Hers

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"What were you thinking?"  A strange man's voice drifted through the hallways.  His tone was rough and reminded me of a snake hissing at its prey.

            “Listen,” Ace’s voice whispered harshly.  “You want her here.”

            “Asmo--“Another voice started, just to be cut off by another man.

            “She cannot be here.”  A deep voice rattled off the walls.

            “Just see her,” Ace spoke, his voice neither begging nor commanding.

"This goes against everything we practice."  Another voice added in a deep rumble.

"You need to see her,” Ace demanded.

There were hushed whispers and grumbles of words I couldn't quite make out.  Ace had been back there about an hour.  At first, everything was quiet and all I could hear was the clock ticking on the wall above my head then the yelling started.  It had been going on for about five minutes and it was the same questions over and over again.  What makes you think so?  What were you thinking?  How could you?

After a while, there was something that slightly resembled a growl and a moment later Ace appeared, looking fazed for the first time since I had met him.  His eyes were wide and a strand of his hair had come out of its rightful, slicked back place.  He pushed it away and tilted his head towards the room he had just exited.

"They're ready to see you now," Ace announced.

I raised an eyebrow but stood from my cushioned seat, regardless of my doubt.

"Are you sure?"  I asked.  "They sounded kinda pissed."

Instead of responding, he snaked his arm around the front of my waist and bent down so his was against my neck.  My nerves immediately sprang to life.

"Just remember what you promised me," Ace growled against the tender flesh where my neck and shoulder met.

My brain rattled with the vibrations from his voice.  I nodded helplessly, just managing to bite back a whimper.

"Good," he praised me and took a step back, allowing me to gather my thoughts and collect myself.

He opened the door and stepped through, not bothering to hold it open for me.  I rolled my eyes and stepped inside.  There was a long, low lit hallway with several doors on each side.  A red rug stretched over the smooth white floor and lead all the way down the hallway to a set of large, double doors.

"Ace," I whispered, my low hiss echoing off the walls.

"What?"  He asked, sounding irritated.

"What exactly do you do?"  I asked, slightly creped out by the miniature statue of a gargoyle sitting on a nearby table.

"Just shut the door," He whispered back.

I scrunched my face up and mouthed his words.  Reaching back, I grabbed the doors handle and shut it causing a loud bang to echo off the hallway.  I turned around to see Ace scowling at me.

"Is it my fault the door weighs a ton?"  I asked in a normal volume.

"Just behave, and don't touch anything," He scolded me as if I were a child.

"Yes, father," I bit back at him.

"Lily, I mean it," He said as he grabbed the upper part of my arm and pulled me down the hallway.  "If they talk to you, don't respond, they shouldn’t, but just in case.”