to get up without waking you.” Lia rubbed the arm he rested over her waist.
“Hm… I guess so.” He reached up, nibbling on her throat, his teeth sending sparks down her spine. She shivered. “Are you cold?” He pulled her closer.
“You know it is hard to feel cold when you stick to me all the time.” She chuckled, resting her hand on his wrinkled white t-shirt, on his chest, feeling the warmth from him.
“It feels good, I hope?” He raised his brows, trailing kisses along her neck.
“Clingy, aren’t we?”
“I don’t know, somehow I feel the need to hold onto you. I have no problem staying here with you all day,” he hummed, running his hand up and down her back.
“But you said there are things we have to get done.”
Not to mention I have to know what you are planning to do with William and Eric.
“I guess so. Not before you train first.” He let out a sigh, sitting up and turning up the dim light. Lia remained lying in bed for a few moments longer, looking at his back, staring at him as he attempted to fix his messed-up hair.
If only there was a window here. I bet he would look great in the sunlight. Not that he doesn’t already.
After Lia got ready for the day, Adrian brought her down the stairs, heading for her training. “I didn’t realize how many levels there are,” she hummed.
“Just what’s necessary to stay alive down here, I guess.” He shrugged, running his thumb along the back of her hand.
“There was a time you stayed here?”
“That time is crazy. Luckily it was long gone. Had to try to not die.” He pushed open a heavy wooden door. From the dim light coming from the hall, she could only see the edge of some rubber mats.
“This is where I first met you here?” she asked, taking a few steps inside the room while he switched on the lights.
“Yes, one of the many important places here.” He walked to the center of the room, Lia followed behind him. Their shoes left at the door.
On the walls hung different types of wooden weapons designed for practicing with others. At the door, before the rubber mat began, there were two benches, where Lia’s sneakers tidily sat.
Adrian gestured to the floor for her to sit on. She sat with her legs crossed. He stood behind her, rested his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. She looked up at him, raising her brows. “Something on your mind?”
“Oh, just thinking back to what happened here before.” He shrugged, shaking his head as if snapping himself out of the memory.
“Yeah. That was a great talk after a hell of a long wait.”
He leaned down, kissing the tip of her ears. “Sadly, being a sweet talker doesn’t exempt you from training. It’s been a while since we’ve done anything. Let’s see how you are faring.”
Lia closed her eyes, getting herself ready to face her power. As she reached for it, the warm surge felt more controlled. it wasn’t as hot as it used to be. There was still the urge to fight something, and she could still smell Adrian’s magical power around her and got riled up slightly, but she resisted it. The power slowly rushed from deep inside her to the rest of her body, her limbs, then guided back to her core. She let out a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, running his fingers through her hair. She leaned back against his legs, looking up at him with a smile.
“Great, I guess. During my time in the clan, I found out that I can use the power up, so it bothered me less?”
“Yes, that’s right. Although I would prefer you save it for future use, using some of it helps to feel less overwhelmed. I think the initial stage of your power is almost complete. Now
it comes down to how you will deal with some triggers that may bring your power up.”
“What initial stage are you talking about?” Lia frowned as he took a seat beside her.
“There are no samples other than myself for me to learn the whole process from. And I’ve never explained it to others before, so I hope I make it clear. At first the power comes up randomly, and the chance is higher when you use magic yourself or some strong magic was used near you. Failing to stop it in time before it really overwhelms you is irreversible, causing one to lose control of themselves and attack living things around them.
“At least for me, after a while, the power will come up less randomly. This is a stage where something outside of you will trigger it. For example, blood is a very prominent trigger. Also, the pain and suffering of people around you seems to work. But you have to get the power to work with you instead of taking control of you.”
“How am I supposed to work with my power?”
He stared at her for a moment longer. It seemed to be something he didn’t want to talk about. “You will be fine if you can contain it. If you really want to know… the origin can gain power from people’s pain and blood.”
Lia gulped audibly—the gang’s men on the floor had been attractive in that moment. And she felt strange looking at the woman with a piece of glass in her face during the fire. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. “It makes me feel like a terrible person… I am wanting them to suffer and their blood?”
“You should know it is nothing kind and fluffy from the name alone. It is just an urge. You are still the one making decisions. There are always different ways to go. It seems you are already pretty strong against it.
“Or maybe look at it as a way to gain power. When you get stronger, you can help more. The dark power is nothing different from a sword. It depends on how you use it. From what you did in the gang’s base, I’d say you are much better than I could fare.”
“You mean how I stopped you from tearing off the gangster’s throat and sucking all their blood?”
“Yeah, it was very attractive, wasn’t it? The amount of power around, just at your fingertips. Somehow you managed to resist it.”
“But then why wasn’t I overwhelmed?”
He remained silent for a while, as if trying to come up with an explanation. He stroked her knuckles with his thumb. “I have two guesses: one is that you weren’t at this stage yet back then. Or, in the gang, maybe you were too shocked by me and Ben that you didn’t know what you wanted, so the mere draw to the blood didn’t take hold of you. The dark magic is not that different from the Elements’ magic, after all. It is still down to the power of the mind.” He was leaning on her shoulder, his breath shaky.
“Back in the day, when I knew nothing about myself, it was scary. A lot of what I knew came from Ariel. She was the one that enjoyed trying out new things while I never wanted to touch my magic. The combat magic and the bonds were discovered and mastered when she was there with me. After she was gone… all I cared about was to make others take my magic and help my fight against the Elements. I suppose there is more I don’t know, but what I know should be enough for you to stay alive.”
“I see how Ariel helped you a lot.”
“It is a miracle I didn’t scare her away. She’s very brave. I… You know how to use a sword, right?” He pulled away and stood, gesturing at the weapons on the wall.
Maybe he wasn’t ready to talk about that yet. Lia nodded, looking closer to the wooden swords. He picked up one of them, handing it to her. It weighed almost the same as the one she used in her training with William.
He picked up another sword for himself and took a step back into the center of the room. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Guess he’s not ready to talk about it yet.
Lia poised herself, holding up her sword, its tip facing him. “I know you are an old guy, but how much are you still into swords?”
“Very much. I am very into all kinds of weapons and all kinds of things I can use as weapons. Did you forget how good I am with crossbows?” He winked, advancing with his sword.
Their blades clashed and Lia tilted hers to the side, stabbing at him. Something tugged at her leg, she stumbled. She rolled her eyes at him. “You used magic with it. That’s cheating.”
He sidestepped, evading her advance. “That is doing the job effectively.”
“Whatever you like to call it.” She lifted her sword just in time to block his slash. Starting her attack at his waist, but he raised his blade with a clean movement from his wrist, he knocked off her sword. In the split second it took for her to register what happened, he patted her on the side with his sword.
“You should let the master teach you the way with a sword.” He grinned.
“Confident, are we?” Lia rolled her eyes, her hands sore from how he forced the sword out of her grip. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, their bodies pressed against each other. Her breath caught, dropping the sword and hugged him back. “What is this for?”
“I think I deserve a prize.” He smirked, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers.
“You are insufferable.” Lia tried to deadpan him, but the corner of her lips curled up against her wish. Her heart hammered in her chest as his breath warm on her lips. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his blue eyes. She stroked his cheek.
Their lips met. The kiss sent a shiver down her spine, feeling his lips tender and warm against hers. She closed her eyes, getting lost. I really can do this all the time. He’s so attractive when he acts all cocky.
She ran her hands down his back, feeling the warmth from his body. Her other hand lost in his hair, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. His hand roamed her, the touches sending sparks along the way. She kissed him with greater force, pushing him half a step back.
“Satisfied with your prize?” Lia raised her brows as she rested her hand on his chest, his heartbeat strong and comforting.
“Could there be something better?”
“It depends…” Her words were interrupted by a quick kiss.
His eyes darkened, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. “Stop being such a tease. Things I want to do to you…”
But this is more fun than you will ever know. Just look at your face.
“What’s stopping you?” She smirked.
He pulled away from her with a groan, shaking his head. “Not now. I still have things to do.”
Things? As in planning to kill William and Eric?
“I kind of want you to stay here with me…” She flicked her eyes down to the floor, holding his hand.
He sighed. “I also want to, but there are things I need to get done before we can have some fun.”
“Can I at least go message Helen? It will get boring with only myself.” She put up her best cute puppy eyes. He gulped, shaking his head as if trying to shake himself out of her gaze. She tilted his chin to meet his eyes.
He took a glance at his watch, nodding to the door. “Maybe later, I will bring you out a bit if you want. I really need to get going,”
“When can I actually see Helen again?”
He halted mid-step, but he schooled himself quickly. “Very soon. Just be patient, will you?”
“How soon is very soon? You know you seem to have a definition about soon that’s very different from the rest of the world’s.” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms above her chest and pursing her lips.
He eyed her with amusement, staring at her for another moment. Lia struggled to keep eye contact, wondering whether it was meaningless to press him for more information.
“Less than a month,” he said with a solemn face, walking out of the room. Lia fought to stay calm as she followed him.
Now don’t act strange. Just be normal. You can do it.
“That’s great! I can’t wait to spend some time with her.”
Chapter 25
Helen
“These are quite some ideas you’ve go
t here.” Helen stared at the pile of paper on William’s desk. Eric was next to her, seemingly as surprised as she was. It was the day after Lia contacted Helen. William seemed to be tenser as the days went by.
William said, “There’s still no hints of where Lia is. Knock on wood, I even went to search for records of dead bodies recently discovered, but there’s nothing. I guess that’s a good thing. But whoever caught her hasn’t reached out either. It doesn’t seem to be about money. It seems more and more likely it was done by the dark magicians.” He frowned deeply, clenching a fist.
“Are you sure they are behind Lia’s disappearance? Or rather, are you sure they are still living?” Eric folded his arms, his brows knitted.
“I don’t know. Who else do you think did it? I don’t think the hostages losing memory is really a coincidence. If it was the people that tried to kill Lia, we would have found her body already. Killing her would be easier than holding her hostage, knowing we will be searching for her.” William rubbed his temple, his body visibly tense.
Helen gulped, her palms drenched with sweat. She wanted so much to tell them that Lia was safe, but they wouldn’t trust her, not to mention she had no way of keeping Adrian out of the story.
“These are the next batch of locations?” Helen asked, pointing at the pile of paper.
“Yes. Maybe we will finally find something.” William let out a heavy sigh.
Helen flinched as she saw Benjamin’s bar and the ice cream shop Adrian’s people opened in the list. She flipped to other locations as fast as she had been looking at each of them. Soon Eric and she went through all the locations William thought were worth looking into.
Eric set down the pile of papers and asked, “You two have already tried some of these, right? How did it go? If it really is the dark magicians, won’t they find out about us hunting their tail if we really go to all these places and hide even better than before?