"FINAL ROUND- We're about to begin!" the announce declared, making the crowd go wild with excitement. I nodded confidently before I lifted up my crop shirt and passed it to Ethan. I didn’t want it to get dirty and I needed to be as light as I could be.
I heard the whistles and cheers of the men, all of them enjoying the view of me in my black tights and sports bra. I had to fight not to roll my eyes and noticed the guys’ displeased expressions. I took one last glance at Jaxson, who was still pissed as fuck, but I also noticed a hint of fear in his eyes.
I moved my hand to press against my ear, feigning fixing my earring. "I'll be fine. I love you," I declared, looking right into Jaxson's eyes.
He didn't say anything for a long time. Then he took a deep breath. "I love you too...but you're in deep shit after this,” he grumbled. I groaned.
"Well, time to prove to him we can kick ass," Serenity spoke up.
"When you say anything even close to swear words, you sound too nice to be threatening," Aurora pointed out.
"Ugh, I do try!" Serenity whined.
I smirked, looking at Ethan, who smiled. "Kick ass," he mouthed. With that, I turned to face my opponent, taking a calming breath and zoning everything out for a second.
When I opened my eyes, I was in my own zone, the cheers around me low in volume and my focus 100% on the woman before me. She cracked her knuckles and laughed.
"Let's dance, little one," she taunted.
I heard the bell ring and smiled. "Let’s." In seconds she was charging towards me.
I immediately skidded to the floor, sliding past her. Then I was back on my feet, just as she turned to face me.
She rolled her eyes. "Aww, are we gonna play cat and mouse?" She looked impatient and I heard the low sounds of laughter coming from the male crowd.
"I like cat and mouse. It's rather fun to play, especially when you're the cat," I hissed as I began to circle the small ring.
She followed my slow movements and we stared at one another, each taking cautious steps, ready to react if one of us decided to jump towards the other.
"Why don't you just give up now? Before I break that pretty face of yours?" she suggested. I noticed her once blue eyes turned bright brown. She licked her lips, reminding me of the bear from the vision, the one that killed Christian’s little sister.
I shouldn't have felt angry, for I knew she wasn't the one who did the deed, nor should I judge an entire breed because of the vile actions of one. But my boiling anger turned into energy and made me want to show her exactly what breaking one's face meant.
"Scar, choose me! Pretty please!” Serenity hummed in delight. I grinned and did exactly that, deciding it was time my spirits had a little fun of their own.
In seconds I was no longer in control, watching from behind the scenes as Serenity took over. I noticed my opponent frown, having just realized I let my spirit take over. She immediately charged towards me.
Serenity smirked and I could feel our excitement as we jumped backwards, our legs landing on the sturdy rope bordering the ring. Then we jumped in the air, doing a flip above our opponent. We landed on her back before pushing off it to land on the opposite side of the ring as her body slid to the ground.
We landed with ease as if we were as light as a feather. Serenity giggled and we looked over our shoulder at the woman who scrambled to her feet and turned her head to growl at us.
"Aww? What happened, Miss Mouse? I thought you were going to break my face," Serenity hummed, our voice a little higher than my normal tone, but filled with mockery. Aurora took the opportunity to take over, just as the woman yelled and charged towards us.
Our body moved so quickly, even my mind needed a moment to catch up. Just like that, our foot made contact with her jaw. Then we swung our body around and my other leg smashed into her side, sending her into the ropes.
We jumped back and Serenity took over again, giggling. "Aww. That wasn't very good, Miss Mouse. You should be able to dodge and run away when you see an attack coming. Was I too swift for you?" She danced as she stretched her arms up, almost reminding me of a cat.
I heard the crowd going wild with cheers, calling me Sexy Cat over and over again. We took a quick glance at the guys. Junho and Michael had wide grins on their faces and even Jaxson had a small smile on his lips.
We returned our gaze to our opponent. I noticed the blood that dripped from her mouth. She glared at us with bloodthirsty rage and I could see the glow in the ring of her irises, which made us smile in satisfaction.
Aurora took over and we walked over to the corner of the ring, resting our back on the pole that held the ropes in place and tilted our head.
"I wonder who has a broken face now? Why don't you come to my corner so we can play?" Aurora purred before giggling, the tone full of seduction, which made the crowd go crazy.
"Fucking skinny bitch!" she roared, charging towards me. We pressed our palms firmly onto the ropes and using our core, we lifted ourselves up. The moment our opponent was in reach, we hooked our legs around her neck, letting go of the ropes. Then we firmly held on with our arms around her head.
She screamed and tried to bash us into to the metal thick pole of the ring, but we were too fast. I got a firm hold with my hands on her shoulders and unhooked my legs. Aurora pulled back and allowed me to take over, knowing I'd be the only one who could pull this move off with my training background.
I used her body as my gymnastic beam, lifting myself up. My back would fall to the floor if I fucked this up, but I knew I wouldn't. I let go, but hooked my arms around her neck just as my body dropped down, giving me enough strength to cause her to lose balance.
Instead of body slamming her to the floor, my legs dropped to the ground and I used all my strength to lift her up, using my back to hold her oversized frame. I flipped her over, slamming her into the solid ground.
Everyone gasped, but I didn't stop, leaping back to avoid her grabby arms. I jumped back again, higher this time and landed on the top rope of the ring. Before the woman could react, I pushed off and flipped forward in the air and landed onto her back.
She screamed in agony and I knew I must have broken something, but I figured if she was a shifter, they would heal her right up. I think?
I jumped again, moving away from her just in case my attack didn't cripple her. I looked over my shoulder to see her frozen in place, unable to even move from her spot.
"Oh? I guess I'm not so skinny after all if that did so much damage," I mumbled, walking over to her. She growled and pushed her fists on the ring floor and I sighed as I met her gaze. I crouched down and Aurora took over, allowing my eyes to turn black which was how they should have been when she took control.
The woman gulped and I knew with how close we were, no one else would be able to see the change.
"First off, I'm curvy. Get it straight and second, analyze your opponent before charging into battle. You'll never know if you're battling a double," Aurora whispered.
Serenity took over to giggle."Bye Bye, Miss Mouse,” she sang and we stood up. We waited another ten seconds until the bell rang.
"WINNER!" the announcer declared.
The crowd cheered and I sighed in relief, turning my attention to Ethan, who grinned. He jumped into the ring and jogged up to me. He pulled me into a hug and lifted me up. "That was hot as fuck."
I giggled. "Team effort?" I hummed. Thanks, Serenity and Aurora.
"That was fun!" Serenity cheered.
"You’re welcome, Scarlet. We'll be hiding now," Aurora pointed out. Hiding?
They both disappeared from my mind. I didn't have time to question it, because the announcer entered the ring and presented our prizes.
"Congratulations! One of the best shows we’ve seen. You two should definitely come to participate again next week,” the tall muscled man urged.
Ethan chuckled, sliding an arm around my waist as he held the little trophy while I received the box containing the crystal. "We'll think about it. Maybe
it’ll be a good way to blow off some steam once in a while," Ethan suggested. We exchanged a few words and gave our fake contact info for their records before moving back to our private change room.
When we got there, I finally sighed in relief, feeling the aches and soreness of my actions. "Man, I'm gonna be sore in the morning," I whined.
"Hmmm, I think I'm not doing my job as your lover if you're not sore after our lovemaking," Ethan teased.
I laughed. "You did just fine and again, we were just limited on time." We reached our lockers and I sat down on the bench, Ethan sitting down next to me.
We exchanged glances before turning our attention to the box in my hand. I set it down and opened it up to see a silver bracelet with a green crystal embedded in the middle. I smiled, picking it up from the box and feeling the power radiating through it.
* * *
"What a show."
I opened my eyes, looking to my right to see a gorgeous woman. She looked to be of mixed African and Indian descent. Her light caramel skin looked radiant against her black locks. Her green eyes had hints of yellow in them and her 6'2” height was noticeable in her long green lace dress, which had different patterns in red, gold, and blue. She gave me a sweet smile and glanced at the crystal in my hand before she looked at Ethan.
"He's had a harsh past, yet he concerns himself with everyone else's problems,” she whispered.
I looked at Ethan, who was frozen in place, and I nodded. "I agree. He would rather ensure everyone is okay and safe than worry about himself."
"I'm glad he will guard and protect my crystal. Working alone is a hard and a lonely task for anyone to take, but working in unity towards the same goal can create miracles and save many lives,” the woman declared.
"There's no challenge?" I asked. I had been mentally preparing myself for this, but the woman shook her head.
"This challenge is not what I test. You proved your strength long ago with my other sisters. What I observe is how this will end. When you find the last crystal, I will return....we all will,” she whispered, turning away.
"Wait. Your name?" I asked.
"Akoya. A pleasure to meet you, Visionary Elemental. Till we meet again." She bowed her head and with a passing breeze, she was gone and time continued to tick by.
* * *
"Scar?" Ethan asked. I turned to meet his gaze. "You okay?"
I grinned, nodding my head slowly. Then I closed my eyes, allowing the words to flood through my mind and leave my lips.
* * *
"May the Starlight gods bless you and grant you the powers within the Crystal of Unity. May it give you the ability to unite loved ones and reveal the spoken truth behind people's harsh words and actions. Take care of others, but do not forget thyself, because you are the key that holds all together. Without you, everything will fall apart. I grant this role to you for as long as you shall live, until the day such power will be passed down to the next guardian. In stars, we trust."
* * *
I placed the bracelet on his left wrist, watching it glow slightly as Ethan replied, "In stars, we trust."
"If you aren't going to follow my orders...then...you have to think whether Team Seven's for you, Scarlet," Jaxson whispered.
I gawked at him as we stood in the almost deserted parking lot. We'd waited until everyone had cleared out before planning to leave. I was heading to the motorbike to start it up, Michael stating he wouldn’t be long. I planned to ride with Michael tonight since I was staying over at his place.
I thought I'd gotten the last of Jaxson's wrath, but he followed me and now here we were staring at one another. Anger filled our eyes and we both clenched our fists, neither of us wanting to admit we were wrong.
"So because I made the executive decision to participate in a cage fight match which I won, to prove I could handle my own weight, and contribute to the team aside from visions and helping to solve cases on the sidelines, you’re basically telling me to find a different team," I summarized.
Jaxson bit his lip and I knew this was hurting him a lot more than me. He was afraid of me getting hurt, not as an investigator, but as his girlfriend, who he didn't want to see dead on the bottom floor in a pool of blood.
He was doing this because he loved me and was afraid to lose me again, but he was forgetting one important factor.
"Scar, it's-" he began, but I didn't want to hear it. I could feel my anger had reached its peak, and if I stayed any longer, the elements would respond to my strong emotions and I might accidently harm the man I loved.
I walked forward, sliding my hand into my back pocket and retrieved my badge. I slammed it into his chest and held it there.
"Jaxson White, I know you love me. I'll never deny that, but you're forgetting one essential thing here. Outside of work, we are lovers. During work, we are both private investigators. I proved myself worthy on our first case and am not below you anymore. I'm an equal team member and one that you need to trust to make the right decisions to help the entire team. I regret nothing, because thanks to my participation, we got the crystal and completed the assignment given to us. But if you can't acknowledge that due to the love...and maybe even the fear that lingers inside you... then you're right," I whispered, blinking back tears as I stared into his wide amber eyes.
"Maybe I'm not right for Team Seven. Here's my badge. Feel free to find the last crystal without me," I declared and just like that, I began walking away.
I could hear multiple footsteps begin to follow, and that prompted me to move faster, reaching Michael's bike in no time. I quickly got on and put the helmet on, starting it up quickly.
"What? Wait, what the flying fuck just happened?!" I heard Ethan shout.
"Scar?!" Junho called out, but I ignored them. My heel moved the kickstand back in place, and with the press of the handles I was moving.
"SCAR!" I heard the others call after me, but I paid them no mind, squeezing the handles harder to increase my speed. I turned onto the main road and drove.
I let my tears fall and sobs escaped me as I drove, thankful there was no one following. They didn't need to see how much Jaxson's simple words hurt me.
Why was it so hard? Why couldn't he be more confident in me? Why couldn't he praise me for my hard work? Why, why, why?
I continued to cry and the land below mourned with me. It could feel my agony, the heartache, the pain that vibrated through me and was released into the air by my loud sobs and whimpers.
The dark sky filled with grey clouds and thunder roared through the sky as lightning struck in the distance. Rain began to pour and I allowed it, hoping it would help ease the anger in me. Its cool comforting droplets would help ease the burning heat of rage I held inside me.
I wasn't angry at Jaxson. I was angry at the primary source of our troubles, which was Xerxes. All of this had been his fault. The constant cases, the search for the crystals, everything I'd been enduring. The reason I had a fucking crystal in my heart. It was all thanks to him, and yet again, I was in pain because one of my lovers, who happened to be the leader of my team, could not accept the fact he couldn't always protect me.
I drove so fast the bike began to vibrate, but I didn't care. I truly didn't care what happened to me because without my team...the group of lovers I cherished and opened my heart to, I felt empty.
"SCAR! Fucking stop!"
I was pulled out of my dark thoughts by Michael’s' loud voice, which cut through the harsh rain that beat the ground. I looked over my shoulder and my eyes widened at the large white wings that spread from his back as he soared behind me.
He sped up, hovering over me before he passed. I debated whether to slow down or not, but Jaxson's words kept repeating in my mind. I wasn’t a part of the team anymore.
I was going to keep at my current speed, but I felt magic in the air and watched Michael land a few feet away from me.
"Stop, Scarlet,” he insisted, his eyes a dark copper. I bit my lip, my hands gripping the breaks to slow me down.
In seconds, the bike came to a stop. I cursed, getting off the bike and lifting my helmet off to throw it onto the patch of grass next to me.
"Michael! Don't go using your damn gift on me!" I snapped before I turned around and stormed in the opposite direction. I knew I'd given him permission to use it on me in the bedroom, but I should have been more specific, which had proven to be my downfall in this moment as I stomped off in the rain.
I heard the flap of wings, but I didn't care. My ass would walk away from Michael because until we got back to the office and clocked out, this was work and he wasn't a part of my team anymore.
"Scarlet!" Michael called out.
I kept walking and heard Michael's frustrated exhale, but it didn't stop me. I knew if I stopped I wouldn't be able to hold back anymore. I wouldn't be able to mask the pain I'd been harboring. I wish I could say my feelings of being left out had faded after my talk with Ethan, but they hadn’t.
Those emotions still lingered inside me, waiting for this day to come. It was as if my body knew that it would only be a matter of time till I had to face the reality that I wouldn't fit in. Not because of my skill set, but because I was fragile.
I passed out after getting visions. I could barely cast any spells unless we were in life or death situations. I earned the award of being the “baggage of the team” because that's exactly how I felt. The person who brought the team down.
Someone wrapped their arms around my waist. I tried to pull out of Michael's hold, but he was stronger. Arms came around me and he held me tightly, making it impossible for me to escape.
"Fuck, Scar. Stop. I know you're angry," Michael whispered. My lip trembled as I tried to think of words. Angry? Sad? Confused? Heartbroken? The list of emotions running through me was endless and as they flooded through me, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Jaxson doesn't want me on the team anymore," I said quietly.
"Scar, he didn't mea-"
"Every day...I wake up and right before work I stare at that badge. I look at the metallic pink metal symbol and my photo beneath it," I said, trying to hold my back tears and sobs.
Visionary Awakened (Paranormal INC Series Book 2) Page 23
