Wicked Thing (C.O.A Series Book 2) (9 page)

Lexy stepped out of the way and hissed, “Now, listen you little shit. I’m not in the mood to play these games with you right now!”

It cackled boisterously and tossed another one at her. She dodged it and chuckled. The monkey disappeared and she took a moment to take note of her surroundings. Lexy bent down, plucked a flower from the ground and smelled it. This was the flower that made that incredible fragrance. She tucked it behind her ear, and decided it was time to go and find her absentee Handler. She’d thought she was in the clear when she was struck in the head again from behind.
You little shit!
She spun around and there were at least twenty small grinning chimpanzees poised in the branches ready to launch a coconut assault.
Oh, seriously
. Unless she was planning on wasting her time climbing trees to ring each one of their little mischievous necks she’d better just get out of their firing range. Lexy grinned and sprinted away just as they began to pummel her mercilessly with coconuts. She kept running until she was certain she’d lost the obnoxious little mob and slowed her pace to a stroll. Lexy had never seen a monkey before but she decided monkeys were assholes and she really didn’t need to see one again.
Where was Greydon?
She was actually a little bit surprised that Grey hadn’t found her already
. It was his damn job after all.
She started to think through the list of reasons he hadn’t found her yet and the one that stuck in her mind was that he was having too much fun with Lily. Lexy kept walking, noting that she was not going to allow herself to behave like a jealous shrew. She heard the sound of the monkey’s laughter and it sounded a little bit too close for comfort. So, Lexy picked up her pace and darted through the jungle avoiding the roots as stealthily as a jungle cat. She heard the rushing sound of water and decided that was the direction she should go. A thought popped into her mind and Lexy started to giggle. She’d been actively thinking about needing a distraction and that’s exactly what Azariah had given her. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been away from Grey because time was a strange beast when they were in the in-between, but she knew that her little detour on the road to being done with her Handler physically bothered her a lot less.
Good work, Azariah.
She continued her trek through the vibrant colors, musical sounds and exhilarating fragrances of the jungle towards the sound of rushing water and as Lexy stepped out of the brush and arrived at the waterfall the scenery flashed and she found herself standing on a picturesque cliff bluff overlooking the place where the ravine’s floor had crumbled beneath her feet. Lexy was standing alone beneath the backdrop of a crimson and tangerine hued sunset.
This was where she’d lost the others. Surely, they wouldn’t still be hanging out at the bottom of the ravine.
Lexy sensed him behind her before she made a move to turn around and didn’t flinch as he touched her shoulder.

Grey spoke, “I was told to leave you alone and allow you some time to find your balance. Did you manage to find it?”

She turned to face her Handler and replied, “I think so. What have you guys been up to?” They casually strolled away from the ledge.

He took her hand and said, “I’ll take you there.”

The scenery flashed and in an instant they were walking on a tropical beach towards Lily and Frost. Lexy released her grasp on Grey’s hand and spun around so she could take in her surroundings. They were on a tiny island that appeared to be about the size of a few city blocks with nothing but water in every direction. There was jungle in the center and a white silky sand beach that appeared to circumference the lush greenery. The water was a brilliant teal green.
She’d never been to this place before. It was quite lovely. The sky was now various tones of blue splattered across the always changing backdrop of in-between. This was why time was impossible to keep track of.

Their fellow Ankh were sprawled out in the sand on their stomachs having a conversation while drinking what appeared to be Pina Coladas? There was a plate of fruit on the beach in front of them.

Grey smiled and stated, “It’s pretty cool isn’t it? I guess this is one of Lily and Frost’s special places.”

Frost noticed her towering above him and said, “Grab a drink and relax.”

Grab a drink?

She glanced at Grey and he was already seated in the sand with a slushy drink in his hand. His icy drink was red. She took a seat beside him and thought of a drink and it appeared in her hand.
Well, this was a new thing for them to do.
She’d never had the urge to eat or drink while in the in-between.
Well, besides apples but she wasn’t going to allow herself to think of that right now
. Lexy took a sip of the icy beverage and it was glorious. The frozen treat danced around her taste buds as she noted that it was warmer on this beach and that absolutely intoxicating scent from the jungle was still in the air. She assumed it must be the tropical flowers skirting the beach area. Then she remembered she’d tucked the flower behind her ear. That’d be why she still smelt it. Lexy grabbed it and smiled at herself.
She’d never claimed to be a brain surgeon.
She looked up at the multicolored shades of blue in the sky and then over at her Handler who was lapping this experience up.

She nudged Grey and questioned, “How come we’ve never done this before?”

Frost was the one to respond, “You’ll find you become rather creative as time goes on.”

Lexy placed the flower on the beach and scooped a handful of the white sand into the palm of her hand, allowing the delicate silky grains to trickle through her slightly spread finger tips. She felt calm. She’d really needed to let off some steam.

Lily raised her glass and added, “Isn’t this a great way to spend your time, though.”

Lexy glanced up and smiled at her.
It definitely was
.

Lily’s onyx colored hair was glimmering in the sunlight. It trailed like a waterfall down her back. Her olive skin always had her looking like she was tanned to perfection. Frost’s skin tone and coloring were the same as hers. They would have made a stunningly gorgeous couple back in the day. They were just friends now and somehow managed to keep those lines clearly drawn, unlike her and Grey. Perhaps, that was why Frost was always keeping himself occupied with a sea of women. Well, that was until the Brighton twins had come into his life. His situation had become decidedly more complicated after that had happened. She recalled the sight of the twins together. They had been truly identical on the outside. On the inside Kayn’s moral compass had actually been operating, while Chloe’s had always appeared to be missing its needle. When the twin’s souls had joined, Kayn Brighton had been the dominant one. Chloe had just sort of faded into the background. Well, that’s what she’d thought at first, but as the year progressed Kayn had definitely come into her own and gradually became a well-rounded person. They were all innately flawed for different reasons. Kayn’s flaws had always been incredibly endearing. She would miss her the most if they didn’t find their way out of the Testing. Lexy took a sip of her Pina Colada and closed her eyes as the warmth of the sun’s rays belted down on her. She opened them and Frost was sitting beside her, lost in thought.
It felt like this would be an appropriate time to say or do something to console him. Would anything she had to say right now really mean anything at all if she didn’t make it? Probably not.
She opted out of a pep talk knowing that if he wasn’t speaking about it he might be trying to stop himself from thinking about it, and she knew what that felt like. She glanced at Grey. His blonde sun-bleached hair kept falling into his eyes and he repeatedly brushed them away. Her Handler needed a haircut. He’d always been a little bit slack as far as his hair was concerned. Between that, and his golden hued tanned skin, he looked like he should be surfing on a beach somewhere. Greydon looked like one of a million guys. Frost and Lily were obvious immortals but Grey was not. Lexy smiled to herself knowing she wasn’t an apparent one either with her long crimson hair and skin that lightly freckled at the first hint of sunlight. Grey and Lily were carrying on some kind of deep conversation and for a moment she wondered if that mixture would be as horrible to endure now that she’d decided to try to stop the intimate cycle they were in. He was a loyal guy and if he had feelings for Lily it might give her enough time to get over their little situation and move on. She shook her head and brought herself back to reality. That was a horrible thing to think. He’d fallen for Lily but she didn’t fall for him and that had left him heart broken. Maybe, if Melody made it out of the Testing something a little bit more serious might happen between them now that she’s realized that Thorne will never be a possibility.

Frost touched her leg to get her attention and whispered, “You know if you’re thinking about another person for him, it means you’re ready to move on.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” she whispered her response.

Frost glanced at Lily and said, “You know, I’ve been where you are. If you ever want to talk about it, my ears are all yours.”

She smiled at him, nodded and stated, “I may take you up on that someday.”

Lexy watched Frost stare into his drink for a minute or two before deciding that maybe she should say something about Kayn. She picked up another handful of sand and ordered, “Hold out the palm of your hand.”

Frost humored her by doing as he was told and she allowed the delicate grains to trickle from her hand into his. He knit his brow obviously wondering where she was going with this.

She grinned and began her not so well thought out explanation, “These are the obstacles they have to get past in the Testing in the beginning and I’d imagine it seems like an insurmountable thing for anyone who is normal. If I’m right about my interpretation of your earlier conversation you’ve set it up so Kevin will kill Kayn in the Testing. If he does kill her, this actually might work. She wouldn’t have been my choice for the Dragon after seeing their Corrections, but I understand how the opportunity presented itself with Kevin.”

Frost stared into her eyes and asked, “Can I drop this handful of sand yet?”

She grinned and teased, “Be patient.” Lexy brushed all of the sand off of his palm and said, “Do you see your empty hand.”

Frost shrugged as he replied, “Yes, of course.”

She smiled and said, “Once she’s a Dragon. There will be no obstacles for her. She won’t see them anymore. If Kevin does his part and Kayn becomes a Dragon, she is going to be seriously pissed at you when she finds out, but they are coming home.”

He smiled at her and said, “She may hate me for a while but I guess I’ve got an eternity to make it up to her, don’t I?”

“That you do,” Lexy responded as she took another drink of her Pina Colada, noticing that the ice hadn’t melted a touch.
It was a truly magical place.

Frost stood up and said, “We should get going. We can’t stay in the fantasy forever.”

Lexy took his hand and he helped her up.
Don’t I know it
.

Frost grinned at her as though he’d heard her inner witty commentary and he whispered, “Ditto.”

The four of them stood side by side as Grey said, “One second.” He downed the rest of his red slushy drink.

Lexy winced at the red stained mustache it had painted on the skin of his upper lip. She grinned and said, “One more second.” She used her finger and tried to clean it off of him.

Grey grimaced and swatted her away from him like an unruly child while saying, “Thanks mom, but I’m sure it won’t be on my face once we’re out of here.”

Mom…That’s awesome
. She shook her head. They joined hands and in the time it took to blink they were strolling through the warm silky sand of the blank slated desert towards their glowing Guardian Azariah. She greeted them with a welcoming smile and Lily strolled towards her and they embraced.

She gently stroked Lily’s glistening midnight colored hair and lovingly said, “It’s nice to see you too my child.”

There was something about Azariah’s voice that instantly put you at ease. It was like hearing a sedating lullaby. It had taken many years to not feel the urge to bow in her presence with that glowing light that attached her to the sky of blue above them.

Lily stepped away from her and enquired, “How are they doing in there?”

Azariah gave her a maternal smile and replied, “As well as can be expected. It’s been brutal and savage. They are still fighting against it and trying to avoid different demises. They have yet to figure out the purpose of the Testing. They haven’t risen to the occasion as I’d hoped they would by this point.”

Frost silently nodded and made a valiant attempt to appear unaffected by the news. Lexy knew his thousand years of immortality had left him realistic in the face of adversity such as this. Even though his heart wanted him to see past it.

Frost turned away, looked directly at Azariah and said, “Has it happened yet?”

Azariah met his steady gaze with a response, “No, the boy hasn’t been able to bring himself to do it.”

Frost nodded again and replied, “I’m not sure I could do it either.”

She laid her hand on his shoulder, gave him a loving squeeze and said, “I will keep you updated through your Oracle. Right now all you need to have is faith. Winnie is certain her grandson will do what is right when the time comes.”

Lexy could tell their Guardian’s speech had done little to sooth Frost’s aching heart for Frost had already stated aloud that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do the deed if the duty had fallen on him.

Azariah’s eyes softened when she noticed the stricken expression on Frost’s face and she added, “My child, it is pointless to spend your time worrying about something you have no control over.”

Lexy couldn’t make eye contact with her soft hearted Handler. Their plot was seriously harsh and that was coming from her. She understood that their plot to create a Dragon was a necessary evil for that described her duties in their clan to a tee. They were sending Kevin after Kayn and her love for him ran as deep as her love for Grey. She’d seen it in her eyes. The logical warrior within her saw the genius in their savagely emotionally brutal plot. If Kevin went after Kayn it would be an emotionally crippling event. Would he be able to bring himself to do it? Well, that remained to be seen…