ONYX(unedited;1st draft)

Tic... Toc

76. Tic... Toc

  "Five seconds," is all Ace said after I told him the information I knew. Information that included a certain female that he wouldn't mind getting his claws into. Literally.

  He was perched on the side of his desk, looking down at his hands as he kneaded the pad of his thumb into the palm of his other hand slowly.

  I tried not to be too concerned about his appearance; only in a pair of ripped shorts and muddy shoes, leaving a nasty trail along the floor of his bedroom and stuck to various parts of his body. It's obvious he was out, looking for her—trying to catch a scent. Everyday he left for hours, each day longer than the one before and everyday he came back with nothing and it was driving him crazy.

  I let out a breath, "You have to understand, I couldn't just leave her-"

  His head snaps up and when he spoke, it was low, "I don't give a fuck what you could or couldn't do." It was the calmness and control in his voice that made it even more intimidating, "You bring that..." He trails off, his jaw clenching and his face twisted in anger, "Parasite into my home. She could've gotten eaten alive by voltures for all I care- you do not," he gritted, pointing at me, "Bring any of those sadistic motherfuckers anywhere near where I lay my head."

  I knew he wasn't exactly finished but I had to take that small pause for myself, "I understand, Ace, I do, but-"

  "Get out," he cuts me off hardly, moving away from the desk and glaring at me so hard I almost took a step back, "And take it with you."

  "Ace she gave me information," I said quickly, taking the next silent seconds as my cue to say more, "The tower. He said something to her about a tower. I'm pretty sure we both know what that means." I said, giving him a look.

  His nostrils flared and his fists flexed by his sides. I knew it was killing him not to rip my throat out for what I did, but that wasn't priority.

  It was quiet after that and seconds later the door was open and multiple bodies walked in.

  "I know where it is," Calixe voiced, knowing no one else knew where to even start looking.

  "What is it about a tower?" Roman asked.

  I heard Theo sigh loudly, "They were gonna live in this huge mansion in the west. It had a tower. Can you keep up," he tried not to snap and failed.

  "Well excuse me for not know the whole family drama. When we finally had a little sit down, my sister practically got her throat ripped out!"

  "Stop being a bitch about it," Theo retorted, his arms crossed, "She fucking deserved it, manhandling a damn child-"

  "Theodore," Calixe scolded for the face of being a good father, because he knew Theo was right. We all did.

  I caught sight of Julien massaging the space between his eyes with his fingers, "Okay. We know where they are," he said, looking up with an impassive expression, "We need to come up with some sort of strateg-"

  "Strategy?" Ace retorted hardly, "I don't have time for a strategy-"

  "Killian you need some sort of plan. You can't just run in there," Julien responded with equal fire, "She wouldn't want you to-"