Page 2 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

I’m someone who has elemny desiring me on my knees, but as they think of me as innocent and sweet, I often contemplate whether I can slit their throat with no one noticing.

After inserting the new contact lenses, I close the box and leave the bathroom. As I return the box to its rightful place, a light tapping comes from the front door. Suspicion runs through me as I glare at the wood before my focus quickly darts to the pillow in the corner of my single bed. My dagger hides between the sheets.

“Pandora? Are you awake?”

My tense shoulders relax. I close the dresser, walk across my room and flick the latch on the door. I peer out at Xavier leaning against the doorframe, his shadow draping over me as he blocks the view on the other side. A beaming grin stretches across his face, turning my insides to jelly, and not in a good way.

“You didn’t wake when I was throwing rocks at your window this morning. Is everything okay?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head. “I didn’t sleep well—but I’ve had a shower, and I am ready to go now.”

Brown eyes glance into my apartment before settling back on me. Xavier rests against the doorframe as if he’s asserting some dominance by blocking the exit. “We can chill here for the day. We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow.”

I bite my lower lip, drop my chin, and look up at him with doe eyes. “No, um…last time you stayed over, it caused complications with my neighbour.”

Xavier’s gaze hungrily devours my body, stripping away my clothes. He’s likely reminiscing about two weeks back, when he stayed over for the night, and I begrudgingly agreed.

And now I’m so close to my goal. Any antagonism can fuck me over, and I need that golden ticket to the Kingdom of Flesh. I can’t keep prolonging it, especially since I will awaken this year. What am I going to do then? I doubt another opportunity like this will come around.

I slide out of the room and then lean my back against the door until it closes. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”

“That’s such a water elemny thing to say,” he laughs.

I giggle, my stomach cramping with pain as I struggle to force it. Yet, if I don’t and just stare at him like he’s an idiot, more questions will come. It’s easier to pretend.

As we make our way down the stairs, my stomach tenses when his fingers intertwine with mine. The heat radiating from his fiery body thickens the sweat in my palm, and this tingling sensation spreads like pins and needles.

My focus becomes fixed on the door, but as I reach for it, Xavier pulls me away. Genuine surprise shatters my feigned surprise, and it takes all the strength I can muster not to knee him in the dick when he grabs my hips to lure me against the wall in the main entrance.

“Xavier,” I say breathlessly instead of lashing out. It won’t help me get any closer to killing King Ragan if I do.

He presses his body against me, and my brow twitches at the lack thereof bulge grinding between my legs while he kisses me. His tongue pries my mouth open to deepen it, flickering like a snake in its wetness. And as he kisses me, he prevents my escape by keeping his hands on my hips. The pressure of his fingers digging into my skin causes me to squirm.

Then, my entire body shuts down, and my movements match the same energy he brings to keep him happy. Yet in reality, I have the urge to cut his dick off and feed it to the fish in the harbour.

“Panda,” he moans my name, and I internally cringe at the stupid nickname. “I don’t think I can wait until I awaken to have sex with you.”

What a fucking line! Is this all men think of? Getting their damn dicks wet? Where the fuck did the romance go? Out the window, I fucking guess.

Someone clears their throat nearby. Breaking away from the kiss, I snap my head toward the noise. My neighbour holds a slab of letters by the staircase. She arches her brow and looks at us with utter disgust, and I can’t blame her. I’m disgusted with myself. But unlike her outward expression, I have to bottle it up inside until Xavier is no longer of use.

“Shi—I’m so sorry,” I say.

The woman with greying silver hair and silver eyes (typical characteristics of air elementals) sneers at us.

We both straighten up and go to leave when the door swings open and a woman passes through. The air elemny who enters wears a bright pink outfit. She has her silver hair tied back, and there’s a curious glint in her silver eyes when she analyses me before she makes her way around and up the stairs. My focus lingers on her longer than expected because I have never seen her in this apartment block before.

“Come on,” Xavier says as he lures me out of the apartment building and away from the watchful gaze of the neighbour. She suspects me. There might come a time when I have to do whatever it takes to protect my identity, and as much as I don’t want to harm an innocent bystander, I need to weigh the chances if my life is at risk.

Xavier lets go of my hand when he talks about soccer on our way to the academy. I force a smile, swoon over him, and perk up in delight as if I am his number one fucking fan.

He reaches for my hand again after finishing his conversation. Before he grabs hold, I wipe my hands on my skirt to remove the sweat. Then, I take his hand, trying not to show how uncomfortable it is for me. However, I often hear that tethered elemny are different.

Kylie has mentioned a few times that whenever she touches an earth elemny, their skin feels rough—like stone. But when she touches Sara (her tethered, unawakened earth elemny girlfriend), Kylie says it’s smooth and comforting. Holding Xavier’s hand wouldn’t feel uncomfortable if we were tethered. I might even enjoy it.

“Are you excited to come with me to the Kingdom of Flesh?” Xavier asks to break the silence.

“Yes! I can’t wait to see you awaken!” I say, squeezing his hand and brimming with fake excitement. Sure, I am a little excited, but it’s not over his excitement. I can’t wait to sink my dagger into the side of King Ragan’s neck.